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Latest revision as of 13:32, 18 January 2014

Continuation of Flat Hat retrospective on Pappy's career at William and Mary.

Carl Fehr To Retire June 1st (continued from page 2)

(caption beneath photo) Fehr in his final days at Austin High School (1944), just before heading north to Williamsburg to begin a 29-year reign as music- al director of the College.

...400 students, including most of the school's football team. Fehr had alrea- dy developed a reputation as a de- manding taskmaster, at times scheduling six rehearsals each day.

News of Fehr's astounding success spread all the way to the isolated con- fines of Williamsburg. In 1945, Fehr came to direct the College's floundering mu- sic program, despite the fact that the 15 student singers looked indescribably depressing compared to the several hun- dred students Fehr was leaving behind. He arrived in 1945, and within a matter of days the choir was called upon to sing at freshman orientation. Fehr smiled when remembered the choir's premier performance. "It had to be the most pitiful thing I think I ever did."

Once again, however, Fehr began to excite overnight changes. By the next convocation, the choir had increased to 60 members and was quickly devel- oping a reputation on campus that at- tracted throngs of new prospects. In 1947, the enthusiastic response of the student body dictated that Fehr form two choirs and two glee clubs. Word of Williamsburg's new musical wizard be- gan to wing its way to far corners of the nation.

Fifteen years later, when television producers began searching for musical groups worthy of national coverage, Fehr's well-trained singers were a na- tural choice. For five consecutive Christmases, the choir's concert was viewed by music connoisseurs watching 25 stations carrying the always inspiring seasonal presentation.

After 133 formal campus concerts, 122 tour presentations and more than 570 special appearances at convocations and chapel programs, Fehr's ever chan- ging corps of singers has been praised for total quality, originality and disci- plined showmanship. Without a doubt, "Pappy" Fehr deserves the peace and relaxation his retirement will bring. But Fehr, in the closing moments of his illustrious career, shows little signs of "taking it easy" on the way out.

In fact, the current season has been one of Fehr's most challenging with the infinitely complex Messiah head- lining the Christmas concert and a spe- cial arrangement of Stephen Foster Songs highlighting the spring final. "In all my years here, I've never had a fail- ure," explained the quick-witted direc- tor. "I want to go out keeping my head up."

Fehr insists that the word "can't" is not in his vocabulary. And he sel- dom accepts a negative approach from his students. Fehr, a virtual library of old and new wise sayings, teaches his students that "you never run away from a problem -- you always hit it head-on."

Many prospective singers, particu- larly in the last several years, have not seen eye-to-eye with the Fehr philoso- phy, which controls the length of choir members' hair as well as the required practice sessions that demand the best from every student. Fehr claims that those who quit the choir "do not want to work and don't like the discipline that's necessary to attain a quality choir."

Those who don't make the grade, however, are quickly forgotten. For "Pappy" concentrates his seemingly un- limited time and effort on those dedicated singers who "have pride in their college and their choir." If a student is obvi- ously suffering in the academic grind of competitive classes, Fehr transforms into the most efficient adviser on cam- pus. The director has formed his own F.B.I. (Fehr Bureau of Investigation) to seek out and eliminate the academic and emotional problems of his choir members.

"You don't look back... ...You've got to keep going."

Yet Fehr will not tolerate the habit- ual complaining of the self-pitying stu- dent who directs his frustrations at the College itself. The director simply gives one small piece of advice: "Why don't you transfer to the University of Toano?"

The personal problems "Pappy" deals with best, however, are those of a romantic nature. For Fehr is an incurable romantic himself. Even as he approaches seventy, the musical di- rector has a keen eye for the ladies, strategically arranging the formation of the choir in order to show off its "natural assets." And his "matrimonial bureau" has a record that most mar- riage counselors would drool over, with many choir members teaming up for a lifetime.

But as "Pappy" likes to think, "You've got to have a little romance in your life to sing well." It's hardly a theory you'll find in a music book. Yet the recipient of masters and doctorate de- grees in music writes quite a few of his own rules including those con- cerning football.

"I think the choir is in many ways like a football team," commented Fehr. "I'm the quarterback and I have to be the one who calls the plays." he recalls one instance when a former College football coach was dragged to a choir concert only to find that he thoroughly enjoyed the entire affair. After the performance, the coach praised "Pappy" for his handling of the varied number of choir formations. When the coach commented that he might be able to learn something that would help him develop plays for the gridiron. "Pappy" wholeheartedly agreed. "It's about time we started to win a few more games."