Strong Vincent High School - Spokesman Yearbook (Erie, PA)

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65 0 fAe Milla! i i Mr. Grender, the director, deserves much praise. The Girls' Chorus is one of the finest examples of team-work in our school. Each girl of this group of about forty must drown her own individual vocal qualities and merge them into one perfect whole, a difficult achievement. Each day the girls spend fourth period working toward this end, and toward the Christmas and Spring Concerts when their efforts are made evident. Many people have remarked on the faultless blending, the pure quality, and true tones of the Girls' Chorus. Several times a year the group performs at neigh- boring towns, over WLEU, for the P.T.A., and for Row 3: Lohse, lames, Dundon, Blundin, Fiero, Sam Kalagian, Bourne, Foesset, Munn, Haworth, Johnstone, Karaisz, Humes Shufflin, Schacht, Kirkland. Row 4: Doud, Owen, DeMatteo Kay, Saverino, Wollman, Davis, Yaple, Ford, Shepley, Pimley Carne, Herron, Allen, Roesch, McNamara, Nagle. 1 1 I many other organizations. They are also active earning money to finance their trip to Cleveland in the Spring to be present during the opera season. One of their popular methods of earning money is the sale of pop-corn after school. Being a self-governing body, the Girls' Chorus, which was organized in the Fall of 1930, elects its own officers and carries on its own busi- ness. This year Margaret Allison was elected president, Virginia Boyd, secretary, Mae Myers, treasurer, Susan Missimer and Carolyn Curtze, librarians, and lune First and Alice Saint, robe chairmen. Miss Galinsky is their able director, Miss Kohout their adviser. All work and no play, the old saying goes, makes for dullness, and so the girls hold several social events during the year. The robes of the Girls' Chorus carry out the school colors for they are white poplin with red and black collars, cuffs, and buttons. Gone are the days when it was considered sissified for a boy to sing in an organization such as GLEE CLUB-Row Long, Tidd, Franklin, Koeck, Nichols, Si- antcne, Lusk, 2: Hines, Schitea, Lasky, Rose, Shepley, Richardson, Car- Martin Lalohn. Row Hervey, Swen- Whitney, Lucas, Gallelo, Row 4: Liebel, Marklow, Loeffel, Hoh, Carne, Luciano, , McNamara, Davison. Munn wenty-five Strong Vincent's Glee Club. Cften many of the school's most capable athletes are among its mem- bers. Singing is an excellent outlet for the emo- tions and particularly in such a group as the Glee Club where the music is of the best, and varies greatly in type. The singing and the fellowship are valuable additions to a boy's character and the musical knowledge acquired is helpful. These boys work hard every sixth period for the Christ- mas and Spring Concerts, and for their ap- pearances in Erie and the neighboring towns. Comparatively speaking the Boys' Glee Club is a new organization for it was started in Feb- ruary, l935. It, too, is a self-governing body and this year's officers were William Allen, president, Milan Munn, secretary, Frank Whitney, treasurer. Mr. Grender is the director of this zealous group of boys.

