A Simple Mis-Click, A Meaningful Addition: Remembering Denny Brandt

When PVGC uploads are submitted, I get an automatic notification so I can process the audio: listen, title, categorize, etc. A while back, I got an empty upload from a new database user. I wrote this individual, Jen Brandt, who indicated they mistakenly clicked the ‘Upload’ button while researching the Program 4 record. Here is a portion of our e-mail exchange:

My dad’s name is Dennis L Brandt. He died when I was very young so I didn’t have a lot of first-hand knowledge of him. I was told he loved music, had a beautiful singing voice, and played guitar–a guitar I still have although I don’t play guitar myself. I believe he was a 1963 grad from Purdue’s College of Engineering.

My original plan was to donate the album to the school, but I’d like to hear about your interest in taking on PVGCDB as a project. Were you in Purdue’s Glee Club? The album is deeply sentimental to me and I mostly want it to go where it will be treasured, and not end up in a landfill somewhere.

Dennis “Denny Brandt” was in the Glee Club and an engineering student around 1960/61, a Lambda Chi Alpha member, and was in the Varsity Trio.

Jen sent me a lot of great Glee Club newspaper clippings, promo flyers, and programs. A few examples are included below, and I’ll feature the others soon.

“I’m thinking, what are the odds of finding a guy on the internet who knows things about my dad’s musical groups? And all because I inadvertently must have clicked an upload button instead of a download button. Just as I read your information in the Chicago trips, I came across several postcards that my dad sent my mom from Chicago that were all from his singing gigs. But I never pieced that together until now. I’ve found a few more chorale related items including some news articles. I’m going to continue sorting and am happy to send photos of the choir related things for future use. If you’d prefer originals, it certainly feels better sending them to you–a person who might use them to help record history–than ultimately going to the trash. But there is no obligation to to l take anything. It’s been decades since I looked through all paperwork that’s been kept all these years.”

If any of you remember Denny, I’m sure Jen would like to hear from you. Thanks again for sending the record and the historical documents!