Nunc Dimittis

Dona Lee Brandon died June 16 in Davis, California. She was 81. She began organ study while in high school and earned a bachelor’s degree in music from Park College in Missouri, and a master of sacred music degree from Union Theological Seminary, where she studied organ with Robert Baker. At UTS she met fellow student George Brandon, and married him in 1954. The Brandons taught at Eureka College in Illinois, and William Penn College in Iowa. In 1962 they moved to Davis, California, where Mrs. Brandon worked as an organist and choir director, serving at Davis Community Church (1963–67) and at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church (from 1967 until her retirement in 1995). She was also affiliated with the Music School at the University of California–Davis, accompanying choral groups, teaching organ, and playing recitals and for commencement ceremonies. A longtime member of the Sacramento AGO chapter, she proclaimed her enthusiasm for the music of Bach with her license plate, “JSB FAN.” Dona Lee Brandon was preceded in death by her husband George, and is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Barbara and Jim, and her sister Melva Ann.

Richard W. Litterst died August 9 at age 83 in Loves Park, Illinois. Born in Decatur, Illinois, February 4, 1926, he attended the University of Louisville, served in the U.S. Navy, and then completed his studies at the University of Illinois and Union Theological Seminary School of Sacred Music. He served as organist, choirmaster, and handbell director at churches in Westfield, New Jersey; Omaha, Nebraska; and Rockford and Freeport, Illinois. In 1959, he was appointed to Second Congregational Church, Rockford. He also conducted the Rockford Pops Orchestra for more than 30 years, and taught at Rockford College, Rock Valley College, and Beloit College.
Litterst served as dean of the Rockford AGO chapter and was a member of the Mendelssohn Club and Rotary. He was an early member of the American Guild of English Handbell Ringers, serving the organization in many capacities, including as president. He was nationally known as a handbell director and for his arrangements and compositions for handbells. Most recently he served as organist for the First Church of Christ, Scientist in Rockford, playing his last service there on July 22.
A memorial service was held August 14 at First Presbyterian Church, Rockford, with a number of organists from the Rockford AGO and the Rockford Pipe Band participating, with alumni of the Martin Ringers of Second Congregational Church playing music by Litterst; other music in the service was by Karg-Elert, Franck, and Widor. Richard W. Litterst is survived by his wife Judy, son, two daughters, and grandson.

Ivan Ronald Olson died June 16 in Sacramento, California. Born in Soldier, Iowa, on March 15, 1928, he played his first church service while in the sixth grade and then took over as organist after confirmation on through high school until he left for college in 1946. He received a BA in music from the University of Iowa in 1950 and taught music at Morehead, Iowa, where he served as choir director at Bethesda Lutheran Church. He then earned a master’s degree from the University of Texas, Austin, and began teaching at Concordia Lutheran College of Austin in 1952, where he continued until 1964. During that tenure he served as organist-choirmaster at First English Lutheran Church and Redeemer Lutheran Church in Austin. He married Danna Foster in July 1956.
Olson took a leave of absence from Concordia to study at Union Theological Seminary in New York City, where he was awarded a Doctor of Sacred Music degree in 1963. In 1964 he joined the faculty at American River College, Sacramento, California, and became the organist-choirmaster at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. He also served as accompanist for many vocal recitals.
Olson moved to Fair Oaks in the summer of 1967 and joined the staff at Pioneer Congregational Church in 1969. He was an active member of the American Guild of Organists and served as dean of the Sacramento chapter. He retired in 1992 from American River College and Pioneer Congregational Church, and then served as interim organist-choirmaster at St. John’s Lutheran Church, where he had been a member since 1967. At St. John’s he worked in adult education, served on the church council, and looked after the concert series for three seasons. He did substitute organist work until grandchildren began to arrive. Ivan Olson belonged to the Rose Society and spent many happy hours tending his many roses and a vegetable garden.

Theodore W. Ripper died on July 2 at age 83. Born on August 1, 1925 in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, he earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. He served as university organist at the University of South Dakota and then taught at Carnegie Mellon University from 1949 to 1955. He married Gladys McMillan on June 15, 1953 in Coraopolis. They moved to Atlanta in 1955, where he was minister of music for Peachtree Christian Church for 10 years.
Ripper then taught at Millikin University and served at First United Methodist Church in Decatur, Illinois, 1965–75, and was director of music at Grace United Methodist Church in Venice, Florida, 1975–84. He next served as director of music at First United Methodist Church, Carlsbad, New Mexico, for eight years. After retirement, he continued to work in Roswell as music director for St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church.

