Back in 1975, a group of people from another singing group in Alexandria decided they wanted to form a chorus that sang something besides classical music. They approached Barry Hemphill about conducting such a group, and he agreed. Since I was engaged to and subsequently married him, I was involved in what was then known as The Alexandria Community Singers from its inception. Since that time, I've seen hundreds of people come and go, but they all had one thing in common: a love of performing American popular music in all its forms. I've been President of the Singers twice, and Performance Vice-president numerous times. I've survived numerous costume debates, venue challenges, repertoire discussions, a group name change, and thousands of hours of rehearsals. My daughter, Lindsay, grew up in the group....she even had outfits that matched ours! I've lived long enough to see her become a member of the Singers in her own right and serve as co-Performance Vice-president with me...and now she plays flute while I play piano in the combo for our performances. Once a Singer, always a Singer!