InCider Press, May 2004, page 11

Telva and I had just returned from our typical Friday evening visit to a local eatery when, as we opened the door, could hear the beep of the telephone indicating someone had called. Checking further we recognized the phone number as one we regularly get, the local Edwards-Yorgenson-Meloan-Londeen funeral home.

With Palm Pilot in hand, I returned the call, ready to tell them whether or not I'd be able to sing for a service they were planning, which is the usual mode. But what a surprise to find they didn't want me, they wanted a barbershop quartet!

A local businessman, Roger Kvasnicka, had passed away and apparently his one-year membership in our chapter had inspired him enough to ask that a barbershop quartet sing at his funeral. You see, Roger knew that cancer was going to take his life and he and Connie had the time to plan his final rites, even changing his final resting place from his home town of Haddam to Manhattan.

I've known Roger since he and I sang together in the KSU Glee Club back in the early 60's. Although we were not close friends, he knew that barbershop was one of my passions and with my encouragement he had tried membership in our society. It was not his lack of ability, but more the sense of allegiance to his growing family that he chose not to lend his voice to the growing Manhattan chapter. He would have made a good quartet bass, but our one attempt a putting a quartet together found one guy arriving late, and another needing to leave early, and the whole experience leaving a sense of frustration in our attempt.

But nevertheless, the phone call meant I was now charged with finding a quartet able to perform for Roger's funeral at 2 p.m. the following Tuesday. I agreed initially only to try to find one since I knew from experience that finding the right combination of voices with the time to rehearse and ability to attend the funeral would not be easy. So first I tried MMM, with whom I have a little influence (darn little, it seems!).

My first two phone calls found that Jim was scheduled out of town and Don already had a business appointment. That meant that I had no tenor for a possible bari-substituted MMM foursome, and no bass for a true pick-up quartet, since Pete doesn't like to perform in quickly-organized quartets. Gosh, four phone calls, and not even a hint of a quartet!

While more phone calls might have turned up a tenor, an alternate plan would be to find a lead , then I could relax a little and sing the tenor part. Luckily, my

first phone call to a prospective lead found Bill Hanson with both the time and inclination.

With the success of one phone call and half a quartet formed, and armed with suggestions for filling out the other two parts given by both inevitable coach Don Thomson and lead singer Bill Hanson, it appeared we might make it. But alas, the time was late. Best not to phone any more this evening.

Phone calls the next day found bari section leader Travis Troyer willing and with time, but unsure of a possible Sunday evening rehearsal because of other plans. It seemed the Sunday rehearsal with a coach might come to fruition, but we could not connect with the bass.

When we finally found bass Wayne Bailie, the Sunday evening rehearsal seemed a go, only to be cancelled by a call from lead Bill who would be delayed in returning from Topeka. Of course our alternate rehearsal of Monday afternoon at 1:00 pm had been considered, so it only took 3 more calls to move the inaugural rehearsal to that time.

With a half-hour to rehearse before coach Don was to arrive, we decided on the two numbers and set to work trying to make music out of the spots and lines comprising the scores for "Great Is Thy Faithfulness" and "I'll Walk With God". "Sweet Hour Of Prayer" was a possibility, but eventually fell to the wayside.

In the hour that followed Don Thomson's arrival, he found most all the performance problems we were experiencing, going over with each of us those various pitfalls, misreadings, and failings that we each contributed to a less-than-stellar product. Undaunted, and now committed because our names were being printed in the funeral program, we agreed to practice individually and meet at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday for a final rehearsal before the funeral.

I called the names of our selections to Pastor Jim Reed, hoping that his placement of them within the service might somehow diminish any shortcomings we might have, and yet provide an adequate attempt at, and resemblance to, a real barbershop quartet. Pastor Jim is quite an understanding man, so he wrapped our efforts in his arms by placing one selection just before his message, and one immediately after.

Amazingly, our voices seemed to start blending, our phrasing started to coincide, and we could feel the "sense of one" necessary for a successful

(Continued on page 10)