Mark P. Schantz died at age 58 on June 13 at his home in Walton Hills, Ohio. The son of Bruce and Grace Putnam Schantz of Orrville, Ohio, he was a graduate of Otterbein College and had a lengthy career with American Greetings of Cleveland, from which he took early retirement to start his own business, Schantz Woods, which designed, fabricated, and restored furniture. He also served on the board of directors of the Schantz Organ Company of Orrville, assisting his brother Victor, the president of the firm. Mark P. Schantz is survived by his wife Lee, children Kate, Jessa, Erick, and John, and siblings Ann Schantz Perlmutter, Victor Schantz, Jill Schantz Frank, Ted Schantz, and Peter Schantz.

Martha M. Bowlus, 91 years old, died September 9 in Ventura, California. Mrs. Bowlus served as organist at churches in Ohio, Chicago, and at St. James Episcopal in New York City. She was organist at El Montecito Presbyterian Church in California from 1974 until her retirement in 1987. She and her husband, singer, conductor, and composer Robert Bowlus, gave the gift of music to many during their 22-year joint tenure on the faculty of Ohio Wesleyan University until Mr. Bowlus’s sudden death.
Mrs. Bowlus relocated to southern California, teaching and studying at CSU, Northridge and earning a Master of Arts degree in organ performance. She studied with several of the world’s leading organists. As professor of music, she taught organ and piano to countless students over the years, both at Ohio Wesleyan University and privately, supplied liturgical music for many churches, and performed in many concerts and recitals playing both organ and viola, an instrument she mastered as well.
—Emma Lou Diemer

Walter Daumont Kimble died April 25 in Winter Park, Florida, at age 97. Born in Philadelphia, he moved at an early age with his family to Titusville, Florida, where he played a Wurlitzer theatre organ, accompanying silent films and vaudeville shows. He graduated from the Rollins College Conservatory of Music in 1935 with a bachelor’s degree as a student of Herman F. Siewert, and earned a master’s degree from the University of Michigan, studying with Palmer Christian.
After returning to Florida, he became music director at radio station WDBO and included a daily 15-minute program of organ music. Kimble served many churches in central Florida, including Orlando’s First Methodist and Broadway Methodist, and Winter Park’s First Congregational, which he served for 36 years and where he assisted in the installation of the church’s Aeolian-Skinner organ. He was preceded in death by his wife Hallie, to whom he was married for 72 years, and is survived by a son, Robert, and several grandchildren.

William Weaver died June 23 in Atlanta, Georgia. He was 78. A graduate of the University of Florida, he studied organ there with Claude L. Murphree, along with religious studies and speech. He continued organ studies at the Eastman School of Music, with Catharine Crozier. In Atlanta he served as organist-choirmaster, beginning at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Decatur in 1953, and from 1960–1983 at St. Anne’s Episcopal Church, where was responsible for selecting a Flentrop organ.
Weaver was an organ instructor at Georgia State University, music critic for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and served as president of the Atlanta Music Club and chairman of the 1966 AGO national convention that was held in Atlanta. He was also a hand weaver, owning an eight-harness floor loom, and was a member of the Chattahoochee Hand-weavers’ Guild. William Weaver is survived by his partner and companion of 57 years, Douglas Johnson.

John Courter, organist and carillonneur at Berea College and retired professor of music, died June 21, at the age of 68. Courter joined the Berea College faculty in 1971. After retiring from teaching in 2007, he continued to serve as college organist and carillonneur. In addition, he was organist at Union Church and had been a long-time contributor to the music of St. Clare Catholic Church, both in Berea.
A native of Lansing, Michigan, Courter earned a bachelor’s degree in choral music education from Michigan State University in 1962 and a master of music degree in organ in 1966 from the University of Michigan. He had also studied at the North German Organ Academy and held diplomas from the Netherlands Carillon School.
During his 39 years at Berea, Courter contributed to the musical life of the campus and larger community. He taught organ, piano, chime, and carillon performance, church music, and music theory, and was a former director of the Harmonia Society. A well-known organist in the region, he was dean of the Lexington AGO chapter. He was involved in the renovation of the Holtkamp pipe organ in Gray Auditorium at Berea and the recent restoration of the 10-bell chime in Phelps Stokes Chapel. He was the driving force behind Berea’s 56-bell carillon, the largest in the state of Kentucky.
In 1995 Courter received Berea College’s Seabury Award for Excellence in Teaching, and in 2006 received the Elizabeth Perry Miles Award for Community Service for his numerous contributions to the campus and community as a musician and for volunteer service with Madison County’s public radio station. In 1993, he was awarded the Berkeley Medal for Distinguished Service to the Carillon as a performer and composer. He was a Fellow of the American Guild of Organists and a member of the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America.
Courter won several international prizes for his carillon compositions, and his works have been published in Germany, the Netherlands, and the United States. He has written works commissioned by the Palace of Government in Barcelona, the cities of Utrecht, Kampen, and Almelo (the Netherlands), the Arts Council of Ireland, the University of Michigan, and Grand Valley State University.
In 2005, Courter established the Summer Carillon Concert Series at Berea College, which continues to bring international carillonneurs to Berea’s campus. In his will, Courter provided for the ongoing maintenance of Berea’s carillon, which will be dedicated as the John Courter Carillon during the college’s homecoming this fall.
John Courter is survived by two brothers, two sisters, seven nieces and nephews, nineteen great-nieces and nephews, and special friend and caregiver at the end of his life, Rev. Dr. Theresa Scherf. A memorial service took place June 24 at Union Church in Berea. There will be a special memorial concert later this year.

