History of the National Association of Teachers of Singing

HISTORY OF THE

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF TEACHERS OF SINGING To encourage

it

the highest standards of the vocal art andofethica

principles...

^H ISTO R Y OF THE

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF TEACHERS OF SINGING

Harvey Ringel, D.F.A., Mus.D. American Conservatory of Music

National Association of Teachers of Singing, Inc. Jacksonville, Florida

Copyright 0 1990 by the National Association of Teachers of Singing, Inc. Ail Rights Reserved National Association of Teachers of Singing, Inc. 2800 University Boulevard N., JU Station Jacksonville, FL 32211 U.SA Printed in the United States of America ISBN 0-932761-01-1

Cover photographs, left to right, from the top Front Cover. (1) Margret Kommel, Robert D. LaPella, Mary Fall, Ohm Pauli. (2) Gordon Myers, Craig Timberlake, Robert Grooters. (3) George Newton. (4) Weldon Whitlock. (5) Geraldine Cate. (6) Jonathan Mack, Gwendolyn Roberts. (7) Mary Wolfinan. (8) Ruth Miller Chamlee. (9) Herald Stark. (10) Annual Banquet, National Convention, Stevens Hotel, Chicago, December 28,1948, (11) Joan Boytim. (12) Horst Gflnter. (13) Stephen Parish. Back Cover. (1) Frederick Haywood, Clifford Bair, Arnold Putman, Lome Grant, Walter Golde. (2) Robert T. Sataloff, Ingo Titze. (3) Van Lawrence. (4) Ralph Appelman. (5) Corre Berry Brusse. (6) Burton Garlinghouse, Helen Steen Huls, Mrs. Cooke, William Ross, Kenneth Westerman, Paul Nettl. (7) Richard Sjoerdsma. (8) Harvey Woodruff, Louis Nicholas. (9) Hadley Crawford. (10) James Browning. (11) Dorothy Sawatski. (12) Oren Brown. (13) Stanley Hoban, Hubert Kockritz. (14) Cesare Longo.

To Lucile, whose assistance made this work possible

To ignore the past is to booby trap the future. — Sidney Harris

On the door of the Archives Building of the Federal Government in Washington are these words, "The Past is only a Prelude to the Future. We build on the Past, we must not Rest upon it."

Foreword Acknowledgements

vii ix

I Prelude

1

II

The Parturient Years

5

III The Patriarchal Years

13

John C. Wilcox, 1944-1946 Leon Carson, 1946-1948 Richard DeYoung, 1948-1950 Homer G. Mowe, 1950-1952 Walter A. Stults, 1952-1954 rv New Directions

V

13 19 23 29 35 43

Bernard U, Taylor, 1954-1956 E. Clifford Toren, 1956-1958 Dale V. GilUland, 1958-1960 B. Fred Wise, 1960-1962 Louis Nicholas, 1962-1964

43 53 63 73 85

Coming of Age

101

William Vennard, 1964-1966 Philip A. Duey, 1966-1968 Berton Coffin, 1968-1970 Karl Trump, 1970-1972 Jean Ludman, 1972-1974

101 117 133 161 191

VI The More Recent Past

217

Gean Greenwell, 1974-1976 Bruce G. Lunkley, 1976-1979 Irvin Bushman, 1979-1982 John Burgin, 1982-1985

217 243 275 313

Appendix

353

FOREWORD For some of us, almost any history is interesting. For those of us who have spent our lives teaching others to sing, this book will be very special. From his own remarkable memory and from letters and documents that have been saved, NATS Historian Harvey Ringel has written the fascinating story of the National Association of Teachers of Singing. Harvey is uniquely qualified for this task. He became a member of the organization soon after it was founded. From 1955 to 1980, he was Editor of The NATS Bulletin and built a truly outstanding professional journal Because of that position he of course worked closely with all the officers of the organization during those years and was present at most of the Board meetings. No other member of NATS has been so deeply involved at the national level for such a sustained period of time. Harvey will, of course, make his own acknowledgements. As the present President of the Association, however, I wish on behalf of all of us to thank Past-President John Burgin, who prompted and encouraged the writing of this work. But I don’t want to keep you fi-om the book itself. Let me close with two thoughts. The first is to express on behalf of all who love singing and its teaching our heartfelt thanks to Harvey for tackling this monumental undertaking and for accomplishing it with such fine art and style. The second is the wish that each of you who reads this history will experience the same awe and gratitude which so struck me as I learned through it of the love, devotion and countless hours which the leaders and members of NATS have given in order that our great organization may be what it is today.

Dale Moore, President, 1987-1990 National Association of Teachers of Singing, Inc.

vu

It was fortunate that Gean Greenwell, too occupied with the presidency he inherited from his predecessor, found no time to examine the several boxes of files sent to him because Jean Ludman didn’t want them in the New York office. He was told to sort out the contents and to dispose of that which he didn’t wish to keep. He never got around to it. A few weeks after Gean’s demise, my wife and I drove to Lansing, Michigan, to recover any NATS material before his son closed out the house. We came away with four boxes. In one box, I discovered the DeYoung/Mowe correspondence that formed the basis of the second chapter of this volume. These letters were important since DeYoung chaired the Chicago Committee, the remaining members were Walter Stults and William Phillips, and Mowe, chaired the New York committee-the remaining members were Leon Carson and Frederick Heywood, for the Academy, and Bernard Taylor and Vera Curtis, for the New York Singing Teachers Association. Then there was George Newton to whom I turned for help just as several presidents had done in the past when they took office. George Newton sent me the files he had kept down through the years when he was in the thick of it. They proved invaluable. In my search for information concerning former Singer of the Year and NATS Artist Awards participants, vwnners and/or finalists, to involve in Chicago’s 1987 Convention, I contacted Berton Coffin since he and Millie had been in Europe for several years where they met up with quite a few in the opera houses of Austria and West Germany. Louis Nicholas also was a great help in this area as well. When I gave up the chairmanship of the Chicago convention, since I could not do justice to it and the history, that information still was valuable to me. Then there was the meticulously kept records of a succession of national secretaries, to wit: Walter Allen Stults, E. Clifford Toren, Hadley Crawford, John Thut, William Eberl and Margret Kommel-taking us through all the presidencies up to Irv Bushman. Maiy Fall’s excuse for not continuing-she did not know how to type. Evidently it was passed over by Irv Bushman. Mary Fall’s successor seemingly did not know about the Board’s Record Book since she made no contribution to it. There are three people to whom the work of writing of this history became a part of their lives ahnost as much as it was mine this past seven years-my wife, Lucile, and John and Emily Burgin. Lucile typed and retyped the more than thousand-paged manuscript. The Burgins have advised me on style and assisted my research. It is not too much to say that without this triumvirate this work could not have come into being. My thanks to them and all others whom I might have overlooked.

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ONE Prelude The concern for quality music instruction for potential teachers had its roots in the last centu­ ry. Theodore Presser, at that time a member of the faculty of Female College, Delaware, Ohio, was the prime mover. Disturbed by the fact that entering pupils from various sections of our country were ill-prepared for any work which they might undertake in music, he set about orga­ nizing a national association of music teachers to broaden and upgrade teacher training programs. On December 26,1876, the first meeting of the Music Teachers National Association was held at Female College, Delaware, Ohio, with 62 charter members. Space forbids relating the trials during MTNA’s early years, but Peter LutMn, president at the time of its 1911 national meeting held in Ann Arbor, Michigan, gives us a summary of this pioneering experience. "Previous to 1906 the Music Teachers National Association had a varied and somewhat precarious existence. The character and complexion of the annual meetings de­ pended entirely upon the abilities and energies of a few officials. The frequent change of officers elected in a rather haphazard manner, precluded any conformity of policy and there was a vital lack of definiteness in the purposes of the Association. Generally speaking, the primary object of the meetings was to crowd in as many concerts and recitals as possible and to fill in the inter­ stices with papers and discussions. At times what were really huge musical festivals were suc­ cessfully carried out. And then again, the affairs of the Association would be at a low ebb, giving much concern and apprehension to those really interested. In 1904-05 the condition of the Association was so unpromising that a few of the thoughtful and faithful members under the lead of Professor Charles H. Farnsworth, determined that a reorganization, based upon a radical change of plan was absolutely necessary." 1906 was to witness not only a rebirth of MTNA but also the founding of the first National Association of Teachers of Singing. Madame Anna E. Ziegler, New York City, and Arthur de Guichard, Providence, Rhode Island, later removed to Boston, along with Townsend H. Fellows, Jane Corwin Salter and Marie S. Schmidt, all of New York City; Max Knitel Treumann of New Rochelle, New York, and Marie Pernet McCarty of St. Louis, Missouri, incorporated the National Association of Teachers of Singing under the laws of the State of New York, November 27,1906. The above named were to serve as its directors until the organization’s first election. The following spring, a group of area teachers of singing met to listen to different speakers give their ideas on the benefits of such an association. The meeting was so successful that a general invitation was sent out for a meeting at Carnegie Chamber Music Hall for May 24,1907. The response was impressive and a chairman and secretary were elected. During the months that followed, founders and officers met to complete the work of organization. Herman Klein, New York City, representing the newly formed Association, spoke on "The Singing Teacher, As He Ought to Be" at the 29th MTNA meeting held at Columbia University, December 27-31,1907. Let his words describe the plight of the profession and how a singing teachers association would attempt to remedy the situation. "We hear a great deal from all sides of what the average singing teacher is not-less, perhaps than we should, of what he actually is, and less still of what he might be. Take him for all in all, he had a poor reputation in this country-so poor, in fact, that if the police acted literally on the principal of give a vocal teacher a bad name and hang him, there would ensure a considerable reduction in the musical population of our large cities----"I am not here today to defend teachers of singing as a body, for the simple and sufficient reason that there is no body yet to defend. If I am called upon for any kind of defense at all, it is in behalf of a small and modest but compact section of singing teachers, who realize, like Marcellus in Hamlet that there is something rotten in the State, and are at the present time earnestly and anxiously devising plans whereby to purify and systematize the work of our profession as a whole."

After a discussion of what the teacher of singing ought to be, Herman Klein raised the questions: (1) how to contrive to create a practical standard for the measurement of teaching ability and (2) how best to protect the public against incompetent teachers of singing. Then he unfolded the plans of The National Association of Teachers of Singing. "The Executive Board of that body, of which I have the honor to be chairman, has been for some time and still is, working hard to formulate the right kind of examinations for the certificate or diploma which the Association will have the privilege of issuing to successful candidates. "We know two things-First, that we can only obtain prestige for our diploma by making it the guarantee for sound, reliable teaching, and second, that we can only obtain the demonstration of ability of our candidates by submitting them to tests that shall be broad in principle, simple and direct in form, practical in their nature, and based upon those clear fundamental ideas of the vocal art which the exponents of every school are more or less bound to entertain in common." If the candidate were a singer, he or she would sing. The final test was the teaching of a strange voice before the group. The first annual meeting of the newly formed Association was held on January 7, 1908, in Steinway Hall. The choice of a name, the constitution and bylaws as well as some amendments were unanimously accepted at this meeting. Everything augured well for the new organization. However, the founders were anxious to get on with "establishing and maintaining standards" in the vocal profession. At the very next meeting the question of examinations was raised, causing considerable friction. A committee was appointed to prepare a questionnaire for the purpose of examining all members of the Association. The consequence was a series of veiy stormy sessions. Despite all efforts, there could not be found an area of agreement-resignations poured in and the Association was reduced to a few whose "vision and love for their chosen profession was great enough to overcome all obstacles." The subject of examinations was dropped. Over the years the nucleus met. Efforts to gain new members were not productive. There were lectures, papers by outstanding members, entertaiimients, etc., but no more than the faithful few attended. Quoting from the published history of the New York Singing Teachers Association: "The years from the inception of the Association to 1912 were not productive of any great results that could be enumerated, but many plans had been made, suggestions discussed, and changes accomplished. The Constitution and Bylaws had been revised; regular meetings of the Board as well as of the Association had been inaugurated and regular officers were elected each year at the Annual Meeting held in January. A policy of Discussion and Declaration o f Principles o f Technique had been decided on. From March 1912 many excellent papers, prepared by our members on the Art of Singing, Breathing, Tone Production, Ethics, and allied subjects of paramount interest to our profession, have been read and exhaustively analyzed, word by word, phrase by phrase and sentence by sentence, before being adopted by the Association." On September 21,1917, the National Association of Teachers of Singing was authorized by the State of New York to change its name to the New York Singing Teachers Association since the latter name more clearly reflected its area of activity. Walter Bogert was the last president of the first National Association of Teachers of Singing and stayed on as NYSTA’s first officer until Signor Luigi Parisotti took over January 1, 1918. That same year John C. Wilcox, who was to become the first president of the second National Association of Teachers of Singing, gave a paper at the MTNA Voice Conference entitled "What the Voice Teacher Must Know." Until the second National Association of Teachers of Singing, formed in 1944, established its yearly meetings independently of MTNA in 1951, the MTNA voice forums afforded singing teachers their only national contact. Unfortunately, these forums did not allow much time and treated literature on such things as the pitch factor in singing. In 1919, at the Philadelphia meeting, the first woman president of NYSTA talked about the newly christened oldest association of teachers of singing in the USA. In 1921, the MTNA program offered noth­ ing in our field; the 1922 New York meeting offered two sessions-one on "English Song" by Ursula Greville, and the other on "Song Sharks and Their Victims" by William Arms Fisher. In 1922, two new organizations of teachers of singing made their debut. Both were still in existence at the time of this writing. The Los Angeles Guild of Teachers of Singing was chartered March 16,1922. Herbert Witherspoon was the prime mover in the other group. Quoting from Harold Luckstone’s short History o f the American Academy o f Teachers o f Singing, "At the turn of the twentieth century it was not uncommon for a vocal pedagogist to cut the throat of the

other fellow in an unbecoming and disparaging manner. Notwithstanding, there were some teachers who practiced otherwise, thorou^ly disliking and disapproving the slanderous procedure, and feeling that something should be done to "curb" the evil. It took a forceful person such as Herbert Witherspoon to bring that contemplation to a head. He conferred with certain individuals of repute and suggested that together they form an organization for the purpose of presenting to vocal teachers in general the principles of ethical procedure and altruism, and of promoting high ideals in the art of singing. "On March 25,1922 a meeting was held in the residence of Herbert Witherspoon, whereupon was built-christened and launched-the Academy ship of future fame. The following fifteen individuals became charter members; Walter L. Bogert, William S. Brady, Dudley Buck, George Fergusson, Yeatman Griffith, George Hamlin, Frederick H. Haywood, Sergei Klibansky, Gardner Lamson, Francis Rogers, Oscar Saenger, Oscar Seagle, George E. Shea, Percy Reaor Stephens, and Herbert Witherspoon. It did not take long after its founding for the American Academy to proceed in high gear, offering the profession and the public considerable food for thought To begin with, it had published in 1924 a Code of Ethics which to this day has held up like the Rock of Gibralter and which has served as a model for other organizations. Continually thereafter the Association had printed for public consumption a quantity of song lists and advisory pronouncements." In the later 20s and early 30s the impact of this dynamic organization spread to Chicago. First Herbert Witherspoon and then Dudley Buck traded Manhattan for the shores of Lake Michigan. The first call for voice teachers in the Chicago area to' meet and discuss the possibilities of a Chicago organization similar to the American Academy resulted in a meeting of approximately a dozen teachers in Herbert Witherspoon’s studio. After considerable discussion the‘group decided to organize. Karleton Hackett nominated Richard DeYoung as temporary chairman and Thomas MacBurney as secretary. After the meeting, Herbert Witherspoon demon­ strated, by means of slides, his method of class voice instruction. Quoting from Richard B. DeYoung’s account of the early days; "Several weeks of correspondence followed. In October 1930 a meeting was called in a dining room on the mezzanine floor of the Auditorium Hotel. At that meeting first steps toward formal organization were taken. Karleton Hackett moved that the name should be the Chicago Council of Teachers of Singing. After some discussion, this motion was passed. A few of the bylaws were considered and passed before the meeting adjourned. It was attended by some twenty active teachers of singing. "An amusing sidelight was that when the meeting adjourned, the music critic on the Hearst newspaper, the Chicago Examiner, was found on the top step of the grand staircase in the lobby. He asked if we had organized. When he was so informed he exclaimed, ’That’s the first time I have ever known voice teachers to agree on anything.’ The next morning news of our organization was headlined in his paper. We spent the entire season on details of organization, including the decision to incorporate as a non-profit corporation under the laws of the State of Illinois." The list of Charter Members was as follows; Dudley Buck, Arthur Burton, D. A. Clippinger, Richard B. DeYoung, Shirley Gandell, Charles Norman Granville, Karleton Hackett, E. Warren K. Howe, Charles LaBerge, Thomas N. MacBurney, Otto Meisner, Herbert Miller, Adolph Muhlmann, Graham Reed, Edwardo Sacerdote, Walter Allen Stults, Frank S. Webster and Herbert Witherspoon. The Council concerned itself with projects vital to the profession. Song lists were published. Pronouncements on various phases of the teacher’s work were issued. The most significant undertaking and one which probably brought more publicity than any other was the yearly song composition contest with the wiiming song publish^ by Carl Fischer, Ina, of New York. (Gerald Smith reported at the Guild’s last meeting of the ’83-’84 season that the current royalty check fi:om Carl Fischer, Inc., had just been received.) In the 1930s, the voice forums of the MTNA were populated by members of the American Academy of Teachers of Singing, the New York Singing Teachers Association and the Chicago Council of Teachers (later the Chicago Singing Teachers Guild), viz., George Fergusson, Percy Rector Stephens, Dudley Buck, John Wilcox, Edgar Schofield, Homer Mowe, Bernard Taylor, Walter Allen Stults, Harold Butler, D. A Clippinger, Richard DeYoung, Shirley Gandell, Adolph Muhlmann, William Phillips, John T. Reed, Graham Reed, B. Fred Wise, and Cameron McLc m . Many of those named were among the founders and early members of the National Association of Teachers of Singing.

MINU1E3 of OROANIZATION COMMITTEE MEETINO (L uncheon) h s ld in N e th e rla n d -P U z a H o to l, C i n c i n n a t i , O h io , T h u rsd a y , Manch 2 J . ___________________________I 9 A A The fo llo w in g named p e rs o n a w ere p r e s e n t and v o t in g , v i z i C lif f o r d B air Leon C arson, Richard B. DeYoung, Aoos S . E b e rs o le , L ouise K roeger, Orace L e s lie , Blanche B lis s- Lyons, 1 , O scar H i l l e r , Hoaer 0 . Itowe, John 0 . S anuel, V alkr A llsn S t u l t s , E. C lif f o r d T oren, John S. V ilc o x ,

Salem C o lle g e 160 West 7 5 r d . a t . , 721 No. M ichigan Ave. H e id e lb e rg C o lle g e , A59 No. Boyle S t . , W. 72nd S t . , A59 No. E«^ke S t . , A2I W alnut S t . , 171 W. 7 I s t S t . , 2 0 6 l M o rriso n A v e ., Hinman A r e ., ^ 4 0 N. S t . L o u is S t . , 5212 C o rn e ll A v e.,

V in s to n - S a le n , N .C . New Y ork, N.Y. C h ic a g o , 111. T i f f i n , O hio. S t . L o u is , Mo. New Y ork, N.Y. S t . L o u is , Mo. C h a tta n o o g a , T enn. New Y ork. N.Y. Lakewood, O h io . E v a n sto n , 111. C h ic a g o , 111. C h ica g o , 111.

In a a d i t i o n , 87 p r o x is s were v o te d , same b e in g h e ld by M e e srs. C a rso n , DeYoung, Now*, S t u l t s and W ilcox. T o ta l v o t e , 100. Mr. Mows P re s id e d . P r i o r to t r a n s a c t i o n o f a c t u a l b u s in e s s , Mr. Howe e x p la in e d t h a t p la n a under c o n s id e ra tio n f o r th e p a s t s e v e ra l y e a r s w e re, a t t h l a tim e , b e in g b ro g g h t to c o o p ls tio n through j o i n t c o n fe re n c e o f t h r e e m ajo r c o m m itte es r e p r e s e n t i n g , i n tu r n , th e AMERICAN ACADEJ(Y o f TEACHERS o f SINOINO, o f New Y orkj th e CHICAGO SINOIHO TEACHERfl GUILD, I n c ., and th e NEW YORK SINGING TEACHERS ASSOCIATION, s a i d coma i t t e s s having been d u ly a p p o in te d by t h e i r r e s p e c t i v e o r g a n iz a t i o n s w ith power to a c t . He f u r t h e r s t a t e d t h a t t h e f i r s t o r d e r o f b u s in e s s would be c h o ic e o f a t i t l e f o r th e new o r g a n iz a tio n , fo llo w e d by p r e e e n t a t i o n o f a t e n t a t i v e s l a t e o f o f f i c i a l s , a f t e r which a d o p tio n o f a C o n s t i tu t i o n would be in o r d e r . R e la t iv e t o th e f i r s t ite m , i t was unanim ously a g re e d t h a t th e new o r g a n iz a t i o n s h o u ld b# c a lle d th e NATIONAL ASSOCUIION o f TEACnERS o f SINGIM3, I n c . , t h i s c o n s t i t u t i n g A rtic le 1 o f th e C p s t i tu t i o n . Unanimouely a p p ro v e d . A r t i c l e I I , re a d in g a s f o llo w s , was th e n u n a n ix o u s ly a p p ro v e d i OBJECiS.

The o b je c t (p u rp o se ) o f t h i s o r g a n iz a t i o n s h a l l b e i 1. To e s t a b l i s h and B a ln ta ln th e hi^hes-.. s t a n c a r d s o f e t . . l c a l p r i n c i ­ p le s and p r a c t ic e s in th e p r o f e s s i o n . 2 . To e s t a b l i s h and m a in ta in th e h i g i e s t p o s s i b l e s ta n d a r d s o f compe­ te n c e in t:.e Voice Teac ,in g P r o f e s s io n ; t o c o n d u c t and e n c o u ra g e re s e a rc h and to d is s e m in a te r e s u l t i n g in f o r m a tio n t o t h e p r o f e e s i o n a t l a r g e , qnd to e n co u rag e e f f e c t i v e c o o p e r u tio n a io n g v o c a l t e a c h e r s f o r t i . e l r p r o t e c ti o n , w e lf a r e and a d v an c em e n t.

K r. >owe th e n p r e s e n te d th e f o llo w in g s l a t e , n e c e s s a r i l y eomewhat in c a a p le te , v lz « P r e s i i e n t ......................... .......................... Jo h n C. W ilcox S e c re ta ry ----------------------- ---------------- V a l te r A lle n S t u l t s T re a su re r---------------------------------------- U o n C arson R e g is tr a r ---------------------------------------- G race L e s li e e g io n a l V ic e - P r e s id e n ts , Hocer g . >i>we--------N-.w York R ich a rd B. DeYoung-----------C h ic a g o , 1 11. A lb e r t Lukken--------------------T u ls a , O klahom a. C l i f f o r d S a i r --------------------W in s to n -S a le i., N.C. L loyd W. Rowlesy-------------- ''h e n e y . Wash. R e p re s e n ta tiv e s -a t-L a rg e , J . O sca r K i i l e r y --------------- C h a tta n o o g a , T onn, F lo re n c e Lament Hinman — D e n v er, C o lo . A lf r e d SpousoT------------------ R o c h e s te r , N .Y . Moved by TOR£M, SAMUEL se c o n d in g , t h a t s l a t e , a s r e a d , be e l e c t e d t o o f f i c e . No d i i c u s s io n and m o tio n was c a r r i e d u n a n im o u s ly , I0 0 a .y e s. P r e s i d e n t WILCOXth e n to o k t h e c h a i r a n d , a t h i s r e q u e s t . H r . tow e c o n tin u e d e x p la ­ n a ti o n o f t h e s e tu p i n m ind, g o in g i n t o some d e t a i l a s t o how i t w ould f u n c t i o n . M e e tin g was th e n a d jo u r n e d , s e s s io n t o be resum ed a s o f F r id a y a t t h e lu n c h h o u r .

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The Parturient Years NATS--the National Association of Teachers of Singing--how was it bom? You’ve met the progenitors in the preceding pages. The Chicago Singing Teachers Guild minutes of March 5, 1940 serve to shed light on the question in part as does a file of DeYoung/Mowe correspondence. Quoting from the official minutes of the March 4, 1940 meeting of the Chicago Council of Teachers of Singing: "Prior to the vote that changed the name of our organization from the Chicago Council of Teachers of Singing to the Chicago Singing Teachers Guild, Mr. DeYoung proposed for our consideration the forming of a national organization with local chapters here and there over the States, which would function individually on local matters, but as a whole on matters concerning the profession at large. In such an event all brochures relating to voice principles, professional ethics, song lists, book reviews, etc., would be financed and sent out by the national organization. It was also proposed that the national organization assume a relationship to the profession at large such as occupied by the American Medical Association to the doctor’s profession and the like organization in the dental profession; and that some plan be worked out whereby certificates of the organization’s approval would be issued on evidence being furnished of adequate education, training and ability. "It was also proposed that membership in local chapters be so safeguarded as to constitute recognition of a member’s worthiness to receive such a certificate. It was also suggested that since the American Academy was first in the field (organized some eight years before the Guild) that before we took any definite steps in the matter that it be asked to assume leadership or at least joint-leadership with our organization— The consensus was that this matter involved too much to be acted upon at this time, and that the changing of the name of our organization would not in any way interfere should we decide later to sponsor such a move.” Among the DeYoung papers, there are one and one-half undated pages of handwritten notes on the DeYoung Studios stationery that very well may have been the basis of his remarks at the March 5,1940 CCTS meeting. The heading i&ad: American Singing Teacher's Association. Some three years later, DeYoung mentions that maybe^enca/t would be a better choice than National in the name of the association in the event that at a later date Canadian teachers of singing might be invited to become members. A letter from the Cleveland Chamber of Commerce addressed to Richard DeYoung is also evidence of this activity. Dated October 5,1940, it is apparently an answer to a letter of inquiry from Mr. DeYoung regarding organizations of teachers of singing in the state of Ohio. The letter revealed that there was The Ohio Academy of Teachers of Singing and that the state president was Mr. John O. Samuel of Lakewood, Ohio. It also named a Madame Emi de Bidoli as president of the Cleveland chapter. The Ohio Academy was contacted in the early planning, but never really got involved. Berton Coffin, writing about the pre-NATS days, he was a Texan then, reports that "there was an effort by Clyde J. Garrett to begin an organization for singers similar to frl Allison of the Piano Teachers Guild which was having great success at the time and still is. It was a dream with him, whether it was a beneficent or financial one, I am unable to say." Indeed there was an effort well on its way and with any luck might have taken off. Late in November, 1941, Garrett had met with representative teachers of singing from nine states in Houston, Texas. There, they worked out plans for The National Guild of Teachers of Singing, Inc. Garrett was on the program of the 1941 MTNA meeting in Minneapolis, scheduled to speak on "Plans for Organizing a National Guild of Teachers of Singing." He also had corresponded with teachers around the country, inviting them to serve on the Guild’s Advisory Board. But the best laid plans o f ___ Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941 changed things. Then too, Clyde J. Garrett never made it to Minneapolis. His 1941 Christmas Day letter to John Wilcox, Hotel Nicollet, Minneapolis explains all that and lists the names of prominent teachers of singing whom he had asked to be on his

Board. He wrote; "I am tied up here with a bad cold and worrisome temperature, but hope to be on up for the meeting in a day or so. Will also try to see Mr. DeYoung before leaving. (Fat men are afraid of fever.) "Enclosed is a briefly dictated plan of the Guild, subject to improvements as they become apparent and necessary. I also am enclosing some application blanks which you may or may not want to distribute. I vnsh you would accept the Deanship of the Guild. Cameron McLean has accepted the Chairmanship of the Advisory Board. I am asking the following to serve on the Guild’s Advisory Board in order to start the ball rolling: John C. Wilcox, Chicago; Richard DeYoung, Chicago; Graham Reed, Chicago; Leon Carson, New York City; Homer G. Mowe, New York City; Frank LaForge, New York City; John O. Samuel, Cleveland; Cameron McLean, Detroit; Andres de Sergurola, Hollywood; Harold Kellog, Dallas; Rollin Pease, Tucson; Arturo di Phillipi, Miami; and Arnold G, Wagner, Los Angeles. Some have accepted. PLEASE ADD six or eight more whom you believe to be interested enough to work in the cause, furnishing me the names when I arrive. They should be scattered over the country of course. The advisory Board will become members without dues, but by signing the membership blank. Thank you again for your fine cooperation, and thanks in advance for helping members of the Guild in their effort to raise the standards of vocal pedagogy out in the field." Wilcox did not answer Garrett’s letter until he returned to Chicago. He wrote on January 5, 1942; "It was most unfortunate that illness prevented you fi'om attending the M. T. N. A. convention in Minneapolis. We who were active in the Vocal Forum were left very much ’up in the air”with regard to your National Guild plan, and in your absence it seemed best to do nothing about iL The last word that I had fi'om you (in your letter mailed from Chicago) indicated that you would probably get to Minneapolis in time for the Forum session, and I expected you until, during the afternoon, I learned from the hotel management that you had canceled your reservation and ordered your mail forwarded to Hollywood. "In all fi'ankness I must tell you that, even had you reached Minneapolis, you would not have been encouraged to undertake any active promotion of your Guild before the convention. First; the National officers of M. T. N. A definitely expressed opposition to the promotion of any more organizations as offehoots of that Association. Second; members of both the American Academy of Teachers of Singing and of the Chicago Singing Teachers Guild felt that you had complicated the matter of their cooperation by ’jumping the gun’ and formally launching your Guild in advance of the Mirmeapolis Convention. "In your communication to the Academy a relatively short time before the Convention you sketched your plan, told of the organization of a Texas Guild of Teachers of Singing, mentioned expressions of interest from other states; and said; ’So at Minneapolis, I shall ask either the Vocal Forum or individual voice teachers from over the country to form a National Guild of Teachers of Singing, unifying these local or state groups.’ "From representatives of the Academy you learned that body’s reaction; namely, that while heartily in accord with the idea of a national organization, it believed the actual working plan should evolve through discussions in which delegated representatives of existing groups of voice teachers would participate; that it favored preliminary discussion of the plan in the Vocal Forum at Minneapolis for the purpose of gathering suggestions but did not favor an attempt to formally launch a national organization at this time. When, therefore, your Christmas Day communication from Chicago reached me in Minneapolis, enclosing evidence that you had actually formed the ’National Guild’ at Houston in November, started receiving members and had even appointed some of the national officers, it became apparent that you were not disposed to participate in the more deliberate plan of organization suggested by the Academy. I called into conference representatives of the Academy and the Chicago Guild who were attending the Minneapolis convention and we agreed unanimously that, if you appeared at the Forum, you would be given opportunity to outline your plan, as a matter of information, but that no formal or official action could be encouraged. In the light of this frank explanation you will understand why, in your absence, we simply omitted the topic from our program. "You must not infer that we whose reaction I am explaining in this letter, feel any antagonism toward the National Guild as you have planned and started it. It may be that you will accomplish exaaly what the Academy, the Guild, and all of us who are interested in the betterment of vocal education desire. But we did and do think that representatives of the organizations in our two

greatest cities should have participated in planning such a national guild. We do not, of course, presume to predict what the official attitude of the Academy and the Guild will be toward cooperation in your project "Personally I appreciate your thought of me, expressed in the invitation to act as Dean of the Guild. If members of an Advisory Board (such as you name) including such representative men as are listed themselves expressed the wish that I act as Dean or in any other post of leadership or humbler service, I should accept the post if circumstances permitted. I should not feel comfortable, however, in being arbitrarily given office where the men comprising the body with whom I was supposed to work had no opportunity to express themselves regarding my selection for that office. If you will permit a gratuitous opinion, I will say that, in my belief, it would be wiser to first organize your Advisory Board from big-calibre teachers representing all sections of this country, and then let these men choose their Chairman. "Candidly, I don’t know just what the Deanship of the Guild would involve in time and worL Certainly I would be interested in the proposed dissemination of research projects and in the national clinic. Whether I would be the best man for the post that you have in mind, or whether I could undertake it are both matters for later decision, when we both can know more about the development of your plan. In any event, I should wish to be certain that I am the choice of my co-workers before I accept any office in the organization, I believe that you will appreciate this attitude. "In Mrs. Garrett’s recent note to me she stated that you plan a trip to Chicago and New York as soon as possible. I am sure that you will find both the Academy and the Guild ready to discuss with you any feasible plan for a national organization of voice teachers, and to cooperate heartily when they recognize the right potentialities in such a plan. I shall personally be most interested to talk with you. Hoping that you have fully recovered your health and with best wishes for the New Year." Even if Garrett had been able to fulfill his role at the convention, it is doubtful that the five (Wilcox, DeYoung, Carson, Mowe, and Stults), would have entered into any negotiations that seemed to evolve from the grass roots upward. Their idea was an organization that controlled the quality of membership from the top down-it was to be a society of the chosen! There is no doubt that anxiety over the war slowed things. Even in normal times, correspondence sometimes lagged because the men involved had responsibilities other than realizing a dream. Not only that, there were several organizations involved even though they had named representatives to do the actual planning. Reporting back to each respective membership depended on scheduled meetings, etc. So, the pace was slow. The two chairmen/spokesmen were Richard DeYoung, representing the Chicago Group and Homer Mowe, representing both New York organizations. Two rather long letters set the stage for the initial planning. On May 11,1942 Richard DeYoung as chairman of the Committee on National Organization of the Chicago Singing Teachers Guild wrote Homer Mowe, chairman of the AATS-NYSTA National Organization Committee: "For your information, in view of the meetings of the American Academy of Teachers of Singing and the New York Singing Teachers Association, I am stating below the views of the Chicago Singing Teachers Guild, in the matter of organizing a National Association of Teachers of Singing. The matter has been before our meetings several times. We are impressed that unless the movement comes from the organizations, who have long been in the field, it might conceivably come from other sources. One such attempt has already, and may still be being made. "The advantage of a National Organization to us seems obvious. Our reasons for thinking so, were stated to you on the occasion of your meeting with us on March 29th. Since you have your notes on that meeting, there is no need to repeat the content of our discussion. Since that time the Chicago Singing Teachers Guild has appointed a committee on National organization with myself as chairman and Mr. Walter Stults and Mr. William Phillips as its other members. This committee is authorized to work with a like committee or representative from your organizations, and is authorized to commit the Guild to any action or expense it sees fit In the discussion at the last meeting it seemed the consensus of opinion, that the first steps should be the setting up of the skeleton of the organization to consist of the membership of the cooperating groups, which I understand to be the American Academy, the New York Singing Teachers Association and the Ohio Academy. We have had no contact with the Ohio group, but we

presume that you have. After the basis of the organizations is effected, the m atter of procedure by which we will operate, and determine upon the qualifications for membership can be worked out; but it was our feeling that first an organization with a name, a statement of purpose, and a simple constitution be established. "In the course of the discussion several suggestions for a name were made, which I am submitting merely as suggestions. They are ’American Federation of Singing Teachers,’ ’Federated Singing Teachers of America,’ and ’The United States Singing Teachers Association.’ We sincerely hope that in your meetings you vwll succeed with furthering this much needed movement. With our sincere good wishes to our eastern colleagues." Homer Mowe answered DeYoung’s letter on May 26, 1942. He wrote: "I presented your letter at the meeting of the Academy and considerable time was given to a discussion of the best procedure to be used in setting up our National organization. This discussion was continued at a meeting of the joint Committee of the Academy and NYSTA "From this it evolved that as we desire (1) to bring about an affiliation of the outstanding organizations of teachers of singing such as the Academy, the Chicago Guild, NYSTA and the Ohio Academy, and any other similar groups with parallel objectives, (2) for the purpose of creating from this affiliation a national organization. We should clearly define our purposes before setting down a constitution and by-laws which otherwise might be found to limit the new organization’s development, and we should have some general plan of membership prepared in advance. It was thought that the other steps would not offer difficulties. "The above ideas, I believe, do not differ radically from those you expressed. We suggest for your consideration, one version of a statement of purpose: National Federation o f Teachers o f Singing (A nation-wide organization formed to uphold the loftiest purposes of Vocal Art.) Purpose: (1) To encourage and effect cooperation among vocal teachers through the country for their protection, welfare and advancement. (2) To establish and maintain the highest standard of ethical principles and practices in the profession. The above was obtained after study of the constitutions of the Academy, NYSTA and the Ohio Academy. Unfortunately we did not possess a copy of the Guild’s constitution. I suggest that it would be helpful to all if each section o f the general committee had all four constitutions and I will forward those of the New York groups. The name used above grew out of your suggestion and was used just as a trial. "The discussion as to membership brought out the fact that while an organization like MTNA started with individual members and later made a place for organization members, we are reversing the procedure and starting with organizations and adding individuals. It seems that we need both at the start in our case; that the four organizations join as groups and enlist as individual members as many of their local members as possible. In the case of the Academy this would be 100%. It would not be so, at least at the start, in the case of the NYSTA with its 150 teacher members. In the case of those teachers outside our membership, it was believed that sponsors would be necessary, and that the calibre of the teacher affords a basis for decision as to his or her qualifications for membership. "It was felt that we should start by getting a maximum of each organization to join as individuals before admitting others. AJfter the organization is a going concern and after the nucleus o f membership is established, an invitation to teachers of standing could be issued. A list o f such teachers could be drawn up in the meantime, along the geographical lines you suggested, and this could be compiled and ready. "A strong national organization is based on local activities of local organizations, who join the national group as an organization (and whose members join as individuals) but retain their identity. The MENC and the National Federation of Music Clubs are good examples of this. The formation o f local organizations should be encouraged. Local problems differ. Will you accept this as a basis for further discussions and send on your comments, objections etc. We believe that our success in this endeavor depends greatly on how thoroughly we discuss and consider these basic factors. The joint committee of the Academy and NYSTA consists of myself, as chairman, Leon Carson and Frederick Haywood for the Academy and Bernard U. Taylor and Vera Curtis for the association. Have you discussed the need for incorporation? A heavy responsibility devolves on the officers if there is none. I think we are going to need a two-day joint meeting for our committees along toward the end of this planmng!"

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On June 6,1942, Richard DeYoung wrote Homer Mowe acknowledging the informative letter of May 26,1942, as well as advising him that the CSTG executive board would meet on June 6th to discuss it. Later in the month, DeYoung wrote Mowe thanking him for sending him a copy of the NYSTA constitution and advised him that a copy of the CSTG constitution was being forwarded. Quoting Richard DeYoung, "We had a meeting of the executive board of the Guild recently and we felt that all the suggestions contained in your letter were entirely satisfactory to us-except that we felt it might be wise for us to clarify, a little further, the requirements for membership and the methods by which we could arrive at satisfactory conclusions concerning these requirements. First, however, it is going to be necessary to set up our skeleton organization, based on a constitution and statement of purpose. To that end, we are contributing our constitution and with what we have here, we can sketch out something while you do the same. Then perhaps it will be necessary for us to get together in the early fall, to adopt the actual working plan." On September 26,1942, Mowe acknowledged DeYoung’s late June letter, agreeing that no time should be wasted in setting up the new organization. He continued: "One thing is holding us up at the present. The Ohio group failed to take official action last Spring, although Mr. Samuel seemed to like the idea. Now they have a new President, Mr. Burton Garlinghouse. I have just written him and put the matter in his hands, so I hope they will take a favorable vote on it at their October meeting. Will let you know as soon as I hear from him. "Our members have been slow to return to the city so we have had no meeting of the Committee as yet. Expect to have one in a week or so. Have the name of a new Voice Teachers organization down in Pennsylvania. After we get the proper setup they might be very much interested in associating themselves with us. I hope that the Cleveland meeting can be arranged sometime in October, as that would give us plenty of time to make some plans for publicity at the MTNA convention in Cincinnati if that idea seems a good one to you." Mowe wrote DeYoung on October 25,1942 that he had no word from the Ohio Academy since his September 26th letter to him. Also, that Mr. Garlinghouse to whom he had written was now in the Army. He mentions that his letter to William Wheeler who took over for Garlinghouse had gone unanswered. Mowe suggested that they plan a joint meeting in Cinciimati at the time of the MTNA convention and work out details of organization. Unfortunately, the MTNA meeting was not held. It should be remembered that these were the war years and such things as conventions were less than necessities. The cancellation of the MTNA meeting stimulated a new approach. On January 4,1943, Mowe wrote DeYoung that, at their last Academy meeting, he outlined two procedures in order to stimulate opinion. Quoting Mr. Mowe: "(1) to take steps at once for formal organization, to attempt to secure members and to prepare for real expansion and real activity when affairs are more settled; and (2) to do everything except formally organize and then take the step when conditions have improved." Academy members present favored the latter plan, but took no formal action and were of an open mind asking for an opinion from the Guild. On January 5th, Mowe sent DeYoung a night letter stating that the NYSTA’s Executive Board favored Plan I, that it was wiser to organize now. On January 14,1943, Mowe wrote DeYoung that the Academy again discussed the two plans and had decided to approve Plan I, that of organizing now. He concluded his letter, "Therefore if the Guild, as I believe it does, is of the same opinion, we can resume and conclude all discussions leading up to formal organizing, and try to arrange a meeting of our representatives for the actual launching of the new body." One month later, Mowe sent off a letter to DeYoung summarizing suggestions that his committee had received from both New York organizations. There was the recommendation that there be both individual and organization members. To discuss these first proposals and to follow changes to the present time could very well be interesting but would result in a very costly undertaking. Many of the points were dropped before our bylaws were formulated. Others have changed to reflect new directions in our organization. The controversy around the name is interesting. At this point the New York groups suggested "The National Federation (or Association) of Teachers of Singing" with the comment that there was a preference for the term "Federation." A little later, one of DeYoung’s letters to Mowe (only a penciled copy for his typist is extant) mentions "that while the former name of

"National Association of Teachers of Singing" is acceptable to us, that the point had been raised that some day we might include Canada which might make "American" a better choice than "National." In a May 6th letter, DeYoung wrote: "We have one member from Northwestern University who takes exception to a name with two ofs. Says it is not good English. While he was president of our organization he succeeded in changing our name from ’Chicago Council of Teachers of Singing’ to ’The Chicago Singing Teachers Guild.’ Counter proposals resulted in the suggestion of ’National Singing Teachers Federation,’ ’National Federation of Singing Teachers’ and ’Federated Singing Teachers of America.’ There are those, myself among them, that feel as long as we are raising the question of good English to say ’Singing Teachers,’ implies teachers who sing, and as we know many do not (anymore). So I would like your committee to discuss this matter in light of the above objections and suggestions. If you stand by the original I think we will too, without any trouble, but these points should be considered." DeYoung’s letter gave the Guild’s ideas concerning objectives, members, officers and executive body, terms of officers, dues, incorporation, etc. He wrote: "We discussed, as you requested, the method of admitting members. We think we should begin with the members of our several groups as ’Charter Members’ forming a temporary organization for one year; during which year the process of admitting further membership be determined. Our present view on this is explained under ’Members.’ The idea of sponsors to recommend, in various states, seems good to me, however." Two classes of membership were suggested; "Individual Members. Teachers of Singing of established reputation, to be passed upon by a membership committee made up of an equal number of delegates from all the Charter groups. Organization Members. Those now in existence and those which may be found in the future, and approved for membership by the Charter Member Groups." Homer Mowe wrote on May 19,1943, "We all appreciate the interest your Committee had shown and the cooperative spirit in which you are taldng up the matter. In general, there seems to be no difference of opinion as shown in your letter and in my letter of February, in regard to matters of fundamental importance. And in regard to details, those can be worked out, I am sure, as we all desire the same objective, a sound workable plan___ "Name-opinion was unanimous that ’Teachers of Singing’ should be used rather than ’Singing Teachers.’ I judge that this meets with your personal approval. We have no objection to two ofs.” Once more, he gave reasons for changes in wording in the various areas of objectives, members, officers and Executive Board. The New York group liked DeYoung’s idea of a temporary setup for a year, explaining that was the policy followed by the National Music Council with success. DeYoung had mentioned that he could come to New York to work out final details. This idea was welcomed by the New York group and Mowe suggested that the meeting take place in the fall since Wilcox couldn’t make the trip in the spring. The suggested fall meeting did not materialize until the second week in November. It must be remembered that these were the war years. No one could afford to cancel out teaching schedules; it was necessary to find a time when the majority could attend. As it was, the NYSTA part of the committee could not accommodate DeYoung’s visit. On November 14,1943, after his return from the New York meeting, DeYoung wrote Mowe: "In a few days you will receive the draft of the Constitution as we agreed upon for whatever revision your organization would like to make before adoption. Upon its adoption our nominating committee will make its suggestions and I trust you will do the same. Then our membership drive can begin, following the appointment of the sectional vice-presidents." DeYoung did not get the proposed temporary constitution to Mowe as promised because it was impossible to get the Chicago committee together. December is a busy month for singers and singing teachers. On December 15, he wrote Mowe outlining four objectives to accomplish in the January meetings of the national organization committees: (1) The approval of the temporary constitution; (2) the approval of sectional boundaries; (3) the approval (election) of a list of officers; (4) secure membership applications from the members of the charter groups. On January 2,1944, Mowe sent in the report of the New York Committee. They expressed preference for the name "National Association of Teachers of Singing." New York favored

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modeling the sectional divisions after those used by MENC with a vice-president in charge of each section. The three dollar annual dues was approved by them. Other items that were included covered officers, terms of office, nomination and election of officers, meetings, membership, duties of officers, etc. There was an interesting recommendation: "We must vision a permanent Executive Secretary and secure such service at the earliest opportunity." The matter of setting up districts modeled after MENC prompted DeYoung to write Mowe: "Your committee action on this raises some important questions. For example, were we not agreed that the East should be divided into ^ t and Northeast sections? I acted on the suggestion of the members of the Academy when I was there. Is it your committee’s wish to change that? "Our committee wants to know if there is any real value in following the MENC pattern? It is true we might some day want some kind of active cooperation with them but their setup has obvious flaws. For instance, Kansas is a midwestem state~not a southwestern. Also Colorado is western and resents being included in the southwest. Also the East is top-heavy as to big cities and groups of teachers--we aren’t going to be obstructive if you resist I thtok our suggestion was weak in not separating the Northwest from Pacific-Western. Therefore the whole thing could be solved if you would be willing to divide the Eastern section with East and Northeast sections." Of course it didn’t come off that way. Unfortunately, it took until the 1970s when Bruce Lunkley convinced his co-workers that NAT^ needed a face-lift. Then the top-heavy Eastern was divided and Colorado was separated from the Southwest. Mowe’s letter to DeYoung on February 10, states that the New York group favored John Wilcox for president. Wilcox was an ideal choice since he had been a member of the American Academy of Teachers of Singing since 1927 and the Chicago Singing Teachers Guild since 1936. Mowe said that DeYoung should be the North Central vice-president. Walter Allen Stults had been suggested for secretary because it was thought that having the secretary and president in the same place would expedite the Association’s business. NYSTA raised the objection that this would put three officers in Chicago. The rest of the letter was given over to arranging three meetings for NATS at the March meeting of MTNA in Cincinnati. Mowe had cautioned in an eariier letter, "We will not have the blessings of the MTNA and will be obliged to fit any meetings around their program." Early March correspondence resolved agreement on Leon Carson as treasurer and the search for a lady registrar-Grace Leslie. Mowe’s March 19th letter suggests a preliminary meeting on Wednesday evening, March 22nd to set the stage for the scheduled luncheon meeting of the Organization Committee.

NATS IS BORN On Thursday, March 23, 1944, Netherland Plaza Hotel, Cincinnati, Ohio, the following persons were present and voting, viz; Clifford Bair, Leon Carson, Richard .DeYoung, Amos Ebersole, Louis Kroeger, Grace Leslie, Blanche Bliss Lyons, J. Oscar Miller, Homer G. Mowe, John O. Samuel, Walter Allen Stults, E. Clifford Toren and John C Wilcox. Messrs. Carson, DeYoung, Mowe, Stults and Wilcox brought some 87 proxies to the meeting making the total votes cast 100. Homer G. Mowe presided. Quoting from the minutes: "Prior to transaction of actual business, Mr. Mowe explained that plans under consideration for the past several years were at this time being brought to completion through joint conferences of three major committees representing the American Academy of Teachers of Singing, of New York, the Chicago Singing Teachers Guild, of Chicago, and the New York Singing Teachers Association, said committees having been duly appointed by the representative organizations with power to act. He further stated that the first order of business would be choice of a title for the new organization, followed by presentation of a tentative slate of officers, after which the adoption of a constitution would be in order. Relative to the first item, it was unanimously agreed and approved that the new organization should be called the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF TEACHERS OF SINGING, this constituting Article I of the Constitution.

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Article II, which reads as follows, was then unanimously approved: OBJECTS: The object (purpose) of this organization should be: (1) to establish and maintain the highest standards of ethical principles and practices in the profession. (2) To establish and maintain the highest possible standards of competence in the voice teaching profession and to conduct and encourage research and to disseminate the resulting information to the profession at large, and to encourage effective cooperation among voice teachers for their protection, welfare and advancement. Mr. Mowe then presented the following slate, necessarily somewhat incomplete, viz: President: John C Wilcox. Secretary: Walter Allen Stults. Treasurer. Leon Carson. Registrar: Grace Leslie. Regional Vice-Presidents: Homer G. Mowe, New York; Richard DeYoung, Chicago; Albert Lukken, Tulsa; Clifford Bair, Winston-Salem, N. C; and Lloyd W. Rowles, Cherry, Washington. Representatives-at-Large: J. Oscar Miller, Chattanooga, Tennessee; Florence Lamont Hinman, Denver, Colorado; and Alfred Spouse, Rochester, New York. It was moved by Toren, Samuel seconding, that the slate as read be elected to ofGce. There was no discussion and the motion was carried unanimously (100). President Wilcox then took the chair and at his request Mr. Mowe continued explanation of the setup in mind, going into some detail as to how it would function. The meeting was adjourned and the session was "to be resumed Friday at the lunch hour." The first meeting of the officers of the National Association of Teachers of Singing and certain charter members was held at a luncheon on Friday, March 24, 1944 at the NetherlandPlaza Hotel, Cinciimati, Ohio. The meeting was called at 12:30 with President Wilcox presiding. The immediate business was concerned with consideration of the proposed constitution, article by article, as read by Richard DeYoung to whom this important and exacting task had been delegated. Since Articles I and II had been adopted at the Thursday session of the organization committee, Article III was the first to be offered for consideration. The bylaws approved at the March 24th meeting did not survive the incorporation without major revisions, and space will not be devoted to them at this juncture. The bylaws covering membership, meetings, officers, terms of officers, duties of officers, nomination and election of officers, dues and amendments were read and approved. Then followed several resolutions empowering the officers to act in their respective official capacities (1) to open an account in the name of the Association with a New York banking house; (2) to proceed with incorporation in the state of Illinois; (3) to appoint a constitution committee to alter, delete, and complete the unfinished document; (4) to complete the election of additional ofiBcers. The last resolution cited Messrs. Carson, DeYoung, Mowe, Stults and Wilcox for their contributions of time and energy in bringing about the organization of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF TEACHERS OF SINGING. These gentlemen not only brought NATS into being, but they would control it for the next ten years and beyond as successive chief executive officers. It should be noted that the March 23rd and March 24th events recorded above took place in unscheduled time at the 1944 MTNA Convention. For the record, the MTNA Vocal Forum on Thursday, March 23rd, was chaired by Leon Carson. John Wilcox read a paper, entitled: "Time for Pedagogic Inventory," a timely topic for the MTNA national meeting where NATS first saw the light of day.

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THREE The Patriarchal Years John C. Wilcox PRESIDENT

1944-1946 With the culmination of several years planning realized on March 23-24,1944, the patriarchs of NATS returned to their homes and set about shoring up their ark. Nothing much had changed except that they were united under one banner and the pressure was on to succeed. Even the slate of officers presented at the organizational meeting proved to be for that moment only. Leon Carson exchanged the treasurership for the vice-presidency of the Eastern Region vacated by Homer Mowe to become executive vice-president of NATS-a new ofQce created after the March 23-24 meetings. Carl Gutekunst, who was not on the original slate, took over the ofBce of treasurer vacated by Leon Carson. On April 4,1944, Richard DeYoung started proceedings for incorporation in the State of Illinois. That move had its first setback when the Secretary of State refused to file the Articles of Incorporation because of the word protection in the last sentence of our statement of purpose explaining that it might infer some political movement or trade agreement. On May 9, 1944, President Wilcox wrote Leon Carson after a disturbing session with the lawyer handling the association’s incorporation. The second setback involved more than choice of words-there was the problem of a large executive board. Since in an incorporation no business can be transacted legally unless a majority quorum of directors is personally attending and since it would be unlikely that directors living in distant cities could attend meetings, it followed that the Board of Directors had to be limited to five. Then the Chicago members (Wilcox, Stults and DeYoung) would constitute a legal quorum; the New Yorkers, Carson and Mowe, would complete the Board of Directors. They could not be called Executive Board or Official Board, their title had to be Board of Directors. It was advised that the term Regional Vice-President be changed, since a vice-president, acting in the name of the corporation, could obligate the corporation just as truly as the president. It was suggested that the regional officers be called either regional chairmen or regional governors. John Wilcox practically rewrote the bylaws into acceptability in consultation with Stults, DeYoung and our lawyer. After the New York members approved the rewrite, he had a final session with Samuel Witwer, our lawyer, who approved them as revised. On June 4,1944, he wrote Stults of the completion of his task, stating that the lawyer’s secretary was now copying the bylaws on the loose-leaf sheets of NATS’ Book of Records and when completed, the book would be turned over to DeYoung, who would, in turn, deliver it to him. Wilcox planned to leave for Colorado on June 23rd for the summer. The final paragraph of that June 4th letter relays information received from Homer Mowe reporting activity and accomplishments by the New Yorkers. Bernard Taylor had been named Chairman of the Committee on Admissions, but little could be done in the acquiring of new members until the flux state of affairs was resolved. Quoting from John Wilcox’s letter to Walter Allen Stults: "A letter from Mowe received yesterday says that new stationery, membership application cards with printed pledge to observe the Code of Ethics on back (which all members must sign) and biographical sketch forms (which all applicants must fill out to indicate their educational preparation and teaching experience) will be ready next week and that supplies will be sent to all officers, governors and representatives. An announcement, giving such information about NATS and its plans as prospective members will wish to have, together with the Code of

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Ethics is in preparation and should be ready for distribution within a couple of weeks. With this material in hand we can really go to town." Mowe’s promised schedule must have been observed since DeYoung wrote him on June 21, 1944, saying that supplies had been received and that the membership campaign in the Central District would begin immediately. Taylor, in a previous letter in his capacity as chairman of the Committee on Admission, had cautioned regional governors to conduct a conservative drive for members, but Richard DeYoung advised a strong campaign. He wrote, "The feet that we are going to use the utmost discrimination in selecting our members does not change the fact that we need the support of every reputable teacher in the country." He asked that regional governors be given guide lines so that they had an idea just how fer they could go in the matter of expense. If a regional governor were not careful, he could spend too much on secretarial service, postage, etc. He suggested that perhaps a budget based on the population of a "District" might be the answer. He posed the question, "Do you think we are going to be able to get along financially with only dues as income?" Now that the procedure for screening applications for membership had been decided upon and regional governors had the appropriate forms in hand, everything was ready for a membership drive. Unfortunately, the requirement that all those who were already members had to complete the same biographical forms and sign the Code of Ethics put a double load upon regional persoimel. Now, in their limited time, they had to enlist new members as well as secure the cooperation of the old members so that all records were alike. The processing of applications in itself further delayed the induction of applicants sometimes as much as two months. The executive committee had to pass on applicants who had already survived the scrutiny of the Membership Committee. With members of both committees living in cities distant from each other involving several mailings, there were disturbing instances of lost checks and other papers. A letter (August 9,1944) fi:om Richard DeYoung to President Wilcox, who was in Colorado Springs for the summer, reflects the concern of one regional governor: "Feeling that as regional governor I was quite at sea regarding many details, I had an interview of some length with Carson in New York last week, and also a very interesting one with Mr. Mowe. As a result I feel that certain improvements can be made in our machinery, which will expedite matters materially. My talk with Carson was very illuminating. It revealed that we did not quite plan the process by which new members are admitted, to the ultimate conclusion. As a result, Bernard Taylor, who is a very busy man (I called on him too) is quite at a loss to know how to get the applications through more quickly. "Our treasury is embarrassed by having only $40.00 left in it, and our treasurer had to go to the bank and apologize and give assurance that the balance would be upped soon. Meanwhile the applications are going across the country, first to Veld, then to Patton, then to whom? YOU? or Stults? Anyway, not until all have ok’d it. Can’t the member be sent a card and the check released? Meanwhile there is the danger that his card may be lost or mislaid or delayed. Barney has the checks but can’t release them. Also we did not provide a way of notifying the regional governors when the new members were accepted-now who should do such notifying? The first part of the process for new members was clear through, but not the latter part. "I was glad to learn from Carson that Mr. Bair was coming up from Winston-Salem the following week, for a similar conference. Out of this talk several ideas came. One was that a statement with names of applicants, and date be sent around by mail and the original card kept in N. Y. with the check, thus avoiding risk of loss, and perhaps saving time. "Another is that the regional governors probably ought to have a chairman, who could advise them about their problems. At the present time, that ought to be Carson. Another is that the regional governors be authorized to have an advisory committee in their respective districts. If I get a representative in Missouri and have one in Ohio, I still have no representation in Indiana, Michigan, or Wisconsin. I should be authorized to form a group to operate with me from all the kqr points in the district "There are still little angles to be worked out. I talked to Carson and Mowe about raising mon^. They seemed to think a loan from the Guild and from the Academy might be advisable. We could spare $250.00; Mowe thinks $50.00 or $100.00 would be enough. I doubt it. However, I do admit a considerable number of $3.00 checks are in the miU. Now what do you think? Do

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you think we regional governors should organize under a Chairman and work out these details of procedure, or will you issue a clear set of instructions--showing the whole route for the applications and suggesting ways in which the governors can really reach everybody in their districts? There ought to be a district meeting occasionally--in different parts of the District. That can develop later. But I know the teachers want to get togeth­ er." The Qrst issue of The Bulletin (October 1944) under the editorship of Homer Mowe appeared because "in a country as large as ours. . . it is difficult for us to get together, so we must adopt other means for the present. With this in mind, your Executive Committee believed that a Bulletin would best serve our purpose. Hence the present issue." The first issue carried an article by the JOHN C. WILCOX president reporting the activities to date and indicating some of the plans for the future. It appears that DeYoung’s August 9th letter stimulated some needed changes. Leon Carson consented to act as chairman of regional governors and the procedures for processing membership applications were revised which eliminated some of the delay so that applicants would know their status "within a reasonably short time after filing." Reports from the regional governors revealed that, despite the low gear during the first six months, there were spots of significant vitality. The Northwestern District membership planned to meet in conjunction with the spring MENC national convention being held in their area. The Central District reported that William Ross of Indiana University, Bloomington, had offered his services plus the facilities of the university for research work. Ruth Miller Chamlee of the California-Western District spoke of plans for an October meeting of all new members. It was the genesis of our first annual meeting to be held in conjunction with the annual convention of the MTNA, February 13-14-15,1945, in Detroit. Listed below are those who held office at the national and regional levels as published in that first issue of The Bulletin. Officers President: John C. Wilcox. Vice President: Homer G. Mowe. Secretary: Walter Allen Stults. Treasurer: Carl Gutekunst. Registrar: Grace Leslie. Regional Governors Eastern: Leon Carson (Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland). Southeastern: Clifford Edwin Bair (Virginia, West Virginia, District of Columbia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida). Southern: J. Oscar Miller. (Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana). Central: Richard DeYoung (Ohio, Indiana, Illinois,Michigan, Wisconsin and Missouri). Northern: J. Forrest West (Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa and Nebraska). Southwestern: Albert Lukken (Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas, New Mexico, Colorado and Utah). California-Western: Ruth Miller Chamlee (California, Arizona and Nevada). Northwestern: Charles Wilson Lawrence (Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Washington and Oregon). Representatives-At-Large: Eastern: Alfi"ed Spouse and Louis James Howell. Southeastern: Marguerite Ringo. Southern: Mrs. Lillian C. McCook. Central: John O. Samuel. Northern: Peter D. Tkach. Southwestern: Florence Lamont Hinman. California-Western: Maynard Jones. Northwestern: Mrs. Fred L. Olson. Committee on Admissions Chairman: Bernard U. Taylor

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Unfortunately, the December 1944 issue of The Bulletin had to be withheld from circulation because its pages were filled with the February 1945 convention planned with MTNA. That convention was canceled as a wartime measure. D-Day had been the previous June and all unnecessary travel was suspended because the tempo of the war in Europe and the second front in the Pacific taxed the rails and highways in the USA to their utmost. As of December 1944, our membership totaled 286, a gain of 140 since our founding in March. It should be evident that there were several NATS officials paying expenses out of their own pockets. We were in dire need of members if all the plans of the founding fathers were to come into being. Homer Mowe wrote in the January issue of The Bulletin, "Most of our new members have joined because they have been invited to do so. Application is welcomed however, without the formality of an invitation." This issue included the first public listing of members. Members were advised to safeguard their Bulletins since subsequent issues would continue the practice. The cancellation of the 1945 convention called for a substitute plan whereby the Board of Directors and Executive Committee could meet. That meeting took place in Leon Carson’s studio. New York City, February 19,1945. DeYoung was bumped from the Chicago-New York plane at Cleveland because of a military priority; he finally made it for the afternoon session. The transactions of this all-day meeting were reported in the April 1945 Bulletin. Members were asked to vote on them just as if they had attended the canceled convention. Of the four amendments, two were merely routine additions to clarify the duties of officers. The other two were more far-reaching: One proposed raising the dues to $5.00 per year as of January 1,1946; the other was to further specify adequate teaching experience as a minimum of five consecutive years of actual voice teaching. The Executive Committee authorized the president to appoint, subject to its approval: (1) a Research Committee, (2) an Editorial Committee, (3) a Survey Committee, and (4) a Publicity Committee. Last, but very significant, was the creation of the appointive office of Coordinator of Field Activities with Leon Carson as the first incumbent as suggested by Richard DeYoung in his August 9,1944 letter to Wilcox. The invitation to NATS to become a member of the National Music Council was accepted at this meeting. It should be noted that the registrar, Grace Leslie, made the urgent request that organizing members should send in their biographical sketches so that her records could be complete. There were those in that meeting who had not yet complied with an earlier request. The idea of a membership certificate suitable for framing and hanging on the studio wall came out of this meeting and was to be investigated by the Chicago members of the board. When Ruth Miller Chamlee reported in the first issue of The Bulletin that an October meeting was planned in her district, it was not expected that the region would be so well organized by April 29, 1945, that they would hold an audition for students of singing "for the purpose of grading and evaluating the artistry, personality, musicianship, and career potentialities." F ifte e n singers participated-our first student auditions. The Central District held their first regional meeting on April 22,1945, with members fi-om eleven different cities. President Wilcox was present and he announced the Association had just adopted an emblem that was available for members to use in their advertising. The Eastern District held its first meeting in New York Gty, June 7, 1945, with Leon Carson giving the opening address. Some forty-two members and seven guests from five states and eleven cities attended. Expressed concerns over the G. I. Bill of Rights which favored the institutional voice teacher over the unafBliated one in the teaching of returning veterans and the CIO’s attempts to unionize vocal teachers occupied a major portion of the meeting. Within a few months, these issues triggered a national effort by NATS to bring equal opportunity to all our members. As a matter of historical interest, Walter Bogert, who was the last president of the first National Association of Teachers of Singing, attended this first meeting of the Eastern District of the second NATS. All the remaining districts reported healthy growth even though they had not yet organized district meets. As of June 1,1945, the membership grew to 408. More than half of the NATS members lived in the Eastern District and the Central District vwth a head count of 117 and 114 respectively. In the October 1945 Bulletin, President WUcox called attention to the work of the Editorial Committee, under the chairmanship of Shirley Gandell, who presented their first draft of a "statement of laws and precepts about which there should be universal agreement among teachers

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of singing as a basis for training the vocal instrument." When the Executive Committee approved the work of the Editorial Committee, the statements would be submitted to the membership through The Bulletin and then the Committee would set about formulating the final draft (Training the Vocal Instrument") for publication. While summer months are vacation months for some, the routine work of the several regional districts continued. During June, July and August of 1945, 194 invitations were issued to prospective members with a net return of some 41 applications being forwarded to the chairman of the Committee on Admissions. As of September 1,1945, our membership had risen to 462. The Research Committee under William E. Ross outlined a four-part program to serve the membership: "(1) By sending out information on various new methods or theories in the teaching of singing; (2) by reviewing significant voice research in terms of language more understandable to the average teachers; (3) by encouraging research among the members of the association and different graduate schools of speech or music throughout the country and (4) by acting as a clearing house for the solution of complex problems in the teaching of singing." Research by teachers of singing in the main had been by the process of reflective thinking as opposed to that based on the facts of laboratory procedure. The consequent result was that there were as many different opinions as there were teachers of singing. Since the days of Garcia, there had been a number of scientists and otolaryngologists (who knew as comparatively little about singing as singing teachers knew about laryngeal and other physical functions involved in singing), who professed to have the answers to vocal problems because they had'seen the larynx. The lack of common language led to a great deal of confusion and mistrust. The task of the Research Committee was to explore avenues of reconciliation. "By setting up different approaches to the teaching of singing based on (1) the collection and utilization of certain vocal facts; (2) evidence that can be measured or check^ by definite procedures; (3) the interpretation of vocal facts and (4) a certain amount of critical reflective thinking.. ." The committee conducted a survey of a cross section of the country’s singing teachers to determine the different approaches practiced as a basis for their deliberations. The president also asked the committee to update the Wilmer Bartholomew resume of significant research, published in the 1937 MTNA convention’s book of proceedings. The Survey Committee, chaired by William E. Jones, concerned itself with exploring the field and determining objectives that would be of benefit to the Association. In 1945, the number one concern was the administration of the G. I. Bill of Rights. NATS wanted to make it possible for returning service men and women to study with a private teacher, should they so desire--a problem that had many solutions at state levels. Unfortunately, it was weighted in favor of schools, colleges, and universities. There were other areas of emphasis, but none that so vitally concerned the livelihood of the unaffiliated private teacher. Getting charter members to comply with the administration’s request that they complete and file the same biographical forms as applicants seeking membership was one of the lingering problems. On November 29,1945, DeYoung wrote Carson, now Coordinator of Field Activities: "I have made repeated requests of all those listed who are charter members and have not been able to get action fi-om them. I have come to feel that the reason is that some of these people feel that they are competitors rather than colleagues and therefore reluctant to place their life history in my hands. The last communication I sent suggested that they send the information directly to you and I have been hoping that they have done so." Carson in his reply said that the problem lay mostly in the Eastern and Central Regions. As of December, 1945 approximately 70 members had not yet complied. The December issue of The Bulletin announced the First Annual Convention of NATS to be held in conjunction v/ith MTNA. The Voice Forum was to be chaired by Leon Carson who would become NATS’ second president. Speakers were to be Richard DeYoung, Chicago; Ruth Miller Chamlee, Los Angeles; Homer Mowe, New York Qty; Albert Lukken, Tulsa; J. Oscar Miller, Chattanooga; Frederick A Protheroe, Detroit; and Bernard Taylor, New York Qty. This issue carried the approved first draft of "Training the Vocal Instrument" and solicited the membership’s comments and suggestions for revision if they so desired. It also announced proposed amendments to our bylaws. The plans called for two vice-presidents: The Burst vicepresident was to be the Coordinator of Field Activities and also would be empowered to take over for the president as authorized by the Board of Directors if the president were unable to perform his duties for health or other reasons; the second vice-president was to function as Supervisor of

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Committees and Projects and such other duties as prescribed by the Board of Directors. The Executive Committee, which for the 1944-1946 period consisted of five members (Carson, DeYoung, Mowe, Stults and Wilcox), was now expanded to seven to include the treasurer (Carl Gutekunst) and the registrar (Grace Leslie). The September projection that 1945 would close with a membership of 500 was exceeded by four. With dues at $3.00, this added up to approximately $1500, a modest sum with which a fledgling national organization hoped to finance its ambitious activities for a year. That we needed to add members to our roll at a faster clip than we had in the past was self-evident. But the emphasis was on selectivity. Away from the larger cities, it was discovered that sometimes, as practiced, the basis of selectivity was other than that intended by our founders. One governor reported his suspicion that when one teacher in a town was admitted to membership, he or she was jealously inclined to keep that advantage for him or herself rather than invite a colleague to join also. The months of January and early February were given over to the finalization of our plans for the 1945 Detroit meeting which was fully reported in the March-April 1946 Bulletin. The Vocal Forums were actually sponsored by the American Academy of Teachers of Singing as had been the practice for several years prior to the founding of NATC. However, since the speakers and audience were predominately members of NATS who referred frequently to NATS policies and programs, the sessions seemed a prelude to the NATS business meeting and our first national banquet that followed.

ANNUAL BANQUET, STEVENS HOTEL, CHICAGO, DECEMBER 28, 1948

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Leon Carson PRESIDENT

1946-1948 The new officers for the 1946-1948 biennium were: Leon Carson, president; Richard DeYoung, first vice-president, Homer Mowe, second vice-president Walter Allen Stults, secretary, Carl Gutekunst, treasurer, and Grace Leslie, registrar, were elected for a second temt John C. Wilcox became our first past-president. All but three of the regional governors were elected for second terms. Bernard Taylor replaced Leon Carson as governor for the Eastern District; E. Clifford Toren succeeded Richard DeYoung as governor for the Central District; and Helen Steen Huls took over for J. Forrest West in the Northern District Changes in all elective offices will not be reported as administration offices change hand. It was done selectively for the first turnover because with the 1946-1948 biennium all those who would hold the presidency successively through 1958 were now in office at the regional or national level. The five founders (Carson, DeYoung, Mowe, Stults, Wilcox) were in the upper echelon and the regional governors of the two largest districts. Eastern (Bernard Taylor) and Central (E. Clifford Toren) were being exposed to grass roots experience to prepare them for their climb up the administrative ladder to become the sixth and seventh presidents of NATS. Taylor and Toren held the top office in NYSTA and CSTG respectively, at the time of our founding. Toren was the acting secretary at the Cincinnati meeting and even drew up our first membership form. He had been involved from the earliest Chicago meetings of the "five" as secretary because he was the secretary-treasurer of the Chicago Singing Teachers Guild at that time. Taylor, as a member of both NYSTA and AATS, was in on the early discussions, and was our first Admissions Committee chairman. Even though Taylor and Toren were closely associated with the five, they were not stricken with the same virus as events ten years hence would prove, when their statesmanship guided the ship of NATS through troubled patriarchal waters to calmer shores. If there is such a thing as a founder’s halo, they deserve it as much as the five who claimed it as their own. The Detroit meeting was exciting. We had waited two years for this to happen. NATS even took on the Congress of the United States, presenting them with a resolution concerning the administration of the G.I. Bill which in its initial form discriminated against the unaffiliated teacher and the GIs who wished to continue study with such a former teacher. This was to be a concern of NATS for some months to come. The increase of annual dues to $5.00 made it possible for the national organization to allocate $1.00 per capita to provide funds for regional activities, with a minimum of $50.00 for each region. At the business meeting, the membership was informed that the design for a seal for members had been approved and also that membership certificates for framing to hang on a member’s studio wall would be distributed soon to members without cost. This promotional device grew into quite a problem-that of current^. At first the solution was the reissuing of certificates after dues were paid each year. As this became costly and time-consuming, the reissuing of the certificates was replaced with a gold sticker to paste on each year. But this is getting a few years ahead of our story. The 1946 September-October Bulletin announced a change in size from the awkward 9 by 12 to the more common 8 1/2 by 11 in response to the question I raised at the business meeting at the Detroit convention the last of February 1946. Evidently my query encouraged others to write to editor Mowe. I had suggested that it be punched so that it could be placed in a three-ring notebook, but this was overlooked in the September-October 1946 issue and did not appear until the November-December 1946 issue in response to a letter from Harry Taylor. When Dr. William E. Jones was appointed regional governor of the Southwestern District, he was succeeded in the chairmanship of the Survey Committee by Arthur Gerry of New York City. Under his guidance, this conunittee concentrated on such important projects as the G.L Bill of Rights, actual and pending legislative matters on the licensing of music teachers in various states, and revised bills on social security for the self-employed musician. Ruth Miller Chamlee

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reported on the vigorous growth of the California-Western District as well as the Los Angeles Chapter, in reality a chapter before such local organizations were given the official blessing. Before NATS, Mme. Chamlee had been the sparkplug of the Dom inant Club, the oldest club of professional women musicians in Los Angeles. A t the time that NATS was founded, she was president of the club. When our founders chose her to head the California-W estern Region, she transferred the idea of ten monthly meetings to the local group of NATS. Ray Crittenden, John Patton, M ario and R uth Miller Chamlee were the first members of the Los Angeles Chapter. She attended the D etroit convention (February, 1946) and reported her success. Carson, in his official capacity as coordinator of field activities, cited Mme. Chamlee and her colleagues for their magnificent organizational work in connection with the California Chapter o f NATS. T he idea was eventually taken up nationally, but Los Angeles was not given the palm. O n June 26, 1946, the California-Western District held its first annual dinner with 107 persons, members and fi-iends of NATS attending. The Los Angeles Chapter had grown from four to forty-five in that same period of time, since the organization of NATS. The 1946 November-December Bulletin reported a series of district meetings: N orthern, October 5, Helen Steen Huls, regional governor, presiding; Central, a series of meetings in Chicago, Kansas City, Milwaukee, and St. Louis. As of November 30, 1946, the membership stood at 615 with 320 living in the Eastern and Central Districts. Our second annual convention was held in conjunction with MTNA in St. Louis, February 29 through March 1, 1947. NATS was in charge of the voice forums on Friday and Saturday. O ur business meeting was held Saturday afternoon, March 1, and our second annual dinner that evening. More than 100 NATS members attended the convention and some 85 attended the business meeting. Even at this time, there was talk of meeting independently of MTNA, NASM, etc., but Leon Carson advised that we hold off. DeYoung felt that MTNA/NASM consulted among themselves as to place and time but never conferred with NATS which he felt they should. Also, he thought that the Easter recess a better meeting time than the Christmas/New Y ear’s break. However, this year, Ray Kendall met with Carson for a luncheon meeting early in May in regard to planning the December Boston convention with the net result that NATS was allowed more time for forums as well as time for our annxial business meeting. Arthur Gerry’s report on the administration of the G.I. Bill throughout the U nited States revealed that the private teacher was having a difficult time realizing any benefits in all bu t some thirteen states with a possibility in five others. The most active districts. Central, CaliforniaWestern and Eastern had well-attended regional meetings. More than a hundred registered for Eastern’s third annual meeting on May 26,1947. There were several subjects pertaining to the problems in the teaching of singing which stimulated a recommendation that had far-reaching effects. "It is recommended that the president of the Association with the approval o f the Executive Committee appoint a committee from the National Association to make a thorough study of the basic fundamental requirements for a person who is preparing to enter the singing teacher’s profession. This study would form the basis of future steps to be taken by the N ational Association to improve the quality and prestige of the teacher of singing." It was this recommendation that later led to study groups, chapters, and workshops. The last of June, Hadley Crawford wrote Helen Huls, evidently in response to an earlier letter, "We have a space on the Iowa Music Teachers Convention (October, 1947). I understand your attitude in desiring that our organization not be submerged into other meetings, bu t I feel this situation is different. There are several older teachers in Iowa who have not joined; there is a feeling that we are trying to be exclusive, that the private teachers of the cities are running things, and that there is not much for the college teacher to gain in joining." When this controversy came to the attention of President Carson, he wrote Helen Huls (July 1,1947): "I am a little disturbed to learn that this is such an exclusive organization. W e have tried to be so very democratic in our approach to the matters of association and membership. It is not exclusiveness that we are trying to project-it is the reverse-unity. As to the national organization being run by the private teacher of the cities, that is ludicrous and an unfair statement when one realizes that of the entire official board of seven I am the only officer who is exclusively a private teacher, that of all the regional governors there is only one private teacher, together with the fact that the college teacher in the representative-at-large section dominates,

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as they do in the chairmen of the national commit­ tees." On October 13, 1947, the Northern District Conference was held in conjunction with the con­ vention of the Iowa State Music Teachers Associa­ tion, State Teachers College, Cedar Falls. The governorship of Helen Steen Huls with the support of Hadley Crawford produced a meeting that attract­ ed the attention of the national officers, especially Richard DeYoung who was slated to succeed Carson. It was proposed to offer a vice-presidency to Helen Huls to succeed DeYoung as Coordinator of Field Activities. This presented a problem. Both Carson and DeYoung had occupied that office just prior to their becoming president. Mowe had been marking time as vice-president through two terms and now he was being slated to do the same thing for a third term. Mowe would surely be the next LEON CARSON president after DeYoung. Then there was Stults and eventually Taylor and Toren to consider. The line of succession was not to be broken. After some correspondence between the New Yorkers and Chicagoans, DeYoung wrote that Helen Huls would accept the nomination with the understanding that if elected she would not be in the line of succession. Under the agreed limitation, Helen Steen Huls became the first woman to occupy such a high office in NATS. Hadley Crawford, representative-at-large, was nominated to succeed Huls as regional governor of the Northern District. Before Leon Carson could join John Wilcox as past president, John Wilcox died in Denver on November 20,1947. As of November 30,1947, the membership rose to 812 with better than 70% of the membership living in the Eastern, Central, Southwestern and Northern Districts. Our third annual convention was held in Boston, Tuesday, December 30,1947 through Friday, January 2, 1948, in connection with MTNA. Almost 100 members from 24 states attended. Coordinator of Field Activities Leon Carson held his annual meeting of regional governors and representatives-at-large with four regional governors and seven representatives-at-large attending. NATS, as formerly, was in charge of organizing and conducting two voice forums listed in the MTNA agenda, plus a third forum with Bernard Taylor in the chair. This was the first NATS forum and departed from the structure of those developed for M TNA-introducing some demonstrations and clinical features. Panelists were Richard DeYoung, Victor Fields and Grace Leslie who were cautioned by Chairman Taylor, "no speeches please." The business meeting revealed that we were balancing the budget precariously, but still in the black with a balance of $6.49. President Carson announced that the membership certificate would now be made optional. A member would indicate with the dues payment whether a certificate was wanted or not. K the member wanted a certificate, it was requested that fifty cents be included with the dues remittance to cover the costs of handling. Homer Mowe informed the membership present that he would conclude his editorship of The Bulletin with the current issue and that Leon Carson would now become editor. A rthur Gerry’s Survey Committee requested regional governors to help in this surveillance by appointing a member living in or near each state capital to act as a legislative representative. TTieir duties were to keep a close watch upon legislation introduced that could influence o r affect the private teacher or any of the allied musical arts. Not only had the administration of the G.I. Bill been discriminatory in several states but also there were other restrictions such as zoning and even the threat of licensing.

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FIRST NATS W ORKSHOP, INDIANA UNIVERSITY, A U G U ST 8-12, 1949 Top Row: Howard Kellogg, R obert W. Woods, D on Earle, Paul D. K eller, Mrs. Jo h n B. Nicholson, William G. Meyer, Mrs. D. L. Rankin, Nina A Scheldt, R alph Ewing, E llen B uchanan, Rosemary Brindson, Magnus Peterson, H ubert Kockritz, George G raham , R u th M iller Cham lee, George Papps, Jr., Jon Papps, R obert LefQer, F. A. Diefenthaeler. 2nd from Top: H enry A. Anderson, Sister Charitas, Sister Geraldine Jacobs, Erma S. Bowman, Lela T. R oe, G eorge Newton, Dale V. Gilliland, William A . E b e rl,____ Long, Dwight Pearson, M ario Cham lee. 3rd from Top: John A. Light, Sister M. Laudesia, Sister M. Marcina, Ernest L. Cox, Jan e B. Adam s, Marcia Sandahl, M artha Harms, Hazel Peterson, Maxine Stroup, O ren Brown, H ow ard L. G ross, Sonia Shamova, William E. Ross. 4th from Top: M artha H. Light, H elen Leefeldt, Amy L. Toskey, Kathryn Witwer, Phradie Wells, Irene Francis, Zerline Metzger, Mrs. D ale V. G illiland, H elen Steen Huls. Bottom Row: Esther J. Malmrose, Leila M oore, Nell Thurm an, K athleen M iller, Almeda Wallace, Julia LeVine, Edna S. Brindley, Mignon B. MacKenzie, V ictor A. Fields, Cornelia Mack, Gladys Cranston.

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Richard DeYoung PRESIDENT

1948-1950 The Committee on Basic Fundamental Requirements for Teachers of Singing (Ruth Douglass, Victor A- Fields, Sonia Shamova, Bernard U. Taylor, Edward Harris, chairman), and the president, ex officio, appointed by Carson in the final quarter of his administration, was reappointed by Richard DeYoung. Their preliminaiy report was presented to the membership through the columns of the 1948 Februaiy-March Bulletin for comment and/or suggestions for revision. The report consisted of two parts, content and implementation. It was suggested that such a curriculum should consist of the following basic courses: (1) Grounding in fundamentals equal to the training gained in a four-year undergraduate course. Such a course would correspond to the pre-professional undergraduate pre-medic course of a doctor, etc. Then the specialized graduate curriculum should include: (2) Anatomy and Physiology of the Vocal Tract; (3) Physics and Acoustics of Musical Sound; (4) Psychology for Voice Teachers; (5) Declamation and Oral Interpretation; (6) Terminology; (7) Vocal Methodology and Pedagogy; (8) Vocal Repertory; (9) Ethics in the Vocal Profession; (10) History of the Vocal Art; (11) Vocal Training, including Diction; (12) Advanced General Musicianship; (13) Vocal Clinic; and (14) Practice Teaching under Expert Guidance. It was suggested that each district create its own educational extension program through a series of lectures and/or demonstrations by the best available reputable authorities in their field: (a) anatomy and physiology of the vocal tract; (b) physics and acoustics of musical sound; (c) psychology for voice teachers; (d) vocal repertory; (e) declamation and oral interpretation. Each district was encouraged to organize a series of vocal clinics and arrange for observation of vocal lessons and studio demonstrations. Also, it was suggested that one member be chosen to study the literature pertaining to the history of the vocal art and prepare a lecture to be given in various centers within the district The area of ethics as it pertained to our profession was to be defined at the national level. Upon availability of that report, it was suggested that each district name a member to develop lecture and discussion material from i t The committee suggested that any expense involved in the execution of this program should be borne by those registering for lectures and discussions-also the program should be open to aU reputable teachers whether or not they were NATS members. Harris’ committee report was just the beginning of a series of programs culminating in the magnum effort of the American Institute of Vocal Pedagogy program, pedagogy programs in many college and universities, eta The idea of district meetings was snowballing around the country. Because of distances, two districts initiated multiple meetings in several key locations: Northern used as many as three, often meeting with state MTNA meetings; Southwestern used as many as five locations-some meetings were held in conjunction with the Texas Music Educators Conference; the Central District was involved in a meeting with the Chicago Singing Teachers Guild, and NATS members fi-om the Central District held the Voice Clinic for the Ohio Music Teachers Association; the Northwestern District meeting at Portland even involved our national president; CaliforniaWestern, Central and Eastern, who initiated the district meeting in that order, were now enjoying reward of their first-year pioneering through well-attended, interesting meetings. Arthur Gerry’s Survey Committee now had a watchdog or legislative representative in or near the capital of every state. All NATS members were cautioned through the columns of The Bulletin to be on the alert for any legislation directed against teachers of music and the allied arts and report it to their legislative representative. In addition, a duplicate report was to be sent to Gerry. Legislation in one state called for a twenty-dollar license fee plus a tax of one percent annually on the gross income of all private teachers of music, dancing, eta The unfair part was that the private teacher’s counterpart in a private institution was exempt There were similar reports from other sections of the country. The Committee on Basic Fundamental Requirements for Teachers of Singing soon took on a new name as well as a more permanent status. Now known as the Advisory Committee on

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Vocal Education, the president requested the committee to make specific recommendations for activating the program outlined in the 1948 February-March Bulletin. It should be noted that two prominent educational institutions in the middle west had already established courses in vocal pedagogy before the supplementary report could be published in the September-October issue. That issue presented the first three lecture series in a program of extension courses: (A) Orientation Lectures on the Anatomy and Physiology of the Vocal Tract; (B) Orientation Lectures in Psychology for Voice Teachers; (1) General Educational Psychology; (2) Psychological Approach to Vocal Training; (C) Orientation Lectures on Physics and Acoustics of Musical Sound. A list of recommended reference readings on Physiology, Psychology and Acoustics was included. There is no way of knowing at this juncture whether the suggested cerebral activity in regard to the Advisory Committee’s extension courses outlined in The Bulletin caused an unusual number of NATSers to withhold their 1948 dues or not, but the extraordinary list of delinquents prompted Grace Leslie to write Helen Huls on May 14th: "I am greatly disturbed by Carl Gutekunst’s Ust of deUnquents as of May 1st. With three big districts so seriously affected, it looks as if something more than dues in arrears was the trouble. People become absorbed in tasks that are immediately upon them, they become ill, or think they are receiving no tangible benefits from an organization, but nearly 100 people who want to quit within the year is too much. I wish they could be prevailed upon to write us the real reasons." This, in face of a slackening flow of new members, certainly called for special attention. The concern over membership led the western members of the Executive Committee (DeYoung, Stults, Toren and Huls) to voteye^ on the feeler put out by the eastern members to recommend to the membership an associate membership at our next aimual meeting and put it to a vote. The 1948 November-December issue of The Bulletin carried the program of the December 28-29-30 annual meeting in Chicago in conjunction with the MTNA In addition to our Vocal Forum and Clinic, NATS conducted the MITSfA Vocal Forum. The program spread over three days influenced more than 200 NATS members to attend. There were a couple of changes in the bylaws: dues were raised to $6.00, really not much of a raise since this fee included the additional charge previously made for the membership certificate; new applicants for membership must be American citizens, a requirement later changed when it became a bar to Canadian neighbors. The Executive Committee was authorized to take all action possible to bring aid to the teachers of Richmond, Virginia, including financial and legal assistance to the best of NATS’ ability, should it become necessary. MTNA, whose membership included many private instructors in various fields, became an ally. Municipal licensing, similar to that instituted in Richmond, had already been put into effect in Los Angeles and Portland. For an organization that had not yet completed its fourth year, this was a serious confi’ontation. However, the cause was just. It was a strange form of taxation, based, as it was, on gross income instead of net income. Secondly, it was discriminatory since it was levied against the unaffiliated teacher only. The affiliated teacher was exempt When Hadley Crawford took over as regional governor of the Northern District and Helen Huls became vice-president/coordinator of field activities, he picked out several areas of member concentration. He prepared a form letter suggesting that they hold some sort of membership gathering, select a temporary chairman and two assistants. Then they should contact members in their immediate vicinity, elect permanent officers and set up a program of regular activities. The Minneapolis and Omaha groups organized immediately. John Thut and Roy Schuessler had only recently exchanged Chicago addresses for ones in Minneapolis and Crawford’s letter stimulated them into activity. Both had been actively involved with the Chicago Singing Teachers Guild during their Chicago sojourn and they missed the stimulating Guild meetings. They welcomed the idea of getting NATS members together in the Minneapolis area. Their efforts resulted in chapter meetings which have been going on ever since. When "the powers that be" were approached with the chapter idea the Miimeapolis group was told that such an effort was too soon for such local organizations since it might be detrimental to the national effort, and at the moment the slogan was "think national." You will recall that Ruth Miller Chamlee planted the chapter idea within months of our founding, reporting the California success at our first national convention where Leon Carson cited Mme. Chamlee for her magnificent work in the organization of the chapter. From the Los Angeles experience the assumption might be made that the idea was a good one. Seemingly, at this moment, the thinking had changed. Then, on

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December 6, 1948, some thirty-five teachers of singing met in Boston to explore the possibility of organizing a local chapter of the National Associa­ tion of Teachers of Singing. Evidently all thirty-five who attended were not members of NATS, since 19 applications for NATS membership were received at that meeting. As a recruitment device, it was a coup-19 new applications at one sitting. 1948 was a busy year at district levels with 20 meetings in seven districts. It also marked a mile­ stone in membership which rose to 1,020 as of December 31. Grace Leslie’s report at the 1948 Chicago Convention was informative as to district population and from what areas we came: Eastern, 248; Southeastern, 57; Southern, 66; Central, 235; Northern, 102; Southwestern, 177; Califomia-Western, 80; and Northwestern, 55. The largest gain in RICHARD DEYOUNG membership during 1948 was made by the South­ western District under the leadership of H. Grady Harlan. With the membership over a thousand, the paper work of the regional officers, the coordinator of field activities, the secretary, treasurer and registrar kept on multiplying as well. Since all officers were devoting time from their profession, lines of communication and record keeping suffered. The most serious problem was maintaining the membership list in a correct and up-to-date status. The principal reason for this was that members were lax in reporting changes of address and when they got around to it they sent such changes to the first official that came to mind. Consequently, it was difficult to get a complete registration of the change in question. There were four officers maintaining membership lists: secretary, treasurer, registrar, and The Bulletin. The work of the districts required accurate and up-to-date membership lists, a herculean task for part-timers which never approached solution until we had an executive secretary. Also, the way individuals reacted to the responsibilities of membership made a difference. Would you believe that on June 11,1948, Registrar Grace Leslie had to remind a certain national officer and charter member that he had not yet sent in his biographical sketch, now almost four years late! Then there’s the case of a national officer who wrote the registrar for the address of a representative-at-large whose name appeared on our letterhead only to find that there was no official record of that person in NATS files. We had a non-NATSer holding a regional office. The 1949 January-February carried an announcement that the Executive Committee had authorized the creation of a special subscription list for those teachers not eligible for immediate membership in the Association because of their lack of the required five-year consecutive teaching experience as stipulated in the bylaws. The subscription rate was $1.50 per year with the privilege of starting with the Januaiy-Febniary issue. With the Bostonian proposal for a local organization, the patriarchs decided that it was time to get into the chapter business. On the evening of February 29,1949, the first local chapter of NATS under an official charter came into being. In recounting the event, The Bulletin article was quick to announce that "the Los Angeles group of the National Association was organized in 1945." Minnesotans could only suspect sectional favoritism in such a turn around within months of their proposal. Those who were there mention this episode in a sort of bewilderment As for Ruth Miller Chamlee, her established Los Angeles NATSers’ attendance at monthly meetings eclipsed the Bostonians’ founding meeting of thirty-five of whom only sixteen were NATS members. Only three other NATS centers were granted charters in 1949: Colorado Chapter, located in Denver, April 29; Los Angeles Chapter, Los Angeles, California, July 26; and Chicago Chapter, Chicago, Illinois, November 20. This was a memorable and important direction for NATS. It created activity cells of local membership throughout the land. The chapter is the heartbeat of NATS in any given locale and must be watched and nurtured because our national health depends upon it. During the next year seven new chapters were chartered, four of them in the Central District with a fifth combining cities in both the Northern and Central Districts.

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With the release to all members of the reports, "Fundamental Requirements for Teachers of Singing" and "First Three Lectures in a Program of Extension Courses for Teachers of Singing," the Executive Committee’s concern was "the most effective channels through which the program could be put into actual operation. It became obvious that for the full realization of such a broad comprehensive and continuing educational program, the organization of many local study groups throughout the eight regional districts was essential. However, this idea presented many difficulties such as the availability of personnel to teach the courses plus adequate educational and housing facihties at a time suitable to the greatest number. Recalling the 1944 offer of William Ross, Indiana University was approached and many of the Executive Committee’s problems in the implementation of their projected program were solved with the response: "I would cordially like to extend an invitation to your organization to hold such a conference at Indiana University and if there is anything we can do to help promote it, we certainly would be willing to do everything we can to assist" President DeYoung and the Executive Committee moved into high gear, A brochure containing complete details of the National Association’s Workshop Meeting was mailed to each member of the Association, followed by a complete story in the May-June issue of The Bulletin. The first workshop of this nature in the history of our profession was scheduled for August 8-12,1949, Indiana University School of Music, Bloomington, Indiana, with William Ross as Chairman. The expectancy and concern for this important NATS venture was rewarded by an attendance of some 65 members representing eighteen states. Indiana, at that time, had 21 NATS members and only three of them attended the workshop. The enthusiasm and interest manifested by those in attendance was a message assuring the continuance of such a program. Vice-President and Coordinator of Field Activities Helen Huls reported in the September, 1949 issue of The Bulletin that the courses offered included; I. Educational Psychology; Psychological Approach to Vocal Training, IL Physics of Sound; Recording and Reproducing of Sound. III. Phonetics; American Dialects; Foreign Languages. IV. Anatomy of the Vocal Tract. In addition, discussion periods were conducted by a representative panel of NATS members where many controversial matters were considered. Also, there were repertoire classes in German, French, Italian, English and American Songs. At the moment, the Advisory Committee on Vocal Education (Edward Harris, chairman, Victor A Fields, Mme. Sonia Shamova, Bernard U. Taylor, Ruth Douglass, Leon Carson and President Richard DeYoung) was pretty much determining the direction of NATS’ efforts. Their concern for the preparation of future teachers of singing caused them to focus their attention on the degree programs of colleges and universities. The committee’s second supplementary report was devoted to a proposed curriculum for the training of teachers of singing in universities and schools of music covering both the bachelor’s and master’s degrees. It was circulated to the membership as a supplement of Vol. VI, No. 3 of The Bulletin, December, 1949-January, 1950. Member response to a couple of NATS projects during 1949 was of considerable concern to the Executive Committee. (1) The setting up of a group insurance plan for NATS members and their families early in 1949 was below the expected response and had to be abandoned when the necessary quota of applications was not met by November 30 of that year. (2) Also the privilege of non-member Bulletin subscriptions extended to teachers who had not yet fulfilled the five-year teaching requirement had only attracted 28 teachers after a year. There was little doubt that this represented a disproportionately low percentage of the total number of young teachers in the United States. Regional governors were charged to make extensive surveys of those in their area who might take advantage of the subscription privilege to The Bulletin. With better than a net gain of 35% in membership during the DeYoung biermium, the work of the district governors was increasing. To aid them in their work, the idea of state chairmen came into being. Before the year’s end all but four states had chairmen. All districts were having meetings, many of them pairing up with state MTNA and MENC area conferences. It was a good biennium with many important steps taken. It might be of interest to learn how the succession was secured during NATS’ first fourteen years. Let the slate-making of 1949 reveal that process. Early in the fall of that year, President DeYoung appointed Leon Carson to assume the chairmanship of the nominating committee. He also suggested that this committee should include one woman NATSer. For some reason Carson didn’t think highly of this so DeYoung sent Carson a revised list of all men to do the honors.

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To DeYoung’s surprise, Carson wired him and suggested a woman replacement for one of the men. Carson sent a foUow-up letter explaining that Gutekunst had made the suggestion after he had received DeYoung’s recommendations to the Executive Committee. He went on to say, ’I believe that at the beginning you spoke of the advantage of having a woman on this committee; undoubtedly, you were right, but for some unknown reason we never followed up the thought After receiving the Executive Committee’s corrected and approved list, DeYoung went ahead with the official appointments. After the appointees agreed to serve, Carson was notified and he in turn took charge. Before any instructions went out to the members of the nominating committee, quite a few letters crossed in the mails between Chicago and New York City. On November 24,1949, Richard DeYoung wrote Leon Carson a letter which I quote in part: "I do not anticipate that the committee’s task this time will be difficult As I see it from here, there is only one spot that needs careful deliberation and foresight, and that is who we put in line for 1954. I think the custom established by the last two nominating committees is a good one for it definitely prepares and actually tries out our candidates for president for four years. "Now about the officers for this year: for president, certainly nobody but Homer. He has practically been the acting president for the last six months, {Note: What was not generally known at the time and now forgotten was that Richard DeYoung served his presidency under the hardship of serious illness. During the last several months, Homer Mowe acted in his place on occasion.] and is so eminently qualified that the Association should be very grateful to have him available, which together with the fact that he is one of the original five organizers of the Association makes him without doubt the proper nominee. "For first vice-president we are, as you saw by the correspondence I sent you, definitely committed to Walter Stults. I was in the midst of that committee deliberation two years ago and remember it veiy well. It was the wish of that committee to put Walter in line for the presidency. He is the last of the little group of original organizers which consisted of Homer, John, Walter, you and myself. John’s correspondence mentioned that Walter was left in the secretary’s position because of his multitudinous duties as head of a department at Northwestern and the fact that he was near me made it advantageous that he remain as secretary. Also Helen Huls as a most active and successful regional governor was better qualified as a coordinator. She was therefore induced to accept the position of coordinator and second vice-president with the understanding that it did not imply advancement toward the presidency at this time. Meanwhile Walter was assured that by retaining the secretaryship he would not forfeit his advancement to the first vice­ presidency this year... "Now as to Mrs. Huls.. . I haven’t any of the correspondence at hand that definitely states her attitude, but she has voiced it to me several times that she is well aware that she was not in line for the presidency. Therefore, there are two courses open to us. We can either ask her to stay where she is and continue to work as coordinator, or we could move her to the vacated secretaryship. I am inclined to favor the first choice so that I can recommend Clifford Toren (whom you remember was also active with us at Cincinnati) as secretary. Of course, he would also do as second vice-president and coordinator but since he now holds the position of department head at Northwestern that Walter formerly held, I don’t think he would make us a good a field general whereas he would be a perfectly satisfactory secretary. The other offices suggest reelection unless there is a resignation.. . I do not feel that I have seen presidential quaUfications in either of these officers. As for the field officers, I don’t feel that any changes are called for among the regional governors. I hope they all consent to stay. If they don’t, we should accept resignations immediately and find a new broom. They in turn should say whom they want for fepresentatives-at-large." On December 7, Carson wrote DeYoung raising the question as to Toren’s successor in the regional governorship. Central District, in the event the committee should decide to ask him to succeed Walter Stults as secretary. Carson asked for an early reply. Unfortunately, DeYoung’s reply was delayed for five days. Toren had to get approval from his superiors at Northwestern while DeYoung finally secured William Phillips to assume the governorship. DeYoung’s letter of December 12th was in the mail the same day (December 12) that Carson’s promised instructional letter to the members of his nominating committee went out, recommending Henry Veld as secretary to succeed Walter Stults.

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Prior to his December 12th letter, Carson as chairman, sent out a ballot to each member of the nominating committee with a covering letter stating that he would communicate with them within a few days in detail so that they might gain a more definite basis for suggestions and ultimate decision. That letter contained a sample ballot naming an individual for each post fi-om president down through regional governors. Accompanying the ballot was a letter, designated as a supplement of his December 6th letter, in which he explained that he was submitting to them a suggested national officers’ and regional governors’ setup (quoting Carson) "for the slate later to be voted on at the national meeting. The names have been given careful thought and studied consideration by your chairman. In addition, in accordance with the customary extension of courtesy to both the retiring and the proposed new presidents, these two officials have been consulted and have accordingly offered the benefit of their advice in this important matter." There followed several pages listing the accomplishments of the gentlemen who were approved by the three patriarchs. While regional governors were allowed to name their choices for representatives-at-large, they had to be confirmed by the committee. It took quite a few letters and telegrams to settle the controversy over the secretaryship, but it finally was resolved as Carson had recommended it to the members of his committee on December 12th and everything came out all right so that Carson got his letters off to the nominees during Christmas week. The only change was that our only woman governor, who also was a member of the nominating committee, took herself out of the race and suggested a man for her replacement. Carson, at first, did not accept her suggestion and countered with one of his own, but in the end conceded to the recommendation of the retiring regional governor. Those who read this narrative of the past may find it difficult to understand the personal involvement of our founders and the small group they gathered round them--also, the reluctance to trust anyone outside their family to share the responsibility for NATS’ guidance at national, regional, state or local levels unless they collectively gave the stamp of approval. Together they had survived severe demands on time from their profession, their families, and their personal health. At this juncture, their giving of themselves for their dream had extended for almost a decade. Only four of the original five remained and the last of the five, Walter Allen Stults, was being placed in line for the presidency for the coming biennium. The concern and anxiety for the future welfare of their creation surfaced in procedures that appeared less than democratic, but to them they seemed necessary to insure the healthful continuity of the organization of which they had dreamed so long. Unfortunately the fervor of their dedication eventually destroyed friendships that should have endured.

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Homer Mowe PRESIDENT

1950-1952 The fifth annual meeting, really the culmination of the 1948-1950 biennium and the changing o f the guard for the 1950-1952 biennium, was held in Cleveland, February 26-March 2, 1950, in conjunction with MTNA- The Executive Committee met the greater part of the first day, Sunday. Although many items were considered and acted upon, the foremost were (1) the preparation of a brochure of instructions for the use of all elected and appointed regional and state officers; (2) a definite regulation governing the use of the official NA'K seal, limiting it to official stationery, NATS publications, and all other national documents; (3) a standard form of welcoming letter to be sent to new members; (4) plans for the 1950 workshops; and (5) the formation of local chapters. Because of restrictions imposed by the Executive Committee on the use of the official seal, the committee made available to the membership a large or small NATS monogram electrotype for use on stationery or in their advertising, for a small fee, from the national secretary. On the following morning, the first activity was a two-hour session of regional governors, representatives-at-large, and for the first time, state chairmen, with Helen Steen Huls, second vice-president and coordinator of field activities, presiding. During the Huls incumbency, this meeting was always one of the firsts at our conventions. Chapter and membership growth depended upon it. Also from these meetings came several recommendations that later prompted executive action. As had been the procedure at recent conventions, NATS conducted two vocal forums for MTNA in addition to our two vocal clinics in which some eleven students at several levels of ability and accomplishment sang. The NATS/MTNA rapport peaked at the Cleveland meeting, prompting the Executive Committee to go on record as favoring this policy of holding the National Association of Teachers of Singing yearly convention in conjunction with the Music Teachers National Association, as long as our national Association would be permitted to participate in all details of program integration and the site and time of the convention should prove compatible with the requirements and needs of our organization. Unfortunately, the forthcoming sixth annual meeting cooled this relationship. Also at the Cleveland meeting, the creation of a public relations committee was authorized in order that the ideals, purposes and activities of the Association might be publicized throughout the country in a systematic and comprehensive manner. This activity was delegated to Arthur Gerry’s Survey Committee. It was implemented by a request that the legislative representatives of the various districts assume the obligation and allow the title of Public Relations OfBcer to supersede that of Legislative Representative. The successful 1949 beginning of the Association’s educational program whereby we sent ourselves to school for refresher courses in vital subjects to improve our teaching skills was continued in 1950 at three strategic locations: (1) Indiana University, Bloomington, (2) Connecticut College, New London and, (3) University of Southern California, Los Angeles. The planning of the committee went beyond workshops since it considered that the majority of the membership might find themselves unable to attend the workshops because of travel distances and/or the possibility that the time of the year when such workshops were scheduled would forbid their attending. Therefore, the solution provided was to set up local study groups. Where chapters were established this could become a chapter project. Bernard Taylor, who succeeded Edward Harris as chairman of the Advisory Committee on Vocal Education, appointed Grace Leslie to chair the Committee on Local Study Groups. Regional governors were the responsible agents to stimulate this important NATS venture. In a chapterless state, they were charged, with the help of their state chairman, to organize such a group in a strategic and accessible center. The plan could be flexible, either extending throughout the school year or condensed to a shorter period. The expenses of such a program were to be borne by those in the study group.

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Other appointments for the 1950-1952 biennium included Helen Huls who added to her vicepresidency the chairmanship of the Committee on Public School Vocal Affairs; Alexander Grant, a newcomer to the national scene, succeeded Henry Veld as chairman of the Committee on Admissions; Richard DeYoung, the immediate past president, chaired the new Research Com­ mittee. There were three amendments to the bylaws: (1) set up the Council of Past Presidents to which all retiring presidents would automatically become members. The council would elect its own officers and act in an advisory capacity; (2) amended the bylaws to permit the citizens of Canada to become members; (3) concerned the transfer of the District of Columbia to the Eastern District The November-December 1950 Bulletin announced a three-day meeting in conjunction with the MTNA in Washington, D.C, December 28-30, with headquarters at two hotels, the Wardman Park and Shoreham. From the program printed in The Bulletin Vol. VI, No. 2, our sixth annual meeting held promise to be the most ambitious and exciting to date. Unfortunately, on opening day, NATS had to make an on-the-spot transfer of their registration desk from the Shoreham to the Wardman Park due to inadequate preparation on the part of the convention authorities. As had been the practice, Vice-President Huls, as coordinator of field activities, presided over the annual meeting of regional governors, representatives-at-large and state chairmen. Six of the eight regional governors were in attendance along with a considerable number of representatives-at-large and state chairmen as well as all members of the Executive Conmiittee. The attendance of six out of eight regional governors reflects the healthy activity throughout the districts. During 1950, six chapters were granted charters and two of the districts held regional conventions, one bears mentioning here since 75 NATSers attended that meeting as compared with 103 at our national convention. The sparkplug was H. Grady Harlan, regional governor of the Southwestern Region, who would put into practice projects later adapted at the national level. At this meeting. President Mowe announced that the Executive Committee had decided to change the title of representative-at-large to lieutenant-governor as well as to regulate the number of these officers in each district. He defined the scope of the several duties of the regional governors, emphasizing the supervision of workshops which would remain under the executive committee-the regional governor’s role was only to be advisory to, as in the past, and cooperative with the local workshop chairman. While the convention was a success, the isolation of NATS meetings from the area of MTNA activity, the scheduling of our meetings in one hotel, with theirs in the other, with no in-house accessibility appeared more and more to have been planned. At our previous joint convention, NATS sessions were where the action was and MTNA registrants were discovered populating NATS sessions rather than their own. MTNA had come up with a solution for the Washington meeting, but it caused NATS officials to want to forget their amicable declaration made after the Cleveland meeting of the previous February. A concern after the close of World War II was put in focus in 1950 by the appointment of a new Veterans Education Appeals Board; the purpose of this committee was to review complaints submitted with the practical administration of the existing law. The law as formed after World War II was unfair to the private teacher of singing. Institutions had the advantage; also the interpretation of the law was left to the various state authorities and a NATS investigation revealed a wide variation in interpretation. Arthur Gerry’s committee found that fourteen states permitted study with a qualified private teacher; five states permitted such study, but the red tape involved in securing that study practically made it impossible and further that nineteen states’ strict interpretation of the law permitted no study with private teachers. Now with the Korean War getting under way, Arthur Gerry’s committee was ready to do battle so that a new wave of veterans would not face the restrictions of the old law. You will recall that the Executive Committee laid down restrictions governing the use of the official seal. It first appeared on the masthead of the 1946 May-June issue of The Bulletin during Carson’s presidency. It was the product of his imagination and architectural skills. In January, 1948, he became editor of The Bulletin, but he waited until Vol. VII, No. 4, February-March 1951 before acquainting the membership with its symbolism. "The official seal, circular in form, is encircled with two continuous rings or bands, the smaller representing the local and the other component units of the organization which serve to make up the national body, while the larger

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and outer circle is representative of the all-embracing unity and protectiveness of the national organization as an entity. In the small field between the inner and outer circles is found the honored name of the association. Also within this space is the date or organization inception. The stars are indicative of the three teacher organizations, the members of which were instrumental in the forming of the National Association of Teachers of Singing, namely, the American Academy of Teachers of Singing, the Chicago Singing Teachers Guild and the New York Singing Teachers Association. Serving as a broken background in the large inside field of the seal is the traditional lyre, the symbol so closely allied with the singing profession. Implanted in this is the general map of the United States, reflecting the national scope of the HOMER G. MOWE association’s membership and its wide-spread en­ deavors. This miniature map contains the outlines of the eight large regional districts into which the country is divided for organization purposes. The tiny white dot in the lower southeastern corner of the Central District indicates the spot where the National Association was bom, to be exact, the city of Cincinnati." This was the seal of NATS until 1982when a change was made. The April-May 1951 issue of The Bulletin listed President Mowe’s appointments: (1) Committee on Vocal Education, Bernard Taylor, chairman, Leon Carson, Wchard DeYoung, Ruth Douglas, Victor A. Fields, Edward Harris, Sonia Shamova. (2) Committee on Workshops, William Ross, chairman, Alexander Grant, Grace Leslie, Harry F. Taylor, William Vennard. (3) Research Committee, Richard DeYoung, chairman, Orville Borchers, Ralph Errolle, Alpha B. Mayfield, William Ross, Robert Walls, Kenneth Westerman. (4) Conmiittee on Public School Vocal Affairs, Helen Steen Huls, Chairman, Mary Cook, Clyde J. Garrett, Edward Hamilton, Lee Hardy, Carl L. Nelson,Aime E. Pierce. (5) Committee on Local Study Groups, Grace Leslie, chairman. There is one person listed as a member of the Committee on Public School Vocal Affairs who evokes special mention, Clyde J. Garrett. He attended the 1950 Washington convention as a member of NATS, registering fi:om Brownwood, Texas. Clyde J. Garrett was the gentleman programmed by MTNA to speak at their 1941 meeting in Minneapolis on "Plans for Organizing a National Guild of Teachers of Singing." In the months prior to that appearance, he had contacted many prominent voice teachers around the country, among them aU of those from New York and Chicago who later became known as the founders of NATS. Prior to his scheduled appearance at the MTNA meeting he met on November 21, 1941, in Houston, Texas with representative teachers of singing from nine states who adopted a proposed working plan for his national guild. He distributed a printed brochure listing the several areas of his guild’s activities, including the publication of a magazine called "Voice." As related earlier in this narrative, he became ill on his way to Minneapolis and could not fulfill his scheduled appearance before MTNA We also included his letter as well as the Wilcox reply, wherein he proposed the deanship of his guild to Wilcox. It could very well be that Clyde J. Garrett was the catalyst that accelerated the founding of NATS during the challenging war years as attested by one of Homer Mowe’s letters in which he urged immediate organization, because if we don’t do it now, someone else will." In January, 1947, Henry Veld wrote Leon Carson that he had returned Clyde J. Ganett’s application for membership in NATS along with his check and biographical sketch because of unfavorable reports from Pasadena where he formerly had a studio. California had been his home

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base back in the early 40s. Not too long thereafter he established himself in Texas and probably was recruited for membership by the dynamic Southwestern Regional Governor, H. Grady Harlan, who signed Garrett’s membership application along with Berton Coffin as one of his sponsors. He attended the 1950 Washington Convention, well-known enough to find himself on the Committee on Public School Vocal Affairs, chaired by Helen Steen Huls. More than 200 populated the classes, concerts and lecture sessions of the four 1951 summer workshops strategically located across the country at New London, Connecticut, Bloomington, Indiana, Boulder, Colorado, and Los Angeles, California. October 25,1951 marked another important beginning, it was the first meeting of the New York Local Study group. It also marked the inception of a countiy-wide effort to improve the status of the teaching of singing through the discriminating use of technic and terminology. Quoting Grace Leslie, New York City, national chairman of the LSGP, "This evening is a very special occasion for those teachers interested in the program originally planned by the National Association of Teachers of Singing. It marks the inauguration of the first local study group or discussion group, for the purpose of further extending the recommendations for improved teaching as set forth by the National Association’s Vocal Education Committee... what is done in New York during this first evening meeting will have its influence upon the organizing of local study groups throughout the country." The balance of this committee, when finally formed was: James L McLain, Charles Pearson, Joel Carter, Irma Lee Batey, Sonia Sharnova, Melvin Geist, Grace Huston, Hadley Crawford, Carl G. Melander, Harold Hollingsworth and Franz Hoffinan. Bernard Taylor’s Committee on Vocal Education had appointed Grace Leslie as chairman of the Committee on Local Study Groups in 1950. It was a difficult program to initiate since its success depended upon a key person in each district. To find a qualified person to assume such responsibility was a slow process. The chairman’s introductory showcase took place a year after her appointment and her search for responsible representatives in each of the districts took an additional two years. The 1951 Chicago Convention, although our second meeting in Chicago, was in some respects our most important since our inception in 1944. It was our first national meeting devoid of affiliation with other music organizations. Richard DeYoung was chairman of the nominating committee and that committee had concern not only for the coming 1952-1954 biennium but also fer beyond. Walter Allen Stults, the last of the patriarchs, had been put in line for the presidency in 1950. The Board of Directors and the Executive Committee had drawn up an amendment to Article X, Section 1, Paragraph 2 increasing the number of vice-presidents from two to four with their duties to be determined by the president and the Executive Committee. The lineup for VPs still included Helen Steen Huls for a third term as the second vice-president. They elevated Treasurer Carl Gutekunst to the post of first vice-president as a backup for the president in case he was incapacitated. Arthur Gerry was nominated to fill Gutekunst’s vacated post as treasurer. Henry Veld wanted out as secretary, he probably could have been one of the vice-presidents, but he was at odds with some of the administration and their practices. E. Clifford Toren was nominated for the secretaryship as planned in 1950 when Veld got the nod and thus was put in line for elevation to NA'K’ highest post in the future. The other two nominees for a vice­ presidency to complete the proposed quartet were Alexander Grant and Burton Garlinghouse. Grace Leslie conUnued in her post as registrar, for her fifth two-year term. At this point, Grace LesUe and Helen Huls were the most experienced NATS administrators on the proposed slate of national officers for 1952-1954 biennium. Among the proposed regional governors were two future presidents: Dale Gilliland, Central District, and Louis Nicholas, Southern District. While the nominating committee proposed a slate, at the time there was the provision in the bylaws, Article VII, Section I; "At any time not less that 15 days before the date of election, additional nominations for any office may be made by filing petitions with the secretary, indicating the names of candidates proposed, which petition shall be signed by not less than ten members." The seventh annual meeting of NATS was held at the Sheraton Hotel, December 26-29,1951. Despite inclement weather, bad traveling conditions and considerable iUness, some 228 members and guests were registered, representing 27 states, District of Columbia and Canada. It was the largest attendance of any of our national meetings to date. At this time our membership totaled U41. At the business meeting, our regisuar presented some interesting statistics profiling the membership. Unfortunately, she could include only 1,316 of our members in her breakdovm

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because there were still 25 members without biographies. Earlier in our narrative, we reported her several requests for biographies made to charter members with no response, among them one or two in the top echelon. Eight years is a bit long to resist compliance with the requirement from which none of the 25 would have excused a new applicant for membership. The breakdown revealed that there were 605 private teachers, 500 who were teaching in colleges, 42 in secondary schools, 99 who taught privately and in colleges, 57 who taught privately and in secondary schools, and 6 who taught privately and both secondary schools and colleges. When you examine the breakdown, you will discover two large divisions: the private, unafBliated teacher on his own, and the teacher within the academic community. The conditions under which each group taught created two different sets of problems. Among the founding fathers, all CSTG members were institutionally based, not so with the AATS and NYSTA group. They had to work harder to reconcile viewpoints, at understanding the needs and goals of each other. While this almost 50/50 division was prevalent in such centers as New York, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, etc., it did not hold true in the far more numerous smaller centers across the USA- It would be of interest to compare a 1990 profile with that of 1951. Our first convention away from MTNA appeared to have a maturing effect. The top echelon took on a different complexion in that the Board of Directors and Executive Committee were integrated. Specifically, the Executive Committee was enlarged to include the president, the four vice-presidents, the secretary, the treasurer, the registrar, and the immediate past-presidenL T\vo sets of guidelines governing workshops were forthcoming fi’om officialdom’s deliberations at the Chicago convention. The first defined eligibility for attending workshops: (1) members, (2) students of members, (3) those applying for membership and, (4) any voice teacher recommended by one NATS member. It appears that NATS was beginning to take chances-at our first workshop at Indiana University only NATS members had access to the right stuff. The second forbade the holding of auditions or the giving of private lessons at any workshops. In view of certain unpleasantness that took place in the 1952-1954 biennium, the reported action of Arthur Gerry, incoming treasurer, takes on significance. He instituted a motion, which was seconded by outgoing President Mowe, to form a budget committee to study the overall financial picture of NATS and, in keeping with the finding of that study, to prepare an aimual budget indicating proper allocation of funds. The motion was carried. I do not recall all the details of the following incident, but it explains the origin of the presidential gavel. Walter Stults instituted the ceremony of the passing of the gavel from the outgoing to the incoming president at the 1951 Chicago convention. Walter had carved this gavel in 1900 fi'om a tree or bit of wood of some significance to him which he explained when, as I recall, he presented it to Homer at the beginning of our business meeting-the gavel already was 51 years old at the time. Since Stults was the incoming president, the passing took place near the close of that meeting to which Homer added a touch of humor, remarking: "It is rather an Indian giver spirit to take it back in such a short time."

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NATS WORKSHOP AT SALEM COLLEGE, WINSTON-SALEM, N. C, JUNE 4-9, 1951 Reading left to right. First Row: Elizabeth Welch, Virginia Hover, Lucile Epperson, Ann Biggs, Mrs. Frederick Haywood, Nell Starr, Katherine Phohl, Mrs. John C. Wiggins, Radiana Pazmor, Virginia Wary Linney. Second Row: Kate Jenkins Dobbs, Clifford E. Bair, Lome Grant, Ruth Edwards, James Dillard, Robert K- Stull. Third Row: Paul W. Peterson, Lorenzo Harvey, Frederick Haywood, Arnold E. Putman, Walter Golde, Richard Cox, Harry F. Taylor, Joel Carter.

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Walter Allen Stults PRESIDENT

1952-1954 February 1, 1952, the Chicago Chapter of NATS launched a new plan for Young Artist Concerts. This plan of concerts was the idea of Sonia Shamova, president of the Chicago Chapter of NATS who influenced the High School Council of District 25, Illinois Congress of Parents and Teachers and the Mid-West Foundation to join in this venture. Three concerts were planned during February and March, 1952. The New York Local Study Group announced a second series of meetings because the first five were so successful. Beside the New Yorkers, members from upper New York State, Long Island and New Jersey were involved. The series opened on February 7,1952. Grace Leslie, the national chairman, still was involved in working out the country-wide spread of the local study groups. She announced that the Washington Chapter would sponsor the first study group in the District of Columbia on November 3rd. James L. McLain, a member of the national committee on Local Study Groups would lead that meeting. Ever since H. Grady Harlan became regional governor of the Southwestern District, the vitality of that area challenged the Eastern, Central and California-Western Districts. The announcement that the Southwestern District Convention, planned to coincide with the MTNA Convention in Dallas, February 25-26, 1952, would feature a student competition was a NATS first that would eventually filter throughout the national organization. This student competition was for students of NATS members and teachers of singing who had made application for membership. The announced award for the winner was $250.00, which was guaranteed by the Southwestern Musicians Magazine. The publisher of this magazine was H. Grady Harlan. The name of Clyde J. Garrett keeps surfacing in this narrative. The literature Ganet had printed promoting The National Guild of Teachers of Singing back in 1941 prior to his scheduled appearance at the 1941 MTNA Convention in Minneapolis included "grading auditions" for students of members. Now a member of NATS, Garrett, who was a close friend of Harlan, chaired the Voice Forum on February 25th. Who knows? Maybe he planted the idea to be nourished by the regional governor, a sort of realizing his dream by projq^. The two-day session proved to be an unqualified success. Registrants who were in attendance at some or all of the Southwestern District sessions almost doubled the count at our 1951 national convention in Chicago. At that time the district was made up of the states of Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, Utah and Wyoming. A future president, Berton Coffin, was the lieutenant governor. In his words, "That is where the contests got a start and why Texas was off to the races." Harlan himself believed, as well as others, that the student competition initiated by him and approved by the Executive Committee would have a far-reaching effect for NATS. Some 67 young singers were registered for this audition. Two other districts held successful regional meetings during the spring: Southern, March 19, Nashville, Tennessee, with 25 in attendance and Southeastern, April 18-19, Chapel HUl, North Carolina, with 77 in attendance. It appeared that doubts raised by DeYoung in 1944 concerning certain allocations of states to regions had some substance. Utah discovered that attempting to face southwest just would not work. On May 7, 1952, a presidential letter reconmiended the transfer of Utah fi'om the Southwestern District to the California-Western District. This action was later approved at the Boston convention in December, 1952. With the close of World War II and the enactment of the G.I. Bill enabling returning veterans to get their education subsidized by the U. S. Government, there were inequities that dis­ criminated against the private teacher of singing. Since approximately fifty percent of our membership were private teachers, this became a major effort of NATS with Arthur Gerry’s com­ mittee informing the membership and marshalling them into a letter-writing campaign to their respective representatives and congressmen in Washington. The committee’s survey found that with the power of approval of just who should teach the returning G.Ls left to the states, there was no uniform interpretation, it varied fi’om state to state.

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Now that the Korean War was winding down, there was a new G.I. Bill (Public Law 550) before the Congress. Again, NATS presented its case as it did in trying to change Public Law 346. Permission was sought to appear before the house committee, but after lengthy correspon­ dence such permission was refused arbitrarily by Chairman Rankin. However, the results of NATS 1947 survey concerning the previous bill, together with a letter of full explanation and protest, were included by Mr. Rankin in the report of the Hearing of the Committee on V eterans Affairs and printed in the Congressional Records. When Gerry was turned down by Rankin, he approached the senate committee on Labor and Public Welfare and was advised should any public hearing be held by the senate committee, he would be advised thereof and invited to appear. The senate scotched that hope when they decided not to hold further public hearings in view o f the exhaustive nature of the hearings held before the house committee. George Newton, who was one of the more vocal members of Arthur Gerry’s watch dog group, gave me access to his files which contain a letter, dated May 16, 1952, from a member o f the House of Representatives that states the House Committee on Veteran Affairs never even discussed the proposal to recognize private teachers. Even in colleges and universities, no veteran could study any music course unless he or she could justify that such would be of bona fide use in the pursuit of his or her present contemplated occupation, it had to be part of a degree program. When retiring President Richard DeYoung gave his report at the Cleveland Convention in 1950, he referred to his petitioning the North Central Association of Schools and Colleges that the National Association of Teachers of Singing be included on their list of "Learned Societies." This was of importance to that portion of NATS membership who were affiliated with colleges and universities because these institutions listed the number of learned societies to which their faculty belonged. The presence of NATS on the North Central list permitted these institutions to utilize their facult/s membership in our organization for further accrediting purposes. DeYoung’s offer to continue his until this listing was realized was given the green light by the Executive Committee. At the beginning of Stults’'presidency, he informed the membership through the March-April issue of The Bulletin that NATS was now recognized by North Central as a "Learned Society.” What this meant to each NATSer in the employ of an institution of higher learning was that now they could expect financial assistance towards meeting travel and other related expenses incidental to their attendance at national conventions, workshops, or even their annual dues. While the Committee on Vocal Education had an impact on the membership through its pronouncements, and the advent of workshops and local study groups was rewarding, it was the reception of our recommendations to the academic community that were most gratifying. First organized under the Carson presidency as the Committee on Basic Fundamental Requirem ents for Teachers of Singing and given new life and dignity under the DeYoung presidency as the Advisory Committee on Vocal Education, it published its preliminary report, "Basic Requirements for Teachers of Singing," in the February-March 1948 issue of The Bulletin. There followed a supplementary report in the September-October 1948 Bulletin which outlined a series of three leaures in a program of extension courses for teachers of singing. This promoted the idea of local study groups and our first summer workshop. In the December 1949-January 1950 Bulletin, the committee published a second supplementary report which covered a proposed curriculum at the undergraduate and graduate levels for the training of teachers of singing in the universities and schools of music. Under the Mowe presidency, the committee, seasoned by four years of deliberation, became known as the Committee on Vocal Education. It also experienced a change in leadership. Edward Harris who had charted its course effectively over a period of four years, wished to remain on the committee, but only as a member. Bernard Taylor, who had been on the committee since Its inception became the new chairman. Both Carson and DeYoung who had been members ex officio during their presidencies were now full members. Ruth Douglass, Victor A Fields and Sonia Sharnova continued on under their third president. This reshuffled committee published its final report on the "Proposed Curriculum for the Training of Teachers of Singing in Universities and Schools of Music" in the September-October 1950 issue of The Bulletin. Later it extended its influence to the academic community. It mailed its proposed curriculum with a covering letter explaining NATS’ progress in its plan to create a

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sound and workable curriculum for the training of teachers of singing in universities and schools of music to approximately 1200 colleges, universities and schools of music. Bernard Taylor reported in the May-June 1952 issue of The Bulletin that "there has been a gratifying response to this communica­ tion. Replies have been received from prominent universities, colleges, and schools of music from all sections of the country. There is great interest in the curriculum outline. Without exceptions, they all seem eager to endorse the high standards and ideals which the National Association of Teachers of Singing is upholding. Many of these institutions have already put into operation an approximate of the National Association’s curriculum pattern, while others asked for further information. All give evidence of their willingness to cooperate with us as they plan their future teacher-training courses." WALTER ALLEN STULTS NATS predated the American Choral Directors Association and at this point in time, NATS’ concern with the secondary school vocal climate spawned the Conunittee on Public School Vocal Affairs under the chairmanship of Helen Steen Huls. Its concern was with what was happening to the adolescent voice and how well those in charge at the secondary school level were prepared to meet the exigencies of their teaching assignment. During the 1951-1952 school year, Mrs. Huls conducted a field survey in secondary school music, with emphasis on the study of the adolescent voice. The study was made under the direction of the School of Music, Indiana University, Bloomington, and included junior and senior high schools in sixty cities in twentyseven states. The plan of study was scrutinized and approved by a panel of fifteen authorities in the areas of Music Education, Voice, Choral Conducting, and Education. The results of this investigation were made available to MENC as well as NATS. During the autumn of 1952, this committee sent questionnaires to directors of vocal music in 300 cities selected from 48 states. Cities were selected from population groups in the 5,000100,000 population level, an average of five was chosen from each state. The questionnaire was formulated by the entire committee and suggested questions were collated and organized in a definite form by the chairman. Purposes of the questionnaire were to secure data about vocal programs in high schools, how many young people were participating, what methods were used in meeting vocal problems, some facts about the director’s own training, whether contests and festival participation were considered important, opinions about the relationship of directors with private teachers of voice. Of 300 questionnaires sent by the eight members of the ccnmiittee, 203 were filled out and returned, 67.6%. Members of the PSVA Committee who made the survey included: Mary Cook, Boulder, Colorado, Clyde J, Garrett, Brownwood, Texas, Edward Hamilton, Knoxville, Tennessee, Lee Hardy, Inglewood, California, Helen Huls, St Cloud, Minnesota, Persis Kempton, Natick, Massachusetts, Cayl Nelson, Muncie, Indiana, and Anne E. Pierce, Iowa City, Iowa. If there ever was an area into which NATS’ influence should extend, Helen Huls found it and wisely directed some of our energies in that direction. Our eighth annual convention took place in Boston, December 28-31,1952. This was NATS second visit to the "Hub of the Universe." The Boston Chapter entertained the visiting members from all parts of the country with a typical old-fashioned New England supper with baked beans in Boston style on Saturday evening, December 28th. The convention program was one of the first well-structured annual meetings. Besides the usual vocal clinic, banquet, annual business meeting, there were four symposia: Voice Therapy, The Singer and Television, Opera, and Choral. Then there was a new feature, called "Information Please," the 1952 version of "Quiz Cove" that later became a feature in The Bulletin sponsored by the Committee on Vocal Education. (It took its name from the Committee’s name C-O-V-E.) Quiz Cove was a feature of conventions and was adopted by Stanley Hoban as a feature of summer workshops. The Boston Convention had some 230 in attendance from 24 states. District of Columbia and Canada. During 1951-1952, our membership roster grew from slightly over 1,300 to just under 1,500.

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President Stults in his state of the union address to the membership assembled, explained the late year appointment of a budget committee. While the Association was completely solvent, he remarked, 'We are sailing a bit closer to the wind than is altogether comfortable. As a m atter of fa c t. . it has not been possible to make any addition to our present contingent fund and it is not altogether impossible that it may be necessary, in the not too distant future, to make some withdrawals therefore in order to meet operating expenses.. . due to the fact that no method of regulating expenditures in accordance with a preconceived plan has existed, it has seemed wise to appoint a budget committee." The committee was chaired by Richard DeYoung, who relinquished the chairmanship of the Research Committee to Dolf Swing for that of the comptroller of NATS’ purse strings. The balance of the committee was Treasurer Arthur Gerry, Past-President Homer Mowe, board member William Phillips and Earle Tanner. At this juncture it should be pointed out that the Chicago/New York balance on this committee was weighted in favor of Chicago: DeYoung, Phillips and Tanner, vs Gerry and Mowe. Even the board, three of whom were on the Budget Committee, was weighted in Chicago’s favor: DeYoung, Phillips, and Stults/Carson and Mowe. Earlier in his message, Stults discussed the inordinate demands on national officers’ time and remarked, *In my opinion, the time will soon come, if indeed it has not already arrived, when NATS should give serious attention to engaging the services of an executive secretary who, in addition to performing the duties usually associated with such a post, might also edit The Bulletin' The Executive Committee, in view of the growth of the Association (as of December 31,1952, 1,499), laid down requirements and procedures to tighten the screening and processing of membership applications. From now on, all membership applications, except for signature, had to be typewritten. Also, the Admission Committee’s list of approved applicants forwarded to the Executive Committee for their approval was expanded to include each applicant’s vocal training, indicating names of teachers and length of study with each, summary of general musical education with degrees, if any, and summary of teaching experience. In addition, regional governors and, through them, state chairmen were to be advised of their responsibility to investigate thoroughly on the local level all applicants for membership and that, in cases where neither the applicant nor his sponsors are know to the district officers, an attempt should be made to obtain from other sources than the applicant confidential information regarding his professional competence and reputation. As possible sources of such information, the following were su^ested: NATS members of known reputation living in the vicinity of the applicant, administrative officials of schools and conservatories and voice teachers named in the application, other outstanding musicians in the community of the applicant such as the public school music supervisor. Helen Huls, as second vice-president was asked to add the chairmanship of the Workshop Committee to her duties to cover William Ross’ resignation from that post. In view of the fact that it was Arthur Gerry’s motion at one of the last Executive Committee’s meetings during the Chicago convention that prompted President Stults to appoint a Budget Committee, his report and remarks at the subsequent Boston convention seem incomprehensible. Quoting Gerry, "When I took over the Treasury, I was advised that it would be necessary to set up a budget. Now if you have to set up a budget, you need to know the expenses of every office, and every activity, and just what they cost You need to know these facts over a period of several years before you can determine an average cost; and then you have to try to keep inside those costs." He summarized this with the statement that NATS was too young to have a budget. He felt moved to establish his authority and credibility. He revealed the fact that up to age 30, when he became a professional singer, he had been a railroad statistician and railroad accountant for all the railroads in the United States. When the call for unfinished business was made, Gerry once more took the floor announcing to the convention assembled the absolute necessity for an increase in dues, maybe not in 1953, but surely in 1954. Then, he spoke of a NATSer who had averaged ten to twelve eight-hour days every month throughout the year on work for the Association to the detriment of his health, remarking that this was work that should have been paid for, work for which NATS should have employed an expert even though one could not have been found who would have been as competent. The problem was that NATS could not support what was really necessary because the

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dues were too low. Geriy cited NYSTA whose members had cheerfully accepted an increase in dues from $6.00 to $10.00 per year even though benefits received from NYSTA in no way compared with those received from NATS. (At that time, dues for CSTG were $10.00 per year.) He expressed regret that the matter of dues increase was not raised earlier in the convention so that the matter could have been settled. Dues could only be raised by a change in bylaws, he reminded those attending the meeting he might have to call on the Executive Committee to sell some of the Government Bonds (We had $3,300 in GBs at that time.) even though he would be sorry to do so. He recommended that dues be increased to at least $10.00 and laid the problem in the laps of the Executive Committee. Homer Mowe spoke to the problem, recalling his list of policies of the Association, one of which was to maintain dues at the smallest possible amount. He went on to say that sometimes raising dues did not bring in more money because you were apt to lose more members. President Stults said that the Executive Committee would take no arbitrary action, that this was a matter to be put to a vote by the whole membership through the columns of The Bulletin. There were considerable pros and cons from the floor. Then Victor Fields was recognized. His solution was at the expense of The Bulletin, saying, "I would rather see us served by mimeographed news-sheets, and live within our means, than to have this beautiful streamlined journal, and then go bankrupt DeYoung reminded the group that income could be increased by increasing the membership. He also questioned the fact that such a small representation of the membership as that present at the convention should have the right to speak for the entire membership. William Eberl suggested that a registration fee of $1.00 was unreasonably small for our national conventions for which other professional organizations charged from $5.00 to $15.00. There were other suggestions for which President Stults thanked those involved saying that all of them were a matter of record and would be given consideration. Since the first of the year, the Budget Committee had been concerning itself with incomeoutgo. If NATS were to avoid a slow down in its projects, there had to be an increase in income. So by midyear, the Board of Directors in common with the Executive Committee came to the conclusion that the current yearly dues of $6.00 would have to be increased to $7.50 beginning with the 1954 biennium. President Stults presenting the case for increased dues in the May-June 1953 issue of The Bulletin, wrote; "Why even a dog tag costs $5.00 in most cities." On April 12th, action of the Executive Committee exempted NATS members who were invited to serve as faculty at our summer workshops from paying tuition. Believe me, pioneering in NATS’ early years was tough, you not only served without fee, but you also had to come up with the price of admission. In June, Carl Nelson was appointed by the board to succeed Helen Huls as chairman of the Committee on Public School Vocal Affairs. In July, the board authorized Treasurer Arthur Gerry to dispose of our Government Bonds if necessary. They also ruled to maintain the $6.00 dues throu^ 1954 for all members elected during November and December of 1953. The September-October 1953 issue of The Bulletin carried a ballot so that members could have the opportunity to vote on the dues increase proposed by the Board of Directors and Executive Committee. The need for such was fully explained in the president’s message in the May-June issue of The Bulletin as well as the September-October issue. Editor Leon Carson underscored the obligation and the need of a fevorable vote. The ballot had to be in the mail by November 1st. The returns were surprising, the apathy of the membership was discouraging and disappointing-only an approximate 25% chose to respond out of a membership slightly over 1,600,390 returned the requested ballot, 203 approving, against 187 dissenting. Could it be that to the 75% not voting, the dues increase meant no difference? Be that as it may, a vote is a vote and the raise in dues from $6.00 to $7.50, less than a half cent a day, was considered approved. In response to numerous requests made at the Boston Convention in December and subsequent mail requests, Leon Carson, with the approval of the Executive Committee, designed a new membership emblem to replace his earlier designed monogram. The principal objection to the monogram was that its design did not emphasize sufficiently the owner’s membership in NATS. The new emblem was in part a miniature of NATS official seal, including the name of the Association in the encircling band around a silhouette map of the USA on which was inserted the word, "Member." Now members had a choice for use on their stationery and/or their advertising.

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The September-October 1953 issue of The Bulletin also carried notification to the membership of four amendments to Articles IV, V and VII of the bylaws. Article IV, Section I, designated the four vice-presidents by ranking them First, Second, Third, and Fourth. The first vice president, in previous changing of the guard, had been the incumbent’s backup and succeeded to the presidency in the biennium that followed. That was not to be the case for the 1954-1956 biennium. None of the incumbent vice-presidents were in line for the presidenqr. So an amendment was drafted to make the future a more manageable one: the first sentence of Article rv. Section 1, was revised to read: "The oflBcers of the National Association of Teachers of Singing, Incorporated, shall be a President, four Vice-Presidents, whose names shall be alphabetically listed and whose duties shall be determined by the President and the Board of Directors----- " Article IV, Section 3 (Vice-Presidents) shall be amended to read as follows: "In the absence of the President, that Vice-President who is the Director of Field Activities shall have the powers and shall perform the duties of the President, together with such other duties as may be prescribed by the Board of Directors." The other two amendments concerned the appointm ent and tenure of committees, one o f the duties o f the president, and nominations. O ur ninth annual convention was to be held at the Sheraton Hotel, St. Louis, Missouri, December 27-30,1953. The slate of officers for the 1954-1956 biennium did not follow past patterns. None of the incumbent vice-presidents were given the nod-it wasn’t in the cards. There were still two gentlemen who had served the patriarchs well, Bernard U. Taylor and E. Clifford Toren, who had been promised the purple. After ten years in the wings, their turn had come. Bernard U. Taylor, the incumbent chairman of the Committee on Vocal Education was chosen to be the incoming president. Two of the vice-presidents, Alexander Grant and Helen Steen Huls chose to stay on for another two years. Toren, who was in Une to succeed Taylor, was moved from the secretaryship to be one of the vice-presidents. Dale Gilliland, regional governor of the Central District, completed the vicepresident’s roster. Hadley Crawford succeeded Toren as national secretary. A rthur Gerry continued as treasurer and Gertrude Tingley took over as registrar from Grace Leslie, who had served faithfully through the terms of our first five presidents. A new face joined the ranks of regional governors, B. Fred Wise, succeeding Dale V. Gilliland as regional governor of the Central District Who knows—another president! The last two regional governors of the Central Distria were now vice-presidents. At the S l Louis Convention, the Executive Committee granted a change in the physiognomy of NATS. For some time, Wisconsin had demonstrated more of an affinity with the N orthern District than with the Central District. Consequently, the Executive Committee, in its meeting at the S l Louis Convention on December 30,1953, decreed the removal of the State of Wisconsin from the Central District to the Northern District The SL Louis Convention inuoduced two gentlemen, later to become known to NATS as important members, who contributed much to shaping its course down St. Louis way with a nation^ impact-Oren Brown, general chairman of the convention, and Weldon Whitlock, publicity and mailing. Interesting clinics, a symposium conducted by the NATS Research Committee with Kenneth Westerman, Wilmer T. Bartholomew and William Ross, making significant contributions in terminology, and Eugene Carrington who brought us the latest in electronic devices for recording and how to use them, made this a memorable meeting. However, a highly vocal business meeting warned of a certain unrest as we approached our second decade. Prior to the business meeting those attending were given mimeographed copies of all reports to be made part of the 1953 annual business meeting. I do not recall if this were an innovation to accelerate the activity of the most poorly attended meeting of most conventions or if it were a substitute action because of the non-attendance of the Eastern contingent of the NATS hierarchy. Earlier in the convention, Garlinghouse remarked at one of the Executive Committee meetings, "Even those who attend conventions seldom remain for the business meeting. The rank and file of the membership seems content to have all business matters handled by the Executive Committee and Board of Directors." In these early meetings, I recall combing the halls to corral a quorum. While all areas were scrutinized, the concern of those present was the report of the Budget Committee. When the committee was appointed in February, 1953 as authorized in Boston,

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Chairman DeYoung and Treasurer Gerry reached an agreement that no effort would be made to set up a budget percentagewise for various offices and The Bulletin until several years reports had been compiled, but because the financial condition of the Association was becoming precarious, the Budget Committee decided to investigate certain of the expenditures. As result, the report made was that of the chairman or a majority of the Budget Committee because the committee was divided. In fact, the committee was in violent disagreement. Quoting DeYoung, "We are having difficulty in the distribution of our total funds. You might as well know it. As a result, the most unpopular office ever to be appointed in the Association was mine because I tried to find out where the money went. When I tried to find out, Brother!" President Stults was the only national officer who had served in three national capacities. One of the five founders, he was secretary for five years, vice-president for two years, and at the time of the St. Louis convention was just completing two years as president During this time, he acquired an overall picture which would not have been possible in any other manner. Quoting Walter: "I realized that there were expenditures going on which were certainly not dishonest, but I could not escape the conviction that they were ill-advised. It was for this reason that the first thing I did when I took office was to ask for the power to appoint a budget committee. That power was granted." Later, the board authorized this committee to start functioning. It was not popular in certain quarters, nor did Walter Allen Stults increase his popularity by instituting the measure. No matter, the issue had to be faced-there had to be a budget committee and it had to function if NATS were to stay afloat. So, as the saying goes, they "bit the bullet!" Unfortunately, The Bulletin was singled out because it consumed better than 75% of the 1953 dues income. Sonia Shamova asked for a simpler format and a little more profundity. Since student subscriptions and non-member subscriptions were being promoted, she recommended more educational features in The Bulletin and less of the eloquent reports of the various chapter meetings. Other expressed thoughts were: "It doesn’t need such fancy dress. If It’s costing that much to the organization-an organization has to have more balance than this." The matter was put to a vote and the members in convention assembled gave the Budget Committee a mandate to reduce the cost of The Bulletin and to see that the general expense in carrying on the work of the organization be kept to a necessary minimum. Also, the Board of Directors, by unanimous vote of the members in convention assembled, was instructed to reconsider the matter of a raise in dues. Since there was a bylaw vote on the agenda, Margaret Sheridan, Minneapolis, called attention to the very last part of Article 10 which she thought the membership woiUd find objectionable as stated. Quoting Mrs. Sheridan, "Three members of the Board of Directors can change or completely destroy all the bylaws." Taylor began to read Article 10, Section 1, Amendments. Mrs. Sheridan remarked that the first part was all right. Taylor continued to read, "Any bylaw may be repealed, modified, altered or amended or new bylaw adopted at any regular or special meeting of the Board provided that no such change shall take effect until 30 days after the mailing of notice thereof with copy of bylaws as so proposed by the Board to all members of the corporation." Margaret Sheridan’s objection was that three-fifths of the members of the Board would have the power to make or break a situation. Sheridan wanted the whole three-fifths business changed but Stults spoke up saying that was impossible because it was part of the State of Illinois law. Her reply was that in that case it should be so stated. Taylor remarked that eventually something would have to be done about it. DeYoung rose to explain that Mrs. Sheridan’s motion was not quite in order as to the legal point. "I don’t think there is any limit to the number of members that the Board can have... you can expand the Board to represent all parts of the country if you want to." He was right-Walter Stults had forgotten that at the time of incorporation it was our lawyer who advised against the larger board since in an incorporation in Illinois no business could be transacted unless a majority quorum of directors were personally attending. With a large board, it was unlikely that directors living in distant cities could attend meetings readily. It followed that the Board of Directors should be limited to five. Evidently Richard DeYoung’s explanation and Bernard Taylor’s remarks, "As far as I am concerned as your President, I want everyone to know that they always can say exactly what they

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w an t. satisOed Margaret Sheridan. She withdrew her motion since "it had aroused the proper spirit." Diplomat Taylor came on the scene at the most opportune time. He calmed the dissenters into a wait and see situation. In May, 1942, the Chicago Singing Teachers Guild approved a committee with Richard DeYoung as chairman and Walter Allen Stults and William Phillips as members. Similarly, the American Academy of Teachers of Singing and the New York Singing Teachers Association came up with a joint committee consisting of Homer Mowe, chairman, with Leon Carson and Frederick Haywood representing the Academy, and Bernard U. Taylor and Vera Curtis representing NYSTA. Evidently, Vera Curtis, Frederick Haywood as well as Bernard Taylor were not considered by the balance of the two committees as originals, judging by the DeYoung/Carson correspondence, dated November 24, 1949. Richard DeYoung wrote: "It was the wish of the Committee to put Walter in line for the presidency. He is the last of the little group of original organizers which consisted of Homer, John, you and myself." Now that we have come to the end of NATS first decade, we note that the five named controlled it by trading round the presidency among themselves. Then they controlled the next four years of the second decade by naming Bernard Taylor and E. Clifford Toren as their choice for the presidency. Toren was not on either committee but was put in line to succeed Taylor as NATS’ top oflScer. Toren had been secretary of the Chicago group at its several get togethers with the New Yorkers and was the seaetary of the first meeting in Cincinnati, Thursday, March 23,1944, at the Netherland Plaza Hotel. Frederick Haywood, Vera Curtis and William Phillips seemingly were never considered for the top office. Phillips, however, who was John Wilcox’s alter ego, served on the Board of Directors through 1955. Until December, 1955, NATS Board of Directors consisted of Leon Carson, Richard DeYoung, William Phillips, Homer Mowe and Walter Allen Stults. Except for William Phillips, each had taken his turn as president during NATS first decade.

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^FO UR New Directions Bernard Taylor PRESIDENT

1954-1956 In the January-February 1954 Bulletin, President Taylor explained the dues situation to the membership-at-large. The Board of Directors had accepted the slight majority of the small response to the mail vote and declared that $7.50 would be the dues for 1954. If the membership had familiarized themselves with the bylaws, they would have known that the board had the authority to raise dues without a membership vote but President Stults had asked that a referendum vote be taken. After considerable discussion at the annual business meeting, the consensus was that a dues increase was unwise at the time and the board was asked to reconsider a return to the $6.00 fee. Unfortunately, dues notices had already been sent to the membership prior to the annual business meeting and before the board had been asked to reconsider. President Taylor recommended that under the circumstances, it was wiser to let the $7.50 dues stand. However, should it become a problem, the Board of Directors could reconsider at that time. This was the only way to avoid the utter confusion that sending a second notice would have caused. President Taylor sought the backing of the board on two occasions in January. He asked for a directive that he be designated to co-sign checks with Arthur Gerry. His second request asked for authority from the board to carry out the mandate from the members attending the SL Louis convention who asked that administration costs including the cost of The Bulletin be reduced so that he might proceed along lines that he deemed necessary to make such a reduction in NATS’ running expenses. In February, the president appointed Richard DeYoung chairman of the Vocal Education Committee, a post left vacant by Taylor’s election to the presidency. Also, because workshops were more than paying their way, now local workshop directors were empowered under certain conditions to offer visiting NATS faculty reimbursement for traveling expenses if the shop made a profit, a refund for living expenses whUe at the shop, and no obligation to pay the $20.00 registration fee. A contingency fund was also set up to shelter profits of one year to cover unforeseen emergencies of subsequent years which might result in a deficit. On March 23,1954, Carl Nelson was given board approval as chairman of the Committee on Public School Vocal Affairs for a second time. At this point in time, there’s no explanation. A similar action was recorded as of June, 1955 and it was Carl Nelson who submitted the PSVA report at the 1953 St. Louis convention. In September, 1954 the rest of his committee (Charles F. Bryan, Mary Cook, Philip Gustafson, George Newton, Henry Veld) received the board’s approval. Also as of March 23, the board named Victor Fields, Sonia Shamova and Radiana Pazmor to Richard DeYoung’s Vocal Education Committee. In May, Burton Garlinghouse, and in early July, Grace Leslie were approved to complete the roster. During the first two months of the year, President Taylor wrote his executive officers was well as the regional governors requesting them to canvas the members within their jurisdiction and find out what they wanted done in regard to dues. The reports that came back were that unless dues were returned to the $6.00 level, officialdom could expect something approaching an avalanche of resignations. It is difficult to picture such a debacle over an increase in dues that amounted to less than a half-cent a day. So, in March, 1954, President Taylor asked the Board of Directors for a vote in favor of returning the dues back to $6.00. Despite the fact that this was

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done, more than a hundred members were finally dropped fi-om the membership roles for non­ payment of dues. Delinquency was so much the order of the day that on August 30, 1954, the Executive Committee ordered the temporary suspension of publishing the names of offenders in the September issue of The Bulletin as had been the practice. Members were given the opportunity of a $1.50 refund if they so wished. The response was a bright spot, a demonstration of solidarity-only 288 members out of approximately 1,300 members chose to receive a refund. Although the Budget Committee had decided early in 1953 that no definite budget would be set up until they had the benefits of two or three years of reports, by the time the St. Louis convention of December 1953, they had decided that "a way of functioning within our income must be found now before the virile life of this association is weakened in any way. This committee feels that this danger can be averted by prompt action to keep the expense of membership within the capacities and goodwill of the members, and by holding expenses within the limits of probable income." The Budget Committee suggested that it be authorized to set up a budget for 1954 based upon percentage relationships of expenditures. This was granted and a budget was finally realized by March and made retroactive to January 1,1954, with the expressed hope that the 1955 budget would bring NATS income and expenditures into balance. There was one large expense. The Bulletin. The 1953 treasurer’s report showed that the total dues collected were $9,564. The Bulletin cost $7,240.70-approximately 75% of the income from dues. Of course, there was some income from advertising, non-member subscriptions and sales. In 1953, this reduced the cost of The Bulletin to approximately 64% of the dues income. Fortunately, income over and above workshop expenses bailed out the deficit. During 1953, The Bulletin had been issued five times during the year. Carson, in his editor’s report defended the format and frequency, saying; "It is the belief that the present format... is the appropriate one to best serve all needs of a national organization which is classed as a "Learned Society," and that any appreciable deviation from such status would prove a serious blow to the prestige of the organization and a distinct loss to the general morale of its membership.. . as a matter of fact, were it possible to increase the current inside capacity from 24 to 28 pages, practical use could easily be made of the space contained in the extra four pages." Carson’s priority rating of The Bulletin dates back to his presidency when Mowe was editor. In his report at the 1948 Boston Convention, he said, "It is fitting that due stress be laid on the importance of our official organ. The Bulletin.. . under no circumstances must this organ of organizational and personal expression and of official record be curtailed in any manner; in fact, as the years go by, the constant planning for its further expansion and enrichment must continue to be one of our chief responsibilities." The Executive Committee had given the go ahead to Carson early in 1951 and the April/May 1951 issue, with a cover that would protect the inner pages from the hazards of the U. S. mails, was a dignified and elegant publication. What took place at the 1953 SL Louis Convention threatened all that had been achieved, step by step since 1944. > y One might better understand the trauma of Editor Carson by comparing the January-Febniary 1954 issue with that of May, 1954. Even though he bowed to the powers-that-were, he presented his case to the membership in the columns of "From the Editor’s Desk." He wrote, "It would appear that at the recent Sl Louis Convention a wave of hysteria arose on the matter of current administrative National Association economy such as, for instance, the hue and cry dfrected against the maintenance costs of the organization’s chief bulwark-T/ie Bulletin... [The editor] feels that at this time he is entitled to express to those in attendance, and especially for the infonnation of that major portion of the membership who did not attend the convention, his very definite opinion and/or recommendation that under no circumstances must the quality of this national magazine be allowed to sink to a level of mediocrity and deterioration, either in appearance or content "It becomes evident that in the cry for economy, The Bulletin, the greatest all-around asset of the association is being called upon to sacrifice a position within and without the organization that has taken years of planning and sacrifice of time, energy and thought to attain- One could point to more or less recent unnecessary expenditures, routine duplication, delay and similar causes in other fields of association’s activity which, if remedied and a portion of same, together with a part of the added 1954 income were added together, would substantially offeet the demand for a drastic cut in Bulletin appropriations."

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Leon Carson again used his editor’s page in the May issue, explaining to the membership that the only way to comply with the mandate was to reduce the number of issues from five to four and change the quality of paper used. Closing the rather long article, he wrote that he, "along with many others, will be interested in learning how a drastic with­ drawal of approximately $2,000 from The Bulletin operating fund will be distributed among other NATS activities, in connection with which it will be gratifying to learn that its use in other directions will prove of value to the association in the same equal proportion as was that of its previous invest­ ment in the organization’s official organ." Despite the fi-iction among members of the administration and tightly drawn purse-strings, there was the usual committee activity even though somewhat reduced. The summer workshops in our BERNARD U. TAYLOR tenth anniversary year took on a little different atmosphere-each had a theme. Six were held during the month of August: Ohio State, Columbus: Church Music; Montana State, Missoula: Vocal Music in School and Community; Texas Technological College, Lubbock: Vocal Pedagogy; University of Colorado, Boulder: Demonstrations of Actual Teaching; Appalachian State Teachers College, Boone, N. C.: Vocal and Choral Practices; and Augsburg College, Minneapolis: Repertoire. Some 8,000 brochures were sent to a selected list of teachers of singing, choral directors, music educators, music editors of newspapers and music departments of each college and university in the United States, as well as NATS members. Approximately 350 teachers attended all shops, full-time and/or part-time. After all expenses were paid, including a new venture-that of paying part of the NATS staffs travel expenses ($724.05)~NATS came out with a profit of $232.15. On November 10,1954, the board authorized President Taylor to suspend payment of all bills of the Association until further notice, to engage an auditor to examine the treasurer’s books, and to ask for recommendations from the auditor as to the proper way to place the Association on a pay-as-you-go basis. Also, he asked for and was given authority not to sell the bonds unless the auditor should so order. This was a countermand of the board’s action of July, 1953 when Gerxy was granted the authority to sell the bonds if necessary. In the January-February 1954 issue of The Bulletin, President Taylor had listed some five objectives as part of his program to revitalize NATS. One was "a convention program completely revamped with an entirely new format." I seem to have sown the seed during our conversations at the St. Louis Convention. At previous conventions, I often had become involved with small unscheduled groups. For lack of a better name, we called them "bull sessions." Sometimes, the interest was so high that we arrived late at scheduled sessions or missed them entirely. Having had a course in group dynamics, it struck me that the same principles were working in these small unscheduled groups-no one person monopolized the discussion-there seemed to be a shifting of such from person to person as we talked. The remark, "I got more out of that than the meeting," was not uncommon. Bee Taylor and I discussed this and thought that structure bull sessions incorporated into a convention format just might be the gimmick to loosen the tongues of reticent members and induce them to share their "secrets." Our new president became enthusiastic and expressed his desire to try it at Chattanooga, asking me to meet with J. Oscar Miller, general chairman, and Louis Nicholas, program chairman. Not all the details of the involvement remain clear, but Louis Nicholas refreshed my memory. I flew to Nashville where we spent a Friday and Saturday in his home laying the groundwork for our venture, deciding on the areas of discussion, the area chairman and the staff of the sub-committees. What could not be finalized had to be entrusted to Ma Bell and the U. S. mails after I returned to Chicago. We topped off this two-day effort with a two-hour visit to the Grand Ole Opiy! We came up with three areas for discussion: (I) The Vocal Foundation, with four subtopics: How to Develop the Middle Voice, How to Develop the High Voice, How to Train for Power

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and How to Correct Excessive Vibrato and Wobble. (II) The Vocal Building Material, with four subtopics: Repertoire for the Adolescent Voice, Repertoire for the Male Voice, Repertoire for the Female Voice, and Repertoire for Opera and Oratorio. (Ill) The Vocal Superstructure, with three subtopics; Style and Interpretation, Diction, and The Role of Foreign Languages. We were lucky in securing three excellent men to chair the three areas: (I) Dale V, Gilliland, (II) E. Clifford Toren and (III) Richard DeYoung. Space forbids listing the staffing of each subcommit­ tee, all key people. Each subcommittee had a moderator, an analyst or resource person and a recorder. That took a lot of letter writing and telephone calls. The final phase of organization was to populate the committees with members planning to attend the convention. Our program called for concunent meetings of areas I and II (Tuesday and Wednesday) interspaced with other convention program items. On Tuesday, area III went into action. That meant that convention­ eers could become involved with area III and with a choice of area I or area II. A letter was sent to the entire membership explaining the plan and asking that members coming to the convention send their choices to me. An early reply was requested since everything was on a first come/first served basis. Since enrollment in each group was limited, late-comers would have to settle for other than their first choice. Response in area III was so heavy that two sections had to be formed for each subtopia All in all at convention time, we had 14 subcommittees at work. After the deadline I notified each registrant of his or her assignment and many of them came to Chattanooga "loaded for bar." There was relief from the structured part of the convention: a package opera, Cavalleria Rusticana, brought from Atlanta by Ralph EnoUe, who also lectured; a vocal clinic chaired by George Graham; a not-to-be-forgotten business meeting; a recital by the 1953 winner of the National Federation of Music Clubs, Young Artist Contest; a lecture-recital by John Duke and our annual banquet At 5:00 p.m., Monday December 27, the area chairman and all staffers (moderators, analysts and recorders) met for a briefing session to plan the work of the various subcommittees in the professional discussion groups. The following morning, at the conclusion of the general meeting, I explained the Group Discussion Plan and areas I and II, then met with their respective chairmen who defined the extent of the problem confronting them and the procedure of coming up with a report to the convention assembled. Over the next two days, the subcommittees of both areas met twice. Then each subcommittee met with their area chairmen to prepare opinions to be given orally to the convention. At the conclusion of each report, the floor was open for discussion and questions. On Thursday, December 30, area III followed the same routine. The reception of group dynamics at Chattanooga prompted President Taylor to name me as program chairman of the 1955 Chicago Convention, asking me to enlarge upon the Chattanooga experiment. President Taylor in his message to the membership in the November 5u//erin just prior to the Chattanooga ConvenUon expanded his blueprint for NATS, which he had introduced in the January-February issue. Among several items he mentioned was the need to broaden and expand the administraUve set-up to meet our growing needs. He continued, "Another matter which to me is of vital importance is this~to give incentive and reason for the study of singing, our students must be provided with the opportunities they must have to perform in public and audiences must be found to hear them. I have come to the conclusion, that one of the solutions to this problem of public performance for our singers today, is the development of operatic enterprises in all sections of the country. This means that the National Association must establish a summer workshop especially devoted to opera-to teach our teachers how to establish and present operas in their own local communities." Then came the idea that would become identified with NATS from this time forth. Taking a leaf from the successful contests of the Southwestern Region, President Taylor proposed to the membership that NATS sponsor in nationwide competition an award which he chose to call "The NATS Singer of the Year Award." Boston had previously adopted H. Grady Harlan’s idea and its success prompted Bee Taylor to propose the nationwide effort He asked the Vocal Education Committee, Richard DeYoung, chairman, to work out the details of the various regional and national contests, and to have them ready for announcement at the Chattanooga convention. The target date to start the national competition was 1955. The institution of these awards marked the 1954 convention as one of new directions. There was more change in the wind.

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To set the scene-the voice from the grass roots who challenged Article 10 of the bylaws at St. Louis wrote the president in regard to the enlargement of the Board of Directors to include one representative from each district. President Taylor contacted Samuel Witwer, the lawyer who had advised John Wilcox in 1944 at the time of our incorporation, to find out the necessary steps to make this possible. When he received that information, Taylor relayed it on to Margaret Sheridan, president of the Twin Cities Chapter. Sometime later, she form-lettered all 27 NATS chapters. In essence, her letter said, "Please attend to the suggestion our chapter urged upon the 1954 convention: of enlarging or revising the representation of all provinces; and further, to strike out the last paragraph of our present bylaws, which gives a majority of the Board the power to change or make a new bylaw___ " On October 25, 1954, Arthur Gerry, NATS treasurer, hosted the New York chapter in his studio. Grace Leslie, president of the New York chapter, read the above message from the president of the Twin Cities chapter and in turn present^ a resolution drawn up by the chapter’s executive board, which resolution was immediately moved, seconded and passed by the chapter: "Be it moved that the Twin Cities chapter be commended for the action taken to insure a democratic form of government in NATS and be it suggested that a committee of the presidents of chapters be immediately formed to propose concrete action to the national membership on the following points: (1) Correcting the present situation which permits control of NATS policies and activities by a three-man majority of the Board of Directors; (2) Revising the bylaws to assure democratic procedures in every aspect of NATS affairs; and (3) assuring that the committee to consider and effect this revision be composed of impartial members, elected by the entire membership, not appointed, and that the conclusions of this committee be brought before the entire membership by discussion before final action is taken. In this interest, the New York chapter suggests a general exchange of information among chapters on this subject, so that the impetus supplied by the Twin Cities chapter in their public-spirited endeavor can be strengthened and suitable action expedited." The tight controls of the Budget Conmiittee (Richard DeYoung, chairman, board members William Phillips, Earle Tanner, Past President Homer Mowe and Treasurer Arthur Gerry) supported by the Board of Directors: Richard DeYoung, William Phillips, Walter Stults, Leon Carson and Homer Mowe contributed to East/West tensions. The three-man majority in both the Budget Committee and the Board of Directors frustrated the New York representation. Unfortunately the two persons whose ambitions were most affected by the decisions of the Budget Committee backed by the Board of Directors were Treasurer Arthur Gerry and Editor Leon Carson. No matter their protests, they were always overruled. Bitterness begot bitterness and in the heat of argument, words spilled out that never should have been spoken. Richard DeYoung as chairman of the Budget Committee bore the brunt of their frustrations since he also was a member of the Board of Directors. Arthur Gerry was unhappy over President Taylor’s rescinding of the $7.50 dues which had been passed by the board in 1953 and in his report to the Chattanooga convention showed that it was the $7.50 dues paid by most members that put NATS in the black in 1954, proving that the dues increase was needed. Quoting from his report to the convention: "When I accepted this office three years ago, I believed that I could be of service under the organization and procedures; changes in the bylaws have been voted by the standing three-man majority in the Board of Directors over the vigorous protests of myself and Directors Carson and Mowe, which changes put practically every important activity and decision in the affairs of this Association in the hands of the majority block in the Board. One of the results of this undemocratic procedure has been that carte blanche authority over financial affairs in the organization had been placed in the hands of the President. This action has resulted in uncustomary interference in the normal procedure and conduct of the office of the Treasury by the President and has made it impossible for me to carry on the arduous duties connected with the office." Arthur Gerry’s resignation was a protest stating that "until.. . the Association resumes its former democratic procedure, I can no longer be of any service." This was quite a bombshell at the Chattanooga convention although the board was aware of Gerry’s intended resignation which they had accepted on December 29th and at the same time had approved Charles Pearson, Boston, to complete Gerry’s term in office, ending December 30,1956.

