Fan Fare

Tom Gederberg

by Linda McCarty

Tom Gederberg remembers that one of the first 45s he ever bought was Harry Chapin's single of "Taxi" when he was 14 years old. "I think I wore it out. I was living on Long Island then. When I'd go to visit my cousin, he had the "Greatest Stories Live" LP, and I would play it again and again," Tom said. That was the beginning of his enduring admiration for the man and his music.

A few years later after he moved to Florida, Tom saw Harry in concert twice. "He talked about hunger, and I got both the concert program and the WHY newsletter. I was in awe when I shook his hand after the concert. Harry used to say that this country produces enough food for everyone, so why do we have hunger?"

Inspired by Harry's talks about the need to end hunger, Tom donated to food drives and assisted at Thanksgiving dinners for the needy. "I'll help out two or three times a year when the local TV stations have food drives, working on the phone banks to get donations or whatever needs to be done," he said. "It wasn't until I coordinated the Internet fan volunteers for the 1997 tribute to Harry at Eisenhower Park that I really got involved. I enjoyed working with Long Island Cares, so when I got back home to Houston, I thought there must be a food bank here. So I looked in the phone book and located the Houston Food Bank and started volunteering every chance I could.

"Usually I go there every other Saturday and collect food donations from individuals and goods from grocery stores that are not selling or are expiring soon. They have a conveyor belt line to assemble boxes for distribution. Volunteers take out the dented and rusted cans, and then the boxes are delivered to 250 agencies like soup kitchens, elderly centers, and food pantries." Tom noted that between 75-80% of the work at the food bank is done by volunteers.

Tom also has given talks at Federal agencies to encourage donations to the food bank when employees participate in the Federal Campaign. "It makes me feel like I'm doing something useful," Tom said in describing the rewards of volunteer service. "Monday through Friday I work mostly for the company and the stockholders, but it's not as rewarding as trying to make the world a better place in some small way. I looked at Harry as my role model. If I could be 1/100th of the person he was, I'd be happy."

The need is great and getting greater, Tom said. When the food bank opened its doors in 1982, it provided 1,000,000 pounds of food. Last year 23,000,000 pounds of food were distributed at more than 500 agencies. "Many people are not aware that there's so much need. They think people are on welfare and being cared for. Many who could get food stamps donÕt because of the hassles involved. There are too many hoops to jump through."

Tom recalls one of many poignant moments he's had while volunteering. Recently, when he was answering phones for a food drive, a woman called to make a donation. She was on assistance herself but had $10 leftover from her check. "I told her she might want to hold onto that herself and that the thought of giving was enough. It was so touching that she needs assistance herself and yet would make that sacrifice. These stories happen pretty often and amaze me."

Renee and Tom Gederberg (rear) and Houston Food Bank staffers Anna Marie Colchado (left) and Kimberly Glauslite (right) greet Bruce Springsteen backstage before a concert two years ago. Springsteen allowed the group to attend the concert to collect food donations and also encouraged his fans to support the organization several times throughout his performance. Additionally, Springsteen made a personal donation to assist the food bank in its mission.

Jason Dermer

by Linda McCarty

Many Chapin fans will recognize Jason Dermer as the tall, amiable young man selling Chapin merchandise and memorabilia at tribute concerts in recent years. That's just one of his efforts to help support the causes Harry espoused.

Jason's interest in Chapin music goes back to his early childhood. "Folk and '60s era rock music were played in my home," he said. "One of the standout songs in my memory was "Cat's in the Cradle." My sister and I often went to see live music with our father after our parents divorced, and I later found out that Harry was one of the performers that I had seen as a child."

After having idealistic notions about wanting to save the world, Jason joined the U. S. Marine Corps in what he thought would be an effort to make things better. "I wound up getting injured in early 1991 and started really listening to music again while in rehab. I was honorably discharged in April of 1992 and continued pursuing my musical interests. After hearing "Cat's" on the radio, I purchased the "Gold Medal Collection." Through the spoken word cuts in this body of work, I learned about Harry's activism. Similar to my own views on the world, he was fighting for the little guy. I remember him saying if you're doing well you should do something for someone else. Well, in due time I was doing fairly well, and after a really introspective moment at Harry's gravesite, I decided to pass on some of what I had."

For Jason, that 'doing something' started with volunteering at the WHY-Chapin Awards ceremony. While there, one of the event's volunteers introduced him to Sandy Chapin, and they spoke about archiving Harry's old recordings. Soon the job of archivist was Jason's. In this capacity he has played a significant role in making available some of the CD releases in the last few years, most notably the production of the "Onwards and Upwards" CD, a few copies of which are still available. "Most of the time and effort was put in by volunteers, so except for the cost of pressing and shipping, there was no overhead. All of the profits from this project went to directly to the Chapin Foundation."

