Musical stroll down memory lane for Dover High School choir alumni of director Walter Heck
By Jennifer Kneuss
September 20, 2011
1142
Your voice is a gift. You must use it. If you use your voice, and use it consistently, you will not lose that quality that you once had.
So spoke Walter Heck as he addressed more than 40 of his former students, all alumni of the Dover High School choir, where Heck taught from 1969 to 1981. Those gathered for the first ever choir alumni reunion from that period of time at the Dover Alliance Church Sept. 17 felt the years melt away as they joined in an afternoon of music and memories.
If you have let your voice deteriorate, it will come back. You have to work a lot harder now than when you were younger, advised the former director, who led the group in musical numbers from their youth. Many students credited both Walter Heck and his wife, Dixie, an accomplished pianist, for their part in making music part of their everyday adult lives.
Jay Kelker is one of those students, and he addressed the Hecks and the alumni.
A high school guidance counselor advised me to go into accounting because he said that no one could make enough money doing music. So I listened to his advice, and wasted two years in accounting, and finally realized, what am I doing? I went on and received my bachelors degree in music education from the University of Akron, and that is largely in part to Mr. Walter Heck. I just want to say thank you for all youve done for all of us, said Kelker. Later he added, Now I own Jam Factory Recording Studio. I went down to Nashville to record, and got the bug, came home, and built a studio. I do private vocal instruction, and I do praise and worship at different churches. I am grateful to Mr. Heck, because he and Dixie both essentially taught me. I had talent, but they helped hone the talent. Their love of music is just infectious. Im so glad I came today; it was great. We should do this every two years or so. The musical parts just came right back to me.
Alumnus Bruce Pearson was also in attendance.
I had a blast today, said Pearson. Im still singing, and sing with the Carroll County Chorale. Earlier today I had an audition to sing the National Anthem for a Cavs game.
It was Sherri Weidman who suggested this, noted Michelle Hartz. Walter and Dixie were very enthusiastic and so we just kind of went from there. Several people have said they would like to do it again, so I hope we will.
Shelly Nordine is still involved with music in her role as pastor at Crooked Run and Faith Methodist churches.
We sang our hearts out, commented Nordine.
This is like a high school reunion, but really dealing with people that you really had a close relationship with, that you really knew very well, said Tom Cunningham, who now pastors the Potters House church on Union Avenue in New Philadelphia. It was an amazing thing. I had a lot of fun singing songs that I had forgotten about. Seeing our teachers up there, and laughing, and having Bruce Pearson keep getting me in trouble, thats just how it was in high school. We kept looking at Walter Heck and wondering if we were going to get yelled at! It brought us all the way back home. We didnt realize how much Scripture that Walter Heck had put into our lives when we werent even understanding we were receiving it, through the music that he picked, and the songs that we sang. We appreciate that. I hope we do this every year.
The choir closed their day by singing Amazing Grace and Time is My Friend, a closing concert tradition.
Walter Heck was smiling. I loved it. This was a walk down memory lane.
