Concert honors long-time choir director and Compeer volunteer G. Robert Dean
G. Robert “Bob” Dean has been singing all of his life. So when his fellow church members at Parma Baptist “Community” Church decided to honor him – they honored him with a song.
A free concert was held at the Parma Baptist Church in early March and was promoted as a concert to benefit Compeer Rochester. Compeer provides healing friendships and mentoring for community members living with mental illness. But the real story behind the concert is that it was a surprise to honor Dean, who has served as Parma’s choir director and a member of the Spencerport Community Chorus for over 50 years, and has been a Compeer volunteer for 19 years.
Brandon Arva, minister of music and administrative office assistant, and Jodi Brown, church moderator, approached Don Besig and Nancy Price, local songwriters, to commission a song in Dean’s honor. “We wanted to make sure that one of the greatest men we have ever known was recognized in a very special way because of what he has done for both of us, our church and our community,” said Brown. She and Arva have known Dean their whole lives.
The two had become friends with Besig and Price by participating in choral workshops that the composers held at their home church, Perinton Presbyterian, over the years. It was that friendship and the special circumstances that propelled Besig and Price to accept another commission even though they already had one they were working on.
“We wanted to get something to present sooner rather than later because Bob suffers from Alzheimer’s disease,” said Arva. “Realizing that his memory is not going to get any better, we wanted to make sure that he had the best chance of remembering this special dedication.”
After responding to a list of questions, the anthem was delivered three months later in September of last year. “From then, the focus became finding a way to present it to Bob and to keep it a secret from him,” said Arva. “We came up with the idea of doing a fundraising concert to take the focus off of the commission, and chose a charity that has special meaning to Bob – Compeer Rochester.”
Dean was a social worker at the Monroe County Department of Social Services and Hillside Children’s Center for 32 years. When he retired 19 years ago, he began volunteering with Compeer Rochester and has been mentoring the same person ever since.
One of nine siblings, Dean was brought up in the church. His father, Fred E. Dean, was the pastor of Greece Baptist Church where Bob married his wife, Nancy, in 1957. “We all sang,” said Bob. So when the couple joined Parma Baptist Church, it was natural that he became involved with the choir. “Our minister at the time wanted us to sing “The Messiah,” which we weren’t equipped to do, so we asked other churches to participate,” remembered Dean. “That’s how the Spencerport Community Chorus was started.” The chorus now averages 40 members from local church choirs.
Dean’s favorite hymn is “I Would Be True,” so the composers used the melody set to new lyrics for the commissioned anthem. The concert consisted of music by the Parma Baptist Choir, directed by Dean, and the Greece Baptist Choir, directed by the Rev. Steve Gretz. They were joined by some members of the Spencerport Community Chorus, directed by Margaret Page Colucci.
Heather Baker, events and outreach manager for Compeer Rochester, spoke about the organization, and Dean and his Compeer friend, Jeff Rolick, shared what the program has meant to them. Through a free-will offering, the concert raised $750 for Compeer Rochester.
“The concert was exactly what Compeer is all about: friendship and community,” said Baker. “Seeing so many people come together to celebrate a match was inspiring.” She added that the organization works hard to break the stigma of mental illness and to bring those living with it into the community, and that having the church community take an interest in what Compeer does goes a long way in achieving that goal. “We’re so grateful for the support provided by the congregation and of course feel so fortunate to have a volunteer like Bob working with our organization,” she said.
The concert concluded with the three choirs combining to sing I Will Be True, the commissioned version of the song. “They told me to sit down and then the choir got up to sing with the other choir members,” said Dean. “My jaw just dropped to the floor.”
The Dean family, including their two sons, Bill and Jim, and daughter, Cathy, their spouses and four of their six grandchildren were there to witness the surprise. Dean was presented with an autographed copy of the anthem and a certificate from the choir.
Besig and Price submit all of their compositions and commissions to Shawnee Press/Hal Leonard, one of the largest publishers of choral and instrumental music in the world, for publication. “I Will Be True” was accepted for publication and will be included in the fall 2015 new releases with the following dedication:
In honor of G. Robert Dean’s more than 50 years of musical service to Parma Baptist Church, and to the Spencerport Community Chorus.
