(Forwarding this great post from LOLnet.)

- Tom A.
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Thomas R. Arneberg - tom@... - http://arneberg.com
Design Engineer, Cray Supercomputers, Chippewa Falls, Wisc.
Land O'Lakes District Comm. Officer - http://LOLDistrict.org
Baritone, "CHIPS" Quartet - http://ChipsQuartet.com
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----- Forwarded message from "Michael H. McCoy" <mccoymh@...> -----

To: lolnet@yahoogroups.com
From: "Michael H. McCoy" <mccoymh@...>
Date: Fri, 19 Dec 2008 22:36:59 -0600
Subject: [LOLnet] Belated Notice of the Death of Herschel Smith

A former member of the Madison, Wis., Chapter who was better known
as the first baritone and last surviving original member of the
Buffalo Bills has died, according to confirmation just received
from his widow.

Herschel Smith, 84 or 85 years old, of Antigo, Wis., was profiled
in the July/August edition of The Harmonizer (page 18-19) which
marked the 50th anniversary of "The Music Man" and the Buffalo
Bills on Broadway.

Smith had left the original Bills for a job reassignment from
Buffalo to Madison before the Broadway opportunity. He was
replaced by Dick Grapes, the cover subject of the Harmonizer
issue who left the group before "The Music Man" premiered and
was replaced by Scotty Ward.

Mike Liscum of Madison, who was in the Madison Chapter when
Herschel Smith moved from Buffalo and joined the Chapter, just
got a Christmas card from Arlene Smith with a note confirming
her husband's death. (Mike was an active member of the Madison
Chapter until earlier this year when he retired.)

She said Herschel was in a care center in Antigo when he died
Aug. 5, about 10 minutes after he had serenaded the nurse who
had delivered his breakfast to his room. Arlene said a memorial
service was held at Antigo, for which she -- a long-time singer
herself who sang frequently with Herschel -- sang for him a
final time.

She's now in an assisted living facility in Atlanta, near a
daughter, for the winter, and plans to return to Antigo in
the spring.

Herschel and Arlene had homes in both Antigo and Florida,
but they stayed in Antigo last winter for reasons of health.
They had been talking about moving to Madison year-round.

They were profiled in the Antigo Journal in May this way:

| "A long-standing tradition continued at Elcho's Memorial Day
| ceremonies Monday, when Arlene and Herschel Smith stepped to the
| microphone and led the crowd in singing 'The Star-Spangled Banner'.
|
| "The Smiths, summer residents of the Knights Templar Club at Duck
| Lake, have been making beautiful music together for the better
| part of six decades, including a long return engagement for the
| May services at the Elcho and White Lake cemeteries.
|
| "'It's been part of our life', Arlene Smith says. 'It blends in
| with everything we've done'.
|
| "The couple did not sing at the Summit Lake Cemetery this
| year. Herschel, who served in the Marine Corps in World War II,
| sat quietly in his chair while Arlene marched with the American
| Legion Auxiliary.
|
| "But when the Elcho High School marching band struck up the
| opening chords of the national anthem at the Elcho Cemetery,
| the Smiths were ready, and rose to the microphone.
|
| "'Memorial Day is always very special', Mrs. Smith says. 'When I
| get there, it just chokes me up thinking about the people who you
| can no longer talk to and what they have given for their country'.
|
| "The Smiths have sung and performed for decades, including at some
| impressive venues before large crowds. But patriotic occasions-and
| especially Memorial Day-occupy a unique niche.
|
| "'It was very special', Mrs. Smith says. 'Yesterday was special'."

You can read more about Smith and the Madison Chapter's Web tribute
to him at:

http://www.madison.com/communities/chord/pages/buffalobills

To see the photo which accompanied the Antigo article:

http://www.antigodailyjournal.com/full.php?id=6094

Mike McCoy
Madison, Wis., Chapter

----- End forwarded message -----