Memories of Charlotte

Charlotte liked many kinds of music, from classical to jazz. Among classical

composers, she especially liked Chopin. She also appreciated music from

the Big Band era, Glenn Miller in particular. “In the Mood” was one of her

favorites.

I met Charlotte in 1993 at a mailing which the board members were doing

at Libby Voegel’s house. My husband Julian, a new board member, was

unavailable that day so I substituted for him and thus became an

unofficial volunteer and met the board members including Charlotte.

When I became a board member as recording secretary the following year,

we often collaborated because she and I were enthusiastic adopters of the

rather new computer technology and helped to set up a digital members’

list for the membership committee.

Charlotte was then the newsletter writer, a job I eventually took over as she

became the Performing Arts Chairman. Charlotte was responsible for

securing performers, arranging the event schedule, drawing up contracts,

making any necessary arrangements at the House, and on occasion, even

picking up performers at the train station. She also introduced each concert

or lecture event. Many a summer afternoon we spent on her porch making

phone calls to secure a musician or lecturer, or verify a performance date

for the fall season. Often in the winter (when Richter House was open all

year) we shivered in the office which was poorly heated, doing the same

job for the spring season.

For many years, Charlotte was the sponsor for RAA’s weekly community

access channel program on Comcast TV , faithfully bringing in the tapes

produced by our late videographer, Ed Bozek, for each performance. And

when we both were invited to the annual Comcast Public Access

holiday party, she used the occasion to recruit our present videographer,

Richard Teasdale.

Through the years she helped with art shows, refreshments, mailings and

publicity. There is no doubt that Charlotte Barrows left an indelible mark on

the annals of Richter Arts.

Betty Bontempi

February 2023