Jack Palmer
EDITOR’S NOTE: A church community is created when people gather together for the love of God. At the same time, Saint Philip’s is comprised of many people who represent different ages, life experiences, and world views.
The “In conversation…” series is one attempt to create possibilities for connection between the different people in our community. As varied as we all are, there are also similarities and mutual interests waiting to be discovered. And there is one thing we all share: a desire to know God and be in relationship with him.
This week’s conversation is with parishioner and volunteer Jack Palmer.
How long have you worshiped at Saint Philip’s?
My wife Donna and I moved here in November of 2017. We experienced Christmas at Saint Philip’s—and never left.
What appealed to you?
In no order of importance… the music, the ambience, and the good preaching.
What volunteer activity are you involved in?
I’m in the choir. I auditioned in early 2018 and have been singing with the choir ever since.
Do you have a background in music?
I started singing in a boy’s church choir at age of 7 or 8. I did that until I left for college in 1962.
In what faith tradition did you grow up?
The Episcopal Church. My family and I attended Christ Episcopal Church in Short Hills, New Jersey.
Have you sung all your life?
For the most part. I was in the Glee Club at college and also played guitar; I did a modest amount of singing for supper and drinks back then.
After graduation, I was in the Navy for four years. During that time I did some community theater and musicals which were fun. But once I started graduate school at Columbia Business School, I concentrated on my studies.
I returned to singing a couple of years into my first job when I was invited by a co-worker to audition for the New York Oratorio Society. It’s a nonprofit that performs choral music in the oratorio style—which is a large-scale musical composition on a sacred or semisacred subject, for solo voices, chorus, and orchestra.
While in Washington, DC I sang with the Cathedral Choral Society (which is the resident choir of Washington National Cathedral), Choral Arts Society of Washington, and then The Washington Chorus. I love choral music!
What about choral music captivates you so?
It’s the kind of music I grew up with—from when I started singing in the boys’ choir at church. I remember my first two records: an Elvis Presley 45 and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
What did you do professionally before retiring?
I worked for clients and agencies in advertising and marketing.
What did you like about that work?
A bunch of things. I loved the creative aspects of the job and figured it was as close as I would get to creative writing or art. I couldn’t do either well enough to be a professional writer or artist so I enjoyed working and hanging out with people who were.
The job also gave me the chance to travel around the world. I worked for Bank of America’s Traveler’s Checks and Polaroid which gave me the opportunity to work internationally, particularly in Europe and Asia.
What’s something you’re proud of?
My three kids. My older daughter is a PhD in molecular biology and is doing genetic cancer research for a small private company in the Netherlands. She lives there with her Dutch husband.
My younger daughter Amanda is the artist. She recently performed in Australia and New Zealand where a reviewer described her as “an acclaimed multi-hyphenate:” she’s a writer, singer, pianist, author, popular therapist, and online presence.
My son Alex lives in the Washington, DC suburbs and works in a tattoo parlor.
That invites the question if you have any tattoos…
Ha! I don’t. Alex has enough for both of us.
What do you do just for fun?
I read for the non-profit Sun Sounds. And I travel because my three sprouts are scattered around the world.
And…on Wednesday, March 20, I will sing with my daughter Amanda at Carnegie Hall in New York City. The event is a tribute for Sinead O’Conner and Shane McGowan. Along with a number of other artists, Amanda was invited to perform and asked me to join her.
What’s one of your guiding principles?
My favorite quote from the Bible is where Micah says: “What does the Lord require of you but to do justice and love mercy and walk humbly with your God?” That pretty much sums it up.
What’s something you’re grateful for?
A singing voice. I didn’t realize until I’d been doing it for a pretty long time that it’s not a universal trait.
I love that I can carry my musical instrument with me wherever I go.
Singing means so much to me. But as I age, it’s going to go away. That makes me sad, but such comes to all of us.
What’s one of your super powers?
I’m a good listener. I’m generally more comfortable in a conversation when listening to someone rather than talking. It’s amazing what you learn!
If success were guaranteed, what’s something you’d like to do?
It’s a tough choice between being a cardiac surgeon or a performing musician. So I would be both!
What might people be surprised to learn about you?
That I was a pretty serious motorcycle rider. The first bike I had was a Harley Davidson with a right side shifter (where the gear shift was a knob on the gas tank).
The next bike I had was a Triumph Tiger. Then I had one of the early (British) Norton Commandos. From there I went to a Honda 900. For my last bike, I returned to Norton. I bought a 72 Commando online, sent it to England to be refurbished, and then rode it around Maryland. Pictures survive!
What’s a fun fact about you?
Donna and I had a series of flat-coat retriever dogs that we showed with some success. The last of our dogs, Dasher, was an AKC Grand Champion. But more interesting, I think, was that we were a registered therapy team and would visit folks at Banner Hospital.
Dasher looked like a golden retriever but with jet black hair. He was enormously friendly.
My experience at Banner was that the staff seemed to benefit almost more from our visits than the patients.
Missed an interview? All previous interviews can be found on Saint Philip’s website under the “About Us” tab. Click here to visit that page.