Sing me another, Philander.
Kenyon loves a cappella. More people attend a cappella concerts than our football games.* Kenyon also loves our Presidents. They’re our main campus celebrity at any given time. But have you ever wondered which a cappella groups former presidents would have joined? Probably not, but work with me here.
Philander Chase – Cornerstones
While The Chasers would be a natural pun for our first President, it makes more sense that the man who created Kenyon as an Episcopal institution far away from worldly, corrupting influences would opt for the Christian-themed group.
S. Georgia Nugent – Colla Voce
Can you imagine it? The beautiful voices of the Colla Voce singers and then, from the back, the Nuge appears in glittering, purple robes, her operatic soprano ringing through Rosse Hall.
Gordon Keith Chalmers – Take Five
As the College’s President from the Depression through World War II and into the 1950s, I’d imagine he’d want to distract the young lads from their troubles. What better way to struggle through than jazz?
Robert A. Oden – The Stairwells
While at Carleton College, he taught a class on fly fishing. The folksy vibe of The Stairwells would do well for him.
Eli Todd Tappan – The Kokosingers
When Nu Pi Kappa and the Philomathesian Society split up just before the Civil War, I’m sure the campus must have been tense. Tappan would want to remind all Kenyon students that they are like Kokosing and, political and moral differences aside, Kenyon students should stick together.
*From what I hear. I’ve never actually been to a football game, so I can’t compare from experience.
