The Evergreen District was officially formed in 1947 when it broke off from the Far Western District to form the then-called Pacific Northwest Association of Chapters, SPEBSQSA, Inc.. Murph Murphy was elected District President; G.T. McDermott, Vice President; H.B. Molchior, Secretary; and, H.S. “Sam” Saari, Treasurer.
The District included the states of Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington. During the next three years, 28 chapters were formed! Six are still in existence today: Portland (now the Rose City Timberliners…and the longest running chapter in Evergreen), Tacoma (Tacoma Barbershop Harmony (AKA TotemAires), Lake Washington (which merged with Bellevue in 1991), Eugene (Cascade Chorus), and Seattle (Seattle SeaChordsmen). The Greater Vancouver Chapter (Gentlemen of Fortune)–although not a part of our District back then–was chartered in 1957, so they get included in this list, too!
More early highlights in our history include:
- The 1949 addition of Alberta and the “Territory of Alaska” to the District
- The Mountain-Aires (Enumclaw, WA) becoming the first District Quartet Champions
- Adding British Columbia and Yukon Territory to Evergreen in 1950.
- Northern California was added in 1951, but later became part of the Far Western District.
- In 1953, the Cascade Chorus became Evergreen’s first representatives to the International Chorus Contest. They finished 4th!
- Also in 1953, the district officially became the Evergreen District, as our borders had expanded beyond the Pacific coast.
- In 1956, Cascade Chorus earned 2nd place in the International Chorus Contest.
EVERGREEN GOLD: The First 50 years!
Evergreen Gold (pdf format) tells the story of the early years in Evergreen District’s History from the beginnings in 1946 to 1997. Compiled and written by Ray Greaves and Ed Hartley to celebrate Evergreen’s 50th Anniversary.
The book is divided into the following chapters. Click on each chapter title to open the pdf (which you can download or read online)
A SHOW TO REMEMBER! Barbershoppers in Brookings, Oregon will never forget October 1950. Neither will the hundred odd barbershoppers and wives from Portland, Klamath Falls and Eugene, Oregon who journeyed three to five hundred miles to help Brookings stage a Parade (like a quartet show) October 28th.
Brookings is right on the Pacific and was the center of the worst coastal storm in years, with resultant flood and slide conditions never before equalled. <<<read more>>>
