History

Honoring ourRoots, Spreading our Wings

Waukegan Swedish Glee Club

The roots of the Swedish Glee Club go back to 1892 when a group of four men known as The Swedish Quartet was organized in Waukegan by Hjalmar Fredbeck. The quartet was composed of Hjalmar, his brothers Simon and Harold, and K. Hagstrom. Although this group later disbanded, its cultural contribution to the community was appreciated and other quartets were formed.

Interest in Swedish song increased among the Scandinavian population of Waukegan, and in 1905 a double quartet expanded into a chorus and was christened "The Swedish Glee Club." Although no official records of this organization are known to exist, the following translation from a Swedish language newspaper dated 1905 announces the group's formation:

"A Swedish Chorus was organized in Waukegan, Illinois on 8 December under the leadership of Mr. Gustav Stark; it has been reported to this newspaper. This group has the best prospect of becoming a social success. Officers of the group are: R. Rinaldo, president; Adolf Anderson, treasurer; Jonas Johnson, secretary."

In addition, we have a history of the Glee Club written by Richard Rinaldo. Mr. Rinaldo wrote, "At Woodman Hall in Waukegan in the fall of 1905 a small group of men interested in singing organized a club and selected the name 'The Swedish Glee Club.' "He goes on to list the charter members: Adolf Anderson, Oskar Bjork, Hjalmar Fredbeck, Erik Forsberg, Einar Hellman, Karl Hellstrom, Jonas Johnson, Axel Lybeck, Bernard Nystrom, Charles Ramsell and Richard Rinaldo.

Einar Hellman, charter member of the Glee Club who died in 1978, recounted for us that Hjalmar Fredbeck was responsible for obtaining Gustav Stark from Kenosha as director for the fledgling male chorus. Einar had been a member of the double quartet, which became the core of the new male chorus.

Richard Renaldo's history states, "The Swedish Glee Club was organized as a social club and for the love of singing. We aimed to support different organizations with singing and entertainment and to bring to our community good singing with our concerts held annually in the spring and fall. Needless to say, we were purely a non-profit organization and it required sacrifice on the part of the members to finance the purchasing of music and hall rent. But with the help of our wives and sweethearts and a good singing spirit among the members we were able to continue." the " good singing spirit" of which Mr. Rinaldo wrote undoubtedly can be thanked for the survival of the Waukegan Swedish Glee Club these 75 years since its establishment in 1905. Through the tests of poverty, disagreement, war, apathy, depression, inflation, taxation, and

changing ethnic patterns this "good singing spirit" has prevailed. It is the bedrock on which the Club is founded.

The Glee Club celebrated its first anniversary with a concert and dinner on December 6, 1906 at Woodman Hall. According to a newspaper article, "The twenty members of the society ...proved they are coming along in fine shape. Their voices blend well together and they have some difficult pieces mastered well." This article also reported that "Frankie" Wallin (who later became mayor of Waukegan) sang a vocal solo as apart of the program and noted editorially that "Friends of the Wallin's will regret to hear that master Frankie is to stop singing now because his voice has started to change, hence the south side lad's sweet soprano voice will no longer be heard in local theatres and at social events."

A tradition of dinners, picnics, and other social activities was quickly established in the Glee Club and has been carried on all through the years. Early picnics were held in open areas in Waukegan such as Washburn Springs or out in the country near a lake. Richard Renaldo's history mentions one unfortunate occasion on which some cows ate the singers' herring! Later the grounds of the Valhalla Viking Home in Gurnee were used, and since 1965 the Club's own grounds have been the site of annual picnics.

Benefit concerts for worthy causes were given early in the Club's history. Two such occasions were in 1906 when, according to Einar Hellman, the group raised $200 for Dr. Watkins's tuberculosis colony, and in 1909 when $ 300 was raised for the benefit of Jane McAllister Hospital.

