Greater Pittsburgh Chapter Board Meeting
May 17, 2005
From minutes submitted by Secretary Gary Corpora
Meeting attendees:
Gary Corpora, Gordon Knapp, George Kosak, Bob Parker, John Powers, Don Redshaw, Bernie Sinwell, Don Anderson, Joe Veltre.
· A motion was made by Joe Veltre, seconded by John Powers and passed to have a meeting with other local chapters to discuss possible mergers or other activities for joint participation.
· The chapter budget, revenues and expenses were reviewed in depth. (Details will be presented to the chapter in separate correspondence).
· Bob Parker recommended that Don Redshaw get at least three additional members to serve on a Membership and Development committee.
· District delegate Joe Veltre reported that our chapter is part of the Rome Division [of JAD] along with South Hills, Mon Valley, Johnstown, North Hills, Wheeling, Metro, McKeesport, and Alle-Kiski.
· Gordon Knapp reported that he does not wish to be show chairman again next year but agreed to help out
· A motion was made by Gordon Knapp and seconded by Joe Veltre and passed by the board to reserve Soldiers & Sailors Hall for our annual show on April 8, 2006.
A few notes on previous members:
Russ Keyser is now a member of the Winston Salem chapter and is singing with the Triad Harmony Express chorus. Russ can be reached by e-mail at: russjanek@yahoo.com. I'm sure he would like to hear from some of you.
This from the IUP "The Communicator:"
Dr. Trenton Ferro, after 15 years at IUP, will be retiring in June of this year. Trenton currently sings with the Metro chapter and many of us remember singing with him at Greater Pittsburgh. If anyone would like to read the "Communicator" article, I have a copy [Tom Koch].
Special "Futures" Meeting
May 11, 2005
As reported by President Bob Parker
A meeting was held on May 11, 2005 among chapter members from Greater Pittsburgh, South Hills, and McKeesport. The meeting was entitled "The future of barbershopping in the greater Pittsburgh area. Attending the meeting from Greater Pittsburgh were Joe DeFilippo, Geroge Kosak, Gordon Knapp, Bernie Sinwell, and Bob Parker. South Hills attendees were Ken Williams, George Fritsch and a newer member I failed to record. Attending from McKeesport was Jim Scanlon.
The first item on the agenda was to review current society enrollment statistics regarding current membership in local chapters.
Enrollment is as follows:
The second agenda item was to discuss the trend in membership growth and retention among the three chapters represented. Greater Pittsburgh and McKeesport are declining in membership. South Hills is staying about the same. Looking ahead to the status of these chapters in five to ten years, it was agreed that due to membership age and lack of growth, these chapters may cease to exist.
Ken Williams broached the subject of chapter mergers at this point. He had polled the membership of South Hills about the possibility of merger with Greater Pittsburgh. His poll showed that if South Hills should dissolve, the majority of the membership would prefer a merger with the North Hills chapter. There were a variety of reasons for this preference but the bottom line is that a South Hills - Greater Pittsburgh merger is not feasible at this time.
With this in mind, George Kosak proposed the idea of having local chapter get together for a mass sing at Greater Pittsburgh (Trinity Christian) on June 7. The concept was to get together a large number of barbershoppers from the local chapters for a night of fellowship, singing, and to hear what a large local chorus could sound like.
The idea was accepted and George Kosak, Gordon Knapp and Bob Parker volunteered to organize the event.
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