2024 Longevity Awards

65 YEARS ~ Sally Bone: Unfortunately, we have not been able to reach Sally for comments.

60 YEARS ~ Sue McBride:  In 1964 my husband's cousin invited me to visit the Sweet Adelines chorus she sang in. I had never heard of this organization before but I loved to sing, so I went and fell in love with the music and harmony that first night. It was called the Renton Chorus at that time but had its name changed to Jet Cities when we moved the chorus to another nearby town. I've sung in many quartets over the years and placed in the top 3 several times, plus received the Audience Choice Award twice. I loved being on stage. 

I'm still an active member with Jet Cities--for over 60 years!--and have gone to International Competition several times with them. The friendships I've made are precious to me and a cornerstone in my life. 

55 YEARS ~ Dottie Dedrick:  I have always love to sing, and sang in church choirs, as well as Little Theater productions. Sometimes I was called on to do solos for PTA meetings at the school where I taught. In 1969, after a hiatus when I was out of the country teaching for the Department of Defense, the woman who had been my accompanist told me about a new singing organization that had started and gave me instructions on how to find it. And so I joined the Greater Tacoma chapter and have never looked back.

Greater Tacoma won the regional competition several times and went to a couple of internationals. I was in a couple of other choruses when I learned that Carol Kirkpatrick was starting a new chorus, which became Pacific Sound and I joined as a charter member. We had a wonderful chorus of over 160 members under Carol’s leadership, and later with Susan Kegley. I have a plethora of regional first place medals, as well as quite a few from International; the highest being a 3^rd Place medal Pacific Sound won in Orlando in 2000.

Throughout my Sweet Adeline career, I served as President or Team Manager for the choruses I belonged to and spent several years on the Regional Management Team, first as Membership Coordinator, then as Education Coordinator. I was able to visit many of the choruses in the region and developed wonderful friendships. Setting up chorus coaching situations and regional educational opportunities, I was thrilled to work with many of the icons of our organization.

I am currently the only remaining charter member of Pacific Sound in the chorus, and once again I am Team Leader. The chorus has grown very small, thanks to Covid and other circumstances faced by other choruses, but we are rebuilding. We are looking for a director and attracting new members.

50 YEARS ~ Betty Jo Kraus: I first heard about Sweet Adelines from my husband’s cousin, Nancy. She sang with many quartets and won an International championship with several of them.

My husband’s job caused us to move many times. During one of these moves, I met Jo Kraut who was the director of the Kansas City Chorus that won many awards at International. She inspired me to join a chorus and participate in contests wherever I might move. I sang in different choruses/different cities and always had a great time. When I moved to Oregon I sang with the City of Roses Chorus, directed by Ardeth Fulmer. Eventually that chorus joined with Blue Lake Chorus, which became the Pride of Portland Chorus.

I sang with POP for many years, won medals and ribbons. I don’t know where the medals and ribbons are now, but I do still have hanging on a mirror the Audience Choice Award that we won the year we did the NUN package. Our director at the time was Ryan Heller. His mother also sang with the chorus. What got us the award was the comedy song we called “Heller High Water,” which also included “Mother Superior”. We all had a great time, and the audience obviously loved it.

When POP switched rehearsal night from Tuesday to Wednesday, I resigned and changed to Chapter-at-Large. Wednesday night was choir night at church. While SATB singing isn’t nearly as much as fun as TLBB, it was important for me.

50 YEARS ~ Candy Johnson: Fifty years ago, I was a young band and choir teacher with just three years of teaching experience. When I moved to a new school across the state, one of the band parents came to my classroom every Tuesday morning to invite me to attend “club,” as she called it. I decided she was going to ask me every week until I accompanied her, so I accepted her invitation. As soon as I heard the ringing chords and experienced this fantastic art form – I was hooked! Sweet Adelines became my passion. In addition to my birth family, I have another loving family. As Sweet Adelines, we raise our children side by side, celebrate jobs, successes, honor graduations/weddings/promotions/life events. We cry together as we lose parents, friends, and family members, and bring chicken soup to fill the souls of our singing sisters. The love and support have always been there. We ARE Sweet Adelines! 

When I first came to Sweet Adelines, I did warm-ups and vocal production as our chorus did not do that yet. This was 50 years ago. I brought my skills from the classroom to Five Valley Chorus (FVC), and they taught me about barbershop. I sang bass, but I was never really a bass, so I switched to lead. I became assistant director for three years; then co-directed for a couple of years. The FVC Board of Directors fired me as co-director, so I decided to become a lead section leader. In 1983, I was elected chorus director by the chorus membership and never looked back. FVC won our first Region 24 Championship in 1984, the smallest chorus ever to appear on the International Chorus stage. 

