The Beat. Circle City Sound. A Class Act. Calendar of Events. Jerry Troxel. Volume 36, Issue 3 March From The President

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1 Circle City Sound is a publication of the Greater Indianapolis, IN Chapter of the Cardinal District of the Volume 36, Issue 3 March 2005 A Class Act we will send a Barbershop Quartet, in formal wear, to anyplace in the Greater Indianapolis Area. They will present a long stemmed rose, a lovely valentine card and a songful expression of your love... S o reads the promotional material for our highly successful Singing Valentines program. You have to admit that when it comes to Singing Valentines, we are definitely a class act. When the quartet enters the office area, restaurant, bank or school, in their formal wear, everyone stops and takes notice. The pitch blows, and everyone waits in eager anticipation of the song. The chords From The President Jerry Troxel ring, and as the last chord echoes through the hall, everyone within earshot wishes that they had either received or given such a wonderful gift. With Singing Valentines, we make every effort to insure that our product and presentation are both top notch. We begin working months in advance on this project. We are very intentional about this nothing is left to chance. And so it should be with all aspects of our image to the public. You never get a second chance to make a first impression, so the saying goes. My experience is that this statement is true, not only in relationships, job interviews and the like, but in organizations such as ours. Put your best foot forward, they say great advice in designing our approach to visitors, guests, new members, potential clients, and the public at large. In previous articles, I have written about re-inventing our chapter and chorus. In my view, the phase that we are in now is not so much re-inventing, but repackaging. We already have a great product barbershop harmony in both a quartet and a chorus setting. Add to that: emphasis on vocal music education in pursuit of musical excellence; support of the community through Young Men In Harmony programs; and camaraderie. What we are doing now is organizing ourselves to promote what we already know to be true about this hobby and our chorus, so that when we do get that chance to make that first impression, it will be great. Along those lines, in the next few weeks and months, you will see us roll out a much (Class Act, page 2) Calendar of Events April 1-3 District Spring Convention South Bend, IN Annual Show June 10, 11 Warren Performing Arts Center International Convention July 3-10 Salt Lake City, UT Cardinal Chord College July Marion, IN Chorus Performance July 23 USS Indianapolis Survivors Reunion Harmony College Directors College July 31 - August 7 Ohio State University Columbus, OH District Fall Convention September 30 - October 2 Louisville, KY For detailed information on all Chapter performances, go to: and visit the Members Only section

2 Page 2 (Class Act, page 1) more organized and professional approach to such things as: first night guest materials and programs; guest follow-up programs; new member orientation; new member follow-up and mentoring. We are also developing new promotional materials for use by our PR and Marketing leaders, and by the general membership. Our website will be upgraded, once again, with an eye toward encouraging a visitor to that site to become involved with us more directly, by visiting our chapter meetings or attending one of our shows. Our music and program leaders will be working even more closely together to design Monday night experiences which are both productive and fun. In short, we are looking at everything we do, to see if we can improve our image, our product, and our experience together. We want everyone to know what we already know that we are a Class Act. Singing Valentines 2005 ongratulations on another great Singing Valentines program! Here s how it went this year: CWe sold 168 singing Valentines, with 15 delivered on the 12 th, 21 on the 13 th, 131 on the 14th, and 1 on the 15 th. 70 orders were delivered between 9AM and Noon on the 14 th those quartets were really scrambling! Our orders came primarily from: word of mouth from a chorus member (61 orders); WIBC promotion (31 orders); and repeat customers (30 orders). Order volume was down this year (168), compared to last year (201). We feel that this can be attributed primarily to the way the calendar fell this year, with Valentine s Day on a Monday. Whiteley (billing); Larry Anthony, Duane Henry and Jerry Stevens (promotions); Chris and Cheryl Troxel (website); and Bill Chisler, Larry Tolle, Bob Kallstrand, and Kelly Riley (Valentine Central helpers). We couldn t have done it without you! Jerry Troxel, Singing Valentines Coordinator New concepts for this year included direct entry of credit card orders via the website (42% of all orders came in this way); a premium half-hour window (one-third of all orders); and flexible pricing. The average order priced out at $ We had 15 quartet combinations, comprised of 48 men in the chapter. Still At Large delivered the most orders of any quartet (27), with three other quartets delivering 20 or more each (Smilin Through, Sounds Familiar, and We Just Met). Thanks to all the quartets, all of our members who bought and sold orders, and all who helped assemble and transport roses. A special thanks to everyone who worked on the Valentines de-centralized team: Pam Jensen (order desk); John McQuistion (quartet assignments and scheduling); Duane Henry, Jim Patterson and Jane Patterson (supplies); Jim Rosenau (patron mailing, and personalized cards); Jim Sauder (address verification and billing); Jeff Jery Troxel - Larry Klein - Pam Jensen Dustin Hall - John McQuistion

