Newspapers / Gaston College Student Newspaper / Aug. 1, 1972, edition 1 / Page 4
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August 1972 The Gas Light Herd Will Sing In College Production Harry Herd started singing when he was 12 years old and he hasn’t stopped in fifty years. In the college production of “The Gondoliers” he will continue singing the type of music that took him from Peru, Indiana, to an audition before Anton Schubel, drama coach at the New York Metropolitan Opera. A communications and electronics technician for Bunker Hill Air Force Base, Herd spent 35 years in federal service before he retired and came South to teach at Gaston College. At present he teaches solid state electronics, and he has taught blueprint reading, math, and troubleshooting in radio and electonics here. Music has been an education Harry Herd for Harry F. Herd. He has sung operatic selections in German, French, and Italian, and his religious singing has necessitated his sjnging in Latin on occasions. A bass-bariton, he came by his musical inclinations naturally: his father was a singer, and then Peru, Indiana, is noted for its musicians. Cole Porter is one of the more successful natives of the city. Herd studied voice under Mrs. Anna McLaughlin, formerly of the Metropolitan Opera, and after he entered federal service he retained his interest in singing. At one time he was auditioned for the Arthur Godfrey show, and won the silver medal on a couple of occasions at the Chicagoland Music Festival in Illinois. He sang in the Kokomo Meistersingers group from 1932 until 1970, when he left to come to Gaston College. Herd is part Miami Indian, he points out. His mother was half-Miami and the “F” in his name stands for “Francis,” the famous Miami Indian chief for whom he is named. When Herd and others in the production take the stage in “The Gondoliers,” Harry Francis Herd will bring with him the experience of half a U century of singing, radio work, recording studio experience, and lifetime of enjoying and producing great music. 1 GASTON GONDOLERS — Sam Durrance, left, rehearses one of the selections from THE GONDOLIERS with Jin. Tapy, Mrs. Marie Garrison, and Harry Herd. Herd is an instructor in the Vocational Division, and Durrance heads the Music Department. Tapy and Mrs. Garrison are students at Gaston. Gaston To Stage Gilbert And Sullivan^s ^^The Gondoliers Duriig the Fall Quarter ^he GastJn College Mu sic Department, under the directicn of Sirn Durrance, will presen one of the most ambitious undertakings in the history of the college. The performance is the Gilbert and Sullivan work, “The Gondoliers.” In addition to Durrance, Stuart Dunsmore o:' the Drama Workshop will ajsist with the staging, while Frank Creech and other Ti embers of the \rt Department will do the art work. “The Gondoliers” will b» presented in its entirely and Philosophy Class Found Questions If Not Answers Grants and Scholorships Announced . - J L.. ■ will be complete with full staging, costumes, and orchestra. The cast calls for twelve major . roles and a chorus of fifty singers and dancers. While complete details are not worked out, tentative plans are that the musical work will be presented at North Gaston High School. Admission will be free to students upon presentation of ID cards, and there will be a small admission charge for adults. Durrance has asked that any college family who is interested in auditioning for a role “How can infinity be accepted? There has to be- an end, and, if so, the beginning w/' vuli WO reach a final end?” Sound tough to answer? That may have been one of the easiest queries put before Ben Berry and the first Gaston philosophy class. Want to try some others? “Does man defend God because he loves him?” “Why can’t love and reality be reconciled?” “What is time and how do I fit into it?” “How can you fight a war by using rules and regulations?” “Is it possible for a person to really be himself, or will he always make alterations in his behavior merely to fit into his society?” “How does one gain a deep and sincere understanding of others?” Ben Berry makes no effort to find answers in his philosophy classes. He points out that the real test of a successful class are busy trying to answer that question instead of waiting to hear how the student will answer it. For the first time, Gaston College offered a course caUed Philosophy 200 during the first session of the Summer Quarter. The course was an experiment to determine whether Gaston students really want this sort of academic offering. How successful was this initial effort? “In terms of number of students,” says Berry, “I think the course was a genuine success. We had an enrollment of about twenty students, and this number, particularly in relation to the total summer enrollment, indicates to me that the students here are ready to start some serious thinking about the questions that have perplexed mankind from his beginnings.” Berry, who says he found teaching conditions here to be “ultra pleasant,” says that he was much impressed by the Gaston students and administration, but he jTu.oiiivbij' f-nmes back to his respect for the student. “If a student fails,” he says, “the next question is how have I failed” As he begins a class. Berry often asks the students to write a list of twenty questions they would like to hear discussed. “If I ask them to write only five,” he explains, “I get the big questions such as whether there is a God, an immortality, or meaning in life. If I ask for twenty, at the end of the page the student will start asking the things he really wants to know. Then I take these last questions and start looking for the questions behind the questions.” At present. Berry is planning to teach another course in philosophy at Gaston CoUege during the coming academic year. No details have yet been announced. However, if you are passing down the hall and hear what seems