February 17, 1954 Student Council meeting minutes

Library MINUTES OF STUDENT COUNCIL 4:00 P.M. Wed. Feb. 17, 1954 The meeting was called to order by the president, Jim Addy. The minutes were read and approved. The treasurer gave his report. $800. to Tommy Tucker's Orchestra $127. balance to Keith's Roof $5.23 Christmas seals $886. total expenditures for Sweetheart Dance so far recorded. 25.55 petty cast 1000. cushion fund The foreign student fund remains the same. The total balance in the treasury is $ 17,293.01. George also read the itemized account of expenses for the Sweetheart Dance. This will be read later in the report of the Social Chairman. Dr. Neulander gave the report on the difficulty we had with Benson Miller Jr. who originally was our agent in negotiations with Blue Baron's Orchestra. Last Monday, Feb. 8, 1954, Mr. Miller arrived here at the college stating that he had made an error on the date of the Sweetheart Dance. Our contract with him had read the 13th but the contract Ben had with Baron said the 12th of Feb. Blue Baron was unable to play for us on the 13th because he was scheduled to play for the Shriners in New York City. Since all of our publicity had been for Blue Baron we wanted a reduction in the cost of the orchestra because of all the trouble. Ben said he could do nothing for us. Because we needed a band for the dance we said we would sign a contract with Ben for Tommy Tucker's Orchestra. Just before Pat Karl signed the contract the telephone rand; it was the Music Corporation of America (MCA) calling to ask if we were planning to have Tommy Tucker play for us. When Pat said that we were she was informed that we could not have Tommy Tucker until Sunny Dunham was released from his confirmation. Ben had spoken to Mr. Gibbs of MCA as early as Jan. 19. Whether Ben knew as early as that that Baron couldn't play we don't know; Ben claims he did not know. MCA said that we had to pay Hal Charm, the agent for Sonny Dunham's Orchestra, $250. to release Dunham from the confirmation which MCA considered to be a telegram from Ben to Hal Charm saying that if STC wanted Dunham a contract and check would follow. Because it had not been our deal and because we had never expressed any desire to have Dunham - in fact had refused to have Dunham from the very first- and had goven Ben no right to negotiate it was up to Ben to pay the $250. Although a confirmation would not be legally binding it was as good as a contract in the eyes of MCA who would not permit any other orchestra to play as long as a confirmation was still in effect. This all dragged on until Dunham was released and on Friday we didn't know if we had a band or not until we received our own confirmation from Bill Richards of MCA with whom we contracted for Tommy Tucker for $800. Our contract with Ben for Baron was for $1050. Ben had sent a $225. check as a down payment for Baron to Joe Galkin but that checl had not as yet been cashed so Ben and we decided to exchange checks the night of the dance and that would be part of the money Ben owed us from the Baron negotiations. We had given him $525. down payment for Baron, the rest of which we were to pay him on the night of the dance. Since Baron did not produce Baron we want our $525. back. Ben told us he would bring the $525. Saturday but he did not. At the dance he wanted us to accept $225. but we would not. If he does not pay the momey we will probably procees with legal suit. There is a meeting at 7:30 tonight with Miss Woodward, Dr. Clarke, Mr. Jewel, a lawyar - Dr. Clarke's partnet- Jim Addy Pat Karl, and Dr. Hawkins, to decide what to do. If we file suit we will sue for damages as well as the $525. Perhaps the treasurer's report will have to be altered a bit after things are straightened out.