John T. Gillespie named International President
 John T. Gillespie
|
John T. Gillespie, a stalwart member of the Kalamazoo Chapter, was elected to be the Society's incoming international president for 1984. John had previously held the office of vice-president treasurer, and had served in various chapter and district offices during the 1970's, including that of Pioneer District president. During the Society "expansion years" John became a valuable asset in Kenosha because of his years of experience as a Certified Public Accountant. John was given much of the credit for putting the Society on a sound financial footing during and immediately following the purchase of the headquarters annex in Kenosha.
It was unfortunate that during the week of the international convention, he suffered a heart attack which sidelined John for a while; but with his resilience he recovered completely, fortunately for John and for us. John has also worked as a secretary in the Contest and Judging Category for the last fifteen years or so. The district is fortunate to have such a dedicated guy as John and his wonderful wife Betty serving in our district.
Mike McClary rejuvenates Benjamin Landino Trophy
Mike McClary, a member of the Grosse Pointe Chapter and bass singer of the GOOD NEWS quartet, the current district champions (1982-83), was a two-year member of our Society and an automotive tool and die engineer. While the trophy was in Mike's possession, he took it upon himself to completely refurbish it. He spent extensive hours on re-staining, varnishing and buffing the early 40's classic. Mike, true to his craft, did a magnificent job in renovating the trophy, and it looks almost as good as it did when it was new. Thanks to Mike and the Grosse Pointe Chapter for maintaining the trophy tradition. This was the Pioneer District Quartet Trophy, so don't confuse it with the other great trophies inaugurated by the Grosse Pointe Chapter.
GOOD NEWS Quartet takes Great Lakes Express Traveling Trophy
The results of the winner for the 1983 Traveling Trophy were announced early in January proclaiming the GOOD NEWS quartet the overall most productive contributor. All in all, $2494.52 was contributed with the GOOD NEWS portion just $601, and the SOUNDS AROUND with $400. An excellent performance was given by all of our quartets.
Ann Arbor was the site for the contests
 Center Stage
|
For the fourth straight time CENTER STAGE qualified to represent the district at the international convention, to be held in St. Louis, Missouri. The TRI-COUNTY CONNECTION and the SATURDAY NIGHT FEATURE also qualified to make it possible for Pioneer District to send three great quartets to the big one. Thirteen quartets in all competed, including the following and their position in the contest: HEIRLOOM, fourth; DUTCH MASTERS, fifth; IVY LEAGUE, sixth; the SOUND AMBASSADORS, seventh; the VERY IDEA, eighth; HARMONY HOUNDS, ninth; TOUCH OF CLASH, tenth; FIRST ENDEAVOR, eleventh; OL' TIME HARMONY, twelfth, and SOUND JUNCTION, thirteenth.
 Lakeshore "84"
|
In the contest to determine the winner of the district chorus championship, the Grosse Pointe LAKESHORE Chorus won their first district championship ever, defeating 13 other choruses. The chorus, under the direction of Russ Seely, can still be heard roaring along the streets of Ann Arbor in celebration of this great victory for them. [I am particularly aware of this because I had the pleasure of making the announcement from the stage for the district, and the house went whammy on us for a while.] The Huron Valley Chorus was awarded the 1984 Gold Division championship, and The Port Huron Chorus was awarded the Silver Division Trophy.
At the Pioneer District House of Delegates meeting held in conjunction with the competition, the following awards were presented:
Area Counselor of the Year Award: Ron Breidenger
Pioneer District Achievement Awards: Gold Division—Grand Rapids Chapter; Silver Division—Muskegon Chapter.
District Achievement Award Winners as compiled by international: Plateau 1—Milford; Plateau II—Muskegon; Plateau III—Benton Harbor-St. Joseph; Plateau IV—Huron Valley; and Plateau V—Wayne.
Board and House of Delegates notes: Copies of the consent calendar were used for the first time at this meeting. This action was voted in at the October 15, 1983 House of Delegates meeting.
RAPSCALLIONS capture crown
Despite the fact that CENTER STAGE gave a very good run in the contest, the RAPSCALLIONS hung on to defeat the CENTER STAGE 4696-4543 in a tight contest held in St. Louis, Missouri July 5-6, 1984. VAUDEVILLE, the HARRINGTON BROTHERS, and the CINCINNATI KIDS rounded out the top five medalists.
 Wonderland "84"
|
The perennial chorus winner, the Louisville Kentucky THOROUGHBREDS, won another of their titles, outscoring Lombard, Illinois by 19 points. The Wayne WONDERLAND Chorus finished in 12th place with 1333 points.
Battle Creek the scene of the District chorus contest on October 20, 1984
The fall convention news relied heavily on the appearance of a rejuvenated Wayne WONDERLAND Chorus, which was striving greatly to reach the magical count of 1000 points on the contest stage. Wayne reigned supreme over 15 other choruses to outscore the Grand Rapids GREAT LAKES Chorus 952 to 883. Grosse Pointe, Battle Creek, and Lansing rounded out the top five contestants.
 The Ritz
|
The quartet contest was highlighted by the dazzling performances of a new foursome called the RITZ. This new quartet is a combination of voices from Johnny Appleseed and Pioneer Districts and, this contest served as their debut. Singing tenor was Jim Shisler; lead Doug Nichol; baritone, Clay Shumard; and bass; Ben Ayling. The RITZ outscored the next three quartets with 1875 points compared to the HEIRLOOM'S 1642 and the DUTCH MASTERS' 1622, who actually gave very solid performances themselves. The BRIGHTER SIDE was a strong new addition to the quartet scene and, if they continued to improve, they would be eventual big winners on the way to the top.
House of Delegates meeting held on Saturday, October 19, 1984
 Bob McDermott
|
The Nominating Committee presented a slate of nominees for officers of the Pioneer District for 1985, and upon motion duly made and seconded that the nominations be closed, the officers listed below were declared elected: Bob McDermott, president; Earl Berry, executive vice president; vice presidents—Clay Jones, Division I, Bob Huntley, Division II, Robert Goldschmeding, Division III, Don Bazeley, Division IV, Ron Yahrmatter, Division V; Jack Schneider, treasurer; and Jack Teubert, secretary.
Bill Tobias replaces Rusty Ruegseggar as Troubadour editor
Effective January 1, 1985, William T. Tobias became the new editor of the Pioneer District Troubadour, replacing Rusty Ruegseggar who resigned because of his work load. Rusty did a great job with the Troubadour, and his contributions to Pioneer as district editor were greatly appreciated.
Gene Weston passes away
The Pioneer District and the entire Society as a whole suffered a great loss on November 19, 1984, with the passing of Donald Eugene Weston. To Gene, the preservation and encouragement of barbershop singing was all important to him and worth all the devotion and dedication he put into it. His accomplishments were many: he served the Saginaw-Bay Chapter as its membership vice president; he was Zone V area counselor for two years; was elected barbershopper of the year for 1982; Pioneer District Division V vice-president and also managed to help start the Swan Valley chapter. How wonderful it would be if there could be more of us like him.
| [index] | [1981] | [1982] | [1983] | [1984] | [1985] | [Contents] |