to be a circus barker auctioning off a tent revival, you have found Philosophy 200. And Berry guarantees to keep you, if not attentive, at least awake. - . Wy-2 Ben Berry (Continued are excluded. One of the most attractive specialized loans in that of the Law Enforcement Education Program, which has $16,000 earmarked exclusively for work in police science. These loans are classified as pre-service and in-ser>'ice. A pre-service loan is one made to a student who is piarming to enter some phase of law enforcement work. An in-service loan is made to some student who is already serving in a law agency. These loans can be cancelled by serving as a police officer. They are cancelled at the rate of 25 per cent each year of service in any approved police agency. Grants made through the Law Enforcement Education Program may be cancelled by working in the same capacity the student was in when he received the grant. This means that an officer, for example, who is serving on the Bessemer City force may cancel his grant by serving four years on the same police force. The Jefferson Standard Broadcasting Co. is also sponsoring a scholarship in the amount of $575. This will be given to two students for two years. It is restricted to students from North and South Carolina who are majoring in electronics engineering technology. There is also a Hunter Huss Scholarship available to a student from Gaston County that maintains an academic average. One scholarship is awarded each year for a period of two years. This scholarship is for $500. The most important local scholarships will be given by the Balthis Foundation. The amount of money available is $2000, which will provide for 8 scholarships at $250 each. These will be distributed to worthy students from high schools in Gaston County. Right now there is a need for ftim Page 1) soneone from Mt, Holly to appi';. This scholarship will pay all tiition and wJl be given back to the initial person the followijg year. Witt the new Nursing progran beginning this fall there wil. be a total of $9000 available to nursing students having a fnancial need. Of this amount, i5,000 will be in grants alone The other $4000 will be in stident loans, which can be repad in a manner similar to tht way in which National Defense Loans are repaid. This money will be available to approxirriately 45 nursing students through the Health Profession Assistance Program. Medford pointed out that the terms “initial grants” and “renewal grants” refer respectively to grafts made for the second year b the same students. He als5 reminded students that severa short term loans are available. These loans pay only tuition and must be repaid within 90 days. To demonstrjte the significance of the scholarships, grants, and loans, Medford said that in the 1970-71 year 41.3 per cent of all Gaston students worked full-time, while 29.2 per cent worked on a part-time Ijasis. This indicates that over 70 per cent of all the students here are in financial need. Medford further stated that 63 per cent of Gaston students come from families with an annual income of less than $7500. All of these students qualify for some form of financial assistance. The proper time to start proceedings on securing a loan or grant is immediately after the opening of school in September, Medford said. He encourages all students who need or qualify for loans, grants, or scholarships to come to the office of recruiting and financial aid for further information. contact him as soon as possible. At present, in addition to Durrance, Jimmie Babb and Harry Herb of the Vocational Division are possibilities for parts in the opera. Herd will definitely appear, but Babb, who, Durrance says, has I he best tenor voice in the entire area, is not certain that his responsibilities will permit him to take part. Misses Ellen Jenkins and Lori ABee are also scheduled for parts in the production. “The Gondoliers” is one of the most timely of all of the works of Gilbert and Sullivan. The comedy is a satire on royalty, irresponsible government, and warfare. In many respects the message is as up-to-date as the most recent tirade by Jane Fonda and Donald Sutherland, and the presentation is much more admirable and artistic. Durrance says that one reason he decided upon something as ambitious and difficult as an opera was that the Music Department has, in his estimation, declined in recent months, as for as public performances are concerned, and this work is one means of restoring vitality lo the department. He recalls that only one previous work rivals “The Gondoliers” in difficulty and demands: Gounod’s “The Redemption” was performed by the college and con.imunily talents several years ago with orchestra and chorus. Durrance is no stranger to Gilbert and Sullivan. While at the University of Michigan Durrance sang the lead role in “The Gondoliers.” In other professional or high-level amateur works, Durrance has also appeared in “La Boheme,” and he sang with the Miami string trio. He also presented one solo concert at the University of Miami. For five years he earned his living as a professional singer. During World War II, under the auspices of the United Slates Ambassador in Rio, he presented a series of 32 concerts throughout Brazil. He also presented solo recitals at Wayne Slate University in Detroit. While many at the college are aware of Durrance’s musical ability, few recall that he was the first chairman of the language department here. He has taught English, French, German, and Spanish and speaks Portuguese. He holds the Bachelor’s Degree in English, the Master’s Degree in French, and had completed all but his dissertation for the doctorate degree in music. He has already passed the oral and written examinations.
Gaston College Student Newspaper
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Aug. 1, 1972, edition 1
4
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