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The business meeting had its highs and lows. It was unfortunate that Gerry, Carson and Mowe chose not to attend the Chattanooga meeting--a repeat of St. Louis. Walter Allen Stults was in the hospital and William Phillips as too ill to travel. The only board member present was Richard DeYoung. At the time of making his report he remarked that he was sorry that other members of the board were not present. In a moment, I will tell you why I cannot give you any more details concerning DeYoung’s report and his explanations of why the budget committee was having its troubles. At the conclusion of a lengthy explanation, those present (out of 138 NATSers who attended the convention, 101 remained for the business meeting) rose and gave DeYoung a standing ovation. A motion was made and carried to make the standing ovation an ofBcial part of the minutes. Nevertheless, DeYoung’s report to the membership at the Chattanooga meeting is no longer an official part of our records. It is difficult to describe the impact of the events that took place there, but it and the shock waves that reached September 1955 has since become known as "the big blow-up!" Every president since Chattanooga sought to bring opposing factions together for the sake of unity and progress, but to no avail. Richard DeYoung died in 1960. In 1964, William Vennard, then president of NATS, proposed a resolution to the Executive Committee and the Polity Board to expunge DeYoung’s Chattanooga scene fi’om the records, disclaiming it as official business, in hopes that this action would heal an old wound and make possible a more unanimous feeling of goodwill on NATS’ Twentieth Anniversary. A question directed to President Taylor from the floor asked, "Does each of these officers have at their disposal funds at the beginning of a budget year?" Taylor answered in the affirmative and then went on to explain how ineffective that had been with Geny who had spent close to $900 in the conduct of his office. President Taylor informed him in March of 1954 that his budget for the year was to be $600, retroactive to January IsL The report of the auditor showed that the treasurer already had spent some $300 in January and closed out the year at almost $1,000. The auditor, when queried by the president, remarked that a budget of $300 to $400 should have been adequate for the treasurer’s office. The president went on to explain the difficulty of communication with the office of the treasurer, 'Now I did not know at the beginning of the year [1954] that we were in debt. I thought that we were starting out my budget with five hundred dollars in the bank. [Treasurer Gerry’s report showed a checking account balance of $534.60.] There was no record made of any bills that had been carried over from 1953 and I want to tell you... despite all the trying I could not get that information, it was not known to me until I got the auditor’s report in December, about December 15... that we had actually started out this last year in debt. [There was actually $2,717.16 in unpaid bUls not reported as outstanding by the treasurer.] So I feel somewhat gratified that despite that and due to the fact that I did make a budget and kept everyone down to a certain amount, we were able to close out about two thousand or a little more of that amount and that there will be at the present time about five hundred doUars that we wiU have to take care of out of next year’s [1955] dues." As regrettable as the occasion was, it at least cleared the air so that the business of the Association could continue without a stalemate. Loopholes need to be plugged and that’s exactly what happened in an Executive Conmiittee meeting. E Clifford Toren moved-Dale Gilliland seconded--and it was passed unanimously that: The President appoint two auditors from our membership, for the year 1955, subject to the approval of the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee, to make semi-annual audits of the treasurer’s books and report their findings to the Board of Directors and that the final report of the year be made by a CPA instead of the treasurer, directly to the membership via the annual meeting, the same to be published in the January-Februaiy issue of The Bulletin.” Back to the final moments of the 1953 Annual Business Meeting: The winds of change that rippled the waters at St. Louis now produced waves to be reckoned with at Chattanooga. A motion was passed by the convention assembled authorizing the president to appoint a committee—one member fi’om each district-after consulting with the various governors and lieutenant governors, to study the matter of change in NATS bylaws in order to enlarge the Board of Directors, together with other changes deemed necessary for the improvement of the present administrative setup. A September, 1955 deadline was set for a report to the membership through the pages of The Bulletin. Even the membership was invited to submit their suggestions for changes in the bylaws to the committee for consideration. Regardless of disturbing controversy and other outward signs of growing pains, those who attended the Chattanooga

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convention got a bargain. I am glad that I had a hand in it. Can anyone imagine registration fees ’ of $2.00 for non-members, $1.00 for members, separate sessions fifty cents each? Before the end of January, President Taylor’s 1955 proposed budget was given board approval. During the first week of February, he posted letters to all officers, committee chairmen, governors and lieutenant governors, advising them that the anticipated income for the year from all sources would total $10,722.50. He explained that the budget had been worked out as carefully as possible vnth the sole idea of allotting funds equitably and for the best interests of the Association, stating, "We can, and indeed must, live within our income this year.' The files of George Newton, regional governor of the Central District, reveal that he was allotted $150 for the whole district which, at that time, embraced Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and Missouri with a total membership of 335. Taylor specifically noted that the allotment to regional districts (formerly $1.00 per member) had been changed with the 1955 budget and was no longer authorized. It is evident the 1955 budget had been pared to the bone. The president was determined that whatever deficit he had inherited would not be passed on to his successor. No doubt the reversal in membership growth had its impact on the president’s cautious budget making. We had celebrated Christmas, 1953 with a membership count of 1,614. Although we gained 122 new members plus five reinstatements in 1954, this gain was offset by a loss of 174 members through resignations, drops for non-payment of dues and by those who joined the Heavenly Choir. We ended the year on the deficit side with a net of 1,567 members. TTie Taylor stabilizing influence reversed this trend and 1955 ended vwth a head count of l,639~a net gain of 72. This gain cannot be attributed to new members alone since there was little difference in 122 in 1954 against 129 in 1955, but primarily to membership retention. In 1954,174 were lost; in 1955, that figure dropped to 78. Reinstatements in 1954 were only 5, in 1955 that figure jumped to 21. Only 20 were dropped for non-payment of dues-the lowest since our founding, against 89 in the previous year. Membership retention signalled a return to stability and an income upon which we could depend. February indeed was a month of new beginnings. The Executive Committee authorized Richard DeYoung to proceed with the printing of the NATS Singer of the Year brochure. Earlier, the president had charged the Advisory Committee on Vocal Education with the task of preparing the rules, regulations, and repertoire requirements. To assist in SOTY’s promotion and administration at state and district levels, President Taylor, with the approval of the Executive Committee, appointed the governor of each district as a committee member for the Singer of the Year, with Louis Nicholas, Nashville, as the committee’s chairman. B. Fred Wise, Chicago, was named as the National Auditions chairman. Dates were set for the preliminary auditions and district finals, with the national finals to be held at the Chicago Convention in December. In the words of Richard DeYoung, "This new activity in NATS has come after ten years of attention to projects which have concentrated on the development of teaching standards and practices. In the meantime direct benefits to students have had to wait until by means of regional meetings, chapters, local study groups, and summer workshops, our original projects were well underway. Happily, all these activities are now progressing steadily to the increasing satisfaction of all members of NATS who participate in them.: The members of Richard DeYoung’s historic committee that created the Singer of the Year were: Victor A. Fields, Burton Garlinghouse, Grace Leslie, Radiana Pazmor, Sonia Sharnova, and President Bernard Taylor, ex-officio. Although the setting up of SOTY proved to be a colossal, time-consuming task, the Advisory Committee on Vocal Education was not deterred fi'om its study of our workshop program, begun in 1949, and in its recommendations of appropriate subjects and materials to established teachers. As a part of a system of accreditation under consideration. Certificates of Attendance were prepared and issued to those who attended the six 1955 summer workshops. The Advisory Committee also published a study which had been approved in the previous year, an Outline for a Course in the Teaching of Singing. SOTY, indeed, was an exciting new direction for NATS, but grass roots rumbling at the St. Louis Convention of 1953, erupting into the 1954 Chattanooga Convention’s mandate to appoint a representative committee, one member from each district, to prepare and present a new set of bylaws to the 1955 Chicago Convention, was a new breath o f life for NATS. President Taylor lost little time in consulting with each of the eight regional governors. On February 27, 1955, he reported back to the Executive Committee that the Committee for the

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Revision of the Bylaws had been formed under the chairmanship of Dr. Theodore G. Stelzer and that the c»mmittee had been charged to complete their work in time for publication in the September, 1955 issue of The Bulletin. Seven and one-half months and three versions later, the committee released the flnal version for publication. Unfortunately, it appeared in the November issue instead of the mandated September issue because the committee was unable to complete its work in time to meet that issue’s publication deadline. When things are going your way, it is important to press that advantage. Now that Taylor was in the driver’s seat, he wanted more for NATS than SOTY--more than NATS democratization-he wanted also to widen the basic scope of NATS membership. So Article II of the newly proposed bylaws had an added section. Section lb, that proposed an Associate Membership for those not otherwise qualifying for membership, without vote, to include voice teachers with less than five years experience who in all other respects qualified for membership, high school or college teachers with vocal training, choral conductors with vocal training and coach-accompanists with vocal training. The president had suggested this in his 1954 Annual Report at Chattanooga, remarking that even some discussion had already taken place in this regard. However, the real pi6ce de rdsistance was the reorganization of the Board of Directors. The proposed bylaws provided for a board of eighteen members subdivided into a Policy Board and an Executive Committee. The Policy Board consisted of nine directors, one from each of the eight regional districts, plus one director-at-large, each serving a three-year term. The original nine had designated terms to insure a staggered election thereafter with three whose terms terminated in 1957, three in 1958, and three in 1959. This pattern of elections provided an informed nucleus for the Policy Board-there were always six who could give stability to the incoming fi:eshmen. Even the newly elected administra­ tive officers, subject to biennial elections, could benefit fi'om the experienced members of the Board of Direc­ tors. The Policy Board was, at its own discretion, or as requested by the Executive Committee to study and formulate policies deemed necessary or expedient for the welfare of the Association. Space forbids the delineation of all its power, but it had the power to guard the democratization of the Association. It held the purse string-it was the legal custodian of all monies, bank accounts, records, and properties of the Association. The other subcommittee of the board, the Executive Committee, likewise, had nine directors: the president, four vice-presidents, the secretary, the treasurer, the registrar, and the immediate past president. Its funcHarvey Ringel, Editor, 1955-1980 tions were administrative, defined specifically by the bylaws as in the case of its counterpart Each functioned separately within its defined sphere of activities, but together, met as the Association’s Board of Directors. Although the proposed bylaws had circulated the membership in the November issue of The Bulletin, a general meeting was scheduled, prior to our Annual Meeting, at which Dr. Stelzer explained the proposed revisions and the reasoning behind them. It seems that the committee had made all the right moves except for Article n. Section lb, in regard to the proposed AssociateMembership.There were strong unbending opinions, both pro and con. Sensing that those in attendance were reluctant to take this giant step forward, the committee directed their chairman to present the Revision of the Bylaws at the morrow’s business meeting without the controversial Article II, Section 1, b. As a consequence, the committee witnessed the approval of their months-long effort with an overwhelming majority. Late in April, President Taylor asked the Board of Directors to affirm the Executive Com­ mittee’s rejection of Arthur Gerry as Advertising Director of The Bulletin. At this point in time, there is no way of knowing if the board’s April 25th action triggered Leon Carson’s reaction or not, but on May 8th, he submitted his resignation as editor of The Bulletin, accompanied by the joint resignation of his entire editorial staff, effective as of June 1,1955. Taylor did not lose stride, he moved with dispatch. I do not recall when I was caught up in the Taylor whirlwind, but on June 10th my name was submitted to the Executive Committee as

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Leon Carson’s successor. On June 23rd, I received the unanimous approval of the Board of Directors. At the same time, the board granted the president the authority to appoint two assistant editors for The Bulletin, one from the east coast and one from the west coast as well as one representative from each region, that appointment to be made in consultation with the regional governors. The latter was a good idea, but proved unattractive to all but two districts, the Southwestern and the Southern. It was finally dropped in the spring of 1960 because no one would take on the task in the remaining six districts. As for me, well, anyone who said yes and then in quieter moments reflected on the enormity of the task he had gotten himself into, can empathize with me. Here I was editor of The Bulletin and program chairman of the 1955 Chicago Convention in the matter of a couple months! Early in June, Grace Leslie asked the Executive Committee to relieve her of the chairmanship of the National Study Group Committee on the basis that the Study Group Program had fulfilled its main objective. It was her recommendation that the continuance of the study groups be left to individual chapters and local groups already organized. At time of their inception in 1950, there were only seven chapters and the wortehop program was just in its second year with workshops in Bloomington, Indiana and New London, Connecticut. In 1955, there were six workshops across the country with one of them, another Taylor first, a workshop at the University of Colorado, Boulder, devoted entirely to all phases of opera production with the enrollment limited to NATS teachers who sang the roles and/or made up the chorus. As for chapters, in 1955 there were 26 spread across the United States. With the board’s unanimous approval of Mrs. Leslie’s request, came their commendation for her pioneer work in developing this early program. This year continued to be a year of firsts, new faces and change. Carl Nelson’s Committee on Public School Vocal Affairs published their first song list in the field of Public School Music, a song list that influenced the choosing of song material for public school festival contests. The Research Committee, dormant since Dolf Swing’s resignation in late 1954, started to take on new life with the appointment of William Ross as chairman, July 28, 1955. Determined to have a productive committee, Ross asked each one whom he invited to become his co-worker to contribute a summary on research already done, or to write reviews for publication in The Bulletin. This slowed the organization of the committee which was not ready to function until late December 1955, but it was worth it to get Ralph Errolle, Philip A Duey, Victor A. Fields, Warren Wooldridge, William Vennard and Berton Coffin together on the same team. Their efforts would flower in the Toren administration. On August 15th, President Taylor asked the board for and was given authority to enlarge the Board of Directors from five to nine with the proposed bylaws so that the nominating conmiittee could prepare the proper ballot for presentation at the 1955 annual meeting. The five-man board under Taylor was Richard DeYoung, Leon Carson, William Phillips, Homer G. Mowe and Walter Allen Stults. Taylor reported in his annual message that he had received Leon Carson’s resignation from the board on August 22nd. It was approved unanimously by the remaining board members on September 17,1955. Grace Leslie, who had just shed one office in early June became Carson’s replacement. Homer Mowe’s mid-October resignation caused no such ripple since his term expired December, 1955. Not so with either Carson or DeYoung. Both would have represented their respective districts on the new enlarged Board of Directors without benefit of election since their terms did not end with the new year. Consequently, Grace Leslie whom the president chose to complete Leon Carson’s unexpired term shared a free ride along with Richard DeYoung into the 1956-1958 biennium. The remainder of the proposed board of nine were all experienced administrators at the district level under the Taylor administration-even Charles Pearson whom the president called on to complete Gerry’s term as NATS treasurer. Toren as vice-president and coordinator of field activities during Taylor’s presidency had worked closely with all of the nominees of the proposed enlarged board. It appeared that the Toren years would have both the capacity and strength for further fence-mending. NATS needed to get on with its goals. Louis Nicholas, reporting in The Bulletin, wrote: "The 1955 National Convention, meeting in Chicago’s commodious Hotel Sheraton, December 17-30, has not only passed into history, in certain respects it made history. Probably the most important aspects in which it differed from previous conventions were the culmination of the NATS Singer of the Year Auditions, the adoption of the revised bylaws and in the concurrent meeting of the newly organized National

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Opera Association. The general format of tlie program was as at Chattanooga Convention in 1954, with Dr. Harvey Ringel of Chicago as Program Chairman, John Thut of Minneapolis as CoChairman, assisted by Robert Bowlus (Delaware, Ohio), Oren L. Brown, (St. Louis), William Eberl (Milwaukee), George Newton (Indianapolis) and Herald Stark (Iowa City). The entire convention attendance was divided into three large areas of investigation; I - The Ways and Means of Teaching Musicianship in the Voice Lesson; II - Problems of Style and Interpretation; ni - Practical Problems in the L ^ o n and Practice Period. Each area was further subdivided into five or six subcommittee groups." All in all, some 85 members were engaged either as moderators, analysts or recorders of the various areas and subcommittees. The analysts for the three areas were: William Vennard (Los Angeles), Richard DeYoung (Chicago) and W alter Allen Stults (Denton, Texas). The procedure was the same as our initial tryout in Chattanooga in 1954 and will not be detailed again. On the opening night, there was a spirited presentation of Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi, followed by a reception. Other highlights included a performance of Schumann’s Dichterliebe followed by a lecture on the cycle by the noted Danish singer, Aksel Schi0 tz; Celius Dougherty presented a paper on "Contemporary Contributions to Song Literature," followed by a program of songs with the composer at the piano. Frederick Schauwecker, member of Chicago Musical College faculty, coach and accompanist for such celebrated singers as Richard Crooks, and Jussi Bjoerling, pre­ sented a lecture recital on "Later German and French Song," illustrated by four local area singers. The focus of interest at the annual banquet was the finals of the NATS Singer of the Year Contest Seven of the eight regions were heard in selections of their own choice. Richard Rivers, now deceased, was our first winner. The awards included several concert engagements, auditions with the Metropolitan and San Francisco operas and the Chicago Lyric Theater, and a cash award of S500.00. The judges were Roger Dettmer, music critic of the Chicago American, Joseph A. Lippman, executive of the National Concert and Artists Corporation, New York City, and Henry Weber, Director of Music, WGN Chicago. Chicago, 1955, was one of our best attended conventions to date, happier than Chattanooga, 1954 and financially healthier. Bernard Taylor had overcome Treasurer Gerry’s unorthodox bookkeeping to put NATS in the black'. Bravo! As had been the custom at previous national conventions, the incoming board met late the next afternoon after the annual business meeting to set up committees and to transact necessary business. 1955 continued to have its emergencies even in the convention’s last hours. At this initial meeting of the new enlarged board, Helen Steen Huls, NATS’ career vice president of eight years and chairman of the Workshop Committee since 1953, explained that her plans for 1956 would not leave her free to give attention to workshops after June 1st. With this in mind, she asked to be allowed to resign from her office as vice-president. Unfortunately her plans for 1956 had not crystallized until mid-December, too late for the Nominating Committee to take official action. Reluctantly complying with her request, the Policy Board of the Board of Directors named Dr. Theodore G. Stelzer of Seward, Nebraska, who had proved his worth as chairman of the Committee on Bylaws Revision, as Helen Steen Huls’ replacement The freeing of Mrs. Huls from her responsibiliUes as vice-president and as chairman of the Workshop Committee stimulated members of the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors into the realization that Mrs. Huls was just the person to become the Circulation Manager of The Bulletin. Expanding the circulation of The Bulletin had come up many times in all of the Executive Committee meetings. There was no NATSer to match her wide acquaintance with libraries and music educators. So within a three-hour period on December 30, 1955, Helen Steen Huls divested herself of an eight-year-old vice-presidency and a three-year-old chairmanship to become my valued coworker as Circulation Manager of The Bulletin. There were other assignments and appointments; Charles Pearson was appointed National Contest Chairman for the NATS Singer of the Year auditions for 1956, Edwin O. Wing, Jr. was invited to continue as chairman of the Membership Promotion Committee which got off to a late start in the Taylor administration. Dale V, Gilliland, vice-president in charge of publicity and public relations was charged with the responsibility of preparing a handbook of instructions for NATS officers on national, regional, state and chapter levels. The dinner hour was a la continental that night since the meeting called to order by the newly elected President Toren at 4;40 p.m. did not adjourn until 7:30 p.m.

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E. Clifford Toren PRESIDENT

1956-1958 The Taylor/Toren passing of the gavel was historically symbolic in that with it the presidency of NATS went west never to return thus far in our forty-six years except for one brief interlude. Since Toren’s administration was the first under the new democratizing bylaws, the eighteen top officials are listed below: Executive Committee President: E. Clifford Toren. Vice Presidents: Dale V. Gilliland, Alexander Grant, Theo G. Stelzer, B. Fred Wise. Secretary: Hadley Crawford. Treasurer. William E. Eberl. Registrar: Gertrude Tingley. Past-President: Bernard U. Taylor. Policy Board Eastern: Grace Leslie. Southeastern: Arnold E. Putman. Southern: Louis Nicholas. Southwestern: Berton Coffin. Central: Richard DeYoung. Northern: John Thut. Northwestern: John C. Lester. California-Western: Tudor Williams. Member-at-Large: Charles Pearson. Although there had been previous efforts to bring the story of NATS and its activities to other than our membership, the yeoman work of Carl Gutekunst prior to Bernard Taylor’s presidency matured it to the administrative level of a vice-presidency. When Taylor took office, he designated Vice President Dale V. Gilliland as director of publicity and public relations. Gutekunst passed on a contact file of 68 magazines, periodicals, and bulletins. Gilliland augmented this to 108, including some well-known ones in England, France and Canada. Vice-President Gilliland sent out five major releases during 1956 to music editors of 120 strategically located newspapers throughout the United States and Canada, 99 members of NASM, 76 magazines and periodicals in the United States and England, and 47 state publications of MENC. Gilliland’s office also compiled a thirty-page typewritten manuscript entitled, "Officers Handbook for the National Association of Teachers of Singing," as authorized by the board. It contained information concerning purpose, objectives, organization, the conduct of the Association, and the duties and prerogatives of its officers at national, regional, state and chapter levels. It was placed in the hands of President Toren who presented it to the board at the Kansas City Convention, 1957. The long awaited "Officers Handbook" was greeted with enthusiasm and authorized for printing and distribution on December 27,1957. This episode was traced through the Toren biennium to illustrate how the efforts of one administration often are not enjoyed by that administration but by those that follow. The appointment of Edwin O. Wing, Jr. as chairman of the Membership Promotion Committee did not take place until the second quarter of Taylor’s last year in office. The first months of the committee’s life included sampling of chambers of commerce, schools, etc., in an effort to locate teachers in areas where NATS had no previous contact. Evaluations of all such contacts were incomplete by the year’s end. The committee had sent out approximately 1,000 contact letters, more than half after September 1st. From the earlier letters, 57 teachers requested applications, some of whom had been approved for membership by convention time. Thirty-nine others requested additional information. Replies to the earlier letters were still being received. There was every reason for the Toren administra­ tion to invite Mr. Wing aboard and benefit fi'om the committee’s momentum. President Toren, reporting at the Buffalo convention, remarked, "Mr. Wing did an outstanding piece of work last year and we are happy to have him working in the same capacity during the present administra­ tion." Vice-President Alexander Grant, chairman of the Admissions Conmiittee, processed 153 new applications in 1956. At convention time, ten were still in process and four had been re­ turned. We were up by 24 over 1955. Registrar Tingley reported a net gain of 90 members-

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approximately 5.2%-not enough when, in some years, casualties approached one for every two new members gained. Both 1955 and 1956 each had a total of 78 dropped, resigned or deceased. The Research Committee made up for lost time and covered all four issues in 1956. February-'Research in Repertoire" by Berton Coffin; May--The High Voice Mechanism" by William E Ross; October-"Is There Nasal Resonance" by Warren Wooldridge; December-"A New Look at Phonation" by Raoul Husson, submitted in translation from the French by William Vennard. Articles were promised for 1957 by Duey, Errolle and Fields. The Advisory Committee on Vocal Education, Richard DeYoung, chairman, devoted all of 1956 to exploring a proposal to adopt some form of accreditation and recognition beyond the requirements for membership. After considerable correspondence, the committee came up with a proposed outline of subjects for study leading to advanced standing in NATS comparable to that of the American College of Surgeons which operated under the direction of the American Medical Association. The list of subjects, together with a series of suggestions as to how the accreditation could be accomplished, was agreed upon by the members of the committee, Stanley Deacon, Victor A. Fields, Grace Leslie, Radiana Pazmor, Sonia Shamova, and E. Clifford Toren, ex-officio, and submitted to both the Policy Board and Executive Committee with no action to be taken until both could meet conjunctively at the Buffalo convention. Foremost among the details that needed clarification was the method of accreditation and how to finance such an undertaking. DeYoung’s committee also had a concerned responsibility with both the Singer of the Year and the summer workshops. Fifty-five aspiring young artists entered SOTY’s second contest despite the S500--S100-S50 awards for first, second and third places. It had to be the prestige of winning rather than the cash awards that attracted them. Basically, this very important new direction for NATS faced difficulties. Foremost among them was how to make it pay its way either through a money grant, an endowment, or a significantly larger registration to insure its solvency. More than one administration would wrestle it through their bieimium, evidently with some success since the contest is still with us, although under a new barmer. Six workshops, strategically spread across the United States, were sponsored and conducted by NATS between July 30th and August 24th. All arrangements had been made by Dr. Theo G. Stelzer who was elected by the Policy Board to succeed Vice-President Helen Steen Huls in the closing hours of the 1955 convention. The financial success of the first three workshops pointed to a good year. Then, tragedy struck on August 11, 1956, depriving NATS of a promising, dedicated leader. Both Dr. and Mrs. Stelzer lost their lives in an automobile accident enroute to the workshop at Boulder, Colorado, where he was scheduled to be on the faculty. Helen Steen Huls, now a member of the Workshop Committee, stepped into the breach until October 24, 1956, when President Toren proposed to the Policy Board that William Vennard be elected to the office of vice-president in charge of workshops to complete the unexpired term of the late Dr. Stelzer. Although attendance was less than that of 1955, the 1956 workshops netted $584.75 to be added to the previous year’s net of $132.43. Our workshops continued to demonstrate their virility, educationally and financially. With the advent of the new bylaws, coupled with the feeling from the grass roots that state boundaries in more than one instance separated functional units that embraced each other, it was decided to let nature lake its course. Old titles were no longer apropos, so "districts" became regions" and regional subdivisions, since they no longer were confined to state boundaries, became "districts." Likewise, the lowly "state chairman" became a "lieutenant governor." President Toren’s correspondence with the Policy Board that spring was voluminous. The atmosphere of change extended to convention times. During the cradling years with MTNA, their time was our time. Then came the Washington convention and NATS’ decision to try the next one on its own during the Christmas/New Year’s break, a period that was not met with anything approaching a majority approval. It appeared that the vocal minority preferred conventions to be held at another time than during the Christmas recess. So, the problem was presented to the membership by Gertrude Tingley, our convention promoter, in the February, 1956 Bulletin, including a clipout response coupon. Tingley*s closing sentence, "May those who don’t reply contract laryngitis," failed to disturb the egocentric 97% of our membership. A bare majority of the responsive 3% favored a change in time. President Toren canvassed the national and regional officers and the resulting consensus guided the Executive Committee to set the dates

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of the Buffalo convention as January 29 through February 1 , 1957. Conventions between election years tend to be less eventful than those with the excitement of change in the air, but the fact that fewer people attended the national convention in Buffalo than attended the Southwestern regional convention, held the previous month in Denton, Texas, could only be a matter of concern. If there were a desire to fix blame, there could only be one answer: The mem­ bership failed miserably to provide NATS official­ dom with the right answers. The heading of my editorial in the February, 1957 Bulletin, "Too Few for So Much," describes it succinctly. The convention was memorable, opening with Donizetti’s one-act opera. The Bell, followed by a Buffalo Chapter sponsored reception. Many of the unresponsive 97% should have heard Burton E. CLIFFORD TOREN Garlinghouse’s opening address the next day, emphasizing "the need to continually revitalize our teaching to avoid stagnation." Those same absentees would have benefitted from his parting advice "to keep vertical-until we are permanently horizontal." Invaluable was: the round-table discussion: "Areas of Possible Cooperation between the Music Educator and the Voice Teachers," chaired by Robert A. Choate, dean of Fine Arts, Boston University, with brief presentations by three authorities from each area; the panels, "The Teaching Approach to Our Students," spread over three days, involving Eve Richmond, Victor Fields, William Vennard, Philip Duey and Gertrude Tingley; Berton Coffin’s talk on "Repertoire: Songs for Limited Range-Duets and Trios," supplemented by a complementary list. The second SOTY, with only five regions represented, was won by Alice Riley, Chicago. For fun, there was a trip to Niagara Falls. For sustenance both physical and mental, there was our annual banquet with the distinguished and witty Edward Johnson of Metropolitan Opera fame, as the evening’s speaker. Of great interest, was the vocal clinic. Six young singers sang for criticism and advice before a NATS panel. Another highlight: Norman Dello Joio’s lecture-recital with two gifted Buffalo artists performing eight of the composer’s songs. It was one of our best, but so poorly attended! Since December, 1957 was changing-of-the-guard time, it was unlikely that our next convention would be held at any other time than the year’s end. Our bylaws stated that officers were elected for a two-year term beginning January 1st Dates similar to the Buffalo convention would have caused problems for which some provision would have had to have been made. It is interesting to note the list of officers in the concluding year of Toren’s administrationfive of these gentlemen would hold the presidency over the next few years: Dale V. Gilliland, B. Fred Wise, Louis Nicholas, William Vennard and R. Berton Coffin. Being a member of the board or a national officer was the last mile on the road to the presidency. Two other future presidents, Philip Duey and Jean Ludman projected themselves into the national picture through creditable program exposure at the Buffalo convention. Toren was the last of seven gentlemen who succeeded each other in a planned succession. While the presidency sought out certain individuals, there were those that were not above politicking their way to NATS’ highest office. Here’s how one prominent NATSer characterized his colleagues in a letter to Richard DeYoung while he was president: "A cross-section of our membership is about as brilliant and stupid, as learned and ignorant, as honest and dishonest, as idealistic and opportunistic as any aoss-section of nonmembers you might take. At least, such is my opinion." The January 31,1957 meeting of the Board of Directors at the Buffalo convention brought to light that the Board of Directors Minutes Book did not include a list of those designated as Charter Members. The board lost little time in passing Taylor’s resolution that an authenticated list of charter members be prepared and inserted in the proper place in the Minutes Book. This task fell to Registrar Tingley who checked the applications and records of all members against the list prepared by Walter AUen Stults in 1944. Why the Stults list had not been incorporated

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into the Board of Directors Minutes Book at the time is not known. His list contained 136 names. Leon Carson’s Coordinator of Field Activities report at the 1946 Detroit meeting set the total for the original roster at 139. There is no way to reconcile this variance. Gertrude Tingley completed her assignment in late April or early May since the list of charter members became a part of the Board’s Minutes Book on May 13, 1957 as National Secretary Hadley Crawford’s signature attests. Subsequently, two corrective additions were made. The first, on January 9,1958 was to rectify a Tingley oversight when she checked Walter Stults’ list against the membership records since Marshall Bartholomew’s records were marked "Charter Member, 1945." Bartholomew attended the second organizational luncheon in Cincirmati on March 24,1944 and evidently waited until late in the year to apply for membership. The second addition, that of Roy A. Schuessler on December 22,1969, was to correct a wartime record-keeping casualty. Schuessler was a charter member of NATS by virtue of his membership in the Chicago Singing Teachers Guild, one of the founding groups. Coincidentally, he left Chicago in the spring of 1944 to join the U. S. Armed Forces in World War II. Since it was customary to waive the annual dues of CSTG members in the armed forces for the duration, his membership file went into limbo and was overlooked by Walter Stults when he compiled his list. With these two additions, the official *List of Charter Members" totaled 138. What a coincidence--138 NATSers attended the Chattanooga Convention where conventioneers empowered our president to revise the bylaws to insure a grass roots representative government as NATS entered its second decade. There are no lists supporting Carson’s 139 figure or Taylor’s reporting of the early days in his two Bulletin articles: "Historically Speaking" {The Bulletin, February, 1958,2-5,19) and "The Story of the National Association of Teachers of Singing" (The Bulletin, December, 1964,18-21). Since Taylor did not attend the two founders luncheons on March 23 and 24, 1944, his articles written ahnost twenty years after the fact do not accurately reflect the official record found in the board’s Minutes Book. He wrote that there were "more than one hundred voice teachers in attendance." Actually, the board’s Minutes Book records that there were only eight teachers in addition to the five founders who brought with them 87 proxies in their collective pockets at the first organizational luncheon on March 23,1944. At the concluding luncheon on the next day that total swelled to 34 in the flesh. If you add to that the 87 proxies, you have Taylor’s "more than one hundred voice teachers." Taylor’s second article informs us that "invitations were sent out, and 100 teachers of singing responded fi^om all over the country, . . These 100 teachers became the charter members of the Association." The vote count at the initial meeting was 13 live ones with 87 proxies, totaling 100 votes. There is evidence that charter membership was selective from the very beginning. Being present and voting at the organizational meetings did not constitute a carte blanche entry into that exclusive club. Three gentlemen who were present and voting alongside Marshall Bartholomew on March 24th, and whose records indicate that they became members at the same time as Bartholomew, did not have the same status symbol recorded on their records, "Charter Member, 1945," as did Bartholomew. Evidently they had not received the selective invitation as had 23 others who were awarded the palm that day in March. We can only surmise that was also the case of three others who, after wrapping the infant NATS in swaddling clothes, walked away from that historic moment without seeking membership. There is a gray area surrounding who is and who isn’t a charter member. This discussion in no way challenges the inclusiveness of the official list but may explain how approximately fiifty teachers of singing not identified with NYSTA, AATS, or CSTG came to be included with members of these founding groups as charter members. According to official minutes extant, there is no record that charter membership was held open for one year. That does not exclude the fact that it was not applied selectively by ih&jive founders. It would have been a logical device to induce prominent teachers in areas remote from Chicago and New York to join hands in a worthy endeavor. Since membership was selective, the majority of those who joined during the first year were invited to join. For instance, Richard DeYoung, then regional governor of the Central Region, wrote George Newton in November, 1944 inviting him to become a member because Francis Rogers, with whom George had studied, had presented his name to DeYoung. His letter contained no mention of charter membership. On the other hand, when John Wilcox invited and sponsored me for membership in November, 1944, he spoke of the possibility of my becoming a charter member because there had

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been talk about keeping the charter membership open for a year. My membership was approved as of January, 1945, but my records do not carry the classification, "Charter Member." Neither do the records of the following whom I queried because they were either well known for their careers, their prominence in their region, or NATS activities at regional or national levels, [The date preceding each name group indicates date of admission rather than application which may have occurred one to two months before.]: June, 1944, Violet Johnson; August, 1944, Sigurd Nilssen, Max Noah; November, 1944, Wilfred C. Bain, Alexander Grant, Allan Lindquist; December, 1944, William Ross, Thomas Williams; January, 1945, Ferdinand Dunkley; February, 1945, Chase Baromeo, Berton CofiBn, Melvin Geist, Annemarie Gerts, Dale V. Gilliland, Cameron McLean, Sonia Shamova, Robert B. Walls. I wrote to a few of these after our Executive Secretary, James Browning, furnished me with the above information. Sonia Shamova replied that "nothing was ever said about charter membership... However, I feel like a charter member, I’ve had so much out of our meetings and workshops. It’s been a major part of my life." Melvin Geist who received an invitation in late 1944 from Charles Lawrence, first regional governor of the Northwestern District, does not recall whether or not his invitation indicated that, if accepted, he would become a charter member. He continued, "Being invited to membership in 1944 for both you and me would seem to imply that we were qualified for charter membership by the selective process." Annemarie Gerts, who was invited by Richard DeYoung to become a member during the first year, wrote, "I understood, without being told... that the charter members were already in place, that they were persons of experience and prestige and that we ’young-uns’ were the beneficiaries of the accumulated knowledge of this group, as indeed we were. I am quite sure that this initial number was not sufficient to staff all the important areas that needed supervision and so, as you very discerningly put it, it was a selective process from the very beginning. After all, that makes sense, there were important teachers from all over the country who needed to be won into membership and the offer of a charter membership was an additional inducement" I also wrote to several others, but all did not reply. Orville J. Borchers, a stalwart Texan who helped bring the Southwestern District into prominence, replied, "I remember distinctly that there was discussion of allowing charter membership to all those who joined the Association during the first year of the organization. In this connection, I remember also that special status was considered for those who founded the organization. The consideration of allowing charter membership for first year members was a delayed reaction as I recall to get more members. As to the official vote on the matter, I cannot remember if and when it was taken." Hadley Crawford responded to my letter of inquiry with, "My memory about specifics is not strong enough to give solid evidence but my opinion is that the one year designation was the one arrived at." E. Clifford Toren also recalls that the inducement of Charter membership during the first year was given in hopes of enlarging the membership because their dues were necessary to cany forward all the plans that were surfacing. Louis Nicholas, who was enrolled by J. Oscar Miller, first regional governor of the Southern District, recalls that he was told by Miller that his joining within the first year (his application is dated January 4,1945) would classify-him as a charter member. On the other hand, neither Carl Gutekunst nor Bernard Taylor has any recollection of the offer of charter membership for the first year. Then there is Gertrude T in^e/s conespondence vrith Louis Nicholas, in which she confirms his charter membership, saying that "it was not universally applied," inferring that it was granted to some who joined within the first year, but not to all. Unfortunately, as James Browning wrote me, "There was some sloppy record-keeping in those early critical days... There was a period quite a few years ago, when the file member cards were destroyed when someone resigned, died or was dropped." Evidently that is what happened to the records of Charies Wilson Lawrence, first governor of the Northwestern District, and William Eberl, who was our national treasurer, during the 1956-1958 biennium. Then, there is the case of Peter D. Tkach, his records show that he became a member in April, 1945, but his records do not bear the inscription, "Charter Member." It is difficult to explain since Walter Stults’ list included him as such, also the 1957 list authenticated by National Registrar Gertrude Tingley, who examined the membership files. Why did she not correct Peter D. Tkach’s file? Was this

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another oversight? Interestingly, Tkach had been the Northern District’s representative-at-large, according to the official directory listing in The Bulletin, Volume I, No. 1, October, 1944, p. 2. He is probably the only official in NATS history who was named a charter member before becoming a member. Now, that’s what you call an inducement! How we needed a Jim Browning in those days! So, considering all the evidence, there may be some charter members out there that we do not know about. At Buffalo, with the second Singer of the Year contest history, and with a less successful response than had been hoped for, board room talk raised the question of suspending the contest for one year while the whole SOTY project could be carefully reviewed and a new approach developed. Foremost in the thinking was how to come up with adequate sources of income to insure financial stability. After extended discussions by the Executive Committee, the Policy Board, and the regional governors, it was agreed that the contest should be continued in 1957, primarily because of the insistence of the regional governors, under a new plan of operation. The responsibility for the contest was laid upon the shoulders of B. Fred Wise, the coordinator of field activities, who was advised to place the entire project in the hands of the regional governors. It is possible that G. Frederick Holler, regional governor of the Southern Region was the catalyst in much of this reorganization through a three-page letter which he sent to all national officers and regional governors wherein he remarked that "the conception of the contest was not quite what it should be." At any rate, there was an added innovation, a Student Contest tied into the SOTY. Student Contests were thriving in the Southwestern Region of Vera Neilson. The Advisory Committee on Vocal Education was given a mandate to revise the SOTY requirements because regional governors believed that the quantity of required material was a main stumbling block to enrollment. The principal objection was that after preparing an operatic aria, an oratorio aria, and a song cycle, the asking for two fiill recital programs requiring that everything be memorized except the oratorio aria was just too much to expect. Some COVE members objected to the modification of the requirements, but eventually bowed to the official order that a new brochure be issued for SOTY allowing applicants to choose between an operatic aria or a song cycle, and to prepare one recital by specified composers. The new brochure’s listing of song cycles and operatic arias was revised and expanded. Concurrently, a new brochure for the new Student Contests, completely controlled by the regional governors except for eligibility rules, was set up. DeYoung’s committee worked in close collaboration with Vice-President Wise, coordinator of field activities, who represented the regional governors, in the preparation of both brochures. It was the end of April before the brochures for the Third Annual SOTY Contest and the First Aimual Student Contest reached the membership. Incidentally, each regional governor had a fi-ee hand in deciding the entrance fee and repertoire requirements, even to the decision whether or not to conduct a Student Contest within their region. The new plan of operation resulted in increased regional activities, cuhninating, in several instances, in a successful regional convention. However, the number of SOTY entrants did not equal those of the last two years, the Student Contests were successful with four of the wiimers of the regional contests singing at the convention. Six regions were represented in the SOTY at Kansas Qty with Beth Ann Hood, Eastern Region, declared the winner. The Advisory Committee on Vocal Education’s newest project, that of developing a course of study leading to some form of accreditation and recognition beyond the requirements for membership, was received by the board in October, 1956 with the recommendation that no action be taken until the committee could meet conjunctively with the Board of Directors at the Buffalo convention. So on January 30,1957, the plan for the Fellowship in an American College of Vocal Pedagogy as prepared by the Committee on Vocal Education under the chairmanship of Richard DeYoung, came up for much discussion. The general idea, quoting fi-om the board minutes, was "to make it possible for NATS members to achieve a rank of distinction within their association by passing tests in physiology, physics (acoustics), musicianship, vocal pedagogy, linguistics, repertoire, and one elective, opera or church music. Requirements in these fields would be met by interviews with authorized boards. The entire Board of Directors expressed much interest in the plan and praised the committee for their fine work. The main questions were concerning details of the plan. The committee was of the opinion that it would take at least two years to perfect the details and have them ready for adoption." During 1957, the committee, after

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approving the plan for a Fellowship took up the question of implementation and how to seek financial aid supporting the movement. DeYoung in his yearly report at the Kansas City convention, wrote that study toward a Fellowship was "not an obligation, but a privilege... that obviously many of our members had no need for such a degree, if through education and experience they had become well-established... It is for teachers who are young and to whom this added knowledge and prestige would be valuable... It is intended as a look into the future." Some twelve foundations which had programs to support advanced education in the fine arts were contacted, but each one approach^ already was committed to some specific program of research and advanced training into which NATS’ needs could be included. One regional governor suggested a NATS summer school, with four to six weeks intensive study cuhninating in examinations. Another suggestion was that Boards of Examiners could be form ^ in different sections in the country. Problems.. .problems.. .problems...! COVE’S third assignment in 1957 was the rewriting of NATS first statement, Training the Vocal Instrument," a statement of principles upon which vocal training may be based, formulated by the Educational Committee appointed by our first president, John Wilcox. Shirley Gandell was its chairman, incumbent President Toren and Past-President Mowe also were members of that committee. The committee submitted its first draft to the membership through the pages of the December, 1945 Bulletin for their comments, etc. Gandell wrote, "All members of NATS are now invited to make their suggestions for further revision of any part of the statements with which they find themselves in disagreement. Guided by these suggestions the Editorial Committee will make its final revision which then may be accepted as officially expressing the prevailing convictions of our current membership on this subject. This final revision will be presented at our business meeting in Detroit for discussion and ratification." The paper did not concern itself with pedagogy, but principles upon which pedagogy may be based, thus avoiding controversy. The paper was an attempt to set forth as clearly as possible the physical factors upon which all good instruction could be based. Retiring President Wilcox in his report to the membership said, "It is significant that no suggestions for any radical change in this statement were made. For the most part, suggestions concerned a clearer phrasing of certain passages. While relatively few members of NATS have responded to the Editorial Committee’s invitation for expressions regarding this document and the number participating in its discussion at the Detroit meeting was but a fraction of the membership at large, it seems reasonable to assume that silence is consent, and that most of the members find themselves in substantial agreement with this statement of laws and precepts." In this instance, silence did not necessarily signify consent, rather, it is more likely that the silent majority reflected the inarticulate portion of our membership in NATS’ beginning years. But that percentage changed within our membership when one by one teachers dared to exchange the security of their studios to become involved in study groups, in local chapters, in reading The Bulletin, in attending the summer workshops, regional meetings and our national conventions. In the early fifties the increasing ranks of the articulate began to challenge precepts laid down by their elder peers in NATS’ earlier years. Prior to the Chattanooga Convention what had been an acceptable statement of laws and precepts since our first convention was challenged to the point of rejection at our tenth in 1954. There were urgent matters demanding all of the available time of the full-time teachers who staffed DeYoung’s committee. First of all, Taylor’s SOTY, then the expanding summer workshops, and finally, the demands of the emerging Fellowship program. President Toren, who had been a member of the committee that formulated the now rejected statement, wished to clear the record of all previous motions, made and passed, so that the incoming new administration would start with no unfinished business. He invited three new members, Joel Carter, Philip Duey, Burton Garlinghouse, to join with the members of the committee. Richard DeYoung, chairman, called the first meeting for August 17,1957 in Boston. Unfortunately, several who had planned to be present were prevented by a last minute change of plans, so the four who met formed the first outline. This was distributed to the enlarged committee and after two almost complete revisions, the fourth statement finally was accepted. This statement was submitted to the Executive Committee who made further suggestions. After these were acted upon, the final draft went to press for distribution at the Kansas City convention.

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Since the Advisory Committee on Vocal Education’s predecessor, the Editorial Committee, first published "Training the Vocal Instrument" in the December, 1945 Bulletin, NATS pronouncements, song lists and other professional documents had expanded to seven by convention time, 1957. In most instances, the limited distribution was through the pages of The Bulletin or as a supplement to a particular issue. Reprints were stockpiled by the office of the national seaetary. New members at the time of admission were sent a complete set of these papers plus any copies of The Bulletin they may have missed in their year of admission. Additional copies were available from the national secretary at a nominal fee. Even non-members could purchase these documents which were the result of research and study by individual members, the Advisory Committee on Vocal Education, and the Committee on Vocal Affairs in the Public Schools. The responsibility of single copy distribution was but one of the many duties of the national seaetary. Since multi-term occupancy of this office initiated two of our presidents, Walter Allen Stults and E Clifford Toren, into the upper echelon, the pace of this narrative is slowed to take a one-time look at this office now held by Hadley Crawford. As national secretary, he was responsible for the keeping of the minutes of the annual business meeting, the Executive Committee and the Policy Board, assisted by its secretary. Board actions by mail during the year between conventions produced a considerable volume of mail. Changes of address from members came to this office and had to be transmitted to the treasurer, the re^trar, and the mailers of The Bulletin. During 1957, Crawford received some 159 pieces of mail each containing one to 50 address corrections. The servicing of new members multiplied the load since each received a certificate of membership, a packet of printed literature plus all back issues of The Bulletin for the year in which their membership became effective. Crawford’s office also handled all orders for NATS pubUcations and the membership seal. During 1957, more than 4,000 pieces of NATS literature was mailed out A sununary of all mailings, from the national secretary’s office for 1957, not counting miscellaneous letters, totaled some 591 parcels, better than ten a week. With a membership of 1,804 and growing, the demands of the time-consuming, but vitally important functions of registrar, treasurer, and/or secretary required hours of each officeholder that should have been devoted to his or her profession or family. It was time to create and staff a national ofiSce. Vice-President William Vennard, chairman of workshops, developed five excellent shops from Fort Worth, Texas to Appleton, Wisconsin-Salem, Oregon to Andover, Massachusetts, July 28th through August 30, 1957. Special workshop technics, such as round-table discussions and demonstration lessons, attract^ a full-time attendance of 215, plus 79 part-timers, plus faculty, mking the attendance total for the five shops well over the 300 mark, our most successful shops in our history with the highest average attendance thus far. After aU expenses were paid, $604.99 was add^ to the 1956 balance to sweeten the kitty for the 1958 season. Chairman Wing’s Membership Promotion Committee had accumulated a list of 896 prospeaive members. Names for the list, for the most part, were sent to the committee by interested members and, in some instances, by prospective members in their repUes. During 1957, seventeen of the prospects were accepted into membership. Forty-eight applications were outstanding at convention time, 1957. Where teachers contacted did not qualify under our fiveyear teachirig clause, the chairman informed them of the availability of The Bulletin and other NATS publications, earmarking their names for friture contact. Workshop brochures were also sent to some of those on the prospective member list. While we made a net gain of 265 members during the Toren biermium, the rate of growth dropped from approximately 5.25% in 1956 to 4.8% in 1957, below what could be called healthy despite the efforts of our membership committee and Gilliland’s stepped-up nationwide publicity efforts authorized at the Buffalo convention. During 1957, there were three major news releases: (1) a report of the Buffalo convention, (2) an announcement of locations, faculties and program s of our summer workshops and, (3) the program of the Kansas City convention. These releases went out to the editors of 120 strategically located newspapers throughout the United States and Canada, and to 99 institutional members of NASM. Likewise, NATS advertising was increased in the Music Educators Journal and ihc American Music Teacher as well as accompanying articles about our activities. It appeared that we were doing all we could at the national level, yet there were 27 fewer applications in 1957 than 1956. Could it be that the problem lay with the majority

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of our membership who failed to realize that what they had in NATS was not a possession, but a responsibility? Seemingly many failed to pull their weight! Gertrude Tingle/s classic coinage, "Omnis Natsia in du partis divisa est-the dos and the don’ts," capsulized the enigma in juxtaposi­ tion. The problem of the dos was to convert the don’ts and create a dos majority! Toren, speaking at our annual business meeting, Kansas City, reminded us that the cure-all was probably more than arousing the apathetic. He said; "The list of delinquent members has been kept quite short. The number of those resigning from membership and those deceased is, however, increasing. Unfortunately and regrettably, this is something that we will have to expect Our organization was founded in 1944. Many of our members who, thirteen years ago, were busy teachers have now reached an age where they are no longer active or have reached retirement status from institutions where they were employed. This development within our membership is something that we will have to face realistically and bring more and younger members in to our Association. . . I am convinced that a survey of our membership would reveal a considerable dearth in membership within this younger bracket and yet, it is from this source that we must draw our future strength.. . namely, the young teacher who, as recently as five years ago, began his teaching career.. . At one time consideration was given to the possibility of establishing an Associate Membership to include vocal teachers now ineligible under our present bylaws. This move was noted down two years ago, but the issue is not dead. I believe that because of popular demand it will have to be reconsidered in the near future." Financially, everything appeared to be coming up roses. The tight rein on NATS purse strings, characteristic of Toren and his predecessor, blotted out the Gerry deficit Now we had mid-year audits. In mid-1957, we purchased a $2,000 Government Bond. By year’s end our net worth showed an increase of over $3,000. The confident Toren administration increased the convention registration rates to $5.00 for NATS members, $6.00 for non-members, and $3.00 for certified students. General Chairman Stanley Deacon and Program Chairman Weldon Whitlock gave us more than our five dollars worth. There was the opening program, Friday evening, December 27, with the University of Kansas City choir singing Respighi’s Lauda per U Natale, followed by a short recital by dramatic soprano, Alice Riley, 1956 SOTY vwnner, that "gave renewed conviction of the value of the Singer of the Year auditions." The next morning, according to Deacon’s account in The Bulletin, keynoter Gertrude Tingley established a mood of enthusiasm that lasted out the convention. Then followed a series of panels interspersed over the remaining days of the convention: (1) The Three Most Important Problems in Singing, (2) Should We Observe or Disregard Tradition in Singing, (3) Opera Advice in Retrospect, (4) Oratorio, (5) Teen Age Vocal Problems, and a continuation of (1) on the last day. Deacon wrote, "Many members expressed regret that printed copies of all panels were not available since there was such a wealth of material that would prove valuable reference material long after the convention had faded into memory." Memorable was Metropolitan Opera’s John Brownlee’s most listenable address at our annual banquet; also the singing of contralto Beth Ann Hood, 1957 SOTY wiimer and third place Dorothy Brenna, soprano; Hardin Van Duresen’s en]oy&hlt Dover Beach with the Conservatory of Kansas City String Quartet, and Herbert Beattie, bass, singing Ernst Bacon’s songs with the composer at the piano. Quoting Stanley Deacon, "The emotional high spot of the convention came just before the Singer of the Year finals on Saturday night This was a brief, but emotion-packed, ceremony in which the Conservatory of Music of Kansas City conferred an honorary Doctor of Music degree on Richard DeYoung of Chicago. Seldom has anyone contributed so much so consistently to the growth and improvement of our Association and to vocal pedagogy in general, as has Dr. DeYoung! Certainly, veiy few members have so deep a hold on our afiections. The. . . spontaneous standing ovation which the convention gave established beyond doubt the warm place he holds in our hearts. The citation was read by your writer [Stanley Deacon] and the degree awarded by Dr. Wiktor Labunski, director of the College of the Conservatory." The closing remarks of Toren’s report to the membership at our annual business meeting have been withheld until now since they refer more to the future than to his stewardship of the biennium just passed. He defended his proclivity toward economy by relating his anticipation of NATS future needs, saying, "It is my opinion that in the near future we will be forced to consider

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the possibility of employing an Executive Secretary and paying such a person a reasonable salary for his work. How much such a move would cost us annually, I am not prepared to say, but I would like to see some funds available for this contingency. ■Another undertaking that will cost us money has something of the visionary or dream element It seems to me that as we gain prestige and influence in America, we should also try to establish international leadership in our field. I would believe, and I don’t think this impossible, that we could sometime, in the not too distant future, sponsor an international Voice Conference of genuine significance." With E Clifford Toren joining the ranks of past-presidents, we conclude the tale o f two cities and open the door to a more truly national association. For fourteen years, Chicago/New York bounced the presidential ball back and forth--the final score: New York 3, Chicago, 4. The Central District, having possession in 1958, stalled the play in the Central District for four more years: Dale Gilliland (1958-1960) and B. Fred Wise (1960-1962).

FOURTEENTH ANNUAL BANQUET, NATS NATIONAL C O N VENTIO N NEW YORK CITY, DECEMBER 2 9 ,1 9 5 8

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Dale V. Gilliland PRESIDENT

1958-1960 The complexion of the top eighteen changed very little for the 1958-1960 biennium. There were a few checkerboard moves, but there were only two new faces. E Oifford Toren succeeded Bernard Taylor as past-president who now could devote full time to his chairmanship of the Editorial Board, a post he held since mid-1956. Louis Nicholas moved from the Policy Board to the Executive Committee, joining VPs Grant, Vennard and Wise, to fill the vacancy left by Dale V. Gilliland who ascended to NATS’ top office. J. Oscar Miller, representing the Southern Region, took over the spot left vacant by Nicholas. Robert Bowlus replaced William Eberl as our national treasurer. Miller and Bowlus were the only two new faces at the national leveL Even at the regional level, there were only two new faces among the governors. One might ask, are we perpetuating too many repeaters doing business at the old stand in the same matmer? A January, 1958 acceptance letter, written by just such a careerist, to his regional governor, is only a glimpse of what might have been duplicated in other regions; "Having already served 12 years in a two year job as Lieutenant Governor, it seems no more than suitable and proper for me to still add another two years..." What happened to the new brooms? The old were losing their sweep! Evidently, the Gilliland administration decided that the expenditure of time, effort and dollars during the two previous administrations of Edwin O. Wing’s Membership Promotion Committee did not produce commensurate results since that committee was not reappointed and its appropriation was dropped from the 1958 budget. Actually, membership promotion is more within the province of each member and/or chapter. No impersonal committee, no matter the effort, could be as productive as the personal invitation from a peer. During 1958, Alexander Grant, vice president in charge of membership admission, reported a total of 130 new applications, up by four on 1957. However, there was only a net gain of 74 members with our rate of growth dropping to approximately 4.5%, a bit lower than 1957. This was becoming a crucial problem and called for immediate membership involvement Workshops were held in six locations across the country. The attendance total exceeded 1957 by five, but we had six shops in 1958 against five in 1957. The attendance should have been much greater. Two shops showed rather high surpluses, but three lost money. While the quality of the programs was high, poor attendance, caused by sickness of the staff, unfortunate handling of publicity brochures, and lack of sufficient promotion, produced a deficit However, that deficit was more than absorbed by the surplusage from previous shops and our workshop fund showed a $1,201.35 balance, down $156.95 from last year, sufficient reason to take a second look at this vital NATS activity. President Gilliland dropped the mantle of publicity and public relations on our freshman vicepresident, Louis Nicholas, whose first move was to attempt to find out how effective our several mailings and special reports to the national press in the past had been. Through the columns of The Bulletin, he asked members to send him copies of any NATS publicity appearing in local newspapers and national publications. There were only three responses, all of local happenings rather than inspired from NATS mailings. Nevertheless, Nicholas, himself a Nashville music critic, addressed news releases to music critics of some 115 newspapers, 50 music magazines, periodicals, and bulletins, 49 state music education periodicals, and approximately 250 members of the National Association of Schools of Music. Several special reports were sent to the National Music Council Bulletin and to the Music Journal for its annual issue. As Dale Gilliland remarked in his annual report, "Frequently the results of his efforts are lost to our membership due to the proclivity of some newspapers and magazines not to publish anything concerning music except that which occurs in the local community. In spite of this, many articles have filtered through due to Louis Nicholas."

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Director of Field Activities, B. Fred Wise, reported that five regions had held successful conventions during 1957, all in November. While regional meetings were excellent for cultivating sectional cohesiveness and esprit de corps, the late date posed a problem. Some members necessarily would be forced to choose between the regional and the national, held in December, financially and time-wise, they could not afford to attend both. At that time. Regional Governor George Newton pressed for a 1958 Central Regional Convention believing it to be one means of stepping up participation in both the SOTY and the Student Contest because contestants were more likely to become involved when they knew that they would perform before an audience rather than a few judges. Prize money in itself was too meager to attract the caliber of singers we hoped to get involved. Perhaps the 14th Annual Convention in New York was too soon to give us some answers, but despite the five November regional meetings, 403 attended the December 27-30th meeting at the Hotel Commodore-261 NATSers, with 62 from the Central Region, topped by 131 from Eastern. However, the SOTY finals did not reflect any advantage. Only five singers competed, one less than at Kansas Qty. One region did not hold a contest and two others felt that their winners were not ready for concert or operatic experience. We now had thirty-one chapters with other chapters in the process of organization. In midSeptember, President Gilliland appointed immediate Past-President Toren as coordinator of chapters. His first message in the December, 1958 Bulletin called for a meeting of chapter presidents and attendance of all chapter officers at the New York convention. Eleven chapter presidents and some twenty other chapter officers made the meeting. There also was a special panel discussion on The Dynamic Local Chapter" featuring E. Clifford Toren, Berton Coffin, Wanen Wooldridge and Jean Ludman. Carl Nelson’s Public School Vocal Affairs Committee had increased duties in 1958 because of a newly conceived liaison policy with the Music Educators National Conference, which appointed a similar committee to work with NATS for mutual benefit. Past President E. Clifford Toren, William Vennard and Harry Wilson were added to the committee which Nelson chaired-Mary Cook Chittim, Philipp Gustafson, Paschal Monk, George Newton and John Toms. A fuU report was published in the May, 1958 Bulletin, and will not be repeated here. The committee found a wide variation in state requirements for certification. The committee’s concern was with voice requirements. They found that fewer than fifty percent of the states studied broke down the total into subject areas. In instances where they did, usually only four or five hours of voice was required. Some states judged teacher preparation in voice by audition, such as, being able to sing "at least one song representative of each... the classical, romantic, and modem periods." Other states depended on the colleges to establish suitable curricula for its teachers. NASM’s requirements in 1958 were only for general supervision and instrumental supervision, nothing for a vocal supervisor! Helen Huls in an earlier investigation had found the lack of good tone quality a frequent fault in choral music in high schools. Since members of NATS taught in many of the leading colleges and universities, the committee felt that improvement of vocal music in public schools could more quickly be mfluenced through these institutions of higher learning and the agencies accrediting them than through state departments of public instruction. In 1958, Oren Brown, who had been doing outstanding work in vocal therapy in St. Louis was added to the Research Committee (Bert Coffin, PhU Duey, Ralph Errole, Victor A. Fields, Warren Wooldridge, William Vennard, William Ross, chairman). Considerable work was done in checking the practicably of the Husson theory of voice classification. Errors found in formulas as presented in The Bulletin were corrected. The chronaximeter, which was built by the Indiana University Electronics Department on specifications given in The Bulletin became a tool of a doctoral student who began to test the chronaxies of untrained singers to determine if the Husson theory applied to individuals without any previous training, and if changes occurred after training. The main purpose of publishing translations of the investigation of voice scientists in Europe had been served. We gave a shot in the arm to voice research in the United States, The Advisory Committee on Vocal Education (Stanley Deacon, Victor Fields, Grace Leslie, Radiana Pazmor, Sonia Shamova, Richard DeYoung, chairman) came away from the Buffalo convention with a mandate to implement a plan for a Fellowship Degree of membership in NATS. This was an in process affair. At the Buffalo meeting when praised for their efforts by

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the board, the committee advised them that it would take approximately two years to formulate all plans. COVE held no official meeting at Kansas City, but worked through the year so that the final plan could be presented to the Executive Committee at the 1958 New York convention for approval. The committee was asked to revise the reper­ toire requirements and to clarify further the rules of eligibility for the SOTY contest. The revision was submitted to the Executive Committee at the New York Convention. There were requests at the Kansas City convention that the committee publish a pronouncement on choral rehearsal techniques. President Gilliland authorized the committee to comply with the assistance of Margaret Hillis of the American Concert Choir and Choral Foundation, and conductor of the Chicago Symphony Orchestral Chorus; Ferris Ohl, choral conducting, Heidelberg DALE V. GILLILAND University, Tiffin, Ohio, and choral advisor to P.AR. Records; and Henry Veld, conductor of the Augustana Choir, Augustana College, Rock Island, Illinois, and the Apollo Club of Chicago. The result of this collaborative effort also was in the hands of the Executive Committee for action at the New York meeting. Other legislative actions of both the Policy Board and the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors by mail vote throughout the year and later confirmed at the aimual meeting have been edited along with their actions at the annual meeting to include only those portions affecting the membership collectively and/or officialdom in the discharge of their duties. In April, President Gilliland asked for a ballot fi-om the Policy Board; "Shall members of the Association engage in private teaching at conventions?" The answer came back: N0 --6, Abstaining--3. In December, the president advised the Policy Board that Vice President Vennard’s plans to spend his sabbatical in Europe, starting with the summer of 1959, would preclude him from functioning as director of workshops although he planned to carry on his duties as vice-president President Gilliland suggested George Cox, Lawrence College, Appleton, Wisconsin, as the director of workshops. The vote came back: Yes-8; not accounted for~l. The Executive Committee approved it and the Policy Board made the appointment at the convention on December 27th. On December 28th, the Board of Directors appointed George Cox as representative-at-large to fill the two-year unexpired portion of Charles Pearson’s term who resigned effective at the year’s end. At the business meeting on the afternoon of December 29th, John Thut, Northern Region, John Lester, Northwestern Region, and Arnold Putnam, Southeastern Region, whose terms expired December 31, 1958, were reelected for another three years. John Thut continued as secretary of the Policy Board. George Cox became the third new face at the national level for the 1958-1960 biennium. President Gilliland reported on our fiscal health in detail, proudly calling attention to the progressive growth of the balance on hand as of June 1st for the past three years: 1956, $6,966.01, 1957, $8,679.13 and 1958, $10,581.13. According to the auditor’s report we had increased our net worth during 1958 by $2,217.89 over the previous year. His remarks regarding our treasurer’s most worrisome concern is food for thought for all NATS members. He said, "The present list of members who are delinquent in payment of dues should be bountiful indication that certain qualifications for members have been overlooked by the persons who have sponsored such candidates. Your president prefers to think the problem lies in the type of person elected to membership rather than the fault of the Association. This is a very troublesome problem at the present time and in my opinion, many more qualities of the candidate should be scrutinized before he is sponsored for membership." Here’s an item that might be of interest to check as you continue to read: When did the gentleman get his wish? During the 1958 business meeting, he was given the floor to suggest that NATS make available for those who wish it, a lapel pin, or a pin of some sort, which would make

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While changing the beginning of the fiscal year to November 1 might have contributed partially to the declining headcount, it was not the real story. That had been told more than once by our registrar. Again she spoke out hoping to motivate a lethargic membership into reversing the trend. In her report, she wrote, "Many of our earlier and most loyal members have retired, or are in failing health, or have joined the Choir Invisible. This should spur us to greater efforts to attract younger qualified teachers... Still another reason for shrinkage in our membership is the unusually long list of members dropped for nonpayment of dues." This trend prompted President Gilliland to remark at the annual business meeting about "the appalling number of dropouts," raising a series of soul-searching questions: "Has our leadership been appropriately vigorous? Is our educational outlook and program keeping pace with the spirit of the times? Is there a need for the product we are cultivating? Will the proposed Fellowship Plan help solve some of our problems if it is brought in? Have we been overly concerned with numbers of new members with inappropriate consideration of their quality and qualifications? There may be other fectors which I have not mentioned. However, it is high time we do some honest soul searching and, if possible, ascertain the cause or causes for the apathy and lack of interest which is certainly present in an element of our membership. . . Let us dedicate ourselves to the solution of this problem." The Committee on Public School Vocal Affairs, chaired by Carl Nelson, through the influence of President Gilliland was invited to assist in the planning of the program of the North Central Division of MENC. Past-President Toren and President-Elect B. Fred Wise represented NATS on panels and clinics at the meeting. A joint MENC/NATS committee was organized, holding its first meeting at the 1958 New York Convention. Reports of this meeting appeared in the MENC Journal and The Bulletin, Vol. XV, No. 4. The next meeting was held at the MENC National Convention, Atlantic City, March, 1959. At the December 28,1959 joint meeting of the Executive Committee and Policy Board, President Gilliland reported on the encouraging progress that had been made in the MENC/NATS Liaison Committee. Several precepts in vocal education that had been issued reflected the strong influence of the NATS members on the committee. William Ross, chairman of the Research Committee, reported that all members of his committee were active in some phase of research in the field of singing. William Vennard, whose concentration was voice science, left the United States in August to continue research with Dr. Janwillem van den Berg in Gronnigen, The Netherlands. Berton Coffin, whose emphasis at the moment was song literature, was revising his book, The Singer’s Repertoire. Ralph Errolle, whose specialty was French and Italian diction, had just completed a second revision of this book on Italian diction and was in the final stages of completing his book on French diction. Philip Due/s area was the history of singing. His Bel Canto in Its Golden Age, established his area of research on the conmiittee. Warren Wooldridge, whose area of interest was resonance, was making a study of vocal tessitura. Victor A Fields, whose book. Training the Singing Voice triggered John Burgin’s Teaching Singing, was still occupied digging into the truth about singing. His niche on the conmiittee~the Psychological Approach, Oren Brown, whose area was vocal therapy, was preparing an evaluation of benefits from various types of vocal exercises, and exploring the problem of the upper voice. As for chairman Ross, whose area was breathing and phonation, he was occupied in making a study of the problem: "Do women have a felsetto voice?" Members of the committee continued to publish in The Bulletin. During 1959, the following articles appeared: "Toward an Objective Vocabulary for Voice Pedagogy," Janwillen van den Berg and William Vennard, (February, 1959); "Some Implications of the Sonninen Research," William Vennard, (May, 1959); and "Teacher-Pupil Interaction in the Studio," Philip A. Duey (October, 1959). TTie Advisory Committee on Vocal Education had a year of compelling activity. They were again called upon to revise the repertory requirements for the Singer of the Year auditions. They also readied a statement on choral rehearsal techniques prepared by the Committee on Vocal Affairs in the Public Schools, assisted by Margaret Hillis, Ferris Ohl and Henry Veld. The third project, first presented to the board in October, 1956 as a course of study leading to some form of accreditation and recognition beyond the requirements for membership with the request that no action be taken until all could meet conjunctively at the Buffalo convention, was now ready for the board's final action and presentation to the membership. The committee alerted NATSers of their activities through The Bulletin, December, 1958, "The Vocal Education Committee

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Speaks," May, 1959, "The NATS Fellowship Program," and December, 1959, *Nota Bene-an official announcement to all members of the National Association of Teachers of Singing.’ It had been a long road for Richard DeYoung and the members of his committee. Three years had elapsed instead of the promised two. Difficulty in coming up with a means of financing its activities was a problem until the committee recognized a procedure practiced by other organizations. It took into account that many of the members were already established in position, professional preparation and reputation that the certification program being proposed would only require little or no preparation from them. Also, there were quite a few older members who had already achieved professional distinction and already possessed most or all of the stated requirements or their equivalents for the Fellowship. Quoting from "Nota Bene": "It has therefore been provided that such members who, upon application, are declared afready qualified under ATVP standards may avail themselves of a specially designated Founder’s Year Program or special dispensation which will last one year from the date of its inception. Under this first-year program, a regular certificate as Fellow in the American Institute of Vocal Pedagogy may be awarded to our senior NATS members. These senior members must submit their application in the usual manner and, after processing by the Administrative Faculty, if found qualified, may receive a Fellowship award without the necessity of taking courses, examinations, etc. Furthermore, the special fee for a founder’s year Fellow in AIVP has been fixed at $50.00, half of which must accompany the application form. This Founder’s Year Program for our senior NATS members will be open from January 1, 1960 to January 1,1961, after which date only the regular certification requirements and the regular fee of $100 will apply alike for all our members." It appear^ that we were well on our way! How did it all get started anyway? The previous pages are a witness to its genesis. Down through the years, amidst diversity, a few were motivated to seek an upward path toward unity. On the eve of NATS’ inception, John Wilcox declared that the time for pedagogic inventory had come., Some months later, Ruth Douglass’ "Systematic Teacher-Training is Lacking" alerted the profession to the fact that understanding and agreement between teachers of singing depended upon just such a program, a program that would bring about unity amidst diversity, a program that necessarily embraced more than just learning how to sing. The teacher of singing needed an expository vocabulary that would enable him or her to lead the student toward a career through understanding rather than through robotistic imitatioiL Learning by doing without benefit of knowing, for the most part, was the mark of the last century and the early twentieth. It had been demonstrated that one could become a singer of distinction through learning by doing, but it also had been observed that this procedure produced non­ conformist individuals, each one with a vocabulary that he alone understood when attempts at communication were made. Ruth Douglass pointed out that the road back was not to isolate the art of singing but to recognize its relationship to the several other disciplines. Therein lay the road back to understanding and communication within our discipline and with related disciplines. It was the only way to achieve unity within our profession amidst a diversity of methodologies. Berton Coffin recalls John Toms’ observation that our sununer workshop program lacked long-range planning. In discussing this with Richard DeYoung, Toms’ thoughts were that there ought to be a structured curricula progressing to advanced studies in all phases of the vocal art and its repertoire. Perhaps their catalytic discussions prompted John Toms to come up with the fellowship program which he presented to DeYoung early in the fall of 1955. The conunittee, whose primary concern, at the moment, was the successful launching of the Taylor initiated Singer of the Year, did not meet to consider Toms’ program until the 1955 Chicago convention. Even then, no action was taken. The plan was the subject of correspondence until october, 1956, when the committee presented the plan to the board with the request that no action be taken until it could be discussed across the table at the Buffalo convention. Getting the go-ahead there, the committee advised the board that it would take two more years to finalize it. Actually, there was no more top-level action until midway into President Gilliland’s term of office, at which juncture we return to our ongoing narrative. Now we had come full circle! In 1944, in the same hotel in the same city, NATS was bom. In 1959, we opened a new door for those in our membership who strove for excellence. The Fellowship plan, approved by the Policy Board and Executive Committee and made known to the

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membership through two 1959 issues of The Bulletin, was presented for vote to the convention assembled, December 29, 1959. Richard DeYoung read the proposed amendment which, if passed, would become Article VII, Section 3 of our bylaws: "There shall be a permanent coomiittee of the National Association of Teachers of Singing, Inc., to be known as the Administrative Faculty of the American Institute of Vocal Pedagogy. This committee shall function as a separate entity, fully self-governing in all matters relating to its internal organization, the issuance of Fellowship Certificates, and the administration and regulation of certification requirements for members of the National Association of Teachers of Singing. “The Committee shall consist of nine members, of whom one shall be the President of NATS, at least one a member of the Policy Board of NATS and so designated, and one shall be the Director of Workshops. Two new appointments to the Administrative Faculty shall be made by the President of NATS at the beginning of each calendar year and each appointee is to serve for three years, except that initial appointments shall be made as follows: Two to serve for one year; two for two years; two for three years; thus providing for future rotation of these terms of appointment" There followed considerable discussion from the floor. After many people had their say, Frederick Holler, given the floor, said, "I think it would get us no place.. . It has got to grow from an embryo. It’s an endeavor to excel which we all want to go way beyond anything we have ever dreamed of, so let’s go along with them and not worry too much about the details." Then a Miss Beatrice lams from Dayton, Ohio, a recent member remarked, "To me, a person coming into this organization, it is very important to inspire my faith and trust in a proposed program. As I see it, to us younger and less experienced members, this Fellowship Program sets up a goal which is definite. It is challenging certainly when I think of how for I have to go to even think of applying for a Fellowship towards which we can head, and I feel that we should wholeheartedly approve this plan to direct our progress and to continually challenge ourselves as teachers of singing." NATS veteran Ralph Errolle decided he had heard enough. When the applause for the former speaker had died down, he was recognized by President Gilliland. After a few incisive remarks, he said, "I don’t see how we will completely evaluate any program until it has operated a sufBcient length of time so that you can see just what it is and what it means. Under those circumstances, as one humble member of this organization, I would like to ask the chairman to call for the question." President Gilliland called for a standing vote, the results of which were one hundred in favor and seven opposed. Here’s the team and their leader that gave NATS a new blueprint upward to excellence. The Administrative Faculty of AIVP was: Richard DeYoung, director, Grace Leslie, assistant director, Victor A. Fields, chairman of admissions, Melvin H. Geist, chairman of curricular studies, Radiana Pazmor and George Cox, co-chairmen of teaching personnel, Berton Coffin, chairman of the examining board, Dale V. Gilliland, president of NATS, and John Toms, recorder. Perhaps the briefest action on the agenda of an election year’s business meeting is the election of officers to succeed the incumbents. They had been chosen months before by a nominating committee and in compliance with our bylaws their names had been made known to the membership through the October issue of The Bulletin. One of the oversights of the last bylaws revision was its silence in regard to succession. The only restriction was placed on the presidency where the incumbent could not succeed himself. Not so with the offices below the presidency. Consequently, an incumbent could succeed himself ad infinitum, to wit, Alexander Grant, who became a vice-president and chairman of the Admission Committee under President Walter Allen Stults, stood for reelection under three more presidents. His decision not to succeed himself in 1959 created a second vacancy among the vice-presidents since Vice-President B, Fred Wise was the nominee for the top office. Both spots were filled by two worthy regional governors, Gertrude Ehrhardt and Joel Carter. There were no changes in the Policy Board. The slate presented to the membership in the October, 1959 issue of The Bulletin was: Executive Committee President: B. Fred Wise. Vice Presidents: Joel Carter, Gertrude Ehrhardt, Louis Nicholas, William Vennard. Secretary: Hadley Crawford. Treasurer. Robert Bowlus. Registrar: Gertrude Tingley. Past-President: Dale V. Gilliland.

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Policy Board Califomia-Westem: Eugene Fulton. Eastern: Grace Leslie. Central: Richard DeYoung. Northern: John Thut. Northwestern: John L. Lester. Southeastern: Arnold E. Putman. Southern: J. Oscar Miller. Southwestern: Berton Coffin. Member-at-Large: George Cox. Another inconsistency and oversight in the grass roots revision of our bylaws was the continued listing of regional governors on a national ballot. This was a holdover from the pre1955 days. Why should a resident of the Eastern Region vote on who should be the governor of the Northwestern Region, or vice versa? This election witnessed a fifty percent changeover in regional governors since two gave a negative answer when asked to continue and two others were tapped for vice presidents--the only new blood in the crew that signed on with B. Fred Wise. The slate was presented to the convention assembled by the chairman of the Nominating Committee, Ferris Ohl, who moved for its acceptance and election of the candidates. In a matter of minutes, the slate was presented, the motion seconded and a unanimous vote given by 5.8% of the membership. After the president-elect’s acceptance speech and the passing of the gavel, Wendell Osborn presented an invitation to come to Dallas in 1960, followed by a similar invitation by Gertrude Tingley to come to Boston. Since this required board action, both were invited to attend the board meeting that evening following the annual banquet and SOTY finals. The final board meeting was called to order twenty minutes before midnight The Executive Committee with its newly elected members, and the Policy Board met jointly. Together, they were NATS Board of Directors. The bids for the 1960 convention were considered. Gertrude Tingley, urging the desirability of long-range planning in convention sites, proposed Boston for 1961. The action taken favored Dallas for 1960 and possibly Boston in 1961. There followed the much postponed discussion of the idea of holding biennial national conventions, a subject that had already been raised at other national meetings. At this late hour, a motion was passed that the incoming president appoint a committee to study the question of holding the national meeting every two years with regional conventions in the alternate years. Then President-Elect Wise took the chair. His first official act was to designate the duties of his vice-presidents: Joel Carter, coordinator of field activities; Gertrude Ehrhardt, admissions; Louis Nicholas, publicity; and William Vennard, workshops. Since Vennard was still on his sabbatical, George Cox, member-at-large of the Policy Board, continued as workshop chairman until Vennard’s return to the United States. The final act of a very long day was the reelection of John Thut as secretary of the Policy Board. The meeting adjourned at 1:25 a.m., December 30,1959. It is unlikely that another such detailed account of a business meeting, election, post­ banquet wrap-up, board meetings, etc. will be given in this narrative, but the demands on NATS top echelon need chronicling at least once to complete our picture. It was most appropriate that NATS returned to the place of its organization to celebrate our fifteenth anniversary, but what a difference! Then, we held two luncheons on successive days between sessions of the 1944 MTNA convention. At the first luncheon on March 23rd, there were only eight who sat down to lunch with the five founding fathers, confident that, with eightyseven proxies in their pockets, their plans would go forward. They had the votes! The next day, an additional fifteen came to the luncheon. By the year’s end, our membership had grown to 286. Fifteen years later, we counted more than 1,800 members with our own convention stretching over four days. This year’s convention theme was "Development Through Performance." Hubert Kockritz was our keynoter and that was the subject of his opening address. Louis Nicholas, reporting in The Bulletin, wrote: "This theme... was developed with spectacular success throughout the convention by the singing of more than one hundred singers, either as recital or operatic soloists, or as choral singers, as well as in the many speeches and discussions." There was John Edmunds speaking of "Some Aspects of American Song from 1620 to 1959,' illustrated with recordings and by baritone, John Langstaff, with Edmunds at the piano. An evening recital by Richard Rivers, baritone, our first SOTY winner, proved the excellence of the judges’ choice in 1955. Then there was Winifred Cecil’s "Joy of Singing," Louis Diercks and his Ohio State University Symphonic Choir and the fifth annual SOTY of which we have written at

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length in the previous pages. Food for thought was the final panel led by Joel Carter: "We Are Preparing Our Students for-What?" A question that is timely in 1990! The time for farewells had arrived. As the strains of the customary "Auld Lang Syne" died away, there were embraces, joyful "Happy New Year" and "See You in Dallas"-but would they?

NATIONAL OFFICERS, 1960-1962. L to R: Back Row-Gertrude Tingley, registrar; R obert Bowlus, treasurer. Center Row-Joel Carter, vice-president; Louis Nicholas, vice-president; Hadley Crawford, secretary. Front Row-Gertrude Ehrhardt, vice-president; B. Fred W ise, president; Dale V. Gilliland, past-president. William Vennard, vice-president, not present.

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B. Fred Wise PRESIDENT

1960-1962 Just as the first generation of NATSers returned to their homes from the 1944 Cincinnati convention, relieved yet excited from the realization that their long dreamed-of national association had materialized-just so, fifteen years later, did another generation of NATSers retrace the footsteps of their predecessors from that very same hotel to arrive home confronted with the many challenges of the implementation of a bold plan that actually had its genesis in an Eastern District meeting’s panel/jury discussion, chaired by Victor A. Fields, during Carson’s presidency. That bold plan was the American Institute of Vocal Pedagogy. For one of its architects, who also had played a leading role in Cincinnati, 1944, the toll of the trek to Cincinnati was too much for his frail body. Within a fortnight (January 11, 1960), Richard DeYoung, Mus.D., was dead! President Wise was fortunate to have John Toms, who presented the idea of the Fellowship plan to Richard DeYoung in 1955, just a suburb away. Toms was a‘teacher at Northwestern University. The passing of Richard DeYoung left three vacancies: on the Policy Board of the Board of Directors, the chairmanship of the Advisory Committee on Vocal Education, and the directorship of the AIVP. There was no one person who could replace him at this time and, as a matter of fact, should. It was a slow process to put in place three persons via Uncle Sam’s mail since it involved the Executive Committee and the Policy Board of the Board of Directors as well as the Administrative Faculty of AJVP. Late in January, Victor A Fields was named as chairman of the Advisory Committee on Vocal Education. A month later, Orcenith Smith was selected to fill the vacancy by Fields’ move into the chairmanship. Late in February, the president proposed that Stanley Deacon be appointed to fill the unexpired term of the late Richard DeYoung on the Policy Board, but it took until May 4th for a confirming election. Also, on February 27, President Wise proposed to the Executive Committee that Past-President Gilliland be made a member of the Administrative Faculty of the AIVP. Subsequently, Gilliland’s appointment to the faculty was approved by the Administrative Faculty who elected him as successor to the late Richard DeYoung. The Administrative Faculty met for three days each in March and in June at Chicago’s Conrad Hilton Hotel. The details of content and administrative procedures for both the Founders Year Fellowship in NATS and the Fellow in NATS were perfected. At the March meeting, the Articles of Organization were revised and adopted by the Administrative Faculty. B. Fred Wise, by virtue of his office, was a member of that faculty. The original faculty was expanded to nine. The President appointed Berton Coffin as the representative from the Policy Board and George Cox, workshops, who was replacing Vennard for the duration of his research sabbatical in Holland. In June, Grace Leslie resigned due to poor health and Helen Hosmer was elected as her replacement. At mid-year, the Administrative Faculty was; Dale Gilliland, director, John Toms, recorder, and Berton Coffin, George Cox, Victor A. Fields, Melvin Geist, Helen Hosmer, Radiana Pazmor and President B. Fred Wise. After the March meeting, the president requested via mail vote, April 1,1960, that ATVP be permitted to borrow from the general fund to carry the program until it became self-supporting within the next few months, then, the loan was to be repaid. Approval was unanimous. Airfares, hotel bills for the two meetings plus the printing of brochures, questionnaires, sample exams, eta, required a substantial advance, but then at fifty dollars per head, half payable vnth the application of senior NATSers who had taught twenty-five years plus the balance upon acceptance would bring in substantial revenue before the year’s end. The brochures were sent to the membership early in September and it was reprinted in The Bulletin, October, 1960, for the benefit of those who were between addresses and may not have received copies. On Thanksgiving morning, the Curriculum Committee of the National Association of Schools of Music and John Toms, B. Fred Wise and G. WiUard Bassett met. NASM was meeting in

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Chicago and Bassett, who chaired the Liaison Committee between NATS and NASM, arranged the get-together. John Toms presented the ATVP story to the commission and outlined the requirements for the Fellowship. Quoting the president: "The plan was very enthusiastically re­ ceived by this powerful committee, and they urged us to send our material to every dean of over 300 member schools of the NASM. Now of course, they can really do nothing, but they can back us~and the backing of this committee and NASM is a great feather in our cap." As of December 1, 1960, sixty-five applications to the Founders Year Program had been received and thirty-five Fellowships granted with the remainder in process. Berton Coffin who was one of the readers along with Dale Gilliland and John Toms wrote; "We turned down a few and that raised a furor, we accepted others and that also created a furor. Well, furor or not, we now had monqr to travel and make plans for the degree program we wished to form." As a tribute to the first director of the American Institute of Vocal Pedagogy, the faculty voted to award the initial Certificate of Fellowship in NATS posthumously to Richard Benjamin DeYoung. Had he lived, he would not have had his name so inscribed, since the Fellowship was not available to the administrative faculty. At one of the meetings of the Executive Conunittee, a precedent was set in that a member of the ATVP administrative faculty, upon completing one term of three years would not be recommended for reappointment, excepting the director and the recorder where the continuity of experience in these offices would be valuable. In December, 1960, the terms of Victor A. Fields and Radiana Pazmor came to an end. These vacancies were filled by Ralph Errolle and Roml^ Fell. The work of the administrative feculty of AIVP received a strong commendation from the Board of Directors. It was felt that this was another landmark in the history of NATS in bringing a stronger professional standing for NATS members. The Advisory Committee on Vocal Education, under its new chairman, Victor A. Fields, was reorganized and expanded as the Committee on Vocal Education because of a newly planned educational service to members through the columm of The Bulletin. Chairman Fields proposed the plan prompted by the realization that the singing teacher is primarily an educator and, as such, is responsible for the growth and development of tomonow’s vocal artists. The name of the column was to be called "Quiz Cove," the name was concocted by the chairman, being a shortened form of Committee on Vocal Education. Fields offered the services of the committee in answering questions in at least fifty different areas of vocal instruction. These areas were listed in The Bulletin, Oaober, 1960, along with the first series of questions and answers in the initial "Quiz Cove" colunm. The chairman promised that the column would be continued as a permanent feature in The Bulletin if the response to the column were good. The committee as reorganized under Victor A Fields was Oren Brown, Philip A Duey, Ralph Errolle, Grace Leslie, J. Oscar Miller, Harvey Ringel, Sonia Shamova, Orcenith Smith and William Vennard. The Committee on Vocal Education planned also to review previously printed releases, and revise and reissue them where necessary, namely, "Training the Vocal Instrument," "The Vocal Teacher in Relation to the General Musical and Cultural Education of the Student," "Choral Rehearsal Techniques," Tundamental Requirements for Teachers of Singing," "List of Songs for High School Voice Contests," Tield of Sacred Music," and "Course Outline Methods of Teaching Singing." Late in January, President Wise, upon the advice of Joel Carter, director of field activities, proposed that Alaska be attached to the Northwestern Region and that Hawaii be made part of the California-Western Region. At the December 30th, 8:00 a.m. meeting of the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors, the need for changing some of the regional boundaries came up, even to the carving out of some new regions. Nothing could be done without changing the bylaws and the next national convention was the earliest possible date to accomplish this. Joel Carter was appointed by President Wise as chairman of a committee to be appointed later. The president said that details would come to the board via mail for possible action in the near future. The launching of ATVP plus the several changes precipitated by the passing of Richard DeYoung moved more than one thing off center stage. Although a fifty percent changeover in regional governors and a concomitant change in lieutenant governors was unusual, this healthy recharging will go unrecorded. Likewise the continuing efforts of Vice President Louis Nicholas to keep NATS in the news or the efforts of Seaetary Hadley Crawford, Treasurer Robert Bowlus, and Registrar Tingley to keep NATS ticking cannot be accorded more space than a grateful

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acknowledgement. The work of Coordinator of Chapters E. Clifford Toren, was limited to letter W" mail because of the lack of funds. The health and growth of chapters, vital to NATS, was left pretty much to the regional governors. During 1960, only one new chapter was added, North Central Ohio, to bring the total to thirty-five. There was a calmness settling over the land of NATS. Members dropped for non-payment of dues was practically zero-just three against 121 in 1959; resignations-just fifteen against thirty-three in 1959. In 1959, there were only two reinstatements against twenty-five in 1960. Membership retention was the name of the game since there were only 109 new members. In 1959, there was a two percent drop in membership. Now we counted 1,944-a 5.3% gain over the previous year. Financially, we were healthy, even though our net worth had slipped a thousand dollars. B. FRED WISE It wasn’t until mid-September that President Wise responded to a last minute favorable board action of December 17, 1959, at Cincinnati, which was the result of a petition initiated and promoted by Laura Marble in regard to contemporary music. Although the president had other matters to attend to, William Holdridge, who had been reviewing new music for The Bulletin since 1955 asked to be relieved of that post. Consequently, President Wise nominated Earle Tanner, chairman, to be assisted by Hadley Crawford, Ruth LowrySawyers,andLaura Marble. Earle Tanner and Hadley Crawford came through with material tomake the Octoberissue, but petitioner Laura M. Marble didn’t make it until the February 15,1961 issue of The Bulletin with a meager five songs. The members of the Research Committee for the most part could be described as each in process in his specific area excepting Berton Coffin was in the process of a fifth volume of Singer's Repertoire. William Vennard’s year in Groningen, on the other hand, had made the most significant contribution, a forty-two minute sound fihn, "The Vibrating Larynx," in collaboration with Janwillem van den Berg at the physiology laboratory at the University of Groningen, Holland. Vennard wrote the script. The most important contribution of the Public School Music Affairs Committee, Carl Nelson, chairman, was its joint meeting with MENC at Atlantic City, March 20, 1960. NATS was represented by President Wise, Carl Nelson, Helen Hosmer (chairman for the joint group) and L ^ Kjelsen and Gerald Witney, representing MENC. There were approximately 150 persons, including twenty-one NATS members, present, indicating considerable interest by both organizations in the problems of the adolescent voice. Although many topics were discussed, questions seemed to center around three topics: basic technique, children’s singing and school choral problems. MENC soon thereafter requested NATS to conduct panels at their national convention, also at several regionals. What an important adjunct to our work! The personnel of Nelson’s committee were: Mary Cook Chittim, Phillip Gustafson, Paschal Monk, George Newton, and John Toms. There were only four workshops in 1960, due to the sudden unavailability of suitable housing at two of the planned locations, resulting in their cancellation. The offerings at the workshops were of a very high calibre, evincing praise from workshoppers. The four shops held were at Montana State University, July 31-August 5; Tulane-Newcomb University, New Orleans, July 31August 5; West Chester State College, Pennsylvania, August 14-19; and Iowa State University, Ames, August 21-26. Three shops showed profits, but the fourth lost money. It was the opinion of the committee that the momentum of the ATVP program would result in new meaning for the workshop program and eventually boost attendance. At the close of 1960, the workshop account still showed a balance of $713.64. At a combined Executive Committee and Policy Board meeting, 11:00 p.m., December 18th, it was decided that 1961 summer workshop fees should be raised to $30.00 for the week and $7.00 per day. Informal discussion led to the consideration of

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ways of implementing the AIVP program and elicited a special meeting between the ATVP administrative faculty and the workshop committee. Vice-President Carter’s approach in his first year as coordinator of field activities and SOTY, was to base his supervision on a consensus. His consultations with the regional governors and the Committee on Vocal Education resulted in considerable modification and a reprinting of all SOTY materials. As a consequence, they were not put in the mails until May, when they should have been entrusted to Uncle Sam in February, at the latest, March. Nevertheless, some fifty singers submitted applications and competed in eight regionals. Well, there were unanticipated problems at the regionals. Three regions came up with ties while the Northwestern Region did not even send a contestant to Dallas. The consequence was that there were ten finalists instead of eight At Dallas, Carter pressed the board for a preventative solution. There should only be one singer from each region. In the board’s opinion, there were rules enough and clearly stated as how to conduct the contest. The cure was more careful supervision at the regional level. Laying down specific rules as to the conducting of the contest at hand, the board voted unanimously that, in the future, only one contest finalist would be allowed from any one region. Out of these discussions, Carter absorbed the many points raised and returned to the board on the last day, presenting his proposals for revising and reissuing the official SOTY brochure for the 1961 contest His ideas were very favorably received. Louis Nicholas, reporting in The Bulletin, rightfully called the Sixth Annual Singer of the Year finals on Thursday, December 29th "the focal point of the convention." Continuing, he wrote: The caUbre of the ten young people who represented every region except one, was high, and their singing gave pleasure and pride.” Willis Patterson was named runner-up and Kay Griffel, the Singer of the Year with a cash award of $1,000. Time has vindicated the choice of those judges. Kay Griffel, who had been singing secondary roles at the Chicago Lyric Opera while studying with John Toms at Northwestern University went on to eventually claim the world of opera as her own. Fest at Cologne for many years, she has been singing at the Metropolitan since the 19821983 season. In "Big D,“ in the midst of all those congenial Texans, it was difficult to raise an argument, not even in the annual business meeting! For the most part, it was routine in character. The only ripple was caused over the suggestion that wives of members and certain others who attended the convention ought not to have to pay the same registration fee required of non-member teachers of singing. At Dallas, that charge was nine dollars. No action was taken since this was within the province of the Policy Board. Even though we were between biennial elections, there were three incumbents on the Policy Board whose period of service ended December 31,1960. Since there was no bylaw governing succession, an incumbent could be perpetuated in office so long as he consented to stand for election. So, Berton Coffin, Southwestern Region, George Cox, member-at-large, and J. Oscar Miller, Southern Region were retained in office for another three years. Appointive offices were likely to be in perpetuity. For the record, it should be mentioned that one past-president, Bernard U. Taylor, had been the NATS representative to the National Music Council since he passed the gavel to E. Clifford Toren in 1956. Of late, no business meeting seemed to have escaped the perennial question; "Has anything further been done about the possibility of biennial conventions with regionals in the off years?" Responding in the negative, the president remarked, "It has been a topic of conversation for years, but nothing has been done about it" Not quite so! The president had forgotten the last board meeting at Cincinnati which he attended along with all the new faces of the incoming admmistration. President-Elect Wise even brought DeYoung’s proxy to that meeting because the intense activity of the week had exhausted the valiant warrior. The meeting adjourned at 1:25 a.m. The subject of biennial conventions was raised and because of all the ramifications plus the late hour, a motion was passed instructing the new president to appoint a committee to study the question. Well, 1960 started with unexpected emergencies and the president overlooked that charge. Perhaps in 1961? To complete the record, the responsibility for the printing and mailing of the Sixth Annual SOTY Scholarship Auditions folder, the workshop brochure, and the Dallas Convention Program Book, for which I sold over $1,500 worth of advertising, was mine.

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Louis Nicholas wrote in The Bulletin: "R. Berton Coffln. . . planned one of the most interesting programs that any of our conventions have offered." The convention theme was "Song, the Speech of the Heart." TTie program reflected ATVP influence with pedagogy sessions for the high school voice as well as for the advanced singer. Highlighted was Michael Head as a recitalist and as a lecturer on "Contemporary English Song." Then a wealth of sessions covering many areas: A panel discussion on French song; a session on Italian lyric diction; a lecture/recital on the lieder; the Bach Aria Group’s William Scheide and baritone Norman Fanow in Bach arias; as well as the all-too-brief recital of tenor Eugene Conley, formerly of the Met and his teaching colleague from North Texas State, soprano Margaret Kalil. The one gray spot in all this glitter was the recital of the 1959 SOTY winner, Barbara Faulkner Bernard, dramatic soprano, who was in poor voice, disturbing her admirers with some very evident vocal faults. Remembering that Louis Nicholas, reporting on the Cinciimati SOTY contest, wrote that any one of the three could have been chosen, the judges lucked out that time. Could 1959 have been the year when the judges solved a tough decision by picking the singer with the most potential? The closing day featured Dr. Friedrich S. Brodnitz, author of I^ep Your Voice Healthy, and William Vennard and his film, "The Vibratmg Larynx," which by convention time had been cited by one of the medical journals as the finest fihn of the year. Ralph Errolle, subbing for Ruth Miller Chamlee gave a most interesting closing session, speaking on "Advice to Young Singers," especially those opera-bound in which Errolle had a long and distinguished career. "Auld Lang Syne" seemed to creep up on us ahnost too soon for this information-packed four days. Next Year-Boston! After a convention’s series of eighteen-hour days, the January activity of NATS’ top echelon slowed to a routine that surrendered willingly to the p^ice of Uncle Sam’s carriers. In fact, except for the customary appointment of lieutenant-governors, the reinstatement of members, the dropping of members for non-payment of dues, and the appointment of a nominating committee to select a slate for the 1962-1964 biennium, there was nothing eventful the whole year through. The record of the president/board mail vote is strangely silent in two instances. On December 30,1960, President Wise promised assisting committees to both George Cox and Joel Carter with details to the board via the mails. Seemingly this oversight did not deter either gentleman. At a joint meeting of the Executive Committee and Policy Board at the 1961 Boston Convention, Cox presented a summary of the replies to a questionnaire which he had sent out earlier in the year regarding the holding of regional and national conventions in alternating years. He reported that there was a strong feeling that such a plan would be successful. However, it was b ro u ^t out that since board members held their meetings while attending the annual convention, the biennial convention plan would necessitate a special session during the off years. No conclusion was reached except that the idea should be kept alive through The Bulletin. Well, Joel Carter didn’t lose a step either. At Boston, 8:30 a.m., one year later, he made a general presentation to the Board of Directors. His plan called for increasing the number of regions to twelve or thirteen according to population distribution. Since this disturbed the plan at that time for the selection of-Policy Board members, Carter proposed that the country be divided into four parts with two Policy Board members selected from each division plus one atlarge. The plan, in general, appeared more practical for the promotion of NATS activities. Since the combined Executive Committee and the Policy Board was present, Carter’s plan was given unanimous approval. Then came the action for President-Elect Nicholas that was conclusive evidence that President Wise’s promised action of December 30,1960 never took place. Nicholas appointed a committee to assist Joel Carter in finalizing his plans which were to be presented to the 1962 annual convention. The president-elect also appointed a committee to prepare the necessary changes in the bylaws to permit redistricting and other planned changes. The administrative faculty of ATVP at its meeting in Dallas, December 26,1960 advanced the closing date of the Founders Fellowship Program which was to have terminated January 1,1961 to March 15,1961. It had been a success! At its conclusion, 173 persons had been elected and granted the title "Fellow in NATS." [See inside front cover, The Bulletin, May, 1961, for complete listing.] The funds realized in the form of fees made it possible for ATVP to continue its educational efforts and remain solvent. John Toms, recorder, reported that the annual meeting of the administrative faculty took place, April 23-25, Conrad Hilton Hotel, Chicago. At that meeting, three new members were

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welcomed to the faculty; Helen Hosmer, Ralph Errolle and Romley Fell. Items discussed at the meeting were (1) a letter sent to member schools of the NASM; (2) a letter sent to Fellows in NATS asking their aid in attracting young teachers to enter the AIVP program; (3) the rank of Associate in NATS; (4) the relationship of AIVP to the workshops; and, (5) examination dates. Dr. Berton Coffin, chairman of the examining board of ATVP completed a revision of specimen exams which were made available on request from the recorder for $1.00. It was planned also to have a syllabus written for each of the AIVP courses. However, to realize such a plan would require funds allowing the faculty to commission the writing of such outlines. John Toms visited a number of foundations in New York Qty and Philadelphia during March, 1961 and corresponded with others. Each one was presented with a dossier along with a request for funds to finance the educational program. The foundations commended the program, but were unable to grant aid under the regulations governing their philanthropies. At the business meeting on December 29,1961, Boston Convention, President Wise said, "The AIVP has finished one phase of its work, namely, that of conferring the Founders Fellowships. We start now on the next phase, that of stimulating our members to start work leading to their becoming Fellows in NATS. The courses have been established, reading lists have been made up, sample examinations have been prepared, the machinery for giving the examinations has been planned. We are ready to go... The objective of AIVP is simple. It is to raise the level of the teaching singer, to make our teaching more knowledgeable, more efficient and more artistic.. . G. Willard Bassett, chairman of the NATS/NASM Liaison Committee, has come up with a fine suggestion, that chapters organize reading and study groups centered around the AIVP examinations. The chapters have had study groups in years gone by but what a marvelous incentive they now have for study, reading and discussion." On December 29th, at a joint meeting of the Policy Board and Executive Committee, it was noted that the current terms of Helen Hosmer, elected to complete Grace Leslie’s term, who had resigned because of poor health, and that of Mel Geist were expiring as of the end of the year. It was proposed that Helen Hosmer be reelected and that Melvin Geist be replaced by Willard BassetL So, besides the three lop men, Gilliland, Toms and Coffin, the balance of the faculty for the coming year were: Bassett, Errolle, Fell, Hosmer, Vennard and Nicholas, by virtue of his being elected to the presidency. Since only minor modifications were made in the rules and regulations of SOTY, it was possible to distribute the brochures to the membership in February. The Singer of the Year contest listing was included in most of the private and/or governmental listings of such activities. The unusually large number of inquiries received reflected the growing national interest in the auditions. A total of nearly seventy-five highly qualified young artists submitted applications in 1961. Carter listed seven problems or possible improvements under consideration: (1) a second place or runner-up award; (2) an increase in the cash award to the national winner; (3) a uniform plan for travel funds or other financial aid to regional winners; (4) a more effective promotion of the reigning Singer of the Year, including organized regional or chapter-sponsored concert tours; (5) a clarification of the Association’s policy regarding previous winners and runner-ups; (6) equalizing the opportunities between the most populous and least populous regions; and (7) establishing and stabilimg still higher standards of adjudication. Seven regions were represented at SOTY finals. For once it had its own evening at the convention, and singers were allowed to sing more than three selections. Teresa Orantes, Chicago, was named Singer of the Year. All gave highly creditable performances, but as time has proven, even with SOTY there were no waves in 1961. The Regional Student Auditions, the only live ones to be found in 1961, were in the Southwestern, Southern and Southeastern Regions where the number involved totaled between 400 and 500 student performers. The Association policy had been to leave the promotion, organization, and administration of student auditions completely in the hands of the governors and lieutenant governors. Carter believed that attempts should be made to extend student auditions to the regions not enjoying the stimulation of such activity; that both regional and national recognition should be provided for outstanding student winners; and that guidelines for NATS-sponsored student auditions should be agreed upon and published for the use of all concerned. Also, that regional conventions needed to be considered.

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During the summer of 1961, five workshops were held aaoss the country between June 18 and August 18. Artistic and professional achievements of all workshops were at the usual high standard of NATS activity. Two shops were ATVP oriented with a lecture series of ten in each shop. The NATS lecturers were paid $25 per lecture in addition to travel and living expenses. The latter represented a new policy which had been voted in at Dallas with reference to ATVP implementation in the Workshop Program. Questionnaires filled by members of these two shops almost unanimously indicated appreciation of these courses. It should be noted that neither of the workshops offering these courses and incurring the additional $250 expense showed a deficit Unfortunately, the program as a whole showed a rather large deficit It wiped out the workshop account and incurred a $238 deficit which had to be met fi’om general funds. At the end of 1960, the balance in the workshop account stood at $714. This was the third successive summer that the workshop program had recorded a loss, and with ahnost a thousand dollar loss in 1961, it was time to reconsider objectives and problems. In 1960, the fee was raised fi’om $25 to $30 with no complaints. Evidently, the fee should have been advanced in 1961. As the program was run in 1961, it was no longer self-sustaining. Your historian not only prepared the promotional materials for the 1961 shops, but finally gave in to requests to participate. My wife and I, with Sonia Shamova, drove fi-om Chicago to Boone, North Carolina where I was on the Workshop Faculty at Appalachian State Teachers College, August 13-18. Kay Griffel, our 1960 SOTY was the featured recitalist Marilyn Zschau sang a diversified program in support of Walter Golde’s talk on lieder. I had two areas: Church Solo Repertoire, illustrated by my wife, Lucile, plus several students; and Class Voice Demonstrations, with a cooperating group of students. It was a well-attended shop, seventy-two, including faculty that included such notables as Radiana Pazmor, Joel Carter, R6 Koster, Harvey Woodruff, Sonia Shamova, etc. That sortie had to be paid for. Time lost from getting The Bulletin into the mails had to be made up-it could never be short-changed. The Bulletin had to come first and other NATS involvements had to be avoided. Under Richard DeYoung’s chairmanship, the Advisory Committee on Vocal Education had been the shaping force of NATS vocal thought From this committee emerged the pronounce­ ments that stimulated study groups and summer workshops; the Singer of the Year program; and the American Institute of Vocal Pedagogy. The unexpected demise of Richard DeYoung changed all that. Carter, Fields, Toms and Vennard had all been coworkers. No longer was there a father figure. It appeared that Victor A Fields, chosen to succeed Richard DeYoung as chairman of the Advisory Committee on Vocal Education, wanted to delimit the committee’s scope of activity from the very beginning. The word "Advisory" was dropped from the title. Under Fields, the committee’s concern was that portion of NATS’ membership who seemingly offered resistance to change, as evidenced by their contentment to perpetuate the past So, the Committee on Vocal Education undertook a counseling service, supplemented by the “Quiz Cove" column in The Bulletin. At the time of the 1961 Annual Reports, the committee had provided published answers to some sixty questions of educational importance to teachers of singing. The committee offered to continue their advisory services to NATS members so long as there seemed to be a demand for them. William Ross, chairman of the Research Committee, reported that in 1961 Oren Brown was completing a study on "The Upper Voice"; that Program Notes for the Singer’s Repertoire by CofBn and Singer was about to be released by Scarecrow Press; that Philip Duey was in the midst of making a survey of university course and dissertation requirements in voice on the doctoral level; that Ralph Errolle’s name had been listed in the archives of Rome for this contribution to Italian phonetics. Errolle also demonstrated the results of his research at the workshops at the University of Utah and Willamette University; that William Ross and Ross Ekstrom were collaborating on a sound analysis of female voices; that William Vennard’s film, "The Vibrating Larynx," was shown at the Willamette and University of Utah NATS summer workshops; that Warren Wooldridge was engaged in a spectrographic analysis of changes vowel sounds undergo in the different range of the singing voice. The work of the Public School Music Affairs Committee was confined to the state of Indiana, both Carl L. Nelson, chairman, and George Newton were Hoosiers. At the Indiana State Music Teachers Association meeting, a NATS committee, consisting of Nelson, Newton and two other Indiana NATSers, discussed possible ways of increasing the value of state high school vocal

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contests. The list of their suggested changes was recommended to the contest officials by the Indiana State Music Teachers Association. Nelson also spent considerable time during the year evaluating the requirements for certification for public school music teachers in Indiana. His efforts got across one improvement that was a big step forward in 1961: a provision that no one would be permitted to teach vocal music in the schools without a minimum of two years of vocal study. Unfortunately, the committees on general education and professional education succeeded in raising their requirements, making it difficult to include enough music hours to have a desirable bachelors degree course in music education. While there was some gain at the masters level, the program was not satisfactory fi’om the viewpoint of the music educator. At the pre-convention combined meeting of the Policy Board and the Executive Committee on December 26,1961, the consideration of the budget for 1962 necessitated recounting what had happened in 1961. It was noted that The Bulletin had overspent its budget, that workshops were behind a considerable amount Just how much was difficult to ascertain since two workshops had not yet sent in their reports at convention time. Our membership count was down seventy-three, standing at 1,872, a drop of 3.75% from 1960. One hundred twenty-five were dropped for non­ payment of dues and forty-nine resigned. This deprived NATS of anticipated income. However, the sale of advertising in The Bulletin and the convention program book was considerably increased over previous years, just under $3,000. Your historian, as had been customary the past several years, prepared the 1961 convention program book and was responsible for the sale of advertising. While the board was happy with the advertising income, there were repercussions over the contents of some of the ads. It was noted that some schools included names of their voice faculty and some chapters listed their officers. In view of NATS’ policy of not allowing individual cards in The Bulletin, it was felt that this was a double standard treatment and that it was not fair to the private teacher to have institutional teachers represented. It was also felt that the names of chapter officers should not be included in chapter ads. Consequently, the Policy Board and Executive Committee in jomt session ruled unanimously that ads using individual names of NATS members in convention programs and in The Bulletin, other than that of chief administrative officers of the institution should be baned. Then, they had second thoughts-there were a couple authors in that legislative ensemble. An exception was made and a revised ruling provided that "advertisement of books written by NATS member/authors be allowed as the knowledge of their availability was of value to the members at large." The see-saw membership activity was of much concern. Over the past three years, the ups and downs were as volatile as the Dow-Jones. In 1958, we closed the year with 1,883 members. In 1959, our membership dropped 2%. In 1960, it gained 5.3%. In 1961, it decreased 3.75%. In the meantime, some 336 new members had been added to our roles plus forty-one reinstatements, but we only had a total of 1,872 members at the end of 1961, eleven less than three years earlier! The key had to be membership retention plus recruitment In both 1959 and 1961, we lost heavily in the dropped for non-payment of dues and the resigned columns, a total of 328 members! There was something or probably it should be said there was little going on at the grass roots level to retain members. In 1960, there was only one chapter chartered; in 1961, they matched 1960. Gertrude Tingley, in her article, "Oh Sleepers, Arise," The Bulletin, May 1961, wrote: "The power of Communism surely lies in the fact that for the millions it touches it is something new and, therefore, to be followed with passionate zeal. So now I have found a sort of excuse for our growing carelessness in matters relating to NATS. The newness has worn off, it is going of its own momentum; it is nice to have the seal on our stationery, but we are just too busy to do much about it beyond paying our dues. . . It was not so in the beginning. The founders of our association were tremendously busy and successful teachers, but they believed heart and soul in the ideals of NATS, and found the time to do the work... These people knew that no matter how busy you are, you can find time for the thing that really matters. Why do I feel that the spirit is lactog today? I feel it because there seems to be a general lethargy, a slackening of our efforts. Too little and too late seems to have become our slogan." The Executive Committee, recognizing that the costs of carrying on the work of the Association required additional income, recommended a vigorous membership drive. Ways of implementing this was discussed but indecision produced no specific proposal. Then someone

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suggested an increase in the annual dues. In the opinion of the committee, the dues should be increased from $6.00 to $8.00. A hurried reading of the bylaws produced an amendment to Article III, Section I, changing it to read; "The Regular Annual Dues shall be $8.00 of which $3.00 is one year’s subscription to The Bulletin,'' which was passed unanimously. A closer look at the bylaws brought an even more hurried second motion to rescind the one that they had just passed. A second glance revealed that dues could only be changed at the aimual meeting by a two-thirds vote of the members present and voting. The decision was made to take a year’s time to prepare the membership for the proposed change in the bylaws in dues which would be announced to the membership at the annual business meeting on Friday, December 29th. Then the membership would be prepared via The Bulletin with the change to become effective as of January 1, 1963. At the same December 17th meeting of the Executive Committee, Dale Gilliland, director of AIVP, presented a proposal that an intermediate step in the Fellowship Program be inaugurated to permit young teachers to enter the program upon admission to NATS membership. This award was to be called Associate in NATS, requiring five years of teaching experience (same as for NATS membership) and the passing of eight of the fourteen exams which were the requirements for the Fellowship. After considerable discussion, ATVP was authorized to bring the proposal before the members at the Annual Business Meeting with only one no vote to Vennard’s motion which was seconded by Arnold E. Putman. These late sessions, begun at 10:30 p.m. and lasting until 1:00 a.m., left board members little time for sleeping and eating-the next meeting was scheduled for 8:00 a.m. As had been the practice for a number of years, reproduced copies of the yearly reports of officers and standing committees, excepting the president’s report which was delivered verbally, were made available to members attending a convention prior to the Annual Business Meeting for their information and as a time-saving device. As the second order of business, the reports were presented to the convention assembled by the secretary, who moved their acceptance. It was within the province of any member to question content or call for further clarification at the time the president asked the question, "Any discussion?" If there were none, the president would call for a vote. Also, when there were matters of importance to be voted on at the annual business meeting, there was a special session to provide ample time for explanation, and thorough discussion. The hope was that an informed electorate could deal with an issue with more dispatch. The presentation of the Associate in NATS at the aimual business meeting of the 1961 Boston convention was just such a case in point. When President Wise called on Berton Coffin to present the Associate in NATS program to the convention assembled, his first question to those attending the business meeting was to ask for a show of hands of those who had attended the previous day’s meeting in regard to this new program. Unfortunately, only a few had. Outlines of the program were passed around and Coffin hastily described the requirements of the Associate in NATS. At the conclusion of his presentation, Berton Coffin moved for its adoption. Ralph Errolle seconded the motion. Then, a familiar voice who had not attended a convention for five years, Margaret Sheridan, was given the floor. (It was Margaret Sheridan who had asked the question at the 1953 SL Louis Convention that thwarted the acceptance of proposed revisions to our bylaws at that meeting.) Once more, Margaret Sheridan set off an extended discussion over the name Associate in NATS. No matter the explanations of Coffin, Toms, Vennard or Cox, she and her supporters held their ground. The proof, twenty-two double-spaced pages in the transcript of the 1961 Annual Business Meeting. Finally, E. Clifford Toren moved that the new program of ATVP be accepted. Then a voice from Miimesota remarked: "We should accept the thing under what name?" Whereupon President Wise spoke up, "Will you restate the motion?” Before Toren could catch his breath, Berton Coffin jumped in and restated his original motion, "I move that the program of the Associate in NATS be adopted." After a bit of jockeying, a rising vote was taken and President Wise announced, "Thirty-five for, twenty-two against." Then Margaret Sheridan spoke up, "May I say I am not against the program but the title.” That sentiment was seconded by the president who said, "That is what is going through my mind. The vote of course, won. The motion passed." So the controversy regained momentum and rumbled along until Vennard was given the floor: "Mr. President, I think it might affect our

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morale for us to go away with the feeling that there was a vote of 35 to 22 for this thing, because this program should be unanimous or at least it should be very, very close to unanimous. Now the feeling that has been expressed by two or three people here is that we are unanimous or very close to being unanimous on the idea of the program but we are divided 35 to 22 on what the program should be called. So just for the sake of a happier record could we have just a straw vote to find out how many people are in favor of the program without committing themselves to what it should be called? I move that we take such a vote." Vennard’s motion passed, but pros and cons erupted before the vote could be taken. Finally, President Wise spoke up: "I think that some of you people should go and talk to the ATVP Administrative Faculty because we will just keep on going and we have many things to do." Victor Fields gained the floor and moved that "the matter of selecting a title for this program be referred to the Administrative Faculty." His motion was seconded and passed. Thereupon, the president called on the treasurer, Robert Bowlus, to announce the proposed increase in dues to eight dollars with the provision that three dollars would go to The Bulletin. After the Resolutions Committee had its say, E Clifford Toren, chairman of the Nominating Committee presented the slate for the 1962-1964 biennium: President. Louis Nicholas. Vice-Presidents: Joel Carter, George Cox, Constance Eberhart, Gertrude EhrhardL Seaetary: Hadley R. Crawford. Treasurer. Robert Bowlus. Registrar: Gertrude Tingley. Past-President: B. Fred Wise. Board of Directors: Northern: John Thut. Northwestern: John L. Lester. Southeastern: Arnold E. Putman. Mertiber-at-Large: Philip A. Duey, Duey filled the unexpired term of George Cox who replaced William Vennard as director of workshops. (Vennard opted to take a vacation from the top echelon until he returned for the 1964-19^ biennium.) Actually, the only new face on the ^ecutive Committee was Constance Eberhardt and the only new face on the Policy Board was Philip Duey, who would become the president for the 1966-1968 biennium, following William Vennard, who would succeed Louis Nicholas. Interesting, none of the vice-presidents being elected for 1962-1964 biennium would make it to the top. Incidentally, all former regional governors were renominated, excepting Wendell Osborne who was replaced by Orcenith Smith in the Southwestern Region and Marshall Bryant in the Eastern Region, who was succeeded by C. Scripps Beebee. The regional office was the training ground of President-Elect Nicholas. He became regional governor of the Southern Region in 1952. In 1956, with the creation of the new eighteen-man Board of Directors, he was one of the regional governors that formed the first Policy Board. In 1958, he became a vice-president, holding that office for two terms. All in all, it was a ten-year climb to the presidency. In 1990, he still serves NATS as chairman of the Editorial Board of The NATS Journal. Toren moved for the election of the officers listed to their respective offices. After its seconding, a unanimous vote of all remaining fifty-seven conventioneers made it official, less than half the number than attended the banquet, a sad commentary on our membership. Garlinghouse was right, the membership was quite content to let the board run things. After the new president received the gavel fi-om President Wise and made the customary acceptance speech, he reminded Nicholas that he was president for three more days and proceeded to bring the meeting to a close, but he had not reckoned with Margaret Sheridan. Gaining the floor, she said, "This is not an announcement. I suppose it is a motion, maybe it is a suggestion, to be tabled or considered by the Executive Committee for a year. I have been away from these conventions for five years. Upon my return, I find the same thing which bothered me when I was very aaive in the organization. Every time there is a program the person who is responsible for the program, which involves research, must start fi:om scratch, l&requently not knowing where to scratch. Not that I have any criticism. They are excellently done. But it seems to me to have a historian or archivist to report to so it would be immediately available to anyone who had a repertoire problem or wanted to develop a program, that these things would be available in one s p o t.. This is the reason for the motion, that there be an archivist or historian." So Wise, about to become past-president, said: "As president, Lou, you can keep this in mind." Shortly thereafter, the meeting was adjourned sine die. Interesting, on March 6,1947, President

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Carson had appointed Miss Julia Stacey Gould of East Greenwich, R.L as Historian. Her name or what she did never appears again in the records. Helen Huls and Annemarie Gerts, reporting the convention in The Bulletin, wrote: "This one was different... This was a program which filled in heretofore untouched areas, one which placed strong emphasis on musical performance, with conventioneers playing roles on both sides of the footlights." These lingered in memory: the presentation of operetta arias in costume from The Mikado, Pirates of Penzance, Yeoman of the Guard, Princess Ida, The Gondoliers, lolanthe, ending with Carousel, the 1960 Singer of the Year Kay Griffel’s beautiful singing, the singing of the Eastern regional Student Audition vwnners, Samuel Barber’s brief opera, A Hand of Bridge, the members’ singing a part of Bach’s Cantata 21, "Ich hatte viel Bekuemmemis" under the direction of Loma Cooke de Varon, and the not-to-be-forgotten recital of Roland Hayes. Lest you think it was all tea and concerts, there was the panel discussion on ATVP and its projected involvement with workshops, the scholarly lecture of Dr. Karl Geiringer on "Haydn and the Opera," a symposium on folksong, and the debate, moderated by Harvey Ringel, your historian, "Resolved: That the Teaching of Singing is a Science," with the chief protagonists, William Vennard for the affirmative and Philip Duey for the negative. Yes, this one was different! The annual dinner was attended by 140 members and guests, among them the French Consul in Boston and his wife. It was also the occasion of the two memorable citations, one to Roland Hayes, for his contribution to American Culture through his art, and to G. Schirmer in recognition of its 100 years of service to the musical profession, Karl Bradl^ accepting for the publishers. Then the unforgettable nightcap, a recital of French song by one of NATS’ most eminent members, baritone Martial Singher of Metropolitan fame, with his son, Michel, at the piano. Saturday’s final session to hold the early-Ieavers was a rewarding vocal clinic with Grace Leslie as moderator and panelists Sonia Shamova, Ralph Errolle, Orcenith Smith and Aksel Schi^itz, subbing for William Ross. A substantial majority remained to join in the traditional "Auld Lang Syne" with quite a few making plans to meet in Los Angeles the coming December.

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The BULLETIN Official Organ of the National Association o f Teachers of Singing, Inc. Volum* I

OCTOBER, 1944

CORDIAL GREEHNGS to

ALL MEMBERS OF NATS T * u r m c i i U v t a n r n i (M l tiw t t h «7 •b»uM I t th U UiB* r tp e r t U r m I h t l r «eU tIU u U d a te M k th aU • ( U l i A m ocU U m . an d iB d lc a ii M m * a f tiM ir ^ U n a fa r th e a u r fu tu r e . H t n e t tk li lalU al l a u r a t a B uU tlln w h ic h « U I k* (*Il«w«d by aU icr laaucs fro m U m t to t i a i . II m ay a*«m U aernc a f you i h i t th r B tc h in c ry a ( N A T S h u r» a In low g i a r d u r in t Ih tM f l n t aU m a a lh i of I ti a a u t tn c t. r r a n k ly . w t e t tJif r u c u llv c jr o u p i h a r t th a t ft« lln « : ku: if ygu could h a v t la c td w iih u i a ll c l Uit a u m tro u s p ro b Itm i In c id tn t to th e d tr tlo p m tn l o f a a a u o o -v id e o rB a n lia tio n you w ould, we k tlifv e. u n d t n t a n d why the w h e tU h av e tu r a td I* alow ly. Q ia n c r m t m b t n who w tr« p r e ic n t a t th e a r ta n lia tlo n a a tiio n t in C in c in n a ti la it M arch w ill rtc a ll Ih t o ft rtp a a lc d apinton th a t w » ahould atrive fo r ^o alK ) ra th e r th a n ^ u a iitll} of n e m k c n h ip O u r ip rc ifle d a a tliitible (o r m e m b e r, ■hip aniy th o se *oie» ta a c h m w h o ie f th ical Ideilk a n d p ra c tic c i w ere above r e ­ proach w ho w e re o f (oed p ro te u io n a l and p treo n al r t p u t t In th e ir m o t i v e com n u n litc t a n d w hoa* aducauonal e q u ip m e n t an d ex p erien ce q uallS ed them a i efflclenl Instructora. l a o u r tO o rU to m aintain th e se h lf h a ta n d a rd i It a eo n W cam e a p p a re n t th a t aome speclAc a ta U m e a t of a th ic a l p r a c ­ tices m u st b e a u b m itttd to p ro sp e ctiv e m em bers, to w h ic h they could pledge ob­ servance. A n d a e th e m efflbership r a m p a ic n w as te m p o ra rily hailed w hile a d e­ tailed Code o f E th ic s was fo rm u la te d , p rin ted a n d p la c a d In th e b a n d s o f o u r re g io n al offlceri. to g e th e r w ith n e w a p p li­ c atio n c a rd s b e a r in g a pledge to fa ith fu lly abaerve th is C o d e. F o rm s fa r a b lo g ra p h leal a h etch o f t a c h ap p lican t w ere ala o Isaaed. lii a r 4 e r t h a t th e td u c a tia n a l b a clis ro u n d a f a a e h B iam ker m ay b e la c lu d e d to th e R e g litra r-a rM a rd s A t U U w ritin g ail a i w B e r a b e ra a r a ilg a la g th e C ad * a f e t h l c i pledg* a n d a u b m lttln g a b io g ra p h ­ ical ah etch . M e m b a ra w ba w ere In d u c ta d W ford th ta e r a t a l r a m e a u w ar* p u t la to affect a r e a ia o e am p ly tag . n * b y -U w aU puU U oB th a t a a c h a a m W n h ip a p p lle a tia n b e paaaed u p o n b r th e C am m itta e a n A d m ia a ian s a n d a ll s e m b e n • f U e C s* c « U v * C tom m lttae ra a u Jte d In a •M a ld e ra b l* l a ^ • # U a e b a tw a a a r a e a lp t • ( a p p iic a tia n a b r lU g la M l C a r a m o r a a a d la a u aa c e • / a a a m b a rs U p aard a bjr U « R a g I f tr a r . a la c a B M aabara a f tlMae O e a m l tta e y n a l d e In a rtd a ly a c a tU ra d d U ia . A p la n la b ein g in a u g u r s t e d w fekh w ill a llm l-

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R n t AmimI Convtnfion

N o. I a a M v a r t h y b a t Ittll* k a o a m a u m b c r a ky A m e ric a n e e a p o a e ra ; • a g j t r a t l o n t f o r a Bare a c c u ra te larm ln o lo K x a n d n u m e r o u s a th e r aub)ecU a r t b e ia g U w u g h tf u lly c o n -

•f N .A .T.S. D a ta -F a b ru a ry D .I4 -IS . I H S P la c a — H o U l S tatiar, D alroH , M ic h . O u r m aaling will ba hald in c o n ­ jun ction with ih a A nnual C o n v a n lio n o f ♦(!* M u iic T aach an N a tio n ­ a l Association. N ^ T 3 . D in n .r — W a d .. F a b . 14 (Full d a la ilt a t latar d ata) r U n to A H a n d

W hlle th e a c tu a l p r t p a r a U o n a n d p u b Mcation o f auch a a t M l a l B u a t . a f n c c e t Hty. be th e ta a k o f e a r a ffle a ra a n d a p e c la l «« > m ltlee s, It U re c o * i,U a d t h a t m a n y B e s b e r s o u tsid e th e ‘ a R c U l « a n illy ~ a r e a tU d to m a k e va lu a b le c a n t r i b u t l o n i M y fellew officers a n d 1 u r « e n t l y r*< iuesl a n y B em b er o f th is A a so c ia tlo n w h o fe e ls t h a t be or th e h a t an Idea o f v a lu e to fe llo w m em bers to s u b m it IL O n e o f t h e p r in c ip a l functions of N A TS U t o p r o v id e a m e d ­ ium (or tu c h a n e t c h t n g e o f Id e a s. I c o r ­ dially issue a f u n d i n g I n v l u t i o n to a n y aad all m em bers to a u b m it t o m e . a t a n y time. Ideas o r o pinions w h ic h t h e y b e lie v e w au'd be a h elp fu l c o n t r i b u t i o n to o u r prag ram o f e d u ca tio n , fe llo w a h lp a n d p ro feasiontl b e tte r m e n t 1 a h a l l g r e a t l y a p p r e d t t e such t u g i n t i o n s a n d p r o m l t e to g iv e them ty m p a th e tic c a n t l d t r a U o n . M ost cordially, JO H N C V f lL O O X . P r e t l d e n t .

B a te th a t d e ity an d a p p lic a n ts fo r m e m b e r a h ip m ay be a ss u re d th a t U e ir a c c e p ta n e e o r rejection « iU be re p o rte d w ith in a ra a io n a b ly ih o r t tim e a f te r Allng. A n d t o a s w e begin th U 1M I-4S m u s ic a l a a a a o n . th e m a c h in ery o f N A T S Is In good w o r k in g o rd e r and w e an U clp a te . d u r in g th e n a x t few m onths, a n a U b le g ro w th In B e m b e r a h ip . A t m y u rg e n t re q u e s t. M r. L e o n C arson h as cons< nled to a c t a s O i a l r m t n of R egional G overnors. M r. C k rao n w ill u n d e rU k e to m old th e s e Im p o r t­ a n t field officers in to a w o rk in g c o m m itte e a n d . th ro u g h cooperative cR art, g r e a tly f a ­ c i l i t a t e th e cam paign fo r nem- n e m b e r a In aU a a c tlo n s o( th e U n ite d t u i e a . O nce o u r m a m b e r th ip Includea a la rg e p tr c e n ta g e a ( ra p ra a e n ta tiv * ta a c h tr a la a ll p a r u e l U a c a a n tr y , thia A aaacU tla n w ill fu a c U a n In a w a y th a t wUI e a n trib u U a a u b l y ta U>* lm prav*iD *at a f v a c a l p ed ag o g y a n d t k a b«tt*raM B t af a u r p r a f ta tla a . T a u r aOlcara and v a r ie s m tte ta a re w a rk lB g a a p ra)*cU w h ic h w ill, In d u e U a i* . ra a a lt In the U auaBc* a f a ia te r la ] a f g r a a t ia te ra a t a n d v a lu e t a e a r a u m b a r t • a d t h e v a k c ta a c h la g p ra ftM io a a t la rg e . A a lm p le a U ta m e n t df n i a d a ta e n U I L a w s M d P a d a g a g lc P ra c a p ta , w h ic h wlU r a t a c t M t h a n t l c la la r B a tl a e fr a a i U a « a ld a l a d a n t l B c v a ea l r B t a re h a a d a raeoocU ed p a d a c a f i r a p p ra ac h . la a M a f tk a a e p r a j• c u . A a aB p lU U a a a f a c c e p ta b le E a g lU h t r a j i a t a t l a i u a f fa ra lg n a a a g - t a a u la a n • t l i e r . L iaU a f te a c h in g a e a g i, ta c lu d ln g

A WELCOME To the National Association of Tcachcrs of Singing, Inc. T he N tiio n a l A a so c ia tlo n o f T e a c h r r s o f ■laging h a t com e In to b e in g a t a n I m p o r ta a t m o m e n t In th e p ro g r a a a o f v o c a l a r t In America. The A m erican p u b lic h t u a h o w n i t i c l f ready, n a y e ag e r, to w e lr n m e o u r n a t i v e tin g e rs an th e ir ow n m a r lta . T o d a y , a t t h e U e lr tp o liu n . the m a jo r ity o f o u r a r t i s t s are A m e ric a n -b o n . a n d A i n t r i c a n - t r a l n c d . M any of th e m a re p r e v to g t h a t th e y c a n U ke ra n k w ith th e S a e a t o f th o s e f r o m eth e r co u n trie s T here Is a p ra fu tia n a f v e c a l t a l e n t In A a e ric a B u t. a a ly t h r a a i i h t h e d * v * lo p ■Mnt an d m a in te n a n e a a f t h e h l g h c t l M aadards a m tn g ta a c b a r a o f a ln g in g . through t h i l r d d h tr e a e e l a t h e h i g h e t t principles, th ra u g h th e ir m u t u a l c e o p c r a Hen a a d In te rc h a n g e In U se a d v a n c e m e n t a f t h , l r p re fta s ie n c a n IM a t a l e n t b e c u l t i ­ vated a n d b ra u g h t t a fu ll B a w a r. T h a t th e se ahould b e t h e a v o w e d purg a a e to fT h e N a U e n a lA a a a c la U a n o f T t a c h e f t a ( t in g in g is a lg n iA c a n t a n d t h e e r g a n kaU an deaerves th e w a r m e a t w e lc o m e b e ta ev ery e a t w h e k a a w a b o w e lo q u e n t a a d W a a tlU u l th e h a a t a n v a ic e c a n b e . KDW ARD X > H N 8 0 N. G e n eral H u a g e r a f t h e l le tr a p o llL a n O p e ra A taoclaU on. U c .

Louis Nicholas PRESIDENT

1962-1964 Late in January, President Nicholas appointed Grace Leslie to the administrative faculty of AIVP, at their suggestion, to replace Roraley Fell who had been obUged to resign because of poor health. At the same time, the president’s appointments to two other committees, via mail vote, were unanimously approved: (1) the Committee on Vocal Education-B. Fred Wise, chairman, Oren Brown, Philip A. Duey, Grace Leslie, J. Oscar Miller, Sonia Shamova and Orcenith Smith; (2) the Research Committee-William Ross, chairman, Oren Brown, Berton Coffin, Philip A. Duey, Ralph Errolle, Victor A. Fields, Robert M. Taylor, William Vennard and Warren Wooldridge. The first part of February, President Nicholas asked the Policy Board for a directive on the question of relaxing our policy of not using titles other than Mr., Mrs., or Miss in our membership lists. The Record Book carried the notation, "no decision reported." However, at the Los Angeles Convention in a meeting of the entire board, the consensus was that such titles may be used at the respective member’s discretion. This had been a problem in The Bulktin as well Orcenith Smith, who had been appointed to the Committee on Vocal Education, resigned his post of governor of the Southwestern Region and on March 7th, the Policy Board appointed Vera Redgrove Neilson, University of Oklahoma, as his successor. Harold Luckstone, as associate editor of The Bulletin under Mowe’s editorship and Leon Carson, assistant editor at the time of The Bulletin staffs en masse resignation in the spring of 1955, consented early in April to become a member of the Editorial Board of JTie Bulletin, filling the void left by Louis Nicholas’ elevation to the presidency. Although Annemarie Gerts, Walter Alien Stults and your historian were members of the Editorial Board at this time, the three main voices in the selection of submitted manuscripts were Chairman Bernard Taylor, William Vennard and Harold Luckstone. An interesting sidelight, Harold’s father Isidore was a prominent teacher of singing at the turn of the century. Isidore Luckstone was one of the ten elected to the Executive Board of the first National Association of Teachers of Singing which was founded in 1906. The last of April, President Nicholas asked the Executive Committee to approve the following as the Committee on Vocal Affairs in the Public Schools: Violet Johnson, chairman, Esther Andreas, Ruth Bean Davis, William Lynn, William Rice and Jayne Richards SterretL The Montana Chapter was approved by a unanimous vote. August brought the idea of an executive secretary, which the Policy Board approved in principle, but it was evident that there were many obstacles, principally money. Until that problem could be solved, no action could be taken. With the first phase of its activity completed, ATVP experienced somewhat of a lull in its activities during 1962. The Associate level of competence proposed and passed at Boston was given double-column coverage in The Bulletin, February, 1962 with the footnote that the title would be restudied and reported to the membership at a later date. During the year, the administrative faculty devoted considerable correspondence to it. When the faculty met at the Los Angeles convention, they decided that the term "Associate" was the best term that could be used. At the business meeting, John Toms moved that the term, "Associate" be used as the title of the intermediate level of the ATVP educational program. John Toms went on to explain, "Mr. Coffin has suggested that I relate this to the terminology that is used by the American Guild of Organists. They have AAGO, or ’Associate in the American Guild of Organists,’ FAGO, ’Fellow in the American Guild of Organists.’ We would have parallel titles here. So someone who had passed the necessary examinations to gain the Associate level would actually gain the title ’Associate in the National Association of Teachers of Singing.’ The final examinations would reach the title of Fellowship-’Fellow in the National Association of Teachers of Singing.’"

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After a few more had iheir say, the motion passed, making the title of "Associate in NATS" oEBcial. As for John Toms, he was at home in his new stamping grounds. This was the year that he left the environs of Chicago and took up residence at San Francisco State College. During the year, the Commission on Curricula, National Association of Schools of Music, was kept informed of the Administrative Faculty’s actions. The commission gave them many suggestions for improvement and considerable encouragement in their effort to implement improvement of our profession saying, "This is the best thing that has happened in the teaching of singing profession." Many teachers signified their intentions of future study and even began work. G. Willard Bassett reported at the Los Angeles Convention that thirteen teachers in the Los Angeles C hap­ ter had enrolled for study and that several had already taken their exams. The 1962 summer workshops also featured ATVP oriented courses. Vice President Joel Carter, director of field activities, prefaced his annual report with, "It continues to be apparent that the widespread activities of the Association are successful or unsuccessful according to the dedication, the initiative, and the perseverance of the regional officers. The absence of part or full-time professional assistance in administering projects, maintaining necessary supplies, or developing new or more effective routines will probably continue to plague us if not actually hinder our efforts." The brochure announcing the Eighth Annual Singer of the Year and Scholarship Auditions was put in the mail early in February. In addition to being sent to members, it was given national and international publicity through various media. Carter reported that inquiries received by him numbered into the hundreds. More than three score highly qualified applicants participated in the regional semi-finals. It was his observation that the standards of adjudication were improving. In his judgement, these problems remained to be solved: The provision of suitable cash awards or other recognition for the national runner-up or for regional finalists, a more adequate promotion of the reigning Singer of the Year, including chapter or regionally sponsored recitals, and a further stability of local, regional and national adjudication procedures. As for Student Auditions, the Southwestern and Southeastern Regions led the nation in involvement The Eastern Region came up with several successful innovations. Unfortunately, these exciting and well-managed student auditions were not available in all regions. Their health depended upon each regional governor’s involvement The finals of the Eighth Annual Singer of the Year were held on Thursday, December 17th. All eight regions were represented. The 1962 Singer of the Year was Robert W. Hale, bassbaritone, from Oklahoma City, Southwestern Region. What a SOTY he turned out to be! His career since 1962 has been a series of triumphs, not only in the opera houses of this country, but also in the world. His main opera base is Frankfurt, Germany. According to Berton Coffin, he has a home there as well as in California. He has appeared as soloist with the foremost orchestras in Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, Cincinnati, Mlwaukee, Pittsburgh, San Antonio, Toronto, Montreal, to name a few, and has taken part in such major festivals as Ravinia, Tanglewood, Wolf Trap and Cincinnati in this country. Then there are the opera houses and concert halls of Europe. He sang an exciting program at our 1983 Minneapolis Convention, demonstrating the vocal talent that has projected him into a very successful international career. In view of Robert Hale’s long and distinguished career, it is difficult to understand the board action of December 29,1962, the day after the SOTY finals. J. Oscar Miller suggested that "there was some doubt that the wiimer of this year’s Singer of the Year contest showed a calibre of performance as high as should be expected fi^om this event." The discussion that followed led to the thought that "perhaps more strict discretion should be shovm in the administration of this annual contest with respect to the declaration of a Singer of the Year." Stanley Deacon moved and John Lester seconded that "in the event that it is ever decided not to declare a winner of the title Singer of the Year, the prize money of Sl,000 be apportioned to the three highest ranking contestants., . in the amounts of $500 for first place, $300 for second place and $200 for third place." And so it was ordered by the Policy Board. There was one small step in the right direction, a gift of $1,000 by a Miss Helen H eath o f the Eastern Region to SOTY, $200 to be divided equally among the finalists each year to assist in transportation expenses.

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There were five summer workshops in 1962 extending from Seattle, Washington to Kingsbury, Rhode Island, held primarily in the month of August. While course offerings had moved consis­ tently toward a higher standard of excellence with the inclusion of courses covering areas of study prescribed by the ATVP, in 1962 the program was expanded to include the presentation of one or more of the areas required by the Fellowship Pro­ gram in each of the workshops. The need to have specific faculty for such courses contributed to higher costs in staffing, not only in teaching fees, but also in travel. Despite these added costs. Vice President George Cox reported that the program realized a surplus, enough to wipe out the Vennard deficit and to once more provide a surplus with which to start the ensuing year. More than 200 LOUIS NICHOLAS attended the five workshops with 151 attending full time, grossing $5,428.75 in tuition. The awareness that there was a need for a raise in dues was recognized at the Boston Convention. The plan was to make the raise effective as of January 1,1963. During 1962, the membership would be prepared for this change through the columns of The Bulletin. Our annual dues had remained at $6.00 since 1949, except for that short interlude at the lime of the 1953 S l Louis Convention when the grass roots representatives remaining for the annual business meeting asked the board to reconsider the raise to $7.50 as decided by a very low mail vote prior to the convention. The mandate of the convention could not be carried out because the absentee treasurer had placed the 1954 dues notices in the mail prior to the annual business meeting. President Taylor, after consulting with the regional governors and his executive officers, asked the board in March, 1954 to return the dues to $6.00, so there really had been no dues increase in fourteen years. Two articles, "More than Your Money’s Worth," February Bulletin, and "Spiraling Costs and NATS Membership," May Bulletin, succinctly presented the administration’s case to the membership. Finally, President Nicholas’ message, also in the May issue, alerted the membership to the fact that a ballot would be included in the October issue, enabling "every member to vote on this important matter. This is a democratic procedure, and I hope that every member will exercise his franchise by sending his vote promptly to Secretary Hadley Crawford before November 1." The ballot in the October issue of The Bulletin carried the proposed amendment to Article III, Section 1, b, reading: "Regular annual dues of eight dollars ($8.00), of which three dollars ($3.00) is for one year’s subscription to The Bulletin, shall be assessed, and payable by all members___ " No matter when annual business meetings were held, this one was right in the middle of the convention at 9:00 a.m. on Friday, December 28,1962, there was always the problem of a quorum. At Los Angeles, when we had arrived at that juncture in our meeting to deal with unfinished business, it was discovered that two more members were needed for a quorum. So several concerned members took to the halls to corral recalcitrant members. The mail vote on dues stood at just sixty-eight, twelve of those negative. There could only be two deductions in this regard. Either that the raise in dues made no difference to the majority of the membership or that some 1,800 members had not gotten round to reading the several issues of The Bulletin dealing with the matter. Back to unfinished business! The count rose to 102, so what was started in the Boston Business Meeting could now be concluded. John Toms gained the Qoor, saying, "I move that the proposal that the dues be raised from $6.00 to $8.00 per year be approved." After Walter Allen Stults’ second. President Nicholas opened the floor to discussion. After a moment of silence, he asked for a rising vote which was almost unanimous. The call for those opposed confirmed that those who didn’t make it to their feet for all in favor were fence-sitters, they just couldn’t make up their minds. Nevertheless, they were on a peg above that large

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counterpart majority of NATSers out there who habitually don’t make it to conventions, but continue to drop their yearly entrance fee into the till without picking up the concomitant obligation of membership, definable by one word, involvement. President Nicholas checked through "Chapter Notes" in all four issues of the 1962 Bulletin to discover how many chapters were on the ball, as he put it. Of the thirty-six chapters listed in the directory, sixteen had not been heard from during the year and only one, Boston, had a report in all four issues. E Clifford Toren, coordinator of chapters, sent a letter to each of the chapter presidents in May, asking them to send him on the self-addressed post card which he had enclosed, the correct names and addresses of the officers of their chapter so that the October issue of The Bulletin might carry a corrected up-to-date list of chapter officers. Only fifteen chose to reply. Unless twenty-two chapters reelected the same officers for the 1962-1963 school year, that October issue of The Bulletin carried a lot of misinformation. TTie reluctance of many chapter offlcers to communicate with the coordinator of chapters was discussed at the December 28th board meeting. It was noted that in many cases the chapters were active, but never took time to send in reports. Other chapters were known to be inactive. The problem had never been faced in the past. Since a charter granted by the national board gave status or a name to a close-knit group of NATSers, why shouldn’t that group’s charter be lifted by them when it suspended activity for whatever reason. Unfortunately, the 1962 board did not face up to the problem, neither did they come up with a procedure to persuade chapter officers to work considerately with the coordinator. Incidentally, the Salt Lake Area Chapter was granted permission to change its name to Utah Area Chapter. There’s no accounting for lapses in memory or action between conventions. At the Boston convention, Joel Carter’s plan for redistricting had been given enthusiastic and unanimous approval by both the Policy Board and Executive Committee. President Nicholas appointed a committee to assist Carter in finalizing his plan for presentation at the 1962 convention. The president even appointed a second committee to prepare the necessary amendments to the bylaws to permit that redistricting, but there was nary a mention at the Los Angeles convention. The biennial convention dialogue had become a full-blown perennial by Boston convention­ time. From all appearances, the board’s continued no action taken treatment never became a deterrent At Boston, however, there was the board’s suggesfion that the idea should be kept alive through The Bulletin for full consideration at the 1962 convention. Unfortunately, whoever was responsible for The Bulletin's sustaining action failed to send in a single article. There was a token revival at the first board meeting at the Los Angeles convention, but with the same old pros and cons. The board felt that if, in alternate years, a strong set of regional conventions could be developed, it would be of great value to the Association in that eight sets of convention committees would involve many more members than a single national convention. The argument that the yearly convention provided better communication among the national officers seemed to outweigh the multiple benefits of member involvement in eight regional meetings. Another year, another no action taken. There were other such cases, but they will reappear. The two mentioned above did so until they finally became a way of life for NA're. On December 28, the Policy Board approved the change in name of The Bulletin, to The NATS Bulletin. Registrar Gertrude Tingley reported an almost static year in regard to membership. Although we ended the year with sixty-three more members than we entered it with, the gain was insured more by reinstatements than through new blood. There were only 101 new members against a total loss of 107 dropped, resigned and deceased. A total of thirty-nine reinstatements put us on the plus side. The sobering fact was that the cunent total of 1,905 members fell thirty-nine short of our 1960 total of 1,944. President Nicholas, reporting to the membership, remarked, "We are in excellent financial condition. . . although the income this year was ahnost six hundred fifty dollars less than estimated, and although a deficit budget had been voted calling for an expenditure of some $2,900 more than our expected income, our actual expenditure was $2,075 less than our income. This resulted partly from economies, but largely from the fact that the AIVP faculty did not find it necessary to meet this year. Another hopeful sign was that instead of a deficit in the workshop operation, as last year, there was a small profit this year."

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The Committee on Vocal Education’s "Quiz Cove" had become somewhat of an enigma. When Victor A. Fields succeeded the late Richard B. DeYoung as chairman, he introduced "Quiz Cove" to the membership via The Bulletin, October, 1960, as an in-house information service to the membership. Now, some skty questions and answers later. The Bulletin, December, 1961, Fields, who had already asked to be relieved of the chairmanship of the Committee on Vocal Education, closed out the column with an unanswered Question 61: "Do you want Quiz Cove continued as a feature in The Bulletin?” What was not widely known was that for some time members of the committee were not only answering the questions but also were formulating them. There had been too little member response to sustain the column as Fields had visualized it Unfortunately, he interpreted the lack of membership involvement to mean that the column was no longer necessary to the membership, but President Nicholas’ analysis was that "the people who need it most don’t know what questions to ask." The original COVE Committee of ten included five of the eight members of the Research Committee-on the surface, not a healthy situation in a professional organization approaching a membership of 2,000. Fields was content to stay with COVE, but he wanted out as chairman. So, late in January, President Nicholas named immediate Past-President B. Fred Wise, chairman of the Committee on Vocal Education. Consequently, there was no "Quiz Cove" in the February issue of The Bulletin. It was unfortunate that the newly appointed chairman suffered a severe coronary thrombosis before copy could be provided for the May issue. When it became apparent to Fred that he would have to reduce his activities to a minimum for some time to come, he asked to be relieved of the chairmanship of the committee and suggested J. Oscar Miller, a long-time member of the committee, as his replacement. On July 25,1962, President Nicholas submitted Miller’s name to the Executive Committee to succeed B. Fred Wise and received unanimous approval. "Quiz Cove" for the October issue was canceled, but an announcement was made that J. Oscar Miller would reestablish "Quiz Cove" in the December issue with an accompanying request that questions be submitted immediately as a demonstration that members and readers wanted the question/answer column continued. "Quiz Cove" returned with question/answers numbering 62 through 71 in the December, 1962 issue. The Music Review Committee instigated by Laura M. Marble in 1959, that took over from the resigning William Holdridge with the October 1960 issues of The Bulletin, seemingly was in difficulty before the next year’s end. I had sent on music for review to Hadley Crawford, who had so graciously consented to pinch-hit during the interim required for administrative decision concerning the personnel of the committee. Unfortunately, the packet was lost in the mail. "Music Review" in the February, 1962 issue was limited to a half-page, the October issue-nothing! "Music Review" returned to the December issue and the reorganized Music Review Committee under the chairmanship of Eve Roine Richmond, Howard T. Hatton and Harvey L Woodruff, joined Marble to become her co-workers. The work of this committee was the subject of long discussion at a joint meeting of the Policy Board and the Executive Committee at the Los Angeles Convention, December 2 8 ,196Z One suggestion was to detach the committee fi:om The Bulletin and have it become a repertoire committee under supervision of the Committee on Vocal Education, reporting to the annual convention. Another was to give Harvey Ringel a free hand in choosing and supervising the work of the review editor of The Bulletin. There were other motions relating to this matter but none received official action. Members of the Research Committee continued their activities in their various areas of interest. Philip Duey was still working over manuscripts and photostats of material he brought back from Italy. Those who attended the illustrated lecture, "Vocal Improvisation and Ornamentation" at the Los Angeles Convention benefitted first-hand from a portion of his research. Ralph Errolle’s "Italian Diction for Singers" was published, and his volume of "French Diction" was in process. Victor Fields’ opus was just about two-thirds completed. William Ross was in the process of a class study of 174 subjects, 113 female voices and 61 male voices. Oren Brown submitted a written report on his study of "The Upper Voice." In two letters written to me for publication in The NATS Bulletin, October, 1962, William Vennard reported on an experiment in nasality at the Congress of International Society for Logopedics and Phoniatrics in Padua, Italy, and an experiment in which he was the subject of an

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electromyographic study done in the laboratory of Dr. Karl Faaborg-Andersen in Nykbing, Falston. Warren Wooldridge resigned from the Research Committee due to the press of administrative duties as head of the Fine Arts Department of Southwestern College, Winfield, Kansas. Returning to the annual business meetings, December 28,1962, which we left after the dues change was approved, there were three members of the Policy Board up for election, shall we say for perpetuation in ofBce: Grace Leslie, Eastern Region, Stanley Deacon, Central Region, and Eugene Fulton, California-Western Region. The slate was unanimously approved, President Nicholas remarking humorously, "You are railroading this very well." The call for other new business brought Oren Brown to his feet. At this time, Oren Brown was president of the St. Louis Chapter. He had been charged to raise the question o f another level of membership. He said, "We have in the SL Louis area some people who are in public school music who actually, before their connection in that work, were private teachers of singing. They are not now engaged in teaching singing privately, but they are engaged in public school musia We have others engaged in public school music who majored in voice, but economically found this a good outlet for their training and experience. . . They do a great deal of voice teaching, although they do not have private studios nor are they engaged in teaching students privately by and large, although they do, many of them, perhaps coach them after school hours or help them for a solo in some school program. "It is our feeling that we in NATS can benefit by the experience of these people and that these people can benefit a great deal by their affiliation with NATS, because they probably reach more people in voice than we in our private teaching could ever dream of reaching or influencing. Since they are dealing exclusively with voices all day long, we feel there should be a chance for an afBliation with the National Association at some level. "Perhaps to expedite this the president could appoint a committee to consider the means of admitting an ’affiliate’ member of NATS and the standards for such an admission." Oren Brown’s remarks evoked a positive response from Sonia Shamova, saying, "I am very much in favor of it" Then William Vennard spoke up, "I would like to raise my voice in favor. I feel that it does us no good to remain aloof and critical from some cloister when we should face the realities of the present day situation.. . I can see that we have nothing to lose by bringing in affiliates.. . We stand to gain a great deal." As the discussion continued, George Cox, Walter Allen Stults, John Lester, Ralph Errolle added their approval and stimulated Oren Brown to gain the floor once more and say, "During this discussion several other categories have entered my mind that I should have spoken o f at first, and my proposal is that there be a committee appointed to consider ’affiliate’ members, standards, dues, eta, and all the things associated with them .. . " Had Brown not been late to the armual business meeting, he would have heard the president say in his report to the membership, "There are many of our members who feel we are now securely enough established to admit ’affiliates’ (teachers who have not yet taught five years, voice coaches, choral directors, music educators, ministers of music, opera coaches, etc.) to membership," and Brown’s initial presentation of the ideas would have been more succinct, making his second appearance unnecessary. After more round-robin discussion and Oren Brown’s restated motion drew a second from Orcenith Smith, President Nicholas spoke up, "The question has been called for. The motion is that the president appoint a committee to study the matter of affiliate membership in NATS, how that can be brought about, what categories would be included. The motion is made and seconded. If there is no further pertinent discussion, I would like to move ahead. Those in favor, 4ye. Those opposed? I am glad to hear such a response. It is unanimous!" G. Willard Bassett rose to his feet and exclaimed, "Mr. President, might I say this is an historic moment in the life of our organization." Deja vu\ Bernard Taylor, 1954, Chattanooga! He was an early mover in widening the scope of NATS membership. With the mandate of the membership in his hip pocket to come up with a new set of bylaws, he proposed a non-voting level of membership called an "Associate Member" (this pre-dated the Fellowship Program). The final draft of the revised bylaws was published in the November, 1955 Bulletin. Article II, Section 1 b read "ASSOCIATES. There shall be four classes of Associates (not otherwise qualifying as rnernbers), without vote, whose card and certificate shall designate them as Associate of the

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National Association of Teachers of Singing, Inc.," viz: (1) Voice Teachers with less than five years experience who in all other respects qualify for membership; (2) High School or College Music Teachers with vocal training; (3) Choral Conductors with vocal training; (4) CoachAccompanists with vocal training. At a general meeting held prior to the 1955 annual meeting in Chicago, all the proposed revisions of the bylaws had been readily accepted by those in attendance except Article U, Section 1, b. Battle lines were drawn, the pros and cons were adamant Sensing that this one controversial section might very well hold up the adoption of their year’s long work, the committee in session with chairman Stelzer agreed that it would be better to present their handiwork to the convention assembled on the next day Article II, Section 1, b. Perhaps the milieu of the waning years of the second decade would be more permissive than those in the shadow of the patriarchs. Ruth Miller Chamlee, who was the keynoter for the Los Angeles convention asked for time at the annual business meeting on Friday, December 28th. Her address on the previous day was devoted to government subsidies in the arts as well as stressing the importance of having a responsible government officer, a cabinet officer, to be a spokesman for the fine arts in our capitol. She reviewed the fact that an Act of Congress in 1958, during the Eisenhower administration, gave thirteen acres on the Potomac where a symphony hall seating 2,750, a theater of 1,200 seats, and an opera house seating 2,750 were to be constructed at a projected cost of $30 million. Under the Kennedy administration, Jacqueline Kennedy became personally involved. She asked her mother, Mrs. Hugh Auchincloss to be the general coordinator for the development of the National Cultural Center for which thirty million dollars had to be raised. [See The NATS Bulletin, February, 1963.] Mme. Chamlee asked that a committee be formed at the convention. The president asked Mme. Chamlee to make a motion to that effect. The call for discussion brought Ralph Errolle to his feet, remarking that "inasmuch as American money rebuilt the opera houses of Europe, I can’t see any reason why American money can’t build a good opera house in Washington.. . " The vote in favor was unanimous. John Toms, a philatelist, recalling Mme. Chamlee’s keynote address reference to European countries’ use of the semi-postal stamp to support various aspects of their cultural life, suggested that NATS endorse such a approach via the postmaster general, specifically with regard to the cultural center in Washington. When James Farley was postmaster general, Richard Crooks and Frank LaForge presented this semi-postal stamp idea to the postmaster general through a New York senator. The postmaster general said it would be done, but it never materialized because there was no national official whose responsibility it was to introduce such a bill nor was there the necessary biU to cover the interstate commerce law. Rather than have a separate committee to explore the semi-postal stamp, John Toms asked that the idea be appended to Mme. Chamlee’s proposal. Ralph Appelman was concerned that the important point in Mme. Chamlee’s keynoter was being overlooked, that being the Ministry of Fine Arts which would benefit the fine arts countrywide rather than just the push for an opera house in our capitol. Mme. Chamlee said that she had thought of them both as a dual effort. After a few more Chamlee/Nicholas exchanges, the president said, "I believe we understand the fimction of the committee. I am going to appoint Mme. Chamlee as chairman... and I will put on that committee Mr. Chamlee and Ralph ^ o l l e , John Toms, too, on account of the stamp.. . Perhaps I will add another one later. The other committee, the Committee on Affiliate Members, I am going to hold up and think about for a little bit." With that, the meeting was adjourned. Last year, the artistry of Roland Hayes and Martial Singher highlighted the Boston convention. This year, Los Angeles’ chairman Vennard countered with recitals by “two brilliant novas in the operatic firmament," Maty Costa and Marilyn Home. At the time, both were members of the San Francisco Opera. Then there were the eight SOTY finalists, topped by the singing of bass-baritone Robert W. Hale. The 1961 SOTY, Teresa Orantes, added sparkling song to the convention’s prelude. Our annual banquet was a pleasurable interlude to be capped by another vocal treat, Herbert Bielawa’s chamber opera, A Bird in the Bush, conducted by the composer.

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Not only a highlight, but also an historic moment, was Recorder John Toms’ presentation of certificates to Patricia Baker, president of the Los Angeles Chapter, and to Bernice Mathison, the chapter’s program chairman, marking them as the first "Associates in the National Association of Teachers of Singing." What an example for Los Angeles chapter members and other chapter officers throughout the USA There were several sessions to stimulate those seriously interested in exploring new scholarly and scientific yardsticks against which to check their current studio practices: Phil Duey’s "Vocal Improvisation and Ornamentation," Abrahamson’s "A Pilot X-Ray Film of English Articulations with Stretched Sound," Appelman’s "Cineradiology and its Application to Vocal Pedagogy," Charles Hirt’s Fastex camera study, "The Mechanism of the Falsetto," and Hans von Leden’s Fastex camera studies of "The Function of the Normal Larynx and the Physiology of the Larynx under Daily Stress." At this point in time, there were only a limited number of NATSers who could view such fihns as shown at Los Angeles and regard them in their proper perspective, who could draw inference from what they had observed and/or heard to corroborate or modify their current studio practices. It was unfortunate that many made the mistake of regarding the physical and acoustical sciences as a method, which they never are. They can only help define the perimeters, they are the handmaiden of methodologies. On the lighter side, there was the debate, "Resolved: That Opera in the United States Should Be Sung in English," chaired by your historian. For the affirmative, Albert Goldberg, Los Angeles and Arthur Schoep, Denver. For the negative, Ralph ErroUe, Chicago and Robert Bowlus, Delaware, Ohio. Alta Turk Everett, reporting in The Bulletin, wrote, "This subject which is constantly on debate in our country, was carried on vdth lively spirit, excellent dramatic delivery, yet presented dynamic, reasonable, well-prepared and convincing argument on both sides. Although expecting to lose, the audience vote gave a generous majority to the affirmative." Now NATS members were challenged to make it a reality. This was another convention program book for which your historian was responsible for the sale of advertising and printing, twenty-four pages plus cover! This one was different. William Veimard executed the artistic cover, sketching two scenes; a skyline of Los Angeles, and a Pacific Ocean beach scene. Bill separated the two in his layout with the judicious use of type. The January 1963 mail vote between the president and members of both the Executive Comrmttee and the Policy Board was largely routine, dealing with reinstatement of former members, the approval of regional governors’ appointment of lieutenant-governors, etc. President Nicholas announced the ad hoc committee appointed at the Los Angeles convention to explore the matter of affihate membership (William Vennard, chairman, G. Willard Bassett, Gertrude Ehrhardt, Harvey Ringel and John Carl TegneU) in the February 15 issue of The NATS Bulletin. The committee’s proposed revision of Article II was published in the May, 1963 issue of The NATS Bulletin, the membership being advised that this revision would become a part of our bylaws thirty days hence if passed by the Policy Board. That they did by a vote of six to three, enabling its adoption. However, a mounting controversy and resistance to the proposed affiliate membership that out-Taylored Taylor’s 1955 unsuccessful try caused the board to put everything on hold pending a full review and reconsideration. At a typical late, late meeting on the night before the annual business meeting (Detroit, December 30,1963), the Policy Board, after considerable discussion, decided that back-pedaling in regard to the af^ a te membership would be the better path to travel, so they rescinded the bylaw which they had passed by a two-thirds majority in the spring. It was their hope that at the morrow’s business meeting a motion would come from the floor to appoint a new committee to study and promote some form of affiliate membership. The last of October, the president sent two bylaw revisions to the Policy Board that corrected one oversight of the 1954-1955 major revisions. Up to now a person elected vice-president could be perpetuated in office until he either became president after three or four terms or he decided it wasn’t worth the wait The proposed revision of Article V, Section 1: "Vice-Presidents, (2) (after the penultimate sentence, add) No Vice-President may hold office for more than two terms of two years each.. Article III, Section 2: Committees. "A Council of Past Presidents vnll function as a standing committee for the purpose of forwarding the progress of the National Association of Teachers of Singing, Ina in anyway it may see fit consistent with established policies and with the consent

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of the President and/or the Policy Board. Its members are invited to all the meetings of the board at which policy is discussed, but its members will have no vote. Each President of NATS automatically becomes a member*of the Council of Past Presidents immediately upon retirement from the Presidency. The Council will elect its own chairman and seaetary annually at the annual convention." These two revisions were published in The NATS Bulletin, December, 1963, satisfying the requirements of Article XII, Section 2, of the bylaws which stipulated that all members of the corporation be notified of such proposed changes. At the December 27,1963,9:00 a.m. combined meeting of the Executive Committee and the Policy Board, the question was raised whether incumbent vice-presidents who had already served two terms would be affected by the recently approved amendment (October 29, 1963) to the bylaws limiting their term of office to two consecutive terms. It was agreed that this provision would go into effect as of January 1,1964. President Nicholas then asked whether, in view of the action limiting terms of vice-presidents, it might not be well to also limit the terms of members of the Policy Board to two terms? The yes vote was unanimous! What had slipped by the 19541955 revisionists had been remedied by President Louis Nicholas in the waning hours of his administration-no doubt the outstanding act of his administration, and one that would have a most lasting and salutary effect on NATS. He had closed the door on indefinite tenure in the majority of national offices below the level of president, especially that portion of the Board of Directors composed of regional representatives, the Policy Board. It seemed that October and November were the clean-the-slate months. During 1962, the president had checked chapter activities throughout the year. His findings along with the discouraging experience of the coordinator of chapters was the subject of one board meeting at the Los Angeles Convention, but the board took no action. Now, the president resolved their indecision. In mid-October, 1963, he asked the Executive Committee to dissolve and lift the charters of three chapters, Blackhawk, Delaware and Philadelphia. Connecticut-Western, Massachusetts and Maine chapters were granted a stay of execution and were allowed to be classed as temporarily inactive. He also recommended that the Twin Cities Chapter be permitted to change its name to the Minnesota Chapter. One month later, he asked that the Arkansas, Birmingham and Wichita, Kansas Area chapters be listed as temporarily inactive. The December issue of The NATS Bulletin carried a black-bordered "In Memoriam" notice listing the Blackhawk, Delaware and Philadelphia chapters as deceased, the others as critically ill. One problem remained, how to get the survivors to cooperate with the coordinator of chapters throughout the year. In April, President Nicholas completed the Committee for Stimulation of Government Interests in the Arts, adding Edward Harris, Weldon Whitlock and Mary Wolfinan to those he named at the Los Angeles Convention-Ruth Miller Chamlee, chairman, Mario Chamlee, Ralph Errolle, and John Toms. The committee was in correspondence with Senator Javitts who suggested that NATS members write two letters: Chairman, Senate Committee on Labor and Public Welfare, and Chairman, Committee on Education and Labor of the House of Representa­ tives, urging that hearings on legislation to provide federal aid to the Arts be scheduled in the very near future. The committee also heard fi-om Mr. August Heckscher, President Kennedy’s administrator for the arts, and the postmaster general concerning the semi-postal stamp. In mid-August, John Toms asked to be relieved of his post on the Committee for the Stimulation of Government Interest in the Arts and President Nicholas named Dora Lyon, Miami University, as his replacement. At the same time, the Executive Committee approved the President’s naming Hardin van Duersen, Kansas City, to replace Howard Hatton on the Music Review Committee since Hatton would be out of the United States on a European sabbatical Complying with the board’s recommendation at the close of the Los Angeles Convention that a comimttee be formed to study the problem of bequests, President Nicholas appointed a Committee on Gifts and Bequests in the spring: E. Clifford Toren, chairman, Robert Bowlus, and PhiUp Duey. Sometime prior to the Detroit ConvenUon, the committee sent on their recommendations to the president that NATS go on record as flavoring the acceptance of gifts, money, property and books and that proper procedures for acceptance and use of such gifts and bequests be formulated and incorporated into the bylaws of the Association. Under "Custody and Development Control," they specified a nine-point procedure, culminating in the advice that when such funds reached $100,000, they be plac^ in the hands of a reliable investment firm, the

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purpose being to develop an endowment, where only the income would be used w ithout depleting the principal. The committee also suggested four projects, one of which was a subsidy for the employment of an executive secretary. Under Bequests of Books, they laid down some seven guidelines. A t the December 29th board meeting, the president relayed the report of the committee. The Policy Board received the report and recommended its referral to the Council of Past Presidents who had been empowered with the revision of the bylaws to be readied for presentation and action at the 1964 convention. At the combined meeting of the Executive Committee and the Policy Board on December 27th, the President mentioned the increasing amount of work necessary to keep the various records and membership lists in order. As a possible solution, he mentioned the proposal of MTNA that NATS either affiliate or ally themselves with MTNA thus enabling the central office of MTNA in Cincinnati to handle a certain amount of our clerical work for a stated fee depending on the amount of NATS work that would be done in their office. In the ensuing discussion, Berton Coffin suggested that it might be possible to simplify our clerical work through the use of IBM or similar office machines. Stanley Deacon moved and Arnold Putm an seconded that Berton Coffin be asked to investigate the setting-up of such a system of mechanical aids for keeping NATS records. It was passed unanimously. At the December 29th meeting. President Nicholas reported that it seemed to be the consensus that we do not wish to form any kind of alliance with MTNA at this time. At the December 29th board meeting, John Thut, incumbent secretary of the Policy Board, whose term as regional representative from the Northern Region had another year to run, resigned because of his imminent election to the post of national secretary. The board then elected William Eberl, whom the Nominating Committee had slated to replace Thut as the Northern Regional representative to the Policy Board, as the board’s secretary for 1964-1965. Also, at that same meeting, the board, reluctantly accepted the resignation of A nnem arie Gerts, a Bernard Taylor draftee in his 1955 restaffing of the abandoned Bulletin. During her eight and one-half year tenure as assistant-to-the editor, she not only was the editor’s other half in proof-reading sessions, but also was the vigilante who tracked down the gypsy membership that was NATS. During 1953, Annemarie Gerts processed over 600 entries for new, reinstated, deceased, dropped or resigned members plus those on wheels. At the close of 1963, o u r membership count was 1,795. So, changes in address plates totaled one-third of the membership. Joel Carter, vice-president and director of field activities, prefaced his aimual report saying: "Without the services of a paid executive, a professional organization such as ours is almost completely dependent for the healthful state of its afiiairs upon local, state, and regional leadership... Honest-to-goodness regional meetings continue to be the exception rather than the rule in NATS." Only the Southeastern and Southwestern really could classify as such with those in California-Western, Central, and Eastern taking on a semi-regional character. Both M ENC and MTNA seemed pleased to provide a place on both their divisional and national convention programs for sessions which brought together NATS members, often as featured performers. However, the prevailing regional activities concerned themselves "with (1) the promotion and adjudication of the Singer of the Year auditions, and (2) the administration of various types of student auditions." Southwestern Region with a membership approximately 62.5% of either Eastern or Central Regions was the NATS showcase of student and SOTY auditions. Participants alone outnumbered the attending NATSers at our national conventions. Even Southeastern with a NATS population approximately 47% of either Eastern or Central held an honest-to-goodness regional. However, NATS meetings held in Chicago (Central Region), Los Angeles (CaliforniaWestern Region), and New York (Eastern Region) during 1963 took on at least a semi-regional character. It seemed that student auditions at the time enjoyed their healthiest climate south of the Mason-Dixon line, Southwestern, Southern and Southeastern Regions. In 1963, close to one hundred young artists competed in the regional auditions. A t D etroit, nine singers, six of them voice teachers themselves, competed, two representing the Eastern Region. The double bid paid off in that Sylvia Friedreich, one of the two, was awarded first place. Norma Newton, Southwestern Region, and Rachel Day-Kessler, Central Region, tied for the runner-up s p o t Norma Newton later was a national finalist in the Met auditions and was awarded a Fulbright to Paris. Between now and then, she has sung leading roles in opera houses

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o f two continents: NYCO, Dallas, Chicago’s G rant Park, the Welsh National Opera, the Theatre M unicipale, Luxembourg, also major roles in the leading opera houses of Germany and A ustria for a decade. She was often heard as soloist with leading orchestras around the world. The latest inform ation places Norma Newton in Houston, Texas, where she is a Houston O pera Studio Vocal Instructor. T he award o f Associate in NATS to two members at the Los Angeles convention indicated th at AIVP had gained a toe-hold among the rank and file of the membership. In addition, several o th er applicants had completed one or more area exams in the prescribed curricula. The f a a that the num ber o f inquiries for brochures and specimen exams had increased indicated that still others planned to take the exams in the foreseeable future. Also, the Administrative Faculty had a f r u it^ l February meeting in Chicago. A request to Coordinator of Chapters E. Clifford Toren, resulted in several chapters embarking upon individual as well as collective plans of study to prepare for the deaminations. A nother encourager was the ATVP columns in The N A T S Bulletin. The February 15th issue presented the basic content of Area II, Phonetics, plus suggested readings and sample questions. In the May issue, John Toms prefaced a similar presentation of Area Vn, Acoustics, with an introductory article on workshops and the ATVP. Unfortunately, only one NATSer ventured an examination during the 1963 summer workshops. The administrative faculty’s desire to keep the administrators and the voice faculties o f m em ber schools o f the NASM as well as the non-member institutions advised, prom pted John Toms to send on to them the third edition of the expanded and improved specimen examinations. These also were issued subsequently to individual voice faculty members and the rem ainder deposited in the libraries to be used as reference material for courses in vocal pedagogy. It also gave other teachers who might want to prepare for the ATVP exams ready access to them. T he O ctober and December issues of The N A T S Bulletin presented the requirements o f A rea VIII, Educational Psychology, Area X, Vocal Performance, and Area XI, Piano Performance, encouraging members to commit themselves at Detroit, saying: T h e convention is the place to take the initial step toward the Associate and Fellowship in NATS. Y ou can do it, and will be glad you did." A t the December 29,1963 combined meeting o f the Policy Board and Executive Committee, D ale Gilliland, director of ATVP, reported that the terms of Ralph Errolle and H elen H osm er on the administrative faculty were expiring. H e suggested that Roy Schuessler be elected to replace Errolle. Louis Nicholas moved, J. Oscar Miller seconded the m otion and he was elected unanimously. H elen Hosmer*s replacement was to be named later. Vice President George Cox, director of workshops, conducted seven workshops during June, July, and August, spread across the country. The popularity of the workshops was attested to by the plethora o f invitations from leading universities to hold workshops on their campuses as fair into the future as 1967. Cox reported that "the ATVP Seminars proved to be among the m ost popular offerings o f the entire program." There was a slight increase in attendance over 1962 w ith 181 full-time enrollments and forty-eight others whose attendance ranged from one to four days plus some twenty o r m ore who attended for less than a day. The good news was th at after all the bills were paid, there was $932.45 to put in the W orkshop Fund for 1964. T he Committee on Vocal Education, but a shadow o f its former self since the GiUiland presidency, now occupied itself with just one bewildering responsibility, "Quiz Cove." The February 15th issue o f The N A T S Bulletin had approximately one page o f "Quiz Cove," three columns. The May issue had even less, including a black-bordered obit box announcing: "We m ust have questions! Unless you send questions. Quiz Cove, o f necessity, will be discontinued." As a consequence, the committee enjoyed a flurry o f questions sufficient to octend over twelve columns in the O ctober issue, but the December issue witnessed a retreat to just four columns. T he Music Review Conunittee’s productivity was just as unpredictable as th at o f th e Com m ittee on Vocal Education. The February, 1963 issue o f The N A T S Bulletin carried less than one page, followed by the May issue o f less than a column, actually, just four selections. D uring the summer months, H ardin van Duersen replaced Howard H atton who went to E urope o n a sabbatical. The O ctober issue flourished with four pages and Decem ber with just under three pages.