Jason also has become a part of the various Chapin tribute concerts. "It started out small, expanding on John McMenamin's collection of Chapin merchandise that he offered for sale at his Remembering Harry Chapin concerts." Today, the entire concept of the Chapin tribute concert has once again become a viable source of income for the various causes that Harry believed in. "I've become more involved in the technical production of the shows themselves, but you can still sometimes catch me at the merchandise table. Barring that, just look for the guy running around with a notebook and the S.E.G. of someone who's having a really great time," Jason said.

Jason notes that nearly as rewarding as being able to give back to charities are the opportunities to have personal contact with others. "I'm in my early 30s, so I'm one of the younger Chapin fans. I love hearing people's accounts of Harry's concerts and the effect that he had on them. Especially moving are stories I've heard from people who were not only inspired to make a donation or volunteer with a charity but also make social action their life. Harry may have planted the seed, but it is their own commitment that makes it grow. Speaking to these people and seeing the work put forth by the various grassroots groups that I have had the pleasure to be associated with truly gives me hope that there can be peace and social justice for everyone in this world."

Asked about a single standout memory, Jason related this story: "After a few email and telephone conversations, I encouraged a fan to travel clear across the country to see John McMenamin's concert in Freehold, NJ. She had a great time and made a substantial donation to World Hunger Year. Seeing the smile on her face as she left the show really made my night."

After several years of volunteering, Jason was asked to serve on the board of directors of the Chapin Foundation. Serving as archivist and a board memberare, "Éthe culmination of a dream. I've gotten to know not only the people who made the music but also the family. It's a great honor to be able to continue the work Harry left behind."

Jason can be reached at 3dproductions@earthlink.net.

Back to Top

by Linda McCarty

Baltimore, Maryland, schoolteacher Dan Christian recalled the words of Tom Chapin to explain why he has sought to inspire students and others to learn about the music and activism of Harry Chapin. "What I was trying to do was 'pass the music on,' " Dan said.

Since the mid-1980s, Dan has found ways both in and out of the classroom to share his admiration for Harry as a singer-songwriter and a humanitarian. In a course on Dante's Divine Comedy, Dan weaves Harry Chapin into his instruction. He explains, "DanteÕs Heaven consists of a series of connected spheresÑCircle! We watch the "You Are The Only Song" concert video and then listen to that song. Harry starts off on his own, and then the band emerges gradually as they move into singing "Circle." It has always struck me as interesting that just as the spirits in Paradise get brighter as they reveal themselves more fully, Harry is a conduit of light back to his band. It simply confirms what Yvonne Cable, the last cellist in HarryÕs band, said about how HarryÕs "bigness" made all the people around him bigger. Sounds like Heaven to me!"

To enhance his more formal presentations at schools, a college, and bookstores, Dan created a slideshow that he has used for many years. When a colleague asked him to talk about Harry at a retreat, he decided to donate his payment to the Harry Chapin Foundation. "I thought If they were willing to pay, maybe others would be willing to do so, too." To let the schools know what to expect, he created a brochure that included comments from students about the program.

Last Fall he organized "All My Life's A Circle: A Harry Chapin Tribute" at the Gilman School Alumni Auditorium. Twenty-five students from Gilman and two other area schools were involved in staging, arranging, and performing Harry's music for the show. It was held on December 7, 2002, on what would have been HarryÕs 60th birthday.

The students, all of whom volunteered their time and talent, spent three months preparing for the concert. They were joined by folksingers Terra Nova and Side By Side for an enchanting evening of Chapin favorites. Between the musical numbers, Dan presented his slideshow and talked about Harry's life, music, and efforts to end hunger. Following in the spirit of Harry, who performed half of his concerts as benefits, the proceeds were given to the Harry Chapin Foundation and to the Donald Bentley Food Pantry, the latter named for a Gilman student who died tragically. From his presentations and this benefit concert, Dan estimates that he's been able to donate $2,000 over the years.

Painting byBob Laws

Poster by Dan Christian & Cesare Ciccanti

To further involve students in the tribute event, Dan asked three students to contribute their artistic talents by reproducing Harry's album covers on 5'x5' canvases. Each artist was asked to put his own artistic stamp on the work. During the week before the show, they were displayed at a local coffeehouse and then brought back to the school for use in the tribute. "Harry Chapin created a wonderful array of characters in his epic-like story-songs, and these paintings clearly show that diversity reflected in the subtle shifts of attention in Harry's different faces. What's particularly striking about these pieces is that present in each is a small but poignant suggestion of the artist's own face as well," Dan said.

When asked why the students agreed to participate when it was not for school credit, Dan replied, "Ébecause I asked them to. Once Harry's spirit is there it doesn't go away. More good things have come from Harry's music than I ever could have expected."

"And the little man took the drink in his hand..." Students perform "A Better Place to Be" during a tribute to Harry Chapin at the Gilman School in Baltimore, Maryland.

Photos by Abraham Choi