Commissionaires Turn 21

In 1989, Executive Director Fisher asked for volunteers among Real Estate Commission staff members to form a choral group to be named the “Commissionaires” to perform primarily during the holiday season at nursing homes and senior centers around Raleigh.

Fisher, who will retire April 1, recalls that in the beginning, when Commission staff was half its present size, choristers totaled hardly more than half a dozen. Today, the number totals more than 20.

The group’s first director was Education/Examination Officer Anita R. Burt, who taught and directed choral music at Meredith College prior to joining the Commission. These duties are now under the baton of Miriam J. Baer, Legal Services Assistant Director and Legal Counsel.

The Commissionaires have brightened the holiday season for audiences in the past two years at the Veteran’s Administration Hospital in Durham, the historic State Capitol building, and the Mayview Convalescent Center in Raleigh. In 2007, they helped commemorate the Commission’s 50th Anniversary observance and in 2005 the dedication of the Commission office building.