3 Page 3 n my 30 years of barbershopping, I have been richly blessed because my Ivolunteer duties have introduced me to many of the Society s 800+ chapters and their officers and members who comprise our hobby. I have had the distinct honor and pleasure to serve as a Chapter Officer, District Officer, International Board Member, Society Committee Member, COTS Faculty Member and have been able to attend 28 of the past 30 International Conventions. It s been a wonderful journey! From these experiences, I can tell you that the most successful chapters have all had one thing in common. They had a vision of what they wanted to accomplish and a detailed plan to carry out that vision. In addition, they had unanimous member commitment with an unselfish attitude to do whatever was needed to be done. The Greater Indianapolis Chapter and the Circle City Sound Chorus has had a history of accomplishing many great things! At one time, our chapter membership was over 150 and we had 106 men singing on the risers. We have hosted several District conventions, two very successful International Conventions, and our chorus has competed in eight International contests, including the first one we hosted in We have earned many recognition awards from the Cardinal District and the Society. Without a doubt, our chapter has many strengths! We have an excellent team of chapter officers in place, a From The PR & Marketing VP Bill Campbell super director, and a music team that is committed to improving our vocal quality and performance. Many of you have already stepped forward to share your experiences, skills and abilities to help do the many tasks required. It now becomes the responsibility for the rest of us to contribute in whatever way we can to accomplish our chapter goals and objectives. To help focus on what I believe our I m A Believer! Are You? chapter is capable of accomplishing in the near future, I propose the following Top Ten marketing and public relations objectives: 1. Our musical and administrative teams will harmoniously work together in making our chapter the best we can be. 2. Each chapter member will actively help to advertise, promote and publicize who we are and what we want to accomplish. 3. Tens of thousands of people who live and work in the Greater Indianapolis community will recognize the name Circle City Sound. 4. More than 100 men will sing on our risers. 5. Our shows and performances will be sold out and corporations will stand in line to book our chorus and quartets. 6. CDs will be available for sale and will be in high demand. 7. Barbershop singing will be heard and sung in grade schools, high schools, colleges, and communities throughout Greater Indianapolis. 8. Joint performances will be held with other musical groups. 9. The Greater Indianapolis Chapter will host the 2006 International Convention in July 2006 and do a fantastic job. 10. The Circle City Sound Chorus will perform on the International stage before thousands of other barbershoppers. Come join us in this exciting journey we are traveling! I pledge to do my part and you can do yours by: inviting new or old guests to a chapter meeting; selling show tickets and advertisements; continually promoting our chapter; and looking for corporate sponsorships, grants, and/ or performance bookings. I M A BELIEVER, ARE YOU? BOTY Silke Says Thank You! BOTY night 2004 was supposed to be justanother event that my new girlfriend Sarah and I could attend together. She has become very enthusiastic about this hobby she likes the music, the people, and all the fun that revolves around these events. Plus, she has learned the tenor to a few songs and loves to sing with us when the opportunity allows. Turns out she knew something I didn t as I was honored to be the recipient of this years BOTY. When I realized it was me Duane, Bob, and Larry were talking about in the early part of their introduction, I was overcome with emotions I never knew existed. As they started (Silke, page 7)

4 Page 4 t seems that every Valentines Day at least 1 quartet has a special valentine that they sing. IIt was no different for Still at Large this year. We found ourselves at the Statehouse where we sang on the floor of the House of Representatives. The Valentine was Representative Cindy Noe, and it was sent by her father. When we arrived, a Clerk hid us out in a back hallway as we waited for the proceedings to start. Of course they were late getting started. After the prayer, Pledge of Allegiance, and Roll-Call, Representative Noe was asked to come down front. She had a look on her face that said What have I done now? However, she was pleasantly surprised when we were ushered in and Don handed her the flower. After the song we received loud applause and a lot of pictures were taken (little did we know that channel 8 also filmed the event and later aired it on the news). Rep. Noe thengave a small heartfelt thank you speech to the House. As we were leaving, House Majority Leader Brian Bosma stopped us to say that originally they didn