Honoring Those Who Helped Build a Champion
One of the changes that I had the privilege to oversee during my presidency, in addition to the change in the chapter name from Foothill Cities to Santa Fe Springs, was the addition of a new classification of membership. The Board approved the “Emeritus” classification of membership in December 2000.
Although the definitions vary by source, and whether it is used as a noun or an adjective, ‘emeritus’ generally means: “holding after retirement an honorary title corresponding to that held last during active service.”
To appreciate the significance of this change, you would need to understand that the Masters of Harmony originally had an “Active Members Only” policy. In its early history, there was no other form of membership. You either sang in the chorus or went elsewhere. In the early ‘90s, the Associate membership was introduced as a way for a member to continue his relationship with the chorus, when the singer could no longer meet the demands of the performing chorus. However, such a change had to be requested within one year of becoming inactive and be approved by the Board of Directors. Over time and despite our many successes, many contributing members had fallen inactive and eventually fell off our rolls.
With the Emeritus membership, a man who helped to build the Masters of Harmony into a recurring championship chorus could continue his association with the chapter and still be recognized as a champion. Because of the requirement that an emeritus member must have won at least one gold medal with the Masters of Harmony, it is, by definition, a select and special group of men.
We now have 51 emeriti on our rolls, bringing the total chapter membership to over 200. Although our esteemed retired brethren no longer join us on the risers each week, they still have much to offer those of us dedicated to continuing the MOH tradition of musical excellence. The emeritus roster includes former MOH presidents Dan Fullerton, Ken Custer, Bob Lally, Paul Laemmle, Chuck Leavitt and Lance Trossevin. Dan and Bob, as well as John Krizek, have also since served as Far Western District presidents. Irv Levine was a constant resource until his death two years ago; his wife Lois still serves the chapter and has twice received the Alice Blue Gown award. The roster is full of famous quartetters that have graced district and international contest stages.
Several of our emeritus members had major involvement in building the chapter. Bill Roth, former VP of Music & Performance and one of our founding members, was heavily involved in forming the initial organization and the creation of chapter policies and procedures. Despite having moved to Thailand over a decade ago, MOH leaders, including myself on many occasions, can still depend on Bill for sage advice on chapter issues. Joe Palmquist’s handiwork can still be seen every time we load or unload the trailer as he built the wardrobe racks and infrastructure for holding the racks and risers inside the trailer; and his wife Jackie is a chorus living legend.
For many years after retirement from the chorus, Marlin Niesley and Lefty Parasson served as Chapter Awards Chairman and Christmas Quartets Coordinator, respectively. Marlin added a “touch of class” at the annual banquet and installation dinner, tuxedo and all. Lefty could always be counted on to fill the roster of quartets for two weeks every December on the Christmas floats as a warm-up for Santa’s appearances in Santa Fe Springs, thereby fulfilling one of our most welcome duties for the City. Consistent with our musical expectations, these jobs were always performed at the highest level of excellence and helped to maintain the positive image of the MOH.
In fact, several of our emeritus members still do much of the heavy lifting required to keep it running smoothly. Most prominent of these is Taylor Anderson (Webmaster), Dave Briner (Copyright Records Manager) and Frank Ortega (MasterLink Editor and Director of Communications). Although Taylor and Frank live in Arizona, they continue to update and maintain our presence on the web and the coordination of other forms of electronic communications with our members, patrons, and the public. Taylor has been instrumental in creating the portal for the sale of show tickets on the web. Of course, this is an ongoing effort that requires a substantial amount of work each time we change show venues. Dave continues to ensure that the songs we sing are “legal,” by properly clearing the arrangements with the appropriate institutions. This work has extended to obtaining mechanical licenses prior to the release of every one of our recordings.
Of course, there are many men not currently singing with us who may not yet have chosen to go emeritus, but still assist the chapter in important ways. It may very well be that they have some hope to rejoin us on the risers. If not, I would encourage them to consider the change. The annual chapter dues are only $25 and include the unique requirement of having earned at least one gold medal with the MOH.
