"You can't keep a good man down," goes the saying. If you've attended a Reunion Weekend during the last few years, chances are you've heard evidence that this saying is true. On several such weekends, the resurrected Dickinson College Men's Glee Club gave rousing performances that had large audiences rattling the rafters with applause and cheers.

How did this come about? Back around 1988, several Glee Club alumni, notably Executive Assistant to the President Charlie Seller, '55, and Jim Mackie, '53, who sparked the Glee Club's formation in the early 'fifties, shared an idea. They would try to bring together as many members as they could, from as far back as possible, for a grand reunion and songfest to be held in June 1989. The guys would have a blast, they reasoned, and the singing could add some spice to the Alumni Reunion Weekend.

Right on both counts. More than 50 men of various vintages brought (in many cases) rusty singing voices from as far away as Alabama, Texas and Nebraska. As the group held practice sessions under former student directors, a remarkable thing happened. We were enveloped by a feeling of enjoyment and camaraderie that grew stronger as the weekend progressed. The joy of group singing we had experienced in college was back! One member later put it this way: "I was on such an emotional high when I returned (home) that I was unable to adequately explain the events and accomplishments of the weekend to my family."

The same thing happened in subsequent Glee Club reunions, which now have become biennial events. Singers showed up from as far away as California and Sweden, and from as far back as the Class of 1922. By performance times, patient directors had honed us into a responsive, smoothly functioning ensemble. In front of enthusiastic audiences, we gave new life to Dickinson songs and other tunes associated with college, as well as some other pieces especially suited to men's voices.

Much of this music was enlivened by our directors' fresh new arrangements. New songs were premiered as well, with the idea of encouraging other original works. The most recent reunion sported a special attraction: five-eighths of a current student group called The Octals. It's hoped that future reunions will see more undergraduates taking part, including women.

In addition to Reunion Weekends, the Glee Club has performed during undergraduate orientation periods with the objective of fostering group singing by current students. And that idea appears to be taking hold.

The next Glee Club reunion will be held during the Reunion Weekend of 1998 - which, by no mere coincidence, is the year the College mounts its big 225th Anniversary celebration. We'd like as many Glee Club members as possible, of every era, to come and join the fun. We also invite participation by singers from periods when no Glee Club existed. The 225th celebration will be a great occasion, with singing to match.

All of which proves: you not only can't keep good men down. . .you can't keep them quiet.