The CAMROSE BOOSTER January 1, 2013
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James Neff work of music released for publication Submitted by Dr. Ardelle Ries, Associate Professor (Choral)
In 1959 the Camrose community was fortunate to attract a young and talented American musician in the guise of James Neff. After 32 years of dedicated service at Camrose Lutheran College with retirement from a long and distinguished career as a professor of music theory, history, composition, and conducting in 1993, Professor Emeritus James Neff currently has much reason to celebrate. A prolific composer of choral music, Neff recently
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received word from Cypress Choral Music in Vancouver, one of Canada’s foremost music publishing houses, that one of his most beloved choral works was accepted for publication. As of November 2012 How Lovely Is Thy Dwelling Place was released for distribution to the Canadian choral community and beyond. A beautiful and accessible choral work, How Lovely Is Thy Dwelling Place was composed 25 years ago for the dedication of Bethel Lutheran Church. It was premiered at Bethel with a choir comprised of members of the con-
gregation under the baton of Dr. Jonathan Mohr. Of his published oeuvre, it is thought that How Lovely Is Thy Dwelling Place has been the most frequently performed. It has been recorded by Dr. Marc Hafso and The Augustana Choir on the Standing on Holy Ground CD of 1997 and again by Dr. Ardelle Ries and The Augustana Choir on the Nuper Rosarum Flores: Now the Rose Blossoms CD from 2007. The recent Cypress Choral Music publication of How Lovely Is Thy Dwelling Place is James Neff’s 17th publication. Published
extensively in the USA, this is the first choral work of Neff to be published by a Canadian music publisher. James Neff was born in 1934 in Illinois where he completed his elementary and secondary schooling. He went on to receive a Bachelor of Music degree from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota, in 1956. In the same year, he married the love of his life, Jo Ann. In 1958 he received a Master of Arts degree from the University of Denver and pursued graduate studies later at the University of Iowa. James taught
three years of senior high school music in the U.S. before the family moved to Camrose. Through numerous positive choral music experiences within the church community, Neff fell in love with choral music already as an adolescent. At the age of 20 James wrote his first composition, a song cycle for baritone and piano. His primary musical inspiration stems from Bach, Brahms, and Hindemith. Aside from his devotion to choral music, Neff has written music for solo piano, solo voice and piano, and string quartet.
PEN POINTS by Berdie Fowler
Thoughts About Multiple Killing Prevention In his Christmas Parliamentary Report, it was with reluctance that Kevin Sorenson, MP for Crowfoot, felt a need to talk of the morbid incident of the shooting of students and teachers in a Connecticut school. In his column Standing Up to Violent Crime (The Camrose Booster, Dec. 25, 2012), he took the opportunity to connect the story to the success of Canada’s PC majority government in passing ‘tough-on-crime’ legislation, for which, he added, electors had said they wanted. I, like Sorenson, am also reluctant to start the new year with a column on the subject of gun control, especially when we are still mourning with families of victims of the recent tragedy in Connecticut, On the other hand, it seems appropriate to ‘strike while the iron is hot’. As welders know, a cold iron will not bend. Similarly, gun control is presently a ‘hot’ topic and therefore an opportune time for serious discussion and, hopefully, action to reduce the misuse of firearms. It seems ironic that each incident of multiple killings by gunfire is used as ammunition to support both sides of the gun debate. The National Rifle Association (NRA) argues that more guns are needed so that “good guys with guns can protect themselves from bad guys with guns.” The other side argues that more gun control is required to limit the number as well as the type of guns in the possession of individuals. Why, they ask, would an individual want or need a military style gun with high-capacity magazine that enables a gunman to spray bullets like a garden hose sprays water. One little body at Sandy Hook School was reported to have been riddled with eleven bullets. Is there evidence that tough-on-crime legislation prevents murder – multiple or otherwise? It is widely known that United States of America has some of the most lax laws concerning possession of guns and that their crime laws are some of the most harsh in the western world. Texas, in particular, is reputed to have the highest percentage of inmates on death row as well as actual executions. The death penalty seems not to be effective in preventing murder there. A letter by Brian J. Sproule, MD, professor emeritus, Edmonton, appeared in The Edmonton Journal, Dec. 21/12. He received his medical training at the University Hospital in Edmonton, practiced one year in small town Alberta, four years in Texas, and some time as a visiting professor at a London, England, hospital. While training and practicing in Alberta, Sproule saw one gunshot wound – a suicide. While he was in Texas, the emergency room treated 15 to 30 gunshot wounds a month plus received several dead bodies a month. In England, he was not aware of any gunshot wounds while there. So, how do we prevent multiple killings with guns? Surely both sides of the debate could agree that private individuals have no need for a military style gun, the sole purpose of which is to enable one person to quickly kill many people gathered in such places as schools, malls, theatres and the like. Time after time, perpetrators of gun crimes have been diagnosed to have some form of mental illness and/or social dysfunction – addictions, anger, envy, hate, feelings of isolation and alienation – and punitive measures, even as severe as the death penalty, would not have prevented the crime. We therefore should strive to identify and treat mental illness before crimes are committed – not an easy task but well worth pursuing. I believe, too, that we should look at our culture which, in increasing measure, glamorizes violence and, indeed, is entertained by it – in sports, movies, television and even children’s video games. What one sees often is eventually viewed as the norm. Together we can choose to save lives by limiting the gun types available to individuals, by enhancing treatment for mentally ill persons, and by making non-violence the norm. Let's do it!
