September 13, 1966
Section III Page 8
THE DAILY TAR HEEL
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the shoddy renovation performed by
the communists. Fred North, of Islamor
ada, Fla., ? was nervous as he stirred
great chords from the organ that Bach
was supposed to have composed his
works on.
The men were told that the brick in
the nave was original Roman brick,
only, the Carolina men found that the
brick had been painted on the walls.
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Big Hit With German GirlsLarry Strawhridge
In Wittenburg, the rain still fell on
the men as they viewed the door where
Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses.
Then, in a few hours, the Club was in
East Berlin. Ancient cars and shabby
dressed people swirled about the shiny
new bus.
Bus driver Bergman, looking aghast
at the pre-war cars, raised his eye
brows in disgust. "Mein Gott," he
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breathed sadly. Hardly any traffic
could be seen even on the most modern
streets of East Berlin:
The men of the Club were getting
eager to get to Checkpoint Charlie, the
allied crosspoint into the free city of
West Berlin. After a short border in
spection, the bus was allowed to cross
over into west Berlin.
The whole busload , of Americans
cheered, yelled, and in general, went
out-of-its mind glad to be back in free
country. "Wow, I've never been so glad
to see an American Flag before," yell
ed John Black of Whiteville as the bus
zipped into the modern city.
Immediately the difference was ap
parent between the two cities. Cars and
advertising were everywhere. Color and
sound filled the streets. It was like com
ing home.
The several days in Berlin were a
time of unwinding from the stiffling at
mosphere that seemed to pervade the
air of East Germany. Little things, like
washing clothes and getting haircuts
were activities that could be enjoyed
without fear.
The inspection of the Berlin wall was
perhaps the most sobering activity that
the Club engaged in. Barbed wire and
steel were molded int6 a wall that was
many more yards wide than it was tall.
Guards stared and peered from slit
eyed concrete bunkers at the men of
the Club who climbed the ramp that
allowed them to look over into the
barbed wire jungle of the order area.
"The whole world is watching you,"
declared a sign facing the East for the
East German guards to see. Nothing
much was said by the Glee Club mem
bers as they watched the guards and
peered into the bricked-up houses that
stretched along the sinister concrete
wall.
The club did & complete tour of the
city and even went back to Checkpoint
Charlie to see thelcrossin jornlthe
safe side. " ? J: :"
To get to the boat that was to carry
them to Denmark, the Club had to re
enter East Germany to get to Rostock.
Again, the fields of the communes slid
by the yellow and blue bus. The Baltic
Sea town of Rostock was unsinister and
actually quite cheerful beside the
sparkling waters of the Baltic.
The monster boat swallowed the bus
and several freight cars to boot before
it wallowed out into the opel sea to car
ry the men to Denmark. At supper,
the men sang audaciously, "Oh Say
Can You See," on the East German
boat. The other people in the ship's din
ing room enjoyed the show and clapped
for more. The men stood by their chairs
singing while the red rubber ball sun
plopped into the grey-green Baltic.
By 11 p.m. the Club rolled into the
magic city of Copenhagen. The lights
of the Tivoli Amusement park seemed
to light the skies. But really it was just
the last rays of day, which never seem
to die that far north in Europe. The
Club stayed in a student dormitory that
was comparable to the New York Hilton
in luxury.
For several days, the crew relaxed
from the tension of East Germany.
Singing songs like "God Bless Ameri
ca," and "My Country 'Tis of Thee,"
seemed no longer "Mickey Mouse."
East Germany had taught the men of
the Club the value of being American.
North from Copenhagen, the club
ventured up the peninsula to the fjord
town of Aalborg. Out of town on July 4,
the Glee Club sang for the internation
al gathering that was celebrating the
American Independence. It was the
famed Rebilt festival where the people
of friendly little Denmark turned out
to honor the Danish friendship for the
American nation. Jens Otto Krag, the
Prime Minister of Denmark, made, an
impressive speech to the huge crowd
that coated the rolling hills of the festi
val grounds. U. S. servicemen were
there in abundance, too. Danish and
American flags rimmed the lip of the
surrounding hills. Down the main path
stood the 50 state flags of the United
States.
