The Grand Champion for 1983 was Ralph Stecker of Raleigh, North Carolina, and the second-place champion was Irving Cohen of Oakland, California.
Children’s Champion
At the 11th Annual Convention, 1984, guests of honor were John W. Hanley, St. Louis, Missouri; Dr. Jack Cohen, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; and Fred Newman, New York City. This year the Convention added a dinner concert with Dr. Jack Cohen presenting the concerts with members of the North Carolina Symphony at the Murphy House in Louisburg.
The Grand Champion for 1984 was Irving Cohen of Oak-land, California and the second-place champion was Peter Hasell of New Rochelle, New York. Amy Rose of Louisburg was named the Children’s Champion, a new division of participants.
Guests of honor in 1985 were Cliff W. Pratt, Auburn, California; Fred Newman, New York City; Carlin Morton, Fort Myers Beach, Florida; and Ron McCroby, Cincinnati, Ohio. The dinner concert was held at the Green Hill Country Club and McCroby performed with the back-up of Triangle Jazz Ensemble. In 1985 Peter Hassell of New Rochelle, New York, was named Grand Champion and the second-place champion was Joel A. Brandon of Richmond, California. Amy Rose of Louisburg, North Carolina, was named Children’s Champion. She received considerable publicity nationally and internationally. She became a remarkable ambassador of good will for Franklin County and Louisburg in her children’s radio, TV and personal shows.
Hall of Fame
Purves Pullen, Nut Tree, California; Fred Newman, New York City; and Cliff Pratt, Auburn, California were the guests of honor in 1986 at the 13th annual convention. Pratt was the concert performer. Joel A. Brandon of Richmond, California, was the Grand Champion for 1986 and Daniel Bell of Roseville, California was the second- place champion. Amy Rose of Louisburg, North Carolina, was named Children’s Champion. The Lillian Williams Award, presented for the first time in 1986 in memory of “American’s Whistling Sweetheart,” went to Purves Pullen (stage name of “Dr. Horatio Birdbath”). The Hall of Fame Award, presented for the first time, honored Agnes Woodward for founding Woodward School of Whistling. | | In 1987, the guests of honor were Fred Newman, New York City, who was the MC; Milton Briggs, Carmichael, California; Carlin Morton, Fort Myers Beach, Florida; and Peter Hassell, New Rochelle, New York. Briggs was the concert performer. The Grand Champion for 1987 was Joel A. Brandon of Chicago, Illinois, and the second-place champion was Ugo Conti, of El Cerrito, California. Jennifer Simmons of Youngsville, North Carolina, was named the Children’s Champion. Milton Briggs of Carmichael, California, received the Lillian Williams Award. The Hall of Fame Award honored Bing Crosby.
Teenage Champions
In 1988 Roy Thoreson of Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Carlin and Luella Morton, Fort Myers Beach, Florida; Joel A. Brandon, Chicago, Illinois; Peter Hassell, New Rochelle, New York; and Tina Seldin of WRAL-TV 5, Raleigh, North Carolina, who was MC, were the guests of honor at the 15th Annual Convention. Roy Thoreson was the concert performer. Daniel Bell of Sunnyvale, California, was the Grand Champ- ion for 1988 and Gregory N. Smith of Raleigh, North Carolina, was the second-place champion. Mike DeVente of Raleigh, North Carolina, and Patrick Riley of Efland, North Carolina, a duo, were National Teenage Champions, and Amy Rose of Louisburg, North Carolina, was second-place champion. For the Children’s Division, Jennifer Simmons of Youngsville, North Carolina, was Grand Champion and Jeffrey Tillitt of Louisburg, North Carolina, was second-place champion. The Lillian Williams Award was presented to Roy Thoreson of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The Hall of Fame Award honored Lillian Williams.
In 1989 the guests of honor were Robert F. Larson, Minneapolis, Minnesota; Carlin and Luella Morton, Fort Myers Beach, Florida; Peter Hassell, New Rochelle, New York; Cenieth Elmore, Buies Creek, North Carolina; Edith Anderson, Louisburg, North Carolina; Jamie Eller, WVOT-AM Radio, Wilson, North Carolina, MC; and Mitch Hider, Monroe, Oregon. Larson was the concert performer. The National Grand Champion was Sean Lomax of Aiea, Hawaii, and the second-place champion was Ugo Conti of El Cerrito, California. Amy Rose of Louisburg, North Carolina, was the National Teenage Champion and second-place was Tracey Solomon of Louisburg, North Carolina. Terri Long of Louisburg, North Carolina, was the National Children’s Champion and Tawonda Glover, of Franklinton, North Carolina, was the second-place champion. | |
