Raymond A. Azbell/Joseph D. Groom Choral Endowed Scholarship

Choral music has been the centerpiece of Raymond A. Azbell’s life. He joined the choir at the First Presbyterian Church of Sheffield, Alabama, in 1935, at age 15 and remained a faithful and active member until a medical condition caused him to resign in 2000, at the age of 80. His 65-year tenure with the choir was interrupted only by his absence from Sheffield to attend Auburn University, where he sang in the glee club, and when he was on active duty with the United States Navy in World War II and, again, during the Korean War.
In 1981, the conductor or the First Presbyterian Church Choir, UNA Professor Joe Groom, was preparing the UNA Collegiate Singers to perform Verdi’s Requiem with the Birmingham Symphony Orchestra at the Birmingham Civic Center. Professor Groom knew that Mr. Azbell’s first wife had recently passed away after an extended illness and encouraged him to join the Collegiate Singers as therapy. Mr. Azbell accepted and remained an active member of the Collegiate Singers until 1991. Even though he had served in two wars and had a lot of other adventures during his 80 plus years, Mr. Azbell says that participating in the Requiem performance was the most exciting experience of his life. According to Professor Groom, Mr. Azbell became the unofficial “uncle” of the Collegiate Singers and exerted a positive influence on student and faculty alike.
Mr. Azbell was born in Sheffield in 1920. He graduated from Sheffield High School in 1938 and attended Florence State Teachers College (predecessor to UNA) for two years before transferring to Auburn University, where he earned his degree in electrical engineering in 1943. He achieved the same remarkable longevity in his career as he did with the choir. He began working for the Sheffield Utilities Department as a teenager and retired as General Manager in 1986 after 45 years of service.
Recipients of this scholarship shall be full-time students who are members of the Collegiate Singers.