"There's ours!" went up a cry from
the men when they spotted the North
Carolina flag.
In the dusty happy afternoon, it was
good to be American. The men sang
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On The Rhine-Don9
lustily for the sweating crowds on a fes
tival show that was broadcast and tele
vised by the Voice of America and the
i Danish Television Network.
Quickly, the tour seemed to be gain-
, ing momentum. It was gathering steam
" for the international singing competi
tion that was going to be tough to face
at the Eistedfodd in Wales.
The tour quickened, almost in an
ticipation. The bus whizzed through
Southern Denmark and then on to Ham
burg, then back to Amsterdam for a
short stop.
Then, almost magically, the Glee
Club was lifted into the air and an hour
later were in London. After a short wait
in London, the train clickety-clacked v
north with the Gele Club aboard for the
quaint town of Llangollen, Wales, the
site of the international singing compe
tition. After long days of waiting, the cli
max of the trip was at hand. For days
the tight practicing went on. Groups
from all over Europe swarmed the mea
dow that served as the grounds. Cos
tumes from . every imaginable nation
graced the Welsh green hillsides. Final
ly4 when the singing competition was
done, the judges cleared their throats,
the announcement was made that the
UNC Glee Club had come in with a third
place in the international group singing
competition behind a strong Bulgarian
prof essionar group and a Welsh choir.
Bedlam broke lose; the overjoyed
men of the Glee Club could not be re
strained. Outside the big top that serv
ed as the auditorium, happy Bulgarians
and Americans clapped each other on
the back and exclaimed what a good
guy the other was. x
Steve Wilson of Madison stuck three
fingers in the air and chanted, "Num
ber three, baaabeeee! "
Director Joel Carter got a shoulder
high ride around the back of the big
tent. The boys couldn't get over the vic
tory. In itself, it was sort of amazing.
The tour wasn't sponsored by anvbodv.
The Seventh Army Soldier's Chorus
placed fourth behind the college men.
All of the money was raised by the
blind energy of the leaders of the Glee
Club and the big-hearted response from
Glee Club alumni.
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The joy of the victory would not
wear off. The men of the Club would
never forget the moment of triumph.
It was not so important to win as it was
important that the trip have some cli
matic focal point where, the men could
say, "here, this was the high point."
From the green hills of Wales, where
the hospitality flows as clear as the
River Dee, the Club returned to Lon
don to wind up the singing tour with a
vesper service in famed Westminster
Abbey. A standing - room - only crowd
packed the darkened abbey as1 the club
whispered the strains of sacred songs
that seemed to chase themselves about
in the teeterincf hficrhtc rf fhn hoIttt
aiilt higtfabove ; the ; crowd I "7
"I think I'm gonna cry," admitted "
John Hutcheson of Winston-Salem as he
reviewed the experience. It was a fit
ting end for the grand tour that should
end only in a grand manner.
Even though the main singing part
naa wci, me viuo went on
for a resting six days in Paris where the
40 men enjoyed Bastille Day, the
French celebration of independence.
Paris and the surrounding country
side held joys of their own for each of
the Glee Club members. As a unit the
group ceased to exist. The boys went
out now only as tourists.
All too quickly, the tour seemed to
come to an end. On just such a morn-
infT that thck i.-i. i . , .
Vu vV ieu "apel Hill
the big jet swooshed upwards from Orly
Airport in Paris and began the long
journey back to America.
TrSrS W Lndon and Shannon,
Ireland, the Glee Club was almost ma
gically transformed back , into the
American states, only to find the air
lines strike still going. -
r-2Y teeT 1UCk' the hitched a
I6"1! Sme benevlent ladies who
had chartered a bus heading for North
Carolina. Ten hours later, at 4 a m the
and the tour was done.
t3' W.?va marveIous success. Each
man w.11 have his own story to tell his
own lessons he learned. Bit most sie
mficant, all the Europeans thafmet t
men of the club will have a warmer
memory of America because oT
Carolina ambassadors.
ormance