David Sanger, concert organist, teacher, and past president of the Royal College of Organists, was found dead on May 28. Born in London, Sanger was educated at Eltham College and the Royal Academy of Music, and also studied privately with Susi Jeans, Marie-Claire Alain, and Anton Heiller. He became well known as an organ recitalist when he won first prize in two international competitions: St. Alban’s, England in 1969 and Kiel, Germany in 1972. He recorded over 20 CDs, including the complete organ works of César Franck at the Katarina Church in Stockholm for BIS, and Vierne’s six organ symphonies for Meridian. He acted as consultant on a number of organ projects, including the new Cavaillé-Coll-style instrument at Exeter College, Oxford, and new, restored, or rebuilt organ projects at Bromley Parish Church, Haileybury College, St. Cuthbert’s and Usher Hall in Edinburgh, Sheffield Cathedral, and Trinity Hall, Cambridge.
Sanger also composed music for organ, and for strings and choirs. He authored an organ method book in two volumes for beginners, entitled Play the Organ, which has become the most widely used in Britain in recent years. Together with Jon Laukvik he edited the organ works of Louis Vierne, comprising 13 volumes in a boxed set, published by Carus Verlag, Stuttgart. From 1980–89 David Sanger was professor of organ at the Royal Academy of Music in London, serving as chairman of the organ department from 1987–89. Between 1989–97 he was a consultant professor at the Royal Academy of Music.

Kenneth Vernon Turvey died March 4 in Huntsville, Alabama. He was 81. Born in Dayton, Ohio, his first organ studies were with Frank Michael, and during high school, with Parvin Titus at the University of Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, to which Turvey made a 50-mile bus trip each week for lessons, and where he completed bachelor’s and master’s degrees. After finishing his degrees in 1951, he served in the Army during the Korean War. In 1955, Turvey began a 50-year career as music director for the First United Methodist Church in Huntsville. He also pursued doctoral organ studies with Oswald Ragatz at Indiana University. Turvey served for 42 years as director of the Huntsville Community Chorus, and conductor of the Decatur Civic Chorus for 17 years. He also taught at Athens State University and the University of Alabama in Huntsville, and was a co-founder of the Huntsville AGO chapter. Kenneth Turvey is survived by his wife, Janet, five children, seven grandchildren, and a great-grandaughter.

Jerry P. Whitten, 82 years old, died February 7 in Memphis, Texas. Born in Muskogee, Oklahoma, he received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Oklahoma, studying with Mildred Andrews, and a master’s degree in sacred music from Union Theological Seminary in New York City, studying with Vernon de Tar. Whitten was employed by Tarpley Music Co. in Pampa, Texas, for 43 years, and served as organist-choirmaster at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Pampa for 15 years. Jerry Whitten is survived by his wife Nancy, four stepchildren, three step-grandchildren, three brothers, and two sisters.