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William Veiinard was the only member of the Research Committee who directly or indirectly provided meaningful research articles for The NATS Bulletin during 1963. The February issue carried a translation from the French by Leona and William Vennard: "Vocal Emissions and Tomograms of the Larynx" by Dr. Michel Landeau and Dr. H. Zulli. In the October issue, another Landeau article, "Voice Classification," appeared, translated from the French by H arold C Luckstone, a member of the Editorial Board of The NATS Bulletin. Then there was Dr. Janwillem van den Berg’s third article, "Vocal Ligaments versus Registers," published in the December issue. Vennard’s research at that lime concerned itself with a study of various vocal attacks, particularly Garcia’s glottal stroke. He also had been working on the relationship between pitch and various tone qualities. Robert Taylor was trying to determine if there was any relationship between a student’s vocal problems and the feelings that he might experience with them. William Ross had made a study of the vocal production of gospel singers, during the summer while he was leaching at three gospel schools, Dallas, Greenville, S.C. and Fresno. He also reprinted his "Sing High, Sing Low," a class voice method, enlarging it with pictures from his film strip, "Vocal Techniques" and concomitant commentaries from the accompanying records plus an approach of how to read music by the numbers. Victor A. Fields was working on a new book on vocal pedagogy. Ralph Errolle was making a study of Hebrew diction, collaborating on a book with Cantor Harold Brindel of West Suburban Temple, Chicago. Seventy-five percent of Errolle’s students (non-Jewish) sang in temples and needed information on Hebrew diction. Benon Coffin, in collaboration with Werner Singer and Pierre Delattre completed "Phonetic Readings of Songs and Arias." Coffin also was collaborating with Delattre in studying the mutation of vowels for singing and differences of vowels in male and female voices. Both Coffin and Errolle were members of the AIVP administrative faculty during 1963, while Oren Brown, Philip Duey and Victor Fields doubled in brass, serving the Conmiitlee on Vocal Education. Oren Brown still was active in vocal therapy in St. Louis. Gertrude Tingley, registrar, reported a serious drop in membership, sixty-four resigned and 169 dropped, with a membership count of 1,794 as of October 31,1963. Heretofore, the number of drops and resignations was explained on an aging membership, those who might be retiring or were ilL Not so, entirely. Gertrude Tingley reported that in 1963, a large percentage of the drops were those who had joined in the past couple of years. President Nicholas started a personal letter writing campaign that picked up momentum in the final months of his presidency. It was proving so effective that the incoming administration encouraged its continuance. Also, what statistics did not reveal is that there were almost fifty applications for membership in process. However, when one looks at the statistics, our membership count remained almost static over the decade. On January 1,1954, we were 1,614 strong. During the decade we processed 1,219 new members, but as of October 31, 1963, our membership count was 1,794, a net gain of 180 members. Interesting, the ten-year total of reinstatements was 180. It should be noted that during the decade, the fiscal period had been changed from January 1-December 31 to November 1-Ociober 31, making an exact comparison difficult. The 1963 Annual Business Meeting, held on Monday, December 30th at 9:00 a.m., moved rapidly through the routine presentation and acceptance of annual reports to unfinished business. President Nicholas then reviewed what had taken place in regard to the affiliate idea at Los Angeles and through the intervening months. Now that the air had been cleared, he said, "I would like to entertain a motion that this matter be referred to a committee." Arnold Putman’s motion and E Clifford Toren’s second opened the door for discussion, the whole of which cannot be given here due to space limitations. The Southwestern Region immediately presented a resolution passed by them at their recent regional convention. Their idea of an a f^ a te member, one who would enjoy all the privileges of membership excepting those of voting and holding office, was limited to those who already satisfied all conditions of full membership except the five-year leaching experience requirement. H a d l^ Crawford moved and Walter Allen Stults seconded the motion that the resolution presented by the Southwestern Region be accepted and referred to the conunittee to be appointed for their consideration. Gertrude Tingle/s remarks reflected the same sort of limited affiliate membership as presented by the Southwestern Regional representative, Rosemond Hirschom.

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Annemarie Gerts presented an interesting viewpoint, reminding the president that "many of them are now subscribing to The NATS Bulletin, and so they have this contact . . with the Association, and it would seem that it would be very interesting to try to work out the differences between receiving The NATS Bulletin regularly and being an affiliate member, so that this would be an incentive beyond what they now have." Ralph Errolle’s stand at Detroit for an affiliate membership was somewhat less inclusive than at Los Angeles, saying, "I think the big thing is to establish very definitely what the eligibility to that membership will be. . . I like what the folks in the Southwestern Region have had to say, which pretty well covers it. I for one am definitely opposed to people who are not specifically voice teachers." Fred Holler, also spoke in favor of the affiliate classification, saying "I would like to propose at least two years of vocal study for an affiliate member; also, this person would have to be engaged in teaching singing. Now this does not necessarily mean in a studio, but this would take care of a lot of choir directors who are teaching singing a lot more than the vocal teachers in private studios." After a few more exchanges, Bruce Lunkley gained the floor and said, "I would like to answer the last statement made concerning church choir directors and choral directors, since I have been for some twenty years a church choir director and choral director. "First of all, I do not think it is realistic to assume that we can help a choral director become a better teacher of singing through either our conventions or our regional work. I have not in my brief association with NATS attended anything that was of great help to me as a choral director.. . these people may become members of ACDA, these people may become members of M EN C ., . these organizations have workshops., . their own national and regional conventions that deal with choral techniques, vocal techniques and choral situations. "Should we invite them in, in whatever classification might be this person? I am one of them, but I am here as a teacher. I don’t like to throw bricks, but should we invite them in? We would do nothing but dilute ourselves professionally, and provide ourselves with more money. Now remember, we are either going to be a great big rich organization with very little national influence, which we seem to be struggling with at this moment, very little prestige professionally, or we are going to be a professional guild of singing teachers who know their business." Then William Vennard, who had chaired the committee that had prepared the controversial rescinded bylaw amendment, explained how he once opposed the affiliate idea but over the years had become very much in favor of it and for that reason accepted the chairmanship at Los Angeles. He related how through due parliamentary process it became a part of our bylaws only to be rescinded because of a strong minority opposed to the idea. He went on to say that one thing wrong with the rescinded resolution was that it was an omnibus bill, which included many, many categories. It was the eager members of the committee who were anxious to have all the categories specified. He said, "It would have been better if it had been general so that the implementation of it could have been postponed. . . I have the feeling that the opposition is united only in the sense that they do not want this oirmibus bill thrust upon us, but there are those who should like this category and there are those who would like that category, or those who would like two or three categories, but not all of them. "So it occurs to me that possibly if after the continuing of our deliberations, we were to take a vote for the consensus, we might very well find that the overwhelming majority present is strongly in favor of a sober-minded committee thinking through and presenting the possibilities, and then no action would be taken and we would not have to awaken one morning and open The NATS Bulletin and discover that we had an amendment to our bylaws which we had not anticipated.. . "And so then at a future meeting, we can vote, and if it seems that we should have one category for apprentice teachers who have everything except the five years experience, well, I think probably many people would favor that. So why not try it? And if we find that this has not perilously diluted our prestige, we might decide that even a choral director is, you know, not so bad, and could possibly be invited to join our organization, and we could share ideas with him Quite a few of them have very useful ideas." Time was running out! There were couple of routine matters that had to be taken care of, especially the election of officers for the next biennium. President Nicholas said, "We are going

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to have to bring this discussion to a close. Unless you have something that is quite new to say, I am going to ask you to withhold i t . . anything you have to say, say it very briefly, otherwise I am going to ask you to write letters to the president, which he will turn over to the committee." So the parade of those who had a last word to say continued through Geist, Gilliland, Lester, Johnson, Neilson, Graham, eta, with President Nicholas assuring them that "all these ideas will be relayed to the committee which will be appointed by our new president." Pressing forward through a barrage of questions, answering with one-liners, the president called for the report of the Resolutions Committee. At the close of that report, Rosemond Hirschorn read a special letter prepared by that committee to Jacqueline Kennedy which is included here. It read: "The National Association of Teachers of Singing, meeting in Detroit for its annual Convention wishes to express its regret and sympathy to you and your family. "Because of the unprecedented support that the late President Kennedy and you have extended to artists in all phases of the Fine Arts community, we in the creative and perform ing arts feel a special sense of loss. "Throughout the ages music and art have sought to serve humanity. They have succeeded only when humanity has willingly embraced them. Our hope is that your continued participation in the arts may return spirituzd dividends now and in the future." Your historian moved that the letter be sent; Violet Johnson seconded the motion. Then the report of the Nominating Committee was called for, Florence Russell reporting. The slate had been previously published in the October, 1963 issue of The NATS Bulletin, in compliance with our bylaws. This was the year for new bloodl The Executive Committee experienced quite a turnover. Only one of the vice-presidents, Gertrude Ehrhardt remained. Three new vice-presidents! Hadley Crav^^ord moved up from secretary to fill one spot The other two vice-presidents, Melvin G eist and Weldon Whitlock had been, respectively, regional governors of the Northwestern and C entral Regions. John Thut from the Policy Board moved to the secretaryship vacated by Crawford. Three Policy Board members were up for reelection: R. Berton Coffin, Philip Duey and J. O scar Miller. The only new face on the Policy Board was John Thut’s replacement, William Eberl, representing the Northern Region. Among the five new regional governors, there was one who eventually filled NATS’ highest office. Since the changes were numerous, a complete listing is given below. Included in this list are the names of incumbent Policy Board members. Only those with an asterisk after their names stood for election at this time. Board o f Directors Executive Committee President. William Vennard. Vice-Presidents: Hadley Crawford, Gertrude Ehrhardt, Melvin Geist, Weldon Whitlock. Secretary: John Thut. Treasurer: Robert E. Bowlus. Registrar. Gertrude Tingley. Past-President: Louis Nicholas. Policy Board California-Western: Eugene Fulton. Central: Stanley Deacon. Eastern: Grace Leslie. Northern: William Eberl*. Northwestern: John L. Lester. Southeastern: Arnold E. Putman. Southern: J. Oscar Miller*. Southwestern: R. Berton Coffin*. Member-at-Large: Philip A. Duey*. Regional Governors California-Western: Jerold Shepherd. Central: Henry Cady (new). Eastern: Jean Ludman (new). Northern: Thomas D. Abbott (new). Northwestern: Glen Lockery (new). Southeastern: Virginia D. Linney. Southern: G. Frederick Holler. Southwestern: Paul Englestad (new). Florence Russell moved that the secretary cast a ballot for the slate in full, with W alter A llen Stults’ second, a unanimous ballot and President-Elect Vennard’s short, short acceptance speech, the meeUng was adjourned sine die.

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In the December issue of The NATS Bulletin, Gean Greenwell, program chairman, had informed readers that the convention theme would be "Singing is our Pleasure," a theme suggested by President Nicholas. Florence Russell, reporting on the convention, wrote that it was "certainly the singingest, and probably the swingingest of all nineteen.. . " Typifying many 1963 NATSers, Russell’s observation reflects the climate of the period, "This would have been the perfect convention for those who hate looking at films of vocal muscular action or listening to lectures on vocal theory. There was only one period devoted to films of glottal movement and there were only two panels, each characterized by brevity and contrast in speeches." There were thirty individual singers plus the Wayne State University Men’s Glee Club with twenty-four in the ensemble doing solo bits, truly the singingest of conventions. What a memorable day was Sunday, December 29! Busses took conventioneers on a "sixteenmile ride through snow-white Detroit to beautiful Cranbrook at Bloomfield Hills, Michigan," where in the late afternoon we were guests of the National Opera Association in Christ Church for Britten’s setting of the Chester Miracle Play, Noye’s Fludde. NOA was holding its annual convention in Detroit at the same time. With a forty-piece orchestra and organ, the procession of birds, animals, apes, camels, bobbing up and down the aisle to the antiphonally chanted "Kyrie Eleison," the great rainbow arc, the dove, it was a sound and sight to remember. That evening, the day was capped by the annual banquet. "Officers and guests at the head table were piped in, literally piped in, to the baroque bag pipes of St. Andrews Kiltie Band." We had a Scotsman, Cameron McLean, as the convention’s association chairman. So, what could be more festive? Robert Ward, Pulitizer Prize winning composer was the speaker of the evening, but according to our reporter, "It was Louis Nicholas’ evening. As toastmaster, he not only brought down the house, but almost buried it." I sometimes think that this is the way to leave it and return to our homes, but there has always been a winding down to a last program and just a remnant to join the "Auld Lang Syne" circle. Months before, presidents huddle with program chairmen groping for a program or programs that will hold conventioneers until the final gavel. The Nicholas/Greenwell bait was blue-ribbon. Two noteworthy programs featured names recognized because of their prominence at the time; "Music for the Church," featuring Roberta Bitgood, Mus.D., Union Theological Seminary, and former dean of the American Guild of Organists, and Gordon Young, composer, organist and choirmaster of note. Bitgood had prepared a list of sacred songs for the membership, from which selections were sung by two prominent soloists. The trump card: a program by John McCollum and the University of Michigan Baroque Trio. McCollum, at the time was one of the top tenors at the New York City Opera and had been heard repeatedly in televised performances, etc. Consequently, in 1963, our "Auld Lang Syne" circle was larger than usual.

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Coi»e of of tl|e Jfattonal ^Bsoctatton of ^caci^era of ^ m g tn g , ^ n c . This CODE of ETHICS is established by the National Association of Teachers of Singing to the end th a t its members may understand more clearly their duties and obligations, exemplifying them to other teachers,to their students and to the public, in order that vocal a rt may be advanced, th a t the dignity and honor of the profession may be upheld, its standards maintained and its usefulness extended. Adherence to this Code will promote cooperation, understanding and good fellowship among its members. It is the duty of all teachers, and is especially incumbent upon members of this Association, to be governed by the PRINCIPLES underlying this Code, specifically:

a s ^ e m b e r s beliebc tljat . . . 1. It is unprofessional and unethical for teachers to make any false claims regarding them selves or th e ir pupils. 2. It is unethical and unprofessional for teachers, by misleading statements or false promises, to induce a student to study singing in the hope of a career, if the student’s talent does not w arrant it. 3. It is unethical to advertise in a manner that may deceive or mislead prospective students by prom ises of professional appearances or guarantees of favorable contacts. 4. While it is admissible that fiw tuition may be given by teachers, the advertising of free scholarships and free tuition constitutes unfair competition with teachers who do not endeavor to increase a class by such methods. 5. Teachers may accept any student for the purpose of cultural development of the singing or speaking voice, and may encourage study for those who need or desire breath control, poise, diction and projection of the voice. 6. To insure impartial diagnosis and honest opinion in voice trials, the student should be requested not to disclose the names of present and former teachers until after the audition. 7. It is unethical to criticize adversely the work of fellow teachers, unless such statem ents can be substantiated with proof 8. It is unethical, either by inducements, inuendos, insinuations, or other acts, to proselytize pupils of other teachers. 9. It is unethical to exploit as one’s own the results of another teacher’s instruction or to allow one’s pupils to do so. Further, it is imethical to claim as a pupil one having studied less th an eight consecutive months with the teacher making the claim, except where there has been no previous voice train in g . 10. It is unethical for a member to make a contract vtrith a pupil demanding more th an the actual price of lessons, with or without interest as mutually agreed upon. No contract shall be m ade on th e basis of a percentage of the student’s future potential earnings, nor shall teachers accept any fee for aid in securing an engagement for a pupil. 11. For m utual benefit, and a t the discretion of members, names of pupils who have left a m em ber and failed to meet their instruction fees, should be reported to the Association which shall m ain ta in a list available for consultation by members. If a member lefUTis from any other source th a t a n applicant for lessons has not fulfilled a financial obligation to another member, it is unethical to accept th e pupil until these obligations have been satisfactorily adjusted. 12. It is unethical for teachers to offer less than the best instruction of which they are capable to stu d en ts under th e ir tutelage. The moral and financial obligation of teachers is to give students th e instruction, the attention and the fiill amount of time agreed upon.

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FIVE Coming of Age William Vennard PRESIDENT

1964-1966 The Chattanooga, 1954 denouement still lingered on as a divisive spectra. Rapprochement, foremost in the minds of every president since the Taylor years, began during the Nicholas administration. On April 4, 1962, Harold C. Luckstone, an assistant editor at the time of the 1955 en masse resignation of The Bulletin staff, indicated that he would accept appointment to the Editorial Board of The Bulletin, replacing Louis Nicholas who had become president in January. On October 29, 1963, the Policy Board had given a majority vote to President Nicholas’ proposed amendment to the bylaws creating a Council of Past Presidents. At the Detroit Convention’s first Policy Board meeting, December 27, 1963, the president announced that all past presidents had signified their willingness to serve except Leon Carson who had not responded. Carson, who seemingly had enjoyed playing censor for the past decade, had difficulty in making up his mind. Now, the finalization of this project would have to fall to the incoming president, William Vennard. The Council of Past Presidents was not a new idea. Homer Mowe had created such a body during his presidency, 1950-1952, but it became inoperative during the disruptive years of 1954 and 1955. For some unknovra reason, the complete revision of the bylaws voted in at the 1955 Chicago convention did not mention such a body. The last listing, in the September, 1955 issue of The Bulletin, included Leon Carson, Richard DeYoung, Homer G. Mowe and Walter Allen Stults. In 1964, NATS would observe its twentieth year. The Council of Past Presidents, organized as a standing committee for the purpose of forwarding the progress of NATS in anyway that it saw fit consistent with established policies and with the consent of the president and/or Policy Board, might very well open the door to the long sought-after rapprochement It was intended that the members of the council would be invited to all board meetings at which policy would be discussed. They would have no vote, but their advice would be sought and welcomed. Another plus, all past presidents would have first-hand knowledge of what was on the front burner. They could have their say before the fact and that was good. Your historian, then editor of The Bulletin, proposed another healer, under the logical guise of celebrating our twentieth year, through a series of guest editorials in chronological order authored by all living past presidents. Subject matter, carte blanchel It took a bit of doing. Chronological order went out the window when both Carson and Mowe begged off as starters. So Walter Allen Stults obliged and started the series in the October, 1964 issue of The Bulletin. Carson and Mowe followed in December with the series continuing through October, 1965 with all seven past presidents participating. President Vennard inherited a couple of ongoing problems for NATS, the question of affiliate membership and the Fellowship Program. Both were regarded as divisive by Leon Carson and Homer Mowe, who maintained that there must be only one class of membership. The proposal for a class of membership that would include teachers of singing with less than five years teaching experience as well as several related categories such as church choir directors, public school choral directors, etc., who also taught singing had several trial balloons since Bernard Taylor proposed such an expansive move at Chattanooga in 1954, but they were always shot down. After several years of a stagnant membership, it was once more revived in Nicholas’ administration. Although affiliate membership was enthusiastically endorsed at the 1962 Los Angeles convention and later formalized as a bylaw by a two-thirds majority vote of the Policy Board, mounting vocal 101

opposition caused the Policy Board to rescind its action which cleared the way for further discussion at the 1963 Detroit National Convention. There, retiring President Nicholas summarized what had taken place, calling for a motion from the floor to direct the incoming president to appoint a committee to further study the matter and report back to the membership. No sooner asked for than done! The highly vocal opposition east of the Hudson moved into high gear. On February 16,1964, the New York Chapter of NATS instructed and authorized their president to register a protest to President Vennard and all officers of the Association against any change in status of NATS membership. Also Vennard vras asked not only to communicate this protest to the members of the Policy Board but also to publicize the protest to the entire membership through the pages of The NATS Bulletin. Quoting Bernard Taylor, "The New York Chapter is of the opinion that any such proposed change in membership status would only serve to further widen the already apparent existing schism that has arisen in the Association. This schism is dangerous to the growth of a healthy organization. We feel that this situation has come about primarily through the formation of an organization within the organization known as the AIVP. In addition, we feel that the concentration of power which has gradually been given over to the institutional members of the association has tended to widen the gulf between the private teacher and the institutional teachers, and the result is causing a dangerous lack of harmony which creates friction. We feel that there is little doubt but that this is one important cause for the loss of membership in an organization that should show continuing growth instead of the loss of valuable members." In his yearly report given at the Minneapolis Convention, President Vennard responded to the above in part: "In concern for our momentary drop in membership, some had expressed the fear that it represented a protest against NATS policies and activities. Accordingly, I made a small survey. I wrote the entire list of thirty-three whose names Robert Bowlus gave me as having resigned. There were eleven more during the year, a small total for 1964. O f the thirty-three to whom I wrote, twenty-six replied, all most cordially, a 79% return. Two said they no longer could afford membership. Four mentioned poor health; twelve were changing their teaching to something other than voice. Eleven were retiring from teaching altogether. None expressed any displeasure with any activity or committee of NATS. A few said they hoped for reinstatement, if possible." The February 16th letter disturbed Vennard enough to cause him to travel to New Y ork City to talk to all the individuals face to face. This was something that had to be settled quickly. Letter mail was too slow! The air had to be cleared so that he could get on with his presidency. On May 7th he communicated with the Executive Board and told them that his recent talks with Bernard Taylor and others in New York Qty were "amicable and ended hopefully for better relations between the Association and certain estranged members." Vennard also reported the decision not to publish the February 16,1964 letter issued by the New York Chapter opposing any sort of affiliate membership in NATS. Now that was easy, but what was the price? That we would not know until later as the dialogue continued. On October 1,1964, President Vennard asked the Policy Board to approve the following resolution to clear up a situation which had existed since Chattanooga, 1954. "Resolved: That the following lines be disclaimed by the Association and stricken from the records as not official business of NATS: Delete from page 8, line 23, to page 9, line 6, inclusive; and delete from page 19, line 24 to page 20, line 8 to the period. After these deletions, the document will continue." The Policy Board gave Vennard an eight to one vote of approval to delete this portion of the 1954 minutes. In a similar request to the Executive Board, he was given a unanimous vote. If you could read through the transcript of the 1954 Chattanooga convention business meeting and try to find a basis for the October 1,1964 document sent to both the Policy Board and Ex­ ecutive Committee by President Vennard, you probably would raise the same questions as did E. Clifford Toren, then chairman of the Council of Past Presidents. His letter of protest is filed with the Vennard communication. Vennard addressed a note to John Thut, writing across the top of one page of the Toren letter: "Please, as NATS Seaetary, place this memo on file with the letter from Stanley Deacon. It contains similar sentiments and a similar request to be placed on file." Today, the only letter on file is the Toren letter. He challenged the vague terminology through the Vennard request, such as; certain differences, his policies, etc. Aware that this might

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be a problem, Vennard inserted this sentence, "Should anyone hesitate to vote because of any obscurity in the motion, I wish he would write me and I shall do what I can, with discretion, to ex­ plain." One whereas section referred to DeYoung’s continuing after his report "with remarks occupying some twelve pages of the stenographic report in which he set forth his side of the differences to the disparagement of his opposition." Such was not really the case. DeYoung actually was answering a question from the floor with permission of the president. Before he had a chance to give his report as chairman of the Vocal Education Committee, a member who had read through Arthur Gerry’s report and resignation letter [members had access to copies of the annual reports of officers and commit­ tee chairmen at the time of registration], addressed the chair, saying: "Mr. Chairman, I personally feel WILLIAM VENNARD that Mr. Gerry’s letter should be explained to those of us who know nothing at all about what he is talking about." President Taylor responded with: "That is the next order of business and we are coming to that." President Taylor than called on Richard DeYoung to make his report as chairman of the Committee on Vocal Education. At its conclusion, DeYoung addressed the chair, saying: "Do I go on, Mr. President?" To which Taylor replied, "Yes, please go ahead." Then, DeYoung proceeded to give his report of the Board of Directors and to answer the query concerning Arthur Gerry’s resignation, saying: "I am ... the only member of the board that is present I regret very much that Mr. Stults is hospitalized; Mr. Phillips is ill and couldn’t be here. Both of these gentlemen would have been here. We formed the renegade and disreputable majority o f three of whom you read in Mr. Gerry’s report. The other two [members of the board] are Mr. Carson and Mr. Mowe. I wish they had come to face you as I am willing to face you and account for all our actions." Then DeYoung related the dues controversy begirming with Gerry’s attempt to push through a dues raise to $10.00 in the last moments of the 1952 Boston convention business meeting which DeYoung challenged because there were only some thirty members left in the business meeting; the compromise raise to $7.50 to satisfy Carson; the S t Louis convention revolt and a vote to reconsider the $7.50 dues raise and the subsequent return to the $6.00 dues. Then followed a reporting of the mail vote of the Board of Directors throughout 1954, the profile of which revealed that every time the board voted three to two-it was on the subject of money. So the difficulty between Carson and Mowe, and the three-man majority (DeYoung, Phillips, and Stults) was a struggle for the control of the treasury. DeYoung’s reporting was factual and impersonal At the close of his report, he received a standing ovation, with a motion fi^om the floor that it be recorded in the minutes, and which Vennard failed to mention. President Vennard wrote of criticism which could only have germinated with his inoculative New York visit Paraphrasing the bard-methinks \h&offendedparties protested too much. NATS officialdom’s treatment in 1964 of the 1954 Chattanooga unpleasantness remains a debatable placative gesture. In answering the Vennard proposed resolution, Toren, chairman of the Council of Past Presidents, raised several questions; "(1) Did all members of the Board femiliarize themselves with the proceedings prior to and at the Convention? (2) What were the certain differences between the members of the Board? Were they personal or issues vital to the continued growth of the organization? (3) What was meant by his policiesT There’s no indication that Toren’s questions were answered but what follows reveals how the obsession of one man culminated in the 1954 Chattanooga unpleasantness with its 1955 Chicago sequel. When Richard DeYoung succeeded Leon Carson as president, Homer Mowe exchanged his second vice-president’s hat for that of first vice-president He had been a vice-president as well as editor of The Bulletin since 1944. Carson’s first move as editor was to name vice president Mowe as his advisory assistant. His first issue, the 1948 February/March, was jumped to eight

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pages from the six used by Mowe. Then November/December expanded to twelve pages, totaling fifty-six pages for the year. Carson marked time with a like total for the ensuing year. Editor Carson’s hand grew stronger when his advisory associate and founder o f The Bulletin became president of NATS, now some 1,200 strong, in 1950. At the December, 1950 W ashington Convention, the metamorphic qrcle was in its final stages. Leon Carson was fast-becoming "The Bulletin' which he epitomized as "the most important interlocking element of the Association." He presented an expansion program calling for a somewhat larger magazine, twenty-four pages plus a four-page cover that would survive the United States mails, to be issued five times a year at an approximate cost of $750.00 per issue. It was Richard DeYoung’s motion and W alter Stults’ second that resulted in the Executive Committee’s approval. The first issue of The Bulletin, ApriVMay, 1951, embodying the new format, carried the name of Arthur Gerry as advertising director. The troika, Carson, Mowe and Gerry, was now ready to move. Even though The Bulletin’s 1951 tab of $6,207 practically tripled that of the previous year, there is nary an inkling in the records extant suggesting that any officer was concerned that The Bulletin’s tab had absorbed all but $1,617 of our 1951 dues. All bills had been paid and the checking book balance stood at $2,314. Nothing had been added to our sinking fund o f $3,000 in bonds during the year, Carson, aware that Homer Mowe’s presidenqr would come to a close at the year’s end, used his influence to have Treasurer Gutekunst nominated as a vice-president so that his trusted advertising director could move into the treasurer’s office. He had the helping hand of DeYoung who chaired the Nominating Committee. Carl Gutekunst’s remarks at the time of making his annual report at the Chicago convention indicate that he had been taken by surprise. "When I was told that I was not to continue as Treasurer, my first reaction was this: Well now, after all, this is my baby and I just don’t want to give it up. But I did." Concluding the last CPA authenticated Treasurer’s R eport that the membership would have until the final days of the Taylor administration, he said, "I have been honored greatly to have served as your Treasurer for seven and one-half years. I relinquish the position with re g re t. . " If there were board communications during 1952 or board discussions at the Boston convention expressing concern over NATS’ deteriorating financial condition, the records do not reflea i t However, in his annual report. President Stults remarked: "We are sailing a bit closer to the wind than is altogether comfortable." He even hinted that it might be necessary to tap o ur reserves. Also, we had to look to ways to increase our income. Treasurer Gerry prefaced his report to the convention assembled with: "You have heard the remark, ’There are many kinds of liars, then come the statisticians.’" In light of events between Boston and Chattanooga, perhaps he was ttying to teU us something. Even though, the monies paid in during 1952 exceeded the receipts of 1951 by almost $2,000 and Gutekunst handed him a checkbook balance o f $2,314, Gerry reported a 1952 balance of $547.80. At the call for new business, Gerry proposed a jum p in dues from $6.00 to $10.00. The pros and cons flowed back and forth. It was Victor Fields who called for economy at home, to live within one’s means saying: "I would rather see us served by mimeographed news-sheets, and live within our means, than to have this beautiful stream lined journal, and then go bankrupt" There were similar expressions at the 1953 S t Louis Convention. The debate was long and deliberate. President-Elect Taylor said: "We have got to take some kind of stand about expenses that we have and the income we have." Later when asked what part of the dues go to The Bulletin, President-Elect Taylor remarked: "That might be interesting. O ur dues are roughly between $9,000 and $10,000, and as you can see, our Bulletin is costing this year $7,000 and over. So it leaves a very small amount of money for other activities which in my humble opinion we are in great need o£" Eventually, the members in convention assembled gave President-Elect Taylor the mandate that he had asked for in curtailing the expense of The Bulletin so as to m ake possible an equitable distribution of funds within the limitations of our income. This excursion into that regrettable period in our history has been made because E. Clifford Toren raised questions of Vennard which could only be answered in this maimer since the records do not contain a Vennard response. It was unfortunate that Carson as well as Mowe nurtured their frustrations as having been caused by one man, Richard DeYoung. The issue with which DeYoung was dealing was "vital to the continued growth of the organization." H e was the officer directed by President Taylor to execute the mandate of members in convention assembled a t St.

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Louis. Likewise, it is evident that the 1954 Chattanooga convention was based largely on what Vennard revealed to them and that the reference to policies had no validity. President Taylor was in charge, not Richard DeYoung who was only doing the bidding of the membership and of his president. DeYoung was quite aware that he occupied the most unpopular office in the Association because he tried to find out where the money went It was unfortunate that Leon Carson’s self-identification as "Mr. Bulletin" robbed him of perspective. In the May, 1954 issue of The Bulletin, he wrote that he "would be interested in learning just how a drastic withdrawal of approximately two thousand dollars fi’om The Bulletin operating fund... will be distributed among other NATS activities [and]. . . its use prove of value to the Association in the same equal proportion as was that of its previous investment in the organization’s official organ." Strangely enough, the creation of the Budget Committee came at the end of the Mowe presidency when Arthur Gerry initiated the motion to set up such a committee and Homer Mowe seconded it. Walter Allen Stults succeeded Mowe in the presidency. DeYoung, as chairman of the Budget Committee, was ready to go to work, but Arthur Gerry, the newly elected treasurer, discouraged such a move with advice on how it should be done, declaring that NATS was too young an organization to have a budget. The committee bowed to Gerry’s counsel, since he had been the auditor for all the railroads in the United States before he ventured into the singer’s world. When Bernard Taylor took over the presidency from Walter Allen Stults, SL Louis, 1953, neither Gerry nor Mowe would permit the new president to co-sign checks until the second week in February, 1954. On several subsequent occasions, Taylor asked Gerry for a report on the condition of the treasurer only to be told that he would get a report at the end of the year. Walter Allen Stults had been stonewalled similarly throughout his administration. Taylor, however, was not so easily put off, he wanted to know before the year’s end. So, the president asked for and was given authority on November 10,1954, by the board to; (1) suspend payment of all bills of the Association until further notice; (2) engage an auditor to examine the books of the treasurer; (3) receive recommendations from the auditor as to the proper way to place the Association on a pay-as-you-go basis. You guessed it-this was another of those three to two votes of which Carson, Mowe and Gerry complained. President Taylor actually did not know the real financial picture of NATS until he received the auditor’s report in mid-December, 1954. Then, he found out that Gerry’s 1953 end-of-the year checkbook balance of $534.60 was not for real. Under Gerry’s blotter, awaiting the receipt of dues in January, there had been some $2,717.16 in 1953 bills. Now, the president found out why he was not allowed to cosign checks until February 8,1954. Gerry had been unmasked! President Taylor had no other alternative than to ask for the treasurer’s letter of resignation. The Vennard paper which speaks of the DeYoung report as "biased and unjust to persons not present" and who "have had no redress for this slight" seemingly overlooked the fact that the offended (?) parties could have had their day at any one of those nine meetings, but they never availed themselves of the opportunity. Perchance they were at a loss as to how to defend their fiscal irresponsibility? Whether you recognized it or not, Vennard’s October 1st proposed deleting stroke of the pen was Act I in his drama of rapprochement. Referring to Bernard Taylor’s February 16,1964 letter, we recognize that Act I was given over to the alleviation of the tension of the "existing schism" mentioned therein. The letter now becomes our blueprint The subject matter of Act II would be the Affiliate Membership and that of Act HI, the American Institute of Vocal Pedagogy. On October 3,1964, President Vennard announced the appointment of Karl Trump, College of Wooster, as chairman of a committee to formulate proposals for possible additional categories of membership in NATS as directed by the action taken at the Detroit convention annual business meeting, December 30,1963. Trump was empowered to form his own committee and was briefed by Vennard as to his duties. It may be recalled that it was Vennard who had chaired a similar committee under President Nicholas and who spoke about his committee’s rescinded effort at the Detroit convention, saying that the one thing wrong with it was that it was an omnibus bill, and that "it was the eager members of the committee who were anxious to have all the categories. It would have been better if it had been general.. . " There’s every reason to believe that his advice to Trump was to go for one category of membership. Karl Trump lost no time in forming

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his committee and in obtaining the files of both Vennard and Nicholas covering the effort that terminated with the Detroit, 1963 Convention. On November 4, 1964, Vennard was given approval of Trump’s committee which included Rosamond Hirschom, Oren Brown and G. Frederick Holler, They continued their work in Minneapolis and on December 30th, Kari Trump presented their handiwork at the annual business meeting. The bylaw amendment read: "Affiliates. There shall be a class of affiliates, without vote or privilege to hold office at any level, who fulfill all present requirements for membership excepting that governing length of teaching experience and whose card shall designate them as Affiliate of the National Association of Teachers of Singing, Ina Affiliates shall enjoy all privileges of membership except as cited above. "Upon completion of their five years of teaching experience, they may be recommended for full NATS membership on the same basis as national membership is now processed. It is further recommended by the committee that Article III, Section I of the bylaws be amended to read; "Regular annual dues of eight dollars ($8.00) for full members, and of six dollars ($6.00) for affiliates, of which three dollars ($3.00) is for one year’s subscription to The Bulletin, shall be assessed and payable by all members and affiliates.. . " Karl Trump moved the adoption of the above and Walter Allen Stults seconded the motion. The pros and cons that are recorded in some twenty-five pages of stenographic transcript of that historic meeting are of interest, even though many of the protagonists were veterans o f similar skirmishes down through the second decade. Space requirements forbid their recital here. Before the vote was taken the statement, "they may be recommended.. . " was amended to read, "they must be recommended.. . " The vote was Yes, sixty-seven; No, eleven. Helen Huls, who had opposed the affiliate membership idea down through the years was on her feet, exclaiming: "It is not a quorum vote. What do we have here?" At that time ninety-three would have constituted a quorum (5% o f the membership). In rechecking, it was discovered that John Thut and Hadley Crawford had not voted, so counting their votes the count stood at sixty-nine to eleven. Thirteen additional members were needed or the officers could not be elected. As many times before, the halls were combed, rooms were called, eta In the meantime, conunittees could give their reports. Eventually, your historian was called on for the report of the nominating committee. There were only three members o f the Board of Directors whose terms expired and who were renominated to succeed themselves. W hen that vote was taken, the count of membership stood at ninety. Just after the vote, three more came into the room. It was Vennard’s idea that these late comers could be counted as abstaining voters. Helen Huls was not about to give up so easy; she was opposed to the affiliate membership idea. She challenged the president; "How can people who did not hear the discussion vote accurately?" Vennard replied, "They are not voting. They abstaining." Undaunted, Huls took a different tack, addressing the President: "There is a question of the legality of the proxy if they are not written." There were numerous suggestions as how to remedy the situation, but Vennard wary that his resourceful opponent might make a post-convention challenge of the legality of the vote, opted for a post-convention vote by mail. What an incisive move that was! An unprecedented total of 808 ballots were returned, b etter than 42% of the membership at that time, a twelve to one majority. The convention vote had been six to one with only 5% of the membership voting. Reports from the 1964 summer workshops indicated a growing interest in the AIVP structured courses with an increased attendance. This prompted Vennard to contact chapter presidents, asking them to express themselves as to the desirability of appointing chapter ATVP representatives to help foster interest in continuing education in voice pedagogy. There was such a gratifying response that quantities of bibliographies and specimen examinations were sent to a number of chapters to sell to members. At the very first meeting of the Executive Board, December 27, 1964, at the M inneapolis Convention, President Vennard presented a list of prospective appointees to serve as liaison persons within some eight cooperating local chapters and the AIVP. After considerable discussion, during which time it was revealed that the New York Chapter opposed the whole idea, the prospective appointees were duly appointed by a unanimous vote. Hard core opponents o f ATVP characterize it as an organization within a organization, inspired by institutional o r university teachers with little consideration for the private teacher. What an erroneous ploy to gain support! New York chapter, which included many private teachers, considered itself the

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champion of that sector in NATS. With the appointing of the ATVP liaison personnel within chapters, the curtain rose on Act III. Then followed the question: Should the name, "American Institute of Vocal Pedagogy" be changed to "The Fellowship Program in NATS?" If this were done, there would have to be concomitant changes so it was suggested that Berton Coffin and Philip Duey, both members of the Policy Board, be appointed to rewrite Article VII, Section 3, of the bylaws to include the necessary changes which would be presented to the membership three days hence. Preliminary to that meeting, the Policy Board and Executive Board met in joint session one hour before midnight, December 28, 1964, and gave their unanimous approval to the proposed revisions, copies of which were circulated prior to the annual business meeting on December 30th. Then came the day. After the opening formalities and the presentation of his report. President Vennard called on Berton Coffin to present the proposed revisions to replace Article Vn, Section 3. Coffin read: "There shall be a committee to administer the requirements leading to the Fellow in NATS certificate. This certificate shall be awarded to persons in good standing in the organization who fulfill the requirements both written and practical as set forth by the committee to test the competence, education, experience and professional background of those who qualify. "The committee shall consist of nine members of whom one shall be the President of NATS, at least one member of the Policy Board of NATS and so designated and one shall be the Director of Workshops. Two new appointments to this committee shall be made by the President of NATS at the beginning of each calendar year and each appointment to serve for three years." Nothing had really been changed except the label. A rose by any other name smells the same. Those who thought that they had been appeased, voted for it. Those who recognized that it still was a rose voted for it. So the assemblage gave this Vennard move a unanimous approval with no extra verbiage. The faculty that carried the renamed program into 1965 included: Dale V. Gilliland, director, John Toms, recorder; Berton Coffin, chairman of the examining board; and G. Willard Bassett, George Cox, Gertrude Ehrhart, Virginia W. Liimey, Roy Schuessler, and William Vennard, ex­ officio. During 1964, the following examinations were given: two in pedagogy; two in comparative pedagogy; one in performance; one in demonstration teaching; and two in vocal history and style. At the spring meeting of the National Association of Schools of Music, Dale Gilliland made a presentation before the Commission on Curricula for their recommendations and possible adoption. Many commendations were expressed on the merits of our work. Unfortunately, the adoption of any curricula could only come if and when it was presented by a member school of the NASM where it had been in operation. In October, member schools in NASM were sent the fourth edition of ATVP bibliographies and specimen examinations, to be placed in their school libraries for use by the voice fiaculties and students of voice pedagogy. As a result, many letters expressing gratitude and interest in the objectives of ATVP were received by Dale Gilliland, its director. The curricula of the 1964 summer workshops strongly reflected the influence of this important arm of NATS. At the University of Colorado, Boulder, the main focus was a review of pedagogies from Maffei, 1562, through Bachner and Novikova in the present century, attracting some 73 persons. The other three shops offered a more varied fare, ranging from several areas of song literature through opera workshops. Opera performances were programmed at two: La Traviata at Boulder and Turandot at Indiana University. Indiana also offered courses in stage direction and stage design. Ralph Appelman presented the physiological and acoustical approaches to vocal pedagogy. The Indiana University workshop attendance rose to 79, six more than Colorado. President Vennard joined the faculty of the other two shops, Whittier College in California and Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, where he discussed six methodologies: (1) Inspirational or Psychological, (2) Mechanistic, (3) Phonetic, (4) Demonstrative (imitation), (5) Poetic (imagery) and (6) Progressive. President Vennard used his page in The NATS Bulletin, discussing the above pedagogical approaches through six issues, conmiencing with the February 1964 issue, remarking in the first issue: "Can we not improve the solidarity of our Association, and increase the productiveness of each of our studios, by learning to understand one another’s pedagogy?" It is apparent that Vennard’s vision of NATS was not only that of healing old wounds, but also to knit a unity throughout NATS, member-to-member. The AIVP subject,

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"Comparative Pedagogy" reflected a similar orientation. The examination at the Associate level required the candidate to give an articulate statement of his own way of teaching. A t the Fellowship level, the candidate was asked to show an understanding of all credos and a tolerance for them. On March 18,1964, Dr. Ralph Appelman was confirmed as the new chairman o f the Research Committee. He succeeded his colleague at Indiana University, William Ross, who had served nine years at that post and asked to be relieved. Other members remaining on the com m ittee were: Oren Brown, Berton CofBn, Philip A Duey, Ralph Errolle, Victor Fields, R obert M. Taylor, and Warren Wooldridge. William Vennard was not replaced upon his ascendance to the presidency. The committee made no contributions to The N ATS Bulletin during 1964. Only R alph A ppelm an, Oren Brown and Robert Taylor reported in-process research projects. Appelman also reported that he supervised two doctoral research projects at Indiana University that were stim ulated by two articles published in The N ATS Bulletin treating the Husson theory of chronaxy, "A New Look at Phonation," December, 1956, and "The Classification of Human Voices," May, 1951. B oth Dr. Otis D. Simmons, University of Kansas, and Dr. Lawrence Siegel, Pittsburgh, Kansas, reported the outcome of their studies at the 1964 Minneapolis Convention. The most important function of the Advisory Committee on Vocal Education was its sustaining column in The NATS Bulletin, "Quiz Cove." The committee’s personnel was a carry-over from the previous administration: J. Oscar Miller, chairman, Oren Brown, Philip A. Duey, V ictor A- Fields, Grace Leslie, Sonia Sharnova, Orcenith Smith and B. Fred Wise. There was no shortage of material during 1964. The committee, sans Orcenith Smith, had an hour spot on the Minneapolis convention program. Quiz Cove live was a new departure which M iller hoped would stimulate increased member involvement in future issues of The N A TS Bulletin. In his year-end report. Miller made an interesting observation: "For the first time. Quiz Cove sparked discussion by those who did not agree with our answers. Real, understanding comes from knowledge o f all sides of a question, the pros and the cons." It is unfortunate that the chairman didn’t take a cue from that and propose to his committee that the column do an about face, no m ore soliciting questions from the membership-give them a statement and ask for their pros and cons. A n o th er Miller did just that in the 1980s with overnight success, "Point Counterpoint." It takes considerable knowledge of a subject to formulate a question, whereas a positive statem ent acts like a magnet, pulling to the surface all the pros and cons. The Music Review Committee chaired by Eve Roine Richmond had one change in personnel during 1964. The terminal illness of Hardin van Duersen left a void that was filled by H adley Crawford in late July. The other member of the committee was Laura M. Marble. The flow o f material from the publishers to the committee was quite adequate, but unfortunately, choral publications far outnxmibered solo repertoire. There was a net gain in membership of 109 members in 1964 against a loss o f 110 m em bers in 1963. Louis Nicholas did yeoman work during the last months of his presidency and into th e early months of the Vennard presidency to reverse the negative trend. The results o f this effort showed up in 1964 so that by the year’s end NATS was back to where it stood in 1962. T here were 169 drops in 1963 and in 1964 that figure fell to 62. A t the end of our fiscal year, O ctober 31,1964, our membership count was 1,904. Robert Bowlus, treasurer, reported th at o u r increase in membership was reflected in an amount about equal to their dues, raising o u r n et w orth to $18,793, within about $400 of an all-time high in 1962. With the changing of the guard at Detroit, 1963, came the elevation o f the field office o f coordinator of chapters to the level of a vice-presidency. That portfolio was given to W eldon Whitlock. The new coordinator made a careful and detailed appraisal o f each chapter. In addition to the three whose charters were lifted in the fall of 1963 by President Nicholas, charters were withdrawn by Whitlock in 1964 from Arkansas, Birmingham, Maine and Pittsburgh Tri-State. This was only done where it was deemed impossible to continue under existing conditions. T he coordinator’s survey revealed that progressive chapters were those having the m ost meetings. Revitalization work was carried out successfully in three or four chapters. Des M oines, Iowa and South H o n d a chapters were completely reorganized. Three new chapters were in the process o f being formed by the year’s end. R uth M iller Chamlee’s Committee on Government Interest in the Arts continued its le tte r writing campaign under President Vennard. Upon passage of the bill by the senate which provided

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for the establishment of a National Council on the Arts and a National Arts Foundation, President Vennard wrote the Hon. Frank Thompson, Jr., chairman, Subcommittee on Labor, House of Representatives, Washington, D. C, as did Secretary John Thut and Ruth Miller Chamlee. Answering Mme. Chamlee, he expressed appreciation of NATS’ interest, etc., saying that H.R. 9587 which was identical to the bill that had passed the senate would be given attention as soon as anti-poverty hearings had been completed. At the annual business meeting on December 30, 1964, President Vennard informed members that the bill had now passed both houses and had been signed by President Johnson. Then he announced that Mme. Chamlee was resigning the chairmanship of the committee in favor of Grace Leslie. She had served as chairman since the 1962 Los Angeles Convention where she initiated the movement that created the committee. Mme. Chamlee remained on the committee with her husband, Mario. Other members were Ralph Errolle, Edward Harris, Dora Lyon and Mary Wolfinan. Errolle, Harris and Wolfman had been on the committee since then President Nicholas had completed appointments to the committee in April, 1963. Now that early December, 1964 request of Grace Leslie to be relieved of her AIVP Administrative Faculty obligations falls into place. Mme. Chamlee wanted to leave the chairmanship of GIA in capable hands. GIA was Ruth Miller Chamlee’s affectionate way of referring to the committee--gza in Italian translates into English as now\ The Committee on Vocal Affairs in the Public Schools (Esther Andreas, Ruth Bean Davis, William Lynn, William C. Rice, Jane Richards Sterrett, and Violet Johnson, chairman) sponsored a meeting on Sunday, March 15, 1964, 11;00 a.m., at the national convention of the Music Educators National Conference which was held in Philadelphia, March 13th through the 17th. Violet Johnson chaired the panel-type meeting. It was a memorable occasion and indicative of NATS’ impact on like-minded groups. There were four subject areas under the general theme, "The Responsibility of Public Schools, College, and Private Teachers in Training the Voice Student," each area the domain of one of these prominent NATSers, Rose Bampton, C. Scripps Beebee, Helen Hosmer and Homer G. Mowe. Violet Johnson wrote in her annual report: "The meeting ended at 12:30 p.m., but the audience remained and asked several thought provoking questions which were answered by members of the panel. . . Throughout the remainder of the conference, there was continued enthusiasm and talk about the NATS meeting and it was pointed out that in this fine music conference covering all phases of music education, the NATS session was the only session on the important subject of VOICE." At the annual business meeting, President Vennard in his postscript to his commendatory remarks in regard to the above, said: "Rarely is voice, solo or choral, discussed in conventions of music teachers without NATS members giving good account of themselves. Usually, they are in charge. Among letters received this year are one from Dale Gilliland telling of NATS participation in MTNA Convention in Indianapolis and another fi-om Monas Harlan who was Chairman of the Voice Section for the Shreveport Convention of the Louisiana Music Teachers Association, affiliated with MTNA" Never was the cliche "and that was only the tip of the iceberg" more aptly applied. Similar meetings were taking place at state levels throughout the land without filtering to the top. NATSers were often poor communicators. The 1964 SOTY auditions were Joel Carter’s swan song. No longer a vice-president, having succeeded himself once, he had been prevailed upon to serve one more year as the SOTY administrator without portfolio. Melvin Geist, vice-president and director of field activities would take over the supervision of SOTY in 1965. Although the 1964 brochure containing regulations and repertoire requirements was put in the mail in April, more than a hundred inquiries came to Carter’s office alone. Interest in the contest appeared to be high. However, applications received ran about the same as usual. Better than seventy singers took part in the regional auditions. All regions except California-Western sent representatives to the finals in Minneapolis. The wrap-up at Minneapolis was organized and administered by Paul Knowles, since Joel Carter could not be present. The semi-finals were held on Sunday, December 27th from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. The Northern and Southern Regions’ representatives were eliminated and there were only five in the finals, Monday, December 18th, 8:00 p.m. In the judges’ opinion, no one singer came up to the level justifying the title. Singer of the Year. Therefore, the title was withheld for 1964 and the $1,000 cash award was divided into three parts: $400 to Janet Day, Northwestern Region, $300

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to Marilyn John, Central Region, and $300 to Maria Mastrangelo, Eastern Region. Just such an occasion had been anticipated in the board meetings after the 1962 SOTY finals in Los Angeles. However, the board voted unanimously that in such circumstances where it was decided to withhold the SOTY title that the division of the prize money should be $500, $300, $200. There’s no evidence in the board’s 1964 minutes that legalized the judges’ variant awards. It is difficult to explain why the program planned to celebrate NATS’ twentieth year, starting with a Minneapolis Symphony Concert the night before the official opening of the convention and the following evening’s recital of the 1963 SOTY, Sylvia Friedreich, who had enjoyed the most successful NATS sponsored tour since the program began (fourteen recitals through ten states to high critical acclaim) attracted only 159 members, 100 of whom were from the Northern and Central Regions. When you consider of that total there were some forty-four national, regional and chapter officers, only 115 just plain members had been persuaded by the planned program to journey to Minneapolis. However, there was one observation that was encouraging. Youthful faces significantly replaced the predominately silvered locks of yesteryear. There were additional non-members, guests and students that swelled that total to 252, but only 127 attended the banquet Since 1964 marked NATS’ twentieth year, what better path was there to rapprochement than through a special ceremony at our annual banquet honoring that handful of singing teachers who several decades ago had taken time out of their schedules to bring NATS into being. John Thut’s convention article in the October, 1964 NATS Bulletin announced: "There will be special recognition of the fact that this is the twentieth anniversary of the founding of NATS.. . one program will be devoted to honoring the founders..." The December, 1964 issue carried Bernard Taylor’s "The Story of the National Association of Singing," his third covering the historical development of NATS. His two previous ones did not deal in specifics as did his 1964 opus. In it, Bernard Taylor listed a Founders Committee: Leon Carson, Homer Mowe, Bernard Taylor, John C. Wilcox, Walter Allen Stults and E. Clifford Toren. Bernard Taylor wrote: "This Committee for the next three years worked diligently to make the necessary plans for a national organization of teachers of singing..." Unfortunately, the committee, as named, never existed! Toren knew it, but limited his challenge to its authenticity to having his name replaced by that of Richard DeYoung. To keep things on an even keel, he agreed to being the presenter at the banquet ceremony. Each honored founder was the recipient of a book plate, marking the occasion, plus a check for a book of his choice. Bernard Taylor and Walter Allen Stults were the only ones there in person. As had been customary in the past years, Leon Carson and Homer Mowe sent their regrets. Taylor could have named the most recent committee of which he had been a part during the two years prior to the March, 1944 organizational meetings. An exchange of letters between Richard DeYoung and Homer Mowe in May, 1942 set up the following: Richard DeYoung’s letter of May 11th named Walter Allen Stults and William Phillips as members with himself as chairman. Homer Mowe’s May 26th reply listed himself as chairman with Leon Carson and Frederick Haywood representing the American Academy plus Vera Curtis and Bernard Taylor as the NYSTA representatives. This was the combined committee that finalized plans for the March 23-24,1944 meeting. However, it is the March 24,1944 minutes of the Cincinnati organizational meetings that put the official stamp on the gentlemen responsible for our being here. The last resolution of that meeting cited Messrs. Carson, DeYoung, Mowe, Stults and Wilcox "for their bringing about the organization of the National Association of Teachers of Singing.. . " E. Clifford Toren acted as the seaetary for these meetings. Bernard Taylor was not present at the Cincinnati, 1944 meetings which may account for his somewhat fictionalized version of that event in his December, 1964 "Story” in The NATS Bulletin. There was no doubt in the minds of the five (Carson, DeYoung, Mowe, Stults and Wilcox) as to who were the founders of NATS, they were the Board of Directors until the 1955 confrontation. What better proof is needed than that after John Wilcox’s demise, the listing of the Board of Directors through the September, 1955 issue of The NATS Bulletin was: Leon Carson, Richard DeYoung, William Phillips, Homer G. Mowe and Walter Allen Stults. Phillips had been known as John Wilcox’s stand-in. He was a member of the Chicago segment of the committees named in the DeYoung/Mowe 1942 letters. Bernard Taylor was his NYSTA counterpart, but William Phillips got the nod to complete the board. It would seem that the remaining members of the original five would not confuse the issue by

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stepping across the line to choose either Bernard Taylor or E. Clifford Toren. And thus the patriarchs closed the circle of founders to both of these gentlemen. The following referrals are to make you aware of some of the inaccuracies in the several articles authored by Bernard Taylor. This is not an apology in any way for the differences. Your guess is as good as mine as to why they occurred. Since what was published in our ofGcial journal was the only information given to our members until the pages of this history, it is necessary that I inform you of these variances from actual reality. Over some thirty years, Bee Taylor wrote these articles, the first article appearing in Volume 14, No. 3, February 15, 1958, pp. 2-5, 19. Entitled, "Historically Speaking," it was an excellent article, except for its introductory sentence, to wit: "During the 1944 Convention of the Music Teachers National Association, held in Cincinnati, Ohio, more than one hundred voice teachers in attendance decided that the right time had come to organize a national association of singing teachers." I only ask you to turn to page 4 and the appendix of this volume and read the fecsimile reproduction of the minutes of those meetings in Cincinnati. Peruse the list of the thirteen in attendance and you will discover that Bernard Taylor not only was not in attendance, but that there were some 87 proxies that created that vote of 100. You may draw your own conclusions. Was this a nostalgic and wishful memoiy of the author of what had taken place fourteen years earlier? Bernard Taylor’s second article, "As We Face the Future," Volume XVI, No. 3, February 15, 1961, three years after his first, made no reference to the founding of NATS. It concerned itself with conditions in the world of singing and our place in it. His third article, "The Story of the National Association of Teachers of Singing," appeared in the December, 1964 issue of The NATS Bulletin, right before the Minneapolis convention. It was the most embroidered of all. If you have read the history this far, you Imow of the turmoil of 1954-1955 and its aftermath. It is difficult to say whether what Past-President Taylor wrote here is deliberate or once again a nostalgic reverie. All I ask is that you return to the minutes of the first two meetings in Cincirmati (to be found on page 4 and in the Appendix) and you will discover the variance from the actual facts. Twenty years had passed since our founding and memories sometimes become creative. Here Bee Taylor created that which he had not seen. His fourth article, "The Many Faces of NATS," to be found in Volume XXV, No. 1, October, 1969, The NATS Bulletin, on the occasion of our 25th anniversaiy, is devoid of any statistics and was general in its remarks about the past and future. The fifth and last article on NATS, written by Bee Taylor, is to be found in The NATS Bulletin, XXXI, No. 1, October, 1974 celebrating NATS’ thirtieth year. It was entitled, "The National Association of Teachers of Singing, Inc." Once more, it carried a nostalgic paragraph, "It was in 1944 that approximately 125 singing teachers from various parts of the country gathered in Cincinnati, Ohio, at the convention of the Music Teachers National Convention. It was here the National Association of Teachers of Singing came into existence." Again, I ask you to read the account and/or minutes of that meeting in Cincinnati to be found in the appendix of this volume. There is no accounting for Bee Taylor’s glamorized version of a meeting which he did not attend. He certainly did not consult the board’s official records. Other than that, this article is very interesting and gives a capsulized version of NATS first thirty years. All these articles were published during the years of my editorship of our official publication. I had no reason to doubt the verity of the statements made therein. To me, Bernard Taylor had been there and I had no reason to think otherwise. In fact, I was unaware of the existence of the board’s Minutes Book. When I accepted the responsibility of writing the history, I wrote to all past-presidents still in our midst Bernard Taylor was the only one from whom I did not get a reply. A history would not be a history unless that step had been taken. I could not do less than place all the evidence before my readers and allow each individual to arrive at his own conclusions. In the February, 1965 issue of The NATS Bulletin, your historian, then its editor, printed Roy Schuessler’s paper, "The Reach of the Mind," one of the most stimulating to come out of the Minneapolis convention. I introduced the article with this paragraph: "If you are one who holds the term, dropout, synonymic with teenager as a label to denote a youthful fugitive from the discipline of formal education, you must read this article to discover that, in a fuller sense, it is applicable to any individual who gives up the struggle to extend the reach of his or her mind at any age level. After you have finished reading this challenging article, dare to ask yourself the 111

question, ’Is my teaching based on current and relevant knowledge, or am I a dropout?’" Schuessler, a member of the faculty of the NATS Fellowship Program, wrote: "If we are going to come to have a genuine appreciation for the NATS Fellowship Program and our need for making use of it, we must place ourselves in perspective with the intellectual climate which now dominates our world. Might we not ask ourselves this question: Does my level o f intellectual inquiry and discovery in my profession equate with the intellectual inquiry and discovery o f those in other professions? Or, is our rate of growth within our profession keeping us on a par with our colleagues in other professions? There was a time when a static body o f knowledge was sufficient, but that is no longer true." Later on in his paper, Schuessler wrote: "The new depth and breadth of research in the area of the physiological and acoustical aspects of singing present us with still another area o f m ajor conquest. In short, our expanded musical horizons present an irresistible challenge to all o f us. The National Association of Teachers of Singing is morally bound to keep faith with the nobel stature accorded the performing arts by the Commission on the Humanities. It bears repeating: "We placed the creative and performing arts within the scope of the foundation on the grounds that they are the very substance of the humanities, and embrace a major part of the imaginative and creative activities of mankind. . . Only through the best ideas and the best teaching can we cope with the problems that surround us and the opportunities that lie beyond the problems. We dare not fail this trust." The return of 808 ballots, better than 42% of the membership, of the January mail vote (necessitated by the below quorum attendance at the Minneapolis convention’s annual business meeting, December 30,1964), was not the vote of members whose roots were in the first decade. The resounding yea vote of 744, a twelve to one majority, given the bylaw amendm ent creating the new category of affiliate membership could only have come ft-om the new blood o f the last half of the second decade. All things seemed to indicate that NATS was moving away from being an exclusive organization toward an inclusive one. Vennard, in his swan song at the 1965 Chicago convention, said: "There is doubtless value in exclusiveness in professional organizations, and this is characteristic of those parent groups who founded NATS twenty-two years ago. But it is doubtful whether a national association of teachers of singing should be exclusive. Organizations of similar purpose, such as the American Guild of Organists and the American M usicological Society do not feel their standards diluted by the admission of members less qualified than their most successful. On the contrary, they welcome all those interested in supporting the good work, and provide opportunity and inspiration within the organization for them to improve th eir abilities." As of the close of the fiscal year, October 31, 1964, the membership co u n t was 1,950, five higher than the previous high in 1960, not counting the twenty-four new affiliates who had joined during the year. The net worth of the organization increased $5,424.58 during the year, standing at $24,217.85, an all-time high! The 1965 workshop program was the most impressive to date. A t D artm outh College, an amazing total of 140 persons attended, the largest since the first at Indiana University, A ugust 814,1949. The total attendance for all six workshops was 354. These figures are directly from th e year’s end report of George Cox, chairman of workshops, and vary with the over-zealous reporting in the October, 1945 issue of The NATS Bulletin. No doubt such success can be largely attributed to the appearance of three individuals o f international renown on the faculties of our workshops: Boosey and Hawkes cooperated in making possible the appearance of Michael Head at the University of Michigan, Brigham Y oung University, Maryville College and Macalester College; (2) Dartmouth College shared Z o ltan Kodaly and Pierre Bemac, who were in residence for their Congregation of the A rts sum m er program; (3) the University of Michigan made it possible for NATS to feature Pierre Bernac. B ut the sixth workshop at the University of Idaho attracted fifty-six persons featuring only NATS celebrities. With something to talk about, promotion was more a matter of concern. Paid advertisem ents were placed in several musical journals. At the suggestion of President Vennard, each w orkshop was made responsible for its own promotion. The result was that each shop had for itself space equivalent to that of all workshops in former years. This allowed for more depth o f treatm ent, even to providing information of local attractions. Sensitive to such concomitant publicity, o u r 112

host schools provided financial assistance in the preparation and distribution of the brochures as they proudly co-sponsored these workshops. Members, instead of receiving one brochure in 1965, received one from each workshop, six impacts! The six workshops grossed in excess of SIO.OOO with expenses of a bit more than S7,500. With the 1964 balance, our workshop fund rose to $4,068.06 to serve as a reserve for 1966 and future programs. Good news-after several years of general fund subsidies. The Committee on Vocal Education’s prime activity these days was the sustaining of the "Quiz Cove" column in The NATS Bulletin. There was no dearth of material, averaging approximately seven and one-half pages per issue and covering questions 112-119, some of them demanding in-depth treatment. At the previous convention in Minneapolis, chairman Miller successfully introduced a Quiz Cove panel. At Chicago, it blossomed into two sessions and conventioneers dropped a total of thirty questions into the Quiz Cove boxes prior to the scheduled sessions. The disturbing news was that J. Oscar Miller who had been a member of the Policy Board since 1958, decided it was time to leave one hat on the hat rack. His preference was the Policy Board so he resigned from COVE completely. Miller had come to the committee as did your historian in its reorganization following the passing of Richard DeYoung in January, 1960. He succeeded to the chairmanship in mid 1962 and certainly left it in a far more stable condition than he found it. No replacement had been found by convention time, 1965. Other standing committees continued to function admirably throughout 1965 even though some were at a sotto voce level. Grace Leslie took over as chairman of the committee on Government Interest in the Arts from Ruth Miller Chamlee who remained as a member of the committee. The same Music Review Committee of the year past enjoyed a flow of publications from publishers surpassing previous years providing some twenty pages of copy for all four issues of The NATS Bulletin. The activity of the Research Committee slowed to a walk through 1965. Finally, in November, a questionnaire was sent to our approximately 2,000 members in order to determine the nature and the magnitude of organized research directly related to the vocalprocess which was being conducted or supervised by NATS members. Only seventy-nine responded, revealing that there were none whose research was directly related to the singing process. Only twenty-four reported research efforts which were systematic, controlled experiments. At the convention, the Research Committee’s spot on the program was occupied by one Dr. Robert Ruetz, who presented material from his doctoral dissertation, "A Comparative Analysis of Goethe’s ’Der Erlkoenig,’ ’Der Fischer,’ ’Nachtgesang,’ and Troest in Traenen,’" in the musical settings of two composers in the Volkslied style and two Kunstiied composers. Weldon Whitlock’s report as vice-president and coordinator of chapters for 1965 was lacking in specific information. He wrote; "We have had three new chapters established. Two new chapters are in the making, one at Dallas-Fort Worth and the other at Houston, Texas. Plans are going forward... for us to have another chapter in Michigan. All of these combined will mean six new chapters during my tenure of office. . . Four other chapters were revived." The Committee on Vocal Affairs in the Public Schools’ 1965 pidce de resistance was four meetings at the New Jersey Music Educators Work Conference, held in Asbuiy Park, May 15 and 16,1965. The committee’s chairman, Violet Johnson presided and C. Scripps Beebee was the assistant chairman. All four sessions also were chaired by NATS members and all teacher participants, excepting one who was in the process of applying, were members of NATS. Past-President Taylor was the featured speaker and clinician. President Vennard commented at the time of reporting the event in his annual report, "It is usual for voice sections of such conventions to rely heavily upon NATS.. . " The renamed Fellowship Program in NATS benefitted by a growing interest in further study. Special projects were formulated under the direction of chapter representatives, a new direction initiated by Vennard during the first year of his presidency. Berton Coffin, chairman of the Examining Board reported that the following examinations had been given during the year: Three towards attaining the Associate in NATS and one towards attaining the Fellow in NATS. Seven others signified their intentions of begiiming the examinations. Then too, the 1965 summer workshops experienced increased attendance at their Fellowship Program’s structured courses. In October, 1965, the fourth edition of bibliographies and specimen examinations were sent to all the member schools of NASM. This edition, as were the first three editions, was to be placed

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in school libraries for use by the voice faculties and students of voice pedagogy. Specimen examinations and bibliographies also were mailed to the entire NATS membership. In addition, 332 individuals ordered 390 copies of the examinations. Orders were received from forty-five of the fifty states and the District of Columbia, and also from foreign countries including Canada, Panama, Thailand, South Africa, Switzerland and Bermuda. Many were ordered for use in pedagogy courses and others just for the individual’s own personal study and reference. Through this further study, NATS membership was raising the standard of voice education not only in America but in several other countries of the world. The 1965 SOTY brochure was revised by a committee composed of President Vennard, Harvey Ringel and Melvin Geist. The brochure was published soon after the first of the year and mailed to the membership in late January. Close to ninety singers entered the regional auditions, with all regions participating. The finals of the eleventh annual SOTY auditions were held Tuesday, December 28, 1965, commencing at 7:00 p.m. and lasting almost four hours. Midway through there was a brief intermission. It had been decided after the 1964 SOTY Finals that there be only a single session, eliminating the semi-finals, also, that there be a jury of five judges, conferring with each other only in very exceptional circumstances. Third place went to baritone John Stephen Janzen, representing the Southwestern Region. Soprano Barbara Duff, Southeastern Region was the runner-up and Richard Allen, baritone, representing the Eastern Region, was named Singer of the Year. He was an impressive winner. At the 1966 Washington convention, Paul Hume, distinguished music critic of the Washington Post, wrote of Allen’s return recital: "Few young singers today can project the four languages with anything like Allen’s excellent enunciation and clarity. [Allen had a B. A. in Modem Foreign Languages.] His voice can take on a fetching caress, yet he is able to handle the larger phrases [of Schubert’s "Der Atlas"] with no sign of strain or loss of focus. His Schubert songs had sound and style to meet high demands and he sang Rorem’s multi-scented songs with a simplicity that suited their changing moods. The Poulenc cycle was a delight in tone. So idiomatic was the French in the opening phrase that, for a moment, I was forcefully reminded of Bernac." Allen had studied with Bemac while a Fulbright Fellow in Paris. The Annual Business Meeting was scheduled wisely at 3:15 p.m. Wednesday, December 29, 1965. Many more than the required quorum were on hand. After the president’s report, the first item of business was presented by Louis Nicholas, an amendment to the bylaws. Article II, Section I (c) creating a class of emeritus members whereby a member who had been in good standing for twenty years and had decided to retire from teaching, having reached the age of 72, could become an emeritus member. Such a member would no longer pay dues, but would receive The N ATS Bulletin. He would forfeit the privilege of voting as well as that of holding office. It took a long time for this idea to filter down. During the lengthy floor debate at the 1963 annual business meeting (Detroit), your historian suggested that the committee appointed to formulate the bylaw amendment for the affiliate should also consider two additional classes since they could very well relieve pressures that triggered resignations and/or non-payment of dues: emeritus, to placate our older members who felt that they no longer should pay the full fee because of their inability, physically and/or financially, to sustain the demands of full membership, and a leave o f absence status for members on sabbaticals, allowing them to continue as non-paying dues members until they resumed teaching. The latter did not receive consideration at this time, only that regarding the emeritus status. After some discussion, Vennard got an unanimous vote of approval. The second bylaw amendment proposal had its roots in the board meetings of the 1963 Detroit Convention. The question was raised then whether in view of their recent action taken to limit the terms of vice-presidents, it might not also be well to limit the terms of members of the Policy Board. The idea was referred to the newly created Council of Past Presidents whose first major assignment was to be the rewriting of the bylaws. Now, in the 1965 annual business meeting in Chicago, Hugh Dean read the proposed amendment: "No regional governor or member of Policy Board may succeed himself more than once. Each regional governor one year prior to termination of the office he serves will appoint a nominating committee to present a nominee or nominees for offices of the regional governor and/or the Policy Board members. Nominees will have served in some official capacity within the NATS organization." An unanimous vote made it part of our bylaws.

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Helen Huls gained the floor and presented the need of an official archivist and a repository for our historical documents. After some discussions, a motion was made that the president appoint an historical committee. President Vennard, after the approving vote, replied. That is carried and I can’t tell you how pleased I am that you simply used the official word president because in a very short time, that v/ill no longer be my official designation." Only two committee reports remained, that of the Resolutions Committee and that of the Nominating Committee. The former disposed of quickly. President Vennard called on Chairman B. Fred Wise to present the slate for the 1966-1968 biennium, which had been published previously in the October, 1965 issue of The NATS Bulletin. The slate for the Duey biennium was quite in contrast with that of the Vennard years. There was only one new face among the regional governors, Gean Greenwell, replacing Henry Cady, Central Region, and only one new face among the upper echelon, Karl Trump, vice-president, replacing Weldon Whitlock who, not in the best of health, opted not to stand for reelection. So from the top echelon down through the regional governors we had a veteran administrative aew to sustain the incoming president who had not experienced even one term of a vice-presidency in charge of a section of NATS’ national activities. The incoming administration, however, was unique in that its roster contained all the presidents who would succeed each other into the fourth decade much the same as the patriarchal line-up that brought NATS through the first decade into the second. Although politicking and friendship played its part, who is to say that is all bad when such a small percentage of our membership wants to or even can take on the responsibility of the NATS presidency. So, the future presidents through i976 that were on the Duey team were, Berton Coffin, Karl Trump, Jean Ludman and Gean Greenwell. You will find them in their proper slot for 1966-1968 in the list below. Included in this list are the names of incumbent Policy Board members. Only those with an asterisk after their names stood for election at this time. Board o f Directors Executive Committee President: Philip A. Duey. Vice-Presidents: Hadley Crawford, Gertrude Ehrhardt, Melvin H. Geist, Karl Trump (new). Secretary: John Thut. Treasurer. Robert E. Bowlus. Registrar: Gertrude Tingley. Past-President: William Vennard, Policy Board California-Western: Eugene Fulton*. Central: Stanley Deacon*. Eastern: Grace Leslie*. Northwestern: John L. Lester. Southeastern: Arnold E. Putman. Southern: J. Oscar Miller. Southwestern: R. Berton Coffin. Member-at-Large: Victor A Fields*. Regional Governors California-Western: Jerold Shepherd. Central: Gean Greenwell (new). Eastern: Jean Ludman. Northern: Thomas D. Abbott. Northwestern: Glen Lockery. South­ eastern: Virginia D. Linney. Southern: G. Frederick Holler. Southwestern: Paul Englestad. After reading the slate, B. Fred Wise moved the acceptance of the committee’s report and within a twinkling of an eye they were elected. Then came the passing of that historic gavel that Waiter Allen Stults put in the stream of presidential succession fourteen years ago at the 1951 Chicago Convention. After a few brief remarks by President-Elect Duey the meeting was adjourned at 4:30 p.m., permitting extra time to prepare for the happy hour before our annual banquet Two hundred and two attended the banquet, another record crowd. They enjoyed retiring President Vennard, described by Burton Garlinghouse as a raconteur par excellence. Quoting fi'om his account of that gala evening in The NATS Bulletin, February, 1966: "His talent for relating outrageous jokes was revealed to newcomers in its finest flowering... a special citation was given Harvey Ringel for ten years of meritorious service as editor of The NATS Bulletin; William Vennard was the recipient of a gift in recognition of the zeal he had brought to the office of president. Both of these awards brought approving applause from the banqueters.. . The big

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surprise of the evening was saved for last, with the introduction of the guest speaker, Nicolas Slonimsky, renowned musicologist, pianist, author and composer. What many had assumed would be a scholarly discourse turned out to be a hilarious demonstration of musical fun, occasioning one person to remark that, in this field, we can no longer consider Borge victor! "After all this and the many informal gatherings that continued far into the night, it is perhaps understandable that Thursday morning’s first session did not begin promptly at nine o’clock." Glenn Drake’s two-hour lecture/demonstration on stage deportment was followed by an hour visit to the old Auditorium Theatre, reminiscing with Ralph Errolle who had sung tenor roles there in its golden years. It was undergoing restoration at the time. After lunch, Robert Gay’s demonstration lecture, "Production Techniques for Amateur Presentation of Opera" with scenes presented from Carmen, La Boheme, Boito’s Mefistofele and Paisiello’s Barber o f Seville was one of the best of a very good convention. Epitomized in the words of scribes Garlinghouse and Trump: "From the friendly efficiency of the Monday registration through the relentless parade of stimulating programs in the elegant Gold Room, to ’Auld Lang Syne’ on Thursday afternoon, the Chicago convention committee carried its record-breaking crowd-some 378 attended-of members and guests along on the winds of its boundless vim."

'A ir

Annual Banquet, NATS National Convention, Washington, D.C., December 29,1966

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Philip A. Duey PRESIDENT

1966-1968 The beginning weeks of any incoming president are given over to the usual routine of initiating official action to approve appointive offices and the reinstatement of former members. On February 5, 1966, the Executive Committee, following the enactment of an amendment to NATS Bylaws at the 1965 Chicago convention creating the category of emeritus membership, designated Charter Member Frederick Haywood as the first NATS member to achieve the distinction of Emeritus. Grace Leslie, who took over fi-om Ruth Miller Chamlee as chairman of the Committee on Government Interest in the Arts in January, 1965, bowed in April, 1966 in favor of Jean Ludman who, recognizing the opportunity that the GIA chairmanship provided, rode it into a 1968 vice­ presidency and NATS’ top office in 1972. On August 3,1966, President Duey reported to the Executive Committee of the board that E. Clifford Toren, chairman of the Council of Past Presidents, had submitted to him a copy of the proposed revisions of the NATS bylaws for circulation among board members for their approval and subsequent publication in the October, 1966 issue of The NATS Bulletin. For the record, the president had already circulated copies to the board members. President Duey advised members of the Executive Committee and the Policy Board on October 10th that Gertrude Tingley had found it necessary to resign her position as registrar effective as of December 31,1966. Tingley had served since January 1,1954 when she took over that post from Grace Leslie at the begiiming of the Taylor presidency. This occasion was seen as an opportunity to move in the direction of creating the office of executive secretary, with at least a token remuneration for added responsibilities and work, by combining the offices of the present secretary and registrar. President Duey had discussed this procedure with members of the entire board who had agreed that such a step should be taken. John Thut, the incumbent secretary, agreed to take on the responsibilities of the office of registrar with appropriate remuneration until the expiration of his term of office. Likewise, Tingley, agreed to complete her tour as registrar, in name only, and remain as a member of the executive arm of the Board of Directors. This action provided time to come to a final decision in regard to the setting up of the office of executive secretary. The matter was referred to the Policy Board for further study and action. The completed revision of the bylaws which had been the main thrust of the Council of Past Presidents since the early months of the Vennard administration was published in the October, 1966 issue of The NATS Bulletin in accordance with the provision of our bylaws. They were to be voted upon at the December convention. Their publication flushed out some very pertinent suggestions upon which the council deliberated via the mails and in their early meetings in Washington, D.C. There, the council met with the board and discussed all changes that were to be presented in the annual business meeting, December 29,1966, for final vote. At the business meeting, each member was given a copy of the proposed revisions as published in The NATS Bulletin. Cliff Toren, as chairman of the Council of Past Presidents, assisted by Louis Nicholas, presented the changes by article and section which were voted upon before proceeding to the next. There was ample discussion and clarification before each vote, after some twenty-two typed pages recording tht refiner’s fire of that meeting, the revised bylaws as published in the February, 1967 issue of The NATS Bulletin were accepted by the convention assembled as the new rules and regulations by which NATS would live into the foreseeable future. The revision of December 29, 1966 was the first major one since that of 1955. While not as dramatic, it could well be described as a continuation of the democratization begun during the Taylor administration. In 1955, the membership threw off the patriarchal control of the previous decade with its increase of the Board of Directors from five to eighteen. But caution wrote into those bylaws a

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divided board with the national officers, the Executive Committee, somewhat in the power of the Policy Board who was the legal custodian of all monies, bank accounts, records and properties of the Association. It alone designated the bank or banks where our monies were safeguarded. All the checks and balances were there that would thwart a similar Carson-Gerry-Mowe troika control over NATS monies. But the price was a stifling, cumbersome handling of NATS affairs at the national level. Unfortunately, the tunnel vision of those careful framers of the 1955 bylaws allowed the creation of rules and regulations that begot a new royalty. Only the tenure of the president was specifically limited to one term of two years. Incumbents of all other offices could stand for reelection as often as they consented to renomination. In feet, President Duey’s successor had stood for reelection since his first in 1956, serving as a member of the Policy Board of the Board of Directors for one decade. The 1966 revisions corrected that oversight It had been a subject of discussion during the Nicholas administration and finally received unanimous approval at the 1965 Chicago Convention. The bylaws now stated that vice-presidents, members of the Board of Directors and/or regional governors could not succeed themselves more than once. The eleven-year division of the Board of Directors into a Policy Board and Executive Committee with their separate secretaries and minutes books came to an end with the current revisions. Now there was but one board with the president having an Advisory Committee consisting of the four vice-presidents, the secretary and the treasurer. They had no powers other than advisory. Protectionism dies slowly. In the first decade, we saw first a provision inserted in our bylaws limiting membership to citizens of the United States. Shortly thereafter, when a Canadian sought membership, it was thought wise to drop that bar to membership for our neighbors to the north. That requirement was revised to read: "Any citizen of the United States of America or of Canada.. but we denied them full membership by excluding them from holding office with the phrase: *... members in good standing and who are citizens of the United States of America." The 1966 revision removed that phrase to the dismay of several of the old guard. Cliff Toren explained that it was done so that there would be no disfranchisement of our northern colleagues. Full membership in NATS included the privilege to hold office. With such a major overhaul of the bylaws and with all the talk about employing an executive secretary, one could wonder why President Duey didn’t bite the bullet and seek an increase in dues. The 1955 bylaws had not changed the dues from $6.00 but at Los Angeles a bylaw revision raised them to $8.00 effective for 1963. It was problematical how long they could be held at that level Another nod toward the grass roots was the provision in Article V, Section 7, d, directing that *... the Regional Governor one year prior to the end of his term of office... appoint a Regional Nominating Committee consisting of five members. This committee will present a nominee for a Regional Representative on the Board of Directors. The nominee must have served in some official capacity within the Association. Consent from the nominees to stand for election must have been obtained. The Regional Nominating Committee’s Report must be submitted to the National Nominating Committee in time for publication in the October issue of The NATS Bulletin.' The Committee on Vocal Education was a committee of changing complexion. When Vennard became past-president, Philip Duey moved into the presidency. J. Oscar Miller, its chairman, decided that being a member of the Board of Directors was quite enough, so he departed the committee and the chairmanship. B. Fred Wise was in delicate health and asked to be relieved. Only Oren Brown, who moved to the chairmanship, Victor A. Fields, Grace Leslie, Sonia Sharaova, and Orcenith Smith remained. Even the latter became a casualty by fall. The new faces were Hermanus Baer, Bruce Foote, Walter James and Arthur Schoep. Oren Brown resigned from both the Research Committee and the Editorial Board of The NATS Bulletin with his ascendanq' to the chairmanship of COVE. The greater part of the year was spent by the committee in getting its bearings and evaluating projects. "Quiz Cove" appeared hale and hearty with better than four columns an issue. A new column, "Echo," was introduced in the May issue of The NATS Bulletin. Its purpose was to encourage the exchange of ideas and its name was derived from the initials of its motto: ■fiVery Correspondent Has an Opportunity to be Heard." The hoped for exchange of ideas could take the form of additional information to an answer in "Quiz Cove" or it could be a comment

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on one or more articles. It was an attempt to encourage something less than a formal article, yet more than just a word of praise or approval. Unfor­ tunately, the little over three columns in the May issue was its only appearance in 1966. The Committee on Vocal Education spent considerable time in the re-evaluation of all past pronouncements. Their year-end report recom­ mended the reprinting of Bartholomew’s "Role of Imagery in Voice Teaching," the revision of all NATS pronouncements and the elimination of all song lists, a compilation of a new list of books for teachers of singing, and a cross index of subjects treated in "Quiz Cove." During 1966, the Research Committee as a committee was inactive. Phil Duey left the commit­ tee when he became president, and Oren Brown PHILIP A. DUEY decided that chairing the Committee on Vocal Education was quite enough. Chairman Appelman busied himself preparing a report on organized research directly related to the vocal process which was being conducted or supervised by NATS members at the time. The chairman promised its completion for publication in the February, 1967 issue of The NATS Bulletin, but it was never forthcoming. The other silent members of the committee were Berton Coffin, Ralph Errolle, Victor A Fields, Robert M. Taylor and Warren Wooldridge. There was a lull in the Committee on Vocal Affairs in the Public Schools as welL There was no change in personnel. Their activity was limited to planning for a session sponsored by NATS at the Eastern Division, MENC meeting in Boston, February 9-13,1967, with the NATS meeting scheduled for Sunday, February 12th at 11:00 a.m. There also was plaiming for the New Jersey Music Educators spring workshop, Asbury Park, May 12 and 13,1967. At the close of our fiscal period, October 31, 1966, we numbered 2,021 members plus 78 affiliates for a total of 2,099. These are net figures. During the year, there was a total of 170 new and reinstated members. However, our losses, 61 dropped for non-payment of dues, 27 resigned, and only 10 deceased, left us with a 3.6% net gain over the previous year. The drops and resignations that hurt. Our net worth increased $1,539, of which $669.19 was interest, over the previous year to total $25,757.26. In this quiet year, there were only two new chapters, Greater Philadelphia and Fort Worth, Texas. Buffalo changed its name to Niagara Frontier Chapter. The Music Review Committee was abandoned with the close of the Vennard administration and its chairman, Eve Roine Richmond, became an associate editor of The NATS Bulletin. There seemed to be no lack of material with "Music Review" accounting for four pages in the February issue, six pages in May, seven in October, and six in December. The complexion of the Administrative Faculty of the Fellowship Program changed somewhat for 1966, although the listings in The NATS Bulletin never reflected it. Radiana Pazmor replaced Virginia Linney and, by virtue of his office, President Duey succeeded William Vennard. Oren Brown was added as chairman of the Committee on Vocal Education. Ehrhart, Cox and Schuessler were holdovers. The top three: Dale Gilliland, chairman, John Toms, recorder, and Berton Coffin, chairman of the Examining Board, remained unchanged. John Toms, however, changed his California address to the University of Tulsa. During the year, the faculty met in Chicago on February 25,1966. The work in the Associate and the Fellow in NATS was redefined. The fifth edition of the Bibliographies and Specimen Examinations emerged and was republished in September. This material was mailed to member schools of the National Association of Schools of Music. Also, a letter was sent to our membership announcing the fifth edition of NATS materials. Many orders for the bibliographies and specimen examinations were received from all states of the nation as well as Canada, Panama, Finland, Thailand, South Africa, Switzerland and Bermuda. Copies, likewise, were ordered for use in the pedagogy courses; others, for personal study and reference.

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Berton CofBn, chairman of the Examining Board, reported the following examinations as having been given: One in performance, failed. Two in demonstrations of the teaching o f singing, passed. Two in vocal acoustics, in process of being graded. There were six NATSers in th e active files of the Associate and Fellow in NATS programs. At the December 27,1966 joint Policy Board/Executive Committee meeting, B erton Coffin stated that the degree of Associate in NATS should be made more attainable, and that specifications had been so revised. Two days later at the annual meeting, Alvana Palm quist and Bessie Ruby Morse, having fulfilled both the written and practical requirements for the Associate of NATS were handed certificates by the chairman of the Examining Committee, B erton Coffin. After the highly successful 1965 season, it appeared that there was only one direction for o u r workshop program to go and that was UP! There was every reason for optimism as chairm an George Cox, backed by the largest enrollment and dollar surplus in workshop history, approached the 1966 season. January brought the usual number of invitations from prospective sites. However, within a space of a few weeks, local developments at some of these locations severely reduced the number to two; Howard Payne College, Brownwood, Texas and The Em press H otel, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. The latter would become the first NATS w orkshop to be held outside the United States. It drew ninety-eight teachers and students fi'om eighteen states and two Canadian provinces. The fact that it was held in a hotel, another first, rather than on the campus of an institution of higher learning, escalated the cost of operation above that usually experienced at a university location. 1966 was the year that each workshopper got back approximately $1.20 w orth o f instruction for each dollar of tuition paid. That was even better than the Canadian exchange. O ur dollar was worth about $1.08 at that time. The net result was that the workshop fund of $4,068.06 was trimmed back to S331535 with which to begin the 1967 season. A t a joint Executive C om m ittee and Policy Board meeting at the Washington Convention, December 29, 1966, G eorge Cox, chairman of workshops, presented plans for the summer of 1967. Three sites already w ere assured. Also, there was the possibility of having Gerhard Huesch of Germany for all the workshops. Late in April, 19^, Grace Leslie resigned her chairmanship of the committee on G overnm ent Interest in the Arts and President Duey appointed Jean Ludman, regional governor o f the Eastern Region, as her replacement. The committee personnel remained intact, namely: R u th and M ario Chamlee, Ralph Errolle, Edward Harris, Dora Lyon and Mary Wolfinan. Ludm an also w ore a third hat, program chairman of the 1966 Washington Convention with the theme: "The Necessity for Government Participation in the Arts." The work of GIA was carried on simultaneously with the planning of the convention. Ludman attended the January 11,1966 National M usic Council in lieu of NATS’ regular representative, Bernard Taylor. There, the whole day was given over to an appraisal of the government’s role in the arts, with several government speakers. Ludm an sent a five-page typewritten report to forty-five NATSers, from regional governors through to the president, to alert them to the plans for aiding all types of music groups by the newly form ed National Council on the Arts. Only six addressed out of that mailing acknowledged th e rep o rt and commented upon it, a little over 13%, a regrettable NATS response. Jean Ludm an attended other meetings and engaged in a broad spectrum of information gathering, m ore than a hundred clippings from newspapers and magazines concerning the National Council. The problem , as always, was how to motivate NATS membership in the grass roots areas to get involved. At the 1966 annual business meeting. President Duey lauded the conmiittee and its chairm an saying: "Of all our standing committees, it is my feeling that the Committee on G overnm ent Interest in the Arts may be the most significant One wonders whether an organization with scarcely 2,000 members can be helpful in bringing about the correction of the great imbalance that now obtains between government support of the arts and humanities on the one hand and science and technology on the other. But whatever we can do, we must do, individually and collectively. In the chairman of this committee, Jean Ludman, we have just the right person to make our association felt in the proper places." At the 1966 annual business meeting. President Duey spoke of the pressing need to employ an executive secretary. His predecessor had explored the area extensively. A t the very first jo in t Policy Board/Executive Committee meeting of the 1965 Chicago Convention, V ennard had stressed the urgent need of dealing with the problem, only to preside over a talk fest. D uring the waning hours of that convention, Duey requested him to chair an ad hoc committee to explore

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this difficult problem because he already had done considerable spade work. B. Fred Wise and Jean Ludman were added to the committee later. Unfortunately, Vennard became seriously ill shortly after his passing of the gavel to his successor. Duey wrote him during his convalescence, asking him how much he wished to take part in NATS activities. Vennard’s immediate answer was that he was eager to keep in contact He picked up the reins of the committee as soon as he could after his illness and was prepared to give a progress report at the 1966 annual business meeting but had to be excused from doing so at the last minute because the previous day and one-half of conventioning had overtaxed him physically. No doubt Gertrude Tingle/s October letter to President Duey advising him of her intent to resign as registrar, effective December 31, 1966, alerted officialdom to action. The executive secretary problem no longer was something to be passed to the next administration. Capsulizing President Duey’s remarks: "The Administrative and Policy Boards... are unanimously convinced that an Executive Secretary is a sine qua non if we are to operate efficiently... the costs involved at first blush may seem substantial.. .they will prove more than worthwhile. As of now, we are financially more healthy than we are in the efficiency of our operations, and in this latter it is extremely doubtful if much improvement is at all possible." This narrative has not reported regional conferences with any consistency, yet they had been going on spottedly across the United States since the Southwestern Region’s successful student auditions in 1952. In 1966, the Central Region held its first such conference, November 18 and 19, at Indiana University, Bloomington. In addition to the student auditions, it included the regional SOTY auditions, with competing representatives fi:om just three out of the five states, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio. Dale Moore was chosen as the Central Region’s representative in the SOTY finals in Washington, D.C. Some fifty-one students fi-om twenty-six studios were heard over the two days. Gean Greenwell, another future president, was the chief planner and moving force behind this event. Salem College, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, was host to the third annual regional conference and the tenth student auditions, November 11-12,1966. Approximately one hundred and seventy attended with eighty-seven students participating in the auditions. Eleven singers were involved in the regional SOTY auditions. Marilyn Burris of Greensboro, North Carolina, was named as the Southwestern Region’s representative in the Washington, D.C finals. Subsequently, she was named Singer of the Year. Mid-November brought well over five hundred persons to the campus of the University of Oklahoma, Norman, for the eighteenth regional conference and the fifteenth regional student auditions of the Southwestern Region. Events began on Sunday afternoon, November 13, with five audition sessions. Sunday evening included the regional SOTY run-ofif with Charles Roe, Lubbock, Texas, as the winner. He placed second at the December SOTY finals in Washington. From Sunday through later morning on Tuesday, thirty-four audition sessions were held, each judged by three NATS members. One hundred twenty-three survived for the Tuesday afternoon and evening finals. A total of eighty NATS members judged several times during these sessions. Three hundred forty-eight students sang in the prelims. Bruce Lunkley, another future NATS president was the 1966 auditions chairman. Vice President Melvin Geist, director of field activities and SOTY, continued to work at upgrading the SOTY contest. The first step was to prepare material for a more professional presentation of the 1965 winner, Richard Allen. Mary Wolfinan accepted this responsibility and came up with a creditable brochure that was sent to colleges and universities which brought Allen engagements in Massachusetts, Iowa, Tennessee, Texas and California. Unfortunately, NATS was not equipped to function as a booking agent since it had neither contacts nor facilities to perform this service. At the December 28,1966 combined Executive Committee/Policy Board meeting, Geist stated that the SOTY committee had been exploring the ideas of professional management to handle the vwnner’s tour. The brochure had been revised to clarify items pertaining to purpose and regulations. During 1966, work went forward on revising repertoire requirements to provide greater latitude of choice to contestants. That work was completed at the Washington, D. C Convention. Consequently the 1967 SOTY materials were in the mails to the membership by

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mid-Januaiy. The fourth and final step was to improve adjudication at the regional level. A sum of $400 was added to the 1967 SOTY budget for that purpose. At the December 30,1966 combined Policy Board/^ecutive Committee meeting, Mel Geist was given unanimous approval to the following proposals affecting SOTY: Since the finals in the SOTY auditions are held at the end of a calendar year, that the winner be designated as the Singer of the Year for the year which followed rather than for the preceding year. Also, because of the increasing sentiment for allowing more than one singer from each region to advance to the national auditions, that each region be permitted to send up to two candidates; that all candidates participate in a preliminaiy on the day before the opening of the convention and that from this preliminaiy audition not more than five be advanced to the finals. In these finals, each singer would be limited to twenty minutes actual singing time. A stamp of approval also was given to permit any previous contestant except a designated SOTY to enter the auditions again. Since the general budget was under discussion, the subject of prize money came in for redefinition. The following was given unanimous approval: I. If a SOTY were so designated, the prizes would be: $1,500 for the SOTY, $500 for second place and $200 for third. II. If no SOTY were designated, the prizes would be: $500 for first, $300 for second, and $200 for third. There was recognition of the fact that this was the last meeting of the Executive Committee/Policy Board as such since the newly revised bylaws did away with the division of the Board of Directors which had existed since 1956. From henceforth, the board acted as a single body. For reasons unknown to your historian, successive presidents since 1956 had supplied the editor of The NATS Bulletin with official Ustings of their administrative personnel that did not reflect bylaw classifications. The caption, "Officers," was substituted for Executive Committee and ■Board of Directors" for Policy Board. Since both wrongly labeled bodies were subdivisions of the Board of Directors that caption would have been more aptly used as the column head. Executive Conunittee should have replaced officers und policy board, the wrongly used Board of Directors caption. This is only one instance where organizational information supplied the editor was not historically accurate. With approximately 2,100 members including affiliates, it is difficult to understand why the total attendance at the Eastern Region sponsored 1966, Washington, D. C. Convention hovered around the two hundred seventy mark, not all of them NATSers. Actually, the total registration was only seventeen better than remote Minneapolis. In 1966, the Eastern Region was NATS’ most populous with a roll of 430. The adjacent states of West Virginia and Virginia swelled the membership count to 465. Yet, the total registration at Washington, D.C. was 218 NATSers plus 51 non-members and students. Chicago, 1965 suddenly looms as an oasis with its registration of 378. The Mayflower Hotel in our nation’s capitol was the stage for our 1966 convention. Perhaps it was the programmed pre-convention afternoon bus tour of Washington that pulled in the unprecedented almost 95% of the total registration in time to attend the Tuesday evening concert of last year’s SOTY winner. Whatever it was, baritone Richard Allen sang to a capacity crowd. His performance drew the praise of Paul Hume of the Washington Post. The next morning, the first group of early risers was off to the White House for a VIP tour only to discover that President Johnson and family were in Texas for the holidays. As the days unfolded, convention­ eers had to face up to the multiple changes and/or substitutions in the scheduled program. After a couple lectures, Louis Nicholas’ late afternoon program of "Unlikely Comers" in American Song, sung by four NATS members, was a welcome respite. That evening, four sopranos and four baritones were the finalists in the Twelfth annual Singer of the Year audition. Marilyn Burris, representing the Southeastern Region, was designated as the SOTY. Second place went to Charles Roe, while Dale Moore and Brenda Farady tied for third. A total of eighty-eight entrants had been involved with all eight regions participating. Quiz Cove, which had become a convention favorite, was the December 29th wake-up session. The 1966 annual business meeting followed. The main event was the revision of the bylaws which has been dealt with earlier in this narrative. One item that needs reporting is the off-year replacements to the Policy Board, to be known henceforth as regional directors. Victor A fields, member-at-large, was elected to succeed himself. In the Southern Region, Ohm Pauli succeeded J. Oscar Miller who had held that post since 1958. R. Berton Coffin, who would succeed Duey 122

in 1968, had held the Poli(y Board post since its inception in 1956. The current revision of the bylaws would bar such tenure since no regional representative henceforth could succeed himself more than once. The capable Vera Redgrove Neilson replaced Coffln as governor of the vigorous Southwestern Region. The idea of a Luncheon Banquet to follow the business meeting was initiated by Program Chairman Jean Ludman, primarily to increase attendance. Banquets in the past had attracted approximately 50% of the convention registration. Then, too, a luncheon was not as costly as an evening banquet. As a consequence, 202 of the 269 total convention registrants attended that gala occasion. Gala, that it was, according to the LegerwoodAVolfman February, 1967 Bulletin account: "Some of the gala may have been due to the fact that, due to an enor on the part of the catering staff of the hotel, the cocktails in the Chinese Room scheduled to precede the luncheon were served free to all comers. NATS did have to pay the actual costs (which were substantial), but it gave a wonderful feeling of membership in a successful, solvent organization." There was a warm glow about the luncheon that only dimmed slightly with Jean Ludman’s afterdessert announcement of three major disappointments confronting the convention assembled. The choral concert that night featured the American composer Robert Ward’s "Sacred Songs for Pantheists," sung by Katherine Hansel, soprano, and "Sweet Freedom’s Song," under Ward’s baton. This was the first big disappointment. The program had been planned with an orchestra of thirty-five, but the local union backed away under terms of their own Recording Industries Music Trust Fund, evidently believing that an out-of-town group in national convention would agree to almost any price to insure the impact of Robert Ward’s "Sweet Freedom’s Song" with combined choirs of nearly one hundred-fifty voices and soloists. NATS could not afford a $2,222.50 tab for one concert and so made do with piano accompaniment The second disappointment concerned the speaker at our Luncheon Banquet As a matter of fact, Roger Stevens, chairman of the National Council in the Arts, was the keystone upon which the convention had been built. Both Stevens and his assistant had to be in New York for an emergency meeting that concerned the Metropolitan National Company. Stevens arranged for Carolyn Kizer, Program Director for Literature, to address the luncheon guests. She proved to be a worthy stand-in for the absent Roger Stevens. The third disappointment was the nonappearance of Jane Marsh and her teacher, Mme. Lili Wexberg, because Jane Marsh’s Rome recording schedule had to be changed at the last minute. Our stand-in here was the previous evening’s SOTY winner, Marilyn Burris, who followed Carolyn Kizer on the gala luncheon’s program. Everyone seemed happy to hear her in a true concert situation. The last day of the convention opened with a panel, chaired by Constance Eberhart, that examined some of the government sponsored programs to see if they really benefitted the local community, etc. Instances were cited where musicians were brought in from metropolitan areas when there were local musicians available. On the other side of the coin, the successful program in Kansas City was described, where imaginative planning and local financing involved area musicians in a successful festival. After a musical interlude, James McLain chaired an interesting symposium on the "Sacred Solo in Worship." The afternoon sessions closed with an excursion into electronic music, "Contemporary Writing for the Voice," involving soprano Katherine Hansel. The second half of that program featured more orthodox materials used in a contemporary marmer. The Ledgerwood/Wolfman reporting of the Washington Convention in The NATS Bulletin failed to mention whether the customary convention-ending "Auld Lang Syne" was accompanied by pre-recorded tape or by a revised twelve-tone piano version. The galvanic effect of events in the last quarter of 1966 prompted President Due/s board letter of January 11,1967 wherein he sought guidance in regard to the raising of dues to enable NATS to employ an executive secretary. The majority opinion was that the raising of dues should be considered at the 1967 Chicago Convention. He further requested an opinion on whether the raise should be to $10 for full members and to $8 for affiliates or $12 and $9 respectively. Voting conservatively, the board chose the first suggestion. On March 9,1967, tragedy struck. Robert E. Bowlus, national treasurer, beginning his tenth year in office, suffered a fatal heart attack in his studio at Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware, Ohio, During the period of this tenure of the extremely crucial and laborious post of national treasurer, he helped organize the North Central Ohio Chapter and later served a term as its president. Following that, Bob Bowlus became chairman of its annual student auditions where

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his genius for administrative detail was so effective that he was induced to continue in that position. At the time of his demise, he was also a member of President Duey’s national nominating committee. Bob Bowlus’ sudden death must have impacted on all national officers. It was an ominous warning to get on with the lightening of their respective w orkloads via an executive secretary. Where to find a dedicated and able Bob Bowlus? NATS was fortunate that his student secretary was available to carry on until a successor was found. O n M arch 21, 1967, Paul Engelstad, McMurry College, Abilene, Texas, was approved by the board to serve o u t Bob Bowlus’ unexpired term. At the time, Engelstad was the Southwestern R egion’s governor. Standing in the wings to replace Paul was one Bruce Lunkley who would becom e o ne o f our presidents in the fourth decade. There are a number of items that need to be mentioned in passing. O n M arch 31, 1967, the Central Michigan Chapter was chartered by the board. Gean Greenwell was the governor o f the Central Region at the time. President Duey was scheduled to go on a world to u r w ith the University of Michigan Glee Club of which he was the director. During his absence. May 17-July 10, Vice President Hadley Crawford was designated as acting president. On August 7,1967, President Duey asked board approval to present two proposals to the membership via the October issue of The NATS Bulletin as required by our bylaws. U n fo rtu n ate­ ly, the proposals with reference to raising the annual dues were not ready by th e publication deadline. To remedy that shortfall. President Duey sent a letter to the membership on N ovem ber 13,1967 in compliance with our bylaws, calling for a preference vote. They were given a choice of three proposals: (1) Beginning with 1968, the schedule of dues shall be $10.00 for regular members and S8.00 for affiliate. (2) Beginning with 1968, the schedule of dues shall be $10.00 for regular members and S8.00 for affiliates with an additional increase, starting w ith 1969, to S12,00 for regular members and $9.00 for affiliates. (3) Beginning with 1968, the schedule o f dues will be S12.00 for regular members and $9.00 for affiliates. The president hoped for a consensus on one, but in vain! The membership involvement barometer fell to a new low. Of our more than two thousand members, some seven o r eight deigned to reply. Two persons relumed the letter with a ten dollar check as though it w ere fa it accompli. A charter member wrote, "I think eight dollars is all I can pay. I, therefore, wish to sever my connections with the organization." Three others wrote, "I wish to resign as of December 31 inasmuch as I am retiring from teaching." And one wrote, "I vote for No. 3." No doubt that letter came from one of our younger members. The second proposal was an outgrowth of the work of the ad hoc coirmiittee appointed to prepare plans for the creation of the office of executive secretary for NATS. T he com m ittee, William Vennard, chairman, Jean Ludman, B. Fred Wise and Philip A. Duey, ex officio, proposed an enabling act to be presented to the NATS membership at the 1967 Chicago convention, as an addition to our bylaws. President Duey was given approval by a vote of fifteen to one to publish the text of that addendum in the October, 1967 issue of The NATS Bulletin in com pliance w ith the requirements of our bylaws. William Vennard authored an accompanying article, concluding with "we urge most strongly that the membership will adopt the bylaws, and will also vote the prerequisite increase in dues." Two other proposed amendments to our bylaws that were to be considered at the D ecem ber, 1967 Chicago convention were given board approval on September 13th. Both proposals already had been sent to The NATS Bulletin for publication in the October issue in compliance w ith th e provisions of our bylaws. One concerned Article V, 7, d, which dealt with the election o f regional governors and/or regional representatives to the Board of Directors. The wording as passed at the 1966 Washington Convention had caused controversy since that time. The other, A rticle II, Section 2, Eligibility, concerned non-citizen membership other than Canada. The Advisory Committee on Vocal Education, newly reorganized under the chairm anship of Oren Brown when Oscar Miller gave up the chairmanship and Phil Duey moved to the presidency, took ahnost all of 1966 to get its sea legs with four new members. The column, "Quiz Cove," continued throughout 1967 in all four issues of The NATS Bulletin with a total o f sixteen questions presented and answered. The committee had the assistance of several distinguished scientists in the vocal field, namely, Drs. Godfi-ey E. Arnold, Friederich S. Brodnitz, Paul H. Holinger, Daniel D. Klaff and Henry J, Rubin on one question and Dr. Willard Lindquist Z em lin

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on the other. "Echo" appeared in three issues of The NATS Bulletin. Its real value was yet to be determined. All previous published pronouncements of the committee were examined to determine their status. It was decided to drop the publication of the "Vocal Teacher in Relation to the General Musical Cultural Development of the Pupil" because such information had become basic in the schools of music throughout the country due to the wide circulation of this pronouncement from its inception years back. The early publication, "Fundamental Requirements," was discontinued since it seemed to have been covered in the new outline of the Fellowship Program. The "Code of Ethics," suitable for framing, and the "Role of Imagery in Voice Teaching" were reprinted in their current form. With minor change, "Choral Rehearsal Techniques" was reprinted. After revision, both the course outline, "Methods of Teaching Singing" and "Training the Vocal Instrument" were republished. Since music available from publishers seemed to have changed considerably from the initial listing, a new "High School Song List" was included in their updating. The NATS Committee, "Vocal Affairs in the Public Schools," Violet Johnson, chairman, sponsored a program on February 12th at 11:00 a.m. at the 50th anniversary convention of the eastern division of the MTNA, held in Boston, February 10-13, 1967. Violet Johnson and a committee of NATS members planned and arranged for this meeting. The topic was "Voice Teaching for the School and Studio." Grace Leslie of Boston was the main speaker. The panel of NATS members was joined by Alphonse Tatrunis, supervisor of music, Danvers, Massachusetts Public Schools. Questions and answers continued until 12:30, long into the lunch period. Many remained to meet the speakers and to discuss further the stimulating ideas and suggestions that had been presented by the panelists. The activity of the Research Committee was at a low ebb. Only Dr. Ralph Appelman, chairman, and Dr. Ethel Smith reported any activity. Appelman, director of the Institute of Voice Research at Indiana University, was engaged in research concerning computer controls of the paralinguistic and psycholinguistic characteristics of the sung sound, the physiological aspects of vocal vibrato and phonological phenomena of female registration. Dr. Ethel Smith, Indiana State University, completed research on the "Electromyographic Investigation of the Relationship between Abdominal Muscular Effort and the Rate of Vocal Vibrato," which was not published until the 1970 May-June issue of The NATS Bulletin due to a backlog of articles. Other members of the committee were active in scientific research, but all institutionally oriented. E. Clifford Toren, chairman of the Council of Past Presidents, reported that there was no major objective to work on during 1967. There had been some discussion in regard to rewriting the "Officers Handbook," but this project was postponed pending developments within the national organization being discussed and which, if adopted, would alter its contents. Six workshops were held between June 18th and August 18th across the country with no conflict in dates, to permit Gerhard Huesch to be featured at each. Unfortunately, Huesch had a combination of health and visa problems that prevented him from attending ^ e first three. Substitutes Hubert Kockritz and Robert Evans caused all disappointments to vanish after their first workshop. For the first time in many years, National Chairman George Cox was unable to provide a complete workshop resume, etc. Apparently, each director had failed to read carefully the instructions furnished to them with the net result, no facts and figures for Cox. Each director, however, submitted a complete audit to the treasurer. It was estimated that 190 persons attended the full five days with an additional 70 or more attending for lesser periods. Regrettably, expenses exceeded income by 49%. George Cox, remarking about the change in subject matter down through the years wrote: "In former years, the greatest emphasis was placed upon the demonstration lesson type of offering. In recent years, there are many more offerings in more challenging areas, such as: Voice and Vocal Problems, Physiology of the Voice, Psychology, Acoustics, etc. This could be a sign that we are becoming more professional. It would seem that the precepts of the Fellowship Program have become more widely accepted among our members and patrons." The Fellowship Program committee held no meetings during 1967, but several informal discussions had been held at the 1966 Washington Convention. During a joint meeting of the Executive Committee and Policy Board, Fellowship in NATS was discussed as to its original objectives and its current attainments. Few teachers as yet had pursued work in the program

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seriously. Self-study might have existed, but most of the better examinations taken had been the result of directed study. Board members further pointed out that the current 1966 situation in the profession was different than it was ten years earlier when the idea of the Fellowship was conceived. Now, there were Master and Doctor degrees in the areas of the art of singing and the art of teaching singing. They reasoned further that if such graduate work was being directed and accredited in our colleges and universities, why should the Fellowship in NATS Program continue to exist? What was not mention^ is that during that period, the Committee on Vocal Education circulated their pronouncements among all college and university member schools of the National Association of Schools of Music. At the inception of the Fellowship program all members schools of the NASM were given yearly updates on the program’s course outlines, recommended reading lists and sample examinations. Actually, the output of these committees provided the member institutions of the National Association of Schools of Music with an abundance of material that pointed to new directions in the training of teachers of singing. Younger NATS members on their faculties grasped the opportunity to develop programs beyond the reach of the reactionary NATSers who resisted the Fellowship Program, discouraging participation, labeling the program as divisive. So, within that same ten years that brought our board to discussions of discontinuance of NATS’ nobel effort, a new generation of NATSers, within the framework of the institutions that employed them, took that material and molded it into Master and Doctor degrees in performance and/or pedagogy. Among the several other questions raised were: If the Associate in NATS and the Fellow in NATS programs were terminated, would an injustice be done to those who are not recent graduates of schools of music? What about the person in mid-profession, the needs of persons in the teaching of singing, as in business and industry, were rising at an unprecedented rate with ahnost no provisions for leaves of absence with pay for full-time graduate or post-graduate study? How could teachers upgrade their personal competence without some outlined program of study? In the seven years since the Fellowship program had been activated over fifty NATS members gave valuable and, in several cases, extended service. The results were as follows; Two transcripts of credit had been evaluated for application to ANATS and FNATS. Three exams in 1967; no FNATS. There were four Associates in NATS and five others who had taken some exams in the program. The fifth edition of the FNATS Bibliography and Specimen Examinations was a major contribution to the profession, over 500 were distributed. The most significant contributions of the FNATS project were these materials which gave an overview of the teaching of singing. Vice-President Karl Trump, in charge of regions and chapters, was concerned over geographical inequities which existed in NATS as it then was structured, causing some members to travel hundreds of miles to take their students to regional auditions. Deja vu\ Early in his vice presidency (1960-1962), Joel Carter, in charge of field activities, proposed changes in our regional boundaries. He was given a go ahead by the board at the 1960 Dallas Convention, requesting a detailed presentation at the 1961 Boston Convention, where Carter proposed an increase to twelve or thirteen regions based on population distribution. The plan won unanimous approval at a combined meeting of the Policy Board and the Executive Conmiittee. President-Elect Nicholas even appointed an assisting committee to help in the plans’ finalization for presentation to the membership and vole at the 1962 Los Angeles Convention. A second committee was appointed to prepare the necessary amendments to the bylaws to permit redistricting, etc. Official records are sUeni as to what happened between Boston and Los Angeles, there was nary a word about redistricting at Los Angeles. A raise in dues and the American Institute of Vocal Pedagogy then had taken center stage. Now five years later, we have a reminder of a problem yet unsolved, but this time around center stage was occupied by another double bill, a raise in dues and the employment of an executive seaetary. Again, redistricting would be moved to a back burner! Vice President Trump’s annual report reflected satisfaction over the revitalization taking place at the grass roots. There was one new chapter in 1967, Central Michigan. Then there were the encouraging sounds of new chapter interest from Houston, Central Georgia and from Maryland. Several chapters had increased their membership and had been successful, variously, by reason of master classes they had held, workshops which they had hosted, or outstanding meetings they had planned. More and more chapters had held student auditions, many of them now were able to pay fees to bring in outside adjudicators. The North Central Ohio Chapter devoted an entire

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day to hear forty-one talented young singers. The Central Region, in its second year of student auditions, almost doubled the number of entrants over its first year. In the Southwestern Region over a hundred students were in attendance, an entire weekend was devoted to its auditions. Of course. Southwestern, which had long been the model for this kind of regional activity, hosted more than 350 students in their three-day meeting. More than eighty NATS teachers adjudicated two or more sessions of the auditions, Texas style in size and quantity. Recalling the anticipatory enthusiasm with which Jean Ludman took over the chairmanship of the NATS Committee on Government Interest in the Arts at the onset of the Duey administration, intensifies her poignant remark in paragraph one of her 1967 annual report when she wrote: "Government can no longer be said to have an interest in the Arts; it has a role which it is carrying out on many levels simultaneously.. . State Councils on the Arts have increased rapidly; so much that there is now an Association of Arts Councils. Community Councils are also on the increase, especially in the large cities." Jean Ludman was the most informed NATSer in this area. So, if our first expectations were dulled, Ludman had discovered another way to go. She continued: "The latest entry into the picture is the Business Committee for the Arts... Suffice to say that it means to act as a clearing house for the business community seeking information about the arts and especially to help evaluate requests for funds from all sorts of arts groups, both visual and performing. "It can be assumed that this committee will have access to a great deal of money, not subject to congressional appropriation and will be in a position to recommend worthwhile projects to interested business firms. This is a supplement to the government interest, but of very great importance. A number of foundations have agreed to underwrite the work of the committee for the first three years." Chairman Ludman observed that the visual arts, poetry and drama seemed to be faring better than music. She closed her report with several challenging questions, among them: "Do we, as an organization, abdicate our position of leadership? Are we too engrossed in our own personal affairs to try to shape policy on a national level?" Then the challenge: "Remember that if we do not take a position of leadership, people less well qualified will grasp the reins!” In March, 1967, President Duey, acting on Karl Trump’s request for definition of the scope of duties between his office and that of Melvin Geist, ruled that the entire SOTY program was the sole responsibility of Geist at all levels. Vice President Geist introduced the publicity brochure with Richard Allen, Chicago, 1965. Mary Wolfman, who came up with a productive promotional brochure for the baritone, repeated that success for Marilyn Burris, Washington, D.C., 1966. As of the close of 1967, Burris had engagements for Zerlina (Don Giovanni) and Birdie (Regina), with some eleven other concerts in Iowa, Michigan, Massachusetts and North Carolina. Brochures had been sent to NATS members and to colleges and committees. Melvin Geist reported that the judging of auditions was still a matter of concern to many. After two years as director of the SOTY program, it was Geist’s opinion that the problem was more a matter of the method of judging rather than the choice of adjudicators. This was the part of SOTY that needed further study. Melvin Geist believed that the determining of a winner in a musical competition by the highest or lowest numerical score was open to question, saying: "How can one evaluate artistry, or musicianship, in numerical terms?" At the Chicago Convention, December 26-29,1967, there were eleven contestants, the winners from seven of the eight regions. A new provision allowed each to send up to two contestants at their discretion. The SOTY semi-finals took place, Tuesday, December 26, 1:30 p.m. The convention opened officially the next morning, Wednesday, 9:30 a.m. Five finalists were heard that evening with the controversial Linda Matousek declared Singing of the Year with an accompanying prize of $1,500. Second Place went to John Niell plus a $300 cash award. Esther Hinds was awarded third and $200. Matousek evidently went to Europe shortly thereafter and had a sojourn at Berlin’s Deutsche Oper. Gean Greenwell’s student, soprano Shari Anderson, representing the Central Region, was at the University of Northern Colorado at the time of the 1980 Denver convention. In 1982, Jean Westerman Gregg informed me that soprano Esther Hinds was the soloist in a lower Manhattan Church, had sung Cleopatra at Juilliard and Porgy and Bess at New York City Center. At the close of the business meeting, Chicago, 1967, President Due/s call for new business set off quite a discussion in regard to SOTY. The criticism of the judging was severe. Stanley

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Deacon declared that the dissatisfiaction with the decision this year, 1967, was greater than he had ever known it to be. One solution offered was that NATS members should receive a ballot at the time of registration to be used at the SOTY finals, meaning that the final decision should be that of NATS members attending the convention rather than the judges. More than one person spoke in favor of i t Then Fred Wise was recognized and terminated the discussion for the lime being with: "I was sponsor for five years and I tried all different arrangements of judging and there was always a tornado and cyclone the next day." Several board actions of lasting effect that were taken at the Chicago, 1967 convention and which would not come to the floor of the annual business meeting need to be mentioned. Paul Engelstad had since March to settle into the office of treasurer, left vacant by the untimely passing of Bob Bowlus. He proposed and gained unanimous approval to change the fiscal year to the period July 1 - June 30 since it was more workable than the November 1 - October 31 period in use. The latter necessitated the awkward closing of the books at the time of annual audit Also, membership cards were to be numbered for the first time. Engelstad questioned the separation of the workshop account from the regular budget, declaring that it should be part of the general budget. To this the board agreed. Back in the late forties and early fifties, there was no budget. Through the years, workshops were usually in the black because certain top NATSers had created the aura that it was a badge of honor to be selected to serve as workshop faculty and to pay your expenses out-of-pocket. When other areas of endeavor began to tap workshop earnings to the extent of curtailing their development and expansion, it was time to put a stop to it. About this time it was learned that three top NATSers had been receiving significant honorariums. As a consequence, it was decided that there needed to be a separate account to preserve workshop overages solely for workshop promotion and for absorbing of deficits. If desirable faculty were to be sustained, then expenses had to be met from NATS funds. By 1967, the need for separate accounts no longer existed. The board set the weekly tuition for the 1968 workshops at $40 with appropriate adjustments for the daily fee. The board also empowered the president to appoint a standing Committee on Workshops, subject to its approval. Shades of 1950, that’s the way we started. William Ross chaired such a committee with Alex Grant, Grace Leslie, Harry Taylor and Bill Vennard as his supporting staff Coffin, as chairman of the FNATS Committee and who would succeed Duey as president, was concerned with its direction and/or continuation. Due to the resignation of John Toms, recorder since the ATVP program’s inception in Cincinnati in 1959, the committee had not been reconstituted. Actually, Toms had been more than the recorder, he had been the incubator. It was John who had planted the idea in the mind of Richard DeYoung and the two of them spent many hours hatching details before it became a committee project. Unfortunately, it surfaced about the same time as Taylor’s SOTY. President Taylor had charged the Advisory Committee on Vocal Education to work out the details on SOTY. Since DeYoung chaired COVE, attention to SOTY took precedence over a program in gestation. Now the program was at the crossroads. Its survival depended on a modification of the program in favor of the private teacher who was not affiliated with a school or who had no degree. Two persons in the program were to be permitted to finish their studies under the remaining members of the 1967 Fellowship Committee. The board gave their unanimous approval. Coffin was concerned with effective conununication between the board and the regions. He therefore proposed that, at the 1968 Portland Convention, regional governors be invited to sit in on board meetings, ex-officio, but without vote. Once again, he was given the board’s unanimous approval Two hundred sixty-three members registered at the convention. Three of that number from two regions with only approximately 14% of their region’s membership present brought into the annual business meeting a total of one hundred and four proxies. They controlled the vote. President Duey opened the business meeting, saying: "Although there may not be 108 members present, we still have the benefit of some 126 proxies, so I think we are prepared to declare a quorum and proceed with our business meeting. I hope the straying members soon find their way here." After the customary preliminaries and the president’s annual report, the next order of business was the considerations of amendments. There were four in number. The first considered

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dealt with a rewording or modification of a bylaw adopted at the 1966 Washington Convention in regard to the nominating procedure of regional governors and /or representatives. It might better be described as a clarification of intent. It passed unanimously. The second was a controversial amendment that had been bantered about by several NATSers who had become close fiiends with European voice teachers who had taken up residence in the United States. The amendment was an addenda to Article II, Section 2, a, in regard to member­ ship, reading: "Teachers who meet the above requirement with the exception of being citizens of America or Canada, but who have established themselves favorably in the United States of America during a period of three years of full-time teaching of singing shall also be eligible for membership." After considerable discussion over the phrasing, the question was called for. The members present and voting passed the amendment. After President Duey’s announcement of passage, Jean Ludman gained the floor followed by Bernard Taylor. Ludman informed the chair that she represented thirty-seven votes. Taylor followed with the declaration that he represented forty-one votes. Both were in the no column. Vennard added twenty-sbc more no votes. The final tally was 150 no votes to 75 yes votes. The president had to reverse himself. The amendment had been defeated by the at-home armchair NATSers who literally controlled the convention from afar. The next amendment to be considered was the enabling amendment to the bylaws. Article V, Section 8a, empowering future presidents to employ an executive secretary. One who observed the dispatch with which the enabling act was made a part of our bylaws at the 1967 Chicago Convention, could only conclude that the majority welcomed this giant step forward. All knew it had to be done. The addendum was passed with one dissenting vote. Its implementation would be the charge of incoming President Berton Coffin. In all my convention-going, never have I known an addendum of such import to pass without discussion. The record of the entire action, after its reading and the president’s call for a motion to approve, is recorded in the official minutes in thirty-eight words! The final amendment had to do with the proposal to raise the annual dues of NATS members. Earlier, the three propositions presented to the membership by mail for a hoped-for informative opinion vote and its subsequent disheartening response was recorded herein. At an 8:00 a.m. board meeting on December 28, 1967, the day of the annual business meeting, the sentiment of the board was in favor of Proposition 2, the middle of the road proposal of a twostep raise. They were apprehensive and would have lived with the acceptance of Proposition 2. But, at the 3:00 p.m. business meeting, when President Duey asked for a motion on one of the three propositions, Dale Moore moved the adoption of No. 3, seconded by Victor Fields. That touched off a series of pro/con exchanges. However, it was Marcela Ojas’ query whether NATS could afford to pay an executive secretary with just a $10 dues that put the business meeting back on course. Treasurer Paul Engelstad’s detailed, lengthy and informative explanation seemed to answer all questions asked or unasked. Then came the call for the question. To President Duey’s "All those in favor of Proposition 3, say aye," the members assembled, proxies and all, returned a decisive two hundred sixteen to only five noys\ President Duey said, "I hope that you take as much heart fi'om the action here this afternoon as I feel. I think NATS has shown full indication of coming to maturity. Congratulations to all of you!" Then followed the report of the Resolutions Committee, followed by that of the Nominating Committee. The slate for the Coffin biennium was unique. With the exception of Karl Trump, there was a new set of vice-presidents: Jean Ludman, Gean Greenwell and Thomas D. Abbott Interesting, too, the trio of Trump, Ludman and Greenwell would take up where CofBn left off and lead us into the next decade. Hadley Crawford, a vice-president under Duey, became the registrar-archivist, a new title among the upper echelon. Then, there was a whole new coterie of regional govemors-well almost. Bruce Lunkley unexpectedly moved into the governorship of the Southwestern Region when Paul Engelstad was prevailed upon to step up to the treasurership the last of March to complete the late Bob Bowlus’ term. Thus another prospective president was added to Berton Coffin’s team, bringing the total to four who would occupy the presidency in succession through 1978. Here’s a complete list of that team. [♦ Denotes members of the president’s Advisory Committee]

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Board of Directors National Officers President: Berton Coffin. Vice-Presidents: Thomas Abbott, Gean Greenwell, Jean Ludman, Karl Trump. SecretarylAdmissions: John ThuL Treasurer. Paul Englestad. RegistrarlArchives: Hadley R. Crawford Past-President: Philip A. Duey. R egnal Directors Califomia-Westem: Eugene Fulton. Central: George Newton. Eastern: Grace Leslie. Northern: William Eberl. Northwestern: Stanley John Hoban. Southeastern: Paul W. Peterson. Southern: Ohm W. Pauli. Southwestern: Vera Redgrove Neilson. Director-at-Large: Victor A. Fields. Regional Governors Califomia-Westem: Ruth Miller Chamlee. Central: Annemarie Gerts. Eastern: Paul R. Zeller. Northem: Oliver A Mogck. Northwestern: Margaret Souders Enrico. Southeastern: Gail A Gingery. Southem: Charles Wade Nelson. Southwestern: Bruce Lunkley. After the ballot and passing of the gavel ceremony, President-Elect Coffin spoke briefly, "It has been my honor and my privilege to have known all of the presidents to date and I am honored to be delegated the responsibility of guiding the affairs of this organization. I hope my service may be of value to all members. As I thought about this, we don’t know who we are. This is kind of typical, I guess, of our times. And I mention it now and I will mention it further tomorrow when we explore it further, because some may be leaving, but I intend to make a national survey so that we can better know our members, their talents, their interests and their problems. And then I think we can serve and we can involve people in activities that may not yet exist" When I first settled into writing this history, Berton Coffin was one of the first to whom I turned. He prefaced his remarks about his presidency with: "At the 1967 Chicago Convention most of the hair in the auditorium was gray and the attendance was not large. New blood needed to be mfused into the organization. So I came up with the idea of a national survey. I really followed up on that and got a good response to a ten-page questioimaire. It was an arduous and time-consuming task for all involved, but I think it was worth the effort. We found out who was interested in becoming active in the organization. I formed a committee to work and help them up the ladder into more activity. I think we did find many who wanted to work and that we did get considerable action from the device." To be sure the main thrust of the Coffin administration would be to stimulate membership involvement. Recalling membership response to President Duq^s November 13,1967 letter, some seven or eight from our 2,040 members responded, that lime was now! The net gain in membership during 1967 was about three-fourths of one percent over 1966. The Duey years were quiet ones, but at the top the projected plans were more demanding than ever. Against the backdrop of his inaugural convention, Chicago, 1965, the decade’s largest to date, the low attendance at the 1966 Washington Convention crystallized President Duey’s desire to return to the more friendly confines of the Central Region. So, the Chicago Chapter was persuaded for a repeat performance in 1967. Unfortunately, General Co-Chair E. Clifford Toren, Program Chair Howard R. Dill, Jr. and the Chicago Chapter’s best could not swing the pendulum back to the 1965 total. Of the 318 registrants, fifty-five were non-members. Only 263 NATSers decided that election year was important enough to get involved. Almost 1,800 members, even knowing, via the pages of The NATS Bulletin, that matters of importance besides general election were on the docket, decided against involvement. Oh yes, two former presidents and one whose time was about to come persuaded 126 to long distance involvement via proxies. Our most populous, Eastern, with over four hundred members, registered a 5% involvement. The involvement barometer for all regions follows, ranking regions according to the percentage of their resident members in attendance at the 1967 Chicago Convention: Central, 31%,

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Northern, 24%, Northwestern, 11%, Southwestern, 10%, Southeastern, 8%, Southern, 7%, Eastern, 5%, and California-Western, 4%. When you consider the balance of the convention attendance report showing that all national officers, seven out of the nine regional representatives on the board, six of eight regional governors, seven past-presidents, about one-half of the lieutenant governors, and some twenty-one chapter officers were present, it is not difficult to picture how sparsely the involvement of just members around the country must have been. Coffin was right, there was a great need of increased membership involvement at all levels of NATS activities to insure robust health during the organization’s maturing years so that in its adulthood the resources of NATS could become the sheltering harbor for all young teachers of singing as they launched their careers. Capsulized, this was our Janus convention. The Lx>uis Nicholas keynoter discussed the wide divergences of values, taste, of acceptance and rejection thresholds, in music, Mozart, Beethoven, etc., versus Boulez, Stockhausen, Cage, etc. At the banquet, the speaker of the evening, Gardner Read, discussed the problems of communication between the modern composer and the listening public. The program finale, the open forum, "The NATS of the Future," reflected the two-way look, the linkage of the past to the future. Janus was in the wings! One more look back: The convention reviewers wrote: "An outstanding pleasure of the convention was a song recital of compositions by John Duke. Richard Rivers, baritone, our very first SOTY, sang the concert with the aid of the composer at the piano."

SU M M E R W ORKSHOP, WTTTENBERG UNIVERSITY, SPRINGFIELD, O fflO , 1969 Left to Right, First Row: Orcenith Smith, Hubert Kockritz, Aurora Smith, Gibner King, Jean Ludman, Oren Brown, Margaret Kommel, Ann Jones. Second Row: Mrs. George Newton, Zerline Muhlman Metzger, Rosalie Loeding, Joan Boytim, Carol Marty, Janice Clarke. Fourth Row: John Bennett Ham, Lavan Robinson, Earl D . Miller, Mrs. Albert Kaufinan. Fifth Row: James King, Margaret Franzone, Christine Purvis, Mrs. J. Carroll N otestine, Josephine D ’Arpa, Mrs. Berenice Yingling. Sixth Row: John W. Williams, Irvin Bushman, John P. Sorenson, John B. d ’Armand, Lee Cass, Mrs. Merrily Culwell, Charles Williamson, Joel K. Ebersole, Bill Cobb, Lewis Woodward, Hazel Nordsleck.

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N A T IO N A L ASSOCIA TIO N OF T E A C H E R S O F S IN G IN G , In c .

TRAINING

THE

VOCAL

INSTRUMENT

A Sfalem tnt of Laws and Precepfs upon which vocal p e d a g o g y m ay be base d T t i c t c r s W ill S t f p l f The N t c c i i o r y G u itfs n c t, S lim iila tls n , a n d I n i p i r a l l e n

1. PO STl-nE: Correct posture is necessary to brinp the body into proper alignm ent so th a t it may function efficiently for singing. T his m eans a free and graceful body carriage in ■which each p a rt of the vocal instrum ent is perfectly balanced and is in proper relationship to eveiy o ther p a rt. The head is erect, w ithout stiffness; the spine straight, not slum ped; the chest m oderately ele­ vated ar.d the feet firmly nnd .<iqiiarely placed so th a t the entire body is buoyantly supported. Cor­ rect pc-sture implies th at the physique m ust be good and the be.'t of health m aintained a t all tim es to w ithstand the strenuous demand th a t is m ade upon the breathing function by continued singing.

g re a t speed and. sim u ltan eo u sly in a ll direction.s. Hence, the v ib ra to ry a c tiv ity of voice enconipa.sses m any stru c tu re s, m uscles, bones, ligam ent.';, a n d cavities of th e body all a t once a n d , in a se n se, the e n tire hum an body m ay be re g a rd e d a s a ■complex re so n ato r o f voice. A n open t h r o a t is the principal fa c to r in tr a n s m ittin g fu lln e s s of sound. C ertainly, th e absence of a n y c o n s tric tio n o r local m uscular e ffo rt w ith th e r e s u lta n t fe e lin g of com plete freedom a ssu re s p ro p e r c o o rd in a tio n of all the p a rts of th e vocal t r a c t w itli in a x im u m resonance and vocal quality.

2. DREATHLNG: W ith th>. postarc described above, irea iliin g fo r .ringing becomes a norm al function. W ith the che-st already elevated, w ith respiration there is com paratively little or no niovemer’.t in the upper chest and shoulders. E x­ pansive rib action surrounds tlie entire cliest, especiajiy to^\ard the lower and middle back ribs, while ti.e dicphragm and abdominal wall.s rem ain flexible £.nd vital. T his m anner of b reathing w ith diligent practice insures a m axim um of breath support and breath control. Inhalation should be inaudible. 3. RELVXATION: Relaxation is defined as freedom for action, a sta te of balance, equilibrium , or readL".es? to perform . It is not lim pness nor inertia. If Uie precepts stated in 1. and 2. a re ob.'crve<3. the problem of relaxation is greativ (Msed. The unnecessary local m uscular effort a ris ­ ing from poor posture and incorrect b reathing habits, m k e s proper relaxation difficult. It m ust be understood th at the skills necessarv for good singing call fo r the m ost delicate balance and interplay of m uscular adjustm ents in and around the larj-ns. neck, tongue and m outh: adjustm ents which often change w ith g re at rapiditv in the act of singi.ng. It is evident th a t all interferences m ust be removed in order th a t the.'e complex and 5cn.=i;ive functions may go about th eir work unh a in |> tr« by conscious m anipulation o r by the stra in s c£'.i=ed by local m uscular effort. Mental a ttili'de? r-ay he a help o r n hindrance; but, as c o n rtru (ti\e skills develop and confidence is establi'h ed , the interfering factors tend to diminish gradually until complete freetlom of vocal action is establi^!.ed. 4. nEfO.NA.NCE; In singing, the vocal bands in th e lai;.-n.\ m ay be said to initiate the vibratoiT tnergv- of vocal sound. B ut sound travels w ith

5. DICTION: D iction, in its co m p lete se n se , m eans not only the clear, b e au tifu l, se n sitiv e a n d intelligible com m unication o f lan g u a g e, b u t th e whole technique and a r t o f son tr-tex t d e liv e ry , i.e., w ord em phasis o r stre.=s, em utional color, nuance, con tin u ity of th e p h ra se line, etc. Good diction should be so elTortle.s.'ly conveyed t h a t Ihc audience is not a w a re of its p e rfe c tio n b u t, ra th e r, relishes w ith com plete unrlc-rstanding th e m eanings, obvious o r subtle, im plied in th e te x t. Vowels a re th e vehicle; o f voice a n d , a s su ch , they a re resonated th ro u g h o u t all th e re.<-onatinB areas. T h e position o f th e to n g u e a n d sh a p e of the m outh a re c o n trib u tin g fa c to rs in vow el fo r ­ m ation. C onsonants a re form ed in th e m outh a r e a b y m ovem ents of th e lips, ton g u e a n d p a la te . S u c h m ovem ents should not in a n y w ay d is tu r b th e freedom of the th ro a t fo r tone p ro d u c tio n . In fa c t, it m ay be sta te d w ith a ssu ra n c e t h a t th e f o r m a ­ tion of all vowels and consonants can be a ch iev ed w ith cla rity only w hen the e n tire vocal m u sc u ­ latu re is entirely fre e fro m a b n o rm a l o r i n te r f e r ­ ing tensions and local co n strictio n s. Pronunciation, en unciation a n d a rtic u la tio n are often used m ore o r less sy n o n y m o u slj’ w ith respect to singing. W hen we pronounce, e n u n c ia te o r a rticu la te clearly, w e a re u sin g th e o rg a n s o f speech effectively and according to accep ted lingin.stic and vocal sta n d ard .'. Too m uch a n a ly sis of the m uscular procpsse.- of d iction o r a tte m p ts a t th e ir conscious cfinlrol will o b stru c t th e proce.ss of intelligible vocal cxpre>sion. F a r b e tte r a n d quicker rc.sults a rc obtained w hen th e s tu d e n t b e ­ comes m otivated by the m eanings im plied in tlio text, and w hen he devotes hinisolf to th e com m u­ nication of ideas as well as th e p ro d u c tio n o f to n e in the song th a t he is singing.

rv ’ l y 1 - A J ’ t r o r j Ccn: r.;;:r,. on Vo-..:' .’.-n ., ciioa /U ii l i j r .r c i / n r r t l.n . t h ij i h c I x c e j - . i v c ConimiKre

D crcrthfr

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Berton Coffin PRESIDENT

1968-1970 There never had been such a January as that of 1968 when R. Berton Coffin exchanged the antecedent i t for President. With machine-gun rapidity, board letters, requests, eta, emanated from his Boulder office. His infectious activity stimulated reciprocal approving responses. Karl Trump, the only holdover vice president from the previous administration, was designated to serve as acting president in case of President Coffin’s absence. Thomas Abbott was given charge of publications. Gean Greenwell became the SOTY mentor. Jean Ludman was elevated to the vice­ presidency with the thought that portfolio would give her a more respectable entry into high places in search of funds than a mere chairmanship. As a consequence, the Committee on Government Interest in the Arts was deactivated. Authority was granted the president to appoint a standing committee on workshops with that committee’s tenure in phase with the workshop season, probably commencing with September 1. Two other related regulatory conditions affecting all standing committees also were passed. Chairmen of standing committees would be limited to two biennia of service. Any person not reappointed to a chairmanshp of a committee should not be appointed to membership of the particular committee which he had chaired in the previous biennium. Reaffirmed were John Thut’s title of secretary/admissions and Hadley Crawford registrar/archives. The last time we heard about an archivist, was the Boston, 1961 convention when Margaret Sheridan proposed that there be an historian or archivist. Retiring President Wise passed the responsibiUty on to incoming President Nicholas. In 1968, we got the archivist and his first chore was to gather 8 x 10 portraits of our past-presidents for the national office. Following up the many suggestions that steps be taken to speed the processing of membership applications. President Coffin was authorized to appoint a subcommittee of the board to perform duties related to admissions. He appointed John Thut as chairman to serve with Paul Engelstad and Hadley Crawford. In no way did this rescind the board’s final authority to accept or reject applications for membership. Coffin even had one group do double duty. He appointed a subcommittee of the board, consisting of those members who would be in New York City in late January on business, to set up the office of executive secretary and to decide procedures to be used in judging fixture SOTY contests. The president also appointed Jean Ludman, with board approval, to function as a public relations officer until the executive seaetar/s office was established. Then there was the approved moratorium on the usual presidential recommendation of committee appointments accompanying the change of pilots until replies could be received from the in-process national survey. Was there ever a rule without an exception? The president appointed an ad hoc committee to give a new bounce to an old problem, regional boundaries-Messrs. Trump, Greenwell and Wise with newcomer on the national scene, Stanley Hoban, as consultant for matters relating to Canada, Hawaii and Alaska. Redistricting had deep roots. No one remembered Joel Carter’s plan, unanimously approved at Boston, 1961, with special committees appointed for finalizing it at Los Angeles, 1962. For unknown reasons, it died on the vine and the bylaw revisions to implement it never made it to Los Angeles. The prelims to that scenario played for more than one season. The odds were that the 1968 ad hoc committee would not get bqrond the first scene in Act L On January 30,1968, President Coffin submitted the following recommendations to the board after the January 26th meeting with his Advisory Council sans Engelstad: that room 725, the Fisk Building, 250 West 57th St., New York Qty, be rented to become the official location of the NATS national office, that Dodie Lefebre be engaged as executive secretary on a half-time basis, twenty hours per week, with regular office hours in the middle of the day, that an account be opened in the Chase National Bank to be known as the NATS National Office Account with checks to be signed by Jean Ludman and Dodie Lefebre. To all this, the board gave the president unanimous approval. The commitment had been made, at least we had an address.

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Karl Trump, vice-president of field activities, stimulated by his brief encounters with incoming President Coffin at the 1967 convention and the January whirlwind wrote in his February, 1968 chapter notes message in The NATS Bulletin, "The future of NATS has never looked so bright. We have in President Berton Coffin an ideal person to implement the important directives of the business meeting at the convention, a fact that those on the board who had not seen him in action before soon discovered when he called us into formal session at the end of the convention. President Coffin is what my grandmother used to call a mover and a shaker!" President Coffin advised the board on February 15,1968, that he previously had appointed B. Fred Wise to explore the legal implications to the National Association of Teachers of Singing, an Illinois corporation, in operating in the State of New York. The president reported also that papers had been signed by him to authorize the CT Corporation ^stem, Chicago, Illinois, to make the necessary legal arrangements to establish NATS as a nontaxable organization as to property and income taxes in the State of New York and also with the U.S. Treasury Department. The president was given a majority vote approval. Two days later, he reported to the board that he had asked the national treasurer to advance S500 to Jean Ludman for use in purchasing furnishings for the national office, this money to be used until the special account in the Chase Manhattan Bank would become available. The president reported that Ludman had purchased equipment and furnishings in the amount of $824. For sometime, there had been considerable discussion as to the significance and value of the title Singer of the Year. The president and advisors, including James Browning, executive secretaiy of the National Music Council, had discussed SOTY in New York City in late January. Early in Februaiy, the president reported these deliberations not only to the board, but also to the pastpresidents and regional governors asking for a vote on two titles and/or other suggested titles. On February 28, 1968, Coffin asked the board’s approval on the outcome of the earlier solicitation, a change of title from Singer of the Year to NATS Artist Awards. Again the president’s request received a majority vote. A May 10th board letter from the president suggested the elimination of the dated gummed gold sticker that had accompanied our membership cards for quite a number of years. Back in 1944, our founding fathers decreed that the certificate of membership had to be replaced each year in order to prove to all who visited a NATS member’s studio that he was not only an approved teacher of singing, but also that he was in good standing. It became an expensive exercise for a young organization trying to keep dues at a minimum so the little gold sticker to paste on the glass of the framed certificate came into being. It cost less than a membership certificate and also wiped out the replacement cost of mailing. It was a questionable practice and even the cost of stickers rose. In 1968, NATS could have saved approximately $136 on stickers alone if the practice were discontinued. President Coffin got a majority vote, but for some unknown reason the nuisance did not go away. After a prolonged discussion through the maU in regard to a supplementary publication in the form of a NATS newsletter, President Coffin proposed in that same May 10th board conununication that the newsletter committee consist of Dodie Lefebre, editor, Bernard Taylor and Berton Coffin, subject to review and possible reconstitution at the Portland Convention. Taylor, as chairman of the Editorial Board of The NATS Bulletin, was to assist in making the newsletter complementary to the publication and to censor news items, accepting only those items which could not be construed as personal advertising. That was a ticklish situation! There was a time when the mere listing of a member’s name in an institutional advertisement in a conven­ tion program or The NATS Bulletin was considered just that. It was the old story of protection­ ism, the private teacher vs the university or college teacher. Louis Nicholas, during his vice-presidency, experienced first-hand the ire of those who had nothing to grace the colunm "De Nobis" which he introduced in the October, 1959 issue of The NATS Bulletin. Because of limited space, only events of regional or national interest were asked for. To prevent a march on Nashville, that was the column’s only appearance. Your historian was represented by a soprano student who had won a John Hay Whitney Opportunity Fellowship for voice study in Vienna. Martial Singher came up with the lion’s share of space with his activities around the United States. The appearances of E. Clifford Toren, B. Fred Wise, Henry Veld and Harold Decker at the North Central Music Educators Conference; Virginia MacWaters’ singing of Adele {Fledermaus) during the Met’s 1959 spring tour; Howard Groth and Leonard

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Treash as vice-presidents and Constance Eberhart as secretary-registrar of the National Opera Associa­ tion were among the several other new items men­ tioned. It was thought that the NATS membership would be interested in knowing about the far-reaching activities and honors that came to their col­ leagues. It might very well have been true among the silent majority, but the loud protests of the vocal minority caused that column’s early demise. Oh yes, when the DMAs first started to flourish, the vocal minority resisted those who earned the right to use Dr. in fi:ont of their name, saying that it gave these users an unfair advantage, that Mr., Mrs., and Miss were the only fair prefixes to a member’s name. As editor of The NATS Bulletin, I was advised against listing the teacher’s name along with the name of a SOTY winner. To the outsider, BERTON COFFIN this was incomprehensible. A prominent member of the United States Department of Education, in conversation with Berton Coffin at the Washington, D.C. 1966 NATS Convention, remarked, "What is the matter with teachers of singing that they are afraid, as a body, to advertise the one thing they do well; teach someone to sing? Imagine a pianist or a violinist who had a prize winning pupil, afraid to mention it in his representative journal!.. What this government official didn’t know is that the vocal minority had NATS officialdom in tow and that they had ruled against such a mention in The NATS Bulletin. Had he known, perhaps his conclusion would not have been that singing teachers were a jealous lot and couldn’t stand to hear about the success of the pupil of a colleague. Successful singing teachers had no more need to advertise than successful la>^ers or physicians. Limited space demands capsulized reporting of some activities since January 1,1968. One of the president’s first letters to the board outlined operational procedures suggesting ways to streamline communication, thereby speeding it up. The idea of an executive secretary required a listing of duties of such an officer. As a consequence, the duties of the secretary/admissions and registrar/archivist needed rethinking. Then there was a revision of forms, conversion of SOTY to NATSAA, computerization of the membership list, the approval of lieutenant governors, the preparation of the ten-page, 107-question, national survey, its mailing and, finally, the IBM coding of replies, new ideas, how to infuse new blood, young blood into a maturing organization, girding for the future. The national office was occupied on March 6,1968. Executive Secretary Dodie Lefebre and Vice-President Jean Ludman began work on a membership promotional letter. Incidentally, the idea came from Bruce Lunkley, governor of the Southwestern Region, who reported such a successful operation in his region. Approximately one thousand letters were sent to non-NATS teachers taken from the directory of the College Music Society. These teachers were invited to write to our national office for membership applications if they were interested in becoming members. It was unfortunate that there was no comparable listing of private teachers. Our only source would be fi:om our own members. The national survey was sent to our entire membership on March 12,1968. During the week of April 22nd, national survey information fi-om some 463 returns had been punched on IBM cards and on Friday, the 26th, about half of the information had been run on the machines. While this was going on, forty-six more returns had been received and later were interpolated. On April 29th, President Coffin visited the national office and, much to his dismay, found very little newsletter material from the membership. He composed what he captioned a "Prologue to NATS Newsletter," a two-page mimeographed opus. It was an appeal to the membership to please send in information to the national office. Three examples of the kinds of acceptable reports were included. The president reminded the members that it was rather difficult to write a newsletter without news. He told them that replies to the national survey were still coining in, saying, "We need your ideas, if you have not returned yours, we encourage you to do so with your considered ideas for NATS."

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President Coffin’s board letter of June 23,1968 contained his projected committee structure incorporating the results of the national survey. He wrote, "To truly be a national organization, we must use talent from all parts of the country. We need to have the private and the collegiate teachers, and the younger and senior members used in our organization. The national survey, the product of many minds asked a question as to whether a person would like to be active in committee work. Many talented teachers had other commitments, but a goodly number wanted to work. So enclosed is the expanded committee structure which evolved after long reflection. I was jolted by the number of private teachers who did not desire to work. You would be interested in noting the background of the private teachers in general. It seems that the collegiate institutions must have been plucking off the teachers with extensive backgrounds to teach for them, thus subsidizing the teachers." On June 30,1968, George Newton answering that board letter wrote, "I hope your subdivided committee structure will work, because it’s a great idea. But, of course, it depends on individuals who are not procrastinators, so it is about as important to make sure of that quality in your appointees as it is to find out if they are willing to work and are knowledgeable." He then gave CofBn the names of sbc or seven NATSers and what they should be tapped to do in the revitalization program. The board Minutes Book reveals that July 4,1968, was turned into a celebration for NATS by our president He came up with no less than eight proposals for the board’s consideration and recommendation. Only those of national importance that were given approval will be recorded here: (1) Permission granted to retain a lawyer in Chicago, Illinois, the state of our incorporation, to draw up papers for gifts, bequests, and foundation structure. (2) Authorized the subleasing of one-half of our New York office space, thus considerably reducing the net rental cost of this office. (3) Given the go-ahead with plans at the Portland Convention to establish a category of student membership guilds. (4) Authorized to explore plans for establishing a non-voting Subscribing Membership for interested people who are not teaching singing. (5) President Coffin reported that 273 persons answered in the national survey that they would be interested in preparing a dossier of their background which could be used in staffing demonstration clinics and workshops. He asked whether the executive secretary should contact these people. These individuals were contacted by Stanley John Hoban, the new chairman of the Workshop Committee. (6) Authorized to take steps to set up facilities at the 1968 Portland Convention whereby prospective employer/employee job interviews could be held in privacy. Items five and six prompt a mention of George Cox, who subbed for William Vennard as the helmsman for our summer workshops when Vice-President Vennard was in Europe, 1959. Prior to his coming on the national scene, during Cliff Toren’s presidency, George Cox had proposed a double-column job exchange program for The Bulletin. It was a coded operation, modeled after ihtAAUP Bulletin at that time, but for voice teachers only. It appeared to be a workable idea. As editor of The Bulletin, your historian gave better than a half-page to the Cox proposal. Interested members were requested to address "The Mail Bag," an opinion column, but the response was negligible and tfie idea died on the vine. So here we go again, same idea, but a different tack. What a work month July turned out to be, both for the president and the treasurer. Recall how Paul Engelstad’s revamping of the treasurer’s office had called for a change in the fiscal year. Now the qrcle was July 1 - June 30. When the president requested an inventory of office functions, Engelstad listed some 51 separate operations, some having several steps. The end-ofthe-month reconciliation of our financial records had nine steps, requiring a full eight-hour day to complete. We had just completed the eight-month period between the old and new fiscal periods. On July 23,1968, Coffin submitted to the board the final financial report of National Treasurer Engelstad for the period, November 1,1967 - June 30,1968. He also submitted for approval his proposed budget for the fiscal period, July 1,1968 - June 30,1969. It was a deficit budget due to expenses of the office of the executive secretary. At this juncture, the board saw no way out but to give their approval. How to deal with it would become a board problem at the Portland Convention. Digesting board responses to his June 23rd projected committee structure, Berton Coffin, on July 30th, sent the board the latest edition of his proposed comprehensive conmiittee structure,

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together with the names of members for the various committees which were to be published on the inside back cover of the October, 1968 issue of The NATS Bulletin. It appears that there is no such thing as smooth sailing. Just as we were getting underway, one of Coffin’s most dependable crewmen, National Treasurer Paul Engelstad, notified the president that he found it necessary to resign his office. He was committed to take a position in the Special Services Division of the U.S. Army in Vietnam. On August 10th, President Coffin submitted the name of Eugene Pence, Chicago, to the board as the replacement of Engelstad. Pence had considerable experience as a professional accountant and was willing to take on the duties of national treasurer. Coffin asked for approval and got it The transfer from Engelstad to Pence was scheduled around September 1,1968. On that date, the board gave its unanimous approval, establishing the Union National Bank of Chicago as the official depository for NATS funds and authorizing any two officers, Eugene Pence, treasurer, Berton Coffin, president, and John Thut, secretary, as signatories to the dispensing of such funds. A safe deposit box also was secured with either Pence or Thut, individually, having access thereto. In the October, 1968 issue of The NATS Bulletin, President Coffin used his page to report to the membership. It was entitled: "The Boat, The Oars, The Tides." It is quoted here, in part: "The boat of NATS is presently in motion with more than 200 people pulling at the oars. There soon should be a surge of energy and power which will be felt not only by our members but also by those vwth whom our members are associated. Our 25th year must be a year of rededication, of exceptional progress, and of ever higher status for our organization and for each of its members. With the whole of NATS in mind, the President with the feoard has formed an extensive committee structure to attain many short range goals and to stimulate thinking and action on long range goals. We will be exploring and possibly implementing many of the ideas received in replies to the membership-wide national survey... Thi^-four committees have been formed and 157 appointments have been made in an effort to make use of as many of our talented and energetic members as possible." The inside back cover of the October, 1968 issue of The NATS Bulletin carried the entire listing. By mid-October, the president had to deal with a problem that had been building. On October 16,1968, he reported to the board that, due to the continuing unsatisfactory service of Executive Secretary Dodie Lefebre in the New York office, he had terminated her services as of that date. Following this action. President Coffin proposed the following temporary procedures until January 1,1969: The employment of Mrs. Clyde Keutzer, an efficient and mature person, to work in the office up to twelve hours per week at $3.00 per hour as executive assistant under the supervision of Vice-President Jean Ludman. The board vote of approval was twelve, yes, six abstaining. Late in November, November 22nd to be exact, Coffin reported to the board that the action he initiated during his first month in office to make it legally possible for NATS, an Illinois Corporation, to do business in New York, had been completed. Early in July, the president had proposed that NATS sublet one-half of its New York office space to reduce costs. A leaseholder had been found at last. Coffin reported on December 4th that Howard E. Fischer had taken the space fi'om January 1,1969 through April 30,1971. The vote was twelve yes, four, no, two, abstaining. The mail vote for the first year ended on the upbeat. The president had found a replacement for Dodie Lefebre. December 13, 1968, he advised the board that, following a personal interview in New York City and in line with the powers granted him by our bylaws in regard to employing an executive secretary, he had hired Martha Moore Smith to fill that post Her term of office began December 26th to enable her to attend the 1968 Portland Convention in official capacity. The board vote was eleven, yes, three, no and four, abstaining. The president devoted his page in the December issue of The NATS Bulletin to a year-end progress report, not overlooking problems needing the attention of members at the 1968 Portland Convention. His message carried the title, bom of fiiistration: "The Agony, When the Ecstasy?" He wrote, "Many times there is an agony when plans are not readily attained. Fortunately, there is always a tomorrow towards which we may plan. These plans based on the experiences of the past lead us to the ecstasy of attained dreams." Truly the words of a leader. Coffin’s analysis of NATS organizational structure revealed that our tax-exempt status, IRS Code 501(c)(6), was such that made us ineligible to accept tax deductible gifts and bequests.

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The Government Interest in the Arts Committee history under Chamlee and Ludman was one of whispering hope. GIA had given way to Vice-President Ludman, but government interest failed to come our way. There had to be ways to raise funds. Out of all this searching, came the idea of a foundation. So Berton Coffin consulted with the executive officer of the University of Colorado Foundation and that led him to Chicago. One of his July 4th requests of the board was for permission to retain a Chicago lawyer to draw up papers for gifts, bequests and foundation structure. The board gave the president a 16/2 majority vote. Coffin, fearing that he might get a negative response, personally assumed the expense and instructed the lawyer to draw up such papers of incorporation for a subsidiary organization structure under the power structure of NATS. Since such a foundation was a bold new idea for NATS, it would be thoroughly discussed at Portland with a possible membership vote during 1969. In regard to membership, the president wrote; "It was felt that the new office of executive secretary could by a membership campaign increase the total influence of NATS and augment the financial base for NATS." Such a campaign was carried on, but did not result in an enlarged membership. However, it did assist in keeping the membership level in 1968 parallel to that of 1967. "When the membership did not increase, ways were studied by the board which might extend our influence and give us a larger financial base by other categories of NATS membership. Such ideas have been discussed as to (a) whether we should have student guilds (which could prepare our students for affiliate membership in NATS, currently there are only 121 affiliate members); (b) whether we should open affiliate membership to persons who were voice majors in their collegiate work but who are at present working in other fields of musical endeavor; (c) whether we should open the affiliate category to coaches and choral directors; or (d) whether we should open our membership to all those who are interested in the art of teaching singing? The correspondence related to this has been a veritable roll-call of Board of Directors, Past-Presidents, and Regional Governors. The final decision cannot be made on this at Portland according to the procedures defined by the bylaws, but the issue must be thoroughly discussed so that no miscalculation can occur when a vote is finally taken, possibly by mail, or at the Cleveland convention in 1969. "The National Office was located in New York because there was a feeling that we would be more effective there in relationship to the Arts Councils and Foundations than we would be in Washington, near to Government monies. It was felt that an organization of our size would not have sufficient voice to be heard in Washington. Conclusion, to date no monies have been forthcoming from either source. In fact, they cannot be expected until we have defined worthy projects, their professional need and how they will be implemented. The twenty-six Educational and Research ^mmittees have been asked to define any possible fundable projects in their areas. Several of these committees will be meeting in Portland." The initial board meeting at Portland was called at 4:00 p.m., Thursday, December 26,1968, but the official opening of the convention was not until Saturday at 8:00 a.m. Board members would weU remember this convention-WORK! Edward Baird, reporting in the February, 1969 issue of The NATS Bulletin, wrote; "The energy and enthusiasm of President Berton Coffin resulted in an agenda of business so long that the Board of Directors got little more than a coffee break between their late night and early morning meetings." Eight sessions in all were scheduled, three of them Friday morning, afternoon and late evening after last year’s SOTY’s recital—Linda Matousek. Item one on the agenda of that Thursday’s meeting was the introduction of Martha Moore Smith whom the president had engaged in mid-December to be NATS’ executive secretary. There was a restatement of steps leading to the creation of that office, concluding with a playback of the tape of James Browning’s discussion with the December 27th board meeting at the 1967 Chicago Convention. After that, Miss Smith retired from the meeting and there was further discussion of the duties of an executive secretary and the implication of Miss Smith’s employment at this time. The discussion was continued to the 8:00 a. m. Friday morning meeting. There, Stanley Hoban reported on the operations of an executive secretary in the Piano Technician’s Guild followed by Miss Smith’s detailed recounting of her duties in her former position as executive seaetary of the Harp Society, Miss Smith’s report stimulated an extensive discussion about the possible publicity for NATS. However, the realization that publicity had to be paid for and that

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someone had to be responsible for sustained efforts in that direction reoriented the discussion to an immediate promotional program, one geared to our Silver Anniversary in 1969. It was moved and seconded that we explore the possibility of preparing a NATS membership list to be given to each member. The president, chafing at the bit and concerned with organizational efficiency, thought that the procedure of submitting every detailed action to the entire board of eighteen members was cumbersome and unnecessary. At the December 26th meeting, he proposed a reorganization of the board whereby the President’s Advisory Council would be enabled to act as an Executive Committee in certain routine matters, with other matters involving policy and overall procedures to be in the hands of the entire board. No action was taken. However, Coffin was not to be deterred. At the seventh session of the board, 10:45 p.m. on December 29th, he again brought up the question of giving Executive Committee status to the President’s Advisory Council. This time, the board agreed that the Advisory Council could meet at some central location as needed during the year, and could formulate proposals for board action. One of the many early January, 1968 Coffin board letters carried the request that regional governors be invited to attend board meetings, ex-officio and without vote, at the Portland Convention. Past-Presidents had enjoyed that status for some time. It was given a majority vote. At the December 27th, 8:00 a.m. board meeting, a similar invitation was extended to Oren Brown, coordinator of the Committee on Vocal Education, and to your historian in his capacity as editor of The NATS Bulletin. At that same meeting, the 1969 workshop program was approved. The board also ruled that the Workshop Committee should formulate a policy of payment of fees to NATS members who appear on workshop programs. Toward the end of the morning session, John d’Armand discussed the mechanics of fund-raising other than through dues assessments. Inasmuch as there was not enough time to complete his informative presentation, it was continued as the first item of the afternoon session. No action was taken. A couple of routine matters completed this meeting. A charter was granted to a new chapter, Champlain, in upper New York State. The Montana chapter was permitted to change its name to Big Sky Chapter. The fourth session of the board, Friday, December 27th, 9:45 p.m. marked the emergence of a replacement for the newsletter that couldn’t make it In part, it was an attempt to move The NATS Bulletin away from a house organ status toward a learned journal in observance of NATS’ twenty-fifth year. My proposed budget for The NATS Bulletin for the fiscal period commencing with October, 1969 included the emerging new publication intended for members only. It would appear between issues of The NATS Bulletin and would carry information formerly published in the convention program books, workshop brochures and such in-house features transferred fi-om The NATS Bulletin as association routine, chapter notes, chapter directory, plus other information incidental to membership activity. The name given tentatively to this off-shoot publication was Inter Nos. Its financial base would be diverted funds heretofore used in the preparation of separate brochures for workshops, the printing of multi-paged convention programs, eta The NATS Bulletin would carry only scholarly articles which had distinguished it among professional journals. Inter Nos was envisioned as the ideal mouthpiece for the officer in charge of field activities. Oh yes, the proposed budget received the board’s unanimous approval. Unfortunately, Karl Trump, at that time the vice-president in charge of chapters, was the logical one to initiate Inter Nos’ editorship in September, 1969, but he was marked for the 1970-1972 presidency. Bruce Lunkley, Southwestern Region’s dynamic governor, would be Trump’s successor in January, 1970. The Trump/Lunkley route would have meant two editors for the first four issues, not a healthy way to go. As a consequence, the responsibility of Inter Nos’ first four issues was added to the editor of The NATS Bulletin. Unfortunately, there were NATSers, momentarily enjoying high position, that would not permit the product of their mental efforts to be transmitted to members only, even though they had given the creation of Inter Nos an unanimous ballot. In their judge­ ment, before they saw the first issue, it was demeaning to be published in Inter Nos, even though the contents of their communication were for members only. Consequently, the intended function of Inter Nos was never realized. Now that NATS had an archivist, there arose the problem of a suitable repository for archives and for possible gifts of libraries pertaining to the subject of singing. This became a subject for discussion at board session number five, December 28th, 8:00 a.m. Philip Duey reported that

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such a repository for MENC was being provided by the Library of the University o f Maryland. Most of you can guess the rest of this episode. Someone asked why that couldn’t be done for NATS. The consequence was that Philip Duey was commissioned to investigate the possibilities of arranging a sin^ar repository with the University of Maryland for NATS archives. Well, it never happened. President Coffin brought a proposal from the Advisory Council before the sixth session of the board, Sunday, December 29, 1968, 8:00 a.m., that certain functions now perform ed by the treasurer and secretary be transferred to the New York office, specifically, the function o f dues collection and mailing of membership cards now performed by the treasurer, and the receiving and recording of changes of address of members, now performed by the secretary. The board approved this recommendation of the Advisory Council. The rest of the morning was given over to the budget At the seventh session, 10:45 p.m., Sunday, December 29th, the ad hoc Com mittee on Vocal Education was authorized to continue their study of a program to improve the standards in the teaching of singing. The board also approved an ad hoc committee consisting of Karl Trump, Jean Ludman and Berton Coffin to investigate the implementation of an employment facility for teachers of singing at the 1969 Cleveland Convention. There was continued discussion of the matter of permitting student guilds of advanced students of singing in various schools and/or studios. The board unanimously approved that a selected group of NATS members be perm itted to organize student guilds on a pilot study basis, with no other stipulation than each student member be required to subscribe to The NATS Bulletin. A budget for the period July 1, 1969 through June 30,1970 in the amount of $43,233.96 was adopted. The eighth session of the board was 8:00 a.m., Monday, December 30, 1968. M ore than a dozen NATSers were added to six conunittees in preparation for the coming year. There was further discussion of means to increase NATS membership. It was decided unanimously to begin a membership campaign out of the New York office immediately but the discussion of what to do to get financial help from foundations ended in the decision to defer action until NATS projects had been formulated. With that decision, we packed up our brief cases and took off for the panel on vocal adjudication. The 1968 annual business meeting occurred on the morning of December 29th. During the course of the report of the president, Berton Coffin reviewed the establishment of the national office. The frustrations of that experience and its final solution have been previously recorded in these pages. In Martha Moore Smith, Coffin was confident that NATS was ready to benefit from this new direction. He spoke of the cooperative membership response, a total of 672 national surveys returned, belter than 32%. Percentage-wise, only the response to the January, 1965 mail ballot, necessitated by the no-quorum 1964 annual business meeting in Mirmeapolis, was greater, better than 42%, with 808 ballots returned. Nevertheless, the response to Coffin’s ten-page national survey stands alone as the most cooperative membership response in NATS history. In summation, the president remarked, "I think we can look back at 1968 as a year of great change." Before returning the chair to the president, Vice-President Karl Trump prefaced the usual Robert’s Rules o f Order routine, saying, "We have in President Coffin perhaps the most tireless and most energetic of presidents that this organization has ever seen. Those of us who are members of the Board of Directors and also are on the Advisory Committee suspect that when the government books are audited, that the postal services will discover that their usual annual deficit has been made up. This, President Cofto has been able to do in his use of postage stamps." Several routine convention reports followed, bringing us to that of the Nominating Conmuttee. In 1968, the only concern was the election of regional directors who made up fifty percent of the Board of Directors. There were nine regional directors, one from each region plus one-at-large. Their two-year terms were staggered sequentially over a three-year period with three being eleaed each year. No regional director could succeed himself more than once. In 1968, George Newton, Central Region, was reeleaed. Mary Wolfrnan, Eastern Region, succeeded one of NATS’ ffondes dames, Grace Leslie, who had served as NATS first registrar, 1944-1954, and as a member of the Board of Directors, 1956-1958, plus several committees. R orence Russell, California-Western Region, replaced Eugene Fulton, another NATS veteran with a sleeve full of service stripes.