Accolades include: Regional Champions eight times, competing on the International stage in Kansas City, MO ’84; San Antonio, TX ’90; Reno, NV ’93; Fort Lauderdale, FL ’95; Detroit, MI 2004 (where I became a Master Director); Calgary Canada 2006; Nashville TN, 2008; and, Houston, TX 2010. FVC was also an eight time Regional 2nd place chorus in Idaho Falls, ’86; Portland, ’87; Eugene, ’88; Idaho, Falls, ’89; Eugene, ’99; Spokane, 2001; Eugene, 2002; and, Boise, 2013.

FVC and Mountain Music Company Quartet sang in Carnegie Hall! We were invited to sing at the French Bicentennial, in Paris, France, but did not accept because we were committed to sing in Carnegie Hall. We also sang in the Buckeye Festival. FVC was one of five small choruses featured in SAI video: Building a Quality Small Chorus. I appeared in an SAI video, Successful Chorus Directors. I was the first Certified Director (Region 24) in the DCP program. My first quartet contest as Prime Time (not to be confused with the Region 13 PrimeTime Quartet singing now). At the Region 8 Novice Contest in Billings, MT we won the novice award, after Donna T. pushed me out on the stage! I said, “I can’t do this.” She gave me a shove, and I was on the stage, so thought I might as well sing! Fulltime Enjoyment won the first Region 24 quartet contest. I mixed up the words on the intro, so I thought we would not place. We went to Minneapolis where we made the cut (top 20 at that time), and competed in Detroit the next year due to our Top 20 placement. Mountain Music Company won in 1990 and competed in Salt Lake City. All four of us had bad colds, so when we went to the hot tub and started to cough, we cleared the tub in a flash! We were healthy by Carnegie Hall, and loved performing in that venue with the chorus.

A highlight of my Sweet Adeline years was serving as the Region 24 DMA (Director of Musical Activities). I was appointed to fill an unexpired term, then went on to be reappointed nine times. Grace Scales asked permission to submit my name for consideration saying, “How would you like to take on a little position?” I met so many wonderful and talented people. What an honor to hold this appointment. I served as DMA ten years and loved it! I facilitated planning and production of Region 24 Gold Rush (summer camp) with a team of talented Region 24 DMA faculty members. We secured top-level teaching and coaching staff for all Region 24 educational events. Prepared and updated a five year calendar of Region 24 education opportunities. Planned and produced curriculum for yearly mini schools (one in each state), a plan originated by Grace Scales, Regent. Appointed and supported a multi-talented DMA faculty for ten years. Founded Gold Country Chorus, Region 24 chorus of quartet champions. Established the first Director Workshops in Region 24. Administrative Assistant, Corrin Magruder and I produced five years of workshops in Spokane. 

Here are some other accomplishments:

• Produced C&C Productions, (Candy and Corrin) a newsletter for directors for eight years. Mailed to directors and DMA faculty two times a year. Produced C&C Happenings, a newsletter for all members mailed yearly. 
• Established a funding base to build Region 24 quartet workshops. I sold the candid photos the photographer gave the region every year (usually about six hundred). We had hundreds in the file, and the membership bought them, so we had enough money for Kathy Scheel and Columbia Connection to produce the Henrietta Lindsey Quartet School. 
• Established DCP program in Region 24, when it was first developed by SAI. I completed my testing on the modules in Tulsa, so I would not see the answer keys before administering tests to members. Administered the DCP for the first eight years of its existence in Region 24. 
• Coached Choruses and Quartets, countless DMA visits. 
• I was honored to receive the Rose Achievement Award in Region 24. 
• After ten years I retired. Gail Dahl, Regent, approached me to become CC (Competition Coordinator). I was not sure I could do this. After all, who could follow Cathy Conley? Kathy Carmody called to urge me to take the job and offered to coach me. I became the Region 24 CC for thirteen years, and for four years in Region 13.
•  Music faculty – Region 24 and 13. Past member of the International Music Faculty. A high point in my SA life was the day I got a letter inviting me to join the faculty. It was by invitation only at that time. I achieved Certified Faculty level and was thrilled to teach in many regions and at international events. 
• Appointed to International Chorus Director Coordinator Committee. We worked on rewriting the DCP modules. 

What a blessing it has been to be a fifty-year member of Sweet Adelines. I can’t imagine life without Sweet Adelines, and especially my beloved Five Valley Chorus. Sweet Adelines knows no boundaries. We sing and harmonize together as one united family! We are one in song. WE ARE SWEET ADELINES!

50 YEARS ~ Carol Slater: At 25, I joined Sweet Adelines knowing very little about what I could accomplish. I knew I could sing, loved music, and was pretty creative, but Sweet Adelines had so much more to teach me about myself!

As I was welcomed into the Fairbanks Frontier Chorus, I was appointed to be Scrapbook Committee Chair, which grew into being Costume and Choreography Chairperson. I found that not only could I do stuff, but I could also guide others to do stuff, as well. Before long, my Sweet Adeline sisters thought I could be of help in musical and chapter leadership. Their opinions gave me the confidence to be able to step into those roles. I have served confidently in every part of our chapter.

