Inland Children's Chorus Collection

The Inland Children’s Chorus Collection provides insight into the performing arts in Dayton, Ohio during the mid-20th century, and the formative impact that the experience of performing in the Chorus had on the children’s lives over time. The collection is unique in that it was amassed from members over 40 years after the Chorus was dissolved. The materials they kept as children were later donated as adults to form this collection. Materials were donated by former members spanning the Chorus’ 34 year history. The collection also offers insight into industry and social life. Inland Children’s Chorus was financed by Inland Manufacturing Company, and also had strong ties with the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra and the Dayton Art Institute. The collection is arranged into six series:





Series I, Articles, contains highlights on the Chorus which appeared in the Inlander, GM Folks, and the Dayton Daily News. Also included is the January 1973 Inland 50th Anniversary Publication. Articles that are mounted for display and presentation are housed in boxes 2 and 2A to accommodate the larger size.





Series II, Music, includes 78 rpm and 33 1/3 rpm records of the Chorus in concert. Of note are two record albums of the Linden Center Children’s Chorus from circa 1947. The Linden Center Chorus was also sponsored by Inland Manufacturing, but at the time, specifically open to African American children. In 1995, former Chorus member Matt Phelan, created an audio cassette tape of the Chorus’ 1940 concert music and distributed it to former members. Similarly, in 2010, 2012, 2014, and 2017 former Chorus member Gerald Alred, created CDs of the Chorus’ music to distribute. These digital files are all available through the E-Archives, however, please note that Gerald Alred and Audio Engineer Bill Howe worked together to upgrade and convert hundreds of record donations to high quality digital WAV files, which are available on the Inland Children’s Chorus website at http://inlandchorus.com/music.php and in the E-Archives ms432_e0017.





Series III, Programs, is arranged chronologically, and includes programs from all decades that the Chorus performed. Some of the programs are autographed by chorus members, and in some instances tickets are included with the program. Of note is a presentation board displaying the very first concert program in 1936 and the Chorus’ last concert program in 1970.





Series IV, Photographs, is arranged chronologically. It contains publicity photographs and concert photographs of the Chorus spanning 1936-1970. Also included are photographs from the annual luncheon starting in 2010. Of note is a scrapbook from Mary Lou Westbrock Lubinski (daughter of Director Richard Westbrock), containing professional photographs taken for a Dayton Journal-Herald feature in 1944. Also of note are autographed photographs of Richard Westbrock and Hugh Ross from 1953, and a blue framed photograph of the Chorus from the St. Nicolas performance in 1953 (which hung in the Loretto rehearsal room for years).





Series V, Mementos and Memories, houses Christmas gifts given to the Chorus members, including a bracelets, hair ribbon, piece of fabric from the Alice Blue Gowns, and sterling silver gold belt buckle inscribed “Inland Chorus ’52”, among others. Tickets and schedules from the LeSourdsville Lake outings for the children, certificates of achievement, and graduate silhouettes, an original transcript of the WLW radio broadcast on Christmas Eve 1940, and an original St. Nicolas Cantata and score, are among the memories represented. This series also includes scrapbooks from members documenting the early years of the Chorus. Of note are letters sent at critical points in the Chorus’ history: after the death of Director Richard Westbrock in 1955, and when the Chorus was dissolved in 1970.





Series VI, InlandChorus.com Website and Audio Files, includes a full off-line version of the inlandchorus.com website, complete with video and audio files. Also included are .WAV files of all the music from the records in Series II. The contents of the series is located in the E-Archives.