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When that part of the annual business meeting arrived at the call for new business, Gean Greenwell gained the floor remarking: "Perhaps this is the time to start a little discussion on whether we should maintain our exclusiveness as far as admissions are concerned, or whether we should open it up to a much broader base of admissions which would simply be anyone who is interested in the art of singing, whether he be a choral director, a voice teacher, or sim ply interested in the art of singing as many of our fellow musical organizations do. I’m in favor of opening it up. There are many who are not in favor and I think we should probably have some general discussion on this item." President Coffin then recognized Josephine Lott, who responded with, "I’m not in favor of opening up just to anybody who is interested in music, but I do think we should seriously consider accepting coaches, voice coaches, as members. I know many reliable, well-qualified coaches who would like to become members of NATS [and] who will not declare themselves voice teachers. If we had recommendations fi'om NATS teachers saying that these certain coaches... are qualified and would stick to their business as coaches, I think this is something we could discuss and seriously consider." A Mrs. McDaniel was given the floor after Josephine Lott concluded her statement She also believed that NATS should have a broader membership base, but opted for classification as coaches, teachers of singing, or whatever. Her thought was that such classification would keep teachers and coaches out of each others hair, as she put it. However, she stopped short of offering a solution to the classification process. Would teachers carry a white card to distinguish them from coaches with a card of another hue? Whenever there had been a movement toward a more inclusive membership, Helen Steen Huls had been quick to point out that such a move carried with it side effects that might very well outweigh the benefits. Portland, 1968 was no exception. After President Coffin recognized her, she said, "I’m not altogether opposed to opening it up for membership in some direction, but I will remind you that we have a non-member Bulletin subscription privilege, which has resulted in a tremendous spread of our information over the country. We have approximately seven hundred library subscriptions at this time. We have two hundred or more individual subscribers, people who are not eligible for membership of any kind. Now, this would, if this were opened up, eliminate the individual subscription privilege, I would think. This will make it very difficult to differentiate between people who are choral directors or whatever and those who teach voice. There are times when I think it might be well for these individuals to actually become members. However, they will not do this because they are not interested in membership. They merely want the magazine, and they are not voice teachers-primarily, at least. I think this is going to pose an area of considerable confusion and difficulty, just as the affiliate membership has also caused an area of great confusion. Most of you do not know this, but I know it veiy well and I think some of you will remember that several years ago I warned you that this would happen and it has happened." With the stepped-up discussion, Greenwell bid for the floor a second time. He recalled what Louis Diercks had said in a workshop some years back that when a choral director told his choir to breath in a certain manner, or directed them to produce a vowel in a specific way, he was teaching voice no matter what you called it. He went on to say, "Quite often, he is directing voices at a very early age in a right direction or the wrong direction. He could be the source of most of the vocal problems we meet up with later. He is a voice teacher. Realistically, we need to deal directly with him within our organization." In Greenwell’s judgement, the affiliate classification, in a sense, signified a second-class membership. To him, classification was an act of segregating or stratifying the membership in a way which simply caused confusion. He cited the fact that some of our members had criticized those affiliates who spoke up in meetings and really delivered the goods, saying: "Why should an affiliate be allowed to do that?" He concluded with, "I say let’s call them aU members and not bother with this business of get on that or this side. Don’t you dare raise your hand when we call for a vote, et cetera.. . That choral director is a voice teacher in a different sense, but he’s just as real a voice teacher as any one of us here." President Coffin then gave John B. d’Armand, an affiliate member, the floor. He felt that if we opened the membership to choral directors that we could not be selective, that we would have to take aU who applied and, as a consequence, gradually lose our distinction. He cautioned our

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membership that we should give it very serious consideration before sucli a step were taken. The president tried to bring the meeting to a close but his coordinator of the newly formed Council on Vocal Education bid for the floor and got it. Oren Brown suggested that the Board of Direaors consider changing the wording of the bylaws under "Purposes" where it stated: "Any citizen of the United States of America or Canada, who has been actively engaged in the teaching of singing . . . the last five words to read: . .in the field of vocal music. . , ." Also, he suggested that at some future date we consider admitting people to full membership and eliminating the affiliate category. After a few concluding remarls fi’om the president, the meeting was adjourned at 12:05 p.m. Over 630 people registered and participated in the twentieth regional conference and the seventeenth regional student auditions of the Southwestern Region, November 10-12, 1968, Denton, Texas. It was the largest regional activity ever held in the Southwestern Region. For that matter it was the largest NATS activity in the United States or Canada. Our national meeting in Portland between Christmas and New Year’s forty-five days later would have difficulty registering one-half that total. Our largest national convention in the 1960s, Chicago, 1965, drew but 60% of the total registered at Denton. Four hundred and thirty students sang in the prelims; 150 made it to the semi-finals, and 62 survived for the finals. In the process of the auditions over 100 teachers present judged one, if not two, sessions. Prizes totaling nearly $1,200, plus a number of gift certificates, were given the top five singers in each classification. On the opening day, Edward Hull, tenor, Corpus Christi, was chosen the Southwestem’s representative in the NATSAA finals in Portland. The next day, President Berton Coffin gave the opening address. That evening, Vice-President Karl Trump was the speaker at their annual banquet. An afterdiimer performance by the NTSU Opera Workshop of Arthur Benjamin’s The Devil Take Her, the afternoon’s program by a faculty quartet from Wichita State University, plus several solo recitals and lecture-demonstrations, created a national convention atmosphere. Vice President Karl Trump’s annual report on "NATS Across the Nation" carried few specifics other than that NATS chapters had increased from twenty-seven to thirty during the three years of his vice-presidency. The first three paragraphs were a litany of fiiistration. He was given no budget to permit him to travel around the country to visit chapters, state, or regional officers. Consequently, he could not confer in person with members of a chapter that was dying through lack of dynamic leadership or talk with apathetic regional and/or lieutenant-governors who saw no opportunities for the growth of NATS activities within their areas. Letter mail was a poor substitute for being there. Trump carried on a voluminous correspondence in his attempt to keep NATS healthy across the nation, but there were not enough NATS hours in his day. H e did the best he could in the time he had to give. It was difficult to be content when there was so much more to be done. In his analysis of the problem, Karl Trump knew that the real solution for a healthy growth of NATS would be to put everything in the hands of a national office and an executive secretary and staff, the business of propagating and sustaining of chapters, the promotion of state, regional and national functions, the organizational machinery of NATS, should be left to the MBAs. E. Clifford Toren, chairman of the Council of Past Presidents, reported that the council, as a body, had not engaged in any project or study relating to the National Association of Teachers of Singing or its activities. However, as individuals, they had been kept informed of various plans, problems, and considerations to which the administrative officers had given so much time, thought and effort. In turn, each member of the council had attempted to be helpful with his comments and suggestions, trusting that they would be of some value. In 1968, NATS offered four workshops during July and August: Texas Technological University, Lubbock, Murray State University, Munay, Kentucky, Whitworth College, Spokane, Washington, and University of Southern California, Los Angeles. The attendance at the last named surpassed all previous NATS workshop records, one hundred twenty-five registered. However, if those who registered for certain offerings were included, there were almost three hundred in attendance for some sessions. The shop at UCLA benefitted greatly fi^om the programming of such highly regarded persons who were well-knovra to NATSers: Ruth Miller Chamlee, Mrs. Herbert Witherspoon, Dr. Hemy J. Rubin, Past-President William Vermard, Martial Singher, Ralph ErroUe, Sonia Shamova and Berton Coffin. The other three workshops were not without their stellar attraction, Edwin McArthur, at that time enjoying a ground swell

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of popularity for his catholic knowledge of vocal repertoire. McArthur was scheduled to join the faculty at Eastman in the fall. Stanley Hoban was President Coffin’s choice to chair Summer Workshops, one of the twelve committees under the uijibrella of the Council on Vocal Education of which Oren Brown was the coordinator. Hoban’s tenure began as of September 1,1968, since he bore the responsibility for the 1969 season, the program’s twentieth year. It all began under William Ross at Indiana University, August 8-12, 1949. Since that time, there had been ninety-three workshops with several locations hosting fi’om five to eight repeat performances. For the most part, it had been the handiwork of George Cox. He had been the one and only chairman for the past ten years. Prior to that under Vennard’s vice-presidency, Cox had been the legman. Under President Nicholas, 1962-1964, George Cox was the vice-president in charge of workshops, returning in 1965 to chairman of workshops without portfolio. The records show that George Cox bore the responsibility for NATS’ workshops guidance over a greater span of years than any of his predecessors or those who followed him. Vice-President Jean Ludman’s report had deep roots, reaching back to k ^ o te r Ruth Miller Chamlee’s address at the 1962 Los Angeles Convention which called attention to the slow-moving plans initiated, 1958, during the Eisenhower administration to make Washington, D. C the cultural capital of the country. Shortly thereafter. President Nicholas named an ad hoc committee for Stimulation of Government Interest in the Arts under Chamlee. Its findings persuaded President Vennard, 1964, to name the committee on Government Interest in the Arts with Ruth Miller Chamlee as chairman. Jean Ludman’s 1965 Chicago appearance before the Board of Directors captured the imagination of incoming Philip Duey. The reporting of her investigation and the possibility that NATS might benefit by participation in the newly created National Council of the Arts program through grants for such activities as summer workshops, national conventions, and individual research projects not part of any school or university program, were all couched in terms of probability. However, the board’s wishful thinking translated her suggestions into strong possibilities. Consequently, Ludman became GIA’s chairman and NATS’ 1966 convention bloomed in Washington under the chairmanship of Jean Ludman, the convention theme: "The Necessity for Government Participation in the Arts." Portland’s 1968 snowbound convention provided the backdrop for the reading of her sobering report. She wrote: "By the end of 1967, government interest had matured into government involvement and the National Endowment on the Arts was firmly established in the Office of the President of the United States in Washington with Roger Stevens as chairman and executive head. It is important to note the position of this council, directly under the president, is thus separated fi:om the Department of Health, Education and Welfare and may be discontinued anytime by executive order of the president." Ludman went on to relate how incoming President Nixon wanted American business to assume some of the responsibility for the necessary enrichment of people’s lives much in the same manner that it came to the aid of higher education in the fifties. Then it was only a matter of time before the efforts of that committee increased contributions from a few million to the hundreds of millions. Now that a similar Business Committee for the Arts was funded in early 1968, it stood ready to help American business rally to the support of the arts. Though opinions differed, it was felt that NATS should concern itself with projects not readily developed by a university by its existing faculty since such an educational institution could appty directly to the Department of Education for funds for special courses. Ludman went on to say, "Certain areas of our workshop program could be funded, but plans would have to be made two seasons in advance." Several other areas of possible funding were mentioned, but it all hung on NATS’ getting a treasury number as an organization to receive tax-free monies. Jean Ludman concluded this portion of her report with, "Most foundations are interested either in composers or performers who can win something. They tend to think of singing teachers as those who have produced successful singers, they don’t th i^ of the teaching of singing as a subject with a body of pedagogy. Perhaps we need to do some missionary work in this area. They are very interested in good judges for various contests and competitions and have consistentty asked for guides in securing such. We might think of ways to organize training programs in this

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area. We could think also in terms of sponsored concerts for our Artist Award winner, but the one year tenure of such a winner is a drawback." The last paragraph of her report announced the December appointment of a chairman for the National Endowment for the Arts who would supervise staff members and panelists who received and evaluated requests for federal funds for music projects. It was also announced that grants for Gscal 1968 exceeded $1.1 million. The grants went to composers, orchestra, opera companies, and educational and audience development projects. The Committee on Vocal Pedagogy, Bruce Foote, chairman, one of the twelve under the umbrella of the Council on Vocal Education, Oren Brown, coordinator, bore the responsibility for "Quiz Cove" and "Echo." Though conmiittees were in a state of flux, all deadlines for copy were met The February, May and October issues were covered by the pre-Coffin committee. The new committee: Bruce Foote, chairman, Ralph Appelman, Hermanus Baer, Alice Duschak, King Kellogg, Allan Lindquest, Earl Rogers and Weldon Whitlock, took over for the December issue. The only holdovers were Bruce Foote and Hermanus Baer. A total of seventeen questions were answered in "Quiz Cove." The "Echo" column showed signs of a bit more life with a total of five communications in two issues. During the 1967 Chicago Convention, the old Committee on Vocal Education held supper meetings at which time a revision of the pamphlet, "Training the Vocal Instrument" was taken under consideration. In the ensuing months several drafts were exchanged through the mails. At long last, with the unanimous endorsement of the committee, a final draft was presented to the president for board approval and publication. A revised "Choral Rehearsal Techniques" was printed and was made available. With that, all work was suspended on the revision of pamphlets, the writing of new ones, and the. publication of a book list postponed because of the committee structure reorganization. The twelve vocal education conunittees under Coordinator Oren Brown, each with its own chairman, were (1) Singing in Contemporary Society, (2) Vocal Affairs in the Private Studio, (3) Vocal Affairs in the Public Schools, (4) Vocal Affairs in Conservatories, Colleges and Universities, (5) Summer Workshops, (6) Vocal Clinics, (7) The Solo Voice and Choral Singing, (8) Vocal Pedagogy, (9) Opera, Opera Workshop, Musical Theater, (10) Class Voice, (11) Libraries, and (12) Vocal Problems. It was too early to give a report other than that work had been started which gave promise of an exciting future. At the end of the year, some committees were incomplete, but they totaled some sixty-five NATSers, some getting their feet wet for the first time, some veterans. Perhaps that which follows should be captioned requiem. The ten-year noble effort, given status in Cincinnati in 1959, sowed fertile seeds down through the decade that followed. The deans of NASM schools and colleges had been sent copies each year of course outlines, suggested readings, sample quiz questions, etc., developed and/or updated by the AIVP Conmiittee. The seeds that fell on the barren soil within the walls of NATS did not flourish, but those sown in the fertile soil of institutions of higher learning staffed by NATSers took root, maturing into the master and doctor degrees instead of into the Associate and/or Fellow in the American Institute of Vocal Pedagogy. It should be remembered that at the annual business meeting, December 30, 1964, Minneapolis, the American Institute of Vocal Pedagogy was renamed the Fellowship Program in the National Association of Teachers of Singing. Once more, your historian quotes Berton Coffin’s account. "During the convention, Chicago 1967, before I assumed the presidency, I had meetings which included everybody who had ever had anything to do with ATVP and also those who were opposed to it. It was felt that we did not have the funds to staff such a program and, most importantly, during that decade the DMA had come into being. It seemed that the degree need of the Vocal Art was being served by it. I appointed an ad hoc committee of Dale Moore, Bruce Foote and Oren Brown to meet and figure out what should be done with the FNATS program. (I had hoped that they would say that we should do away with it) They came up with a curriculum which they thought would serve those who would be interested in Vocal Pedagogy." Let us turn to the year-end report of ad hoc FNATS committee, Oren Brown in the chair, "A meeting of this committee was held in Effingham, Illinois, on April 25-26,1968, at which time a Preliminary Report was drawn up and sent to the President and members of the Board for their comments and general reactions. Subsequently, on October 18th, a hundred copies of this same

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report were sent to selected members of NATS chosen on the basis of divergence of interests and on geographical distribution. On December 12th, a second meeting was held, again in Effingham, Illinois. At this meeting, a Second Report was drawn up. Insofar as possible, the many fine ideas and suggestions that had been sent in reply to the various mailings were incorporated. This has been presented to the President for action by the Board at our Annual Convention." Returning to Berton Coffin: "I took this form and proposed it to the DMA committee at the University of Colorado and it was accepted. We went by it while I was there; the degree was called AMA in Vocal Performance and Pedagogy. It worked and we graduated nine under that degree while I was there, but too few of them could be called good singers, they were adequate singers, but they knew something about teaching. Bruce [Foote] tried to implement the program at the University of Illinois but it did not work. In most schools now, the DMA seems to be in Performance, at Indiana, Vocal Pedagogy was dropped from the curriculum when [Ralph] Appelman left. So, unless other schools have come up with Vocal Pedagogy in their DMA programs, we may, in a way, be back where we were when ATVP was brought into being. "I will say that there are many performers in Europe (and in this country) who have the DMA, but are not advertising that they have a doctorate until they come back to this country to enter academic life. Then, at that time, they have to learn how to teach without having had the pedagogical background to teach singers.. , I believe ATVP was unsuccessful because it was an Edsel at the wrong time and that we did not have the faculty, resources and funding to carry on such a project." Adapting a Jean Ludman thought, "Perhaps we need to do some missionary work to convince deans, department heads in our schools and even quite a few of our own members that the teaching of singing is a subject writh a body of pedagogy." Philip A Duey’s report of the Committee on the History of Singing as its chairman, was little more than introducing his two committeemen, Edward V. Foreman and Eugene Casselman. Both were known for their contributions to The NATS Bulletin. Foreman had translated and published significant early works on singing. He had also published other authors, including Weldon Whitlock’s several volumes. Cassehnan had a warm interest in the teaching ideas of the 19th century, a period that had less study than the preceding centuries. Phil Duey’s definitive Bel Canto in its Golden Age, 1951, was known to everyone. He closed his report with the announcement that he was taking an early retirement from the University of Michigan at the end of the academic year so that he could get back to concentrate "on research which I hope providence will grant the time for completion." The Committee on the History of Singing was one of fifteen under the umbrella of the Council on Research, Arthur Schoep, coordinator. The fourteen others covered a broad spectrum: Art Song, American; Art Song, British; Art Song, French; Art Song, German; Art Song, Italian; Art Song, Russian; Art Song, Scandinavian and Finnish; Repertoire for Young Voices; Sacred Song and Oratorio; 17th and 18th Century Vocal Repertoire; Song Cycles; Voice and Instruments; Scientific Research; Interdisciplinary Committee. Although some of the above listed committees were not fully populated, the head count had reached fifty-two. Arthur Schoep, the council’s coordinator, reported that all but two of the chairmen had reported that their committees had begun work in their various assignments. Some chairmen had set up meetings at the national convention in Portland. It was anticipated that all committees vc i make their final reports by June, 1969, the deadline suggested by President Coffin. This was the year that Vice President Gean Greenwell took over our young artist contest The end of February, the board had voted to change the title from Singer of the Year to the NATS Artist Awards with a change in prizes: first place, $1,000, second place, $600, third place, $400. Other changes were made in light of 1967 Chicago convention experience. The preliminary audition to select only five singers for the final audition was dropped. The preliminary audition was tried at Chicago as a way of reducing the excessive length of the final audition. The audition was shortened at Portland by cutting the maximum individual audition time from twenty to fifteen minutes. Another important change was to drop NATS’ attempt to act as a booking agent for the winners. Instead, the names of the winners would be publicized in The NATS Bulletin and newsletter so that those who wish could contact the individual singers for engagements. This plan had been used during 1968 for the 1967 Chicago winners and resulted in roughly the same number of engagements as the previous year for the 1966 winners.

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The age limit for the contestants was lowered from thirty-five years to thirty in order to stress the purpose of the awards, to encourage the singers selected to become professional artists. The old age limit seemed high for this purpose. The number of entrants in the 1968 auditions fell below that of the last several years for reasons not yet determined. At the convention, first-place went to mezzo-soprano Rose Wildes who made it to the New York a ty Opera. No news of second-place baritone Clyde Walker, but third-place tenor Daniel Nelson is artist-in-residence at the University of Wisconsin, where he is pursuing a very active performing career. Quoting Ed Baird, who reviewed the convention for The N A TS Bulletin: "There seemed to be greater feeling of unanimity (or at least less dissatisfaction) among the members of the Association regarding this always controversial facet of the program. Mr. Greenwell, who is revising our auditions program, gave ballots to the audience this year so that he might compare the selection of the judges with those of the membership. These ballots were designed so as to reveal any generalization of preference by age, sex, or geographical area of the voting audience. A detailed evaluation of this study will be forthcoming from Mr. Greenwell." Those members who attended our twenty-fourth national convention, December 27-30,1968, may not have seen any of the flowers for which the host "City of Roses" is famous, but they profited from a convention that was hosted cordially, well-programmed, and efficiently run. As approximately three hundred members, guests and performers were converging on the Northwest, a freezing rain was rapidly turning to snow. Planes were often one to three hours late, due to the weather, which was as unusual for Portland as having a hotel full of singing teachers. While the accumulation of over six inches of snow during our stay played havoc with sight-seeing trips and after-holiday shopping, it was great for attendance at convention sessions since we could hardly get out of the hotel! Then, there was the problem at the convention’s end, how to get to the airport and on your way home before the airport closed. Fortunately, your historian and his wife just caught the last cab to the airport. Others, not so lucky, didn’t make it back to their homes until several days later. The ofGcial opening of the Portland Convention was a memorable one—an event that has become a tradition since that snowbound one~it was the first time that conventioneers sang Schubert’s "An die Musik" to Bernard Taylor’s new English translation. There were several outstanding programs; (1) the president-elect of ACDA, Charles Hirt, director of choral organiza­ tions, University of Southern California, who spoke dynamically on "Vocal Development through Choral Activity^; (2) two demonstration lessons, one on the tenor voice by Hermanus Baer and the other on the bass voice by William Vennard; (3) several highly interesting sessions on contemporary music; (4) the banquet address of Donald Thulean, conductor of the Spokane Symphony, (5) the panel on vocal adjudication; (6) a most fascinating hour of films by Dr. Pierre Delattre, director of Speech Synthesis Laboratory, University of California, Santa Barbara; (7) the address by Stanlqr Chappie, director of Symphony and Opera, University of Washington; (8) the expected Quiz Cove, Oren Brown, moderator, with Ralph Appelman, Bruce Foote, Harvey Ringel and William Veimard. The high point of performances at the convention was the recital of song (ycles given by soprano Chloe Owen, professor of voice at Boston University. Ed Baird wrote: "This program alone was worth the trip to PorUand," Returning to Boulder, the president set to evaluating the previous week’s work listening to the tapes of the board meetings at the Portland Convention. In his first board letter of the new year, January 17,1969, he mentioned that he had not yet had time to play back all of them, but optimistically, he hazarded a guess on some of the accomplishments. Berton Coffin regarded his administration as one of transition. The immediate concern at Portland was the setting of the House of NATS in order, as of that moment, to ready it for the next quarter of a century—"the establishment of a functional executive-secretariat, the transfer of duties and the balancing of the budget" He continued, knowing that his listing would be partial and incomplete. "We talked a bit about minor modifications in the bylaws to vitalize administrative procedures and to give a better continuum from administration to administration. We discussed our reason for being at this period of time and hopefully set the stage a bit for what we should be doing in the present and in the future. We discussed procedures for receiving tax deductible gifts and bequests. We took care of detailed work concerning our efforts in 1969. There was more. Time will tell how well we did our work. My feeling is that a great deal was accomplished."

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President Coffin touched on the tight-rope budget, the two-pronged membership campaign via The NATS Bulletin and the College Music Society’s list of teachers of singing, venturing the belief that "soon we will have more monies with which to work, possibly this year, but surely in 1970." Stimulated, he wrote: "I submit that it is now time to think in terms of doing more for NATS, stirring up many activities, we might consider establishing a system of block grants to regions, independent of those of NATSAA, for use in stimulating clinics during the year or for other uses as their promotional officers, the regional governors, desire to use it" The January 17th board letter contained also the president’s immediate compliance with Article VIII, Section 1, of the bylaws. He submitted the names of five past-presidents, representing five different regions with great geographical distribution from north to south and from east to west, to form the Nominating Committee to select the officers, eta for the 1970-1972 biennium. This list was supplemented by a similar list of past-presidents, in the order of their immediacy, as alternates. The vote, 16/1. There was also an immediate action enclosure with that January 17th board letter, a proposed draft, a 1969 revision of the workshop section of the new "Officers Handbook." President Coffin wrote in the upper left-hand comer: "Urgent, so that workshops can be started immediately." The vote, eleven approved with six others approving with changes. One of the items that President Coffin presented for approval in his January 30th board letter was the revised text of the first pronouncement to be published by NATS-"Training the Vocal Instrument." This document, the product of our first Kitorial Committee.under the chairman­ ship of Shirley M. K. Gandell, was submitted to the membership via TTieBulletin, December, 1945, inviting comment or suggested changes to be sent to the chairman. Official action was scheduled for our first national convention which was to be held in conjunction with MTNA February 2124,1946, Statler Hotel, Detroit, Michigan. Our first business meeting, in convention assembled, was held on Saturday, February 23,1946,3:30-5:30 p.m. At that meeting, Leon Carson took over from John Wilcox as the second president of NATS. The last item on the agenda was the action taken on "Training the Vocal Instrument." Now, "Training the Vocal Instrument" was given a new dress to ready it for the membership at Cleveland when NATS celebrated its twenty-fifth. There were several other items in that January 30th board letter that never surfaced in the board’s Minutes Book, to wit: (1) a letter from Victor Fields, editorial consultant for both the Council on Vocal Education and the Council on Research, in which he suggested ways to publish the output of these two councils for distribution to mark our Silver Anniversary, (2) a proposed revision of Article VI, Section 4 which would be an acceptable substitute for his turned-down Executive Committee proposal; (3) The NATS Foundation; and (4) further fund-raising materials. The February 14th board letter dealt with the setting-up of a Teacher Exchange Service at Cleveland. The president pointed out ways to go and advised careful evaluation. However, in his judgement, such a service to the members was desirable. He requested suggestions for personnel to handle the project at Cleveland. For the moment, he asked approval of the idea with details of implementation to be decided later. The requested go-ahead was granted. That same board letter concerned itself vwth a now-forgotten part of NATS’ history. We almost had a convention in Miami, Florida, in 1970. The February 14th board letter asked approval for a change in hotels since the original would not be available during the Christmas/New Year’s week. Although the board okayed the change, later, the administration had to revoke its earlier approval because of certain difficulties at the local level and approved instead the selection of a site in the Southwestern Region where an efficient local and regional organization already existed. A March 25th board letter provided background materials for items on the agenda for the advisors meeting on March 31 and April 1,1969. As a matter of fact, the April 20th board letter was prompted by the president’s listening to the tapes of the Chicago meeting, March 31 and April 1. He had discovered two items that required immediate action. Student subscriptions had been established as a pilot program in Portland. The reaction had been good. The president felt that we now were confronted with getting something ready for Volume XXVI of The NATS Bulletin or waiting for the Cleveland Convention to establish the student subscription on a permanent basis, effective as of Volume XXVII, No. 1, October, 1970. The advisors opted for the first alternative, that subscriptions be made available in the fall of 1969 with the following limitations: (1) there shall be a student subscription at a cost of $2.00 per year, (2) there shall be a minimum of five student subscriptions in a group to be eligible for the special rate; (3) the

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deadline for orders to be September 20th, otherwise the October issue would come with the December issue; and (4) all orders were to be sent to Karl Trump. [Your historian was a part of that Chicago meeting.] The second item requiring immediate action was in regard to the Silver Anniversary Publications. President Coffin presented the thinking of the Advisory Council in this respect. In the January 30th board letter, Victor Fields had suggested a special 25th anniversary issue of The NATS Bulletin. However, the council recommended that instead of concentrating all the effort in a single special anniversary issue, that the various lists and statements proposed for publication in the armiversary year be printed in the four issues of Volume XXVI of The NATS Bulletin, October, 1969 - May, 1970. It was felt that the added cost resulting from these inclusions would very likely be covered by a heretofore unexpected income of $886.81 from the Johnson Reprint Corporation and by additional sales of advertising space. The board letters of February 14th and April 20th followed each other because they treated items related to each other, our anticipated Cleveland meeting in December. Also the board’s Minutes Book recorded them in sequence. There was another intervening nine-page board letter, that of April 12-18,1969, that did not rate the official record at this time. Primarily, it dealt with the revision of the "Officer’s Handbook," but also included a preliminary report on the March 31April 1 Chicago meeting; a mention of another revision to come-a "National Convention Handbook," based on Bernard Taylor’s outline on how to organize a national convention; the continuum between administrations; an archivist at loss on what to collect; the formation of a NATS Foundation; a further report on the Chicago meeting; and the judging of the NATS Artist Awards. Then there was this quote that bears repeating. The president reminded his board that [quoting from William Newman’s Administrative Action] the president reminded his board that "an inflexible structure is a characteristic of old age in an institution." Continuing, he wrote, "So another way of cooling things off for NATS is to believe that what we have is it forever. A developing organization must be modifying its structure constantly." Although the action of the president’s May 19th board letter is recorded in the board’s Minutes Book as of May 10,1969, I’m recognizing the May 19th date as the date of authenticity. The board granted the petition of ten NATSers to reactivate the Wichita Chapter. They also approved the revision of Article V, Section 7, b, which brought the term of office of lieutenant governors in line with that of the regional governors, namely, that no lieutenant governor may succeed himself more than once. This limitation, applied to all other officers other than president, was overiooked in the 1966 revision of our bylaws. There was an addition that was important-a former lieutenant governor could be returned to office after being out of office for two years. The board also set the Silver Anniversary Convention fees: $8.00 for members and wives of members; $10.00 for non-members; and $5.00 for students, with only full registrations being sold. Outsiders would be allowed to come to the NATSAA auditions for $2.00 up to the capacity of the hall, 650. Other items not reported here dealt with committee appointments, the placement service, convention budgeting, office of the registrar, Johnson reprints, and the NATS development fund. The president’s May 27th board letter contained two items that were not recorded in the board’s Minute's Book yet became an accomplished fact, namely, the naming of our second publication for members only. Inter Nos, and the editorship of that publication. Your historian became the solution to the quandary facing officialdom as interim editor and Inter Nos became the name of our internal letter of communication. All items of the May 27th board letter reported in the board’s Minutes Book were approved, namely: (1) that the Editorial Board be given the option to decide whether certain reports were to be printed in Inter Nos rather than The NATS Bulletin-, (2) the request to change the title, "25th Armiversary Publications," to "Silver Anniversary Publications” since they were to be included in Volume XXVI of The NATS Bulletin-, (3) the president’s extensive procedural program and committee structure for reading and approving of Silver Anniversary Publications. There was another item in that May 27th board letter that needs to be mentioned-insurance for NATS members. It had been discussed at Portland and the advisors studied it further in Chicago. This effort also involved the executive secretary. This was not the first excursion in that direction. Richard DeYoung, during his presidency, 1948-1950, mounted a year-long drive via The Bulletin and the mails. The cooperating insurance company mailed brochures and forms to the

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membership. Both group life and hospitalization insurance were offered, but it all went down the drain by the November deadline. In order for it to Qy, the insurance company required a 15% membership enrollment. The affirmative response was a bare 50%. The road block at that time was that an approximate 50% of our membership was employed by uistitutions of higher learning and already committed to some such plan. The president reported that while the correspondence with Prudential did not look promising, the Keogh Self-Employment Act could be made available on an individual basis for self-employed people wanting such coverage. He asked Martha Moore Smith to obtain further information. The next board letter did not appear for a month. Berton Coffin informed the board of his continued pursuit of a status for NATS that would qualify it to receive gifts and bequests. He was in correspondence with the lawyer who secured an IRS 501(C)(3) status for the American Harp Society. The president wrote that he had sent NATS materials to him for study, concluding, "I should have something to report to you ere long. The road has been long and arduous, maybe something will come of it, maybe not." Another informational bit was the executive seCTetarys membership report as of June 14,1969. There was a total of 129 new members of which eightyfive were full members and forty-five were affiliates. Our total membership was 2,197, realizing $26,014 in dues. Then there was a paragraph dealing with a malarial condition that plagued the Coffin committee structure of NATS-a deterrent mirrored in George Newton’s response to the president’s board letter of June 30, 1968, "It’s a great idea. But, of course it depends on individuals who are not procrastinators." Over the intervening months, that spotted fever broke out. Oren Brown’s remedy, "I feel that we must lay down the law generally and say that committee workers should be given a deadline for reply to any conespondence and, if a reply is not received in some form by a set date, the chairman will assume that they are not interested in serving and, therefore, will be dropped fi'om the committee. The same would be true for chairmen in response to anyone over them. To be a force, NATS somehow must act in a positive, responsive and responsible manner." The president suggested that a way should be fouind by which committee members could be replaced during an administration. He wrote further: "We are in a jet age and things are moving too fast to allow us two years for every change that should occur in committee structure." He asked his board to give him their thinking on how to cure NATS’ Achilles heel. Down through all administrations, how best to make NATS known to the citizenry had been the subject of more than one discussion. Those involved in the past knew how difficult it was to get NATS publicity into music magazines and/or newspapers. Now, in the sixties, there were fewer of them. The president offered this new avenue to the board: "One way is to have members, who so desire, to act as public relations personnel for us, our best way of making ourselves known is through our members." For the moment, let’s turn back to the president’s July 4,1968 board letter in which he broached the idea of lapel pins and/or pendants to this board only to draw a negative response. This time around under NATS’ Silver Anniversary canopy, cloaked in a public relations milieu, and stimulated by a better than fifty percent positive response from those NATSers who had returned completed national surveys, the president saw only a green light ahead. He even raised the stakes by having L. G. Balfour Co. prepare the art work and quote a price list to cover the variety of forms in which the NATS insignia would be made available to the membership, tie chain, tie bar, charm or a pinette to be used either as a lapel pin or a tie tac. He pictured members wearing the NATS insignia as walking public relations, saying: "Questions will be asked, ’What is that pin (or pendant) that you are wearing?’ Then comes the spoken ad." Well, this time, the president won approval and NATS had a recognition pin. That four-step June 29th proposal included carrying full information in Inter Nos, stating that the item was available fi-om L. G. Balfour Co., urging members to order direct. There was no cost to NATS and the procedure obviated the necessity for any NATS member or officer to handle the recognition pin. Now, you would have thought that in an organization which regarded its membership as something to be desired, an insignia which members could wear to exalt their profession to those around them would have made the best sellers list. Unfortunately, that was not the case. That leads us to the opening statement of the July 27th board letter. President Coffin wrote: "This has been an exploratory administration. We have found some other things that we cannot bring off, at least with our present procedures." The tenor of this communication was that of a

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progress report The Silver Anniversary Publications were on target. The plans for a placement service at Cleveland had to be abrogated, the individual who had taken on the obligation to guide the trial run at Cleveland had to withdraw. Further discussion in regard to this service would take place at the convention. The sought-after legal advice in regard to the rephrasing of NATS’ purpose in order to court a 501(C)(3) tax status to attract gifts and bequests was redirected to take place in the state of our incorporation, Dlinois. For such an involved action, time had run out for the CofSn administration, ergo another item for the board’s agenda at Cleveland. Then and there, it could be decided whether or not it was desirable to further pursue this project. There was one important vote on a suggestion by Treasurer Eugene Pence. He had been having trouble in getting specific information from the Fidelity Savings and Loan, Ohio. For some unknown reason, they would not provide a specific statement on the earnings on the $10,000 bond that they held for us, thereby holding up our budget. Treasurer Eugene Pence recommended that we withdraw the money from Fidelity and transfer it to the Union National Bank in Chicago, reinvesting the 510,000 in Government Securities. Pence estimated that we would increase our earnings between SlOO and $200 per year. Not only that, but those securities would be collateral to back a loan from Union National should we experience again a low financial period such as we had in December, 1968, just before the 1969 dues came rolling in. The request received a majority vote, only one board member could not make up his mind. Volume I, No. 1 oiInter Nos prompted the president’s September 7th letter to his board, the past presidents, the regional governors, eta Since the letter was of an informative nature, requiring no vote, there is no record of it in the board’s Minutes Book. Quoting from paragraph one of that letter; "The newsletter of our organization. Inter Nos, is now in your hands and another desire has been realized. Now, The NATS Bulletin can become a learned journal." That issue of Inter Nos carried the proposed slate for the 1970-1972 biennium, headed by Karl Trump. As Berton Coffin had visited President Duey in August, 1967 to effect a smooth transition from one administration to the other, so Karl Trump came to Boulder in August, 1969. President CofSn wrote: "I found out that he had run a two and one-half million dollar per year PX in Chicago during World War II, a marvelous qualification for dealing with men and with dollars." He also discussed the fiscal report of June 30,1969 which Treasurer Eugene Pence had dropped off on his way to California. If it had not been for four unexpected and, therefore, unbudgeted items, namely, (1) a donation to the National Music Council; (2) the moving of the treasurer’s office; (3) the legal fees to qualify NATS to do business in New York City; and (4) the expenses of the executive secretary to and from the Portland Convention, we would have been in the black! Regardless, the actual deficit was held to $1,034.99 instead of the $6,444.00 projected in July, 1969. All this would be studied at the Advisors’ September 13-14 New York meeting where they would have the auditor’s copy. Loose ends have a way of coming together. The question mark hanging over the site of NATS’ 1970 national convention had been an item in both the February 14th and the July 27th board letters. At last, the president’s request in the September 22nd opus received the board’s stamp of approval for NATS’ excursion into the pace-setting Southwestern Region, it was Dallas in 1970! That September 22nd communication had one paragraph marked "Urgent," a last minute solution on an item discussed at Portland. The president had figured out a way by which NATS could come up with an IBM membership directory for our Silver Anniversary. It would cost approximately $1,999 to print 1,000 copies. The advisors felt that that quantity should be printed and set the price at S2.00 each. If only 500 were sold, NATS would recover the cost of production. The board approved this request by a 14/2 vote, with one member not voting. There were multiple subjects covered in the president’s November 4th board letter, but only six rated the board’s Minutes Book. First of all, there were the Silver Armiversary Publications. President CofBn had taken the liberty of announcing three song lists and the NATS directory in the November Inter Nos. Now, he asked for the authority to circularize the membership with a personal letter and a list of Silver Anniversary Publications. He wrote; "I believe that there is the possibility that we can get significant monies to help tide us over the end of the y ear.. . My thought was that in announcing the lists we could measure the market and see whether we should print or keep the lists in quick copy." The vote was 15/2. He also was given an unanimous ballot to offer group student subscriptions to The NATS Bulletin for both the first two 1970 issues for $1.00. The third bid for extra dollars might be labeled a long shot. Although NATS did not have

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a tax deductible gifts and bequests structure, the president asked permission to suggest to the membership that if they desired to give special gifts to NATS that these extra monies would enable the organization to vitalize functions that otherwise could not be put into operation because of limited funds. The board granted that request. Then, just to be on the sure side, President Coffin asked his board to authorize the removal of $8,000 from the Citizens Federal Savings and Lx>an of Delaware, Ohio to Chicago Union National Bank to be used as needed to cover a probable cash deficit in our checking account at the end of the 1969 calendar year before the 1970 dues could be collected, the balance to be invested in short-term Treasury Bonds at around 8% interest. Approved, 16/1. Two former chapters, which had been reorganized, petitioned for a change in name: the former Detroit, Michigan Chapter wished to be known henceforth as the Southwestern Michigan Chapter and the former Des Moines, Iowa Chapter asked for just plain Iowa Chapter. The board gave their unanimous approval in each instance. On October 24,25,1969, President Coffin met with Martha Moore Smith, John Thut, Eugene Pence and ICarl Trump in Chicago to synchronize simplified procedures between the offices of the executive secretary, secretary and treasurer. Basically, the aim was to free more time in the executive secretary’s office for public relations and promotional work. Duey had highlighted the fact in the advisors’ September New York meeting that NATS’ image did not extend far beyond our own membership, that one of our basic problem was how to extend that image. Actually, that was one of the cardinal reasons for having an executive secretary. In Martha Moore Smith, NATS had a knowledgeable person in public relations. The president had authorized her to prepare and place one-sixth page ads in The Music Journal, The MENC Journal, The MTNA Journal, and the AGO magazine. At that time, their combined circulation was 110,000. There already had been an outstanding release in the Cincinnati paper on the Cleveland Convention. Other releases were in the works. The president urged members to funnel newsworthy material to the executive secretary. The president wrote: "Whether the'times are good, bad, or indifferent, we need to blow our horn!" In the board letter of November 13th, President Coffin asked approval of five sites for the 1970 summer workshops as submitted by Stanley John Hoban and got an unanimous vote of approval. The proposed sites were Eastern New Mexico University, University of Oregon, Los Angeles, California, University of Pittsburgh, and West Georgia College. This year, Hoban made the deadline for the January issue of Inter Nos. Only two items from the president’s December 1st board letter rated the Minutes Book. One dealt with the replacement of a lieutenant governor; the other was the establishment of the Oklahoma Chapter of NATS in Oklahoma City. Both received board approval. The other items were informational, regarding subjects to be discussed in the Cleveland board meetings. The president’s last letter, dated December 17,1969, was, in part, philosophical, in part, a composite listing of replies to subjects raised by him in a previous probing letter. It is regrettable that space limitations prevent a sampling of the solid basic thinking in those replies. The president’s enclosed agenda for the Cleveland board meetings listed some eighteen areas for deliberation and/or resolution. Bert Coffin could not resist tossing in this last sentence: "Treasurer Eugene Pence reports that he believes that we can get over the year-end low without dipping into the kitty." Although the opening meeting of the Silver Anniversary Convention was scheduled for Saturday, December 27,1969, the first session of the Board of Directors was called for 4:00 p.m., Friday, December 26th. It turned out to be a talk fest, no official business could be transacted because there was no quorum. Vice President Gean Greenwell, in charge of NATSAA, raised the question of permitting applause during the Artist Award Auditions finals. A lengthy discussion followed, but no formal action was taken. Vice President Thomas Abbott’s presentation of new letterhead proofe incorporating our seal set off a discussion in regard to its use-Could our seal and/or symbol be used in printed checks, etc. The consensus was that discretion should be exercised in the use of these symbols. A prolonged discussion ensued as to when a new president should take office. Two days between the election and the assumption of office was insufficient time to allow for the proper orientation of his relation to his board. It was pointed out that the president-designate could confer with the outgoing president before the official election and could plan his administration so that the transfer of office could be made with a m in im u m of

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inconvenience. Due to the absence of a quorum, the meeting was adjourned until 7:30 p.m. th at evening. The second session of the board was called to order at 7:30 p.m. December 26th. T he first item discussed was prompted by a problem relayed to the board in the President’s D ecem ber 1st board letter. It concerned an AEBliate who dropped his membership and then, after teaching five years, made application for full membership. TTie question raised was w hether such an applicant should be required to pay for the year in which he was delinquent plus the full m em bership. There was such a requirement in our bylaws governing the reinstatement of full m em bers after a period of delinquency. However, in the matter before the board, the consensus was th a t an Affiliate should not be similarly penalized. Next on the menu was a discussion of how to handle a fund which a wealthy person desired to bequeath to NATS for the use of NATSAA regional winners to help defray their expense in traveling to the site of the national auditions. No decision was reached. The third item discussed was how to achieve a status that would enable NATS to receive tax-free gifts o f money for various purposes. That culminated in the appointment of a committee consisting o f the Council o f Past Presidents plus President-Designate Karl Trump. The committee was charged to investigate the implications of rewording our Statement of Purpose to gain a 501(C)(3) status with the ERS. President Coffin had raised the question in his December 1st board letter; "If we should modify our piurpose to meet IRS requirements for tax deductible status would we be giving away m ore than we would receive?" Board session number three got under way at 8:00 a.m., Saturday, December 27th. Y our historian, as editor of The NATS Bulletin and Inter Nos, presented the proposed budget for both publications for the fiscal period, July 1,1970 - June 30, 1971. Discussion centered around th e evaluation of The NATS Bulletiri's "Music Review" and "Association Routine" in Inter N os with suggestions that discontinuing the latter would make it possible to reduce the num ber o f pages m Inter Nos. I had submitted a figure on a typed, eight-page newsletter, but cutback was the order of the day. It was unfortunate that Inter Nos was to be regarded more as a stepchild than an intimate publication of the membership. How could it become a building block on a starvation diet? Since Bruce Lunklqr was to become its editor as of July 1,1970, a Peterson/Ludm an m otion that he submit a budget for a changed format, as of that date, was given a unanim ous ballot. T he board then resumed its discussion of The NATS Bulletin budget. That led into a prelim inary discussion of the general budget for 1970-1971, including a lengthy evaluation o f the office o f the executive secretary. The consensus was that we had made a good beginning and that a realistic evaluation would have to wait to be made later. The meeting was adjourned until th e next morning. The fourth session of the board, Sunday, December 28th, 8:00 a.m., opened w ith a replay o f Gean Greenwell’s question which opened the board’s no-quorum first session, th e subject o f audience applause at the NATSAA finals. A Greenwell/Crawford motion to lift th e traditional ban on applause was given the green light only for the Silver Anniversary finals, with th e future policy to be determined at a later date. Another loose end was the 1970-1971 budget. From th e continuing discussion, there emerged the idea that NATS should seek smaller quarters in th e same building, thereby efiecting a savings in overhead in regard to maintaining th e national office. A Duqr/Abbott motion that such a move be made at the appropriate tim e drew an unanim ous ballot Then, President-Designate Karl Trump announced a reaUocation of duties am ong VicePresidents Lunkley and Greenwell, with the latter’s role expanded to supervising the regional governor’s activities in addition to be in charge of NATSAA- Lunkley would be in charge o f chapter activities and the publication of Inter Nos. A Neilson/Pauli m otion to authorize the national treasurer to invest the surplus idle funds, accumulated in NATS’ cash accounts during the months immediately following dues collection, in short-term, high interest securities during the fiscal year. Following the unanimous approval of the 1970-1971 budget, th e m eeting adjourned at 11:30 a.m. Following the NATSAA finals, Sunday, December 28th, one hour and ten m inutes before midnight, the fifth board session got underway. The discussion centered around the prelim inary plans for the 1970 national convention in Dallas, Room rates of $14.00 for singles, offered by the Statler Hilton, seem unreal when compared with today’s rates. The board gave their unanim ous

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approval to the above as well as an okay to: Bruce Lunkley, chairman, Ed Baird and James McKinney, co-chairmen; and Vera Neilson, program chairman, with additional members from each state in the region, a wise pattern to follow. Next on the docket was Past-President E. Clifford Toren who made a progress report on the work already done by the Council of Past Presidents in changing the wording of the Statement of Purpose, Article I, Section 3, of our bylaws. The council was given a unanimous vote of appreciation for work well-begun. In the same vein, a Fields/Eberl motion that the proper authorities in Illinois be approached to determine the necessary procedures for effecting an official change in our Statement of Purpose was given unanimous board approval A discussion of several items followed that did not culminate in official action. The meeting was adjourned at 12:30 a.m., December 29th. Seven and one-half hours later we would meet again. The sixth session of the board was called for 8:00 a.m., December 29th. The starting time seemed early in relation to the late adjournment of the fifth session. Item one on the agenda had its origin in a November 11th letter from John Thut, our national secretary. One Dr. Anthony Chiuminatto, College of St. Homas, St. Paul, who was regional chairman for the MTNA National Certification Board had contacted John Thut. Dr. Chiuminatto was in the process of helping to set up a program of two-day oral and performance examinations for the certification of private teachers who did not have degrees. MTNA already had such a program in operation in piano. ASTA was a cooperating participant in the adapting of a similar program for string teachers. So, Dr. Chiuminatto contacted John Thut to investigate whether NATS would be interested in providing a parallel effort for singing teachers, and in administering it. MTNA and ASTA officials already had agreed to meet in Cincinnati, January 10-11,1970 to collaborate in such a project John had relayed this information to the president, writing that NATS, if interested, was invited to send a representative to that January, 1970 meeting. This background information was part of President Coffin’s December 1st board letter to which he requested some preliminary responses to form a basis for board discussions at Cleveland. All this pre-convention activity culminated in President Coffin’s presentation of Mrs. Esther Coulange who spoke as a member of MTNA on the subject of the certification of music teachers. After some discussion of the implications, there was a Fields/Abbott motion that won the board’s unanimous approval, committing NATS to designate a representative to meet with MTNA officials to consider the matter of certification of teachers and to report back to the board. Time was running short and everything requiring a ballot was hurried along with a unanimous vote. Oren Brown made this progress report on the FNATS program which had evolved into NATS’ own teacher certification program, geared to the teacher of singing without an academic degree. There was a Fields/GreenweU motion to postpone further discussion until tomorrow, lumping it with the consideration of future programs of NATS. There was the GreenwelVDuey motion to postpone to the Dallas Convention any evaluation of the student subscription program to The NATS Bulletin. President Coffin reported that the Cleveland Convention sales of the NATS song lists and the membership directory already had topped $300. The formal consideration of the Class Voice report was passed on to the incoming administration. There were three items requiring no official action. The last item on the agenda before adjournment was the Duey/Russell motion to retain the name Inter Nos for NATS’ newsletter even though the format was to be changed. Tuesday, December 30,1969,8:00 a.m. was the seventh and the wrap-up board meeting of the Cleveland Convention. President Coffin introduced the subject of the relation of rock to traditional music, inadvertently reaching back to ancient modes, etc. His thinking was that the study of this relationship might well be a fundable project for NATS. The idea precipitated a remark that, if realized, today would provide welcome resource material for teachers of singing now that we have the cross-over artist in our midst. Treasurer Eugene Pence suggested a committee to screen the large mass of pop songs to provide a repertoire list, suitable for our use in the teaching of singing. But, no action was taken. The board then turned to a motion that had been tabled at the late evening December 28th meeting. It was moved, seconded and given a unanimous vote of approval that travel allowance for workshop faculty be set at eight cents per mile or air coach fare, whichever was the smaller amount With that final action, the board adjourned sine die and Oren Brown hurried off to chair Quiz Cove, Tuesday morning’s eyeopener. At that time, Quiz Cove was "one of the most enduring features of NATS conventions." It was

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one sure way to condition conventioneers for the Annual Business M eeting which followed immediately thereafter. President Berton Coffin called the 1969 Annual Business M eeting to o rd er at 10:30 a.m., declaring a quorum. The first item on the agenda was his report to th e m em bership. F o r those who might wish to review it in its entirety, it may be found in The N A T S Bulletin, February-M arch 1970. In it, he summarized the efforts of his administration during th e past biennium . H e thanked the many people for their overtime work and for their willingness to serve. T he president said, "Never have we had more know-how than at the present time. . . T h e spirit has been exhilarating and I believe our pulses are high as we face the future. . . W e have had a marvelous team... We hope that we have activated our organization so that it is capable o f change, renewal and responsiveness." Then, borrowing from Erie Stanley G ardner, he continued, "Surely an organization which develops to the fullest its human resources, th at removes obstacles to individual fulfillment, life-long yearning and self-discovery, is worthy o f an esteem ed place in Society." In conclusion, President Coffin quoted Herbert W itherspoon, who was th e prim e mover in the founding of the American Academy of Teachers of Singing and, later, th e Chicago Singing Teachers Guild. These two organizations, along with the New Y ork Singing Teachers A ssociation founded NATS. Unfortunately, Witherspoon was not around to participate in that event. In essence, he was a sort of granddaddy to NATS! In his book. Singing, page 8, W itherspoon w rote these words which Berton Coffin chose to close his 1969 report to the membership: "Let us take up o u r task as we find it, ready with a strong love of our art to try simply and honestly to clear the way for those who are to follow." After the routine approval of the minutes of the 1968 Portland Business M eeting and the 1969 reports of officers, councils, and committees, the president announced th a t th ere was one amendment to our bylaws that required the members’ attention. H e called o n V ice-President Gean Greenwell to present it. The amendment corrected an oversight in the 1966 bylaws’ revision which was remiss in placing the same limitation oh reelection to office that governed all oth er officers, excepting the president. The proposed modification to Article V, 7, b o f o u r bylaws read: "A Lieutenant Governor is appointed to serve a term of two years, and may n o t succeed him self more than once. The Regional Governor will appoint LGs when necessary to insure the prescribed rotation in office." After a limited exchange of questions and answers, th e am endm ent received an unanimous ballot Only the report of the Resolutions Committee separated th e above from the mam vote of the day, the election of NATS’ leaders for the 1970-1972 biennium . Louis Nicholas, chairman of the Nominating Committee, submitted the slate as it appeared in Inter Nos. The listing that follows also includes incumbents among the regional directors and regional governors. Among the eighteen-member Board of Directors, there w ere only two new faces: Bruce Lunkley who took over Karl Trump’s vice-presidency as Karl moved into the presidency, and Margret Kommel who succeeded John Thut, a member of th e board throughout its several reorganizations since 1956-a veteran of fourteen years, serving seven presidents. In fact, he came to the board the same year as Berton Coffin. Only three of the regional directors were up for reelection: Ohm Pauli, Vera Redgrove Nielson and Victor A. Fields. A m ong the regional governors, only Edward A Baird, Robert Gumee and Dolf Swing were freshmen. K arl Trump had an experienced team to support him in his presidency. [*Denotes m em bers o f the President’s Advisory Council] Board o f Directors National Officers President: Karl Trump. Vice-Presidents: Thomas D. Abbott*, Gean Greenwell*, Jean Ludman*, Bruce Lunkley* (new). SecretatylAdmissions: M argret Kommel* (new). Treasurer. Eugene Pence. Registrar/Archives: Hadley R. Crawford. PastPresident: Berton Coffin. R e g n a l Directors California-Western: Florence Mildred Russell. Central: George Newton. Eastern: Mary Wolfinan. Northern: William Eberl. Northwestern: Stanley John Hoban. Southeastern: Paul W. Peterson. Southern: Ohm Pauli (reelected). 154

Southwestern: Vera Redgrove Neilson (reelected). Director-at-Large: Victor A. Fields (reelected). Regional Governors California-Western: Robert Gurnee (new). Central: Annemarie Gerts. Eastern: Dolf Swing (new). Northern: Oliver A. Mogck. Northwestern: Margaret Souders Enrico. Southeastern: Gail A Gingery. Southern: Lawrence G, Rickert. Southwestern: Edward A Baird (new). After'the unanimous ballot, President Coffin explained that the customary ceremony of the passing of the gavel would be done by proxy since Karl Trump had to leave the convention and return home to attend the funeral of his mother who had passed away on the day before Christmas. Before he left, Karl had asked Burton Garlinghouse, a long-time personal friend and colleague, to be his stand-in at the ceremony. At its conclusion, Garlinghouse read Karl Trump’s message to the convention assembled: "In accepting the responsibilities of the presidency of NATS, as this organization begins its second quarter of a century, I am deeply aware of the changes which have taken place in our society, which create new challenges and new opportunities for us. As a professional society dedicated to the teaching of singing, in a period of history when large segments of the public seem to have lost interest in our art; and when governmental and private aid to artists is at an alarming low point, we need to flght cultural apathy and federal neglect. "We need to recognize and reaffirm the value of what we have to offer, and to a broader program of knowledge, education and increased involvement with all levels of talent and interests, and we need to provide increased service to society. I pledge myself to keep these goals before you and, with your help, to strengthen NATS as it moves towards its goal in the Jubilee." At the conclusion of President-Elect Trump’s message. President Coffin called for new business. The first item was Bruce Lunkle/s reading of a letter from the Mayor of Dallas, welcoming NATS to Dallas in 1970. Item two concerned NATSAA winners. Joel Ebersole, a lieutenant governor from Michigan upbraided the membership for doing so little in providing performance opportunities for our NATSAA winners. President Coffin called on Martha Moore Smith, our executive secretary, to give those present some pointers on how to go about promoting NATS and/or programs. At the conclusion of her informative talk, the president tried to wind down the meeting but Dolf Swing plugged a write-your-congressman campaign by NATSers in support of the president of the United States in regard to funding the arts. Laura Marble then asked that NATS return to its former practice of planning conventions two years in advance so that members living at the extreme ends of the country could make choices, etc. Despite the president’s calling attention to the hour, Irv Bushman tried to gain the floor for two important announcements. After a hurried off-record exchange, the president called for a motion of adjournment. The 1969 Annual Business Meeting became history. In his annual report, Vice-President Trump wrote that regional activity had remained pretty much as it had been in the immediate past. The same three regions, Southwestern, Southeastern and Central, had held autumn conference/student auditions on a state-wide basis and, in some instances preliminary contests in areas within a state that culminated in centrally located finals. The vice-president remarked that this was the way to go. He reported also that chapters seemed to be taking on new life. Two defunct chapters, now reorganized, wished to be known as Iowa and Wichita Area. Two other active chapters changed their names, Montana became big Sl^ and Detroit became Southeastern Michigan. Another two were brand new, Champlain, in upper New York State, and Great Plains, Lubbock, Texas. Still another, rising as a phoenix from the ashes of the old moribund Oklahoma City Chapter, shortened its name to OkljJioma. Lest the modest increase in the number of chapters from thirty to thirty-three within the past year might lull NATSers into complacency, the vice-president dipped into the past for some sobering facts. He referred them to the chapter directory as it appeared in The NATS Bulletin, October, 1959, wherein Coordinator of Chapters, E. Clifford Toren, had listed thirty-four. Vice-President Trump remarked: "We are only managing to remain constant." He recalled the names of some nine chapters that had disappeared by 1969, qualifying them with the statement that "recent NATS members may not know ever existed."

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As of October 31, 1969, our membership totaled 2,144 full members, 188 affiliates and ten emeriti, a net gain of ninety-six over the previous year. How to curtail the num ber o f resignations and dropouts was still an unsolved problem. When you consider that o u r recruitm ent efforts during the year brought in a total of 236 teachers of singing, it was disheartening to have that total whittled down through resignations and dropouts to a gain o f less than a hundred. Only seven were recruited by the Heavenly Choir. A special recruitm ent effort was m ade in 1969 by inserting membership application forms in both the February and M ay/June issue o f The N A T S Bulletin. Approximately twenty-five percent of the applications for m em bership w ere th e result of that effort Financially, we were in reasonably good shape, although o u r operating expense exceeded our income by $145.05. Our cash on hand plus CDs totaled $28,185.24. O u r other assets, due to the New York office, amounted to $3,536.58. Not wealthy, bu t reasonably healthy. There was no report from the Council of Past-Presidents, but Past-President Philip Duey*s report appeared to be the nearest thing to it. All we know is that the Council o f Past-Presidents had been given the assignment to rewrite Article I, Section 3, Statem ent o f Purpose, so that NATS would be regarded favorably by the IRS for reclassification to a 501(C)(3) status, making us eligible for gifts and bequests. Past-President E. Clifford Toren made a progress rep o rt to the board on Sunday, December 28, 1969. The council was given an unanim ous vote o f thanks for a job well-begun. That sounds non-committal. Duey*s report m entioned nothing in regard to assignments, it resolved into a laudatory epistle to the incumbent adm inistration. Since all pastpresidents had been kept informed and consulted throughout the Coffin adm inistration, even pastpresidents, all were living at the time of our Silver Aimiversary celebration, excepting o u r first and third presidents; John Wilcox, 1944-1946 and Richard DeYoung, 1948-1950. Five workshops were set up for NATS’ Silver Anniversary year, stretching fi-om Kingston, Rhode Island to Ogden, Utah. The full registration fee was set at $40.00, w ith a daily rate of S8.00. For the first time, because of an early start on the 1969 program, th ere was a prelim inary story in the February, 1969 issue of The NATS Bulletin, calling attention to th e fact th a t this was the twentieth year of workshops, the first being Indiana University, B loom ington, A ugust 8-12, 1949. Now, ninety-three shops later, the third decade was launched in the New E ngland village of Kingston, home of the University of Rhode Island. A more detailed article appeared in the May-June issue of The N A T S Bulletin. U nfortunately, Hoban did not get copy for his omnibus brochure to the printers until som etim e in A pril. By the time it was placed in the mail, its effectiveness was greatly reduced. A sim ilar delay was experienced in getting out the brochures mailed by each workshop. In 1969, th e headliner was Gibner King, a highly regarded vocal coach and accompanist. H e was scheduled for all five workshops, supported by a staff of prominent NATSers. A ttendance, however, was not impressive; Gibner King was not the drawing card anticipated when NATS tu rn ed down M ichael Head, who was offered to us by his publisher in a cooperative venture. A ll five shops, counting the faculty as one at each shop where they appeared, the total attendance ju st edged three hundred, that is counting Gibner King and Stanley Hoban five times. T here w ere o th e r faculty coimted more than once since they served more than one workshop. W eber State a t O gden, U tah, attracted ninety-six workshoppers, the balance was fairly evenly distributed betw een th e o th e r four workshops. Hoban was optimistic about 1970. One month before the Cleveland m eeting, th e location of the five 1970 workshops already had been chosen and approved. T he director had arranged for the first announcement to appear in the January, 1970 Inter N os, followed by com plete information on each workshop in the February issue of The N A T S Bulletin. T he story in com plete form would be carried in the April Inter Nos, with full and final details in th e May, 1970 issue of The NATS Bulletin. Let us not overlook the seven- or eight-page workshop re p o rt th a t followed in the October issue of The NATS Bulletin. Now, if each NATS activity w ere to take over The NATS Bulletin to that extent, one readily could see what the odds w ere in truly setting up a learned journal. The October review with pictures of an event passed should have b een only in Inter Nos. It was strictly an in-house affair, but Hoban would have it no o th e r way. Your historian came across a copy of what may be the last breath o f th e FN A TS ad hoc committee, an "Outline for Accreditation in NATS," in George Newton’s files. L et us tu rn to that committee’s annual report On May 21,1969, the committee, Bruce Foote, D ale M o o re and O ren Brown, chairman, met in S t Louis for the purpose of making further analysis and study o f means

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for improving standards of teaching within our profession. The product of that deliberation was the "Outline for Accreditation in NATS," which, subsequently, was mailed to some one-hundred members for their critical comment. In the first sampling of member reaction to the revdsed program for accreditation, fifty-three out of sixty-three, or 84% were in fevor of the general outline. In response to the mailing of this second outline, thirty-nine out of forty-eight replies received up to the time of the annual report, or 81%, were in favor of some means of raising our standard. The committee interpreted the high percentage of responses as a virtual mandate that something should be done. So, the committee summarized their "Final Report of Recommenda­ tions for Improvement of Standards in NATS" which was sent on to the president and the board for their consideration. The committee included a recommendation that, if the board approved their report, it should be submitted to the entire membership for a mail vote rather than the voice vote of a few that attended a national convention. Oren Brown was scheduled to present his committee’s report at the 8:00 a.m., December 19th board meeting. At that very same meeting, a representative from MTNA was invited to speak on the certification of music teachers. This was in response to an earlier request from the Certification Committee of MTNA that NATS consider participation in the formulation of a program of certification of teachers of singing. As a matter of fact, MTNA already was a practitioner in the circle to which we were being invited, the certifying of teachers of singing, to wit, one George Newton, who already possessed such a MTNA certification. The scene was set for the demise of the FNATS ad hoc committee just at the moment when they presented to the board their finalized program of NATS’ own program of certification which they had hoped would establish a program of recognized standards and goals for self-improvement of members within our organization. There the board sat, what to do? Since 1959, other boards had listened to revision after revision, only to have the product of their deUberations bypassed by those who needed it most. Over the past decade, there must have been several board members to whom it was evident that the majority of their colleagues would not subject themselves to a series of tests by a board of fellow-members. No doubt, as the board listened to MTNA’s Esther Coulange, Victor Fields realized that MTNA was the light at the end of the timneL After a discussion of the implications, Victor Fields proposed that NATS designate a representative to meet with MTNA officials to consider the matter of certification of teachers and report back to the board. Thomas Abbott’s second and the board’s unanimous approval closed the door, at least momentarily, on NATS’ own certification program. The board listened to Oren Brown’s presentation, but everything was put on hold with their unanimous approval of Fields/Greenwell motion that further discussion be postponed until the board’s next meeting on the morrow. Unfortunately, planned or unplanned, the board never got around to discussing future programs at that meeting. There is no recorded evidence that any further discussion took place during the waning hours of the Coffin administration. George Newton’s files also contained a copy of the committee’s last letter sent to a select group of NATSers prior to their final report to the board. Newton, who was a regional director and a member of the board, wrote an interesting reply to that letter. He thought that the outline was fine, a good start. He recommended the clarification of one section. Continuing, he wrote: "It doesn’t much matter who we think is qualified unless we are working with NASM, and they agree that our qualifications are valid.. , As long as the department heads and deans do not recognize us as the authority in the qualification of voice teachers, all this is a waste of energy. We also must make contact, if you haven’t already, with the proper leaders in MENC, so that eventually public school teachers will get the word about where to find qualified voice teachers. "Such a missionary movement would be a real help to private teachers and, if successful, a tremendous stimulus for real activity among them aimed at self-improvement." He then related that he was a Fellow in NATS and had been certified by MTNA, but neither one seemingly improved his standing in the community or brought him more students. He explained that he had not expected any personal advantage to come of it, but had spent that money to get something of that sort started. He continued: "I believe it is very necessary, but unless the right people outside of NATS, and through them, the public, are going along with us, I say--Forget it! It will be just something else to hang on the wall and gather dust." Oren Brown, as coordinator of the Council of Vocal Education, reported that three of the council’s reports had been published in Vol. I, No. 1, the September, 1969 issue of Inter Nos.

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Other reports were still incomplete. However, not all committees within the council reported back to Oren Brown. For example, Summer Workshops, while listed under the Council on Vocal Education, spoke for itself, as did Vocal Pedagogy, which prepared "Quiz Cove" that appeared regularly in The NATS Bulletin. A change in the chairmanship of the Vocal Clinics Committee unavoidably gave it a late start, so their reports were delayed. Regrettably, the Vocal Problems Committee had so many problems of its own that it never became activated. There was one bright spot: the "Echo" column, which enjoyed a healthy member participation in scholarly discourse. Coordinator of the Council on Research, Arthur Schoep, reported that three of his committees had completed their work. Their song lists had been put on sale prior to the convention. Three more song lists were in the hands of the committee prior to the report deadline. Four others were in process. The Interdisciplinary Committee had prepared six abstracts in the October, 1969 issue of The NATS Bulletin. Vennard’s Committee on Scientific Research was engaged in a project of national scope, designed to yield an acoustical analysis of the difference between head voice and falsetto in the male voice. Jean Ludman, vice-president for foundations and arts council, in her 1969 report wrote that the position of the Nixon administration in regard to the arts was unclear for several months after he had taken office. In the meantime, congress had begun to discuss cut-backs in funds for education as well as the arts. People across the country rallied to the defense of full funding for educational and cultural projects. People were concerned over congress’ attack on foundations. Congressional leaders were bitter over foundation funds being used to finance voter registration drives in several areas of the United States. The chairmanship of the National Council on the Arts had been vacant since March when Roger Stevens left it upon the expiration of his term. President Richard Nixon finally filled the post in late summer with Nancy Hanks, a 42-year-old executive of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, New York City. In a news conference announcing the appointment. President Nixon said, "One of the important goals of my administration is the fuiiher advance in cultural development in our nation." Vice-President Ludman suggested that the Committee on Government Grants change its title to that of the Committee on Government in the Arts and that it consider organizing a legislative committee, one member in each state, to let NATS’ positions be known to congressmen and senators when legislation and financing in the arts was being discussed in either local, state or national legislative bodies. The vice-president wrote: "If labor unions flood congress with mail and win all sorts of concessions for themselves, must we always be mute?" Music’s man in Washington was Dr. Walter F. Anderson, a professor of music from Antioch College, Yellow Springs, Ohio. He had been appointed program director for music. National Endowment for the Arts, in December, 1968. Vice-President Jean Ludman was impressed with his address at the June, 1969 meeting of the National Music Council wherein he described the music program at the National Endowment for the Arts. Space limitations prevent a full delineation of the seven categories used to insure a proper mix and distribution of available funds. Vice-President Ludman’s one-Uner: "It could be said that we have a friend in Washington" reflected her enthusiastic approval. Her report included quotes from Howard Taubman’s article, entitled: "Nixon in Message on the Arts, to Urge Sharp Rise in Funds." The article was speculative but got across the idea that Nixon leaned toward the needs of music, theater and the visual arts. His aides said that he had a strong desire to do what he could while in office to bring the arts to sections of the country that have not had as much experience with them as the major cultural centers. There was talk that more than a 100% increase was needed. The administration and members of Congress had received urgent appeals from orchestras, museums, and other organizations. It was realized that some valuable institutions were on the ragged edge and could be saved even with a little government help. Vice-President Gean Greenwell, now in his second year of conducting NATSAA, reported that the 1969 auditions were conducted under the same rules as the previous year with the exception of the national auditions. In an attempt to find the most satisfactory method of adjudication, the board had granted Greenwell permission to try a new system at Cleveland. Twenty-four members, three from each of the eight regions, were to cast ballots to select the official winners instead of the usual three judges. At the same time, the entire audience would cast ballots as part of the continuing study of adjudication that was begun in Portland. The

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outcome of the Portland mass balloting did not agree with that of the official judges. An analysis of the judges’ ballots from the 1969 regional auditions showed a striking difference of opinion. In all but one contest, two judges rated a given contestant number one, while the third judge rated the same contestant number three, or did not have him among the first three at alL This judge often put in first place a contestant who did not appear in the ratings of the other two judges. Why? Greenwell remarked that adjudication became more complex, the longer it was studied, saying, "One would think that after all the study by NATS members of all the attributes of good singing and performing that three members, serving as judges, would be fairly close in their ranking of the three best singers in a contest." Greenwell than proposed that the board and the membership consider opening NATSAA to all singers whether students of NATS teachers or not. His arguments for an open contest were multiple. As an organization, we had come of age, we had greater stature and a broader outlook. We should be big enough to reward good singing wherever it is found. If our teaching were as good as it should be, there should be no fear of not holding our own in an open competition. His clincher was that NATS stood no chance of ever getting funding to enlarge the scope of our contest as long as it remained a closed one. An additional honor was in store for the first place winner in Cleveland. Gean Greenwell, a member of the Michigan State University Voice Faculty, must have had a hand in this. Anyway, it had been arranged that the MSU Television would make a half-hour recital tape that would be shown over National Educational Television Stations throughout the country. The tape was to be part of a series of fifteen produced each year, called "Young Musical Artists." The NET tapes would be shown on forty to sbcty stations which would give our 1969 winner a wide hearing. On Sunday evening, December 28,1969, after cocktails and a buffet supper at the Cleveland Music School Settlement, conventioneers moved to the auditorium of the Cleveland Institute of Music for the finals of the 1969 NATSAA- Audience applause was permitted for the first time, creating a more normal performance atmosphere. Southwestem’s Barbara Kathleen Mott, now know as Kathleen Kaun, a lyric soprano from Austin, Texas, was awarded first place and given a check for $1,000. In 1970, she was one of the ten finalists in the Met auditions and sang some thirty roles in Europe between 1971 and 1982. She now is on the staff at Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois and is under Tornay Management, New York City. Richard D. McKee, bass-baritone, Hamden, Connecticut, representing the Eastern Region was No. 2 and was the recipient of a $600 check. He debuted with NYCO in 1974 and has continued to be a leading artist of that company. Many Lee Maul, mezzo-soprano, from Louisville, Kentud^, representing the Southern Region was third and came away with a check for $400. For reasons unknown to your historian, convention statistics disappeared from The NATS Bulletin after the 1967 Chicago Convention. Richard Miller, in his review of the 1969 Cleveland Convention, mentions that "three hundred and fifty voices united in singing the National Anthem." Earl William Jones, professor of humanities at San Francisco State University, was the keynoter. "Stressing the need for creativity as an essential for achieving full humanity, he praised the art of singing as a vehicle which could help realize that goal." That Saturday evening, Rose Wildes, mezzo-soprano, the 1968 NATS Artists Award winner, "was introduced by Gean Greenwell, as the wdnningest winner ever chosen in the NATSAA contests." Since Portland, she won the NYSTA Town Hall Recital Award, a Kathryn Long Scholarship with the Metropolitan Opera Studio, a Martha Baird Rockefeller Singing Grant, and First Prize in the Uederkranz Foundation Scholarship. Miss Wildes’ program was received with highly-deserved audience response. Silver Anniversary highlights included some unforgettable firsts: (1) a Symposium of Vocal Registers in Singing which had been previously presented at the November meetings of the Acoustical Society of America in San Diego. It consisted of a series of seven papers, which had been truncated due to time limitations, presented by a distinguished group of participants under the chairmanship of John Large, at that time a post-doctoral Fellow at Stanford and associate professor of voice, UCLA; (2) A Dialogue on Vocal Pedagogy, involving Burton Garlinghouse, moderator, and two panelists: D. Ralph Appelman and Weldon Whitlock; (3) excerpts from Cavalli’s Ormindo; (4) Ned Rorem at the piano with two outstanding singers, Penelope Jensen and Dorothy Krebill; (5) George London, in his address on The John F. Kennedy Center for the

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Performing Arts; (6) bass-baritone Donald Gramm’s recital, for which he accepted no fee. O f course, there was Quiz Cove, one of the most enduring features of NATS Conventions. The Silver Jubilee Banquet on Monday evening, December 29, 1969 was memorable. Gertrude Tingley, Mistress of Ceremonials, honored some sixty persons for their hard work and devotion to NATS over the years of its existence. William Vennard, toastmaster par excellence, "gave ample evidence that he had enlarged his repertoire and polished his style even beyond its previous elegant level of attainment!" To cap the evening of camaraderie and sentimental reflection, two unforgettable artists, Eleanor Steber and Blanch Thebom, presented a program including several duets from Mozart’s Cosifan Tutti, three Rossini duets (including "I due gatti") a La Gioconda duet and a Marne duet. The audience was moved to such laughter that evoked tears. A standing ovation greeted the spectacular performance of the seasoned artists. Richard Miller wrote; T o an observer of more than a decade of NATS conventions, this convention appeared to be distinguished by the pluralistic nature of the conventioneers. Not only were most of the great names in NATS present, but a substantial number of new faces, not long in the teaching profession were with us. A heartening development indeed. In conclusion, one cannot refrain from describing the Silver Jubilee convention as the greatest convention in a long history of fine conventions.. . Now, on to Dallas!"

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CVh

A N N U A L B A N Q U E T , N A T S N A T IO N A L C O N V E N T IO N , S T . L O U IS , D E C E M B E R 2 9 , 1 9 7 1

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Karl Trump PRESIDENT

1970-1972 The Silver Jubilee Convention was over! All those who had worked to bring NATS through its first quarter of a century had been honored. Now it was time to do an about face, to chart a strong course for the future, if we were to be able to celebrate a Golden Jubilee in 1994. President Karl Trump, in his first message to the membership in the February-March 1970 issue of The NATS Bulletin, confronted the membership with these thought provoking words; "We find ourselves in a very different world, as we start our twenty-sixth year, from that into which NATS was born in 1944. . . . " In capsule form, post-war Europe became the stage for America’s emerging young artists through Fulbright study grants and also through expanding performance opportunities as their bombed-out opera houses, one by one, were restored. Concomitantly, performance opportunities abounded in the United States. Every American town, large enou^ to have an auditorium, became concert conscious. Some ambitious young singers took on as many as sixty-five or seventy concert engagements and/or oratorio performances a season. Any city of a reasonable size boasted one or more local concert managers. Not all of them were in New York. The high quality of such shows as Brigadoon, Carousel, The King and I, South P a c ^ My Fair Lady, and the prestigious big network radio shows required good, well-trained voices. The broadcasting studios nurtured the careers of many American singers, to wit: Nelson Eddy, Vivian della Chiesa, Richard Crooks, Conrad Thibault, Helen Jepson, Eileen Fanell and others. At the time, everyone accepted it as the norm. How wrong they were, but what a heady period it was for both singers and voice teachers. President Trump then turned to the realities of 1970, saying, "While NATS was growing up, changes were taking place which were gradually to rob our students of the very work for which we were training them." European opera houses no longer had need for all the young American singers ready to try their wings; a new generation abroad had grown up to fill the positions opening up in their government-supported opera companies. In the United States, the local concert manager had disappeared. Budding young artists, however talented, did not get on the rosters of the large managements which controlled whatever concert business that remained. Only the vocal luminaries got bookings and even they ran the risk of singing to ahnost empty houses. A trained singing voice was not part of the equipment needed for work in such Broadway shows as Marne, Coco, or Hello, Dolly. It was, in fact, an absolute detriment for the new-trend productions which featured hard rock. Karl Trump raised these questions: "Why is serious singing losing it audiences? Is the fault our own, through our having drawn into ourselves and grown snobbish about our art? Is the fault in our public schools and in the attitude of our educators toward singing and the other arts? Is the fault in our government agencies and our private foundations, which no longer seem willing to grant funds for cultural activities?" The president then referred to the fact that (at that time, 1970) the government of Austria (approximately 80% of the size of the state of Ohio in area and population) contributed more in dollar amounts to the support of its orchestras and opera houses than did the United States government to all its fifty states. If the finest in all the arts was regarded by Americans as a necessity, then our symphonies, repertory theaters, and ballet companies would be thriving institutions rather than on the verge of bankruptcy. This was the dilemma faced by NATS as a professional society. Continuing in the words of President Trump, "Are we to be content to train our students to become teachers of singing so they can train other teachers of singing? Under those circumstances, how long may we expect to hold out as a profession?" The president then charged the membership with the task of restoring beautiful singing to the people, writing: "If we steer a course for NATS which broadens our base, which widens our sphere of influence, which increases our membership, which seeks to make our organization a source of education and inspiration concerning singing, then we may have something to crow about in 1994. But, if we continue to remain ingrown, to involve ourselves only with our standards for admission, then we will die and will deserve to, since our usefulness and our relevance will be at an end,"

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On January 10, 1970, the board gave its unanimous approval to the president’s duty assignment to his four vice-presidents: Thomas Abbott, publications and printing, Gean Greenwell, regional activities and membership, Jean Ludman, foundations, art councils, Bruce Lunkley, chapter activities and editor of Inter Nos. That same letter carried two other unanimous approvals: Gean Greenwell’s appointment as President Trump’s surrogate whenever the president was absent, and the president’s appointment of the Admissions Committee, consisting of Margret Kommel, chairman, Hadley Crawford and John Thut. The sudden upsurge in chapters during 1970 could very well have been the culmination of President Trump’s efforts during his vice-presidency in charge of field activities-delayed reactions had become a part of our being. The board approved the petitions and granted charters throughout the year to seven chapters; Great Plains (Lubbock, Texas), Central Missouri, Arkansas (reactivated), Louisiana, Dallas, Gold Coast (West Palm Beach, Horida) and Greater Houston. Li his November 9,1970 board letter, the president remarked that the addition of these seven raised the chapter count to forty. President Trump’s January 24th board letter carried a very specific request asking for a united front from the Board of Directors to reverse, in part, that which had been approved under President Coffin to transform The NATS Bulletin into a learned journal. For one thing, he rejected the idea that the president’s message to the membership should move to Inter Nos. He became the stumbling block and succeeded in keeping The NATS Bulletin an house organ. It is unfortunate that he had not absorbed Bill Vennard’s thinking in this area, who expressed himself earlier, thusly: "The little inexpensive newsletter does not help, for one thing. I’m not in favor of a personal advertising column. This is dynamite! As I see it, we should have a "Bulletin" devoted exclusively to association routine: the president’s message, chapter notes, convention reports, names and addresses of new members, changes of address, names and addresses of national officers, reports and other business of the organization, etc. This publication also might be made a bit more interesting by various articles but not ones that are primarily of a scholarly nature. A second publication should be a 7oumfl/-probably a longer title, making it clear its naturewhich would be truly scholarly with certain specifications for articles thereby eliminating unscholarly material and setting a standard for our profession to follow." W ell-that was six presidents ago. Inter Nos has never been used effectively-it never recovered from the lack of Karl Trump’s understanding of its role in the scheme of things. There has been talk of even abandoning it The Coffin committee structure, some thirty-six under three main areas, disappeared from the back cover of The NATS Bulletin with the February-March 1970 issue. By that time only one had been replaced-the Admissions Committee chaired by our new secretary, Margret Kommel. President Karl Trump advised the board in his January 24th board letter that he soon would be asking approval of committees which he was in the process of structuring, remarking that "delay inevitably occurs in getting replies from those who have been asked to serve." With his March 12th board letter, he gained the approval of two more: the Summer Workshop Committee, under Stanley Hoban’s chairmanship and the Research Committee, chaired by William Vennard. The April 2nd board letter came up with an additional two: the Committee on Vocal Education under the chairmanship of Oren Brown and the Committee on Government in the Arts with Ohm Pauli in the chair. Vice-President Jean Ludman was an ex-officio member of this committee. The chair of each committee was a holdover from the Coffin years, excepting the newly elected secretary heading the Admissions Committee. The board letter of June 25th was prompted by the multiple requests of Gean Greenwell, vice-president in charge of NATSAA ffis proposal that the $200 fee customarily paid in the past to the returning NATSAA winner, but withheld at Cleveland, be restored. This fee had been paid in addition to the singer’s transportation and hotel expenses, but at Cleveland, the committee decided that expenses were quite enough recompense for the return recital. Gean Greenwell said that he had gone along with the committee’s decision at Cleveland, but, since that time, it had bothered him that "NATS would be on the cheap side to withdraw the fee for performing." The board agreed, coming up with an almost unanimous ballot; there was only one abstention. Greenwell also wanted an open contest so he asked the president, who was sympathetic to the idea, to sound out the board without binding them to legal action. The board returned a twothirds majority in favor of opening NATSAA to all singers within the age limits instead of

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restricting it to those who had studied with NATS teachers. There were four other rather far-reaching changes that Vice-President Greenwell wanted subjected to the opinion poll: (1) Greenwell wanted to abolish the affiliate membership and just have the active and emeritus classification. (2) He wanted to open the membership to all teachers of singing. (3) He wanted the five-year active teaching clause dropped. (4) Last of all, he asked the board if the membership and eligibility rules should remain unchanged. It was a sympathetic president who forwarded these requests to the board, asking for their response by July 10, 1970. The way the re­ quests were worded made it possible for board members to support any combination of changes or vote for no change at all. The president included this bit of urging: "Please KARL TRUMP give these matters your immediate attention. We now have the experience to make our next twenty-five years a time of expansion. We cannot expand much past our present boundaries if we are going to continue to qualify our membership so that we resemble an exclusive countiy club. We need everyone who is working with the human voice to join with us to meet the challenges of singing in the future. Vote now affirmatively so that we may indeed expand our horizons." The president and Gean Greenwell got what they asked for. The first three opinion poll questions received a two-thirds affirmative vote and number four trumped them with a similar vote of No to keeping the membership and eligibility rules unchanged. The July 6th board letter effected the unanimous approval of the appointments of all fortyfour lieutenant governors in NATS’ eight regions. As a matter of fact, this vote should have occurred earlier in the year and might have been overlooked entirely had not Past-President Coffin called his successor’s attention to the oversight. President Trump received an overwhelm­ ing majority to his proposal in the August 5th board letter to submit the issue of an open NATSAA competition to the membership via a mail vote with a ballot in the November Inter Nos. The president indicated that, should the board approve, he would appoint an ad hoc committee with Gean Greenwell in the chair to work out the details which would be published with the Inter Nos ballot. If the membership returned an affirmative ballot, the open contest would be tried at the 1971 St. Louis Convention on an experimental basis and evaluation. Board Letter No. 11, dated September 14, 1970, did not rate the board’s Minutes Book because it dealt with the fiscal 1970 audit report, requiring no return ballot. The bottom line of that presidential message read: "Although total receipts are greater by $4,781.45 than for the previous fiscal year, total disbursements are greater by $8,883.95, giving us a deficit amounting to $4,247.56." TTie president pointed out that NATS had been operating in the face of steadily rising costs without raising dues and that an even greater deficit had been anticipated. He cautioned that there was danger in such an operation and that it was necessary to economize wherever it was intelligent to do so. He went on to say: "The soundest change we could make would be the total centralization of all our operational procedures in our national headquarters office. Not only would we effect savings thereby which would make it possible to employ a full­ time executive secretary, but we also would correct the inevitable overlapping of efi'ort and resultant confusions that our present system entails." President Trump concluded his letter with a report that the workshops had been financially successful, however, the Silver Jubilee Convention had been a deficit operation La excess of twelve hundred dollars, but, in his own words, "remarkably little to expend for an event so important in the NATS calendar. . . The most splendid record was set with the Educational Projects and Publications item: Income of $2,267.48 at a cost of only $1,881.91, netting a profit of $385.50 and all those Silver Anniversary publications. For this, thanks and credit to Past-President Coffin." Karl Trump’s November 9th board letter related a coincidental meeting with Mis. Celia Mae Bryant, MTNA’s national president, in Alexandria, Louisiana. The president had gone there

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during the last week in October to assist a recently organized NATS chapter, chartered April 2, 1970, in its first big meeting. At the close of that two-day affair, the state MTNA convened in Alexandria. The MTNA national president, made it a point to talk with Karl Trump about a closer MTNA/NATS relationship-the sharing of office space and office personnel, etc. Mrs. Biyant told President Trump that she would welcome an invitation to come to Dallas at MTNA’s expense to speak to our Board of Directors. His November 9th board letter asked permission to extend that invitation which the board trumped with a sixteen vote approval-one member voted no and the other one abstained. The president’s last board letter of the year, December 15, 1970, did not rate Secretary Margret Kommel’s black book. Your historian came across it in George Newton’s files. In it, Karl Trump informed the board that President Celia Mae Bryant of MTNA had accepted NATS’ invitation and would address the board on Sunday morning, December 27th at 8:00 a.m. It was unfortunate that she had to leave to fulfill another engagement after her presentation and would not be avaUable for additional consultations. The president mentioned also other items which needed to be discussed so that they could be placed before the membership in advance of the 1971 Sl Louis Convention, namely, a dues increase which he thought was inevitable. Then there were several non-controversial bylaw modifications that needed attention: A revised Statement of Purpose; the removal of the office of registrar from Article V, Section 6, or the reinstatement of that office; the removal of Article VI, Section 3, concerning Associate and Fellow in NATS; and an urgently needed discussion of some better way legally to introduce a president-elect to his duties. The president included a much more controversial issue raised officially by the Los Angeles Chapter: They requested clarification of ArUcle II, Section 2, Eligibility. They asked for a liberalized interpretation of "teacher of singing" so as to include choral directors, coaches of singing and opera workshop coaches. Karl Trump wrote: "Our parliamentarians will be asked to consider if this involves a bylaws amendment, quite apart fi'om any decisions reached. In addition to the above, we will have a budget to adopt, a report to consider on summer workshops, and numerous other items of importance." Karl Trump had been a vice-president for four years under NATS’ last two presidents, yet President Karl Trump approached the 1970 Dallas Convention in a contemplative, reflective mood. By now, board meetings must have been old hat, but this time around he was cast in the leading role~he was the one expected to spark NATS’ performance in 1970 and 1971. Dallas was opening night! In his message in the December, 1970 issue of The NATS Bulletin, the president wrote: "With the appearance of this page, I will have come full circle through the seasons of my first year as your president It has been a learning experience for me. Not only have I had new insights into operational procedures of our organization that are badly in need of overhaul because we have outgrown them, but I have been forced into a great deal of thinking about the art of singing and its position in a rapidly changing world. It is my strong conviction that only those things endure which continue to serve a need. If NATS keeps as its primary concern the general welfare, it cannot help but continue to grow and prosper along with the art of beautiful singing. Elsewhere, I have articulated the NATS goals in these words; To promote vocal education at aU levels both for the enrichment of the general public and for the professional advancement of the talented. We are purveyors of beauty, a kind of beauty that is universal and has appeal for all men. Let us share it with all who seek what we can give. Remember that Thoreau wrote, ’The woods would be very silent if no birds sang except those that sing the best.’" The first session of the Board of Directors at Dallas was scheduled for 8:00 p.m., December 26,1970. In his last board letter prior to the convention, the president wrote: "I h o p e .. . that you have made your travel plans so as to be on hand for this first meeting. I should like it if this year we could more nearly confine our deliberations to the allotted times and be firee to attend many of the interesting programs-the absence of NATS administrators from the convention floor has become increasingly a source of criticism and hurt feelings, I am told." Come Saturday morning, December 26th, eight of the nine national officers and five of the regional directors were in their seats at 8:00 a.m., awaiting the call to order. Following a brief word of welcome. President Trump announced that Celia Mae Bryant, president of MTNA, would speak the next morning. That rang a bell! At Cleveland, another MTNAer, Esther Coulange,

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spoke to our Board of Directors on the certification of teachers and invited NATS to send a participating representative to the previously planned meeting in Cincinnati on January 10-11, 1970. The board gave its unanimous approval to a Fields/Abbott motion to that effect with the request that a report be made to the board of that meeting. There is no evidence in the board’s Minutes Book that the requested report was made. Then, Chairman of Workshops Stanley Hoban, reported to the board that the workshops had fared well in 1970, Following some general discussions about the workshops, the chairman presented revisions of the "Workshop Handbook" which were given unanimous approval. Two possible sites for the 1971 summer workshops, the University of Maryland and the University of Washington (Seattle) were approved. The workshop director earned the plaudits of the board for his outstanding contribution to NATS through the workshop program. The meeting was adjourned at 10:00 a.m. The board’s second session was at the early hour of 8:00, Sunday morning, December 27th. The board’s first consideration was an invitation from the National Federated Music Clubs to become an associate member. A Lunkley/Coffin motion that NATS accept was given unanimous approval. President Trump read a letter from William Vennard in which he proposed the publication of a monograph--a reprinting of four electromyographic studies, done by him in conjunction with others, after they had appeared in the four issues of Vol. XXVn of The NATS Bulletin. Two of the studies had already been published in the October, 1970 and December, 1970 issues. Bill Vennard could not make it to the Dallas Convention because of two surgery sessions, one in September and the other in late October to correct detached retinas, first on one eye and then on the other. Discussion followed the president’s presentation. It was the consensus of those present that in addition to offering the monograph to the membership that it could be one of those items included in the packet of materials sent to all new members. A Coffin/Newton motion that the monograph be printed was given unanimous board approval; it was published in August, 1971 after all four studies had appeared in The NATS Bulletin. The third and fourth items on the agenda-a John Large request, asking the board to create a permanent post of chairman of Symposia and Special Conferences, was put in limbo with the consensus that no such appointments be made, and the Los Angeles Chapter’s request to change admission requirements to permit choral directors, vocal coaches, etc., to become members was tabled until a later meeting. The final item on the morning’s agenda was the presentation of the president of the Music Teachers National Association. President Trump presented Celia Mae Bryant who spoke at great length concerning the possibility of NATS’ affiliating with MTNA, with the idea of moving our national executive office to Cincinnati, and sharing their headquarters space. The consensus was that our board would need to have more detailed discussion of the matter. Berton Coffin moved that we extend a vote of thanks to Mrs. Bryant for coming and speaking to us on the matter. Eugene Pence’s second was followed by a unanimous board vote of approval. The meeting was adjourned at 11:00 a.m. The board’s third session was called to order at 11:00 p.m., Sunday, December 27th, following the recital by Kathleen M ott of Austin, Texas, the 1969 NATSAA winner. Kathleen Mott is now known as Kathleen Kaun. The first action taken by the board was the unanimous approval of President Trump’s proposal that Marilee Culwell be appointed program chairman for the 1971 St. Louis Convention. The invitation from Robert Gurnee, on behalf of the Los Angeles Chapter to host the 1972 convention was tabled until a later meeting when more details could be available. Then followed a considerable discussion of the morning’s MTNA proposal of combining offices with them in Cincinnati. A Greenwell/ Russell motion that NATS reject the offer to affiliate with MTNA was approved unanimously. With the president’s request that the board meet Monday, December 28th from 8:00 to 11:00 a.m., for the purpose of discussing the budget, the meeting was adjourned. WHEW, midnight and another board meeting of three-plus hours just eight hours away! How short the night when you take time out to shower and breakfast with only eight hours between meetings! President Trump called the fourth session of the board to order, 8:00 a.m., Monday, December 28th. His first act was to appoint George Newton and Annemarie Gerts to serve as the Auditing Committee. Then Treasurer Gene Pence took over to present the general budget, along with account definitions, prepared by him and the president Those present received a three-page mimeographed explanation of "Account Definitions," a plan using color code names

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to designate the four huge slices of the money pie: Administrative, red accounts, with some eleven sub-areas. Executive, black accounts, with nine sub-areas. Services, blue accounts, with ten sub-areas, and Regions, green accounts, with nine sub-areas. Well, we had a system to keep track of the money. The only problem was to get enough to fill the corporate pie. The last fiscal period saw our corporate equity shrink from $31,721.82 to $27,474.26. Following a detailed explanation of both the budget and the functioning of account definitions plus considerable discussion of the budget by the board, a Lunkley/Russell motion to approve the budget as presented received the board’s unanimous vote. Your historian, then editor of The NATS Bulletin, was given a moment to circulate his eight-page proposed budget for the fiscal period, the same period for which the board had just approved the NATS general budget. One could wonder if this was wasted motion. What usually happened, happened again. Due to the lateness of the hour, discussion of the proposed budget for The NATS Bulletin was postponed until the next meeting, Tuesday, December 29th, at 8:00 a.m. Actually, time was needed for the board to explore a rather explosive situation. Mary Ella Antahades, who reported the convention to The NATS Bulletin, referred to John Wustman’s coaching session on German repertoire, Sunday, December 27th, as "an electric, fast-paced session.’ Electric, it was in more than one way! Wustman took it upon himself to violate the hospitality of NATS’ convention stage to express his ahnost livid disapproval of G. Schirmer publications, waving the easily identifiable yellow-covered volume overhead and then punctuating his remarks by flinging it to the floor. Schirmer’s Karl Bradley was just down the corridor manning their extensive exhibit. Bee Taylor came to the defense of his publisher and urged President Trump to make a public retraction. The board, however, instructed him to make a statement at the beginning of the afternoon session, Monday, December 28th, expressing the hope that NATS members would realize that opinions expressed by outside speakers on our program did not represent any official position taken by NATS. With that, the meeting was adjourned at fifteen minutes before twelve noon. The fifth session of the board was called to order at 8:00 a.m., Tuesday, December 29th. The president presented two requests made by your historian, then editor of The NATS Bulletin: (1) That Barbara Kinsey be added to the Editorial Board of The NATS Bulletin. Barbara had revived "Disc Discussion" in the October, 1969 issue of The NATS Bulletin, a column she sustained through the May/June 1988 issue. The request was given unanimous board approval. (2) The second request was for an increase in subscription rates to $5.00 per year for non-member and institutional subscribers to The NATS Bulletin. No action was taken. Next, President Trump asked the board to consider a raise in dues. The last raise had been from $8.00 to $12.00 at the 1967 Chicago Convention--a jump of $4.00. T h is was a bolder leap! Gean Greenwell suggested the figure of $20.00 for active membership. A Newton/Hoban motion, unanimously approved by the board, relegated that discussion to the president’s Advisory Committee which was to meet in early 1971. A Coffin/Lunkley motion suggested that dues of Affiliates be raised to $15.00. The president requested that there be no outside discussion of dues increase until everything was in readiness to bring the subject to the membership as a whole. Then a Russell/Pauli motion that the budget for The NATS Bulletin proposed by Harvey Ringel be accepted was given a unanimous ballot by the board. Things were moving at a fast clip. The president recommended the following bylaw revisions be considered by the board to bring them up-to-date: (1) Article V, Section 6, Registrar, be deleted. A Russell/Neilson motion to delete was given unanimous board approval (2) Article VI, Section 3, concerning a committee to administer the requirements leading to Associate and Fellow in NATS, be deleted. A Coffin/Russell motion that this recommendation be accepted was approved unanimously by the board. (3) Article II, Section 2a be restated to express a more liberalized interpretation of eligibility for membership. After considerable discussion, the board members present recommend­ ed that the statement as prepared by Annemarie Gerts be considered by the president’s Advisory Committee when working out the bylaw revisions in detail at their early 1971 meeting, namely: "Any citizen of the United States of America or of Canada, whose professional training and/or experience qualifies him as a teacher of singing, and who is a known personal probity, shall be eligible for membership." It was time to recognize that the five-year clause did not eliminate the marginal teachers. There were those who satisfied the letter of the law, but.. . they had never gotten beyond their

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first year of teaching, each successive year being a facsimile of the previous one. They usually avoided chapter, workshop and/or convention meetings that discussed procedures, etc.-They only were confusing. After five years they had built themselves an ivory tower. It is just possible that the proposed revision of Article II, Section 2a of the bylaws had opened the right door to eliminate future marginal teachers. The fifth session adjourned at 11:00 a.m. The finals of the Artist Awards were scheduled for Tuesday evening, December 29th. Consequently, the sixth session of the board just made it. It was called to order at 11:30 p. m. President Trump presented Wesley Abbott, who had managed the placement service during the convention. Abbott reported a successful debut of NATS’ first venture into this area. There were some fifty-one applicants for sixteen available positions. Financially, it was a success with a $510 total of registration fees against an expense of less than $100. It was the consensus of those present that the placement service should not be a continuing one between conventions, but could be implemented at convention time. Wesley Abbott was commended by the board for his excellent management of the project. Stanley Hoban announced that the University of Iowa, Iowa City, would be the host school for the third 1971 Summer Workshop, August 1-6. The matter of an open artist award contest was discussed. The president’s June board letter had given the Greenwell proposal for an open contest a two-thirds favorable majority, but when the proposal was submitted to the membership, via the November Inter Nos, the response was far too meager to determine policy. As a consequence, Vice President Greenwell moved that, for the moment, the idea be abandoned. After Ohm Pauli’s second, the board gave its unanimous approval. The discussion moved to the NATSAA brochure, centering around the entry requirement concerning the length of time an applicant had studied with a NATS teachers. It was suggested that the span be reduced from three to two years. A Greenwell/Newton motion that the last NATS teacher, with whom an applicant had studied, be the one to sign the application, was given the board’s unanimous approval. One more thing, the board also approved unanimously a Trump/Ludman motion to accept the Audit Committee’s report that the treasurer’s books were in order. The meeting was adjourned early Wednesday morning at 12:30. The 1970 wrap-up board meeting was less than eight hours way. The seventh and final 1970 session of the Board of Directors at the Dallas Convention was called to order at 8:00 a.m., December 30th, with President Trump in the chair. All board members attending the convention plus three observers were present. The first item on the docket was the board’s unanimous approval of four lieutenant governors initiated by a Greenwell/Newton motion. Secondly, Bruce Lunkley, convention co-chairman, reported that a total of 543 registrants had paid a total of $8,821.66 to attend the Dallas Convention. All in all, there were some 693 participants. The third item concerned the American Institute of Musical Studies Award of $500 to the NATSAA winner. The board’s Minutes Book does not go into detail as to why there was a lack of unanimity of opinion among the board members as to how the award should be announced. The board approved a Ludman/Pauli motion saying; "We would like to announce a bonus that has been offered to two of our winners, throu^ the American Institute of Musical Studies at Freiburg, for the summer of 1971." The last item on the president’s agenda was the matter of continuing the gold seal sticker and glassine bag. Berton Coffin’s presidential board letter of May 10,1968 raised the same question and was given a 12 yes, 1 no, 5 not voting passage. For some unknown reason, the nuisance did not go away. Even now, the Pauli/Ludman motion resulted i n i 7 yes, 5 no vote, resulting in the suggestion that a more in-depth discussion by the president’s Advisory Committee was in order. The meeting was adjourned at 8:55 a.m. Perhaps the story of the gold sticker and glassine bag should be told. In our early years, a member was sent a new certificate each year as a replacement for the previous year’s document It was an expensive way for a young organization to go just to authenticate to all who visited a member’s studio that the member was currently in good standing. Somewhere along the line, your historian devised a wallet-sized membership card, intended to replace the yearly certificate, but that was not enough to satisfy the vocal minority who pressured for some way to update the framed certificate on the wall. So, the gold sticker, one-and-one-half by three-quarter inches, imprinted with the member’s seal centered between the first two and last two digits of the current

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year, came into being. Upon receipt, a member updated his framed certificate by pasting it on the glass. At first, the sticker was tipped on the member’s card before it was sent to him after the receipt of dues. Sometimes, the tipper got carried away with his tipping and the gold sticker was firmly stuck to the card. Consequently, there were complaints. The attempt to keep the vocal minority happy brought us to the little glassine bag in which the gold sticker was inserted and then stapled to the member’s card before mailing. Things seemed to be going smoothly except that with each succeeding year, the search for the glassine bag became prolonged. Not only that, with labor costs rising, this complicated hand operation became increasingly costly. In December, 1970, we came to the end of the trail, we couldn’t find anyone to make the little glassine envelopes in quantities to fit our needs. Oh yes, we could have gotten them if we had ordered 100,000 but that would have taken us into the twenty-first century. The May-June issue of The NATS Bulletin, page 44, carried a tongue-in-cheek solution for those who felt deprived without their gold sticker even though they were sent a current membership card. It was a reasonable fecsimile with accompanying instructions to clip out and affix to the glass of the member’s framed certificate. Unfortunately, it could not be inserted until the May-June issue because that was the issue withheld from delinquents. Need it be said that was the last of the gold stickers. The facsimile did not appear in the May-June 1972 issue of The NATS Bulletin. The annual business meeting was called to order in the Embassy Garden Room, Statler Hilton Hotel, Dallas, Texas, 10:45 a.m., December 30, 1970, Karl Trump, president, presiding. As usual, the president’s report was number one on the agenda. He spoke of NATS steady growth in membership vwth a member total of 2,557 just before the convention. He lauded the Dallas Convention as one we would never forget with the highest registration to date. He continued on, speaking of the establishment of the New York office as the step forward that started to fi-ee NATS executive officers for executive work. Then came the announcement that NATS was now ready to centralize all administrative operational procedures in that headquarters office with Martha Moore Smith going on a full-time status beginning with the next fiscal period. This was the most important announcement of the business meeting which moved like clockwork from item to item. The only balloting of importance was the election of three replacements on the Board of Directors: The reelection of Paul Peterson, Southeastern Region, Herald Stark, Northern Region, to replace William Eberl, and Glen R. Lockery, Northwestern Region, to replace Stanley John Hoban. The slate, presented by Louis Nicholas, chairman of the Nominating Committee, was greeted by a chorus of ayes when the president called for the vote. The call for new business brought Dale K. Moore to the podium to invite those in attendance to come to St. Louis’ most beautiful and newest hotel. Riverfront Inn, December 27th through the 20th in 1971. What enticing rates-Sl5.00 by the double or single for the convention. The remainder of new business, mostly announcements, moved forward with dispatch. When President Trump asked, "Is there a motion for adjournment," Bruce Lunkley, justifiably proud over the outcome of the 1970 NATSAA, spoke up, "Did you hear that the young man (William K. Parker) is going to sing the ’Star Spangled Banner’ for the Cotton Bowl game?" The president responded, "We do hear that the young man is going to sing the ’Star Spangled Banner’ for the Cotton Bowl game, which will be heard by how many million?" This banter went on until Louis Nicholas tossed in a good-humored, "Be sure that NATS gets credit." Whereupon, the president broke in with, "Now, will someone please move that we adjourn?" An unidentified voice obliged; Louis Nicholas provided the second. A chorus of exuberant ayes punctuated the president’s "All in favor.. . . ” In my twenty-four years of conventiou-going, this was quite the most laid-back business meeting experienced by your historian. Vice-President Bruce Lunkley, in charge of field activities, in his yearly report spoke of a resurgence of interest and effort at the chapter level which he interpreted as an omen of good health and growing professionalism within the ranks. It should never be forgotten that chapters are the grass roots of our organization and, as such, give opportunity for involvement and growth to more members than either the national convention or workshops can do because of accessibility and at a lower cost to members. Since December, 1969, up to convention time, 1970, the number of chapters grew to forty-one. Unfortunately, not all of them were in good health. New chapters and reactivated ones included Dallas, Central Missouri, Gold Cost, Greater

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Houston, Great Plains, Oklahoma, and Wichita. In 1971, his plans called for pumping new life into the remaining laggards. Lunkley’s report pointed out that the activities and programs of the chapters across the United States were indicative of creative and knowledgeable planning and included a variety of interesting and challenging opportunities for members of the chapters. He urged the sharing of these ideas via the pages of Inter 7Vo5-the sending in of details of any fine program for inclusion so that other chapters could adapt or adopt those ideas for their edification. He challenged NATS teachers interested in forming a chapter to write him for materials, procedures, and ideas with the statement, "Chapter work is stimulating and rewarding for those who are willing to involve themselves" and the invite, "Let’s all work towards building up NATS at the local level!" Mirroring 1969, there was no report from the Council of Past-Presidents. Although PastPresident E. Clifford Toren, chairman, had made a progress report to the board in regard to the council’s assignment to rewrite Article I, Section 3, Statement of Purpose, to the board on Sunday, December 28, 1969, Duey’s report, as the immediate past-president, seemed to have replaced that of the council in the 1969 published annual reports of officers and committee chairmen. In the 1970 Annual Reports, Past-President Coffin’s report was the only one included. However, there was some unfinished business after Cleveland, the filling of the maU orders for 25th Anniversary Publications, for which Bert Coffin had obligated himself, plus the accounting to NATS Treasurer Eugene Pence. Karl Trump also had asked him to serve as a member of the Advisory Committee. Of course, all Past-Presidents served as a member of the board during his successor’s incumbency. Despite the fact that he had the added duty as a member of the president’s Advisory Committee, Coffin remarked that he "found the office of Past-President a more relaxed one than that of President." Stanley John Hoban’s report on summer workshops was a little over a page of rhetoric without figures as to income or attendance, just the statement that 1970 was a good year, fraught with some concerns, but one that ended in the black. During 1970, the total number of workshops held passed the hundred mark; West Georgia College, Carrolton, was the hundred and third since Bill Ross’ 1949 Indiana University initial adventure. It would have been significant to have had Bill Ross at No. 100, but he had been drafted for the Heavenly Choir on April 14, 1967. Special mention should be made of the fact that at Eastern New Mexico University, NATS was joined by the American Choral Directors Association, with George Umberson, an ACDA officer, and head of the Choral Department at ENMU, in lectures and choral demonstrations. Noticeably, too, was the youthfully charged atmosphere at the University of Oregon. In fact, that was characteristic of all the 1970 workshops. Here’s a Hoban observation that could not have been made by Bill Ross wherein he refers to the attendance of interested non-members and prospective members. Only card-carrying NATSers got past the front door at Indiana. The University of Southern California and the University of Pittsburgh were the other two host schools. A total of five shops were held in 1970. Vice-President Ludman, in her annual report on foundations and arts councils, wrote: "Never in America’s history have its arts institutions operated so many varied and wide-spread activities under the threat of economic disaster." All this was in spite of the fact that congress had authorized an appropriation of forty million dollars for the National Arts and Humanities Endowment for fiscal 1971, more than doubling the previous fiscal period’s appropriations for both foundations. In addition, state councils on the arts were assigning funds to local projects. Likewise, foundations and corporations were funding programs, especially on television. Inflation had taken its toll, forcing some such cultural institutions to the brink of bankruptcy. The Ford Foundation continued its grants to cultural organizations. In February, 1970, NATS, in cooperation with the National Music Council, instituted a Legislative Action Group to write senators and congressmen when particular arts or education legislation came up for consideration. NATS members, including national officers, board members, past-presidents, regional and lieutenant-governors, chapter presidents, etc., received printed suggestions on how to communicate effectively with their representatives in congress. Jean Ludman invited anyone who would like to be on the Legislative Action mailing list to communicate with her. The vice-president reported on the Associated Councils of the Arts, a private, non-profit, membership organization to encourage the arts through cooperation with 550

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state, provincial, and community arts councils, national arts organization, and individual art leaders. Nancy Hanks, who headed the National Council on the Arts, was its president. W ith an annual budget of $340,600, it carried on conferences, workshops, public forums, had a library, e tc In May, 1970, the Associated Councils of the Arts received a $900,000 federal grant for a cooperative program by artists and educators in twenty-six states under the adm inistration o f each state’s art council, embracing dance, music, poetry, theater and the visual arts. T he expectation was that this grant would generate another $600,000 from other sources. In July, 1970, the National Opera Institute, with Roger L. Stevens, president and Julius Rudel, chairman, was established in Washington, D.C., v/ith a two-year budget o f nearly one million dollars. The institute’s program was to "encourage the growth and developm ent o f opera in the United States." There were various projects tied into this, among them one for $125,000 to assist promising young singers by financing "training, coaching and living expenses." Vice-President Ludman’s closing paragraph of this informative report quoted Nancy Hanks: "So far as the council and I are concerned, the future role of the National Endow m ent for the Arts will be directed toward increasing involvement with Education. It may no t take th e form of instruction in a classroom, but it will definitely be aimed at improved comm unication betw een the arts and society." President Karl Trump had a parallel concern. In his May-June 1970, "From th e President" column, he wrote: "Every singer knows the sense of fulfillment and enrichm ent th at singing brings to him; this is xmiversal, I think, occurring equally in amateur and professional, child and adulL Perhaps, it is time NATS began to give more of its attention to those who will never be singing stars; by sharing the joys of singing with all whom we can reach, we can contribute to the beauty and meaning of their lives." The president quoted the superintendent o f th e Cleveland schools, who had written: "The Supplementary Education Center in downtown Cleveland. . . is structured around the arts, because the arts get into the soul. It’s the souls o f children th at m ust be helped if we’re going to make better men and women tomorrow." The president had entitled his May-June 1970 page, "Bridge Building." Continuing, he wrote: "I think we in NATS have no t yet begun to do what we must in order to develop that vocal art in one o f its m ost im portant phases, that of interesting and involving the young.. . Let’s take more youngsters as students and be kind and patient with them; let’s welcome their school music teachers and choral directors to our meetings and hope that we can enlist their help, either as NATS members or not, in getting more people to sing and to love singing. . . Let us concern ourselves with the prom otion of singing and not just the promotion of NATS. By turning outward, we will strengthen and dignify and enrich both our art and our organization." Also in May, President Trump attended the annual meeting of the National M usic Council. NATS was a member organization of the group. A summary of that meeting became th e core o f his message, entitled, "Change," in the October, 1970 issue of The N A T S Bulletin. H e w rote: "A day-long succession of distinguished speakers from the world of the media and the arts discussed the economics of music, each reiterating fi’om his own area of expertise the fact th at changes are occumng so rapidly and of so sweeping a nature in music, that soon very little will rem ain as we know it today.. Space limitations prevent the inclusion of Karl Trump’s resume o f the rem arks of the many speakers, among them Frank Stanton, president of CBS, Alan Rich, critic and w riter on music, Archie Jones, dean emeritus and professor of music. University o f M issouri, Kansas City, and Norman Racusin, president of RCA Records. More im portant was the president’s reaction and through him the impact upon NATS, an impact felt in 1971. President Trump continued: "What does all this mean for NATS and for its members? T here has been plenty of change in the history of singing, but our art has remained strong. Changes will have to be met, for they will occur.. . In the councils of NATS officialdom, we are discussing change, changes need to be made in our organizational structure to meet changing conditions in our profession. We are discussing change in our exciting summer workshops, changes in repertoire, in the techniques we require to perform some of the new music, changes in the old ways o f combining music with the visual and plastic arts. We are all making changes in o ur studio teaching, some of us more consciously than others. Almost all of us use the tape recorder in lessons; some o f us have access to the television camera to show our students how they look when they sing, m ore than a few of us have had to meet the challenge of growing enrollm ent w ith classes in voice, supervised practice sessions, and seminars in vocal literature o r pedagogy. Change 170

is healthy. We should not fear it. It is certain, if the lessons of history mean anything, that for every value we may feel is disappearing in our day new ones are developing." The Committee on Vocal Education, Oren Brown, chairman, was but a shadow of last year’s Council on Vocal Education. Two veterans of the council survived the streamlining of President Karl Trump, Oren Brown and Muriel Wolf. The balance of the committee was Lee Cass, Robert P. Donalson, Albert Gammon, Joyce Hobbs, Barbara Kinsey and Vera Redgrove Heilson. Several members who happened to be in New York held a meeting on July 6,1970-Vera Neilson, Bob Donalson and Oren Brown. The chairman’s report closed with: "No information is sufficiently formulated for publication at this time." Oren Brown did mention that "Quiz Cove" and "Echo" in The NATS Bulletin had been continued for another year. In 1970, neither feature under the jurisdiction of the committee appeared in the May-June issue. "Echo" appeared in two issues and "Quiz Cove" in three issues. The Scientific Research Conunittee, William Vennard, chairman, moved from the Coffin administration to the Trump administration, lock, stock and barrel Only Anthony Scott was added. The committee was still working on its first project, an acoustical analysis of taped examples of the production of isoparametric tones in head and falsetto in the male voice, that is to say, tones on the same vowel, the same pitch, and having the same intensity or loudness, but differing in register. It was hoped that the research would answer these four questions: (1) Do NATS voice teachers agree generally as to what is meant by the terms head and falsetto? (2) Are there some singers whose transition from one of these registers to tbe other is so smooth that at the point of transition it is impossible to determine which register is being used? (3) If so, approximately what proportion of male singers in NATS studios are able to do this? (4) Where there is a difference, how can this difference be defined acoustically; that is to say, what is the difference to harmonic structure between head and falsetto tones which are otherwise isoparametric? If this study were to be meaningful, there would have to be as wide a participation as possible. One announcement in Inter Nos, followed by numerous letters, including two to each regional governor garnered a meager response, fourteen in all, three of them on the committee. Tapes were forthcoming from four, plus three from members of the committee. Individuals from five of the fifty states had become involved, far too few to come up with a significant study. Vennard made a plea for additional participants. The Committee on Government in the Arts became the name of the Committee on Government Grants through mutual agreement of President Trump, Jean Ludman, and members of the above named committee (Ohm Pauli, chairman, Irma Collins, Earl Dahlstrom). Under their new title, the committee envisioned two distinct avenues of approach: Seeking of government funds, and lobbying-namely, the alerting of members to legislation of import via a network of lieutenant-governors to stimulate the grass roots NATSers to sending in a barrage of letters to Washington, urging support, etc. Chairman of Admissions Margret Kommel reported the processing of 216 applications to full membership, including 32 who moved from affiliate to full membership. That was 36 above the previous period, November 1,1968 through October 31, 1969. In addition, some 67 affiliates swelled the total of new NATSers to 283, but the died/resigned/dropped total of 139 reduced our net gain to 144, approximately a net gain of six percent. The membership of October 31,1970 was 2,460. Fifty-one percent lived in the Eastern (459), Central (444), and Southern (344) regions. Gean Greenwell, vice-president in charge of Artist Awards, made no changes in the NATSAA requirements for 1970. His annual report concerned itself more with the conduct of the auditions at Cleveland which had been subjected to several important changes. Applause was asked for to create a normal recital atmosphere. Each contestant sang four pre-selected numbers without waiting for a judge’s request. Twenty-four NATS members, three from each region, served as judges. After it was over, there was none of the usual clamor against the judges’ decisions. Since these changes were received so well, they were used again at Dallas. Vice-President Greenwell took it upon himself to encourage student auditions, both at state and regional levels, wherever they were not being given. The evidence was clear that such auditiops now in existence had revitalized their respective regions. Gean Greenwell wrote: "NATS needs more activity close to home, and student auditions are surely the way to involve more students and teachers than any other activity."

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The finals of the 1970 Artist Awards were held Tuesday evening, December 29th. Mary Ella Antahades, reponing the event to The NATS Bulletin, described the competition as being in the style of a recital. She continued, "All of the 571 registrants must have attended, for there was standing-room only in the 521 seat hall. Many numbers were so artistically rendered that the applause continued for several bows. The excitement mounted to the climax with the announcement of the winners: 1st place, William K Parker; 2nd place, Polly Jo Baker; and 3rd place, Gwen Jones. Vice-President Greenwell gave all the contestants an accolade by declaring it the highest quality audition recital ever experienced." There were standing-room-only crowds for almost every session of the 1970 Dallas Convention. The Southwestern Region held the finals of their student auditions in conjunction with the national convention. Their prelims, held in November, involved more than a thousand. As a consequence, their final auditions swelled the total of participants in our four-day meeting to nearly eight hundred. An excited Mary Ella Antahades, wrote: "Let’s make it a thousand in Sl Louis in ’71!" Vice-President Jean Ludman’s keynoter discussed trends in financial aid to the arts and told the convention assembled that NATS must broaden its horizons and touch the lives of many if it wished to qualify for government monies. Unfortunately, Uncle Sam’s pocket was not very deep. To illustrate, Jean Ludman pointed out that congress, in June 1970 authorized an appropriation of forty million to the National Arts and Humanities for the fiscal year ending June 1971, compared to Sweden’s annual subsidy of one hundred fifty million for opera alone. There followed a succession of interesting and informative sessions, to mention a few; The art song coaching sessions of Martial Singher; (2) John Wustman’s session on German song; (3) the 1969 NATSAA winner, Kathleen Mott’s recital; (4) the demonstration teaching of Louis Cunningham, Carolyn Grant, and Chloe Owen; (5) the presentation of Massenet and Wagner opera scenes under Joan Wall; (6) Conrad Osbourne’s "Changing Career Patterns"; and (&) Arthur Schoep’s lecture demonstration on "Making Opera Come Alive." There were others, but an unusual highlight enjoyed by NATS gastronomes cannot be overlooked-an elegant cocktail party with all the Texas-size shrimp, dip, and canapes that one could eat, with unlimited beverages on the house. The last time that happened it was the big mistake in Washington, D.C., 1966, but this time it was Texas-planned hospitality. That shrimp-layered miniature mountain of cracked ice still lingers in the memory of many a NATSer. Wednesday morning sessions, December 30th, began with Quiz Cove, a long-standing favorite of conventioneers. According to Mary Ella Antahades, it was an unbelievable session. She reported: "The changing times were evident in the range and scope of questions, which included the effect of drugs and diabetes on the singer. The session was completely broken up as Lee Cass expounded upon a question given to him concerning the relationship of sex and singing. Then Oren Brown topped it all by his innocent observation that any concluding comments he might add would be anticlimactic." Two recitals followed, one of Commissioned Songs 1970 and the other that of the Metropolitan Opera bass Raymond Michalski, that consummated our four days of professional refi'eshment. John Ardoin, of The Dallas Morning News, who had heard Michalski at his New York City debut recital, wrote: "He was impressive then, he is even m ore so now." The convention closed with the traditional joining of hands of the membership present, in a huge circle around the Grand Ballroom of the Statler-Hilton, and the singing of "Auld Lang Syne." This was the convention that put the name of the National Association of Teachers of Singing before the nation as never before. Publicity Chairman Antahades was a prom oter par excellence. The major newspapers had carried news of all events, with unusual coverage and reviews. One skyscraper spelled "Howdy NATS" with lights in selected rooms at night. M artial Singher was the subject and participant in an in-depth, hour-long, radio presentation of his career and on the National Association. The trump card, however, was William Parker’s first appearance on national television as the 1970 NATSAA winner, when he sang the national anthem at the Cotton Bowl football game on New Year’s Day, and the excitement of Dallas, our largest convention to date, symbolically spilled into the homes of seventy-million Americans. The next day, your historian settled into his post-convention routine of the past fifteen y earsthe copy deadline for the Febniaiy-March issue of The NATS Bulletin was just six days hence. Sunday evening, January 10th, a long-distance phone call changed all that. It was firom Karl Trump, advising me of William Vennard’s sudden passing that morning at seven from a massive coronary and the need to revise his page in the forthcoming issue of The N A TS Bulletin. The 111

emotional impact of such unexpected news, literally stops one in his tracks. Especially so, if you’ve been there before. Eleven years back, ahnost to the day, January 11,1960, such a phone call that Richard DeYoung had passed away dimmed the glow of the accomplishments of our 1959 Cincinnati meeting. Through it all, the handiwork of these men, NATS goes on and will continue to do so. On January 11, 1971, President Karl Trump circulated his first post-convention board letter to inform the entire board of what had taken place and his decision, urged by Past-President Coffin, to travel to Los Angeles for the Vennard Memorial Service that had been scheduled for Sunday afternoon, January 24,1971, in the University of Southern California’s Hancock Hall. Dr. William Vennard [Pepperdine College had awarded him an honorary doctorate in December] had been chairman of the Voice Department at USC. At the time of his unexpected passing, he also was the chairman of NATS’ Research Committee. In his board letter, the president asked for suggestions for his replacement, either from the committee or outside of it. There was one more item. President Trump appointed his first committee for 1971, the Nominating Committee. Its constitution differed from that of the 1970 Nominating Committee which was composed only of past-presidents. This year, Karl Trump selected Past-President Duey to chair that committee, consisting of Louise Burge, John Lester, Ethel Closson Smith and John Thut. Unfortunately, the board’s Minutes Book does not record all correspondence between the president and his board, only those board letters that require a mail vote. Once more, thanks to the George Newton files, your historian can give an in-depth report of President Trump’s second year-a year that witnessed the emergence of the thinking of second and third generation NATSers, who gestured to the patriarchal group to hold up, saying: "We’re not faulting your actions of yesteryear, but your idtes fixes of them tells us that you have failed to grow beyond them. We are determined to preserve and adapt NATS to the needs of our lime. Please sit down in the back row; it’s our turn now and we need to do it our way just as you did in your day." On Wednesday, January 27th, President Trump returned to a nine degree Cleveland from an eighty-seven degree Los Angeles, where he had participated in the William Vennard Memorial Service. The president had to cut short a previously scheduled weekend Advisory Conmiittee meeting, called to rework the bylaws, in order to make his Los Angeles plane on Sunday. Now, back at his desk, he put in shape the product of that meeting, culminating into a twelve, legal-size paged document, two columns to the page. The left-hand column duplicated the document as it was; the right-hand column, directly opposite, was the revised version, thus making possible a lineby-line comparison of all suggested revisions. In sunmiary, they included a rewritten paragraph on purposes, a deletion of the office of registrar, the elimination of the five-year teaching experience clause as a membership requirement, a dues raise from twelve to twenty dollars, the deletion of Article IV, Section 3, closing the door on ANATS and FNATS, eta TTie president put this document in the mail to his Advisory Committee on January 29th for a final check before submitting it to the entire Board of Directors. While the president was in Los Angeles, Ruth Miller Chamlee invited key members of the Los Angeles Chapter, NATS largest at this time with approximately 140 members, to discuss NATS business, especially the 1972 convention of which Bill Vennard had been the instigator. The president’s Board Letter No. 16, circulated on February 1st, discussed the concerns of that meeting, etc. In it, he reported that members of the Los Angeles Committee could not understand NATS’ reluctance to accept the Beverly Hilton’s offer of a $16 singIe/$23 double rate for the convention. The Beverly Hilton was the only major hotel in the area interested since the others were already booked solid for the Rose Bowl game crowds that travel agencies market in a package deal to include tickets for the game, the parade and hotel with a room occupancy date of December 29th. Mrs. Chamlee had hopes that the liner Queen Mary, moored at Long Beach, would announce room rates and availability in time. One thing was certain, the 1972 convention had to be settled by July 1,1971, to give the host chapter at least eighteen months in which to finalize convention plans. The president asked his board for ideas. One other thing, in his January 11th board letter, Karl Trump had asked for suggestions on the chairmanship of the Research Committee left vacant by Bill Vennard’s death. The names that emerged were J. Loren Jones and John Large, now members of the committee. The president asked his board to vote for one. J. Loren Jones was the one that emerged as the top choice.

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Board Letter No. 17, dated February 4,1971, carried one item that was entered in the board’s Minutes Book-\hc unanimous approval of Jerrold Shepherd as governor of the California-Wes tern Region, replacing Robert Gurnee who had gone to Europe. The hot item of Board Letter No. 17 was a consequence of the John Wustman incident at Dallas. At the lime, Bernard Taylor urged the president to make a public retraction on the floor of the convention. Instead, Karl Trump made a public disclaimer, saying that he hoped NATS members would realize that the opinions by outside speakers on our programs did not represent any official position taken by NATS. This was unsatisfactory to Karl Bradley of Schirmer and to Bernard Taylor (G. Schirmer was his publisher). In President Trump’s words: "Now they have risen again to ask for our blood." Bernard Taylor circulated the board with a letter and an enclosure from Karl Bradley, who proposed that the board "put into the minutes, and also the bylaws, that: All program directors, at every NATS meeting all over the country, warn their speakers and performers, in advance, that they must not speak in derogatory manner about any publisher, publication or person." Bee Taylor warned that not only G. Schirmer but others might desert NATS if we did not either "accept his recommendation, or take adequate steps to protect our supporting business enterprise from a repetition of the Dallas incident." The president asked for suggestions on how to handle this matter, saying, "He [Taylor] certainly knows that we do not intend to legislate a muzzle on our guest speakers." Karl Trump evidently got what he wanted from his board. On February 17,1971, he answered Bee Taylor’s letter of January 26th informing the past-president" . . . the disclaimer.. . made from the floor of the convention was a proper and sufBcient response to the incident." It was the consensus of the president and his b o a r d .. that to pursue the matter can only perpetuate it." H e continued, "The majority of our members know nothing of this incident and those who witnessed it have already begun to forget it. Certainly it is to no one’s interest to publish any letter or edict concerning it" We had a president who could stand his ground just as Bernard Taylor did when he forced Carson and others to conform to a budget for the first time, eventually resulting in Carson calling it quits. President Trump’s Board Letter No. 18, dated February 18,1971, carried comments prompted by Board Letter No. 16, dated February 1st. In summation, the board unanimously approved Los Angeles as the host city and the Beverly Hilton as the convention hotel for the 1972 national convention. The president also included quick copies of two letters: (1) his letter to Bernard Taylor and (2) a letter inquiring about a joint membership for husband and wife, asking for comments. Board Letter No. 19, dated February 22,1971, referred to the January 22nd meeting o f the Advisory Committee in a motel near the Cleveland Hopkins Airport prior to Trump’s January 24th flight to Los Angeles. One member described it as a dilly! Besides the president’s Advisory Committee, Past-President Berton Coffin and Executive Secretary Martha Moore Smith were present Although there were several items on the agenda, the bulk of the time was spent on a complete revision of the bylaws. This had already been discussed, even to the president’s rechecking and return to the Advisory Committee for final action before they were forwarded to the entire Board of Directors. The president wrote: "Now I am enclosing for your careful study, comments, and eventual approval. . the bylaws as finally agreed upon. . . This represents the agreement of the Advisory Committee-almost half of the members of this B oard-plus the opinions of Berton Coffin and George Newton, the latter of whom I chose to consult about the first draft because of his syntactic expertise!" Karl Trump was not the first president to turn to George Newton, nor the last, nor just for syntactic expertise. Because of the fact that the ballot to open the NATSAA contest published in Inter Nos drew a negligible response from the membership, the president asked for a direct mailing to all members, with a postage-free return ballot enclosed, on the proposed general bylaws revision. H e reminded the board that they had to fight to get a quorum of one hundred twenty-five members for the aimual business meeting in Dallas. He did not want so few to make decisions so important to the organization. He wrote his board that he preferred risking everything on a mail ballot rather than passing them with a small legal quorum in St. Louis. H e wrote, "I have clear authority to ask for a vote by mail on bylaw amendments under Article XI. I do, however, call your attention to Article III, Section I, b, which is only one of the many ambiguities which the bylaws now contain. In the advisory group we suspected, but did not know, if Article XI, 174

amendments, was added some years later and if it was just carelessness which permitted Article III, b, to remain. But it was the consensus that Article XI clearly negates Article m, b, since it specifically says "Any bylaw may be repealed, modified, altered or amended.. Even though his advisory group agreed with his interpretation, the president was not sure that Article III, b, would not become a stumbling block. He scheduled the St, Louis Annual Business Meeting two days early, so that a meaningful budget might be voted upon by the board with knowledge of what dues would be for the next calendar year. He wrote: "TTiis is a dilemma to be avoided at all costs." He suggested two avenues of approach to the board: (1) To interpret the current bylaws as permitting a mail vote on the dues; or (2) that the vote should be on all other bylaws, leaving the dues as they were, and then send a second ballot by mail on a dues increase after the repeal of Article III, b. The president stressed the need for immediate action, saying, "I want the April Inter Nos and the May/June The NATS Bulletin to cany stories fi’om me, which means that I have deadlines in March to meet. I am now thinking of an early autunm balloting." The board voted a 17 to 1 approval of the bylaw revisions. George Newton’s files contained correspondence giving evidence that there was one board member, Victor Fields, who took exception to Karl Trump’s proposed mail ballot. After he had received Board Letter No. 19, dated February 22, 1971, Fields wrote a letter of protest to the president to accompany his negative ballot. It appears that Karl sent on a copy of that letter to George Newton who, in turn, wrote a lengthy letter to Fields, suggesting that perhaps there was a way to combine a mail vote that could then be formally ratified at the annual meeting. Victor Fields’ response, a copy of which he forwarded to the president, stated that he believed that a "direct-by-mail final vote would be a needless expense, of questionable legality, and a fruitless endeavor at this time." He wrote, "It would seem to me that Karl should be well-advised to inform the membership by mail, or via Inter Nos, of the impending legislation and also of all the germane alterations that are being proposed in our bylaws. Then I would allow them to have a month or two to consider these items and urge them to come prepared to cast a ballot for or against any of the proposals." The president’s new Board Letter, No. 20, dated April 15, 1971, gives evidence that the board’s Minutes Book report that he had received a 17 to 1 majority vote on the bylaws revisions reported in Board Letter No. 19 was not completely accurate. The president reported that the vote was: Yes, 16, No, 1, Abstaining, 1. He commented: "It interests me to realize that these two unfavorable votes were from board members who could not be with us in Dallas. It would appear that the tides for reform in NATS are flowing strongly." In his courting of a parallel response from the membership, the president wrote articles for the April Inter Nos and the May-June issue of The NATS Bulletin. He also informed the board that he planned to attend all the summer workshops to speak out on the need for reform. He wrote: "And I shall speak and write further in the autumn. By the time I ask members to vote on the issues, they will have had ample opportunity to understand them." In an excellent article entitled, "Reform," prepared for the 1971 MayJune issue of The NATS Bulletin, a copy of which Karl Trump sent to George Newton^ he explained that Article I, Section 3, Purposes, reflected the thinking of the membership in 1944. There was nothing wrong with it, except it did not express the concerns of the 1970 membership. To illustrate how such a statement of purpose affected NATS adversely, he wrote: "The director of a prestigious foundation, to which one of our officials went a few years ago, hat in hand, read our stated purpose and said that no foundation would help an organization whose goals were so frankly self-oriented." The Board of Directors, convinced that the bylaws did not represent what NATS had become over the years, proposed a revised Article I, Section 3, Purposes, In his article to the membership, the president presented that rewrite, explaining it phrase by phrase, saying, "This is a move to make official a stance that you, as individual members of NATS, have already taken." He then presented the need for a substantial increase in dues, explaining how the pie would be sliced, with a 300% increase in funds earmarked for regional and chapter use. The increase in dues to $20.00 would allow services to members to flourish--conventions and workshops could be better programmed, etc. President Trump promised to continue to inform the membership on the issues, through the channels available to him, before they were presented for voting. Board member George Newton also received a personal letter from the president In it, he wrote: "With such a majority of the board behind them, I am more inclined to ignore the

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objections of Victor Fields... I believe we have got to vote by mail if we are to avoid a ten-hour meeting. I am now getting concerned about the mechanics of the ballot; a single yes and no at the end of such a long ballot invites defeat for all when only some small item may be objected to. Those not in favor of increased dues may not be against relaxed eligibility, and so on. Can you propose a breakdown into relevant sections so that members can vote in an intelligent way which reflects their wishes?" George Newton’s reply on April 25, 1971, apologized for not being able to devise a simple solution. After a week’s study, he came to the conclusion that the twelve-page, legal sized document [in print, the mimeographed copy became six legal-sized pages] should be sent to the members, accompanied by a ballot with yes and no boxes after each article so that the membership could vote, article by article, in the manner customarily used in our annual business meetings. In Board Letter No. 21, dated June 21,1971, President Trump reminded them of his plans to attend all three of the summer workshops. At each shop, one session was to be devoted to the president’s speaking on "NATS in the Seventies," in part geared to persuade those in attendance to vote for the needed reforms. In preparation, Karl Trump reexamined the proposed bylaw revision, prompted by the fact that since the Board’s February vote of approval, other matters that should be included had been brought to the attention of the president. As a consequence, he called his Advisory Council into session in Cleveland the weekend prior to his June 21st board letter to determine if there were more improvements to be made before submitting the bylaws to the membership. Actually, the June 21st board letter was the consequence of that meeting to ask the board’s approval for the resulting revisions to those approved in February. Two significant changes emerged from the hours of discussion which the president presented to the board for prompt approval. The first was'the liberalization of the bylaw concerning eligibility for emeritus membership. Article II, Section 2, b, wherein the age was rolled back to 68 from 72, all other conditions remaining unchanged. The second change was a completely revised Article III, Dues, to substitute for the revision approved in February. The president had been apprehensive of submitting the $20.00 dues increase to the membership via a mail vote, the outcome could be either $20.00 or no increase. The more he pondered it, the more it seemed a foolish chance to take when NATS so desperately needed whatever dues increase the membership would agree upon. When it was suggested to the president that NATS was practically alone in building an actual money figure into its dues bylaw, he saw the light at the end of the tuimel. The new Section 1 read: "There shall be an annual dues, the amount of which shall be recommended by the Board of Directors and approved by vote of the membership at the aimual business meeting in the years of a presidential election." Section 2 set up the machinery for handling several matters; (1) The need for a joint membership for husband/wife members, discounted because a single copy of The NATS Bulletin and all other official communications would suffice; (2) It also provided a more elastic handling of late applications for membership. Section 3 pledged that monies collected from dues would make possible all the good works pledged in the revised Statement of Purpose, as well as to render services to members at both the national and grass-roots levels. The board approved both changes by a 17 to 1 vote. President Trump advised the board that he planned a final explanatory article and an announcement of a vote by mail for the September issue of Inter Nos. The mailing of the bylaw revisions and ballot would lake place on October 1st with a November 1st cut-off date for postmarked return ballots. On July 8, 1971, Vice President Gean Greenwell got around to writing George Newton, asking him to become a member of a committee to draw up a handbook for governors and lieutenant-governors. Judging from the letter’s content, the president had asked the vice-president to chair such a committee months ago. Evidently, there were other things to do that took precedence. Rationalizing, Gean wrote: "The need for a handbook will come after the convention [SL Louis] when a whole flock of new governors will be wondering what in the sam hall a governor does anyway." The president wanted George on that committee because his syntax was so good. Also, because he had been a regional governor. As a matter of fact, George had been the Indiana State chairman or lieutenant-governor from 1952-1956, and governor of the Central region (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri and Ohio) from 1956 to 1960. He described the latter as being "much the hardest work I ever did for NATS. Every night, I was at my desk

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processing applications, answering inquiries, promoting this or that, writing letters, writing letters. Two terms was all I could take-I turned down a third." It should be mentioned that during the Toren administration. Dale Gilliland, then a vice-president, prepared an Officers’Handbook (1957. One could raise the question--What happened to the handiwork of that subcommittee of the board, entitled Officers’ Handbook, chaired by Vera Redgrove Neilson, a board member under President Berton Coffin who was an ex-officio member of that committee? With Neilson as chairman, there had to be a significant output worthy of consideration by the Greenwell committee. Could it be that Vice-President Greenwell had no knowledge of this previous effort? He had been a vice president under President Coffin. Gean Greenwell advised Newton that he intended to ask Margaret Enrico, regional governor of the Northwestern Region which, at that time embraced Alaska, Alberta, British Columbia, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming. He was impressed with her track record and the fact that she was one of two governors who had responded to his request for suggestions for such a handbook. He advised George Newton that he would work up a preliminary handbook and then submit it to both him and Margaret Enrico for changes. Greenwell requested George to send on any ideas he had with his acceptance. You may recall that back in February our president submitted the names of John Large and J. Loren Jones, the names most consistently suggested to succeed the late William Vennard as chairman of the Research Committee, to the Board of Directors with the request that they vote for one. The board’s choice was J. Loren Jones. John Large’s disappointment resulted in a reluctant, bellicose acceptance of the outcome. Tensions mounted! By the middle of May, the president felt that he had to stabilize the situation. He wrote me a letter, with copies to Jones, Large, the Editorial Board and the Board of Directors, advising me of "a potentially serious threat to harmony in NATS... in connection with John Large." The president charged me as editor of The NATS Bulletin to accept for publication only those research articles that had been properly cleared by Jones. The Newton files contained a heated rebuttal fi-om Large that he had addressed to the Editorial Board, the Board of Directors, Jones and Culwell in mid-August. One could ask the question why he took so long to post an answer. No doubt the president was sitting on a pressure cooker. Knowing what has taken place along the rocky road traveled by John Large, your historian cannot fault President Trump’s dealing with the recalcitrant Large. Karl Trump’s letter to me closed with his expression of regret; "It is sad that a scientist as capable as Large should let his pursuit of self-aggrandizement color all his actions, and ironic that in so doing he should have completely alienated every NATS official who might be in a position to give him the power he so persistently seeks." President Trump returned home the third week in August after a month’s travel for the Association, speaking at all three workshops. On Friday, August 20, 1971, he sent off Board Letter No. 22, desiring to inform the board of the general reception given him and his speech concerning the impending vote on bylaw revision. The president was deeply impressed with the significant teaching that he observed being done by the distinguished faculty of all three workshops. He wrote: "I am convinced that workshops, along with our annual conventions, are the most significant services we offer members of the Association." Karl Trump spoke at an early session of each workshop, inviting questions from those in attendance, either immediately or in a more informal setting as they encountered him during the week. He wrote: "I was heartened by the initial enthusiasm my remarks elicited and encouraged for the outcome of our ballot by the kinds of comments I received from members. . . I am very glad I made these trips." He reported back to the board that they had approved both the new emeritus eligibility ruling, and the completely new revision on dues that he had sent them in Board Letter No. 21 prior to his workshop tour. He reported also that the thirty-two-page Vennard monograph, "Four Electromyographic Studies," published successively in The NATS Bulletin, October, 1970 through May-June 1971, and reprinted August, 1971, was now ready for distribution, free to each new member and for sale to others at the suggested price of $1.50. In addition, the president enclosed a memo that he had sent out that same day to all NATS officers who used the Anderson Secretarial Services in Chicago, the mailing firm which maintained the Association’s membership plates. It stated that all requests for services from Anderson must be channeled through the NATS office in New York City. No one other than the executive secretary was to communicate

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with the secretarial service on behalf of the Association. President Trump wrote: "It is one more necessary step in the centralization of NATS activities." The wavelets, stirred by the Jones/Large earlier-in-the-year sparring match, were whipped into white-capped six-footers come autumn. Because this was the last resistance movement staged by the dwindling status-in-quo group, commonly identified with the Eastern seaboard, your historian thought that interested readers would enjoy a sampling of the select verbiage of the adversaries. Shortly after Labor day, a four-page group letter and a covering letter, personally signed by Leon Carson, was put in the mail. Judging from the content and length of that opus, it was not an overnight affair. Nine names appeared on that document, seven of whom were charter members. Interesting-only two of the nine were intrigued enough to attend the Dallas convention to put their finger on the pulse of the NATS that we were becoming. Before the letter was sent to The NATS Bulletin for publication in the October, 1971 issue, three more names were added, none of them charter members. Enough, let the letters below tell the story. Leon Carson’s covering letter, dated September 9,1971, read: "Enclosed is a copy of a letter addressed to all members of the National Association which will appear in the October NATS Bulletin. We believe the letter is self-explanatory. "It is being sent to Officers and Chapters of the Association in advance of publication in The NATS Bulletin in case of an earlier vote on the revisions of the bylaws. The group responsible for the letter believes serious study should be given the various proposals, particularly those which would weaken the present requirements for the membership and that any such dangerous proposals should be opposed. "The welfare of the Association will be advanced if you will acquaint your Chapter members and others with the contents of the accompanying letter." The letter to the membership was introduced thusly: "A letter to the Membership fi-om Leon Carson, Past-President; Constance Eberhart, Past-Vice-President; Carl Gutekunst, Past-Vice President; Edward Harris, Editorial Board; Grace Leslie, Past-Registrar; Harold Luckstone, Editorial Board; Homer G. Mowe, Past-President; Dolf Swing, Governor, Eastern District; Bernard Taylor, Past-President" It reads: "The continuing welfere of the National Association of Teachers of Singing is always uppermost in the minds of its members, especially of the Founding Fathers, who contributed much time and effort to develop the organization. Therefore, when poliqr changes are proposed by its officers, these changes must be studied carefully to judge their effect on the present and the future life of the Association. "In the April 1971 issue of Inter Nos and the May/June issue of The NATS Bulletin, our president, Karl Trump, has contributed articles on his plans to reform the Association. His deep desire for the advancement of NATS is evident and praiseworthy, but the articles indicate such a lack of correct information regarding the aims and motivation of the earlier NATS membership that it seems imperative to conect the errors so that the membership may be better able to decide on the wisdom of the proposed changes. "The President says that a revision of the bylaws will be presented to the memberehip for a vote later this year. He stresses the need for changes, referring, for example, to Article I, Section 3, of the bylaws, which is a statement of purposes. He states that one of the improvements proposed is the direct inclusion of references to the general public and to talented stiidents, which group it is his contention the present bylaws neglect The addition of these two phrases does not in the least bring deeper meaning to directives of an already dedicated group of teachers working for their students and the public. In establishing principles governing the goals and conduct of Singing Teachers, the general public and the talented pupils are obviously benefitted-obviously included-by the very existence of such an Association as NATS. So why change the original wording? "Mr. Trump writes that the original Statement o f Purpose suggests that NATS is a closed society. Of course it is a closed society in the sense that it welcomes into membership only qualified teachers of singing. It was definitely founded to be an Association for Teachers of Singing, just as the Medical Association was founded for Doctors. That group is closed to those untrained or lacking in experience sufficient, in the minds of the Medical Board of Examiners, to be qualified as Doctors.

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"Mr. Trump also writes, We no longer must tremble at the idea o f including the vocal coach, the choral conductor, the opera director. If NATS becomes an open society by taking in as members those who are not qualified voice teachers, it will have forfeited it’s right to existence. The Music Teachers National Association fulfills the purpose of bringing together, as members, musicians from all different fields. "The most important matter to be studied when the revised bylaws are submitted to the membership for a vote will be the proposals for changes in the requirements for membership, which are forecast in Mr. Trump’s articles, but which have not yet been released. Already, however, a proposal has been made to the Board that the five-year teaching requirement for membership be dropped and that choral directors be considered teachers of singing. The present requirements limit membership to qualified teachers of singing. To let down the bars and allow those who are not singing teachers to join will make many members who revere the Association with its high standards no longer wish to be members. The National Association of Teachers of Singing will have become extinct. "The inference in the two published articles that the Charter Members of NATS, over 300 of them, and the over 1500 members who voted on the bylaws revision in the 1950s were not interested in the welfare of students and were indifferent to the interests of the general public, is unfair and completely wrong. Avocational study of singing has always been encouraged by all members. A rewording of the bylaws is not, for the first time, p le d ^ g our concern for vocal education or taking a necessary step toward the rebuilding o f audiences. These matters have always been the concern of NATS members. "Furthermore to say that NATS has existed primarily for the protection o f our teacher-members from the inroads o f foreign pedagogues is a completely inaccurate statement Also to write that it is time now to fight for our art and not just for ourselves shows a complete lack of understanding of the aims and activities of the membership fi-om the inception of the Association. Any selfimprovement that the members have striven for must have had a coordinating influence on the status of the art of which they are a part. "The statement that ethical principals. . . are not an issue now because the vast majority o f teaching is being done in colleges and universities is neither true nor fair to the great number of private teachers in the NATS membership. If a teacher is unethical, it doesn’t matter where he is teaching-privately or institutionally, and reports from students and graduates of colleges and universities reveal a teacher situation that is far fi'om perfect. "An increase in dues to $20.00 a year is proposed. If the inflation that now prevails means higher dues, this cannot be avoided. However, is NATS wasting monies? Its list of ©qwnses should be examined closely to see whether or not an increase in dues cannot be avoided or minimized. In times of financial stress, the income of institutional teachers may not be directly affected, but that of the private teacher does diminish and the proposed, drastic increase in dues could well bring about many resignations fi'om the Association. "AU NATS members are urged to consider the suggested changes carefully when the revised bylaws are presented for a vote. What effect will they have on the continuing welf^e of the Association? With all credit to Mr. Trump and his active promotion of his beliefe, let us keep our goals and high integrity. There would be no National Association of Teachers of Singing without the strength of the original concepts and the loyalty of the members to the principles by which we exist. "The members responsible for this letter are moved solely by a sincere desire to protect the standing of the organization and ensure its continuing existence as an Association representing the highest standards and ideals of the voice teaching profession." Before we turn to witnesses for the defense and the defendant’s own statements, your historian would like to point out a statistical exaggeration in the above letter. It speaks of over 300 charter members. The memory of Leon Carson, Bernard Taylor and Grace Leslie must have dimmed greatly since 1944. AU three had been exposed to first-hand, on-the-scene, information. Why that 300 figure was not challenged by one or all could only be speculative. Leon Carson made mention of 139 charter members at the 1946 Detroit Convention-our first! Bernard Taylor was the first chairman of the Committee on Admissions. Later at the 1956 Bufiialo Convention, when it was discovered that the board’s Minutes Book carried no list of charter members, it was Bernard Taylor who made the motion that an authenticated and authorized list of charter

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members be prepared and inserted in the Minutes Book in the proper place. With Dale Gilliland’s second, the motion was duly passed. Grace Leslie, a member of the Board of Directors, also was present at that board meeting. Registrar Tingley went to work immediately and the authorized list was made a part of the board’s Minutes Book on May 13, 1957 over the signature of National Secretary Hadley Crawford. The list contained just 138 names. It should be noted here that the group’s use of the appellation, "Founding Fathers," is the first such use that your historian has come across. That term is wrongfully used to identify the group. Only two of these, Leon Carson and Homer Mowe, could rightfully accept that designation. They, along with John Wilcox, Richard DeYoung and Walter Stults were the five acknowledged at founding meetings in Cincinnati in 1944. On September 18,1971, George Newton, a member of the Board of Directors, responded to the Carson et al opus. He wrote: "Ever since I read your letter several days ago, I have been casting about in my mind to determine how to answer it so that you and our many mutual friends who think as you do will be persuaded that the present Board is not destroying NATS. Maybe if I thought longer I could write a better letter, but I must write now. "First--I think it most unfortunate that you should feel that Karl has impugned your motives as they are stated in the bylaws; I’m sure he had no such intentions. But I don’t believe there can be much further argument about changing the wording of the Statement o f Purpose after hearing from Harvey Ringel that we have already lost our favored treatment from the postal authorities, and also from Jean Ludman who quoted directly from a foundation executive to the effect that we could never get any foundation money for any project with a Statement of Purpose that was so inward looking. If you wrote it in the first place, I apologize; but I do not feel that it reflected the ideals and hopes of the founding fathers. "As you say, the most important change is in membership requirements. Here my personal experience may help you to understand why my opinion changed gradually over the years. Not too long after I joined, a colleague of mine came with an application which he wanted me to co­ sign as sponsor. The applicant was a prominent choir director and voice teacher who I knew quite well and whose ideas about the voice I disapproved. I told my friend that I could not, in good conscience, co-sign. Of course, another was found to sign and the man became not only a member but eventually an officer. Now my point is not that, in my opinion, an unqualified teacher was elected a member, but this: as time passed this man came to realize that his ideas were out of step and he was sincere enough to make a real effort to improve his teaching. During these years there must have been hundreds whose teaching neither of us would approve, so I feel that it is wishful thinking to suppose that all NATS members are good teachers. To me the important thing was illustrated by my friend who was made a better teacher by NATS.. . In recent years, voice teachers have been forced to give group lessons and class lessons simply because of the prohibitive cost of the one-to-one relationship. Are there voice classes not teaching voice? And if there are, at what point does a choral conductor cease to be a voice teacher? I have been training them for 35 years at Ball State University, and these choral people get from me the same thing whether their preference is for public school music, university teaching, or private teaching. As to coaches-that is what I like to do best. Now have I ceased being a voice teacher when we finish the technique work and start to prepare a song? Of course many coaches give out with half-baked ideas of technique. Lots of General Practitioners give out with half-baked ideas about throat problems. I have come to believe very strongly that our purpose as an organization is to improve the quality of singing and to try to insure that anyone who wishes to learn will have a fair shake. That being the case, we will do the job better if we can get all practitioners of voice Tp.ar.hing whatever into the organization where at least there is an opportunity for them to continue learning. I don’t believe that you or I or any of our friends listed at the head of the letter will be contaminated by the association. Those o f us who know the most have the greatest duty.” That very same day, September 22,1971, George dropped a note to the president, enclosing a copy of his letter to Leon Carson. This gesture of support moved Kari Trump to respond with the letter incorporated below. Karl wrote: "Your good note with its enclosure of your weU-reasoned letter to Leon Carson came just after I had sent Harvey Ringel the rebuttal he invited me to make for publication with the New York letter in the October The NATS Bulletin. I was pleased to note that we shared many points.

