Newsletter Feb 2007

Meetings Our meetings are beginning again for 2007. We look forward to a spring filled with music and friends. All meetings begin at 7:30 pm except for the spring luncheon.
Monday Feb 12 7 PM	Steinway Hall, 5301 N. Central Expressway at McCommas – with SAIs Program: Vivaldi Concerto for Four Pianos: Mary Beth Johnson, Pat Suitt, Susan Poelchau, and Julia Woodrum of Melody Club; Kaleena Loard and Meghan Gomen, flute and harp; SAIs Co-Hostesses: Mary Ann Taylor, Karen Glosserman, Frances Estes and Nickie Wilbanks
Monday Mar 12	Highland Park Presbyterian Church Program: Sadie Rowe, organ Sylvia Lerch, piano - Haydn Sonata Co-Hostesses: Susan Poelchau, Martha Peak and Ellen Stamelos
Tuesday Apr 10	Change from yearbook: Home of Sylvia Lerch Program: Frances Estes, English horn and Katie Freiberger, piano Co-Hostesses: Cherie Bell, Tena Hehn and Fran Pearson
Saturday May 12 - 11 AM	Change from yearbook: Home of Martha Peak Program: Lisa Hubbard (SAI), clarinet Susan Poelchau, piano - Schumann Mary Ann Taylor, flute and Linda Tyler, double reeds Co-Hostesses: Melanie Priest, Ruth Reed, all chapter members
Please contact the President for locations of homes. Top

Susan’s Song

Dear Mu Phis,

I hope that each of you had an enjoyable holiday season despite weather complications, and are ready to greet our Spring musical season.

Our spring programs will kick off with our joint meeting with SAI on February 12 at Steinway Hall. The program will feature a Bach transcription for four keyboards of a Vivaldi violin concerto. The participants, which include Mu Phi patron Mary Beth Johnson and members Pat Suitt and I, have been practicing diligently and are looking forward to presenting this work for you. Mu Phi will also present our excellent flute and harp duo, Kaleena Lourd and Meghan Gomen. The rest of the spring schedule can be found elsewhere in the Newsletter.

Although we will not have a business meeting in February, there are two items I want to mention to you. The Library Committee is committed to having the concert series go forward, although the presence of Kay Newman is very much missed. The Committee wants to have two Mu Phis in attendance at each of our 10 concerts this spring. Please be ready to volunteer for one or two Sundays. A list will go around at the meeting, or you can call or email me or Claudia Jameson as to when you can volunteer. If you have no experience with the series, you will be paired with a member who “knows the drill.”

The second item is the issue of reducing the number of our meetings. We are beginning to have difficulty in arranging eight meetings per year. Several members have agreed that seven meetings might be a good compromise for next year (six is the minimum required by National). The best model seems to be to eliminate the September meeting and have three meetings in fall – one Monday, one Tuesday, and one Sunday at the Library – and four in spring on the same plan, including the May luncheon. This is an important step for our Chapter to consider in March. I would like to have the vote of as many members as possible on this matter, so if you miss the March meeting you will be contacted to register your opinion and vote.

Thank you for putting your thoughts and energy into keeping our Chapter dynamic, thriving and fun! I hope to see you in February.

Loyally,
Susan

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Winter Meetings

November

For the November 2006 meeting Mary Ann Taylor presented a variety of old recordings on a real record player. We heard some of our old favorites, including “Getting to Know You” with Gertrude Lawrence, some Mozart played by James Galway, a Salieri piece on a Spanish organ played by E. Power Biggs, Schubert sung by Krista Ludwig and Hugo Wolf sung by Janet Baker.

Susan Poelchau conducted the Founder’s Day Ceremony, assisted by Mary Ann Taylor and Mary Williams. Hostess was Mary Williams at the Chimneyhill Clubhouse, assisted by co-hostesses Mary Ann Taylor and Susan Poelchau. Frances Stuart attended the November meeting. She had just celebrated her 95th birthday.

December Meeting

The Dallas Ensemble of Viols, led by Susan Scheib (right), played two pavannes and a galliard of John Dowland for the December meeting and holiday party. We appreciated the visit from this group.

Sylvia Lerch played an arrangement of “Bring a Torch, Jeannette, Isabella.”

The meeting was hosted by Edie Pfautsch, assisted by co-hostesses Sylvia Lerch, Anne Stone and Sandra McMillen.

Enjoying the holiday spread were Sylvia Lerch, Karen Glosserman and Sadie Rowe.

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Chapter News

At the November meeting President Susan Poelchau led a discussion on our club’s preferences for meeting times. An informal consensus showed that we would like three fall meetings and three spring meetings (meeting MPE requirements), rotating meetings between Monday and Tuesday evenings and Saturday or Sunday in the daytime. With more older drivers preferring not to drive at night, and the many activities of our members, we would like to accommodate more people’s schedules so that they could attend. We also find fewer homes that have a piano and can seat everyone, and fewer performers. We would like to continue our Sunday Concert Series and possibly return to our practice of holding one meeting a year in conjunction with a Sunday concert.

Susan Poelchau is willing to chair the Sunday Concert Series next year after having served as our president for two years if someone else is willing to take the presidency. She encouraged members to think about what offices they are willing to take next year, including that of president or Concert Series chairperson. We would like to spread the duties associated with our chapter around more equitably.