The French organist and musicologist Jean Bonfils died on November 26, 2007 in Rennes (Ille-et-Vilaine) at the age of 86. His funeral was celebrated on November 29 at the Notre-Dame Church in Vitré and a memorial mass was held in his honor at La Trinité Church in Paris on February 16, 2008.
Born in Saint-Etienne (Loire) on April 21, 1921, Jean Bonfils studied at the Paris Conservatory and received first prize in organ in 1949 in Marcel Dupré’s class, a second prize in composition in Jean Rivier’s class in 1948, and a first medal in analysis in Olivier Messiaen’s class in 1950.
Jean Bonfils substituted for Olivier Messiaen at La Trinité Church in Paris for over forty years (from 1950 to 1992), then for Naji Hakim. According to Denis Havard de la Montagne (http://www.musimem.com/BonfilsJean.htm), he also played the Merklin organ at the Grande Synagogue in Paris, rue de la Victoire, for over thirty years (succeeding Henriette Roger in 1953), and in 1964 he was also named titular of the Cavaillé-Coll/Mutin organ at Saint-Ignace (succeeding Paule Piédelièvre, remaining until 1975). After assisting Jean Langlais as organ professor at the Schola Cantorum, he taught organ there from 1973 to 1992.
He was editor of numerous liturgical journals and musical publications, including the collection he co-directed with Gaston Litaize, L’Organiste liturgique, Heinrich Schütz’s works for choir, and an organ method he wrote with Noëllie Pierront (Nouvelle méthode de Clavier, four volumes, 1960–68, and in 1962 a two-volume Nouvelle méthode d’orgue), which has formed an entire generation of organists, notably Olivier Latry. Seuil Editions published his reconstitutions of Goudimel’s psalms and motets. Jean Bonfils edited numerous 16th- and 17th-century French organ compositions, including Jacques Boyvin’s First and Second Organ Books as well as Deo Gloria, collections of liturgical organ music he prepared with Noëllie Pierront from 1962 to 1968.
A musicologist, Jean Bonfils wrote numerous articles, notably in L’Orgue: on the Christmas carols of Pierre and Jean-François Dandrieu (no. 83, pp. 48–54) and on Olivier Messiaen (1992, no. 224, pp. 12–14); in Recherches sur la musique française classique edited by Picard: on the instrumental fantasies of Eustache Du Caurroy (in 1961–62) and on Jehan Titelouze’s organ works (1965), as well as numerous biographical notices on French musicians for Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart (Bärenreiter) and for Corliss Arnold’s Organ Literature: A Comprehensive Survey (Scarecrow Press).
Jean Bonfils composed an organ piece, Communion on “Beata Viscera,” published in L’Organiste liturgique (Schola Cantorum). Jean Langlais dedicated to him his Trois Méditations sur la Sainte-Trinité, op. 129 (Philippo, 1962).
At La Trinité Church, I had the joy of working with him from 1989 to 1997. Like Olivier Messiaen, Jean Bonfils was very discreet, modest and cordial, and was an excellent musician. He played an eclectic repertory and carefully chose the pieces he played during the church services, strictly in keeping with their specific liturgical functions; an excellent musicologist as well, he was an immense inspiration to me and countless other musicians and students. In addition, he generously gave numerous manuscripts, musical scores and letters to the music department at the Bibliothèque nationale and to the library at the Conservatory in Boulogne-Billancourt.
—Carolyn Shuster Fournier
Titular of the A. Cavaillé-Coll Choir Organ at La Trinité Church in Paris

Robert N. Cavarra died February 8 in Denver, Colorado after complications from kidney failure. He was for many years professor of music at Colorado State University and a leading participant in the revival of the classical organ tradition in North America.
Under Cavarra’s leadership, three examples of this movement were realized in Fort Collins: the Casavant Frères organ at CSU (1969), the Lawrence Phelps opus 1 organ at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church (1973), and the Danish Marcussen and Son organ at First United Methodist Church (1987). He brought together artists from throughout the world for master classes and recitals on these instruments, including E. Power Biggs, Marie-Claire Alain, Luigi Tagliavini, Gillian Weir, Lionel Rogg, Bernard Lagacé, and Anton Heiller. He taught from 1963 until 2000 on the faculty of CSU’s Department of Music, Theater and Dance. At his death, he was Professor Emeritus of Music. As a student of both philosophy and music, Cavarra also served as organist for the North American College.
Robert Nicholas Cavarra was born on February 23, 1934, in Denver. His musical training began in childhood, and by age 12 he was performing publicly. As a recitalist, Cavarra toured widely, including concerts in Denmark, Sweden, France, England, Canada, Mexico and the United States. He and his wife Barbara founded an international non-profit foundation, “Pro Organo Pleno XXI.” As a recording artist, he released CDs through the Musical Heritage Society, and he was a major figure in the “Christmas at CSU” series of recordings. He was also a published composer and solo and ensemble harpsichordist.
In addition to the classical organ, Cavarra was responsible for the installation of a Wurlitzer theatre organ at CSU, and sponsored numerous workshops on theatre organ music. He was organist at St. Joseph and St. Pius X Roman Catholic Churches and St. Barnabas Episcopal Church in Denver, and St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church, St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, and the First United Methodist Church in Fort Collins. He also taught music at Loretto Heights College and St. Thomas Theological Seminary in Denver, as well as at the University of Wyoming. Cavarra is survived by his wife Barbara, a daughter, three sons, and five grandchildren.