Well established and well respected in the community, the Glee Club nevertheless unfortunately lapsed into a short period of dormancy when its director, Gustav Stark, left Waukegan to live in Arizona in 1912, apparently because of ill health. Swedish song, however, continued to be sung in Waukegan by young Swedes, among them Axel Fredbeck, youngest of the Fredbeck brothers, who had emigrated from Sweden in 1911. Within two weeks of his arrival in Waukegan Axel had organized The Swedish Male Quartet. The quartet enjoyed remarkable popularity and soon there was a demand for a male chorus and the quartet became the nucleus of the new Swedish Glee Club. The account of the initial meeting of the renewed Glee Club has been preserved. The following is a verbatim account from the Club's official minutes;

"On September 12, 1913 interested persons called a meeting for the purpose of forming a Swedish male chorus in Waukegan. The meeting, which was held at Mr. Richard Renaldo's home, was attended by the following persons; R. Rinaldo, Jonas Johnson, Oscar Bjork, Emil Soderlund, Axel Fredbeck, Axel Lybeck, Adolf Anderson and Einar Hellman. It was decided that a chorus should be organized and that the next meeting should be at Odd fellow Hall on September 21, 1913."

It is significant to note that six of the above-named men were charter members of the Glee Club when it was formed in 1905 and that Richard Rinaldo was elected president, on September 21, 1913. A very important action was taken by the newly reorganized Glee Club in that same year, 1913. The group officially joined the American Union of Swedish Singers (AUSS), becoming affiliated with dozens of male choruses from the United States and Canada and eligible to participate in the biennial singing conventions of the AUSS and its regional division. These conventions have been highlights in the signing experience of Glee Club members and the Waukegan Swedish Glee Club has hosted the Central Division Convention (for choruses from the Midwest) twice, in 1948 and 1972. Several of its members have also served as officers of the Central Division.

As early as 1914, according to Richard Rinaldo, the Glee Club members were making plans toward building a clubhouse. As Mr. Rinaldo put it, "In 1914 we had big ideas of building a clubhouse so we bought two lots at Eighth and McAllister." Fate was to intervene, however; World War I proved to be a disruptive force to the group. Richard Rinaldo wrote," 1917 was a bad year for our club. The war broke out and some of the boys were drafted and things did not look so good. Some of the boys wanted to sell the lots and divide the money; some wanted to keep the lots. So we took a vote and the majority was for selling and dividing the money. You can't build a clubhouse unless there is unity."

The Club's minutes, however, contain no mention of the above transactions as having occurred in 1914-1917. Rather they record that in June, 1918 the group voted to buy two lots from an Eric Carlson on the corner of Eighth and McAllister for $2,000. The minutes for March, 1920 indicate a discussion about selling the lots and a committee was appointed to accomplish this purpose. In July, 1921 the minutes report that a committee was appointed to convert the lots into a place for recreation. No mention is found in later minutes that the lots were sold, yet subsequent history tells us that the Club did not retain these lots. As we have mentioned previously, no minutes of Glee Club meetings held prior to September 12, 1913 have been preserved. The struggles of the organization from time to time to keep afloat are evident in the fact that many gaps exist in the minutes between 1913 and 1927. These gaps vary in length from two months to three years, the longest one being from February, 1922 to March, 1925.

The first six years of the 1920's were indeed a rough time for the Glee Club. Minutes for November, 1921 report a poll of the members to determine whether they wanted to continue rehearsals. An entry for January, 1922 brings the sad news that nine singers resigned and only four remained. The four decided to try to sing as a quartet and if they could "show progress the Club's property will be turned over to them as custodians." The following month the treasury was divided and each member was given $9.

The next entry in the minute book is for March, 1925. The meeting was opened by Axel Fredbeck and Swante Bystrom was elected temporary chairman. There was an extensive discussion about continuance of the club and the consensus was that there was a need for a Swedish Chorus in Waukegan. In June, 1925, a committee was appointed to try to "recover the Club's property." In September, 1925 by-laws were adopted and they included an amendment that stated, "As long as four members are willing to continue, the Club cannot be dissolved." One hundred copies of the by-laws were to be printed in Swedish.

We find a further break of four months without minutes, and then in February, 1926 we find some stern language in the minutes about whether members who show no interest in the Club should be allowed to belong and an action to expel three members who had spoken ill of the Club.