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There were hypnotic chord spins, chords of radiant beauty and dynamics in fine control. These phrases were only a few of many used by Wesley E. Woodruff, a severe music critic, to describe the Strong Vincent A Cappella Choir. We can Well be proud of such a fine group as this. Still other confirmations of their ability lie in the fact that the National Broadcasting Company listed the Choir as one of their ten best programs of 1939, and that due to the huge success of their singing at the World's Fair last May they were asked to return the following October to sing in the Temple of Religion, a request which they were unable to fulfill. The Choir practices for one hour every day and learns not only to sing notes but also become more adept at sight reading, at interpreting the words, at pitch and guality. The A Cappella Choir was organized in the Fall of l932 with Mr. O. L. Grender as the director and Mr. Anderson as the business manager. Each year since then it has mounted one more round of the ladder of success. This year it made its fourth annual trip to New York City where the group again sang at the World's Fair and over a nation- wide radio hook-up. En route to the great city the Choir presented several concerts at various cities and towns through-out the central and eastern part of Pennsylvania. ln addition, the Choir sang many times at home in Erie and the neighboring vicinity. The Choir has its own constitution, issues its own paper, and elects its own officers and advisers. The officers this year were Evans Davis, udic id fAe present. The following week the Academy A Cappella visited here. The concert was a great success and one of the factors was the guest artist, Andrew Lindstrom. Andy was a member of the Choir last year and is now studying at St. Olaf College. l-lis amazing tenor voice and remarkable stage personality thrilled the audience and sent them away singing his praises. The two choirs appeared together again in the Spring Concert. The Strong Vincent A Cappella Choir has established a reputation for the school from coast to coast. The voices of these seventy young people have gladdened the hearts of many people, and A CAPPELLA CHOIR-Row 1: Sprickman, Lavery, Blood, Ennis, LaKari, Dytche, Swanson, lenkins, Turner, lane Feist, lean Feist, Costa, Offner, Kalagian. Row 2: Reuschling, Bacon, Pundt, Berg, Steiner, Shreve, Cleveland, Smith, Zielsdorf, Washlohn, Tiffany, Skinner, Slater, Miller, Little. president, William Smith, vice president, lane Schaoht, treasurer, Violet Mae Karaisz, secretary, Rigmor Berg, corresponding secretary, Richard Pimley, historian, Dora Blood, librarian. Mr. Gustavson is Faculty Manager. The advisers are Miss Wilson and Miss Connell. The Strong Vincent A Cappella Choir was the guest of the corresponding Academy group for the first Christmas Concert at which Noble Cain was Finton, Kovalchek, Myers lones, Rocco, Heidt, M. Myers Blakeslee, McKee, Shufflin Gardner, Dwelle, Leone Seelar, Seachrist, Dahlstrand Marabito. Row 3: Brown Larsen, l-luster, English, Boyd Kirkland, Christensen, Eaton Saint, Rubner. Row 4 Comer, Allison, McGee Atkinson, Curtze, Babbitt Morey, Reed, Landi, Schon bein, Reeder, Holden. Twenty-four GIRLS' CHORUS--Row 1 : Pell, Phillips. Row 2:

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BAND-Row 1: Fronzaglia, Westcott, Horstcotte, Nelson, Marschka, Wagner, Anderson, Gutentag. Row 2: Loesch, Bliley, Moore, Luca, Hennesso, D'Augustin, Carter, Stoeber, Campbell, Nagle, Eaton, Franklin, Lund, DiSantia, Boucher. Row 3: Mead, Niemi, E., Mercier, Allen, Gebhart, luliante. Row 4: Beck, Soneson, Mack, Richardson, Grad, McNeill, Mehl, Niemi, W., lones, Neilson, Sperry, Taylor, Beckman, Hettico, Willis, Grose, Mackey, Klahr, Miller, Amthor, Clanton, Painter. Row 5: Yaple, Shapter, Schroeder, Holly, Walter, Hewitt, Donaldson, Harvey, Carne. Front, standing: Mr. Brown. jCl.'p6l,'pCl, g00I'l'l' me-'..!4g .1 Each morning during the first period the halls of Strong Vincent resound with the strains of martial music. This means that the Band is practicing to play at one of the many functions in which it participates. We cannot help but feel just a little bit prouder of our school when this organization, wearing our Red and Black parades onto the football field and performs the intricate marching routines, and leads us in the many songs familiar to us. At the pep rallies, held before each game, enthusiasm rises to its highest peak when they strike up the band. The Band as a unit has been unable to partici- pate in contests which are held out of town, but individual members have won high honors for themselves and the school in the State Musical Contests which are held each year. As a climax to the year's social functions the Band usually combines with the Orchestra in presenting a Spring Concert. This year the pro- ceeds of this concert will be used to defray the expenses of a tour to one of the larger cities. Mr. Brown has been the very efficient faculty director of the Band since its organization at Strong Vincent in 1930 and Mr. Dean has been acting as faculty manager. When Mr. Brown is unable to be in school for Auditoriums in which the Band is taking part, Harry Fronzaglia acts as the student director. Besides these leaders there are also the elected officers who assist in arranging the affairs of the Band. For this year these are Eugene Mercier, president: James Richardson, vice-pres- identg Douglas Carnes, treasurer: and Richard Yaple, secretary. rains C400 A new instrumental group is being organize at Strong Vincent at the present time. It is to b an all girl group and will be known as a Bras Choir. Mr. George Yochim is to direct this unigu organization. The girls have made a good star and it is sincerely hoped that by next Fall it wil take its place among the outstanding musica organizations of the school. Watch for this Choi during the football season. qsee Picture, Page 121.3 Twenty-si