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Susan's Song
 Dear Mu Phis,
Our incoming Vice President, Mary Ann Taylor, told me early in the summer that she wanted the program theme for this year to be “Music, the noblest of all Arts.” As we think of all the ways that music has influenced us, I hope that you will agree with me that these words from our Creed are worth reconsidering. Music challenges us, as we struggle to prepare for analysis and performance; enlightens us, as we read of the lives of composers and performers; comforts us in our darkest hours and provides us moments of great exhilaration in our joyous ones. I sometimes take this great and powerful gift for granted, and I hope this year to deepen my connection with this “Noble Art” through our association together as members of the Dallas Alumni Chapter. I look forward to this year as your new President, and hope we can all join in connecting with each other and the art of music as we go through the year together. Our first meeting will be Monday, September 12th at the home of Pat Suitt.
Our dues to the International Office are due on September 15. Treasurer Sharon Kraus has sent out envelopes to everyone with a reminder to send in dues before the first meeting. The new amount in the statement reflects the increase that was voted in last Spring by a majority of voting members. Please check elsewhere in the newsletter for the amount and address if you still need to send them in.
We are looking forward to a year of fine programs planned by Mary Ann. She hopes to have a lot of member participation, not only by performing but also by sharing musical insights and experiences gained through reading, concerts and travel.
We look forward to hearing from a great many of you this year! Those of you who have e-mail will receive a notice before each meeting. All others will get a personal phone call. It may be left on your answering machine if you are not at home. If you do not want to be called, please tell Pat Suitt, telephone chair. See you on September 12th.
 Susan Poelchau
President
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Chapter News
Meeting Schedule
The first meeting of the fall season is on Monday, September 12th at
the home of Pat Suitt. The meeting schedule is posted on Meetings.
You will be assigned to be a co-hostess for a meeting (see the
Yearbook); the first person
listed is asked to contact the others to coordinate refreshments. If you
cannot come on that date, please change with someone on another day.
There are still opportunities to host and to perform. Contact Mary
Ann Taylor to volunteer: mataylor7@juno.com.
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Dues
Sharon Kraus reports that most members have paid their dues, but if you haven’t - they are due ($82.00 - Regular and $72.00 - Life). Please send them to her as soon as you can as she needs to complete her report on September 10th and mail it to meet the deadline. Thanks to all of you who have sent your dues this month.
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SERV Hours
Sandra McMillen reminds members to keep track of their SERV hours this year (Service, Education, and Resource) so that in May you can turn in your hours to her. These are the categories we get credit for:
Service: accompanying, church musician, musical group participation,
performance music management (including travel time)
Education: any type of unremunerated teaching
Resource: work with any special populations
Include date(s), event, category, and hours.
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Officers
for 2005-2006
President Susan
Poelchau Vice President Mary Ann Taylor
Secretary Frances Pearson Treasurer Sharon
Kraus
Historian Kay
Newman
Steward Patricia Hill
Chaplain Sadie Rowe
Chorister Historian
Phyllis Wilson
Committee Chairpersons
Programs Mary Ann Taylor
Social
Sadie Rowe
Library Concert Series
Claudia Jameson, Chair
Cherie Bell, Sylvia Taylor
Lerch, Kay Newman
Edie Pfautsch, Frances Stuart,
Mary Williams
Finance
Zelda Hantz
Mu Phi Epsilon Foundation
Ruth Reed
Newsletter/
Webmaster Mary Williams
Notification Pat Suitt, Chair
Karen Glosserman, JoAnn
Turrentine, Ruth Reed, Mary Ann Taylor
Patrons
Frances Stuart & Pat Hill
Sunshine
Frances Estes
Yearbook
Tena Hehn
Mu Chi Chapter
Adviser
Sandra McMillen
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Newsletter
Our next newsletter will appear about Nov 1. Please have your news
items to the newsletter editor, Mary Williams, by October 25.
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Meetings
Past
Spring Luncheon - May
Wynona Lipsett conducted a very nice installation of new officers. It’s good to have her back after her tenure as an international officer for so long.
Pianists Susan Poelchau, Sadie Rowe, Pat Hill, Nikki Wilbanks and Julie Schmidt performed
walzes.
 Performing the Gurlitt “Kindersymphonie” with toy instruments as well as the usual ones, were (back row) Phyllis Wilson, Wynona Lipsett, Priscilla Long, Sue Hewitt, Susan Poelchau and (seated) Cynthia Wadley.
During the meeting, Ruth Reed was honored as a 60-year member.
After the luncheon, several members visited recuperating Frances Stuart where she was presented with a 70-year member award. Frances, age 93, managed to fit us in between students!
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April meeting
 Les Amis performed in April – Ruth Reed, Pat Suitt, Frances Estes and Gretchen Nichols; along with
Ellen Vanderslice, trumpet - (who had just participated in her college marching band reunion, and said that after you turn 80, you get to sit down when you perform); and
Anne Stone, violin;
plus pianists Mary Beth Johnson (who also graciously hosted us), Susan Poelchau and Julie Schmidt.
