The Ringers

 

Director, Dr. James H. Rogers, M.D. is one of the original members of the Heritage Ringers, organized in 1985, and has been the director since 1989.  He has received extensive training in the art and technique of handbell ringing from Donald Allured.  Jim and his recently-deceased wife, Becky, performed duet programs for Mr. Allured's Bayview Week of Handbells in Michigan and played there annually from 1989 to 2000.  A memorial scholarship fund for the education and continued support of handbell ringing has been established in Becky's honor.  In 1988, Jim retired from a career in Internal Medicine at the Huntsville Clinic where he had a private practice for thirty-three years.  He has a B.A. in Chemistry from Florida State University and received his M.D. from The Medical College of Alabama in Birmingham.  Dr. Rogers has taught the subject of Healthy Ringing at several Area VI conferences and was a contributing advisor to Susan Berry's book on Healthy Ringing.

Dan assumed the role of Director of the Heritage Ringers in the Spring of 2007.  He has been ringing with the group since the fall of 1999.  Dan serves as Organist-Choirmaster for Baptist Church of the Covenant in Birmingham, AL and also teaches organ and church music courses at Samford University in Birmingham.  He served as Organist/Associate Minister of Music for Huntsville’s First Baptist Church from February 1999-May 2008.    Dan is active as both a handbell and keyboard clinician.  He currently serves as the Treasurer for Area VI of the American Guild of English Handbell Ringers.  Dan is married to Sherrie Lawhon who serves as chair of the vocal/choral department of Samford University’s School of the Arts.  In his leisure Dan enjoys cooking, running and water skiing. 

Heather has rung with the Heritage Ringers since 2006, and has been ringing handbells for more than 20 years with choirs in Tennessee and Alabama. Heather currently attends Asbury United Methodist Church in Madison, where she directs the Asbury Ringers handbell choir and has served as children's choir director. Heather is also involved in musical theater as a performer and choreographer. She has trained in numerous dance disciplines in both the U.S. and in France and was on the dance faculties of The Dance Arts Center in Cookeville, TN and The Dance Company in Madison, AL. Heather is presently the resident choreographer for Footlights Community Theater in Athens, AL. She is also a trained vocalist and honed her early skills by traveling around the Southeastern U.S. with her folk-singing parents and sister. Professionally, Heather is a Realtor with EXIT Leon Crawford Realty and holds a bachelor's degree in Marketing from Tennessee Technological University. In her "spare" time, she enjoys playing volleyball, cooking, traveling, photography, and spending time with her husband, Mike, and sons, Brett and Blake.

 

Amy Cherry

 

 

 

 

Beth Creel

 

 

 

 
Rhonda Gaede is the handbell director at Messiah Lutheran Church in Madison, AL.

 

 

 

Lori Kegley has 20+ years of experience in various handbell choirs.  As a member of First Baptist Church of Huntsville, she rings in the church choir and directed the Children's Handchime choir for 2 years.  She also plays the piano.  She has a B.A. in Psychology, worked as a Paramedic for 7 years, and is currently a Residential Appraiser.  She loves the beach and watching her son play hockey.

 

 

Carol Kimball is proud to be one of the original members of the Heritage Ringers and feels blessed to make beautiful music with 14 other talented musicians.  Her musical background began with piano lessons at an early age up until high school.  She played cello in the orchestra, but couldn't march in the band with a cello, so along came the glockenspiel, and then the guitar in her church folk group.  After getting married, moving to Alabama, and having children, music kind of took a back seat.  When her church, Grace Lutheran, started a handbell group, she enjoyed it very much, and when the Heritage Ringers needed one more ringer, she gladly joined.  As it turned out, she's proud to be one of the original ringers and has been with them ever since.  Carol took an early retirement from Media Solutions, where she worked as a Human Resource Manager/Accounting Manager.  When she's not spending time with her beautiful grandson, she's busy training Cavalier King Charles Spaniels.  They all excel in the sport of agility, but she also works with them in obedience, freestyle, and rally classes.  She currently has two dogs that work with Therapy Partners, takes them to the Huntsville Hospital Children's Ward twice a month, and visits second graders who actually read to her dogs through the PAL program.  In her spare time, she enjoys quilting and gardening.  Carol and her husband have built a house in Gulf Shores and are enjoying retirement on their beautiful trawler.

