The Association of
Public Relations Officers
and Bulletin Editors
of the
Society for the Preservation and
Encouragement of Barber shop Quartet
Singing in America, Inc.

ADVISORY BOARD

Herb Bayles W.Grant Carson Dick Girvin Mike Jones Brian Lynch Waldo Redekop

Escondido, Calif. Dallas, Texas Laguna Woods, Calif. Louisville, Ky. Kenosha, Wis. Hillsburgh, Ont.

Jan. 8: Jan-Mar
April 2: April-June

Recognizing "members who have made unique contributions to the organization," it is the highest honor that can be conferred on a member of PROBE.

Two other Pioneer District Barbershoppers are previous inductees, the late Robert McDermott of Detroit-Oakland in 1992 and Roger Morris of Milford in 1996.

"Sometimes there are well-deserving people long overdue for nomination who've simply been overlooked because nobody took the time to nominate them," said nominator Grant Carson of Dallas, a former PROBE officer. "Jim has been a credit to PROBE in both public relations and barbershop journalism."

Doug Pearson of Lansing, district marketing VP, who wrote, supported the nomination, "In our ever-changing musical hobby, Jim is a 'constant' who carries well-earned credentials."

Styer, 59, a retired journalist, has been a Barbershopper for 16 years and a PROBE member nearly as long.

He was PR vice president of PROBE while it was facing a budget crunch and potential dissolution. He was involved with McDermott and others in reorganizing PROBE and making it self-supporting.

Styer also revived the International PR competition and was a PROBEmoter writer.

He is founder and operator of the district e-mail list, district convention PR chairman, coordinator of district PROBE bulletin and PR contests, a Troubadour writer and a former district communications officer and area counselor.

For the Society's 50th anniversary, he organized a district convention celebration around a 50-foot "world's longest cake."

On the district's 50th anniversary, he coordinated a celebration, including a 63-foot display of greeting cards from around the world and guest Betty Cash, daughter of the barbershop Society's founder.

While chapter president, Styer spent a year organizing a SingAmerica week in Battle Creek in 1994. With a $15,000 Kellogg Foundation grant, this brought together diverse musical groups in the community and developed into a pilot program for the Society's then-new SingAmerica/SingCanada service project.

Also for the chapter, Styer is PR officer and a board member, former bulletin editor and former membership VP. He produced a weekly half-hour barbershop show on local cable TV for five years and coordinated two barbershop specials for PBS' WGVU-TV.

His previous awards have included chapter Barbershopper of the Year, district Area Counselor of the Year, district PR Officer of the Year twice, International PR Officer of The Year twice, top district bulletin editor twice and placement as high as 10th in the International bulletin contest.

At the Battle Creek Enquirer for 28 years, he had been a reporter, copy editor and TV editor. He previously worked at smaller Michigan papers for six years.

Styer currently is a lay ministry student, church council secretary and newsletter writer, Knights of Columbus member, computer enthusiast and avid reader.