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MEMBER NEWS
Pat Hill
Pat Hill was featured in a story on Arboretum Volunteers in the Lake Highlands Advocate:
FLOURISHING AT THE ARBORETUM
Pat Hill has been volunteering at the Arboretum since the beginning. For the past 23 years, she has served as a DeGolyer House docent.. "I get a pleasure out of doing this because I get a chance to show other people what we have in Dallas," she says, likening the DeGolyer House to a jewel box a 21,000 square foot jewel box, for that matter.
 In addition to giving guided tours to visitors, Hill helps out with any repairs the home may need, such as with furniture or lamps or even touch up painting. "We try to make it look as nice as we can trying to keep it in the style of what it looked like when [the DeGolyers] lived here," she says.
Hill is quick to launch into the history of the home, which was originally built on a 44 acre dairy farm. The DeGolyer family (instrumental in establishing the Arboretum) hired an architect from California, and it took one year to build the house between 1939 and 1940.
Hill also volunteers as a reading tutor at Robert E. Lee Elementary, delivers Meals on Wheels, and is an elder at Northridge Presbyterian Church. But, she says, the Arboretum is a unique find. "It's one of the nicest places in Dallas to visit and particularly to bring your out-of town company. The Tulip Festival is bar none. It's a beautiful place, and I'm very pleased with the progress they've made over the years." (Story by Lauren Lewis)
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Ed Estes
Frances Estes's husband, Ed, died on Tuesday June 14th. Service was at Wildwood Chapel at Restland on Friday, June 17. Ed was a long-time musician who played clarinet and saxophone. He played with the army band, the big bands and was a band director in McKinney and in the Dallas ISD. He also played with dance bands and had his own band. Ed was a talented painter as well. Our condolences to Frances.
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Yvonne Reynolds
Yvonne Reynolds will NOT be moving San Antonio in the near future – change of plans. So you can still go see her while she is close by in Ft. Worth! Visit her at The Barton
House in Fort Worth. Ask Tena Hehn for directions. She'd love to see you, even for a little while. A hello card would be nice; she celebrated her 79th birthday on Thursday, Aug. 26th.
From Tena Hehn
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Sandra McMillen
Sandra is recovering nicely from knee surgery and has recently retired from her school teaching.
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Tena Hehn
Tena reports that at an annual well woman exam her doctor discovered some blips on an EKG that shouldn’t be there. After more tests, her cardiologist diagnosed possible problems with blood flow in the front of the heart and that only a catherization would let them get in there to see exactly what the problem might be. She is scheduled for this procedure on Friday morning, September 16 at Baylor. She says, “As I understand it, they will ‘snake on in there;’ if no blockages or problems, I will go home that day. If there is something needed as in a stent, they will put it in and I will spend the night and go home Saturday.” So please keep Tena in your prayers.
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Anne Stone
Anne has a new address,
though her phone has not changed. Her new e-mail is: annejstone@yahoo.com.
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Sunday
Concert Series Begins
Thanks to Claudia
Jameson who has assembled a wonderful array of performers for this year’s Sunday concerts. Thanks to many of you who suggested musicians, we have some especially interesting performances this year. Starting off the season is the Denton Composers Showcase on September 11 at 3 pm. Works of Joseph Pinson, Norma Lewis Davidson and Joseph Klein will be featured. Pinson will be playing the theremin, a rare opportunity for concert audiences to hear this unusual instrument.
Other programs include Cornell Kinderknecht on Sept 25 who will play ethnic flutes such as the Native American flute, Bansuri flute from India, bamboo flutes, and ocarinas. Stephen Dubberly from UNT will direct scenes from operas performed by the opera students on Oct 16. (See the full schedule below.)
Co-sponsored by the Dallas Public Library, this series is held at the J. Erik Jonsson Library (downtown) auditorium. The concerts showcase outstanding area musicians as a service to the community. There will be eight concerts in fall and another ten beginning in February.
Kay Newman is sending press releases for fall, additional biographical information, the program of the Denton Composers Showcase and an article to and newspapers radio stations. But your help is needed. Let your friends and students know about this wonderful series. The schedule is also available on our website and updated when there are
changes. Click on Sunday Concert Series. Biographies
of the performers and their programs are posted as they become available.
In 1977, the Dallas Alumni Chapter was selected by the Dallas Times Herald Woman’s Forum for a service award for this series. This was named a “Beautification Award…not for what the eye beholds but for what the ear hears.” The concert series was also selected as the Outstanding Community Service award winner by the Professional Fraternity Association in 1999. The PFA awards committee “was impressed with the longevity and influence of the alumni chapter’s project within your community.” The Dallas Morning News also mentioned our series last year (concert with Rinna Saun) in an article on inexpensive dates. It’s FREE!
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