The Albert Rees Davis Endowment Fund, Inc. Sub-Funds
The Jere H. Brophy Memorial Scholarship Fund: Jere H. Brophy was a member of The Singers’ Club of Cleveland for thirty years. Jere sang with both the full club and the Centennials. His gentle demeanor and steadfast commitment to support club activities left clear examples for future club members. His devotion to the club and its musical endeavors was recognized in May 2013 when he was selected for honorary membership – a distinction few members receive. Jere was an enthusiastic supporter of the scholarship activities of the Club and the Albert Rees Davis Endowment Fund. He served as a Trustee of ARDEF and as President of its Board of Trustees from 1997 to 2004. While he served on the ARDEF Board of Trustees, the ARD Scholarship Fund and the George L. Hackett Scholarship Fund were established and the first scholarship to a student at the Cleveland School of the Arts was awarded. Several times he donated funds to award an additional one year scholarship during The Mather Scholarship Competition held every year by The Singers’ Club of Cleveland. In December 2015, Elaine Brophy made a substantial gift to ARDEF in memory of Jere. She would like that a memorial scholarship be established in his name. Her gift is sufficient to establish and continue a yearly scholarship to be awarded during the Mather Scholarship competition. The Jere H. Brophy Memorial Scholarship Fund is hereby established to honor his memory and his many contributions to the club.
Purposes of the Fund: The primary purpose of the fund is to provide a scholarship – to be named the “Jere H. Brophy Scholarship”. This scholarship will be awarded during the annual Mather Scholarship Competition conducted by the Singers’ Club. If no suitable candidate is available to receive the scholarship, then the money allocated that year for the scholarship may, at the discretion of the ARDEF Board of Trustees, be used for other charitable purposes within the scope of ARDEF.
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The Albert Rees Davis Scholarship Fund: The Albert Rees Davis (ARD) Scholarship Endowment Fund honors the namesake of the entire ARDEF endowment. Purpose: The ARD Endowment’s primary purpose is to provide funding for one or more annual scholarship awards that will bear the Albert Rees Davis name. Selection of scholarship winners will be determined during the annual S. Livingston Mather Scholarship Competition held under the aegis of the Singers’ Club of Cleveland. In the event a suitable candidate is not available, the trustees of the ARDEF may make distributions which benefit The Singers’ Club of Cleveland.
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The Sheldon and Marilyn MacLeod Fund: On April 22, 1993, Sheldon and Marilyn MacLeod made a generous gift of 100 shares of Johnson & Johnson common stock to The Albert Rees Davis Endowment Fund, Inc. (“ARDEF”), to establish a new special endowment sub-fund of the ARDEF to be called The Sheldon and Marilyn MacLeod Music Fund (“Fund”). The Fund shall at all times be subject to and administered as part of the ARDEF. Purpose: Income from the Fund may be used to promote male choral or male vocal ensemble music in one or more of the following ways: 1) To purchase new musical scores for male choral or male vocal ensemble music; 2) To purchase tapes, records, CDs, videos, or films containing male choral or male vocal ensemble music for the purpose of educating students of music and improving male singing skills; 3) To commission new compositions of male choral or male vocal ensemble music; 4) To provide instrumental accompaniment for the performance of male choral or male vocal ensemble music; and/or 5) To support the costs of presenting male choral or male vocal ensemble music to the public.
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The Thomas J. Shellhammer Fund: The Thomas J. Shellhammer Endowment was created in 1990 as a lasting tribute to Tom Shellhammer. It honors his thirty-five year tenure as conductor of The Singers’ Club. Purpose: This endowment will provide partial support to The Singers’ Club for an assistant conductor.