t want us to sing during the proceedings, but he overruled everyone by stating that a precedent had already been set when we sang for him and his wife two years ago. It s nice to have some pull! After we left, Duane said that the best part of this Valentine was that at least the Representatives couldn t make any laws to screw up our State while we were singing! HMMM... Maybe we could do a series of these on a regular basis. Dave Coleman 2005 Valentine Stories he thrill of singing valentines! We Just Met did many valentines over Sunday Tand Monday. All had their own uniqueness but two special ones come to mind. The first involved singing to an elementary teacher in her classroom. the Principal escorted us to the room saying that last year she missed hearing a valentine and this year she wasn t. After we delivered the valentine and the Principal was escorting us back to the door, she commented that next year she was going to order one. Bryan picked up on that and told her she should get one this year. Fortunately we had forms in the van. After learning that she could get one that day, we followed her to her office where she checked on the whereabouts of her two sisters and did the paperwork on the spot for two singing valentines. We said that if she liked we could do one at that time. She told her staff she would be back, got in her car and we followed her to the first of her sisters. We delivered the second shortly after that. Flexibility is the key when doing singing valentines. The second involved one that had to be delivered to the accompanist of the Indianapolis Opera Company, during rehearsal (no pressure). We walked in to a hall a the Fairgrounds that had worse acoustics than the Scottish Rite and delivered the valentine. It was probably the first exposure to Barbershop for any in the room. The person we sang to commented three or four times while we sang on how good it was. The ensemble gathered around while we singing and listened intently.they all gave us a resounding ovation when we finished and all commented (rather surprisedi felt) how good it was. They seemed a little surprised that this barbershop music would be so enjoyable. Once again, the best kept secret around. Barbershop marches on!!!! While all will beremembered, these twowill probably come to the forefront. Join in the fun next year. Larry Anthony (Stories, page 8) Once again, a big Thank You to Terri Stacy, Jeff Pigeon and all the WIBC morning team for their help in promoting Singing Valentines!

5 Page 5 Suppers Eight From The Membership VP Richard Rich Treptow ffective January 2005, the Indy Chapter started a fun, new, voluntary program to give all chapter members (both chorus and non-chorus mem- Ebers) the opportunity to socialize and help get to know our fellow Barbershoppers. One of the best things about it is that it can include our better halves! It s called Suppers Eight, a very successful fellowship program borrowed from the many church groups who use it. Participants who sign up, including wives & significant others, are randomly assigned to groups of 7-10 individuals (couples &/or singles) in each group. The main idea is for each couple (or single person) to host the group in their home, or elsewhere, one time in a four-month period. The host will provide the main course while the other participants bring the accompanying dishes. Conversation and friendships are the main benefit of this fellowship dinner. Flexibility in this program is encouraged. You don t have to use your home, cook, or even eat! For example, your group could decide to go out to a restaurant for some or all of the dinners rather than using a home. Or you could decide to meet just for coffee & dessert, play a table game, go bowling, or just gather to chat over some snacks & soda. Each group and person decides what works best in terms of dates and activities. It is self-organized. One person in your group will be designated to make the initial calls to establish the first meeting. (When you meet, you ll find it convenient for everyone to bring his calendar, to facilitate setting the date of the next meeting.) After signing up for a 4-month series, Suppers Eight groups are posted on our bulletin board, in Sound Bytes, and, with the first Supper to follow as soon as the group finds a convenient date. At the end of 4 months, it starts over with new groups drawn from those who sign up for the next series. Assignments are mostly random, but may be loosely clustered based on geographic location. E.g., we won t put Muncie and Martinsville in the same group, unless you designate unrestricted on the sign up sheet. Suppers Eight is voluntary, but it is so much fun you won t want to miss out on this opportunity to make new friends within the Chapter. As someone once said, We came for the music, but we stayed for the camaraderie. Over the course of time, you will get to know many of your fellow Barbershoppers much better, make new friends, and we will find ourselves achieving one of the goals of our Mission Statement to be one of the FRIENDLIEST chapter in the Society. As a benefit, the wives and significant others will get to know the guys you sing with, as well as meeting one another. You may even find them pushing you out the door on Monday nights! Sign up for the next Suppers Eight! Suppers Eight Groups for February May 2004: An asterisk (*) indicates the person responsible for making initial contacts. If your * guy doesn t call you in a reasonable amount of time, call him! Group 1 * Harry Roembke (Mary), home ph: Larry Anthony, (Marti) home ph: Jerry Stevens, (Liz) home ph: Larry Tolle, (Bobbie) home ph: Group 2 * Dan Pritchard (Rebecca), home ph: * Bob Boehmer, (Bernadette) home ph: Jerry Troxel, (Pam) home ph: John Doss, (Libby) home ph: Rex Parker, (Peggy) home ph: Group 3 * Jim Sauder (Judy), home ph: * Steve Cline, (Becky) home ph: Terry Silke, (Sarah) home ph: Allen Korty, (Kathy) home ph: Group 4 * Bill Campbell (Phyllis), home ph: * Randy Freeman, home ph: Bryan Hughes home ph: Dustin Hall, (Kelly) home ph: Earl Cornelius, home ph: Group 5 * Jim Rosenau (Veronica), home ph: * Bob Gandy, (Jonell) home ph: Rich Treptow, (Jan) home ph: Jim Patterson, (Jane) home ph:

