Delco rocks the rafters at historical society benefit
ASTON >> They were dancing in the aisles at Neumann University’s Mirenda Center Saturday night when The First Ladies of Rock and Soul, The Duprees, Jay Seigel’s Tokens and The Brooklyn Bridge brought the audience back to the 1950s and ‘60s. In a musical tribute honoring veterans, the Rockin’ With The Troops 2 Concert sold almost 1,000 tickets to benefit the Delaware County Historical Society and its award-winning educational programs.
People of all ages sang along, danced, clapped and swayed, many transported fondly back to the simpler time of their youth when doo-wop music, vinyl 45 rpm records and transistor radios were all the rage.
“This is our music,” veteran John McComb of Marple Township Memorial Post 805 in Broomall stated as he stood next to his wife Eileen. “This is the music of our generation. I really looked forward to coming because I knew it was going to be our kind of evening.”
Rose Sorensen of Rutledge had similar sentiments. She attended the concert with her husband Paul.
“We always support veterans’ causes,” Rose explained. “This is our age group’s music. The music of the ‘50s and ‘60s is special to our generation.”
The event was emceed by Fox 29 weather anchor Sue Serio and WVLT 92.1 deejays Lou Costello and Steve Kurtz. Opening remarks were made by Delaware County Historical Society Board Chair Stephanie “Sam” Fleetman.
Honorees of the night included Monroe Energy, Delaware County Councilman Dave White and Joe Griffies, host of WIBG Radio’s “Welcome Home Show.” A special tribute and acknowledgement was awarded Dr. Rosalie Mirenda, president of Neumann University, who will retire at the end of this semester.
Adam Gattuso, government affairs and communications, accepted the award on behalf of Monroe Energy in Trainer. The company supports Combat Marine Outdoors, an organization which has taken more than 2,000 combat-wounded service members on hunting and fishing expeditions. Monroe Energy also has its own “Military to Monroe” program that trains and hires members of the military who are transitioning from service into civilian life.
Griffies of WIBG Radio was honored at the concert for his tireless work on behalf of veterans. A Vietnam veteran himself, Griffies worked to attain free beach badges for veterans, secure insurance benefits for a
veteran’s widow, and advocated to get faster response for veterans trying to access the VA suicide hotline. His “Welcome Home Veterans” radio show gives veterans and veteran-related groups and organizations a forum to tell their stories.
White was honored because he has been a longtime friend of veterans and their causes. Both the names of his mother and father are etched on the Delaware County Veterans Memorial in Newtown Square. The third floor conference room of the Pennsylvania Veterans Museum in Media is named for his father due to Dave’s support in transforming the room into a state-of-the-art resource center. One of 14 children, White said his father, Paul White, who served as a medic in the European campaign in World War II, instilled in his children the desire to always honor and pay tribute to veterans.
“I am very honored to receive this accolade, although I don’t feel that I earned it — they should be giving it to a veteran,” White said. “My father told us that the veterans have given their service to our country and in turn, we must always give our service to them. I will always honor our veterans and be grateful for the freedoms they have given us. It is very easy to honor our veterans, because it’s the right thing to do.”
Mirenda was honored for
her ongoing contribution to the military. Under her leadership, programs were established to offer military tuition discounts and credit for military training. A participant in the Yellow Ribbon School Program, the university will assist students in paying for the tuition and fees not covered by the GI Bill.
“Those who have served in any branch of the military have dedicated years of their lives to the protection of the freedoms that all Americans enjoy,” Mirenda explained. “Neumann considers our active military and veterans and their dependents God’s blessing. We are very happy to partner with DCHS on this mission of honoring our veterans. It is also a privilege to host this event here tonight and another opportunity for Neumann to shine.”
The benefit concert was made possible through the dedication and diligence of the Delaware County Historical Society’s executive director, Linda Houldin, historical society Education Director Karyn Confer, the group’s board of directors, and a multitude of others.