Thus we see that the early years of the Glee Club were fraught with trials and tribulations, but that when affairs were at low ebb that "good singing spirit" Richard Rinaldo wrote about prevailed and the Club got back on the track. One individual who played a major role in the rejuvenation of the Club in 1925 was Swante Bystrom. Swante had come over from Sweden in 1923 and was asked by Axel Fredbeck to help get the Glee Club going again. Swante joined the Club in 1925 and was elected president in 1927. In the 1920's the arrival of several young Swedes who were good singers made possible the revitalization of the Club.

Since those crucial years culminating in the adoption of by-laws in 1925, the continued existence of the Glee Club has not been in doubt. With the infusion, then, of new men and enthusiasm the Club blossomed. According to Swante Bystrom, the rejuvenated Chorus gave a concert as early as the spring of 1925. In 1928 the group participated in the AUSS singing convention at Rockford, Illinois. One of the all-time highlights of the Glee Club occurred in 1929 when the Metropolitan Opera star Maria Sundelius was engaged to sing a concert in Waukegan with the Glee Club.

By 1929 the members were again talking about building a clubhouse. In November, 1929, the minutes report, a discussion was held regarding establishing a building fund. Apparently the ensuing Great Depression deterred any further possibility of building in that era.

Toward the end of the 1930's further attempts to buy property were made, and it was not until 1940 that a purchase of several acres on State Route 120 (Belvidere Street) was made.

While the search for property to purchase was going on, the Club had settled into rented quarters at 411 May Street on the south side of Waukegan. These quarters, occupied from 1939 to 1949, were the I scene of many happy times, and present members who remember those days at 411 May Street look back with fond memories at that decade in the Club's history. It was on April 21, 1939 that the Waukegan Swedish Glee Club was granted a charter by the State of Illinois as a non-profit organization. "With incorporation came our big opportunity to develop the Club," recalls Swante Bystrom who was president at that time. The City of Waukegan granted a liquor license to the Club at this time. A prominent feature in the Club's quarters on May Street were the slot machines which, of course, were legal at that time and produced a nice flow of cash for the Club.

Now a new class of membership was introduced -the associate membership. While the singers in the Chorus (the active members) were required to be at least partially of Scandinavian ethnic origin, the associate members were not required to be Scandinavian and were not permitted by the by-laws to hold any property rights, vote, or hold office in the Club.

Although the Club bought the property on Belvidere Street in 1940, World War II intervened and the \ building of the clubhouse was not commenced unti 11948. During the War, active and associate members were invited to plant victory gardens on the land. Meanwhile, the plans for building a clubhouse slowly materialized. Recording secretary Pete Andren wrote the following in the minutes of the April 15, 1944 meeting: I "Our plan of erecting a Glee Club building on our property on Belvidere Street, the great object we are working for and looking forward to, wasplaced for discussion. Motion was made and seconded that a preliminary building committee be appointed this day. Motion carried. President Victor Lohman appointed the following members: Eskil Janson, Gust Lindahl, Eric Lindberg, Bror Wendahl, and Henning Streed."

After the War was over and building materials became available, the pace of planning for the new building quickened. Stanley Anderson and Associates of Lake Forest were selected as the architects, and ground was broken on September 17, 1948. Although the Club had accumulated a considerable building fund, it became obvious that some money would have to be borrowed due to increased costs. The building committee and other members began a strenuous but unsuccessful attempt to obtain a loan locally. Finally, through a Chicago source a loan was secured.

And so it was that on December 6, 1949 the doors of the Swedish Glee Club's very own building were opened and years of dreams were realized! Major additions to the original building were completed in 1957 and 1960 and minor additions and modifications have been made from time to time. The building and surrounding property as we see it today represent tangible evidence of the "good singing spirit" of the Club as mentioned by Richard Rinaldo in his history and an edifice far beyond the wildest dreams of the singers who had a dream of building a clubhouse in 1914.

