Hidden in Plain Sight: Remembering the Upbeat

Abstract

“He would tell us we were like a fat lady on a stool hanging over!” According to Barbara Tuceling, Gettysburg College Class of 1970, that was what Professor Parker B. Wagnild would say to the Gettysburg College Choir when they did not stop singing on his cue. It was one of many sayings that Professor Wagnild, affectionately known as “Wags,” used with the Choir. He founded the College’s premiere vocal ensemble in 1935 and directed it for forty-one years. During his long tenure, he also founded the Music Department and earned the respect of scores of students. His impact on campus was so significant that he was memorialized in October of 2010 with a bronze statue outside of Schmucker Hall. Though many people dislike or are indifferent to the statue, Wagnild earned the right to be memorialized because of his founding of the Choir and the Music Department, the reputation and prestige of the Choir under his direction, and the impact he had on the lives of his students. [excerpt