Jack Hennigan died November 11, 2007 in Pelham Manor, New York, at the age of 64. Born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, he earned a bachelor of music degree at Juilliard, having studied organ with Vernon deTar. Further studies were in Cologne, Germany, with Michael Schneider (organ) and Gunther Ludwig (organ). He earned master’s and doctoral degrees from Yale, studying organ with Charles Krigbaum and piano with Donald Currier. He won international organ competitions in Bruges, Belgium, and Worcester, Massachusetts. Hennigan served as organist-choirmaster at St. Matthews Church, Wilton, Connecticut, and the Church of Christ the Redeemer (Episcopal) in Pelham Manor, New York. He wrote a monthly column for The American Organist dealing with fingering, hand coordination, and performance anxiety, and lectured to AGO groups on these topics. He was also known as a gourmet cook, traveling and studying food preparation in France. Jack Hennigan is survived by his partner, Martin Nash, of Pelham Manor.

Winston A. Johnson died February 4. He was 92. Born in China in 1915 to Covenant missionaries, he first studied piano with his mother. His family returned to the U.S. in 1927, eventually settling in Illinois. Johnson began organ study at age 13 and by age 16 held his first church organist position. He earned bachelor and master of music degrees from the American Conservatory of Music in Chicago, and the master of sacred music from Union Theological Seminary in New York City. His teachers included Clarence Dickinson, Marcel Dupré, Hugh Porter, and Leo Sowerby. He served in the U.S. Army from 1942–46 as a chaplain’s assistant, playing for Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish services.
Winston Johnson served as organist and choir director for over 60 years, including at University Presbyterian Church in Seattle for 32 years. Active in the American Guild of Organists, he was one of twelve organists who studied with Sowerby in Chicago for the Associate certificate; he was the only candidate who passed the two-day examination that year. Johnson held several offices with the Seattle AGO chapter, including as dean. He also played for two AGO regional conventions, and had performed with the Seattle Symphony Orchestra and the Seattle Opera. He taught at North Park College and Trinity Bible Institute in Chicago, and at Simpson Bible Institute and Seattle Pacific University in Seattle, and taught privately. He gave his last piano lesson three days before his death. Winston Johnson is survived by Irma, his wife of nearly 50 years, his sister, two sisters-in-law and a brother-in-law, and nieces and nephews.

Robert V. McGuire died November 12, 2007, in Haines City, Florida, at the age of 79. Born and raised in Chicago, his doctoral dissertation from the University of Chicago dealt with the use of the augmented second in Bach’s Passions and other choral works. Dr. McGuire served as organist-choirmaster at churches in Illinois and in Florida; his last position was at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Haines City, retiring in 2002. He served on the boards of the Messiah Association of Polk County and the Bach Festival of Central Florida, for which he authored program notes for many years. A lifelong member of the AGO, he served as dean of the Lakeland Area (Florida) chapter. Robert McGuire is survived by many cousins, nieces, nephews, and his friend Jeanette Stokes.

Edward Lamond Nobles, age 72, died January 2 in Meridian, Mississippi. Born in Meridian, he first studied piano with an aunt; he earned a bachelor of music degree at Jackson State College (now Jackson State University) in 1958, and a master of music education degree from Columbia University in New York City in 1968. Nobles taught music for eight years in Mississippi and for 18 years in Michigan; he also served as organist-choir director in various churches in those two states. He returned to Mississippi in 1984 and served as organist at St. Patrick Catholic Church of Meridian for over 20 years. Nobles was a member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Music Fraternity and the AGO, and was active in the Jackson, Mississippi chapter. He is survived by several cousins and many friends.

Glenn Edward Pride, 57, died suddenly February 26 at his residence on St. Simons Island, Georgia. Born in Nashville, Tennessee, he graduated from Peabody Demonstration School in Nashville and from Hope College in Holland, Michigan, majoring in organ performance. His graduate degree in sacred music was completed at Southern Methodist University, Perkins School of Theology, in Dallas, Texas. Mr. Pride had served St. Simons Presbyterian Church as director of music and organist since 2000. During his 34-year music career, he also served First Presbyterian Church of Dalton, Georgia; First Presbyterian Church of Bartlesville, Oklahoma; First Presbyterian Church of Jonesboro, Georgia; and the First Presbyterian Church of Douglasville, Georgia. He was a member of Rotary International and the American Guild of Organists. He was also artistic director of the Island Concert Association of St. Simons Island.