We thank the emeritus members for their collective contribution to building the chorus and continuing their association and support of the 8-time champions!
Although the definitions vary by source, and whether it is used as a noun or an adjective, ‘emeritus’ generally means: “holding after retirement an honorary title corresponding to that held last during active service.”
To appreciate the significance of this change, you would need to understand that the Masters of Harmony originally had an “Active Members Only” policy. In its early history, there was no other form of membership. You either sang in the chorus or went elsewhere. In the early ‘90s, the Associate membership was introduced as a way for a member to continue his relationship with the chorus, when the singer could no longer meet the demands of the performing chorus. However, such a change had to be requested within one year of becoming inactive and be approved by the Board of Directors. Over time and despite our many successes, many contributing members had fallen inactive and eventually fell off our rolls.
With the Emeritus membership, a man who helped to build the Masters of Harmony into a recurring championship chorus could continue his association with the chapter and still be recognized as a champion. Because of the requirement that an emeritus member must have won at least one gold medal with the Masters of Harmony, it is, by definition, a select and special group of men.
We now have 51 emeriti on our rolls, bringing the total chapter membership to over 200. Although our esteemed retired brethren no longer join us on the risers each week, they still have much to offer those of us dedicated to continuing the MOH tradition of musical excellence. The emeritus roster includes former MOH presidents Dan Fullerton, Ken Custer, Bob Lally, Paul Laemmle, Chuck Leavitt and Lance Trossevin. Dan and Bob, as well as John Krizek, have also since served as Far Western District presidents. Irv Levine was a constant resource until his death two years ago; his wife Lois still serves the chapter and has twice received the Alice Blue Gown award. The roster is full of famous quartetters that have graced district and international contest stages.
Several of our emeritus members had major involvement in building the chapter. Bill Roth, former VP of Music & Performance and one of our founding members, was heavily involved in forming the initial organization and the creation of chapter policies and procedures. Despite having moved to Thailand over a decade ago, MOH leaders, including myself on many occasions, can still depend on Bill for sage advice on chapter issues. Joe Palmquist’s handiwork can still be seen every time we load or unload the trailer as he built the wardrobe racks and infrastructure for holding the racks and risers inside the trailer; and his wife Jackie is a chorus living legend.
For many years after retirement from the chorus, Marlin Niesley and Lefty Parasson served as Chapter Awards Chairman and Christmas Quartets Coordinator, respectively. Marlin added a “touch of class” at the annual banquet and installation dinner, tuxedo and all. Lefty could always be counted on to fill the roster of quartets for two weeks every December on the Christmas floats as a warm-up for Santa’s appearances in Santa Fe Springs, thereby fulfilling one of our most welcome duties for the City. Consistent with our musical expectations, these jobs were always performed at the highest level of excellence and helped to maintain the positive image of the MOH.
In fact, several of our emeritus members still do much of the heavy lifting required to keep it running smoothly. Most prominent of these is Taylor Anderson (Webmaster), Dave Briner (Copyright Records Manager) and Frank Ortega (MasterLink Editor and Director of Communications). Although Taylor and Frank live in Arizona, they continue to update and maintain our presence on the web and the coordination of other forms of electronic communications with our members, patrons, and the public. Taylor has been instrumental in creating the portal for the sale of show tickets on the web. Of course, this is an ongoing effort that requires a substantial amount of work each time we change show venues. Dave continues to ensure that the songs we sing are “legal,” by properly clearing the arrangements with the appropriate institutions. This work has extended to obtaining mechanical licenses prior to the release of every one of our recordings.
Of course, there are many men not currently singing with us who may not yet have chosen to go emeritus, but still assist the chapter in important ways. It may very well be that they have some hope to rejoin us on the risers. If not, I would encourage them to consider the change. The annual chapter dues are only $25 and include the unique requirement of having earned at least one gold medal with the MOH.
We thank the emeritus members for their collective contribution to building the chorus and continuing their association and support of the 8-time champions!
