Geographically scattered as we are can mean it takes a tad more effort to get to know one another. One with whom a personal friendship has formed—in spite of our living over 1200 miles from one another—is Sigur Whitaker (SAH #4741).
Some of you may have met Sigur at a Fall Hershey gathering or read one or more of the five books she’s authored, all published by McFarland. Those titles are: Racing With Roger Penske, A History of a Motorsport Dynasty (2021); The Indianapolis Automobile Industry A History, 1893–1939 (2018); The Indy Car Wars: The 30-Year Fight for Control of American Open-Wheel Racing (2015); Tony Hulman: The Man Who Saved the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (2014); and James Allison: A Biography of the Engine Manufacturer and Indianapolis 500 Cofounder (2011). This last title was, as you can see, Sigur’s first book and was motivated by her wanting to learn more about her great-great uncle Jim Allison.
Or possibly you may receive her weekly blog covering various Indy-related topics. In case you don’t receive and would like to know more, contact Sigur here.
But all of the foregoing is not what has prompted this. Rather it was Sigur’s telling me she has recently retired from her 50 years of choir singing, 33 of which has been singing first soprano in a choir that is quite special. The Choir of Christ & St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Norfolk, Virginia, has been invited over the years to travel to the UK and become the “choir in residence” replacing the British choir for a week each. The most recent residences were at Canterbury Cathedral (England’s oldest) and St. Paul’s London, the two top Anglican cathedrals.
More than anything Sigur told me her retirement was precipitated by “having sung in enough cathedrals to know that the stairs can be treacherous. In fact, at one cathedral, the stairs to the choir room were circular and there was only a rope to hold on to. Right then and there, I thought that if I’m not planning on going on the next choir trip, why continue to rehearse and sing. By the time we processed out of St. Paul’s after the final service on a Sunday evening, I knew I had sung my last service.”
And, she added, her retirement also meant she could (and has) taken up a new activity with one of her home companions. She and border collie Izzie “are doing agility which Izzie absolutely loves. We have progressed to the next level and the classes are on Wednesday nights at 6:30. If I was still singing with the choir, we couldn’t do this as it would have conflicted with the weekly choir rehearsal.” (hvh)