July 31, 2008
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Minnesota Morning
Last Saturday (July 26), after we rushed home from our annual family vacation, we attended a “farewell” party for a man who has been an instrumental part of the Land of Lakes Choirboys organization since the very beginning. He is leaving the organization to take another job in southern MN, one that affords him the opportunity to build some security for retirement. He did not leave by choice, but by necessity. It is an unfortunate fact that a struggling non-profit organization like the choir cannot afford to provide retirement benefits for it’s employees. That being said, John Fitzgerald leaves a legacy at the Land of Lakes Choirboys second to none. While the music is arguably the most important component of the choir experience, in John’s eyes the boy always came first. To paraphrase P.J. Fanburg, a former choirboy and the young man who will be taking over many of John’s responsibilities with the choir, for John “the quality of the musician was more important than the quality of the music”. As you can see from the pictures above, John took the time to visit with each and every choirboy who attended the party — and there were a lot of them! But that is John’s way — to make each and every boy feel special, feel important. He is genuinely interested in the boys as individuals, and not just as corporate members of a remarkable choir. Thanks, John!
In tribute to John, many current and former choirboys gathered to sing for him one last time (although I have no doubt that he will be a frequent visitor and will attend many Land of Lakes Choirboys concerts in the future). The song they sang is one of the choir’s “signature” songs — “Minnesota Morning”, by Jeff Brooks. Mr. Brooks has dedicated this song to the Land of Lakes Choirboys, and even attended the farewell party in person! Here is a video I took of the occasion. Grant and Mark both sang this song when they were in the choir, so they participated in the tribute. Isaac attended the party, but because we were on vacation when the rehearsal for the song took place (and his choir has not learned this song) he did not feel comfortable singing, so he stayed in the audience and watched along with Art and myself.John Fitzgerald, you will be missed!
Comments (7)
What a touching tribute for a man who has helped shape the lives of so many young men and boys.
What a wonderful send off. I love the sound of a boys choir. The sound is always so sweet and pure.
Michael
What a wonderful way to say goodbye!
Leah, I’ll send you some of my pictures of the event. I also sent some of mine to the choir building for archive purposes.
It was a grand afternoon, wasn’t it? It was hard to watch the video tribute with a box of Kleenex. PJ will do a great job, and the involved parents will help keep John’s legacy alive.
Beautiful! I love this song.
That is so heartwarming and touching. Thank you for sharing. You always have the most awesome stuff to share!!! Have a great weekend!
Beautiful!