Grandma Dedafoe's Scrapbook
McATTEE, Harold "Mac"
Dimondale
A long time member of Lansing's singing community, Harold "Mac" McAttee died on Monday,
April 8, 1991. Harold was a founding member of the Michigan (now Pioneer) District of the
Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America. He
also helped found the Lansing Chapter of SPEBSQSA. In 1945, Harold organized and promoted the
first annual Lansing Cavalcade of Quartets. His own quartet-the Songmasters-were Medalists in
the the International SPEBSQSA competition of 1949. As a chapter member for 51 years, he was a
past President and the Chapter Historian. In October 1989, he was inducted into the Pioneer
District Hall of Fame. Mac began his nearly 70 year devotion to singing as a boy in England and
expanded it as a student at Lansing Eastern High School. While at Eastern he was a soloist,
member of the Madrigal Choir and Glee Club; sang bass in several quartets and sang the villain
lead in "The Desert Song" and several other operettas. He graduated in January 1934 and remained
an active alumnus throughout his life. One of Mac's earliest quartets sang at the opening of
radio station WJIM and they performed frequently for the station from 1934-1936. During the
'30's and '40's, he was also an active member of the Lansing A Cappella Choir, the Apollo Club,
the Choraliers and the Michigan Male Chorus Association. He also appeared in some early
productions of the Lansing Civic Players Guild. Harold was also a charter member of Our Savior
Lutheran Church and served as its choir director for its first 6 years. He was a choir officer
and active member until last year. In addition to singing, Harold served as congregational
President (twice), Vice President, Chairman of the Church Council and Chairman of the Organ Fund
Committee. He was a member of the Finance Committee and served on the Hmong Refugee Committee
since 1980. Born September 30, 1915, in Frizington, Cumberland County, England, to John and
Grace Bell (LABAUREN) McATTEE, Harold moved with them to Lansing in 1926. He married Lucille G.
JANETZKE on July 3, 1941 and they remained in the Lansing area to raise their family. Twice in
recent years, Harold and Lucille revisited his birthplace while researching family history. At
the REO Motor Car Company, he worked on the first union contract negotiated during the 1937 sit-
down strike. After REO, Mac was a salesman for several area auto and truck suppliers and he
retired as a purchasing agent from Auto-Air Industries in 1980. He was predeceased by the first
son, Geoffrey Lynn in 1945; his parents, John in 1948 and Grace in 1965; by his brothers John L.
in 1975 and James H. in 1977; and his sister, Evelyn SMITH in 1990. Harold is survived by his
wife, Lucille and sons, Eric G. McATTEE (married to Sally A.) of Milwaukee, WI and Eugene O.
McATTEE of Novato, CA. Other survivors include several nieces and nephews; and cousins, Ernest
H. BURNS and Ardis G. STRALEY. Survivors in England include several first cousins. Visitation
will be held at the Estes-Leadley Greater Lansing Chapel on Thursday from 7-9 p.m. and on Friday
from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. and he will lie-in-state at the Church form 9 a.m. Saturday until service
time. The funeral service will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday at Our Savior Lutheran Church, 1601
W. Holmes Road, with Rev. E.F. Bickel officiating with interment in Evergreen Cemetery. In lieu
of flowers, the family suggests memorial donations to the Our Savior Lutheran Hmong Ministry or
the Institute of Logopedics (a residential speech and hearing center for communicatively disabled
children and adults), an international project of SPEBSQSA. Envelopes are available at the
Funeral Home and Church.
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