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"I have no faith that your efforts will do any good; in fact, I would guess that Leon Carson is too senile to have played any part in that letter. And, of course, it matters not a whit to me whether we convert these people. I DO hope their influence on the vote will not be great And, though I have attempted to remain courteous and avoid innuendo (something they scarcely managed), I have done my best to squelch their effort. "Annemarie Gerts phoned me to read a letter she proposed to mail out to the national chapter officers as rebuttal. It was just great. I have appreciated the phone calls and notes I have had from some Board members. I suppose I realized that I might get my lumps, but it’s nice to know some others will share them with me." President Karl Trump’s rebuttal to the group’s September letter appeared halfway down page 36 of the October, 1971 issue of The NATS Bulletin, immediately following the closing paragraphs of the group’s questionable interpretation of the proposed bylaw revisions. It read: "A copy of the above letter was supplied me by a concerned officer of NATS when she discovered its writers had not chosen to include me in the mailing they made to national and chapter officers in midSeptember. I am replying to it through THE NATS BULLETIN at the request of those members of the Board of Directors who have telephoned me of their distress at what appears to be an attempt to discredit a project that has involved the Board so closely since the Dallas Convention. "Throughout their letter, these elder spokesmen from the East refer to the President of NATS as though he were a lone crusader whose plans to reform the Association were both self-inspired and ill-advised. The truth is that this has been a work, long overdue, undertaken by the elected 18-man Board of Directors and that every member who sat at our meetings in Dallas contributed ideas for those proposed revisions and then voted enthusiastically in favor of our submitting them to the membership. Therefore, any deviation fi'om the aims and motivation of the earlier NATS membership is shared alike by the President and the members of the Board of Directors, which latter group represent all the regions across America and do not speak only for a tiny urban clique in NATS. "No one denies that these revised bylaws move beyond the self-centered aims under which NATS was organized. I discussed this fully in my article in the September INTER NOS, pointing out that these early motivations are no longer viable for the organization that NATS has become. If NATS has always been concerned for the enrichment of the general public, as these Founding Fathers state, it is time for us to say so, since the Internal Revenue Service takes a jaundiced view of our purposes as they now read! K we are to convince some foundation that we are worthy of a grant, we would do well to declare our concern for the general welfare, since our present bylaw does not impress them that we are interested beyond the concern we profess for the welfare and advancement of vocal teachers! "However, the point of lowest understanding reached in the letter by this handful of wellmeaning East Coast members is that in which they discuss the proposed changes in eligibility rules for membership in NATS. Either they have not troubled to learn what the new bylaw says or they have not grasped the significance. This new rule says very specifically that NATS membership should be open only to those whose professional training andlor experience qualifies him as a teacher of singing. If this includes someone who is presently conducting a chorus, we say he is welcome. If this includes someone who is involved in an opera directorship, we would be happy to accept him. But if he has not had the professional training and/or experience which qualifies him to be a teachet of singing, he will not be eligible. This is a fairer rule than now exists and it stresses qualifications as rigorously as we presently do. What it does do is to recognize that the teaching of singing no longer takes place exclusively in a studio with an individual student We feel it is time NATS reached out to influence all those other professionals who are playing an increasingly large role in vocal education. "I can accept disagreement without rancor. But I cannot allow the misunderstandings which mark the letter under discussion to go unchallenged. I would urge the membership of NATS to realize that progress and growth for our Association do not necessarily consist of clinging to the status quo and that what was right for NATS a quarter of a century ago may no longer be so." Now-all had been done that could be done. The time for waiting had set in. By midNovember, the president would know the firuits of his twenty months labor. Incidentally, what was not generally known that the College of Wooster, in recognizing the honor of having one of their faculty in NATS’ president’s chair, granted Karl Trump a fiill year of paid leave and offered him

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unlimited use of long-distance telephone and office service, to facilitate his work for our organization. This made it possible for Karl to use the president’s budget for travel costs. Also, the College’s removal of all teaching obligations freed his time to serve NATS to the full extent of his ability. Even the board’s activities had slowed to a walk. There was one last mail vote, September 24, 1971, from which the president gained the board’s approval of General Co-Chairmen Adele Khouiy and Robert T. Gurnee, and Program Co-Chairmen Jessie Perry and G. Willard Bassett for the 1972 Beverly Hills Convention. With that, the secretary closed the board’s Minutes Book until late December. That September 24th board letter was accompanied by a copy of the auditors report as of June 30,1971. Karl Trump commented: "It surprised me to discover our unexpected prosperity, as I am sure it will you." He also reported that the preparation and assembling of the material for the mailing of the proposed bylaw revision vote was almost complete. However, the letter writing of status quo was not over. The files of George Newton included a sequel of the ff-oup’s September 9th letter. The September 23rd letter was a refutation of President Trump’s four-page article in the September, 1971 issue of Inter Nos. This For the Group letter over the signatxire of Leon Carson was given the same mailing as their September 9th letter. On October 16,1971, Carson finally composed an answer to Newton’s September 18th letter. In it he predicted numerous membership resignations because of what he called an excessive dues increase. The president’s November 10th board letter informed them that National Secretary Margret Kommel had reported to him that more than 800 ballots had been cast in the October voting on the bylaw revisions. Every article under consideration had been approved by more than the required two-thirds majority of those participating. He wrote: "NATS has moved into a new era." And so it had. The secretary’s statistical report to the membership was published in the December, 1971 issue of The NATS Bulletin, page 12. A total of 802 ballots, representing 31% of the membership, were returned by the November 3rd deadline. That ballot count almost equaled the 808 vote polled by the Vennard ballot subsequent to the 1964 Minneapolis convention where than a quorum attended the business meeting. The three controversial articles passed with a substantial majority; Article I, which included the section on Purpose, passed with a 93% majority; Article n. Membership, polled a 77% majority and Article III, Dues, with a 77% majority. All the remaining articles passed with percentages ranging between 96% and 93% of the vote. This triumph was trumped at the December 28th Armual Business Meeting by an almost unanimous vote~236 approved, 3 opposed-on the proposed increase of dues to $20.00. It was apparent that the NATSers of the seventies were no longer marching to the beat of yesteryear’s drummers. By standing tall against the status in quo group. President Trump cemented the maturing gains of Vennard, Duey and Coffin. Now Karl Trump’s successor would have an easier time of it. However, there still was a way to go. The incoming president could not help but feel the weight of the obligation to sustain NATS in the new era into which Karl Trump had led the twenty-seven year old organization. In that same November 10th board communication, the president advised board members that soon he would mail a letter to each Affiliate, advising hirn or her that it was now possible to become a full and active member of the Association through just paying their 1972 membership dues. He also called the board’s attention to one agenda item that especially warranted their thinking about in advance of their upcoming deliberations at the St. Louis Convention, namely: The request of leading members from these states to be transferred to other NATS RegionsWyoming to Northwestern and Florida to Southern, etc. Karl Trump raised the question, "Are there other Regions which are too large, too inequitably fashioned? Perhaps you will think about this and bring your ideas to SL Louis." His final reminder was of the initial St. Louis Board session, 8:00 p.m., Sunday, December 26,1971. A record of this board letter did not appear in the board’s Minutes Book because it did not require a return vote to make it an item of official business. On December 2nd, Gean Greenwell got around to responding to the returns stimulated by his July 8th letter in regard to the regional governor’s Handbook. He sent off his first mock-up requesting a huny-up response from the other two members of his committee. Margaret Enrico and George Newton lost no time in giving Gean just what he wanted. On December 20th, VicePresident Greenwell dispatched copies of the finished project to his committee and to the

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president, with these accompanying words: "Well, here it is at the last minute. I had thought to put out another draft for your approval, but as the Commendatore says, Tempo non Hal If you have any objections to any part of the enclosed, please let me know before the governors’ meeting on the 17th." Next stop-St. Lx)uis and the 1971 National Convention! Before we stop off at St. Louis, let us take a breather to report on a distinguished NATSer who was still hoping to go to St. Louis as late as August. She had never missed a convention whether or not her name was on the program. She had served on innumerable committees-she was the program chairman of the 1964 Minneapolis Convention. As of October, 1971, no other member had racked up such a record of continuous and vigorous service to NATS. She jumped from a two-year stint of the Northern District Governor in 1948 to a vice-presidency, at first in charge of field activities and later as coordinator of workshops, that lasted until 1956 when she became the circulation manager of The NATS Bulletin. Helen Steen Huls served in that post until her death on October 14, 1971. Greatly weakened by the fatal malady from which she had suffered for nearly a year, her duties as circulation manager were taken over the last month or so of her life by Vice-President Thomas Abbott, an associate of Helen Huls on the faculty of S t Cloud Teachers College (Minnesota) from which she had retired at the close of the 1968-1969 academic year. How the world of NATS had changed since the presidency of Leon Carson. During his presidency, Helen Huls’ effective administration of the Northern District caught the eye of the top echelon. It was decided to offer her a vice-presidency to succeed Richard DeYoung as coordinator of field activities, but in no way must it interrupt the Patriarch’s plan of succession. After considerable correspondence along the New York/Chicago axis, DeYoung finally wrote Carson that Helen Huls would accept the nomination with the understanding that, if elected, she would not be in the line of succession to the presidency. That concession made her the first woman to hold a NATS vice-presidency. Now, at the very same Annual Business Meeting, December 28, 1971, when we would stand in memory of her passing, we would elect the first woman president of NATS. The NATS of 1948 had also passed away! The first session of the Board of Directors at the St. Louis Convention was called to order at 8:00 p.m. Sunday, December 26, 1971, all eighteen present, by President Karl Trump. He announced that the next day’s 8:00 a.m. session would be given over to an Ethics Hearing. The defendant shall be nameless since the board’s Minutes Book did not record the name of the claimant or claimants. Earlier in the year, the president had appointed an ad hoc Investigating Committee, composed of George Newton, chairman, Margret Konmiel and Bruce Lunkley, who had been studying the case, the facts of which were made known only to the board at the hearing. Incidentally, the hearing was closed to everyone except the Board of Directors, the claimants and the defendant. This was the first violation of our Code of Ethics to be dealt with so formally at the national level. That does not mean that there were not previous incidents of equal seriousness. One very early case-one that involved an act of gross plagiarism by a regional governor was eventually swept under the rug because of a Carson appeal to the board saying that such an exposfe at the time might have a deleterious effect on our infant organization. There were incidents of chapters censoring members at the local level. One NATS president wrote that he recalled no shattering events while he was chapter president excepting that one of their members was kicked out of the chapter for molesting little boys. There followed a discussion on redistricting states-Wyoming and West Virginia had requested that they be allowed to change regions. President Trump appointed Annemarie Gerts, Glen Lockery and Bruce Lunkley under the chairmanship of Gean Greenwell to study redistricting of regions, and to bring a report to the board by Tuesday morning’s meeting. The president was empowered to make temporary decisions concerning redistricting problems until such time as the committee could submit a proposal to the board for final judgement by a 17/1 vote on a Fields/Ludman motion to that effect. Redistricting-how many times had that subject been raised! The serious efforts started with Joel Carter back in 1960 at Dallas where he was given the go ahead. President Wise promised Vice-President Joel Carter an assisting committee, only to overtook it. That did not deter Vice-President Carter who made a general presentation before the board at the 1961 Boston Convention. His detailed plan was given unanimous approval Louis Nicholas, who succeeded Fred Wise in the presidency, appointed not only a committee to finalize plans for presentation and activation at the 1962 Los Angeles Convention, but also a committee

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to frame a bylaws amendment to facilitate its adoption. There was nary a whisper at Los Angeles. The idea resurfaced five years later during Karl Trump’s vice-presidency, but again redistricting fell victim to more pressing problems-to mention one, that of setting up a national office with an executive secretary. Now, here we are again at the 1971 year’s end, eleven years since Joel Carter set the wheels in motion-appointing still another committee to devise a plan for redistricting. There were other items up for discussion but nothing was subject to a board vote. The meeting adjourned at 10:40 p.m. The second session of the board was called to order at 8:00 a.m., Monday, December 27th, with aU members of the board present. The meeting was turned over to G eorge Newton, chairman of the Investigating Committee. After the ethics hearing, the board reconvened at 9:55 a.m., with President Trump presiding. The board reviewed the evidence, assessing both sides o f the situation. A motion was made but tabled for action at Session III which followed the return recital of our 1970 NATSAA winner, baritone William Parker. A t that late evening session, called to order at 10:05 p.m., the defendant was found to have been guilty of questionable behavior and given notice that his professional behavior would be under observation. Copies o f the warning were sent to the defendant’s regional governor, his chapter president and the claimant. A Neilson/Ludman motion, given unanimous board approval, made it official. Three other items of import were approved prior to the fifteen-minute-before midnight adjournment Executive Secretary Martha Moore Smith resigned as of December 31, 1971 and Martha Lee Baxter, formerly with Boosey and Hawkes, was approved as her successor at 250 W est 57th Street, New York City. Item II concerned our placement service-W esley A bbott, who was in charge, proposed that the service be extended to include degree candidates and students of NATS teachers. When he reported that there were fifty applicants for only seven available positions listed with us, the board voted to close the placement service to non-members o f NATS for the current year. Item III set the date for the 1973 NATS Convention in New Y ork’s Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, December 27-30. Then President Karl Trump announced that a short Installation of New Officers, written by Mary Wolfman, would be held at the A nnual Business Meeting, Tuesday, December 28th, at 10:30 a.m. The board reconvened for Session IV, Tuesday, December 28,1971 at 8:00 a.m. All eighteen board members were present Gean Greenwell’s Committee for the Study of Redistricting o f Regions, who had been instructed to report at this meeting, requested more time for discussion before presenting a suggested plan. As the vice-president in charge of the A rtist Awards auditions, Gean Greenwell outlined four areas for upgrading our Artist Award A uditions: (1) there should be an increase in prize monies to attract our most talented students; (2) NATSAA requirements for applicants needed to be restudied; (3) an open contest should be held as soon as possible; and (4) if possible, there should be an international contest in 1976. President Trum p turned the meeting over to Jean Ludman, the incoming president, for the purpose o f discussing the proposed 1972-1973 budget It was evident that there was insufficient time to cover all points and, as a consequence, it was decided to continue it at the Wednesday, 8:00 a.m. meeting. Session VI of the Board of Directors plus observers Baird, Cate, Gerts, Gingery, H oban, Redding and Ringel was called to order by President Trump at 8:00 a.m., December 29th. Budget for The N ATS Bulletin and the general budget were discussed and eventually given unanim ous approval. Jean Ludman suggested that thought be given to amending the bylaws to change the word "Committee" to "Council" in the name designating the advisory group to the president—the President’s Advisory Committee. Stanley Hoban, chairman of workshops, reported a surplus o f $3,232.53 for the 1 ^ 1 sunmier workshops. The meeting adjourned at 11:15 a.m. The seventh and last session of the Board of Directors at the 1971 NATS St. Louis Convention was called to order at 8:00 a.m., Wednesday, December 30th, by President Trum p. A unanimous board vote approved the report of the Audit Committee. A discussion concerning regional governors’ accounts resulted in a consensus that a general letter be sent by the president to the governors, cautioning them in the expenditures of allotted monies within their regions. The board also discussed needed revisions in the present membership application form, recommending that a letter or letters of recommendation accompany an applicant’s completed membership form in addition to the sponsors’ signature now required. It was suggested that Section 2 be added to Article II, Dues, of the bylaws, which would deal with shared services, thus: "Husband and wife membership fee-$35.00, receiving only one copy of The N ATS Bulletin, and one copy o f Inter

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Nos.” Address plates in such cases would be revised to read "Mr. and Mrs." Bruce Lunklq^ questioned the validity of student auditions at the national level, saying that they present geographical, logistic and financial problems to the contestants. That coupled with the poor calibre of those heard at St. Louis translated into developing the student auditions as strictly a regional activity. President Trump presented the request of Van Christy to include the NATS song lists in Vol. II, Expressive Singing, planned for publication in 1972. A Newton/Pauli motion that his request be granted was given unanimous approval. There being no further business, a Greenwell/Coffin motion that the board, by acclamation, spread upon the minutes a commenda­ tion to Karl Trump for two years of outstanding service as president drew a unanimous board approval. The meeting was adjourned at 11:10 a.m. The 1971 annual business meeting of the Association was called to order by President Karl Trump at 10:30 a.m., December 28th, 1971, in the South Ballroom of Stouffer’s Riverfi'ont Inn, St. Louis, Missouri. The initial report is that of the president which can be found in The NATS Bulletin, February-March 1972. Our narrative picks up the action at that point in the meeting at the call for any special business. The special business was a consequence of our new bylaw made into law by the October balloting, requiring that annual dues for the next biennium be discussed and voted upon. At the call for the motion, Dale Moore moved that the annual dues for the National Association be $20.00. George Newton provided the second. The president then opened the floor for discussion. The majority of questions raised came from individuals who had not read Karl Trump’s several articles in both Inter Nos and The NATS Bulletin. If they had, there would not have been nine type-written pages of recorded discussion before the vote was called for. The vote of approval was overwhelming in favor of the raise in dues to $20.00-236 approved, only 3 opposed. The president then moved to the election of officers for the next biennium, calling on the chairman of the Nominating Committee, Philip A Duey. Since this report had been printed in Inter Nos as required by our bylaws, the slate was common knowledge. However, the chairman announced one change. The name of Dale K. Moore replaced that of Orcenith Smith, as governor for the Central Region, who had found it necessary to be relieved of that responsibility. The listing that follows includes not only those presented to the convention assembled, but also incumbents among the regional directors and regional governors. In the top echelon, there were four new faces: (1) Annemarie Gerts, vice-president in charge of membership, (2) Stanley John Hoban, vice-president in charge of workshops, (3) Earl Redding, vice-president in charge of Artist Awards, and (4) Harvey Ringel, editor of The NATS Bulletin. There were no changes among the regional directors from the last year of the Trump administration, only Russell, Newton and Wolfman were up for reelection to their second three-year term. However, there were five new regional governors: Dale K. Moore, Central Region; Mrs. Lee M. Wicker, Northwestern Region, who took over the post left vacant by Stanley J. Hoban, who also moved into a vice-presidency; (3) Wesley Abbott, Northern Region; (4) Geraldine S. Cate, Southeastern Region; and (5) Ohm W. Pauli, Southern Region. [^Denotes members of the President Advisory Council. (R) = Reelected, 2nd term.] Board o f Directors National Officers: President: Jean Ludman. Vice-Presidents: Annemarie Gerts* (new), Stanley J. Hoban* (new), Bruce Lunkley*, Earl Redding* (new). Secretary: Margret Kommel*. Treasurer: Eugene E. Pence*. Editor, The NATS Bulletin: Harvey Ringel (new). Past-President: Karl Trump. Regional Directors: California-Western: Florence Mildred Russell (R). Central: George Newton (R). Eastern: Mary Wolfman (R). Northern: Herald Stark. Northwestern: Glen R. Lockery. Southeastern: Paul W. Peterson. Southern: Ohm W. Pauli. Southwestern: Vera Redgrove Neilson. Director-at-Large: Victor A Fields.

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Regional Governors: California-Western: Robert T. Gurnee. Central: Dale K. Moore (new). Eastern: Dolf Swing. Northern: Wesley Abbott (new). Northwestern: Mrs. Lee M. Wicker (new). Southeastern: Geraldine S. Cate (new). Southern: Ohm W. Pauli (new). Southwestern: Edward A Baird. After a unanimous ballot, the president called Hubert Kockritz to the platform. H e remarked; "I have long felt that we should launch the officers and directors in a formal m atter and am therefore inaugurating a brief Installation Ceremony." Hubert Kockritz, a charter member of NATS, was designated as the Installing Officer. Bostonian Mary Wolfitnan authored the ceremony which was a prelude to Stults’ instituted ceremony of the passing of the gavel. First the regional governors, then the regional directors, each as a group, were installed and finally, the national officers, one by one, rising in a ranking crescendo to the office of president. But this one was special: NATS installed its first woman president: Jean Ludman. The meeting wound down with customary remarks by the newly installed president, last minute announcements, and R obert T. Gurnee’s greetings from the California-Western Region and invitation to next year’s convention at the Beverly-Hilton. The meeting adjourned at 12:00 noon. Vice-President Limkley, in charge of field activities, reported a total of forty-one chapters, no change from that of the previous year. Only thirty-six were active, four were inactive, and one was in the throes of reorganization. A rustle of activity in Northern Minnesota and the Tampa, Florida area raised hopes for chartered chapters in those areas before next year’s report. The vice-president wrote: "One over-riding problem with the chapters seems to be funding various activities." He related the resourcefuhiess of some chapters in overcoming this shortfall. Bruce Lunkley was hopeful that the projected dues increase would result in some financial feedback to chapters. The vice-president reported that over half of the chapters had held some type of auditions for students of chapter members. Also, many chapters held master classes and vocal clinics to provide their members with the opportunity to update their own studio procedures. Numerous social events that varied from informal receptions to formal dinners with guest speakers and programs dotted the chapter calendars across the nation. Some chapters were able to involve visiting artists in their programs in cooperation with college and/or university concert series, etc. It should not be overlooked that at the core of all successful workshops and/or national conventions there is to be found chapter/regional participation at its most meaningful level At this point in time, the vice-president charged with field activities wore two hats, he also was the editor of Inter Nos. In Bruce Lunkle/s hands, the issues grew in size from six. pages at the start of the fiscal year to ten pages with the September, 1971 issue. The November issue dropped to eight pages. The growth and size was due to the fact that officers and members had come to depend on Inter Nos as a means of communication with members. It was Vice-President Limkle/s hope that all regional officers would submit material for publication because news and details of regional conferences throughout the various regions should be shared nationwide. Although there had been a Council of Past Presidents and the revisions voted on in O ctober perpetuated that council, there was no evidence that Karl Trump had charged them with any assignment during his administration. The president called on the immediate past-president, Berton Coffin, to meet with his Advisory Council on one occasion. Since the immediate pastpresident is a member of the Board of Directors during his successor’s presidency, Berton Coffin’s report was included in the 1971 annual reports. During the year, he had appeared on the Seattle Workshop program, the November meeting of the Louisiana Chapter and was scheduled as a participant in the Research Symposium at the St. Louis National Convention in December. The 1971 summer workshop program officially opened at the University of Maryland, College Park, Sunday, July 28th, extending through the 23rd. Such highlights as the G erard Souzay Master Class, Kathleen Mott, the 1969 Artist Award winner; The Washington Post music critic, Paul Hume; the 1958 Singer-of-the-Year, Calvin Dash, at this time director of the W ashington School of Music; David Blair McClosky, author of Your Voice at Its Best; Katharine Hansel, and others, mainly accounted for the topnotch enrollment of 187. Of course, the University of Maryland Summer Fine Arts FesUval didn’t exactly hurt our workshop’s enroUment. Workshop II opened two days later across the United States at the University of W ashington in SeatUe on July 25th, lasting through the 30th. It was our second largest shop with an

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enrollment of eighty-eight. John Toms replaced the ailing Helen Huls, known for her book. The Adolescent Voice. It was fortunate that another NATSer, who had worked in a similar vineyard, was available since a special emphasis at the Seattle workshop was on the problems of young singers. Toms had compiled and was the editor of Catalog of Songs, suitable for high school and college singers and Young Singers’ Repertoire, containing song material in moderately high kq^s and moderately low keys. Other key people, besides President Trump, who attended all the 1971 workshops, were Berton Coffin, Stanley Chappie, Allen Rogers Lindquist, Martin Katz, and additional local luminaries. Workshop No. Ill, a first for the University of Iowa at Iowa City, opened the first of August, extending through the sixth. The attendance barometer here only rose to sixty-seven. Nevertheless, it was a most successful workshop. This first NATS summer workshop could very well have been labeled "Showcase of the Midwest." While a large portion of the program personnel emanated fi-om Iowa’s institutions of higher learning, Albert Gammon, Herald Stark, the recitalists, etc., there were J. Loren Jones, Michigan State University, Hermanns Baer, emeritus professor of voice. Northwestern University, and Robert K. Evans, CoUege-Conservatoiy of Music, University of Cincinnati. Even the president’s appearance at Iowa City made it all the more the Showcase of the Midwest. The new student rate of $25.00 for a whole workshop or S5.00 for a single day proved successful. The adult rate was $40.00 for the complete workshop or $8.50 per day for a partial registration. Stanley J. Hoban reported that more than sixty students had enrolled, with a total attendance that approached 450. After all money obligations had been satisfied, the workshop fund net stood at $3,981.00. Stanley J. had gotten his sea legs. He was invited into the cabinet. As of January 1,1972, he became vice-president in charge of workshops. Vice-President Jean Ludman’s account of Foundations and Arts Councils reported that the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, which had opened in September, 1971, had proven to be very popular, frequently registering sold out performances. V^at had been but an Act of Congress in 1958, during the Eisenhower administration and, then, sustained through the Kennedy administration by the president’s wife, Jacqueline, and her mother, Mrs. Hugh Auchincloss, now, almost ten years later, had been completed as a memorial to assassinated President John F. Kennedy, albeit the blueprints had been changed considerably. The Ludman report related that crowds of people visited the center daily just to look at it and to marvel at the decor. The contributions of other nations to its building and furnishing were invaluable, especially the marble from Italy, the chandeliers from Austria and Sweden, the flags fi-om all the countries represented in the United Nations as well as the flags from each state of the United States. The center has three auditoriums which can be used simultaneously to present opera, symphony concerts, recitals, ballet and theater. It had become such a tourist attraction that additional funds had to be requested from congress for its protection from vandalism and for its upkeep. The vice-president went on to discuss the needs of opera companies. She wrote: "The Metropolitan Opera is no longer a sold-out house. Seats are advertised in the papers and over the radio; credit cards can be used. The proliferation of opera companies throughout the country presented problems of funding. Despite good audiences, deficits mounted. The Ford Foundation got into the act, setting up a computerized study to obtain a clearer picture of how the performing arts were being financed, why they cost what they did and how that problem was being solved. The federal government had authorized some $40 million in grants in 1971. The plans for 1972 called for $60 million while the total for 1973 doubled that of 1971. Vice-President Ludman represented NATS at the February and June meetings of the National Music Council. Ohm Pauli’s report of the Committee on Government in the Arts stated that the committee had nothing of substance to bring to the attention of the membership. He mentioned that he had been idealistic enough to believe that monies would be available for all manner of vocal development and research. He wrote: "Until, however, NATS qualifies for tax deductible gifts and funding, this is simply not true." Actually, the committee was more or less dormant since there was no crisis legislation during 1971 that warranted their lobbying. Oren Brown, chairman of the Committee on Vocal Education, reported that both "Quiz Cove" and "Echo" columns were carried through the year in The NATS Bulletin. Actually, that statement needs qualification since "Echo" only appeared in the May-June and October issues totaling a little over two pages. "Quiz Cove" fared somewhat better, accumulating six pages for all four issues. The committee, however, formulated "an extended three-week summer workshop

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with concentration on study in depth on two subjects: "Methods of Teacliing of Singing" and "Opera and Musical Theatre for Our Time." This outline was presented to the Board of Directors and Workshop Committee for their consideration and action. Hoban did not accept COVE’s idea of an extended three-week summer workshop, but the suggested topics were reflected in 1972 summer workshops. Oren Brown’s committee consisted of Lee Cass, Robert P. Donalson, Albert Gammon, Joyce Hobbs, Barbara Kinsey, Vera Redgrove Neilson and Muriel Herbert Wolf. The Scientific Research Committee under the chairmanship of J. Lx)ren Jones, whom the Board of Directors chose on March 2,1971, to succeed the late William Vennard, continued to work on Project No. 1. This project, an acoustical analysis of taped examples of the production of isoparametric tones (i.e., tones on the same vowel, same pitch, same degree of loudness, but differing in register-head and falsetto) in the male voice, was started in 1969. The 1970 committee’s report explained the procedure of gathering samples. Unfortunately, the response was sluggish, almost non-existent. Only nine tapes were submitted, four came from members of the committee. Obviously, too few for the results to be impressive. Loren Jones wrote: "At the time of this writing, members of the committee are in the midst of gathering opinions of auditors. This is the final phase of the study, and it is anticipated that the project will be completed by convention time, 1971." Other members of the Research Committee were: John W. Large, Anthony Scott, Ethel Smith, Bruce Govich and Karl Trump, ex officio. As of July 1,1971, President Trump realized one of his goals, the national executive office, 250 West 57th Sl, New York City, began to function as a full-time office. Earlier in the year. May 1st to be exact, the office had been moved from Room 725 to Room 817. Now full-time status saw the fransfer of a number of Margret Kommel’s duties to that office. Actually, the only duty left to the national secretary was her work as chairman of admissions. The office of executive secretary also took over some of the duties of the national treasurer and those of the late Helen Steen Huls, circulation manager of The NATS Bulletin. The stabilization of the duties of this office would absorb more than the next administration. The Trump administration had many pluses. The 1969 reports, distributed at the convention of his installation, showed a membership of 2,342. The 1971 reports, at the time of Jean Ludman’s installation, showed a figure of 2,581. Of that figure, 55.7% lived in three regions: Central, 20.2%, Eastern, 19.2%, and California-Western, 16.3%. These percentages include only affiliates and full members, not emeritus, totaling only seven, of which two lived in the Central Region, one in the Southwestern Region, and none in the Eastern Region. Annemarie Gerts had put the Central Region on top through her diligent recruitment efforts, earning a vice-presidency in the Ludman administration with the responsibility of building membership at the national level. The 1971 report of the vice-president in charge of Artist Awards covered the four years of his stewardship. Gean Greenwell wrote: "The past four years have been change for NATS. Presidents Coffin and Trump have led us to a broader outlook toward the conditions facing the organization as it passed through its twenty-fifth anniversary. - My charge from these fine presidents was to make our Artist Auditions as effective and as professional as possible. To this end, my efforts have been directed." Greenwell set out to check all the elements concerning our contest. He changed tne name to NATS Artist Awards. Adjudication had been a sore point over the years. All too often the decision of the judges did not reflect the opinion of members in attendance. All possible changes were made in the selection of judges, but always vwthin the system of using three to five judges. At Portland, 1968, Vice-President Greenwell submitted a questionnaire to all people attending the finals, asking them to rank the first, second and third place wirmers among the eight finalists, also, to indicate their age and teaching experience. A second group of twenty-four members was asked to vote independently of the large group, using the same questionnaire. Then, there were the three official judges, none of whom were teachers of singing. The results of that voting were reported to the membership in the 1969 May-June issue of The NATS Bulletin. The group of twenty-four agreed with the large group on the winners, but both groups disagreed with the official judges. The official third place vwnner was first in the eyes and ears of the members. At Cleveland, 1969, the winners were selected by a panel of twenty-four members, three from each region. Also, applause during the audition was permitted for the first time, creating a less severe performance atmosphere. The contestant’s performance time was shortened to fifteen minutes by pre-selecting the numbers to be sung by each contestant. The result of these changes was a

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happy contest. Dallas, 1970, found the same rules in effect with the same satisfying result Consequently, no change was made for St. Louis, 1971. The finals were held, Tuesday evening, December 28th. Tenor Paul Benningfield of Akron, Ohio, in his third try of the competition, came away the winner. Second place went to Rebecca Langstroth, soprano, of Miami, Florida, and third place to Donn E. Graham, baritone, fi-om Hays, Kansas. One of the highlights of the convention was Burton Garlinghouse’s keynote address. Fourteen years earlier, he had been called upon to give the keynoter at Buffalo, January, 1957, actually our 1956 convention. This caused him to reflect, wondering if NATS’ administrators planned to use him sparingly, every fifteen years. Whereupon he went on record "as being willing to deliver the keynote address at our convention in 1986." Then, there was the impressive return recital of the 1970 NATSAA winner, baritone William Parker, which closed out the first day. Tuesday, December 28th, featured a gala luncheon at which Elena Nikolaidi and Leslie Chabay, both formerly with the Metropolitan Opera, spoke briefly. Other highlights were; baritone Dale Moore’s Hugo Wolf recital; soprano Katharine Hansel’s "Recital of Contemporary Songs"; Ruth and Thomas Martin’s lecture on "Opera in English"; the panel discussion on "The Covered Tone," moderated by Oren Brown; mezzo Betty Allen’s program after Wednesday evening’s formal banquet; and the lecture-demonstration by composer Carlisle Hoyd who not only traced the history of contemporary American opera, but also explained how it evolved. Nikolaidi performed two of Floyd’s arias, "Mollie’s Aria," fi:om The Sojourner and Mollie Sinclair, and an aria entitled "The Mystery." Other selections heard were from Of Mice and Men, Wuthering Heights, Slow Dusk, and Markheim. Following this climatic program, the convention closed with the traditional singing of "Auld Lang Syne." Press, radio, and television coverage at the convention was excellent Between the two major TV channels, NATS was in the news twice a day during the meeting. Ruth and Thomas Martin provided an interesting twenty-minutes interview, with Lee Cass, bass-baritone providing vocal illustrations. Betty Allen was the subject of a fine feature story, in The Globe-Democrat and Nikolaidi and Chabay were covered at the gala luncheon by The Post-Dispatch. Also, FM station, KFUP, taped an outstanding interview with Carlisle Floyd. There were over four hundred NATSers at St. Louis, few of whom realized what Karl Trump had accomplished for their organization in two short years. From where I sit, he was one of the stronger presidents. He set certain goals and then went about their realization. He stood his ground during the second year of his administration just as Bernard Taylor did in his second year. Taylor taught NATS fiscal responsibility; Trump turned the face of NATS to the future, identifying it with the profession. No longer would NATS be exclusive, but inclusive. Karl Trump crystallized the efforts of Vennard, Duey and Coffin, making them an integral part of NATS. Above all, he dared to give NATS a dues structure that would smooth the path of this successor. He prepared NATS for the fourth decade.

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WORKSHOP, EASTERN NEW MEXICO UNIVERSITY, PORTALES, JU LY , 1973 L to R, First Row; Edward Baird, Schuman Yang, Meribeth Bunch, Stanley John Hoban, Hubert Kockritz, Aurira G. Smith, Merrily Culwell. Second Row. Anne Swenson, Ann Gordon, Jayne McCullough, Ruth Erickson, Eunice Schumpert, Bertha Autenrieth, Evelyn Taylor, James McKinney, Harry F. Taylor, Orcenith Smith. Third Row: Ruth Stewart, Ruthabel Rollins, Sue McCrossen, Libby Howell, Maebeth Guyton, Helen Barnard Finley, Sharon Pope. Fourth Row; Donald V. Paschke, Robert L. Richmond, Jr., Mildred Carver, R. Glen Wester. Fifth Row; Harley Bulls, Harry McCrossen, David L Crouse, Gene W. Kelsay.

Jean Ludman PRESIDENT

\ m - im Two years are far too short! Time ran out for Karl Trump as it had for his predecessors. Consequently, it fell to incoming President Jean Ludman to weave the loose threads into a strong fabric to clothe NATS for the upcoming decade. The initial acts of an incoming president are mandated by NATS bylaws. The president’s first board letter, recorded in the board’s Minutes Book under the date of January 18,1972, included four such items, all of which were given the unanimous approval of the board. First of all, each vice-president was given a duty assignment: Annemarie Gerts, membership; Stanley Hoban, workshops; Bruce Lunkley, field activities and Inter Nos; and Earl Redding, NATSAA and educational policies. Secondly, Bruce Lunkley was designated as the president pro tern in case of her absence. Next, the designation of the personnel for the Admissions Committee-Annemarie Gerts was named chairman. Her committee members were the experienced Margret Kommel and John Thut plus Patricia Baker and Paul Zeller. Last of all, the president named an ad hoc committee, consisting of Bruce Lunkley, chairman, Geraldine Cate and Lee Wicker, to study the petitions fi-om Wyoming and Florida for regional changes and to recommend or disapprove changes in boundaries or geographical adjustments. This committee replaced the Trump ad hoc committee, appointed at the first board meeting of the St. Louis Convention and who requested more time at the board’s fourth meeting to study further their assignment. Bruce Lunkley had been a member of that ad hoc committee. The problem of geographical changes in regional boundaries had several starts before, dating back to the Fred Wise and Louis Nicholas administrations. Could it be that its time had come? In that same board letter, Jean Ludman reported that all committees with responsibilities to The NATS Bulletin had been requested to remain in office until April first, thus insuring the completion of their several columns through issue No. 4 of Volume x3cVIII. After that date, new committees were to be appointed. The president needed time to find replacements for both Oren Brown, chairman of the Committee on Vocal Education, and J. Loren Jones, chairman of the Scientific Research Committee. Both had asked not to be renominated for another term. President Ludman mentioned that she already had a letter from NATS’ most persistent office seeker, requesting that he be named chairman of the Scientific Research Committee, and she asked the board for guidance in this matter. Omnibus Board Letter No. 2, carrying the date, February, 1972, opened with: "The date may be March 6th, but the content of this letter deals with events since the first letter, January 15, 1972." That portion of the letter which dealt with the approval of lieutenant governors was entered in the board’s Minutes Book under the blanket date of February, 1972, covering all the appointments in the California-Western, Northwestern, Central and Eastern regions. There still were four to be heard from. Other items reported were the resignations of Leon Carson and Harold Luckstone, both members of the group that protested the policies of Karl Trump. The president had instructed Secretary Kommel to offer emeritus status to both. Approximately 1,600 members had paid their yearly dues of $20.00, but there also had been some sixty resignations and almost fifty requests for emeritus status. The president thanked the board for their frank advice in response to her request in Board Letter No. 1. The chairmanship of the Scientific Research Committee remained in limbo. Jean Ludman tossed another problem into the board’s lap: Should NATS reactivate the Committee on Vocal Affairs in the Public Schools? There really had not been a committee as such for several years. Berton Coffin had incorporated such a subcommittee in his Council on Vocal Education, but it never quite got as involv^ with MTNA or MENC as did Violet Johnson’s committee that came to an end with the Duey administration in 1967. Under Karl Trump, the Coffin labyrinth of committees disappeared. The Trump administration’s Committee on Vocal Education was but a miniature of Coffin’s council, narrow in scope, with Muriel Herbert Wolf designated as the public school music contact. However, neither the 1970 nor the 1971 annual reports record any activity in that direction. This should not be interpreted that NATS members were not involved

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in MTNA or MENC meetings. Lx)cal or regional involvement with these groups often took place without that information filtering to the top. In fact, that was the second half of the president’s question: "... or would we do better to have our contacts with the Public Schools in local levels." A welcome inclusion in Jean Ludman’s second board letter was the information that Treasurer Pence had received a notice fi’om Shelly D. Vincent, an attorney in Mendon, Massachusetts, of an unrestricted Helen Colburn Heath legacy to NATS in the amount of $1,000. The president had instructed the treasurer to put it in a special savings account until the board determined how it should be used. Probably no member of the Ludman administration was aware that Helen HeaUi had given our SOTY fund $1,000 in 1962, specifying that $200 was to be divided equally among the finalists each year to assist them in transportation costs. Her 1972 gift was her second to NATS. NATS was one of several musical organizations to whom she left a legacy in 1972. Ever since NATS had changed its fiscal year to a July 1 - June 30 date, a problem was created for incoming presidents. The initial six months of a new president’s term was fueled by his predecessor’s budget If a retiring president relaxed his hand on the tiller the least bit during the last six months of his second year in office, the incoming president’s first six months would be slowed to a walk. As of June 30,1971, our assets had diminished since June 30, 1969 by some S3,400 in face of a gross income that had increased by almost $5,000. There had been deficit budgets in previous administrations and the president was aware of the potential danger therein. She had been a vice-president through the Coffin and Trump administrations. So, she flashed the red alert to her team saying, "For the remainder of the fiscal year [July 1,1971 - June 30,1972] money is very tight There can be no overspending on the part of regional governors, nor their lieutenants. I urge you to write rather than phone, if at all possible, and to travel only when necessary. Let someone local stand in for you, if you can. Of course, if you have access to local fimds, fine, but the 71-72 budget is a sorry looking sight. NATS must not pay for anyone’s meals on trips, or taxis where airport busses are available. I am sorry to sound like an old shrew, but the budget has a deficit, built-in, of over $4,000, and I will try very hard not to increase it." At this point in time, this was a wise decision. President Ludman had no way to predict the impact of the $20 raise in dues. Eighteen years earlier, a gentieman from the Eastern Region taught NATS fiscal responsibility. Currently, another Eastern Region NATSer busied herself to return NATS to a sound fiscal basis. That was the safe way to go. There just was the possibility that resignations and transfers to emeriti might reduce 1971-1972 income dramatically. Only portions of Board Letter No. 3, dated April, 1972, are recorded in the board’s Minutes Book. TTie president had included a separate sheet which listed, for board approval, the lieutenant governors for the Northern, Southern, Southeastern and Southwestern regions. So after three months, all lieutenant governors were official. Another welcome item for which President Ludman asked approval was the reactivation of the Indiana Chapter, first activated on November 18,1950, when George Newton was Indiana’s state chairman. In 1972, George was the regional director, representing the Central Region on the Board of Directors. Dr. Ethel Smith, Indiana lieutenant governor, had sent in the letter with the required signatures, asking for reinstatement. Vice-President Lunkley reported that there were eighteen signatories on hand and that there had been enough interest to hold chapter student auditions on April 15,1972. The board gave their approval with a 17/1 vote. Board Letter No. 3 had to have been sent out after April 19th, since the president reported that, as of that date, more than 2,100 members had paid their dues. In a little over two months the new president would have her own budget and more cash on hand than any preceding president. Although there had been a loss of between 75 and 100 dues-paying members Uirough resignations and change to emeritus status, there were 59 new members as of April 15,1972 that pretty much negated any loss of income. The new statement of purpose and our revised bylaws prompted President Jean Ludman to pick up where Berton Coffin had abandoned his attempts to qualify NATS for a 501(C)(3) classification so that we could receive funds for educational projects. She discovered that none of our corporate papers were in New York City. It was her contention that since our national office was located on the eighth floor of the Fisk Building and the bank where NATS had its accounts was on the ground floor that they should be in a lock box in that bank. At the time of her April board letter, the search was still on. Accompanying that letter, the president had attached a copy of a resignation letter fi-om NATS Treasurer Eugene E. Pence, precipitated by

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serious illness within his family. The letter was dated March 11, 1972, but the envelope bore the Chicago postmark of March 27,1972, indicating that Gene Pence had agonized long over his decision; there was no other path that he could take. Casual­ ties in the treasurer’s office ran high in this decade. Eugene Pence’s successor would be replacement No. 3. Only Vennard and Trump made it through their bienniums with the same treasurer. After several turn-downs. President Ludman’s search came to an end with Regional Director Ohm W. Pauli, South­ ern Region, then in his second term on the Board of Directors, who agreed to serve as treasurer through the end of her term, December, 1973. The board approved her choice by a 17/1 vote. Board Letter No. 4, dated May-June 1972 was strictly an informational communication, requiring no response. Its primary purpose was to advise and JEAN LUDMAN prepare the Board of Directors for the first interim full board meeting ever to be held. It opened subsequently to the 1972 summer workshop, scheduled fi-om July 30th through August 4th at Chicago Musical College, Roosevelt University. It was an experimental meeting and, if such a meeting following the mid-year audit proved beneficial, the summer board meeting could very well become a budget item. This time, since there was no money in the 1972-1973 budget for members of the Board of Directors except for plan fare for the Advisory Council, other board members were asked to pay their own way. All were asked to assume fifty percent of their room and board. President Ludman included the treasurer’s budget report for fiscal 1972-1973, which crossed the $50,000 mark for the first time in NATS history. She asked the board to study the items in the budget which, by the way, had been approved December 29,1971, at the SL Louis Convention, to determine areas where expenditures could be reduced. The president’s concern was that the first six months of the budget might present problems. The St. Louis Convention had lost approximately $2,000. Then, too, most projected service receipts had been too optimistic. The Artist Awards, educational projects and publications had not paid their way. Only the summer workshops, especially those of 1971, showed a substantial profit. As Jean Ludman saw it, the only sensible way to go was to keep expenditures in line with expected assets. Then there was a new item in the 1972-1973 budget, one of significance which owed its being to Bruce Lunkley, vicepresident in charge of chapters. As a vice-president under President Karl Trump, he had lobbied for it and Trump made it one of his main talking points in his campaign for the raise to a S20 annual dues. The Discretionary Fund would be Bruce Lunkle/s baby under the 1972-1973 budget and he would be the one to fulfill Karl Trump’s promise of a return of a generous portion of the dues to the grass roots. The president wrote in her Board Letter No. 4, "We need to discuss thoroughly the Regional Discretionary Fund of $5,000 and how it shall be distributed." Other items of import were that our corporate papers were now in order, but that an approach to the Internal Revenue Service would not be made at this time-later-after a solution had been found to the unique position of the Southwestern Region’s separate financial arrangement of not being under the jurisdiction of the national treasurer. President Ludman also reported that to date she had found no replacement for Southern’s Regional Director Ohm Pauli, on the Board of Directors. Both National Treasurer Pauli and Martha Lee Baxter, our new executive secretary, were scheduled to attend the board meetings, August 4-5,1972. Sometime after the Board of Directors meeting in Chicago, the president sent out a mailings identified as Board Letters Nos. 5 and 6, under the all-inclusive date of July-August, 1972. Judging from certain remarks therein, this communication probably was put in the mails in early September. This board letter was primarily to bring those board members who were unable to attend the August 4-5 meeting up-to-date. The historical account herein draws on both sources. Actually, the first session, at Henry Crown Center, 2:00 p.m., August 4th, was for the president’s Advisory Council only and, therefore, was not included in the board’s Minutes Book. At that meeting, there was a thorough discussion of the new treasurer’s duties in order that a full report

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might be made to the board at 4:00 p.m. Ohm Pauli, a member of the music faculty at Western Kentucky State, described the IBM equipment at his university and mentioned the possibility of using that facility to bring out a membership list, addresses, etc., in time for our 1972 Los Angeles (Beverly Hills) Convention. Also, there was a discussion of eventually changing to the IBM service at Western Kentucky State from the Anderson Service in Chicago. Following that, the plans for the Los Angeles Convention were reviewed to prepare for recommendations to the full Board of Directors. The first session of the board was called to order by President Jean Ludman at 4:00 p.m., Friday, August 4, 1972 in a special meeting room of the Herman Crown Center, Roosevelt University, Chicago. Board members present were [♦ Denotes members of the President’s Advisory Council]: Victor Fields, Armemarie Gerts*, Stanley J. Hoban*, Margret Kommel*, Glen Lockeiy, Jean Ludman, Bruce Lunkley*, George Newton, Ohm W. Pauli*, Earl W. Redding*, Harvey Ringel, Herald Stark and Karl Trump. Following a brief word of welcome, the president requested approval of the temporary appointment of Hugh McElrath, until the December, 1972 elections, as the regional director from the Southern Region, to fill the spot vacated by Ohm Pauli, the new treasurer, as he moved upward into the president’s Advisory Council. The appointment received unanimous board approval. Unfortunately, the former treasurer, Eugene Pence, was unable to attend the August 4th board meeting, due to a serious automobile accident in late June while enroute to California. The Pence’s car was totally demolished. Although the family returned to Chicago by September 1st, Mrs. Pence had not fully recovered from her injuries. Gene Pence and his daughters escaped serious injury. In the process of transferring materials from Gene Pence’s home office to the national office and to Ohm Pauli’s office, several items came up missing, including the savings account book, three checks forwarded to him for his signature and our $10,000 U.S. Treasury Bearer Bond. The bank replaced the passbook and, after a stop-payment order on the missing checks had been made, new checks were issued. Locating the missing bond was another matter. Your historian finally discovered it in a Chicago Loop bank. All’s well that ends well. The president reported that NATS now had arrangements whereby, in the future, the auditor would give a quarterly, semi-annual, and an annual report. Treasurer Pauli was asked to bring a report to the December meeting as to his suggestions for the conduct of the treasurer’s office. The meeting adjourned at 5:45 p.m. After a thirty minutes recess, the second session, in reality a working dinner, took off in its dual role at 6:15 p.m., Martha Lee Baxter, NATS’ latest occupant of the New York office, joined us for diimer. Many ideas were exchanged on diverse subjects with no formal action being taken, namely: the location of the 1974 convention; the mounting number of member address changes during a year, the 1972 summer workshops which just had been completed; the NATS placement service; the S5,000 fund available for chapter assistance; and the 1972 Artist Awards. In other words, food for thought! The meeting was adjourned at 7:30 p.m. After a thirty minute rest period, the third session of the Board of Directors got under way at 8:00 p.m. When you reflect upon it, however, in reality this was a three-act board meeting with thirty minutes intermissions, the final curtain falling at 10:30 p.m. Executive Secretary Baxter dominated Act III. She distributed preliminary copies of our financial audit for the fiiscal period, July 1,1971 - June 30, 1972. It was pointed out that this had been a deficit budget. Deficit budget-well, the NATS scenario had all the contributing factors. In fiscal 1968-1969, our expenses were $145.05 greater than our income. But, we had over $30,000 in cash and certificates of deposit. Our membership totaled 2,342, of which 2,144 were full members. We had made a net gain of 96 members over the previous year. Membership dues averaged less than $1,00 per month since emeriti paid no dues and affiliate’s dues were but three-fourths of a full member’s dues. At this time there were just under 200 in that category. In round numbers, dues income was $28,000, yet NATS gave back to its members better than $40,000 in services. That’s a 43% return on a member’s investment. Where did the difference between dues received and expenses come from? Income from services for which other NATSers were responsible, income from proceeds above expenses in publishing The NATS Bulletin and the operation of our summer workshops. We were in an inflationary spiral, yet our board, listening to the bleat of a few oldsters, were reluctant to ask members to pay for value received. It took Karl Trump to convince his board and the membership that NATS was worth at least $1,67 a month. Of course, all he could do about the deficit was to

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weather it through. There wasn’t much that he could have done about the first six months of 1970, but his first budget did cut into the deficit by better than $1,000. Of course, the dues collection after January 1,1972, dramatically increased the corporate equity for fiscal 1971-1972 by better than 50% of the previous fiscal period. However, since we had been operating under a deficit budget, the president explained that this deficit could not be dealt with until after dues collection time, January 1,1973. The immediate reaction was a belt-tightening 1972-1973 budget which was reduced by approximately $5,000. The meeting adjourned at 10:30 p.m., following Executive Secretary Baxter’s fifteen point rundown of her duties to which was added the management of the NATS Placement Service at the Los Angeles Convention. Meribeth Bunch was to be in charge at the local level. The fourth session of the board was called to order by President Jean Ludman, Saturday, August 5, 1972, at 8:30 a.m. Following a realistic discussion, a motion was passed to award citations to both Dr. Walter Allen Stults and Hadley Crawford at the annual meeting in December. Walter Stults had served NATS since 1944 in some official capacity, including the presidency. The last sixteen years, Walter had been an associate editor of The NATS Bulletin, responsible for "Bookshelf," a book review column which he had introduced to the membership in the October, 1956 issue. Now, having passed his ninetieth birthday, the time had come for Walter to lay down his pen. Hadley Crawford also had served NATS in several official capacities, including a vice-presidency, over a period of nineteen years, but only four of them as an associate editor in charge of "Music Review." The board laid upon your historian, then editor of The NATS Bulletin, the task of informing both of these NATS veterans of the board’s action, plus the obligation of providing the necessary information from which their citations could be developed. The president then read a letter from Arthur Schoep, a NATSer who also was involved with the National Opera Association. In his letter, Schoep proposed a joint NOA/NATS commission­ ing of a bicentennial opera for performance in the upcoming 1976 United States bicentennial year. After considerable discussion, the president was instructed to write Dr. Schoep that NATS felt it should stick to the actualities of performance rather than the field of commissioning. President Ludman then presented a progress report on the Los Angeles Convention Committee. Concern with a number of items on the proposed program, accompanied with the feeling that the committee’s financial projection was unrealistic, led to the board’s recommendation that the president fly to Los Angeles, at NATS’ expense, to confer with the convention committee for the purpose of implementing some revisions in their proposed program. Earl Redding reported on the Artist Awards arrangements to date and Bruce Lunldey advised the board on his arrangements to handle requests for additional funds for chapter and/or regional projects. Vice-President Lunkley also suggested that regional governors be invited to come into the board meetings in December for discussion, etc. At this point, the meeting was interrupted for lunch, since we had run into 12:00 noon, but individual discussions continued. Following the luncheon, Stanley Hoban reported on the workshop sessions just ended. Both Greeley, Colorado, and Winston-Salem, North Carolina, drew more than 100 registrants each, both would be in the black. Chicago, with a lower attendance, might make it, hopefully. Annemarie Gerts reported on membership enrollment. President Ludman then appointed the Committee for the Revision of the Membership Brochure: Vice-President Gerts, chairman, VicePresidents Lunkley and Hoban. The president urged board members to send her names of young NATS members who could be approached in becoming actively involved in our organization. In general, the feeling that such a board meeting as just experienced, away from the national convention, was very worthwhile. Oh yes--the president was impressed to the extent that NATS picked up the full tab on housing. President Ludman announced that the matter of such future meetings would be discussed at Los Angeles in December. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 2:30 p.m. Board Letter No. 7, with the blanket date of September, 1972, comprised a rather detailed, five-page, confidential communication to the members of the board fi^om the president, reporting the several facets of her visit to Los Angeles and the steps taken to remedy concerns raised by the Board of Directors at their August meeting in Chicago. President Ludman met with individual members of the convention committee over a three-day period, and with the full committee from 2:00-7:00 p.m., Sunday, September 19, 1972. It was not an easy trip for the president, but she did the board’s bidding. The president reported that various members of the

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committee thanked her personally for her efforts in improving the convention planning. Incidentally, the board’s suggestion at their August meeting, which prompted this trip, that there might be a need for a convention coordinator had real merit. This time it was the president who performed in that role. Board Letter No. 8, dated October 15,1972, reported that the collection of delinquent dues had progressed quite satisfactorily, remarking: "Now, if we can get the other 150 to pay up, we will be over the 2,500 member mark." The president wrote that the preparations for the 1972 membership directory were well under way. It was planned to have 500 available for distribution at the 1972 Los Angeles Convention. President Ludman asked for a board vote on w hether or not the directories should be mailed free to the membership. The vote was inconclusive, four board members did not return their ballots. Four others suggested variable charges. Only eight voted for free distribution. Consequently, the item was not approved. O ther items reported in that board letter announced the replacement of one regional governor and two lieutenant-governors. The vote: 16, yes, 2 abstained. Regional Governor Geraldine Cate’s request for dividing Florida into two districts, each with its own lieutenant governor, seemingly eliminated the earlier sectional bad feeling in that state. The president also wrote that Vice-President Lunkley had presented a plan for redistricting to the regional governors for their reactions. Based on their response, the vice-president said he would prepare material for the board in advance of the convention. Jean Ludman relayed the information from Treasurer Pauli that the Chicago/Bowling G reen transfer had been finished. Also, that she had received letters from both Dr. Stults and Hadley Crawford and had forwarded them to your historian who was now charged with the preparation o f a suitable citation for each to be read and a plaque to be presented to each gentleman at the Los Angeles ceremony. The last item of Board Letter No. 8 was triggered by Jean Ludm an’s "Goals and Objectives," published in The NATS Bulletin, May-June, 1972. Acting upon the contents o f that article, the MENC vice-president of the Eastern Region, who was on the faculty o f Boston University, contacted our Chloe Owen in regard to the MENC regional mid-winter conference, January 19-22,1973. The outcome was that NATS was scheduled to sponsor a Sunday morning meeting, January 21st, dealing with the wise use of young voices in the school program. Board Letter No. 9 was sent out carrying the date of November, 1972. The first paragraph reported that all items in Board Letter No. 8 had been approved except the one regarding the distribution of the membership directory. The president wrote; "If there are copies ready for the convention, they will be given to members free, non-members, $2.00." The whole m atter o f post­ convention distribution was scheduled for discussion at Los Angeles. The president asked approval of the petition from Lieutenant-Governor Bertha Autenrieth, Phoenix, Arizona, signed by twelve Arizona members, for the establishment of a chapter in that state. Bruce Lunkley had forwarded the petition, affirming that their papers were in order and that the singers were all paid-up national members. The petition was approved by 12 yes votes, with 6 abstentions. President Ludman presented a request from Helmsley-Spear Company’s agent for 250 W est 57th Street, asking if NATS would vacate No. 817, so that the tenant on our left could expand his space. NATS’ office stood in the way of a very productive long-term lease. The offering o f larger quarters on the twenty-fiist floor at our present rent plus many additional bonuses, with all moving expenses paid, was too much to resist. The president’s request for approval to effect such a move was given the identical vote as that for approval of the Arizona Chapter: 12 yes, 6 abstained. Could it be that abstained was synonymous with a board member’s failure to return a ballot? The president closed Board Letter No. 9 with a plea for each m ember’s presence at the very first scheduled board meeting at the Beverly Hilton on Tuesday, December 29 at 7:30 p.m.. Pacific Coast Standard Time. On November 28, Vice-President Lunkley, chairman of the Redistricting Committee, circulated, as announced by the president in Board Letter No. 8, dated O ctober 15th, the committee’s proposal to the Board of Directors, national officers and regional governors for redistricting in preparation for discussion at the Los Angeles Convention. Fourteen regions were proposed, each under a regional governor. Accompanying bylaw proposals contained one radical suggestion in the makeup of the board-it suggested that regional governors be voting members o f the board and that regional directors be eliminated, thereby placing the power of vote in the person most responsible to each region, the governor. A timetable to accomplish this reorganization called for the board’s authorization, at the convention, of a vote-by-mail ballot to

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the membership during March, 1973. The membership would be fully informed in the January, 1973 Inter Nos. If the mail vote were affirmative, the board would then appoint governors in those regions having no incumbent living within their boundaries. If all went as planned, the new structure would be in place by June 1,1973. Then, the new board could meet during the summer and settle plans based on the new organization. Thus all could be accomplished before a turnover in national officers on January, 1974. Now, let us go to the Beverly Hilton and see what really happened. All board members, except Stanley Hoban, Mary Wolfman, Paul Peterson, Victor Fields and Hugh McElrath made it to the board’s first session at the Beverly Hilton, Beverly Hills, California, Tuesday, December 26th, at 7:30 p.m. Joel Ebersole, who would replace Victor Fields in 1973, and Ruth Stewart, who would take over from Vera Neilson as of January 1, were present as observers. Martha Lee Baxter, NATS executive secretary, kept the two nominees company in the observer’s box. Following a brief word of welcome. President Ludman announced that the national directoiy was ready and would be distributed free to NATS members attending the convention. The president then appointed three ad hoc committees: auditing, resolutions and reading, asking that they prepare their reports in time to give them at the annual business meeting, Friday morning, December 29th. The censored defendant of our first ethics hearing had taken that board’s action lightly. He continued his infractions of the NATS Code of Ethics. Enough was enough! His continued indifference, in face of the board’s 1971 letter, spurred the board to more definitive action. They drummed him out of the Corp with an 11/1 vote to a Herald Stark/George Newton motion. A letter was to be sent to both the transgressor and his chapter, advising them of the board’s actionThere followed an informal discussion under the direction of Bruce Lunkley, chairman of the Committee on Regional Redistricting, concerning changes in regional boundaries and the effect that such changes might have on NATSAA It was decided to postpone further discussion until the next morning. The meeting was adjourned at 9:55 p.m. The second session of the Board of Directors got under way at 8:00 a.m., Wednesday, December 27th, still with the same absentees. However, besides our executive secretary, three regional governors: Edward Baird, Geraldine Cate and Lee Wicker joined the rank of observers along with the about-to-be-elected Joel Ebersole and Ruth Stewart It may be recalled that Bruce Lunkley had suggested at the summer board meetings that regional governors be invited to come into the December board meetings. President Ludman turned the meeting over to Vice-President Lunkley who explained the thinking behind the possible redistricting of regions. A discussion followed, but was temporarily adjourned at 9:00 a.m. to permit both Bruce Lunkley and Jean Ludman to meet with chapter officers and regional governors, whose meetings had been set for 9:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m., respectively. Notwithstanding, the board meeting reconvened at 9:40 a.m., with the president back in the chair. She opened the floor for informal discussion on a number of items, such as: the manner of nominating and electing national officers, the possibilities of a ballot by mail, and the question of regional meetings at the national convention, etc. However, nothing was finalized. It was the consensus that these matters should be studied further. President Ludman asked the board to reconvene at 10:45 p.m., after the return recital of our 1971 Artist Award winner, tenor Paul Benningfield. The session was adjourned at 10:30 a.m. The third session of the board was called to order by the president at 11:00 p.m., Wednesday, December 27th. This time we came up with a full complement of national officers. Stanley Hoban finally arrived. The meeting was turned over to Bruce Lunkley who continued the discussion of redistricting. After a detailed and lengthy consideration of all facets, it was moved by Bruce Lunkley and seconded by Glen Lockery that the board authorize the forming of thirteen regions, pending a mail vote of the membership as outlined in our bylaws. Evidently, the discussions had brought a realignment of regions other than the fourteen proposed in the vicepresident’s November 28th letter. TTie vote was unanimous! Turn back the pages-this was the scenario planned for ten years ago. Joel Carter had enjoyed enthusiastic and unanimous approval of his plan at Boston, 1962, but it never happened. Well, Bruce Lunkley had gotten the approval that Joel had looked forward to. Could there be any other roadblocks before full realization? After the vote, the meeting was adjourned at 12:20 a.m., Thursday, December 28,1972. In less than eight hours, the board would reconvene.

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The fourth session of the board was called to order by President Ludman at 8:15 a.m. An informal discussion was held concerning the possibility of changing the dues year to coincide with the fiscal or the school year. No decision was reached. The NATS Bulletin budget for fiscal 19731974 was presented by the editor. Vice-President Earl Redding brought up the matter of travel expense of NATSAA regional winners to the finals at the national convention. After some discussion, Harvey Ringel moved, Earl Redding seconded, that the board propose to the regional governors that the National Association would match whatever a region raised, but not to exceed 50% of the air coach fare, for sending their regional winner to the Artist Award finals at the national convention. It was given the board’s unanimous approval. With that, the meeting adjourned at 10:15 a.m. The fifth session of the board was called to order by the president at 8:00 a.m., Friday, December 29th. The meeting was turned over to Treasurer Ohm Pauli, who presented the proposed budget for fiscal 1973-1974, accompanied by a detailed explanation. After a rather lengthy discussion, Harvey Ringel moved. Herald Stark seconded, that the budget for fiscal 19731974 be approved as corrected. The board gave their unanimous approval. Then, Workshop Director, Vice-President Stanley Hoban, after recounting the successes of the past summer’s workshops, asked approval of the projected 1973 summer workshops. A Lunkley/Ringel motion to that effect was given the board’s unanimous approval. Board member George Newton, and Dr. Ethel Smith, the lieutenant governor for Indiana, presented an invitation for NATS’ 1974 annual convention to be held at the Hilton Hotel in Indianapolis, Indiana. The hotel’s room rates were quoted at $17.00 for singles and $22.00 for doubles. Florence Russell moved and Karl Trump seconded the motion and the board gave its unanimous approval. Harvey Ringel then moved and Ohm Pauli seconded that the board appoint George as the general chairman of the 1974 convention, with Ethel Smith as program chairman. Again the board responded with an unanimous vote. The last action taken before the board’s 9:20 adjournment was a major restaffing of The NATS Bulletin. According to the board’s Record Book, Bernard Taylor, chairman of the Editorial Board of The NATS Bulletin, sent on the following recommendations to the president: associate editor in charge of "Music Review," Jessie M. Perry; assistant editors, serving under Jessie M. Peny, Donald Hoines, Natalie Limonick and Walter Martin; associate editor in charge of "Bookshelf," Nadine Michalski; assistant editors, serving under Nadine Michalski, Dr. Richard Dale Sjoerdsma, John Paton and Meribeth A Bunch. They were given the board’s unanimous approval As a matter of fact, all ballots cast at the fifth session were unanimous ones. I cannot r e ^ what transpired between the December 29th balloting and the article in the February-March 1973 issue of The NATS Bulletin. The article in that issue, "Introducing new Staff Members of The NATS Bulletin," reported that Richard Sjoerdsma was the new associate editor in charge of "Bookshelf," not Nadine Michalski, who was only one of the four assistant editors in "Music Review," working under associate editor Jessie M. Perry. As of July, 1990, only one of the 1972 appointees remains on the staff of The NATS Bulletin. Since this was the last session of a series of board meetings prior to the annual business meeting, let us go directly to that meeting. President Ludman called the 1972 Aimual Business Meeting to order, December 29th, at 10:45 a.m. Nothing will be lost through bypassing the president’s annual report since the fabric of this narrative is woven from the threads of committee reports, board actions, and correspon­ dence. For those who wish to read the president’s report, refer to The NATS Bulletin, FebruaryMarch, 1973. In other words, let us move on to the nitty-gritty, the report of the Committee on Redistricting. The president called on Bruce Lunkley, its chairman, who reported that the committee had decided to reset NATS into thirteen regions, giving the rationale for doing so. He displayed a huge map with the proposed regional boundaries superimposed upon it. It was not an easy task. Even as he spoke, Vice-President Lunkley mentioned the question of inclusion and/or exclusion of certain states in the Eastern Region and in the newly created region. Eastern Atlantic, later renamed Mid-Atlantic. Also, indecision hung over the question of what to call the region composed of Kentuclgr and Tennessee. It later became know as Mid-South. With all the cards on the table, the meeting was opened to discussion. No action could be taken at this time, however, since our bylaws first needed to be amended. After some eight pages of exploratory questions and answers. President Ludman called a halt, saying: "Mr. Lunkley, I am sorry, but time is p in n in g out.. . Now, we do have one other piece of business, and we have one other activity

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before the close of the meeting." Between election years, there was the need of electing and/or reelecting three regional directors whose terms ran for three years. Since the nine were subjea to staggered elections or reelections, in groups of three each year, the regional directors’ portion of the board was the more stable half, it provided continuity to an incoming administration, such as the current one, where the officer portion had four new faces. The regional directors in Jean Ludman’s first year were all seasoned veterans. For the second year of her administration, the three newly nominated regional directors were: Hugh McEhath, Southern, Ruth Stewart, Southwestern, and Joel Ebersole, Director-at-Large. With the reading of their names, a motion and a vote, occupying only a few minutes, they became integral parts of the Ludman administra­ tion. The last ceremony before adjournment was the presentation of citations to (1) Vera Redgrove Neilson, for twenty years of faithful and meritorious service to NATS at both regional (Southwestern) and national levels, the latter as a member of the Board of Directors, 1967 to 1973. (2) Hadley Crawford, for nineteen years of faithful and meritorious service at the national level, Secretary, 1954 to 1964, vice-president, 1964 to 1968, registrar/archivist, 1968 to 1972, and associate editor. The NATS Bulletin, 1968 to 1973. (3) Walter Allen Stults, for twenty-eight years of meritorious service to NATS at the national level, secretary, 1944 to 1950, vice-president, 1950 to 1952, president, 1952 to 1954, past-president, 1954 to 1956, associate editor, The NATS Bulletin, 1956 to 1973. Actually Walter had done what no other member has done-served his entire membership at the national level. After a few remarks by the recipients, the president declared the meeting adjourned. The hour was 11:50 a.m. The final board meeting at the 1972 Los Angeles (Beverly Hills) Convention was called to order by President Ludman, Saturday, December 30th, at 8:00 a.m. Item one was the windup of the unpleasant old business fi-om the 1971 convention which resurfaced at the board’s first session of the 1972 convention and was decisively dealt with. George Newton read the protesting letters, with attached affidavits, from the offended party, followed by a rough draft of the board authorized letter to be sent to the defendant, advising him that he had been dropped from the NATS membership roll because of his continued infractions of our Code of Ethics after last year’s letter of warning. The president than presented the matter of the forthcoming celebration of the nation’s bicentennial, asking the board’s approval to appoint a bicentennial committee, with Hubert Kockritz as its chairman, which gained the board’s unanimous approval. Then, VicePresident Redding, in charge of NATSAA, led an informal discussion of the requirements of applicants for our Artist Awards Auditions. He asked that the following points be considered: That the applicant’s most recent teacher must be a NATS member and that the student must have studied the equivalent of an academic year with that teacher. No conclusions were reached. Prior to adjournment at 9:05 a.m., the president’s parting wish was that there be a summer meeting of the Board of Directors, since the one held in August of 1972 met with such approval. Vice-President Lunkley reported that there were thirty-six active chapters across the United States. In addition, there were five: Arkansas, Greater Philadelphia, Rhode Island, Virginia and Washington, D. C, that failed to communicate with their advocate on the board during 1972. The remainder gave evidence of a rather vigorous life. Many had filed reports of their activities with the vice-president for inclusion in Inter Nos, in some instances as high as twenty-one in one issue. Seven of them, Iowa, San Francisco, Boston, Los Angeles, Colorado, New York and D allas, requested and received grants from the newly formed Discretionary Fund for outstanding programs and/or projects. Unfortunately, there was but one new chapter, the State Chapter of Arizona and one reactivated chapter in Indiana plus rumblings of chapter activity in North Dakota and Western Dlinois, only a token of what they ought to be if NATS were to be truly helpful and valuable at the local level. Chapter activity held the key to our members’ professional growth, however. The scope of activity and variety of events offered throughout 1972 to NATS members by the active ones in all parts of our country was extraordinary. In his report as editor of Inter Nos, Bruce Lunkley admonished regional governors, in general, for not taking advantage oi Inter Nos as a vehicle for getting information to their constituency and for not sharing their regional activities with the rest of NATS. Lunkley urged all regional governors to send in articles covering major events within their jurisdiction. Inter Nos was created for all organizational units of NATS, including committees, regions, chapters, etc. Editor Lunkley requested national officers to send in articles which dealt specifically with their area of

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responsibility. He wrote: "If Inter Nos is to grow in usefulness, then it must be used more constantly by all." Then to the vice-president’s third hat. The Board of Directors had established a regional Discretionary Fund of $5,000 during the budget discussions at the 1971 St. Louis Convention, placing that fund under the control of Bruce Lunkley, vice-president for chapters. While general guidelines for distribution were discussed, much was left to the discretion of Vice-President Lunkley. During the 1972 summer board meetings in Chicago, forms for grants were approved and a form, with a cover letter explaining the general guidelines to be followed, was mailed to each chapter president and regional governor. Between September 1st and up to the deadline for annual reports, eight grants, totaling $1,585 had been awarded to applicants. Stanley John Hoban, the jolly, bell-ringing Scotsman, anticipated his 1972 NATS sponsored tour of the United States, describing it as a visit to "the cool mountain vastitude of Colorado, the fertile rolling hills and valleys of North Carolina, and the Great Lakes State of Illinois," especially as the vice-president in charge of workshops. He took pride in the accompanying one-line. National Director of Workshops. Last year, he signed his annual report just as chairman. His ebullience often was reflected in escalating figures. Reporting the outcome of the 1972 workshops, he wrote: "The estimated attendance was somewhere in the neighborhood of 400." Last year, 1971, a similar estimate was 450. This year, he knew it was less. But he even gave an approximate figure when later in that same paragraph, the actual total of the registrants at all three workshops added up to just 272, with only 195 of that number classified as having registered for all four days. Zeroing in on the individual workshops revealed that Chicago registered lowest on the attendance barometer with only 50% of those registered signed up for all four days. Luckily, it just edged into the black. It was the University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, with 110 in attendance and 79% of those full-time, and Salem Academy, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, with a registration of 89,77% of them full-time, that brought in the surplus dollars. Actually, all-over attendance was down from 1971 by 17.5% and funds returned to the National Association, although still a very handsome profit, were down from 1971 by 20%. Vice President Hoban’s plans for 1973 included shops at College of Sl Catherine, St. Paul, Minnesota, July 8-13, Eastern New Mexico University, Portales, July 15-20, University of Idaho, Moscow, July 22-27, and Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, July 29-August 3. What became of the Council of Past-Presidents? A new set of bylaws went into effect as of January 1,1972. Article VI, Section 2, stated that such a council would function as a standing committee for the purpose of forwarding the progress of NATS in any way that might seem fit consistent with established policies. Its members had a standing invitation to all board meetings, but had no vote. By provisions of Article VI, its members were instructed to elect its own chairman and secretary at the annual convention. Each year since 1968, only the immediate pastpresident had been asked to prepare a report. In no way do any of these reports reflect an awareness of Article VI, Section 2 or any other past-president. Was this provision only window dressing? There were no reports on certain committees that disappeared during 1972, namely: the Committee on Vocal Education and the Scientific Research Committee. Both Oren Brown, chairman of COVE and J. Loren Jones, chairman of the Scientific Research Committee, had expressed the wish not to be reappointed to their respective posts under the incoming administration. The president’s first board letter reported that she had requested all committees with responsibilities to The NATS Bulletin to stay in office until April first, the deadline for the May-June 1972 issue was March 24th, thus insuring that there would be no publication problems with the last issue of the cunent volume year. The president was reluctant, and wisely so, when her board failed her request for guidance, to act affirmatively upon the offer of a very willing applicant to become the guiding light for COVE. The resulting in-limbo status of that committee loomed as the best possible way out Consequently, two columns, "Quiz Cove" and "Echo," failed to continue in the October, 1972 issue of The NATS Bulletin. The first named was introduced to readers of The NATS Bulletin by the Committee on Vocal Education under the chairmanship of Victor A. Fields with the October, 1960 issue, while "Echo" made its first appearance in the May, 1966 issue, shortly after Oren Brown succeeded J. Oscar Miller in the chairmanship of COVE. All such columns would have been terminated with the May-June issue had there not been left­

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over type. "Interdisciplinary Information" appeared for the last time in the October, 1972 issue of The NATS Bulletin. There had been a Committee on Vocal Education, under one name or the other, since Shirley Gandell’s embryonic Editorial Committee, which gave birth to NATS’ first pronouncement during John Wilcox’s presidency. Under President Carson, it matured into the Committee on Basic Fundamentals for Teachers of Singing and, under Carson’s successor, Richard DeYoung, it became the Advisory Committee on Vocal Education. Administration after administration, the name remained pretty much the same, alternating between the last named and just plain Committee on Vocal Education, COVE for short. Under President Coffin, it became the Council of Vocal Education, with twelve subcommittees, each with its own chairman, all under Coordinator Oren Brown. Coffin’s successor, Karl Trump, opted for a simpler committee structure. Oren Brown was retained as chairman of the Committee on Vocal Education, once more back to its old identity. Trump’s priorities let COVE go with the tide. Not much rain fell on COVE during the biennium and helmsman Oren Brown decided it was time to turn in the oilskins. No, Chairman Brown notified the incoming president that he was not a candidate for reappointment in her administration. Thus ended COVE which, at one time, along with the Research Committee, was the focal point of NATS activities. Interesting, the latter named also had its genesis during the Wilcox administration with William E. Ross as its first chairman. President Ludman decided not to continue the Conunittee on Vocal Education as such. She charged Vice-President Earl Redding with forming an educational policy committee in addition to his NATSAA responsibilities. During the summer of 1972, Redding contacted the regional governors, requesting that they name individuals in their respective domains who would help formulate such a policy. In addition to the regional governors. Redding solicited opinions firom three NATSers who were associated with the FNATS program; Dale Gilliland, formerly the chairman of the Administrative Committee, FNATS; Berton Coffin, who had been chairman of the Examining Board and who in 1967, succeeded Gilliland as the chairman of the Administrative Committee, plus Philip Duey. Another half-dozen prominent NATSers were also on his list of those contacted. Using the responses from the above, Vice-President Redding invited nineteen of them to meet with him at the 1972 Los Angeles convention. On Friday, December 29,1972, only ten of those invited showed up for the meeting, which was held in the Empire Room of the Beverly Hilton Hotel, where they organized and exchanged ideas for an education policy. The committee consisted of Earl Redding, chairman, Wesley Abbott, Exine Bailey, Meribeth Bunch, Geraldine Cate, Robert Gurnee, Marion Hall, Donald Hotness, Ethel Smith and Lee Wicker. The names of the nineteen notified of this meeting were read, also letters from Berton Coffin, Dale Gilliland and Margaret Enrico, which contained considerable helpful information. The committee drew up a list of five reconunendations: (1) Studies developed for the FNATS program be utilized through incorporating different topics in summer workshops over a long-range program. This had been done while George Cox had been in charge of summer workshops. The committee intended to consult with Stanley Hoban in this regard. (2) Make course bibliographies available to the membership at a minimal charge. (3) Student chapters be established. (4) A national library of tapes on various aspects of vocal development be established. (5) A panel be set up to discuss this phase of NATS as part of the 1974 convention. There was another void in the 1972 annual reports, an area of importance enough that the 1971 annual reports contained a report from the vice-president for foundations and arts council, and a report from the committee on Government in the Arts. Perhaps it was not the absence of these specific reports, but the absence of any information of any sort concerning an area kept before the membership for almost ten years via the pages of The NATS Bulletin. It only would be conjecture to reason why the attention given to this area since Ruth Miller Chamlee’s challenging keynoter at the 1962 Los Angeles Convention spawned the Committee on Government Interest in the Arts, crescendoing through the Nicholas, Vennard and Duey administrations to the fortissimo of a vice-presidency under Presidents Coffin and Trump, cadenced to less than a subito pianissimo-niente! Martha Lee Baxter’s report on the membership carried the inclusive dates of January 1,1972 through November 30,1972, because she did not enter into her duties as executive secretary until January 1,1972. Our membership count stood at 2,398. Compared with the report given at the

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1971 convention, that figure was 183 below the count of 2,581 members in all categories which included 223 affiliates. The new bylaws in effect with the Ludman administration changed all that, no more affiliates. Annemarie Gerts’ report showed that 176 of the 223 transferred to full membership with the advent of 1972. In fact, that was the only gain reported in the new membership column of her 1972 report. The vice-president remarked that since her report ended as of October 31, 1972, it did not reflect the upswing in new members processed between November 1, 1972 and the year’s end. Perhaps that accounts, in part, for the 7% drop in membership. It was nothing with which to become concerned in face of an almost 61% increase in the dollar amount of dues. The auditor’s balance sheet as of June 30,1971, showed a corporate equity of 528,815.31. Our income totaled $44,999.34 and our operating expenses were $43,808.29, with a net income of $1,191.05. A comparison of these figures with those of the balance sheet, ending June 30,1972, reveals what Karl Trump’s crusade for an increase in dues to the $20 level meant to NATS. Our corporate equity stood at $42,910.51, an increase of 48.92%. This was the first year that NATS income topped $50,000. To be exact, it was $62,058.87. Although our operating expenses surpassed the previous fiscal period by better than $4,000, our net income was $14,245.20, practically twelve times that of fiscal 1970-1971. Vice-President Earl Redding, responsible for NATSAA, followed in the footsteps of his predecessor. Even his annual report reflected Gean Greenwell. He wrote: "The most urgent need for this contest is to find means to pay expenses for contestants and to increase the amount of the awards. There is every indication that failure to do this will hamper our efforts to encourage young artists and dampen the enthusiasm in this area of our association’s endeavor. Mr. Greenwell has expressed these sentiments on many occasions and I wholeheartedly concur." The account in the 1973 February-March issue of The NATS Bulletin as to the happenings at the NATSAA finals in the Beverly Hilton’s Grand Ballroom, Thursday evening, December 28,1972, also was an exercise in brevity. The seven lines reporting the outcome are quoted here: "Seven young singers were presented in competition. First place winner was soprano Linda Zoghby, from Alabama, second place went to LaVeme Williams, soprano, from Los Angeles, and third place to tenor Joey Evans, of Dallas." The winners soon justified the judges’ decision: Linda Zoghby went on to the MOH; LaVeme Williams, a career in Europe; and Joseph Evans debuted with the NYCO in 1976. Unfortunately, the remaining finalists, sopranos Linda Foley, Susan Straley, Shelia Wall, mezzo Kathiyn Proctor, who had contributed to the convention’s most exciting event, had just confronted a career-ready trio. All northerners who trekked southwest to the 1972 national convention could not have had a better respite from the chilly days back home. Jessie Peny, reporting in The NATS Bulletin, wrote: "Sunny California delivered its best weather for the 1972 convention. . . The days were lovely and warm and the nights clear so that you looked out of the Beverly Hilton Hotel windows and could see forever, it seemed." Ten years earlier, Ruth Miller Chamlee was the keynoter. Once again, not by design, she filled that spot, replacing Mrs. Herbert Witherspoon, who was unable to cany on because of an automobile accident. "Quo Vadis" was the title of her challenging address. But it had its lighter moments as well, such as, "A true lover of singing is he who when he hears a soprano singing in the bathroom, puts his ear to the keyhole." Those interested in reading Mme. Chamlee’s keynoter in its entirety may do so in the February-March 1973 issue of The NATS Bulletin. Another flashback to the 1962 convention finds Bill Vennard as its chairman. That was the first time that many of us heard his student, Marilyn Horne. Now, ten years later, at high noon on December 28th, 1972, conventioneers met in the Grand Ballroom for the William Vennard Memorial Luncheon. A publication of his selected writings was at each place as a keepsake. The session was rounded out by the presentation of two operas by Pasatieri: a one-act chamber opera, The Women, and a one-act buffe opera, La Divina. Other convention highlights included sessions by Roger Wagner, Elinor Remick Warren, Henry Pleasants, and Paul Salamunivoch. The annual banquet was special this year. We had the privilege of hearing Mrs. Ariel Durant, an internationally known scholar and co-author with her husband, Will Durant, of their monumental work: The Story of Civilization. They had recently returned from Paris and London, where t h ^ had been gathering material on The Age of Napoleon. Two programs, one a panel discussion on "The Covered Tone" chaired by James Wainner, and the other on "The Importance of National Competition," involving the president of the Metropolitan National Council, the co-direaor. Western Region of Metropolitan Opera Council, and the president of

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J e Merola Fund, concluded the 1972 convention’s scheduled offerings. The singing of “Auld Lang committed it to memory lane. The first entry in the board’s Minutes Book for 1973 carried the date of February ^ Actually, the president’s Board Letter No. 1 had been in the making for more than a month, uy t e time it was in the mail, it had grown into a twin epistle. Board Letters Nos. 1 & 2. There was only one item that required a board vote: Vice-President Lunkl^ had sent on to the president a Truest for the reactivation of the Kansas Qty Chapter to which the board responded with a majority vote. Earl Rogers also had been approved by a similar vote to become the new governor of the Eastern Region. Other items included the information that by the middle of February, better than $26,000 in 1973 dues already had been collected. It was also reported that the Pittsburgh Chapter was in the process of being reactivated; that the president had not yet had final reports on the convention just passed; that Eugene Pence (who was treasurer Ohm Pauli s predecessor) and Constance Eberhart had resigned their NATS membership, plus several other items related to the forthcoming year’s end convention at New York’s Waldorf Astoria. That board letter closed with "continued next week!" The continuation carried the date of February 21,1973. The only item requiring a board vote was the president’s request for approval of her appointments to the Nominating Committee, namely: Berton Coffin, chairman, Victor Fields, Walter R. Hinds, Jessie Peny and Kaye Shanahan. The appointment of the five alternates had to wait until the next board letter due to the failure of those contacted to respond promptly. President Ludman relayed to the board the rather disturbing posture of the chapter of which our disfranchised Code of Ethics violator had been a member. George Newton, charged by the board at the Los Angeles Convention to convey to the offender, as well as the president of his chapter, that the penalty assessed by the board was the loss of membership, reported that the chapter, through its president, had answered, "No matter what the national does, he can still be a member of our chapter organization." President Ludman advised her board, "As the affair progresses, I will step in with an official Pronouncement from the board, if necessary." The letter closed with more convention items. There was no board letter in March, a month unlike any previous month in President Ludman’s administration. Thursday evening, March 1, 1973, Dale Gilliland, NATS’ eighth president (1958-1960), suffered a fatal heart attack. Louis Diercks, a fellow high schooler of your historian, and an associate of Dale’s at Ohio State, prepared the tribute that appeared on page 1 of the 1973 May-June issue of The NATS Bulletin. Then on Monday morning, March 5th, our executive secretary, phoned the president and resigned, effective as of March 16th, to accept a position for more money and a better future. James Browning, formerly with the National Music Council, but at that time a free-lancer, recommended Robert Braxton, who, fortunately, was immediately available to work with Miss Baxter during the week prior to her leaving. He was capable of handling everything except financial matters. James Browning agreed to act as consultant in that area on a ten-hour-a week basis. It was unfortunate that Mr. Braxton’s health did not prove equal to the demands of a five-day week in our office. After his third, week-long absence, he resigned. As if the president did not have enough to do, she and James Browning met the demands of the New York office until Robert Beatty, interviewed early in June took over as of Monday, July 2,1973. Shortly after Martha Lee Baxter decided that she no longer could stand the heat at 250 West 57th Street, the president telephoned me and asked me to come to New York to go through what was an apparent accumulation of correspondence and subscription work related to The NATS Bulletin. What a work day March 24th turned out to be! You can imagine how early my flight from O’Hare must have been to have put in that ten-hour day mentioned in the president’s April 18th board letter. I don’t recall what time we unlocked the NATS office door at 250 West 57th Street, but I do recall that we had to leave at 9:00 p.m. to make the public transportation schedule back to Upper Montclair, New Jersey, where the Ludmans were living at that time. The next day, March 25,1973, my seventieth birthday, I returned to Chicago in time to encounter an evening surprise birthday party. By coincidence, that New York trip became my wife’s ally in pulling off a perfect surprise. When President Ludman summoned me to New York Qty to assist her in the game of catchup in the bogged down NATS Bulletin, she didn’t realize that I was just as unfamiliar with the details of that part of our publication’s operation as she was. That had been Helen Steen

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Huls bailiwick since 1956 up to the time of her demise on October 14,1971, when all her files were transferred to New York Qty by the order of President Trump. It may be recalled that Karl Trump had elevated the status of the office of executive secretary to full time as of July 1,1971. I had no voice in the New York move. It was probably made by President Trump to insure a full work load for the full-time executive secretary. That move, however, was met by Martha Moore Smith’s resignation. Her successor, Martha Lee Baxter, had little time to settle into the routine of things before President Ludman had dumped the Anderson Secretarial Service in Chicago in favor of the computerized service at Bowling Green. Anderson’s had coded the NATS mailing list so that a return on an undeliverable piece of mail could be pinpointed as to membership, non­ member individual and/or institutional subscriptions, etc. Unfortunately, when President Ludman instructed Mrs. Anderson to send everything to Western Kentucky without my knowledge, none of this was incorporated in their computerized listing. So, when undeliverable mail was returned to the New York office, one sometimes had to search through as many as three files to locate a subscriber’s card. This contributed to increasing the secretary’s work load. I welcomed that move, regardless of how it was handled. I really had no voice in this function coming to Chicago, it rode The Bulletin piggyback-or its divestiture fi-om The NATS Bulletin. It should never have cohabited with The NATS Bulletin at any time. It always should have been a secretarial function. On the other hand, Karl Trump never should have put the non-member and/or institutional subscriptions in the New York office without first involving the editor of The NATS Bulletin in the solution. If he had, it is unlikely that it ever would have become President Jean Ludman’s problem. Rightfully, it belonged as an integral part of our publication’s operation, but only wdth an individual responsible for it other than the editor, as it had been under Helen Steen Huls since 1956. The president remarked in her April 18th board letter that, at the end of our ten-hour day on March 24th, she declared that the circulation work would have to be taken out of the New York office, unless extra help was employed. She advised the board that the editor was working on the problem and would come up with some suggestions. Quoting the paragraph’s last sentence: "Miss Baxter estimated that one-half of her time was spent on Bulletin affairs." Board Letters Nos. 3 and 4, dated April 18, 1973 reported the Pittsburgh Chapter had requested, through channels, to be reactivated. Ten members in good standing had signed the petition, even the original charter had been found. President Ludman, who flew out fi'om New York City for the reactivation ceremonies on Sunday afternoon, April 1, reported that one highlight was the presentation of the original charter to Beatrice Krebs, secretary-treasurer of the reactivated chapter, by Sylvia Derdyn, aged 92, who was still teaching. One of her students sang at the short musical program which preceded the formal program. Other board items of a purely informational nature were: More than 2,100 members had now paid their dues. The California Convention had over three hundred registrants and, that in the final accounting, there was the likelihood of NATS recovering 50% of its $1,000 advance to the convention committee. I sent off a letter to board members via the president on May 15,1973, presenting a feasible solution to the New York office’s roadblock as described in the president’s Board Letters Nos. 3 and 4, dated April 18,1973. I included enough copies to facilitate the president’s immediate circulation of the board with her cover letter. In her April 18th communication, she had informed the board that I would come up with some suggestions. Reflecting on earUer days, when Bee Taylor restaffed The Bulletin after the Carson et al exodus, I recalled that he had named two local NATSers to assist me, an assistant-to-the-editor and a business manager, with the latter to be compensated by a 15% commission on his advertising sales. It was difficult to invade a domain that enjoyed the coverage of the representative journals of MENC and MTNA with a twenty-eight page, low-circulation publication. Within months, the business manager resigned. It was evident that circulation would have to be attended to. Bee Taylor induced Helen Huls to join the staff of The Bulletin as circulation manager to begin with the February, 1956 issue. In the intervening years, up to the time of her demise in 1971, Helen Huls created a new source of income, reported by President Ludman in Board Letters 5 and 6 as being approximately 800 non-member and iititutional subscribers, translated into dollars and cents as almost $4,000. Income fi-om advertising also approached that doUar figure. With one individual responsible for this nonmember income, it could be increased. If Bee Taylor could suggest a 15% commission to Earle Tanner in 1955 certainly, the editor could tap an already established income fi-om outside the m bership for an honorarium. Fifteen percent of $8,000 would have been $1,200, a bit much

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for a beginning. So, I decided on half that figure. I had always had some assistance in running the magazine. So, I proposed that we revive an old staff position on The NATS Bulletin encompassing new dimensions, embracing the handling of advertising as well as non-member subscriptions. I reminded the board that the estimated income for the period was better than S8,000 and could very well approach $9,000. The actual figures at the end of the fiscal period were $8341.12 for all non-member income. I suggested that the assistant-to-the editor be given an honorarium of $600 for the fiscal period. In concluding my letter, I proposed that this post be offered to Roger Scanlan, an associate of mine on the faculty of Chicago Musical College of Roosevelt University. I requested an early decision from the board so that steps could be taken to effect the transfer of functions from New York City to Chicago as soon as July 1,1973, so that the preparation of needed forms could be commenc^ as soon as possible. It should be added that what I proposed in that May 15th letter had the approval of the Editorial Board of The NATS Bulletin and its chairman, Bernard Taylor. I sent it on to them first. Allowing Jean Ludman sufficient time to receive my solution, I phoned her on May 21st only to be told that she would not send my proposal to the board but would circulate in essence what I had proposed. Nothing happened! Thus far, 1973 had witnessed the passing of a former president. Dale V. Gilliland. There had been a span of eleven years between the deaths of Richard DeYoung and William Vennard. On May 17,1973, Leon Carson, one of the five founders and NATS’ second president (1946-1948), suffered a fatal heart attack at age 87. He had been the editor of The Bulletin, 1948-1955. Homer Mowe, the first editor of The Bulletin, provided the memorial tribute found on page 18 of the October, 1973 issue of The NATS Bulletin. Leon Carson was the second past-president to join the Heavenly Choir within the last three months. The memorial page for Dale Gilliland had bumped President Ludman’s message from page 1 in the May-June issue. Were the practice to continue, the president would have had to give up her page 1 position in the October, 1973 issue, two issues in a row! Consequently, she proposed that such memorial pages be placed elsewhere in an issue. This had been no ordinary year. Four days before the October issue’s deadline, B. Fred Wise, charter member and ninth president, 1960-1962, of the National Association of Teachers of Singing, died Saturday evening, August 25, 1973, in the Illinois Central Hospital, Chicago. E. Clifford Toren provided the memorial message on pages 18-19 of the October, 1973 issue of The NATS Bulletin. President Ludman’s advice served us in good stead, otherwise the Carson/Wise four-page memorial would have made a rather somber introduction to Volume XXX. The president requested Vice-President Lunkley, Treasurer Pauli and your historian, then editor of The NATS Bulletin, to meet with her and a Mr. Zettlemoyer in Bowling Green, Kentucky, on May 25-26,1973, to work out a streamlined procedure for NATS mailings, permits, deadlines, etc., which had nothing to do with policy, but which concerned new post office rules and rates for both second- and third-class mail. At that time, the only place fi-om which we could send NATSAA and workshop brochures, etc., was Sherman, Texas. Bruce Lunkley had obtained his third-class, non-profit, mailing permit when the editorship oi Inter Nos went south, January, 1970, to the newly elected vice-president in charge of field activities and editor of Inter Nos. The second-class, non-profit mailing permit was obtained by me during the Toren administration, 1956-1958.1 prepared the initial letter and forms requested by the IRS, sent them to Cliff Toren for signatures returning them to me, I walked them over to the Chicago IRS office. From then on, it seemed that any subsequent action by the IRS was fiinneled back to me. Then, there was the controversy whether we qualified for filing just a Form 990 at the end of our fiscal year or a lengthier and more detailed form. The controversy arose over the fact that music publishers exhibited music for sale at our conventions. That correspondence spilled over into the Gilliland administration. Again, I prepared all rebuttals, forwarded them to Dale Gilliland for his perusal, addenda, and/or signature. As I recall. Dale even sought legal opinion before sending on NATS’ response to the Washington, D.C. IRS office. The IRS ruling came back okaying our use of Form 990 via the Chicago office. When the time for filing came around I was the recipient of the form. I, in turn, forwarded it to the treasurer for completion and his direct return to the Chicago IRS office. Bob Bowlus, who completed more of these forms than his successors, always accompanied his return to the Chicago IRS office with the specific request that, in the subsequent year, the Form 990 be sent directly to him. For some reason, the IRS never took action on these recurring requests. When Gene Pence took over from Paul Engelstad I

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suggested that, with the submission of his first report, he request that the Form 990 be sent to him as the new treasurer. Nothing happened! When the change over to the July 1-June 30 fiscal year occurred, I reminded Gene to advise the IRS. If he did, the information didn’t take that year. So, the IRS continued to look for our Form 990 at the wrong time from the wrong office. In 1973, when I received the Form 990 in the mail, I forwarded it either to the New York office or President Jean Ludman. Sometime later in the spring, a Mr. Powers from the Chicago office came looking for a Form 990 for 1971.1 informed him that the treasurer’s office was no longer in the Chicago area and that we had a fully operable national office in New York City, giving him the address, etc. I also telephoned the president and informed her of the incident, asking that she write Mr. Powers at the Chicago IRS office in hopes of settling this nuisance once and for all. From that single incidence, the sentence on page 2 of Board Letters 5 and 6, blossomed into, "To my surprise... an IRS man has visited Dr. Ringel in Chicago each year in the past, in connection with our filing a 990 form. This has not appeared on any of our reports, has itT It is difficult to understand why an individual having access to all NATS records would pose such a question. At the May 25th and 26th Bowling Green meetings, as I recall, it was hoped that Ohm Pauli would assume the full duties of the treasurer, but he countered with an offer that included only the dues processing. The balance of the treasurer’s duties, embracing the bookkeeping, then became one of the functions of the New York office. There was speculation that this turn of events might possibly require two persons in the New York office, one supervisory, in two to three times a week, and the other an office worker in every day. The status of that individual would have to remain at a level sufficient to keep records, write checks, etc. We also had an informative and productive meeting with the director of the computer center, clarifying several items, especially the coding of address labels for a quicker processing of returns and a sorting count for the Chicago post office for maUing The NATS Bulletin. An important phase of the Bowling Green discussions was my proposal of an assistant-to-the editor. There was no opposition or approval; no official action could be taken. However, since there was no opposition, I came away from that meeting assuming that board action was just a formality. The president did pose the question, "How long are you going to continue as editor, haven’t you ever thought about quitting?" When no board letter appeared during the first week in June, once more I got on the phone to Jean Ludman and told her that to wait longer would jeopardize our advertising program for the year; even the renewal of subscriptions would suffer. I advised her that there was only one thing for me to do and that was to act as though the situation had been resolved as I had proposed it The president seemingly had no objection to Roger Scanlan, but was still on the fence about the $50.00 monthly honorarium. Well, the long-promised communication to the board arrived at the end of June, carrying the date of June 26,1973. By that time, Roger Scanlan had logged something like thirty-one hours. Jean Ludman thought that she would prefer to provide part-time assistance to me on an hourly basis rather than pay out an honorarium. In the 1970s, part-time office help in Chicago was going to $3.00 - $3.50 per hour. At that rate, Roger’s check would have been double the $50,00 monthly honorarium to which he had agreed. Turning to Board Letters Nos. 5 and 6, the president never placed my proposal before the board, or even gave it a reasonable facsimile. She dismissed it entirely with, "He has another suggestion, which I have asked him to revise." The president had never asked me for a revision. The place to have done that would have been Bowling Green. She had my proposal in hand at least a week before that meeting. Five items in Board Letters 5 and 6 were recorded in the board’s Minutes Book. The first dealt with delinquents, there were over 150 delinquents in 1972. The rule in such cases was to pay for the year of delinquency plus the current one. In 1973, that would have required a payment of $40.00. It was the desire of both the president and vice-president Gerts to induce these delinquents to return to the fold with a bargain offer. So, the board gave their unanimous approval to the required fee of $35.00 to cover both years, but without receiving the 1972 back issues of The NATS Bulletin. The next two items were intertwined with the 1973 NATSAA finals to be held at the New York Convention, December 27th. The board gave their unanimous approval to the staging of a beautiful memory, especially for the losers. They could go home and say, "I sang on the stage of Town Hall in New York." Plans called for a panel of distinguished judges, none of whom would

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be NATS members. To insure that the cost of this beautijul memory would not contribute toward a convention deficit, the president asked the board’s approval to finance this musical soiree fi’om the $1,000 Helen Coburn Heath legacy received early in 1972. The distinguished panel of judges drew a 12/5 vote, but the president received a unanimous ballot on tapping the Heath legacy. To etch this beautiful memory upon the finalists’ minds, President Ludman proposed and received the board’s unanimous approval to regiment the official dress for NATSers attending the NATS Artist Awards in Town Hall, December 27th; full evening dress for women, dinner jacket or tails for men. Back to the mundane! Ed Baird, Southwestern regional governor, at this late date, asked approval for his 1973-1974 appointment of lieutenant governors and got i t Ed Baird apologized for this lateness, but the president, in transmitting his request to the board, could not resist commenting, "He evidently forgot it." Well, well-that prompted a flashback! Here we were with Board Letters Nos. 5 and 6 carrying the date of June 26, 1973. It seemed as how President Ludman sent out a continuation of 1973’s first board letter, dated February 15th, in which she appointed the Nominating Committee in compliance with our bylaws. Then came this statement "The bylaws state that five alternates must be appointed. So far, I do not have acceptances from all of them, so wiU list them in the next installment of the board letter." Board Letters Nos. 3 and 4 were silent in this regard as were the current Nos. 5 and 6. In fact, no subsequent board letter requested any such approval. The board’s Minutes Book during the balance of Jean Ludman’s term carried no verification that promise was kept. Perhaps 1973 was one of those years where ideas, actions, etc., just seemed to hang in midair. Recall Vice-President L unkl^s redistricting proposal which received the board’s unanimous approval at the 1972 Los Angeles Convention? The vice-president had stated that such approval would make possible a realization of his plan by mid-1973. As far as official records go, supported by board member George Newton’s files, there is no mention made beyond December, 1972. [At least, Bruce Lunkley had achieved board approval in December, 1972, one step beyond that of a decade earlier when protagonist Joel Carter’s redistricting plan didn’t even get a hearing at the 1962 Los Angeles Convention.] The last item to be entered in the board’s Minutes Book under that June 26th date of Board Letters 5 and 6 was their unanimous approval of the president’s request to appoint Robert Beatey as executive secretary, to take office as of Monday, July 2,1973. During the last five years, the succession of executive secretaries, part-time and full-time, had kept the revolving door at 250 West 57th Street in constant motion. The only thread of continuity was Jean Ludman, who had been of invaluable assistance in establishing that office and who, in the time-lapses between succeeding occupants of that office, gave most generously of her time to travel several times a week from her home in Upper Montclair, New Jersey, to the New York office to sustain its activities. In essence, Jean Ludman had been NATS’ intermittent executive secretary pro-tem, since the spring of 1968. After the president’s June 26th board letters, plus the withholding of Roger’s honorarium fi'om his first month’s voucher, I decided on a troika approach in my next effort to efiiect a solution, Taylor/Coffin/Ringel. On July 10, 1973, I addressed a two-page letter to President Ludman to placate her latest objection to Roger Scanlan, wherein she stated that the requested assistant-to-the-editor assignment was not suited to a young man beginning his career. I countered with the statement that Roger had been at it for ten years and could not be so classed. Besides, he had demonstrated to me that he was interested on a long-term basis through his purchase of an electric calculator, a typewriter and a desk to set up an office in his own home. To recover such an outlay would take more than one year’s honorarium. I also quoted figures that illustrated how costly inattention had been. The NATS Bulletin income had been on the rise since 1969, peaking out, in 1971, at better than $8,000. 1972, however, reflected the inadequate attention in the New York office to non-member subscriptions, slow billing of advertising with little follow-up on delinquent accounts, etc., with that income dipping approximately $1,000 to $7,400. Other than relating facts that Roger Scanlan could do an invaluable service to NATS through increasing both non-member subscriptions and advertising sales of The NATS Bulletin, I closed out my letter to Jean Ludman with the following statements; "More than that, working with me, he becomes NATS’ safety valve, if anything happens to me, he’ll have the know-how to carry on temporarily until NATS found another editor. Besides, after being a temporary ad man all these years, I think

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that rve earned an assistant as it was intended originally in 1955." Copies of my letter to the president were forwarded to Bernard Taylor, chairman of the Editorial Board, and to Berton CofBn, also a member of the Editorial Board and Jean Ludman’s chairman of the Nominating Committee. After phone conversations with both Bert Coffin and Bee Taylor, it was decided to let Bee call Jean Ludman after she had time to digest the contents of my letter. It turned out just like Bert CofBn had predicted. What Jean Ludman opposed on one day, she is veiy likely to go along with on another. At least, for the time being, she accepted Roger Scanlan and the $50.00 honorarium. Shortly after the middle of July, George Newton, who was the general chairman of the 1974 Indianapolis Convention, wrote to me in regard to various items related to the Central Region’s chore. On July 29,1973,1 wrote him a multi-paged epistle, supported by copies of my last two letters to the president. Board Letters Nos. 5 and 6, and Bruce Lunkle/s memo to me of the Bowling Green meeting. The latter was included to provide George with the full memo, since the president had omitted the reference to the discussion of an honorarium for my proposed assistant in Chicago. George answered that communication on August 3, 1973, remarking that the president had not yet sent around copy of my July 10th letter which she had told me, over the telephone, that she would circulate. George Newton, Central Region’s voice on the Board of Directors, wondered just how much should be told Gean Greenwell, who was slated to succeed Jean Ludman in January, remarking that it would be a dirty trick to throw it at him at Christmas time. George was slated to become one of Gean Greenwell’s vice-presidents. The balance of his letter dealt with the 1974 Indianapolis Convention’s program book, advertising, etc. Roger Scanlan and I were involved. Shortly after George had written to me, he must have-been on the phone with our president, judging from his files. On August 11,1973, he wrote to the president advising her that he had called Berton CofBn and asked that his name be removed from the 1974-1976 slate. A second paragraph reveals his reaction to another part of that phone conversation. George Newton wrote: Tersonally, I am very upset at what you told me about Harvey and The NATS Bulletin, and I am most opposed to taking the word of an IRS man. I trust that some lawyer can be found who is versed in these matters to study the situation. The theory, according to your informant, is that a non-profit organization is expected to spend more (since it must hire outside help) than an organization which is refused that status. I feel it is of the utmost importance that Harvey remain as Editor, and I also feel that he should have an assistant handy who can do much of the work which was not done in the N.Y. oflBce. Keeping these goals in mind, we should work out the best deal we can, even if the two must officially resign. A person such as Harvey seems to have found can do a far better job for much less money than any hired Secretary. I know that you disagree with some of Harvey’s editorial policies, but I hope you will agree with my main premise." President Ludman wrote me a letter, dated August 15,1973, detailing the several restrictions that would affect not only me, Roger Scanlan, but also the payment of honorariums to any NATS member serving in workshop facilities, etc. She quoted what she said was the law: "In a non­ profit organization no one individual can stand to gain financially." Capsulized, that August 15th communication meant that Roger Scanlan could not be added to the list of NATSers receiving honorariums. As of January 1, 1974, NATS must employ only non-members on any sort of payroll Jean Ludman’s IRS advisor told her that I could resign as a member and continue to draw an honorarium, or continue as editor without an honorarium. Roger Scanlan was given the same either/or choice by the president Roger and I talked this over and decided that the thing to do was to resign from NATS. When I called Jean Ludman of our decision, it resulted in her hanging up without finishing the conversation. On August 28,1973, the president authored another presidential conmiunication that did not rate the board’s Minutes 5oofc-Board Letters Nos. 7 and 8. There was a good reason-ten paragraphs devoted to an editor that would not be repressed. There was much that needed sorting out in that opus. As a consequence, on September 12th, I mailed an eight-page, single-spaced letter to each member of the board, a letter that took me five days to prepare, type, machine copy, collate, staple and put in the mail. This communication, for the most part, was an in-depth explanation of all ten points raised in the president’s Board Letters 7 and 8. Evidently, the president thought that Board Letters Nos. 7 and 8 took precedence over the August 29th deadline of the October, 1973 issue of The NATS Bulletin. Ten days after that August 29th copy deadline,

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there still no copy for the "From the President" feature for page 1 of the October issue. Inasmuch as neither my letter not the president’s Board Letters Nos. 7 and 8 Qgure in the final denouement of the case of the irrepressible editor vs the president, neither one will be reproduced here. On September 14, 1973, Board Member George Newton, sent this terse message to the president, "For God’s sake, let’s stop this recrimination right here. Most of us on the board are not interested in the details of who is right here and wrong there. But we are interested in not destroying NATS. I am also sure that we are interested in making and keeping The NATS Bulletin an outstanding professional magazine. Part of that means getting it published on time. I trust that by now he has your message for the October issue and the magazine is being prepared for the printer." Vice-President Gerts reacted with a one and one-half page opus, addressed to both the president and the editor in which she exhibited understanding of the problems of getting out an issue and deadlines. She knew from experience, having worked as the editor’s assistant from 1955 to 1963. In her closing paragraph, she wrote, "I would opt for requesting Dr. Ringel to move ahead with the October and December issues, with the help of Mr. Scanlan, while we try to arrange some way in which Mr. Scanlan can be compensated without sacrificing his membership privileges." The president issued Board Letter No. 9 on September 24,1973 in which she acknowledged the receipt of both Annemarie Gerts’ and George Newton’s letters. She also mentioned that she had received a letter from the editor, which she regarded as an expression of opinion rather than an official communication, informing the board that she did not intend to respond to it officially. The only item in that board letter to get into the board’s Records Book was a request for board approval of Dr. Jay Wilkey as the new lieutenant-governor of Kentucky, replacing Dr. Richard Lin who had resigned. A fifteen vote majority approved the change. Shortly thereafter, along came Board Letter No. 10, dated October 12,1973. On October 16,1973, the president received a letter from the district director of the IRS, reporting on NATS activities for the fiscal year ending June 30,1971. NATS federal tax-exempt status continued as before. Earlier in the year, the president had advised the board that she would watch developments associated with the chapter of our disenfranchised Code of Ethics violator, whose chapter president had advised George Newton that no matter what national did, the disenfranchised one could still be a chapter member. Jean Ludman wrote that chapter president on October 16th, reviewing what had taken place in St. Louis and Los Angeles: "He is to be removed permanently from the roUs of the National Association of Teachers of Singing." Our president continued, informing the chapter that they could not have as a member anyone who is not a national member, that their disciplined member was no longer eligible to remain on the chapter roll Furthermore, the chapter was not empowered to make a local decision in this matter. Then the president called attention to Article IV, Section 4, stating that it meant the NATS Board of Directors could revoke the charter of any chapter which did not abide by the rules of the Association. She left the reluctant chapter president with the thought that, so far, this had never occurred, but it could! I talked with Ohm Pauli via Ma Bell on November 1. He told me that he had just returned from New York City where he, Jean Ludman and the incoming president, Gean Greenwell, had been working on the budget for the next fiscal period. Their plan called for a raise in New York salaries and a cutback on The NATS Bulletin. The president had not contacted me prior to that meeting as to what might be needed as a minimum just to sustain the status quo. There was another matter that concerned me more than this presidential bypass and that was the big difference in the cost of mailing the October issue of The NATS Bulletin with that of the previous May-June issue, almost a penny a copy. The current IRS code at this time defined Section 501(C)(6) as covering business leagues, chambers of commerce, real estate boards, and boards of trade. In my book, we were none of these. When I secured our Second Class non-profit mailing permit under SecUon 501(C)(6) of the IRS Code o f1954, the letter I received from the post office described that paragraph as applying to "non-profit religious, educational, scientific, agricultural, labor, veterans, or fraternal organizations or association." The next day, Sunday, November 25th, I wrote to George Newton, asking him to talk to the IRS in Indianapolis about NATS’ non-profit status and whether or not the definitions of the class under which we had received our non-profit or special mailing rates. Section 501(C)(6), had been redefined since 1954. In addition, I asked

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him to check out whether or not it was permissible for a member of a non-profit organization to received an honorarium from that organization and still retain membership in that organization. George Newton lost little time in accommodating my request. On December 8, 1973, he forwarded the following letter to the president, with carbons to both Gean and to me. "Since the Federal Building is just across the street from my studio, I decided to go over and ask some questions at IRS about the NATS status. I talked to several very nice people, including a man who deals with this sort of thing all the time. I was given a pamphlet [Pub. 557, rev. April 1973, entitled, "How to Apply for Recognition of Exemption for an Organization"]. Maybe this is old stufif to some of you, but I don’t think so when I consider the various statements I’ve heard. This is what I found. "In Chap. 6, p. 14, of this pamphlet, I found that professional associations are considered to be business leagues, which is why we are approved under Code Sec. 501(C)(6) along with Chambers of Commerce, Real &tate Boards, and Boards of Trade. Contributions are not deductible. However, in Chap. 1, pg. 5, there is a paragraph headed Separate fiind-contributions to which are deductible. Here is described what we want and should have no difficulty qualifying for. This fund would qualify for exemption as an organization described in Sec. 501(C)(3), which includes Charitable, Religious, Education, etc. organizations. "I also discovered on p. 7 of this pamphlet under the section. Sample Articles of Organization, the foUowing: No part of the net earnings of the corporation shall inure to the benefit of or be distributable to, its members, trustees, officers, or other private persons, except that the corporation shall be authorized and empowered to pay reasonable compensation for services rendered... " I was told this by the IRS man before I got home and studied the pamphlet. Certainly Harvey and his assistant would qualify under this. I trust that all this can be cleared up when we meet." That put a different complexion upon things! One could ask many questions. Certainly, the level of competency exhibited by the New York IRS office and our auditor had suddenly dropped into a gray area. The IRS pamphlet from which George Newton had quoted had been available for the asking for at least three months prior to Jean Ludman’s August 15th letter in which she stated, "This means a great change in our operations." Can you imagine her predecessor taking the word of an IRS man? It would seem that such hearsay would have prompted him to react with, "May I have a copy of the regulations so that I can make copies for my board?" Unfortunately, Jean Ludman did not take that positive step. Instead, she wrote a letter that gave evidence that everything certainly was not up-to-date in Manhattan. The president wrote one volatile letter on December 14,1973, but let us not disturb the dramatic flow of our historical journey. Let us get on with it Curtain-time for the last act, Friday, December 28th, 1973, 8:00 a.m. The Board of Directors initial session at the 1973 New York Convention was called to order by President Ludman at 9:00 a.m., Wednesday, December 26th. Unfortunately, official business had to be held in abeyance due to the lack of a quorum. As a consequence, the president announced that we would meet that evening at 10:20 p.m., with the possibility of an additional called meeting to be scheduled one-half hour after the NATSAA competition on Thursday evening. The remainder of that meeting consisted of open discussion on the following. (1) NATSAA competition and its relation to regional redistribution; (2) improvements in adjudication; (3) biennial conventions, with regional conferences in the off years; (4) office costs, etc.; (5) a membership directory for the 1974 Indianapolis Convention, to be arranged alphabetically and by regions; (6) a revision and shortening of song lists before 1974, our 30th Anniversary year; (7) IRS-a subsidiary corporation; (8) the necessity of notifying delinquent members earlier, and, (9) the convention dates for Indianapolis, 1974 were to be December 27th through the 30th. The meeting was adjourned at 12:30 p.m. The Board of Directors met in their second session at 10:30 p.m. that evening. Fourteen members in addition to the president, were present. Only Paul Peterson and Florence Russell, neither one of whom ever made it, and Ruth Stewart who made it to the board’s Thursday a.m. meeting, were absent Gean, the incoming president was the only occupant in the observer’s box. After calling the meeting to order, the president distributed the formal examination report of our 1970-1971 accounts from the IRS. The subject of the president’s December 14th letter had raised questions in regard to the initial submission of my official report for fiscal 1972-1973. It had included what had transpired during that period. "Quiz Cove," "Echo" and "Interdisciplinary Information" had disappeared fi-om The NATS Bulletin as of October, 1972. It had been a mixed

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bag for "Music Review" and "Bookshelf." Hadley Crawford and Walter Stults had been retired as of December, 1972. Both had received ornamental scrolls at NATS’ 1972 Los Angeles (Beverly Hills) Convention. Since "Bookshelf had not appeared in either the October or December issues of The NATS Bulletin, Walter had nothing to report. Retiree Crawford only had a half-year to report, while his successor prepared no copy for the February-March 1973 issue. V ^y call attention to that shortfall? Richard Sjoerdsma had only reviewed two books. Barbara Kinsey was the only associate editor who was in a position to make a report for the fiscal period. Because there was so little to report, I included the problem that had confronted The N ATS Bulletin since early spring. The president refused to include my report with others because it included information that she judged members were not privileged to hear. Although I disagreed with her premise, I sent on a revised report to the national office, as requested. Besides at this point in time, it no longer mattered. When the president brought my report before the board to question its acceptability, I told the board that the revised report had been sent to the national office as she had req u est^. After some discussion, the board voted to accept the revised report, subject to their final approval after they had seen it. Then I recommended that Assistant Editor Walter Martin become the associate editor in charge of "Music Review," replacing Jessie Perry, who was to become a vice-presidenL No action was taken. Following a discussion of the assistant-to-the editor post, the meeting was adjourned at 11:55 p.m. At 8:00 a.m., Thursday, December 27th, President Ludman called the third session of the board to order. The day’s first action was the president’s appointment of three committees-Audit, Resolutions and Reading--to report at the annual business meeting, 11:00 a.m., Friday, December 28th. The president then read a progress report from Hubert Kockritz, chairman of the Bicentennial Committee. The chairman indicated to the board that the committee should be enlarged, but no action was taken at this time. Your historian moved and Joel Ebersole seconded that the board accept the petitions from seven regional governors for underwriting one-half of the round-trip feres from the home base of their NATSAA contestants to New York, to appear in the finals at the convention. It may be recalled that a Ringel/Redding motion at the 1972 Los Angeles (Beverly Hills) Convention had been given unanimous board approval whereby the National Association offered to match whatever a region raised, but not in excess of 50% of the air coach fare to ease the travel costs for regional winners. The board gave their unanimous approval to two Lunkley/Trump motions: (1) that a charter be granted to a new chapter in Tampa, Florida; and (2) that the North Central Ohio Chapter be allowed to change its name to the Buckeye Chapter, embracing all of Ohio. Vice-President Lunkley reported that there was a good possibility of forming chapters in Idaho, Western Illinois, Wisconsin, and Northern Louisiana. He also stated that the Washington, D.C. Chapter was now defunct and that the Gold Coast Chapter, West Palm Beach, Florida, had returned its charter. The vice-president than presented Guidelines for the distribution of the Regional Discretionary Fund, announcing that incoming Vice-President Jessie Perry would be taking over as of the first of the year since he was now completing his second term as a vice-president. A Ringel/Stark motion that his Guidelines be adopted received the board’s unanimous approval. The meeting was adjourned at 9:00 a.m. It may be recalled that at the board’s first day, non-quorum meeting, the president spoke of the possibility of an added meeting one-half hour after the NATSAA finals, Thursday evening, December 27th. Well, here we were for the board’s fourth session; the president called it to order at 11:00 p.m. A Lunkley/Stark motion that a charter be granted a Nebraska Chapter was given the board’s unanimous approval. Then followed a Ringel/McELrath motion that a charter be granted a Wisconsin Chapter, also unanimously approved by the board. A report on the four 1973 workshops by Vice-President Hoban followed, receiving the plaudits of the board in the way he was handling the workshops, always in the black. A closer look revealed that, during the Ludman administration, the emphasis on staying in the black produced declining enrollments. When one compares the 1973 totals with those of 1971, the last year of the Trump administration, one discovers a 19% decline in attendance accompanied by an almost 34% decline in the workshop balance at the close of 1973. It would seem that a far better criterion in evaluating the success of our workshops would be increased member attendance rather than dollars in the bank. Declining enrollments in successive years ought to signal that it’s time for a change.

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Right before our midnight adjournment, a Ringel/Ebersole motion to name Walter Martin as an associate editor of The NATS Bulletin in charge of "Music Review" for a two-year term was given the board’s majority vote. Walter Martin succeeded Jessie Perry, who had served but one calendar year. The fifth session of the Board of Directors was called to order by President Ludman at 8:00 a.m. Friday, December 28, 1973. The curtain rose quickly and silently upon the last act. Your historian, then editor of The NATS Bulletin, spoke first, presenting the magazine’s budget for fiscal 1974-1975. At that point. President Ludman turned the meeting over to Vice-President Lunkley, stating that she was leaving the meeting to make inquiry regarding my revised reports. As the door closed, Bruce Lunkley turned the meeting over to incoming President Gean Greenwell and to Treasurer Pauli for the presentation of the proposed budget for fiscal 19741975. In uninterrupted succession, the board gave their unanimous approval to the next four items: (1) Bruce Lunkley moved and Joel Ebersole seconded that the budget for fiscal 1975 be adopted as discussed and revised; (2) George Newton moved and Joel Ebersole seconded that Exhibit B of the budget for The NATS Bulletin [this dealt with expenditures for the office of assistant-to-the editor] be accepted as presented, with the office of the assistant-to-the-editor being appointed for a two-year term; (3) George Newton moved and Hugh McElrath seconded that the board accept the appointment of Roger Scanlan as assistant-to-the editor for a two-year term; and (4) Glen Lockery moved and George Newton seconded that Roger be paid back pay in the amount agreed upon and for the remainder of the current fiscal year, the money for his honorarium to come out of The NATS Bulletin funds. Thus the inevitable was expeditiously resolved without embarrassment to our president. The Annual Business Meeting was called to order by President Ludman, Friday, December 28,1973 at 11:12 a.m. The initial report was that of our president. It will not be summarized here inasmuch, most of the content of the president’s "State of NATS" address is given over to the public expression of gratitude to the various members of her team. Besides, the meat of the president’s accomplishments is reflected in the condensed area reports of the eight national officers serving under her, especially the President’s Advisory Council. However, anyone desiring to read the president’s report may do so by turning to page 45 of the February-March 1974 issue of The NATS Bulletin. Since 1973 was an election year and since there was no special business to come before the convention assembled, we will leapfrog all the routine reports and go to the main event-the election of officers for the 1974-1976 biennium. At that point, the president called upon Berton Coffin, chairman of the Nominating Committee, for his report. Other members of the committee were: Victor Fields, Walter R. Hinds, Jessie M. Perry and Kay Shanahan. Due to space limitations, the listing that follows incorporates incumbents with those standing for election. It should be noted that two members of the Nominating Committee were slated to hold important posts in the next administration: Jessie M. Perry, as vice-president in charge of field activities and the Discretionary Fund, and Walter Hinds as editor of Inter Nos. [♦ Denotes members of the president’s Advisory CouncU. (R) = reelected] Board of Directors National Officers President: Gean Greenwell (new). Vice-Presidents: Annemarie Gerts* (R), Stanley Hoban* (R), Jessie May Perry* (new), Kenneth Pennington* (new). Secretary: Margret Kommel* (R). Treasurer: Ohm Pauli* (R). Editor, The NATS Bulletin: Harvey Ringel. Past-President: Jean Ludman. Reg^nal Directors California-Western: Florence Mildred Russell. Central: George Newton. Eastern: Mary Wolfinan. Northern: Herald Stark (R). Northwestern: Glen R. Lockery (R), Southeastern: Harvey L Woodruff (new). Southern: Hugh McElrath. Southwestern: Ruth Stewart. Director-at-Large: Joel Ebersol.

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Regional Governors California-Western: Gwendolyn Roberts (new). Central: Irvin Bushman (new). Eastern: Earl Rogers (R). Northern: Wesley Abbott (R). Northwestern: Lee M. Wicker (R), Southeastern: Geraldine Cate (R). Southern: Robert D. LaPella (new). Southwestern: Vernon Yenne (new). There would be only four new faces among the eighteen-member Board of Directors for the 1974-1976 biennium: Harvey L. Woodruff, among the Regional Directors, and Kenneth Pennington, Jessie Mae Perry and Gean Greenwell among the national officers. However, the last named had been on a two-year parliamentary enforced leave, just getting his second wind, after having served a four-year stint as vice-president in charge of NATSAA under Presidents Coffin and Trump. Three others on the slate would move up the ladder when Bruce Lunkley succeeded Gean Greenwell in 1976-all would become vice-presidents: Mary Wolfman, Geraldine S. Cate and Irvin Bushman. A fourth would follow in 1978: Gwendolyn Roberts, emerging as the vicepresident in charge of NATSAA. Irv Bushman, in 1979, would succeed Bruce in the presidency. Greenwell had quite a team-one that would have a sustained impact on NATS in the fourth decade. Back to the voting! After a unanimous chorus of ayes signified the convention assembled’s acceptance of the slate, President Ludman called Hubert Kockritz to the platform to conduct the installation ceremonies. Gean Greenwell’s administration was the second to be so installed. It may be recalled that this ceremony had been authored by Mary Wolfman for Jean Ludman’s installation at the 1971 St. Louis Convention. At the conclusion of the ceremony, Gean Greenwell spoke of plans for the coming biennium, challenging his colleagues to do a job, saying: "And I will not hesitate to ask any officer in this organization who is not doing a job to resign to make way for someone who will." After pitches for the 1974 Indianapolis Convention, the passing of the gavel ceremony, which was instituted by Walter AllQn Stults at the 1951 Chicago convention, took place. Jean Ludman’s presentation remarks were, "I present this to you as Karl Trump said, with very good wishes, but also with a bushel of headaches." The meeting was adjourned sine die at 12:30 p.m. The board’s last session during the New York Convention was called to order by President Ludman, Saturday, December 29, 1973 at 8:00 a.m. Three items requiring board action were given unanimous approval: (1) that the board allow the president sufficient funds for the purpose of exploring and establishing a subsidiary foundation; (2) that Dr. Benjamin Middaugh be approved as Alabama’s new Ueutenant-govemor; (3) that the staff of The NATS Bulletin be approved on a two-year basis to coincide with the fiscal year. There followed a discussion regarding committees, also that it might be wise to put NATS historical matters on microfilm. The final action was a motion by your historian, seconded by Joel Ebersole, that a committee be established to explore the idea of biennial conventions, beginning in 1976, and, if necessary, to have the 1975 election by mail ballot, ofiering two slates from which to choose. The meeting adjourned at 9:15 a.m. In Vice-President Lunkley, NATS had a triple threat field general for four years: editor of Inter Nos, administrator of the Regional Discretionary Fund and Chapter Coordinator. In a caretaker administration, he epitomized the vitality of the NATS that was to be. Bruce Lunkley listed some twenty-five chapters that had shown sustained activity down through the years, twelve who had come into being during his four-year incumbency, three who made it back to an active role, and four who no longer showed signs of life. Then there were two chapters, Oklahoma and New Jersey, not included in his listings under his report as vice-president for chapters, but who received grants from the Discretionary Fund. Simple arithmetic reveals that there were some thirty-eight active chapters. As the year wound down, Vice-President Lunkley was expecting applications for charters from Eastern Tennessee, North Carolina, and Western Illinois. The vicepresident credited this substantial growth to the wonderful support of most regional governors, a very strong effort at the national level, the increased coverage and support through Inter Nos and the financial assistance from the Regional Discretionary Fund. At convention time, however, only fifty percent of the available funds for fiscal 1973-1974 had been obligated~two grants had gone to regions to enrich their conference programs, nine others to chapters, with two in process.

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There still was approxiinately $2,500 in the kitty available up to June 30,1974. Thus fa there had been fewer grants than had been requested in 1972. tn take Although Article ^ Section 2 of the NATS bylaws, revised as Nov"mb"r effect with the Ludraan administration, provided for a Council of Past-Presi , evidence that they were active during her administration-nothing in the require an p Her predecessor made a report in 1972 as the past-president, but did not make sue a rep 1973. The Ludman biennium’s membership count did not quite balance out the losses from deaths, resignations, and those dropped for non-payment of dues despite heroic efforts of Vice-Presi en Annemarie Gerts. The membership count at the time of the raise in dues was 2,581. That gure dropped with fiscal 1972, a drop attributed primarily to the raise in dues, a bugaboo that ha loomed large as a deterrent to NATS growth through three decades. More than one president toughed it out, curtailing services and/or tolerating deficit budgets rather than face a loss in membership through a raise in dues. Not so-Karl Trump! Jean Ludman’s predecessor knew that it would be wiser to go forward with those who were willing to invest $1.67 a month in a revitalized NATS with increased services to its members. How right he was! The membership count at the close of fiscal 1973 was 2,575, sbc less than at the end of fiscal 1971, but NATs was fiscally healthy. Within the Ludman biennium, our income jumped almost 44% with an approximate 25% increase in expenses. The membership may have seemed at a standstill, but thanks to President Jean Ludman’s caretaker administration, our fiscal health had never been better. Our corporate equity at the end of fiscal 1973 stood at $54,679.55, a gain of $24,129.05 over that of 1971-approximately an 84% increase. To be sure, Karl Trump’s foresight and Jean Ludman’s firugality provided the presidents of the fourth decade with the wherewithal to explore and provide additional services to its members and the profession. iTie Computer Center at Western Kentucky University had performed the following services for NATS without charge, but NATS did make a substantial donation to their scholarship fund: (1) punched and coded IBM cards for each NATS member; (2) prepared a similar file on library and non-member subscriptions to The NATS Bulletin; (3) programmed a method of preparing a zone-count for Cook County, Illinois, mailings-a time-saver for The NATS Bulletin mailings; provided monthly updating of address changes, additions and deletions of members; (5) transferred the membership card file to magnetic tape on which the entire operation then was maintained; and (6) provided numerous sets of mailing labels and print-outs for official NATS mailings. Our new executive secretary, Robert Beatey, in reporting on his half-year (JulyDecember) tenure, expressed the opinion that much of the work done by hand in the New York office could be handled better by the Kentucky computers. At the time of his report, he was exploring ways that the computers could aid in the collection of the 1974 dues. Robert Beatey, who became NATS executive secretary as of July 2, 1973, reported on the period from July through December, calling attention to the fact that when he came into the office, there was no executive secretary. In many instances, he had to learn by doing. He acknowledge the invaluable assistance of President Jean Ludman. He analyzed his job as one of records keeping, knowing the whereabouts and status of all members, and coordinating the work of the various officers. He echoed Martha Baxter’s description of the short-falls of a one-person office, all tasks had to be performed by that one person. If one had to call at the post office to pick up an undeUverable package, that person would have to leave the office unattended to do so. While that person was away, another package could arrive at the door, and consequently turn into another package that had to be picked up at the post office. Wasted time was unavoidable He summed up his duties saying: "Answering mail and telephone inquiries takes up half the day' maintaining records and files and serving as Uaison for officers and members takes up the othw half." Vice-President Stanley Hoban reported on four workshops in 1973- (1) College o f St atherine, SL Paul, Minnesota, with an attendance of 109, (2) Eastern New Mexico with an attendance of 32; (3) Umversity of Idaho, Moscow, with an attendance of 77; and (4) Eastern Michigan University, YpsUanti, with an attendance of 59. The attendance at the four workshoDs totaled 277-five less than 1972, but there were only three shops then. The amount in the workshop fund had dropped from $3,169.96 in 1972, to $2,633.08 in 1973, a decline o f almost 17%. comparing the last years under both admimstrations reveals that Vice President Hoban’s

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workshops were in a down cycle during the Ludman years, attendance dropping from a total registration of 342 in 1971, a three workshop year, to 277 in 1973, a four worfehop year. During that time, the Workshop Fund experienced a decline of almost 34%. Perhaps Vice President Hoban should have taken a leaf from Karl Trump’s book and upped his tuition charges, not by two-thirds, but by half that much, or even just one-fourth. What was important was to take a bold step forward, raise the fees and engage big names to interest and benefit NATS members as well as potential members. Earl Redding’s 1972 report as the vice-president in charge of NATSAA and Educational Policies was limited to two paragraphs: An eight-line seconding an idea advanced by Gean Greenwell, his predecessor, and even a shorter one that advised members of the formation of an educational policy committee that would meet at the 1972 Los Angeles (Beverly Hills) Convention to "generate concepts and promulgate objectives for such a program." That meeting took place December 29,1972. Your historian incorporated the report of that meeting, which was the entire substance of his 1973 annual report, as an historical happening during President Ludman’s first year. Seemingly there was no output for 1973. At least, the vice-president didn’t write about it. But, there was quite an exciting assortment of six sopranos, a tenor and a bass, who gave much pleasure to a member-packed Starlight Roof, Thursday night, December 27, 1973. Earl Redding could have told us about the regionals that led up to the 1973 finals, but he did n o t One of the country’s most prestigious hotels, New York City’s Waldorf-Astoria was the scene of our 1973 National Convention, Wednesday, December 26th through Saturday, December 30th. The 1973 room rates and convention fees seem unbelievable; singles for $16.00; doubles for $24.00; triples for $32.00-registration, members for $10.00 and their spouses for $5.00; non­ members, $12.00; students, $5.00, and the formal banquet, $15.00. Once more, Bernard Taylor-’s English version of Schubert’s "An die Musik" sung by the assembled convention opened our aimual meeting at 2:30 p.m., Wednesday, December 26th. That evening a packed Starlight Roof was thoroughly delighted by our 1972 NATSAA winner, Linda Zoghby, soprano, supported by the exceptional accompaniment of Robert K. Evans. A much larger audience than anticipated made it in wavelike motions from the recital to the nearby Gold Room for a very happy reception sponsored by the New York Singing Teachers Association. Thursday’s highlights included Dorothy Uris, author of To Sing in English; a demonstration of the Alexander Technique; the NATSAA finals-not the president’s June 26th proposed evening of a beautiful memory in Town Hall which won the board’s unanimous approval~but a memorable evening with a wall-to-wall audience in the Waldorfs magnificent Starlight Roof Ballroom. All eight regions were represented by equally talented singers. The winners were: (1) Margaret Eaves, soprano, (2) Phyllis Falletta, coloratura soprano, and (3) Barbara Honn, dramatic soprano. The remaining contestants were: Ruth Dopson, soprano; Larry Frazier, bass; Daisey Newman, soprano; Janet Payne, soprano; and Curtis Rayam, Jr., tenor. Early morning, Friday, the 28th, a Scientific Symposium preceded the annual business meeting. That afternoon started off with a panel discussion, entitled "The Singer’s Solo Recital: Can It Be Restored?" There followed an enjoyable "Rehearse-In," a do-it-yourself Faure’s Requiem with Elisabeth Spiewak and Robert Grooters as soloists. Members had been advised via our publications to pack their copies of the Requiem. Friday evening, December 28th, was our formal banquet. Those in attendance will recaU Francis Robinson’s alternately moving and amusing address entitled "The Day the Opera Stopped," his delineation of the tragic on-stage death of Leonard Warren. Robinson’s address also told of Caniso’s illness at his final performance and of the collapse of Martinelli during a matinee. Francis Robinson was the assistant manager of the Metropolitan Opera Company at the time of our 1973 New York Convention, the only top-level holdover from the Bing regime. Our gala evening closed with a program of non-operatic music presented by a quartet, organized by John Gutman, for twenty-two years Rudolph Bing’s assistant at the Met. The closing sessions, Saturday, December 29th, were given over to opera; (1) Opera for the Blind; (2) Opera as a Chapter Activity, and (3) Opera on the Campus. Following the traditional "Auld Lang Syne" and lunch, a hundred NATSers, who had previously reserved tickets, went on to a Saturday matinee of Puccini’s Manon Lescaut at the Met. Only in New York City could a NATS convention crescendo to such a memorable cadence. Kudos to Maestro Mary Wolfman and her thirty-six piece ensemble! Next year, the Crossroads of America-Indianapolis. The dates were moved ahead to December 27th, closing on the 30th.

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NATS BOARD OF DIRECTORS, National Convention, Philadelphia, 1976. L to R; Seated, Irvin Bushm an, Harvey Ringel, Geraldine Cate, Kenneth Pennington, Bruce Lunkley, Mary Wolfman, Margret Kom m el, Ohm Pauli. Second Row; John Ramsaur, Mary A. Fall, Ruth Stewart, Gwendolyn Roberts, Katharine H ansel, Elva Cowan, Robert LaPella, John Burgin, Robert Gartside. Third Row: James Browning, Joel Ebersole, Isaac Reid, John Muschick, Marion Hall, Vernon Yenne, Harvey Woodruff, Gean Greenwell, H ugh McElrath.

SIX The More Recent Past Gean Greenwell PRESIDENT

1974-1976 President Greenwell’s Board Letter No. 1 carried the salutation, "Happy Valentine’s Day." His letter bore the date of February 14, 1974. The first forty-four days of 1974 were a period of gestation. As president-elect, Gean Greenwell had been an observer at the recent convention’s board meetings. He needed time to sort out the several ideas advanced during those sessions, remarking in his February 14th communique: "If we adopt all of the ideas proposed.. . we will have a much changed organization." His refiner's fire was the two-day session in Chicago, February 1st and 2nd, with the President’s Advisory Council. The editor of The NATS Bulletin and the newly appointed editor of Inter Nos were invited to sit in as questions concerning both publications were on the agenda. In a day-and-a-half, every word of the bylaws was read aloud, identifying those sections that needed changing and their revisions written o u t The relationship and scope of both The NATS Bulletin and Inter Nos were considered, as were redistricting and the problems of NATSAA. In fact, few areas escaped perusal. The Valentine Day’s board letter was only a partial report on the Advisory Council’s Chicago ruminations, there was just too much to digest. Besides, the president wanted replies by February 28th. The focus of Board Letter No. 1 was redistricting, a subject that had been in limbo since the 1972 convention where the Board of Directors had approved unanimously Bruce Lunkley’s thirteen region plan-it only needed the mail vote of the membership to change the bylaws. No move toward implementation took place during 1973. In New York, no action was taken officially, but there was considerable discussion of NATSAA in relation to redistricting. Now it appeared that redistricting was the key to a smoother operation at the grass roots. Part of the Lunkley committee report at the 1972 convention recommended changing the current Board of Directors to a Board of Governors, composed of the regional governors. Seven years earlier, Gean Greenwell had proposed such an idea at the 1965 Chicago convention, during discussions of proposed 1966 revisions. The thinking behind that idea was that the regional governor was the person who knew most about the regions and, therefore, could vote more knowingly than a regional director. After considering all the pros and cons, the President’s Advisory Council recommended going with a Board of Governors. Consequently, all suggested revisions of the bylaws reflected their thinking. The February 28th deadline for the return of Board Letter No. I ’s answer sheet arrived, but too few had been returned to enable the president to give his board any sort of a summarization in regard to the twenty-four items. All Gean Greenwell could write was that the unanimity of their responses had surprised him. As a consequence, Board Letter No. 2, dated February 28th, was but a page-it carried a March 11th deadline. Even five days later, there were still four regional directors who had failed to send in their ballots on considerations that could change the whole basic structure of NATS. Two of the four finally returned their Board Letter No. 1 ballot in time for the president’s summary in Board Letter No. 4, dated April 1, 1974~their ballots changed nothing! Even though the outcome of the balloting was favorable for twenty-two of the twenty-four items presented in Board Letter No. 1, there were some qualifying remarks that accompanied the balloting that prompted Gean Greenwell to relinquish his original plans to notify the membership of the proposed mail vote in the April Inter Nos, to be followed by the ballot in the May-June issue of The NATS Bulletin. So, he opted to transfer all that to the September Inter Nos and the October issue of The NATS Bulletin. Two of the approved items caused Gean Greenwell concern; The use of the appellation. Board of Governors, and the proper

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custody of our official seal. The president’s telephone conversation with a man in the Corporations Office in Illinois had advised him that the title, Board of Governors, could not be used. The president was not about to act upon such evidence and asked that a copy of the Notfor-Profit Corporation Act be sent to him. Reading it through, after a two-and-one-half week wait for the mailed copy to reach him, the president found nothing that would hold up any of our proposed bylaws changes. The telephone information from the man in the Illinois Corporations OflSce had been in error. Since the complete summary of Board Letter No. 1 did not come until Board Letter No. 4, April 1,1974, a composite summary of all items of national interest, subject to balloting in Board Letters Nos. 2 and 3, will be included in this paragraph. The board gave a majority vote to change over to a Board of Governors, as well as to formulate the necessary changes in our bylaws to implement; (a) a change over fi-om annual conventions to biennial ones immediately after the 1974 convention, and (b) a change in the number of regions. Majority votes also were cast for the election of officers by a mail vote. The rejection of waiting until 1977 to start biennial conventions and also the proposed one-year extension of the terms of incumbents to make elections fall in 1976 created a situation that would be unique-the next administration would be elected by mail vote and would take over as of January 1,1976, without benefit of ceremony. The board also rejected the proposal that there be two complete slates presented to the membership. Eight other items, deaUng with national office functions and membership were given board approval. Another item provided for annual board meetings with the advent of biennial conventions. Walter Hinds was approved as the new editor of Inter Nos and Bruce Lunkley was to continue as chairman of the Redistricting Committee, empowered to complete his own committee. The president was on a roll. His seven-paged board letter closed with the promise that No. 2 would follow within ten days. That schedule was not kept, Board Letter No. 2 bore the date of February 28th. Only one item tied into the Advisory Committee’s Chicago deliberations-that of replacing The NATS Bulletin budget, passed at the New York Convention, with a more practical approach which President Greenwell had asked me, in Chicago, to present to the Advisory Council. It passed with a 16/1 vote. Two other items were given unanimous approval Only one will be recorded here. The president had asked that Stanley J. Hoban be designated to act in his place should he be incapacitated or out of the country. Board Letter No. 3, March 11, 1974, carried one item that would affect our 1974 NATSAA. By a 15/2 vote, the board voted to offer two prizes: a first prize of $2,000 and a second of $1,000. Each region was expected to pay at least one-half of the transportation of its winner to the finals. Nothing would be forthcoming fi’om the national treasury. Board Letter No. 4, April 1,1974, which carried the tabulation of the board’s voting on the first three board letters, also included several items on which the president sought advice. Board Letter No. 5, May 3,1974, revealed that only four board members had bothered to respond to the president’s April 1st letter. Gean Greenwell wrote that, between letters, he had made a trip to New York and, with Jim Browning’s help, had found a lawyer who would go ahead with setting up a subsidiary corporation, an idea that had lain dormant since the Coffin administration. The November, 1971 revision of the bylaws had provided a new statement of purpose. It appeared that Jean Ludman was setting the stage for such an approach to the IRS in the first months of her administration when she assembled all NATS’ critical papers in the New Y ork office but, with that mission accomplished, she announced that no approach to IRS would be made at that time. The idea got a shot in the arm when George Newton obtained a copy of the IRS Publication No. 557, revised April, 1973, and discovered that NATS could establish a separate fund, to which contributions were tax deductible (December, 1973). George had advised President-Elect Greenwell of his discovery. So the wheels were put in motion at the New Y ork Convention. At the board’s last meeting, they voted to allow the president sufficient funds for the purpose of exploring and establishing a subsidiary foundation. Gean Greenwell had lost no time and we were in the final phase of initiating what Berton Coffin’s board had turned down, even after he had paid all the investigative fees out of his own pocket. Board Letter No. 4 also had reported a controversy over membership requirements between John Burgin and Vice-President Gerts, in charge of membership. Since the president’s request for advice in this matter practically had been ignored in No. 4, he focused Board Letter No. 5 on this controversy with an either/or choice, requiring a vole. A majority vote sustained the idea that our

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Admissions Policy should remain flexible enough so that any teacher of singing could be admitted. VicePresident Gerts had wanted more specific qualifica­ tions than were contained in the bylaws at this time. Other items reported in Board Letter No. 5 includ­ ed: (1) an unanimous vote for Ralph Appelman’s request to establish an Indiana University Chapter of NATS-a timely assist for the 25th Anniversary Workshop at Bloomington as well as for our 30th Anniversary Convention in Indianapolis; and (2) a majority vote on Bruce Lunkle/s committee report to regroup NATS into thirteen regions. That was the second time around for Bruce. At the 1972 Los Angeles Convention, the board had given its unani­ mous approval to the thirteen regions, pending a mail vote. But, it all had its genesis in the 1960s. Joel Carter had been given an unanimous ballot for his plan of redistricting at the 1961 Boston ConvenGEAN GREENWELL tion with finalization scheduled for Los Angeles, 1962. Now, it appeared that the efforts of both Joel Carter and Berton Coffin were about to be realized in 1974. Board Letter No. 6, May 11,1974, in effect, was a coercive effort to obtain answers to the remaining questions raised in Board Letter No. 4. The president wrote: "Still no more than four of you have responded to Board Letter No. 4. I guess the only way to get replies is by asking for votes, so let’s clean up No. 4 right now." The board’s Minutes Book recorded that the board voted unanimously to retain its name. Board of Directors. Unanimous ballots also approved: (1) a check signing procedure at the national level; (2) that Philadelphia be chosen as the site of the 1976 convention; and (3) that both the treasurer and the secretary be elected to three-year terms with the restriction that they may not succeed themselves more than once. There were two other items that were given marginal approval by the board but, because of mixed reactions to their provisions, did not show up in the bylaws submitted to the membership: That no member be elected to any NATS office after his 69th birthday, and that the editor of The NATS Bulletin be elected for a two-year term, with subsequent elections limited to four-a limited tenure of ten years. In Board Letter No. 7, May 29, 1974, Gean Greenwell v^rote: "June is a cornin’ in.. . Now let’s get into the last roundup." The president advised board members that the deadline for the September Inter Nos was July 26th. Inter Nos had to go into the mails one week earlier than usual to comply with the requirements of our bylaws. The board passed four items that would define a way of life for NATS far into the foreseeable future, namely: (1) that the name of our new foundation shall be National Association of Teachers of Singing Foundation; (2) that the signers of the Certificate of Incorporation shall be Berton Coffin, Jean Ludman and Gean Greenwell; (3) that the initial directors shall be Berton Coffin, Karl Trump, Jean Ludman and Gean Greenwell; and (4) that the president of NATS shall be elected for a term of three years and may not succeed himself. Board Letters Nos. 8 and 9, dated June 9th and June 26th, respectively, all six pages, comprised the final go at preparing the revised bylaws for publication in the September Inter Nos. Board Letter No. 10, June 28th, 1974, carried revisions of wording due to oversights in preparing copy for the printer. There were three other items that were given majority votes by the board, namely: that David F. Greedy replace Wes Abbott as the governor of the Northern Region until election time; that Harvey Ringel replace Jean Ludman as a signatory to the Articles of Incorporation for the NATS Foundation, and serve as an initial director, because Jean Ludman refused to do so since she disapproved of our move to a foundation; and that Dorothy E. Symonds be named to the Music Review Board of The NATS Bulletin. Starting with Board Letter No. 11, July 12,1974, President Greenwell sent board letters to the regional governors as well, in order to acquaint them with NATS problems and their solutions when the time came for the anticipated revision of the board as of January 1,1975. He wrote: "I do not anticipate any trouble in getting the proposed bylaws revisions accepted by the

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membership vote." The only thing that the regional governors could not do during the getacquainted period was to vote. However, the president wanted to get their input on all proposed actions during the final months before convention-time, 1974. He sent copies of the proposed new bylaws to the board for a final read-through. He advised them that he was leaving for the Maryland workshop, Sunday, July 14th and that he was sending on a copy to Walter Hinds, editor of Inter Nos before he left. Any necessary changes could be made in the proof copy. There was one other item, the president had just received a request from executive secretary Robert Beatey that he be given a 10% cost-of-living increase in salary. Board Letter No. 12, August 2,1974, was an informational letter for the most part. A letter fi-om Don Malin, representing the Music Publishers Association urged NATS to support its stand against the use of xeroxed material in our auditions and meetings when that material is under copyright protection. The board’s vote was mixed: Yes, 9; No, 5; Abstained, 3. Gean Greenwell advised the board that he was leaving on August 4th for Bloomington, Indiana, where he expected to meet with most of his Advisory Council. Among other things, the matter of Robert Beatey’s request for a cost-of-living increase would be dealt with. On August 10, 1974, after returning from Bloomington, the president wrote Robert Beatey. The letter’s opening paragraph capsulized all that had taken place. He wrote; "As matters turned out in Bloomington, you would have been better off had you not made a request for a raise. By the time the board was finished discussing your request, you were out of a job.., Therefore, I am truly sorry to have to tell you that this letter is notification that your services will not be needed after August 25, 1974." Board Letter No. 14, August 17,1974, required a board vote only on the appointment of Noni Espina as an assistant editor of "Music Review" and the board cast an unanimous ballot. Board Letter No. 15, August 23,1974, brought a mix of matters to board members for their perusal-the letter to Robert Beatey, James Browning’s appointment letter, and the only voting matter, the Certificate of Incorporation of the Foundation. The president asked the board to read it carefiilly, advising them that most of the stated purposes had been taken from the document drawn up by the lawyers when Berton Coffin had his go at a foundation. The remainder of the document was mainly stipulations required by the IRS. They approved the Certificate by a 15/2 vole. The president’s "From the Top" column in the September, 1974 issue of Inter Nos defined and/or classified the proposed changes in the bylaws from their last revision of November 1,1971. The next eight pages of that issue carried the 1974 revisions, side-by-side, with the 1971 revision to facilitate comparisons. What had started out as minor surgery had become a major operation. Gean Greenwell described it thusly: "Changing the bylaws is akin to eating just one potato chip. One changed section led to another until almost every section of the old bylaws was changed to some degree." A no-postage-required postal card ballot was inserted in the October issue of The NATS Bulletin to encourage returns. President Greenwell had written in Board Letter No. 15, August 23,1974, "When I finish with this page, I am not going to type another letter to you for two weeks. I have had it for awhile." Well, two weeks stretched into seven! Board Letter No. 16, October 8, 1974, after a brief apology, went on to say: "Now we have work to do, and not much time in which to do it. So, please roll up your sleeves." The president reported that word from our lawyer for the Foundation indicated that there was the possibility of having it in operation by convention time. Also that University Microfilms, the Xerox Company that had been putting The NATS Bulletin on microfilm, had asked for the privilege of doing the same with Inter Nos. In the change-over to thirteen regions, the president called attention to problems in two areas that needed solution prior to the Indianapolis Convention: regional governors and NATSAA. The most pressing problem was to work out a complete roster of regional governors. While there were many ramifications to be explored in regard to NATSAA, the first decision that needed to be made was the matter of keeping or dropping the annual contest. If NATSAA for 1975 were dropped, then the newly created regions would have a chance to work out methods of operating within its guidelines. TTie board’s Minutes Book recorded the board’s approval: (1) that current board members should remain in office until the end of their respective terms, and (2) that Mary Wolfrnan, Harvey Woodruff, and Ruth Stewart should be offered the regional governor positions, respectively, in the three new regions, New England, Southeastern and Texoma. The president

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had asked for a vote on one other item--that the new bylaws, if adopted, should be reprinted officially in the January Inter Nos. The board gave his request a majority ballot. Board Letter No. 17, October 22, ly?4, carried the president’s congratulations on the board’s seven-day return of a quorum vote--the first time since the Greenwell team took over. In the same time span in the Ludman administration, the board had only eight board letters requiring their attention. Unfortunately, President Greenwell’s typing and his attempt to make up for five week lost time caused him to fall into error, thus necessitating correctional balloting on some items in Board Letter No. 16. As a consequence, Mary Wolfman became the governor of the newly created New England Region; John Ramsaur, the lieutenant governor for Georgia, became the governor of the Southeastern Region which now embraced Georgia. Harvey Woodruff could not become the governor of Southeastern because he lived in North Carolina, now a part of the newly created Mid-Atlantic Region, but Gerry Cate, also a North Carolina resident, inherited the governorship of that region since she was the incumbent governor of the old Southeastern Region which had included North Carolina. Harvey Woodruff had the choice of resigning as of December 31,1974, or remaining on the board until the end of his elected term as a member-atlarge. He chose the latter. The board also approved the establishment of the Northeast Louisiana Chapter. With the advent of the Greenwell administration, there seemed to be an urgency for change, a change to accommodate the lowering average age of NATS members. It is not known if this precipitated the decision of Bernard Taylor to step down as chairman of the Editorial Board of The NATS Bulletin or not. He had been appointed in 1956 by E. Clifford Toren, his successor in the presidency, to relieve the newly appointed editor of some of the responsibilities confronting him. Eighteen years had passed since that day. As I looked over our magazine’s staff, I was the only one left. Truly, a change had come over The NATS Bulletin as well as NATS-the old order changeth! Berton Coffin accepted my request that he succeed Bee Taylor as chairman of the Editorial Board and just missed a unanimous ballot by one abstention. In the interim between Board Letters No. 17, October 22nd, and No. 18, November 13th, the president had spent a couple days in New York, Room 2129, 250 West 57th St., working with treasurer Ohm Pauli and our executive secretary, James Browning on the budget. Then he went on to the Southeastern Regional Conference and their NATSAA Regional Finals. Back in East Lansing, President Greenwell prepared Board Letter No. 18, reporting a bit of disappointing news. When Ohm Pauli met the president in New York, he brought with him disturbing information in regard to the balloting on our bylaws revision vote. Only ten ballots had come in as of November 6th. Back home, the president called Ohm on November 11th, the day scheduled for the counting of the ballots, only twenty ballots had been received. The only encouraging thing was that all of them bore a straight marking. Unfortunately, the October issue of The NATS Bulletin, containing the bylaws ballot, had gone into the mails ten days late because the man at the printers who handled our magazine had suffered a severe heart attack. Gean Greenwell did not receive his copy until November 4th. The contingency plan was to wait a few days. Then, if the balloting showed signs of not approaching the required 5% of the membership to make it a go, a notice would have to be sent to the membership extending the deadline until December 1st. Fortunately, by November 26th, the number of votes had risen to almost 9% of the membership. Board Letter No. 18 carried a second disappointment, a hold up in the approval of the Certificate of Incorporation for our Foundation. It already had been through four different offices, including a judge of the New York Supreme Court, without a hitch. When our lawyer sent the Certificate to the Office of the Secretary of State, a minor official in that office did not think the corporation could be called a foundation because foundations did not give money to individuals, but only to other non-profit organizations. By the time he was shown to be wrong and a change in the statement of purpose was made to satisfy him, it was too late to get the document to the Internal Revenue Service for approval by convention time. However, since our tax exemption status would be retroactive to the date of our incorporation, December 10, 1974, contributions could be received at the Indianapolis Convention. For two years running, NATS officialdom had grounds to question the efficiency level of state and/or national behind-the-desk personnel in New York State. Only last year, we had a rather devastating experience because of a minor official’s lack of in-depth knowledge of regulations. President Greenwell reminded the

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Board of Direaors that all appointments to the staff of The NATS Bulletin were for a period of two years to coincide with the fiscal year. Thus all present appointments would come up for review in the spring of 1976. A copy of the audit for fiscal 1974 was enclosed with Board Letter No. 19, November 25,974. The president called attention to the fact that "we were nicely in the black." Ballots were required on several last minute changes in the Subsidiary Foundation matters and redistricting. The bureaucratic holdup in our getting final approval of our Foundation hung upon our acceptance of word changes and the substitution of simplified paragraphs suggested by the official in the secretary of state’s ofBce. The board gave the amendments a 16/1 vote, as they did a required accompanying resolution presented because of the similarity between the corporate name of our Association and the Foundation. For some reason, there had been controversy over a newly created region composed of Kentudqr and Tennessee. Since there had to be a name, one of last resort appeared, "Kenessee." It was given a majority vote, perhaps, because it "seems to fall trippingly upon the tongue." Finally, two items in regard to NATSAA that never had a clear-cut vote: a 15/2 majority board vote decided that NATSAA should be held biennially, coinciding with our conventions. The vote for some sort of regional or district contests in the between years garnered a mixed vote: Yes, 11; No, 2; Abstained, 4. Board Letter No. 20, December 10,1974, was the president’s last word to his board prior to the convention. Ohm Pauli had telephoned Gean Greenwell on December 9th, bringing him upto-date with an unofficial tally of votes cast on bylaw changes: 334 ballots, 12.74% of the membership, had been returned. There were 292 (87.43%) straight yes ballots; 36 (10.78%) selective ballots, and only six, or 1.79% of the members who voted a straight no ballot. Not the vote the president hoped for, but considerably better than would have taken place at the convention. Although all items in Board Letter No. 19 had passed, Robert LaPella, governor of the Southern Region, reported that there was no enthusiasm in his area over the name, "Kenesee." He suggested the name, "Mid-South," which has survived since that day. Another welcome item was Treasurer Ohm Pauli’s report that we had taken in over $2,000 in fees for NATSAA for the first time in our history. The Central Region alone had thirty-eight contestants. Could it be that the jump to a $2,000 first prize was the cause? Or was it the efforts of dedicated regional governors and our lieutenant governors? The first session of the Board of Directors of the 1974 National Convention at the Indianapolis Hilton was called to order at 7:30 p.m., December 26th, by President Greenwell. All board members excepting Stanley Hoban, Glen Lockery, Florence Russell, Herald Stark, Ruth Stewart and Harvey Woodruff were in their places. In the observers’ wing were: Geraldine Cate, Mary Fall, Robert LaPella, and Gwendolyn Roberts, all of whom would become members of the board as of January 1,1975. Bruce Lunkley, chairman of the Regional Redistricting Committee, also was there to present his committee’s final report on the new regional structure with their names. The board gave its unanimous approval to a Ringel/Gerts motion for its acceptance. Separate unanimous board actions brought the following into the national picture to serve in the dual capacity as regional governors in their respective regions and as members of the Board of Directors from January 1,1975 until the next election: (1) Elva Cowan, Northwestern Region, replacing Lee Wicker because of his illness; (2) John Burgin, Southern Region; and (3) Mary Fall, North Central Region. There followed a discussion in regard to financing regional administra­ tions. A Newton/Ringel motion that each region be allotted $100 for a membership of one hundred, plus an additional $1.00 for each member in excess of one hundred, based on the membership count as of June 30,1975, also received the board’s unanimous approval. After a discussion concerning board meetings in non-convention years and separate mail ballots (not to be included in any publication and with return postage guaranteed), the meeting adjourned at 11:00 p.m. with no action being taken. The board’s second session got under way at 8:00 a.m., Friday, December 27th, with President Greenwell in the chair. The same decision-makers were at the table with the same observers in the wing, picking up where they left off at 11:00 p.m. Thursday evening. A McElrath/Ringel motion that, beginning with the summer of 1975, NATS board meetings be held in the off convention years, was given the board’s unanimous approval. It was recommended that there be

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a two-day meeting, preferably a Friday/Saturday session immediately before or after a NATS workshop in a geographically central area, and that those board members attending be reimbursed for expenses, i.e., for round-trip air coach fare and room accommodations for the duration of the meeting. In regard to yestereve’s proposed mail ballot, the board gave its unanimous approval to a Pennington/Ringel motion that we have corporate ballot mailings, with a pre-paid retum. An Ebersole/Ringel motion to add $500 to the proposed budget’s "general administrative expenses" item, to cover such a mailing, also was given the board’s unanimous approval. The unanimous mood of the board extended to even granting the editor of The NATS Bulletin an extra $1,000 to his budget for the remainder of the current fiscal year. The meeting adjourned at 10:00 a.m. President Greenwell called the board’s third session to order at 8:00 a.nL, Saturday, December 28th. In addition to the twelve board members present since the first session, Harvey Woodruff and Ruth Stewart swelled the total to fourteen. Only Hoban, Russell, Stark and Lockery were not present. They never made it to the Indianapolis Convention. Also, there were three new observers, Irvin Bushman, David Greedy and John Ramsaur, who joined the other four in the observers’ wing. Treasurer Ohm Pauli was called upon to present the proposed budget for fiscal 1976. It soon became evident that we had too much to accomplish in one session and the budget talks were recessed at 9:00 a.m. to be resumed the next morning after breakfast The fourth session was called to order by the president, Sunday, December 29,1974, at 8:00 a.m. The participants were the same, excepting Vernon Yenne who joined the observers to see and hear what was in store for him after January first. The consideration of the proposed budget for fiscal 1976 continued from the previous session. However, the end was not in sight; the meeting adjourned at 10:15 a.m. At 10:45 p.m. that same Sunday, President Greenwell called the board to order. In the interim between the two Sunday board sessions, the annual business meeting had been held at which all our observers had become fully elected to their official positions as of January 1,1975. As a consequence, the board’s Minutes Book lists twenty-one board members in attendance at the meeting. A Ringel/McElrath motion that Louis Nicholas and Meribeth Bunch be appointed as members of the Editorial Board, and that Louis Nicholas act as temporary chairman of the Editorial Board while Berton Coffin was out of the country was given unanimous approval by the board. At this writing, fifteen years later, Louis Nicholas is still the chairman of the Editorial Board. The board returned to the stalemate of the two previous sessions. After a period of discussion, it became obvious that, due to the new regional divisions and various other matters which, seemingly, could not be resolved at this time, the finalization of the budget would have to be postponed. Irvin Bushman seconded Harvey Ringel’s motion that the board meet at some time in the future, prior to May 1,1975, for the express purpose of finalizing the budget for fiscal 1976. The board gave their unanimous approval. One other item of import was the allotment of monies for each region from the Discretionary Fund. Following a discussion, Geraldine Cate moved and Joel Ebersole seconded that, beginning with the next fiscal year, the Regional Discretionary Fund be apportioned at the $2.00 per capita basis, as matching funds to the thirteen regions for special projects, with a February 1st deadline for such requests. The reserved funds not requested by the deadline would then become available to the total membership for other projects. The board gave an eighteen vote majority to this motion. The meeting adjourned at 12:00 midnight Just eight hours later, 8:00 a.m., Monday, December 30,1974, the president called to order the sixth board meeting of the Indianapolis Convention, the last of the yearly conventions. The eight who had come to the convention as observers joined the fourteen board members as equals in this last board meeting of the convention to take care of some unfinished business. President Greenwell presented a request for approval of establishing a new chapter, to be called the Connecticut Chapter, with Jean Westerman Gregg as its president The board gave their unanimous approval to a Ringel/Ludman motion that the request be granted. The president reminded the board that the next convention would be held in Philadelphia in 1976, but that the board would meet in 1975. With that, the meeting of the Board of Directors was adjourned at 9:00 a.m. Jessie M. Perry, vice-president in charge of field activities, reported the number of new chapters in 1974 was not as large as reported in 1973-just two--lndiana University Chapter and

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Gem State Chapter. Arkansas renewed its chapter activities, but the following remained dormant: Boston, Greater Philadelphia, New Mexico, Niagara Frontier, Puget Sound, Washington, D. C. and Wyoming. Some fifteen chapters requested and received $3,228 from the Discretionary Fund. Five others had made requests, but had not yet completed their activities by the time the vicepresident had to submit her report. The September, 1974 issue of Inter Nos, a sixteen-page edition, carried evidence of a healthy activity at the grass-roots level with accounts from three regions, two states and ten chapters. The 1974 proposed revision of the bylaws continued to include Section 2 of Article VI, unchanged fi:om the 1971 revision, which states: "Each President of the National Association of Teachers of Singing, Inc., automatically becomes a member of the Council of Past-Presidents immediately upon retirement fi-om the Presidency. The Council will elect its own Chairman and secretary at the annual convention." The latter two words were an oversight, since the 1974 revision was phrased in anticipation of a change-over to biennial conventions and a three-year presidency. Each committee had been charged with making an annual report. The last report of the Council of Past-Presidents was made by E. Clifford Toren as its chairman. Since that time, the only report made was a personal one by the immediate past-president. So be it for the balance of this historical narration unless the Council of Past-Presidents becomes active and so reports. Vice-President Annemarie Gerts reported that, quantitatively and qualitatively, 1974 had been the best of all during her administration, now in its fourth year. New members through October 15,1974, totaled 230, including sixteen reinstatements from previous years. Were that the whole story! Executive Secretary James Browning reported losses of 151, due to deaths, resignations and drop-outs. The membership count stood at 2,622-in reality a net gain of forty-seven over the previous year. President Greenwell wrote in his December, 1974 "From the President" column in The NATS Bulletin that membership and dues increases are very much related. He used the previous year’s figures that came out with a net gain of 48. The one bright spot here was that in 1973, the membership-dropped column totaled 136, while in 1974 that total had subsided to 83. His conclusion was: "In order to have a net gain in membership of 100 members ($2,000 in income), we would need nearly 500 new or reinstated members." He based the $2,000 money figure on the current inflation rate. Translated into action, we had to double our efforts to recruit new members to stay abreast of inflation, or face another dues increase within the not-tofer foreseeable future. Our financial picture, however, was on the up-curve. Our income rose some $5,093.17 since the end of fiscal 1973. The new gain in corporate equity was $14,048.69, rising to a total $66,992.85-our highest to date. It is difficult to interpret the variables in workshop attendance over the years. Back in 1965, with a NATS membership of 1,950, George Cox reported a total summer workshop attendance of 354. The gross receipts were better than $10,000 and expenses were a bit more than $7,500. As a consequence to that successful season, the workshop fund rose to $4,068, the base for the 1966 program. In those days the Workshop Fund was separate from the General Fund. The last three years of Hoban’s vice-presidency, workshop attendance had been on the rise, but 1972’s membership was a backdrop to a workshop enrollment of 282. In 1973, only 277 of a membership of 2,575 enrolled. Now in 1974, Stanley John Hoban reported 384 came out to attend our three strategically located workshops: University of Maryland, College Park; Lewis and Clark College, Portland; and Indiana University, Bloomington (106 in attendance). This was the twenty-fifth year of workshops which had their genesis at Indiana under Bill Ross, who had passed away April 14, 1967. Five NATSers who were involved with that first workshop, August 8-12, 1949, returned: Ruth Miller Chamlee, Hubert Kockritz, Carol Lynn, George Newton, and Sonia Sharnova. Interesting~the 1974 workshop attendance figure was only thirty more than Cox’s 1965 iSgure, but we had 472 more NATS members in 1974 from which to draw that thirty. At the close of the 1965 workshop season, George Cox had $4,086.06 with which to back the 1966 season. Stanley John Hoban had $4,661.14, which included a budgeted $2,000 to start off 1975. In fact, 1975 was already under way. Three workshops had been scheduled: University of Rhode Island, Kingston, July 6-11; University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire, July 13-19; and Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, July 27-August 1. Each year, Stanley John Hoban had next summer’s workshops lined up by convention time, with a combined promotion program in The NATS Bulletin and Inter Nos that should have grossed a much larger attendance.

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The Annual Business Meeting of our Thirtieth Anniversary Convention was held in the Royal Ballroom of the Indianapolis Hilton at 3:30 p.m., Sunday, December 29, 1974. Our president, Gean Greenwell, presid^. After the usual preliminaries, the president gave his State of NATS address, usually bypassed in this narrative because it recaps the events of the year just passed. The detour from the usual this time was to record the honoring of a NATSer whose service to NATS spanned twenty-four years--John Thut-a charter member who was leaving the Membership Admissions Committee at the year’s end. A permanent record of that service may be found in The NATS Bulletin, February-March, 1975. The president followed with a recounting of the cosmetic alterations of the face of NATS with which members would be confronted as of January 1,1975. He spoke of the problems and their current solutions. There actually was little business of any kind requiring a vote. Since the president took time to inform the assembled convention­ eers of the new regions, naming the regional governor, etc., a listing will be included herein much in the same manner as new administrations have been reported in election years. Here is the team that wound down the Greenwell years. It should be kept in mind that the streamlining process eliminated the class of Regional Directors. [* Denotes members of the President’s Advisory Council. (1) = New Regional Governor, not a member of the Board of Directors, 1974. (2) = Reelected Regional Governor, not a member of the Board of Directors, 1974. (3) = Regional Director and a member of the Board of Directors, 1974] Board of Directors National Officers President: Gean Greenwell, Vice-Presidents: Annemarie Gerts*, Stanley Hoban*, Jessie M. Perry*, Kenneth Pennington*. Secretary: Margret Konunel*. Treasurer. Ohm W. Pauli*. Editor, The NATS Bulletin: Harvey Ringel. Past-President: Jean Ludman. Regional Governors Cal-Westem: Gwendolyn Roberts (1). Central: David F. Greedy (new). Eastern: Earl Rogers (2). Great Lakes: Irvin Bushman (1). Mid-Atlantic: Geraldine Cate (2). Mid-South: Robert LaPella (1). New England: Mary Wol&nan (3). North Central: Mary A. Fall (new). Northwestern: Elva A. Cowan (new). Southeastern: John Ramsaur (new). Southern: John Burgin (new). Texoma: Ruth C. Stewart (3). West Central: Vernon Yenne (1). Directors-at-Large Joel Ebersole, Glen Lockeiy, Hugh McElrath, Harvey Woodruff. These last four had been regional directors and members of the Board of Directors whose terms had not expired and were serving out their terms under the new plan. In looMng over the line-up for 1975, the twenty-six who would sit around the board room table, fifteen had experienced the planning sessions and their December realization. Now would come the test of how well the Gean Greenwell team had planned. None of the above listed would succeed Gean Greenwell in the presidency. The next president was Gean Greenwell’s chief architect of the current thirteen region plan, Bruce Lunkley. However, there were two neophyte members of the enlarged board who would complete NATS’ fourth decade in the presidenqr: Irvin Bushman who would serve as a vice-president under Bruce Lunkley, and succeed him; and (2) John Burgin who would become a vice-president under Irvin Bushman, and succeed him. For the record, the regions vwll be defined. Cal-Westem: Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada and Utah. Central: Iowa, Illinois and Missouri. Eastern: Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Great Lakes: Michigan, Indiana and Ohio. Mid-Atlantic: District of Columbia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia, Mid-South: Kentucky and Tennessee. New England: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont, North Central: Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota and South Dakota. Northwestern: Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington. Southeastern: Alabama, Florida and Georgia. Southern: Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi, Texoma: New Mexico,

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Oklahoma and Texas. West Central. Colorado, Kansas and Wyoming. Canadian Provinces were associated with their nearest adjacent U. S. region. After the usual committee reports, the president announced that, technically, there was no new business to be considered; he opened the meeting to the discussion of any special business. Aaually, it became a town meeting with the discussion of various items confronting NATS. One question raised was the quality of music on commercial television, culminating in the proposal of a committee subject to the guidance of James Browning, who for several years was the executive secretary of the National Music Council. After an extended exchange on how to recharge grass-root activities with money from the Discretionary Fund, the meeting was adjourned sine die-the president remarking, "I think the time has almost arrived for the Happy Hour." The big news for NATSAA in 1974 was the increase of first prize to $2,000 and second to $1,000. Some 3,500 brochures were mailed to NATS members and other inquiring parties. Over 150 singers entered the state auditions with the local winners competing at the regional levels. Eight regional winners and four alternates were chosen to compete in the national auditions in Indianapolis, Saturday, December 28th at 7:30 p.m. The 1974 winners were: (1) C ^th ia Kamstadt, soprano and (2) David Gordon, tenor, representing the Southwestern and Central Regions, respectively. C^thia Karnstadt returned to the University of Texas to complete her Master in Voice, 1975, and continued her studies toward a DMA 1975-1976. Her stats include several recitals in 1975 that very well could have been related to her winning at Indianapolis: April-McMurry College Solo Artist Series, Abilene, Texas; August-NATS Summer Workshop, Ragstaff, Arizona, and Solo Artist Series, University of Maryland, College Park. Convention highlights included: (1) a panel discussion on "From Opera and Concert Stage to the Academic Faculty"; (2) a lecture/recital on selected works of "Contemporary American Composers" by tenor Roger Scanlan, assisted by Patricia O’Neil, with Mary Scanlan at the piano; (3) Boris Goldovsky’s lecture/panel on "How to Raise the Theatrical Quality of Opera and How to Lower its Costs"; (4) "The TV Voice Lesson"; (5) a recital by Margaret Eaves, the 1973 NATSAA winner; (6) a lecture/panel on "Television as a Medium for Vocal Performance and Vocal Education," and (7) the annual banquet, with Bruce Lunkley as the toastmaster. The event of that evening was the honoring of Bernard Taylor, who had served NATS for over thirty years. It was in 2 B.C (before Cincinnati) that he became a member of the committee (May, 1942), along with Vera Curtis, representing the New York Singing Teachers Association in the prenatal discussions of NATS. Bee was NYSTA’s newly elected president, succeeding Leon Carson. He was NATS’ first chairman of the Admissions Committee, 1944-1946. From 1946 to 1950, Bee was governor of the Eastern Region. He was the first to organize a vocal clinic. It took place at the 1947 Boston Convention. He, subsequently, duplicated that activity at several conventions that followed. From 1951 to 1954, he was the chairman of the Committee on Vocal Education. Bernard Taylor became NATS’ sixth president in 1954. As we look back, we only can say, "How fortunate," or "How opportune!" Now we know that Bernard Taylor’s steady hand prevented what could have been a catastrophe. The Taylor biennium began routinely enough, but there were uncomfortable undertones with a treasurer opting for a raise in dues while decrying the restrictions of a budget, saying we were too young an organization to have such. By the year’s end, Taylor had penetrated that treasurer’s bravado and unorthodox bookkeeping. Presto--a new treasurer and a budget that muzzled the big spenders. Bernard Taylor acquainted them with fiscal responsibility despite their continued protests. When their complaining didn’t dent the Taylor resolve to hew the line of that responsibility, their protesting matured into a mass resignation. Despite this disruptive action, Bernard Taylor did not lose stride. He just invited others to join his team and, with a firm hand on the tiller, moored the good ship NATS into calmer waters than when he had come aboard two years previously. It was Bee Taylor’s strict enforcement of a budget that put our organization, plagued with growing pains, back on track. Hats off to Mr. NATS-no one deserved that title more than Bernard U. Taylor. So, at our 30th Anniversary Banquet, held December 29,1974, in the Royal Ballroom of the Indianapolis Hilton, President Gean Greenwell presented Bee Taylor with an illuminated scroll honoring his years of service and marking his retirement as chairman of the Editorial Board of The NATS Bulletin. There is more that should be added. Bee organized the first workshop devoted solely to opera, University of Colorado, August 14-20,1955. The 1955 Chicago convention was the scene of the first Singer of the Year competition. It was Bernard

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Taylor’s idea--he named it and got it started during his presidency. Today, we know it as NATSAA. Usually, a past-president could relax during his two-year post-presidency period, serving as a resource person to his successor. Not so this time! R Clifford Toren asked his predecessor to organize and chair the first Editorial Board of TTie Bulletin, as it was known in 1956, a post Bee held from 1956 through 1974. At this time, no other NATS member had been continuously on the national scene for as long as had Bernard Taylor. In the fabric of NATS, Bernard Taylor was the warp, the thread that secured the weft of those thirty years together! On the final day of the convention, Monday, December 30th, Boris Goldowsky presented his second session on opera production. The morning closed with a talk by Blynn Ross, speaking for the National Endowment for the Arts. As customary, the convention ended with the singing of "Auld Lang Syne." Our Thirtieth Anniversary Convention marked the end of an era~no more annual conventions. Our next, Philadelphia, 1976. There was more: NATS would put on a new face as of January 1,1975. The president must have spent a restless New Year’s Eve and then arose on New Year’s Day to prepare Board Letter No. 1, which he put in the mail on January 2,1975. He wrote: "I had thought that we could take it easy for a while this year after last year’s big push, but many things need deciding as soon as possible, and we may as well start right now." The budget for fiscal 1976 had been left dangling at Indianapolis. At their December 29th session, the board had voted to postpone finalization of the budget, due to the new regional divisions and various other matters which seemingly could not be resolved at the time, until May 1, 1975. Since May 1st was a Thursday, Gean Greenwell proposed that the board meet the first weekend in May. Only sixteen out of the twenty-six board members replied that they could make it Our bylaws required a quorum of eighteen. One other item that, seemingly, had not been a concern in the redistricting was the cost of such a meeting. The board had cast a unanimous ballot that" .. . beginning in the Summer of 1975, NATS Board meeting be held in the off-convention years for a two-day session, preferably on a Friday and Saturday immediately before or following a Summer Vocal Workshop in a geographically central area, and that those Board members attending be reimbursed for expenses, i.e. for round-trip air coach traveler equivalent and room accommoda­ tion for the duration of the meeting." In less than a week’s time, a second look caused considerable concern. The other pressing item was NATSAA Since the next finals would be in Philadelphia in the nation’s Bicentennial Year, 1976, the president had suggested that contestants be required to present programs made up entirely of American songs and arias. As an incentive to induce students to take on the extra work in expanding their American repertoire, Gean Greenwell suggested larger prizes. He asked for a vote, requiring contestants to sing an all-American program. The twenty-six member board responded with an indecisive vote; Yes, 10; No, 8; Abstained, 8. Board Letter No. 2, dated January 14, 1975, was a commentary on the responses to the January 2nd communique. The president mentioned that only sixteen were free to attend during the first weekend in May. For the moment that was not Gean Greenwell’s chief concern. Between letters, he had become cost conscious. He had circled the hometowns of all the board members so as to prepare a list to take to his travel agent for fares. Then and there, he awoke to the reality that he was contemplating a very expensive operation. Before he could get to his uavel agent, a letter from Stanley Hoban arrived who had calculated the cost of the ten longest flights from a flight schedule. Round trip from ten cities to Chicago plus airport motel, amounted to approximately $1,914. Projecting that to quorum proportions plus the executive secretary, the amount required would be greater than a convention budget, a sum that NATS could not afford. The president suggested alternatives and asked his board for their input. Even with NATS paying for the motel, no meals, and just one way airfare, twenty members plus the executive secretary would cost around $2,800. The other problem was the vote on an aU-American program for the 1976 NATSAA Those opposing feared that not many young singers would be interested in researching such a program, thus reducing the number entering the contest. There were suggestions of just one or two groups of American songs or an aria and a group featuring American composers. The president wrote: "The vote is too close. Please talk fast. It is almost February."

