Stanley P. Shipp Jr. included this
summary of his experience in a letter. -- What do you think of his last
paragraph?
After
our conversation yesterday I started thinking about the wonderful time I had in
Spokane, Washington, at Gonzaga University. What a great event it was honoring
our beloved Bing;. from the rededication of his memorial statue on Friday, May
16th, to the informal dinner party we had at Dillon Hall on Sunday
evening, May 18th.
So
many nice people, so many great things to attend. I was especially touched by
the constant sound of Bing's singing as I strolled around campus. How could
someone listen to the sound of his voice and not be in awe?
I
thoroughly enjoyed all of the presentations and panel discussions. I also liked
that the Gonzaga event was different from the symposium at Hofstra University
in November of 2002. The atmosphere was a bit less formal at Gonzaga. Although
there was some repetition at Gonzaga, I didn't mind my memory being refreshed
by the likes of Buddy Bregman, Mozelle Seger and, needless to say, the members
of Bing's family. As at Hofstra, Kathryn Crosby and Howard Crosby were as kind
and available as anyone could have asked.. How nice it was to have Rich Little
and Frank Sinatra Jr. attend the gala dinner on Saturday, May 17th.
What a great job Gord Atkinson did as the MC at the gala dinner event and
during the entire weekend. It made for a "once in a lifetime
experience" I know I will cherish.
At
the going away dinner at Dillon Hall on Sunday night a discussion took place
regarding a once-a-year get together for those of us who can't get to England
in October. We thought Ottawa, Canada, might be a good place to start in 2004.
Just something to think about!…
Stan
==X==
Milt Cummings sent pictures and his memories of Gonzaga in this report:
I'm
sorry I did not get to talk to you more at Bing's 100th anniversary;
but I had a great time. I saw two people I met back in 1989 in Tacoma,
Washington, Pete Cakanic and Ben Weaver. It brought back good memories.
The three days went nicely with all the movies; they were so good. I met people from seven or eight countries.
Gary
Giddins gave a nice talk, and I can't wait for volume two of A Pocketful of Dreams to come out. I met Malcolm Macfarlane, editor of BING magazine, and
Michael Crampton, secretary and treasurer of [The International Crosby Circle].
Both men are nice people.
The
banquet Saturday night was great, with Rich Little in great form and Gord
Atkinson as MC. Special guest was Frank Sinatra Jr.; he gave a fine talk. It
was nice seeing Mrs. Crosby again. She is a nice person, and I wish her all the
best in the near future. Howard Crosby, Bing's nephew, sang for all of us. All
in all it was a great night.
I
met so many people I can't list them all here; but they were so nice to talk
to. I almost forgot to mention Bob Pasch, who gave a great performance singing
Bing's songs. He and his wife are two nice people.
Let's
hope they start reissuing some of Bing's music now, along with his movies… Milt Cummings
==X==
Mrs. Kaminski was very helpful and kind.
Sorry
it took so long to answer your letter. We had to have more pictures made. I
wish we had pictures of the "Bingfans" you mentioned, but we just
didn't have them. I'm sure you will like the ones we do have.
Mrs. Crosby looks great on all of them. She's a very pretty and friendly person. We just love her -- Mr. Buddy Bregman conducted one of Bing's albums, titled "Bing Sings whilst Bregman Swings." -- Gary Giddins' book, "A Pocketful of Dreams" is the best book I ever read. -- And, of course, Rich Little was a very funny man.
How
I wish I would have had the pleasure of seeing Bing in person. It would have
been such a thrill.
We
are very glad to have met you. It was very nice of you to give me the ribbon
with Bing's name and the flag pin. I wear the pin all the time. It's a reminder
of the good time we had and the very nice man you are.
Looking
forward to the newsletter.
Many thanks. . . Jeanne Kaminski