Mary Williams has the chapter scrapbooks and folders of items to put in them that Kay Newman had been keeping. Please save clippings and photos for the scrapbook and give them to her. If you would like to volunteer for the job of Historian, please contact Susan. It involves keeping old scrapbooks, columns and photos now, and getting our scrapbook ready for the convention in 2008. A new Historian will be elected at our next election of officers.

A nominating committee for our elections in April will be appointed shortly and a slate of officers will be proposed in March. Let Susan know if you are interested in serving on this committee or would take an office for next year. UPDATE: This committee will be chaired by Sylvia Taylor Lerch with Pat Hill and Edie Pfautsch as additional members.

Keep in mind that we can nominate an outstanding member for the Orah Ashley Lamke Award; this person cannot have served as a National Officer. Contact Susan if you would like to suggest a nomination from our chapter.

Next newsletter deadline is March 25th. Your editor, Mary Williams will be traveling 2/27-3/24.

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Margaret Golden, Patron

We were sorry to hear of the death of long-time patron Margaret Golden in December. She will be missed by our group as well as my many other organizations and her family. From the Dallas Morning News:

Was part of many civic, service groups
By EUNAKA KIRBY, Staff Writer Dallas Morning News

   Margaret Jackson Golden, who was active in civic, service and social organizations, died Dec. 30 of a lengthy illness. She was 91.
   Services are at 11 am Wednesday at Highland Park United Methodist Church, 3300 Mockingbird Lane, with a reception following and a private burial at Sparkman Hillcrest.
   Visitation services will be from 5 to 7 p.m. today at Dignity Memorial Sparkman Hillcrest, 7405 W. Northwest Highway in Dallas.
   "She was a constant volunteer," her son Hawkins Golden II of Dallas said. "She was a caring, loving person."
   Ms. Golden was founding president of Friday Forum and the Dallas Summer Musicals Guild. She also served as President of Dallas Federation of Women's Clubs, Federation of Music Clubs, Wednesday Morning Choral Club, Dallas Women's Chapter of Freedom Foundation, Chi Omega Alumnae Chapter, McKinney District of the Women's Society for Christian Service, Dallas Lawyers' Auxiliary, James Campbell Chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution, Women's Auxiliary of the Caruth Memorial Rehabilitation Center, district president of United Methodist Women, vice-president of the North Texas Conference of the United Methodist Women, chairman of the State Fair Women's Department and a board member of the Texas Hospital Auxiliary and the Texas Safety Association.
   She was active in the Dallas Symphony Orchestra League, Dallas Woman's Club, Dallas Garden Club, Women's Board of Dallas Civic Opera, Knife and Fork Club, Mu Phi Epsilon, Dallas Southern Memorial, Women's Council of the Dallas Arboretum, the Women's Advisory Board of KERA-TV, 500 Inc., Operation Lift, SMU Mothers' Club, Chi Omega Mothers' Club, Dallas Council of World Affairs, United Way and Dallas Historical Society.
   Her son's wife, Leslie, who recalled Ms. Golden's nickname, "the go, go girl," added, "She followed in the footsteps of her mother. She described Ms. Golden as "very vivacious."
   Most of Ms. Golden's service work began after she graduated from college, her family said. Ms. Golden was born Jan. 23, 1915, in Tehuacana, Texas, before moving to Dallas with her family about a year later. She was a graduate of Woodrow Wilson High School and received bachelor's degrees in music and public school education between 1936 and 1937 from Southern Methodist University.
   Her husband, attorney Hawkins Golden, died in 1986, followed by her daughter, Peggie Golden King, in 1989. Her hobbies included traveling extensively and service and mission work. "At the age of 21, her first travel was in 1936 at the opening of the Olympics in Berlin, Germany," said her grandson, Daviss King of Austin. Mr. King said his grandmother believed in family participation when it came to service work and travel. "She's definitely an exciting travel partner," said Ms. Golden's granddaughter, Margaret King Morse of Dallas. As a high school graduation gift, Ms. Golden awarded Margaret with a five-week trip to New Zealand and Australia, followed by a cruise to Hawaii.
   Among participation in various organizations, Ms. Golden was active at Highland Park United Methodist Church, where, among many duties, she was devoted to teaching Sunday school to first-graders and serving the United Methodist Women.
   Each year in her honor, the church awards the "most active woman" with the Margaret Golden Service Award.
   "I think her faith kept her going, Ms. Morse said. "She was just so positive ... so inspiring to be around."
   Ms. Golden is also survived by a son-in-law, Hugh King of Dallas; and two grandchildren, Hawkins Golden III of Dallas, and Houston Golden of Dallas, both students at St. Mark's School of Texas.
   Memorials may be made to Highland UMC or the charity of your choice.

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Sunday Concert Series

We began our spring series at the downtown library on February 4 with Sherna Armstrong and company and there are more excellent performers lined up for spring. Edie Pfautsch has taken up the duties of publicity person, and has sent our spring schedule and press releases to those who can let the public know about us.

Please volunteer to host/announce a Sunday concert for this award winning series. We need two people each week to help with programs, set up the easel and assist patrons. If you are teaching, encourage your students to come, as well as your friends.

If you can post our schedule somewhere, please do so. Contact Mary Williams for a copy by e-mail or copy it from the concert page on this website. Remember, biographies and programs are posted on the website as they are received as well as any changes.

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