The Original Founding Members
This photo shows the 16 founding members, taken on July 17, 1949, in Manchester Center, Vermont. Loring Burwell, the first director of the Barnstormers, is in the front row, center, wearing a suit.
MORE THAN 70 YEARS OF SINGING
The Barnstormers was founded in 1946 by G. Loring Burwell, a music teacher and choral director from Waterbury, CT, and 15 other men that loved to sing. The first Barnstormer concerts were in Vermont and New Hampshire. The group originally had four concerts each year. Due to the inclemency of northeastern winters, the winter concert was discontinued.
Directors of the Barnstormers
| 1947 – 1956: Loring Burwell 1957 – 1957: Bob Hudson 1958 – 1959: Fred Werner 1959 – 1962: Bob Hudson 1962 – 1973: Jeannette Brown | 1973 – 1975: John Crosley 1975 – 1993: Frank Yeaw 1993 – 2006: Rod Mansfield 2007 – Present: Bill Davis |
ACCOMPANISTS OF THE BARNSTORMERS
- 1947 – 1952 Frederick Werner
- 1953 – 1993 Olive Witham
- 1994 – 2005 Jeannette Brown
- 2006 – 2006 Sally Stuart Mansfield
- 2007 – 2017 Joan Reppert
- 2018 – Present Jean Degan
PRESIDENTS OF THE BARNSTORMERS
- 1962 – 1965 Phil Houck
- 1966 – 1969 Chet Fell
- 1970 – 1971 Howard Whitham
- 1972 – 1973 Olive Whitham
- 1973 – 1979 Peter Jones
- 1980 – 1982 Will Reger
- 1983 – 1984 Don Brown
- 1984 – 1985 Bill St. John
- 1985 – 1987 Larry Brown
- 1988 – 1989 Bob Emerson
- 1990 – 1995 Stan Cottrell
- 1996 – 1999 Jack Stang
- 2000 – 2001 Gene Cushmann
- 2002 – 2007 Terry McKeown
- 2008 – 2011 Nelson Reppert
- 2012 – 2016 Terry McKeown
- 2017 – Present Norm Lasda