Jolene Loos and her husband Randy have been involved with barbershop for the last 44 years. Toast of Tampa Show Chorus has benefited greatly from their time and talents through these years: Jolene as a charter member, front row dancer and costume designer and Randy as a TOT director, coach, friend and mentor.
Carol Singleton remembers feeling so welcomed when she was greeted personally by then-Director Randy when she first visited a rehearsal. Here are a few more memories from Carol about Jolene and Randy: “In the fall of 1989 TOT was invited to be the mic tester in Miami and soon Randy recruited Dale Syverson to coach us. Three years later in1993, TOT headed to Indianapolis for our second International competition. People were ‘whispering’ that we were a chorus to watch. Say what?? We headed to the auditorium in our green dresses designed by Jolene. Jolene insisted that we kneel in our bus seats to keep our dresses from wrinkling. Jolene also was a stickler on ensuring our makeup was perfect. Randy had changed our second round uptune only weeks before to “Something About a Soldier”. Our set ended with Randy posed on the floor and Jolene holding the wooden rifle up in triumph.” And triumph they did as Toast of Tampa brought home the first-place gold medal that year!
In recognition of their long-standing love of the barbershop craft and their high regard for their friend and mentor Dale Syverson, Jolene and Randy have announced an extraordinarily generous legacy gift. In support of chorus directors as they strive to become better in every way and to honor their good friend Dale, Randy and Jolene have made a legacy gift to endow the Dale Syverson Director Education Fund. This gift will help assure that chorus director education continues to receive the support needed to advance our organization for generations to come.
Thank you Jolene and Randy!
See video here.
