2007 HWC Officers
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go to members only area, pull up chapter I-015 info, and obtain
home, work #s and email addresses.
JACK OONK - House Manager
Jack is a Barbershop Brat; his father's quartet, the Chord
Counts, were Pioneer District Champions the year Jack was born
(1958). Jack became a member of the Barbershop Harmony Society
in 1986. In his 21 years with the Holland Chapter, Jack has served
as President, Vice President, Member at Large, and Chorus Manager.
Unless one thinks he can't hold a job, Jack has been popular
as the House Manager - keeping the guys happy after rehearsal
with an array of tasty snacks and beverages. Jack is an Insurance
Inspector, and lives in Holland with his wife Yuko and daughter
Cassie.
ART LANE - Bulletin Editor and PR
Art enjoyed choir at Port Huron High School and singing in church
choirs. But Tuesday's weekly deadline at the Saugatuck Commercial
Record kept him from accepting the invitation to experience barbershop,
which was frequently extended by his choir director, Mike Oonk.
Finally Art retired, had Tuesdays free, joined the Windmill Chorus,
and now only has a deadline once a month. For 1998, not only
was Art named Barbershopper of the Year of the Holland Chapter
for organizing the chapter's trip to the Netherlands where they
performed in three chapter shows, a church, and several public
spots (he did this with fellow barbershopper Paul Bekker), he
was also named Public Relations Officer of the Year for the Pioneer
District, and then went on to receive Public Relations Officer
of the Year in the Society-wide PROBE contest. Both awards were
for PR connected with the Netherlands trip, within the chapter
and to the public at large. A highlight of the trip was putting
out a two-page Windmill Blade in Amsterdam, typing it on a computer
at the home of a member of Zaandam's Whale City Sound chapter,
and then printing it on Sunday afternoon at a coin-fed printer
in a grocery store in Amsterdam.
Art has received second place eight times in the Pioneer District's
Bulletin Editor of the Year contest conducted by PROBE, the Society's
organization of Public Relations Officers and Bulletin Editors.
KYLE JURRIES - Chorus Promoter, CPO Tag Contest Chair
Kyle has decided to take a a new positon with the Chorus,
Chorus Promoter, where he will look for events and line
up singing dates for the chorus. He is also the CPO Tag
Contest Chair. Kyle has enjoyed music his entire life; his mother
played piano for a gospel quartet and he started singing when
he was in grade school, but never publicly until, after high
school, he joined a Gospel Octet called "The Joyful Sound",
where he still enjoys singing. He joined the Windmill Chorus
in 2001 and has been in 3 quartets since his arrival. His latest
quartet, Havin' A Blast, enjoys singing for many different occasions,
including the National Anthem for many different sports teams
from high schools to professional. He has two children a son,
Aron, who is serving in the Army at Fort Riley KS, and a daughter,
Bethany who is a senior at Hamilton High School and also
in choir.
KIRK WOOD - Director
Kirk was involved with music since the 6th grade as a trumpet
player however vocally he started at Unity High School in Tolono
Illinois, where he sang with the choirs in school and was involved
in three school musicals. Outside of class he sang in a Christian
singing group called, "Celebrate Life." They toured
for several summers around the country and they sang for many
young people. He graduated from high school in 1978 and was successful
in completing a four year apprenticeship and following in his
fathers footsteps, received his journeyman card in plumbing,
pipe fitting and certified welding. He's welded on four different
Nuclear Power Plants, plumbed over five hundred homes and was
General Foreman at the Covert Power Generating facility in Covert,
MI where he was responsible for the work of over 70 men. He has
received certifications in boiler certified welding, back flow
perversion, valve repair, HVAC and water softener installation.