UFA PRESENTATION Camrose Merry Christmas Fund chair Larry Schultz, left, accepts $900 from Camrose UFA Farm and Ranch Supply store manager Rod Suter. Half of the funds were raised during a charity barbecue on Dec. 15 and the store matched the amount. The donation put the Christmas Fund over the $21,000 mark in its effort to raise $30,000 for food hampers for the less fortunate. The food was donated by the Wildrose Co-op.
Home Depot supports Open Door Submitted
The Camrose Open Door Association celebrated receiving a $15,000 grant from The Home Depot Canada Foundation for its affordable housing project. The grant is part of the foundation’s grant program and will be used to upgrade the furnace and lighting in the Open Door’s Youth Housing Facility. As with many older buildings, the air circulation was not very good resulting in cold and hot spots during winter and stifling heat during the summer. The Open Door provides young adults with emergency and transitional housing and support in the Maurer Hall building at the Keystone Centre. Most of the more than 60 young adults provided with shelter in a year at this facility come from unstable housing situations resulting in decreased school attendance, difficulty maintaining employment and reduced health and wellbeing. The Open Door provides an alternative to couch surfing and housing insecurity by providing a place to stay with a range of supports. Youth staying in the facility learn important life skills such as cooking, cleaning and maintaining an apartment and are expected to be in school or looking for employment during the day.
“This project wouldn’t have been possible without the funding generously provided by The Home Depot Canada Foundation,” said Randal Nickel, executive director of the Open Door. “We appreciate the support from The Home Depot Canada Foundation for affordable housing projects like ours across Canada. An investment in affordable housing is a good investment in our communities.” As part of its commitment to supporting affordable housing and building strong communities for Canadians in need, The Home Depot Canada Foundation provides support to Canadian registered charities completing repair, modification and/or renovation projects to their affordable housing projects. “As part of our long-standing commitment to giving back to the community, we are proud to support The Camrose Open Door Association with their affordable housing project,” said Peg Hunter, chair of the board of directors, The Home Depot Canada Foundation and vice-president, marketing and e-commerce. “We hope our support will make a meaningful difference in this great community while helping to create lasting benefits for individuals in need.” The Open Door is a local organization providing a range
of supports for young adults who find themselves at risk. Supports focus on providing a hand-out (basic needs, crisis support) and a hand-up (counseling, skill development, work experience) to build on the strengths of clients to get through a crisis. To hear more about the impact of the Open Door’s work, sign up for their email newsletter by sending a message to director@camroseopendoor.com. Visit their website listed above or www.facebook.com/CamroseOpenDoor for more information. As the charitable arm of The Home Depot Canada, The Home Depot Canada Foundation is committed to using its time, knowledge and resources to support affordable housing and create strong communities for Canadians in need. Bringing together volunteerism, do-ityourself expertise, product donations and monetary grants, the Foundation supports affordable housing projects and local smallscale improvement projects that make lasting, physical improvements to the neighbourhoods it serves. Each year, associates from The Home Depot volunteer over 60,000 hours of hands-on service on community projects across Canada through Team Depot, the company’s associate volunteer program.