The Roger Wagner Chorale

  Never did I ever think Barbara's story would lead me to Roger Wagner Chorale. He was a fixture on T.V. in the sixties. The fifties and sixties featured an hour with  Dina Shore or Perry Como. In between were was the Roger Wagner Chorale in living black and white. I had to adjust the T.V. antenna's to get the picture to focus. There were only five stations then: 2,4,5, 7 and 9. In those days we watched a black and white T.V. and his Chorale was sandwiched in between famous singers of that period. Their melodious harmony I can  remember, even today.
  I met Barbara Hanson, again inside the Encinitas Oak Cafe's Senior Center. It was eleven o'clock and she waited patiently with Ron to be served her eleven thirty lunch. Donations are accepted by seniors but nobody is forced to pay.  My luncheon chats with her are the highlight of my day, and fills me with joy. 
   "How was your Thanksgiving in Julian, Barbara? I remembered the name of the ballet to be performed off of Broadway in December. It is Tchaikovskys, Nutcracker's Sweet.  How was your family's Thanksgiving in Julian?"
   "My family enjoyed listening to my story and how we are linked to Katherine Parr, the Sixth wife of King Henry."
  Today I wish to focus on the Roger Wagner Chorale, Barbara. When did you first meet this famous conductor?" Barbara pauses for a few seconds.
   "I remember he visited Franklin High School when I was about sixteen. It must have been the late forties. He had a strange accent and met me in a after school program. He listened to me and two others. He chose me, and asked me to attend the St. Joseph Church for rehearsals on Saturday." I filled Barbara  in on what I had found on the internet about Wagner.
   "He was born in Dijon, France Barbara and came here when only twelve years old. He played the Organ, like his Dad, at Hollywood Church when only five years old. Tell me more about your time with the Roger Wagner Chorale." Please continue Barbara."
   "He picked up his singers from several high schools. The L.A. School Board  desired a choir in each high School. I remember he picked students from   Hollywood High and another one in Torrance. We sang at the Hollywood Bowl and even the Philharmonic downtown. I sang for him till my first marriage at  21 years old."
   "It was when I joined the Union that I made lots of money. Mom always allowed me to keep it." I told Barbara it must have been SAG.
   "We did some lib singing for MGM and Fox Studios. We did the actual singing while the actors only lipped sang on set. By far the best was Marnie. She was some looker, but her perfect pitch and long range made her special. MGM paid her handsomely when they needed her voice.
    "When did you begin singing?"
   "One of my McGee cousins paid for my lessons. He was already a famous instrumentalist and performed in Europe. My cousin sent me to a singing coach in Hollywood. We would need to wait for this serious girl to leave her limo. Her name was Judie Garland. .I was going to Franklin High School then.
   "At about this time, my parents divorced. Mom did not have a great marriage. Her only love a cousin who married her best friend. My Mom spent her idle moments reading poetry or altering a hand-me-down dresses for me. They came from my two cousins. One had a large buxom and my Mom had quite a hard time altering it. She used a Singer sewing machine.
   "What were your hobbies growing up?"
   I had a pet dog and cat. But I loved Tommy, my turtle. We had a Victory Garden in the back yard on 39 Street and E. Mom gave Tommy away when he tunneled into our neighbors back yard and feasted on everything green...But guess what, a week ago, a turtle came into my back yard. My dog Calef did not know quite what to make of it.(More to come)