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Click on the names below to read more about the
Gail and Ezra Board Members.
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Larry Davis |
Gail Wenos, CSP, CPAE was born and raised in Illinois, and graduated from Sterling College, Sterling, Kansas. She started her career life as a Kindergarten teacher. But after discovering her little companion, Ezra D. Peabody, Gail's life took a major turn. The stage became her classroom, and the audiences all over the United States became her students.
Her career is marked by accomplishments. Along with community service awards, national recognition as an Outstanding Young Woman of America, and alumni honors by Sterling College, Gail has done several recordings, made numerous television appearances, and toured with the Johnny Mann Singers. A member of the National Speakers Association, she has earned the CSP designation (Certified Speaking Professional), and has been honored with the coveted CPAE - Speakers Hall of Fame Award.
Gail serves as President of Gail and Ezra Ministries, Inc.
Johnny Mann is best known for the thirty-nine albums he arranged and conducted for his Johnny Mann Singers resulting in five GRAMMY AWARD nominations and two GRAMMY AWARDS.
He is a composer, arranger, conductor, entertainer and recording star. His group of super-talented young singers appeared with him in Chevrolet's weekly syndicated series, “STAND UP AND CHEER,” which enjoyed a three-year run on national TV and many tours around the country.
Johnny's start in Hollywood was arranging scores for seven full-length motion pictures for Warner Brothers, Twentieth Century Fox and Columbia Studios. He then became the choral director of the “NBC Comedy Hour,” which led to the formation of The Johnny Mann Singers and a record contract.
Along with being musical director of the original “Alvin and The Chipmunks” TV series, he sang the voice of “Theodore”. Mann has worked over the years with George Gobel, Johnny Mathis, Nat King Cole, Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Julie London, Steve Allen, and was Danny Kaye's conductor on a twelve week tour.
With limitless energy and enthusiasm, Mann sincerely espouses the positive and good of America through his entertainment. He was invited to perform at The White House twice during President Nixon's reign to entertain Imelda Marcos and first-time Russian visitor to the U.S., Leonid Breschnev, General Secretary of The U.S.S.R.
Mann's devotion to his country has made him the recipient of four consecutive awards from The Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge, top awards from The Disabled American Veterans, The Medal of Honor from The National DAR, The Silver Helmet Award from the AM VETS, The National Honor Medal from The Veterans of Foreign Wars, and numerous citations from The American Legion. Mann has appeared twice as Guest Conductor of the world famous United States Air Force Band and Singing Sergeants in Constitution Hall, Washington, D.C.
Johnny has composed, arranged and produced hundreds of radio and TV product commercials, and is well-known for his original radio station I.D. Jingle Packages such as 93 KHJ “Boss Radio,” KFWB Channel 98, K-EARTH 101 (KRTH) in Los Angeles, and a multitude of other stations in cities around the United States, as well as Canada, Taiwan, Honolulu and Australia. Recently, he produced jingles for The ABC Radio Network and the 145 affiliated “Oldies” format stations.
In 2000, he produced a CD for The National Senior Olympics Games, "Let The Games Begin," followed by "Glorify His Name in Quiet Time," "Nearer My God To Thee," "We Wish You a Merry Christmas," and "The Best of The Johnny Mann Singers." Active in many charities, Mann has hosted eight celebrity golf tournaments. He is frequently invited as a speaker and emcee for local charity events. He resides with his wife, Betty, in Anderson, South Carolina.
Johnny is currently serving as a Board Member of Gail and Ezra Ministries, Inc.
From Betty Mann's earliest days as Executive Secretary and house organ editor, she was always involved with people in a most enthusiastic way.
An Evanston, Illinois native, Betty spent most of her life in the Midwest, raising a family and active in community and church. Her ongoing involvement in volunteer work led to employment as a meeting planner and project coordinator for Convention and Conference Consultants.
This activity of site inspection and coordination for business seminars and retreats brought her to California as a meeting coordinator for “The Great American Choral Festival”, where she met and later married Johnny Mann. She became the national events coordinator, planning and executing choral (singing) competitions in cities throughout America.
In the Fall of 1987 and 1989, Johnny Mann and his singer/dancers performed on two bus tours of 10,000 miles each in cities all across the United States, involving Betty as tour manager. Her responsibilities included costume design, road mother to eighteen performers, sound and lighting assistance and coordinating the overall logistics of hotels and theatre contacts.
During the years 1991-1994, Betty served as Medical Staff/Education Coordinator for Northridge Hospital Medical Center, arranging for speakers for physicians' continuing medical education, planning and executing medical staff retreats/seminars and controlling accounting procedures for the medical staff finances.
Before her relocation to Anderson, South Carolina in 2005, she had been active in volunteer and church work in the Palm Springs area, and served on the Leadership Team of Quiet Time Ministries as well as Women's Ministry Board for Southwest Community Church, earning the Annual Leadership Award in 2004. Betty has been a member of the fund raising board of Shelter From theStorm for the past three years. She has co-chaired the 1998 and chaired the 1999 Northwood University Debutante Ball and Scholarship Showcase Gala as well as having served as the Northwood University Palm Springs Chapter President for two years. In November 1999, Northwood's 30th year of honoring women of achievement all over the country, Betty was selected as a Distinguished Woman.
Betty is currently serving as a Board Member for Gail and Ezra Ministries, Inc.
Debbie Dewart & her "partner" Cherry have been involved in ministry since 1989, primarily to abused, abandoned, and neglected children. Cherry is a bunny rabbit who sings Bible songs, and Debbie, a ventriloquist, is her "necessity." The two of them have visited Orangewood Children's Home on Sunday mornings since 1991. Joining other Christian volunteers, Debbie and Cherry bring church and Bible study into this county facility that temporarily houses abused children when they are first removed from their homes. They have also provided Bible studies to some of the toddlers in group homes operated by Olive Crest, a private organization that provides long-term care to abused children in Southern California. Olive Crest's founders are Christians, and their organization includes a strong chaplaincy program for the children under their care.
Debbie and Cherry are currently producing music CD's with original Bible songs for children. The first CD is for Easter, and it's called, "Resurrection Rabbit Celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus Christ." More albums are planned... Christmas, Psalm 119, evangelism, praise, and others. Debbie and Cherry hope to donate most (or even all!) of the profits to charities that minister to abused children …and to Gail and Ezra Ministries, too!
Debbie is currently serving as Secretary for Gail and Ezra Ministries, Inc.
June Birrell was born and educated in the state of New Jersey. She came to California in 1957. June worked for the same bank organization until retiring in 1993. She began her banking career as a teller in San Bernardino. She ended her career as a Vice President/Manager in the construction loan department at the corporate headquarters in Los Angeles. June was responsible for the funding and completion of various large residential projects.
June attended the same church for 25 years where she served as the first woman Deacon. She moved to Murrieta in 2001 where she became Gail Wenos' neighbor and good friend.
June is currently serving as Treasurer for Gail and Ezra Ministries, Inc.