A lunch-and-learn presentation by Jerry Conn about the historic Melody Maids of Beaumont, a singing group that performed at US military bases worldwide from 1942 to 1972.
Jerry Conn is coming to Chateau Bellevue on Thursday, August 13, for a lunch-and-learn presentation on the Melody Maids of Beaumont. It's hosted by the Austin Woman's Club, and all the proceeds go toward the club's mission.
If you've never heard of them, the Melody Maids were a singing group of high school and college women from Beaumont, Texas, who spent three decades performing at U.S. military bases around the world. They started in 1942 and didn't stop until 1972, which means they sang through World War II, the Korean War, and Vietnam. Over those thirty years, more than 1,500 women passed through the group, bringing music and a bit of home to U.S. servicemen and women stationed far from it. Their repertoire came from Broadway, Hollywood, and the popular songs of the day, and many of their performances closed with the hymn "May the Good Lord Bless and Keep You."
Jerry Conn knows the group from the inside. He grew up in Beaumont with Bucky Milam, the son of Eloise Milam, who founded and directed the Melody Maids for thirty years. Conn joined the group on tour to California and Hawaii in 1953, and later went on a 1955 circuit through Newfoundland, Iceland, Greenland, Baffin Island, and Labrador. He'll be the one telling the story.
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The presentation runs from 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM at Chateau Bellevue, 708 San Antonio St. in downtown Austin. Tickets are $30 for AWC members and $45 for non-members.