With far more adequate space, the associate membership has increased many times over from the approximately 800 in 1948. Over the years since 1949 a wide variety of social activities has provided active and associate members and their families and guests with a rich social fare. These have included an annual picnic, children's Christmas party, steer roast, ethnic nights, midsummer festival, Julmiddag (Christmas dinner), New Year's Eve party, St. Pat's party, and many other social events. Dinners, smorgasbords, noon lunches, banquets, seafood buffets, Sunday morning brunches, and torsk dinners have pleased the palates of thousands of members and guests. The Club has a reputation for fine cuisine served in a congenial and dignified atmosphere.

With the advent of a building of its own the Glee Club established a promotion committee consisting of active and associate members for the purpose of planning and conducting social events. Many of the activities mentioned above have resulted from the hard work and dedication of promotion committee members working in close cooperation with the singers and the management of the Club. Today this committee continues its work of promoting social activities; however, in 1980 its name has been changed to "activities committee."'

Since 1937 the Ladies' Auxiliary of the Glee Club has been an invaluable means of sustaining interest in the singers' wives and daughters. The Auxiliary holds regular monthly meetings from September to May I and assists the Glee Club in its social and charitable work.

Over the years a number of groups have functioned under the auspices of the Glee Club. Among \ these have been bowling leagues, the Golf League, dance classes, and Teen Tangle.

During its 75 years the Glee Club has been blessed with dedicated and competent Chorus directors. ! The pioneer work of Gustav Stark has already been mentioned. Axel Fredbeck, the second director, will be forever remembered as the man who rescued the Club from oblivion in 1913 after Stark left Waukegan. Axel weathered the uncertainties of the early years and guided the Glee Club to great heights in the musical world before he retired in 1941. His imprint is strong. Dr. Viktor Hedgren began as director in 1942 and except for a short period in the 1950's directed until 1972. During Viktor's tenure as director the Chorus increased in strength and performed increasingly more difficult music. A highlight during this period was singing in the Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake City during the 1958 AUSS convention. Since 1972 Dr. Frank Mueller has directed the Chorus. Although the number of singers has decreased in recent years, the Chorus' quality of sound, discipline, and repertoire are now at a high level, thanks to Frank's skill and hard work. One of the highlights of the past eight years was singing at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in September, 1977 at the invitation of the ASEA Company of Sweden. The occasion was a gala celebration of Sweden's participation in the America's Cup sailing competition.

Other directors who served for shorter periods of time were Joel Mossberg, E. Arnold Alenius, Gustav M. Johnson, and Arthur Strobeck.

While many accompanists have served the Chorus well over the years, we should give special mention to Ellen Johnson Berg who served from 1917 to about 1950, and to Vierlyn Duerr who accompanied the Chorus for some 19 years.

The Glee Club's publication KEYNOTES has faithfully informed members each month since February, .1952 of the musical, cultural, and social activities sponsored by the Club. In addition, KEYNOTES provides feature articles aimed primarily at enhancing readers' appreciation of our Scandinavian heritage. Few clubs can boast as good a record as the Glee Club can in the area of honesty and dedication of its employees. Under the surveillance of the Board of Directors, the manager and his staff uphold the tradition that has won the Glee Club an enviable place among social organizations in Waukegan. To demonstrate its appreciation of its employees the Club instituted a pension plan in 1973.

In recent years the Glee Club has renewed a cycle that started soon after the Club was established. In the fall of 1976 a committee of singers began searching for property to purchase as an investment. The work of this committee culminated in the purchase of the 14-acre Myrtle (Mrs. Howard) Erickson property near Gurnee on April 15, 1978. No plans for use of this property other than as an investment have yet been made. Future development of the physical assets of the Club awaits further study. On its 75th anniversary, however, the Glee Club still dares to dream. And like those intrepid songsters of the past still believes in hard work and dedication to the Club's purpose: to promote Scandinavian song and culture. these much smaller quarters proved to be both challenging and fun. Many long hours of labor by various singers as well as the expenditure of a fair amount of money developed the house into a comfortable home with a lot of character. Rehearsal space, though crowded, somehow lent itself well to fostering that "good singing spirit". About ten of the 14 acres were rented by a neighboring farmer to raise corn and soybeans. A graveled parking lot was made east of the house, and the rest of the property not rented by the farmer was devoted to lawn and garden plots for any singer who wanted to till the rich, black earth. Apple trees, pear trees, and grape vines planted by the Erickson's decades before provided fruit aplenty (but full of worms because it wasn't sprayed) for singers who wanted to go to the bother of picking it. The farm provided a wonderful site for picnics and potlucks.

