|
Past BOTY Recipients
2009 Jim Farkas 2008 Frank Adams 2007 Wally Jennings 2006 Len Piggot 2005 Dave Peiffer 2004 Don Bohnwagner 2003 Gary Simon 2002 Mark Pritchard 2001 Larry Radley 2000 Ed Bax 1999 Hal Reid 1994 Ed Wojtan 1987 Alex Willox |
|
Wayne Chapter
2010 Barbershopper of the Year Loyalty is a quality that all of us value, and as Barbershoppers we know how much loyalty means to our hobby, since the very nature of our craft demands the combining of our efforts in such a way that the sum is greater than the parts. One of the strengths of our chapter is the way in which many men bring their different talents together and, along with a strong love for the music, and the willingness to go the extra mile, enable us to enrich the lives of our members, and spread our joy for music to the community. Loyalty expresses itself in many ways: Perhaps a guy steps forward to help out a quartet when they need a 4th for a gig on very short notice. Or maybe he helps out in an area of Chapter operations at a time of need, or sees a way to help an upcoming show and takes it upon himself to make sure that the enhancement happens. It could be he’s just a guy who’s always willing to sing anytime, anywhere, and willing to help out any way he can. This description fits many fine men in our chapter, but this year it fits extra well for one man, a man who is always ready at Measure 36, and even though he may sometimes arrive late enough for us to greet him in unison, in all the ways that count, he is “Just in Time”. From these clues and, I am quite sure, to nobody’s surprise, this year’s recipient of the “Albert J Fricker Memorial Award” for Barbershopper of the Year for 2010 is our very own— Charles Nalbandian Charles joined our chapter in 2000 and as an 11 year member his contributions and activities have been many, and for many of us, it seems like he has been with us forever. As a veteran singer of other organizations when he joined, he found a home with us singing in the Barbershop style, starting out as a Lead, before going over to “dark side” (a.k.a.- baritone) in recent years. His activities have included singing with several of our annual show ensembles, and speaking parts in shows where we had extra staging. For one of our previous shows, Charles had a scripted line “Break Time!” that we kidded him about for many months afterward. Another year, Charles had a different sort of “Break Time” as he became, to our knowledge, the only Barbershopper ever to be mugged by a loading dock! Charles has also been a regular voice on Valentine’s Day, a frequent attendee of leadership academy, and was instrumental in securing the Northville High School group “Backbeat” for our 2010 Christmas show. The thing about Charles is-- he is always there for us. He may be laid up for months, or away due to the calling of his faith, but he is always around in the pinch, ready to do what needs to be done. When our beloved Hal Reid passed away in 2009, Charles rearranged his responsibilities so that he could assume the duties of treasurer in our Chapter’s time of need. Charles has handled the position with aplomb and care, and keeps us on the “straight and narrow” in all matters financial, including an audit of our music literature and recordings to help us make and keep track of the required compensations to the authors and artists. Besides his many contributions to the chapter, Charles brings his fine baritone voice to chapter quartet “Joint Effort” (soon to be “Impulse”), and together with our director Scott Casey, Charles ensures that when we are served food in public, that none of it goes to waste. Also, and maybe most important of all, he is one of the few people in the chapter (I am one of them) that can attest to the importance, when crossing the border, of knowing the difference between a van and a truck! For these reasons, and many more that won’t fit on this certificate, Charles was the logical choice for Wayne Chapter 2010 Barbershopper of the Year, and the ever-accompanying GGG “Good Going Guy” award! Loyalty has its rewards Charles! |
