Potter Club Song, the story

We have finally been able resurrect the Potter Club Song!  We have had the words, all along, and most of the Albany group could manage recalling the melody, but the actual sheet music was not to be found.  Howie Lynch, 1943, had sung the song years ago, as he remembered it, to a music teacher who transcribed it from Howie's rendition.  That handwritten score was put into a computer composing program that can print the music and play it back.  The results were still wide of the mark.  Milan Krchniak, 1953, gave it a whirl, humming it for yet another music teacher.  Milan was, after all, the Potter Club Chorus Director back in those days.  The result was closer to recollections, but still needed tweaking.  After tweaking, and tweaking, and tweaking, we think we have a reasonable facsimile of the original, one we think Raymond Hughes, `36 and James VanDerPoel, `37, might find acceptable.

Below are the words, the sheet music, and the music.  The sheet music is in PDF format, which you should be able to view with Adobe Reader.  The music should open in programs such as Windows Media Player.  Click on the links below for the sheet music and for the music played by computer in a piano voice.

Please let us know how all this works out for you.  We are still entertaining feedback for improvement.

And, if you will be attending the 75th Reunion, practice, practice, practice.  If you are unable to attend the 75th Reunion, practice, practice, practice (and sing along with us from home, or wherever you are, Thursday, June 1, 2006, probably about 8:30 P.M. EDT.)


Potter Club Song, the words
words by Raymond Hughes, 1936
music by James VanDerpoel, 1937

Rise up lads, our pledge to renew.
Lift your voices in joyous strain;
We'll clasp each hand in friendship true
and join in the sweet refrain.

Ne’er were lads more richly blest.
Firm we stand as comrades bound;
so affirm the vow, renew the quest,
with cheers let the heav'ns resound.

Potter men we here declare,
"Friendship, faith, sincerity"
And in this we'll ever more keep trust
to the dawn of eternity.

Potter Club Song, the Sheet Music (PDF file)                  Potter Club Song, the music (MIDI file)