Ears close to the ground have detected a new cadence in the rhythms of Columbus this past year or so. It emanates from a re-energized group, the Trinity Singers from Trinity Place Retirement Community. At times, it is as soothing as a cherished hymn, as patriotic as the flag or as hilarious as “My Favorite Things” with “senior lyrics.” The 25 or so members enjoy each other’s company, and they sure like to sing.
“I just love it,” said Trinity resident Mary Belle Bonner, who used to be in the Calvary Baptist Church choir. “Oh, yes, we have fun with it.”
Bonner is one of the Trinity Floozies, a musical trio including Mary Conner and Ann Young. They were christened after performing the “My Favorite Things” parody at a talent show. They brought the house down.
The original Trinity Singers formed in the 1980s, organized by Minnie McCrary, a former activity director for Trinity Place.
“The group was inactive for several years and then was reorganized by our present generation of singers,” said current activity director Gerald Scallions. Brad Hodges, chaplain during 2012-2013, was instrumental in reinvigorating the Singers, he continued. Pianist Jane Trenor, along with a former resident, were central figures during the rebuilding period.
Joy rides
The singers all gather each Thursday afternoon to rehearse numbers they will take on the road. This group gets around. Traveling by bus, they perform at churches, retirement centers and other venues throughout the Golden Triangle — Macon, Tupelo and Tuscaloosa, Alabama, too.
“Those trips!” laughed volunteer music director Pat Wallace. “It’s like high school kids on a bus, always talking, having a good time.” Renditions of “100 Bottles of Coke on the Wall” have been known to break out. It’s all part of the fellowship that draws in participants.
In the family
Most of the singers are Trinity residents, though not all.
John East of Columbus doesn’t live at the retirement complex, but his mother, Billie, does. She moved there from Meridian in the not so distant past.
With a mother who played piano and a father who played violin, Billie East has spent her life with music. As a soloist she was often in demand to sing at weddings and funerals, as many as three in one day. She performed the national anthem at sporting events and sang at 50th anniversaries … sometimes for couples at whose weddings she had sung half a century before.
Even so, when she left Meridian, East tried to “retire” from music. “I’m old enough to be sitting with Jesus in heaven,” said the vocalist with a ready wit. She’ll be 96 in November.
She had not been at Trinity long, however, before being recruited to join the Singers, and “I’ve never known a group that was more congenial and fun to be with,” she said. “They are all precious people, just precious.”
For John East, an experienced tenor, being in the choir is a special bond to share with his mother.
“At times it’s pretty emotional, especially when she sings solos,” he said, visibly moved. His mother gave his knee a gentle pat.
Like the Easts, many of the members sang (or sing) in church choirs or come from musical families. For most of them, like Mary Conner, being able to raise voices again in a joyful noise is meaningful.
“It’s just really being able to sing for the Lord,” said Conner, whose nephew, Leslie Smith, is a well-known bluegrass fiddle player in the area. “If God gave me a talent, that’s it. When I get to heaven, I’m just going sing all the time.”
Bones and Sunday afternoons
Knitting the group together instrumentally are Jane Trenor at the piano and Jane Posey on xylophone. Along with Wallace, they all rate high praise from Scallions and the singers for their talents and tireless commitment. With them, the group develops presentations like their Gaither Homecoming Show, Christmas and Valentine programs, or the “Sunday Afternoon Dinner on the Grounds-type music” they’re working on now.
There are faith-inspired favorites like “Goodbye World, Goodbye” and fun songs like “Dry Bones” (with Posey playing her skeleton-motif xylophone called Smilin’ Jack). Or one might spot Joel and Virginia McAdams, married 63 years, dancing to “Side by Side.”
A sense of camaraderie is high on the list of benefits, Scallions noted. “But mostly, it’s a sense of purpose, of doing something for someone else — going to nursing homes, churches and other places, giving people there the benefit of something to look forward to.” The singers enjoy the company of one another as well as the company of those they visit, he pointed out.
Wallace said, “They are just a delight to work with. They are always excited and happy to be there, and they love serving others.” The group is a shining example of how not to sit back after retirement, she added. “You can always do something to help other people, to keep yourself active. … They are a blessing to anybody they’re around.”
So, if you are passing by Trinity Place one Thursday afternoon during rehearsal, listen closely. You may hear the sound of cares being chased away, of aches being overshadowed, of spirits uplifted. It’s the power of music.
Jan Swoope is the Lifestyles Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 32 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.