Kent S. Dennis died January 1 at the age of 78 in Midland, Michigan. Trained as a chemist, Dr. Dennis had a long career at Dow Chemical Co. in Midland; he retired in 1986 after 32 years as a senior research associate. He served as organist at Memorial Presbyterian Church in Midland for 47 years, and was named organist emeritus in 2003. There he performed annual organ recitals for 46 years; he also taught organ students for many years. A charter member of the Saginaw Valley AGO chapter, serving as dean for three terms, he also served on the board of managers of the Midland Center for the Arts and as president of the Midland Symphony Orchestra, which, with the Music Society, honored him as Musician of the Year in 1987.
In 2002 Steven Egler commissioned an organ piece, Fantasia on Dennis, by David Gillingham in honor of Dr. Dennis. With his technical background, he built a pipe organ in his home, and when his health declined, he donated the instrument to St. Joseph the Worker Church in Beal City, Michigan. He was predeceased by his parents, a sister, and a brother. Memorials may be made to the Kent S. Dennis AGO Scholarship Fund, Saginaw Valley AGO Chapter, Gregory Largent, Dean, 121 South Harrison St., Saginaw, MI 48602.

August Humer died January 17 in Linz, Austria, at the age of 59. He had studied organ and harpsichord with Anton Heiller and Isolde Ahlgrimm in Vienna; after finishing his diploma, he traveled to the U.S., where he began an active career as a recitalist under the management of Phillip Truckenbrod Concert Artists. In 1972–74 he won prizes at the international competitions in Innsbruck and Nuremberg, and subsequently performed in Europe and in North America.
In 1972 he was appointed head of the organ and historical keyboard instruments department at the Bruckner Konservatorium in Linz, Austria. He became organist at Linz Old Cathedral in 1975, and made numerous recordings on its organ, a three-manual instrument by Franz Xavier Chrismann (1768) and Josef Breinbauer (1867). Professor Humer was a frequent visiting lecturer in Europe and the U.S., and served as an adviser to the historical instrument collection of the Upper Austria Regional Museum.

Herbert James Keeler died September 6, 2006, in Greensboro, North Carolina, at the age of 67. He began piano studies at age six, and in his teens began playing the organ in his father’s church. In 1961 he graduated from Eastern Nazarene College in Quincy, Massachusetts, where he earned two music degrees, one in organ. In 1966 he moved to New York City and began a 29-year career with Western Electric, retiring as a computer systems analyst. Mr. Keeler served as organist for numerous churches and was an active member of the AGO. He was preceded in death by his parents and is survived by his wife of 40 years, Carole. A memorial service was held September 17, 2006, at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Greensboro.

Paul S. Robinson died February 15 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, at the age of 99. Born March 8, 1907, in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania, he graduated from Westminster College in 1929 and began study at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia that same year. His first venture into North Carolina was in 1932 as the summer organist at Duke University where he continued for 10 years. After obtaining a master’s degree from Union Theological Seminary in New York City, he became a year-round North Carolina resident in 1938 as organist for Centenary United Methodist Church in downtown Winston-Salem. There he started his long association as organist and accompanist for the Mozart Club’s annual presentation of Handel’s Messiah.
The 1941 presentation was December 7, during which the Messiah radio broadcast was interrupted by the news of the Pearl Harbor attack. Two months later, Paul was inducted into the Army’s Third Armored Division as a chaplain’s assistant. He traveled with them in England, France and Germany, where he played a folding reed organ for services.
Discharged in 1945, he returned to Centenary United Methodist staying until he started doctoral studies, also at Union Theological Seminary, where he received a Doctor of Sacred Music degree in 1951. In 1952, he came to Wake Forest College for a temporary position at about the same time as another temporary instructor, Mary Frances McFeeters. Within a few years, they became indispensable both to Wake Forest and to each other. Paul and Mary Frances were married in 1955, and they moved with the college to the new Winston-Salem campus in 1956. He served as professor of music and university organist until his retirement in 1977, and was the organist for Wake Forest Baptist Church from 1956 to 1993. He continued accompanying Messiah until 1997.
He is survived by his wife, Mary Frances Robinson; two daughters, and two grandchildren. Donations in his memory may be made to Wake Forest Baptist Church, P.O. Box 7326, Winston-Salem, NC 27109. —Scott Carpenter

