Hello All, from Joe Felice, Fenger Class of 1970
Fengerites of the late 1950's through early '70s are divided into two groups: Those that sang in Choraliers / Mixed Chorus and those who did not. For those former students who were fortunate enough to have sung in Choraliers and Mixed Chorus, we share a profound mutual admiration for this man. Spouses of former Fenger Choraliers and all other Fengerites who have not partaken of George Scherer's Choraliers and Mixed Chorus experience have no idea what they have missed in their lives.
It is of no use to describe the power and influence George Scherer had on our lives; if it was not experienced firsthand, then no words are adequate to convey the feeling of pride, commitment and sense of belonging felt by a relatively small group of former Fenger high school students.
On a personal note, in the mid1990's, rumor had it that George Scherer had died a number of years ago -- or so it was believed. My wife, Jeanne (nee DiLuia) and I were in a grocery store, and we heard George's booming voice speaking to his wife, Margaret, in the next grocery aisle. We could not believe our ears, especially because we had thought he had died a number of years earlier. Jeanne and I looked at each other, wide-eyed and in a state of disbelief.
We tiptoed around to the next grocery aisle, and found George (wearing a Julliard baseball-style cap) to be alive and well ... er, well, at least alive. We had a very nice conversation with George and Margaret, and we explained our astonishment that he was alive at that time. The four of us had a great laugh over that debunked rumor. Approximately 30 years had passed since last seeing him: George was still recognizable, except that he was more frail, his hair was white, the cartilage in his ears and nose had tripled in size, and he was essentially deaf were it not for the help of hearing aids.
A number of years later, I visited George and his wife at his Country Club Hills home, where he gave me his Sony reel-to-reel tape recorder, the very one used to capture the Choraliers on tape for numerous LP recordings.
A few years ago, George had died, and was preceded by his wife, Margaret, some years prior.
"Way to go, George!"
Cheers,
Joe Felice, Fenger Class of 1970
P.S. Former Fenger classmates are invited to PM me at this site, or email at jcfeli@hotmail.com