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Board Letter No. 3, dated February 2,1975, indicated a rallying response to Board Letter No. 2 via telephone or letters. Gean Greenwell wrote: "From them, I think I see the way out of our problem over a Board meeting." The president reviewed past policies of reimbursement. After several paragraphs, he suggested, since the budget prepared by the president, the treasurer, the past-president, and the executive secretary, meeting in New York where the books were kept, did not receive the final okay at the Indianapolis Convention, that"... we forget the budget was ever submitted at the convention, and, that the same group that made up the budget last fall should meet again to work out the changes necessary because of inflation, etc. The corrected budget then would be submitted to the Board by mail." So the board was asked to authorize Gean Greenwell, Ohm Pauli, Jean Ludman, and James Browning to prepare the budget for submission to the board by May 1st. The board gave its approval by a 10/0 vote with seven abstentions. The second item of the February 2nd board letter dealt with getting the board together at a summer workshop. The president’s request was given a 16/2 vote of approval, with eight abstentions. Of the sixteen board members voting, when asked if the expenses for attending the summer board meeting should be partially paid by NATS, thirteen answered in the affirmative. Only three board members thought that the expenses should be borne by the individual members. In trade parlance, all of this off-year board meeting business sent President Greenwell back to the drawing board. Once again, he read through the General Not for Profit Corporation Act of the State of Illinois, under which we were incorporated, and found two points that could very well change the future frequency of the NATS Board of Directors meetings. First of all, the Act had not stipulated that there need be an annual board meeting. The Act simply stated, "Meetings of the Board of Directors shall be held upon such notice as the bylaws may prescribe." Article IV, Section 5, c, of our recently revised bylaws stated, "Under the provisions of the Statutes of the State of Illinois, the presence or the vote of at least two-thirds of its members shall be necessary to constitute a quorum for the transaction of Board business." The president discovered that this stipulation did not appear in the Act. In his 1974 revision of the bylaws, the change from a numerically stated quorum of the old bylaws to the fractional majority of two-thirds was made to avoid the need of amending that number as of January 1,1975 when the board would be enlarged. Two-thirds of any number would be legal, but the Act stated, "Unless otherwise provided in the articles of incorporation or the bylaws, a majority of the whole board of directors shall constitute a quorum; provided that in no event shall a quorum consist of less than one-third of the whole board of directors." The president was inclined to blame himself for not reviewing the Act while in the midst of the 1974 rewrite of the bylaws, acknowledging that he should have caught both provisions. His rationale for not doing so was "... the mind seems to slip over what it thinks it already knows." NATS had been living under self-imposed regulations more stringent than the Illinois statutes required. Self-imposed they were~a perpetuating left-over from an unhappy time that escaped revisionists, who accepted whatever followed those forbidding words, "under the provisions of the Statutes of the Slate of Illinois..." as gospel. It never occurred to them that statutes might change in a decade or more. As a matter of fact, our bylaws at the time of our incorporation (1944) stated, "A majority of the elected and acting members of the Board of Directors shall be necessary to constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at any meeting." The intent of the Act in 1973 was no different than that of 1944. The more stringent requirements were those of NATS. For a decade, a simple majority had been the rule. We were in the process of a bylaws revision when Margaret Sheridan, then from Minneapolis, challenged the simple majority. Our Board of Directors were five in number: Leon Carson, Richard DeYoung, Homer G. Mowe, William Phillips and Walter Allen Stults. A simple majority was three. In the Annual Business Meeting at the 1953 St. Louis Convention, Margaret Sheridan objected to the fact that any three members of the board would have the power to make or break a situation. As a consequence, the Taylor administration fathered a complete reorganization at the administrative level with a new set of bylaws that went into effect with the Toren administration. The 1955 revisions provided an eighteen-member Board of Directors, consisting of the nine national officers (Executive Committee) and nine district representatives (Policy Board), with an elaborate system of checks and balances. The quorum for either body was defined as two-thirds. Under the December, 1966 revisions, abandoning the elaborate system of checks and balances, there was an

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eighteen-member board, consisting of nine national offices and nine regional representatives. The two-thirds majority requirement was changed to the numeral 12. President Greenwell explained to the board, while this was something that had to be dealt with, he was passing the matter on to the next administration. He wrote, This year we are stuck with a meeting, and a good thing too, with so many new problems to solve.' One other item concerned Gean Greenwell and that was the misunderstood role of the lieutenant-governor. With the spread of the statewide chapter, it seemed that the lieutenant governor was being pushed into the background. The president’s concept of the lieutenant-governor’s role was the ranking officer in the state and not as an assistant to the regional governor. Since the title was confusing, the president wrote, "There seems to be some justification for changing the title to State Governor. Such a change would mean another bylaw modification to add to the list, but let me know your reactions." One week later, February 9th, the president sent off Board Letter No. 4. The majority of items concerned the 1976 NATSAA, treating repertoire, prizes, etc. The board also gave a 22/1 vote of approval for the July 17-19,1975 board meeting at Eau Claire. Board Letter No. 5, dated February 15, carried the names of the 1975 Nominating Committee and the alternates as required by the bylaws. Past-President Karl Trump was named as chairman. The board also voted approval of paying a one-way coach fare to the Eau Claire, Wisconsin, board meeting. The other item dealt with signatories on checks, drafts or other orders for the payment of money, and all notes or other evidences of indebtedness issued in the name of the National Association of Teachers of Singing. The president mentioned that Ruth Stewart wanted Houston to be considered for our 1978 National Convention. Gean Greenwell decided to let the next administration decide that since we had enough problems for one year. Between Board Letters Nos. 5 & 6, the president got off a letter to George Newton, asking him to chair a committee to compile an officers duty manual. George lost no time in communicating with Bert Coffin and Karl Trump on February 24th. To them, he outlined his plan to write letters to all incumbents at the national and regionid levels and to all the former officers he could locate. The president also had asked George Newton to prepare a convention manual. As a consequence, he enlisted the aid of Ethel Smith. It was evident that George Newton’s calendar for the balance of 1975 would be on the busy side. A portion of Board Letter No. 6, dated February 26, was given over to the correction of errors in the president’s previous letter. It also reflected Gean Greenwell’s biggest frustration-a lethargic group within his board. While No. 6 carried the date of February 26,1975, paragraph 76 stated, "I have waited (3-2-75) to see if a quorum comes in on BL No. 5 before sending this message out. The quorum is not yet, but it should come in tomonow, so I will wait. A few more votes on BL No. 4 came in and I have changed the figures in paragraph 72 to bring the vote up to date. I do need a full vote on No. 4 in order to know just who can be at the Eau Claire meeting. Please, everyone, vote on BL No. 4!" Since NATSAA was scheduled for discussion at Eau Claire, the results of voting included in Board Letter No. 6 will be bypassed here inasmuch as the board reversed some of their vote-bymail decisions at Eau Claire. The next paragraph reflects another facet of the president’s frustration with members of the board who became mentally and physically immobflized in front of a voting sheet. Let this birdshot quote paint the picture: "It would be a happy state if all of you voted every time. I would be happy if all of you would vote on every item on the voting sheets you do send back. The discrepancies in the vote totals are due to some of you who just do not vote on certain items. Sometimes an abstain is written in. In my calculations such a vote is marked as a negative vote." There was one more wrong road taken that concerned the president In Board Letter No. 5, he had listed the need for six out of the newly created thirteen regions to nominate candidates for the governorship of their regions for the December, 1975 elections. That listing brought a response which was reflected in Board Letter No. 6. Every region, excepting Texoma, had need to nominate a candidate to stand for election. This was an item that the 1974 revisionists had overlooked, but would need discussion at a later date, as Gean Greenwell phrased it. Homer G. Mowe, fourth president of the National Association of Teachers of Singing, died on March 6,1975 after a brief illness, at the age of eighty-seven. He was the founder and first editor of The Bulletin, 1944-1948, as it was then known. When Leon Carson succeeded Homer as editor in 1948, he named Homer G. Mowe as his Advisory Associate, a post he held until 1955.

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Homer G. Mowe and Leon Carson were the only two New Yorkers to join with Chicagoans, Richard B. DeYoung, Walter Allen Stults, John Wilcox and eight others in a luncheon on Thursday, March 23, 1944, in the Netherland-Plaza Hotel, Cincinnati, to found the National Association of Teachers of Singing. To swell the vote total, the five named brought with them a total of eighty-seven proxies, thirteen who could take nourishment plus eight-seven sans place settings swelled the vote to an even hundred. Homer G. Mowe chaired that meetinjg which elected John C Wilcox as our first president; E. Clifford Toren was the recording secretary. Walter Allen Stults and E. Clifford Toren were the only surviving past-presidents from that March 23rd luncheon group. A greater part of Board Letter No. 7, March 19, 1975, was given over to an update of the voting in Board Letters Nos. 4, 5 and 6, and a replay of an old familiar theme, sharing national headquarters ofiBce space with another organization. In the past, this alternative had been discussed as a probable way to go to reduce administrative expense at the national level. Celia Mae Bryant, president of the Music Teachers National Association came to our Dallas (1970) National Convention at Karl Trump’s request and spoke at great length to our Board of Directors concerning a NATS/MTNA affiliation and of moving our New York office to shared space in Cincinnati. That is as far as that little excursion got. The most recent activity in that area was Joel Ebersole’s suggestion to explore the possibilities of shared office space with Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia whose headquarters were in Evansville, Indiana. Failing to bend the ear of our Board of Directors at the New York Convention, 1973, he turned to incoming President Gean Greenwell. The president followed through and later drove to Evansville where he found an acceptable situation. However, Sinfonia was not actively seeking a tenant, so President Greenwell did not press the situation, since he felt that negotiations could be instituted anytime. Shortly after our Indianapolis, 1974, Convention, the president had a letter from Walter Collins of the American Choral Directors Association, inviting NATS to send a representative to their St. Louis Convention to discuss the sharing of quarters. ACDA had sent similar invitations to about a dozen music organizations. After some two and one-half hours of talking over the possibility of sharing quarters, no one came up with a definite proposal. The upshot of the meeting was that many of the smaller groups were definitely in favor of sharing quarters, but no plan was forth coming for such a venture. Those interested committed themselves to keep feeding information into ACDA as the merits of the idea were discussed in the various organizations. The president had no recommendations, suggesting it as a subject for discussion at Eau Claire. Two items required balloting: (1) The confirmation of an Officer’s Handbook Committee, consisting of Karl Trump, Berton Coffin and George Newton as the chairman; (2) the confirmation of Arthur Schoep as chairman of a committee to collect, edit, and publish English translations of foreign language songs. Both items were approved with an identical vote of 22/4. One month and three days later, April 22nd, President Greenwell put Board Letter No. 8 in the mail. He reported that he had been away from his desk, mostly on NATS business, one to three days in each of the last three weeks and that Ohm PauU and he were flying into New York on April 24th to meet with James Browning and Jean Ludman to work out the budget. The original plans were for Executive Secretary James Browning to fly to Bowling Green, Kentucky, where the president had been involved with the Mid-South Regional Auditions and Conference, April 10,11 and 12, but Browning came down with the flu the day before his scheduled fly-in. Consequently, nothing on the budget in the cunent board letter, but the next one would be nothing but budget, so the president promised. The president’s comments on the auditions were laudatory. The Mid-South was NATS’ smallest region-two states, Kentuclgr and Tennessee, yet there were 165 student auditioners. David Gordon, tenor, the NATSAA runner-up at the Indianapolis, 1974, Convention, gave a commendable recital. He told the president that he had just signed a two-year contract for Linz, Austria. The thought of budget turned the president’s thinking to the board’s scheduled mid-summer meeting at Eau Claire. He wrote, "I have totaled the one-way fares from all our home cities to Eau Claire~$2,523, give or take a few dollars. I wonder if we all need to attend the board meeting? I think that the new regional governors should be there if possible, but would some of you old hands just as soon stay at home? You could send in your proxies for voting on an agenda that will be in your hands well in advance. We should have a quorum present.. Three board

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members had already advised the president that they could not attend. His letter was an invitation for three or four more board members to volunteer to stay home. All he needed for a quorum at Eau Claire was eighteen. As the saying goes, this was one for the books! A president asking for volunteers among his board members to remain away from a meeting? It had not happened in the previous thirty-one years. Gean Greenwell’s concern was the 1975-1976 budget The cost of the Eau Claire meeting would come out of that budget. The rate of inflation had already sent messages that the budget figures for our publications and other expenses were on the lean side. The dollar increase in income through the acquisition of new members was virtually zero. At the end of his first year in office, President Greenwell had written that we need nearly 500 new or reinstated members each year to stay ahead of infiation. In 1974, new and reinstated members totaled 230. As a consequence the budget for the next fiscal year was going to be very tight To be sure, that observation had more than one contributor. The president had just discovered that the last expense rendering report sent to him had been in error. It showed the NATSAA budget account with a balance of $850.47 when that figure actually should have been in the redl That prohibited the NATSAA circular until the new fiscal year, 1975-1976, or after July 1st Now the considerable ferment stirring over some items akeady voted upon could be settled at Eau Claire. The forthcoming changeover to biennial conventions required a second look at timetables. As editor of The NATS Bulletin, your historian discovered that other music publications had deadlines for the submission of materials from two to three times as far from publication dates as we had for The NATS Bulletin. The deadlines for both of our publications had need of adjustment. The publication dates of the September and January issues of Inter Nos were very important, copy just could not be late! Especially so, the September issue which carried the report of the Nominating Committee. The bylaws required a two-month interval between the publication date of any ballot or proposal and the date of election. That meant it had to be in the mail by September 1st Similarly, the results of an election should be known to the members as soon after January 1st as possible, like maybe January 2nd! Translated, meaning that the January issue would have to be placed in the mail early in December. Also, there had to be a second look at workshop publicity and promotional materials. The president mentioned that the NATS Foundation had made it through the IRS, and was in limited operation. He promised more information later. However, the message he wanted board members to understand was that NATSAA could not be transferred to our Foundation, as had been contemplated, as long as it was limited to any one class of wiimers such as students of NATS teachers. Board Letter No. 9, dated May 2,1975, as promised served as a letter of transmittal for the proposed budget for fiscal 1976. It was a conservative budget, based on a dues paying membership of 2,600. As a matter of fact, the membership count as of reporting time, 1975, totaled out to 2,794 of which 2,675 were dues-paying members. There were 119 emeriti. The board approved the proposed budget by a twenty-one vote majority. The president expressed the need to review the motion passed at the Indianapolis Convention regarding the dispensation of Discretionary Funds. Another item for discussion at Eau Claire. The president sent out Board Letter No. 10 on May 24,1975. He mentioned the correction of an error in the total of the overall figure revised down to $63,154. A vote was required on two items of interest. Elva A. Cowan, Northwestern regional governor, requested approval of a charter for the Gem State Chapter, really a splinter group from the Inland Empire Chapter which would continue to function, drawing its membership from the northern part of the region. The second chapter request came from John Large, who forwarded a petition with the thirteen names for a chapter to be known as San Diego. Both were approved by a 20/6 vote. On June 5,1975, the president sent off Board Letter No. 11, announcing "this will be the last BL before Eau Claire, unless something unexpected comes up." There followed a paragraph on budget comments~he proceeded to explain his decision to invite only the elected officers and thirteen governors/directors. Inasmuch as Stanley Hoban’s and the president’s transportation had been part of the workshop budget in the past, Gean Greenwell’s proposal to exclude non-elected members and members-at-large brought air travel costs within the budget figure, even providing a margin of two above quorum requirements. The president also suggested a tentative agenda, which probably was cause enough for the president to labor on a day of rest, Sunday, June 29th, to formulate Board Letter No. 12. Since there were no proposals requiring a ballot, the board’s Minutes Book contains no record of this letter or its contents. Other than the promised final

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agenda for Eau Claire, the letter advised the board that a replacement for Earl Rogers, the Eastern regional governor who had resigned, had been found-Muriel H. Wolf. The No. 1 item on the agenda was the confirmation of her appointment until the December elections. Other items on the agenda included: (2) the approval of the minutes of the board meetings at the 1974 Indianapolis Convention; (3) NATSAA; (4) the revision of the budget, including the Discretionary fund; (5) the bylaws amendments; (6) our member reinstatement policy; (7) the office of lieutenant (state) governor; (8) vwiys to meet rising costs; (9) the NATS Foundation; (10) The NATS Bulletinllnter Nos policies and deadlines; (11) the copyright resolution; and (12) other business. The 1975 NATS Workshop at the University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire, had been in session since July 13th when board members arrived at 8:00 p.m., Thursday, July 17th, for their first session. Maiy Fall, Gean Greenwell and Stanley Hoban, all members of the Board of Directors, had been part of the workshop faculty. All thirteen regions with the exception of Eastern and Texoma were represented. Your historian did not arrive until the next day. The president had appointed Maiy Wol&nan and Irvin Bushman as the reading committee to check the minutes of the board meeting at the 1974 Indianapolis Convention. The committees motion for approval received an unanimous vote. A Hoban/Yenne motion followed that Muriel H. Wolf be confirmed as the regional governor of the Eastern Region-another unanimous vote. President Greenwell then presented several aspects of NATSAA which needed consideration because there would be no convention in 1975. Gwendolyn Roberts moved and Jessie M. Perry seconded to reopen the discussion for opening the 1976 NATSAA to students of non-members. It was given a unanimous vote of approval. There followed a lengthy discussion which concluded with a Roberts/Perry motion that NATSAA be just for students of NATS members. The vote was unanimous to close the contest! What a change since the February mail vote! Then it came out to open the contest to all American and Canadian singers. Vice-President Kenneth Pennington, who was in charge of NATSAA, presented several ideas related to the management of the second-round auditions. He also suggested that the term finalists be used in place of winners. As the discussion became more involved, it was recommended that the several matters be tabled until the Friday morning meeting, July 28th. The discussion turned to prize monies. The Pennington/Burgin motion that prize monies for the 1976 NATSAA be $3,000 as first prize and $1,500 as second prize, plus expenses for all six finalists to the convention lacked just one vote of being unanimous. The meeting adjourned at 11:00 p.m. All eighteen returned for the second session of the Board of Directors, at 10:15 a.m., Friday, July 18,1975. Only two items occupied their morning. Item one concerned how board members were going to be reimbursed for their travel expenses. Item two was related to the discussion of the previous evening’s board meeting. A Pennington/Cate motion that the entrance fee for the 1976 NATSAA be $20.00 received a unanimous ballot. The meeting adjourned at noon. At 1:00 p.m., the third session of the Board of Directors got underway. Your historian’s presence raised the voting strength to one over the required quorum of eighteen. The morning session’s discussion of NATSAA spilled over into the afternoon session, covering such items as the brochure, expenses for semi-finals, etc. No definite action was taken. Then a Pauli/Burgin motion to reconsider the budget that had been passed at the December, 1974 board meeting was given a unanimous vote of approval. In regard to the regional allotments, a Yenne/Burgin motion that an additional twenty-five cents per member be added to regional accounts and taken fi^om the Discretionary Fund as proposed in the budget for fiscal 1976 received unanimous approval. There followed a Ringel/Pauli motion that the president be directed to write to University Microfilm and to Johnson Reprint, advising them that, in the future, royalty checks be made out directly to the National Association of Teachers of Singing Foundation, Inc. The afternoon of unanimous approvals continued. The focus at this point turned to a complete review and discussion of the budget for fiscal 1976. A Ringel/Bushman motion that the budget as amended be adopted was given a unanimous vote of approval. President Greenwell then turned the spotlight on the proposed bylaws amendments for consideration and discussion. An idea advanced and put into practice by the Music Educators National Conference, labeled "Continuous Membership," was responsible for the several amendments related to our membership. A member’s anniversary date and reckoning of dues was to be tied into his or her date of acceptance as a member. Dues notices were to be sent out to

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members two months prior to the anniversary date of their acceptance into membership rather than by the calendar or school year. It eliminated the sending of back issues of missed publications because an individual enrolled during a calendar year. John Burgin moved and Harvey Ringel seconded that the following change of Article II, Membership, Seaion 3c, be recommended to the membership for approval: "Election to membership shall be complete only upon the payment of the prescribed dues for the period of one year from the date of acceptance. Membership will continue from year to year upon payment of annual dues on or before the anniversary of election to membership." The board gave its unanimous approval. The meeting adjourned at 5:15 p.m. The fourth session of the Board of Directors was called to order by President Greenwell at 8:15 p.m. July 18,1975. All eighteen members were in their places. Further discussion of Article III, Dues, Section 2, after the Burgin/LaPella motion failed to gain a majority vote resulted in a revised Burgin motion which was seconded by Geraldine Cate. It recommended to the membership that the change of Article III, Section 2, for their approval, read as follows: "Article III, Dues, Section 2, Payment: Said dues shall be paid at the time of application for membership and at each anniversary of the date of acceptance. Dues notices will be sent to each member two months before payment is due and discontinuation of membership will result if dues are not paid within thirty days of the anniversary date. Active membership may be resumed upon payment of dues." The board approved the second version by a 16/2 vote. Since the Saturday morning session without Burgin, Bushman, LaPella and Ramsaur would translate into a no-quorum session, it appeared that we were setting some kind of record in disposing of items on our long agenda. Harvey Ringel moved and Irvin Bushman seconded that it be recommended to the membership for their approval that "Article II, Membership, Section 4d, Arrears be deleted from our bylaws." Then Harvey Ringel moved and Ohm Pauli seconded that the following change in Article II, Section 6, be recommended to the membership for their approval: "Article n, Membership, Section 6, Reinstatements: A member who has resigned in good standing may reactivate his membership by sending a request for reinstatement together with a check or money order for the current dues to the National Office." A Yenne/Ringel motion that the following change in the second paragraph of Article V, Section 5, be recommended to the membership for their approval was given the board’s unanimous approval. The revision read as follow: Article V, The Administrative Officers, Section 5, Treasurer (paragraph 2): "At the beginning of the year, the Treasurer shall direct the sending of a statement to all members requesting payment of annual dues two months prior to the anniversary of the membership. The Treasurer shall be elected for a three-year term and may not succeed himself in office more than once." The last sentence remained unchanged from the Fall, 1974 revisions as published in the January, 1975 Inter Nos. Then the board gave their unanimous approval to a Yenne/LaPella motion ^ a t the following changes in Article IV, Sections 5a and 5c be recommended to the membership for approval: "Article IV, Board of Directors, Section 5, Meetings; (a) The Board shall meet during every convention held by the Association, and at other times determined by resolution of the Board. Board business between official meetings may be conducted by mail. Section 5c. The presence or vote of at least two-thirds of its members shall be necessary to constitute a quorum for the transaction of Board Business." The next bit of fitting the fabric to the body that NATS had become was the LaPella/Pauli motion to change the title of lieutenant-governor to state governor. Lieutenant-governor was a title coined by Homer Mowe during the last year of his presidency (1950-1952) to rename the representative-at-large. He limited the number within a region, or district as it was then know. Eastern, Central and Northwestern were allowed two, while the remaining regions were limited to one. The LGs service identity was related to the region since each state had its own chairman. This identity gradually disappeared over the years. The Toren administration (1956-1958), under a new set of bylaws, witnessed a change in the role of the lieutenant-governor. Their numbers increased, sometimes identified with states, sometimes geographic areas defined by the density of NATS membership. Eastern had thirteen LGs; California-Western had one LG each for Arizona, Nevada and Utah, but two for a divided California; Central had eight, but only five states. The changes since the late fifties had been many. More and more, their role became identified with a state. By the time President Karl Trump took over in 1970, one of the first acts of the president was to present, for board approval, the lists of lieutenant-governors for each region, identified by

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states, excepting the Northwestern Region where sparsely populated areas dictated that two states or a state and a Canadian Province be under one lieutenant-governor. The title now became the name of the chief officer in a state. With the reorganization to thirteen regions and the regional governor becoming his or her own representative on the Board of Directors, it was time to dignify the office of a state’s chief administrator with the title of state governor. The board voted unanimously to recommend to the membership for their approval that all mentions of lieutenantgovernor in Article V, Sections 6a, 6b, and 6c be changed to State Governor. The last revision proposed concerned itself with Article V, The Administrative Officers, Section 6d, in regard to nominations for the office of regional governor. Since the only change was a rewording of the last sentence, actually a substitution of just five words in that sentence, changing" ... in the September issue of Inter Nos” to read," ... with the National Nominating Committee," in complete Section 6d, will not be given here. The board gave the Yenne/Wolfman motion a unanimous ballot. The discussion that followed turned to the NATS Foundation. The board’s Minutes Book mentioned that a suggestion was made that "a line be added on the dues assessment card concerning contributions to the NATS Foundation." Then a Cate/Roberts motion that we transfer $299.03 (the amount of the 1974 royalties from University Microfilms and Johnson Reprint) to the NATS Foundation, for the purpose of purchasing stationery and other supplies for carrying on the work of the Foundation was given the board’s unanimous approval. The final deliberations of the board concerned itself with the reconsideration of the Copyright Resolution as passed at the December 30,1974 board meeting in Indianapolis. A Bushman/Ringel motion that the revised resolution be approved and sent to the national publishers was given a unanimous vote of approval. The meeting adjourned at 10:45 p.m. The fifth and final session of the Board of Directors in Eau Claire was called to order by President Greenwell at 9:15 p.m., Saturday, July 19,1975. There could be no voting as we were two short of a quorum. However, the following matters were discussed; (1) the value of having a president-elect; (2) the sharing of a national office with some other national organization; (3) the need for acquiring new members; (4) The NATS Bulletinllnter Nos policies and deadlines. T^e possibility of reducing articles concerning workshops and conventions; and (5) the packets to new members should include a listing of NATS services, such as workshops. Discretionary Fund, etc. The discussion turned to the emeriti. It had come to the president’s attention that some emeritus members were displeased over the loss of the power to vote. The bylaws granted them all the privileges of membership except the power to vote and the right to hold elective office. In 1975, there were only 119 emeriti. Granting suffirage to such a small faction posed no threat. Even if they voted as a bloc, they could not effect the course of an election. Besides, it was unlikely that all 119 would vote when suffrage was restored to them as a group. They also had another complaint Some were unhappy with the label of "emeritus." In the course of the discussion, your historian suggested the title, "Honorary Life Members," which caught the board’s fancy. So, it was the consensus of those present that the power to vote on matters presented to the active membership be granted to the emeriti and that the classification be changed to that of "Honorary Life Member." The president promised that he would send a letter to the board within a week, asking for a vote on this matter. As things began to wind down, Gean Greenwell brought to the attention of the board that this would be the last year Stanley Hoban would be in charge of workshops. The board expressed their sincere thanks to him for his untiring effort in sustaining this important arm of the National Association’s upward thrust towards excellence. Then National Secretary Margret Kommel called to the board’s attention that, although they would be serving until January 1,1976, this would be the last official board meeting for President Greenwell, Vice-Presidents Gerts, Perry and Hoban. Again the board responded vnth kudos for a job well done. There being no further business, the Eau Claire meeting of the Board of Directors was adjourned sine die at 12:30 p.m. Two days later, Monday, July 21,1975, President Greenwell sent off Board Letter No. 13, asking for a vote on the bylaws changes decided upon on the previous Saturday morning at Eau Claire. The board’s Minutes Book recorded that emeriti were now Honorary Life Members with the requested provisions by a 25/1 vote. In authorizing the change of the title of lieutenantgovernor to state governor, the president discovered that Article IV, Section 3d had been overlooked at Eau Claire. A unanimous ballot took care of that oversight. One week after Eau

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Claire, the president had to submit to an operation that left him "weak as a cat," as he phrased it. It took him four days to prepare Board Letter No. 14, dated August 13,1975. Since this was a letter to correct wrong figures in the budget and does not appear in the board’s Minutes Record Book, its contents will not be included here. The president sent out Board Letter No. 15 on September 21,1975. He mentioned that he was finally "getting some gumption back," leading me to believe that his operation was more debilitating than his earlier correspondence had indicated. At the Indianapolis Convention, in discussing NATSAA, the decision to invite the 1974 winner back to the 1976 Philadelphia Convention was put off for a later discussion. Now, President Greenwell was of the opinion that the 1974 NATSAA winner should be invited to give a return recital at our Philadelphia convention. He cited the fact that WUliam Parker returned to St. Louis (1971) after winning at Dallas (1970), even though he was in Europe. The reply to Gean Greenwell’s request that as a matter of policy, the NATSAA winner should be invited to give a recital at the next biennial convention received a 20/6 vote. His next concern was our vote in Eau Claire to pay the expenses of the six finalists for their convention trip. Nothing had been specified-such a carte blanche approach could be costly. Then the president gave us a hypothetical rundown on such costs, coming to the conclusion that even with the raise to a $20.00 entry fee, we could not afford such generosity. Since those coming to Philadelphia would not really be representing regions because they would be district winners, we could not look to the regions for subsidy. The regions support would be to help their own representatives to travel to the second round. As a consequence. President Greenwell asked for a vote for one of the three following proposals: (1) full expenses (round trip airfare, hotel for two nights, and food allowance of $22.50, for an average of $200 for six; (2) full expenses as above for the four non-winners; and (3) round trip airfare for all six. The third proposal got the nod with a board vote of fifteen. No. 1 received four votes and No. 2, two votes. The president then asked for a vote on a matter that had been mentioned but dropped that concerned songs by American composers. Some American composers had set foreign language texts. The intent of requiring two groups of American songs in English was that they be sung in English. To make this clear the president asked for a vote that "NATSAA American songs should be in English." The board returned a 20/6 vote of approval. Another item that was causing controversy in some quarters was the fate of some singers who had planned to enter NATSAA in 1975. Since there would be no contest in 1975 and these same people, shut out because NATS decided on biennial contests, would be overage in 1976, there were those that hinted that allowances should be made. The president thought that weakening under such suggestions would be inviting trouble. There was only one way to go. He asked his board to vote on a strict enforcement of the age requirements. They returned a 19/7 vote. The president then turned to two items not related to NATSAA. In the Greenwell revisions of the bylaws, a three-year term was set for the secretary and the treasurer, but there was no stipulation of when the beginning of the term would be. The president proposed that their terms should commence when they were elected for the first time. To establish the matter for the record, he asked for a vote on: "Under the new election procedures for Secretary and Treasurer, established by the 1974 bylaws amendment, the first term for each officer will commence January 1,1976." The board returned a 20/6 vote in favor. Then there were two items concerned with the Annual Report of OfiBcers and Committees. Heretofore, it had been the custom to print up such reports, and to have them available at the annual business meeting at the convention. Biennial conventions changed all that The president wanted annual reports, but could see no reason for mailing them to all members in non-convention years. Even in convention years only a portion of the membership actualfy received copies-those who attended conventions and those who wrote in for copies. The president’s solution was to print a supply to accommodate the board and a few more for those members who might be interested enough to write in for a copy. He requested his board to vote on two items in this regard: (1) annual reports in a non-convention year should be sent to board members, and to the members who request copies; (2) reports from regional governors should be included in the annual report. Both items were given a 20/6 majority by his board. The president’s Board letter No. 16, dated October 22,1975, opened with quite a revealing paragraph, related to his operation on July 29th. His month-long physical weakness caused him to regard the weakness of his speaking voice as being related to his bodily weakness. However,

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as he grew stronger, his voice remained very weak and breathy. Consequently, he went to an ENT man and discovered that the cords were fire red and bowed on phonation. Then he got the word that this condition was usual after anesthesia due to the tube that is inserted into the lungs for operations lasting more than fifteen minutes! In the preceding night’s explanatory session on anesthesia, nothing had been mentioned about the insertion of a tube down the throat. His surgeon told Gean that he had the same experience a couple years back when he had an operation. Then he added, that if anyone had thought, a spinal anesthetic could have been used. After three months, his voice was still not back to normal. Besides, he had to delay his teaching for two weeks while he was on voice silence. Not too long ago, I recall an otolaiyngologist at one of our conventions, speaking in regard to this, saying that, if hospitalized for surgery, he would want a large-lettered sign across his chest, "I am a singer." The president turned to a discussion of the voting in regard to BL No. 15. In mentioning the vote on NATSAA’s age limit, he reported that two board members suggested that the age limit be raised to thirty-two for the 1976 contest only. Consequently, he asked for a vote on this. The vote that came back was quite close, by a 14/12 majority. The next time was a replay on the begiiming dates of the terms for the secretary and treasurer. The president wrote, "I goofed. . . I meant to make the starting date, January 1,1975... I had 7 6 in mind because of the NATSAA votes I asked fo r.. . Please vote again on this item." The vote came back with a 22/4 majority approving. The terms of all other offices would begin as of January 1, 1976. Gean GreenweU continued, saying that the 1975 annual reports would be duplicated for officers and board members, with a few extra for requests from members. A notice would be inserted in the January Inter Nos to the effect that members could secure copies upon request. Sandwiched among the routine of the bylaws revisions and the newly created foundation, there was good news of a new chapter. David Greedy, governor of the Central Region requested that a charter be granted to a chapter to be known as the East Central Illinois Chapter. Sixteen NATS members signed the petition. The charter was granted by a 23/3 majority vote. Now for the Foundation! At Eau Claire, we had passed a motion to advise University Microfilms International and Johnson Reprint Corporation how to make out their royalty checks. Our Executive Secretary, James Browning thought that this could not be done without rewriting the contracts with these two firms. As for the twin motion that provided for the transfer of the 1974 royalties to the NATSF account, our lawyer said there was nothing to impede such action. The president took immediate steps to transfer the sum of $299.03 to the Foundation account. The same transfer could be made each year by board action for the amount of royalties received. When this transfer was made we had $424.03 as the assets of NATSF. After reading a few books on fund-raising techniques, the president had settled on a one shot paper which he prepared to go out with the ballots of the current board letter, hoping for some response. He explained how he had arrived at the four incorporating signatures: Coffin, Trump, Ringel and GreenweU. A month or so later, the lawyer asked Gean to supply the names of the first officers. The president listed Coffin as president, Karl Trump as vice-president and James Browning as secretary-treasurer, with Ringel and GreenweU as directors. The president’s hurried promotion piece did not even include the names of the Foundation’s officers and board. James Browning’s name did not appear on any paper as a member of the Board of Directors, It was the president’s contention that it really should. He studied the incorporation of several other music foundations and came up with the recommendation that the bylaws of the Foundation be amended to state that the members of NATSF shaU be the Board of Directors of NATS, and that the officers of NATSF need not be members. That stipulation enabled NATS past-presidents to be officers of NATSF, and also enabled a financial expert to be an officer in the future if thought advisable. Elections would be held to elect future officers so that NATS would always be in control. Making the total membership of NATS members of NATSF would set up a cumbersome situation for voting~maU costs, etc. would be prohibitive. The president thought that this was the best possible membership requirement for NATSF. Gean GreenweU explained that the present NATSF officers and members had to amend the NATSF bylaws, but the board needed to decide on the matter. Both proposals drew a 20/6 majority from the NATS Board of Directors. President GreenweU advised the board that we were in the midst of a membership campaign. A letter had been sent to all voice teachers listed in the CoUege Music Society print-out who were not one of us. Each letter contained an appUcation blank. As a foUow-up, each one received a

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complimentary copy of The NATS Bulletin. The president wrote, "It had better be successful, or we had better be thinking of a dues raise." There was another matter on which Gean Greenwell wanted an agreed policy put in writing-reimbursement for travel expenses for officers on NATS business. He brought the matter up at this time because he thought it should become part of the new Officers Handbook being compiled under George Newton’s direction. Again, this was sort of a two-pronged proposal-one covering elected NATS officers and the other the office of the executive secretary. The president proposed: (1) Expense reimbursements for officers on NATS business shall be for coach air fare, ground transportation to and from airports, hotel room, but not for food; (2) As a non-member employee, reimbursement for the executive seaetary shall be for all the ordinary expenses of travel when on NATS business, including coach air fare, ground transportation, hotel rooms, meals, and registration fees for meetings other than NATS. Both items were approved by a 20/6 vote. On November 19th, President Greenwell sent off Board Letter No. 17. A preliminary paragraph advised his board that he had recovered from the vocal debilitation reported in his October 22nd letter. He enclosed a new form for completion by regional and state governors for submission to the executive secretary. The president had intended to initiate the new report form in 1974, but deadline times caught up with him. This time around it almost happened again. The report blanks were to have been in the governors hands by November 1st. The call for immediate attention marched across the page in capital letters: "REMEMBER, THE REPORT TO BROWNING PRONTO; NEW STATE GOVERNORS, TO ME BY 11-29!" The deadline for the January Inter Nos was December 4th. This issue would carry the outcome of the election as well as the information that any member who wished a copy of the year-end reports, usually handed out at conventions, could have them on request fi-om the executive seaetary. The annual reports this year incorporated President Greenwell’s new form inasmuch as page one of the regional governors reports were to be duplicated and become an integral part of it The November 19th letter reported the president’s November 15th attendance at the conference of the new Southern Region (Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi). He wrote: "It was most heartening to see the terrific turnout in a part of the country that was doubtful when the division was made into thirteen regions. More than 190 students auditioned. . . Many of the teachers present had not attended auditions before because, in the old Southern Region, Kentuclqr and Tennessee were the most active states and the auditions were held there. The distance was too great from the lower parts of Louisiana and Mississippi. Now the people fi:om Mississippi are going to apply for a charter for a chapter. About a month ago the Mid-South Region (Kentucl^ and Tennessee) had another fine conference. So from the two regions made fi-om the old Southern Region, nearly 400 students auditioned-the old region never came close to that many." Another cited instance was the Great Lakes Region where over 220 auditioned-more than the old Central Region ever had. Great Lakes (Ohio, Michigan and Indiana) had been carved out of the pre-Greenwell Central Region, which also had included Illinois and I^souri. Texoma, old Southwestern bereft of Arkansas, Kansas and Colorado, had 759 entries in their student auditions. A "Sorry, all sold out" notice had to be sent to 109 because they could only accommodate 650. Approximately 1,000 attended the conference. The president wrote that there never had been such enthusiastic regional activity. Much more had happened than space would allow to be reported here. He wrote: "Judging by this fall’s activity... redistricting is a great success. We should thank Bruce Lunkley for staying with the idea." In one of the last paragraphs of his letter, the president reported a disappointing membership response to the mail vote. Only 502 members bothered to vote, less that 20% of the membership. Three hundred and thirty-one voted acceptance of all items. Other than a request to raise the Philadelphia 1976 Convention registration fee to $17.50, the rest of Board Letter 18, December 7,1975, was given over to last minute approval of state governors. Interesting, the requests from the governors of the Cal-Western, Mid-South and New England regions all received the same votes; Yes 15; No 0; Abstained 11, meaning that 42.31% of President Greenwell’s board members couldn’t make up their minds. The president had remarked at the head of his last board letter, "Quorums are hard to come by these days, but we made it yesterday." Board Letter No. 17 had gone out on November 19. His board, knowing the urgency of a return reply in the last days of their president’s administration, not only took seventeen days to arrive at a quorum, but also eleven members were still in a state of indecision. Board Letter No.

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18 fared better-a quorum was reached in just nine days. The major part o f the balloting concerned the approval of state governors. Gean Greenwell wanted everyone in their place as the new president moved in sans ceremony. He closed out his last letter with three one-liners: (1) James Browning requested that an attempt should be made to limit reports to one page; (2) the membership count as of December 15th was 2,793; and (3) the Foundation account had swelled to $1,225. The 1975 Workshop Trail began at the University of Rhode Island, Kingston, July 6-11, moving westward to the University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire, July 13-18. A fter a w eek’s respite, Director Stanley Hoban opened the last Summer Workshop, 7,000 feet up among the Ponderosa Pines, at Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, July 27-August 1. The registration total for all three workshops was 254, some 15% of whom were students. Full registration fell below that of both 1973 and 1974. Nevertheless, Vice-President Hoban turned over to National T reasurer Ohm Pauli the sum of $1,225.80, down approximately 54% from 1974. This was the balance o f the Workshop Account as of December 31, 1975. The summer of 1975, however, was given over to more than workshops. President Greenwell took the lead from his predecessor, Jean Ludman, who had held the first interim full board meeting in NATS history, August 4th and 5th, immediately following the July 30-August 4, 1972 workshop at Chicago Musical College, Roosevelt University. There were differences, however. The Eau Claire Workshop was the last board meeting for President Greenwell and several members of his team. Also, eighteen board members came to the Eau Claire m eeting with NATS paying one-way coach airfares, while the quorum of twelve who came to the Chicago m eeting paid their own way. Well, not exactly, the national workshop director and president were im portant to any workshop and their travel expenses were a legitimate expense in th e operation of the workshop program. At Chicago, two national ofQcers were residents of that city, no t even room expense was involved. The move to biennial conventions created the problem o f interim board meetings which could be almost as costly as a convention deficit if not watched closely. A t this point, let’s conclude the report on workshops. In the final paragraph of his report, Stanley John Hoban annoimced the bicentennial workshops for the summer of 1976: (1) G lassboro State College, Glassboro, New Jersey, July 11-16; (2) Northeast Louisiana University, M onroe, July 2530; and (3) Montana State University, Bozeman, August 1-6. The report of Vice-President Jessie M. Perry, administrator of the Regional D iscretionary Fund, was for the period of July 1,1975 through December 31,1975, since she would leave office at the end of the year. During the first six months of fiscal 1976, a total o f $1,392.11 had been dispensed, covering eight requests that had to do with expenses in the founding o f chapters, conducting master classes, student auditions, etc. Approximately 70% of the fund, o r $3,157.89 was available for her successor to use in the balance of the fiscal year. Margret Kommel, national secretary, reported on the vote by mail which replaced th e function that, heretofore, usually took place at the business meeting at our conventions. T he balloting was disappointing to the president since only an approximate 18% of the m em bership took the trouble to return their marked ballot. Of the 502 returned, twelve could not be counted, seven of whom returned their ballots xmsigned. Ten members did not vote one way o r an o th er for any of the national officers; forty-five could not be bothered to vote one way or the o th er o n the bylaws amendments. Then, when you reflect upon the fact that 2,292 singing teachers who at one time applied for membership, secured endorsements from NATS members, and paid their dues, but did not vote, you cannot help but ask the question~why? W ere they only buying a stam p of approval? You might also speculate: "Did anyone other than committee members and/or office holders at the local, state, regional and national levels vote? H ere is the slate of officers that took over from the Greenwell adm inistration w ithout benefit of the Wolfman/Stults rituals. Three of the candidates who were slated to fill the vacancies o f the three retiring vice-presidents had earned service stripes as members of the Board o f D irectors. M aiy Wolfinan had been a regional director, representing the old Eastern R egion under Presidents Coffin, Trump, Ludman and Greenwell. When the changeover to the thirteen regions occurred January 1,1975, Mary Wolfman retained her seat on the board as the governor o f the newly created New England Region. Geraldine Cate had been the governor o f th e old Southeastern Region under Presidents Ludman and Greenwell. W ith the increase to thirteen regions, Gerry Cate became a member of the Board of Directors as the governor o f th e newly

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created Mid-Atlantic Region. Irvin Bushman was the neophyte among the three new vicepresidents. He succeeded Dale K. Moore as governor of the old Central Region when Gean Greenwell became president in 1974. In 1975, when the thirteen regions came into being, Irv Bushman became the governor of the newly created Great Lakes Region. By virtue of that office, he became a member of the Board of Directors. In 1976, he became a vice-president The remaining five national officers were veterans. Muriel Wolf had been appointed governor of the Eastern Region at the Eau Claire workshop when Earl Rogers resigned That appointment put her on the Board of Directors. She had to stand for election with the new slate of officers. John Muschick was a candidate for the governorship of the Great Lakes Region left vacant by Irv Bushman. Katherine Hansel was nominated to succeed Gerry Cate as the governor of the MidAtlantic Region and Robert Gartside succeeded Mary Wolfman as the governor of the New England Region. Of the three, Mary Wolfman was the veteran in the top echelon, having served on the board under four presidents, joining the board as a regional director in the second year of Berton Coffin’s presidency. Below is the slate prepared by the Nominating Committee, Karl Trump, chairman; Weslqr Abbott, Rosamond Hirschom, Dorothy Russel and Roy Schuessler. [* Denotes members of the President’s Advisory Council] Board o f Directors National Officers President-. Bruce G. Lunkley. Vice-Presidents: Maiy Wolfman* (new), Geraldine Cate* (new), Irvin Bushman* (new), Kenneth Pennington*. Secretary: Margret Kommel*. Treasurer: Ohm W. Pauli*. Editor, The NATS Bulletin: Harvey Ringel. Past-President: Gean Greenwell. Regional Governors Cal-Westem: Gwendolyn Roberts. Central: David F. Greedy. Eastern: Muriel H. Wolf. Great Lakes: John Muschick (new). Mid-Atlantic: Katherine Hansel (new). Mid-South: Robert LaPella. New England: Robert Gartside (new). North Central: Mary A Fall. Northwestern: Elva A Cowan. Southeastern: John Ramsaur. Southern: John Burgin. Texoma: Ruth C. Stewart. West Central: Vernon Yenne. Directors-at-Large Joel Ebersole, Glen Lockery, Hugh McElrath, Harvey Woodruff. This was the second year of the second term of Annemarie Gerts, vice-president of membership admissions. Had it not been for her letter writing over her four years in office, the October, 1975 membership figure of 2,794 would not have been a matter of record. As of October, 1971, the membership total was 2,581, seven of whom were emeriti Vice-President Gerts came into office at the onset of the dues raise to $20.00. The aftermath of that was 268 resignations and/or drops for non-payment of dues. From then on it was uphill. During her tenure, new member and reinstated figures steadily increased from 163 in 1972 to 256 in 1975. The number of drops and resignations receded from the 268 figures in 1972 to 150 in 1975. There was one figure, however, that was on the rise. We began 1972 with seven emeritL In 1975, the number of Honorary Life Members, as they now were known, rose to 119. They were members who had attained their 68th birthday, who had been members in good standing for at least twenty years and who had retired from teaching a full schedule. They no longer paid dues but had aU the privileges of membership except the right to hold elective office at the national level. In 1975, the board approved their request to be given the right to vote in elections. Topical of Vice-President Gerts’ two-pronged effort to stabilize and to increase membership was: (1) the reclaiming of delinquents and (2) the enrollment of new members. In June, 1975, Annemarie Gerts sent out 220 letters in June to those who had let their membership lapse through the non-payment of dues, resulting in 159 paying-up and returning to active memtership, then, the yearly canvass of workshop attenders plus the October mailing to 1,500 teachers listed in the College Music Society register, not yet members of NATS. The teachers received a copy

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of the new information folder and a membership application form with that letter. To cap it off, each recipient of that letter was sent a copy of the October, 1975 issue of The NATS Bulletin. The unfortunate thing was that the single effort from the top was not adequate to bring in the needed members to stay abreast of inflation. Members themselves needed to get involved. If each one had made the effort in the past to enroll just one colleague within a five-year period, it is just possible that we would be freed of the anticipation of a raise in dues. At the close of his first year in office, President Greenwell had spelled it out in his December message to the membership that, taking into account the current rate of membership attrition, it was necessary for NATS to acquire 500 new members each year in order to stay abreast of inflation. In 1975, we reached 51.2% of that goal through Annemarie Gerts’ efforts, ff only individual members had done their part! Now, the bottom-line--doUars and cents. Treasurer Ohm Pauli reported a net gain in corporate equity of $10,198.37, Our current assets totaled $77,191.22 at the end of fiscal 1975. Compared with fiscal 1973, during the last year of the Ludman administration, Gean Greenwell rack^ up a 45.8% increase--a jump from $52,944.16 to $77,191.22 during his administration. No doubt, the guiding hand of Past-President Ludman had a major part in the growth of corporate equity. Two committees chaired by George Newton, the one on handbooks and the other on conventions, were still in the work in progress stage. Arthur Schoep’s Committee on English Translations never got off the ground. His report projected the hope that it would function during 1976 and produce an excellent compilation for distribution at the 1976 Philadelphia Convention. The new Regional Governor Report, initiated by President Gean Greenwell in the last months of his administration, was a one-page form requesting information in fourteen areas. Blank spaces were left after each request for a concise answer or statistic. The reverse side of the form was for the evaluation of each state governor within the region. Only the first side would be duplicated for inclusion in the annual report to members. This report would give members as well as fellow administrators a quick look at all regional activities. A regional governor could compare the effectiveness of his or her efforts with those of a colleague. It gave a president a bird’s-eye view of each of the thirteen regions. Space limitations forbid reviewing all fourteen areas touched upon, but a sampling is included here. The first time around caught some regional governors with their guard down. The Eastern Region excused itself entirely because the incumbent had been in office only for six months. Nothing the matter with a six-months report! Others begged off because they had not organized their records in the manner necessary to come up with answers. The question was asked; "Number of news letters sent to regional membership during the year?" Answers to that question revealed that all but one region sent out newsletters, varying in frequency from one to four, with six reporting that they sent out three each. Ten of the twelve regions reported that they had held regional auditions in 1975, an off-year. Some, like the Central Region, had state auditions as a prelim to the regionals. In their prelims, Iowa had 163 registrants, Missouri, 95 and Illinois, 90. All in all, across the country approximately 2,500 students entered regionals in the ten regions reporting--more than 550 teachers were involved. Now this was what it was all about! This was proof of the effectiveness of NATS. Seven regions reported that they had bank accounts, varying from $39.00 to $650.00, totaling $2,500. The requested answer on "How many more new members vithin your region than last year" revealed that some governors were not keeping track, answering that they didn’t know because they just kept an active file. Those that reported showed modest gains from eleven to twenty-two. A t first glance, this report was going to have an effect beyond that of record keeping. It alerted regional governors to the many facets of their administrative posts. It pinpointed areas of emphasis. The president’s request that the regional governors retain copies for their successors made them a link to the future. Now what had gone before in a region would be a matter of record and a ready reference for incoming governors. Have you ever been intrigued with the vitality of an idea-especially a NATS oriented one? Suddenly it takes root and fills a void, starting a new direction for NATS. Often the NATSer who initiated the idea a decade or more ago and labored unlimited hours to bring it to fiiiition is forgotten. A current activist, amidst a more receptive membership promotes it and is given credit for cracking the shell of status quo. It matters not so long as the idea that is bom elevates our organization to a service level to members and our profession not before attainable. Three such projects that had been brought before our governing bodies over a decade or more finally were

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incorporated into our bylaws by President Gean Greenwell. As the vice-president in charge of SOTY under Presidents Coffin (1968-1970) and Trump (1970-1972), he revamped the Singer of the Year contest into what has been known as the NATS Artists Award since that time. He was no stranger to new ideas. An earlier vice-president in charge of SOTY, Joel Carter (1960-1964), introduced the idea of regional redistricting at Dallas the year Kay Griffel won the SOTY. He spoke to the board of the need for changing some boundaries and the creating of new regions to make it less costly and more convenient so as to involve more students in SOTY. What derailed the efforts of this dedicated NATSer can be traced through the administrations of B. Fred Wise (1960-1962) and Louis Nicholas (1962-1964). A decade later, a replay of the early sixties surfaced in the last days of Karl Trump’s administration (1970-1972) that prompted him to appoint an ad hoc committee during the 1971 St. Louis Convention. Not too many days later, incoming President Jean Ludman (1972-1974) nominated her own redistricting committee with Bruce Lunkley in the chair. You have read in the last chapter how everything crescendoed to an unanimous ballot for the Lunkley plan. However, there is nothing in the available records that explains the sotto voce treatment of redistricting during the last year of the Ludman administration. Nevertheless, the fact that President Greenwell’s Board Letter No. 1 focused on redistricting would seem to indicate that incoming president Greenwell, Bruce Lunkley, et al had gotten their heads together at the Waldorf-Astoria. The whole package became a fait accompli within the final weeks of Gean Greenwell’s first year in the presidency. Biennial conventions also had been a perennial question in the late 1950s. As a matter of fact, at the very same convention (Dallas, 1960) that Joel Carter proposed the idea of redistricting. President Wise responded negatively when that subject was broached, saying: "It has been a topic of conversation for years, but nothing has been done about it" Not quite so! B. Fred Wise had forgotten the 11:40 p.m. Policy Board/Executive Committee meeting in Cincinnati, December 29,1959 which he attended as president-elect DeYoung, not in the best of health, had been the chief protagonist in establishing the American Institute of Vocal Pedagogy. Exhausted by the week-long effort, he retired early, naming Wise as his proxy for that late evening meeting. Shortly before the 1:25 a.m. adjournment, a motion was made that the incoming president appoint a committee to study the question of holding our conventions every two years with regional meetings in the alternate years. It received an unanimous vote and one of those votes had been cast by B. Fred Wise himself. No doubt the unexpected death of Richard DeYoung on January 11,1960, wiped that evening out of the president-elect’s mind since he named no such committee as he had been directed to do. At this time, Gean Greenwell’s membership was three years old. His was a fresh look at any NATS problem with which he was confronted. Dale Gilliland sold Gean on NATS in 1957 and he became a member. Six years later, he was the program chairman of the 1963 Detroit National Convention. Ten years later, president of NATS. He let it be known at his installation ceremony at the Waldorf-Astoria that the time was now to forsake the old ways. The third giant step that had a more recent past resolved itself into the NATS Foundation. Even before the Coffin administration (1968-1970) there had been discussions in regard to our non-profit status so that NATS could receive tax-deductible contributions to improve the functions of our workshops and the benefits of our contest Even a reworded statement of purpose was ineffective. The IRS took a jaundiced view of it, implying that it was unlikely that an organization such as ours could change its practices after a quarter of a century. The matter remained unresolved through the Coffin administration and was still breathing in the early months of the Jean Ludman presidency. It was allowed to stagnate. However, shortly after it became known that Gean Greenwell would be the next president, George Newton discovered a paragraph in the IRS Code that would make it possible to set up a separate non-profit corporation, subject to the approval of IRS, that could accept tax-deductible gite. Gean Greenwell went to work and just brought the NATS Foundation in under the wire as 1974 wound down so he could announce its realization at the Indianapolis Convention. The last year of President Greenwell’s administration was one of adaptation and working out of some of the rough spots that had to be bypassed in effecting all the changes brought about in the first twelve months. As of December 31,1975, Gean Greenwell became Past-President Gean Greenwell. Despite the fact, there was one thing that he had started he was not about to relinquish“ the 1976 Bicentennial Convention. Bruce Lunkle/s first kudo in this report at that

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convention was: "My first salute must go to the hardest working member of my administration-Past-President Gean Greenwell. Never one to rest on his laurels, Gean insisted on managing the program of this convention while at the same time helping me with my first months in office. All this and the added concerns of the NATS Foundation have kept him busier than I, these past months."

Members of the American Academy of Teachers of Singing in attendance at the NATS Convention in Houston, December, 1978. Left to Right: Herald Stark, Berton Coffin, Bernard Taylor, Robert Grooters, Harvey Ringel, Craig Timberlake, Hubert Kockritz, Ralph Appelman. The American Academy was one of the sponsoring organizations in the founding of NATS.

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Bruce G. Lunkley PRESIDENT

1976-1979 The last time that NATS families remained intact throughout the year-end holiday season was nineteen years ago. Members owed that respite to a placatory convention date change, moved to the end of January, 1957 to pacify those who objected to the Christmas/New Year’s convention slot. Unfortunately, the Buffalo public relations gesture satisfied too few and NATS returned to its former ways the following December. In 1975, however, the circumstances were somewhat different. Throughout the year, officialdom had been adjusting to what had been NATS most extensive overhaul of its physical and legislative structure since its founding. December, 1956 had presented few problems since it had not been an election year; but December, 1975 was an election year. Already there were voices asking whether the biennial convention was the way to go. Missed most of all by President Lunkley this conventionless December was the opportunity to meet face-to-face with his Board of Directors where plans could be laid on the table, ideas exchanged-ideas that were unlikely to emerge via the routine mail vote. So, the president called for an all-day meeting in Cleveland on Saturday, January 21, 1976, of his Advisory Council, consisting of the four vice-presidents-Mary Wolfinan, Geraldine Cate, Irvin Bushman, and Kenneth Pennington; the secretary, Margret Kommel; and the treasurer. Ohm W. Pauli. The last three named were the veterans. Ken Pennington, in his second term as the vice president in charge of NATSAA, was designated by Bruce Lunkley as the person to take over if he could not fulfill the duties of this office. The three remaining vice presidents who had just been elected, were given specific assignments; Mary Wolfman’s responsibility was to be membership/admissions; Irvin Bushman, field activities; Geraldine Cate, conferences and auditions. The last named was a new position to assist regions, even coerce them, into having conferences either annually or in the off-convention years. It was Gerry Cate’s role to find ways to help regions build activities involving the membership within their boundaries. Guidelines and/or goals to be achieved by each vice president grew out of this meeting. They will not be discussed here since they will become a part of the whole cloth as we proceed through the Lunkley years. Please be reminded that Bruce initiated the three-year presidency. Here is his blueprint for those years. The first would be one of examination and evaluation. Tlie second, the implementation of those moves that seemed best for NATS. The third, progress or . . . The president said that his term would be highlighted "by strong efforts to enrich those aspects of our program which directly benefit the individual member and his closest NATS sub-organization." To him, this meant money going out of national into local, state and regional hands for direct application to activities within geographic reach of all members. On January 28,1976, the president sent off his first memo to the Board of Directors. In it, he reported on his January 24th meeting with his Advisory Council. He spoke of NATS excellent financial condition, but expressed concern over his discovery that much of the regional money had not been asked for. Unfortunately, that large balance in the Discretionary Fund had to be used prior to July 1, 1976, or it would revert back to the general fund. Bruce Lunkley included a listing of several issues, asking the board for their comment and discussion. In some instances, these issues would be brought to a vote in future memos. One concerned the formation of a Council of State Governors as a resource body to Vice-President Pennington, in charge of NATSSA, and a Council of Chapter Presidents as a resource body to Vice-President Bushman, in charge of field activities and the Discretionary Fund. Both councils would meet at national conventions with their respective vice-presidents. They also would increase the prestige of state governors and chapter presidents and could increase attendance at conventions by giving more members solid reasons for making such a trip. The president also proposed a plan to make regional funds more accessible, to encourage planning and use of the fonds granted to them, making it possible for them to save up funds from one year to another if they so wished and splurge in another on special conferences, etc. He proposed that each regional governor appoint or have elected a treasurer for his region. Then, on the first day of each fiscal year, the NATS

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treasurer would forward the complete regional allocation for the fiscal year to the regional treasurer. President Lunkley also proposed that state governors receive a $25.00 annual stipend for correspondence expense from the national budget with no strings of accountability such as proposed for the regions. The last item on his request agenda was: "Please let me know how you feel about annual or biennial conventions now that we have missed one and know a bit more about the problems that this raises for us." The board also was asked to vote on a num ber of items. No. 1 was Stanley Hoban’s request for a dollar-a-day increase in tuition for the 1976 Summer Workshops, effecting a weekly charge of $45.00 or a daily charge of $9.50 for less than a full registration. The board’s 20/1 vote approved the request. No. 2 was the president’s request that Jean Ludman, past-president, 1971-1974, be named to represent NATS on the National Music Council. The board granted his request with a 19/2 vote. Bruce Lunkley’s third request was to designate Vice-President Kenneth Pennington to act as the president pro-tem in the event he became incapacitated in any way. The president’s Advisory Council had recommended that the fee given the NATSAA winner for the return recital be increased to $250. The president’s request that this be done was given a 21/0 vote of approval by his board. His last request that the Handbook Committee, consisting of George Newton, Berton Coffin and Karl Trum p be continued was given a 21/0 board vote of approval. Bruce Lunkley asked the com m ittee to complete handbooks for all officers and major activities. Their recently com pleted Regional Governors’ Handbook accompanied the president’s first board memo. There is a pause in the action here to acknowledge the passing of NATS’ fifth president, Walter Allen Stults, on January 31, 1976. He was ninety-three! H e had served as NATS’ first secretary, serving under Presidents Wilcox, Carson and DeYoung, 1944-1950. H e stepped up to the vice-presidency in 1950 and the presidency in 1952, succeeding to the past-presidency in 1954. In 1956, he was named an associate editor of The Bulletin by the Editorial Board. As associate editor he originated the column, "Bookshelf," reviewing books on voice, voice pedagogy, and vocal repertoire for the next sixteen years. Dr. Stults was presented an ornamented scroll at our 18th AMual Convention in Beverly Hills, California, December 29,1972, honoring him for his twentyeight years of continuous service to NATS. With the passing of W alter Allen Stults, E. Clifford Toren became the sole surviving past-president from the dedicated group of thirteen who had gathered round that luncheon table in Cincinnati’s Netherland-Plaza Hotel, Thursday, M arch 23, 1944, to found the National Association of Teachers of Singing. President Lunkley sent off Board Memo No. 2 on February 25,1976, containing tally, voting and discussion sheets. He reported that plans were going well for our December meeting in Philadelphia. Robert Grooters was the general chairman. Program Chairman G ean Greenwell had some excellent things on the fire for the program. The president wrote his board members that each one of them could help convention attendance by checking with their local travel agents for special or group rates from major cities within h is^er region and, where feasible, could organize groups to travel to Philadelphia thus saving members money. Such a concerted effort throughout our thirteen regions could increase significantly the attendance at the 1976 convention. The president’s conmient and discussion sheet reported Executive Secretary James Browning’s suggestion that NATS change our one-shot yearly Placement Service at conventions to a year-long basis vnth an annual registration fee of $15.00. The next item concerned another attendance promotion for the Philadelphia, 1976 convention. It was an accidental death and/or dismemberment insurance poliqr covering up to fifteen days from the departure date, including the convention and the return home. Members under 70 would be given a $10,000 coverage, over 70, one-fourth that am ount It was available only to those who preregistered before a specified date. The cost of seventy-five cents a member would be absorbed by the Association since preregistration would help inmiensely with planning, setting up packets, hotel planning, banquet planning, etc. The president wanted his board’s comments, asking whether it should be used in 1976. A nother informational excursion was in regard to having appropriate cards or notes printed to use for acknowledgments of memorial gifts and/or bequests to the NATS Foundation. Then the perennial question in regard to the membership requirement that still excluded non-citizens. The president asked whether this membership requirement should be relaxed to a residency re­ quirement rather than one of citizenship. The final concern upon which President Lunkley

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wanted input was in regard to the possible reloca­ tion of the national office when our current lease expired in 1977. The board members’ favorable comments on the several issues contained in the president’s January discussion sheet caused him to submit the following items in February for the board’s confirming vote: (1) the Council of State Governors; (2) the Council of Chapter Presidents; (3) the establishment of a regional treasury with a double signature account for regional allocations beginning with fiscal 1977; and (4) a $25.00 direct payment to each state governor for administrative expenses. All received an over­ whelming majority vote. Two other requests con­ cerned the Admissions/Membership Committee. The first was that of the approval of the committee’s personnel, namely: Annemarie Gerts, Harold F. Brown, Stephen Farish, with Vice-President WolfBRUCE G. LUNKLEY man in the chair. The second request was for a $300 supplement to the committee’s budgeted funds which had been exhausted in its recent successful drive for new members. Both requests received a 22/0 vote of approval. The board gave a similar vote to the president’s request in response to a group of Maine NATSers to reactivate the Maine Chapter. The last three requests were for the appointment and funding of three committees, all performance related. First, the committee on NATS and the American Singer: David Starkey, chairman, Philip Duey, Laurens McMaster, Barbara Lockard, and selected non-members. They were given a budget of $100. The second committee named. Standards in Performance, with John McCollum in the chair, incorporated the chairman of the previously named committee, David Starkey, and Phil Duey, a member of Starkey’s committee. Their $25.00 budget anticipated that both committees would complement each other. Committee No. 3, English Translations of Art Songs included Past-President Gean Greenwell, James Dunn, Fred Kirchenberger, with Arthur Schoep in the chair. Their budget was set at $100. All three committees received the board’s approval with a large majority vote. The last item in the president’s February 25th board memo was an updated table of regional allocations for the balance of fiscal 1976-a total exceeding $4,000, ranging from $150 for the hundred-member Mid-South Region to $492 for Texoma Region, our largest, with 328 members. At this time, 45% of our members resided in Texoma, 328; Cal-Western, 326; Eastern, 316; and Central with 300 members. President Lunkley’s third board memo went out on March 26,1976. He advised his board that he was about to mail a letter to each state governor and tell them of the new Council of State Governors, urging them to be at the national convention for the initial meeting of that group and the luncheon for all officers. He also planned a similar letter to go out to chapter presidents. Bruce Lunkley wrote that the two matters of the placement service and the eventual move of the national office would be handled by Jim Browning and himself. However, he asked members of the board to communicate with him or Jim should anyone know of a school or institution that might be interested in having NATS as a tenant. The president also relayed the information that Gean Greenwell was arranging for appropriate cards and notes to be used to acknowledge gifts to the NATS Foundation. Gean advised the president that we should hold off a year before making our first scholarship awards in order to give the Foundation time to get the necessary machinery in place. The president’s plan to have each region establish a bank account with which to work disturbed some regional governors. Up to now, they had no treasurer or didn’t even know that a region could have one. What President Lunkley found out was that some regions still were relatively disorganized, a condition he hoped to reverse. Over a period of years, regional governors had been urged to organize Advisory Councils within their regions consisting of chapter presidents and state governors. Such an organization necessarily would include a secretary and a treasurer. However, at this point in time, there were some regional governors who asked if th ^ had to so organize. Of course, the reluctant to cooperate were allowed to continue in their ways.

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Hopefully, the next election would provide a more amenable successor to the practice o f the majority. The president advised his board that he would be meeting with Ohm Pauli and James Browning in Bowling Green, Kentucky in early May to work out the budget for fiscal 1977. Since this was a convention year and there would be no board meeting during the summer, everything would have to be done by mail. President Lunkley asked for the approval o f Isaac Reid, Jr., to replace Muriel H. Wolf, who had resigned as governor of the Eastern Region, until December 31, 1976, and of Edward Baird as national director of workshops with his term to begin as of September 1, 1976. Both requests were approved by the board with a large majority. The president then asked to establish a Workshop Committee to include Baird as chairman, M eribeth Bunch, Thomas A. Bumgardner and Donald Pihlaja. Then the big one! President Lunkley asked that the American Song List Committee, authorized to start work the last year o f the Greenwell administration, be reaffirmed to continue during 1976 to provide an annotated list o f American song, voice and piano, for publication and distribution at the Philadelphia Convention in December. Members of the committee were: Judith E. Carman in the chair, W illiam K. Gaeddert, Gordon Myers and Rita M. Resch. A continuum budget of $100 was requested for the balance of fiscal 1976. What a major effort that grew into--308 printed pages, 2,000 individual song titles~it was the standout giveaway of the 1976 Philadelphia Convention. All three requests were given the board’s okey. The president’s board memo of April 14, 1976, was nothing more than a cover letter to Congressman Fred Richmond’s letter and copy of H R 8274 which was a bill to provide individuals an opportunity to make financial contributions for the advancement of the arts and the humanities in connection with the payment of their federal income tax. In his letter, Congress­ man Richmond asked President Lunkley for a short statement of support, plus names and addresses, etc. The president asked his board for permission to have James Browning provide the congressman with a complete set of NATS membership labels to enable him to communicate directly with each member and provide them with copies of the information on the A rts and Humanities Bill, HR 8274. It merited the support of every NATS member since the bill presented an exciting new concept in funding America’s artists, scholars and cultural institutions. The board returned an almost unanimous vote—only one negative note and one abstention. President Lunkley’s Voting Issues, Letter No. 4, accompanying his May 21st board memo called for a vote on NATS participation in the Key-3 Group Insurance program which was described in detail in the President’s Discussion Sheet of his board memo, dated February 25, 1976. Two other issues were on that same ballot: (1) a petition had been received from Mississippi regarding a chapter charter; and (2) the president asked that a NATS Press Committee be created, consisting of Susan Sondrol Jones, Maebeth Gyllstrom, Bruce Govich and Dale Moore, with Ed Foreman in the chair. They were to function as a search com m ittee to explore topics, find author/scholars, discover appropriate materials resulting from individual or group research, inside or outside of NATS, for pamphlet, brochure, booklet types of publication. In no way were the duties of this committee to intrude upon or overlap those of the Editorial Board of The NATS Bulletin. Bruce Lunkley also asked approval for a budget o f $100 for the Press Committee for the balance of fiscal 1 ^ 6 . All items received the overwhelming approval of the Board of Directors, The president’s Board Memo No. 5, dated May 24,1976, included the first draft o f the budget for fiscal 1977, $80,050, the largest in NATS history. It was significantly different than previous budgets because it put 60% of our money into programs and efforts that were within reach o f the membership, such as workshops, convention, discretionary funds, allocations to chapters, states and regions, for their important work. Bruce Lunkley asked that suggested changes and comments be submitted to him by June 7th. President Lunkley, Ohm Pauli and James Browning had been confronted with m ore than problems of budget at that May 19th Bowling Green meeting. One, especially, was a m atter of grave concern, so much so that it became a major part of Bruce Lunkley’s May 24th board memo, wherein his one-liner, "We have ourselves in a pickle," succinctly described the situation. A practice adopted by MENC that based membership renewals upon the armiversary date of acceptance into membership rather than by the calendar or school year appeared to be the cureall for NATS’ late-joiners perennial complaint of having to pay a foil year’s dues for less than a year’s membership. Consequently, board action at the 1975 July meetings at the Eau Claire

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Summer Workshop passed legislation that mirrored MENCs dues collection method. However, its implementation never became a subject of discussion. Now, a roadblock was thrown up by the director of computer services at Western Kentuclgr University. He advised our president, Jim Browning and Ohm Pauli that he could not possibly handle a reworking of our nearly 3,000 punch cards to effect this changeover since the service already was working at 90% capacity. President L unkle/s one-liner indeed reflected our predicament Then months ago, practically the same Board of Directors that the president inherited on January 1, 1976, pointed NATS in a new direction in regard to dues collection with nary a member of President Greenwell’s Advisory Council concerned with its implementation. Had they done so, the Greenwell administration rather than the Lunkley administration would have discovered that the largess of Western Kentucky University had its limits. What an embarrassing administrative oversight to drop in the lap of your successor. The altemative--that it could be done by hand-was out of the question because our national office was not staffed to handle such an operation. Bruce Lunkley asked for his board’s immediate council. His own thoughts were that we should return to the provisions of Article El, Section 2, as published in the January, 1975 Inter Nos. He requested his board to vote on submitting this revision to the membership at the Philadelphia Convention. In addition, he asked the board to suspend the current Article III, Section 2, if possible. The board approved both of the president’s requests. On June 10, 1976, President Lunkle/s Board Memo No. 6 was placed in the mail, including the Budget Vote Sheet with the notation, "Please sign the ballot and return immediately." That vote was almost unanimous-23, yes\ 0 no\ 2, abstained. In most cases, abstentions indicated that some board members had failed to return their ballots. How to resolve the dues situation continued as a top priority. The president suggested a possible procedure, a graduated scale that dropped by $3.00 every other month after the first three until October and then remained at $8.00 for the last three months, as one solution. Bruce Lunkley favored the old reading of Article HI, Section 2, since it left the mode and amount of collection up to the board rather than incorporating it into the bylaws. Board Memo No. 7, July 8,1976, entitled, "Summer Stuff," called to the attention of board members several items that each one should check out in. the administration of his or her region as we stepped across into fiscal 1977. The president gave them advance notice that there would be an extensive regional governor’s report sent to each one of them during August which needed to be completed and returned to him by the first of October. It would cover regional activities from September 1, 1975 through August 31,1976, and its contents would be incorporated into the Annual Reports at the Philadelphia Convention. He advised his board that their action of suspending Article III, Section 2, of the bylaws and the reinstating of the earlier version would need to be submitted to the membership at the 1976 convention’s business meeting. President Lunkley said that he would take care of the necessary announcements in the September/nffirAfoj. H e also advised his board that he had begun his search for a more central location of the national office. O ne of the casualties of the 1975-1976 conventionless transfer of powers was what had become a traditional ceremony at the convention’s banquet-the presentation of an ornamental scroll and gift to the retiring president An earlier informal polling of the board as to what should be done for Gean Greenwell in recognition of his dedicated work as president resulted in the decision to present him with an illuminated citation at the Philadelphia Convention. Bruce thought that there should be an accompanying gift He asked his board to write him their informal reactions. Along the same lines, the president suggested that S tanly John Hoban, who would retire as national director of workshops as of September 1, 1976, should be honored concurrently with an illuminated citation for his seven years in charge of the NATS Summer Workshops, four years of which were served with portfolio as vice-president in charge of workshops. The request for a vote here was met with a majority response. Whatever ceremony emerged at Philadelphia, its impact could only be dimmed by Stanly John’s memory of the two back-to-back, in-the-field observances already in the works for the end of July and the first week in August. John Burgin was the architect of the most colorful one-a Cajun Feast at Northeast Louisiana University, at which a color caricature of Stanley John Hoban was unveiled, with President Lunkley on hand to make the presentation; more significant was the

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president’s announcement of the funding of a Workshop Scholarship Fund in Hoban’s name. The second observance was at the closing luncheon at the Montana State University Workshop, Bozeman, Friday, August 6th, where the day had been designated as Stanley John Hoban Day. Here, the honored guest was presented with a large card bearing the signatures of fifty NATSers and firiends as donors to the scholarship fund. How could anything at Philadelphia become more gratifying than the events at Monroe and Bozeman? One other item of importance. President Lunkley requested a board vote on a year-round placement service for NATS members, as of September 1, 1976, to be operated out of our national office with sub-offices at our national conventions. Members who wished to xise this service were to be charged a modest annual fee, set by the board. The fee for the first year was to be $10.00. There would be no fee charged schools, colleges, or universities for listing vacancies with the service. The vote was 21 in favor; four members failed to return their ballots. Board Memo No. 8, dated August 19,1976, contained a voting sheet and suggested changes to the 1975 revision of the bylaws that would make it possible for the board to handle the notification and collection of dues in the most expedient manner without having to constantly change our governing papers. Since these proposed changes needed to be in a letter the president planned to send to the membership early in September, he requested that the enclosed voting sheet be returned as quickly as possible. President Lunkley, reporting that a substantial dollar amount remained in the 1976 budget, asked his board members to suggest ways in which these unspent funds could be used to the membership’s advantage. Since NATS had a nearly $50,000 invested reserve, the president was not inclined to squirrel away additional monies. He was much more inclined to funnel such an overage into regional activities or projects that would benefit the membership directly. The voting sheet requested: (1) permission to submit to the membership at the December, 1976 national convention the several changes in our bylaws that dealt with the matter of dues collection and two small phrases that no longer were applicable because of earlier changes; (2) permission to advance $150 from the contingency fund to the American Song List Committee to cover over-budget research expense; (3) permission to form a Publication Review Committee to review and evaluate both major publications, consisting of Karl Trump, chairman, Berton Coffin, Louis Nicholas, Wes Abbott, Joel Ebersole and Barbara Sable, with Harvey Ringel and Walter Hinds as ex-officio members; and (4) permission to place the excess income from the 1976 summer workshops in the newly established Stanley John Hoban Scholarship Fund for student scholarships to NATS Summer Workshops, administered by the NATS Foundation. All items were given the board’s enthusiastic approval. On September 15, 1976, President LunUey wrote his board members: "This is a matter of great urgency and I hope that I can convey to you my own personal enthusiasm and conviction that this project is one of the most worthwhile that we have undertaken in many years and one that will be of benefit to members as the years go by. The attached materials fi’om Judith Carman will ^ve you the basic information about the book that is now ready to print. There is nothing like it in American song repertoire for a decade and then those materials were not this complete." The opus referred to was the product of four NATSers, Judith E. Carman, William K. Gaeddert, Gordon Myers and Rita M. Resch, who worked many hours and days over a period of eight months to come up with this very special bicentennial offering from NATS to those who attended the 1976 Philadelphia Convention and for post-convention sale to those who wished copies. While the ongoing expenses of the committee had been budget items, funds for publication, which would come to $3,500, had not been a budget item, other than a token $500 figure. Now this was just the thing to be covered by the unused funds from the fiscal 1976 budget. In a way, it would be an investment since post-convention sales should almost pay that amount back to NATS. So, the president, asking for the board’s support, suggested using last year’s excess funds as an investment and Art-Song in the United States and Annotated Bibliography came into being with twenty-two members voting yes; there were three abstentions. The September, 1976 Inter Nos, announced the appointment of Edward Baird as Stanley Hoban’s replacement as national director of workshops. It may be recalled that the board had approved his appointment in late March along with a Workshop Committee of which Ed Baird was to be the chairman. He took over as of September 1,1976. Another informative announce­ ment was that of NATSAA coordinator. Vice President Kenneth Pennington. Redistricting effected quite a change in the conducting of the Artist Awards Competition, especially the length

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of the final audition at the national convention. It was decided to limit the number of finalists at Philadelphia to six. The coordinator worked out a plan that was carried in Inter Nos, but will not be included here. However, the chronology of the various stages will be given: deadline entry date, October 1; state auditions, October 15-November 1; regional auditions, November 1December 1; semifinal auditions, December 1-10; finals in Philadelphia, December 28. The semifinals would be held in several locations that were most convenient for the regional finalists of that area. Board Memo No. 9, October 11,1976, was the president’s last opus prior to the 1976 national convention. In it, the president wrote that Ken Pennington had advised him there were 198, possibly 199, entries in the NATSAA competition. Translated into income that meant nearly $1,000 more than had been anticipated. Since NATS would be paying the finalists’ way to Philadelphia, President Lunkley advised his board members that regions should channel whatever assistance they could to the semi-finalists for travel and expenses. The president had included a voting sheet to cover four items. Only two concerned NATS at the national level President Lunkley had given Judy Carman permission to apply for the copyright on Art-Song in the United States in the name of the four scholars who had created this opus rather than have it held by NATS. We would retain the rights to the first edition and any subsequent reprintings of i t Thus, those who created the work would be fi-ee to revise and/or update their work at a later date if the occasion arose. His request for board approval came back with a 20/0/4 vote. The other request was for the replacement of two assistant editors in the "Music Review" section of The NATS Bulletin. In consultation with Walter Martin, associate editor in charge of "Music Review," your historian, then editor of The NATS Bulletin, asked that Emily Shive and Norma Williams be appointed as assistant editors in the "Music Review" section to replace Donal Hoiness, Nadine Michalski and Dorothy Symonds, all of whom had asked to be relieved. The board returned an approving vote of 23-0-2. The lack of officially documented activity between the president’s October 11th board memo and the recorded minutes of the board’s first session on Sunday, December 26,1976, does not reflect a lethargic interlude. Convention oriented activities were moving ahead on schedule. Vice-President Pennington, in charge of NATSAA, and 203 contestants were already in process. By convention time, only six singers would make it to Philadelphia for the December 28th finals. Both Roger Scanlan and your historian, then editor of The NATS Bulletin, had to put in overtime. In addition to getting two issues of The NATS Bulletin into the mails, the responsibility of the convention program book was theirs-Roger was in charge of advertising and printing while I did the page layouts for the printer. Suddenly, all this Philadelphia-bound activity was disturbed by the sobering news that our fourteenth president, Karl Trump, had died suddenly following a heart attack on December 6, 1976, at Timken M ercy Hospital in Canton, Ohio, where he had gone for a routine check-up. He was only 62! Toward the end of his first year in office, 1970, Karl realized that our operational procedures were badly in need of an overhaul because we had outgrown them. He then proceeded to turn NATS’ face toward the future, identifying it with the profession. He crystallized the efforts of Vennard, Duey and Coffin, making them an integral part of our organization. Foremost, despite the mounting opposition of the old guard, he dared to give NATS a dues structure which established a financial base that assured our growth in the fourth decade. The first session of the Board of Directors was called to order at 8:00 p.m., Sunday, December 26, 1976, by President Lunkley. All board members, except John Burgin, Robert LaPella, Glen Lockery and David Greedy, were in their places. Following a brief word of welcome by the president, the resignation of David Greedy as regional governor of the Central Region was announced. A Yenne/Ringel motion that Marion Hall, Drake University, be appointed as the new governor for the Central Region received an unanimous vote of approval. Dr. Hall had been alerted of his impending election and was in attendance at the meeting. Petitions for chartering the following chapters were presented and were given the board’s unanimous approval: Northeast Florida Chapter, Jacksonville, reactivation of the Alabama State Chapter, and the Tucson Chapter, Tucson, Arizona. Isaac Reed, Eastern regional governor, advised the board that he would be on leave of absence from January until July and asked that Carol Schoenhard be appointed acting governor for the Eastern Region in his absence. The board gave their unanimous approval. A Cate/Roberts motion that an additional $250 be made available to use for special

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regional projects or programs was given the board’s unanimous approval. After an ensuing discussion concerning the procedure for collecting dues, it was agreed that no change should be made in the status quo. A Hall/Stewart motion that the Board of Directors meet in the summer of 1977 recei\'ed an unanimous vote. A Stewart/Yenne motion followed proposing that the expenses of such a meeting be budgeted to include air coach travel, room and an appropriate working meaL All other meals would be the responsibility of each board member. Those who drove would be reimbursed the airfare equivalent. The motion received the board’s unanimous approval As the meeting was winding down, the president appointed several ad hoc committees and also advised his board to be thinking about the renewal of the lease for the national office, another arrangement for computer services, and a term contract for our executive secretary. The meeting was adjourned at 10:45 p.m. The board reconvened for its second session at 8:00 a.m., Monday, December 27,1976. Those present will be listed this one time as a matter of record: John Burgin, Irvin Bushman, Geraldine Cate, Elva Cowan, Joel Ebersole, Mary Fall, Robert Gartside, Gean Greenwcll, M arion Hall, Katharine Hansel, Margret Kommel, Robert LaPella, John Muschick, Ohm Pauli, Kenneth Pennington, John Ramsaur, Isaac Reid, Harvey Ringel, Gwendolyn Roberts, R uth Stewart, Mary Wolfman, Harvey Woodruff and Vernon Yenne. James Browning and Carol Schoenhard were the two observers. President Lunkley presided. Glen Lockery, who never made it to the convention, was the only board member not present The president’s first act was to appoint a nominating committee. Edward Baird, director of workshops, spoke concerning the 1977 workshops, reporting that two sites had been established: University of South Dakota, Vermillion, July 31-August 5; and Snow Bird City, Salt Lake City, Utah, August 7-12. The following tuition rates, for which the director requested approval, enjoyed a unanimous vote: non-members, $60, members, S45, students, S25. A Roberts/Bushman motion that the following honorariums be allotted the workshop faculty passed with a unanimous ballot; NATS member, $50 per session; a full recital by a NATS member, S150. In the case of non-NATS faculty members, honorariums were to be negotiated by the director of workshops. A Greenwell/Roberts motion that the following be deleted from Section I of the workshop handbook: "They are assumed to be financially selfsustaining, under-written, but not subsidized by the general NATS treasury," received an unanimous vote from the board. The Gwendolyn Roberts and Gean Greenwell motions removed the renmants of a previous administration that held the opinion that NATS members should not receive honorariums. The last motion that was given the board’s unanimous approval indicated new directions. The McEIrath/Pauli motion proposed that the name of the NATS workshop handbook be changed to the "Vocal Workshop Handbook" from "Summer Workshop Handbook," and, with the chance of a winter workshop in England the first two weeks in January, 1978, that we empower the president to investigate this possibility. Following some suggestions to Ed Baird, the president requested that the board return that evening at 9:30 p.m. after the Penn State Singers concert of choral music. The morning session adjourned at 9:05 a.m. Board meeting no. 3 was called to order at 9:30 p.m., December 27, 1976. The head count equaled that of the morning session. A letter from Ruth Trump was read by the president, telling of the establishment of the Karl Trump Memorial Scholarship Fund at Wooster CoUege. A Roberts/Stewart motion that $100 be sent to the Scholarship Fund in memory of Karl Trump, past-president of NATS, was given unanimous approval by the board. The board continued in the unanimous approval mood for two other Burgin proposals: (1) that the 1978 national convention be held in Houston, Texas, December 27-30, and that the president appoint an ad hoc committee that would bring a recommendation of the time and place for our 1980 national convention to the board meeting in the summer of 1977. Furthermore, the committee should be instructed to search for a suitable convention date other than the last days of the calendar year. W ith that, the meeting was adjourned at 10:20 p.m. The board’s fourth session was called to order by President Lunkley at 8:00 a.m. All twentyfive ofBcers and board members present at the convention were in their places. The president’s fijst action was in response to the Burgin motion of the previous evening. H e named John Burgin, Evelyn Taylor, John Ramsaur and James Browning to the ad hoc committee, charged with coming up with a place and new time for our 1980 convention. Then the question of group insurance was raised. President Lunkley was asked to investigate the matter. Group insurance! This was not the first time that the question had been raised. The unaffiliated sector of our

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membership, from whence such requests usually came, seemingly was unaware that every NATS member teaching in a college or university, if tenured, had group insurance coverage. In the past, such promotions did not materialize because the percentage of NATS membership that could benefit from such a project fell below the participation level set by the insurance company to make it a go. You may recall that the newly formed Council of State Governors was scheduled to meet with Vice-President Kenneth Pennington at this convention. Well, the vice-president had some recommendations to make from that first meeting on Monday morning. His report concerned recommended changes for NATSAA in the areas of eligibility, repertoire and judging. A Roberts/Hall motion that voting on these recommendations be delayed until the board meeting in the summer of 1977 was sustained by a unanimous board vote. Vice-President Bushman, in charge of chapters, had nothing to report. Vice-President Mary Wolfinan reported that she would be able to work her way through the remaining old membership applications by the middle of February. Vice-President Gerry Cate reported that she was in the process of compiling a workable manual for holding regional student auditions. In her report on regional student auditions, she stated that among their benefits was the educational opportunities as well as professional growth for NATS members. President Lunkley appointed Vernon Yenne and Ruth Stewart to work with him as a committee to draw up a term contract for James Browning, which would be presented to the board for approval at the 1977 summer board meeting. The matter of non-citizenship members was postponed until the summer board meeting as well. The meeting was adjourned at 9:05 a.m. The fifth and final session of the Board of Directors at the Philadelphia Convention was called to order by President Lunkley at 8:00 a.m., Wednesday, December 29,1976. Everyone was on hand plus three observers, James Browning, Walter Hinds and Carol Schoenhard. James Browning made a report on the activity of the Placement Bureau-thirty-three members had enrolled. The board approved a Ringel/McElrath motion that NATS’ gift to convention registrants, Art-Song in the United States, be made available to the general public at the price of $5.00 each, postpaid. After the proposal for student auxiliary chapters was tabled, President Lunkley read the report of the study of NATS publications sent to him by Karl Trump, chairman, just prior to his death. Walter Hinds, editor of Inter Nos, then spoke to the board, stating that he could not continue as editor, but would remain in the position until the board found someone else to take on his responsibilities. A Hansel/Pennington motion that we institute such a search immediately, but delay the final decision until the summer board meeting, was approved unanimously. Another giveaway to registrants at the convention was English Singing Translations o f Foreign Language Art Songs, compiled by the NATS Translation Committee, consisting of James P. Dunn, Gean Greenwell and Frederick Kirchberger, under the chairmanship of Arthur Schoep. An Ebersole/LaPella motion that it be made available to the general public at the price of $2.00 each, postpaid, was given the board’s unanimous approval. The president thanked the board members for their cooperation and hard work during the past year, especially their faithfulness and promptness in attending the board meetings at the convention. He stated that he would be in touch with each one in the near future to determine the time and place of the 1977 summer board meeting. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 9:15 a.m. At 11:00 a.m., the most important meeting of the 1976 NATS Convention to the entire membership was called to order in the Grand Ballroom of the Philadelphia Sheraton by President Lunkley. What a surprising array of faces! More than fifty percent of the NATSers registered at the convention responded to the sound of the gavel. After the preliminaries, the president called on Vice-President Kenneth Pennington to take the chair. At the vice-president’s request for the president’s report, Bruce Lunkley remarked, "I always felt that was one of the cuter moments.* The president then proceeded to cite the members of his administration. Heading the list was Past-President Gean Greenwell, who had put together the 1976 Philadelphia Convention while nursing along the two-year-old NATS Foundation. Then followed accolades for his Advisory Council, Maiy Wolfrnan, Geraldine Cate, Irvin Bushman, Kenneth Pennington, Margret Kommel and Ohm Pauli. He remarked, "Each has done their particular tasks with devotion, insight and enthusiasm. I could not complete these conunents without a salute to our two editors: Harvey Ringel, for his continued excellence as the creator of The NATS Bulletin, and Walter Hinds for

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his work with Inter Nos. We are indebted also to these men and Assistant Editor Roger Scanlan for their tremendous help in preparing and distributing printed materials for this convention." There was a special paragraph for Executive Secretary James Browning without whom NATS could not have carried on the diverse and ever growing tasks necessary to its members. He extended his paean of gratitude to include the thirteen board members who also were the regional governors, their state governors and chapter presidents. Referring to the two latter, the president reported on the events of Monday morning, December 27th: "Earlier this week, we held a series of three meetings [Council of State Governors, Council of Chapter Presidents, and the Leadership Luncheon] that gathered many of these leaders together for what is probably the largest working meeting of NATS leadership ever assembled. These meetings were fruitful and already ideas and procedures are being incorporated into plans for the coming year." Back in the late 1940s and in the early 1950s, Helen Steen Huls, in her role as the second vice-president and coordinator of Qeld activities initiated similar sessions at our annual conventions that brought together the regional governors and representatives-at-large. At the 1950 Cleveland Convention, during Homer Mowe’s presidency, Helen Huls included the state chairmen. The practice died on the vine when she left office. Your historian was reminded of this activity, when reading through another educational journal, and passed on the idea to Bruce Lunkley at the very beginning of his presidency. I proposed that a Council of State Governors and a Council of Chapter Presidents be formed. The president liked the idea and included it in his very first memo to his Board of Directors on January 28,1976. When you read the president’s recounting of the success of their very first meetings, one wonders why this practice, once initiated, ever suffered a relapse. This was the second time around for the Greenwell-initiated Regional Governors’ Reports. As President Lunkley reviewed them, he was impressed by the growing activity at the regional level where so many regional governors had found ways to bring important teachers, artists, coaches and lecturers to their regions for major activities. Eleven of the thirteen regions now held regional auditions of some sort while encouraging chapter and state auditions. A number of regions had their own newsletters. Several now had a Young Artist Awards Contest in nonconvention years when there was no NATSAA Several governors had been active in the promotion of new state and local chapters within their area. All this meant greater grass roots activity for our membership. All to the good, but not good enough. The president remarked, "I am still a bit distressed by the lack of use of the Board of Control idea at the regional level and hope that I can convince governors of the long-term value of this kind of corporate leadership at the regional level." Let us leave the president’s acclamatory trail that covered the personnel of all nine conmiittees that he had appointed, since their membership and roles were reported in detail as they were formed, and acquaint you with the president’s view of things financial. Bruce Lunkley told the conventioneers assembled: "It was a fine year, ending June 30,1976 [corporate equity, $92,031.90], if we are interested in large surpluses fi-om our income. I am not. I believe in solvency, but fail to see the virtue in high balances when programs have gone wanting, fees have been kept at a non-professional level, expenses have had to be taken out of officers’ pockets, and few, if any, irmovative plans have evolved into workable stages because of parsimonious financial planning." The budget for fiscal 1977 totaled $80,000, our largest to date. Our income, other than from dues was sizeable. I can only provide firsthand information in regard to The N ATS Bulletin, since I was its editor at the time. The budget figure for its publication during fiscal 1976 was $17,500. We spent $17,440.88 for all four issues. Twenty percent of the dues money, $5.00, was earmarked for The NATS Bulletin, but income from advertising sales, non-member subscriptions, back-copy sales, plus royalties from Johnson Reprint and University Microfilms, totaling $11,507,34, modified that percentage substantially. It reduced the percentage of dues monies budgeted to cover publication costs from 30% to 12%, Actually, The N A TS Bulletin needed only 57.67% of the budgeted figure; its earnings supplied the balance, 42.33%. Members were unaware they were receiving four issues, 192 pages, of a magazine costing $6.70 to produce for the bargain price of $5.00. Since the president had no opportunity to address the membership at the beginning of his first year in office, he took this opportunity to set before his listeners some major goals for his next two years in office: (1) an expansion and enrichment of the summer workshop program under the leadership of Edward Baird, (2) the initiation of new types and kinds of study programs

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throughout the year and in varied locations throughout the world, designed to give NATS members continuing opportunities for self-renewal and inspiration, (3) the publication of new teaching materials, lists and other professional documents designed to assist the teacher of singing, (4) the expansion and enrichment of the national convention programs to bring before the assembled membership the best in our profession from all over the world, (5) the reorganization of NATS with the election of state and regional governors placed at the local level while leaving national officer elections as they are, and (6) the careful study of the New York office and the role of the executive secretary in an effort to make the best use of this organizational center. All this would mean new bylaws, new manuals for the various office levels, new approaches to our various and major activities, sustained by careful financial planning. The board would have a whole springtime to contemplate the president’s blueprint prior to the 1977 summer board meeting. Gean Greenwell had too little time to tune up the NATS motorcade that he had put on the road in 1975. Now it was up to Bruce Lunkley to do just that! Leapfrogging over the reports of the Audit and Resolutions Committees, we go to the report of the National Nominating Committee. The president called on National Seaetary Margret Kommel to present the report for the committee’s chairman, Karl Trump, who had passed away on December 6th. Two regional governors were up for election. The National Nominating Committee had renominated Ruth Stewart for her second and last term as the governor of the Texoma Region and Isaac Reid for his first term as the governor of the Eastern Region. Earlier, at the December 26th board meeting, Marion Hall had been approved as a replacement for David Greedy, who had resigned as the governor of the Central Region. Prior to the call for a vote on Ruth Stewart and Isaac Reid, there was a request for all three to stand and be recognized by the assemblage. Next on the agenda was a set of bylaws changes, which had been mailed early in the fall to the electorate, that simplified the dues procedure and made the matter of assessment and collection more flexible. Also, the term of the treasurer’s office was changed to match the threeyear term of the national secretary. After an extended period of discussion, the convention assembled responded with a unanimous vote of approval. At the call for new business, Joseph Meyers, whose wife was French bom and had been teaching singing in this country for approximately twelve years, pleaded her case. She had been refused membership in the National Association of Teachers of Singing because she was not an American citizen and did not want to become one. Mr. Meyers proposed that NATS consider a type of membership for singing teachers, residing in the United States, who are not American citizens, but otherwise are qualified for membership. After the motion’s second, Bruce Lunkley advised those present that this already had become a board item and would be taken up at the board’s summer meeting, even if the motion were not passed. It was a matter that could not be settled at this convention since it entailed a bylaw change and such changes had to be made known to the whole membership before definitive action could be taken. The discussion that followed occupies some seven pages in the official transcript of this meeting. The president cut it short, saying, "I think the board is begiiming to get a sense of both sides. I think we have been fair to both sides. I call for a vote on the motion. All those in favor.. . " The president was interrupted by a request for a restatement of the motion. After three more pages of many suggestions of rewording, Joseph Meyers finally restated his motion to read: "I request the board that they investigate the possibility of admitting to full membership qualified teachers, who are not American citizens, but are bonafide residents." With the agreement of Franklin Lusk, who had seconded the original motion, the president’s caU for a vote was a chorus of vibrant ayeSy followed by a faint echo of scattered nos. With that, the president declared the meeting adjourned. A capsulized version of the 1976 Annual Report follows. The fourteen-page report, distributed and approved at the convention’s business meeting on December 29th, revealed a healthy NATS in many respects, albeit there still was an apathetic majority. We were 3,028 members strong and the efforts of the Membership Committee under Vice-President Maiy Wolfman held the yearly attrition figure to less that 6% with a 376 figure of new and reinstated members. There were 125 Honorary Life Members. Our treasurer recorded a $14,840.68 increase in corporate equity over fiscal 1975, which stood at $77,191.22. At the close of fiscal 1976, our corporate equity had risen to $92,031.90, NATS highest to date! Irvin Bushman, vice-president in charge of field activities and the Discretionary Fund, reported two new chapters, one in Illinois and the other in Mississippi. His compilation of a list of all chapter and state officers that

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appeared in the September, 1976 issue o f Inter N os included a to ta l o f fo rty -n in e chapters. Irv Bushman came into office as of January, 1976, th e last half o f fiscal 1976. W h en h e to o k over the Discretionaiy Fund, there was a balance o f $3,157.89. F ro m th e m iddle o f Ja n u a iy to Ju n e, 1976, the vice-president processed twenty-two applications, ranging in a m o u n t from $28.97 to $230. By the close of fiscal 1976, Vice-President Biishman had m anaged to d ep lete th e fund in grass roots activity throughout the thirteen regions. In fact, th ere was a $26.43 deficit w hich President Lunklqr approved. Fiscal 1977 started with a replenished fund o f $5,800. By th e m iddle o f November, the cut-off date for most convention reports, th ere had b een ju s t sixteen requests, o f which only six had been approved for a total o f $919.03, leaving a b alan ce o f $4,880.97 to be expended by the thirteen regions during th e rem aining eight and o n e-h alf m o n th s o f fiscal 1977, Membership registration at our 1976 sum m er w orkshops fell a little o v er 7% . O nly 215 attended all three workshops, not including the NATS faculty. E ven including th e fifty faculty and performers, the total was less than 9% o f the m em bership. B ruce Lunkley, a t th e very o u tset of his administration, had set the wheels in m otion to com bat th e a p a th e tic p o rtio n o f o u r membership. H e created a new post, vice-president for conferences and s tu d e n t au d itio n s, and assigned Vice-President Geraldine Cate to take over. H e r q u estio n n aire to reg io n al an d state governors and chapter presidents generated some interesting statistics. Som e fifty officers sent copies of conference programs and materials used in the various types o f au d itio n s, com petitions, clinics and master classes held in NATS regions and chapters. She w rote, "It is obvious th a t we have imaginative leaders in our Association! However, th e num ber o f N A T S m em bers and students participating in these activities is disappointing. T heir success seem s to d ep en d o n long range and comprehensive planning with concern for th e to tal N A TS m em bership w ith in th e Region, and Student Auditions plaimed within a Conference fram ew ork w ith stim u latin g program s of interest to both teachers and students." It appeared th at carefully p lan n ed and ad m in istrated student auditions were emerging as one of the m ost im portant benefits th a t N A T S could provide for NATS teachers and their students. Geraldine C ate invited Jo el C arter, V e ra R edgrove NeUson and Vernon Yenne, all long-experienced in the planning and conducting o f stu d en t auditions/conferences, to join with her in making recom m endations to th e A ssociation. T h e four of them were in the midst of preparing a Manual o f Policies and Procedures fo r Student A uditions. Plans called for its availability early in 1977. 1976 was a great year for N A TSAA 201 young artists entered th e sta te au d itio n s. T he thirteen regions sent on eighteen hopefuls to the semi-finals, six o f w hom survived to e n te r th e finals in Philadelphia: Diana Davidson, Denise Gocek, Chris M erritt, E rie M ills, Peggy P ru e tt, and Carla Ross—six excellent singers. No doubt the increased prize m oney a ttra cted them . Peggy Pruett, soprano, came away with the top prize of $3,000. W ith th at check in h e r purse, o u r w inner turned from the informal "Peggy" to the more formal Elizabeth as she p re p a red to e n te r th e professional world. Unfortunately, NATS never has had a fram ework to follow SO T Y /N A T S A A winners up the professional ladder. While many have had enviable careers h ere an d ab ro ad , only a few achieve the visibility of a Mills or a Parker. The grapevine rep o rted E lizab eth P ru e tt in European houses and also at Glyndeboume. Mary W olfrnan forwarded a review to m e from th e A pril 22,1983 Boston Globe, reporting a performance o f R am eau’s L es Indes G alantes, given by th e H andel and Haydn Society, Among the soloists were n o t only o u r 1976 w inner, b u t also W illiam Parker, our 1970 wiimer, and veteran Charles Bressler, E lizabeth P ru e tt cam e away w ith the best review, to wit: "Elizabeth Pruett’s is a star quality instrum ent, big, colorful, vibrant, ringing and mosUy (rather than invariably) accurate in pitch and rhythm. She will b e h eard from." E rie Mills, our second place winner, collected $1,500, bu t w hat a splash she has m ade a ro u n d the world. She sings both lyric and coloratura roles, but prefers to b e th o u g h t o f as "a lyric soprano with high notes," quoting from New York Times' Bernard H olland’s in d e p th interview o f O ctober 25,1982. Jean Ludman reported that Erie was the rage o f th e N ew Y o rk City O p e ra 1982 season. Donald Henahan, New York Times, hailed her as this year’s new voice a fte r h e glittering and gay Cunegoode in the NYCO’s highly successful Candide. T h e Ju n e, 1983 Opera N ew s announced E rie Mills’ European debut, June 9,1983, as Mme. H erz in The Im presario w ith th e V ienna Symphony, Returning home quickly, she did a M arie in th e Daughter o f the R e o r ie n t w ith the M etro O pera in Des Moines. Space forbids an in-depth listing into 1984 th a t included m ore Candides a t NYCO, a concert version o f Orfeo ed Euridice, M assenet’s Cendrillon and H andel’s Alcina at City Opera, m ore Candides in H ouston, a Carnegie H all d eb u t w ith th e St, 254

Paul Chamber Orchestra in the original 1912 2^rbinetta aria, and another debut, March 3,1984, in Tulsa as Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor. There is little doubt that Erie Mills is one of NATS’ most visible winners. Even those that did not place have found their niche in the opera world. From Berton Coffin, I learned of Chris Merritt’s review by a New York critic, in words to this effect, after hearing him in a Bellini opera, "If Pavarotti is ’King of the High C’s,’ Merritt is the ’King of the High D ’s.’" Bert had heard Merritt at the Vienna Staatsoper in a concert version of La Juive and said that it was superb. Larra Browning Henderson filled me in on one other finalist from that elite group of 1976 finalists, Diana Davidson. Since Philadelphia, she had toured one year each with the National Opera Company and the Western Opera Theatre/San Francisco Opera. She also had appeared with the Miami, Cleveland and St. Louis opera companies, plus the San Diego, Honolulu, Bogota (Columbia) and Lexington (Kentucky) Symphony Orchestras. At the lime of Larra Browning Henderson’s letter (1983), Diana Davidson was soloist with New York’s Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church and also was under New York management. Cynthia Karnstadt, soprano, our 1974 Indianapolis NATSAA winner, returned to give the opening recital at the 1976 Philadelphia Convention, Monday, December 27th, at 3:30 p.m. Mary Ella Antahades, who reported the convention to The NATS Bulletin neglected to mention the event even though Cynthia was a native Texan. At the time of her winning at Indianapolis, Cynthia had already earned her B. M. degree firom the University of Texas at Austin and was in the midst of her master degree program. Her winning at Indianapolis was but an interlude in her academic studies. She returned to Austin to complete her M. M., got herself an assistantship teaching voice and started on her D. M. A. She had been teaching privately in Austin prior to that. Fall, 1976 found her established in New York City, teaching voice privately, studying and coaching, and entering competitions. After Philadelphia, 1976, she was a finalist in several national competitions. Cynthia held opera fellowships at Aspen, 1978,1979 and 1980. Also in 1980, she was awarded first prize in both the Amato Opera Circle Scholarship Competition and the Musicians Club of New York Artist Award. Space forbids listing all such awards. She was one of the nine finalists in the 1980 Met Eastern District Auditions. In October, 1981, Qnthia came away with the Deuxieme Grand Prix, International Coucours de Chant, Toulouse, France. In August of 1982, this young dramatic soprano received a Stipendien at the Bayreuth Festival from the Wagner International Institute in New York Qty. It was the only stipendien to be allowed to audition for Wolfgang Wagner in the Festespielhaus. In her February, 1983 letter to me, she spoke of tentative plans to move to Europe during 1984. The theme of our Thirty-First Convention was: "I Hear America Singing." Following Cynthia Kam stadt’s late afternoon recital and a hurried evening meal, we took off for the Arch Street Presbyterian Church for the 7:30 concert by the Penn State Singers under Raymond Brown’s direction. The first half of the program was selections from Shumwa/s The American Harmony, published in 1793, several anthems, two from a 1774 edition. Since none of the numbers was in print, the chorus had to be supplied with copies by hand, as was one of the after intermission Billings numbers. The last two groups were given over to choral works of contemporary Americans, including the "Gloria" from Argento’s Mask o f Angels. Tuesday morning at 10:15, we heard the Opera Theater of Temple University’s presentation of Buxom Joan, composed by Raynor Taylor in 1778. At 11:00 a.m., baritone Gordon Myers sang a program of early American songs composed between 1759-1794, to wit; Francis Hopkinson, James Lyon, Joharmes Herbst and Benjamin Carr. Tuesday, December 28,1:15 p.m., Katharine Hansel, George Livings, Carol Mayo and Paul Bravender sang a recital of American songs, composed between 1800 and 1960. A panel discussion, entitled: "The Future of the American Singer" separated the 1:15 p.m. recital and the 4:30 p.m., "Songs of Black People by Black People for Black People," featuring Martha Flowers, Carol Brice and Thomas Carey. There was more singing after dinner-the finals of the NATS Artist Awards at 8:00 p.m. Wednesday, December 29,8:30 a.m.-9:45 a.m., was given over to the symposium on “Current American Research in Singing" and the Association’s Business Meeting. Wednesday afternoon, December 29th, starting at 1:45 p.m., belonged to Dominick Argento. First, Sharon Mabiy sang his "From the Diaiy of Virginia W olf; at 2:15 p.m., the 1975 Pulitzer Prize winning composer gave what one person described as "the liveliest, most stimulating address of the Convention,* entitled: "The Composer and the Singers." For those who wish to read it, it may be found in the

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May, 1977 issue of The NATS Bulletin. At 3:45 p.m., the Miniken O pera Company presemed Argento’s The Boor. Those who attended the Philadelphia Convention were rewarded with an afternoon of Dominick Argento, an afternoon of his music and his comments about the writing of music that will not be forgotten. At 7:00 that evening, 375 of the 487 officially registered at the convention "attended the elegant banquet enjoying a superb dinner crowned with Baked Alaska aglow with sparklers brought into the dimmed hall to a piano fanfare." Thus wrote Mary Ella Antahades. To cap the evening, Phyllis Bryn-Julson sang a recital of contemporary American songs, featuring a cycle by Phillip Rhodes that had been commissioned expressly for this convention. liiursday morning, December 30th, opened with a panel discussion on "The Future of the American Singer." However, the 11:00 a.m. program was another peak in an unusual convention. Donald Gramm, bass-baritone. Metropolitan Opera, presented songs by Thomson, Duke, Bowles, Rorem, Cunmiing and Ives. For his last group entitled "Favorite American Concert Songs," Gramm listed eight American composers from which he selected numbers as he went along: Carpenter, Speaks, Nevin, Cadman, Walts, Wolfe, MacDowell and Beach. The customary "Auld Lang Syne' at the close of this exciting recital triggered kaleidoscopic flashbacks of our four-day panorama of American song. There had never been a convention like it and it was unlikely that there would ever be one like it in the foreseeable future-two hundred years of American song! It was unfortunate that only 487 NATSers, 16% of the membership, availed themselves of this memorable experience. Instead of returning home from Philadelphia, Bruce Lunkley flew to London. W hile there, he explored the possibilities of expanding the horizons of his fellow NATSers via a possible winter vocal workshop at the year’s end and/or early January. Back in Austin, he communicated with his board asking that each one provide him with information concerning their availability and preferences as to time and place for the planned 1977 summer board meeting. Very little could be done until the president had that information in hand. Returning from a ten-day choir tour in mid-March, Bruce Lunkley sent out his first 1977 board memo on March 23rd, remarking therein; "Sorry to have been so long, but have still not heard from two board members with preferences so I must act on what info I have." He set the weekend dates of August 13-14 in Denver as the majority preference as to time and site of those who had responded. The president wrote that he had good news from London: "British Airways is interested, the hotel chain is interested, and many British vocal people are willing to cooperate in a January Workshop. I will have details in May." There was one item that required a board vote. The president had come up with a successor to Walter Hinds as editor of Inter Nos. Walter had advised the board in Philadelphia that he could no longer serve as its editor. The president asked for a confirming vote on Fred Schoepflin, a faculty member of the Montana State University at Bozeman, as W alter Hinds replacement The board’s vote was almost unanimous, there was one abstention. The president’s second 1977 board memo was sent out on May 30th. In a way, it was a covering letter for the budget projection prepared earlier in the month at Bowling G reen when the president met with James Browning and Ohm Pauli. The president wrote: "I am really very pleased that we have been able to do everything I had hoped for including a sizeable raise for Jim Browning and the London Workshop and keep the entire thing in balance." Actually, what President Lunkley had forwarded to his board was a new budget process described as a line budget approach that included all expenses, even in and out monies. In Bruce Lunkley’s thinking, it was better to have a Budget Committee, consisting of the treasurer, the executive secretary and president, draw up the budget at a spring meeting and then submit it to the board for a mail vote rather than spend most of a convention wrangling over something about which a relative few had any knowledge. The president fared even better here. The board gave their unanimous approval to the budget for fiscal 1978. It may be recalled that at the board’s first session in Philadelphia that the president advised its members to be thinking about another arrangement for our computer services, and a term contract for our executive secretary. At the board’s fourth meeting, the president asked R uth Stewart and Vernon Yenne to join with him as a committee to draw up such a document. The president’s current board memo included their handiwork. In it, the president had suggested an initial two-year contraa, starting as of July 1,1977, which would carry him six months into the new president’s term. At that time, it would be proper to offer Jim Browning a three-year

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contract. The board gave the president their approval with only one abstention. They also voted unanimously to employ a New York City firm to handle NATS computer needs on a one-year basis. The last item on which the president called for a vote concerned Jean Ludman’s suggestion of a preferential ballot. Past-President Ludman, who chaired the Nominating Committee thought that there should be more persons nominated for the vice-presidencies than there were places to be filled so that the membership had a choice. President Lunkley wrote his board: "I don’t think there is any sense in having a choice or preferential ballot when the full membership knows little or nothing about the candidates. The role of the Nominating Committee has been to find the best possible person and place him in office. Please comment and vote." The board returned a vote of 16 yes and 2 no, with two abstentions, that the Nominating Committee submit a ballot containing only one name per office rather than a preferential ballot with more names and the top vote-getter being elected. The fact that the board’s Minutes Book lists only two board memos during the year’s first seven months should not be interpreted that NATS’ upper echelon was taking things easy. On the contrary, the president’s days were occupied with a complete review and re-write of the Greenwell revolutionary bylaw revisions of 1974. It was not only refinement of language but also the placing of certain choices and responsibilities at the grass roots level where they belong. Bruce Lunkley wanted everything in his board’s hands well in advance of the summer board meeting so that they would come prepared to act decisively in a short time space to insure that the bylaws would be ready for submission to the membership via a mail vote in early fall. At 9:45 p.m., Friday, August 12,1977, John Burgin, Geraldine Cate, Elva Cowan, Maiy Fall, Marion Hall, Katharine Hansel, Margret Kommel, Robert LaPella, John Muschick, Ohm Pauli, Kenneth Pennington, Isaac Reid, Harvey Ringel, Gwendolyn Roberts, Mary Wolfman and Vernon Yenne responded to President Lunkley’s call to order in the conference room in the Stapleton Plaza, Denver. Executive Secretary James Browning and the editor of Inter Nos, Fred Schoepflin were in attendance as observers. The president, in the absence of Ed Baird, national director of workshops, read his report on the 1977 summer workshops. The attendance at all three workshops totaled 281, including students, non-members and members. Ed Baird asked for a new price structure which was met by a counter-proposal to temper the proposed increase. After considerable discussion, it was decided to delay such a decision. President Lunkley then remarked that he had written to the 285 delinquent members, resulting in the reinstatement of approximate­ ly fifty. Petitions for the chartering of the following chapters were presented and given the board’s unanimous approval: (1) East Tennessee, (2) Memphis, Tennessee, and (3) that the two existing chapters in Michigan be permitted to merge and, henceforth, be known as the Michigan Chapter. Just prior to the 11:10 p.m. adjournment, Bruce Lunkley reported that the computer materials in Bowling Green, Kentucky, were in the process of being transferred to NATS’ New York office. President Lunkley called the second session of the 1977 summer board meeting to order, Saturday, August 13, at 9:00 a.m. He presented his proposed new bylaws, sent previously to the board, for discussion and/or revision prior to their being circulated to the membership for a mail vote. Space limitations prohibit the inclusion of the full text sent to the membership. However, significant changes will be noted. There had been several in contention over the past few years that the president resolved therein. Bruce Lunkley’s revision of the administrative plan wherein he cut back the tenure of the immediate past-president to two years, thereby making way for a one-year internship for a president-elect, was an insightful administrative move. With the removal of the computer materials to the New York office, the offices of seaetary and treasurer were consolidated with its incumbent to be known henceforth as the secretaiy-treasurer. Bruce Lunkley expanded the horizons of Article II, Membership. A new classification, Associate Member, introduced an international category devoid of even a United States or a Canadian residency requirement. Any resident whose professional training, teaching experience, eta, qualified him or her as a teacher of singing and who presented letters of recommendation from two members in good standing now was eligible for membership. The emeriti class of membership, renamed Honorary Life at the 1975 Eau Claire summer board meeting, now permitted these senior members, who paid no dues, to hold chapter offices. All other elective offices, however, were closed to them.

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The president-elect idea was not the only administrative step forward. T h e rew ritten A rticle V, Section 5, stated that "there shall be a Governor elected for each designated R egion o f the Association. He shall be elected by the membership of that R egion by m ail vote." Section 8 of that same article added, "Each state or subdivision thereof shall have a G o v ern o r ap p o in ted by the Regional Governor. He shall serve as a member o f the R egional G o v ern o r’s C abinet." There is little doubt that the rewritten Article V was among the m ost significant advances. A fter thirtyfour years the umbilical cord was severed. From January, 1, 1978 on, regional governors would be elected by their own constituencies. As Bruce Lunkley wrote: "It’s m ore dangerous this way, but surely fairer and more conducive to the development o f leadership." By twelve noon, the board had worked their revisionist pathway through Article V, Section 9 and b ro k e for lunch. The board’s third session got underway at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, A ugust 13th, w ith th e president in the chair. Several committee reports preceded the return to the revisionist trail. N o t all will be reported, only those of national impact. You may recall th at at one o f th e Philadelphia board meetings, President Lunkley named John Burgin to chair an ad hoc com m ittee to com e up with new dates and a place for the 1980 convention. On May 15, 1977, som e 3,000 ballots, testing the waters as to convention dates, were mailed out to the membership w ith a re tu rn d ate o f July 31st to insure tabulation prior to the summer board meeting. W hen called u p o n for his rep o rt, Jo h n Burgin gave the board the following information. Some 798 NATSers had responded to the mailing; 76% of those who had indicated a preference found the custom ary D ecem ber 27-30 slot unsatisfactory. When asked to suggest a good convention time, the m ajority was for sum m er. As a consequence, the board cast a majority ballot to hold the 1980 convention som etim e in July or August The president charged the Burgin committee with the responsibility o f determ ining the time and place of the 1980 convention. H e also appointed a second ad hoc com m ittee to investigate the expenses of a possible cruise convention. The president th en in tro d u ced a M r. Norton Perlroth, a representative from Mutual of New York, who outlined a possible insurance program for NATS members, which could include term life insurance, m ajor m edical, disability and supplemental hospital. Following a question/answer period, a Pauli/R ingel m o tio n to allow Mutual of New York to send such materials to our membership was given th e b o ard ’s unanim ous approval. President Lunkley then returned the attention of the board to th e rem aining bylaws revisions begun at the morning session. Section 1, d. Article VI, charged the president, w ith th e assistance of the secretary-treasurer and the executive secretary, with the responsibility o f p rep arin g the annual budget for submission to the Board of Directors for final action. Since th e secretarytreasurer from 1978 on was a new officer, in reality, inheriting only those duties o f th e offices o f the former secretary and treasurer not transferred to the expanded responsibilities o f th e executive secretary, Article Section 3, in essence, made the occupant of this office th e official record keeper of all Association and board proceedings, as well as the responsible person w ho issued all official notices £md votes required or given by the Association. T hat person also was responsible for whatever other correspondence or record-keeping that a president m ight deem necessary. Section 5 of Article I continued the regional governor as a m em ber o f th e B oard o f D irectors, but Article VI, Section 4, b, severed the apron strings with th e Board o f D irectors. N o longer was the regional governor required to seek prior approval of th e board in his ap p o in tin g o f state and/or district governors or any other regional officers. The NATS budget also provided funds annually for the carrying out of his responsibilities. Then A rticle VI, Section 4, c, n o t only provided the regional governor with a staff to advise and assist him in carrying o u t his responsibilities, but also provided a training ground for future regional governors, opening th e gates to the upper echelon. It stated: "There shall be a Regional Cabinet m ade u p o f all elected o r appointed Regional officers, chapter presidents, state governors, active n atio n al officers, and all past regional governors. This cabinet shall act as a regional board and assist th e G o v ern o r in proper administration of the region." A rticle VI, Section 5, formalized the duties and obligations of the editor o f The N A T S Bulletin for the first time. Article VI, Section 6, reflected the expanded responsibilities o f th e executive secretary. As of January 1,1978, he would supervise: (1) the collection o f A ssociation dues, th e sending out of ail notices and recording the payment thereof, (2) the processing o f all applications for membership, forwarding them to the vice-president in charge o f m em bership; (3) th e changes in membership stattis; (4) the requests for dues adjustments; (5) the updating o f th e m em bership 258

role and the computer roster of the Association; (6) he would adm iniste r the Association’s Placement Service; (7) he would serve as the Association’s public relation’s officer, handling all national announcements and news releases pertinent to the business of the Association; (8) he would be responsible for initiating the annual audit of the Association’s financial affairs by a competent auditing firm designated by the president. The executive secretary would also serve as an ex-officio member of the President’s Advisory Council and would be expected to be present for meetings of the membership and the board whenever possible. Section 7 of Article V provided for the president-elect’s automatic assumption of the presidency at the appropriate time. Article VII was given over to chapter organization. Section I included a permissive clause, long sought by several chapters, stating that chapter membership was not to be restricted by regional or state boundaries. Section 4 of that same article empowered chapters to establish local student chapters. Article VIII, which dealt with councils and committees, was sUent on the Council of Past Presidents, marking the official demise of an organization set up during the first year of Homer Mowe’s presidency. The bylaw amendment, published in the September-October 1950 issue of The Bulletin, read: "Upon completion of their term of office all those who have served as President of the Association shall automatically become members of a Council of Past Presidents. The Council shall act in an advisory capacity and shall perform such other duties as may be assigned to it by the President. The Council shall elect its own officers and establish its own rules of procedure." It disappeared during the middle fifties. The 1954-1955 revision of the bylaws failed to mention it. The council regained its legal status as part of the bylaws during the last months of the Nicholas presidency [1958-1960]. All succeeding presidents through William Vennard [1964-1966] assigned the council special tasks. Vennard even charged them with the major project of revising the bylaws which they completed in the first months of the D u^ [1966-1968] administration. However, from 1968 on, the annual report of the immediate past-president replaced that of the council. Bruce Lunkle/s exclusion from Article VIII, Councils and Committees, only reflected what had become a fait accompli long before his presidency. Article IX and X experienced little change in content from the Greenwell revisions, just a better choice of words. Oh, there was one change, but that had already been taken care of by a board’s vote immediately after the 1975 Eau Claire board meeting, and that was the granting of suffrage to Honorary Life Members. A LaPella/Ringel motion that the bylaws, as revised, be prepared and presented to the membership for approval by mail vote was given the board’s unanimous approval. The meeting adjourned at 5:00 p.m. That evening at 8:00, we returned for our fourth session to consider items that had been held in abeyance until the revision of the bylaws had been completed. A Yenne/Hall motion, given the board’s unanimous approval, added Dewey Camp and Ed Baird to John Burgin’s Convention Committee. President Lunkley then presented the new editor oi Inter Nos, Fred Schoepflin, who spoke briefly to the board. Vice-President Geraldine Cate gave a report on regional student auditions and conferences. Vice-President Kenneth Pennington, in charge of NATSAA, presented the revised brochure to which the board gave its unanimous approval. Bruce Lunkley closed out the evening with Meribeth Bunch’s "Proposal for the Establishment of a Vocal Production Resource Center." Although the board expressed a deep interest in the proposal, no definitive action was taken. They requested that there be further investigation. With that, the meeting was adjourned at 10:15 p.m. At 9:00 a.m., Sunday, August 13, 1977, President Lunkley called the final session of the summer board meeting to order. Vice-President Pennington, in charge of NATSAA, brought up the matter of the age bracket for the 1978 NATSAA. As a point of reference, it should be recalled that, as a special dispensation for the 1976 NATSAA, the age bracket had been expanded upwards. Satisfied that this had been one contributing factor to the improved quality of that contest, induced Ken Pennington to opt for a repeat in the 1978 Artist Awards. Following a period of discussion, the board gave their unanimous approval to a Yenne/Hall motion that "applicants must be at least 21 years of age, but must not have reached their 33rd birthday by the deadline entry of October 1, 1978." The next item on the agenda will be bypassed since it concerned the election of officers below the level of president, secretary and treasurer. President Lunkley then presented a detailed outline for the NATS London Workshop, which had been projected for December 28, 1977 through January 5, 1978. Following a lengthy discussion, the board gave its unanimous approval to a Yenne/Hall motion that NATS should go

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ahead with the London Workshop as proposed. Then the board turned its attention to that postponed discussion in regard to the newly proposed fees by Ed Baird, national director of workshops. Believing that the declining attendance at our summer workshops was due to the fact that there had been too many seasons prior to his takeover as director where the emphasis had been on a healthy profit rather than a name faculty, Ed Baird had proposed a substantial increase in fees to finance such a faculty. You may recall that the discussion at the board’s opening session, Friday, August 12th, ended in a decision to delay the question until later. Now we had come to the last hour of the last meeting of the 1977 summer board meeting and Ed Baird’s challenge needed to be dealt with. After considerable discussion, the board finally gave their unanimous approval to drastically scaled-down tuition rates from those suggested by the national director. He had asked for a $60 full registration fee for members; $75 for non-members and $39 for students. The newly approved rates for registration, prior to a specified date, were $45 for members; $65 for non-members and $25 for students. The board retained the previous rates for members and students, but allowed a dollar a day increase for non-members. TTien the board set up a scale for registration after a specified date that amounted to an increase of $5.00 for each class for early registration. Actually, it was a denial of any raise at all. There was little chance of upgrading faculty for the 1978 workshops with this token increase in fees. Unfortunately, too many of the board equated attendance at workshops with the workshop fee, thinking that higher fees would reduce attendance. What seemingly never came to mind was that higher fees would produce income to engage a more prestigious faculty which, in turn, would attract members and non-members as well to enroll in NATS workshops. Earlier in the year, your historian, then editor of The NATS Bulletin, had proposed an increase in the issue frequency of our publication from four to five times a year. Following a discussion of raising subscription rates to libraries, non-members and students, John Burgin introduced a motion, seconded by Gwendolyn Roberts, that the subscription rates for the five issues for the 1978-1979 season be set at $9.00 for non-members and institutions, libraries, and $5.00 for members and students. The board gave their unanimous approval to the Burgin/Roberts motion. Then, Vice-President Wolfinan reported on the status of membership applications and Vice-President Geraldine Cate warmed the president’s heart with her statement that the Discretionary Fund for fiscal 1977 had been used completely. President Lunkley thanked the board for the work which had been accomplished. He closed out his remarks, saying that this would be the last official board meeting for Vice-President Kenneth Pennington, Regional Governors Gwendolyn Roberts, Robert LaPella, Elva Cowan, John Ramsaur and Vernon Yenne. There followed the customary kudos for these retiring board members. With that, the Board of Directors summer meeting was adjourned at 10:55 a.m., August 14,1977, sine die. The twelve-page September, 1977 issue of Inter Nos, the first under the editorship of Frederick W. Schoepflin, carried the official notice of the upcoming national election by mail. According to the bylaws, such a notice had to be given sixty days before voting could begin. Ballots were mailed to the membership thirty days prior to the election. In this instance, the deadline for the return of ballots was November 15th. Since the offices of president, secretary and treasurer were not up for election, in NATS parlance it was regarded as an off-year election. However, the term of the vice-president in charge of NATSAA, Kenneth Pennington, would come to an end December 31,1977. He succeeded Earl W. Redding in January, 1974 and successfully adapted NATSAA to the thirteen regions that we had become in 1975 to stage a memorable climax to the 1976 NATSAA at Philadelphia. Gwendolyn Roberts, whose term as the governor of the Cal-Westem Region expired at the end of 1977, was slated to move upstairs to a vice­ presidency to take on the responsibility of NATSAA, She had been a member of the Board of Directors since January, 1975 and had firsthand information of the problems of NATS’ showcase. There also were five other regional governors who had completed their terms. The 1977 ballot was historic in that it would be the last national ballot to include the election of regional / governors. The president’s column in the September Inter Nos, informing the membership of the' several democratizing changes in the new bylaws which they would be voting upon in tlw upcoming ballot to be sent them, advised the membership that the regions would elect their own governors with the power to appoint state governors. In Cal-Westem, Bertha Autenrieth had been nominated to succeed Gwendolyn Roberts. In Southern, Benjamin Middaugh to succeed John

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Ramsaur; in Mid-South, Jay W. Wilkey to succeed Robert LaPella; in West Central, Dorothy Crum to succeed Vernon Yenne; and in Northwestern, Pearl White to succeed Elva A. Cowan, Even though all the details had not been worked out. President Lunkley could not refirain from including the announcement in the September Inter Nos that the first NATS London Vocal Workshop had been scheduled for December 28, 1977-January 5, 1978, at Trinity College of Music. His article closed with: "Watch your mail for the general announcement and fees." The back cover of the October, 1977 issue of The NATS Bulletin carried a fuU-page announcement The September issue of Inter Nos, for some time now, had carried a complete roster of state governors and chapter officers. Some three and two-thirds pages listed fifty-two chapters. Another, a listing of 130 new members took up two pages. Four of the thirteen regions accounted for a healthy 555 of the increase: (1) Cal-Western, 15.4%; Eastern, 15.4%; Central, 13.9%; and MidAtlantic, 10.8%. The president sent out his third memo to the board on September 5,1977. It also served as a cover letter to the enclosed bylaws that had been restructured in Denver. To save both in printing and mailing costs. President Lunkley asked for the board’s approval to prepare a single ballot to include the national election ballot and the one on the bylaws. Plans called for its mailing to the membership by October 15, 1977. The board returned its unanimous approval Shortly after the president’s return from the Denver summer board meeting, the Houston National Convention Committee met. In the course of their planning for the December, 1978 meeting, the committee and the president, comparing convention costs with those of our workshop program, decided that there needed to be an increase in registration fees for the Houston Convention. The committee requested that the charge be $20 for members, $30 for non­ members and $10 for students and spouses. Again, the board gave their unanimous approval There was one major, major item, a recital by Arroyo-the fee was $7,000! That was not especially high for the late 1970s, but a bigger commitment than previously taken by NATS. The president needed the board’s permission to commit our organization to such a contract, an 18/3 majority gave him the go-ahead. President Lunkley then brought his board up-to-date on the proposed London Workshop. He had just had a call from London and everything was go. He only awaited written confirmation to get out this first release. However, his enthusiasm for NATS’ first big step across the Atlantic could not contain itself. Your historian, then editor of The NATS Bulletin, received copy for the back cover of the October, 1977 issue, directing readers to write to Executive Secretary James Browning for registration forms. The board’s Record Book, under the date of September 5,1977, recorded a board vote on an item not included in the board memo of that date. Seemingly, the response to the president’s initial promotion of the London venture fell short of his expectations and he turned to the board for a solution via Ma Bell. They resolved the matter in question with an 18/1 vote to go ahead with the London workshop, despite the registration of forty-two persons, and authorized a deficit, if necessary, up to $2,000. The final board memo of 1977 carried the date of November 21st. There were requests for a couple of routine votes that will not be included here. Bruce Lunkley requested approval for charters for two new chapters: Red River Valley, whose president resided in Dickerson, North Dakota, and Allegheny Mountain Chapter, whose president lived in University Park, Pennsylvania. The board’s vote was unanimous. The president’s remaining request was a first for NATS that perhaps was a solution to the problem of costs for workshops. The board had shut the door on Ed Baird’s request for a significant increase in workshop tuition fees for the 1982 workshops. The national director of workshops negotiated a unique co-sponsorship with the University of Maryland who had planned an outstanding workshop for the week of June 25-30 on "Twentieth Century Song," with an emphasis on repertoire with English texts. The university had obligated itself to better than $10,000 for that week and was a bit anxious about income. Ed Baird came away with a single payment of $2,500 to cover NATS’ share. This sum was lower than feculty costs at any of our 1977 workshops and it was the full extent of our obligations to the university. We would get all NATS fees paid prior to the preregistration deadline of June 23,1978. It was absolutely necessary for NATS members to preregister to receive the member rate of S45.00 or for $9.50 a day for less than a full registration. Any member who failed to preregister, either by deposit or full payment, would be subject to the university’s tuition rate of $100 for the week, or $25 per day for partial registration. What a star-studded workshop awaited NATSers: bass-

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baritone Donald Gramm; mezzo-soprano Jan deGaetani; Paul Hume, music critic of the Washington Post; 1976 first-place NATSAA winner, soprano Peggy Pruett; soprano Phyllis BrynJulson and others. Vice-President Ken Pennington, a member of the university’s faculty and at the time in his final term as vice-president in charge of NATSAA, was scheduled to chair the workshop. The board approved the special contract by a 19/1 vote. The November 21st board memo contained several non-voting items of substantial interest. Most welcome was the news that the enrollment for the London W orkshop had swelled to fiftyeight In addition, there were others, already in England, who had signified their intentions to attend the workshop. The president relayed information fi^om Margret Kommel that an informal survey of the more than 500 ballots that had been cast showed that the new bylaws had passed by an overwhehning majority. Another bit of good news was that the president had received a call conveying the message that Denver was most interested in hosting the 1980 convention. Then there was that anxiety reliever realized through the efforts of Ruth Stewart, board member and governor of the Texoma Region. The Houston Society for the Performing Arts had agreed to co-sponsor the Martina Arroyo concert planned for our Houston Convention. The concert not only would be incorporated into their subscription series but they also would contribute cash to help cover the fee. One concern for the president that needed immediate attention was that of his successor. Immediate, because the new bylaws had created the new office o f president-elect who would take office on January 1st However, this initial year might have to be adjusted since the bylaws would not take effect until January 1st The president asked his board’s help in suggesting names of possible candidates so that he could pass them on to the Nominating Committee. This time around, that election would have to take place as soon as possible after the first o f the year. His letter closed with the note: "All officers must have written reports into Jim by December 10th for the annual report A single page, if possible." The year-end reports, due December 10, 1977, were somewhat of a mixed bag. The fiscal report contained therein covered the period July 1,1976 through June 30,1977, while the report from Vice-President Geraldine Cate reflected her activity for the period September, 1976 through May, 1977. Nevertheless, here it is in capsulized form. The total deceased, dropped and resigned of 160 discounted the 342 new member total rounded up by Vice-President Mary W olftnan’s hard working committee by almost 47%. We had a total of 3,200 dues paying members plus 131 Honorary Life members for a total of 3,331. Fiscally, our net worth topped out at $91,030. Since this was a non-convention year, there was nothing to report for NATSAA other than the changes effected at the summer board meeting which were included with the recording o f that activity. Vice-President Irvin Bushman, in charge of the Discretionary Fund and Field Activities, adapted his report to fit the 1977 calendar year by incorporating the last half of fiscal 1977 and the first half of fiscal 1978. As of January 1,1977, the fund had a $4,742 balance. A t the close of the fiscal year, June 30th, only $111.34 remained. However, there was one late report that not only used up that balance, but also made a dent in the fiscal 1978 allotment. This support enabled some twenty-four local and /or regional groups across the USA to conduct programs for area members in their own front yard. Only $4,900 of fiscal 1978 funds of the initial $5,800 remained. Five different state groups had been serviced to date. At the time of the report, there were thirteen requests, totaling $3,100, pending. That left a balance of $1,800 available during the remaining months of fiscal 1978. Irv Bushman concluded his report with: "One o f the very interesting aspects of my duties as vice-president for the Discretionary Fund and Field Activities has been to witness the growth of programming, the diversity of ideas which have been developed, and the involvement of more and more of our membership across the country in active participation in NATS activities. This is what it's all about” New Year’s Eve, December 31, 1977, was unique among the thirty-three previous such occasions in our history. This year, it became an exciting interlude in NATS’ first overseas workshop, a brainchild of President Lunkley and Edward Baird, national director of workshops. The London Workshop had been in session since December 28th and was scheduled to close January 5, 1978. Ed Baird reported the occasion in the February, 1978 issue o f The N A T S Bulletin. He wrote: "New Year’s Eve found everyone welcoming in the new year by dining at one of the many international restaurants and then either attending midnight services at W estminster Abbqr or watching the crowded hilarity at Trafalgar Square..." December’s last days, 29,30 and

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31 passed quickly with master classes by Geoffiy Parsons, outstanding coach/accompanist; Andrew Parrot, a specialist on early music and performances practices; and John York Skinner, one of England’s finest countertenors. All classes were held in the Trinity College of Music. On January 2nd, the entire group was bussed to the site of the Aldeburgh festival, where th ^ were greeted by Peter Pears. Just two days previously, the press carried the stoiy that Queen Elizabeth had selected Peter Pears to be knighted for his outstanding contributions to musia This particular bit of news made the tour of Red House, home of Pears and the late Benjamin Britten, and the ensuing after-lunch master class wherein six workshoppers sang for Sir Peter, all the more a thrilling and significant occasion. Tuesday and Wednesday, January 3 and 4,1978, brought three interesting class sessions by one of England’s outstanding teachers of singing, Lucie Manen, who had hosted the welcoming reception on the workshopper’s first evening in Lx)ndon. The president, in his first board memo of the new year, wrote that he considered the venture to have been an unqualified success. Nearly seventy members, either on the trip or from various parts of Europe, plus a goodly number of AOTOS members, the British counterpart of NATS formed in 1975, were in attendance. The president’s "From the Top" column in the January, Inter Nos reported the outcome of the balloting on the proposed revision of the bylaws. Some 611 ballots had been cast, with 573 votes in the unanimously approved column. Thi^-four carried random aye and nay votes, with just four NATSers registering their total disapproval. At the time of balloting, 165 voting members constituted a quorum. Although the Lunkley proposed revisions induced almost four times the response needed to make the ballot official, the president responded thusly in his Inter Nos column: "This is an unusually good response and represents a larger percentage of the membership voting than we could have hoped for at a convention. I am always a bit distressed when quite a number of members simply neglect to vote on important issues Uke this." At the time, membership totals exceeded the 3,000 mark, meaning that approximately 800 of our membership was more concerned with what was happening on their own turf than the new guidelines for NATS’ future years. The pages of the 1978 issues of Inter Nos gave testimony that all regions were alive with varied activities. Cal-Western held its Second Biennial Regional Conference the last of December while other NATSers were on their way to the first London Workshop. The two NATS Chapters in Arizona teamed up with Arizona State University to sponsor a workshop earlier in the year that drew 1,087 registrants. Central Region held its first open regional student auditions in November, 1977 with the winners in the advanced division scheduled for recitals in each state of the region during the spring of 1978. Mid-Atlantic held its fall conference in October, 1977. On the first and second weekends in March, 1978, approximately 500 students and 100 teachers participated in the Mid-Atlantic Spring Student Conferences and Auditions. The New England Regional Conference was scheduled for the spring of 1978. North Central held its first conference and auditions in January 1978. Southern held its regional conference in November, 1977. Eastern held its first regional conference and student auditions on March 10-11,1978. More than 100 singers were entered. Mid-South’s student auditions drew approximately 200 participants on April 6-8, 1978. Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, hosted Mid-South’s regional conference in October that same year. The June Festival, June 23-27, was New England’s major event of 1978. Twelve different events filled two and one-half days at the University of Lowell, Lowell, Massachusetts, with 150 in attendance from nine states. President Lunkley’s first board memo since NATS’ initial overseas workshop, dated January 24, 1978, also asked for a vote of approval of his nominees for a new National Nominating Committee. The board’s approval was unanimous. His March 28th board memo gave official notice of his successor. The president wrote: "Most of you know by now that Irvin Bushman has accepted nomination as president-elect and I am delighted.. . The next Inter Nos will have the formal announcement and we will send out ballots on June 1 for the election. John BurgiQ has accepted nomination for the vice president spot to be vacated, but we will delay that election until December since Irv feels he can finish the year." Irvin Bushman would be the first incumbent of the newly created office of president-elect. Bruce Lunkley advised his board that he would meet James Browning, Ohm Pauli and Irvin Bushman in New York City around May 17-18 to work out the budget for fiscal 1979. This was in compliance with the new bylaws which charged the president, with the assistance of the

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secreiary-treasurer and the executive secretary with the responsibility of preparing the annual budget for submission to the Board of Directors for final action. These three constituted the Budget Committee. President Lunkley asked his board to forward all comments, ideas and suggestions to him within three weeks. He refreshed their memories with, "Remember The NATS Bulletin goes to five issues starting next Fall. Please note the new deadlines for material in the past issue. We are also at work to change the Inter Nos issues to fit between." The president asked approval of two items: (1) the appointment of George Newrton and Ruth C. Friedberg as assistant editors for The NATS Bulletin to serve with Associate Editor Walter Martin in "Music Review"; (2) permission to schedule a closing recital for the 1978 national convention by William Parker, the 1970 NATSAA wiimer, to feature a Schubert song cycle for a fee of $1,750, that fee to include his service as a judge for NATSAA. Both items received the board’s approval. The president’s third board memo, dated May 22, 1978, not only was a cover letter for the fiscal 1979 budget, but also presented five recommendations from the Budget Committee plus two requests fi-om President Lunkley. He had just returned form his New York meeting with James Browning, Ohm Pauli and Irv Bushman. In his board letter, he explained that the method of bookkeeping had been changed to include all monies that passed through the books rather than just cost projections as had been done in prior years. This made income and expense totals look much h i^ e r than ever before. One item of good news was that the London Workshop came out $2,838 in the black. The president wrote: "I hope that will influence you to support my move to repeat this good event." He relayed to the board James Browning’s good news in regard to our placement service. At the onset of the Lunkley years, our executive secretary had suggested that it be expanded to a year-round service under his supervision. As a consequence, in 1978, NATS was able to offer some seventy-five positions, indicating that our service to members was becoming better and that institutions were allowing NATS to list their openings more frequently. There was another bit of gratifying news! It may be recalled that President Lunkley had initiated a program of major publication giveaways at the 1976 Philadelphia Convention. Members in attendance came away with a 300-page-plus volume, entitled, Art Song in the United States, an Annotated Bibliography. In his May 22nd board memo, the president reported to his board that 1979 would close with all copies sold, with an income total that would amortise all committee, mailing and publishing costs that went into producing the book. With that door closed, it was time to open another. The president advised his board that he and Irv Bushman wished to name a new committee charged with preparing a Young Singers Repertoire List. The last copy of the Helen Huls’ opus had been mailed and all other song lists were approaching the vanishing point. Besides a vote on the various items in the proposed budget for fiscal 1979, President Lunkley presented five items recommended by the Budget Committee, all of which were approved with varying majorities, to wit: (1) that $25,000 of our current cash reserve be placed in long-term CDs, with the balance in short term notes in a New York City bank; (2) that the matter of a dues increase be put before the 1978 Houston Convention Business Meeting; (3) that the registration fees for the Houston Convention be raised $5.00, making the member’s fee $25.00, and the non­ members, $35.00; (4) that mileage for NATS trips be increased fi-om the current 12 cents per mile rate to 15 cents as of July 1,1978; and (5) that NATS raise its charge for sets of address labels for non-organizational use fi-om 5 cents per label to 7 cents, to help cover computer costs. The president also asked approval to move ahead with plans for a December, 1979-January, 1980 London workshop and permission to pursue the matter of artist management for our NATSAA winners through Young Concert Artists, Inc., of New York City. Both items were overwhelmingly approved. President Lunkley reminded board members that their first meeting at the Houston Convention was on December 26th at 7:30 p.m. He wrote: "It is a most important and long meeting which requires a quorum-please let me know if you cannot get there on time. This is our longest single meeting and we have several items that will require long discussion and some action." He also asked members of the board, each of whom was a regional governor, to contact their state governors and chapter presidents, urging them to attend their respective council meetings at the Houston roundup. In passing, he remarked that it looked like Denver of 1980. He closed with: "Return your vote immediately-something some of you have become quite careless of in recent votes."

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The September, 1978 Inter Nos carried the official report for the Ballot-Counting Committee for the office of president-elect. A total of 994 ballots were cast with a whopping 96% supporting the Nominating Committee’s choice of Irvin Bushman. The secretary’s report in The NATS Bulletin, September-October, 1978, carried the unqualified statement that the Bushman vote garnered the largest number of ballots that ever had been returned in a NATS mail vote. True, but in 1978, there were more NATSers out there than at any time in NATS history. There was one such memorable vote in January, 1965, a consequence of not being able to come up with a quorum at the 1964 Minneapolis Convention Business Meeting. An amazing total of 808 NATSers mailed in ballots, 42% of the membership, more than three times the number that had attended the convention. While more ballots were cast in the 1978 mail vote in the election of the president-elect, that total represented only 19% of the membership, but still many times over the number of votes cast at any previous convention business meeting. As in the past, the September, 1978 issue of Inter Nos contained a roster of the cunent state governors and a listing of the officers of some fifty-five chapters. It also carried the names and addresses of ninety-five new members. The final board memo of 1978 carried the date of September 25. The accompanying vote sheet requested approval of five items. All proposals were given an overwhelming vote. Leading the president’s requests was his naming of the committee, chaired by Joan Boytim, to produce a list of songs for young voices. By the time it was completed, it had grown to a 124-page book. The second item established the committee’s initial budget for the balance of the current fiscal year. The third request was John Burgin’s appointment to the Editorial Board of The NATS Bulletin to replace Lee Cass. He still holds that post on the staff of The NATS Journal at this writing. The last two requests concerned a supplementary updating of the 328-page 1976 giveaway at Philadelphia, Art-Song in the United States, an Annotated Bibliography, to be completed for the 1978 Houston Convention. President Lunkley called the initial session of the Board of Directors to order at 7:45 p.nL, Tuesday, December 26,1978. All were in their places! Because of space demands, thqr will be listed only for this first meeting: Bertha Autenreith, John Burgin, Irvin Bushman, Geraldine Cate, Dorothy Crum, Mary Fall, Robert Gartside, Marion Hall, Katharine Hansel, Margret Kommel, Benjamin Middaugh, John Muschick, Ohm Pauli, Isaac Reid, Harvey Ringel, Gwendolyn Roberts, Ruth Stewart, Pearl White, Jay Wilkey and Mary Wolfinan. James Browning, our executive secretary was present as an observer. David Starkey, chairman of the ad hoc committee. The Singer: Education and Profession, was introduced by President Lunkley. Starkey presented his committee’s report concerning a computerized NATS information service. The committee asked that the board either pass, reject or table the following specific points: (a) approval of the project as outlined; (b) approval of separate parts of the project; or (c) approval and the subsequent appointing of an ad hoc committee to follow through with the implementation of the NATS information service. This ad hoc committee then would report back to the membership as to the directions they intended to go and ask for a feed-back. Bruce Lunkley suggested that further discussion be delayed until the 8:00 a.m. board meeting on Thursday, December 28th, so that members of the board could study thoroughly the report of the committee. President-Elect Irvin Bushman reported on plans for the 1980 convention, which was scheduled to be held in Denver, Colorado, July 25-30. John Burgin’s Convention Committee had a tentative contract with the Cosmopolitan Hotel, located in downtown Denver. Projected plans called for the Board of Directors initial meeting to be held on Friday, July 25th, with the convention opening on Saturday, July 26th, and closing at noon, Wednesday, July 30th. It was moved by Dorothy Crum, the West Central regional governor, and seconded by John Burgin that the place of the 1980 convention be the Cosmopolitan Hotel, Denver, Colorado, with the dates being July 25-30. The board gave their unanimous approval, authorizing Dorothy Crum to appoint the necessary committees for the 1980 convention. The president then alerted the board to find a replacement for Vice-President Mary Wolfinan, in charge of admissions, since she was resigning at the year’s end. One year remained on her term. Mary Wolfinan had been a member of the board as a regional director, representing the Eastern Region since 1970. With the reorganization into thirteen regions, she retained a seat on the Board of Directors as the governor of the newly created New England Region. When Bruce Lunkley was elected president, Mary Wolfinan became one of the four vice-presidents and was given responsibility of admissions/mem­ bership. As 1978 drew to a close, she had given eight consecutive years of outstanding service to

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the National Association under four presidents, a period which witnessed the integration into NATS way of Ufe several ideas put forth at various times since the early 1960s-to mention one, Joel Carter’s proposal for redistricting. It was time for a breather, but Mary Wolfraan would be back. The incoming president, Irvin Bushman, recommended that Vice-President Geraldine Cate take over the responsibilities of chairman of admissions, and that Edward Baird, the national director of workshops, be given portfolio as the vice-president in charge of workshops. A Roberts/Stewart motion that the board accept Irvin Bushman’s recommendation, indicating that Edward Baird, in essence, actually was Mary Wolfman’s replacement for the final year of her unexpired term. The board gave their imanimous approval to both items. Then, President Lunkley requested that the board formulate a policy statement in regard to the use of machine copies of music in our auditions. He appointed John Muschick and Jay Wilkey to present recommendations pertaining to this problem at a later board meeting. The discussion turned to money matters, specifically, an increase in membership dues. The board’s initial 11/9 vote that national dues be raised to $25.00 per annum as of January 1,1980, birthed an amending motion, spelling out the allocation of the additional income generated by the $5.00 per member increase. Each region would receive $25.00 annually, each state governor, $50.00. In addition, all regions would receive an additional Sl.OO per member increase, with the balance going for overall national activities and expenses. The board gave their unanimous approval. The entire plan would go before the convention assembled at the business meeting on Thursday, December 28, 1978. The president sounded out the board in regard to establishing a policy for hospitality for board members at our conventions, etc. After an exchange of ideas, the board gave its unanimous approval to the Stewart/Muschick proposal that the following expense items at our national conventions become the obligation of NATS: (1) the president’s reception; (2) room expenses of all board members; and (3) refreshments for board meetings. Since the offices of secretary and treasurer were to merge as of January 1, 1978, President Lunkley reported that all long-term investments would be transferred from Bowling Green, Kentucky, to New York City. A CrumyRingel motion authorizing Executive Secretary James Browning to explore money market funds for our investments received the board’s unanimous approval. As the meeting moved toward the end of its third hour, the pace quickened. A series of unanimously approved items followed in rapid-fire succession; (1) the reinstatement of the Niagara Chapter; (2) the appointment of the Membership/Admissions Committee under the chairmanship of Geraldine Cate; (3) the appointment of the Nominating Committee under the chairmanship of Bruce Lunkley; and (4) the continuation of the work of the committee, chaired by Joan Boytim, to come up with an extended list of repertoire for high school students. Reports from the four incumbent vice-presidents wound down the meeting. Gerry Cate, largely responsible for the increase in regional activity during the past three years, reported that the following publications were now ready or would be in the immediate future: (1) Guidelines for Hosting Conferences’, (2) Student Audition Guidelines', and (3) Guidelines for Chapter and R e g n a l Activities. Irv Bushman reported that there was approximately $4,000 Discretionary Fund left for fiscal 1979. Mary Wolfinan, in charge of membership, reported that NATS had acquired 1,040 new members during the past three years; and Gwen Roberts, in charge of NATSAA, reported that there had been 226 applications for the 1978 auditions, with an income of $4,460. The meeting adjourned at 11:20 p.m. In less than nine hours, we would all be gathered around the boardroom table again. The board’s second session of the Houston Convention was called to order by President Lunkley, Wednesday, December 27, 1978 at 8:10 a.m. All members were present. In the observer’s section. Executive Secretary James Browning was accompanied by Stephen Parish, who had just been elected governor of the Texoma Region, succeeding Ruth Stewart. Edward Baird, national director of workshops, gained the floor and announced that our first London workshop, December 2 7 ,1977-January 6,1978, had been a gratifying success. As a consequence, a second shop, December 29,1979-January 8,1980, was in the works. Dr. Baird promised additional details at an early date. Our 1978 summer workshops benefitted from location and timing. Ed Baird negotiated a lump-sum deal at the University of Maryland that locked into their festival that provided us with such big names as Jan deGaetani, Donald Gramm and Phyllis Bryn-Julson. At the University of Michigan, we were in sync with their Medieval Festival. Contralto Maureen

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Forrester and Britten’s opera, The Rape ofLucretia, were added attractions to registrants at our workshop. At Vancouver, approximately 50% in attendance were Canadians. Also, approjomately half of those in attendance were non-members. One thing that benefitted workshoppers was the gracious gesture of the Vancouver Tourist Bureau. As a salute to NATS and in celebration of British Columbia’s two-hundredth aimiversary, they paid half of the cost of the workshop banquet No doubt that all the above contributed to the attendance of approximately 140 at Vancouver, 150 at Michigan and 125 at Maryland. We could not always be as fortunate. Dr. Baird, as well as President Lunkley wanted to upgrade our workshops. Attempts to raise fees in order to have sufficient funds to contract name talent outside of NATS as well as within our ranks had always been thwarted by the conservative and faint-hearted on our board. This year would be no different. Ed Baird initiated such a discussion following his report on the successes of the 1978 workshops. There were deaf ears out there. Katharine Hansel moved and Marion Hall provided the second that the fees for the 1979 summer workshops remain the same as they were in 1978. The board concurred with a unanimous ballot. Richard Owens, director of the AIMS summer program in Graz, Austria, attended the December 27th board meeting to present a proposal for a NATS workshop during the week of July 22-27, 1979, co-sponsored by NATS and the American Institute of Musical Studies. Basic costs for NATS members, including tuition, single room and two meals daily for the period of the workshop would be $140, plus air fare from New York City. Quotes were given for an extended stay of four weeks. The board gave their unanimous approval to a CrumyRingel motion that the board accept the workshop proposal of the American Institute of Musical Studies. Two items followed in kaleidoscopic succession. Both received the board’s unanimous approval. The first was a possible Canadian membership drive and the second was the granting of permission to the Association and Society Insurance Corporation to solicit the membership as to their interest in major medical insurance. The last item was double barreled. The president announced that, after 25 years as editor of The NATS Bulletin, Harvey Ringel was retiring as editor after this next year, to be specific, with the wrap-up of Volume XXXVI, No. 5, May/June 1980. At the same time, Fred Schoeflin, editor of Inter Nos, alerted the president that he would take a year off to pursue doctoral studies. With the appointment of an ad hoc Search Committee, the meeting was adjourned at 9:45 a.m. The Board of Directors’ third session got underway at 8:05 a.m., Thursday, December 28tL President Lunkley called for the Muschick/Wilkey recommendations pertaining to the Association’s policy in regard to the use of machine copies of music in public performance. It may be recalled that the president charged these two gentlemen with the formulation of such a policy statement at the Tuesday evening, December 26th, board meeting. The following report was presented and given the board’s unanimous approval: T he official position of the National Association of Teachers of Singing, Inc., in its official functions and activities shall support and obey the law relative to copyright: (1) Performers in NATS sponsored auditions, competitions, recitals, and other activities, such as workshops, shall perform from lawful editions; (2) The National Association of Teachers of Singing, Inc., recommends that its individual members support this position in the pursuit of their professional careers." Then, the president called on David Starkey, chairman of the ad hoc committee, The Singer Education and Profession. Starkey had spoken at length on this subject at the initial board meeting on December 26th. At that time, the president limited discussion with the request that it be held off until our 8:00 a.m., December 28th meeting to give board members ample time to study the report. A Muschick/Crum motion that the board approve the continuance of the basic concept of the committee’s outlined program of Computer Information Service received the board’s unanimous approval. Following further discussion, President Lunkley appointed an ad hoc committee of Robert Gartside, Marion Hall and Gwendolyn Roberts to discuss with David Starkey, in detail, ways of funding such a program. Bruce Lunkley asked that a recommendation be brought to the Saturday morning board meeting. The focus then changed to membership eligibility. Retiring membership vice-president, Mary Wolfinan, spoke of the need for more specific guidelines. The last changes in eligibility rules were made in 1971. Cunently, the conunittee normally looked at three things: (1) a minimum of six years voice study, (2) two years of professional voice teaching, and (3) the individual must be at least 25 years of age. After a

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prolonged discussion, the president suggested that the board give this m atter som e thought and withhold decisions until the Saturday a.m. meeting. W ith that, the m eeting adjourned at 9:00 a.m. At 11:20 a.m., December 28, 1978, President Lunkley called to order th e official Business Meeting of the National Association of Teachers of Singing 32nd N ational Convention in Houston’s Shamrock Hilton’s Emerald Room. After the customary prelims, the president called Vice-President and President-Elect Irvin Bushman to the platform to take over the gavel, historicizing him as "probably the only man who will ever hold both offices at the same time." This unique situation arose because of Irvin Bushman’s mid-June election to this newly created ofSce. Only five months remained on his vice-presidency, so he opted to com plete it since he saw no conflict in winding down his vice-presidency while, concomitantly, gearing him self for the Association’s top job. After the applause subsided, Irv Bushman called on the president to make his report. Space limitations prohibit the inclusion of many details of his full accountability to the membership. However, certain highlights need to be mentioned. There was John Burgin and the work of his conmiittee to bring NATS its first summer convention—Denver, July 25-30, 1980. Then, there was the outstanding work of Edward Baird, national director o f workshops during the Lunkley years, that moved him into a vice-presidency under the incoming president. John Burgin succeeded Irv Bushman as the vice-president in charge of the Discretionary Fund. President Lunkley had high praise for retiring Vice-President Mary Wolfinan who was the one responsible for the tremendous growth in membership during his administration. The president remarked, T h a t membership includes outstanding voice teachers in Australia, A ustria, England, France, Germany and Canada as well as in this country." A little later in his report, the president continued his laudatory remarks, saying: "In this transitional period, we see two o f our most dedicated officers step down-Margret Kommel, our secretary, and Ohm Pauli, o u r treasurer. Both have served at least four successive NATS presidents." It should be noted that the departure of these two stalwarts marked the end of an era. The offices of secretary and treasurer would cease to exist as separate entities with the departure of these two incumbents. As o f January 1, 1979, Mary Fall would take over a combined office of secretary-treasurer. This new office would inherit those functions from the former separate offices of secretary and of treasurer not transferred to Executive Secretary James Browning in our New York office. Concluding his report to the membership, the president moved on to com m ittee reports. A t last, we arrived at the time for the report of the National Nominating Com m ittee, G ean Greenwell, chairman. He place in nomination the names of Mary Fall as the secretary-treasurer and John Burgin as vice-president. The convention assembled gave them an unanim ous ballot. With all the old business disposed of, the president called for new business. H e then introduced the subject of a dues increase, saying; "There has been a discussion over the last six m onths by mail and in the last two days by face-to-face confrontations of the need for a dues increase for the Association. The board does not consider this lightly. We know that every cost is going up, and the proposal which I will ask Margret Kommel to read in a moment reflects o ur concern and our attempt to adjust this increase with a matter of timing and in the use to which it will be put, the needs that will be covered by the increase." Margret Kommel related to the convention assembled the Board of D irectors suggested increase of the national dues to $25.00 as of January 1, 1980. The $5.00 increase would make possible the allocation of funds to the regions in the following manner: (1) $250.00 annually to each region, (2) $50.00 annually to state governors, and (3) $1.00 armually added to the current per capita amount for each region. The balance would be for national needs. A B aird/B um gardner motion placed the idea before the convention assembled for discussion. In all my years of convention going, there had never been a calmer discussion over a dues increase. T he court reporter used but a line or two over four pages to record the discussion before an unidentified person called for the question. With a generous show of hands, the motion was carried. A fter several announcements, the meeting was adjourned. The 1978 elections were the first in NATS history in which all elective offices below the national level became the respective responsibility of each region and state. Each region elected its governor, who, by virtue of his office, became the region’s representative on th e Board of Directors. No doubt the stature of the regional governor had grown considerably during the

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Lunkley administration. A composite of the Board of Directors for the incoming administration is included here for the record. [♦ Denotes members of the President’s Advisory Council] Board o f Directors National Officers President: Irvin Bushman. Vice-Presidents: Geraldine Cate’, Edward Baird*, John Burgin*, Gwendolyn Roberts*. Secretary-Treasurer: Mary A Fall*. Editor, The N ATS Bulletin: Harvey Ringel. Past-President: Bruce G. Lunkley. Regional Governors Cal-Westem: Bertha H. Autenrieth. Central: Marion A Hall. Eastern: Isaac Reid, Jr. Great Lakes: John Muschick. Mid-Atlantic: Katharine Hansel. Mid-South: Jay W. Wilkey. New England: Robert Gartside. North Central: David Hottman. Northwestern: Pearl White. Southeastern: Benjamin Middaugh. Southern: Edward Deckard. Texoma: Stephen Parish. West Central: Dorothy E. Crum. The fourth and final session of the Board of Directors was called to order by President Lunkley at 8:00 a.m., December 30,1978. This was the Houston Convention’s clean-up session. All board members were on hand; observers James Browning and Edward Deckard were joined by Stephen Parish who had just been elected by the Texoma Region, replacing Ruth Stewart as its governor on the NATS Board of Directors in the Bushman administration. The president opened proceedings by presenting a petition from members residing in the Sacramento, California area for the formation of a Sacramento Chapter. An Autenreith/Gartside motion that the petition be granted, received the board’s unanimous approval. Then Goan Greenwell, president of the NATS Foundation, presented the Foundation’s slate of officers and board members for approval by the parent organization’s Board of Directors, namely: Bruce Lunkley, president; Harvey Ringel, vice-president; James Browning, seaetarytreasurer; and Irma Cooper and Herald Stark, board members. The vote was unanimous. Gean Greenwell, along with Berton Coffin and Harvey Ringel, had been a co-signer of the Foundation’s Certificate of Incorporation. Gean Greenwell, Berton Coffin, Harvey Ringel and Karl Trump were the Foundation’s initial Board of Directors. Berton Coffin was named the Foundation’s first president because he had spent considerable time and his own money exploring the idea during his NATS presidency [1968-1970]. When Bert and Milly took up residenqr in Vienna in 1977, Gean Greenwell became the Foundation’s second president. Now, it was time to pass the baton to Bruce Lunkley, the current retiring president of NATS. In fact, at this time, for the retiring president of NATS to assume the office of president of the Foundation, had been considered as being the way to go. If Karl Trump were around, I am sure he would have used his grandmother’s colorful shaker and mover phrase to characterize Bruce as he had Bert in the previous decade. During his presidency, Bruce Lunkley put into form and refined the Greenwell initiated reorganization, revitalizing NATS at the grass roots as it never had been before. Now, Bruce had accepted the challenge to breath life into the three-year old Foundation. It could prove a greater challenge than the NATS presidency. The president then turned to reopening the discussion of guidelines for membership eligibility, the subject introduced by Vice-President Maiy Wolfman at the Thursday morning, December 28th board meeting, but put on hold by the president until the Saturday a.m. meeting. An intense discussion on possible new guidelines followed. A BushmanyStewart motion suggested the following be added for membership eligibility: a minimum age of 25 years and a two-year minimum of professional vocal teaching. This sparked more discussion. A Gartside/Autenreith motion proposed an amendment, adding a third requirement: six years of vocal training, which was voted down. Then the question was called for on the original motion which passed with an 11/5 vote. But the dissenters countered with a limiting motion. Marion Hall moved that the publication of membership application forms be limited, and that the matter be studied further. A Katharine Hansel second was followed by the motion’s unanimous approval.

