2026 SPAH “In Memoriam”

At the 2026 SPAH Convention, we are planning to do another “In Memoriam” presentation of SPAH members who have gotten their wings since the Convention in 2025, or since 2000 and have not been recognized in earlier In Memoriam presentations (see link on Submission Page). As you may know, for the past three Conventions we have produced an In Memoriam video to remember those lost from our community at large, at our annual gathering at the SPAH Convention. It is presented at the opening of the Saturday night Awards Banquet and viewed by all in attendance at the Convention and watching Online. Those videos are then stored on the SPAH YouTube channel and are open for all to see. . Each year we have invited our members to send us names of those who should be remembered dating back to 2000. In 2026 we are going to look back in years one more time to include those who passed in earlier years. However, in 2027 we will include only those who have passed in the 18 months before the August Convention date.

In order to get this presentation together by the time of the SPAH Convention in 2026, we need your help! Please send us the name, year/date of birth and death, a good photo, and their relationship to SPAH of any friend of our community that we have lost in this period.  Please include the name by which they were known, to be displayed in the video. For example, Janet “Janie” Doe, 1952-2023, SPAH participant and friend since 2015.  Perhaps they were affiliated with a particular SPAH Convention, or maybe a host club, for many years, such as SPAH Volunteer, 20-year Harmonica Club member.  Or, perhaps they were a member of a well-known group, for example, Played bass harmonica for The Harmonica Folks, 1942-2003, or maybe SPAH participant for 30 years, or Harmonica teacher for 38 years.

Please avoid sending a lengthy paragraph about each person. A short one-liner about that person’s relationship to the harmonica, SPAH, club, a group, or any special contribution they made to the preservation and advancement of the harmonica is ideal to fit on the slide.  We will publish a list of names that have been submitted once this gets underway, so you can help us ensure everyone is included.

Please submit this information by June 15, 2026, in sufficient time before the August Convention so we can properly recognize each and every one. We look forward to honoring those we have lost during this period.

You can submit your entry here:  2026 SPAH Convention Memorial Submission. This entry page displays a link  to a listing  those recognized in earlier years.

 

You can also click to see a playlist of the earlier In Memoriam Videos  (2023-2025) on YouTube. If you have not watched them, we invite you to do so now.

If you are unable to use a computer for this, please email us at Brenda dot s dot Freed at Gmail dot com, and we’ll provide instructions on how to mail the photograph and information to us.

Thank you.

Brenda Freed