Sweet Adelines International 75th Jubilee Commemorative Album

CarolAnn Bagley, lead of Jubilation, 1985 International Champion Quartet, worked at Sweet Adelines, Inc. Headquarters in Tulsa, Oklahoma in the “little house” days. “The building was our first real ‘home,’ and originally was a small residence. Nancy Bergman was the Executive Secretary. We did a variety of things: answered the phone, processed forms, and so forth,” said CarolAnn. “We kept the files in the bathtub. Of course, we never put any water in it.” The headquarters staff also oversaw the production of the official recordings of the national quartet contest. The performances were all recorded live during the contest. “One time,” CarolAnn recalled, “there was a problem with the recording and so Lynn McCord and her husband Mike, another member of Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America (SPEBSQSA), and I sang a few measures ourselves and dubbed them in over the recording. The quartet never knew the difference.”

In 1954, Sweet Adelines, Inc. moved from Executive Secretary Evelyn Westfield’s garage to a “spacious” 12-foot by 18-foot room on the first floor of the Castle Building at 114 W. Third in Tulsa, Oklahoma (USA). In 1955, the office moved upstairs into a larger space then expanded into an adjoining space in 1957. The move brought an unforeseen hazard, however. Two employees were fined for jaywalking from Jane Pfeifer’s place of business across the street to the headquarters office! With a membership of 6,423 members in 250 chapters, Sweet Adelines, Inc.

SPOTLIGHT: HEADQUARTERS

had outgrown its latest space in the Castle Building, so the organization embarked on an energetic campaign to raise money to buy its own building. In 1958, the organization purchased a small house at 3321 E. 30th Street in Tulsa. It had two bedrooms and an attached garage. Executive Secretary Nancy Bergman put down her own money to secure the loan. The International Board of Directors burned the mortgage at the 1962 Installation Luncheon in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Nancy Bergman

Nancy Bergman has contributed to Sweet Adelines International in many ways. She composed and arranged our theme song, Harmonize the World, sang in quartets (including 1954 Champion Quartet, the Mississippi Misses), directed choruses, and coached and mentored countless Sweet Adelines. She served as Executive Secretary, supervising our headquarters staff as the office -- and the organization -- grew. A prolific arranger of barbershop music, Nancy has prioritized the training of new arrangers for many years. She received the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002.

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