6 Page 6 The very best vocal coach By Carol Johnson, Director, Manahawkin Chapter (Seen in several chapter bulletins, most recently in the Atlantic, Iowa, Nishna Notes, Gordon Renfeld, Editor) I will remember the first time I heard myself on a tape recorder. It didn t sound anything like me! My friend sounded exactly like herself, but that strange voice singing with her just wasn t mine. I was shocked to realize that it was indeed me. I suddenly know that the wonderful voice I have lived with all of my life isn t the same voice that everyone else hears. For months, I taped myself singing in the chorus. I listened in amazement to this awful voice...it sang wrong notes, wrong words, bad vowels, made funny sounds, scooped, and even went flat! I became very aware of pitch and went right to work to produce a better voice. Little by little, I improved myself as a singer under the cold truth of this heartless coach, my tape recorder. Yes, your tape recorder is the best coach you ll ever find! It gives you the opportunity to hear the voice that everyone else hears. Remember that the only person who hears the voice in your head is you! Any time you are serious about good singing, the truth is there for you to hear. Just press the button. The Greater Indianapolis Chapter Board Meeting Summary, February 2005 SECRETARY: Minutes from the January 19, 2005 meeting were reviewed and accepted as corrected. Minutes from the Special Board Meeting held on January 10, 2005 were also reviewed and passed. The Special Board meeting had been called to discuss and approve Bill Campbell as the newly elected Marketing and Public Relations Vice President. TREASURER: The Balance Sheet and Profit and Loss Statement for January 2005 were presented and reviewed. Both reports were accepted for audit. MEMBERSHIP: Rich Treptow presented his Monthly Report for February The report focuses on four specific areas: (1) Retention and Participation; (2) Recruitment; (3) Orientation; and (4) Assimilation. Look for continuing positive changes and more chances for member input via a series of Town Hall meetings. MUSIC & PERFORMANCE: Dave Bjork submitted a report that discussed progress on several areas covered in his ten-point plan for Highlights included plans being made for Bryan to meet with and train the Section Leaders to work on singing technique during sectional rehearsals. There has also been at least one contact made regarding the production of learning CDs for the Chorus members. A modification to the Section Leader Job Description was proposed and passed by the Board. The change adds a 75% attendance requirement for Section Leaders at regular rehearsals and attendance at all special rehearsals (e.g. retreats). Coaching, particularly in the Singing category, is being discussed and investigated. PR / MARKETING: Bill Campbell discussed his Summary of Activities for the past month. He has assembled a PR / Marketing Committee consisting of Gene Newcombe, Rex Parker, Jerry Stevens, and Harry Roembke. Letters and promotional CDs are being sent to ten businesses at a time, and to organizations with conventions booked in Indianapolis over the next 18 months. Plans are underway for a variety of radio and TV ads and sample news releases are being prepared. Initial plans are underway to form a Singing Grandpas group to entertain grade-school aged children and to promote singing in the community. It has been suggested that it may be useful for our Chapter to affiliate with a charitable organization or other public service activity. The 844-SING phone number will be transferred to Bill s phone on or after March 6, STANDING COMMITTIES: The 2005 Annual Show will be June 10 and 11 at the Warren Performing Arts Center. Committee chairs will be selected soon as preparations get underway for the 2006 International Convention in Indianapolis. The delivery phase phase of the Singing Valentine s Program was successful with the delivery of 168 Valentines and projected revenue of approximately $7, JOB VACANCIES: Positions to be filled this year: System Administrator, Singing Valentine s Chairman and S.V. Operations Manager for 2006, Annual Show Chairman and Producer for 2006, Chorus Manager, and a Grants Task Force. OLD BUSINESS: Jim Pyle has agreed to assist the Chapter in developing grant requests. A Chapter Planning Meeting involving Board Members, the Director and new position persons has been tentatively set for Saturday April 9, NEW BUSINESS: The Board voted to donate $ to the District fund raiser at the Spring Convention. GOOD OF THE CHAPTER: The Barbershopper of The MONTH for January 2005 was Selected.

