Appreciation society unites Lanza admirers

David Renzi

Thursday, April 17, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.

"It's basically the voice," says Bob Trumpler, answering why he worships at the alter of Mario Lanza. "Believe it or not, if you had asked me seven years ago who Mario Lanza was, I couldn't tell you. I grew up with Elvis Presley, whose favorite singer was Mario.

"One day I went to the video store and rented 'The Great Caruso' (in which Lanza portrayed the legendary Italian tenor) and I was floored. I went out and got every record and video of his. My wife says I'm not a fan, but a fanatic."

Trumpler would agree. He's the new president of the U.S. Mario Lanza Appreciation Society, which formed five years ago and has 179 members. He inherited the position in May when Phyllis Waltz, the society's founder, took ill.

"She was looking for someone who was dedicated to the cause, and someone mentioned my name."

The society is essentially a fan club. Trumpler, a bank officer, publishes two newsletters a year, which tracks Lanza news and new recordings, and corresponds with members.

The goal of the society is twofold: to introduce Lanza to a new generation and introduce him again to the older generation.

Tenor Thomas Chambers, who with his wife, Sheila Wormer, pays tribute to Lanza in a 2 1/2-hour presentation, says:

"Mario Lanza was one of those guys who had it all. The question still lingering out there is, 'What could have been?' He died at 38 (in 1959). He had a career only eight years long, and he influenced everybody who came after him in terms of classical music. And he was the first to popularize classical music."

"The man on the street loves him," Wormer adds. "The Three Tenors probably wouldn't be doing what they're doing if it hadn't been for Mario Lanza."

Trumpler, who lives outside Philadelphia but works in New York City, relishes his 2 1/2-hour daily commute.

"As I'm driving to work in the morning, Mario Lanza's on. As I'm driving home in the evening, Mario Lanza's on."

For information about joining the U.S. Mario Lanza Appreciation Society, write Trumpler at 734 Line Ave., Langhorne, PA 19047, or call (215) 757-4576.