Golden Memories 
The Founders Chorus
        Chapters


Tulsa Founders Chorus, 1990 Frank Friedermann, Director

 
1947- President: Les Applegate
Tulsa initiated an annual series of weekly summer programs at Philbrook Art Center where barbershoppers gathered on the terrace outside the great hall, with the audience nearby on steps and garden benches. In August the Tulsa Tribune stated that the Tulsa chapter was planning to create a large male chorus which would sing only barbershop harmony.

1948- President: Dr. E. H. Eckel
Rector of Trinity Episcopal Church.

1949- President: Dr. R. D. McCullough
The Public Service Company Clubroom, and the Mayo hotel were the meeting places. 1950-President George McCaslin. Seeking a cool place to sing, McCaslin moved his men to the Tulsa Country Club for air-conditioning.Tulsa's chapter quartets consisted of THE COSMOPOLITAN FOUR (Ellis Adkins, bari; Jack Connell, lead; Fred Craig, bass; and "Doc" Birch, tenor) and THE FLYING L, (Fred Graves, bass; Bob Kirk, bari; George McCaslin, tenor and Bud Downing, lead, who was later replaced by R. D. McCullough) and group membership stood at 100.

1951- President: George McCaslin
The third annual barbershop quartet roundup. to which more than 2,900 tickets were sold, provided two hours of good old fashioned barbershop harmony, mirth and melody. The chapter Guest Night was held where entertainment was provided by the COSMOPOLITAN FOUR, THE FLYING L and the POLICE QUARTET (Les Applegate, bass; Ed Chambers, lead; "Choc" Phillips, tenor; and Bob Myers, bari).

  1952- President: Dr. N.T. Enmeier
Four Woodrow Wilson Junior High School boys, who are believed to have been the youngest barbershop singers in the country, were adopted as honorary members of the chapter in 1952. Group members were Freddy Welch (13), tenor; Gene Lloyd (13). lead; Ted Lane (14), bari; and Bill Regan (14), bass. Their coach, a barbershopper himself, was W. C. "Choc" Phillips. To promote the formation of the Vinita chapter, four quartets (out of the 150 members of the Tulsa Chapter) provided close harmony in the Vinita High School. Three hundred people left Tulsa on an August night for music under the stars as they cruised Grand Lake on the Cherokee Queen. Harmony was provided by THE POLICE QUARTET, COSMOPOLITAN FOUR, and the CHORD BUSTERS. Tulsa Central High School auditorium was the site for the 1952 Southwestern District Contest.

1953- President: Leo L. Spring
By this time the FLYING L quartet had become known as the "Governor's Quartet". Les Applegate, the jovial bass singer of the POLICE QUARTET, wrote the words and music to "Coney Island Baby", and the Tulsa Country Club and Mayo hotel were the Chapter meeting places. The 250 members of the Tulsa chapter were saddened by the passing of the founder of the society, O.C. Cash.

1954- President: John W. Loots
MAGIC CITY FOUR (Ed Wright, lead; Howard Rinkel, tenor; John Loots, ban; and Guy Winningham, bass), was the new quartet of the time while Fred Craig directed the men. Although he had performed the job in the past, C. S. (Pack) Buxton took over the honor of historian and librarian of the Tulsa chapter. Members (147) held meetings at the Tulsa Country Club, Mayo Hotel and the Naval

 
 

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