“The tour harkened back to the Glee Club’s roots; its storied history of service began with performances for United Service Organizations and world tours more than seventy-five years ago,” said Jerry Ulrich, a professor of music and director of the Glee Club. “We were pleased to continue this tradition in a way that shares Georgia Tech pride and heritage with others.”

The group began their tour in the Napa Valley, singing for a Sunday morning worship service at St. Helena United Methodist Church, followed by a sold-out performance at The White Barn, which raised over $1,200 for the St. Helena Food Pantry.

The next stop was an open-air concert in San Francisco’s Jessie Square benefiting the St. Vincent de Paul Society in support of area homeless shelters.

The group then travelled down the coast to perform at the San Diego Medical Center for an audience of several hundred, from admirals to injured servicemen and servicewomen and their families. They also performed at the San Diego Naval Base in conjunction with the annual commissary sale for military families. More than 1,000 handwritten goodwill cards from Georgia students and area elementary and middle school students were distributed to the wounded forces.

Additional concerts were held for the entire student body of St. Helena High School and for Georgia Tech alumni at La Jolla Country Day School.

The group’s airfare was provided courtesy of the AirTran Corporation.

The Georgia Tech Glee Club is the oldest student organization on the Georgia Tech campus; the oldest Glee Club in the South; and one of the oldest such groups in the country. Founded in 1906, it has a rich tradition of singing that includes numerous national and international tours, as well as radio broadcasts and recordings. The club is housed within the Georgia Tech School of Music, which offers music courses each semester to roughly 1,200 students, representing all colleges at Georgia Tech.