William E. Seifert died December 26, 2006 in Campobello, South Carolina, at the age of 71. A graduate of Wofford College, he later earned a master of divinity degree from Duke University and a master of education degree from Western Carolina University; he was a United Methodist minister for many years and also taught in South Carolina public schools. After retirement he worked for the Dower Organ Building Co., builders of the organ at Episcopal Church of the Holy Cross in Tryon, North Carolina, where he was a member. Mr. Seifert was dean of the Spartanburg AGO chapter from 1988 to 1989, and at the time of his death was the chapter’s chaplain. He is survived by his wife, two sons, two daughters, three sisters, and seven grandchildren.
John Edward Williams died on March 16 at his home in Spartanburg, South Carolina, after a bout with esophageal cancer. He was 87. For 43 years he had served First Presbyterian Church as organist/choirmaster and was elected an elder of the congregation. On his retirement in 1991, Converse College conferred on him the honorary degree Doctor of Music in recognition of his significant contribution to the cultural life of the community. The church further honored him in 1995 by dedicating a new Schoenstein organ, named for him, in their chapel. He had supervised the installation of the church’s large Aeolian-Skinner sanctuary organ in 1968. Recognized as a leader in church music circles, he was widely known and highly esteemed throughout his denomination and the whole region. He was especially helpful to fellow musicians of all denominations.
Dr. Williams graduated in music from Illinois Wesleyan College in 1941, joined the U.S. Navy, and served throughout World War II in London, where he played for American servicemen and, on occasion, for Queen Elizabeth and her father, King George VI. He also performed at the Glasgow Cathedral. After the war he entered the School of Sacred Music at Union Theological Seminary in New York, graduating in 1948 with an MSM degree. There he studied organ with Robert Baker and Hugh Porter, composition with Harold Friedell, and the history of music with Clarence and Helen Dickinson.
From Union he came directly to Spartanburg and set about mustering support for the founding of a local chapter of the American Guild of Organists. Success came in 1954 when he became a charter member of the new chapter and, at the same time, inaugurated the Spartanburg Oratorio Society, directing for several years its performances of major choral and orchestral masterpieces. He was known and loved for his lively sense of humor, witty repartee, and buoyant personality. He maintained high artistic standards and refined taste. He enjoyed popular music and jazz, but he never allowed these secular elements to intrude into his music for worship.
He was married to Patricia Gilmore Williams, a distinguished local artist and portraitist who predeceased him by several years. He is survived by a sister in Illinois, two married daughters, a married son, five grandchildren, and a great-grandson. A memorial service was held at First Presbyterian Church on March 20. Donations in his memory may be sent to the Dr. John E. Williams Music Scholarship Fund in care of First Presbyterian Church, 393 E. Main St., Spartanburg, SC 29302.
—John M. Bullard

David Albert John Broome, Linda Lanier-Keosaian, Donald G. Larson, Elizabeth “Betty” Lankford Peek, Jane Elizabeth Sawyer

David Albert John Broome, 81, of Windsor Locks, Connecticut, died March 17 after a long illness. He is remembered as one of the world’s foremost reed voicers. Born in Leicester, England on February 21, 1932, he served two years in the Royal Air Force. In 1948, David began his career in organbuilding at J.W. Walker Sons, Ltd in London, England and immigrated to the United States after marrying Caroline Mason in Leicester on October 27, 1956. The Broomes settled in Windsor Locks, Connecticut in 1958 after moving from Hartford, where David had been recruited to join Austin Organs. 

By 1978, he had risen to the executive post of vice president and tonal director at Austin, a position he held until his retirement in 1999. Broome was responsible for the finishing and tonal design of more than 150 organs worldwide, including those at Brompton Oratory, London; Nassau Cathedral, Bahamas; Adelaide Cathedral, Australia; Riverside Church Chapel and First Presbyterian Church, New York City; Czestochowa National Shrine, Doylestown, Pennsylvania; St. John’s Episcopal Church, West Hartford, and Trinity College Chapel, Hartford. 

Since his retirement from Austin, David and his son Christopher operated Broome and Company, voicing reeds for restorations and new installations, including those at Longwood Gardens, Pennsylvania; Woolsey Hall, Yale University, and the Duke University Chapel. David Broome is survived by his wife of 56 years, Caroline (Mason) Broome, four children, ten grandchildren, and nieces and nephews. 

