April 26, 1968
Exactly 50 years ago today, Assistant Professor John E. Taylor conducted as the WVWC Choir sang at the Uniting Conference in Dallas Texas in 1968. This was a huge deal. And, they did as well as you would have expected — and received a standing ovation from the approximately 10,000 people present.
According to the 1968 Murmurmontis:
“The highlight of the year for Wesleyan’s choir took place in Dallas, Texas. The tour choir received a standing ovation during its appearance at the Uniting Conference of the Evangelical United Brethren and Methodist Churches.
Wesleyan is very fortunate to have such an outstanding choir. Mr. Taylor, though his rehearsals consumed much of the members’ free time, has once again produced an excellent choir. Chapel services are held weekly with the Wesleyan choir providing the music. The Chorale as well as the choir present many special performances each academic year.”
Mr. Taylor is one of those people who was a Giant. A name that many may have forgotten or never heard. His work followed the work of Irma Helen Hopkins (1958-1965), and the work he did here has been carried on in like fashion by such people as Larry Parsons (1969-2013) and Dan Hughes (2012-current).
We may not realize it, but all of us are standing on the shoulders of Giants.
If you would like to learn about more of the Giants at WVWC, be sure to check out https://DreamersAndGiants.com