Memories of Dallas Civic Chorus, Dr. Lloyd Pfautsch, Cowboys Thanksgiving halftime

By Norma Adams-Wade

Don’t tell, but I’m not that big on sports. All my family, though, are zealous Dallas Cowboys fans.

So, they stared at the TV during the recent Thanksgiving Day game, cheering and flinching as the Cowboys defeated the Giants 28-20 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.

I’m one of the slackers who lean forward during halftime. This year, as the Jonas Brothers performed, I thought of a pre-game article I read by WFAA-TV digital journalist Paul Livengood. He reviewed more than two decades of Cowboy halftime entertainment and whether the performances seemed to influence whether Dallas won or lost.

That’s when I thought about the late Dr. Lloyd Pfautsch and the Dallas Civic Chorus with whom I sang for a number of years as they performed during Cowboys Thanksgiving halftime.

Huh? The Civic Chorus and not Beyoncé or Justin Bieber?

Yes. Dr. Pfautsch was a highly-respected, much-loved, much-published composer, arranger, choral director, vocalist, author, ordained Church of Christ minister, and professor at six universities, with his longest tenure at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. During his 34 years there, his positions included Professor of Sacred Music, Director of Choral Music Emeritus, first associate dean of the Meadows School of the Arts, and director of various campus choral groups. Dr. Pfautsch died in Dallas in 2003 at age 82. SMU’s Meadows presents an endowed Lloyd Pfautsch Award in his honor.

Dr. Pfautsch’s life and works are chronicled in the 2014 book A Day for Dancing: The Life and Music of Lloyd Pfautsch by fellow SMU sacred music conductor and friend Kenneth W. Hart. The author describes his friend as “one of the most influential American choral musicians in the twentieth century.” Dr. Pfautsch’s works are archived at SMU and the University of North Texas libraries.

So how did this learned man – who actually was such a genuine and likable creature – find himself in the unlikely, though fun, position of directing a chorus during a football halftime? And how did I end up singing with his chorus for years and enjoying the heady experience of being part of the Thanksgiving Day halftime with my family in the stands? Let me continue the story.

The Washington, Mo., native founded the Dallas Civic Chorus in 1960 and directed it for 25 years. Around the time that the initial Dallas Cowboys’ Thanksgiving Day game launched in 1966 and later became a tradition, Dr. Pfautsch also began annually directing the Civic Chorus as the halftime show.

Journalist Livengood reported that besides the Jonas Brothers, later years would see halftime stars including Kelly Clarkson, Keith Urban, Destiny’s child, Randy Travis, and Selena Gomez. Some of you also will or may remember those early halftimes – before big-name celebrities added more glamor and boosted TV ratings. Livengood also reported that country singer Reba McEntire was the first Cowboys Thanksgiving halftime performer in 1997.

With the passage of time, there is much that I do not remember about the Civic Chorus halftimes. I suspect that maybe there were other performers who filled the game break before or after we sang, but memory fails. I got involved because as a longtime choir soloist at school and church, I saw the chorus as a perfect opportunity to keep the chops oiled and do something that I truly enjoyed. What year I joined has also faded from memory. Stored somewhere in my many pack-rat storage boxes are chorus documents that likely will show that I joined maybe during the ‘60s or ‘70s.

What I do remember clearly, though, is my late dad, Frank M. Adams — a mail carrier, youth sandlot baseball umpire and coach, and devoted Cowboys fan — sitting proudly with the family in the stands where only the free tickets given me allowed that costly privilege.

I was encouraged when I ran across some references to the Dallas Civic Chorus from Bill Melton, a Dallas native like myself who chose to stay in his hometown. Melton is a former Dallas County treasurer, former Oak Cliff Chamber assistant general manager and president, former Wynnewood Shopping Center general manager, and Dallas County Commissioners Count executive assistant.

The Oak Cliff Advocate proclaimed Melton’s achievements as a veteran game announcer for the Cowboys, Texas Rangers, and various college games. He announced at stellar events including the 2005 President George W. Bush Inaugural Parade and ceremonies, the 1994 World Cup, 1996 Olympic Games, three Super Bowls, the State Fair Classic Games, and Republican National Conventions. He is a former University of Texas at Austin cheerleader and veteran Oak Cliff Lions Club member with a Humanitarian Award named in his honor. When Dr. Pfautsch died in 2003, Melton wrote a brief tribute that should resonate with those who greatly respected the music giant who both wrote and directed classics and entertained football fans.

“As director of the Dallas Civic Chorus, he annually directed the Thanksgiving Halftime Show at Dallas Cowboys games,” Melton wrote. “He was a talented man who will be missed by his various communities.”