Linda Lanier-Keosaian died January 28; she was 72. She received her BMus degree in organ from Westminster Choir College, and her MSM degree from Union Theological Seminary. At the time of her death, Lanier-Keosaian was working on her Ph.D. in music education at New York University; her doctoral dissertation concerned different interpretive approaches to Franck’s Choral No. 3 in A Minor. As a church organist and choir director, she served numerous churches, include Connecticut Farms Presbyterian in Union, New Jersey, First Congregational in Chatham, Massachusetts, Wilton Congregational in Wilton, Connecticut, and most recently, the Church of the Annunciation in Oradell, New Jersey. 

She and her husband, Rev. Gregory Keosaian, served for 20 years as musician and pastor, respectively, for several Presbyterian churches in New Jersey, including Second Presbyterian in Rahway and Trinity in Paramus. A longtime AGO member, Lanier-Keosaian was a music teacher and choral conductor in the New Jersey public school system for more than 25 years. She founded the New Jersey High School Women’s Choir Festival and was co-founder of the Essex County Choral Festival. Linda Lanier-Keosaian is survived by her husband of 30 years, Gregory Keosaian, two children, and five grandchildren.

Donald G. Larson died February 26 in Decatur, Georgia.  Born in Fargo, North Dakota, he was raised on a farm near Moorhead, Minnesota. He received his bachelor’s degree in music from the University of Minnesota and his master’s degree in church music from Northwestern University, where he was a student of Thomas Matthews. He served as a chaplain’s assistant in the U.S. Army and as organist at Wheaton College in Illinois. He moved to Atlanta in 1960.

Larson spent more than 30 years as music teacher and counselor at Georgia Perimeter College and was awarded professor emeritus status in 1995. He also served as minister of music at three Atlanta-area churches. A long-time member of the Atlanta AGO chapter, he served on the executive committee several times and for 32 years offered monthly classes in training for the Guild exams. Donald G. Larson is survived by his wife of 61 years, Jacqueline, a son, a daughter Marcia, and grandchildren.

Elizabeth “Betty” Lankford Peek died March 24. She had served as associate minister of music at Covenant Presbyterian Church for more than 47 years. Born June 10, 1929, in Spartanburg, South Carolina, she graduated from Mary Baldwin College in Staunton, Virginia, in 1950, and earned the MSM degree from Union Theological Seminary, where she studied organ and composition with M. Searle Wright.

On June 6, 1952, she married Richard Maurice Peek, whom she met at Union. The Peeks were invited to interview for positions at Charlotte’s new Covenant Presbyterian Church. They began their ministry at Covenant July 1, 1952. Over the next 47 years, the Peeks developed and led a music ministry that became one of the most renowned church music programs in the nation.

Arriving long before the city had a full-time symphony orchestra or a performing arts center, the Peeks introduced Charlotte to world-class music by producing free concerts and sponsoring visits by choirs and organists from around the world. There are three pipe organs in the sanctuary building, and the bell tower houses Charlotte’s first cast-bronze carillon.  

Mrs. Peek directed the children’s choirs at Covenant, and also directed the handbell choirs, the first in Charlotte. During worship services and also during special performances she often served as organist while Dr. Peek conducted. She led and participated in numerous music and worship conferences, and served as president of the Presbyterian Association of Musicians from 1978 to 1980. In the mid-eighties she was appointed to the committee to develop a new hymnal for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). 

In 1991 the Peeks led Covenant’s adult choir on the first of several concert tours in Great Britain and Europe, with programs in St. Paul’s Cathedral, York Minster, St. Giles Cathedral, Durham Cathedral, and other well-known churches. When Mrs. Peek and her husband retired in December 1999, Covenant published a 164-page book about the couple. Dr. Peek died in 2005. Mrs. Peek is survived by two sons and two grandchildren.  

Jane Elizabeth Sawyer died July 12, 2012 in Boulder, Colorado; she was 60 years old. The longtime director of music at the First Congregational Church in Boulder, she played the organ, directed vocal and handbell choirs, and was instrumental in rebuilding the church’s organ and in bringing in noted organists for recitals. Sawyer earned bachelor’s degrees in math and music at the University of Wyoming, earned a master’s degree in organ at Southern Methodist University, and did doctoral work in music theory at the Eastman School of Music, where she also was an instructor. In Rochester, New York, she served as director of music and organist at Irondequoit United Church of Christ from 1988 to 1997; she held other church positions in Boulder, Rochester, Dallas, and Laramie, Wyoming. Sawyer served on the executive board of the Denver AGO chapter and was a member of the American Guild of English Handbell Ringers and the Choristers Guild. Jane Elizabeth Sawyer is survived by her brother.