Minutes of Sacred Harp Singings

Saturday, January 18

The fifteenth annual All-California Sacred Harp Singing Convention was held on the third Sunday and preceding Saturday in January at Casa de Flores in San Carlos on Saturday and at Joaquin Miller Park in Oakland on Sunday. Rick Russell called the class together at 9:30 a.m., and Jim Friedrich offered the opening prayer.

A business session was held with the following officers elected or appointed: Chairman—Chris Thorman; Vice Chairman—Jerry Schreiber; Secretaries—Betty Marvin and Terry Moore; Arranging Committee—Carla Smith, Jerry Schreiber, and Susan Fetcho; Chaplain—Jim Friedrich; Memorial Committee—Ted Mercer and Mary Rose O’Leary; Resolutions Committee—Diane Doe and Janet Herman; Finance Committee—Rick Russell, David Fetcho, and Carolyn Deacy.

Leaders: Rick Russell 52t; Chris Thorman 73b; Jerry Schreiber 122; Betty Marvin 84; Terry Moore 40; Jeff O’Toole 34b; Betty Herman 114; Paul Robinson 189; Patricia Lazicki 312b; Richard Rands 268; Karen Schaffer 71; Daniel Kelley 299; Carolyn Deacy 77t; David Fetcho 203; Elizabeth Webb 361; Tom Ostwald 504; Jerry Schreiber 335; Susan Fetcho 547; Jim Friedrich 532; Carla Smith 153; Steve Lazicki 117; Jeanne Schaffer 569b; Paul Ralston 300; Patrick Teverbaugh 31t; Marilyn Murata 195; Shelley Phillips 32b; John Schaffer 441; David Wright 383; Chris Noren 236.

RECESS

Janet Herman called the class back together leading 73t. Leaders: Joanne Hoover 477; Tom Payne 86; Stephen O’Leary 440; Chloe Webb 159; Dennise Brown 155; Gary Smith 523; Elizabeth Wilcox 324; Hans Guttmann 38b; Stan Jensen 229; Claire Singleton 163b; Susanna Ball 178; Chris Thorman 59. Stephen O’Leary offered the lunchtime blessing.

LUNCH

Mary Rose O’Leary called the class together for the afternoon session leading 76b. Leaders: Jeff Gauthier 384; Laura Russell 320; Matt Wells 430; Janet Herman 217; Richard DeLong 216; Carol Selleck 75; Aaron Girard 536; Ted Mercer 352; Hugh McGuire 88b; Gaylon Powell 522; Kiri Miller 282; Mike Hinton 373; Daniel Davis 65; Jenny Jensen 212; Susan Turpin 183; David Rust 291; Sarah Beasley Smith 108t; Mary Rose O’Leary 428; Mary Ann Daly 81t; Seth Holloway 388; Tammy Heinsohn 479.

RECESS

Matt Wells called the class back together leading 38t. Leaders: Rick Russell and John Marr 506; Marcia Tucker 503; Ruth McGurk 271t; Phil Jensen 287; Ted Mercer 501; Marilyn Murata 274t; Richard DeLong 269; John Schaffer 313b; Jeanne Schaffer 143; Aaron Girard 567; Jim Friedrich 56b; Tom Payne 58.

Announcements were made. Chris Thorman led 105 as the closing song, and the class was dismissed.

Sunday, January 19

Chris Thorman led 40 to open the first session. Leaders: Baba Nicole Herrick and Susan Fetcho 147t; Betty Marvin 338; Bob Brylawski 497; Vicki Solomon 193; Doug Olsen 189; Patrick Teverbaugh 535; Cheryl Koehler 209; John Marr 296; Jean Murphy 106; Robert Katz 250; Karen Stingle 496; Alice Sharp 163t.

RECESS

Hans Guttmann called the class back together leading 49t. Leaders: Barry Phillips 196; Susan Fetcho 107; Stan Jensen 426b; David Rust 312t; Terry Moore 84; Tom Payne 66; Jeannette Ralston 77t; Tom Ostwald 47b.

RECESS

Laura Russell led 73t and 142 to open the session. Leaders: Jeff Gauthier 218; Sue Douglas 268; Chris Noren 474; Sarah Beasley Smith 145b; Paul Ralston 344; Marilyn Murata 319; Carolyn Deacy 456; John Schaffer 515.

Ted Mercer and Mary Rose O’Leary conducted the memorial lesson. Ted Mercer read the names of the deceased and led 458 in their memory. Those remembered were: Sandra Terry—Arizona; Ahiche Movlin, Paul Turpin, Sr., Laura Turpin, Sally Spiess, May Smith, Barbara Leal, Janet Moffett, and Ladon Sheats—California; John O’Leary and Kathy Prussing—Washington, D.C.; Frances Beasley Lee—Florida; Kenneth DeLong, Everette Denney, Vivian Rogers, and Revy Williamson—Georgia; John Bailey and Marylib Miller—Illinois; Edward Olsen—Oregon; Phillip Berrigan—Pennsylvania; Elizabeth Bear—Rhode Island; B.E. Matthews—Texas.

Mary Rose O’Leary read the names of the sick and shut-ins and led 267. Those remembered: Jim (Lavaughn) Ballinger and Elsie Beasley—Alabama; Marion Black, Iona Singleton, Don Hayler, Arnold Zwicky, Walter Roberts, Noreen Drossel, Rich Wilson, and Sasha Makovkin—California; Pernilla Lembke—Minnesota; Edith Ammiano—New Jersey; Ophelia Matthews, Jo Redmon, and Verna Powell—Texas; Karen Willard—Washington. Jim Friedrich offered a prayer to conclude the memorial lesson.

Carla Smith led 417. Susan Fetcho offered grace for the noon meal.

LUNCH

Jerry Schreiber led 276 to open the afternoon session. Leaders: Mary Linn Bergstrom 424; Joanne Hoover 72b; Betty Herman 442; Gaylon Powell 240; David Wright 419; Richard DeLong 411; Ted Mercer 112; Susan Turpin 34t; Hans Guttmann 171; Jerry Schreiber 362; Mary Rose O’Leary 528; Mike Hinton 340; Rick Russell 99; Janet Herman 215; Susanna Ball 148; Hugh McGuire 406; Shelley Phillips 448t; Kiri Miller 224; Jenny Jensen 353; Stephen O’Leary 192.

RECESS

Jeff O’Toole called the class together leading 28b. Leaders: Jim Friedrich 454; Chris Thorman 475; Chloe Webb 455; Barbara Saxton 547; Gary Smith 569b; Stephen Holland 481; Daniel Davis 198; Elizabeth Webb 333; Aaron Girard 315; Claire Singleton 146; Jeanne Schaffer 87; Marcia Tucker 163b; Carolyn Craig 195; David Fetcho 159; Erik Schaffer 200; Paul Robinson 327.

A business session was held to hear reports from the committees.

Announcements were made. Chris Thorman led 62 as the closing song. The convention was dismissed with a prayer led by Jim Friedrich.

Chairman—Chris Thorman; Vice Chairman—Jerry Schreiber; Secretaries—Betty Marvin and Terry Moore.