Blugold alumni reflect on memories of the Singing Statesmen in the 80s

EAU CLAIRE — Every five years, this group of University of Wisconsin-Eau Clare alumni try to meet and catch up on lost time.

Going into different careers, getting married and moving around the country may have sent each of these men down different life paths, but all of them still hold their memories as both friends and members of the University’s Singing Statesmen when they were in college together.

As they all came back to Eau Claire for a weekend, James Chumas, class of ’83, hosted a dinner for everyone to reconnect once again.

“The camaraderie is unlike anything I have ever been involved with other than sports teams that I have been on,” said Michael Jipson, class of ’83. “I miss all these guys over the years, and I was so excited to come back — I barely slept last night.”

The choral ensemble of male voices known as the Singing Statesmen was first formed in 1966 by Morris D. Hayes, who joined the UWEC staff that year as the director of choral organizations. At the time, the university only had one choir.

After forming a number of groups, such as the Singing Statesmen and Women’s Chorus, Hayes continued to direct UW-Eau Claire’s ensembles until the ’80s. He retired from the University in 1987, and passed away in 2006.

As Blugold alumni who graduated between the years of 1982 to 1984, all the former Singing Statesmen remember their time with Hayes as he conducted their group for the few years in college they performed together.

“There was a time when Morris was conducting us, and he kind of berated us about something with a very difficult piece… He conducted us, we did the whole thing and Morris just stopped and put his head down. He had tears running down his face and he said, ‘There’s not another male choir in the country that can do what you guys just did, and if you do that you will break every audience,’” said Kurt Von Schmidt-Pauli, class of ’84.

It was not often that Hayes would say something like that, continued Schmidt-Pauli, but really being in the element and having Hayes at the helm directing them is what really drove them to push their limits.

But apart from being their director, the group told stories and memories they had of Hayes which made all the members feel like he was also a part of the group.

David Kuehneman, class of ’83, also noted that many of the members who performed alongside each other were not just those in a musical field, but came from many different areas from around the campus like business, criminal justice and even health sciences.

“The only thing they knew about music was that they liked it, and they liked to sing,” he said.

But for those that music was a passion and a career, the Singing Statesmen meant just as much to them. Richard Drews, although not a UWEC graduate, joined the gentlemen in their meetup and reflected on the time he was invited by Hayes to conduct the choir in spring of 1984.

“It was a daunting task: number one, I’ve never conducted a men’s chorus before; number two, it was such a formidable event for me to be a part of that it was humility squared,” said Drews. “But, the very first time I rehearsed with this group was the very first time I knew right then and there that I belonged. Not because I led the group, but because I was a part of the group.”

Reflecting on the power of music which many of the alumni spoke about, Michael Schulte, class of ’84, said that “the one thing that brings everyone together is music.”

As the Singing Statesmen Concert performed on Apr. 27, the group planned to attend the concert and take part in the performance after they met together for dinner in the afternoon. Before the concert, the current Singing Statesmen director, Christopher McGinley, visited and played piano for the group as they practiced in the living room.

After the group sang together, McGinley thanked the alumni for coming back to Eau Claire and representing part of the long history that the ensemble has had at UWEC.

“We are here because of how much you loved this while you were here,” he said.

As the group prepared to head to the concert, they looked back as nearly 40 years have passed since their time at UWEC.

Kurt Kunkel, who was in the Singing Statesman during 1983-84, said that allowing yourself to be a part of something bigger than yourself is a risk worth taking. It teaches you that it is not often about being better than the person next to you, but rather it allows you to be stronger as a group.

“It makes me so appreciative how fortunate we all are that 40 years later, we can come back together and sit here today and talk about all of these tremendous times we’ve had and shared,” said Kuehneman. “It gives us a chance to feel as if we are back in the Statesmen again in some way; reliving those days when we were young 19, 20 or 21 year-old kids.”