With the inevitable onslaught of development, however, it seemed prudent not to put any more money into the place and to seek a buyer. Thus, the farm we had enjoyed so much for a short time was sold to a developer on July 20, 1989, and eventually 28 luxury homes were built on the site.

After a big garage sale the Glee Club moved some property such as the fish boil equipment into storage and took three filing cabinets of music to the American Legion hall in Lake Forest, our new home base which we still rent for rehearsals and social activities. This space, with kitchen and dining facilities as well as a good-sized room for rehearsals, serves our needs quite well. Concerts are held in various churches and other places.

In moving from Gurnee to Lake Forest, much culling of our music library became necessary. Over 80 years' accumulation of music had to be sorted! We kept 40 good copies of each piece and gave away the excess copies to other choruses and the AUSS archives.

Thus did the evolution of the physical home of the Swedish Glee Club occur from rented space on the south side of Waukegan (1905- 1949) to the fulfillment of the dream of owning our own beautiful clubrooms on Belvidere Road in Waukegan (1949 -1987) to living on the "farm" near Gurnee (1988 -1989) to renting space in Lake Forest (1990 -the present)

We wish our beloved Waukegan Swedish Glee Club could live abundantly for ever, but actuarially, unless enough new members are brought in to sustain the chorus, it's impossible! If and when the day arrives that the Swedish Glee Club ceases to exist, all its physical assets will be divided among non-profit organizations of like purpose, in accordance with the Statutes of the State of Illinois. So on this occasion of marking the Glee Club's 90th anniversary, let us be grateful for the past 90 years of enjoyment of music and set our sights ahead, resolving that, come what may, we will never fail to promote good fellowship around our purpose: to promote music and Scandinavian culture.

The Swedish Glee Club -1980 -1995 .A Supplement to "The Waukegan Swedish Glee Club

Author's Note: Recording the history of an organization for its past 15 years is a daunting task! It's hard to be objective about a period so close at hand that one has lived through. It's worrisome that one may slight a living person or color the facts. Nevertheless, we shall attempt to update "The Waukegan Swedish Glee Club Through 75 Years -1905 -1980" with the present supplement, as we celebrate the Glee Club's 90th anniversary. --Fred Fortney, Club Historian.

As during the first 75 years of its existence, the Glee Club has also encountered difficulties and challenges in the past 15 years. The "good singing spirit", identified by our first president Richard Rinaldo as the "glue" that kept the Club together, has continued to serve the Glee Club in good stead.

Major demographic, sociological, economic, and artistic trends during these past 15 years have had profound effects on the Glee Club.

Chorus strength, standing at 44 in 1980, numbers only 30 today. As during the past quarter century or so, recruitment of new singers, especially younger ones, has remained a very difficult task. In an attempt to address this problem, a major change was made in the By-laws in 1987. After 82 years of requiring prospective singers to prove that they had at least one quarter Scandinavian heritage, this ethnic requirement was dropped. Several staunch non- Scandinavian members have been added to the rolls in the years since 1987. Surprising as it may seem, the Club's "long timers" are now in the minority, over 60 per cent of today's members having joined since 1980!

Artistically, the Chorus has continued to improve under excellent directors. Dr. Frank Mueller resigned in 1985 and was followed by Carl Johansen who directed from October, 1985 to November, 1992. Assistant Director and

Chorus member Fred Jeffries took over through the 1992 Christmas season. Since January, 1993 our director has been Shirley Weston, who has brought the Chorus to new heights of performance.

Donna Fortney resigned as accompanist in 1985 and has been followed by Dianne Leffer, Jane Livingston, and Jennifer Anderson. Jennifer, who began in October, 1993, is devoted to Scandinavian music and is able and willing to direct a rehearsal if Shirley cannot be present.