7 Page 7 Lesson #1 idway through 1996, I introduced a class entitled Everything You Always MWanted to Know About the Key of F, But Were Afraid to Ask. The interest seemed to be there, and a small group met at 6:00 p.m. on meeting nights to learn basic music reading skills. Others expressed interest in the class, but had other premeeting duties, which precluded their attending. Attempts to adjust the time slot caused the class to slip through the cracks, and eventually be forgotten. However, I have kept alive in my heart the dream of every man in our chorus knowing the basics of music reading. So, I ll put it in print and those of you who cannot read music, but can read reading, will be reading music in no time! By breaking down the information into its smallest parts, we will all be up to speed. I do not plan to use mnemonics, since I believe that only gives us something else to remember, and I don t agree with the premise of the statements. For example, All Cows Eat Grass is said to help us remember the notes in the spaces on the bass clef. That s fine, but it is based on a false premise. All cows do not eat grass; some cows never eat grass, but eat grain instead, which may cause them some problems in the alimentary canal... but I digress. Good Boys Do Fine Always is another phrase that is meant to help us remember the notes of the lines of the bass clef, and again, assumes facts not in evidence. Good boys do not always do fine. A fairer statement would be Good Boys Usually Do Fine, but this would not help the singer, since the note U has long been recognized as an aberrant sound, and not to be sung except by the most advanced baritone, and then only in chords which call for the leading tone to be in the alto - Music Basics for Dummies a reference for the rest of us. by Virgil Crady, self-appointed guru of the notes and chords. another voice which has fallen from usage in men s singing. With a flash of brilliance, the mnemonists then trek to the treble clef and attempt to inflict the same type of intellect used in the bass clef. However, their rhetoric now includes a twist - the lines of the treble clef state Every Good Boy Does Fine. Once again we discover an untruth. Many Good Boys Do Fine, and Good Boys Do Fine Sometimes would be fairer statements, but again the notes M and S have suffered the same fate as the note U, except they don t involve the baris or altos, but are consigned generally to coloraturas and prima ballerinas. It should occur to the reader that the music mavens of old could not come up with a mnemonic for the spaces of the treble clef, but were forced instead to use an acronym: FACE. If you think this shows some degree of underachievement on their part, you are probably right. Several choices come to mind, but my all-time favorite is Falsetto Amplifies Chordal Euphony. The problem with that mnemonic is the word Euphony sounds as though it belongs with the letter U and we re right back to the original argument involving baris and altos. Another great stumbling block with FACE is that it seems to encourage the barbershopper to sing major sevenths, e.g. F,A,C, and E instead of E-flat; a subject to be discussed later. I firmly believe that we need only to remember two constants: the bottom line of the bass clef is G, and the bottom line of the treble clef is E. After that, it is simply a matter of remembering the first seven letters of the alphabet, and moving upward in the clef by line and space. Remember these two things and we ll be well down the learning road. More in the future. (Silke, page 3) relivingthe events of my early childhood, my heart started racing, my hands started sweating, my thoughts turned to panic as I was completely caught by surprise.fear then took over as I slowly started to gather myself enough to realize I was going to have to get up there in front of my fellow barbershop friends and say something.i m so glad Sarah was there to give me some support. What caught me so completely off guard was thisyear of all years has beenone that I have not been as active as in the past. Personal and business conditions have precluded barbershopping, so I had no inclination I would even be considered, much less be selected. It was certainly a magical night and I am so proud to be included in thebrotherhood ofboty s. Iwill cherish this moment and hope that my contributions in the past and future willmake me worthy of this award. Thank you all for your kind comments. It is very humbling to be recognized by your peers for this prestigious award. Sincerely, Terry Silke BOTY 2004