 

Coral McRae received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in organ from the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque.  She was Organist and sometimes Adult Choir Director at Trinity United Methodist in Huntsville, AL, for 19 years.  She also directed the Trinity Singers, a high school choir, before she retired in 1987.  Coral has been playing handbells for 20+ years and has attended many local and Area Handbell Festivals.  On occasion, she has directed handbell choirs, and has been a member of the Heritage Ringers for 11 years.  In her spare time, she is a tennis nut, and is currently captain and coach of a team of kids ages 9-14.  They have team matches and practices.  Another interest is gardening, and this is Coral's second year serving as President of the Azalea Garden Club.  Last, but not least, she enjoys Bridge and does a lot of babysitting!

 

Jane Orton, President of the Heritage Ringers, has enjoyed 5 years with the group, but has been ringing for 20+ years.  She also rings in the First Baptist Church choir in Huntsville, AL, and has previously rung in church choirs in Winston-Salem, NC, Bowling Green, KY, and Falls Church, VA.  The last 20 years have been full of duet ringing, handbell festivals, and she attended Distinctly Bronze in 2000.  Her other instruments include piano, and she plays Clarinet in the First Baptist Orchestra.  Jane has a Master's Degree in Social Work and currently works as a Therapist and Child/Adolescent Services Coordinator at a Mental Health Center.  Aside from music and family, her hobbies include working out at the gym, reading, playing with her dog, and shopping at outlet stores.

 

Susan Sadler has been ringing handbells at Grace Lutheran Church since 1992.  She is the handbell director of two youth groups and a combination adult/high school group.  Her joys after our Lord are her daughters, grandchildren, music, books, walking, etc.  She also plays the violin and leads the Praise Worship service at Grace Lutheran in Huntsville, AL.

 

Barbara Wood

 

 

Bob Youmans began ringing at First Baptist Church of Florence, SC, as the only 17 year-old willing to ring the bass bells in a choir full of women.  He took time off for a B.S. in Chemistry and Math, 2 years of medical school, 10 years as a Captain in the Army and then a Masters in Operations Research from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA.  Early retirement and a job offer from Teledyne Brown Engineering brought him to Huntsville in 1992.  It didn't take him long to pick up the bells at First Baptist  Church of Huntsville and then the Heritage Ringers in 2000.  He is also a talented guitarist, pianist, and hand drummer.  His home studio and hobby for recording music has led to the production of CDs and DVDs of the Heritage Ringers concerts since 2003.  His passions in life are his wife, Kelly, pulling 2 boys on a biscuit on Lake Guntersville, and rescuing dogs.

 

Kelly Youmans is married to fellow ding-a-ling, Bob Youmans, and together they have attended AGEHR's Distinctly Bronze six times since 2000.  Before joining the Heritage Ringers 6 years ago, she rang in a quartet and directed a beginning bell choir at Messiah Lutheran Church, Madison, AL.  She has a B.A. in English and History from the University of South Florida and a Master of Library Science from the University of Alabama.  She is the Young Adult Librarian at the Bailey Cove branch of the Huntsville-Madison County Public Library.  Her goal is to fill their home studio with every kind of instrument space will allow.  She plays drums, hand drums, piano, and has accompanied the Heritage Ringers on the djembe drum.  She loves Bob, her two sons, her cat, Nibbles, watching movies while eating Raisinettes, and reading to children.  She is the webmaster for this site.

 

   

Former Ringers

  • Hugh Ballou
  • Mary Pat Bohrman
  • Tommy Brittain
  • Janet Dees
  • Allison Edgecomb
  • Milissa Hastings
  • Amy Helser
  • Jane Hull
  • Shane Kennedy
  • Tom Killian
  • Webb Parker
  • Dottie Robinson
  • Becky Rogers
  • Kim Thompson
  • Vic Thompson
  • Jay Walker
  • Becky Waters
  • Elaine Woodling