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White Mountains Arizona Chapter

Officers 2008

A chapter of the Far Western district and a Member of the Barbershop Harmony Society

Chapter President

Ron LaMar

A Californian all his life until 2006, Ron received his AB and MA in education at San Jose State College, and an EdD from the University of California at Berkeley. As an elementary and junior high principal he directed school choruses at most of his schools. As Asst. Supt. for Area Administration in Cupertino School District, he supervised principals in thirteen schools. Ron sang with the Peninsulaires chorus in 1974, when they won second place at International. He dropped out of barbershopping for many years until he found the High Country Chorus.

Immediate Past President

Bob Koons

Bob was born and reared in the Dutch country of southeastern Pennsylvania. He has been an Arizonan for 43 years. Bob and his wife Jan split their time between homes in Tempe and Show Low. They have one son, one daughter and two grandsons, all in the Valley.

Bob was graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Civil Engineering in 1954. He could only handle the rat race in the northeast for a few years before moving west in 1963. He worked for the State of Arizona for 10 years followed by employment with several consulting firms in the valley before hanging out his own shingle in 1986. A job assignment in the Show Low area about 12 years ago was the seed that started his engineering venture in this area. He now has an office in Show Low serving the construction industry as a “general purpose” engineering consultant.

Bob has been singing most of his life, using this as his sole outlet for his love of music. He has been singing with a choir in Tempe for over 20 years and with the High Country Chorus for almost 7 years.

Chapter Chorus Director

Doc Dockendorf

'Doc' Dockendorf has been the Director of the High Country Chorus since its inception. He is a 46 year member of SPEBSQSA and has sung in four previous barbershop choruses, W. Palm Beach, Florida Coastmen, Phoenix Phoenicians (three time International gold medal winners), Scottsdale Copper Statesmen, and the Paradise Valley Cactus Chordsmen.

He was a certified Stage Presence judge for 25 years and was choreographer for the Phoenicians for nearly 20 years. He has sung bass in several quartets, starting in high school with the "Cold Fire Four", later in the "Groomsmen", "Sun Pipers" and currently in "The Pine Tones".

He holds a teaching certificate with Arizona Community Colleges and teaches Music 199, "Barbershop Chorus Workshop" at Northland Pioneer College. He retired from Motorola after 33 years, and lives in Linden, with his wife Jackie. He has three daughters and six grand children.

Chapter Development VP

Jim Dye

Jim was born and raised in El Paso , Texas , attended Texas Western College and The University of Texas. After completing his Master’s in Geology, he spent the next 40 years working in oil and gas exploration and interstate natural gas transportation working for several companies as a reservoir geologist, reservoir engineer and science specialist in New Orleans, Shreveport and Houston. Jim's wife of 40 years, Noni, currently serves as a Methodist pastor in Overgaard and they have 3 children. Their oldest daughter lives in Flagstaff and works as a claims specialist for Farmer’s Insurance. Their son David lives in Houston , where he is manager of corporate finance for BMC software and has twin sons aged 8. Nancy , their youngest, lives in Scottsdale and is an advance practice nurse and psychiatric nurse practitioner at the Meadow’s. Prior to Jim's retirement, he sang for 35 years in chancel choir, rang hand bells for 30 years and for 20 years acted and sang in their church’s summer musical theater presentations. In addition to Barbershop, Jim loves classical, semi-classical and music from the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s. His main hobbies are landscape photography, gardening and copper foiled stained glass.

Chapter VP Music & Performance

Dr. Denny Shankland

Chapter VP Marketing & Public Relations

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Chapter Secretary

John Graham

Chapter Treasurer

John Welker

John started singing in the 7th grade when his voice changed and was given a lead part in the 7/8th grade production of "Aida". He then sang with the "Manufacturers Chorus" in Connecticut for 18 years, a men's chorus that sang standard 4 part harmony. He and his wife Jane moved to Arizona in 1970 and joined the "Phoenix Opera Company", which became the "Arizona Opera Company". He and Jane sang with them until Tucson took over all future Operas.

