The Far Western District Board of Directors and the District membership take great pride in dedicating this 2006 Spring Convention to Roger Perkins ... the Great Perko ... Quartetter par Excellence ... Veteran Director of the Sierranaders ... Fearless Editor of the Motherlode Lip .. Faithful Stalwart of the Nevada-Placer Chapter and all around Good Guy!
Roger was born October 8, 1934, in Manhattan, New York (it was only known as "The Little Apple" then). The family moved to Mt. Vernon in 1943 where Roger began to get involved in singing. He sang in a cappella choirs and choruses all through junior high school, high school, Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, and during his three-year stint in the U.S. Army.
His first quartet experience was in 1956 in Taiwan where he had his "Barber Shop Memories" book compiled and arranged by Hugo Frey from the Musicians' Supply Company, Kowloon, Hong Kong. Needless to say, Roger was hooked! Gollowing discharge from the U.S. Army in 1957, he visited his brother, a high school teacher, in Quincy, California. Roger was hired by the Plumas County Road Departmemt to work on a survey crew. That summer he met and fell in love with Sally, one of his brother's students. He tried to return to New York but only made it to Wenatchee, Washington. While there he attended Wenatchee Valley College for a year, majoring in music.
In 1958 The Great Perko returned to California and married Sally&mdash.figuring a gal with that many songs written about her must be okay! They are the proud parents of two sons, Clint and Mark. The family moved to Auburn in 1959 and not long after Roger read an article in the local newspaper announcing an installation dinner for the Placer County Chapter. He showed up and it changed his life forever!
Bennett Loftsgaard was the Chorus Director, but shortly after Roger joined, Ben had to resign to spend more time with his own business ... can you imagine? Because he was the only one who could read music, the Great Perko became the new Chorus Director.
His first organized quartet was The Placer Minors, with Lynn Brittan singing baritone. Then came The Carpetbaggers (1968 NorCal Division Novice Quartet Champions), The Credibility Gap, The Music Staff, and Happy Days. He performed as a member of the School Board Quartet in productions of The Music Man for the Sacramento Music Circus in 1968 and 1977 (with Van Johnson as Professor Harold Hill) and again in Marysville in 2001. His fellow singing thespians were famed barbershoppers Neal Sisson, Buck Hay, Bill Stenzel, and Jack McPhillips.
He directed the Placer County Chapter Chorus for 8 years and when the chapter lost its charter, Roger transferred to the Sacramento Chapter. The Nevada-Placer Chapter wws reformed in 1983 and one year later Roger found himself directing again. He's been the Chorus Director ever since!
As if that were not enough involvement in one's "hobby", Roger served as Bulletin Editor for ten years and has been the Westunes Division Editor (NCE/NN Digest) for the past three years. He has written over 40 shows and productions for all three of his chapters. He served the Far Western District as an Area Counselor for four years as well as a Youth Counselor at the first two Youth Harmony Camps in Felton, California. In his own words: "Barbershoppers are my extended family and I truly love this hobby!"
Without the continued efforts and total involvement of members like Roger Perkins, there would be no quartets, no choruses, no chapters, no districts ... and obviously ... no Barbershop Harmony Society. So, step up to the Great Perko sometime this weekend, shake his hand, and ask "How Can There Be Any Sin In Sincere?"