HHS 1951: BILL BAGGOTT-: HE COULD HAVE BEEN A STAR AT THE METROPOLITAN OPERA

My memories of my years as a member of Louise Baird's Hamilton High School choir are alive and vivid and will be with me forever. It was such a privilege to have been a member all four years of my high school career. Certain members stood out. Bette Beiger (Farmer) was one of our lovely female leads in our operettas, as was Shirley Whitebread and the young man in the article I wrote a number of years ago, Bill Baggott. Bill had the tenor voice of an angel. Anyone who watched or watches Lawrence Welk is familiar with Joe Feeney. To me, he has a very harsh tenor voice. I remember Louise Baird commenting one night when Judy and I were at her apartment when she made the comment that BIll's voice was far superior to Feeney's; especially Bill's falsetto.

2001: REMEMBERING BILL BAGGOTT

Funny how visions of the past keep running through my mind. On Sunday night, I was watching the PBS presentation of the Lawrence Welk Show. At one point, Joe Feeney, the noted Irish tenor on the Welk show, sang the Irish classic "Too ra loo ra loo ra." I immediately had a vision of Bill Baggott singing that same song, only without the "twang" which is an inherent part of Joe Feeney's beautiful tenor voice. Back in the 1940's a guy by the name of Mel Torme' was dubbed the "Velvet Fog." "Velvet" in that apt description would have been quite appropriate for Bill Baggott. One would have to experience Bill's incredibly beautiful voice....especially in a song where he called forth an incredibly beautiful falsetto. That Welk program brought with it visions of all of us who were active in Louise Baird's Room 300 Hamilton High School choir back in mid-century Hamilton. I suddenly recalled those long ago operettas, singing once again with Lee Belardino, Clark Perry, Keith Kauffman, Bill Hellewell, Jack Pyrah, Jerry and Bob Miller, Bill Mathey, Joe McManimon, Jerry Black, and Bob Hayes. And who could forget those HHS choir girls? Betty Beiger, Mary Ann Cahill, Janet Hessler, Shirley Baker, Mary Lou Littwin, Joanne Feeser, Mary Pyrah, Shirley Whitebread, Beverly Cowell, Sylvia Arena, Arlene Seabridge, and Judy Britton. What beautiful music we made! Our harmony was incredible. It's the stuff dreams are made of folks; especially as I pile on the years!

1951: REMEMBERING BILL BAGGOTT

It was my privilege to have been in the same graduating class as William R. Baggott III. It was also my privilege to have been part of a boys' singing group that included Bill Baggott, Lee Belardino, and Keith Kauffman. It was once again my privilege to have been a lead in the 1951 Hamilton High operetta, "Tulip Time," where Bill loaned us his incredible tenor voice. The Lord took Bill much too early in life. He was an integral part of the music program at Trenton's Trinity Episcopal Cathedral. Indeed, there is a plaque on one of the choir pews honoring an incredible musical tenor who most certainly could have gone on to be a star in the Metropolitan Opera. Perhaps the one thing I remember about Bill was his humility. People would compliment him on his splendid vocal talents, and Bill would very humbly thank them; not a hint of conceit or pomposity. Bill, even after these 50+ years, I will never forget you and the guys we sang with back in an era "when music was music."