John also sang with the "Masterworks Chorus", which was the Phoenix Symphony Chorus. An interesting sidelight was his bringing together 4 major choruses, "The Phoenicians", "The Masterworks Chorus", "The Scottsdale Sweet Adelines Chorus" and "The Orpheus Men's Chorus", to do a combined show called "The Chocolate Chordials" with 440 voices doing music from each genre.

After the Opera stints, he and his wife joined the "Scottish Singers" for a few years. His introduction into Barbershop music was at a "Phoenicians" show in the Sundome in 1982. He joined the chorus in 1983 and went to Seattle where they won the International Society gold medal under director Lou Laurel. He sang with them until he retired in 1999, then moved to Taylor, Arizona. John reunited with Doc Dockendorf and others to form the "High Country Chorus". Over all those years, he has sung with church choirs and still does solos at various churches.

John is presently teaching a class in "Vocal Production" at Northland Pioneer College.

Board Member at Large,

Newsletter Editor, Webmaster

Jerry Schrunk

Jerry and his wife Jane moved to Arizona in 1964. They have had a home in the White Mountains since 1995, but they made Show Low their primary residence in 2003. Jerry retired from Motorola after nearly 34 years of service.

Jerry's singing background ended in high school, and began again when he joined the High County Chorus.

Jerry and Jane have four children and eight grandchildren.

Board Member at Large

Ron Monette

Board Member at Large

William H. Hartzell

Bill was raised in Denver, Colorado, and retired after 35 years in the aerospace industry. His vocal experience includes performing with a Gilbert and Sullivan repertory company for 23 seasons, singing for 15 years with the Northland Chorale, a group of 50+ mixed voices which produced two shows a year in Northglenn, Colorado, and in an ensemble group called the New Chords. The High Country Chorus is Bill's first experience with barbershop harmony.

Bill has two daughters living in Chandler and Queen Creek, plus three grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Bill and his wife Carol moved to Lakeside in 2000.

Northland Pioneer College Representative on the Board

Julie Holtan

Julie Anna Holtan has earned undergraduate degrees in voice from both Waldorf College and Wartburg College , and her Master’s studies at the University of Northern Iowa . Miss Holtan has been a performer, teacher, clinician, and conductor in the United States , Europe, and South America . Her most recent tours include numerous solo concert engagements in South America; guest soloist and conductor at the First International Conductor’s Convention is Brasilia , Brazil ; and being chosen as a featured soloist in Bethlehem on Christmas Eve, 2001.

Some of her most recent stage appearances have been as Carlotta in Phantom, Prince Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus, Baba in The Medium, and Golde in Fiddler on the Roof. She has also recently been seen in numerous oratorio productions, including Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle and Stabat Mater, Handel’s Messiah, and Mozart’s Requiem. Julie Holtan has been a featured soloist with several groups, including the Ames Choral Society; the Des Moines Community Symphony; the Ft. Dodge Choral Society; the Ft. Dodge Symphony; the Wartburg College Symphony Orchestra, the Wartburg Choir, and Wartburg Opera Theatre; the University of Northern Iowa Concert Chorale, University Singers, Chamber Singers, and UNI Lyric Opera Theatre; Grupo Coral e Musical Edelweiss and Grupo Instrumental Edelweiss (Sao Bento do Sul, Santa Catarina, Brazil); and The Second City Players Opera Company (Atlanta, Georgia). She has also been the recipient of many awards and scholarships, including the Wartburg Meistersinger Vocal Award, winner of the Wartburg Young Artist competition, and a finalist in the Iowa National Teachers of Singing competition.

Miss Holtan has studied voice with several teachers, including Ben Allaway, Merry Bells, Leslie Morgan, and Anne Larson. Her vocal coaches have included Robert Larson, Dimitar Nikolov and Miguel Pinto. Her conducting teachers have included Paul Torkelson, Weston Noble, and Bruce Chamberlain.

Ms. Holtan joined the faculty at Northland Pioneer College in August 2008 as the Music Department Coordinator.

For Further Information
Contact:
Jerry Schrunk