In 1981 Kirk was married in Urbana, Illinois and was blessed
in 1985 with the first of two daughters, Stacie and later, Elizabeth,
but after twenty-five years the marriage came to an end. His
two daughters are currently pursuing their collegiate goals at
WMU and Columbia University in Chicago, Illinois. Musically,
after he graduated high school, he participated in Champaign-Urbana's
Symphony where he sat first chair trumpet. He also joined a singing
society called, "SPEBSQSA" which is an organization
who preserves the Barbershop singing style of the 1920's and
30's. He loved the a cappella harmony sound and the challenge
of musically singing with three independent voices simultaneously.
His progress was slow, so in 1986 he sought out private help
from Richard Hertel, a vocal graduate student at the University
of Illinois under the nationally recognized, William Miller.
For the next two years he learned very quickly and his quartets
became known internationally in competitions and shows where
they recorded several CD projects. The Barbershop society hired
his group to participate in week-long teaching sessions called,
"Harmony Explosions." These camps where placed in local
cities and attended by students from all over the country: Hartford,
CT., Indianapolis, IN., Orlando, FL. and Toledo, OH. He also
taught at several Harmony College seminars in several states
teaching to young people, music theory, visual performance and
music interpretation. In 1994 he took the opportunity to direct
the Battle Creek Cereal City chorus until 1996 when he moved
to Paw Paw, MI.
DENNIS WILLAMAN - Singing Valentines
Dennis has been singing with the barbershop chorus for over
two years now. He still sings with his church choir and has been
for a number of years. Dennis has started taking private voice
lessons and has found it to be very helpful and rewarding. His
wife is also taking voice lessons from the same teacher so it
has become a family activity. Dennis' wife is a church musician
and they have a piano in the house which she plays almost daily.
JOHN ELLIS - Secretary
John has been involved with Barbershop since 1992, when he
lived in Pennsylvania. He is a 'baritone' and enjoys the harmony
that this particular part brings. He is retired and enjoys golf
as much as he enjoys barbershop harmony.
John is the current Secretary, having previously served as President
and VP Music. He is also the House Manager responsible
for keeping our meeting place ("Harmony Hall") in shape.
He has headed up our Singing Valentine program for the past couple
of years and is the music librarian, responsible for getting
music and learning tapes/Cd's to the members.
PAUL BEKKER - Tulip Time Chair
Paul is retired (or in his words "sometimes just tired")
and has been a Barbershop singer for 32 years. He enjoys singing
in the chorus, and was lead in the early nineties in a quartet
named Four Bucks A Chord. He's been the Chapter Treasurer off
and on for many years, He also heads up our program ad book for
the Tulip Time Show and the last few years has enjoyed getting
quartets and being chairman of our Tulip Time Show. He spends
four months in the winter down in Texas and sings in a church
choir there and a directs a Men's Chorus at the RV park. They
put on a show each winter for the "Winter Texans".
CHUCK KREUN - Treasurer
Chuck came to Michigan in 1954 to attend Hope College. He is
a farm boy from Minnesota, was a soda jerk, truck driver, carpenter/joiner,
school bus driver, banker (30 years), real estate sales (5 years),
local politician (retired from 14 years as Treasurer of Holland
Charter Township). Though retired, he now owns a small business
called Tuff Turf Mowing. Chuck remarried Dec '04 to Kathy, a
Sweet Adeline bass/baritone, who sings with the Great Lakes Chorus,
Grand Rapids. Chuck has been in babershop as a lead/baritone
since 2000 and has earnes 3 Man of Note Awards. In 2005 he was
named "Barbershopper of the Year" by the Holland Chapter.
SCOTT SCHUSTER - President
DARRELL VANDE HOEF - Past President, VP Music, Ass't.
Director
Darrell has been a barbershopper for over 20 years. During that
time he has sung baritone, tenor and bass in the chorus and in
quartets, but never lead. He has also held most offices on the
board. Aside from barbershopping, Darrell, along with his wife
Conni, raises Percheron draft horses, sheep, chickens and, occasionally,
a few pigs on their farm outside of Zeeland.
DALE BEKKER - Chapter Historian
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