BAMC Archive Photos from 1960 - 1990

This picture of former BAMC Director Adolph Waech shares a little of the easy-going side of the man. Posing here with the RCA Victor dog and a cigarette on the porch of his home. This picture is one of the last photographs taken of Mr. Waech and it does capture a bit of the warmth of the man who kept the BAMC going for forty years and is thereby largely responsible for the continued existance of the MMO.

Jake on guitar and Walter Trapp practicing and fooling around for the camera. After Adolph Waech left the ensemble due to poor health (having led the ensemble from 1922-1960), Trapp took over as director. Trapp himself died shortly thereafter and Jake took over as director until Dortmunder, Hans Bobitz joined the ensemble.

The original By-Laws for the Bonne Amie Musical Circle prohibited membership of women. That changed in 1961 when Joan Bartel and Gertie Braeger were asked to join. This picture was taken in Ewald Timm's basement in New Berlin. Standing were: Ewald, Bob Baumgartner, Herb Karnitz, Joe Kaiser, Herb Jeske, Roy Thiele, and Jake Skocir. Seated: Joan Bartel Skocir, Monica Schneider Minuth, Gertie Braeger, Carl (Uncle Charlie) Voelz, and Herman Klimpel.

For nearly 30 years MMO rehearsals were held in Jake Skocir's basement. In this photo the ensemble members are posing in front of the decorated walls. Back row: Jack Thome, Gertie Braeger, Wally Waech, Ewald and Jake. Front row: Monica Minuth, Judy Volovsek, Dir. Hans Bobitz, and Herb Karnitz.

The first self produced concert by the MMO was at the Lake Park in 1983. The ensemble took on the Milwaukee Mandolin Orechestra name for a performance at Marquette University a year earlier. Back row: Tom Damjanovich, Frank Ullenberg, John Thome, Dir. Hans Bobitz, Jake Skocir, Bob Reetz. Front row: John Stropes, Ewald Timm, Paul Ruppa and Judy Volovsek.

John Stropes helped bring the BAMC out of obscurity by booking the ensemble for the annual Christmas parties of his Milwaukee Classical Guitar Society. It was at one such party that Paul Ruppa first saw the Orchestra. This picture is from the prestigeous Lakefront Festival of the Arts in Milwaukee. Paul and John were performing Wm. C. Stahl's "Minstrel Parade March" on a Gibson guitar banjo and Gibson harp-guitar respectively.

Thanks to Tommy Damjanovich, the MMO was invited to practice in the basement of a Milwaukee landmark, Serb Hall. The occasion of this photo was a visit by BAMC Veteran Herb Karnitz. Standing: Herb, Tommy, Veronica Magayne, Jake, Judy Volovsek, John Stropes, Bob Reetz and Ewald. Front row: Ed Paloucek, Dorothy Schweisberger, Frank Ullenberg, Charmaine Lammers, and Paul.

This photo was taken in a classroom at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music. When the Milwaukee Sentinel requested a casual photo for an article promoting a concert, this is what we offered. Standing: John VerHaagh, Jake, Harry Seaman, Ed Paloucek, Tom Schwark, Bruce O'Neill and Ewald. Seated: Dorothy Schweisberger, Paul, Ceil Cheng, and Bob Pascoe.

In 1988, the MMO performed at Alverno College in Alphonsa Hall. This photo was taken as a promo shot for that concert. Standing: Veronica Magayne, Frank, Bruce O'Neill, Rex Clayton, Dorothy Schweisberger, and Bob Reetz. Seated: Ed Paloucek, Ewald, Sande Becker, Jake, Tom Schwark and Paul. Not pictured here was our featured guest artist, Puerto Rican mandolin virtuoso, Gustavo Batista and his piano accompanist, Martha Galvin.

In 1989, the MMO performed again in Alphonsa Hall. This snapshot shows Dir. Ernie Brusabardis taking a bow. Featured guests were chromatic hammer-dulcimer player Dave Kenny and our own Ed Paloucek who played an unaccompanied Irish fiddle solo.

Here are four pictures of BAMC directors in the sixties, seventies and eighties. To the left is Walter Trapp who took over as director after Adoph Waech had to quit the group for health reasons. Next is Jake Skocir, who is led the ensemble on and off for about fifteen years. He was director before his friend Hans Bobitz took over and after Bobitz left. To the right of Jake is Hans Bobitz, an accomplished and tempermental mandolinist/barber who came to Milwaukee from Dortmund, Germany after WWII. To the right is Robert Pascoe, who was director for one year after Jake stepped down in 1990. Pascoe was a classically trained guitarist and one of Milwaukee's foremost luthiers during the 1980's and early 1990's.