Gibson, of East Lansing, and LaPointe became the first mother and daughter in the organization's 60-year history to win crowns in separate quartets.
"I was surprised it hadn't happened before," LaPointe said. "There are a number of former queens whose daughters have also competed."
Anyone who believes in omens might have predicted LaPointe's quartet would win this year. The contest was almost exactly 30 years after Gibson won her crown. LaPointe is the same age as her mother was then.
A last-minute costume problem similar to one Gibson's quartet had before winning also cropped up.
"From hearing my mother tell about that, I knew if anything out of the ordinary happened we could still win," LaPointe said.
The convention was originally scheduled for New Orleans, but Hurricane Katrina forced a hurried switch to Detroit, making Spotlight the hometown favorite.
Among the 10,000 attendees was Holt's Rebecca Baughan.
"I came to know the Gibsons and young Kendra when I joined Water Wonderland in 1986," said Baughan of the local Sweet Adelines chorus that both Gibson and LaPointe have directed. "It has been exciting to watch Kendra grow into an accomplished singer. I just couldn't be more thrilled for such a talented 'hometown' young woman."
Winning the Queens title signals the start of a busy year of performing for Spotlight in the United States and possibly other countries.
"You meet a lot of new people you will never forget," Gibson said. "You get to travel on the weekends and be a star, getting the royal treatment, then come home on Monday and just be normal again."
Ken Gibson, a long-time leader in men's barbershop quartets, is proud of his wife and daughter. He came close to top international honors when his quartet, the Vagabonds, placed second in 1976.
"I think 99 percent of all parents want to see their kids do something their family has stood for," he said. "You want to see them succeed and do just a little more than you were able to accomplish yourself."
Reprinted with permission from the Lansing State Journal: http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051025/NEWS01/510250326/1001/news03
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