“Linda Houldin did an outstanding job,” Fleetman stated. “She is amazing. It is because of Linda’s leadership, dedication to our veterans and belief in the DCHS that we are able to raise money and increase our partners, sponsors and members. The DCHS is all about our veterans, education and preservation. Going forward, we will continue with this mission, and the funds raised tonight will surely help with that.”
The concert was sponsored by Neumann University, Mustang Expediting, Folsom Tool, CCP Family Partnership, Media Aero, IBEW Local 98, Olympic Tool, DWD Mechanical Contractor, Inc, Monroe Energy, Aqua, SAP, PECO, Delaware County Community College, Anne Wright, Yoder and Armstrong Printers, PNC Bank, Ridley Republican Party, UPS, Arthur J. Gallagher Risk Management, Independence Blue Cross, Danjolell Memorial Homes, Dr. Merle Horowitz, Houldin, John Curtin, Casey’s Restaurants, Delmont Utilities, Republic Bank, Joe and Donna Daly, Help Soldiers Inc., American Legion Post 805, Cozzi Jewelers, BB&T Bank, WSFS Bank, Delaware County Council, Delco News Network, Delaware County Daily Times, Luigi & Giovanni, Ariano Restaurant, Radnor 21 Main Line TV, Sam Coco, Bunny Hare Gift Shop, Artemis Productions, Hellenic News of America, WVLT Cruisin’ 92.1 FM, The Delaware Valley Italian American Herald, Chester Water Authority, Ad Taxi, WIBG 1020 Radio, Delaware County Veterans Memorial Association, Fox 29, WOGL 98.1 and Comcast Newsmakers.
Last year, the historical society’s educational programs helped to educate more than 7,000 children through its no-cost programs. They learned about local history, about the United States Constitution, and about the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice. The historical society Museum, Library
and Research Center at 408 Avenue of the States in Chester houses more than 4,500 books pertaining to the history of Southeastern Pennsylvania, as well as a collection of over 100,000 photographs, old newspapers, yearbooks and more than 510,000 paper documents.
Saturday night’s show opened with a performance by The First Ladies of Rock and Soul. Produced by Lou Ballezzi, who is also a musician in the 13-piece back-up band of the First Ladies, the “girls group” from the Motown ‘60s era had the audience singing and dancing with their timeless renditions of songs made famous by The Supremes, Martha and The Vandellas and other “girl groups of the time.
The Duprees followed The Ladies on stage, and were given a standing ovation after singing their signature hits, “Have You Heard,” “You Belong To Me” and “Why Don’t You Believe Me,” along with other 1960’s Doo-Wop tunes, some performed in four-part harmony.
Next up were The Tokens, the American male doo-wop-style vocal group from Brooklyn, N.Y., best known for their chart-topping 1961 single, “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.” During the same era, The Tokens became record producers and launched many little-known singers into recording careers. The group performed many of those songs that they helped to propel into the Top Ten.
The final act of the night was The Brooklyn Bridge.
The band paid tribute to its former leader Johnny Maestro, singing his most notable song, “16 Candles,” along with many other wellknown tunes, including The Brooklyn Bridge’s charttopping hit, “The Worst That Could Happen.”
The concert, which lasted close to four hours, seemed to be a real crowd pleaser. Denise and Bob Berger of Springfield attended the concert with their son Bobby, 15.
“My husband bought the three of us the tickets,” Denise explained. “We really like this kind of music and my son enjoys it a lot. I am happy we came!”
Charlie and Peggy Landis of Brookhaven had a similar review.
“We enjoy the oldies — it’s our kind of music,” Peggy said. “We saw the advertisement in the Daily Times. We had seen The Brooklyn Bridge before so we knew how good they were and that’s why we decided to come.”
Terry Jamison came from New Jersey with her husband Jim, a U.S. Marine veteran, and also accompanied by her cousin Angela DiBernardi and her husband Robert,
also of New Jersey.
“How could we not come to this concert?” Jamison asked. “We love to support our veterans and the oldies are the best music there ever was. This was a great event!”