Remembering Chordsmen
Bruce Bell 1917-2008
Bruce Bell was born in Chicago on September 30th 1917.
His love of music led him to sing with the Redwood Chordsmen, Sonoma County Chorus, The Village Singers, The Redwood Empire Lyric Theater, The Sonoma County Men's Chorus and more
Vern Spence was born in 1931 in Sacramento and grew up in the Northern California mountain town of Weed. His father worked in a laundry in the mill town. Vern wanted to be a teacher from the time he was a little boy and he saw college as a way to avoid "getting stuck working in the mill". He earned both a bachelor's and a master's degree in Science at Chico State.
He moved to Santa Rosa in the mid-1950s. Vern taught at Gravenstein Elemetary School, Herbert Slater and Cook Junior High Schools and Piner High School with a two year break to teach African History in Nairobi, Kenya. He retired as Director of Bilingual Education for the Santa Rosa School District in 1997 and spent 10 years on the Education Department faculty at Dominican University.
He was a member of SIRS (Sons in Retirement) and a volunteer for Easter Seals, the Volunteer Center, March of Dimes, Shriners' Hospital and other organizations serving children. A scholar and a voracious reader, he was a "regular" at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival for 50 years and loved nothing more than a long talk about history and/or trivia.
A loyal friend, he kept a lifelong relationship with his fraternity brothers from Chico and with his former students.
As a child, he was a member of a church choir and sang throughout college. Vern was a member of the Barbershop Harmony Society (formerly SPEBSQSA) for 26 years.
(Extracted from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat - Sunday January 30th 2011. Thank you.)
Gary Alton Smith was born in Oklahoma on January 29th 1938. A man of dignity, honor, humor and music, Gary made an impact on every life he touched. He was married for 27 years to the love of his life, Debra, who will miss him more than words can express. He raised four beautiful daughters in whom he had great pride.
Gary was always busy whether singing with his beloved friends in the Redwood Chordsmen or working with his friends in the Rotary. He remained active on the 6th St Playhouse board and the board for the Sonoma County Law Enforcement Chaplaincy until his illness prevented him from continuing.
He never met an animal he did not love and his two dogs were at the top of that list. He loved going out to lunch or dinner with friends and worked fervently to keep in close touch with his loved ones who lived too far away. Gary loved to laugh and left a legacy of smiles on each life that he touched.
He leaves behind his beloved daughters Anitra Sommer and her husband Mike of Santa Paula; Natalie Fronczek and her husband Dan and Tiffany Edmonds and her husband Andre, all of Visalia; and Holli Plummer of San Francisco. Grandchildren include Michael and Matthew Sieb, Spencer and Erik Sommer; Ryan and Alexis Fronczek and Brandon Walker.
There is no way to express how much Gary will be missed, but his memory brings his family and friends great joy. When you think of Gary, please smile and remember that if he knew you, he loved you!
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Gary always had a smile on his face and a kind word to make you feel special. I've always been a great fan of the Ray Conniff Singers and have just about every album they ever recorded, including some in which Gary performed. Some of you know that he sang with the Conniff organization back in the 1950s and Gary could tell you a lot of great stories about those days. He was special to the Redwood Chordsmen and he will be missed. - Ray Crowder
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Though he is in a better place now than when he was suffering in his last days, we have fond memories of Gary in a number of areas: His love for his wife Debra was ever so apparent. To Gary she almost walked on water. He spoke often of her talents and also how she cared deeply for him. Gary's fondness for his beloved daughters, the apples of his eyes. He was so proud of them. His love of Barbershop was a blessing, particularly to those of us with the same hobby. He was an inspiration with his leadership abilities and hospitable nature. The special fondness for their dogs, which he always pointed out were "his" and "her" dogs. Gary's enjoyment with the nurturing of small birds in their patio, which became an inspiration for us to establish our own bird sanctuary of a more limited scope at our home. - Jim & Delain DeChaine
Val Hicks was a former director of our chapter. He taught at the Santa Rosa Junior College for nineteen years. You can see Val with Ray, Dan and Mike as the North Bay Harmony Society quartet from 1988 in our Way Back When gallery.
Dr. Val Hicks became a member of SPEBSQSA at the age of eighteen. He sang, directed choruses (including the Redwood Chordsmen), coached quartets and served as an international judge. He was invited by the Smithsonian Institute to create a special music section on Barbershop quartet singing. He composed many songs and arranged 'thousands'. His arrangement of the Star-Spangled Banner has been performed at the Super Bowl and countless other venues.
Val was arranger, coach and adviser to the Dapper Dans of Disneyland and worked with the Osmond Brothers among others.