8 Page 8 he United States Senators sang it on the steps of the Capitol that fateful day, September 11, T2001, another day that will live in infamy. The song was God Bless America. Today s younger generations may not be familiar with the origin and history of the song Irving Berlin considered his most important composition. It was written during the First World War, for an army camp show where Berlin was stationed: Camp Yaphank on Long Island. The show s producers rejected it as too jingoistic, so Berlin placed it in a trunk of rejected manuscripts. There it lay for twenty years, until Ted Collins, manager of popular singer Kate Smith, approached Irving Berlin for a new patriotic song for Kate to introduce to mark the twentieth anniversary of the Armistice that ended World War I. After several days of futile attempts to write a new patriotic song, Berlin remembered the one he had written in Now Kate Smith was the No. 1 popular songstress in America in The new anthem electrified the nation. The lyrics were inserted into the Congressional Record, and there was a movement to make the song our national anthem. Kate addressed Congress, imploring its members not to do that. In 1940 Irving Berlin established the God Bless America Foundation, with all royalties from its performance earned by either Berlin or Miss Smith going to the Boy and Girl Scouts of America. That arrangement exists to this day. These organizations were chosen, to quote the contract, because the completely nonsectarian work of the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts is calculated to best promote unity of mind and patriotism, two sentiments that are inherent in the song itself. abridged from Richard K. Hayes, archivist, Kate Smith Commemorative Society Let s talk craft - vowel matching Tom Raburn uestion: When does = 5? Answer: When barbershop harmony is sung correctly, Qcreating harmonic overtones and expanded sound. One of the most important factors in the achievement of choral blend and expanded sound is unity of vowel sounds. Vowels are what we sing and sustain, separated by consonants to make words. When we match vowel sounds, we create like harmonics and the sound expands in intensity through reinforcement. In singing, vowels are created through the natural resonance of the human vocal tract. The tongue, lips and jaw are used to fashion the resonators into their vowel shapes. Some basic rules to follow when forming vowel sounds are: 1. When producing all vowel sounds, the tip of the tongue should be placed gently on the lower gum ridge, with the tip barely touching the base of the lower teeth. This helps keep the throat open so the vocal chords can vibrate naturally through the resonators (mouth, throat, and sinus cavities). 2. The jaw should be allowed to relax naturally with a swinging down and back motion. 3. The lips should leave the teeth uncovered. 4. Although the mouth must be open wide, it is not how wide it is open but the shape that is most important. Every vowel can be sung with one of three mouth shapes: round (example oh ), square (example ih as in sit) and oblong (example ah as in pop). Refinements to form each specific vowel sound are made by the degree to which the tongue is arched in the mouth, and the degree to which the jaw is dropped. For instance, both the oh sound and the oo (as in moon) sound are made with the round mouth shape, but the oh sound is made with the mouth as open as possible while the oo sound is made with the smallest, most rounded shape. As we sing the songs in our repertoire, keep in mind the basic mechanics of producing vowel sounds and think about the target vowel sound for each word in the song. Properly matched vowels can enable our chorus of 20- something men to fill the hall and create the expanded sound that makes barbershop harmony so much fun to sing and hear. Big D Bulletin, September (Stories, page 4) There are always a great number of wonderful Singing Valentines stories. It s always fun to not only share them, but to hear of each quartets experiences. Still At Large was in the process of delivering one at the airport for a lady who worked in the security area. As we were singing, I noticed a man standing nearby intently watching and listening. When we finished, he approached us and ask if we could do another. I asked him when, and he said that his wife would be coming off the plane in just a few minutes. I told him that we didn t bring an extra rose or card with us, but he said the song would be just fine. He asked the price, I told him, and he was on his way to the Teller Machine. We then followed him to the bottom of the escalator by baggage claim. Within a few minutes his wife was coming down the escalator and we began Heart of My Heart. She was absolutely overwhelmed... tears and all. We joked on the way out that no doubt we looked like manna from Heaven to this guy who was wondering What am I going to do for Valentines Day? Duane Henry

