“Danny Boy” and Hungarian Rhapsody # 2”. The female adult Grand Champion was Carole Skinner, 62, from Miller, South Dakota. Her winning selections were “Time Was” and “The Swan.” She is a retired rural mail carrier. Second place for adults were Dan Gilliland, male, 45, from Dadeville, Alabama and Betty Sylliaasen, female, 77, from Sacramento, California. Third place for the adults were Ernest Barreto, male, 33, from Centreville, Virginia and Patty Ediger, female, 55, from Dayton, Oregon.
Teenage Grand Champion was Spencer Wright, male, 17, from Santa Cruz, California. The Children’s Grand Champion was Blair Haggett, male, 12, from Alexandria, Virginia, and second place was Tre Cutchens, male, 11, from Franklinton, North Carolina.
Other awards were the Hall of Fame Award, the Convention’s highest, given to Dick Shaw, a Navy veteran, 76, from Apopka, Florida. He is president of the International Association of Whistlers and editor of Whistlers’ Notes. The Lillian Williams Achievement Award was presented to Stanley Dalrymple, male, 80, for 65 years of promoting whistling nationally, touring as a whistler. He is from Thomasville, North Carolina.
30th Anniversary
The IWC celebrated its diamond jubilee in 2003. Contestants and non-contestants respresented 37 states and five foreign countries. Two of the latter had grand championship winners: David Morris from Dobcross, Oldham, England was the male adult champion, and Cal Fenwick, was the male teenage champion from kirkfield, Ontario, Canada. The female adult grand champion was Carole Skinner, from Miller, South Dakota, and who retained her title from 2002; the female teenager was Christian Leonard, from Louisburg, North Carolina, and who retained her title from 2002.
Second place male adult winner was Steven Herbst, from New York City, New York, and the female adult was Carole Kaufman, from Pasadena, California. Third place male adults was a tie of
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| Ernest Barreto of Centrville, Virginia and Terry Rappold of Harahan, Louisiana. Third place female adult was Mimi Drummond, from Hersham, Pennsylvania. For the children, the grand champion was Casey Aycock, from Louisburg, North Carolina. Second place was Ashleigh Kibbe, from Youngsville, North Carolina.
The Lillian Williams Entertainer/Achiever of the year Award was presented to Steven Herbst, from New York City for his outstanding record of public performances and media blitz. Jason Serinus, from Oakland, California received the Hall of Fame Award, the Convention's highest honor.
Whistling adult students in the School for Whistlers numbered 24. The instructors were Mitch Hider of Monroe, Oregon and Milton Briggs of Carmichael, California. Among the highlights of the Convention was the exceptional coverage by the media. Included were CBS (for 4 days), the results of which was a feature of the Sunday Morning program May 4, 2003; BBC (3 days) from England; PBS preparing a documentary, local TV stations representing ABC and NBC; and dozens of newspaper reporters. A special activity at the Convention was the availiability of a first-day U.S. postal stamped enevolope honoring the 30th Anniversary of the IWC and the 100th year of the Wright Brothers first flight.
Documentary Film on Whistling
A highlight of the 31st Convention was the filming of a documentary, “Pucker Up:” The Art of Whistling," by David Heilbroner and Katie Davis of New York City. Major TV networks again covered the competition on April 23-24, 2004. Contestants and non-contestants represented 36 states and 4 foreign countries. Geert Chatrou of Mierlo, The Netherlands, was the male grand champion. His winning classical song was “Recordarder Concerto in C- Minor by Vivaldi, and his popular song was “Finger Prints.” | |
