AGO North Shore Chapter will begin its 55th season in September. I’ve spent some time looking through archives over the summer, and ran across the date of the first meeting of our chapter – January 11, 1958. Some well-known names pop up in the early years. Among the deans in those first decades were: Thomas Matthews, Austin Lovelace, Jack Goode, Richard Enright, Morgan Simmons, and Margaret Kemper. Names of performers for North Shore chapter programs in those early years are also well-known: Virgil Fox, E. Power Biggs, Austin Lovelace, Henry Beard, Karel Paukert, Mildred Andrews, Alec Wyton, and Marie-Claire Alain among them. Suffice it to say, we have a rich heritage in the NSAGO chapter!
We begin this year with three new officers and six (of nine) new board members! I’m grateful to Margaret Martin for her tenure as dean – she has left a legacy of great organization and active involvement from all board members that has served us well. As incoming dean, I’ve benefitted from things she has set in place. I’ve been a member of the North Shore chapter for many years, and before that a member of the Chicago Chapter. I served in the 70’s on the board and as sub-dean of the Chicago Chapter before moving to Evanston in the 80’s. I’ve known many of the North Shore members for decades, and am enjoying getting to know many new members as well.
Over the summer, some of us met to discuss the growth of our chapter. We had a lively discussion, compliments of Menno Scholten and his wife Susan, brainstorming about program ideas well into the future, as well as ways to get our current membership more involved and attract new members. You will be hearing more about that in coming months.
Your officers and board members are all excited about the coming season. We have a wonderful year of programs ahead (program brochure is included later in this newsletter), which has been in planning stages for many months. We hope to see a record crowd at our opening program on Sunday, September 29, at the First Presbyterian Church of Lake Forest as we enjoy a pot-luck dinner and a program featuring Morgan Simmon’s marvelous storytelling of notable memories from weddings and funerals, as well as “stunning” performances of some well-known wedding and funeral music. Hope to see you there at 5pm.
Andrea Handley, Dean