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Only one postponed report remained on the agenda, that in regard to the computer program. The initial report had been given at the board’s opening meeting on Tuesday evening, but the president Umited the discussion, asking for a postponement of further discussion until the board’s Thursday a.m. meeting, to permit board members sufficient time to study the proposal. At the Thursday meeting, the president appointed an ad hoc committee to come up with ways to fund such a program and to bring the recommendation to the Saturday meeting. The report read: "In view of the enormous potential of a Computer Program in information collation and retrieval in all future NATS activities, we recommend that the Board authorize continued support of the present Computer Project up to the amount of $1,500 per year for a two year period." A HaliyPauli motion that the committee’s report be approved received the board’s unanimous approval. The president expressed his gratitude to the board for their hard work during 1978 as well as throughout his term of office. Margret Kommel’s goodbye and expressions of gratitude after eight years in office wrote finis to the office of national secretary as it now existed. For some unknown reason, it also marked the end of the practice of maintaining the NATS Book o f Records, originated at the time of our incorporation in 1944. There being no further business, the president adjourned the meeting of the Board of Directors at 9:30 a.m., sine die. President Lunkle/s predecessor had figured out, at this lime, that NATS needed to recruit 500 new members each year to counter attrition and to stay abreast with inflation, otherwise the yearly membership dues would need to be increased or membership services would have to be curtailed. Despite the prodigious efforts of Vice-President Mary Wolfman and her committee, only 322 members were added to the rolls during 1978. During the Lunkley presidency, that committee added over a thousand new or reinstated members. Unfortunately, membership casualties, largely through dropping members for non-payment of dues, discounted that figure by some fifty percent. As of October 31, 1978, the membership count was 3,283. There were 133 Honorary Life Members, who paid no dues, bringing the total membership count to 3,416. Vice-President Bushman, administrator of the Discretionary Fund, reported a balance of $4,900 available for the last six months of fiscal 1979. At the close of fiscal 1978, after processing twenty-seven requests for fiinds, a balance of $318.75 remained which reverted to the general fund, an unusual occurrence under that artful dispenser of largess, Irv Bushman. What had emerged under his guidance and administering of the Discretionary Fund was that chapter and regional promotions were becoming more effective. Those in charge at the grass roots level were becoming more adept in their planning and also had created income on their own turf. The vice-president reported that, at one point during the spring, he had received requests for funds far in excess of the total amount available. Later, a number of groups withdrew their requests for funds when they discovered that they could make it on their own. Irv Bushman already had approved two grants for fiscal 1979 and also had ten applications on file. The evidence from every side gave proof that there had been some extremely effective meetings throughout the country at the regional levels. Vice-President Bushman credited Vice-President Gerry Cate and the regional governors for the expansion in activities. Several new chapters also had come into existence. The 1978 Inter Nos listed a total of fifty-five chapters. What an insightful move President Lunkley made when he redefined the duty perimeters of one of the four vice-presidents to give stature to what he envisioned as a resource person to whom those working at the grass roots could turn for guidance, naming that vice-president as Geraldine Cate. In her, the president had found what is often referred to as a naturall As the vice-president in charge of conferences and student auditions, Gerry Cate was responsible for the preparation and completion of two invaluable brochures that already were in use with a supply placed in the national office for future use: Guidelines for Student Auditions, and Recommendations for Regional and Chapter Activities. A third. Guidelines for Hosting NATS Conferences and Student Auditions, was placed in the national office in December, 1978 before Vice-President Cate replaced her present hat with that of vice-president in charge of membership/admissions under incoming President Irvin Bushman. Her report closed with this advice: "Since the work of this office (Conferences and Student Auditions) is an extension of Field Activities and much of the resource material.. . already has been prepared, I recommend that the two offices be combined under one vice-presidency."

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NATSAA Coordinator, Vice-President Gwendolyn Roberts, reported the processing of 226 applications, garnering better than $4,500 in fees. That amount covered the first and second place awards of $3,000 and $1,500 each, respectively. There were other expenses of consequence, to mention one item—round-trip fares or equivalent to Houston for the six national finalists. Ohm Pauli, treasurer, reported that our total assets for fiscal 1978 stood at 593,111.43. At audit time for fiscal 1976, that figure was $92,334.80, a gain of only $775.63. It appears that President Lunkley’s three-year stewardship had come very close to the guidelines expressed in his report to the membership at the close of his initial year in office. At that time, he said, "I believe in solvency, but fail to see the virtue in huge plus balances when programs have gone wanting, fees have been kept at non-professional levels.. .and few, if any, innovative plans have evolved into workable stages because of parsimonious financial planning." The president had managed to absorb all income in services to the membership except less than a thousand dollars. His emphasis had been "the development of truly meaningful and stimulating programs at four levels; national conventions, regional conferences/auditions, chapter programs, and the workshops" as he had stated in his initial message to the membership through the pages of The NATS Bulletin. (It may be recalled that Bruce Lunkley became president as of January 1,1976, without benefit of investiture.) Fiscal 1978 witnessed several personnel changes in the staff of The NATS Bulletin, its Editorial Board and its publication office. Since 1955, NATS’ official publication had been sheltered by Chicago Musical College, Roosevelt University, where its editor was Professor of Voice. He became Professor Emeritus at the end of the 1976-1977 school year. As of September 1,1977, he became an adjunct Professor of Voice at the American Conservatory of Music and, since that institution became the editor’s academic home, it became the sheltering institution of The NATS Bulletin. The Coffin’s decision to take up residency in Vienna [1977] deprived the Editorial Board of The N ATS Bulletin of its chairman. Louis Nicholas was named as Bert Coffin’s successor, a post he still holds [1990]. Interestingly, the new chairman was named an initial member of the Editorial Board in the last year of the Toren presidenqr [1957], serving through the presidencies of Gilliland and Wise. He resigned when he was elected to succeed B. Fred Wise as president of the National Association in 1962. He was invited to return to the Editorial Board when Bert Coffin succeeded Bee Taylor as its chairman in 1975. Financially, the earnings of The NATS Bulletin for the period exceeded the anticipated figure, $9,575.36, while its production and circulation costs were below budget. Actually, the magazine earned 48.67% of its expenditures. In other words, The NATS Bulletin used but $3.15 of its aUotted $5.00 per member. It should be noted that its earnings were even in excess of the amount stated above since that figure did not include royalties from Johnson Reprint of University Microfilms because these earmngs had been earmarked for The NATS Foundation during the Greenwell administration. The Foundation’s activity for fiscal 1978 was limited to providing $75.00 to Stanley John Hoban Scholarships to each of the universities of Maryland, British Columbia and Michigan, plus Michigan, plus a $500.00 grant to the Aspen Festival. Contributions totaled $1,227.12, leaving a balance of $117.12 after expenses. Most contributions had been in the $2.00 to $25.00 range. However, there were two $100 and two $200 gifts. Interestingly, one donor in the latter bracket had contributed a total of $700 within a three-year period. It was evident that the time had not yet come when the NATS Foundation could fund more ambitious projects. The Houston Roundup, December 27-30, Thursday through Saturday, had a definite rodeo flavor, but its first session was far removed fi’om a ranch-like atmosphere. Horst GQnter of Freiburg, Germany, who at that time was a visiting professor of vocal art at the University of Southern California, conducted an intensive coaching session of Schubert lieder. Incidental^, Horst Gflnter became NATS’ first European member under the Lunkley revised bylaws. That stimulating session was followed by the return concert of our 1976 NATSAA winner at Philadelphia, Elizabeth Pruett. Joseph Horowitz wrote in The New York Times after her first New York recital, April 14, 1977: "Her presence is vibrant, as is her sweet, open-voiced soprano, a sizeable instrument with an exciting top.-.." In the 1978 season, Elizabeth Pruett appeared as Despina in Cosi fan Tutti with the Opera Company of Jacksonville, as Susanna in The Marriage o f Figaro with the Annapolis Opera, soloist in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, as Gilda in Rigoletto with the Goldovsky Opera Theater, and as Miss Wordsworth in Bunin's Albert Herring, which was

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being videotaped for American and British television. The 1976 NATSAA winner presented a beautifully sung recital which included Purcell, Baksa, Debussy, Wolf and Falla. As the evening unfolded, conventioneers were transported bodily into the world of The Houston Roundup. We were bussed some twenty miles south of Houston to the Regal Ranch "where all enjoyed a Texas style barbecue dinner, dancing and a full-fledged rodeo filled with special NATS surprises. Who should lead the rodeo parade but President Lunkley astride a fine chestnut horse. During the calf roping, a number of prestigious NATS members were called to the arena for the next surprise-a cowchip throwing contest. The winner was Marion "Chip" Hall, but all joined in the pelting of the crowd as the contest ended." The first session on Thursday, December 28th, was given over to demonstration lessons. Sue outstanding teachers, Ellen FauU, Oren Brown, Barbara Doscher, Christine Palmer, Frederick Swanson and John Burgin, held forth in separate rooms, allowing conventioneers to move from room to room as they pleased. The convention’s business meeting closed out the morning. After lunch, the demonstration teachers participated in a most provocative and informative Quiz Cove. Dorothy Uris’ session on English diction was among the most valued of the afternoon. That evening featured the brilliant American soprano, Johanna Meier, a replacement for the ailing Martina Arroyo, whose program included arias by Handel, Haydn, Mozart, Strauss, and Wagner. Selections from Berlioz’ Les nuits d’ete and four early songs of Schoenberg also were included. On Friday morning, December 29th, Richard Owens, director of the American Institute for Musical Studies, presented an illuminating and practical lecture on European auditions and details of living and studying abroad. It was announced that AIMS and NATS would offer a one-week summer workshop at Graz as part of the 1979 summer workshop program. It also was announced that the AIMS Board of Directors would award a full tuition scholarship to the 1978 NATSAA winner for the 1979 AIMS Institute. That afternoon, six NATSAA finalists were heard by a panel of distinguished judges, Blanche Thebom, Frances Bible, Horst Giinter, William Parker and Chloe Owen, before a standing-room only crowd of conventioneers. The first prize of $3,000 and the aforementioned AIMS scholarship were awarded to Jo Ann Pickens. A tie for second was shared by Ellen Lang of Bethesda, Maryland, and Paul Atherton of Pasadena, California. Jo Ann’s winning was significant to Texans even though she represented the Central Region-she had been raised and educated in Texas. She first attended Del Mar College in her hometown of Corpus Christi and then went on to North Texas State University in Denton. Winning an apprentice artist contract with the Chicago Lyric Opera caused her to move to Chicago in 1975. The Houston win opened doors for Jo Arm Pickens and the AIMS Scholarship insured an European debut recital. The final day, Saturday, December 30th, started off with a Van Lawrence lecture discussing the care of the human voice, followed by a question/answer period. Then, the final major attraction of the 1978 National Convention, our 1970 NATSAA winner, William Parker, already enjoying a reputation as a major recitalist, had been engaged especially to sing Schubert’s Wmterreise, a program that President Bruce Lunkley counted on to hold NATSers to the convention’s last bell. What a performance it turned out to be! The full house hushed as the distinguished baritone explained his feeling that the cycle should be performed without pause or interference. Eighty-five minutes later, the hall rocked with shouted bravos and applause that returned William Parker and his accompanist, William Huckaby, many times front and center to acknowledge what had become an ovation. When normalcy returned, hands were joined as the convention closed with the singing of the traditional "Auld Lang Syne." The catalytic hand of Bruce Lunkley had birthed ideas that had struggled to be bom for more than a decade. His own words to the membership in the 1978 November/December issue of The NATS Bulletin described succinctly the scope of his accomplishments. He wrote: "I am pleased that many of you join me in applauding the directions that our organization has gone in recent yearsreorganizing-increasing local participation-increased funding for area activities~new and useful publications-opening the membership to qualified teachers all over the world-upgrading our workshop programs-taking advantage of international locales for new workshop efforts-clarifying membership qualifications-promoting individual participation in all NATS programs." Bruce Lunkle/s presidency was the culminate years of a long road in the Association’s service that had its genesis in early 1967 when he became the governor of the Southwestern Region. He replaced Paul Englestad who became the NATS treasurer when Robert Bowlus suddenly left us

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to join the Heavenly Choir during Phil D ue/s presidency. Bruce continued in that o£Bce through the Coffin administration [1968-1970]. He was tapped for a vice-presidency under the Karl Trump presidency [1970-1972]. President Trump selected him to take charge of field activities. Bruce was hampered by a lack of funds in that office and convinced his president that the health of NATS depended on more funds to stimulate activities at the grass roots level. Karl Trump understood the problem well. He educated and sold the membership on the largest dues inaease in NATS history. Bruce got his fund as Trump’s term ended. At the same time, Bruce had revived the idea of redistricting. He met with resistance to the extent that little progress was made during the Ludman presidency [1972-1974], but a like-minded Gean Greenwell [1974-1976], alerted to vital IRS information by George Newton, exploded into activity early in 1974. When the smoke had cleared by the year’s end, NATS had: (1) a new set of bylaws, (2) thirteen regions and a reorganized Board of Directors, and (3) an IRS-approved Foundation for which Bert Coffin had dug deeply into his own pocket to initiate as time ran out on his administration. Gean Greenwell’s three-pronged effort was more than a two-year presidency could digest, so there were loose ends that Bruce Lunkley had to tie up at the beginning of his three-year term before he could fine-tune it. There never had been a five-year period in NATS histoiy in which so much had been achieved to ready NATS for the twenty-first centuiy. Bruce Lunkley had been at its center all the way! NATS was so much in his blood that he accepted the presidency of The NATS Foundation as of January 1, 1979, its third president, a post he still holds [1990].

Larra Browning Conducts Sing-Along NATS National Convention, Denver, Colorado, July 1980

273

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274

Irvin Bushman PRESIDENT

1979-1982 President Irvin Bushman’s Memo No. 1, February 8, 1979, began: "Greetings from the new Guru in the snow desert of Cleveland." In his keynoter at Houston, he remarked, "I begin my term in office without any great innovative programs that I am just dying to get started on. Frankly, I am not one to rock the boat unnecessarily.. . Nevertheless, each one makes his own footprints." He spoke of problems created mainly by the metamorphic administrations of Gean Greenwell and Bruce Lunkley. Topping the list was the biennial convention. Redistricting had increased the size of the Board of Directors. Since the annual convention had become the accepted time and place of the board’s yearly official meeting, the move to the biennial convention format created a worrisome problem for the top echelon. Board letters and the voteby-mail process did not equate to the live person-to-person exchange provided by the annual board meeting at the year-end convention. As a consequence, there already had been three national board meetings other than the scheduled 1976 Philadelphia and the 1978 Houston conventions, all partially subsidized by NATS funds. Now the winds of change blew in another problem. A national survey, conduct^ prior to the 1977 Denver summer board meeting, came up with a significant majority of the membership opting for summer conventions. This would mean another change in NATSAA as well as a major disruption of our workshop program, in place since the summer of 1949. The fact that it would cut back to a biennial operation concerned the president greatly because it reduced the frequency of such meetings. However, the president’s immediate concern was to find a new editor for The NATS Bulletin. The December 27th announcement to the board of my desire to relinquish the editorship after twenty-five years had the effect of a bombshell. Perhaps these random quotes from an eyewitness, Irvin Bushman, will more effectively set the scene: "Everyone on the Board was stunned by this announcement. Everyone acknowledged the validity of Harvey’s request in view of his age and many years of service. . . The NATS Bulletin, in many ways, had become the most visible and important function of our organization.. . Under his guidance, The NATS Bulletin had become a distinguished publication, unique in the whole world... A committee was appointed with John Burgin as chairman to find a new editor.. . We all were aware that this was a major challenge." In Board Memo No. 1, President Bushman reappointed the ad hoc Search Committee for The N ATS Bulletin, primarily to clear up the conftised minutes of the December 27th board meeting at the Houston Convention. The board cast a unanimous ballot for John Burgin, chairman, Katharine Hansel, Barbara Sable, Louis Nicholas, Marion Hall and Harvey Ringel, ex officio. One other item that required a board vote was a proposal by the new president of The NATS Foundation, Bruce Lunkley, that NATS set up a matching fiind project in order to give the Foundation a needed shot in the arm. He suggested that NATS match every S2.00 contribution to the Foundation with $1.00 of its own money. The board responded affirmatively with a 16/1 vote. Five board members did not bother to vote! Concern for the logistics of all the exciting events in the year ahead, three USA summer workshops, the American Institute of Musical Studies Workshop in Graz, Austria, the London Workshop, plus the July, 1980 Denver Convention, caused the president to doubt that they could be resolved effectively via telephone and/or letter maU. He concluded Board Memo No. 1 with the rhetorical quesUon: "Do you think we should consider a full board meeting sometime during the summer? Is it possible that we could coordinate a meeting with one of the workshops, either Denton or Penn State?" Evidently the president talked to several of his board members via Ma Bell during the next few weeks, concluding that there should be a full board meeting on the weekend (June 23-24) prior to the NATS workshop at North Texas State University at Denton. Irv Bushman chose Denton because of the June dates and the fact that more members of the Board of Directors would have short trips. Besides NTSU was the academic home of Ed Baird and Stephen Parish, with Bruce

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Lunkley, just next door in Sherman and John Burgin, Ed Deckard and Dorothy Crum, less than two hours away by air. Board Memo No. 2, March 30, 1979, required no return ballot, but the president did ask board members to advise him whether or not they planned to come to Denton for the June 23rd weekend to attend the summer board meeting. Since NATS was picking up the tab for airfare and room, he asked each board member to send in the cost of coach round-trip airfare, to and from Dallas. All but one person responded. President Bushman advised his board that he plaimed a Cleveland meeting with James Browning and Mary Fall on April 24th to work out the budget for fiscal 1980. There also was the matter of a new contract for our executive secretary. The budget had to be finalized for board approval by early June, a month that became a busy one for our president. He also had a June meeting scheduled with the 1980 Denver Convention Committee, Dennis Jackson, Barbara Sable, Gordon DeBroder and Eleanor Anop, with whom he hoped to make some definite plans for the 1980 Denver Convention. Board Memo No. 3, May 8,1979, did double duty. First of all, it was a cover letter for the proposed budget for fiscal 1980, requiring a vote prior to June 1,1979. President Bushman had met with James Browning and Mary Fall in Cleveland on April 24th and 25th, coming up with what he termed "a realistic set of figures." The other item requiring immediate attention dealt with the Denton meeting. The president reported that it appeared as though the entire board would be there save one. I did not attend. There was need of additional information to ready the accommodations at North Texas State University as weU as to coordinate the arrival and departure pattern of board members. An $8.00 limousine charge would add up on a one-to-one basis. The president wrote, "The sooner I get this information, the easier it will be to plan." Several items concerned NATS administrative matters at the regional and state levels, fiscal discretion and a speak-now-or-forever-hold-your-peace paragraph in regard to the forthcoming June meeting with the Denver Convention Committee. He wrote, "After the fact complaints are always a nuisance." The final paragraph returned to The NATS Bulletin. My printer decided to retire earlier than I, selling out to a conglomerate who planned to use his plant as a unit in their publication empire, stretching over several states. Since the publication count of The NATS Bulletin was too small to benefit from such a sophisticated operation, our costs could only go up! I advised President Bushman that there would be a substantial increase in printing costs for fiscal 1980. Unfortunately, there was no way of determining how much at this time, we would have to play it by ear. I also clarified my retirement plans which he passed on to the Board of Directors. It seemed that there had been more than one bit of confusion that came out of those "heady days of wine and roses" in Houston, as the president described them in Memo No. 1. So, I advised him that my retirement would become effective with the clean-up operations after the publication of Volume XXXVI, No. 5, May-June 1980, a wrap-up of twenty-five years that had begun with Volume XII, No. 1, September, 1955. All board members, excepting your historian, rendezvoused at North Texas State University at 8:00 p.m., Saturday, June 23, 1979. Well, not quite all. Board member Dorothy Crum, regional governor, did not make it in from Wichita until the Sunday morning meeting. President Irvin Bushman brought the meeting to order and proceeded with a discussion of the 1980 Denver convention’s tentative schedule. The room rates at the Cosmopolitan Hotel were set at $40.00 for singles and $48.00 for doubles. The first board meetings were scheduled for Saturday evening, July 26,1980, and Sunday morning, July 27,1980, with the convention opening that afternoon. The president then gave his board a run-down of the program as it was outlined at that time, Vice-President Ed Baird, in charge of workshops, gave a most encouraging status report. Preregistrations were far above those of previous years: the Penn State Workshop reported 40, Graz had preregistered 28-30, Las Vegas, 100, and the Lx)ndon Workshop, sch ^u led for December 2 9 ,1979-January 9,1980, akeady had 25 preregistrations. Vice-President John Burgin, dispenser of the Discretionary Fund, reported on the 1978-1979 grants and gained a $1,000 increase to raise available funds for the current season to $6,000 as a consequence of an unanimously approved Lunkley/Roberts motion. The vice-president also presented a revised Discretionary Fund Grant and ^ e n s e Voucher Form. Vice-President Gwendolyn Roberts, NATSAA coordinator, gave her report on the NATSAA program and presented the application blank for the 1980 contest. Board members suggested

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minor changes in its wording. After some discus­ sion, the meeting was adjourned at 10:40 p.m. to be continued in the morning. President Bushman called the second session of the 1979 summer board meeting to order at 9:00 a.m., Sunday, June 24th. Those present duphcated the attendance at the initial meeting except that Ed Baird had to get back to running the workshop and Dorothy Crum made it in from Wichita. Everyone was present or accounted for: Bertha Autenreith, John Burgin, Irvin Bushman, Geraldine Cate, Edward Deckard, Mary Fall, Stephen Parish, Marion Hall, Robert Gartside, David Hottman, Katharine Hansel, Bruce Lunkley, Benjamin Middaugh, John Muschick, Isaac Reid, Gwendolyn Roberts, Pearl White, Jay Wilkey and Executive Secretary James Browning. The president called on Gwen Roberts to review the NATSAA application blank. All changes IRVIN BUSHMAN were accepted. Bruce Lunkley asked that states and regions spend less money on judges. Then the discussion moved to the age bracket for NATSAA. Bruce Lunkley moved that the lower age be 23 and the upper age limit be 35. Those limits were identical with the age bracket set for our first SOTY contest when introduced by Bernard Taylor in 1955, but the board voted down the Lunkley motion. Jay Wilkey followed with a motion that the age bracket be 21 to 35 which gained the board’s approval with a 19/1 vote. The age bracket had been in flux since NATS moved to biennial conventions. Then, the board voted to raise the upper limit from age 30 to age 32, but only for the 1976 NATSAA However, the same age bracket held for Houston. Then, in rapid fire succession, the board voted (1) that state and regional contests be held between February 15th and May 15th; (2) that semi^als be held at the 1980 Denver convention; and (3) that each semi-finalist be provided with travel funds up to $100. The president informed the board that Fred Schoepling, editor of Inter Nos, had asked to be relieved of his duties. Bruce Lunkley then moved that John Burgin become the new editor. VicePresident Burgin was in charge of field activities and the Discretionary Fund. Inter Nos was the natural line of communication between the vice-president’s office and the membership. The Lunkley/Fall motion was given unanimous approval, but the vice-president’s suggestion that a fourth issue be added did not catch fire with the board. Now, in the role of chairman of the Search Conmiittee, Burgin reported that the committee had not yet found a suitable replacement for Harvey Ringel as editor of The NATS Bulletin. The committee asked for more input from the board itself. The balance of the meeting was informational with exchange of opinions, adjourning for lunch at 11:50 a.m. President Irvin Bushman called the third session of the Board of Directors to order at 1:45 p.m., Sunday June 24,1979. A Lunkley/Middaugh motion that the following staff appointments to The NATS Bulletin be made was given the board’s unanimous approval: Associate Editor, "Music Review," George Newton; Assistant Editors, "Music Review," June Cason, James McLain and James Wainner. There followed a Hall/Crum motion that Roger Scanlan’s title be changed to assistant editor from assistant to the editor. Again the board responded with their unanimous approval. Now this is one for the books. Perhaps it could be called a motion before the fecL Gwendolyn Roberts moved that the Provo, Utah Chapter be accepted pending the acquisition of the necessary signatures and a check on the current membership standing of the signatories. Dorothy Crum seconded it and the board gave its unanimous approval. A Roberts/Muschick motion that a NATS membership list be prepared by Ohm Pauli at a cost of $700 also was given the board’s unanimous approval. There was one informational item that supplemented the Sunday morning session. The board had voted to hold the NATSAA semi-finals at the Denver convention, but there was no mention of time. Now, President Bushman recommended that they be held Saturday afternoon, July 26,1980, prior to the board meetings. There was some discussion of the convention for 1982. Possible sites were Minneapolis, Toronto, Phoenix, Atlanta, or a cruise. Stephen Farish was appointed chair for the committee;

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Isaac Reid and Katharine Hansel were the committee members. The discussion spilled over into a fee structure for NATS members serving on convention programs. Edward Baird remarked that he had gone by S50 for a workshop session and $150 for a recitalist at a workshop. For the 1978 Houston Convention, Bruce LunUey had negotiated with each one. Dorothy Crum moved that we delete the statement that "there be no fees for NATS members on programs" and that we state "we will negotiate fees." That motion was seconded by Benjamin Middaugh to which the board gave their unanimous approval. The rest of the meeting was given over to John Large who traveled to Denton to sell NATS on the International Association for Experimental Research in Singing. No action was taken except that the president appointed Dorothy Crum chair of a committee consisting of Bruce Lunkley, Benjamin Middaugh and Edward Baird to work with John Large. Bruce Lunkley reported on the fee for the London Workshop, December 29, 1979 to January 9, 1980-$590 for tuition, twin room and breakfast; air fare would be extra. Just imagine, all that plus New Year’s in London. The meeting was adjourned to join the incoming NATS workshop enrollees at dinner. Board Memo No. 4, September 15,1979, opened with, "This letter could well be entitled. The Diary of the Midnight President. The time differential between east and west combined with the late night telephone rates have turned out to be a real help in running the NATS ship of state." It had been more than four months since Irv Bushman’s last board memo and almost three months since the Denton board meeting. Sounds relaxed, but it was not as relaxed for the president as it sounds. After the Denton board meeting, he stayed on for the NATS workshop at North Texas State. The NATS workshop at Penn State followed one week later, July 8th through the 13th. The next two weeks he spent in Austria where he attended the NATS/AIMS Workshop, Graz, July 22nd through the 27th. His August 1st return to Cleveland found a letter from the local Jury Commission, requesting him to fulfill his civic obligation for two weeks at S5.00 per day. Mid-August found him in the jury room of Cleveland’s Justice Center and that’s where he wrote his "From the Top" message for the SeptembeT Inter Nos, John Burgin’s first issue as its new editor, succeeding Frederick W. Schoeplin, editor since September, 1977. Board Memo No. 4 was informative for the most part. Two items only required a return ballot The president called the board’s attention to the fact that all regional governors, save Isaac Reid and Stephen Parish, were either up for reelection or would be leaving office as of January 1,1980. Irv Bushman asked that all such regional elections be completed by November 15th and that the outcome be sent to him as soon as possible thereafter. He also reported that Dennis Jackson and committee had the Denver convention on track. Francis Robinson was to be the banquet’s featured speaker. Other personalities signed so far included: (1) Vera Rozsa, John Large et al, Walter Martin, Shirley Emmons and Stanley Sonntag. The work of the Convention Search Committee had become complicated by an over-abundance of possible locations for future conventions. After a plug for the London Workshop, December 29, 1979-January 9, 1980, President Bushman advised the board that Bruce Lunkley, president of the NATS Foundation would be sending out a letter to the entire membership in an effort to raise money for the Foundation. He reminded them that every $2.00 contributed would be matched with $1.00 from the NATS treasury. The first item requiring a vote concerned the husbandAvife membership fee. In face of the pending dues increase. President Bushman recommended that the current fee be advanced to $42.50. The second item concerned NATSAA At the Denton board meeting, the board had approved a $100 travel grant to each regional winner to assist them in coming to Denver for the semi-finals. Before Irv Bushman left for Austria, he had talked with Gwen Roberts about increasing that amount to $150 each. Now, he asked for the board’s approval for the larger amount. Both items received a 15/0 vote. What that figure revealed was that five board members did not bother to vote. The president wrote: "It would be nice if each of you took the trouble to respond on these vote items. That way I know you are alive and functioning even if you are negative." None of the items in Board Memo No. 5, October 24,1979, called for a vote, but one item resolved a perplexing problem that had occupied our president’s thin k in g since the decision to go to summer conventions. It was Steve Farish’s impressive compilation of information on potential sites for the 1982 convention that brought it all to a head. He wrote; "I know that in my keynote address last year I promised not to rock the boat. Well, here is where I break my promise. I have been giving a great deal of thought, in recent months, to the fact that by changing

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to a biennial convention in the summertime, we have literally halved cur national programming. In reviewing board letters from several years ago, I find them crammed full of details relating to the annual conventions and annual workshops. The London Workshop of 1977 and the one for this year are certainly attempts to fill the void created by this two year hiatus. However, at best this only serves a small handful of our membership. I know that there was a significant response on the part of our membership to change to a summer convention and I respect those sentiments. "I am proposing that we consider the possibility of a compromise on this current situation and I have asked Steve Parish and his committee to stand still until I receive your reactions to my proposal. I recommend that we go to an eighteen month interval for our conventions. This would give us a summer convention followed by a winter convention eighteen months later.* What this translated into was 1981 summer workshops plus a December convention; 1982 sunmier workshops followed by a 1983 summer convention; 1984 summer workshops and a December convention; etc. This sequence permitted the summer workshop program to be active two out of every three summers. Also, it placated the sizable list of members who voted to retain the December convention when the survey convinced the administration that it was time to go to a summer convention. President Bushman pointed out that the shift would complicate NATSAA because of a fluctuating timetable, but that, along with other problems, would be primarily logistical. On the other hand, alternating between a summer and a winter convention site could give NATS members some economic benefits in terms of hotel rates. The president reminded board members that the biennial convention already had necessitated four interim board meetings at a cost in excess of $3,000 each. The proposed eighteen-month convention pattern would dovetail with the three-year term for the presidency and thereby would eliminate the need for some of those extra meetings. It also meant that every third year a new president would take over at a winter convention. The president informed the board that the change fi’om biennial conventions to an eighteen-month interval could be accomplished through an affirmative vote of the Board of Directors. He asked them to study his proposal and to send their reactions back to him by return mail. If their response was favorable, he would ask for their ballot The decision had to be made quickly so that the Convention Site Committee could get on with their assignment. There was an additional item in regard to the 1980 Denver Convention. Baritone Leslie Guinn, a NATS member on the faculty of the University of Michigan, had been engaged to sing a closing recital. He had won second place in the Rockefeller/Kennedy Center International Competition for Excellence in American Music. The reason the committee had opted for Leslie Guinn was that the first prize of $15,000 had been awarded to William Parker, our 1970 NATSAA winner in Dallas, who had given us a remarkably sensitive performance of Schubert’s Winterreise as the final major event of the 1978 Houston Convention. As the president was concluding Board Memo No. 5, the conclusions and recommendation of Dorothy Crum’s Committee on lAERS relationship with NATS arrived in the mail. Irv Bushman, including it with his October 24th memo, asked that board members give him their reactions, writing: "We will not submit this to a vote until we have a consensus of your feelings on the subject." You will recall that John Large made a presentation at the Denton meeting. The details of this request were not included in the reporting of that meeting since no action, other than the appointing of a committee to work with John Large, was taken. There, his recommenda­ tions to the board were that NATS: (1) endorse lAERS as its official research agency; (2) create a position of director of research; (3) create a budget for lAERS; and that \he Journal o f lAERS be a joint publication with The NATS Bulletin, coordinating their efibrts. Board Memo No. 6 should be interesting. That memo, the last of President Bushman’s first year in office, was sent off on December 10, 1979. Item No. 1 concerned the board’s feedback to his proposal of changing to an eighteenmonth convention interval. Even though the majority response was positive, the president was disturbed by the comments of a couple board members that revealed they did not fully understand his clearly stated and well-thought-out proposal. He asked that they re-read Board Memo No. 5 and then vote their preference on the ballot at the end of the second page of his memo. Item No. 2 dealt with the president’s recommendations in regard to John Large, based on the letter which Dorothy Crum’s committee had submitted on the matter of lAERS/NATS relations. Convinced that John Large was motivated by a sincere desire to do something constructive for NATS and the teaching profession. President Bushman concurred with the committee’s

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reconunendations that John Large be given the title of "Chairman of Vocal Research," or another, if they had a better title to suggest. The president, in consultation with John Large and subject to board approval, would appoint a committee to serve with the chairman through 198L As for creating a budget for L\ERS, the Crum committee proposed that NATS pay out $L00 per member to L^ERS in return for two copies of the Journal o f lAERS per year to be sent to the entire membership-at that time, a healthy 3,510. Of course, there would be yearly increases. Quite a subsidy for lAERSl That sum would have financed the first three years of NATS existence, with dollars to spare. Our dues total for 1944 was less than a thousand dollars and within that amount, Homer Mowe eked out The Bulletin. In the wake of the 1980 dues increase, I submitted a request that the budget for The NATS Bulletin be increased from $5.00 per member to $6.00 for fiscal 1981. While this increase would not take effect until the first issue under the new editor, it was a justifiable move to protect him. No matter where The NATS Bulletin would be printed, the cost would be greater since I had performed a function that from now on would be done by someone on the new printer’s staff. I had provided ray printer with a complete set of page pasteups for each issue. To lay out and paste up a sbcty-four page issue took a bit of doing. My course at the Medill School of Journalism, Northwestern University, had paid off for NATS. Literally, it saved NATS quite a few thousand dollars over twenty-five years. I didn’t realize how professional I had become at putting a magazine together until I was approached by a printer, asking me if I would consider a full-time position. The president received a note fi-om Mary Fall on December 9th, reporting that she had received approximately 400 ballots so that the results were official. Edward Baird would continue as the vice-president in charge of workshops and Gwendolyn Roberts would continue in her responsibility as the vice-president for NATS Artist Awards. Robert LaPella was the new vicepresident for membership/admissions, taking over from Geraldine Cate, who had performed magnificently during 1979, succeeding Mary Wolfinan. Gerry Cate had been a vice-president for conventions and auditions the three previous years, but her one year in charge of membership and admissions was a standout--326 new and reinstated members. The president closed out his letter, remarking that he and his wife were off to the NATS London/Aldeburgh workshop, December 29,1979, through January 9,1980, wishing the board members, "Merry Xmas, Happy Chanukah and a Healthy New Year!" While the outcome of the balloting called for in Board Memo No. 6 was not known to the members of the board until the end of January, 1980, the magic of the pen can put it all together here. All items proposed by the president were given favorable majorities as follows: (1) the eighteen-month convenUon, an 18/1 vote; (2) the increase in the budget for The NATS Bulletin, a unanimous ballot; (3) John Large, director of research, a 15/4 vote;(4) NATS to pay out $1.00 per member to lAERS, a 15/4 vote; and (5) the mailing of the Journal o f lAERS to the membership to start with the January issue, a 15/4 vote. Probably the most significant happening in President Irvin Bushman’s first year in office was the sudden upswing in membership. Factually, it was the harvest of Vice-President Gerry Cate’s vigorous year-long grass roots membership campaign in which your historian was involved through sending out sample copies of The NATS Bulletin to prospective members. The president in his yearly report remarked that there were almost 100 more applications in process. VicePresident Gerry Cate reported that many of the new members had advanced degrees with emphasis on pedagogy. Others had prestigious backgrounds in performance. There was a good sprmklmg of choral directors, vocal coaches and teachers of singing in public schools, all working with individual voices and coming to us with strong endorsements. About half of the new members had private studios and the balance were teaching in colleges or universities. Over 80% of our new members were between the ages of 25 and 45. Executive Secretary James Browning’s report on membership showed that there were 3,369 dues paying members as of November 1, 1979, plus 141 Honorary Life members. Financially, we were healthy, Mary Fall reported that our total assets stood at $97,550 as of June 30,1979. Fiscal 1979 was the first year of bimonthly publication, excepting July-August, for The NATS Bulletin since Volume K , September-October, 1952 through May-June, 1953, under Leon Carson’s editorship. Then, those five issues totaled 144 pages, including covers. Volume XXXVI, September-October 1978 through May-June, 1979, totaled 242 pages, including covers, and

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$14,939.68 from sources outside of NATS, a gain of S5364.32 over our issues. There is little doubt that the increase to five issues proved to be a step ^ i direction despite the opposition, at the time, of New England’s regional governor, wante to cut-back The NATS Bulletin to three issues per fiscal year, o n urgin, vice-president for field activities/Discretionaiy Fund, reported a vigorous grassroo activity throughout the United States. Space forbids reporting on all fifty-three chapters and irteen regions in the September, 1979 Inter Nos, but random samplers are in order. The Midbouth Region had its 18th Annual Student Auditions on March 30 and 31 at the Southern Baptist eminary, Louisville, Kentucky. In excess of 200 students participated in fourteen divisions. Fiftyfour NATS members were present or had entered students. Yet this was NATS’ smaUest region, made up only of Kentucky and Tennessee. The Great Lakes Region’s Buckeye Chapter held its Annual Spring Meeting and Student Auditions on April 27 and 28 at Baldwin-Wallace College, Berea, Ohio. More than 200 students participated. The New York Chapter’s twenty-fifth anniversary on Sunday, April 29,1979, brought President Irvin Bushman to Manhattan. He spoke on NATS Future in the Light of the Past." New England’s Biennial Spring Auditions, held in Boston in May, attracted close to 160 singers, ranging from 15 to 17 years of age. They sang preliminary auditions in eight different concert halls in the Greater Boston area. From the fortyodd finalists, thirteen were selected to share prizes totaling $1,100. The Cal-Western Region came up with two new chapters: Sacramento, May 22,1979, and Provo, Utah, June 24,1979. A student affiliate (SNATS) was sponsored by the Los Angeles Chapter. Then there were three regional meetings that took on proportions of our national convention: Texoma had almost 1,000 in attendance; Southern approached the 600 mark; and Great Lakes’ fall meeting in Ann Arbor attracted close to 400. The results of redistricting were evident. During the current fiscal period, the Discretionary Fund was distributed to all thirteen regions, excepting Texoma. Twenty-nine chapters, state and regional units received almost $6,000. During the first half of the current fiscal period, July 1-December 31, 1979, twenty-seven units had requested grants in the amount of $5,545. It would be unusual if that amount were to be paid out since some groups would find that their project paid for itself. Requests coming in for the balance of the year would have to be carefully screened, some might even have to be denied for lack of funds. This was a diet that NATS could grow on! Bruce G. Lunkley, president of the NATS Foundation, reported that it was a struggle to establish it as an influential institution in the promotion of the vocal art in this country. Gifts, interest and royalties brought a total of just $1,605.52 in revenues to the NATS Foundation during 1979. However, a major effort in the last month of 1979 was made to dramatically increase the level of giving through the use of a generous challenge gift from the NATS Board of Directors. For every $2.00 pledged in the fund drive, the board would match it with $1.00. Scholarship awards totalling $650 were made this year: a $500 vocal scholarship at Aspen, and six $25.00 scholarships to the NATS Summer Workshops. At the 1978 NATS Houston Convention, the board of the NATS Foundation voted to establish an Advisoty Board of distinguished artists, teachers, conductors, and persons who were of influence in the worid of singing. By report time, 1979, Dorothy Kirsten and Horst Gflnter had accepted. Other invitations were pending and would be announced later. Besides the Foundation’s president, Bruce G. Lunkley, the other officers and members of the Board of Directors were Harvey Ringel, vice-president, James Browning, secretary-treasurer, Irma Cooper, Herald I. Stark, and Bernard Taylor, members of the board. No new programs were undertaken because of the limited income. Our hopes rested with the fund drive started late in the year. Gwendolyn Roberts, vice-president and NATSAA coordinator, iniUated her 1979 report in relating the success of our 1978 NATSAA winner at Houston. The American Institute of Vocal Studies had offered our winner a scholarship at the 1979 AIMS Graz, Austria, session. In the final weeks there Jo Ann Pickens sang an extremely successful debut recital. She received eight nirtain calls The balance of Vice-President Roberts report gave a routine accounting of the n rp n aratio n of the 1980 NATSAA to be finalized at NATS first summer convention in Denver. Vice-President Edward Baird, the national director of workshops since September, 1976, ren o rted an interesting and successful season. This year, there were more workshops than usual, m S g number in the most recent years had been three, but an opportunity to c^ponsor a ^ r i h o p in Graz, Austria, tempted Ed Baird to raise the official number to four. Then along in th

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came the bonus topper-London 2! It was scheduled to start the last Saturday in December and to run through Wednesday, January 9,1980, in what some people have described as the world’s most cosmopolitan and artistically vital city. The season opened in the new music facilities of North Texas State University in Denton, June 24, and ran through June 29,1979, under the co-chairmanship of Edward Baird and Stephen Parish. Registration swelled to 140 members, non-members and students. The second workshop was hosted by Penn State University at University Park, Pennsylvania, July 8-13,1979, under the chairmanship of Raymond Brown. Here, registration totaled 140. The second overseas workshop in NATS history (London 1 was the first in 1977) was arranged in cooperation with the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, July 21-27, 1979, which thirty-five people attended. The fourth workshop was held in Las Vegas, August 5-11,1979. Ed Baird mistakenly labeled this as "our first experiment into the reahn of specialty workshops," being designed specifically for those interested in musical theater. Historically, not so. The current vice-president in charge of workshops had no history to inform him that Bee Taylor had come up with the idea of a specialty workshop twenty-four years prior to the Vegas workshop. That turned the clock back to Ed Baird’s student days. Actually, our first specialty workshop, which was devoted solely to opera, was at the University of Colorado, August 14,1955, a brainchild of Bernard U. Taylor. However, it could be stated accurately that the NATS Las Vegas Workshop was the first one devoted exclusively to musical theatre wherein 150 teachers and students studied techniques, performed the literature, and observed the working of show business from both sides of the footlights. The successful venture included a larger proportion of student participants than usual. Vice-President Ed Baird made an interesting observation near the close of his report. He wrote: "From the registration figures, the workshops are showing unprecedented success. With the exception of the overseas workshops (London, 1977, and Graz) which are designed for a limited number of people, the last seven workshops have all drawn a registration of over one hundred people each. The faculties are consistently high calibre and represent an excellent balance of artists of renown and NATS members who share their particular expertise in the workshop format... Registration costs remained the same without increase for the 1979 year. Yet, by careful budgeting, the workshops not only broke even financially but also showed a modest profit" It may be recalled that Irvin Bushman in the keynote address given at the 1978 Houston Convention said, "I am not one to rock the boat unnecessarily. You need have no fear that I will lead you off on any wild tangents. Nevertheless, each one makes his own foot prints”That he did, but his changes made the rough places plain! Returning fi-om London, President Bushman did not get around to posting Board Memo No. 7, the first one in the new year, untU January 21, 1980. In it, he greeted the recently elected members to his 1980 team, namely: Robert LaPella, the new vice-president in charge of membership, replacing Geraldine Cate; newly elected regional governors Delbert Simon, Joyce Zastrow, Julie Fortney, Jean Gregg, and William Vessels; replacing respectively Marion A Hall, John Muschick, Katharine Hansel, Robert Gartside and Benjamin Middaugh. The president took immediate steps to retain the services of Katharine Hansel as a replacement on the Membership Committee for Annemarie Gerts who had asked to be relieved of her duties after an eight-year tenure on that committee, four of these years as the vice-president for membership/admissions. After consulting vwth Robert D. LaPella, the new vice-president for membership/admissions. President Bushman asked the board for a confirming ballot which they returned with no dissenting votes. London 2 was a memorable experience that remained a conversation topic for months to come. For those who would like to read the full report, Edward Baird prepared such with pictures that can be found on pages 8-11 in the March/April 1980 issue of The NATS Bulletin. Although there were only forty-five participants, it was a worthwhile project and of great value to all involved. Several NATSers, on sabbaticals in England, joined their compatriots in a welcoming reception in the Chesterfield Lounge of the London Hotel on Welbeck Street. Classes were held just around the comer in the recital hall of Trinity College of Music. The president reported to the board that he had attended the National Music Council business meeting at the Kennedy Center on January 17th. He had the opportunity to discuss with MTNA’s president their experience with a biennial convention format and their unsuccessful

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efforts to emphasize intermittent regional meetings. Their conversation convinced Irv Bushman that he had taken the right turn in opting for the eighteen-month interval. Rewrote, "Hopefully, we can now satisfy those who prefer the summer convention and those who opt for the winter date. At the same time, our regional meetings are becoming more and more successful. I am sure this is closely related to our successful student auditions and the interest they generate." The president then turned to some convention tidbits. He had invited Elie Siegmeister to deliver the keynote address. Eleanor Steber had agreed to conduct a master class on Mozart arias on the last morning of the convention. Vice-President Gwendolyn Roberts reported that she had received more than 275 applications, more than ever before! Now for the big announcement: Richard Miller of Oberlin had given his word to President Bushman that he would accept the editorship of The NATS Bulletin, beginning with the September-October 1980 issue. The president was not ready to ask for a board vote since there were many details still to be worked out. Irv Bushman had called John Burgin who, in turn, had polled the Search Committee, all of whom were in favor. No doubt, the president rested easier that night. The cover of the Januaiy-Februaiy/nrerTVb^ was ablaze with convention highlights, but that is not the subject of this paragraph. Page three was given over to an update on the activities of our 1978 NATSAA winner in Houston, but that can keep until Denver. However, on page four, there was an announcement of the death of our first winner of the NATS Singer of the Year Award in Chicago, 1955, Richard Rivers. He died in Richmond, Virginia, on August 22,1979, at the age of 56, after a long bout with cancer. He had been associate professor at Virginia Commonwealth University for ten years. Richard Rivers was a graduate of Juilliard and received a master’s degree in performance from George Peabody College for Teachers where he studied with Louis Nicholas. His first appearance at a NATS convention was in Chattanooga, 1954, where he sang songs of John Duke to illustrate the composer’s lecture/recital. His second appearance, in Chicago, got him the SOTY Award of $500. He returned to sing a recital at the 1959 Cincinnati Convention. At the 1967 Chicago Convention, he gave a recital of songs by John Duke with the composer again at the piano. Prior to his long career as a teacher, he toured as a soloist with Robert Shaw and was a member of the New York City Opera. However, he continued to sing professionally with symphonies, in opera, oratorios and song recitals. There was another item which is of historical interest. One of NATS services to its members and the music profession of some years standing was its placement service. First started as an intermittent service at conventions only, it became a year round service out of our New York office with our executive secretary in charge. On the back page of the Januaiy-Februaiy Inter Nos, an article invited interested members to enroll. The executive secretary contacted chairmen of music departments at colleges and universities throughout the country to apprise them of the NATS plan once again, asking that they inform NATS of vacancies on voice faculties as they occur. There was an annual fee of $10.00 for NATS members. Board Memo No. 8, dated Februaiy 17,1980, but reproduced and sent out from the national office on February 22nd, was for informational purposes. President Bushman encouraged expressions of opinions prior to balloting. As a consequence, this sort of letter crept in intermittently prior to a request for a vote. There is no way to know about the late evening calls via Ma Bell, especially to Sherman, Texas. In matters of procedure he requested new members of the board to send their ballots direcdy to him rather than James Browning, from whence they came, to expedite matters. The president also requested his board members to get after their constituents since James Browning had reported to him that only about fifty percent of the membership had paid their 1980 dues by mid-Februaiy. Then he chided them on their voting responsibilities. He wrote, "I take it from the responses that I have had so fiar, that you are all in agreement on Richard Miller as weU as Katharine Hansel... However, as of this date, I haye only heard from eleven people. What about the rest of you?" Eleven out of twenty.. .thirteen of them regional governors representing their regions on the board-or were they? Considerable space was given over to the 1980 Denver convention. On the first evening, Sunday, July 27,1980, Charles Roe, voice faculty member, USC, Los Angeles, and baritone with the New York Qty Opera, was scheduled to team up with Wilma Shakesnider of the University of Colorado voice faculty in a joint recital. Both artists were among the ten finalists in the Rockefeller/Kennedy Center International Competition for Excellence in American Music.

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Incidentally, Charles Roe, then from Lubbock, Texas, representing the old Southwestern Region, was the SOTY runner-up at the 1966 Washington, D.C. Convention. The president also confirmed Elie Siegmeister’s acceptance of the invitation to deliver the keynote address. H e relayed the information that Stephen Parish and committee had chosen Louisville, Kentucky, as the site of our 1981 December Convention. The good news was that hotel rates were appreciably lower than the ones we were about to experience at Denver. An on-site inspection had been planned by the president, Stephen Parish and Jay Wilkey for early March. Board Memo No. 9, sent out by James Browning on March 27th, but carrying the date of March 21,1980, required balloting on several important items. The president informed his board that he planned to meet with the executive secretary and Mary Fall in early May to st up the budget for fiscal 1981. He requested that all budget proposals reach him by April 20, 1980. He reported that his on-site inspection trip resulted in making "very good arrangements at a beautiful almost new Regency Hyatt Hotel in the heart of the city for December 27-30, 1981, at rates that I know will please you." He shared another tidbit with his board. Timothy Jenkins, who had been heard at the Denton workshop the previous summer and who just had a very successful first season at the Met, would be the featured artist at the Denver convention banquet. President Bushman reported that an application for a charter to form the Hawaii Chapter, signed by ten members in good standing had been received. This was only one item on the enclosed 81/2x11 ballot sheet. Only those items having historical significance will be mentioned here. Other items for balloting were: (1) Richard Miller for editor of The N A T S Bulletin; (2) an administrative assistant for Richard Miller, to be named later; and (3) the approval of Ingo Titze, Craig Timberlake, Stephen Parish, Neil Wilson and Elizabeth Allen as members of the NATS National Council on Research, the umbrella under which John Large would operate within NATS. All items received a 19/0 board approval, excepting the John Large project, which passed with a varied response among the proposed members from 14/5 to a 15/4 response. President Bushman’s Board Memo No. 10 was mailed from the New Y ork office on May 29, 1980. It was, first of all, a cover letter for the fiscal 1981 proposed budget, carrying the instructions for a marked response at the earliest possible moment since it would go into effect at 12:01 a.m., July 1,1980. The president and Jim Browning had met with Mary Fall earlier in the month as he had advised his board. Since the results of the requested balloting in Board Memo No. 9 were given at the close of that memo, with the exception of the name of Richard Miller’s assistant, only the unreported portion will be included here. The president devoted a paragraph on Robert Drummond, assistant dean of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. Oberlin was very supportive of Richard Miller being named as editor of The N A TS Bulletin to the extent that they provided office space for it in the Conservatory. President Bushman wrote: "I cannot begin to tell you how much time has gone into working out the transition of arranging a new editor and publisher.. . I would love to be able to say. Thank God this only happens once in 25 years, but I’m afraid that’s being too optimistic. However, I think we have reached the top of the hill. In the next few days, I will do the following: Send a formal letter to Richard Miller, R obert Drummond and to Colorcraft Corporation in Solon, Ohio. I also shall ask Jim to send out a publicity release announcing the changeover." Unfortunately, not all the right people read such announcements. I still receive mail addressed to me as editor. The N A TS Bulletin. There followed a recital of a number of informational items which the president wished to communicate to his board and the thirteen regions. Here’s one that should have become a model. Texoma Region’s response to Bruce Lunkley’s requests for gifts to the Foundation was a check in the amount of $50io. Not to be outdone, NATS littlest giant, the Mid-South Region laid another S500 check along side it. The president commented, "I would not want to start a rivalry in this area, but I certainly feel we should commend both of these regions for their generosity.. If all other regions had followed suit, the NATS Foundation could have come up with a $6,500 nest egg. The president commended the imaginative activities in several regions around the USA; warned others on the July 1st deadline to request their $250 allotment, and also set the stage for year-end elections at the regional level. There was one disappointment to cope with. Francis Robinson, scheduled to have been our banquet speaker at Denver, had passed away since Board Memo No. 9 had been distributed. President Bushman asked his board for suggestions for a replacement.

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follL ^e^by a^^Se S f f leadership meetings during the morning of?u°j27ttf those letfp^c luncheon. Only seventeen accepted and six had refused as of June 20tL Had have been so CT^t° o ! ° than l04 grass roots key people, the president's concern may not and uree them t “ ^^^d the regional governors to caU their state governors the convenuo^ Z contact aU chapter presidents within their regions and urge them to come to hv V, ! u P™ ' ^ Bushman’s call for help was prompted y tact that he and his wife planned to be incommunicado for two weeks, vacationing in Santa e and Aspen, before the convention, since he had to be back at work in Cleveland on August ^ t . President and Mrs. Bushman planned to leave Cleveland on July 7th for a check-through with Dennis Jackson and the hotel prior to his two-week period of refreshment. After July 7th, he suggested that his board members contact James Browning in New York since he would keep in touch with Jim. The president reported that sufficient returns had come in on the budget that he had given the go ahead to the executive secretary. The final vote was 17/0. He also mentioned that Jim had sent on a little booklet to him, entitled, "The ABC’s of Parliamentary Procedures," remarking, "I’m sure he is trying to tell me something." Then, he mentioned that he had the transcripts of both the Philadelphia and Houston business meetings which he planned to study. In as much as this was NATS first summer convention, he asked the four vice-presidents to be prepared to make oral reports. There were a couple of last minute changes in the convention program which the president thought his board members should know about. To replace the late Francis Robinson, the com m ittee was fortunate to get Robert Jacobson, editor of Opera News. Leslie Guinn, whose recital was programmed to hold conventioneers right up to "Auld Lang Syne," planned to perform a new composition for voice and string quartet, written for him by George Rochberg. He had prem iered it in New York in January and also would be singing it in Aspen during the summer. Next stop, NATS first summer convention-Denver, 1980, "in the shadow of the Roclqr Mountains," as our president put it. The initial board meeting of the 1980 NATS convention, in the Silver Nugget Room of the Plaza Cosmopolitan Hotel, Denver, Saturday, July 26, was called to order by President Irvin Bushman at 8:40 p.m., forty minutes late. The compensating bonus was that all board members were in place: Bertha Autenrieth, Dorothy Crum, Edward Deckard, Mary Fall, Stephen Farish, Julie Fortney, Jean Gregg, David Hottman, Robert LaPella, Bruce Lunkley, Richard Miller, Isaac Reid, Gwendolyn Roberts, Delbert Simon, WilUam Vessels, Pearl White, Jay Wilkey, Joyce Zastrow and our executive secretary, James Browning. The first item of business was a Lunkley/Baird motion, which received the board’s unanimous ballot to amend the budget for fiscal 1981 in the amount of $3,250 that was needed to cover the return of $250 to each region. The board minutes stated that it had been so voted at Denton, but the D enton board minutes are completely silent on this matter. EvidenUy, the secretaiy-treasurer did not check back on her board minutes of June 23-24,1979. It however, part and parcel of the 1978 board meetings at the Houston Convention. Nm oMy that, but that whole package, tied into the dues raise, was given a majonty vote at he 1978 busing meeting, December 29, 10 7 8 with a January 1 1980 date of implementation. It had to have become a pan of the fiscal 980 budget S in the third paragraph from the end o Board Memo No. 10 , May 25. B ushian their $250 allocation.

’ ^ave been functioning according to the m andate^?^^ fund." This tells us tha ^ attempt to explain why that budget had not nm ° 1978 H ouston business meetmg. To attempt exp j g naa not provided for the

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continuance of the $250 grant would be highly conjectural. The Lunkley/Baird motion restored the $3,250, but the approved Janies Browning restrictive addenda to that motion: that no payment be made until January 1,1981, unless individually requested, was not altogether cricket. Back in 1978, NATS sold a five dollar a year dues increase to the membership on the promise that it was primarily for their benefit, namely $250 annually to each region, $50 to each state governor, $1.00 per member increase in all regions, and only the leftover would supplement national needs. Now, after having had that privilege for sue months, NATS said: "No more for six months, unless you really have to have it." In Board Memo No. 11, the president had requested oral reports from his vice-presidents and committee chairmen. Well, Irv Bushman’s board did not disappoint him. Unfortunately, the majority of the board meetings precede the Association’s business meeting. In more than one instance, portions or even all of these reports became a part of those board meetings. But, apparently, the president had intended the oral reports to become an integral part of the business meeting. At thispoint, space limitations dictate that any such material be withheld from the historical account of the board meetings and incorporated in the reporting of the business meeting. The president’s second ofiBcial act was to present the invoice, in the am ount of $1,800, to cover the printing fee for Joan Boytim’s supplement to Solo Repertoire fo r Young Singers, a copy of which was given to each registrant at the convention. The remainder was to be sold for $4.00 per copy. A Gregg/Fortney motion for payment received the board’s unanimous vote of approval President Bushman then called on Vice-President John Burgin who had chaired the Search Committee for the new editor of The NATS Bulletin. He introduced Richard Miller who imparted his philosophy, suggesting long-range plarming and his intention to work for balance in articles. He mentioned that his assistant was to be Robert Drummond, a colleague at Oberlin. Leapfrogging over information that will be served up later in NATS Thirty-Third Convention’s Business Meeting, we settle on a motion from Lunkley/Gregg that a charter be granted for a new chapter in Utah, to be known as the Southern U tah Chapter. The board gave its unanimous approval. Our secretary’s recording of this action did not include a town or city that might be considered the chapter’s home base. Unfortunately, there was no listing of a second chapter in Utah in the September, 1980 Inter Nos, just the Utah Chapter, whose president and secretary-treasurer resided in Salt Lake City. However, one year later, two chapters were listed in the September, 1981 issue of Inter Nos: Salt Lake City Chapter, formerly known as the U tah Chapter, and Provo Chapter-Provo is south of Salt Lake City. That rang a bell! Turning back the pages of Secretary-Treasurer Mary Fall’s board ____________ ___________ minutes, I was stopped by this paragraph under the minutes of TJV.K ^ 'Kt u T3.1-. 24, 1979 board meeting in Denton, Texas: "Gwen 1980.1987 Provo, Utah, Chapter be accepted pending the signing of necessary signatures and a check on the current membership standing of those signatures. Dorothy Crum seconded. Approved unanimously." This paragraph is included here to preserve the only board action to conditionally grant a charter to an embryonic chapter before it was ready for birthing. Since the only two chapters in Utah listed in the September, 1981 Inter Nos were located in Salt Lake City and Provo, it may be deduced that the latter must have been the petition identified as the Southern Utah Chapter in the Lunkley/Gregg m otion recorded in the secretary’s July 28,1980 board minutes. A second petition was presented for a new chapter in the State of New Y ork to be known as the Fingerlakes Chapter. A Crum/Baird motion that we grant the requested charter was given the board’s unanimous approval. Again, the secretary’s minutes of this board action carries no home base location. However, the September, 1980 Inter Nos listed the chapter’s president and vice-president as residents of Ithaca. Jay Wilkey’s rundown of the forthcoming December convention in Louisville closed out the evening. The meeting was adjourned at 10:25 p.m.

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Board meeting no. 2 was called to order at 8:04 a.m., Sunday, July 27th, by President Bushman. All the players were in their places. The president appointed Dorothy Crum, governor of the West Central Region, as the 1978 Minutes Review Committee. He also appointed a Resolutions Committee, composed of Vice-President John Burgin and Texoma Regional Governor Stephen Parish. The president then reviewed our agreement with lAERS that each member of NATS was to receive the lAERS Journal at a cost of Sl.OO per member to come out of our treasury-by 1980 a better than a $3,500 commitment. President Bushman proceeded to present a new project proposed by John Large, working both ends of a dual membership. As a member of lAERS, with very little funds, he leaned on his NATS membership and proposed that NATS form a research council under his chairmanship, the proposed council of eight to be of his choosing. This group was to be known as the NATS Council on Research. John Large would be its director. A Lunkley/Wilkey motion started the action which had to be aborted when John Large couldn’t come up with a full complement of the proposed eight specialists. So a unanimous vote put everything on the table until such a time that John Large could name his eight colleagues. President Bushman read a letter from Pearl White, Northwestern Regional Governor, on behalf of Canadian members living on Vancouver Island. Although there were only seven, th ^ asked permission to form their own chapter because of the cost and the time-consuming travel to attend the Vancouver City Chapter meetings. A Lunkley/Zastrow motion that NATS create its fourteenth region to include Northwest Canada and Alaska and that an appropriate regional governor be appointed to take his/her seat on the board failed by one vote. Tliis was a problem that needed prompt attention. Following the rejection of the Lunkley motion, board meeting no. 2 was adjourned at 9:35 a.m. The president called his board into its third session at 8:05 a.m., Monday, July 28, 1980. There were no absentees. Item one on the agenda was the lifting of the tabled motion of July 27th in regard to the NATS Council on Research. President Bushman gave the list of the eight that would form the Council with John Large as its directors: Dorothy Crum, Ingo Titze, Craig Timberlake, Stephen Parish, Lee Cass, Neil Wilson, Elizabeth Allen and Vincent Russo. A 20/1 board vote made it official. Then Irv Bushman presented a letter to the board from Margret Kommel and Mary Wolfinan, proposing the formation olzn Alumni Club of all past-members of the NATS Board of Directors. Its sole purpose and only scheduled function would be a reunion luncheon at each convention. The club would have no officers, no particular involvement or duties between conventions. All or any business would be of a spontaneous part of the reumon luncheon which should be listed in the convention program. The proposal was tabled while a committee, composed of John Burgin, Robert LaPella and Isaac Reid, governor of the Eastern Region, studied the letter’s content. Then Vice-President Gwendolyn Roberts, in charge of NATSAA reported that there were 276 entrants in the first summer NATS Artist Auditions; the registration fees totaled $5,500. The meeting was adjourned at 9:00 a.m. On July 29,1980, at 8:04 a.m.. President Irvin Bushman called board meeting no. 4 to order. All members of the board were present. The first action was a Farish/Wilkey move to get the official approval of the 1981 Louisville Convention, December 26th through the 30th. The board vote was unanimously in favor. The floor then was turned back to Vice-President Gwen Roberts to complete her report on NATSAA At its conclusion, a Burgin/Wilkey motion proposed that NATSAA finals at the next national convention be conducted in two sessions, with a half-hour break between sessions; and that the drawing of lots for order of appearance take place at the hotel as early as possible. Also that specific performance times be given to each contestant The board gave a 2 1/ 1 vote of approval. It appeared that NATS was building a reputation in the printing and/or the producing of voice teaching aids. Joan Boytim’s Solo Vocal Repertoire for Young Singers was the current publication placed in each conventioneer’s registration packet. The president presented three letters: (1) from Corre Beny, Huntsville, Texas, suggesting the compUation of an index of duets similar to ihe Art Song in the United States, distributed at our 1976 Philadelphia ConvenUon; (2) from Miriam Stewart Greene, compiling-i^ Song by Women; and (3) from Ruth Michaelis, Santa Barbara, California, compiling German Lied. Bruce Lunkley moved that we authorize the compilation and publication of An Annotated Bibliography of Duets by Corre Berry, to be

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distributed at the 1981 Louisville Convention, with the remaining cxjpies to be sold. Dorothy Crum seconded the motion and the board voted its unanimous approval. Then the tabled Kommel/Wolfman letter was brought to the floor. John Burgin moved, Robert LaPella seconded, the establishment of the Board o f Directors’ A lum ni Club for the purpose of meeting at each convention for a reunion luncheon which should be included in the official program of the convention. The board’s minutes included the five italicized words above as the name of the proposed organization. Co-founder Margret Kommel, in her answer to my letter of inquiry, wrote: "It never was known as the Board of Directors Alumni Club. In the original draft and proposal to the NATS Board of Directors on July 27, 1980, a copy of which I am enclosing, you will see that the terms "Alumni Club" or "Group" were used in considering the formation of such a group. However, the name adopted was "Ex-Execs," which was at the top of the proposal." The immediate past secretaiy-treasurer of NATS was charged with the responsibility of making the luncheon arrangements. The board gave its unanimous approval, adjourning immediately thereafter at 9:00 a.m. That afternoon, at 2:30 p.m., the president convened the thirty-third Business Meeting of the National Association of Teachers of Singing in the Silver Glade Room of the Plaza Cosmopolitan Hotel. After declaring a quorum present and the convention assembled had approved the minutes of the 1978 business meeting in Houston, the president said, "I’m going to treat this meeting just a little bit differently than it has been done in the past for the simple reason that this is our first summer convention; and it is also in the middle of our calendar year, so to speak. . . I have decided that I would ask for interim reports from all of our executive officers." W hereupon, he called on Secretary-Treasurer Mary Fall, who reported that we had $66,503 in certificates of deposit, 529,830 in checking accounts and $13,817 in general savings account, making a total including interest, of $110,150. Fiscal 1980’s financial report marked a milestone for NATS. NATS had crossed the $100,000 threshold in total assets for the first time: Hats off to President Bushman. After cautioning the convention assembled that there were some substantial bills to be paid fi^om that sum, the president called on Vice-President Edward Baird for this report on workshops. Since the last workshops had been held in the summer of 1979, followed by London 2 that December-January, all of which had been given significant coverage in The N A T S Bulletin, the vice-president moved on to explaining our first summer convention as a combination workshop and convention, interpolating features of both. To permit this, the Denver Convention had been extended to five days. Previously, our winter conventions had been four-day affairs. Ed Baird said, "Several of the activities are of a workshop nature. The scientific symposium was extended to three mornings.. , There are repertoire sessions, program building sessions, the kinds of things that would ordinarily occur at workshops." The vice-president then called attention to the 1981 summer workshop announcement, to be found in each conventioneer’s registration packet, expressing the hope that they would plan ahead to attend one or more of them. H e also announced that the Board of Directors had approved a ten dollar increase in registration fees for the 1981 summer workshops. The NATS members fee would be $55, instead of $45, prior to the preregistration deadline and $60 thereafter. Likewise nonmembers would be charged $75/$80. There was no change in the students $25/$30 registration fee. Thanking Ed Baird, President Bushman called on John Burgin, vice-president in charge of field activities, the Discretionary Fund and editor ot Inter Nos. In some ways, the occupant of this vitally important office could be likened to a clockmaker. He was the person that kept the grass roots’ varied activities ticking-local workshops, master classes, clinics, student auditions, etc. Vice-President Burgin, referring to these activities remarked: "I feel that they have never been as healthy and as diverse as they are at this time. You are to be congratulated.. Referring to the Discretionary Fund, John Burgin characterized it as the instrument that fostered the many and variant activities in which the membership was involved. The Association’s current yearly budget stood at $6,000. Vice-President Burgin reported that, during fiscal 1980, twenty-nine requests had been funded for a total of $6,277.43, an average of $216 per grant. The vice-president closed with the cordial invitation: "If you have any questions concerning the use of the Discretionary Fund, I would be glad to talk with you individually," Robert LaPella, vice-president for membership, got the nod for the next report. Since his tenure dated from January 1,1980, his report would more likely fit the mold that the president

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had in mind. The other members of his committcc were: Katharine Hansel, Margrct Kommel, Harold Brown and Stephen Parish. The vicc-prcsidcnt reported that new members, January through July, totalled 178. He provided the following breakdown by regions: Cal-Westem, 29; Central, 19; Eastern, 24; Great Lakes, 17 [interesting, the first four regions reported constitute 50% of that seven-month gain]; Mid-Atlantic, 17; Mid-South, 8; New England, 10; North Central, 2; Northwestern, 16; Southeastern 14; Southern, 2; Texoma, 8; and West Central, 6. Bob LaPella closed his report with a plea for grass-roots involvement, saying: "We need your help. We can crank out all sorts of paperwork in order to attract new members, but personal contact with people that you find who are qualified... is needed." After a bit of banter. President Bushman called on Gwendolyn Roberts, who had been vicepresident for NATSAA during the last year of the Lunkley administration. Her baptism was at Houston, 1978. Then, all the scenery was changed~the timetable changed~for Denver, 1980. Gwen Roberts was the first vice-president for NATSAA to set up both a winter and summer NATSAA contest. Another first was that the semi-finals, which came in with redistricting, were moved to the convention with the Denver Convention. The vice-president reported that many conventioneers had attended the semi-finals held at 2:00 p.m., Saturday, July 26, prior to the official opening ceremonies at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, July 27th. The vice-president reported that there had been 300 applications, 276 of which qualified and finally reached the audition dates. The total income was $5,500. There were twelve semi-finalists, six of whom were advanced to the finals. Gwen Roberts closed with, "We hope that tonight (Tuesday, July 29,1980) you will find yourselves in the midst of one of the loveliest concerts that you have heard." Following a thank you to the vice-president, the president called on Past-President Lunkley to report on The NATS Foundation. Bruce Lunkley, who had exchanged the presidency of NATS for the presidency of The NATS Foundation on January 1,1979, spoke of the challenge grant that he had persuaded NATS to enter into earlier in the year. He announced that it resulted in $4,710 in contributions. As a consequence, the Foundation received a matching grant from NATS of $2,355. Adding that to the previous year’s balance, the Foundation had a balance of $10,165.70 with which to begin its activities in the fall. Bruce explained that the affairs of the Foundation were handled by a Board of Directors, himself as president, James Browning as seaetaiytreasurer, and four other board members, Harvey Fingel, Irma Cooper, Bernard Taylor, and Herald Stark. Another successful step forward was the founding of an Advisory Board of distinguished international artists who agreed to lend their names to the Foundation: Rose Bampton, Dorothy Kirsten, R 6 Koster from The Netherlands, Blanche Thebom, Eugene Conlqr, Horst Gflnter of West Germany, Sir Peter Pears from England, and William Warfield. The modest things that the Foundation had done thus far were a $500 scholarship to Aspen in the name of the Foundation and $75 in scholarships for each host institution for our summer workshops. Bruce Lunkley assured his listeners that by fall there would be greater involvement due to the dollars that NATSers have been sending in. He said, "I wish to thank you on behalf of the board for this support and encourage you to continue these annual gifts and to think seriously of including The NATS Foundation in your estate planning, which is the only way it will become a major force in our efforts in the world of singing." After the applause had subsided. President Bushman proceeded to acknowledge the various standing committees. He followed that by a moment of silence for all NATS members who passed away since December, 1978. The time had arrived for the president’s report. He called Vice-President Burgin to the platform to take over the chair while he delivered his "State of the Association" address to the convention assembled. He spoke: "Dear fellow members of NATS, guests, officers of the board. Everything about this report represents a break in NATS traditions." He went on to say that Denver was NATS first summer convention because the membership had asked for it. He reported that, as of Monday afternoon, there were 449 registrants. He capped that with the announcement that 360 people had made reservations for Wednesday night’s banquet, remarking, "That’s marvelous. I thank you. I really do from the bottom of my heart." The president explained that, while NATS functioned on a calendar year, our cash flow was monitored according to the fiscal period of July 1 - June 30. So, whUe we were in convenUon assembled, our New York auditors were just begiiming to work on fiscal 1980. Irv Bushman gave that as one of the reasons he had called for mid-year interim reports. The second reason was that he wanted the membership to get to know the people that made NATS work for them. He continued, "I want

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to publicly express my thanks because without their help, without their collaboration and cooperation, I simply could not function." Now at mid-point in his presidency, faced with a broad gamut of responsibilities and activities, the president was quite aware that a degree with a major in voice had not prepared him for NATS’ top office in the eighties. H e remarked, "I usually walk around with ten, fifteen or twenty dollars in my pocket if I’m lucky. Helping to prepare an annual budget of almost $150,000 as Mary and Jim and I did several months ago, is a stretching exercise for me." There followed a warm tribute to Jim Browning, punctuated with applause. The president spoke of his expertise in many areas, of his wise counsel, likening him to a rock. To be sure, James Browning had become our Gibraltar. It was he who stabilized the operation of our national office. With Jim as the prototype, one could ask did NATS really ever have an executive secretary before? President Bushman expressed his appreciation to the thirteen governors, representing their regions on the board, saying; "Each of these people have given unstintingly of themselves to bring meaningful leadership and guidance to their region as well as contributing to the planning and thinking of our national organization." He asked them to rise amidst an outburst of applause. Thanking them, he remarked, "Now, I’d like to get down to some items of business. I would like to inform you about one of the most time-consuming and im portant changes which has taken place in NATS in the past twenty-five years. As all of you are aware. Dr. Harvey Ringel... has been editor of The NATS Bulletin since 1955; and when we had the convention in Houston in December of 1978, he informed the board that he felt the time had come for him to relinquish his duties as editor. I shall not take the time here to pay tribute to Harvey, we will do this much more appropriately tomorrow evening at the banquet. However, I do want to read one tribute to Harvey which I received fi-om one of our members several months ago. That member was Weldon Whitlock... Weldon wrote me; ’I am sorry to see Harvey Ringel give up the Bulletin. In my opinion, through the Bulletin, he has done more for NATS than any one person in its entire history. For the Bulletin is the very heartbeat of our wonderful organization.’ And I say amen." After the applause had subsided, the president continued his laudatory excursion on behalf of NATS to Roger Scanlan, who had served as assistant editor for the last seven years, doing yeoman’s service in carrying on the administrative details that involved the publication of The NATS Bulletin. Then Irv Bushman announced that the new editor of The N ATS Bulletin was Richard Miller, professor of voice at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, a distinguished pedagogue of international stature and author of English, French, German and Italian Techniques o f Singing. Without question, the president can count the signing on of Richard Miller as the crowning achievement of his administration. Although there had been a hard-working Search Committee who had already passed over several who had submitted their names, it was Irv Bushman who had sought out Richard Miller, finally gaining his affirmative answer early in 1980. Roger Scanlan’s replacement was to be Robert Drunmiond, assistant dean of the Oberlin Conservatory. However, the president’s task was not yet over. There was need to find a printer in the vicinity o f Oberlin or Cleveland. That turned out to be a time-consuming undertaking. Again, Irv Bushman came up with the solution. He located an acceptable printer in Solon, Ohio, a suburb o f Cleveland, who still prints our magazine. After reporting on the several actions taken by the Board of Directors since their initial meeting on Saturday, the president wound down his "State of Association" address with: "I think I’ve said my say. I want to express just these thoughts to you. There are times when I get weighed down with the responsibility of being president; but then when I come to a convention like this and I fee! I’m with a great big family of friends and I see people from all over the country and I feel close to all of them, to all of you, the whole thing becomes worthwhile; and I know its worthwhile just as you do because we’ve got a great organization; and we are moving more and more into the future with things that are constructive for our profession. I am truly grateful for the opportunity to be able to serve your organization and you. I have another year and a half to go, and then we’ll turn it over to somebody else. Thank you very much." A curtain of warm applause rang down the presidential accounting of his first eighteen months in office only to rise svwftly on the business portion of our membership’s national meeting. President Bushman called on Joan Boytim to acquaint those present with the blue book which had been placed in their registration packets, Solo Vocal Repertoire for Young Singers. H er first

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action was to acknowledge her co-workers; Phoebe Binkley, Lois Laverty, Marcella Lee, Janice Robbins, Frances Schafter and Violet Weber. Commissioned late in the Lunkley administration, Irv Bushman greased the slide into the 1980 conventioneer’s registration packets. This volume was the third in a series of publications sponsored by NATS during the past few years. It was a listing of some 1,10 0 songs for beginning singers of all ages that included begiiming singers at the college level as well as beginning adults. The emphasis, however, was on the teenage voice. Primarily for the grass-roots teacher, it was also a valuable reference aid for the teacher of beginning college students and students enrolled in vocal pedagogy courses. Joan explained the method of coding to indicate the degree of difficulty. There were four such divisions. If one were a college teacher, it is unlikely that Divisions Nos. I and II would be used; if one taught only teenagers, category No. IV would rarely be used, etc. While copies had been distributed without charge to convention registrants, copies were available to others from our national office for S4.00 each on a first-come, first-served basis. After the Resolutions Committee report by John Burgin, the president called for the report of the National Nominating Committee under the chairmanship of Past-President Bruce Lunkley who announced: "The following members of the National Association of Teachers of Singing have been nominated for election to office this fall: President-Elect, John Burgin; Secretary-Treasurer, Mary Fall; and Vice-President for Field Activities and Discretionary Fund, Vernon Yenne." The president then added the information that the above names would be listed in the fall issue of Inter Nos. The election that followed would be conducted by mail ballot with all ballots returned to Mary Fall for tabulation. Leapft-ogging over a couple of non-NATS announcements, our narrative moves on to a special occasion. According to the board’s minutes, they had given unanimous approval to a petition for a NATS chapter in Hawaii on March 27,1980. Four NATS members from Hawaii were in attendance at the 1980 Denver Convention. Now, the president called on John Mount, who had been living in Hawaii for the past five years, to come forward and accept that chapter’s charter Irom the National Association of Teachers of Singing. After the resounding applause had subsided, Irv Bushman announced that the board had approved two other charters at their July 27th meeting. He then referred to the growing Canadian membership, saying, "We are giving serious consideration at this point to the possibility of establishing a Canadian region in the northwest. This has not been finalized, but we are investigating it and working at the project" The president’s gemMich handling of the convention’s business meeting paid dividends at the call for new business. Several items were discussed, but only two ideas emerged that have become an integral part of our convention format since Denver, 1980. Virginia Star of Bowling Green, Ohio, suggested that we have evaluations written out by everyone at the close of a conventionwhat a person particularly liked-what he or she might like to be different. Irv Bushman remarked: "I think it’s a marvelous idea. We don’t have any forms set up for that purpose. It’s never been done before." Today, we have those forms and it is being done. After satisfactorily fielding another question, the president recognized Cesare Longo of New York City, a veteran of the Juilliard symposiums, who related how everything was put on cassette tape at their sessions and made available to those in attendance or others. He suggested that a similar practice by NATS might help our budget Irv Bushman assured him that this very subject had been debated at the morning board meeting, but that he had backed away from it when one of the board members waved the flag of copyright. However, the president promised that this was something that would be pursued at Louisville, 1981. Well, professional cassette recording has become a part of our convention format. When the president queried the assemblage if anyone else wished to speak, Roberta Stevens from Alberta arose and said, "I just want to thank the board for considering a chapter, a region, in Canada which is overdue, I guess." A round of applause followed President Bushman’s acknowledgement. As it subsided, a Brown/Broiders motion for adjournment closed out the business meeting of our 33rd National Convention at 3:30 p.m., July 29, 1980. At 8:06 a.m., Wednesday, July 30th, President Bushman called to order the final board meeting of Denver’s 1980 summer convention-our first ever! A discussion of possible locations for the 1983 summer convention led to a unanimously approved Lunkley/Roberis motion that it be Minneapolis. A Lunkley/Zastrow motion that the organization’s matching funds drive for The NATS Foundation be extended through June 30,1981, received the board’s unanimous approval.

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Moving ahead without loss of stride, a CrumA^essels motion that the 1981 sum m er b o ard m eeting be held on ^ e preceding weekend, July 18-19 of the NATS summer w orkshop a t th e U niversity of Wisconsin-Madison, gained the board’s unanimous approval. T he board th e n approved unanimously a Burgin/Crum motion that an ad hoc committee be form ed to w ork w ith Gwendolyn Roberts to make an overall study of the NATSAA process and consequent financial implications. President Bushman immediately appointed Jean Gregg, Julie F ortney an d V ern o n Yenne, with Bruce Lunkley in the chair. That cleared the slate and th e m eeting ad jo u rn ed a t 9:00 a.m., sine die. Approximately 13% of our 3,502 members, just two shy o f 450, registered for o u r first summer convention. O f that total, 65.5% came from the W est Central, C al-W estern, G re a t Lakes, Central and the Texoma regions. The convention had a galaxy o f outstanding recitals. T h e o rd e r in which they are recorded here should not be interpreted as a quality o r preferential judgem ent. Prior to the highly publicized Kennedy Center-Rockefeller Foundation International C o m p etitio n for Excellence in the Performance of American Music, it had been suggested from several quarters that NATS consider engaging the winner for the 1980 sum m er convention. W ell, this is one for the books! W hen the final vote was in, that winner was none o th er than W illiam P arker, baritone, whose Winterreise had held the 1978 H ouston Convention spellbound for eighty-five minutes on its closing day. As a consequence, baritone Leslie Guinn, chairm an o f th e V oice Departm ent at the University of Michigan, who had placed second in th at com petition, was invited to be the convention’s last day recitalist, following Eleanor Steber’s m aster class. A lth o u g h Guinn’s program included songs by Brahms, Schoenberg, Ives, Copland and F oster, th e featu red work was George Rochberg’s String Q uartet No. 7, written in 1979 especially for him . T h e baritone’s collaborators in this program, described by the reviewers in The N A T S Bulletin as "an aesthetic experience impossible to describe," were pianist R obert Spillman o f E astm an and th e New Y ork String Q u artet The convention’s opening recital on Sunday evening, July 27th, featured Wilma Shakesnider and Charles Roe, two of the ten finalists in th e K ennedy C en terRockefeller Foundation International Competition for Excellence in th e P erform ance o f American Music. Charles Roe, a NATS member, was an associate professor o f m usic a t th e University of Southern California. Wilma Shakesnider was an artist-in-residence at th e U niversity of New York, Buffalo. The reviewers in The N A TS Bulletin described the return recital o f the 1978 N A T SA A vwnner, soprano Jo A nn Pickens, as "a recital of delicate artistry and superb com m and o f style." T h e interim successes of our 1978 NATSAA winner seemed to indicate th at she had becom e o n e o f the m ost successful winners of NATSAA The eighteen-month interval betw een h er D ecem ber, 1978 win and her July, 1980 return to NATS’ Denver Convention recorded a fistful o f successes. In March, 1979, she won second place in the G. B. Healy nationwide artist com petition. In A pril, she sang the Verdi Requiem with the Chicago Symphony O rchestra and recorded th e V erdi Quattro Pezzi Sacri with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Sir Georg Solti conducting. H e r d eb u t recital in Graz earned her an ovation. O ne critic described her voice as "a precious, splendid soprano. . . with ravishing timbre at all levels, an outstanding technique which enables h e r to produce a perfect piano and an exemplary cantilena in addition to th e im m aculate declam atio n in several languages and the sensitivity of expression." She did a Mimi in L a B ohem e an d an Annina in L a Traviata on Chicago’s G rant Park Concerts. Then, th ere was th e w inning o f th e Concours de Chant de Paris (20,000 francs) as well as second place (5,000 francs) fo r th e b est interpretation o f a French melodie. F or the first time since redistricting multiplied the number o f regions to th irteen , N A T S A A winners at the regional level proceeded to the site of the national to com pete in th e sem i-finals scheduled just prior to the official opening of NATS’ 1980 Denver C onvention. C onsequently, many m ore NATSers heard all of the regional winners at Denver th an a t e ith e r th e 1976 Philadelphia or the 1978 H ouston conventions. Six finalists emerged to be heard o n Tuesday, July 29, 1980, by the conventioneers and a panel of five judges-E llen Faull, H o rst G iln ter, Jo h n Pa’t on, E leanor Steber and Helen Vannie. The $3,000 first prize was awarded to J o n a th a n M ack, tenor, Long Beach, California. Mezzo-soprano Mary A nn H art came away w ith th e $1,500 second p r iz e .’ Jonathan Mack, who had enjoyed successful seasons with the Sante F e O pera, 1977-1978, and th e W estern O pera Theatre/San Francisco Opera, 1979-1980, w ent o n to th e K iel O p era Company, W est Germany, to fulfill a two-year contract after his N A TSAA w inning July 29th. In

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July 1983, tenor Mack returned to the United States to fulfill previous commitments which included the Oregon Bach Festival. At the end of August, 1983, he returned to start a new contract with the Dortmund Opera. Mary Ann Hart inclined toward the concert field, oratorio, orchestral dates, etc. On September 27,1983, she made her New York debut in the Carnegie Recital Hall as the winner of the 1983 Concert Artists Guild Award. Two other awards also came her way: First prize, Minna Kaufman-Rudd Distinguished Performance Awards, and a development grant from the Martha Baird Rockefeller Fund for Music. Unfortunately, there is much to write about and so little space. Often, in such instances, the little gems are overlooked. The Denver Convention had its little gems-these memorable and informative sessions, to wit: (1) the keynote address of composer Elie Siegmeister and Shari Anderson’s singing of his songs; (2) the three popular mini-recitals of soprano Shirlee Emmons and pianist Stanley Sonntag, illustrative of their acclaimed book, The Art of the Song Recital; (3) John Glenn Pa ton’s lecture-demonstration on Gems (and Fakes) of Italian Song; (4) the master class of the internationally renovraed teacher, Vera Rozsa, whose vocal home was London; and (5) the GrubbA^anni lecture/demonstration session on singing in French, stressing the usefulness of French for technical vocal development. I do not recall when the president wrote to me suggesting that I prepare an article accounting for my quarter-century stewardship of The NATS Bulletin to occupy his space in the 1980 May/June issue instead of his usual message, but he did! I do recall that I was somewhat perturbed-I was at a loss as how to write about myself. Besides, the whole stoiy involved others. So, I waltzed away from that request by writing about the others who had expanded a four-issue Volume XII of 112 pages into a five-issue Volume XXXVI of 254 pages during those twenty-five years. Actually, the expansion of our publication was even more significanL During the last year of Berton Coffin’s administration [1968-1970], the introduction of a "for members only" publication. Inter Nos, removed much of the Association’s business, such as "Chapter Notes," "Association Routine," etc., from The NATS Bulletin, moving its image nearer to that of a learned journal. The new look contributed to the reach of our publication worldwide. Authors of published articles hailed from France, The Netheriands, West Germany, Yugoslavia, Italy, Finland and Sweden, as well as the United States. As of the May-June 1980 issue, we had 184 subscribers from Canada and other foreign countries. Statistically, we rolled up some impressive totals during those twenty-five years: 501 articles in 102 issues, totaling 4,960 pages, all sustaining features excluded. Some 1,385 advertisements helped pay publication costs. From the viewpoint of the Editorial Board, the task took on gargantuan proportions. Those 501 in-print articles came from approximately 30,000 typewritten pages of manuscript. When one considers that this total represents only articles that made it past the Editorial Board, only a portion of the total number of articles submitted, the total workload of the Editorial Board boggles the imagination. Unfortunately, space limitations prohibit a complete reporting on the many members who served on the staff of The NATS Bulletin during the period of my stewardship-some are still serving! Interested readers may turn to "Vale," page 5, The NATS Bulletin, Volume XXXVI, No. 5, MayJune, 1980, for the complete story. After this RUckblick, let us move on to what is the festive part of any convention-the banquet! As the cocktail hour melded into the more formal hour of banqueting, Cleveland’s premier cantor, our own President Bushman, intoned "Ha-Mo-tzi le-chen min ha-a-retz. . and 375 conventioneers, music in hand, sang it as it had never been sung before in acknowledging the source of their sustenance. Inasmuch as your historian was center stage in the after-dinner formalities, it is better that we turn to the Doscher/Fortney accounting and the president’s remarks published in the 1980 September-October issue of The NATS Bulletin. "At the Gala Banquet two NATS citations were awarded. Gean Greenwell made a presentation to Harvey Ringel, friend and advisor to thirteen NATS presidents and editor of The NATS Bulletin for twenty-five years. Mr. Ringel is the embodiment of what is often called the "backbone" of an organization, and the entire association is deeply in his debt. Eleanor Steber received from Maiy Wolfrnan a citation in recognition of her forty-year international singing career. Guest speaker Robert Jacobsen, editor of Opera News, talked about his lifelong passion, opera, and about the financial and artistic challenges facing the Metropolitan Opera. The music of the evening featured tenor Timothy Jenkins in a program by Beethoven, Bloch, Leoncavallo and Wagner."

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The beautifully embossed and leather-covered citation presented to me read: "An Appreciation from the National Association of Teachers of Singing in recognition of twenty-five years as editor of The NATS Bulletin, creating a journal respected throughout the world. The officers and members of the National Association of Teachers of Singing, present Dr. Harvey Ringel with this testimonial of their gratitude and affection. He gave of himself unstintingly as counselor and advisor to the Association presidents, its officers and others who sought his guidance. His skill and knowledge have sustained the Association for a quarter of a century in countless ways. He will be remembered warmly as an outstanding leader, teacher and friend." Dated July 30,1980, it bore the signatures of the officers. The president described the success of the Denver meeting in his page of the 1980 September-October issue of The NATS Bulletin. "It was a great convention out there in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains, the first summer convention in NATS history. Between the mile high elevation and the excitement of the convention, I think many of us were really a bit "high" by the time we left Denver. Everything came together just as we planned it. No major hitches! But what really came together were people, nearly 500 of them. . . At the Gala Banquet, 375 people stood in tribute to Harvey Ringel and Eleanor Steber. Can you believe that more than 400 individuals came each morning at 9:00 a.m. to hear presentations of vocal abuse. Absolutely unheard of!. . . Elsewhere in this issue you will find a rundown of the entire convention. It will tell you about the sessions, the concerts, the people who participated. What it can’t begin to tell you is the enthusiasm, the genuine desire to learn, plus the wonderful camaraderie which permeated the whole week right down to the final Auld Lang Syne." President Bushman’s first after-Denver communication to his board carried the date of September 14,1980. Board Memo No. 12 opened with: "The convention is now six weeks behind us." Although pleased with the turnout, the deficit weighed heavily on his mind. Executive Secretary James Browning had sent on to him figures reaching back to Lx)s Angeles, 1972. The last three conventions had deficits in the vicinity of $6,000: Philadelphia, 1976 and Houston, 1978 had exceeded it. Denver, however, was just under $6,000. The president’s concern was how to come up with controls. Irv Bushman cited one area that, in his opinion, had contributed heavily to the Denver deficit Several individuals, who had appeared on the program, had agreed to do so for very nominal fees, but when presenting their expense accounts (in the president’s words): "They socked it to us... they functioned with typical expense account attitudes." In his estimation, at least $1,500 or more came under that heading. President Bushman passed on the information that Jay Wilkey had come up with a tentative framework for Louisville, 1981, just eighteen months away. Jay proposed going back to the old format of two full days preceded by an opening afternoon and evening with a concluding morning session on the fourth day, December 28-30, a real challenge since it was two days less than Denver. There were other items of an informative nature only: (1) Corre Berry’s grateful response to the board’s July 29th approval of her proposed project, a compilation of an index of duets to be distributed to the membership at the Louisville convention; (2 ) an inquiry fi’om a member posing the question as to the possibilities of producing an index of articles published in The NATS Bulletin since its inception. Evidently, that member didn’t read the fine print on the title page. At that time, our publication was being indexed by Music Index, Music Article Guide, and RILM Abstracts of Music Literature. As a matter of fact, The NATS Bulletin had been indexed by Music Index since Volume XIII, No. 1, October, 1956. Indexing in Music Article Guide and RILM Abstracts followed soon thereafter. Those volumes not covered, volumes I through XII, were indexed by a doctoral student, Gertrude Ann Huisman Huizenga, at Michigan State University during the presidency of Gean Greenwell [1974-1976] or shortly thereafter. A microfilm copy can be purchased from University Microfilms, Ann Arbor. It is listed in their catalog thusly: "An Index of the National Association of Teachers of Singing Bulletin, 1945-1954." One other item which the president presented to his board was the subject of a mileage allowance while on NATS official business. At the moment, there were variable rates, a confusing situation. Irv Bushman mentioned that the IRS was allowing tax deductions up to 18.5 cents per mile. The president proposed that NATS advance its allowance to 17 cents per mile, remarking: "I’m not sure this requires a board vote." His concluding paragraph mentioned that he had just spoken to Richard Miller. The new editor’s first issue was off the press and he had expressed satisfaction with the way it came out.

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The president wrote, "I’m dying to see it. May the Good Lord put his blessing on iL' Plis anxiety was understandable. He had solved the most worrisome problem of his administration, a coup de maitre, so to speak, in persuading the most capable person in NATS to take over the editorship of The NATS Bulletin. In his column in that issue, entitled "Changing of the Guard,’ he opened with one last kudo for the retiring editor. Then he wrote of the qualifications of my distinguished successor, closing with, "I am convinced that he will not only maintain the high standards achieved by Harvey Ringel during the past quarter century, but he will strive unceasingly to bring ever more distinction to The NATS Bulletin." That he did-that he did! Board Memo No. 13, put in the mail on November 12,1980, was President Bushman’s last official communication before the year’s end. He opened with: "NATS does seem to be going great guns across the whole country." By some coincidence, the November 7-8-9 weekend witnessed regional student auditions in the following regions: Great Lakes, Southwestern, Southern, Texoma and West Central. The president continued in a jubilant mood: "According to my calculations, there could be as many as 2,000 students exercising their laiynges in an effort to demonstrate how well they have been taught." He thanked board members for their helpful responses to questions that he had raised in this September letter. He reported that there seemed to be a fairly representative consensus that 17 cents per mile was an equitable allowance for car travel. He suggested that board members disseminate this information down to their grass roots since, in his opinion, it did not require a board vote. However, President Bushman emphatically reminded his board that they would make it clearly understood NATS would not pay mileage except in rare cases. When mileage was paid, the official rate would be 17 cents per mile. Anyone traveling on NATS business would be required to keep a record of mileage along with other incurred expenses. The president reported that James Browning had sent him a copy of the accountant’s report for fiscal 1980 which showed a slight surplus. While pleased with being in the black, he expressed concern that the next report would not be as profitable. He reminded his vice-presidents and the secretary-treasurer that it was time to think about year-end reports. They would be due December 15. President Bushman presented two items that required a board vote. Pearl White, governor of the Northwestern Region, had asked to be relieved of her duties as of January 1, 1981. She recommended Marilee Plaks, governor of Puget Sound, to succeed her. Marilee had written a letter to the effect that she was willing to do so and the president had given his approval. The second item concerned the establishment of a NATS chapter in Calgary. Ten NATSers in that area petitioned to establish a chapter in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Both requests received a unanimous ballot. Irv Bushman closed out his letter, advising his board that he planned to attend the Texoma regional meeting, November 8-11, where some 676 students were signed up to participate. Then, early in December, he would go to Louisville for a day of program planning. He wrote: "We have some good ideas on the grill, now we need to jell them." In a manner, the 1980 year-end reports submitted by the four vice-presidents, secretarytreasurer and James Browning, our executive secretary, became the backdrop for the president’s report published in the January-February 1981 issue of Inter Nos. Those who had attended the 1980 Denver Convention’s business meeting heard the major portion of these reports first hand. There were no momentous happenings in 1980’s remaming months. Robert D. LaPella, vicepresident in charge of membership reported a total membership of 3,502 dues paying members plus 137 Honorary Life Members. New members for the period, November 15,1979-November 15,1980, totaled 299, twenty-seven fewer than the previous period. The total deceased, dropped and resigned for the current period was fifty-seven greater than the previous period, leaving a net increase of 133 members, not enough to ofOset the rate of inflation. John Burgin, vice-president in charge of the Discretionary Fund, had given a report on its activity through June 30, 1980, at the Denver ConvenUon. Some 29 grant requests had been funded for a total of $6,277.43 for fiscal 1980. During the period, July 1 ,1980-December 31, 1980, designated as the first half of fiscal 1981, twenty-two units had made requests for grants totaling $4,340. With six months to go, fiscal 1981 might very weUsurpass fiscal 1980 in nationaUy supported regional activities, reflecting an upsurge in grass-roots activity under the Burgin vicepresidency. Since Vice-President Burgin had been tapped for the presidency and would become the president-elect as of January 1,1981, President Bushman designated Vernon Yenne, the newly elected vice-president, to succeed John Burgin as the dispenser of this important largess.

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Vice-President Gwendolyn Roberts, NATSAA coordinator had given a com plete accounting of her activities in transforming a winter NATSAA into Denver’s sum m er N A TSA A a t that convention’s business meeting. Included also was the outcome o f th at sum m er N A T S A A Since all of this had been set forth in previous pages of this chapter, no further chronicling will be made here. There were no 1980 summer workshops because of the Denver C onvention, July 27-31. To placate the workshoppers, a couple of days had been added to th e schedule to include programming of some similar-to-workshop sessions. However, it should be noted th a t 1980 rolled in on a very distinctive w orkshop-the London-Aldeburgh-firom D ecem ber 29, 1979-January 9, 1980. A full accoimting of this endeavor appeared earlier in this chapter. V ice-President Baird called it a sequel to our first overseas workshop, held in London across a sim ilar D ecem ber 1977Januaiy 1978 period. He wrote: "The international dimension o f the w orkshops w ithin th e past four years... has not only added a broader spectrum of concepts and activities from which NATS members may choose, but also has served to spread the influence o f the organization to areas where heretofore we have been relatively unknown." This was the first year since 1976 that there were no scheduled year-end NATS activities. In his November 12th board memo, the president had mentioned that he planned to go to Louisville in December to work on the 1981 convention program. In fact, Jay Wilkey, program chairman, had involved ten key NATSers for the meetings on December 29 and 30. T he president w rote that, after three long working sessions, they had hammered out an outline for w hat prom ised to be a fine convention. The preparation of Board Memo No. 14, Irv Bushman’s first in the new year, was interrupted by a telephone message fi^om Atlanta Hoban, informing the president o f her husband’s passing on December 29,1980. Stanley John had been NATS’ guiding light for its sum m er workshops, first as the national director of workshops and then as the vice-president in charge o f w orkshops from 1969 through 1976. Bruce Lunkley wrote in the 1981 May-June Inter Nos: "As Stanley stepped down as National Director of Workshops, his friends presented him w ith a cartoon drawing of himself and donated funds to start the Stanley Hoban Summer W orkshop Scholarship Fund." A flashback to that event at the 1976 NATS Workshop at N ortheast Louisiana University reveals John Burgin, then governor of the Southern Region and chairm an o f th a t w orkshop as the instigator. The cartoon, in color, was the handiwork of an art student at N ortheast Louisiana University, Cynthia Day. Bruce Lunkley, then NATS president, made the p resentation and announced the creation of the scholarship fund. A week later at the closing luncheon o f the Bozeman Workshop, August 6, 1976, designated as Stanley John H oban Day, H oban was presented with a large card bearing the signature of fifty NATS members and friends as donors to the scholarship fund. These funds, held in the NATS Foundation, have continued to provide student scholarships in Stanley’s name at each workshop since his retirem ent. Thoughts o f that jovial Scotsman bring to mind the cling of that little desk bell with which he k ep t w orkshop sessions running on time. The president reported to his board that Mary Fall had sent him a verified vote count on December 3,1980. Some 749 ballots or 21.4% of the membership had approved th e N om inating Committee’s choices of president-elect, a vice-president and the secretary-treasurer to take office as of January 1,1981, namely, John Burgin, Vernon Yenne and Mary Fall. Less than two percent of the ballots were negative or abstentions. The president wrote: "This is a rem arkably good mail vote return and it means that almost twice as many members exercised their voting privileges than if we had done this at a convention business meeting. Congratulations to all three and especially to John, His election means that the light at the end of the tunnel is getting a little brighter for me. I also want to welcome Marilee Plaks, who has assumed the Governorship o f the N orthw est­ ern Region from Pearl White who chose early retirement and R obert Lathrow, newly elected Eastern Regional Governor. To complete the statistics, Dave H o ttm a n -N o rth C entral, E d D eckard-Southem , Steve Farish-Texoma, have been reelected and begin second term s as regional governors and Board members." President Bushman asked for and received a 10/0 vote on a new chapter in Kansas, saying that, according to his tabulation, we would have 55 chapters with its approval. U nfortunately, n o t all o f the 55 were active. Acknowledging that, in some instances, distance between m em bers was a deterrent, the president cited Texoma Region as an example where vastness o f a region did no t

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dampen activities-the pot was always boiling. Regional governors needed to stimulate their state governors to generate more local action. Irv Bushman raised the question of sub-dividing some regions. He also suggested the creation of four Canadian divisions across Canada, tying each one into an adjacent United States region south of the border. The choice of a hotel for the 1983 summer convention in the Minneapolis-SL Paul area was labeled by our president as another "little hot potato." A representative of the new Hyatt Hotel, under construction in downtown Miimeapolis, kept the wires humming between Cleveland and the Twin Cities. A $72.00 double room rate had been projected for his scheduled opening in 1981, causing the president to back away. He, along with Jim Browning and Mary Fall were impressed with St. Paul’s Radisson Hotel, a beautiful property overlooking the Mississippi, with a guaranteed $64.00 double and a $53.00 single. They proffered an even more tempting package if NATS would consider holding its convention across the July 4th holiday. That triggered the president into action. He asked his board for a vote on the Radisson, proposing to hold our 1983 national convention at the Radisson Hotel, St Paul, July 2-6, which the board approved with a 19/0 vote. President Bushman did not disturb his board again until March 5,1981, when he sent off Board Memo No. 15. He wrote: "You may think that I have gone bonkers when you read this. You will recall that, in my mid-January letter, I asked for a vote of approval for the Radisson Hotel in St. Paul. Well, for the first time since I have been writing these letters, everybody but one responded. Marvelous! And all votedyej! Great! Not only that but you also gave me some real feedback on my Canada proposal. All favorable." The president than explained what had transpired since his January 11th board memo. Shortly thereafter, his persistent caller fix)m the Hyatt Regency in Miimeapolis called again. President Bushman explained candidly that, while the contract had not been signed, the decision to go with the Radisson in SL Paul had been made. He told the Hyatt’s young lady that the Hyatt Regency was just too rich for our blood. Then, he revealed the information that the Radisson had given NATS rates of $48.00 for doubles and $40.00 for singles. For the president, that closed the matter, for the Hyatt Regenqr representative-well, the tempo changed to aZ/egro fiirioso. Approximately two hours later, Irv Bushman was listening to a new song. Hyatt Regency’s room rate offer changed to just Sl.OO more per room than the Radisson’s plus a fi’ee deluxe two-bedroom suite, in addition to the normal one free room for every fifty rooms sold to the conventioneers. It being a distinct advantage to NATS to hold its convention in downtown Miimeapolis, the president, after talking with Mary Fall, advised his board that our convention would be in Minneapolis, July 3-7,1983, at the Hyatt Regency with a room rate of $41.00 for singles and $49.00 for doubles. Previously, it had been agreed upon that the board would meet at the 1981 NATS Workshop, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Sunday, July 19-Friday, July 24. President Bushman had recommended that the board meetings be held at the end of the sessions. William Parker was scheduled for a recital on Thursday evening and a master class on Friday morning. The president proposed that the board meet on Friday afternoon and evening, with a third and final session on Saturday morning, July 25. He requested that board members inform him of their attendance plans and the cost of their airline tickets. The final two items of Board Memo No. 15 dealt with the 1981 Louisville Convention. He advised his board that he had been on the phone with Metropolitan soprano Kathleen Battle and her manager. Although her fee was $4,000, she agreed to do it for NATS for about $3,300, including all expenses. He resorted to Ma Bell once again and involved Jay Wilkey in making a command decision to engage her for the Louisville Convention opener, Sunday evening, December 27, 1981. Then followed an enumeration of tentative plans: (1) NATSAA semifinals in two sessions, Sunday morning and after lunch, (2) official opening of the convention at 3:00 p.m., which would include the customary formalities, the keynote address and a recital by the 1980 NATSAA winner at Denver, Jonathan Mack, (3) the aforementioned Kathleen BatUe recital, (4) Monday night, an opera program stiU to be resolved, (5) Tuesday night, the banquet, and (6) the convention closer-the NATSAA finals. Almost three months had elapsed before Board Memo No. 16, dated May 25,1981 >^-as sent off to members of the Board of Directors. The president hastened to advise them that his sUence should not be equated with administrative inactivity. Iiv Bushman was one of several NATS presidents who favored Ma Bell over the U. S. Postal Service. Besides fostering a warmer

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exchange of ideas, it eliminated the indefinite w ait for answ ers w hich, in so m e cases, never arrived. Also, what safer medium could there be for a m odicum o f politics. Board Memo No. 16, May 25,1981, was primarily a cover le tte r fo r th e b u d g et fo r fiscal 1982. On May 14,1981, James Browning, John Burgin, M ary Fall and P resid en t B ushm an m et a t the Hyatt Regency, Minneapolis, to wrestle with the budget. Irv B ushm an w rote: "W e are caught between a rock and a hard place. Aside from the inflation factor, th e re a re th re e m ajo r item s that stand out-T he N ATS Bulletin, NATSAA and the D enver C onvention. In reg ard to The N A T S Bulletin, if we take the figures from advertising plus non-m em ber sub scrip tio n s, plus $6.00 per subscription per member, we come pretty close to o u r cost figure. W h at it really boils down to is that Harvey was making money for NATS because he was doing m uch o f w hat th e p rin ter is doing now .. . There were a number of change-over costs involved in this first year o f operation. Certainly, with more experience they will discover ways to save, b u t it a in ’t never go n n a be like it was." As for NATSAA, it cost more than twice w hat it b ro u g h t in from c o n te sta n t fees, but NATSAA could never be counted on to approach funding itself. D enver, 1980 was th e real drag. Its almost $6,000 deficit was like a flashing red light throughout th e plan n in g fo r Louisville, 1981. The president wrote: "We are trying very hard to keep w ithin bounds in Louisville, b u t even that will cost money. I th in k .. . we need to consider a raise in th e reg istratio n fee. . . H ow ever, that can hold till Madison." H e assured the board that NATS was in no im m ed iate d an g er o f going broke, nevertheless it behooved us to be prudent. President Bushman reported that the Canadian business had m u shroom ed considerably. W hat had seemed so straight forward and simple back in D enver now had grovm in to so m eth in g m ore complex. He raised the question of what the next step should be. T h e p resid en t had sp en t som e time studying the map of North America and still was undecided on w hat ad m in istrativ e divisions should be made. He suggested that the next m ost likely step was to involve D avid H ottm an, Joyce Zastrow and Jean Westerman Gregg, governors of the N o rth C entral, G re a t L akes and New England regions, respectively. These governors could m ake co n tact w ith th e C anadian membership in their adjacent areas and try to initiate som e leadership activity n o rth o f the border. Actually, Governors Hottman, W esterman and 2 ^ stro w had only to lo o k to the Northwestern Region for a prototype. There an across-the-border cam arad erie had existed ever since Stanley Hoban had chaired a NATS workshop a t the Em press H o tel, V ictoria, B. C., A ugust 14-19,1966. Mel Geist and Glen Lockery were H oban’s co-chairs. P resid en t B ush m an w rote: "I have specifically refrained from mentioning M arilee Plaks and th e N o rth w estern R egion, because as of now, that is where the action is taking place. They are th e m odels fo r w h at needs to happen in the rest of Canada." The May-June issue of Inter N os reported th e sep a ra tio n o f th e A laskaCanada division with Dr. Suzanne Sommerville named as th e governor o f A laska; C atherine Arnold remained as the governor of Canada (British Columbia, Saskatchew an an d A lberta). Alberta became the first chartered NATS chapter in Canada. The president closed out Board Memo No. 16, requesting ballots o n th re e item s. W ith Jo h n Burgin, currently the editor o i Inter Nos, moving into the presidency as o f Jan u ary 1, 1982, th ere was need of a new editor. President Bushman requested a ballot o n D o ro th y C rum , fo r whom he had high regard, as Burgin’s successor. The board returned an 18/0 vote. T h e second b allot concerned the president’s naming of Joan Boytim and G ene Sim pson to th e M em bership Committee and the third request was for a vote on the budget for fiscal 1982. B o th passed w ith a majority vote. The May-June issue of Inter Nos reflected healthy chapter and regional activities. Space limitations dictate a report oriented to emphasizing the im pact o f NA TS u p o n th e stu d e n t singer via chapter and regional auditions nationwide. There is little do u b t th a t n o t only did students benefit from hearing other students perform, but also their teachers w ho h eard th e pro d u cts of other studios perform, often times identical repertoire. C entral R egion’s K ansas City C h ap ter reported that 177 were heard in nine different categories. E astern recorded th a t 130 singers had participated in auditions as part of their three-day regional conference in May. G re a t L akes cam e up with a doubleheader: (1) in November, 1980,311 came to the U niversity o f M ichigan fo r th e Regional Auditions; (2) the Michigan Spring Auditions attracted a n o th er 125 singers. M idA tlantic recorded that 191 students were involved in the 1981 Spring C onference/S tudent Auditions at Appalachian State University, Boone, N orth Carolina, w hile 127 stu d en ts lifted th eir

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voices in the auditions held at the one-day meeting at Converse College, Spartanburg, South Carolina. The Twentieth Annual Mid-South Student Auditions, April 1-4, drew over 200 students. The New England Regional Spring Auditions were held in ten locations in Boston, May 16 and May 23 for a total of 140 participants, ranging in age from 15 to 36, critiqued by thirty judges in four divisions, high school, college, graduate and adult. The Southeastern Regional Auditions, April 3 and 4, involved 128 students. In addition, the Alabama Chapter Student Auditions, February 14, drew 115 singers. The Georgia Chapter Student Auditions, March 6 and 7, attracted 93 singers. The North Florida Student Auditions involved 60 students. In the Southern Region, South Louisiana Chapter auditions, March 21,130 singers participated; the Mississippi Chapter Auditions involved 80 students on April 3, and on May 1, the North Louisiana Chapter drew over 100 students. A t West Central Region’s Colorado State Chapter, 210 students were invoked. Three regions, Cal-Western, North Central and Texoma were not involved in these totals. While Cal-Westem and North Central reported other activities, Texoma failed to make a report of any kind. However, if you were keeping count, you would have come up with the impressive total of well over 2,200 students who had gathered in the various centers across the United States to benefit from an experience unavailable to their teachers in their student years. In the fourth decade, NATS had matured into a vast laboratory wherein both the student and teacher alike sharpened their respective skills. The approaching post-workshop board meeting at the University of Wisconsin-Madison prompted President Bushman to send off Board Memo No. 17, dated July 1,1981, via the United States mail. Besides being the cover letter for the agenda of that July 24-25 meeting, the president reported the outcome of his requested May 25th ballot Inasmuch as those results were included in the secretaiy-treasurer’s recording of Board Memo No. 16, there is no need to report further on Board Memo No. 17. Turning to the evidence of the extant files, the president sent out five official letters during 1981, two of which constituted Mary Fall’s minutes of NATS business conducted by mail during 1981, Board Letters Nos. 11 and 16, they were the only letters requiring a ballot. Placed against the backdrop of NATS activity during 1981, deductive reasoning leads one to the conclusion that Ma Bell bore the load of the president’s decision making after communication with his board. Irv Bushman needed the instant interaction with members of his board that only Ma Bell could provide. Letters entrusted to Uncle Sam’s men in blue-gray left him out in left field. On July 24, 1981, 2:05 p.m.. President Bushman called the summer board meeting to order in Room 2441, Humanities Building, University of Wisconsin-Madison. NATS’ last workshop of the season had just drawn to a close. All board members except Bruce Lunkley were present Executive Secretary James Browning was on hand as usual. The president called on Mary Fall, secretary-treasurer, for her report. She advised board members that the minutes of the Denver board meetings were available for review. She noted that as of May 18,1981, there was a cash total of $93,070 in cds, savings and checking. The secretary-treasurer called attention to four areas of the fiscal 1981 budget that showed deficits: workshops, conventions, NATSAA, and The NATS Bulletin. Several suggestions were made for ways to conserve our funds. President-Elect John Burgin suggested that NATS needed to set up financial guidelines. He threw out this either/or stimulator: (1) Do we plan to make money via our activities, or (2) Are we primarily a service organization, expecting to subsidize our activities? There followed several suggestions as how to increase cash flow, namely; (1) sell membership address labels to regions; (2) raise convention fees; (3) raise workshop fees; (4) raise membership dues; (5) trim the leadership luncheon at conventions; and (6) should NATS continue to provide members with the lAERS journal? In the very last days of 1979, NATS’ officialdom decided to subsidize John Large’s International Association for Experimental Research in Singing to the tune of Sl.OO per member, a bit better than $3,500 for 1980. In return, two issues of the lAERS journal would be sent to the NATS membership during the calendar year. Mid-year 1980 witnessed our first summer convention in Denver. The unfortunate thing is that it racked up a deficit in the vicinity of $6,000. Only 448 out of our 3,502 members attended. Confronted with such a deficit, certainly our generosity to lAERS needed to be reconsidered. As for the other items, convention registration fees had been raised for the 1978 Houston Convention where a dues increase to take effect as of January 1,1980 was approved. However, both were only token raises of $5.00.

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What sweeter music could there be to Vice-President Baird’s ears than to hear the unsolicited recommendation to raise workshop fees. After his first season as national director of workshops without portfolio, Ed Baird had moved boldly to upgrade our workshops. At the 1977 summer board meeting, he proposed a $60.00 fee for members and a $75.00 fee for non-members. His proposal was met with a motion to table for further study. It was not until the very last hour of the last day that the board acted with a handcuffing action, almost a rejection. The final okay was for basically the same old fees of $45.00 for members and $55.00 for non-members. They made one mini-concession in the roundabout way. The old rates were labeled as fees for the pre­ registration period. At the workshop, members would be charged $1.00 a day more or $50.00. The same formula raised the non-member fee to $70.00. These rates held for 1979. It was not a problem in 1980 since there were no summer workshops. In their place was NATS’ first summer convention. Denver, 1980 combined some workshop features with the formalities of our national conventions. In 1982, the preregistration fees were inched up another $10.00-$55.00 for members, $75.00 for non-members. At registration, these fees were upped to $60.00 for members and to $80.00 for non-members. Ed Baird had hoped for approximately these fees for his 1978 season. Student fees remained at $25.00 for preregistration and $30.00 at registration time. With the mood to increase all fees across the board, there was a rosy glow on the horizon for VicePresident Baird. To be sure, the next increase in workshop fees would not be a token one. Those who suggested the trimming of leadership luncheons were not aware of their raisons d’etre. With the Greenwell bylaws’ revisions, the regional governor was catapulted into the national scene as that region’s member of the Board of Directors. Gean Greenwell also initiated the regional governor’s report which, primarily, evaluated state governors within that governor’s region. Collectively, these reports would become a valuable information pool to assist in the selection of future NATS key personnel. The Lunkley revisions of the bylaws went a step further. Each region became a political unit responsible for electing its ovwi governor to become that region’s spokesman at the national level. The regional governor, in turn, was responsible for all elective or appointive offices within his or her region. Bruce Lunkley, desirous of giving each board member the experience of governing, suggested that each region set up a Board of Control, composed of its state governors, etc., to form a consultative body to assist in administering the region. Bruce saw to it that the regional governors had operative funds. The Discretionary Fund provided chapter and reponal officer’s funds to upgrade local and/or sectional programs, etc. He initiated the organization of the Council of State Governors as a resource body for the vicepresident in charge of NATSAA and the Council of Chapter Presidents as a resource body for the vice-president in charge of field activities and the Discretionary Fund. These two organizations linked these grass roots officers to the national scene. It gave them more than a personal reason to attend national conventions, providing them with a forum where they could exchange ideas with their counterparts fi-om other regions. To play down the leadership luncheons now could only thwart the development of both the Council of State Governors and the Council of Chapter Presidents, now in their infant years. Both groups constituted the wellspring of NATS’ future leaders. Strange bedfellows, these regional governors, elevated to national stature as members of the Board of Directors, but who, back in their own bailiwick, reverted to behaving like ward bosses, resisting changes in the status quo. They wanted no part of the president’s suggested Board of Control which linked their respective regions in a system to develop future NATS leaders. They brooked no interference with their own comfortable hip pocket administering of their regions. After two years of being stonewalled by the majority of regional governors whom he had raised in stature to the national level as board members, Bruce Lunkley spoke these words to the convention assembled at the 1976 Philadelphia National Convention: "I am still a bit distressed by the lack of use of the Board of Control idea at the regional level and hope I can convince governors of the long-term value of this kind of corporate leadership at the regional level." Seemingly, they moved and took action in their own time as these two occasions attest: (1) "As of this date, I have only heard from eleven people. What about the rest of you?" (2) At the end of May, 1980, President Bushman had to light this fire under his regional governors: "There are still some regional governors who have not requested their $250 allocation. Remember, as of July 1, all money not distributed reverts to the General Fund."

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Returning to the agenda of the 1981 summer board meeting, President Bushman called on att'^ ri Edward Baird to report on the 1982 summer workshops. Eighty-seven people trended the NATS workshop at Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia. At Scripps CoUege, aremont, California, the head count was 110, but the University of Wisconsin-Madison topped “ attendance. Since WUliam Parker’s master class ended at 12:30 p.m. and the 1981 summer board meeting was called to order at 2:05 p.m., there was insufScient time to come up with a full financial report of the summer workshops. However, Vice-President Baird made two recommendations: that next seasons’ fees be raised and that workshop brochures be sent to all NASM schools and to more non-NATS people. President Bushman then called upon Robert LaPella, vice-president, membership. He informed the board that 213 new members had been enrolled to bring our total membership count to 3,440 and 100 delinquents. The vice-president asked that the Board of Directors, specifically the thirteen regional governors, distribute application blanks to state and chapter officers. There was a need to stimulate new member recruitment. Actually, the current membership gain was approximately 7%-half of that needed to offset inflation and membership attrition. While the over 1,000 enrollment of new members during the Lunkley administration was significant due to the efforts of Mary Wolfman and her committee, even this gain was less than the necessary 500 per year suggested by Gean Greenwell. It may very well be that the failure to recruit new members in sufficient numbers was NATS’ Achilles heel. Yet, not one of the board members present at the 1981 summer board meeting even touched upon it. The last report of the afternoon was that of the Discretionary Fund. Vice-President Vernon Yenne, replacing John Burgin, president-elect, informed the board that 28 transactions had taken place for a total of $6,502.04. Four requests could not be serviced for lack of funds. The initial meeting of the 1981 summer board meeting was adjourned at 5:00 p.m. The second session of the Board of Directors was called to order in the same location at 736 p.m. All were present, namely, Irvin Bushman, John Burgin, Edward Baird, Robert LaPella, Gwendolyn Roberts, Vernon Yenne, Bruce Lunkley, Mary Fall, Richard Miller, Bertha Autenrieth, Delbert Simon, Robert Latherow, Joyce Zastrow, Julie Fortney, Jay Wilkey, Jean Gregg, David Hottman, Marilee Plaks, William Vessels, Edward Deckard, Stephen Farish and Dorothy Crum. Executive Secretary James Browning also was present. President Bushman called upon NATS Past-President Bruce Lunkley, now president of The NATS Foundation for his report. Twelve awards of $25.00 each had been given to three institutions sponsoring the 1981 NATS workshops to parcel out to music students at their respective institutions to encourage them to attend the workshop under their ahna mater’s sponsorship. Also, a gift of S500 was given to the Aspen Music School for them to award to a deserving applicant who might have difBcuIty paying tuition at this prestigious summer music school. In addition, Bruce Lunkley reported that the NATSF board had voted to support a commission by Dominick Argento for the Minneapolis 1983 NATS Convention. Bruce Lunkley was asked to report on the recommendations of the NATSAA Review Committee which he chaired. The committee’s list of 17 recommendations to be considered for the 1983 NATSAA contest will not be included here since these general recommendations were to be studied as a basis for a handbook of procedure to be developed by the outgoing and incoming NATSAA coordinators, namely, Gwendolyn Roberts and Vernon Yenne. The handbook was to be brought before the board for approval at a later date, but in time for Minneapolis, 1983. A Zastrow/Crum motion for acceptance and incorporation into a handbook of procedure as stated above received the board’s unanimous approval. President Bushman caUed on Gwendolyn Roberts, vice-president, charged with the administration of NATSAA She reported that several new procedures needed to be used for the 1980 Denver Convention NATS Artist Auditions because it was the first time that semi-finals were to be held at a national convention. She used the format presented in the NATSAA Committee’s report. She stated that our 1980 wimiers have been busily engaged since Denver. Also our first place vwnner, Jonathan Mack, was under contract m Germany and could not make it back for the December, 1981 conveniionin Louisville. CoKequenay.second-placewimer, Mary Hart had been placed under wnlracl to pertonn. Vice-President Roberts recommended that

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future use in NATS. Gwen Roberts reported that she had started a file of NATSAA materials that could form a basis for the competition’s handbook. President Bushman called on Richard Miller, editor of The NATS Bulletin. He presented the treats and trials of his first year; the pleasure of working with contributors; the problems of hidden costs; publication dates and billings. He reported the recovery of some $2,000 of overcharges from his printer. The editor recommended that non-member yearly subscription rates be raised approximately $1.00. After considerable discussion and several motions, some of them voted down by the board and others amended, the revised rates finally agreed upon for non­ member subscribers and institutions were: $11.00, United States, $12.00 Canada and Mexico, $13.00 for surface mail to all foreign countries. Students under 25 years of age were to be charged: $7.00 United States, $8.00 Canada and Mexico; $9.00 by surface mail to all foreign countries. Both groups received additional discounts for multiple year subscriptions. One other item was proposed prior to adjournment at 10:09 p.m. A G re g ^ la k s motion that the 1982 membership dues notices carry a space to check requesting the lAERS journal or not requesting it A Burginyparish motion that this be tabled was concurred in by the Board of Directors. Session III of the 1981 summer board meeting was called to order in Room 2441, Humanities Building, University of Wisconsin-Madison, by President Bushman. All members who had left this room at 10:09 p.m., Friday, were back in their places, Saturday at 9:03 a.m. President Bushman called on Executive Secretaiy James Browning, for the financial report for fiscal 1981. Our income for that period was $150,412.47, but we spent $158,368.44. What that translated into was that we had to tap our reserves to the extent of $7,955.97. Since the yearly audit was in process and would not be completed until September, the report was brief. A Yenne/Crum motion that James Browning be authorized to invest up to $20,000 in high rate money fund certificates when our current cds came due in October was given the board’s unanimous approval. The president turned to Jay Wilkey, the general chairperson for the 1981 NATS convention in Louisville, Kentucky, and asked him to present an outline of the program for the convention. At its conclusion, the board requested Jay Wilkey to check the possibility of having the convention sessions recorded. It may be recalled that the president had promised Cesare Longo at the Denver convention’s business meeting that this would be something that would be pursued at the 1981 Louisville Convention when Longo raised the question. A Zastrow/Latherow motion that convention registration fees be raised was given the board’s unanimous approval. The resultant fees for Louisville were set at $35.00 for members and $45.00 for non-members for preregistration. At the convention, the fees would be $40.00 for members and $50.00 for non­ members. The student fees for those under 25 years of age remained unchanged at $10.00. President Bushman then asked for a discussion of Canadian membership, suggesting that provinces have the same standing as states. The board gave unanimous approval to the Roberts/Gregg motion that the Northwestern Region be extended to include the provinces of British Columbia and Alberta, along with the Zastrow/Crum motion that the provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba be under the jurisdiction of the North Central Region. The seCTetaiy/treasurer’s one-liners stop here. The record is silent on similar embracing actions across the border involving the New En^and, Eastern or Great Lakes regions. One thing certain, Jean Gregg or Joyce Zastrow would not have stopped short of involving their own regions. A Gregg/Lunkley motion that the dues notices carry the statement: $25.00 U. S. currency was given the board’s unanimous approval. That could only be intended for our members across the border although Maiy Fall’s notes are silent on this matter. The president then read a request from the National Music Council that NATS now pay its dues to the Council prorated to our annual budget. This would result in a sharp increase in NATS dues to the Council. A Gregg/Plaks motion suggesting that we send a check for $100.00 with an explanation saying that this is what we feel we can send in view of our budget demands. [Where was that duo when John Large came with his request for an amount that was almost half the fiscal 1981 deficit?] The board approved their request with only one dissenting vote. President Bushman then asked for a discussion of the convention site for 1984. Again, the secretary-treasurer’s records do not indicate that any such discussion took place, but the board unanimously approved a Deckard/Lunkley motion that NATS hold its 1984 convention in New Orleans, Louisiana, December 27-30.

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There follow^ a Burgin/Baird motion that the president appoint an ad hoc committee to stu y t e possibilities of a new logo. The board gave their unanimous approval and the president ^ p o n d e d immediately by appointing Richard Miller, Jean Gregg, Joyce Zastrow and John Burgm, chairman, directing them to bring such a recommendation to the board. As the meeting wound down, Irv Bushman spoke to his board about the importance of meeting together and interacting with each other. This was his way of doing business. No wonder he resorted to Ma ell rather than Uncle Sam’s men in blue-gray. The meeting adjourned at 11:43 a.m. ^ t e r a fourteen week lull, the president placed Board Memo No. 18, the last of his administration, in the mail on November 1,1981. Irv Bushman wrote: "I have finally gotten out from under the burden of my Holy Days services. By way of statistics, I sang twenty-three services of one kind or another between September 18 and October 20. That was on top of rehearsing and teaching. So if you didn’t hear from me since we left Madison, you have some inkling of what makes Irvin run." First of all, he reminded his board that the annual reports from vice-presidents and secretarytreasurer should be sent to Jim Browning by the first week in December. The president made no mention of the year-end regional governor’s report instituted by Gean Greenwell. Could it be that this report was experiencing the silent veto because it required more time and thought than the regional governors were willing to give. President Bushman went on to relate that he had been in touch with Jay Wilkey and that all program details were in place. Aside from Kathleen Battle, no other big name attractions were involved in order to come in under or within budget. The president wanted no repeat of Denver, 1980 in his final year of administration. It appeared that the sale of program book ads would cover the cost of printing the convention program. President Bushman relayed the good news from Gwen Roberts to this board that NATSAA entries were at an all-time high. Irv Bushman advised his board that he was going ahead with the Leadership Luncheon on Sunday, December 27, in spite of those who wished to forego this event He wrote: "After talking to several people, I am convinced that it is an investment in generating interest and enthusiasm on the part of grass-roots leadership at a veiy nominal cost Please urge your people to come. I am sending invitations to all chapter presidents and state governors." In closing, the president reminded his board members that their main meeting would be on Saturday evening, December 26th at 7:30 p.m., advising them to please make their travel plans accordingly. However, that meeting was eight weeks into the future. If the president communicated with members of this board during that time period, it had to have been via Ma Bell. He did, however, attend three regional meetings during November: Great Lakes, Southern and Texoma. Next stop-Louisville! President Irvin Bushman called Board Meeting No. 1 to order in the Downs Room of the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Louisville, Kentucky, at 7:30 p.m., December 26, 1981. All members, excepting Bruce Lunkley who could not make it until Monday evening, were in their places. For the record, they are listed below this time only: Irvin Bushman, John Burgin, Edward Baird, Robert LaPella, Gwendolyn Roberts, Vernon Yenne, Mary Fall, Richard Miller, Bertha Autenrieth, Delbert Simon, Robert Latherow, Joyce Zastrow, Julie Fortney, Jay Wilkey, Jean Gregg, David Hottman, Marilee Plaks, William Vessels, Edward Deckard, Stephen Parish, Dorothy Crum, James Browning, Marvin Keenze and Jerry Langenkamp. The last two names were introduced by the president as new members of the Board of Directors: Marvin Keenze, who would replace Vernon Yenne as the vice-president in charge of field activities and the Discretionary Fund, and Jerry Langenkamp, who would succeed Dorothy Crum as the governor of the West Central Region. A Zastrow/Baird motion welcoming both newcomers to the board was given a unanimous vote of approval. The president called on Mary Fall for the secretary-treasurer’s report. Before getting into the dollar figures, she requested that her fellow board members make several corrections in the minutes of the 1981 summer board meeting in Madison, Wisconsin. As for the year-end money totals, she reported a sum of $79,094.03 for our cds, money market funds, checking and short-tem savings account. What appeared to be a comparable figure at the time of the 1980 Denver Convention board meeting stood at $110,150. Whew! NATS must have been on a toboggan slide paved with more than 30,000 silver doUars. Nevertheless, we were still solvent with almost $80,000 in securities and cash.

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President Bushman called on Vice-President Gwendolyn Roberts for a report on NATSAA. The vice-president announced that there were nearly 200 more applicants this year than when she took office in 1978. She commented on the professional attitude among the contestants evidenced by the several who brought along their own accompanists. Vice-President Roberts reviewed the contents of the NATSAA brochure and suggested an insert to bar teachers from accompanying their students at any level of the competition in order to maintain the anonymity of a contestant A Gregg/Latherow motion to that effect was tabled for further study at the suggestion of President Bushman. Gwen Roberts urged regions and states to give serious consideration to granting monetary awards to winners to assist them in their travel expenses. She reported that in 1981, the Cal-Western Region gave their winner $200 and their second and third place winners $50.00 each. Inasmuch as Vice-President Baird gave attendance figures of the 1981 summer workshops at the summer board meeting in Madison, just his reporting on the locations for the 1982 summer workshops will be listed here: Jacksonville University, Jacksonville, Florida, June 20-June 25; University of Calgaiy, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, June 27-July 2; and Wichita State University, Wichita, Kansas, July 11-16. Vice-President Robert LaPella, in charge of membership, reported a total membership of 3,510, calling attention to the fact that there were 303 new members accepted this year compared with 299 in 1980. The disagreeable news was that 200 delinquents had been dropped for non­ payment of dues. The 3,510 total was seventeen greater than the total published on page 8 of the 1981 NATS Annual Report which carried the inclusive dates of November, 1980-0ctober, 1981. The vice-president’s own report on new members, page 1 of the 1980 Aimual Report, listed its inclusive dates of November 15,1980-November 15,1981, but carried the identical 303 total for new members. At the December 26th board meeting, Vice-President LaPella reported that 200 delinquents were dropped and that three members had been granted emeritus status. Some of the statistics on page 8 of the 1981 NATS Annual Report differed with the vice-president’s report, but no attempt will be made to reconcile these differences this far removed from the scene. The following break down of statistics probably had their genesis from the office of the executive seaetaiy. The 1981 NATS Annual Report detailed these statistics not otherwise mentioned; Honorary Life Members, 140; deceased, 13; resigned, 38; and dropped for non-payment of dues, 189. The last three columns totaled 240, colunms seldom referred to by the upper echelon at the year’s end because such comparisons between the total of new and reinstated members with the total of deceased, resigned and dropped brings them face-to-face with stark reality. It deglamorizes whatever gains that have been made. Accenting the positive makes it appear better. However, if the upper echelon fails to realize that such emphasis is only for membership and public consumption, they are in trouble. In 1981, simple arithmetic revealed that the real gain in membership was 63, a 1.89% gain in membership instead of 8.67% gain that the 303 figure implied. Gean Greenwell’s statement that NATS needed to recruit 500 new members yearly to stay abreast of inflation and membership attrition was born of substance. The only alternative to sharp dues increases in the future was the recruitment of new members, a far greater effort by the membership at the grass roots level than ever heretofore experienced by the membership. Vice-President Vernon Yenne, in charge of field activities and the Discretionary Fund, was the last to be called upon for a report Six thousand dollars had been budgeted for the current fiscal year of which $2,000 had been paid out; an additional $1,700 had been committed, but not yet paid o u t As of December, $6,600 had been approved in 29 requests. At this time last year, there had been only 19 requests. As a matter of fact, only 31 requests were made during fiscal 1981, A Yenne/Burgin motion that NATS provide an additional $1,500 for the Discretionary Fund for the remainder of fiscal 1982 was given board approval. The meeting adjourned at 10:04 p.HL Next morning at 8:10 a.m., the president called the second session of the Board of Directors at the 1981 Louisville Convention to order. Dorothy Crum, editor of Inter Nos, reported that she was within budget for the issues for which she was responsible since she took over from John Riirgin- Editor Crum announced that the copy deadline for the spring, 1982 issue would be April 1. Then James Browning gained the floor and announced that the lease for NATS New York office was up in April, 1983. The current rental was $400 per month. Our executive secretary suggested three ways to go; (1) stay put and handle a raise in rent, (2) share with another non­ profit group, or (3) move an affiliate with a college or school. President Bushman appointed

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Robert Latherow and Jean Ludman to work with James Browning to study the aforementioned possibilities. A Gregg/Crum motion that Canadian provinces be listed in The NATS Bulletin with adjacent regions across the United States/Canadian border, namely: Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island with the New England Region; Quebec with the Eastern Region; Ontario with the Great Lakes Region; Manitoba and Saskatchewan with the North Central Region; and Alberta and British Columbia with the Northwestern Region, which was given the board’s unanimous approval, is circumstantial evidence that there must have been previous board action making these inclusions to the four specified regions afait accompli. It may be recalled that there was such an action recorded in part on the last day of the 1981 summer ^ a rd meeting in Madison, Saturday, July 25th. A Roberts/Gregg motion set off the action that included the provinces of Alberta and British Columbia with the Northwestern Region. Likewise, a Zastrow/Crum motion effected a similar inclusion for Manitoba and Saskatchewan with the North Central Region. The fact that this motion in regard to the listing in The NATS Bulletin was initiated by Jean Gregg and seconded by Dorothy Crum would seem to indicate that their action was no more than a follow-up to what they knew had taken place at Madison even though there was no record of such action in toto. The meeting was adjourned at 9:00 a.m. The next board meeting was scheduled for Monday, 8:00 a.m., December 28. However, in the meantime, there were some important meetings prior to the opening session of our Thirty-Fourth National Convention at 3:00 p.m. Three of these scheduled events had been preconvention concerns of the president Rewrote letters to all state governors and chapter presidents, urging them to attend their respective meetings as well as the Leadership Luncheon. It may be recalled that President Bushman, in his November 1,1981 board memo, specifically asked each board member to urge state governors and chapter presidents within their regions to attend these meetings. The Council of State Governors was scheduled to meet at 9:00 a.m., followed by that of the Council of Chapter Presidents at 10:00 a.m. The Leadership Luncheon, involving both groups, was scheduled for 12:00 noon. Prior to the convention’s opening session at 3:00 p.m., the NATSAA semi-finals were scheduled for a split session, one-half at 10:30 a.m., and the other half at 1:00 p.m. At this point, we will return to reporting on the 1981 convention board meetings. Evidently, the combination of Met’s soprano Kathleen Battle’s heady evening of song and the after-concert reception was a bit much for some board members. Monday’s morning session was called to order at the relaxed hour of 8:13 a.m. by President-Elect John Burgin. Since all committees are subject to reappointment by an incoming president, John Burgin asked for board approval of his recommendations for the Admissions and Membership Committee, namely: VicePresident LaPella, Joan Boytim, Stephen Parish, Katharine Hansel and Eugene Simpson. The board gave their unanimous approval. Then the president-elect specified the duty areas of each of his vice-presidents, to wit: Edward Baird, workshops, Vernon Yenne, NATSAA, Marvin Keenze, Discretionary Fund, and Robert LaPella, membership and admissions. A Gregg/Latherow motion that these assigrmients be accepted was given the board’s unanimous approval. It may be recalled that President Bushman appointed a Logo Committee at the 1981 sununer board meeting, consisting of Jean Gregg, Richard Miller and Joyce Zastrow with John Burgin in the chair. Gwen Roberts gained the floor and moved that we replace the United States profile in our logo with the letters NATS, placing the word International under it. Seemingly, things had taken a wrong turn at that moment. A Zastrow/Yenne mou'on that the previous motion be tabled broke the silence and was given the board’s unanimous approval. Then a Burgin/Antenrieth motion instructing the Logo Committee to bring a recommendation to the Tuesday morning, December 29th, board meeting was left dangling. The secretary-treasurer’s pen must have run dry since her records are sUent on this matter. Prior to the meeting’s 9:00 a.m. adjournment, Stephen Farish presented a resolution that NATS honor the memoiy of Eugene Conley for his contributions to the field of singing by posthumously conferring upon him an emeritus membership. The president was requested to communicate the board’s action to Mis. Conley, and to ask the editor of The NATS Bulletin to include "Eugene Conley-In Memoriam* in The NATS Bulletin. A Baird/Roberts moUon that this resoluUon be accepted was given the silent treatment, but a timely FarishyBaird motion that the words Inter Nos be subsUtuted for The NATS Bulletin evoked an unanimous board approval.

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Monday, December 28, had to have been a long day for board members, starting off with an 8:00 a.m. board meeting and ending with the close of the last scheduled event with a 10:00 p.m. starting time. Little wonder that Tuesday’s board meeting didn’t get under way until 8:09 a.m. All board members were present. President Bushman called on Richard Miller for a report on The NATS Bulletin. He remarked that the income up to date was about equal to that of last year at this time. By way of comparison, the per copy cost of the October, 1981 issue was 22 cents greater than the per copy cost of the October, 1980 issue. The editor said that libraries were cutting back in acquisitions as much as 15%, much of this in the area of periodicals. Before passing on to the next item. President Bushman mentioned that there was need of a new NATS membership directory. No one seemed interested in running with that ball so the Resolutions Committee, composed of David Hottman, Marilee Plaks and Joyce Zastrow took over. In essence their resolution in regard to Eugene Conley mirrored the rhetoric of Stephen Parish’s recommen­ dation in its final revised form. Next on the agenda was Vice-President Baird’s recommended raise in the fee structure for the 1982 summer workshops. NATS members: preregistration full-time, five days, $55.00 advanced to $100.00 daily, $11.50 advanced to $20.00; registration full-time, five days, $60.00 advanced to $110.00; daily, $12.50 advanced to $22.00. Nonmembers: preregistration full-time, five days, $74.00 to $125.00; daily, $15.50 advanced to $25.00; registration, full-time, five days $80.00 advanced to $135.00; daily, $16.50 advanced to $27.00. Students: preregistration full-time, five days, $25.00 advanced to $50.00; daily, $5.00 advanced to $10.00; registration, full-time, five days, $30.00 advanced to $60.00; daily, $6.00 advanced to $12.00. A Zastrow/Crum motion that Vice-President Baird’s recommendations be accepted was given the board’s approval. Delbert Simon, governor of the Central Region, gained the floor and introduced Marcia Lewis, president of the Chicago Chapter, who extended an invitation to the board to host the 1986 national convention in Chicago. The last NATS convention in Chicago had been the winter of 1967. A Gregg/Crum motion that the invitation to go to Chicago in 1986 be accepted was given the board’s approval. Finally, the Chicago Chapter had one leg up on the 1986 convention, a goal that your historian had been working toward prior to the 1980 Denver meeting. N ot too long after the 1978 Houston Convention, where I had advised the Board of Directors that I was stepping down from the editorship of The NATS Bulletin, I began to prom ote the idea of a convention in Chicago in 1986. It had been nineteen years since there had been a convention in Chicago. To gain support and to ignite the imaginations of my fellow chapter members, I needed a cause cilibre. Mine was Bernard U. Taylor’s brainchild-the Singer of the Y ear contest. The 1986 convention was cited as a celebration of SOTY’s thirtieth year. True, the first SOTY contest was in 1955, but Richard Rivers who won that title on the night of December 29, 1955, had only two days in that year to sing as the Singer of the Year. Remembering that Melvin Geist, vice-president in charge of SOTY, 1966-1968, declared that NATS got off on the left foot when our first winner was labeled as the 1955 SOTY, I leaned on that idea. H e had contended that Richard Rivers should have been declared the 1956 SOTY since that was the year in which he would sing as the Singer of the Year until a new SOTY would be chosen during the last week of 1956. Phil Duey*s board agreed unanimously, but the succeeding administration ignored that decision. However, I used Mel Geist’s idea to support 1986 as the contest’s thirtieth year. To make that observance very special I presented the idea that we enlist the cooperation o f the powers that be at Ravinia or Grant Park to engage one of our previous SOTY or NATSAA winners for a summer concert during our convention. Our first step was the preparation of a formal invitation that involved the Chicago Convention Bureau as well as the chapter. I carried that petition to Denver. Since my tenure as a member of the Board of Directors had terminated as of June 30, 1980,1 planned to contact President Bushman personally. After a fruitless first day attempt to do so, I opted for leaving it at the hotel desk where the attendant said that a notice would be placed in Irvin Bushman’s box. For some unknown reason, the president and Chicago’s petition never got together. Even m ore mysterious was the fact that the envelope had disappeared. Later, I learned from President Bushman that even if he had received the petition, it was unlikely that action would have been taken on a convention more than six years away since the 1984 site had yet to be finalized. By Louisville, 1981, Chicago NATSers had more to talk about, but there was still a ways to go before setting up a functioning convention to materialize the rhetoric of their bid. O ne thing certain,

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the board’s acceptance of Chicago Chapter’s bid to host the 1986 national convention on that December 29th Tuesday morning pretty much set the course of the Chicago Chapter and that of your historian for the next four and one-half years. The concluding report of Tuesday morning’s board meeting was that of the NATS Foundation, given by its president, Bruce Lunkley. He noted that the entire Foundation Board was present at the convention and that they had met each day. Bruce announced that the program for 1982 included: (1) the renewing of the Aspen Scholarship and increasing the award by $100 to $600; (2) to supplement the 1982 NATSAA with a $700 travel grant; (3) the funding of a Dominic Argento Commission for the 1983 convention; (4) the awarding of an educational grant to one of the NATSAA semi-finalists at the 1983 Minneapolis Convention, without regard to placement in the auditions; and (5) the establishment of a $50,000 fund for matching grants called NATS Foundation Award for Vocal Excellence for colleges and/or universities with predominant­ ly NATS voice faculties. Bruce Lunkley reported that the Foundation had receiv^ about onehundred $1.00 to $250.00 donations. Of special note was the fact that the Foundation had come into its first major bequest. A former board member had willed her entire estate to i t Gifts also had been received fi-om Connecticut Chapter, Cascade Chapter, the New England Region, West Central Region and North Central Region. The Fund had been increased by $3,100 to a total of approximately $17,000, with the major source being the NATS matching funds program, a program which the Foundation board strongly urged be continued. Bruce Lunkley also announced that Margret Kommel, Gwendolyn Roberts, and Irvin Bushman had been elected to the Foundation’s Board of Directors. Bruce then expressed the wish that the Foundation would like to have an ofBcially appointed liaison person from each region to meet with the Foundation board at conventions to carry back information to their respective regions as well as to acquaint the board with possible future replacements, etc. The Foundation board hoped to create an advisory committee of at least three prominent individuals for consultive purposes. Bruce Lunkley advised the NATS Board of Directors that a new brochure was in the works and that a triple mailing campaign to members and others to raise funds was in the planning stage. The meeting was adjourned at 9:20 a.m. The thirty-fourth Business Meeting of the National Association of Teachers of Singing was called to order in the Ballroom of the Hyatt Regency, Louisville, Kentucky, on December 29, 1981, at 3:15 p.m. by President Irvin Bushman. After establishing the fact that we had a quorum, making several announcements and securing the approval of the minutes of the July 19,1980 Denver business meeting, the president proceeded with the election of three national officers. According to the requirements of the bylaws, the membership had been informed through Inter Nos of the upcoming election of these three national officers at the Louisville Convention. They were: Edward Baird, who had just completed his first term as vice-president in charge of workshops; Robert LaPella, who had just completed his first term as vice-president in charge of membership; and Marvin Keenze, who had been nominated to replace Gwendolyn Roberts as vice-president. The president asked for approval of a voice vote for all three at one time. A Kommel/Newton motion granted his request. An unanimous aye followed, prompting President Bushman to exclaim, "We now have a complete slate of officers." The president then requested the four vice-presidents and the president-elect to come to the platform. He also asked that the regional governors who were present to stand and be recognized, remarking, "I just wanted you to know who is running the show. It ain’t just one person." After the applause subsided, President Bushman announced that there had been 435 registrations and that 285 people would be at the banquet that evening. With a twinkle in his eye, he added: "I think it’s going to be a fun evening. I’m sure its going to be a ftm evening." The insurer of that fun evening was baritone Gordon Myers from Trenton, New Jersey, who capped the 1981 Gala Banquet with his hysterically funny "The Art of BeUy Canto." A t this point in the business meeting, it had been customary for the president to relinquish his gavel to a vice-president to chair the meeting while he gave his "State of the Association" address. Informality was in the air and it is unlikely that this bit of protocol was even missed. President Bushman reviewed problems with which he had been confronted and their solutions, some of which permanently changed the face of NATS. To mention the more visible, the eighteen-month convention cycle and the across the northern border assimilation of Canadian provinces. Lest the pages following take on the atmosphere of twice-told tales, we will forego

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the sequential accounting of all that took place in the 1981 convention business meeting since the reader already has been apprised of this content in the reporting of the discussions and reports given in the four Board of Directors meetings in the days prior to the convention’s business meeting. At the close of his report to the membership, President Bushman introduced Corre Berry, remarking, "That duet program that you heard today was prepared by Corre Berry. Now, in your packet when you came in and registered, you found a beautiful book on duet literature. That was Corre Berry’s project. I would like to ask Corre to come up and give you just a few words. . Corre Berry explained the organization of An Annotated Bibliography o f Duets, its triple indexing by composer, title and voice combinations. She concluded with the information that additional copies could be obtained from the executive secretary, James Browning, for $4.00. After the applause had died down. President Bushman remarked that Corre’s volume was just one more in the series of convention giveaway publications that had started with Judith E. Carman’s ArtSongin the United States at the 1976 Philadelphia Convention. Rita M. Resch, William Gaeddert and Gordon Myers were the other partners in the preparation of that more than 300-page volume. Actually, this initial giveaway turned out to be the most extensive and useful list of our country’s songs ever to be printed. The president mentioned that the Judith Carman committee produced a supplement to the 1976 volume for distribution at the 1978 Houston Convention. He continued. Then we had... the Solo Vocal Repertoire for Young Singers in Denver. Now, we have this third volume on duet literature by Corre Berry, which all of you who came to the convention received complimentary... I might tell you that [initial] Judith Carman book is really a collector’s itenL It is no longer available, and there is no way I know that it can be redone." A representative of the National Opera Association had requested a time slot during the 1981 NATS business meeting to make a special announcement. At this juncture. President Bushman introduced Suimy vanEaton, who, in her opening remarks referred to NO A as a sister organization of NATS. In one sense, we were more than that. Quite a few NATSers had been instrumental in the founding of the National Opera Association, among them Connie Eberhart, whom Sunny vanEaton characterized as the founder of NOA in her announcement. She informed the assemblage that NOA had established a Connie Eberhart Scholarship in her memory. Earlier in this meeting, we all stood in silence during the reading of the names of NATS members who had joined the Heavenly Choir during 1981. Constance Eberhart’s name was among them. Twenty-six years earlier, the newly formed NOA had accepted our invitation to hold its first national meeting conjointly with us at our 1955 Chicago Convention. NATS even programmed Puccini’s Gianni Schicci for the occasion. At the conclusion of her announcement. Sunny vanEaton invited NATS members to join NOA As the applause subsided, President Bushman started to wind down the meeting, thanking all those involved in making the 1981 Louisville Convention such a success. Then, he extended kudos to all those who had been a part of his administration, describing his presidency as an experience that he would never forget. The standing ovation caused the misty-eyed Irv Bushman to raise his hands, exclaiming, "I’m a sentimental slob. I cry easily, take it easy." As the laughter from the audience died down, President Bushman remarked, "Now, I will entertain any questions from the floor on any business or anything else that should come up or needs to come up or you would like to bring up in the next few minutes. As Irv Bushman looked out over the audience, he spotted two standing figures, causing him to remark, "Oh yes, I forgot about you. I’m sorry. I was so worried about everything else." The duo, Maiy Fall, NATS secretary-treasurer, and David Hottman, governor of the North Central Region, then issued a personal invitation to all those present to come to Minneapolis, July 3 through July 7, 1983, for NATS Thirty-fifth National Convention. The two of them tempted NATSers by projecting a word-picture of an old-fashioned picnic in the park to celebrate the Fourth of July, 1983 vnth a "scrumptious smashing Scandinavian smorgasbord, accompanied by strolling violinists." When the applause had died down and a few other items had been disposed of with dispatch, the question of a new membership directory was raised. According to board minutes under the date of June 24,1979, President Bushman’s first summer board meeting, a Roberts/Muschick motion that a NATS membership directory be prepared by Ohm Pauli at a cost of $700 was given the board’s unanimous approval. There is no explanation or reference to this action in any board memo or minutes during the Bushman administration why this authorization

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y ^ o m bcaMuc John Huri-in’s problem. . the about tiic abscncc of the customary a)nvcntion handout of report. Irv Bushman advised the membership present that the annual rejwrt ^ in t le works and was avaihiblc from our executive secretary, James Browning, for the asking, e president went on to exphun that the reason the reports were not available as usual was that ^ reports had gotten to Jim Browning by deadline time. As a consequence, there was insufficient time to collate them for distribution at the 1981 business meeting. Then, incoming resident John Burgin spoke up, saying that the audited report of the last fiscal year would appear in the next issue of Inter Nos. After a few more exchanges on minor matters, the board s unanim ous approval of a Grooters/Loeding motion to adjourn closed out the 1981 business meeting. However, before we wrap up the 1981 convention’s business meeting, let us look at the ripple effect of that meeting’s election results upon the Board of Directors for year one of the Burgin administration. There were few changes in the officers. Vice-President Marvin Keenze assumed charge of field activities and the Discretionary Fund. Vice-President Vernon Yenne was named NATSAA coordinator, replacing Gwendolyn Roberts. Regional elections held prior to the convention brought three replacements among the regional governors sitting on the Board o f Directors: (1) Cal-Western, Natalie Limonick, who replaced Bertha Autenrieth; (2) MidSouth, Sharon Mabry, who took over from Jay W. Wilkey, and (3) West Central, Jeny Langenkamp, who replaced Dorothy E. Crum, who had been wearing two hats since January 1, 1981, as editor of Inter Nos and as West Central’s regional governor. Listed below are the twenty NATSers who would navigate the good ship NATS through the months ahead. President Burgin had a well-seasoned crew aboard, only four new faces. [* Denotes members of the President’s Advisory Council] Board o f Directors National Officers President’. John Burgin. Vice-Presidents: Edward A. Baird*, Marvin Keenze*, R obert D. LaPella*, Vernon Yenne*. Secretary-Treasurer. Mary A. Fall*. Editor, The NATS Bulletin-. Richard Miller. Past-President: Irvin Bushman. Regional Governors Cal-Westem: Natalie Limonick. Central: Delbert R. Simon. Eastern: Robert Latherow. Great Lakes: Joyce Ruth Zastrow. Mid-South: Sharon Mabry. New England: Jean Westerman Gregg. North Central: David Hottman. Northwestern: Marilee Plaks. Southeastern: William Allen Vessels. Southern: Edward Deckard. Texoma: Stephen Parish. West Central: Jerry Langenkamp. The fifth and final board meeting at the 1981 Louisville NaUonal Convention was caUed to nrdPr hv President Bushman at 8:06 a.m., Wednesday, December 30th. All board members were r.cpn7exceotine the newly elected governor of the Cal-Westem Region, Natalie Limonick. A motion affirming the reappointment of John Burgin, Robert Grooters, Louis M r h o S and Meribeth Bunch as members of the Editorial Board of The NATS Bulletin received Nicholas and ^ anoroval A proposal to increase the allotment to a state or a district th e derated. The motion prohibiting teachers accompanying their students in through its regioii December 26th for father study, was defeated. The Burgin/Parish NATS ^ committee for the logo design be given authority to approve a new NAT^ m otion ^ t circle configuration but substi^ting the letters NATO inside the circle was logo, using the m c^tson. NATS second president

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editorship of Homer Mowe, the first editor of The Bulletin. Leon Carson had become president as of January 1,1946. What the logo committee did was to remove the outline map of the USA from the center of the circle and insert NATS in lower case script letters that first had appeared on the cover of the October, 1968 issue of The NATS Bulletin under my editorship. The board’s final action was the approval of a Farish/Plaks motion that the reimbursement of automobile mileage expense to NATSers for official travel be identical to the IRS allowable mileage expense. President Bushman adjourned the meeting at 9:30 a.m. The spacious atrium of the Hyatt Regency Hotel at Lx)uisville, open to the top floor from the lobby, lent itself to that convention’s memorable atrium serenades, ranging from impromptu solos to massed choral singing. The last evening featured a carol sing with a chorus of NATSers crowding the rails of the balcony-like openings of the several floors. It was a singing convention, performances even invaded the hotel’s roof top carousel dining room. Richard Kennedy presented songs for voice and guitar during mealtime breaks as did Jacqueline Roberts who provided a touch of Kentucky color, accompanying herself on the dulcimer in songs by John Jacob Niles. The singing that crowned the first evening was that of Met’s soprano, Kathleen Battle, who was heard in works by Purcell, Schubert, Strauss, Debussy, and selected spirituals, accompanied by Martin Katz. In addition to a half-dozen atrium serenades and mini-recitals, there was mezzosoprano Mary Ann Hart’s NATSAA recital. She sang in lieu of the 1980 Denver convention winner, tenor Jonathan Mack, who could not obtain a release from his Kiel, Germany, opera contract to return to the states to sing at the Louisville Convention. Mezzo Mary Ann Hart, who had placed second at Denver, since then had enjoyed successes across the USA in recital, oratorio and baroque opera. Shortly before Louisville, she had come away with first prize in the Minna Kaufinan-Rudd Distinguished Performance Awards. As Paul Richardson wrote in the January/February 1982 issue of The NATS Bulletin, she filled the bill. Richardson wrote: "Her vocal skill was complemented by a superb communication which thoroughly engaged her audience." The 1981 Louisville Convention had to be NATS singingest! Prior to Mary Ann Hart’s 4:15 p.m. recital, there already had been two mini-recitals. Following the mezzo’s recital, there were three atrium serenades at 5:00, 7:00 and 10:00 p.m., with an in-between 8:00 p.m. church opera, Novellis, Novellis by John LaMontaine, plus a 9:15 p.m. Michael Colgass’ chamber opera, V ir^’s Dream. Sunday and Tuesday had its proportionate share of such. Over the first three days, the Hyatt Regency Louisville’s roof-top revolving restaurant had some six concerts during the dinner and luncheon hours. There were fewer programs on Tuesday because of the mid-aftemoon business meeting and the cocktail/party reception prior to the Gala Banquet. However, mezzo Marian Abbott graced the period prior to the banquet with songs of Porter and Sondheim. At the banquet, baritone Gordon Myers’ The Art o f Belly Canto relaxed everyone to enjoy that very special afrium sing at 9:30 p.m.-an event of importance that even programmed a 6:00 p.m. rehearsal period prior to the cocktail party. To be sure, it was NATS’ singingest convention! There were some scholarly highlights which need to be mentioned, including: Walter Moore’s Master Class in German Lieder; (2) the Monday/Tuesday 9:00 a.m. sessions of Research on the Male Head Voice and the Female Chest Voice, a joint symposium with the International Association for Experimental Research in Singing, featuring John Large, Paul Oncley, Craig Timberlake, Lee C^s, Neil Wilson and Mark Bradley; and Berton Coffin’s master classMemonstrations. Budget-minded President Bushman contended that it just made cents to schedule the NATSAA finals as the convention’s closing session. That, in itself, would influence NATSers to remain through "Auld Lang Syne" just as effectively as a name artist sans a couple thousand dollar fee. Well, here we are at 11:00 a.m., Wednesday, December 30,1981, in the Ballroom of the Hyatt Regency Louisville for the NATSAA finals. The six singers who had survived the semi­ finals, held on Sunday, December 27th, were Stephen Aliapoulis, Richard Johnson, Richard Kennedy, Andrea Matthews, Linda Mohler and Karen Wicklund. Andrea Matthews, soprano, representing the Eastern Region, emerged as the first place winner. Richard Kennedy, tenor, of the Mid-Atlantic Region was named the second place winner. There was just one more song to sing, "Auld Lang Syne," and we all went our ways from a memorable convention that had meeting

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rooms and the hotel’s atrium ringing with song for four days running. How loud the silence must have been at 2:00 p.m., Wednesday, December 30,1981. Irvin Bushman, in his keynoter at the 1978 Houston ConvenU'on, remarked: "I begin my term of office without any great innovative programs that I am just dying to get started on. Frankly, I am not one to rock the boat unnecessarily... Nevertheless, each one makes his own footprints.’ Before the newly elected president’s boat left the Houston harbor, there was an unexpected defection in his top echelon--the editor of The NATS Bulletin gave notice of his upcoming retirement. President Bushman counted the solution of this initial challenge as the most important of his presidency. However, for physical impact upon our organization, the institution of the eighteen-month cycle for national conventions, alternating between winter and summer months, besides dovetailing into the three-year presidenqf, appears to have established more permanency. Two other items to which conventioneers have become accustomed owe their origin to Irv Bushman. They were suggestions garnered by the president during the Town Hall portion of the 1980 Denver Convention Business Meeting: membership evaluation of the various progranmied sessions, and cassette recordings for purchase of each of the convention’s sessions. Last, but of no lesser significance, was President Bushman’s hands-across-the-border to the several Canadian provinces that butted against NATS’ most northern regions stretching from the Atlantic to Pacific Oceans. By mutual agreement. Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island were incorporated into the New England Region; Quebec with the Eastern Region; Ontario with the Great Lakes Region; Manitoba and Saskatchewan with the North Central Region and Alberta and British Columbia with the Northwestern Region. It should be noted that a less formal handsacross-the-border relationship existed between the Northwestern Region and British Columbia for several years prior to President Bushman’s adopting it as a role model and making it legal all along the Canadian/United States border. To be sure, Irvin Bushman made his own footprints. His gem&tlich handling of problems rounded out the angularity of the Greenwell/Lunkley reorganization of the National Association of Teachers of Singing. It would be a safe assumption that few NATSers had ever given a thought to the variety of problems confronting a NATS president, especially when it comes to money matters. President Irvin Bushman’s remarks in his "State of the Association" address at the 1980 Denver National Convention Business Meeting prompted such reflection on my part. He said: "I usually walk around with ten, fifteen or twenty dollars in my pocket if I’m lucky. Helping to prepare an annual budget of almost $150,000... is a stretching exercise for me." When Karl Trump [1970-1972] secured approval of a raise in annual dues from $12.00 to $20.00 to raise adequate funds to increase greater activity at the grass roots level as well as sustain and staff our national office at 250 West 57th Street, New York Qty, it is unlikely that he envisioned that by the mid-eighties, NATS would budget its maintenance at a figure between $50,000 and $60,000 to include salaries, rent, equipment, and supplies. Or, for that matter, that the budget for our major publication would top $50,000 per year. The fiscal responsibility for sustaining NATS should no longer be laid on the shoulders of one individual-the president. True, he is the executive officer of the Association with his actions subject to the approval or disapproval of some twenty associates, five of them designated as the President’s Advisory Council. Any one member of that select group or, for that maner, any of the remaining fifteen, has the responsibility to stand up and speak his or her piece to prevent an administrative wrong turn. It would appear to me that the regional governors, representing the regions from East to West have the responsibility to suggest new paths or needs of their regions. If they sit and only act in a consultive way, they are not representing their regions. As a matter of fact, any dues-paying member can exercise his or her right to suggest changes to improve the future of NATS. Yes, even a single dues-paying member can effect a change in the future course of NATS. To wit, one Margaret Sheridan, then of Minneapolis, who stood up at the 1953 Sl Louis Convention and questioned a revision in the bylaws wherein three members of the five-man Board of Directors would constitute a majority and could make or break a situation. The incoming Taylor administration [1954-1956] responded with a reorganization that provided a board of eighteen, sub-divided into a Policy Board and Executive Committee, with a system of checks and balances that seemingly was impossible to manipulate. Margaret Sheridan of

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Minneapolis was one member who effected a dramatic change in NATS bylaws at the beginning of our second decade that turned the course of NATS down another road. A question that may be asked but not answered at this point is why the Bushman administra­ tion chose to dip into reserves rather than cover the upward surge of inflation with a raise in dues. The preceding Lunkley administration had countered with a vigorous membership drive that tempered inflation’s inroads by adding more than a thousand members during his three-year tenure. That push carried into the first year of Irvin Bushman’s presidency. Fiscal 1980 topped out with a record total of current assets at $103,789. At the initial 1980 Denver Convention board meeting, Mary Fall reported our current assets at the record high of $110,150, but the Denver convention dented that total by almost $6,000. Executive Secretary James Browning’s financial report for fiscal 1981 at the 1981 summer board meeting revealed that our income of $150,412.47 had been overspent by $7,925.97. That amount had to come out of our current assets. The auditor’s report for fiscal 1981 recorded our current assets as of June 30, 1981 as $88,795, down $14,994 within the year. Membership attrition in conjunction with inflation had taken its toll. The year-end report revealed that there were 27 fewer members recruited against a drop in membership of 57 greater than in the previous period, leaving a net gain of 133 members. Income firom their dues would have covered less than half of the reported overspending in our fiscal 1981 budget. How long would it be until one of Gean Greenwell’s successors would take his observation seriously that only an annual recruitment of 500 members could prevent an increase in dues or curtailment of services to the membership. Actually, the Lunkley $5.00 raise in dues authorized at the 1978 Houston Convention, to take effect as of January 1,1980, was not intended as a raise countering inflation. Intended primarily to sustain expanding regional, state and local activities, its carefully orchestrated distribution left only a fringe benefit for national needs. While membership recruitment had tempered effects of inflation during the Lunkley years, the last two years of the Bushman administration were but a sample of what could be down the road for the next administration if there were no raise in dues. Unfortunately, no Karl Trump surfaced during the July 24, or July 25,1981 summer board meetings. The only direct contact with the Trump years was Bruce Lunkley, Karl Trump’s vicepresident in charge of field activities. Karl Trump had been faced with a $24,247.26 deficit in fiscal 1970 even though the income for that period had been greater than fiscal 1969 by $4,781.45. There had been a band-aid $4.00 raise in dues at the 1967 Chicago Convention that proved to have been too little, too late. Recognizing the inflationary spiral as the culprit to be dealt vwth, Karl Trump went on a two-year crusade against the old guard who predict^ dire consequences if the projected raise in dues from $12.00 to $20.00 became a reality. Karl Trump’s perseverance paid off at the 1971 St. Louis Convention. The confrontation with James Browning’s fiscal 1981 report that the budget had been overspent by almost $8,000 and Mary Fall’s pinpointing of areas of that deficit spending only elicited band-aid remedies. While increases in workshop or convention fees are a limited part of the problem, such inaeases should never be considered as contributing much to a solution of major problems in the financial area. The involvement of members is significantly low, only approximately 13% of the membership attended the Denver convention. It would be unreasonable to expect that enrollment fees of a convention should cover the major offerings of that convention. It is there for each and every member to attend. For that reason, a proportionate part of every members’ dues should be earmarked for conventions as well as for each of our several services provided to membership. There was but one effective course that could have tempered the financial toboggan slide revealed by comparing Mary Fall’s 1980 Denver Convention report of current assets of $110,150 with that of her 1981 Louisville Convention report of $79,094, a difference of $31,056, and that would have been a minimal $10.00 increase in annual dues to take effect as of January 1982. Since that did not materialize, the incoming administration would have to face up to a more Spartan situation than did Irvin Bushman in the last two years of his administration. Our executive secretary, Jim Browning, in a letter to me, expressed his concern and annoyance over the fact that his suggestions were ignored with the result that many of his predictions came to pass. Over the years, he reminded presidents and their boards that there was a real need for more income to balance expense, but nothing was done about it. He wrote: "I am afraid that the various presidents and their boards must take the blame..

