Harold P. Berg, of Schaumburg, IL, died September 26 at the age of 82. He was born on June 14, 1913 in Chicago, and served as organist and choir director of Edison Park Lutheran Church, Chicago, from 1932-46. He then served as organist and choir director at St. Paul United Church of Palatine until 1992. In 1982, St. Paul's Church honored Mr. Berg's 50 years as a church musician by confering on him the title Minister of Music. In addition, he worked as an accountant at Aeroquip Corporation for 34 years, retiring in 1978 to work part-time for Savage Brothers of Elk Grove Village. He is survived by his wife Marion M. Berg, two children and six grandchildren.
Leslie Neal Casaday, principal parish musician of St. Philip's Church, Jackson, MS, died Februrary 21 after an extended illness. He was founding director of the Mississippi Conference on Church Music and Liturgy, and served as a Licensed Lay Reader and Eucharistic Minister of the Episcopal Church. Born on November 11, 1940, in Memphis, TN, he was educated at the University of Mississippi and Memphis State University. He studied organ with Thomas H. Webber and Richard T. White. Previous church appointments include Underwood United Methodist Church, Memphis, 1958-60; St. George's Episcopal Church, Germantown, TN, 1961-65; First United Methodist Church, New Albany, MS, 1967-71; and Christ Episcopal Church, Holly Springs, MS, 1972-74. He also served as guest organist-choirmaster at St. Mary's Episcopal Cathedral, Memphis, 1960-70. Last December St. Philip's Church honored Mr. Casaday for his 20th year as organist and choirmaster there. In 1993 he received the Association of Diocesan Liturgy and Music Commission's National Award for his contribution to the music of the Episcopal Church. He was also honored by the creation of the Leslie Neal Casaday Scholarships for participants in the Mississippi Conference on Church Music and Liturgy.
Howard Swan died on September 18 in Newport Beach, CA, at the age of 89. Long considered the grandfather of choral music in Southern California, he served as choral director at Occidental College for 37 years. After his mandatory retirement in 1971, he went on to teach at Cal State Fullerton and UC Irvine. His Occidental choir was selected as one of four in the nation and 16 in the world to perform at the International University Choral Festival in New York's Lincoln Center in 1969. A popular guest conductor, Mr. Swan was often selected to organize and director choirs for national conventions. He is author of the book Music in the Southwest and the article on Los Angeles music in the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, and co-authored Choral Conducting: A Symposium. He is survived by his wife, three children, eight grandchildren, and 11 great-grandchildren.