To enhance our performances, in 1994 we purchased a Kurzweil electronic keyboard to use when we are performing at a place without a good piano. This instrument has been a boon, providing good accompaniment as well as a means for Shirley and Jennifer to add duets to programs, greatly enhancing audience appeal.

Highlights of our performance history over the past 15 years have been many.

A few come easily to mind: a joint concert with a German chorus from Chicago, the Rheinischer Gesangverein, at Waukegan's historic Genesee Theatre in November, 1983; a Minnesota tour in June, 1993 during which we participated in the 60th annual Svenskarnas Dag at Minnehaha Park in Minneapolis, MN. Of course, many pleasant memories remain from our annual Julmiddag and spring concerts, as well as, the American Union of Swedish Singers (AUSS) national and Central Division regional singing conventions every two years. Especially gratifying has been the fact that we have retained a loyal and appreciative audience as proved by the good attendance at our concerts and the many warm compliments received. Former associate members and Scandiphiles constantly provide feedback about how much they appreciate our performances.

AUSS national and Central Division regional singing conventions have continued to hold an important place in the Glee Club's activities. Two of our directors, Carl Johansen and Shirley Weston, have served or presently serve in the capacity of assistant director for the Central Division. Boyer Clauson had the honor of serving as president of the Central Division for a term and a half from 1988 to 1994.

In keeping with the stated purpose of the Glee Club, to promote music and Scandinavian culture, we have presented music scholarships to high school seniors intending to major in music in college in 1984, 1993, and 1994. We have also donated the free will offerings at our spring concerts to the church at which the concerts were held, and presented a gift of money to four local churches to be used in support of their music programs as a way of commemorating our 90th anniversary.

The biggest difference between the Swedish Glee Club of 1980 and 1995 is the fact that today's Glee Club is no longer the owner of a restaurant, or of any real estate. Along with that change goes the fact that the Club no longer has an associate membership. Heartbreaking as these changes have been, let it be said that today's Glee Club is the fortunate recipient of substantial benefits derived from the fact of owning a restaurant and having an associate membership.

To detail all the facts that led to the above changes would be beyond the scope of this brief supplement. However, it needs to be said that heroic efforts were exerted by number of active members to "save the Club" once it became obvious that the present course could only lead to financial disaster. First, funds derived from the sale of real estate and other property has been invested and is providing the income required to fund the activities of the Glee Club. Second, loyal former associate members as well as other supporters of Scandinavian culture are among the listeners in our audiences when we perform concerts.

Trends leading to the divestiture of all real estate included the aging of associate members and their consequent departure from the area or decreased financial means to support the Glee Club; limited success in obtaining younger associate members; decaying of the neighborhood in which the clubrooms were located; difficulty in hiring of competent managers and chefs; increased food prices and other operating costs; and the general falloff of interest in ethnic clubs. After various attempts to draw more business into the clubrooms, regular dining room operations ceased on April 30, 1986.

On January 8, 1988, the sale of the building at 621 Belvidere, Waukegan to the Christian Fellowship Church was finalized. It had been on the market for two years. The purchaser had rented space in the building for worship services and other activities for the previous two years and knew the building met their needs and was located in an area close to the homes of many of their members.

With the sale of its home of nearly 40 years, the Glee Club moved into the old farmhouse on its 14-acre "farm" about five miles west in rural Gurnee. This farm had been the property of former singer Howard Erickson and the Glee Club purchased it as an investment in 1978. Settling into these much smaller quarters proved to be both challenging and fun. Many long hours of labor by various singers as well as the expenditure of a fair amount of money developed the house into a comfortable home with a lot of character. Rehearsal space, though crowded, somehow lent itself well to fostering that "good singing spirit". About ten of the 14 acres were rented by a neighboring farmer to raise corn and soybeans. A graveled parking lot was made east of the house, and the rest of the property not rented by the farmer was devoted to lawn and garden plots for any singer who wanted to till the rich, black earth. Apple trees, pear trees, and grape vines planted by the Erickson's decades before provided fruit aplenty (but full of worms because it wasn't sprayed) for singers who wanted to go to the bother of picking it. The farm provided a wonderful site for picnics and potlucks.

Waukegan Swedish Glee Club

History

As compiled by

Fred Fortney