Sweet Adelines changed me from a shy, unsure, young woman into a confident old lady who thinks that it’s great being 75, as long as I can be among my singing sisters young and old, and help others to experience the joy of Sweet Adelines as I have.

50 YEARS ~ Joyce Engel:  In 1974, I met a gal named Virginia Hall who said she sang with a chorus and invited me to one of her rehearsals. I sang in high school, so this sounded like fun. So I went and that is where I discovered a cappella, four-part harmony and Sweet Adelines International. The chapter was Columbia River Chorus (CRC) in Vancouver, WA. I was placed as a lead; I absolutely loved it and joined in February, 1974 and have never looked back. Thus began my 50-year journey with Columbia River Chorus and Sweet Adelines. I was also privileged to sing lead as part of two quartets: Ala Mode and Sound College, spanning a period of 21 years. What great adventures we had together.

While my whole career has been with Columbia River Chorus,  I have actually been in three different regions: Region 13 to start, then moved to Region 12, then to Region 24 when it was formed, and back to Region 13 when Region 24 was dissolved. Full circle, you might say.

Outside of the singing, one of the biggest pluses of this organization is all the wonderful friends I have met and the "chosen" sisters I have made. What a great family to be in.

Another wonderful thing about Sweet Adelines is that sometimes you get to take trips. There have been regional conventions stretching from Sacramento to Reno to Portland to Idaho Falls to Spokane to Seattle and Vancouver, BC. Also, we competed at a fabulous International Convention in Honolulu, IES in San Antonio ,and International in Florida (the same year!). But, probably the most memorable was in 1990 when CRC sang at the 4th of July parade in Washington, DC, and was presented with the SPIRIT OF AMERICA award. I was so proud to be a part of this wonderful organization.

In the chorus I've been privileged to receive the Choreography Choice Award and voted CRC's Sweet Adeline of the Year (1981). After having served on CRC's Board of Directors multiple times as both officer and member and too-many-to-count committees, I think I am ready to admit that although I love it all, my most favorite part is just being able to sing with these exceptional ladies in the best chorus in Sweet Adelines.

50 YEARS ~ Martha Hendry: When I joined Sweet Adelines in 1974, I never anticipated the journey it would take me on. I never dreamed I could stand onstage with three of my friends and sing before an audience of 200 people or perform on the stages of venues from Sydney, Australia to Seattle and Spokane, WA to name a few.

I was a long-time member of Inland Harmony Chorus until I decided it was time to change to Chapter-At- Large. The members of Inland Harmony past and present are still my dear friends and always will be. Being a member of a small chorus means we all have to help run the chorus. I served as President, Treasurer, Section Leader, Competition Coordinator, and "Pitch Piper" among other things.

Being a member of two of Zoe Thompson’s performance choruses will always be a highlight of my Sweet Adeline life. We went to Australia in 1998 and New Zealand in 2003. 

From performances to shows to competitions, Sweet Adelines has allowed me to meet people and go places I never could have dreamed of, and it has given me the self-confidence to do more than I ever imagined.

50 YEARS ~ Melanie Graham:  My 50-year journey with Sweet Adelines began in 1974, when my cousin mentioned that she had just found a great singing group in Great Falls, MT that she thought I would like and wondered if Missoula might have a chapter. Since we had grown up harmonizing together, she thought baritone would be the perfect part for both of us. She was right! Not long after that, I was approached by a Five Valley Chorus member at a Christmas party asking me if I liked to sing. I said yes, and my Sweet Adeline journey began. 

Five Valley Chorus won eight 1st Place Medals while in Region 24 and performed on the International Stage in Kansas City, MO (1984); San Antonio, TX (1990); Reno, NV (1993); Fort Lauderdale, FL (1995); Detroit, MI (2004); Calgary, ALB, Canada (2006); Nashville, TN (2008); and  Houston, TX (2010). Five Valley has been a 2nd Place Regional Chorus eight times.

After attending my first Regional Contest, I knew I wanted to be in a quartet. In 1982, Fulltime Enjoyment (Candy, Donna, Audrey and Mel) had the thrill of winning 1st place in the first Region 24 contest. Another 1st place win came in 1990 with Mountain Music Company (Candy, Donna, Janet & Mel). So many good memories! Since then, we have enjoyed being a part of Gold Country Chorus in Region 24 and Ovation Chorus in Region 13.  

In 1990, Five Valley Chorus and Mountain Music Co. had the honor of performing at Carnegie Hall. We were asked to make an International video about building a small quality chorus. In 1997, we were invited to sing at the Buckeye Invitational in Columbus, OH.

During these years, I have enjoyed being a baritone section leader, mentor to new members, member of the Music Committee, and a member of the Management Team as Visual Impressions Coordinator and Costume Co-Chairperson. Thank you, Sweet Adelines, for bringing so much joy, enrichment, education, travel, harmony, and cherished friendships into my life.