Ask Billie

Last Sunday we were privileged to accept an invitation from former President and Mrs. George Bush to attend a concert by the Yale Whiffenpoofs and the Texas A&M Singing Cadets. The concert was in the Presidential Library Center.

The Singing Cadets are a familiar group because they have given several concerts in this area through the years. They were founded in 1893 as a glee club and the all male group was renamed the Singing Cadets in 1940.

President Bush was particularly interested in hosting the Whiffenpoofs because his father, Senator Prescott Bush, sang with the group while a student at Yale University in 1913. While introducing the group he did say that neither he nor his son were invited to be part of the singers.

The Whiffenpoofs are the oldest collegiate acappela group in the United States, begun in 1909. They are composed of 14 Yale undergraduate students who compete for a prized position in the spring of their junior year.

Both the Singing Cadets and the Whiffenpoofs travel many hundreds of miles to entertain and to highlight and publicize their universities. While waiting for the program to begin, the lady in the next seat told me about her experiences taking advantage of the many programs offered to citizens in the community.

She explained that many times during the year there are a variety of musical and dramatic performances as well as lectures on many interesting topics. From her description, she rarely misses.

Fantastic programs offered right here

Do any of these offerings by a college or university sound familiar? If we say we really would take advantage if we lived near a large campus, we are probably fooling ourselves.

Wharton County Junior College offers a variety of fantastic programs during the year. In fact, one is this week, Thursday, April 10. The WCJC Concert Band will present an evening of sacred music at 7:30 p.m. in the Horton Foote Theatre.

If you are thinking this is probably like your Sunday morning music, it is even more. Director Joe Waldrup always has a different twist and a surprise in every concert. You will never leave a program disappointed.

One week later, on Thursday, April 17, there is a Choral Concert featuring music from the British Isles. This, too, is in the Horton Foote Theatre at 7:30 p.m.

It's another delightful group that never disappoints and I have often thought that Director Lee Lemson could get music out of a post.

Remember also that we have two weekends this month to enjoy an evening at the Plaza Theatre. The Traveling Lady has an exciting cast and it is always special when works by our own Horton Foote are presented.