Few district barbershoppers have a greater list of accomplishments than our featured “icon” in this newsletter – Bob Squires. Recognizable to most barbershoppers across the district due to his nearly 60 years of involvement in the hobby, Bob has pretty much done it all – multiple chapter member, singer, director, chorus/quartet gold medal champion, chapter officer, district officer, bulletin editor, award winner, IDAH faculty member, coach, IDEA Trustee, archivist…the list goes on and on. But who really is the legendary Bob Squires and what has been his contribution to this district?
Well, it all starts in Naperville, IL where Bob was born in 1938. Bob’s love of music was instilled at an early age during his time at a local Catholic grade school, where his choir sang for morning Masses. As time went on, Bob expanded his love of music when he began playing the trumpet. His band experience was short-lived as Bob grew older and his interest turned to athletics.
Bob never forgot his love of singing, and after getting an education degree at North Central College in Naperville, Bob found himself teaching junior high Social Studies and middle school PE at Ludwig Elementary in Lockport, IL (where he would remain for the next 37 years before retiring) and coaching a variety of sports, including football, basketball, baseball, and track. Taking a liking to a fellow P.E. colleague, Bob was enticed to follow her to an event in which her father was involved – a barbershop contest. In fact, this one was the 1964 Illinois District fall convention held in Rock Island, IL and Bob’s friend’s father was singing in the West Towns Chorus. That was Bob’s first exposure to barbershop and he was hooked. He immediately joined the West Towns chorus and would remain a faithful member of the chapter for the next 60 years.
Bob sang lead in the chorus and his talent was not overlooked by his fellow members. Though he considered himself at the time as just a “chorus guy”, chapter member Jim Ahlgrim (father of Waldorf Hair Company baritone Craig Ahlgrim) sought out Bob a few years later and encouraged him to join a quartet with Jim and other Lombard chapter members Dean Worley and Ross Coons. They called themselves Harmony Tradition and sang together from 1972-1975.
Despite usual quartet disbandments, Bob was never without a quartet. After Harmony Tradition broke up, he sang with such groups as Grand Reunion, Thank You Notes, Good News, Chicago Pride, and Four Members Only over a period of ten years. It was a comedy quartet from the mid-1980s that Bob recalled as his “most enjoyable” – Bits ‘N Pieces. While only together a couple of years, the quartet refined comedy routines that were hits with audiences and the group was in high demand on chapter shows. The group particularly enjoyed a “Jack in the Box” routine they took to district contest involving baritone Jack Windsor dressed as a puppet that popped out of a box at one point during a song.
Perhaps Bob’s most successful venture into the barbershop realm was when he was approached by three of the district’s finest (Buzz Haeger, Jim Foley, and Ray Henders) who asked Bob to sing lead in a seniors quartet. The group became known as The New and Improved Industrial Strength Mini-Chorus and featured Bob on lead, Ray on tenor, Jim on baritone, and Buzz on bass. The group qualified to compete at the Society’s International Midwinter convention in Sarasota, Florida in 1994 and won the AISQC (Association of International Seniors Quartet Champions) contest their first time out!
Though the quartet soon disbanded, Bob began singing with another seniors quartet, the Tri-County Reclamation Project, with Dave Cowin, Jim Foley, and John Jordan. The foursome competed at the 1996, 1997, and 1998 Midwinters, earning a 3rd and two 2nd place finishes, respectively. When John Jordan suddenly passed away in 1998, the group found a replacement in bass Doug Watson and captured the gold in 1999 at the Midwinter convention in Biloxi, MS.
Over the next couple of years, Bob would sing in a few pickup quartets for contest, most notably replacing Butch Koth (Chicago News ‘81 International Champs) in a quartet with Ray Henders, Dave Cowin, and Dave Boo called Chicago Times. Bob made his last quartet appearance on the contest stage in 2011.
But the story doesn’t end there – over Bob’s barbershop career, he has been a member of no less than three chapters (Lombard, Lake Country, and Aurora), and has served as director/assistant director for each at one point. He served the district as VP of Contest and Judging, VP of Music & Performance, Board Member at Large, and was District President from 1999-2000. He served the Society as a certified Interpretation Judge (1985-1992) and Presentation Judge (1993-2007). For his efforts, Bob was awarded the Award for Barbershop Excellence (ABE) in 1987 and was named the 1998 “Music Man” by the QCA.
One of Bob’s most important contributions to the district was his role as district historian and archivist, a position he held from 2005-2019. Bob was instrumental in cataloging and organizing district photos, recordings, and other ephemera for posterity (which has made my job as historian so much easier!).
Bob currently lives in Crest Hill, IL with his wife Julie and can still be seen at various barbershop events. Very few men have given so much to the district for such an extended period of time (over half a century!). We proudly remember a man who truly left his mark on barbershopping in the district and set an example for all those who follow – congrats on a job well done, Bob!