9 Page 9 t seems like I talk a lot about our out n backs, guys who joined the chapter, chose to leave, and Ithen return again. Our Sound The Sound Corner by: Bob Boehmer Corner member this month may hold a record for time spent out before returning. Our president, Jerry Troxel, took twenty years! But wow, did he ever return with a vengeance!! Jerry, the middle child of Donald and Miriam, was born November 6, 1949 at Methodist Hospital. He has two brothers, Mark and Bob. True to the times, dad worked as a draftsman and mom stayed home to tend to the domestic side of the Troxel family. He attended grade school at IPS school #68, and then went on to Arsenal Tech High School where he took a college prep curriculum. Jerry s dad, mom and both brothers also went to Tech. He graduated from Tech in 1968 and proceeded on to Purdue Extension (which would become half of IUPUI during his time there). He graduated in 1973 with a degree in Computer Technology. Jerry went to work at Stokley Van- Camp as a computer programmer, then took a position at Computer Management Systems as a Project Manager. During this time he returned to the night program at IUPUI and earned his MBA from Indiana University in In 1982 he joined Indiana Bell (now SBC), the firm with whom he is still employed. He really paid his dues at Bell, having to be on the road three days a week over a ten year span. He is now a Senior Technical Director responsible for a staff of 20 programmers who are spread all over the country (as well as programmers in India). His department, Enterprise Data Warehouse, maintains data on all of SBC s customers (billings, calls, etc.) and is the largest commercial data warehouse in the world! One fine day back in the 70 s, Jerry met a lady named Jennie at the local drug store lunch counter. That initial conversation led to their marriage in Son Chris was born in 1977 followed by Jessica in Both of the children are now married. Chris and his wife, both IT people, are the proud parents of daughter Avery. Jessica and her husband are both teachers and live in Franklin. Unfortunately, Jennie passed away in 2000, the victim of cancer. The Lord provides though. In 2002, Pam Jensen was transferred from her SBC job in Dallas-Ft. Worth to the office right next to Jerry s. Pam and Jerry have become close friends and happy lights have again returned to his eyes. Jerry LOVES roller coasters! In fact, along with singing it s his favorite hobby. He introduced Pam, who had never ridden one, to the ride of her life at Kentucky Kingdom early on in their new relationship. Then in 2004, they toured the rides at the Kingdom, Holiday World, Kings Island and Cedar Point. They plan to go to Six Flags in St. Louis and Chicago and then back to ride the 16 coasters at Cedar Point this year. Jerry has always loved singing. He was in the 4 th grade choir at School #68 as well as the Tech choir. He found our hobby and joined the chapter as a result of attending an AFA put on by the Speed Capitol Chorus. He sang on the 1975 annual show and at International competitions in both Indianapolis in 75 and San Francisco in That 76 trip also served as his honeymoon with Jennie. Church and family obligations caused him to drop out in In 1997, he heard about the planned mass sing at Victory Field held as a part of the 97 International. He was thrilled to still remember the notes and words to the pole cat songs he sang there. As a result, he returned to the chapter in Since returning, he has served 3 years as Music VP and is now in his 2nd year as Chapter President. He has sung in two quartets, Harmonizin and Smilin Through. He s a charter member of the Indiana Harmony Brigade and serves as Secretary for that group. When asked about goals he has for the chapter, his response was simply bigger and better, and if he has to choose, better would fit his values. He remembers his experience in the 70 s when better did mean bigger. He d like to see the social aspect of the chapter continue to improve. This includes getting to know each other better. Wearing our name badges will help. We need more regular coaching in all three areas. He d like to see more of us go to Harmony College and Cardinal Chord College. The recent chapter survey brought in some fine ideas, and he knows he has a great Board to help sort them out and put them into effect. Jerry s last remark in our interview was, It s an honor and privilege to serve the chapter in a position of leadership. We re sure glad you came back, Jerry!

10 Circle City Sound R. Duane Henry, Editor 723 N. East Street Indianapolis, IN Greater Indianapolis Chapter SPEBSQSA 2005 President: Jerry Troxel PR & Marketing VP: Bill Campbell Membership VP: Richard Treptow Music & Performance VP: David Bjork Program VP: Don Brown Secretary: Jim Rosenau Treasurer: Jeff Whiteley Immediate Past President: Larry Anthony Board Members At Large: David Bloomer Adrian Oleck Brad McAlexander Director: Bryan Hughes Assistant Director: Drew Stainbrook Kurt Vogel Quartet Activities Chairman John McQuistion Costume Chairman: Steve Cline Music Librarian: Dan Pritchard Chapter meetings Monday 7:00 p.m. Scottish Rite Cathedral 650 N. Meridian Street, Indianapolis (parking on West side of building)