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John Burgin PRESIDENT

1982-1985 Before the new president had time to wind down from the LouisviUe Convention’s swirl of events, programmed or othenvise, John Large sent off two letters. His first, under the date of January 1, 1982, addressed to Mary Fall, offered to free her of any responsibility of providing a research symposium for the 1983 Minneapolis Convention. He raised the imposing banner of the lAERS-sponsored Fourth International Conference in the International Decade of Research in Singing. Under its aegis, the whole symposium would be arranged at no cost to NATS for personnel involved or for needed audio-visual equipment provided that the Minneapolis Convention Committee could prevail upon area colleges and/or universities to loan NATS the needed AJV aids. John Large’s January 2nd letter opened with congratulations to John Burgin on his moving up to the presidency. As the director of the NATS Council on Research, he included a copy of his letter to Mary Fall. Then came the big bite. John Large proposed that NATS’ budget item for the mailing of two issues of the Journal of Research in Singing to the NATS membership be increased in the next budget from $1.00 to $1.50 per member, raising the NATS subsidy to lAERS to $5,259 on the basis of 3,500 members. This door, that had been opened by the Bushman administration, contributed to lAERS’ financial stability, but it was NATS’ creation of the National Council on Research and the naming of him as its director that gave John Large the recognition he long had been seeking from earlier administrations. However, a glance at the official directory page in the January-February 1982 issue of our journal finds that his name is not among the coterie of NATSers, listed at the top of the page, who headed NATS’ several activity areas. Yet, John Large was the director of the National Council of Research. To him, this seemed to be a disparity. As a consequence, the second proposal of John Large’s January 2nd letter to the president ventured the suggestion that the director of research be included on the NATS Board of Directors, writing; "It seems to me that Research ought to have equal footing with Workshops, Field Activities, etc." President Burgin’s reply to John Large on January 7,1982, expressed appreciation for the detailed symposium proposal for the 1983 Minneapolis Convention. He explained to Large that he had three meetings with the Minneapolis people during the course of the Louisville Convention and that he was impressed with what they already had in the works involving a group from the University of Wisconsin in a cooperative project with their interdisciplinary colloquium on the Use and Care of the Human Voice. He closed that portion of his letter, writing: "Your proposal is certainly appreciated and will be given the fullest consideration." In regard to the requested increase in the NATS allotment to lAERS for their limited distribution of the Journal o f Research in Singing to the NATS membership, President Burgin promised to present that request to the board for their report and subsequent action prior to the scheduled spring budget meeting. The balance of the president’s January 7th letter to Large was concerned with two instances of John Large’s questionable phraseology in defining the lAERS/NATS relationship and Large’s populating of the NATS National Council on Research. They will not be discussed herein due to space limitations. It seems that during the halcyon days of the Bushman presidency, John Large had come to look upon the National Council of Research as his committee rather than the NATS National Council on Research of which he had been designated as the director, subject to the bylaws of our Association. President John Burgin’s Board Communique No. 1 carried only the identifying date of January, 1982. Judging from the opening sentence: "A month has gone by since our gathering in Louisville..." leads me to believe that it was at the month’s end. He informed the board that he had been writing innumerable letters. The president remarked that the luxury of board meetings, by far the best way to conduct NATS’ affairs, must now give way to business by mail For that to be effective, members of the Board of Directors needed to respond promptly and

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thoughtfully whenever a board vote was requested. He informed the Board of Directors further that, when a member felt the need to confer with him that he was as close as Ma Bell after 11:00 p.m., Central Time, at his home. The informational potpourri continued with a summary of the board’s actions at the Louisville Convention, followed by the statement that copies of the complete minutes would be forwarded at a later date. President Burgin apprised his board members that he had updated and had made minor revisions in Jean Gregg’s officers handbook, prepared two years back, and that he would be sending on copies to new state governors, chapter presidents and freshman board members. He wrote: "If any of the ol’ hands need a copy, please let me know." Then, he requested that each board member submit a current personal data sheet by return mail, so that he and his officers would have the latest information on their respective backgrounds, training and interests at hand as they formulated plans for the months ahead. Reacting to the remarks of two board members during the Louisville sessions that a fresh look at the bylaws was needed, the president alerted members of the board that he soon would seek their approval of a conmiittee to study the bylaws for needed revisions. He advised board members to carefully study their copies and recommend to him such alterations that they deemed appropriate. He even left the door open for interested board members to volunteer to serve on the committee that he was about to appoint. President Burgin then reported that James Browning had informed him the supply of Joan Boytim’s Solo Vocal Repertoire for Young Singers was rather low. Since there continued to be a steady stream of orders, the president advised the board that he had given the go-ahead to the executive secretary to reorder 1,000 copies. At $4.00 per copy, NATS was in the position to make a reasonable margin of profit. President Burgin also reported the John Large correspondence, in part, to the board. Since that letter exchange was treated in the initial pages of this chapter, it will not be included here. The decline in membership over the past two years of the previous administration caused the president to call on his board members to reverse that trend; the percentage of membership attrition exceeded that of membership gain. He reminded them that membership was the responsibility of regional governors, state governors and chapter presidents. While new members could be recruited year-round, the critical months were the first three months of the calendar year, dues paying time! Only those that had joined the Heavenly Choir or had entered a nursing home should be permitted the delimiting experience of withdrawal from membership. The president asked for a vote on two items. The first request was a ballot on an ad hoc committee on the national office site, to include Jean Ludman, chair, James Browning and Robert Latherow, to study the feasibility of renewing the lease on our New York office at 250 West 57th Street, New York City. President Burgin previously had written Past-President Ludman in midJanuary, asking her to head that committee. Then, he explained that if the committee decided against renewal at the West 57th Street address or in any other New York City location due to the cost factor, then a new site committee would be formed to include personnel in the location under consideration. The ad hoc committee was asked to report in May. The president requested members of his board to consult with their hometown realtor friends as to the cost of a comparable two-room business suite in their own bailiwicks in order to build a base of comparative figures. The second ballot concerned the approval of a NATS chapter in Victoria, B.C., our second in Canada and a feather in the hat of Northwestern’s regional governor, Marilee Plaks. President Burgin informed his board James Brovraing had verified that those who had signed the petition were members in good standing. The Board of Directors put their stamp of approval on both with a 10/0 vote. The interlude between Board Communiques Nos. 1 and 2 provided opportunity for a detour to the grass roots via the "Around the Regions" section of the January-February issue of Inter Nos. Confronted with across-the-page type lines, set in smaller type than used in newspapers, your historian’s resolve almost made a turnabout to move directly to the contents of Board Communique No. 2. However, the urge to include a glimpse at where the action was, led your historian to mark time, leafing back and forth through the eight-page newsletter, while deciding how to extract and condense the desired information. That page flipping became an eye-opener. Second glances uncovered typos and misinformation. What had gone out to the membership contained inexcusable inaccuracies due to Editor Crum’s less than accurate copy and/or superficial proofreading prior to press time. This and the use of questionable filler material on the

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remainder of the third page of the "Around the Regions" section, with the "Welcome New Members" section starting on the following page was the handiwork of a novice. A more experienced editor would have used a two-column page, using all the space over the three pages for the "Around the Regions" report. Even using the same size type, the report would have been easier to read. A novice can be forgiven questionable type choices, but failure to catch errors that may occur in the setting of copy cannot be forgiven. To insure that such errors and/or misinformation never get to your public is the editor’s premier duty. Let us take the trip down error lane. On the publication’s second page, cut captions identified John Burgin as "Jim Burgin," and Mary Fall as chair of the 1981 convention instead of the upcoming 1983 convention. Flipping the page to the "Around JOHN BURGIN the Regions" section, the editor identified the Cal-Westem Region as California-Western and the Mid-South Region as Mid-Southern. Flip the page and you will discover that, under the "Welcome New Members" section, the editor tagged them properly as the Cal-Westem Region and the Mid-South Region. Curiously, your historian took a quick look at the April/May 1982 issue, hoping to discover that Editor Crum had become aware of her ambiguous labeling the second time around. Amazingly, she had not. In a desperate move, your historian leapfrogged over all 1983 issues to the April/May 1984 issue of Inter Nos only to discover that Editor Crum was not yet aware of the double identity that she unwittingly had set up in the January-February 1982 issue of Inter Nos. Stranger yet, not even the governors of the regions, given the dual identity over the period under discussion, corrected Editor Cnmi. The question could be raised whether they even had read their copies of Inter Nos during those two and one-half years. Now, for the rest of the story. Eleven of NATS’ thirteen regions had forwarded information to Editor Crum. It only can be assumed that Julie Fortney, governor of the Mid-Atlantic Region, and Stephen Farish of the Texoma Region, had missed the deadline. Surely, there must have been several events that had taken place in both regions during the last four months of 1981. Also, it is inconceivable that neither region had no projected plans for the first quarter of 1982. No matter, the remaining eleven gave healthy evidence of grass-roots activity. Eastern Region’s New York Chapter announced an all-day symposium/workshop for Sunday, February 14, at Hunter College. The New York Chapter had to be number one in NATSer land, reporting activities that had taken place in October through December, as well as those planned for Februaiy through May, including a three-day regional conference and auditions for April, an event for every month since September, 1981 through May, 1982 except for January. The Tampa Bay Chapter, Southwestern Region, programmed student auditions at Florida College for Februaiy 20,1982. On that very same day, West Central’s Kansas Qty Chapter announced its spring meeting to take place at Marymount College in Salina. Back in the Eastern Region, the New Jersey Chapter planned for state auditions at Trenton State College for Februaiy 27. Twice as many activities had been planned for the month of March and that is where we will leave it for now since the April/May issue of Inter Nos could carry complete reports of those meetings projected in the January/February issue. Board Communique No. 2, dated March 19,1982, opened on the optimistic note that the 1981 Lx)uisville Convention had emerged in the black. There were reasons, foremost among them, the specter of the Denver, 1980 Convention balance sheet and the auditor’s report confirming a $10,449 overspent fiscal 1981 budget. A concerned Bushman immediately turned toward band-aid relief. Lxjuisville, 1981 was shortened by two days over Denver, 1980. Then, there was but a single diva, soprano Kathleen Battle, whom Iiv Bushman persuaded to sing for NATS at a substantially reduced fee. Unfortunately, the last two years of the Bushman administration had witnessed a declining net enrollment. Note that the word, net, has been italicized, since it is this figure that becomes

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the multiplier of the annual dues, determining the sum total of NATS’ basic income. For reasons unknown, vice-presidents in charge of membership only have reported the nev^^ member figure. The 1981 report boasted of a new member figure of 303, or an increase of 8.67%. While not an adequate gain to ofEset the double-digit inflation experienced at the time, it surely would have been comforting if true. Why the vice-pfesident in charge of membership and admissions only included the admission figure, omitting any mention of those deceased, resigned and/or dropped for non-payment of dues, is not known. Surely, the latter must have been of some concern. That total for 1981 was 240, reducing the net gain in membership to 63, or 1.89%, equating to less than a Si,600 increase in basic income. How differently that reads from the 303 figure which caused Vice-President Robert LaPella to write, "This has been a good one for new members." President Burgin’s call for 3,850 members by November, 1982 implied a figure achieved by reducing drastically the number of delinquents, to wit, his charge to his board members/regional governors: "When the list of members who have not paid current dues reaches you from New York, let me urge you to move promptly and effectively to contact your people urging their continued membership." Otherwise, it would be an unattainable goal. What chance would there be with 240 leaving by the back door while only 303 were coming through the front door? Now, President Burgin had set a goal of 3,850 members by November, 1982. In view of fiscal 1981’s track record, to insure 3,850 members by November, 1982, the acquisition of new members would need to surge beyond the president’s requested 10% increase. Realistically, that goal needed to flirt with a 600 top, unless the president’s alert to board members dramatically stemmed the delinquency/regis­ tration tide. The Board of Directors’ 17/0 ballot on the next item in Board Communique No. 2 became your historian’s tether for more than two thousand and one days. At Denver, 1980, Gean Greenwell and I talked of the need of chronicling the history of NATS. We even bantered about joint authorship. Gean’s failing health and my preoccupation with the promotion of the 1986 Chicago Convention, commemorating the 30th year of Bee Taylor’s Singer of the Year auditions, pushed the history to the back burner. I recall that President-Elect Burgin and I had some discussion in regard to it, but my main concern was the 1986 Chicago Convention now that it had been given the board’s approval. Not too long after Louisville, 1981, President Burgin received a letter fi-om Gean Greenwell, a letter that had taken him months to write. In it, he stressed the need of a NATS history, naming me as his candidate for the task. That prompted the president to put the question to me and I consented to take on this added responsibility. As a consequence, Burgin requested the board’s approval in his March 19,1982 board communique. For the second time in 27 years, such a vote set my feet on a dual path. Back in the spring of 1955, Bernard Taylor had asked me to be the program chairman for that year’s end Chicago Convention. Not too long thereafter, he returned with a second request, asking me to take over the editorship of The Bulletin. My acquiescence to that request pretty much dictated what I did for the next twenty-five years. As a matter of fact, both Gean Greenwell and John Burgin used that quarter century editorship as the reason why I was the logical choice to write the history of the National Association of Teachers of Singing. There were several additional items requiring a board vote. President Burgin reported the resignation of Central Region’s governor, Delbert Simon. To complete Del Simon’s unexpired term, the president nominated Edwin Quistorff of Warrensburg, Missouri, asking for a vote of approval. Quistorff had just completed a term as the Missouri State Governor. The board returned another \HQyea vote. Among the immediate duties of a new president is the setting up of a national Nominating Committee. President Burgin asked the board’s approval of the following: Irvin Bushman in the chair, Gerry Cate, Mary Fall, Jerry Langenkamp and Joyce Zastrow, who had served on the previous nominating committee, thus giving it continuity. The vote was 16/0, with one abstention. The next two items were of a controversial nature. You will recall that John Large had written President Burgin on January 2, requesting additional funds for lAERS’ mailing of their journal to NATS membership. The president’s reply was that he would present the request to the board prior to the scheduled spring budget meeting. The president also took John Large to task in regard to his populating NATS National Council on Research without prior board approval. As promised. President Burgin presented John Large’s concepts for a Council on Research to the board, asking them for their vote. The board returned a 14/2 vote with one

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abstention. The request for a 50% increase in the NATS support payment to lAERS for their forwarding the lAERS journal to the NATS membership did not fare so welL Large’s request for a payment of $5,250 in lieu of the $3,500 received in 1981 met with a 6/9 rebuff with two abstentions. The remaining items in Board Communique No. 2 were informative in nature, requiring no board vote. President Burgin advised his board that a summer board meeting was not in his plans. There would be, however, a meeting of the President’s Advisory Council at the Wichita State University workshop in mid-July. The president issued a call for budget items, writing: “Those officers who need to submit specific budget proposals are requested to get that to me no later than April 20." On May 6 and 7, Mary Fall, James Browning and President Burgin planned to meet in New Orleans to prepare the fiscal 1983 budget. The president invited all board members to provide input relative to the budget. He also relayed the information that the search for an acceptable alternate New York office was in limbo. Since several organizations, similar to NATS, had relocated on university campuses, he requested board members to sound out their respective institutions. One final item, the president unveiled the new stationery, enclosing a sample copy in the March 19th mailing. The cunent variety of devised, patched, poorly printed stationery used at various levels of NATS’ officialdom ofi'ended the esthete in John Burgin. He believed that NATS should put its best foot forward. Since letter mail is in many cases our only contact with many individuals outside of NATS, he opted for an attractively designed, professionally printed stationery to be used by all offices and/or officers at all levels. The first step was a new logo. Then came the stationery. John Burgin had been laying the groundwork for a new logo since the first days of his becoming president-elect. It made its initial appearance before the whole membership on the cover of the March/April 1982 issue of The NATS Bulletin, replacing a logo that had been the creation of NATS’ second president, Leon Carson. It was the product of Carson’s imagination and architectural skills, first appearing on the masthead of the 1946 May-June issue of The Bulletin during Homer Mowe’s editorship. Leon Carson succeeded Homer as editor of The Bulletin in January, 1948. He waited, however, until Volume VII, No. 4, February-March, 1951, before acquainting the membership with its symbolism. He wrote: "The official seal, circular in form, is encircled with two continuous rings or bands, the smaller representing the local and other component units of the organization which serve to make up the national body, while the larger and outer circle is representative of the all-embracing unity and protectiveness of the national organization as an entity. In the small field between the inner and outer circles is found the honored name of the association. Also within this space is the date of organization inception. The stars are indicative of the three teacher organizations, the members of which were instrumental in the forming of the National Association of Teachers of Singing-namely, The American Academy of Teachers of Singing, The Chicago Singing Teachers Guild and the New York Singing Teachers Association. "Serving as a broken background in the larger inside field of the seal is the traditional lyre, the symbol so closely allied with the singing profession. Implanted in this is the general map of the United States, refiecting the national scope of the association’s membership and its wide­ spread endeavors. This miniature map contains the outlines of the eight large regional districts for organizational purposes. The tiny white dot in the lower southeastern comer of the Central District indicates the spot where the National Association was bom-to be exact, the city of Cincinnati." This was the seal or logo of NATS until 1982. To President John Burgin it did not reflect the NATS of the 1980s. It no longer was accurate as to regional divisions, nor did it include the Alaska/Hawaii constituencies. Perhaps it would be more accurate to refer to the logo that appeared on Cover No. 1 of the 1982 March-April issue of The NATS Bulletin as a revised or updated version of the Carson logo. The implanted map over the lyre within the large inside field had been replaced with a borrowed lower-case nats which first appeared fourteen years earlier on cover no. 1 of the October, 1968 issue of The NATS Bulletin. It also had been used on that publication’s staff stationery. John B u r^ , as a member of the Editorial Board during my editorship of The NATS Bulletin, was familiar with it.

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Not since ninety-three-year-old Walter Allen Stults joined the Heavenly C hoir on the last day of the first month of Bruce Lunkley’s presidency, January 31, 1976, has the flow o f this history been halted to report the final act of a former president. Now we pause to say our farewells to two former presidents who added their voices to the Heavenly Choir within three days o f each other: Gean Greenwell, on April 4, 1982, and Philip Duey, on April 7, 1982. In general, their careers paralleled each other. Both left their home states as young men to launch their singing careers in New York City. There they matured as artists, subsequently turning westward to sustain academic careers and to serve NATS in its highest office. After New Y ork City, G ean Greenwell spelled out his teaching days at Michigan State. Philip Duey was not too many miles away, holding forth at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Both men served NATS at pivotal times in its history. Their contributions were significant. Requiescat in pace, Gean Greenwell and Phil Duey. You are sorely missed! Quite a time interval remained until Board Communique No. 3 came along, so let us turn to some conespondence received by President Burgin. It will give the reader insight into some of the day-by-day problems faced by the president, some that were reluctant to go away. W hen you read some of these letters, keep in mind that the results of the board’s balloting on several items on Board Communique No. 2, are known to you because your historian gives you that information. The reader must realize that, in real time, board members would not know these results until they had received the president’s Board Conmiunique No. 3, which was placed in the mail on May 17,1982. It is very likely that President Burgin had not received all the ballots until a week earlier. In the meantime, the unsuspecting John Large continued to bombard the president with requests of one sort or another. Large’s April 5th letter reminded the president to present to the Advisory Council the triple request: (1) the NATS director of research be included on the NATS Board of Directors; (2) each national convention program include a research symposium of appropriate dimensions to be organized and directed by the NATS director of research and the NATS Council on Research; (3) a suitable appropriation of funds for the NATS Council on Research activities be included in each NATS budget. John Large’s April 11th letter, over his signature as the general secretary of the International Association for l^ e r im e n ta l Research in Singing, complained that certain NATS members were trying to undermine the efforts of members of his group who were trying to promote research in singing. H e wrote: "Sometimes these people also attack me personally." John Large thought that NATS’ adoption of the three proposals in his A pril 5th letter would deter these unpleasantries. He solicited the president’s personal reaction to his letter o f April 5, 1982 as well as the results of the vote on the proposal to continue the NATS Council on Research and the proposal to raise the NATS’ subsidy for the distribution o f th e Journal o f Research in Singing to all NATS members. He closed the letter inviting John Burgin to become a member of the JRS Editorial Coromittee. The president sent off a short note to John Large on May 5th, writing, "I cannot tell you if NATS will support the distribution of the JRS to all our membership until after the 1983 budget is approved by the board in mid-May. The budget will be devised in New Orleans next week and, by May 15,1 hope to place the proposed budget in the mail for action by the board." On May 12th, John Large responded to the president’s May 5th note. H e had just m et with the publisher of the Journal o f Research in Singpig and this urgent message was the result: "Due to rising costs and improvements in the size and quality of the JRS at this juncture, it would be necessary to charge NATS $1.00 per issue or $2.00 per year [per member] to distribute JRS to the entire membership. Please let me know if you can still budget this item." Seemingly, John Large was still imaware of the negative outcome of his initial request for an increase over the NATS subsidy started during the Bushman presidency. Up to now. Large spoke in terms o f a subsidy. In his May 12, 1982 letter, that subsidy became a direct charge to NATS. W hen the president received this letter, he was in the process of preparing Board Communique No. 3, so he had the information that the initial Large request had been rejected by the board. H e answered John Large on May 15,1982, notifying him that his earlier request o f increasing the subsidy from fifty cents per issue to seventy-five cents had been rejected by the board. The president wrote: "In view of this, I can reasonably say that the board would not approve th e larger figure of $1.00 per issue per member. At this time, consequently, I do not have the authority to authorize you to print sufficient copies of your new issue for distribution to NATS members."

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Seven days later, John Large replied, "To be perfectly honest with you, John, the Board action re the budget item to distribute the Journal of Research in Singing to the NATS membership is not at all discouraging to me. That is to say, I suppose, that nothing surprises me anymore.' He continued that he no longer could tie up lAERS plans for expansion to an educated deal with ji^st too limiting. Then, Large came back with an offer that he acknowledged as Ed Baird s idea, remarking that he would be happy to support it. He explained, "I would be willing to keep our ties in this manner. We could distribute one issue per year to the entire NATS membership for $L00 per member, this would be the December issue, and we would call it the NATS Issue o f the Journal of Research in Sin^g. The above anangement would also make it possible for me to continue to offer full lAERS membership to NATS members at the rate of $10 per year, down from the regular $15 per year charged to non-NATS members. Those NATS members who thusly join lAERS would receive the second issue of the Journal of Research in Singing” President Burgin’s Board Communique No. 3 was put in the mail on May 17,1982. Ten days earlier, the president had left New Orleans, concluding a two-day meeting. May 6 and 7, with Mary Fall and James Browning in which they had prepared the budget for fiscal 1983. The trio punctuated their budget sessions with guesting around five New Orleans hostelries, sleeping, eating, or just trooping their halls and baUrooms in an effort to come to a decision on the NATS’ 1984 convention headquarters. Although the primary concern of the May 17th Board Communique was the fiscal 1983 budget, there were several other items of consequence included. The president wrote: "It’s in your ball park now," referring to the lists of deUnquent members now in each regional governor’s hands. John Burgin urged them to make personal contact, writing, "This is the principal way we can reach the desired goal of the ten percent growth this year." He reported that he had written letters to 105 new members prior to the dispatch of the current communique. Petitions for chapters had been received from Rhode Island and San Joaquin Vall^, requesting approval of their chapters. The national office had verified that the petitioning signatures were all members in good standing. Instead of asking for the customary board ballot, the president wrote: "Unless I hear from you to the contrary, we will consider their requests granted by common consent." A new departure! In his previous communique, President Burgin had asked for a board vote in regard to the establishment of a NATS chapter in Victoria, B.C The last two pages of Board Communique No. 3 concerned JTie NATS Bulletin, specifically, the editor’s unfortunate choice of a colleague to handle non-member subscriptions and advertising. It had become a source of embarrassment to both the editor of The NATS Bulletin and to Irvin Bushman in the early months of Miller’s editorship, a problem that was not brought to the board. Unfortunately, their entre nous handling of the problem slowed things to a walk right into the first year of the presidenqr of Irvin Bushman’s successor. President Burgin’s report to the Board of Directors in Board Communique No. 3 stated: "Robert Drummond has been Assistant to the Editor since Richard Miller has been serving as Editor. Because of his heavy work load. Dr. Drummond will no longer assist in this capacity." The president then announced the solution to the problem. However, Executive Secretaiy James Browning, gave a more colorful and down to earth account in his letter to me. He wrote: "As you recall, when Miller succeeded you, [September 1,1980] he hired someone from his school to be his assistant That was a total mistake, for the assistant, Drummond, made a complete mess of the records. He held cheques even longer than Roger at times, did not enter changes of address, let subscriptions run on without billing for renewal, etc. I feel that Miller and Bushman reahzed the disaster the subscription work had become, and so the move of the job to the national office. I said I would accept the subscription work only if the records came in up-to-date order and I wanted them by the end of the fiscal year-June 30, 1982, otherwise, I would send them back! Drummond apparently felt guilty about not keeping the records in order and sent a few at a time. The last of the records came exactly six months /a/er-December 31 [1982]. It got so bad, that I suggested the only way we were going to get the Bulletin material was to threaten to take Drummond to court!" For all this, Robert Drummond was being compensated at approximately four times the honorarium paid his counterpart during the last years of my editorship. The remedial cost of the transfer of non-member subscriptions to the office of the execuUve secretaiy was a 35,000 added budget figure for a part-time employee in the national ofiice. However, that was not the only

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cost The invasion of what had been James Browning’s sole domain since the days of the Greenwell presidency marked the beginning of our executive secretary’s disenchantment with NATS. James Browning preferred to work alone. What had been his sanctum sanctorem up to now was a thing of the past. During the Bushman presidency, John Burgin was the vice-president for field activities and the Discretionary Fund. He also wore another hat--the editorship of Inter Nos. In essence, this dualism was as I had envisioned it when I created Inter Nos during the Coffin years [1968-1970]. The newsletter was the vice-president’s natural line of communication to the grass roots. It was also a medium for chapters and regions to showcase their activities to NATSer land as well as to exchange ideas. John Burgin’s effective role as the administrator of the Discretionary Fund prior to his presidency is reflected in the "Around the Regions" section of Inter Nos. The April-May 1982 issue reported some thirty chapter and regional meetings that had taken place since the January-February 1982 issue was put in the mail. All but three regions were represented, but Texoma was the only region not represented in either issue since the first of the year. Space limitations dictate a capsulized version of the account in the April-May issue of Inter Nos. There were nine multiple day meetings of a varied nature: (1) Idaho’s Gem State Chapter, Northwestern Region, held a workshop on January 29-30. (2) The Montana State Auditions were held in Helena, March 5-6. (3) The Utah State Chapter, Cal-Western Region, also held a two-day meeting on March 5 and 6, featuring Dr. Ralph Appelman of Indiana University. (4) The Maryland/DC Chapter, Mid-Atlantic Region, held their Spring Conference and Auditions on March 12-13 at Catholic University. (5) The Iowa Chapter, Central Region, presented Horst Gflnter of Freiburg, West Germany, on March 13-14. (6) Southeastern’s Regional Student Auditions were held at Florida State University, March 26-27, with 150 participants. (7) On March 29-30, Martha Kane Tortolano, governor of Vermont, New England Region, and her husband, William Tortolano, held a vocal workshop at St. Michael’s College, Winnoski. (8) On April 1-3, West Chester State College, West Chester, Pennsylvania, was host to the A stern Regional Conference with 300 singers entered in the auditions, double the number of 1981 entries. (9) The Mid-Atlantic Regional Spring Conference was held at Longwood College, Farmsville, Virginia, April 2 and 3, featuring Phyllis Bryn-Julsen in two master classes of contemporary song literature. Eastern Region’s New York Chapter held a five-hour symposium on Sunday, February 14, entitled, "A Dialogue between Those ^ o Teach and Those Who Hire," that featured several fine young singers who sang for a distinguished panel of eleven conductors, artistic directors, administrators, performers and talent agents who offered valuable advice to those who sang. Limited space forbids identifying the panel members and the organizations with which they were affiliated. On March 13, Virginia Chapter, Mid-Atlantic Region, held its Spring Conference at James Madison University. In the Great Lakes Region, Michigan NATSers met on March 20 on the campus of Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti. John McCollum, assisted by Nancy Hodge, lectured and demonstrated "The Oratorio Aria: Style and Interpretation." On March 21, the Boston Chapter, New England Region, held its final meeting of the season. Central Region’s Chicago Chapter met on March 27th, featuring Bruce Lunkley of Austin College, Texas, and Marlin Katz of New York City. Cascade Chapter, Northwestern Region, held its Spring Workshop on April 24th. While there were several of the multiple day meetings that featured student auditions, there were eight others that were devoted to the auditions only. On February 29, the New Jersey Chapter hosted over fifty student singers at Trenton State College, making it the largest auditions held in New Jersey up to this time. The Mid-South Aimual Student Auditions, held on March 26th at Carson-Newman College, Jefferson City, Tennessee, attracted 191 participating singers. The Indiana Chapter, Great Lakes Region, held its second consecutive year of student auditions on March 27 in Indianapolis. March 27,1982 was the date of South Louisiana Chapter’s Spring Auditions and Conference at Louisiana State University, in which 125 students, representing twenty-five NATS teachers, participated. Great Lakes’ Michigan Spring Student Auditions were held on April 3rd. The Buckeye Chapter, Great Lakes Region, held its Student Auditions on April 24 at the University of Akron. On April 27, the Maine Chapter, New England Region, held its Student Auditions at the University of Maine.

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On April 30, the North Louisiana Chapter held its Student Auditions at Northeast Louisiana University. While not all areas reporting student auditions in the 1982 April-May Inter Nos did not include a head count, those that did racked up a significant total of well over 2,000 participants. John Burgin’s spade work in the grass roots while he was the vice-president in charge of field activities and Discretionary Fund during the Bushman years was paying dividends during the early months of his presidency. The Official Directory in the 1982 January-February issue of The NATS Bulletin reflerted the Board of Directors’ action at the 1981 Louisville Convention, updating the listing of the regions whose borders had been extended northward, namely: (1) Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick in the New England Region; (2) Quebec in the Eastern Region; (3) Ontario in the Great Lakes Region; (4) Saskatchewan and Manitoba in the North Central Region; and (5) Alberta and British Columbia in the Northwestern Region. No doubt that President Burgin’s interest in stimulating the upward trend in Canadian membership prompted Ed Baird to schedule a 1982 summer workshop on the campus of the University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, June 27-July 2. Since NATS’ two previous sallies across the border had been so eminently successful in the summers of 1966 [Victoria, British Columbia] and 1978 [University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B. C], NATS’ top brass had high hopes for NATS’ third return. Unfortunately, NATS struck out! The conference coordinator at the University of Calgary threw up the first road block. She insisted on a $15.00 surcharge per workshop registrant. Then, Vice-President Baird discovered that Calgaiy was, for all practical purposes, inaccessible during June 27-July 2,1982. A large petroleum convention had previously planned to converge on the city of Calgaiy at the same time. Ed Baird attempted to book his flight three months in advance only to discover that many flights already were completely filled. Oh, there was a way to get there, but to do so, Vice-President Baird would have had to take a reservation on an indirect route that would have cost him twice that of the most direct route. To have gone ahead with our workshop in face of such odds could very well have cost NATS more than $2,000. Heeding the old adage, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, the vicepresident in charge of workshops opted for a strategic withdrawal. The May-June issue of The NATS Bulletin carried a notice of the workshop’s cancellation, inviting members to attend the two surviving workshops. As a matter of fact, the Jacksonville University Workshop, Jacksonville, Florida, June 20-25 and the Wichita State University Workshop, Wichita, Kansas, July 11-16, came off with excellent attendance, almost 100 at Jacksonville with 145 at Wichita. Earlier in the year, the Wichita State University based workshop, July 11-July 16, had been designated as the site for the summer meeting of the President’s Advisory Council. Board Communique No. 4, dated June 22,1982, included the agenda for the meeting, alerting the four vice-presidents, Baird, Keenze, LaPella and Yenne, Secretary-Treasurer Maiy FaU, and Executive Secretary James Browning, that the first session was scheduled for 8:00 a.m., July 12,1982. The next four days were filled with discussing the fifteen-point agenda. Before the president prepared Board Communique No. 5, requesting approval of the several recommendations threshed out at the Wichita meeting, President Burgin wrote to John Large on July 23,1982, to answer his questions raised in his letters of April 5 and June 2. The president wrote: "The Council reminded me that the board, in previous action, had declined to include the Director of the Council on Research as a member of the Board of Directors. The Council also concurred with my recommendation that individual convention planning committees be given full latitude in planning the program they feel appropriate for that time and location. We are recommending to the board that $150 be allocat^ to the Council on Research for routine postage, stationery, and telephone calls for the fiscal year. The President’s Council also suggested that any request made for research projects on fiinding be considered as made." On July 30,1982, Board Communique No. 5 was placed in the mail. The president reported on the success of the 1982 summer workshops. Looking ahead to the September-October issue of Inter Nos, he included the previous year’s roster of state governors and chapter ofBcers, requesting all regional governors to check out their listings as to cunency and to post any changes to Editor Crum prior to the August 15,1982 deadline. President Burgin enclosed a stamped addressed envelope to speed the process. He wrote of the usefulness of the Wichita meeting where the needs of NATS were discussed. The four vice-presidents gave progress reports on their four respective areas. Fiscal 1982 closed out with a savings and checking balance of $86,017. 321

Nine proposals of the President’s Advisory Council were placed on a ballot for action by the Board of Directors. The power of the pen brings them to the reader now even though the results would not be circulated to the board until Board Communique No. 6 reached them in early November. The Board of Directors’ actions were as follows: (1) With a 19/0 vote, they ruled that deceased past presidents should be honored with appropriate statements in The NATS Bulletin while other NATS leaders should be recognized in Inter Nos, as seemed apropos at the time. (2) A 17/2 vote approved the sponsoring of a major art song composition contest, recommending that the president name a committee to further explore this matter. (3) The board voted 18/1 in favor of a national membership directory to be distributed at the 1983 Minneapolis Convention. (4) The board concurred with the President’s Advisory Council’s interest in advertising the Minneapolis Convention, The NATS Bulletin, our several other publications, and for qualified new members, in the ACDA’s publication, The Choral Journal, with a 17/2 vote. (5) The Board of Directors approved, with an 18/1 vote, the Council’s interest in purchasing exhibit space at the 1983 ACDA National Convention in Nashville. (6) The item on the Council on Research, given a 19/0 board vote has been reported fully in the preceding paragraph. (7) The Board of Directors approved the phasing out of the NATS Placement Service by a 19/0 vote on recommendation of the Advisoiy Council since it was no longer being used to any extent. This effort to serve our membership stretches back twenty-five or more years. It surfaced during Cliff Toren’s presidency [1956-1958] when George Cox, who headed our Workshop Program for most of the sixties, proposed a double column job exchange program as a sustaining feature in The Bulletin, modeled after that found in theAAUPBulletin. Your historian, then editor of The Bulletin, responded with better than a half-page plug on my editorial page. Interested members were requested to address "The Mail Bag," an opinion column in our magazine, but the response was negligible. Berton Coffin, president, 1968-1970, revived the Cox proposal, but with a different tack, at the 1968 Portland Convention whereby prospective employer/employee job interviews could be held in privacy at conventions. Then, early in 1976, Executive Secretary James Browning suggested that NATS change our one-shot Placement Service at conventions to a year-long basis with a $15.00 charge to members. The fee was insignificant when compared with those of established agencies. Bruce Lunkley, then president, relayed this idea to the board, but did not ask for a vote until his July 6th board letter. The board gave it a 21/4 vote of approval. At the 1976 Philadelphia Convention, our executive secretary reported that thirty-three NATSers had enrolled in our yearround Placement Service. Six years later, we closed the books! (8) To correct an oversight at the 1977 summer board meeting, the Advisory Council proposed that Bylaws Section 7, paragraph b, be changed from" ... until the election of a new president" to " ... until the installation of a new president." The board gave its approval with a 16/2 vote. That 1977 change cut back the tenure on the board of the immediate past-president from three to two years, thereby making way for a one-year board internship for a president-elect. (9) Early in April, 1982, Victor Fields had written President Burgin to the effect that his Foundations o f the Singer’s Art was not being reprinted, so, he offered it to NATS with the understanding that it be published by NATS under its present title and authorship. NATS could sell it at any price it wished with all proceeds going to NATS. The Board of Directors expressed their appreciation to Victor Fields and asked President Burgin to secure estimates on a paper-bound edition. Rather than let this item become a loose thread to be picked up later and woven into the fabric of our history, let us leap ahead to its resolution. It became a fait accompli and was placed on sale at the 1984 New Orleans Convention where 107 copies were sold. In mid-September, Executive Secretary James Browning was compelled to write to Robert Drummond, assistant-to-the-editor of The NATS Bulletin, to wit: "The transition date of the Bulletin records from Oberlin to New York was to be July 1-the start of another NATS year. I gave months of notice to this effect. The May-June number of the Bulletin indicates that nonmember subscriptions should be sent to me at the New York office address. I engaged a part-time assistant primarily to handle the subscription records. Letters have come in asking about subscriptions from current subscribers and these letters cannot be answered coherently without having the subscription records. To date this office has received only some of these records. "In view of the above, will you kindly explain why this intolerable delay of eleven weeks and when we might now expect to receive the Bulletin records? NATS and the Bulletin cannot but be affected negatively by all of this vexing delay." Payroll checks to the assistant-to-the-editor had

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been discontinued as of June 30, 1982, so why should he huny! He had gotten away with piecemeal treatment of both non-member subscribers and advertisers for eighteen months during the Bushman presidency. The editor of The NATS Bulletin was reluctant to confront his colleague and Irv Bushman could not bring himself to require his editor to ask for his assistant’s resignation. The consequence was that Robert Drummond continued to draw a payroll check for one and one-half years for partially rendered services. It took the first six months of the Burgin presidency to finally remove him from the payroll plus another six months to recover all the records so that NATS could start rebuUding the income of The NATS Bulletin from advertising and non-member subscriptions. In his message in the September-October issue of Inter Nos, President Burgin highlighted the July meeting of the President’s Council at the Wichita Summer Workshop, Reports from the secretary-treasurer and the vice-presidents reflected the Association’s healthy financial condition, a record distribution of $5,567 by the Discretionary Fund in fiscal 1982, and a gain of 208 new members between November, 1981 and May, 1982. Since the September-October issue of Inter Nos kicked off a new season of NATS activities, it contained an updated roster of state governors and chapter officers. You may recall that President Burgin had enclosed the previous year’s roster in his Board Communique No. 5, alerting regional governors to check the listings of their respective regions and to forward corrected versions to Editor Crum prior to the August 15th deadline. There is no way of knowing whether all regional governors responded to the president’s request, but the listing that appeared in Volume XIV, No. 3, provided room for doubt. Earl Redding, whom Editor Crum had carried in her In Memoriam column in the 1982 April-May issue of Inter Nos, was listed in the September-October issue as governor of Louisiana. If the editor had proofed copy for the September-October issue, it is inconceivable that the name of Earl Redding would not have jumped right out at her, so to speak. Limitations on space dictate the citing of only the more flagrant errors. The not too observant editor overlooked the insertion of a clip-out ballot that should have accompanied the concomitant announcement of Julie Fortney as the Nominating Committee’s choice to succeed Mary Fall as NATS secretary-treasurer on January 1,1983. To compound the oversight. Editor Crum, instead of announcing Julie Fortney as the nominee, captioned that half-column with "Introducing Our New Head Secretary-Treasurer," How could the editor, a former board member, be so unfamiliar with NATS bylaws that she listed Julie Fortney as the holder of a non-existent office without benefit of an election? Readers, I think you will agree that this comedy of errors needs to be played out to the end. Then we will return to abiding by the chronology of events. President Burgin, rather than resorting to a costly mail ballot, opted to try again with the insertion of a ballot in the next issue of Inter Nos which, unfortunately, turned out to be the 1983 January-Februaiy issue. The president asked for a mailing prior to Christmas which proved to be unrealistia Editor Crum assumed that the January-February issue would reach the membership too late to include the clipout ballot, even though the last paragraph of the president’s Inter Nos column, "From the Top," specifically referred to the election and the return of the ballot The editor was only a phone call away from the president. Yet, insensitive to protocol, she made a decision that was not hers to make, when a three-minute phone call would have solved the problem. She decided not to run the clip-out ballot and proceeded to edit the president’s column, eliminating the paragraph that had given instructions in regard to the return of the clip-out ballot The president knew nothing of Editor Crum’s unilateral decision until the 1983 January-February Inter Nos arrived on his doorstep. It is not your historian’s intent to relate a blow-by-blow description of the president’s ensuing confrontation with ineptitude up to the board meetings of the 1983 Minneapolis Convention where things were finally resolved. Henceforth, Editor Crum agreed to send a duplicate copy of each issue’s proposed layout to the president prior to its publication for approval and/or revisions. That insured proper placement of the president’s column and other national news items. The matter of the twice-missed ballot was resolved with the publication of the May, 1983 issue of Inter Nos, the convention issue, announcing the forthcoming Minneapolis Convention, July 3-7,1983, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel. Back to the mainstream! On November 5,1982, President Burgin posted Board Communique No. 6~the last of such for his first year in office. What a year it had been! Not one of President Burgin’s predecessors had to face up to three such knee-high roadblocks, as recorded in the previous pages of this

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chapter, in the initial months of their administrations. As a matter of fact, one of the two items upon which the president requested a board vote in this communique grew out of a Burgin fencemending gesture toward the Voice Foundation because of critical remarks made by John Large in regard to this group. A letter in April to Dr. Wilbur Gould of the Voice Foundation and John Burgin’s attendance at the Eleventh Annual Symposium on the Care of the Professional Voice in early June blossomed into a Liaison Committee, chaired by Dr. Ingo Titze, University of Iowa, Iowa City. Dr. Titze, both a singer and a scientist, had sustained a voice research page in The NATS Bulletin since the 1980 September-October issue. In response to President Burgin’s request that he choose five others from a list of suggested possibilities to serve with him. Dr. Titze named Meribeth Bunch, Van Lawrence, Richard Miller, Ethel Smith, and Craig Timberlake. Also, in that September 9th letter. President Burgin proposed to Titze that he structure a ninety-minute session for the 1983 Minneapolis Convention, highlighting the work of the Voice Foundation. Dr. Titze was given full latitude, in consultation with the officers of the Voice Foundation, to organize the sessions as he deemed best. The president relayed this information to Roy Schussler who was arranging other convention sessions of a technical-scientific nature. The president’s request for approval of the Titze chaired Liaison Committee was given a 16/1 board vote of approval. The other item requiring a ballot was the schedule of registration fees for the Minneapolis Convention, July 3-7,1983. Approval of the following fees requested: Preregistration-$45.00 for members, $70.00 for non-members; Registration at the convention-$60.00 for members, $90.00 for non-members, and $20.00 for members’ spouses and students under the age of 25. The board responded with a 16/1 vote. There were two other items of an informative nature. President Burgin advised his board that the national office search was still a live issue. At the time, invitations to locate in Charleston, Denton, Miami, Minneapolis, Jacksonville and New Orleans had been received. The president wrote: "Several offers and inquiries have been made, but no decision has been reached. Your response with suggestions is still appropriate. . . Our lease in NYC expires in May 1983." President Burgin reminded board members-thirteen of them were regional govemors-that the Inter Nos deadline was December 1, 1982. He urged them to send in reports promptly, pointing the finger at those regions with major conferences and auditions during the fall, writing, "I am aware of five regional conferences during the first two weeks of November." All told, there were six regional meetings during the last quarter of 1982, one in October and five in November. On October 29-30,250 student singers in the Great Lakes Region invaded the campus of Bowling Green State University in Ohio. The regional fall conference and regional artist contest of the Mid-Atlantic Region was held on November 19-20,1982 at the University of North Carolina, Chariotte. That same weekend, the Mid-South Region held their fall conference at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where forty NATS members and almost 100 students/visitors registered for the two-day meet. On November 11-13, the Southern Region held their Eighth Annual Conference and Student Auditions on the campus of Southeastern Louisiana University, Hammond. A record number of 450 students and 90 NATS members were in attendance. Texoma Region held its Thirty-Second Regional Convention and 31st Annual Student Auditions on the campus of Baylor University, Waco, Texas, November 13-16. Well over 1,000 persons were in attendance, including over 750 singers in the student auditions. At the region’s annual business meeting on Tuesday, November 16, it was announced that Texoma Region had pledged $1,000 to the NATS Foundation. The year-end reports revealed that we failed to move our membership total up to President Burgin’s targeted goal of 3,850 dues-paying members as set forth in Board Communique No. 2, but his emphasis on membership retention reduced the loss of members through non-payment of dues dramatically. 1982 new members column indicated that we picked up two more members than we did in 1981, but there were thirty-nine fewer casualties in the deceased, resigned and/or dropped columns. Our net gain in members jumped from 63 in 1981 to 104 in 1982. The total dues-paying members for the reporting period was 3,663. We also had 137 Honorary Life Members. Vice-President Marvin Keenze, in charge of the Discretionary Fund, reported that total expenditures for the period were $5,421.53. Although there were some thirty-three requests for grants amounting to $8,254.98, several of the events were self-sustaining so no problem arose with the limitations of the $7,000 budget. Since the budget had not been completely used during the

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past two years, Vice-President Keenze proposed to the board that the dollar amount ceiling on grants be raised. Vice-President Vernon Yenne, NATSAA Coordinator, reported that there were 320 entrants for the 1983 competition. Since there were fewer entrants than for the 1981 Louisville NATSAA, Vice-President Yenne spoke with a number of potential NATSAA singers and learned that because of the large number of auditions and contests held in the spring, many felt they could only commit themselves to selected auditions. Since this probably would be a problem every other NATSAA, the national coordinator’s thinking was that serious considerau'on should be given to the raising of the amounts of the two top awards. NATS had passed over into the new year with few changes in the top echelon. JuUe Fortney, who replaced Mary Fall as secretary-treasurer of NATS, merely changed hats. She had been a member of the Board of Directors since 1980 by virtue of her governorship of the Mid-Atlantic Region. Kenneth Pennington, who succeeded Julie Fortney as the governor of the Mid-Atlantic, returned to the board after an absence of an approximate six years. He formerly had been vicepresident in charge of NATSAA under Presidents Greenwell and Lunkley. Corre Berry, who took over the governorship of the Texoma Region from Stephen Farish, appeared to be the only freshman in the lot. Board Communique No. 7 was put in the mail on January 28,1983. In it. President Burgjn alerted national officers and committee chairmen that he was expecting reports on their respective areas of responsibility for distribution at the Minneapolis Convention business meeting. The deadline for the receipt of these reports was May 31,1983. The president reminded the board that their first meeting would be on Saturday, July 2, 1983, at 7:00 p.m. President Burgin included a copy of his letter to state governors and chapter presidents, remarking: "News of the convention program may be found there." He also relayed the information that he had received seven regional and state newsletters and was greatly impressed with the variety and wealth of programs offered. The president asked that all members of the Board of Directors be included in their future mailings. A second enclosure was a petition for a new chapter in San Marcos, Texas. President Burgin reported that the petitioners had been verified as members in good standing. He asked for the board’s vote of approval which turned out to be 19A). The balance of Communique No. 7 dealt with a problem that had been a part of the president’s initial board communique in January, 1982-new quarters for less money. In fact, there had been letter-writing and site-inspection trips since mid-1982. Interestin^y, one such exploration eventually became the current location of our national office, Jacksonville University, the academic home of the Southeastern Region’s governor and NATS board member, William Allen Vessels, who chaired the university’s Division of Music. The president also advised the board of the provisions of the proposed five-year lease at our West 57th Street quarters. The first year’s rent would be $8,280 with yearly increases over the five-year period based on the cost-ofliving formula. Our initial lease in 1978 had been for $3,000 with cost-of-living inaeases raising it to the 1982-1983 level of $5,530. The second lease with the initial year’s rent of $8,280, represented an increase of almost 50% over the lease just about to end. With such an inaease in the initial year of the proposed new lease with comparable cost-of-living yearly increases, the fifth year of the proposed lease would edge over the $14,500 mark Little wonder that the president opted for moving to other quarters even if it removed the office from New York City. Correspondence over the months had brought offers fi-om more than one university, but no decisions had been made. President Burgin’s presentation of the various facets of the problem evolved into his requesting a vote on a multiple-choice ballot to be returned to him in an enclosed self-addressed, stamped envelope, to wit, that: (1) we should accept the proposed lease rather than bear the cost of moving; (2) an efibrt should be made to find alternate rental quarters; (3) NATS should secure its own property for a national office as an investment for the Association. The president relayed the outcome of this balloting in Board Communique No. 8, but through the magic of the pen, readers will get to know it now. No numerical results were reported except that the vote was strongly in favor of finding alternate quarters. William A Vessels’ end of February letter to President Burgin reported that a second opportunity for leasing space had opened up at Jacksonville University. ExecuUve Seaetary James Browning lost little time in hopping on a plane, and was in Jacksonville, Horida, on March 3, 1983. On his way back to New York City, Jim Browning wrote President Burgin, saying: "Well,

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the University House is out... I find that the college’s three sites I looked at all have one thing in common. They were undesirable and that is why they were empty." In a few days, there was a letter from Jean Ludman. In it, she reported that senior PastPresident Bernard Taylor had made a telephone canvas of the Council of Past Presidents. She wrote: "The consensus was that an immediate move should not be undertaken, a lease should be signed at the present address, and a long-range program of considering other locations should be initiated, involving all the regional governors." The references to the Council of Past Presidents and the singling out of the regional governors revealed that President Burgin was dealing with two past-presidents unaware of the changes in NATS since 1975. Gean Greenwell’s rewrite of the bylaws had dropped the regional representatives and made the regional governors an integral part of the Board of Directors. As for the Council of Past Presidents, they ceased to exist on paper with the Lunkley revisions of the bylaws. This was not by design, but an action to fit the bylaws to the time. The Council had been inactive since the late sixties. From 1968 on, the annual report of the immediate past-president had replaced that of the Council to fill the void. While there was a continuance of letter-writing and visitations, rather than reporting event by event, we will move directly to the president’s Board Communique No. 8, dated April 1,1983, wherein he presents a chronology of events as they developed toward the mandated solution: finding alternate quarters. President Burgin wrote: "In Communique No. 7 ,1 mentioned that the University of Miami had made overtures; this did not materialize. The offer from North Texas, though theoretically still open, is not being actively encouraged because some university offices that are being displaced while their own facilities are remodeled, would like to use the space." The second ofier of Jacksonville University has already been discussed. However, another Jacksonville, Florida, location came under serious consideration-the Florida Theater Building, where space was offered at $8.50 per square foot in contrast to the proposed lease renewal of the West 57th Street offices at $16.00 per square foot The executive secretary backed away from this one when he considered the increases in personal expense that a move to Jacksonville would entail. Then Ken Pennington, a member of the Board of Directors, became interested in bringing the NATS National Office to the University of Maryland, College Park. The stumbling block there was that the state laws prohibited the subleasing of university properties. No money could change hands on a rental basis. However, that could be circumvented by NATS’ donating or establishing a scholarship. Again, the executive-secretary was reluctant to make the move because his personal expenses would escalate even to the extent of having to purchase a car. Seemingly, there were roadblocks at every turn in NATS’ search for new quarters. Then, suddenly, we turned onto the main highway and drove straight to the fi-ont door. Space opened up at New York University in the Greenwich Village area of New York City. James Browning’s extra efforts in finding alternate quarters paid off with the assistance of Cesare Longo. Two NATS members, Cesare Longo and Helen Lightner, were members of the music faculty of New York University. The $6,000 rental fee for approximately 500 square feet was only $750 more than the West 57th Street offices and $2,280 less than the initial year for the newly proposed fiveyear lease, for this space. Better still, the New York University space carried no inflationary clause. While the location did not have the approval of Jean Ludman, chair of the committee, the other two members of the ad hoc committee, James Browning and Robert Latherow, approved. The fact that the cost of moving James Browning and office out of New York City would have approached the $6,000 figure was a powerful persuader, resulting in the president giving his reluctant approval. As a consequence, Board Communique No. 8 carried a request for a vote upon the recommendation to move the national office to the campus of New York University, 35 West 4th Street, Room 778, New York, New York, 10003, for an annual inclusive year-by-year arrangement of $6,000. The Board of Directors approved the president’s request with an 18/1 vote. The May, 1983 issue olInter Nos, Volume XV, No. 2, was devoted almost entirely to the 1983 convention, July 3-7, Hyatt Regency Hotel, Minneapolis. The official ballot to elect Julie Fortney as seaetary-treasurer to succeed Mary Fall finally made it to the membership after two previous unsuccessful attempts. It was the most important of the non-convention items included. Within a matter of days, Julie Fortney, legally, would be the secretary-treasurer of NATS, even though the official directory which was carried on cover no. 3 of The NATS Bulletin had so listed her since the January-Februaiy 1983 issue. The sub-page triple fold pictured a dozen convention

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personaUties, a day-by-day program of sessions, a page of biographical sketches of participants, plus the hotel reservation and convention enrollment forms. An abbreviated "From the Top* column appeared on the last page in which President Burgin informed the membership of the move of the national office to quarters in New York University, the nation’s largest private university, located in Washington Square. However, there was something different about the address portion of the back page. The name and address of Dr. John Burgin had replaced that of Dr. Dorothy Crum as editor. The president had relieved her of the obligation to get out the May, 1983 Inter Nos very shortly after he had received the Januaiy-February issue sans the official ballot on Julie Fortney. Our first convention centered around the Fourth of July promised indoor fireworks as well as those in the park! Board Communique No. 9 was put in the mail on May 11,1983. The first paragraph referred to the forthcoming Minneapolis Convention. President Burgin asked the regional governors to contact their state governors as well as chapter presidents and to urge them to attend the convention, emphasizing the importance of arriving in time for the Leadership Luncheon on the opening day, July 3. What had been separate meetings for state governors and chapter presidents at previous conventions was replaced with this single meeting on the opening day with the Board of Directors. The president repeated his call for a meeting of the Board of Directors on Saturday, July 2, at 7:30 p.m., changing the time from the 7:00 hour set in Board Communique No. 7. He asked that the regional governors bring with them an up-to-date listing of all oflBcers, states and chapters, as well as news items of regional, state and chapter activities. For reasons unknown, the next item-which would have fit the time frame of Board Communique No. 8 better than No. 9-popped up here. President Burgin reported on a midMarch meeting of the American Choral Directors Association where NATS had a display booth which he had designed. It was an exhibit to acquaint ACDA members with NATS, hoping to recruit new members from this group that was so closely akin to NATS’ stated purposes and goals. Past-President Nicholas and several other NATSers from the Nashville Chapter were on hand to help in this Burgin-inspired promotional effort The next request asked for a vote to discontinue Inter Nos in its current state and make it a four-page insert in the center of The N A TS Bulletin, something akin to a president’s newsletter. No matter the several reasons advanced to the Board of Directors by President Burgin, even the emphasis on lower costs, this brought a 7/6/6 vote-six board members abstained from casting their votes either for or againstsix who refused to get involved! The last two items that the president presented to the Board of Directors fared better. John Large’s request that Jay Wilkey be approved to serve on the NATS National Council on Research received a 17/1 vote of approval. The request for a new chapter in the Greater Cincinnati Area, Great Lakes Region, by a group headed by Hubert Kockritz and Nancy Martin received a 19/0 vote of approval. A t the close of the 1982-1983 season, the San Diego Chapter of NATS called it quits, according to a letter dated May 26,1983, written by the chapter’s president, Mary Mackenzie. The reasons given for its dissolution were a combination of poor attendance at meetings and an apparent lack of interest and enthusiasm for the proposed plans for the coming season. San Diego Chapter had been chartered on May 24,1975, during the presidency of Gean GreenwelL John Large, then a Californian, had forwarded the petition bearing the names of thirteen NATSers in good standing. At convention time, there were sixty-one chapters listed. However, four failed to include the names and/or addresses of their presidents. Almost a month later. President Burgin sent off a personal letter, dated June 21,1983, to each of the board members. Actually, it was a cover letter for the convention board meeting’s agenda and the budget for fiscal 1984. In the letter, the president reported there had been a pre­ convention registration of over 350. The high figure would seem to portend that the convention would be well-attended. All but two of the board members had advised President Burgin that they would be on hand. The proposed budget was the largest to date. The president wrote: "It contains some exciting new proposals; of particular interest is the provision to raise the regional allocation from $3.00 per member to $5.00." The letter closed with a reminder that board members were included in the reservation list for the Leadership Brunch on July 3 at 11:30 a.m. Next stop, the Hyatt Regency Hotel Minneapolis!

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At 7:30 p.m., July 2,1983, the president called the initial board meeting of the Thirty-Fifth National Convention to order in the Regenqr Conference Room of the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Minneapolis. All members of the Board of Directors were present except Irvin Bushman, Natalie Limonick, Sharon Mabry and Richard Miller. President Burgin opened the meeting with the introduction of two new board members, Kenneth Pennington, replacing Julie Fortney as the governor of the Mid-Atlantic Region, and Corre Berry, who replaced Stephen Farish as the governor of the Texoma Region. After appointing several ad hoc convention and board committees, the president called for officers’ reports. Julie Fortney related the transition of the office of the secretary-treasurer from Maty Fall to her as of January 1,1983. Executive Secretary James Browning described the relocation of the national office to New York University, Suite 778,35 West 4th Street, New York, NY 10003. He also gave an update on the Chase checking account in the amount of $46,111 and on the 1st National New Member Account in the amount of $18,675. Vice-President Edward Baird reported on the 1982 summer workshops. Inasmuch as this was a replay of his report at the President’s Council Meeting, July, 1982, at the Wichita Summer Workshop, we will leapfrog over it and go directly to the discussion of a joint AOTOS/NATS conference to be held in Totnes, Devon, England, during the late summer of 1984. President Burgin aimounced that Ed Baird would be asked to continue his responsibilities as director of workshops through the Devon conference of 1984 in the interest of continuity. After some discussion, a Vessels/Yenne motion that the board approve the concept of an England Conference in July, 1984, authorizing Ed Baird to proceed with its planning and scheduling if it were found financially feasible, received a 17/1 majority board vote of approval. Vice-President Robert LaPella announced that the NATS membership total stood at 3,784, actually a net gain of 121 members since November, 1982. Vice-President Marvin Keenze, in charge of the Discretionary Fund, reported that, of the $7,000 budgeted, $5,421.53 had been paid out and that $430 was still in process. A discussion ensued in regard to increases in current allocations to chapters, states, districts and/or regions. A Gregg/Yenne motion that grants from the Disaetionary Fund be increased to $300 with matching funds, and to $150 without matching funds, for all eligible requesting units was approved. Vice-President Vernon Yenne, NATSAA Coordinator, reported that there was a total of 320 entrants for 1983. A Yenne/Latherow motion that NATS members not be allowed to play for their pupils in the NATS Artist Awards Auditions was given board approval. The Board of Directors also approved a Yenne/Berry motion that the NATSAA entry fee be raised to $25.00. A Yenne/Langenkamp motion that NATSAA prize monies be raised to $5,000 for first place and $2,500 for second place also was okayed by the board. This Burgin administration move placed the NATS Artist Awards among the most prestigious in the United States. With that final act, the meeting was adjourned at 9:58 p.m. At 8:00 a.m., Sunday, July 3, the Board of Directors returned to the Regency Conference Room. One more board member reported in-Richard Miller. After calling the meeting to order, the president invited Gwendolyn Roberts to present \\lqNATSAA Guidelines Manual to the Board of Directors. At the conclusion of her talk, the former vice-president in charge of NATSAA was recognized for her dedicated service to NATS. The president then called on Julie Fortney, seaetary-treasurer, to present the budget for fiscal 1984. Since the notes recorded give little continuity or understanding to the total budget, only items that provided adequate information will be reported here. The NATS national office was about to be computerized, so for the first time, a $15,000 budget figure appeared to cover the cost of computer software, hardware and a maintenance contract. After considerable discussion, the board approved a Gregg/Vessels motion to table the purchase of a computer until our executive secretary could obtain additional cost figures for a word-processing printer and appropriate software. The salary of the executive seaetaiy came under discussion. Robert Latherow pointed out that James Browning, should the need arise, could not be replaced at his current salary. The board approved a Gregg/Vessels motion that the matter of the executive secretary’s salary be referred to the Persormel Committee for deliberation and recommendation of the full board. President Burgin called for the consideration of proposed new publications: (1) Corre Berry reported on her second project, Sacred Duets, and received encouragement fi-om the board to continue with her proposed publication. (2) President Burgin suggested that the Publication Committee explore the possibility of establishing and compiling a resource book on marketing the private voice studio. (3) Carol Mann, a doctoral student at the Cincinnati Conservatory of

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Music, had requested assistance in publishing the songs of Charles Griffes. A recommendation concerning such assistance is pending, following a decision by G. Schirmer to deny release of publication rights. (4) In a distributed letter from John Ness Beck of Beckenhorst Press, President Burgin reported on a project Burgin had undertaken to establish a subscription song folio. The board encouraged him to pursue the idea with Mr. Beck. (5) A NATS Source Book, to contain a compendium of pedagogical writings from NATS scholars, generated approval from the board. When questioned by the president, Richard Miller, as editor of TNB, indicated that compiling pedagogical articles from TNB would be possible. (6) V. A Fields, in a letter read by President Burgin, had given publication rights for his book. Foundations of the Singer's Art, to NATS. Inasmuch as this action was reported earlier in this chapter and carried through its denouement, it will not be repeated here. The second meeting of the Board of Directors of the Minneapolis Convention adjourned at 11:00 p.m. On July 4, 1983, the board returned to the Regency Conference Room at 8:00 a.m. After President Burgin called the meeting to order, he introduced Margeiy MacKay who would serve as Natalie Limonick’s proxy. Margeiy MacKay would succeed Natalie Limonick as the governor of the Cal-Western Region as of January 1,1984. He also introduced Carol Mikkelsen, present as an observer, who would succeed William Vessels as of January 1,1984 as the governor of the Southeastern Region. The president then called on Richard Miller, editor of The NATS Bulletin, to present his report. Editor Miller announced: (1) the relocation of TNB ofBce to his home; (2) the termination of Robert Drummond’s services as assistant-to-the-editor, (3) the division of advertising and non-member subscriptions, the budgetary considerations for fiscal 1984; and (5) plans for a sabbatical for the editor of TNB. President Burgin took the floor and presented his rationale for a proposed inclusion of Inter Nos within the pages of The NA TS Bulletin as an insert He, as president, would assume editorial responsibility for the duration of his term in ofBce. In discussing this proposal, the board questioned the advisability of burdening the office of president with this responsibility. The current status of the editor of Inter Nos, presented to the board by the president, triggered a Gregg/Langenkamp motion that Dorothy Crum be invited to the Tuesday, 8:00 a.m. board meeting, July 5. Unfortunately, the cryptic reporting of the secretarytreasurer concealed the actual vote of the board with the word approved. The meeting was adjourned at 8:57 a.m. The Minneapolis Convention’s fourth board meeting was called to order at 8:00 a.m., July 5, 1983 in the Regency Conference Room. Since all board members expected to attend the convention had arrived, they will be listed this time only for the records: John Burgin, Irvin Bushman, Edward Baird, Marvin Keenze, Robert LaPella, Vernon Yenne, Julie Fortney, Richard Miller, Corre Berry, Edward Deckard, Jean Gregg, David Hottman, Jeny Langenkamp, Robert Latherow, Margery MacKay, Marilee Plaks, Kenneth Pennington, Edwin Quistorff, Joyce 2^trow and William Vessels. Observers: James Browning, executive secretary; Mary Fall, co-chairman, 1983 Minneapolis Convention; and Carol Mikkelson, Southeastern Region. After the president called the meeting to order, he recognized Herald Stark from the South Texas Chapter who extended an invitation from the chapter to NATS to hold its 1987 winter convention in the city of San Antonio. Thereupon he distributed publicity packets to those present. Vice-President Baird moved and it was seconded that the invitation from the South Texas Chapter to hold the 1987 national convention in San Antonio, December 27-30, be accepted. The motion was earned by a 12/5 vote. The president then recognized the editor of Inter Nos, Dorothy Crum, who was present by board invitation. The editor read a prepared statement delineating proposed editorial procedures for the subsequent 1983 and 1984 issues. Perhaps it should be explained that the suspended editor and the president had arrived at a compromise prior to the 8:00 a.m. July 5th board meeting that allowed her to remain as editor. In essence, Dorothy Crum agreed to send a xerox copy of Inter Nos to the president prior to going to press so that he could check-out, okay and/or correct all items pertaining to his office. She reserved her right to do her own thing in the remaining space, regardless of errors. The board expressed its approval. The president received a note from the most articulate member of the board that evening, saying: "I thought your action this morning was an impressive display of graciousness and strength. Only a strong individual could have made that kind of move. In so doing, you have confirmed the Board’s feeling that we have an excellent President and a person of splendid personal quaUUes. Our high regard for you has increased and

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your stature has taken on a significant new dimension. Your resolution of this problem has saved the organization great embarrassment, and it is apparent that your dedication to the organization was the overriding fector in your willingness to take this move." Back to the meeting! President Burgin called for the ad hoc committee reports. The Publications Committee, Corre Berry, David Hottman, William Vessels, with Richard Miller in the chair, responded. They affirmed that the dissemination of historical as well as current vocal pedagogy information should be the concern of a professional organization devoted to teaching. The committee recommended to the Board of Directors the following: (1) The offer of copyright on Foundations of the Singer’s Art by Victor A. Fields should be accepted by NATS. (2) A series of pedagogical classics, to include out-of-print volumes, should be established. Other NATS authors may wish to offer copyrighted material for such a series. The Fields book would be the first of the series. A committee to plan the series should be appointed by the president and approved by the Board of Directors. (3) As part of the series or as an adjunct to it, a compendium of writings on conceptual approaches to singing should be planned-a NATS source book. (4) 1,200 copies of the proposed Berry Sacred Duets should be published by NATS. (5) The offer of the Beckenhorst Press should be accepted or, a positive response should be made to them. (6) Publicity for NATS publications should be increased through judicial journal advertising. Comment: All pedagogy publications would carry the non-endorsement statement similar to that which appears in The NATS Bulletin. Following a period of discussion, a MillerA^essels motion that the recommendations of the committee be accepted was subsequently withdrawn by common consent. The meeting was adjourned at 9:00 a.m. The board convened for its fifth time at the Minneapolis Convention on Wednesday, July 6, 1983. President Burgin called the meeting to order at 7:45 a.m., fifteen minutes ahead of the time scheduled. The president called on Bruce Lunkley, president of the NATS Foundation, for a report on its activities. Bruce Lunkley discussed the establishment of matching grants for vocal excellence in the amount of $500 to be given to selected colleges and universities for vocal scholarships. Certain stipulations governed the awards, among them: (1) that the voice faculty had a majority of teachers who were members of NATS and (2) that the institution would match the grant with a like sum. The selection of the recipient about to enter his senior year would be that of the institution receiving the grant. Bruce Lunkley asked the board to consider the establishment of a $10,000 Foundation endowment, interest from which would be used to further Foundation endeavors. The Lunkley request generated a LaPella/Zastrow motion that NATS contribute to the NATS Foundation a total of $10,000 over a period of three years in support of the Foundation Awards for Vocal Excellence. Bruce Lunkley stated that the award need not be made immediately, that the intent of the board in this regard was all that was sought at this time. The motion was carried by a 16/0/1 vote. The president then called for a continuation of the ad hoc committee reports begun in yesterday’s meeting. It may be recalled that the Publications Committee had reviewed some sue items. TTiere was a Miller/Vessels motion to accept, but later withdrawn following additional discussion. Now, the Publications Committee regained the floor with the board’s stipulation that each item in the committee’s report be voted upon separately. Jean Gregg moved and Jerry Langenkamp seconded that NATS accept Victor A, Fields’ offer of copyright on his volume entitled Foundations of the Singer’s Art. The secretaiy-treasurer reported that the motion was approved, but gave no vote count The second item pertained to the establishment of a series of pedagogical classics. A Vessels/Gregg motion that a series of pedagogical classics, to include out-of-print volumes should be established. Other NATS authors might very well wish to offer copyri^ted material for such a series of which the Fields book would be the first. The motion was approved by a 15/2 vote. Action on the remainder of the Publications Committee’s recommendations was postponed in order to permit the report of the Personnel Corrmiittee. The Personnel Committee consisted of Robert LaPella and Kenneth Pennington, with Irvin Bushman in the chair. President Burgin called on Irv Bushman to present the committee’s report. The committee recommended that: (1) James Browning’s salary remain at $24,200 as budgeted; (2) Mr. Browning’s vacation be extended from 15 to 20 days, divided into two sections; (3) Richard Miller be reaffirmed as editor of The NATS Bulletin, and that M. N. Dagger be given an honorarium of $1,200 for her duties on behalf of TNB. Since the chairman’s report involved a

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number of recommendations, it generated a series of motions in accordance with the board’s stipulation. A Gregg/Baird motion that the Personnel Committee’s recommendation in regard to James Browning’s salary and vacation be accepted, with the twenty-day vacation period to be divided into at least two sections, was given the board’s vote of approval. A Zastrow/Gregg motion that Browning be urged to take a course in computer usage, on released time, at NATS expense, also was approved. There followed a Beny/Baird motion that the board give a most hearty approval of Richard Miller’s three-year editorship of 77ie NATS Bulletin and reaffirm him to continue as editor received the board’s approval. Then a Bushman/Gregg motion that NATS provide an honorarium of $1,200 for M. N. Dagger for her duties in regard to The NATS Bulletin didn’t get off the floor without an amendment. A Yenne/MacKay motion amended the original motion, upping the honorarium to $1,500, The amended motion was given the board’s approval President Burgin moved on to the last item on Wednesday morning’s agenda. He introduced composer-editor-publisher John Ness Beck. The president related the circumstances of his approach to Mr. Beck concerning a proposed portfolio series of song literature to be published by Beckenhorst Press. The question/answer period that followed concerned NATS’ responsibility in guaranteeing subscriptions and the diversity of goals: NATS’ request to publish out-of-print materials vs Mr. Beck’s interest in the publishing of new music. A Zastrow/Baird motion that NATS endorse, in general, the concept of assisting in publication of a portfolio of song literature and that the president appoint a committee to work with Beckenhorst Press on the project seemed to crystalize the situation. Out of the blue, came the board approved Yenne/Gregg motion to table the Zastrow/Baird motion. The Wednesday morning session was adjourned at 8:55 a.m. The July 7th, Thursday morning session of the Board of Directors was called to order by President Burgin at 7:45 a.m., another early start. The president recognized the outstanding service of several board members whose terms of office would end as of midnight, December 30, 1983, even though almost six months service lay ahead of them: Edward Baird, Robert LaPella, William Vessels and Joyce Zastrow. Actually, the board meetings at the Minneapolis Convention would be the last for the four named, one of the inconveniences of the eighteen-month convention cycle. President Burgin continued with the recommendation that the board approve the following as a committee to investigate the role of NATS in the field of voice therapy: Oren Brown, Sheila Dugan, Sam F. Haynes, Larra Browning Henderson, Ingo Titze, with Jean Westerman Gregg in the chair. A MillerA^essels motion that NATS accept this committee was given board approval. Then, the president recommended that the board approve a committee to review the bylaws. That recommendation prompted a ZastrowA^essels motion that an ad hoc committee be appointed to review the bylaws in order to revise them and to bring them into agreement with current practices, giving special attention to such items as (1) the deletion of the Placement Service from the duties of the executive secretary [It should be noted that the Placement Service ceased to exist as of July 30,1982, when the Board of Directors cast a 19A) vote to do so upon the recommendation of the President’s Advisory Council.], (2) the inclusion of the editor of Inter Nos on the Board of Directors and (3) the modernization of the gender pronouns throughout. The Board of Directors approved with an 18/1 vote. President Burgin then announced that two Northwestern Region groups were seeking approval as chapters: Central East Chapter in Montana and Eastern Idaho Chapter. A Deckard/Plata motion that NATS grant the requests of these petitioning groups was given the board’s approval. A Miller/Yenne motion that Van Lawrence be appointed as associate editor of pie NATS Bulletin and that Dale Moore and Corre Beny be added to the Editorial Board was given board approval. The president followed with the appointment of a Review Board to assist the editor of Inter Nos, consisting of Corre Berry, Robert Latherow and WiUiam Vessels. The Publication Committee consisted of Corre Beny, William Vessels, and David Hottman, with R ic h ^ MiUer in the chair. A Zastrow/Gregg motion that NATS send a letter to G. Schirmer, stating that it had been brought to the attention of the Association by NATS member, Carol Mann, that a scholarly edition of Charles Griffes songs was being prepared and that NATS supports the publication of such an edition was given board approval. A Zastrow/Langenkamp moUon was made that NATS publish Corre Benys proposed publication. Sacred Duets. At that point, Richard Miller interjected that 1,200 copies of her Vocal Duets had been printed. By common consent, the number of her second publication, Sacred Duets, was placed at 1,000 copies. TTie

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board concurred with its vote of approval. A Zastrow/Miller motion brought item no. 3 of the Publication Committee’s report to the floor. It was moved that a NATS Source Book should be planned, consisting of a compendium of writings on conceptual approaches to singing, either as a part of a series or as an adjunct to it. The motion was carried by a 14/3/1 board vote. A Vessek/Zastrow motion in regard to the Beckenhorst Press, tabled on July 6, that it be removed from the table garnered a 17/1 vote of approval. To refresh your memories, that tabled motion r e a d .. that NATS endorse, in general, the concept of assisting in the publication of a portfolio of song literature and that the president appoint a committee to work with Beckenhorst Press on the project" The secretary-treasurer’s record is unclear if the 17/1 vote pertained to its removal from the table or the approval of the motion itself. In the president’s recollection, he believes that the motion subsequently was approved. A Hottman/Baird motion that publicity for NATS’ publications should be increased through judicious journal advertising was given board approval, after a discussion of specific journals, which included the MLA Notes, NOA Journal, ACDA Journal and the MENC Journal. Then, a Miller/Yenne motion directed that the committee which was to be appointed to handle the Pedagogical Classics series also should be responsible for the publicity of these NATS publication, was given board approval. President Burgin called on Executive Secretary James Browning to bring the board up-to-date on his findings on the computer purchase. The executive secretary reported that (1) in regard to the security question, the proposed computer was protected by both a key and a password system; (2) the quality word processor would cost an additional $850.00; (3) the cost of the interface program would be $45.00. A Vessels/Latherow motion that NATS proceed with the purchase of both computers and programming from the Matthews Company and that we purchase the word processor and high quality printer was given board approval with a yea vote of 18-there was one abstention. The board then approved a Latherow/LaPella motion that the fiscal 1984 budget be accepted as corrected. The committee to consider the Art Song Composition Contest consisted of Jerry Langenkamp, Edwin Quistorff and Edward Baird in the chair. The committee made the following recommendations: (1) The ad hoc Art Song Composition Contest Committee would screen all entries. (2) The composition would be limited to a cycle or extended work for solo voice and piano. (3) The winning composer would be awarded a $1,000 prize. (4) The contest would carry an entry fee of five or ten dollars. (5) The contest would be held every eighteen months to coincide with the national conventions. (6) A composer of any nationality would be eligible to apply, but the text for the composition must be in English. (7) A panel of NATS members and an outside composer would serve as contest judges. (8) The winning composition would be guaranteed publication. (9) Entries would be limited to unperformed works and NATS must be assured the premiere performance. A Baird/Plaks motion that NATS look with favor on the committee’s report was given board approval. The president’s call for the report from the National Nominating Committee was the last item on the agenda. The committee consisted of Geraldine Cate, Mary Fall, Jerry Langenkamp and Joyce Zastrow, with Irvin Bushman in the chair. This time around, the committee took a left turn and nominated two individuals to cover each vacancy, thereby giving the membership the privilege of choice. The individual elected to the presidency would serve as president-elect during 1984 and then take office as of January 1,1985. Since there would be two vice-presidents leaving office as of January 1,1984, two candidates for each of these offices were needed. Chairman Bushman read the report of the committee: (1) President-Elect-Edward Baird and Marvin Keenze; (2) VicePresidents-Stephen Parish, William Vessels, Katharine Hansel and Joyce Zastrow. The meeting was adjourned at 9:00 a.m. The Business Meeting of the 35th National Convention was called to order at 2:00 p.m., July 5th in the Nicollet Ballroom of the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Mirmeapolis. For the first time in our history, the meeting was being recorded on cassette tape fi^om which copies would be made available to the membership for a $5.00 fee. At previous conventions, a legal stenographer was engaged for a fee that was in the neighborhood of $350 to record our convention business meetings. The transcription was only for NATS’ official records. What had been an out-and-out expense could now very well become a source of income. After the Reading Committee’s report that the minutes of the Louisville National Convention’s Business Meeting were in order, the president asked the assembled members to stand in a moment of memorial for those members

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of the Association who had joined the Heavenly Choir during the last eighteen months. The president said, "I take the privilege to read the names of Donald Gramm, past NATS member, John T. Campbell, George S. Dane, Thelma Halvorsen, Andrea Kormany, Ladislav Morgenstem, Earl Redding, Flo Hunter Shell, Jane Sullivan, Dr. Ralph E. Wade, Past-President Phil Du^, Past-President Gean Greenwell, Irene Hanna-Pisk, Ellen Rutau, Jane Watkins Sullivan, John McFadden, Roy H. Schussler, Arvids Karlis Snomieks, Harold C. Luckstone, Frederick Jagel, Mabel Oieson, Herman Baker, Hazel Becchina, Sister M. Elise, Howard C. Johnson, Paul Quincy Nichols, Frank Leroy Pugh, Ruthabel Rollins, and most recently, Ruth Miller Chamlee. Thank you, please be seated." Since the reports that foUowed-those of Seaetaiy-Treasurer Fortney, Vice-Presidents Keenze, Yenne, LaPella and Baird have already been included in the reporting on the Board of Directors meetings, they will not be repeated here. The president then called on Bruce Lunkley, president of the NATS Foundation, for an accounting of Foundation activities. Although Bruce Lunkl^ had given his report at the board meetings as had the secretary-treasurer and the four vicepresidents, the sight of a convention hall full of NATSers triggered a metamorphic change in his report to a plea for more financial involvement in the Foundation on the part of the membership. He spoke of his encouragement that membership involvement in the current year in giftiog to the Foundation had taken an upturn. He assured the members present that there was a need for $10.00 and $500.00 gifts just as there was a need for $100 and $500 gifts. He deplored the fact that only four regions had sent in gifts, expressing the wish that more regions would make giftgiving to the Foundation a project. Bruce Lunkley reported the wishful thinking of the board that more chapters would begin to set up special programs to raise money to give to the Foundation. He extended his wishful thinking to individuals in their legacies, etc., saying, "It’s a way to live on. It’s a way to be a part of NATS and a part of young singers and singing education for the rest of singing time because that’s a permanent investment. And its the only way the NATS Foundation is eventually going to be funded to the extent that it can have a significant efiiect on the teaching of singing and on artistic singing in this country and abroad eventually." As Bruce Lunkley concluded his impromptu appeal. President Burgin announced that the next item on the agenda was a vote on a small, but needed change in our bylaws. The membership had been alerted to this vote on the amendment in the September, 1982 issue of Inter Nos. It was proposed that the phrase "until the election of a new president" should be changed to read "until the installation of the new president." This change was to establish exactly how long the pastpresident would remain on the Board of Directors, and the length of the past-president’s tenure as chair of the Nominating Committee. At the call for a vote, a Vessels/Roberts motion that the change be adopted received a unanimous vote of approval. Announcing that this last motion had completed the roster of old business. President Burgin called for new business. Corre Berry rose to her feet and was recognized by the president She proposed the following: "Recognizing that Mr. John Duke is one of America’s foremost song writers and that the vast majority of his songs are available either in single copies only or are unpublished, the National Association of Teachers of Singing encourage Carl Fischer, Inc., to publish a collection of songs by John Duke, thereby offering in one volume a larger and more complete representation of his many fine works." A Gregg/Crum motion for approval Qushed out Margarita Evans who related information unknown to Corre Berry or those attending the 1983 business meeting. She told of recent developments stimulated by a three-day John Duke festival held at Wheaton College. She said, "We began the Society of the Friends of John Duke, with Mr. Duke’s blessing. Since that time, a lot has been happening, and we will be getting more information to you. . . Mr. Duke has asked me to become executive seaetaiy of the Society of the Friends of John Duke. He is making a proposal to begin with the pubhcaUon of two volumes of Duke music, one, medium voice, which would have baritone and mezzo literature and one, high voice, for tenors and sopranos... I have the list available that he has given me. He does not want to change that. He wants for the Friends of John Duke to become the publishers and whichever company decides to print, to be the agent. He wants, fiirthermore, for this to be only the beginning of the publishing of aU of his works and any profit that will be realized to be put into further publication of his works. So, perhaps, the resolution, I have a copy from him of the resolution that you made and he’s delighted with it, but he is talking about two volumes because he does not want his music to be put into high and low voices. He wants it as it is. He doesn’t

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want it transposed at all, any of the music... So, I don’t know if you want to amend this or what you want to do with it, but I want you all to know what is going on and that donations are accepted. I have a fund set up and an account. I’ll be happy to clarify anything after the meeting, if you wish." The president’s query, "Are you ready for the question," provoked a request that the motion be read again. As President Burgin finished the rereading, he recognized Cesare Longo whose query was, "If NATS approves this and Mr. Duke is accepting his profit, couldn’t NATS get a little percentage of the profit?" That question set off a barrage of questions, opinions, and counter proposals, covering some five pages in the official transcript of the July 5,1983 Business Meeting before there was a call for the question. With the chair unable to rule on the outcome of the oral vole, there was a call for a show of hands. Corre Berry’s motion didn’t make it past its rereading. In the interest of winding down the 1983 Business Meeting, let us leapfrog to the president’s "State of the Association" address, capsulizing what we find there since you have already read the historical relating of these incidents and facts in previous pages. Although the president was only at mid-term in his tenure, there had been a noticeable increase in membership. He had reversed the downward trend that greeted him when he took over from Irv Bushman. In 1981, the dues paying membership totaled 3,493. In 1982, that total stood at 3,663, a net gain of 170 members. Halfway through 1983, that total topped out at 3,746--almost a ten percent increase since the beginning of the Burgin years. Workshops, NATSAA and the Discretionary Fund were in a robust state of health. The relocation of the national office, the resolution of The NATS Bulletin’s non-member subscription and sale of advertising problems plus increased membership enrollments created funds that sustained an income, making it possible for NATS to increase its services to its members. The president reported that the board was now working on NATS’ largest budget for fiscal 1984, in the area of $180,000 or slightly larger. The plans in that budget called for raising the regional allocation to five dollars per member, better than a 65% increase over the allocations in fiscal 1983. Oh yes, another sign of NATS’ state of good health: There were six new chapters since John Burgin took over fi’om Irvin Bushman. The president closed out the 1983 Business Meeting saying, "These [achievements] have been possible only because of a large munber of dedicated persons who have contributed their part to its success. You have accomplished these goals. Without your help, none of these could have been possible." Quite true! Quite true! But it takes a dedicated leader to inspire "a large number of dedicated persons" to come on board. The 1983 summer convention in Minneapolis was NATS’ second mid-year convention. Our first, Denver, 1980, covered the last five days in July. This time, it straddled July 4th, a day that started and ticked off like any other convention day up to the final moment of Phyllis Curtin’s Master Class. Then NATSers headed en masse to Minneapolis’ Loring Park where we started celebrating the Fourth with a picnic supper. Next stop-the historic First Baptist Church where we continued our celebration with American song fi’om Ives to Argento, sung by eight outstanding Wisconsin NATSers: Kenneth Bozeman, Helen Ceci, Martha Dodds, Richard Johnson, Diane Ketchie, Douglas Morris, Kathryn Proctor and Joyce Ryan. Then, there followed an impressive p ro ^m , A Celebration of America, designed by President John Burgin. It was a moment of reflection as well as a reminder that the Fourth of July is more than picnics and fireworks. When you reflect upon it, those that made the Fourth possible had more than picnics on their minds. Their fireworks-flashing cannons and crackling muskets-for many, the last sounds thq^ heard. Thanks to John Burgin for the pause that pulled us back to reality. At the conclusion of A Celebration of America, busses awaited us to go to the State Capitol Mall in St. Paul where we joined some 100,000 Miimesotans for a fireworks display. The previous evening, the convention’s first, NATS had its own fireworks of a different genre. Robert Hale, bass-baritone, winner of the 1962 SOTY/NATSAA at NATS’ initial Los ^ g e le s convention, set the tone of the 1983 Miimeapolis Convention. Hale’s career since 1962 had been a series of triumphs, not only in the opera houses of this country, but also in the world. Truly, he had matured into an international artist The return recital of the previous convention’s NATSAA winner always has been of great interest to conventioneers. Andrea Matthews, soprano, winner of the 1981 auditions, Louisville, had sung leading roles during 1982 with the Opera Studio, San Diego Opera, and with other opera groups in California. Her return recital to our first Fourth-of-July convention gave promise

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of a brilliant career. The NATSAA finals on Tuesday evening, July 5,1983, played to a full house. The semi-finals on Sunday, July 3, prior to the convention’s official opening ceremonies, had persuaded a goodly number of NATSers to check in early. The finalists who survived that split session, wrapped around the Leadership Luncheon, were Kathy Drake, Patricia Michaels, Mark Rucker, Peter Halvorson, Deidra Palmour and Karen Smith. At the Tuesday evening’s finals, July 5, Karen Smith, lyric coloratura soprano, emerged as the first-place winnen second place went to mezzo-soprano Diedra Palmour and baritone Peter Halvorson received a new NATS Award for a Promising Young Professional, made possible by the NATS Foundation. Kudos go to President John Burgin for setting up a ninety-minute session involving representative members of the Voice Foundation. Two of the five voice scientists were alreacfy known to NATSers through the pages of The NATS Bulletin, Dr. Ingo Titze, responsible for the column "Voice Research" and Dr. Van Lawrence, who was an associate editor of The NATS Bulletin, responsible for the column, "Laryngoscope." The other members of the panel were: Dr. Thomas Cleveland, professor of singing and research scientist, University of Southern CWomia, Los Angeles, Dr. Robert Bastian, School of Medicine, Washington University, St Louis, Missouri, and Dr. Robert Feber, who closed the session with an alert on negative effects of air flight upon singers. Not to be overlooked were Phyllis Curtin’s two master classes and Gerard Souza/s master class on "The Song Cycles of Franz Schubert"-they were standouts! The convention brought together seven past-presidents: Bernard Taylor [1954-1956], E Clifford Toren [1956-1958], Louis Nicholas [1962-1964], Berton Coffin [1968-1970], Jean Ludman [1972-1974], Bruce Lunkley [1976-1979] and Irvin Bushman [1979-1982]. At our convention banquet on Wednesday evening, July 6, NATS’ seventh president, E. Clifford Toren, was given a special citation in recognition of his long and outstanding service to NATS. Long it waspredating NATS’ natal day, reaching back to a March 5,1940 meeting of the Chicago Council of Teachers of Singing/Chicago Singing Teachers Guild, when it was first proposed. Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941, practically put everything on hold. However, by the last of May 1942, the Chicagoans and the New Yorkers had progressed to the committee stage, chaired respectively by Richard DeYoung and Homer Mowe. As one of the guild’s members in the officer’s track. Cliff Toren was in the thick of it. Approximately two years later, the National Association of Teachers of Singing emerged on unscheduled time at the 1944 MTNA National Convention in CincinnatL Gathered round a luncheon table on March 23,1944, at Cincinnati’s Netherland-Plaza, Messrs. Carson, DeYoung, Mowe, Stults and Wilcox with 87 proxies in their pockets, with Cliff Toren in the secretary’s chair, plus Clifford Bair, Amos Ebersole, Louise Kroeger, Grace Leslie, Blanche Bliss Lyons, J. Oscar Miller and John O. Samuel voted into existence the National Association of Teachers of Singing. The vote totaled 100, on all items, but only thirteen prospective NATSers sat round that luncheon table. From that time on, it was one office after the other right up to the presidency [1956-1958]. Cliff Toren’s successor in that office. Dale Gilliland, who saw the need of a new NATS office, Coordinator of Chapters, named Past-President Toren as its first occupant Cliff instituted an introductory column in "Chapter Notes" in each issue of The NATS Bulletin. He remained in that office until 1964 when it was decided that the post had grown to such importance that it warranted a vice-presidency. Out-going President Nicholas, however, had plans to keep Cliff Toren in the main stream. He revived the Council of Past-Presidents, tapping E. Clifford Toren for the chairmanship. Its first assignment was the reviewing of the bylaws. The outcome was a revision project that outlasted the Vermard presidency and spilled over into the Duey years. The revised bylaws were passed at the 1966 Washington Convention and were published in the February 1967 issue of The NATS Bulletin. When the council was asked to revise the Officers Handbook, Cliff Toren recommended that the task should wait until an Executive Secretary was employed. Nevertheless, he was busy as the general chairman of the 1967 Chicago Convention. During the first year of the Coffin administration [1966-1967], the Councfl of Past-Presidents occupied itself with the rewording of the Statement of Purpose, Article I, Section 3, of the NATS bylaws. A report was given at the 1969 Cleveland Convention, our SUver Jubilee. The activity of the CouncU seemed to have been absorbed by the multi-committeed CofBn administration. During this thirty-year stretch, there were many other involvements in workshops, committees too numerous to mention, convention programs, etc. The award for Cliff Toren at the 1983 Minneapolis Convention was long past due.

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The last day, July 7, 1983, offered two of the top programs of the convention, deliberately planned that way to hold NATSers through "Auld Lang Syne." There was Gerard Souzay’s master class on the "Song Cycles of Franz Schubert," followed by Gary Briggle’s one-hour adaptation of the popular Gilbert and Sullivan operetta, The Mikado, performed by the Midwest O pera Theater. From all aspects, the convention was a success. Attendance reached a total of 559, with income almost a thousand dollars above expenses. What a prototype it was for our committee of the 1986 Chicago Convention. Nine members of the Chicago Committee were in attendance. They met together with their counterparts, collectively and independently. As the saying goes, literally, we picked their brains] As the chairman of the 1986 Chicago Convention, your historian made a point of coming away with copies of all forms that the Minneapolis Committee had used. The Chicago Committee planned a similar excursion to New Orleans in 1984. July conventions seem kinder to NATS officialdom than those held during December’s final week. TTie warm days of the weeks that follow are conducive to leisurely mental replays of gains crystallized during intensive convention days--gains that breed thoughts of challenges that lay ahead. September was scarcely ten days old when Editor Crum’s xerox copy of her projected 1983 September-October Inter Nos brought the president back to the world with which he would have to deal during the balance of his term. The proof pages were populated with unimaginative page layouts, innumerable typos, unbelievable captions and some unexplainable copy. Would you believe that Editor Crum listed a gentleman in her In Memoriam column that had been so listed by John Burgin during his editorship over two years previously in the 1981 May/June issue of Inter Nos. Needless to say, that copy and layout never reached the membership. President Burgin returned it to Editor Crum for corrections and a revised layout. She went down swinging with her second try. Not until her third try did she come up with a passible version. This time around, members must have received their September-October issue of Inter Nos well into the first week in October. For the first time in recent years, a nominating committee presented two candidates for each vacancy in the national offices, giving the membership the final choice. Edward Baird and Marvin Keenze, currently completing terms as vice-presidents in the Burgin administration, were placed in nomination for the office of president-elect. Since there were two vice-president vacancies, four individuals were listed for these two offices: Joyce Zastrow, William Vessels and Stephen Parish had been members of the Board of Directors since 1980; Katharine Hansel had served in a similar capacity during the Lunkley and Bushman presidencies. Balloting for the above named offices would take place at the year’s end. It was planned to move the customary January-February 1984 issue of Inter Nos back into 1983, calling it the December, 1983 issue. It would contain a clip-out ballot that could be folded and sealed with a sticker which had to be provided by the voting member. Instructions were that the ballot had to be mailed prior to December 15, 1983. Plans called for this special issue of Inter Nos to be placed in the post office prior to December 1,1983. The four-page September-October issue of Inter Nos carried a blue four-page roster of state governors and chapter officers of 63 chapters. This insert could be removed and filed separately for futuie reference. The president’s Board Communique No. 10 was sent out on October 5, 1983. In it John Burgin reported the favorable outcome of the Minneapolis Convention-information given the reader in previous paragraphs. There were two items that required a board ballot. President Burgin requested a vote on Margery MacKay as the replacement for Natalie Limonick who had resigned as governor of the Cal-Westem Region before she had completed her first term in office. The other request sought the approval of Larry Wyatt and Sandra Kungle as co-chairs o f the 1984 New Orleans Convention. Edward Deckard was named convention registrar and treasurer. The requests were given board approval by a 16/0 vote. President Burgin’s personal October 20th letter to his regional governors/board members advised them on the administration of their increased resources, which had ballooned from $3.00 to $5.00 per member, with the board’s approval at the Miimeapolis Convention of the president’s reconmiended increase of the dues ploughed back to regions. For the Burgin administration, this was a big plus. It strengthened NATS where the action is~the regions. In November, Bruce Lunkley, president of NATS Foundation, wrote a letter to the membership, reporting that Mary Wolfitnan and her husband, Ben, had generously endowed the Maiy Wolftnan Scholarship Prize for NATSAA with a gift of $10,000 to the Foundation. This was

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our first such endowment. In support of the NATS Foundation Awards for Vocal Excellence program which was to be initiated in the spring of 1984 with two awards, NATS agreed to provide $10,000 in endowment over a three-year period to underwrite the first of these new scholarships. The hand of John Burgin was seen in this action as well as the action reported in the previous paragraph. In the final paragraph of his letter, Bruce Lunkley wrote: "I hope that you will be inspired to make your gift to the Foundation a generous one, too. Our assets still total only a little over $20,000 (not counting the two gifts above-they are not in hand yet) so your gift-large or small~is needed! There were several hundred gifts from NATS members this past year and I hope that there will be a thousand this year. Send a check now--what about one day’s teaching? Give serious thought to including NATS Foundation in your will or in your insurance program. Your investment is needed badly to help us grow in impact in the world of singing-Help now!" When the September-October 1983 issue of Inter Nos hit the streets with the announcement of two candidates for each vacancy in the December elections, twenty-five members of the Los Angeles Chapter took advantage of the provisions in our bylaws which permitted them to petition that the name of Gwendolyn Roberts be placed alongside the names of Edward Baird and Marvin Keenze as a third candidate for the office of president-elect. So, Inter Nos, Volume XVI, No. 1, January-February 1984, under the pseudonym of Volume XV, No. 4, December 1983, carried the biographies and pictures of the three candidates for office of president-elea This inadequate four-pager provided insufficient space for equal coverage of the four candidates for the two vacancies among the vice-presidents, Stephen Farish, Katharine Hansel, William Vessels and Joyce Zastrow. For this coverage, the president asked members to consult their copies of the September-October Inter Nos. President Burgin’s "From the Top" column was devoted to informing the membership on election procedures, including the return of the clipout ballot Page two of that four-pager was given over to a comparative statement of the financial reports of fiscal 1982 and fiscal 1983. After a couple of years of deficit spending, the bottom line of fiscal 1983 was like a sudden burst of sunshine. The Burgin administration had increased the fund balance by $25,827 in one year! As of June 30,1983 that balance stood at $114,073. Board Communique No. 11 was sent off by President Burgin on December 14,1983. After wishing everyone a joyous holiday season and great happiness in the new year, the president wrote: "With much pleasure, it can be reported that the 1982-1983 fiscal year was a most successful one financially." That it was. That it was, as the figures given in the above paragraph attest. Since this was the last board communique for some eight regional governors, namely: Rex Eikum, Sandra Kungle, Phyllis Jenness, David Laurent, Margery MacRay, Carol Mikkelsen, Susan S. Jones and Jean Carolyn Sloop, also Past-President Bushman and Vice-President LaPella, the president thanked them for their services and wished them Godspeed. Before we move on to items that require balloting, it should be mentioned that the president included an update on the computer purchase which had been approved at the July 7,1983 board meeting at the Minneapolis Convention. Because the needed printer was not available, delivery was delayed on the computer until late October. The president wrote: "All is going well, it is reported, with the membership file being programmed first. Soon we shall see the results of this expenditure." There were several items in Board Communique No. 11 for which the president needed board approval. A self-addressed, stamped envelope was provided members of the Board of Directors to facilitate a prompt return of the enclos^ ballot The first item concerned fees for the 1984 New Orleans Convention: Preregistration: members, S50.0G; non-members, $75.00. Registration, at the convention: members, $65.00; non-members, $90.00; students, $20.00; spouses, S25.00. These prices represented a $5.00 increase over those at Minneapolis. The board gave its approval with a vote of 17/0/0. The second request by the president was for NATS to grant a 2% year-end bonus to Jim Brovming ($472) and his assistant in the national ofSce ($160). The board vote was 14/0/2. The third was a request that James Browning’s assistant be hired on a fiill-time basis, July-December, 1983, then revert to half-time after that The board gave its approval with a 12/1/4 vote. The fourth request was for the approval of a petition from Vancouver, British Columbia, to establish a chapter. The names on the petition had already been verified as members in good standing. The board vote was 17/0/0. Then the president presented the names of Harvey Ringel and Edwin Quistorff as co-chairs of the 1986 convention and Roger Scanlan as the program chairman. The president wrote;

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"These come with the recommendation of the Chicago Chapter." The final item on page 4 of Communique No. 11 was the announcement that the deadline for the next issue of Inter Nos would be March 1,1984. The president wrote: "Previous issues have been filled with officers’ roster and the election. The next issue will have news of chapter and regional activities. Please be punctual in getting news items to the Inter Nos Editor." Once more, a rUckblickl At our 1983 Minneapolis Convention, the Board of Directors accepted the invitation of AOTOS’ President Peter Pears to join them in a 1984 summer conference. This action prompted the board to extend Ed Baird’s tenure in regard to workshops through the 1984 season since planning for this historic first not only needed to start immediately but also to be continuous without interruption. The dates set for the NATS/AOTOS conference were July 21-25,1984. Preliminary announcements had appeared on the back covers of both the September-October and the November-December 1983 issues of The NATS Bulletin. Ed Baird expanded his coverage of the conference with a series of articles in the first three 1984 issues of The NATS Bulletin. The site of the conference was to be the picturesque and historic Dartington Hall in Totnes, South Devon, England, the largest medieval house and estate in the West of England, dating back to the 14th Century when it was built by the half-brother of Richard II. Program events were to be shared by NATC and AOTOS members. In late January, a four-page mailing piece, including enrollment forms for the conference and a post-conference tour for those who wished to extend their stay in England to two weeks, was sent off to the membership. The completed form was to be returned to Ed Baird. Since this was NATS’ thirty-fourth year of national workshops, two additional shops were scheduled on the home turf. One, chaired by Jean Weslerman Gregg, was set for June 24-29,1984, at Connecticut College, New London, with David Laurent as co-chair. The other was at the University of Colorado, July 14-19,1984, with Barbara Kinsey Sable in the chair. President Burgin placed Board Communique No. 12 in the mail on March 14,1984. His last Board Communique, No. 11, bore the postmark of December 14,1983. During that three-month period, there had been a national election. There was no January-February Inter Nos since it had become the November-December 1983 Inter Nos. The vote count was not available by deadline time for the January-February issue of The NATS Bulletin. Seemingly, Board Communique No. 12 was the first official word of the outcome of that event to reach the regions. According to the total number of votes returned, it appeared that approximately 85% of the membership was indifferent as to the outcome anyway since only an approximate 15% of the membership bothered to return their ballots. The total vote count was 614, of which Ed Baird received 49.3%, not a majority. The specter of a runoff election between Baird and Keenze loomed on the horizon! However, Marvin Keenze advised the president that he would not pursue a runoff election. At this juncture, the President’s Council unanimously agreed that the spirit as well as the letter of the bylaws had been observed and that Edward Baird should be declared the winner. Stephen Parish and Joyce Zastrow emerged as the new national vice-presidents. President Burgin recommended that Dr. Zastrow succeed Robert LaPella as the vice-president in charge of membership and admissions and that Dr. Farish be given the vice-presidency with the special title as Workshop Coordinator. This decision was influenced by the fact that Ed Baird and Stephen Farish were faculty members of North Texas State University and could work as a team during the forthcoming historic 1984 workshop season. As of January 1, 1985, Edward Baird would become president of NATS, shedding the temporary title, national director of workshops and Stephen Farish would exchange workshop coordinator for vice-president in charge of worl«hops. The president’s March 14th communique also brought very welcome news. The November, 1983 Annual Membership Report revealed that NATS had gone over the four thousand mark-4,018, of which 3,879 were dues paying members and 139 were Honorary Life Members. There had been a net gain of 216 during the past year, the largest since 1976. President Burgin’s emphasis on membership retention as well as on new member recruitment since Board Communique No. 1, had paid dividends. It is unlikely that those who read this fully understand what such a total meant to NATS. I know that few in the upper echelon during my twenty-five year editorship of The BulletinlThe NATS Bulletin did. The same was true during the editorship of Homer Mowe and Leon Carson. We all were subject from time to time to criticism as to why there was not more advertising in our magazine, comparing it to the MENC and ACDA publications. Either one of these

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organizations had a much larger membership than ours. Also, an order from one member of either organization might very well equal the dollar amount of orders from several teachers of singing. When I became editor of The Bulletin, the membership was in the 1300s. During the Toren administration it just edged over the 1,800 marL There were a few zigzagging years. 1961 1,872; 1962 -1,794; 1964 -1,904; 1965 - we passed over the 2,000 mark. During those early years, I had to balance my advertising rates against both MTNA and ACDA publications on a circulation-ad rate basis. Prospective advertisers preferred to pay the above named journals twice to three times what I had to charge for space because four to five times the number of prospective customers would see their ad in those publications compared to the number that would view it in The Bulletin. It took approximately eleven years to gain the next 1,000 members. Fiscal 1976 showed a membership count of 3,028 dues paying members. Fiscal 1978 racked up 3,283 dues paying members plus 133 Honorary Life. During fiscal 1978, The NATS Bulletin earned 48.67% of its expenditures [$9,575.36], meaning that it only used S3.15 of its allotted $5.00 per member. At the Houston Convention, my request to increase The NATS Bulletin from four to five issues per year was given board approval. That move proved to be a step in the right direction. Volume XXXVI, September-October 1978 through May-June 1979 realized an income of $14,939.68 from outside of NATS. Membership growth was like a silent persuader to prospective advertisers. Advertising rates could follow that upward spiral. The Burgin accomplishment of reversing the downward membership spiral and pulling it across the 4,000 mark translated into more outside income for NATS as well as more dues income. Subsequent paragraphs of the March communique mentioned various items such as: (1) the needs of the Discretionary Fund; (2) the national office’s computer which was now ready to fill requests for labels in-house; (3) the progress of plans for the 1984 New Orleans Convention; (4) the deadline for budget items for fiscal 1985, etc. The last page asked for a vote on: (1) the approval of Joyce Zastrow as Membership Vice-President, (2) the approval of Steve Farish as Workshop Coordinator; and (3) the approval for an amendment to the current budget to increase the Discretionary Fund from $7,500 to $9,800. All were given the board’s unanimous approval by a vote of 17/0. In the last week of March, the president was once more disturbed by the problem which his board’s band-aid solution at the Minneapolis Convention had failed to remedy. This time around these pages will report only the reaction of a member of the Review Board which had been appointed at the Minneapolis convention to whom the editor of Inter Nos could turn for help and/or advice. This letter was written after the April-May issue had been received by the membership. In his letter to President Burgin, he wrote: "Apparently there are real problems with editing, layout, and proofreading of Inter Nos. My own personal opinion is that there is far too much filler at the expense of Chapter and Regional News.,. the new members list appears to be quite old. Many Southeastern names were published in last summer’s directory and I know at least half a dozen who have been members over a year. How can our committee help? We are never really consulted on anything." Let us look at some things that may have prompted the above letter. In the listing of new members by regions under "Welcome New Members," the editor of Inter Nos created a new region-Northeastern! At the end of "Welcome New Members," she listed four NATSers under the classification, Emeritus Members, a title that had been changed back in the Greenwell administration [1974-1976] by a 25/1 board vote because of pressure from senior members who were unhappy with that classification. They objected on the basis that it sounded like they had been "put on the shelf." They lobbied for the power to vote in national as well as chapter elections and were granted that right. The only thing denied them was the right to hold office at the national level. Since the Greenwell administration, their classification has been Honorary Life Members. Strange-that is the classification that headed a listing of one member after her listing of new members in the Eastern Region. It seems that the editor of Inter Nos would have us believe that there were two classifications, listing one NATSer under Honorary Life Member and four others as Emeritiis Members. In light of the above, errors in syllabication and hyphenation seem minor. The editor then continued her flip-flop heading of our Pacific Coast southernmost region, using California-Western under "Around the Regions" and Cal-Westem under "Welcome, New Members." However, the appearance of the old logo in the masthead of the April-May 1984

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Inter Nos only could be interpreted as dereliction of duty. That logo had not been used since early 1982. The 26th Artist Awards insert carried the proper NATS logo and could not have been ignored if the editor’s wandering mind needed a reminder. Despite the evidence of careless preparation, it is hoped that the four pages of chapter activities reported in the April-May 1984 issue of Inter Nos reasonably reflected the status of activity at the grass roots. Twelve of the thirteen regions reported some eighty meetings at chapter and/or regional level. Some were of three days duration. Some gave us little information other than the fact they met. Texoma included no totals of student auditions. However, there were a few that took pride enough in their accomplishments and reported attendance varying from 100 to 519. This time around, we heard from groups in Halifax, Nova Scotia and British Columbia. It should be noted that this was the first reporting of regional activities in more than a year. Board Communique No. 13,perse, never really existed as such. However, there was a letter, dated April 1,1984, that might be so construed. In it, the president asked for board approval of the Chicago Site Selection Committee’s recommendation of dates and rates at the Palmer House. For nostalgic reasons, I had thought that returning to what had been the Sheraton Hotel in 1955, in recent years known as the Continental, would have been the ideal place to celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of Bee Taylor’s brainchild since it was at the Sheraton/Continental where the first finals of that competition took place. Unfortunately, no longer a Sheraton Hotel, it had been allowed to deteriorate to the extent that it could not even be considered. Our committee walked the halls, meeting rooms, etc. of hotels from one end of Chicago’s Loop to the other as weU as those in the north Michigan area. Since we had hopes of incorporating a Grant Park symphony concert, featuring a former SOTY/NATSSA winner and/or finalist as a highlight of our 1986 convention, our final decision was the Pahner House, July 17-21. In this period of an inflationary spiraling economy, all hotels were reluctant to write a contract quoting specific room rates more than two years in advance. I convinced our committee that we should hold out for fixed rates. Finally, the Pahner House officials agreed, quoting $61, $76 and $81 for singles and $76, S86 and $96 for doubles. The president wrote: "This grand old hotel had recently undergone a multi-million dollar renovation. The thought of having the convention there is appealing with only one reservation; $ $ $ $ . . . The committee has done well in getting definite rates quoted this far in advance. These, if approved will be the highest rates for a NATS national convention." The board returned their appl3400 ’with a 16/1 vote. President Burgin posted Board Communique No. 14 on May 21, 1984. In essence, it was the cover letter for the fiscal 1985 budget, prepared by President Burgin, President-Elect Baird, Executive Seaetary James Browning and Secretary-Treasurer Julie Fortney some eleven days earlier. The above named had met on May 10,1984 at the New Orleans Marriott, our upcoming December convention’s hotel, to devise a budget. Although work was involved, the top echelon enjoyed themselves to the hilt-They were guests of the New Orlean’s Marriott! Even Jim Browning’s flight from New York City was provided by Republic Airlines as a part of their designation as the official airline of the Minneapolis Convention. The president wrote: "It was a pleasant task-the company was cordial, the food was great, the weather inviting, the accommoda­ tions gracious and, most of all, the construction of the budget made easy by the present comfortable financial position of NATS." It was so comfortable that the proposed budget reflected expanded programs and services to the membership with a dollar value of some $81,000 greater than the budget for fiscal 1984. Because of NATS’ affluence, it was not necessary to convert any of our money market certificates for the purchase of the national office’s computer. Current funds were adequate to cover it. There were other items of interest. The president called attention to Steve Parish and the Art Song Composition Contest. Brochures had been mailed to the music composition department heads in all NASM schools, colleges and/or universities. The deadline for entries was October 1, 1984. The entry could be a song cycle, a group of songs, or an extended single song of not less than twelve, nor more than fifteen minutes in total length. The text had to be in English. Such an entry needed to be an original and unpublished composition(s) composed within the last two years. The award of $1,000 and the first performance would be made at the 1984 New Orleans Convention.

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The president’s Board Communique No. 14, included a capsulized description of some of the scheduled goodies for the New Orleans Convention. He wrote, "Briefly, some of the luminaries are: Ned Rorem, Martial Singher and Martin Katz. Also recitals by Henry Herford, the Scottish baritone who won the last International American Music Competition, sponsored by Carnegie Hall and the Rockefeller Foundation; soprano Rosalind Rees, accompanied by Rorem, and Charles Nelson, singing his famous "Twelve Reasons Why I Do Not Sing Grand Opera." We eagerly await hearing Karen Smith, our most recent NATSAA winner, Ingo Titze has planned three scientifically oriented sessions with some of the best authorities to be present. For the banquet, Gordon Myers--one of the funniest men I know--will be toastmaster and the famous Olympia Brass Band will play. All of this, in one of the most fascinating cities in the nation." That should have whet the appetites of board members. There was one other item that really made news. Ruth Stewart, governor of the Texoma Region and member of the Board of Directors during the Greenwell [1974-1976] and Lunklqr [1976-1979] administrations had the distinction of having the music building at Texas Southern University named in her honor. To my knowledge, no NATSer has been so honored! In the spring of 1984, Richard Miller, on a semester’s sabbatical in Europe, wrote to John Burgin fi'om Florence that he felt the time was ripe for the convening of an international congress. In recent years, some NATS members had shown interest in broadening full membership in turning NATS into lATS, from a national to an international organization. Even before the National Association of Teachers of Singing was constituted, the point was made that there might be a better choice than "national" in our name, because someday we might extend beyond our national boundaries. A period of international interest had its genesis in the late fifties with William Vennard and The Bulletin with its published translations of important voice researchers in France, Holland, Sweden, Finland, etc. The exhibiting of The Bulletin at important book and periodical fairs resulted in authors from Yugoslavia, Holland, West Germany and Sweden submitting articles for publication therein. However, it was the visual produa of Vennard’s 1959-1960 sabbatical under the tutelage of Janwillen van den Berg at Gronnigen, Holland, The Vibrating Larynx, which won an award at the International Congress on Educational Films in Prague that climaxed that period. President Clifford Toren encouraged NATS’ international leadership and predicted in 1958 that NATS’ prestige and influence would lead to an international voice conference of genuine significance. From that time to the present day, each president has had some commitment toward this goal. In the post-war years of the 1950s and continuing to the present, many American singers have been engaged in European opera houses, especially in German speaking countries. As a result, much interest in the American-trained singer was generated in Europe. With the flourishing of international commercial air travel, established American teachers could fly to Europe to present courses in vocal technique and offer master classes. In the early 1970s, American teachers on sabbatical leave began visiting studios of their European colleagues, providing another route of international contact. Near the end of his term as president of NATS, Karl Trump sent a message to the Seventh International Music Congress, meeting in Moscow in October, 1971: "It is our hope that, just as we have united in America to form the National Association of Teachers of Singing, so may we one day unite in a world-wide federation of all those who serve the nobel art of singing. Through the international language of song we may learn to speak the language of brotherhood." The first real steps made by NATS toward international involvement came with a new venture proposed by President Lunkley in the late 1970s, a series of biennial vocal workshops abroad sponsored by NATS. The aim was to broaden the understanding of voice and to take advantage of the very talented artists and teachers in other countries. Not only was Lunkley successful in using international locales for new workshop efforts, he was able to persuade NATS to allow an associate membership for qualified teachers from aU over the world. Beginning in the 1970s, Richard Miller visited the studios of colleagues, both in Western and Eastern Europe. He had considerable contact with European voice teachers as he taught summer classes and vocal pedagogy courses for a number of years in Salzburg and in the French Conservatory system. Miller became convinced that there was a great desire among many European teachers to emulate NATS’ activities and to form their own naUonal associations. He

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found that much of the European interest was sparked by an awareness of the importance of sharing pedagogy, as illustrated in issues of The NATS Bulletin, which he edited. The seeds had been sown. As national associations of teachers grew, so did an interest in how these might become affiliated internationally. President Burgin felt, and Richard Miller agreed, that an international congress of associations would be more desirable than expanding NATS into a broader-based international group, since already functioning national groups would feel intrusion from the American association. The purpose of the proposed international "umbrella" would be an exchange of ideas and a means for some assistance to weaker or growing associations. Boosted by Miller’s report from Florence, President Burgin took the first step in the summer of 1984. An international committee was formed to explore the feasibility of a cooperative organization which would serve mutual purposes. Letters went to NATS members Noelle Barker of Great Britain, Horst Gflnter of West Germany, R6 Koster of The Netherlands, Berton Coffin, Bruce Lunkley, Pearl Wormhoudt and Richard Miller of the United States. Berton Coffin expressed some objections to the move and did not wish to serve. He wrote, "If such an organization is formed, it should be independent of NATS. We should not devote any of our resources to that organization. We are training singers for Europe and I do not favor shutting our singers out of their opportunities over there, especially in the German speaking countries. We are already shut out of England and only the very exceptional singers can get into France and Italy. Likewise Sweden and Finland are not available to our singers. Frankly, such an organization would most likely be counterproductive to the products of our own NATS." President Burgin asked Bruce Lunkley to serve as chair and suggested that the committee take advantage of the upcoming Dartington, England conference to confer, with a report to be brought to the New Orleans convention in December. Through the cooperation of Norman Tattersall, chairman of Great Britain’s Association of Teachers of Singing (AOTOS), three meetings of the committee were arranged during the joint conference of NATS and AOTOS at Dartington in July 1984. At these initial sessions were John Burgin, Norman Tattersall, Edward Baird, Noelle Barker, Bruce Lunkley, Pearl Wormhoudt, Richard Miller, Mollie Petrie (of Great Britain), Rd Koster and Horst Gflnter. There seemed to be a consensus that the profession of teaching singing would benefit as the result of some kind of international organization or activity and that the impetus for such a move should come from the two major organizations--AOTOS and NATS. One of the goals was the formation of a world congress of voice teachers as early as 1986 to serve as a catalyst for the development of national professional groups. Board Letter No. 15 was in the mail on August 8,1984. President Burgin informed the board that the September-October issue of The NATS Bulletin would carry a major article about the New Orleans Convention, barely four months away. Also, that they would be receiving a striking 40th Anniversary Convention poster/brochure in September. He advised board members that this publicity would go to 2,500 ACDA members residing in nearby states. The president reported also that a video convention publicity tape had been produced and was available for showings in fall chapter and regional meetings. He explained that it was a semi-professional twenty-minute tape of the convention program with a brief report from the president and some colorful footage of New Orleans, Those who wished to show it were advised to write the president. In 1976, NATS published a very worthwhile and successful volume, Art-Song in the United States, authored by Judith E. Carman, William K. Gaeddert, Gordon Myers and Rita M. Resch. It was available at our 1976 national convention. A first supplement was published in 1978. It was out-of-print prior to our 1983 Minneapolis Convention. There, President Burgin spoke to Judith Carman about the possibility of a revised edition. She contacted her co-authors and the four returned with a well-thought-out plan providing an estimated cost figure for a thousand copies, between ten and eleven thousand dollars. They wanted a go-ahead signal by the summer of 1984 so that the volume would be ready for sale at the 1986 Chicago Convention. The Board of Directors gave their unanimous approval to proceed with the project. Vice-President Marvin Keenze, in charge of the Discretionary Fund, recommended a few changes in procedure. The proposed changes, to a large extent, reflected changes already made by the board with two exceptions. Traditionally, one grant had been awarded a group per fiscal year, but this information had not been included in the printed guidelines. The additional item

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asked that all requests for grants be made prior to April 1 of each year. A 16/1 board vote granted the vice-president’s request. On August 25,1984, the Burgins returned home from a two-week vacation with registration at his university just two days away. There was a letter of resignation from Executive Secretary James Browning, effective as of March 1, 1985. For ten years, Jim Browning had been a stabilizing force in the top echelon of NATS. It was the failing health of his 87-year-old mother who lived in Melbourne Beach, Rorida, that caused him to come to this decision. She had called and asked him to come to Melbourne Beach. When he promised to come for a long Thanksgiving weekend, she then asked that he come for an indefinite stay. The president wrote; "I would prefer not to accept your resignation as final. I need not go into how valuable you are to the association, or the adjustments necessary to find and train a replacement. May I make the following suggestions and observations: Hopefully, your mother’s condition may improve. Would it be helpful to grant you a leave to make an extended visit at this time? Additionally, I feel that if you could make a long-term commitment to NATS, it is within reason to consider moving the office to Melbourne." Nothing seemed to influence Jim Browning to waver in his decision. As the saying goes, "There is more to this than meets the eye." It was no seaet that Jim preferred to work alone. Then, too, he didn’t take to computers. When the president made the initial purchase, he also made provisions for him to take instruction upon it, but Jim never got around to doing so. The September-October 1984 Inter Nos listed the names and officers of some sixty-six chapters, as near as I could figure, in its five-page coverage. Another page carried a day-by-day, hour-by-hour listing of all scheduled events for the 1984 New Orleans Convention. The first and last pages were given over to the president’s "From the Top" column. The last page included two 14/25 pica boxes, one which listed six NATSers who had joined the Heavenly Choir and the other reserved for the editor. The center column contained a paragraph on the Discretionary Fund and another, announcing the thirtieth convention of the NOA. The National Opera Association held its first national meeting in conjunction with the NATS, Chicago, 1955. The president’s Board Communique No. 16, placed in the mail on October 6,1984, advised the Board of Directors of the resignation of James Browning as Executive Secretary to take effect as of February, 1985. President Burgin reminded his board that the search for Jim’s replacement must start immediately so that a successor might be reconmiended to them at the New Orieans Convention. He familiarized his board with the convention’s publicity. Also, that the initial meeting of the Board of Directors would be December 26 at 3:00 p.m., followed by a three-hour meeting on the morning of December 27,1984. He asked that board members contact their state governors and the presidents of their state chapters, urging them to attend the Leadership Luncheon on Friday, December 28. President Burgin caUed for annual reports from all committee chairs, the vice-presidents and the seaetary-treasurer, requesting that they have their reports in his hands no later than December 1,1984, so that all reports could be reproduced for distribution at the Association’s business meeting. The president explained further that these reports should be the basis for their brief oral reports at the convention’s business meeting. The balance of the board letter dealt with routine matters to be taken up at the convention. Twelve days later. President Burgin received a letter from Richard Miller, asking that the cost of providing the special cover for the September-October 1984 issue be charged to the convention-his budget could not absorb a $965.00 extra charge for the special cover that the president wanted for that issue. In the course of discussing other problems with the SeptemberOctober issue, the editor mentioned that he had kept track of time he devoted to The NATS Bulletin and that it averaged out to twenty-three hours a week. He wrote: "It does mean that I have to cut back on some other professional activities, of course. Sorting out priorities is not always easy." Editor MiUer closed with a paragraph that succinctly evaluates John Burgin’s presidency. He wrote: "I certainly look forward to the New Orleans Convention. My guess is that it will be the greatest yet and one difficult to top in the years ahead. I know how much you have given of your time and energy to make it a success. I also know how much you have given of yourself in your term as president. I think you have brought the organization forward in so many ways, and I am sure you have a great sense of satisfaction in your accomplishment You have my heartiest congratulations on what you have accomplished.

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James Browning wrote President Burgin on November 21,1984. His opening sentence was the double whammy of the season. He wrote: "Well, today is a sorry day." The computer operator had been dismissed. Browning said, "I feel as if I have lost my right arm." It seems that the employee had intercepted some mail containing checks signed by the secretary-treasurer, had a signature stamp made of Jim Browning’s name, and cashed four checks in the amount of $500 each. Jim had aheady secured some part-time help and there was an unsuccessful attempt to get the money refunded by the bank. In the last half of his letter, Jim Browning wrote a paragraph that painted the whole picture in regard to his resignation: "John, I never really wanted the computer although I do see some value. I just think it is too expensive for our operation. I don’t know why I have such resistance to computers, but I do.. . This feeling has much to do with my resignation. Had I put pressure on my mother, I feel sure I could have convinced her to come to New York and spend all of the time she wished, eta . . [As a matter of fact that is the way it all turned out. She took up residence in a well-to-do retirement complex, and so Jim remained in New York City.] He continued: "I was altogether too busy to take a crash, two-week course in computer operations until this summer. By then, I had decided it was time to leave and so did not see taking valuable time for a course in computers, I would never use. This is a busy fall, what with the office having to get out the dues notices, etc. for the first time in many years... I loved working alone and feel I accomplished much work by not having anyone else around. Since the Bulletin subscriptions came and then the computer work, things were not the same." And so Jim Browning was removed himself from NATS national scene. He had been on the sidelines for NATS since the first days of the Coffin presidency [1968-1970]. Jean Ludman, a Bert Coffin vice-president, in her temporary role as public relations officer, had contacted Browning, then executive secretary of the National Music Council, seeking advice in establishing our New York office and the employment of a part-time executive secretary. Little did she realize what she had stepped into. Inadvertently, she became NATS’ intermittent executive secretary for the next five years as the succession of executive secretaries, part-time and full-time, kept the revolving door at 250 West 57th Street in constant motion. It all ended when she signed on Robert Beatey in the second year of her presidency, July 2,1973. During this period, James Browning had been in the wings for NATS, even to part-time employment during some of the more recent interludes between executive secretaries. Approximately one year later, in the first months of the Greenwell administration, James Browning signed on as NA're executive secretary to replace Robert Beatey. The very thing that had affected all of his predecessors-a one-person office-was the very thing that attracted Jim Browning. He was in his element when he worked alone, saying that he "always got more done without someone being underfoot." August, 1984 had been the beginning of his tenth year. James Browning brought stability to our national office during the Greenwell, Lunkley, Bushman and Burgin years, something not enjoyed by the three who preceded Gean Greenwell, to wit: Berton Coffin, Karl Trump and Jean Ludman. On December 12, 1984, President Burgin posted his last board communique-No. 17. He opened with holiday wishes, then turned to reporting on the coming convention. He wrote: "At this writing, 340 persons have pre-registered and the hotel reports almost 1,000 room nights reserved by our people. Our new NATSAA wirmer will sing the National Anthem on ABC’s telecast of the Sugar Bowl and the winning entiy of our new Art Song Competition Contest will be published by Associated, to mention the most recent developments." The next six paragraphs were devoted to instructions to board members in regard to the convention and will not be included here. A vote was requested on the 1985 workshop schedule so that this information could be included in the January-February issue of The NATS Bulletin and the 1984 convention brochure. The first meeting of the board was called for December 26, at 3:00 in the St. Charles Suite, River Tower on the 41st floor of New Orleans’ Marriott Hotel. As scheduled. President Burgin called the board meeting to order. Those attending will be listed only this one time: Edward Baird, Stephen Parish, Marvin Keenze, Vernon Yenne, JuUe Fortney, Richard Miller, Corre Berry, Rex Eikum, Phyllis Jenness, Susan Jones, Sandra Kungle, Margery MacKay, Carol Mikkelson, Kenneth Pennington, Edwin Quistorff, Jean Sloop, Larey Carey and William Vessels. Executive Secretary James Browning also was in attendance. The president asked the board members to introduce themselves. After making several ad hoc committee appointments. President Burgin noted that the minutes of the Minneapolis

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Convention’s business meeting had been approved by mail vote. The president then spoke of Jim Browning’s resignation, effective in the spring of 1985, stating that a process for selecting his successor needed to be established. Several suggestions followed. President-Elect Ed Baird noted that Jim Browning had indicated that he would be willing to serve NATS in an advisory capacity if needed. The president-elect also remarked that keeping the national office in New York City was not a priority if, in so doing, a qualified replacement would be unable to accept A Farish/Eikum motion that the current job description for the ofiice of executive secretary be reviewed, prompted President Burgin to appoint a committee to do just that, namely: Rex Eikum, Julie Fortney, Kenneth Pennington, with Edward Baird in the chair. Then, the president announced that he and Mrs. Burgin would host a dinner and reception in Jim Browning’s honor on Friday evening, December 28th and that Jim would be honored by the Association with a framed citation. The president then called for reports from officers, the editor of The NATS Bulletin and chairmen of special projects. Vernon Yenne, vice-president in charge of NATSAA, reported that entries for New Orleans, 1984, totaled 323, a modest increase over Minneapolis, 1983. He reported that all state and regional auditions had been completed and that preparations were being made with the thirteen semi-finalists for the last two levels of auditions at the national convention in New Orleans. He had one suggestion. He wrote: "As I leave office, there is one suggestion that has come to me from a segment,,. of those singers who have entered the NATS Artist Awards. These people, and I’m sure there are others throughout the country, believe that the current procedure of drawing for singing time by contestants immediately before the audition should be abandoned. Instead, a method should be introduced whereby each singer is assigned his or her audition time far enough in advance so that travel plans, accompanists, etc. can be more easily accommodated. It is certainly a worthy suggestion and should be evaluated carefiiUy by the new NATSAA Coordinator." Marvin Keenze, vice-president in charge of the Discretionary Fund reported that during fiscal 1984 there had been 31 requests for grants. Twenty-seven of these were authorized for a total expenditure of $8,504.24-$l,004.24 over budget. This was allowed because of the strong financial situation of NATS. The fund has made it possible for chapters, states, provinces and regions to present programs of high quality for our membership and our students. Keenze went on to say, "This is the heart of our work and we should encourage the use of the fund to help NATS programming maintain this standard of excellence." Vice-President Stephen Farish, in charge of the Art Song Contest, initiated by John Burgin as part of our fortieth year celebration, reported that Richard Hervig, head of the composition and theory department of the University of Iowa had been declared the winner and would receive the $1,000 prize for his Five Romantic Songs for medium voice and piano. His entry was the unanimous choice of the distinguished panel of judges: accompanist/coach, Eric Dalheim; composer, William Latham; and music publisher/singer, William Leyerle. Soprano Jana Young, accompanied by her husband, Russell Young, performed the songs on December 29 at the convention. The winning songs had akeady been accepted for publication by Associated Music Publishers. President Burgin expressed his gratitude to Farish for chairing the committee. VicePresident Farish then moved that the NATS Art Song Competition be an on-going event, that it be held in connection with the national convention and that it be included, with an appropriate budget, in the operating expenses of the Association. A Baird/Miller second made it a permanent part of our several endeavors to fine tune our art. Let us count the ways: (1) workshops, initiated by Bill Ross; (2) SOTY/NATSAA, initiated by Bee Taylor; (3) the NATS Foundation, with its several and educational awards, initiated by Gean Greenwell, and now (4) the Art Song Composition Award, initiated by John Burgin. The report on The NATS Bulletin was limited because the income fi-om several TNB sources were no longer handled by the editor but through the national office. However, advertising income could be reported since that function was still handled through the editor. He reported that advertising income for Volume 39, September-October 1983 through May-June 1984 was $18,600. The balance of Richard Miller’s report dealt with thanks to associate and assistant editors, the Editorial Board and to Louis Nicholas and John Burgin who handled the receipt and distribution of manuscripts to members of the Editorial Board during the period of the editor’s sabbatical leave.

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Executive Seaetary James Browning reported a cash-on-hand amount of $64,833. Following his report, the president asked Jim to reflect on his ten years of service to NATS and to indicate how he saw the position developing for the future. Unfortunately, Julie Fortney, our secretarytreasurer at that time, recorded nary a word. Stephen Parish, vice-president in charge of workshops, reported on the workshop sites for the summer of 1985. The board had approved the following locations in mid-December: (1) the University of North Carolina, Charlotte, June 8 through June 13; (2) Seattle Pacific University, Seattle, Washington, July 28 through August 2; and (3) Shepherd School of Music, Rice University, Houston, Texas, August 4 through August 9. Ed Baird, former director of workshops, reported on the workshops for the summer of 1984. He served beyond his regular term because planning for the joint NATS/AOTOS conference at Dartington Hall, Totnes, Devon, England in 1984 had to start in 1983, while Ed Baird was the vice-president in charge of workshops. Ed Baird reported that the joint conference proved to be an unprecedented success: 110 NATSers and 37 spouses or traveling companions came from 33 states, four Canadian provinces, and three European countries to join with the 81 members of AOTOS. President-Elect Baird then gave a summary of past activities as he passed on the duties of national director of workshops to Stephen Farish. He said, "Since 1977, when I assumed this responsibility from the late Stanley Hoban, there have been twenty workshops held under the national auspices of NATS. For the first time, due to national convention dates now including summers, we went two summers without holding workshops, 1980 and 1983. We have had three workshops abroad: two in London, one in Graz, Austria, plus the NATS/AOTOS conference. Our other locations have included many new sites and have shown a good balance of locations throughout the country, including one in Canada. Our attendances have recorded a dramatic increase. The occasional workshop in the past which drew 100 registrants has been replaced by an average attendance of 125. With the large number of vocal workshops now competing with ours for attendance, faculty, and dollars, NATS can be proud that its workshop program is doing well and financially supporting itself." President Burgin called on Carol Mikkelson to request approval of a new Central Florida Chapter. Carol Mikkelson explained that the area to be served would center around Winter Park. A Mikkelson/Yenne motion that a new chapter be approved for Central Florida was given board approval. President Burgin discussed the appropriateness of continuing the practice of exhibiting NATS materials at the annual ACDA national convention. Susan Jones moved and Stephen Farish seconded that NATS have a display at the ACDA convention in Utah. An Eikum/Farish motion that an appropriate member of the Board of Directors contact personnel of the Northern Utah Chapter to find out the possibilities for developing and staffing such an exhibit at the ACDA convention in early March was countered by a Jones/Keenze motion to table. It was approved by the board and the meeting was adjourned at 5:20 p.m. President Burgin called the second board meeting of the New Orleans Convention to order on December 26 at 6:15 p.m. Richard Miller asked for discussion of the practice of holding NATS winter conventions during the Christmas holidays. At the request of board member Margery MacKay, James Browning presented a brief history of convention scheduling. The discussion that followed prompted President Burgin to suggest that President-Elect Baird form a committee to study the matter of convention scheduling. President Burgin called on Susan Jones to address the issue of contributing regional funds to the NATS Foundation. She questioned whether or not it was proper that regional funds, ear­ marked in the national budget for use by regional members, be contributed by a region directly to the NATS Foundation. In discussing possible legal ramifications of such action, Vice-President Stephen Farish mentioned that the Dallas Chapter made annual contributions of its own funds to the Foundation. As the discussion continued, there was a suggestion that NATS seek legal clarification in order to formulate future policy. Bruce Lunkley, the Foundation’s president, volunteered to do just that and to report his findings to the Board of Directors. The third board meeting held during the convention was called to order by President Burgin at 9:15 a.m., Thursday, December 27,1984. We picked up another board member, Marilee Flaks, regional governor of the Northwestern Region. President Burgin called the meeting to order and then recognized the chair of the Committee on Voice Therapy, Jean Westerman Gregg. She reported to the membership that some thirty-two states have a licensure law in effect that

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regulates the practice of voice therapy and the use of terms such as voice therapist She had compiled a compendium of the existing statutes and a list of fifteen states without regulations as of November 29,1984. No doubt that list has been reduced as of the current date. Members of ASHA (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association), some 40,000 strong were a very zealous lot and would not hesitate to see that anyone not on their membership rolls was prosecuted under the laws of any state in which a licensure law was in effect. Penalties for violation varied fi-om state to state. They ranged fi-om not specified, petty misdemeanor to fines from SlOO to S1,000 and/or imprisonment from ninety days to six months. Marilee Plaks moved and Sandra Kungle seconded that NATS should assume the responsibility of informing its members of the existing statutes regulating the practice of voice therapy. A board vote of approval foUowed. A Kungle/Jones motion that there be an interchange of ideas with ASHA was countered by President-Elect Baird that the board postpone fiirther action on the committee’s recommenda­ tions until there had been sufficient time to study them. The discussion finally was drawn to a close when Jean Gregg answered Rex Eikum’s question as to what the ramifications would be for the individual vs the teacher. She stated that the individual voice teacher could be sued by a student for failing to correct a particular vocal problem, or sued by a licensed voice therapist for false advertising and practicing vocal therapy without a license. President Burgin then called on Marilee Plaks who presented a proposal for a division of the Northwestern Region as follows; Northwestern Region-Alaska, British Columbia, Western Washington and Oregon, and Intermountain Region-Alberta, Montana, Eastern Washington and Idaho. The board gave its approval. A Plaks/Sloop motion that Priscilla Chadduck be approved as the temporary governor of the new Intermountain Region for a one-year term beginning January 1,1985, to be followed by an appropriate election of regional officers, was given board approval. President Burgin called the fourth board meeting of the convention to order on Friday, December 28 at 5:00 p.m. Your historian was called on for a progress report on the History of NATS project. At that time, one thing not taken into consideration was that, at age 80, one might not stay healthy. Several hospitalizations have interfered so that the pubUcation date has drifted through the Baird presidency and practically all of Dale Moore’s presidency. It also cost me the chairmanship of the 1986 Chicago Convention. I had campaigned all through the Bushman years to bring that meeting to Chicago. I had chaired the Program Committee of the 1955 Chicago Convention which introduced the Singer of the Year auditions initiated by Bernard Taylor, then our president. Thirty years had passed since Richard Rivers, the first SOTY/NATSAA winner, had presented programs across the USA in 1956. I wanted the 1986 Chicago Convention to honor Bee Taylor. I even got the cooperation of the Grant Park management who engaged Erie Mills to sing there during the convention dates of July 17-21. Much to my regret I had to bow out in favor of Margarita Evans who took over in 1985. Now, in the last year of Dale Moore’s presidency the history will be concluded. So, the publication date will be in 1990 instead of 1984. President Burgin then called on President-Elect Edward Baird to give a progress report from the committee he chaired to review the job description for the executive seaetaiy. The committee needed more extensive information on the nature of the position and a comprehensive look at possible directions the position might take in the future. A job analysis from an outside source was in order. A Baird/Sloop motion that the board grant the appointed committee of Julie Fortney, Ken Pennington, Rex Eikum, Richard Miller, with Edward Baird in the chair, the authority (1) to engage a job analyst to define the executive secretary position and other positions related to that office, (2) to do a study of our needs, and (3) to make recommendations before we made further moves on the replacement of our executive secretaiy. In the discussion that followed, the question of cost was raised. It was stated that as soon as a price was ascertained, the board would be asked to vote its approval. Richard Miller asked that board members update the Official Directory published in The NATS Bulletin, asking for clarification on the policy of listing committee membership in TNB, referring specifically to the NATS Council on Research. President-Elect Baird stated that the NATS Council on Research was a committee and that he questioned the policy of listing the Council on Research or any committee whatsoever in The NATS Bulletin. President Burgin rerrunded those present that unless the committee in quesUon was reappointed by the new president that it would cease to exist as of January 1,1985. A Jenness/Berry motion that the

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listing of the NATS Council on Research be removed from TNB Official Directory was given board approval. The meeting adjourned at 5:45 p.m. The president called the fifth and last board meeting to be held during the New Orleans Convention to order at 5:15 p.m., Saturday, December 29. Vernon Yenne moved and Rex Eikum seconded that the tabled motion regarding the ACDA booth be removed from the floor. The board gave its approval. Susan Jones had moved at our first board meeting and Marvin Keenze had seconded that NATS have a display at the American Choral Directors Association in Utah. Since the board had been in session from 3:00 p.m. and the meeting had continued past 5:00 p.m., a motion to table without malice was accepted by Jones and Keenze at that time. The board was scheduled to resume within an hour. This time around, the board approved the Jones/Keenze motion that NATS have a display at the ACDA meeting in Utah. President Burgin then recognized Margery MacKay, governor of the Cal-Western Region, who extended an invitation to hold the 1989 summer convention in the Southern California area. A Corre Berry motion, seconded by Susan Jones, that the board accept the invitation from the Los Angeles and San Diego chapters to hold the 1989 summer convention in the Southern California area was given the board’s approval. President-Elect Baird made the announcement that (1) the Publications Committee, the Art Song Committee, and the Committee for an International Congress would continue as appointed after January 1, 1985 and, (2) that the vice-presidents would continue as assigned. An Eikum/Quistorff motion that the board accept the assignments as announced was given board approval. The meeting adjourned at 6:14 p.m. The 1984 NATS Business Meeting was called to order in the Acadia Ballroom of the Marriott Hotel by President John Burgin at 2:00 p.m., Sunday, December 29. As the first thing on the agenda, the president asked those assembled to stand in remembrance of the following members who had joined the Heavenly Choir since we last met in convention assembled: Ada Tilly Allen, Davis Curmingham, Margaret Hunt, Dale Gilbert, Allen Rogers Lindquist, Louis Panzeri, Edward Richmond, Earl Rogers, Judith Raskin and J. Forrest West. Then followed reports of the several officers. Since these reports reflected what had been already given in the previously held board meetings recorded herein, they will not be given here. Your Historian also gave an account of the early history of NATS. The New Orleans Convention must have lingered long in the memories of those who made it to New Orleans-some 622 were in attendance: the singing of British baritone-Henry Herford, the 1982 winner of the International American Music Competition; the beautiful commemorative ceremony of NATS forty years, held in the historic St. Louis Cathedral; Martial Singher’s master classes in French art song; soprano Rosalind Rees’ singing of the songs of Ned Rorem with the composer at the piano; Martin Katz in his sessions on arias of G. F, Handel; the singing scientists, tenor Ingo Titze and baritones, Robert Bastian and Robert Sataloff; the singing of bass Charles Nelson in "Twelve Reasons Why I Do Not Sing Grand Opera." There was one significant first-the singing of Richard Hervig’s wiiming composition in NATS’ first national art song competition. We have President John Burgin to thank for setting NATS’ feet on this road which has become one of our identifying activities along with NATSAA There was a succession of interesting and informative sessions. One unusual highlight cannot be overlooked~an elegant president’s reception in the tradition of New Orleans, with a mountain of jumbo Gulf shrimp on ice, fresh vegetable erudite with spiq' Louisiana dip, all the canapes one could eat, and crepes Napoleon, prepared on the spot. Two lovely ladies, Gwen Roberts and Gerry Cate, served as hostesses. And who can forget the Mardi Gras Banquet with toastmaster Gordon Myers and Dejan’s Olympia Brass Band strutting through the banquet hall. The evening ended with a line of dancing NATSers following the musicians, circling the ballroom to the tune of "When the Saints Go Marching In." Still lingering in our memory is the moment when James Browning was presented with a framed citation, in recognition of his excellence as executive secretary, 1974-1984 and commending him for his high ethical standards and integrity, for providing stability and confidence in the national office, and for going beyond the call of duty as an administrator and guardian of our affairs. There was another award: The Southern Region announced that President Burgin had received their Service Award and, in recognition of his achievements as president of the Association, the region was honoring him with a check for $500.00 to the NATS Foundation.

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Well over three hundred persons joined our Association in its first year, and fifty of these for whom addresses could be obtained were sent special invitations from President Burgin and the Southern Region to be present for this grand celebration of NATS’ Fortieth Anniversary. Of these, ten persons were able to attend and were given VIP status with special check-in privileges, airport transportation, reserved seating, an identifying ribbon to wear in recognition of charter membership, and a special introduction and ovation at our commemorative celebration: Hermanus T. Baer, Bradenton, Florida; Hadley Crawford, Leavenworth, Kansas; Donald E Johnson, Houston; Hubert Kockritz, Cincinnati; George Newton, Indianapolis; Louis Nicholas, Nashville; Bernard U. Taylor, New York; Harvey L. Woodruff, Charlotte; Vera R. Neilson, Poundridge, New York; and your historian, Harvey Ringel, of Flossmoor, Illinois. Others who responded but were unable to attend, received convention programs and a personal report on the convention from the president. Sunday, our last day, the finals of NATSAA began at 10:30 a.m. First-place winner with an award of $5,000 was mezzo-soprano Wendy Hillhouse. Second place with an award of $2,500 went to bass Kevin Maynor. Bass-baritone Mark Aliapoulis was awarded the Mary Wolfinan Scholarship Prize for NATSAA of $1,000. Judges were Oren Brown, R6 Koster, Bruce Lunkley, Richard Miller and Beverly Wolff. On January 1,1985, we heard Wendy Hillhouse introduced to millions via television as the winner of NATS Artist Award, when she sang the National Anthem at the Sugar Bowl Game in New Orleans. Quoting Dorothy Sawatski, "Before the final curtain fell on this festive and memorable conference. President John Burgin handed the gavel to the new president Edward Baird in a brief ceremony. All joined hands in singing the traditional ’Auld Lang Syne’ before going separate ways with fond memories of the 1984 convention, convinced that it was indeed A Cause for Celebration.” In October, 1984, just three months after the successful preliminary planning at the Dartington, England conference. Committee Chairman Lunkley had a proposal for an International Congress of Voice Teachers to send to his feasibility committee. The purpose of the congress would be to bring together an international community of voice teachers for sharing ideas and learning from one another. The time would be in the summer of 1986, with five days of program and two days of travel. Finances would have to come from several sources but NATS and AOTOS would have to carry much of the load which could not be covered by anticipated registration fees. The committee met again at the New Orleans convention and decided that Strasbourg, France would be an ideal location for the congress. The selection was made after consultation with persons who had well-established contacts with European teachers. Lunkley presented his feasibility committee’s proposal to the board in its New Orleans sessions. One of the last requests made in John Burgin’s presidency was for the board to approve first costs of the international congress. President Burgin instigated the first efforts toward this congress, committed the Association to it, then placed NATS’ significant share of the planning in the capable hands of Bruce Lunkley. Because this international event was of such great import, it merits a look ahead. When Edward Baird took the reins from President Burgin in 1985, plans continued for the international conference without a pause. Bruce Lunkley continued as co-chairman with Noelle Barker, of Great Britain, and Horst Gflnter, of West Germany. Pearl Worrahoudt of the United States and Norman Tattersall of Great Britain were named program chairs. At the end of his 1985 European choir tour, Lunkley met Horst GQnter in Strasbourg and they spent some time at the Palais de la Musique, going over the facility, costs, and other arrangements for the International Congress. NATS Foundation put up $2,500 for a campaign to finance Eastern nation participants. This amount was not only paid back to the Foundation, it inspired $2,800 in donations for a dozen teachers from iron curtain countries. The next year, NATS was able to add another 55,000, which was later refunded. AOTOS also put up some meeting funds and found financial support for most of their faculty participants from British firms and foundations. An incredible amount of planning and revision of plans from both sides of the Atlantic began and resulted in a truly outstanding lineup of personalities from all comers of the world for the gathering. In the eyes of all who attended, it surely was some sort of miracle to have 650 voice teachers from all over the world gathered in one building. Not everything about Strasbourg was equally successful but, given

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the human problem of responding to personal demands and egos, the congress came off quite well. At my request, President Dale Moore [1988-1991] has written an "Afterword," which summarizes his personal recollections of those very remarkable four days in Strasbourg, 1987. The lower lobby of the Palais de la Musique et des Congr^s was literally a sea of singing teachers by 9:30 a.m. on the morning of July 13. There were enough more registrants than expected that the registrars ran out of coverings for name tags. This kind of minor aggravation is really a wonderful omen for the success of such a meeting. The greeting and visiting with friends from home and abroad, begun the day before in the hotels, continued as the throng gradually moved to the Schuman Room for the Opening Ceremony. There was a tremendous sense of occasion as Bruce Lunkley opened the congress. Here were over six hundred teachers, singers, and scientists who were interested enough in the art of singing and its teaching to travel great distances from thirty different countries! Following appropriate welcoming remarks from French dignitaries and the presidents of the sponsoring national organizations, Richard Miller presented the keynote address, "New Vistas in Singing and Teaching of Singing," which was both substantive and inspiring. The various sessions, whether pedagogical, scientific, or in the form of panel discussions, were of a very high level. It would be out of place to try to write of specific ones. Those which moved somewhat outside the mainstream attracted great attention, especially from the non-Americans. I refer, for instance, to Stephanie Samaras’ session on "Qassical Training Applied to the Pop Voice." On a more personal note, none of us could know that John Large’s excellent presentation, "Pedagogy of the Even Scale," would be his last appearance before a large gathering of singing teachers. For many of us, some of the most exciting moments of the four days occurred on July 15 when, towards the end of Edward A Baird’s panel on "The Advantages of a Professional Teachers Organisation," representatives from Germany and Switzerland announced that they had that day formed organizations of teachers from those two countries. Within eighteen months. New Zealand and Australia had done the same. As is often the case with our national conventions, there were countless interesting encounters and conversations outside of the sessions themselves. There was the young male singer who was asking every teacher who would listen to him what he or she thought of so-and-so’s books and methods. I wish there had been time enough to listen to the answers. Those of us from NATS were often asked organizational questions concerning the running of student auditions or the financing of master classes. The most important questions, however, just as those asked after the most stimulating program presentations, were those related to problems of pedagogy-especially those faced by the less experienced teacher. Was it overoptimism on my part or were we seeing and hearing the early signs of a new era-the era of the teacher who is not afraid to ask? Therein lies the future greatness of our profession. A fitting conclusion to the congress was provided by a magnificent recital presented by the American baritone, Thomas Hampson, and his pianist, Charles Spencer. At the risk of reading too much into this wonderful event, it was a great night for NATS. Much of Mr. Hampson’s early training was with the late Sister Marietta Coyle of Spokane, Washington, a teacher of justifiably great repute in that area and a member of NATS. His recent study has been with Horst Gflnter, one of NATS’ early members from West Germany. His singing certainly exemplified the kind of teaching for which our organization stands. I like to think that those who gave so much of themselves in order to make NATS what it has become were proud of the first International Congress of Voice Teachers. But the story is far from end^! Plans are already well under way for the second Internation­ al Congress of Voice Teachers, which will take place in Philadelphia in July of 1991. There is always the future and all it holds.

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The open-mindedness and groundwork of John Burgin, the positive influence of Richard Miller, the interest and encouragement of Edward Baird, the tireless work of Bruce Lunkley, Noelle Barker, Horst Gflnter, Pearl Wormhoudt, Norman Tattersall and their committees, will always stand as a monument of dedication to the furtherance of professional organizations. The International Congress could not have happened without the history of experience that NATS had behind it. All of those persons who have labored so hard for NATS over the years were also responsible for the congress and its success. There is little doubt that President Burgin set in motion a rolling stone that would have far reaching effects upon the teaching of singing world­ wide. He breathed life into what other presidents had talked about In summation, the Burgin years were good ones for NATS. He turned around the decline in membership of the Bushman years and pulled NATS across the 4,000 mark. He opted for moving our national office out of New York City’s high rent district He upped regional allocations from $3.00 to $5.00 per member. He increased the dollar amount of grants from the Discretionary Fund to chapters and/or regions. He increased NATSAA prize monies to $5,000 for first place and $2,500 for second place making NATSAA one of the most prestigious in the nation. He started the computerization of our national office. The esthete in him led him to provide a standard and more attractive letterhead and envelope. He initiated the Art Song Composition Contest, which has become as much a part of NATS as NATSAA NATS’ fiscal health during the Burgin years can best be demonstrated by a comparison of budgets. In 1982, that figure stood at $147,000. In fiscal 1985~$276,000. It should not be overlooked that it was John Burgin who placed NATS’ feet on the path to Strasbourg, 1987 and an international role in raising the level of voice teaching throughout the world. Oh yes, how could I have overlooked the fact that these very pages over which I have labored several years have come into being because of John Burgin. It was he who got me involved in writing the history of NATS and has helped me significantly on the way.

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TH E WHI TE H O U S E WASHINGTON"

December 24, 1984

I am delighted to extend warm greetings and congratulations to the members of the National Association of Teachers of Singing as you gather for your 40th Anniversary National Convention in historic New Orleans. Your esteemed organization has had a positive and longstanding impact on the art of sin gin g in the United States of America. In addition, the indi­ vidual members of the Association have given each of their students a unique and distinct apprecia­ tion for the vocal art and its rewards. Whether these and future students become professional practitioners of their art or not, they will have an increased appreciation for the beauties of singing. Nancy joins me in saluting you and your contri­ butions to excellence in this most important field of musical expression and in wishing you all the best for a memorable and productive m eeting.

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Appendix

Charter Members Persons who joined the Association within ayear of its organization were considered to be charter members. These names have been compiled from lists constructed by NATS National Secretary Walter A Stults in 1945, NATS Registrar Gertrude Tingley in 1957, and from new member lists which appeared in The BuOetin, 1944-1945. Published lists o f new members were at times incomplete and several early membership records were lost or destroyed many years ago. Perhaps there are several other names which should be incbded on this list Deutzmann, Max DeYoung, Richard Dickensheets, H. W. Dickerson, Hugh C. Dobkin, Dimitry Dougherty, Bruce Dreier, Marie Dresskell, Ludle Dressier, Eugene

Goebel, Virginia R. Golde, Walter Golde, Mrs. J. Roscoe Goranson, Rudolph F. Gothold, Nelle Gould, Herbert Gould, Julia S. Graham, George Grant, Alexander

Carapetyan, Caro M.

Dunham, Lucia Dunkley, Ferdinand Duvall, Charlotte Eberhart, Constance

Carson, Leon Case, Harriet Casselman, Eugene H. Chamlee, Ruth M. Clark, Mildred G. Clark, M me. King Clive, Sarah Y.

Eberl, William A Ebersole, A S. Ellerman, Amy Ellyson, Georgia B. Elson, June Emile, Andera Emile, Mrs. Thardis J.

Cobb, Ruth T.

Engstrom, Everett

Grant, Lome Granville, Charles N. Griffiths, Anne Grosso, Francisco Grubb, Allen J. Grand, Frances Gude, Louise F. Gunlaugson, Christine Gunn, George Gutekunst, Carl Harris, Edward Haskell, Blanche

B arom eo, Chase

Coffin, Berton

Evans, Evan

Hastings, Monnie H.

Barraja, Enrico Barre, G erm aine

Colgan, Louise B. Collins, Hazel Cooke, Edgar M.

Falk, William J. Fauley, Leon

Hawkins, Ann Haynes, Frances Haywood, Frederick Henke, Margaret

A bell, R osalind F. A dam s, Catherine M. Alberini, Allessandro Alberti, H elen N . Alberti, Solon Alexander, Arthur

Bradish, Elisabeth B. Bradnell, Esther D . Brady, William S. Breedy, Paul J. Brines, Fannie G. Brown, Albert E.

Allinger, H elen A llingham , Carolyn

Burrows, Clyde Burton, Arthur M. Butler, Hanna

A lthouse, Paul A nderson, Lorena A rkbauer, G eorge C. A rnold, Leslie A vis, M ildred B achner, Louis Backstrand, Lillian B aer, H erm anus B agley, Sylvia R . Bain, W ilfred C. Bair, Clifford Baker, H erm an B arkem a, Martha

Bartch, Jam es B. B artholom ew , Marshall Bassian, Alexia B each, Jennie T. B eech er, Alvah A . B ened ict, A nne B erg, Earl F. B ibb, Frank W . B idoli, M m e. Em i de Bird, M arcelle W. Black, Gertrude B. B loom , Edna B. B loom field, Clara B o ette, M arie B ogert, W alter L. B oice, Susan S. Bonaw itz, C. Frederick B o o tes, Laura B. B orchers, Orville J. B ow en, G eorge 0 . B ow m an, Katherine D .

Byram, Gene Cafarelli, Carmela Calbreath, Evelene

Cota, Lovland C. Cox, Ernest L Craft, Marcella Crawford, Hadley

Fell, Romley Ferguson, Bernard Fergusson, George Fields, Victor A

Henry, Edith Herpe, M. Elizabeth

Finet, Victor Fish, Vincent Fishel, Forrest F. Fox, Bertram J.

Hertz, Wayne S. Heyne, William B.

Franca, Ida Fulton, Eugene Gandell, Shirley M. K. Gansko, Ralph

Hobart, Heniy Hof&nan, John A

Gardini, Nelle Gardner, Gail Gaumer, Ethel S. Geist, Melvin Gentle, Alice

Honl, Emily Hopson, Leota

Hoft-ell, Lewis J.

Delane, Forrest Delaney, Verne D .

G eny, Arthur Gerts, Anneraarie Gilliland, Dale V .

Desellem, Elaine

Ginter, Lawrence R.

Hunsecker, Lillian L

Crittendon, Ray Cummings, Richard Curry, Eunice Curtis, Vera Cuthbert, Frank Dacosta, Blanche Dalton, Sydney D ane, George S. Daniell, Madge Daniels, Mark Davis, Horace L Deacon, Stanley Decker, Harold A

Hickok, Madge Hinman, Rorence L

Holmen, Ruth Holtann, Horence L

Horn, Maryum Hosmer, Helen M. Houghton, James Hoyt, Clara M. Hughes, Bess M.

353

H unter, Rhea Huntington, Mrs. F. W. Hurlburt, Harold Hurst, Gertrude Irvine, Diane Ivins, Maurice G. Jackson, Archibald C. Jacobson, Cecile M. Johnson, Carabella Johnson, Donald E. Johnson, Hardesty Johnson, Lewis H. Johnson, Myrtle H . Johnson, V iolet Joliffe, R . Norman Jones, Byron D . Jones, Mynard Jones, William H . Kablert, Greta Kane, Julie W. Kasey, Martha Keiser, Margaret Kelley, Carlyle Kellis, Naomi E. Keutzer, Clyde Klingstedt, Paul Kockritz, Hubert Kraft, Arthur

McLean, Cameron McLellan, Eleanor McMains, Paul F. McNeans, Russell Mead, Elizabeth Meteyarde, William L. Metzger, Zerlina Miller, R orence Miller, J. Oscar Molitore, Edward M onroe, Julia B. M ore, Sarah P. Morsbach, H orence Morton, Celeste Mowe, H om er G. Neilson, Mrs. James Nelson, Carl L Newton, George Nicholas, Louis T. Nichols, Edith Nichols, John W.

R eid, A lice I. Reinhardt, Frances W . R em ley, Ernest J. R em ley, K. Boyd R em sbert, Laura M . R evelle, Sarah A . Reynolds, Mrs. R . G. R ham e, D upre R ice, M elanie G. Richards, V ere S. Richards, Virginia Richter, Ursula Ringel, Harvey Ringo, M arguerite Robbins, Edith L. R oberts, E. Llewellyn Rogers, Francis R oss, William E. R ousseau, Louis R owles, William L. Russell, M aude I. Ryan, Bessie Samuel, John O. Sanchez, Carlos N . Sandahl, Marcia Saroya, Bianca Sauve, Alvin Scam, Maurice

Kremer, Jeannette H. Kroeger, Louise Kurtz, E£Be H.

Nilssen, Sigurd

Schey, Margit

V eld , H enry V ita, A rtu o V osb u rgh , T h eo d o re D . W adsw orth, H an d el W adsw orth, M argaret W ardle, C on stance

Noah, Max S. Nurding, Frank J.

Schilling, K enneth E. Schilling, Ottile

W arner, B yron H . W aters, Crystal

Nye, Olga B.

Schneider, Edythe Scholfield, Edgar

W ed em eyer, O tto W eigester, L o u ise W eis, E zra H . F. W ells, R o b er t H . W elton , J. H enry W est, J. F orrest W h eeler, W illiam W hy, M rs. F oster W ick, E lsa D . W idm ann, C atherine

Laforge, Frank Lake, A nnette Y. Larsen, Lilly Lawrence, Charles W. Lean, Verna L ee, Jenny Lee, Sarah Lefleur, Claire J. Lehmann, Oscar H. Leslie, Grance

Marshall, Cameron Martin, Peggy Martino, RaSiaele Mastin, Cecil D . M attem, Walter McCook, Lillian G. McIntyre, Vera B.

Olsgard, Margaret E. Olson, Mrs. Fred L. Omeron, Helen Onofrei, Dimitri Owens, Mrs. Samuel F. Patterson, Jessie P. Patton, John A . Pazmor, Radiana

Schuessler, R oy A . Schultz, Frederick W . Scott, Gilderoy Sebring, Paul F. Shamova, Sonia Sharp, H elen T. Sharp, R hoda

S tou t, Barrett Stringer, L. H . Stultz, W alter A . Sturani, C esare Sullivan, Lillian B. Sunderm an, Lloyd F. Swain, Edw in O . Swing, D o lf Tarter, L en a B . Taylor, B ernard U . Taylor, Harris S. T h u t, John T kach, P eter D . T oren , E . Clifford T orrens, M rs. L. A . T reash, L eonard T ren ton , L ou ise T ruit, A u stin H . T yndall, O ttilie E. U n ru h , D avid P. U tt, P aul R . V au gh n , B ertha V a u se, G eo rg e

Leslie, Lelia H. LeVine, Julia

Peterson, Hazel Peterson, Magnus Petri, Peter

Shaughnessy, Mildred Shultz, Harry E. Simmlons, L ouise

Lindquest, Allan R.

Pfohl, H eniy

Sister M . Cecilia

W illiam s, Justin

Lowe, Anita

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Sister Mary Gavin R o se

W illiam s, T h o m a s W .

Lowrance, Robert S. Luckstone, Harold C.

Phelps, Dwight F. Phillips, T. Morgan

Lukken, Albert

Phillips, William Piper, Grace

Siusua, Martha K. Slocum, Blanche Snyder, Ellis E. Soudant, B elle J.

W illiam s, T u d or W ilson, H arry R . W inder, H en ry A . W inter, G eo rg e W ise, B . F red W ixom , Jessie W oodruff, H arvey L. W ood sid e, Jam es

Lunlz, G eorge E. Lyons, Blanche B. M acBum qr, Thom as N . MacClanahan, Elsie

Pires, N eyneen F. Prior, Lyman P.

MacCollin, Paul

Pryor, Olive A. Putnam, Leslie R .

MacKenzie, Mignon B. Marchant, Luther

R asm ussen, Sverre Redm an, B ess C.

Mario, Queena

R eed, Graham

Sovereign, Oliver Spouse, Alfred Starell, M arguerite Starr, N ell B. Stein, M arguerite N . Stillman, Mrs. Leslie T. Stock, G eorge C.

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