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The Singers’ Club Special Projects Fund: The trustees of the Albert Rees Davis Endowment Fund (ARDEF) have authorized the creation of a new Fund to be called the Singers’ Club Special Projects Fund. The Singers’ Club Special Projects Fund has no spending rules or usage restrictions. The board of directors of The Singers’ Club of Cleveland has complete discretion with regard to distributions. However, three rules will apply to the Special Projects Fund: 1) Contributions will be accepted only between May 15th and June 15th of each year; 2) Contributions to the fund are limited to an amount that would bring the total value of the fund to $25,000; 3) Contributions will not be accepted if the current value of the fund exceeds $25,000
The Albert Taft Case Fund: The Albert Taft Case Endowment was created by ARDEF Board of Trustees and named to honor the first member of the Case family who sang (starting in 1914) with the Singers' Club. Most recently Lucien Case sings with the Club and has continuously for more than 50 years. The Fund additionally recognizes the many traditions of the club and the long standing commitment to the Singers' Club of not only the Case Family, but all members of the Club. Purpose: This Endowment is to support general needs of the Singers' Club and ARDEF, with disbursements at the discretion of the ARDEF Board of Trustees.
The Helen H. Evans Memorial Fund: The Helen H. Evans Memorial Fund was established by the Board of Trustees of the Albert Rees Davis Endowment Fund, Inc. (ARDEF) in March 2008 to honor the memory of Helen H. Evans and her many years of volunteer service to the Singers’ Club of Cleveland. It was comprised initially of an amalgam of gifts from club members and friends, and a generous gift from the Evans family. Purpose: The primary purpose of the Helen H. Evans Memorial Fund is to finance activities that recognize and convey appreciation to supporters of the concert function of The Singers’ Club. These supporters include spouses, families and friends of the choristers; volunteer ushers; lobby staff; and of course our audiences. At its discretion, the ARDEF Board of Trustees may also use this fund to meet operational needs of The Singers’ Club of Cleveland in areas beyond the primary purpose listed above.
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The Charles H. Klopf Memorial Fund: Charles H. Klopf sang baritone with the Singers Club of Cleveland for 27 years and had served as its president. At his unexpected death on 13 April 1997, he was serving as president of Albert Rees Davis Endowment Fund. As its president, he prepared a history of the Albert Rees Davis Memorial Fund and its transition into the current ARDEF, Inc. Following his death, many memorial gifts were combined to form the Charles H. Klopf Memorial Endowment sub fund within ARDEF. Purpose: Mr. Klopf enjoyed singing works when the club as accompanied by instrumental groups and small orchestras. This endowment is to support the Club when it employs such accompaniment.
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The Mary E. Kucera Memorial Fund: On November 07, 2012, the Mary E. Kucera Trust made a generous gift of $10,000 to the Albert Rees Davis Endowment Fund, Inc. (“ARDEF”). That gift establishes funding for a new special endowment sub-fund of the ARDEF to be called the Mary E. Kucera Memorial Fund for New Compositions (the “Fund”). Purpose: Disbursements from the Fund will promote male choral or male vocal ensemble music in the following manner: 1) To commission new musical compositions written for male vocal ensembles – including, but not limited to, those specifically dedicated to the Singers’ Club of Cleveland; 2) New compositions may include both original works and new arrangements of already existing works. 3) Support shall include music for vocal parts, accompaniment (piano and/or instrumental), and lyrics. Each work commissioned with moneys from the Fund shall be marked directly under the title as follows:
For the Singers’ Club of Cleveland
Commissioned by the Albert Rees Davis Endowment Fund with monies from its Mary E. Kucera Memorial Fund for New Compositions
ARDEF shall retain all ownership and licensing rights associated with the work, unless other terms are established with the composer prior to each award. The Singers’ Club shall designate a member (usually its Director) to interact with the composer in musical matters.
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The George L. Hackett Scholarship Fund: The George L. Hackett Scholarship Endowment Fund was established in March 2000 by a generous gift from Robert H. and Jean Hackett Arnold. The endowment honors George’s 50 years with The Singers’ Club of Cleveland. Purpose: The Hackett Endowment’s primary purpose is to provide funding for one or more annual scholarship awards that will bear George Hackett’s name. Selection of scholarship winners will be determined during the annual S. Livingston Mather Scholarship Competition held under the aegis of the Singers’ Club of Cleveland. In the event a suitable candidate is not available, the trustees of the ARDEF may make distributions which benefit The Singers’ Club of Cleveland. Spirit: It is expected that current and future trustees of the ARDEF will honor George L. Hackett through prudent investments, tasteful solicitation of future gifts and disbursements consistent with the objectives of the endowment that bears his name. The endowment has been established with great affection and respect and it is the mission of the trustees to keep it viable.
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