Arthur Jordan Conservatory of Music - Opus Yearbook (Indianapolis, IN)

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most a week and then one bright, sunshiny day at about 3:45 p. m. Papa started his speech — I ' ve heard a lot of talk about my leaving for the Navy scon. Well, just forget all about it — I ' ll be here for a long time yet. As long as I can find any boys at all, we ' ll keep the Philharmonic going and hll all concerts and programs that come in. If you know any boys who like to sing, bring them around and even if they can ' t read — like some of you! — we ' ll teach them the notes. So, maybe that ' ll explain how we are still holding the fort. I ' m warning you, boys, it ' s really dangerous ever to even hum a tune when close to a Philharmonicer — you ' ll be mobbed — it ' s a cinch. Just keep that in mind. Although twelve of our boys have left us lately, it was really swell to welcome back some of the old-timers again this year. Alice Jean Fisher is back in town with us as she works in a defense plant; our ever-faithful tenor, Pat , is once again holding the boy-sopranos together; Annie Snedegar was keeping up the altos umphf until she became a school-marm in January; when the stand-by, T. Davis, hears his alarm (and he very seldom goes to bed to use it anymore!) he lends boost to the other men and lustily sings the part of the tired (how realistic) niggah in the favorite, Old Man River . Oh, and we mustn ' t forget dear Terry — the Phil ' s one school-mistress in Indianapolis. She just keeps up the morale of all of us — as is easily understood if you spend a few minutes with her. Wouldn ' t you love to visit her class-room? — and then she tells how she hates the profession! Oh me, it ' s really some life! Well, we ' ve made a lot of the familiar rounds again this year. Remember the broadcasts from WIRE? There have been several of them so far again and, of course, the different church-sponsored programs are always being scheduled. A lot of the state ' s big-shots have clapped their hands red for us. Who? Well, let ' s see, there was Mayor Sullivan, Governor Schricker (who, by the way, fully agrees with us when we say we are the very best choir in existence!). Mayor Tyndall, and so

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Joseph Lautner, Director THE PHILHARMONIC CHOIR oh yes, he is really getting desperate. Whenever boys pass his studio door, he pulls them in and says, Sing Ah! . If they can carry a tune at all, he pronounces them man and — Oops! I mean he names them as new members of the renowned Jordan-Butler Philharmonic Choir. Talk about rapid changes now — each week more familiar faces are gone and, in some peculiar fash ion, new ones spring up in their places. Yes, that Papa of ours is quite a man! He has a wonderful temper (wow!) and also a wonderful control of it, as we know from the patience which he is displaying with our Freshies . Our concerts? Yes, we keep our schedules as usual and still fill all requests for programs. You should have seen us bedraggled kids dvu-ing the Christmas season again as we gave fifteen programs in the thirteen days before vacation. Just as an example of one day — while the few cars, with gasoline in their tanks waited out- side, we dashed into the Women ' s Department Club, sang a full program, were shipped in robes and all, to the Butler Religion Building for several numbers and then just made it back to Ayres ' in time to entertain the Matinee Musicale (which, incidentally, has proved to be the best concert of our year so far!). Fun? Oh, indeed it was — even though we did look sorta ragged toward the end! ha! ha! Then there were those many times when it looked as though some of us wovild never make the go. For example, when Burckes ' car got a flat tire on the way to Butler. How worried we were, but she just drove faster and faster, and, believe it or not, we actually got there before it was altogether flat! Well, so went our holi- day season again this year — as you ex-members well know! Did you know that we almost lost our Papa last semester? Uncle Sam spotted him and decided to let him help the other male Philharmonicers defend our freedom. Well, you might know how dark our future was pictured without anv choir. After we stewed around about it for so long, it was decided that there was nothing we could do but Sing and Bear It if it were to be. We heard no more news for al-

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many officers in the WAACS, WAVES, Army, Navy, and Marine Corps. Yes, we are still getting around, even though the distances aren ' t quite as far as they used to be and as we wish they could be. The soldiers at Fort Harrison and Camp Atter- bury have been so grateful for our programs, and they invariably still clap before that final chord in Oh Suzanna . Yep, that ' s still in the repertoire and it gets more zip each time we do it. That ' s just the way with those old-timers, though — we still fall back on them and how the people love it! I see that it ' s 3:3 5 already. Papa will really glare at me as I walk in late, but before I dash, I ' ll just have to tell you that Joe Lewis (our heavy-weight champ!) has donned the familiar uniform to do his bit, too. My, how we miss him, but we ' re just doing our best to fill in until the happy days when he walks into the rehearsal again with the rest of you swell guys. Gee, won ' t that be a happv dav? X ait until Oh Suzanna rings then — the people will surely stand on their chairs afterwards! Oh my word! There ' s the bang on the piano — rehearsal has started and here I stand, still. I ' ll just Ijciic to breeze up to the third floor now. When you see the rest of our ex-members, be sure to tell them that we ' re doing our darndest to keep up the choir, and their chairs will all be waiting for them on that glorious day when Hitler and Hirohito, and all their little pals are nothing but history-book characters with the others of their lot. So long! Drop in again as soon as possible. A Welcome always will await each one of you.