Nunc Dimittis

Paul B. Batson, Jr. of Girard, Ohio, died on October 29, 2002, at the age of 72, after a 15 year battle with cancer. He was an active organist in the Youngstown, Ohio, area, having twice served as Dean of the Youngstown AGO chapter. He served other roles in the chapter and was an ardent supporter and manager of the chapter?s concert series for many years. He was also a dual member of the Pittsburgh chapter. In addition to his work in the office of the Youngstown Sheet and Tube Company, Mr. Batson served as organist for the First Baptist Church of Girard, Canfield Presbyterian Church, Christ Lutheran Church in Boardman, John Knox Presbyterian Church in Youngstown, Holy Name Roman Catholic Church in Youngstown, and Central Christian Church in Warren. He had studied organ in Salzburg, Austria, while in the U.S. Army, and then at Youngstown State University and Westminster College. He is survived by his mother and two nieces, and was preceded in death by his father and a brother. A memorial service was held on November 16 at Central Christian Church in Warren, where he had served for over 25 years, and on November 17 a two-hour program of organ music was played by members of the Youngstown AGO chapter at Canfield Presbyterian Church.

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George Guest, organist and choirmaster of St. John's College, Cambridge, died on November 20, 2002, at the age of 78. Born on February 9, 1924, in Bangor, Gwynedd, he had enjoyed a 40-year tenure at St. John's (1951-91). In 1947 he was appointed first undergraduate organ student under Rob Orr, and then succeed Orr upon graduation. In 1955 he oversaw the rebuilding of the chapel organ, adding a fourth manual. The addition of a solo trumpet stop was celebrated by a setting of the Evening Canticles by Michael Tippett. Much in demand as a recital organist, Guest had no fewer than eight of his former students go on to be cathedral chief organists.

George Howell Guest was the son of a grocery-man and traveling village organist. He was born in Bangor, North Wales, and was a chorister at the cathedral there and then at Chester, where he later served as sub-organist. He moved to Cambridge after four years in the Royal Air Force. In 1948 he won the John Stewart of Rannoch Scholarship for Sacred Music, and was appointed organist of St. John's in 1951. He also served as university lecturer in music from 1956 to 1982, and held the post of university organist from 1974 to 1991. In 1977 he was made a white Druid for his services to Welsh music. A member of the Council of the Royal College of Organists from 1964 until his death, he was its president from 1978 to 1980. He was also a member of the Council of the Royal School of Church Music from 1983, and was an examiner to the Associated Board of Royal Schools of Music from 1959 to 1992. He was president of the Cathedral Organists' Association from 1980 to 1982, and of the Incorporated Association of Organists from 1987 to 1989. He was president of the Friends of Cathedral Music and an honorary fellow of several universities and colleges.

George Guest and the St. John's Choir made some 60 recordings on various labels. His autobiography, A Guest at Cambridge, was first published in 1994 and is now in its second edition. A third edition is planned. He was appointed CBE in 1987. He is survived by his wife Nancy (née Talbot), whom he married in 1959, and by their son and a daughter.

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David H. Williams died on November 22, 2002, the day after his 83rd birthday, at his home in Tucson, Arizona. He was born on November 21, 1919, in Caerphilly, Wales, and arrived in New York City in 1927. There he attended at The Juilliard School, worked at H. W. Gray, and studied organ with Walter Wild. He served churches in New York, Connecticut, and Vermont, before moving to Arizona in 1963, where he was appointed organist and choirmaster at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church. From 1966 until 1984, he served as minister of music, organist, choirmaster, and composer in residence at Catalina United Methodist Church, Tucson. A prolific composer of church music, Mr. Williams had more than 200 works published and had been recognized by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers since 1953. He was named an honorary lifetime member of the AGO. A memorial service took place on November 30, 2002, at Catalina United Methodist Church, Tucson. The service was planned in detail by Williams, and included music by Vaughan Williams, Elgar, Bach, Bobby McFerrin, Manz, Parry, as well as by Williams himself and by his son Peter Williams. The combined choir included members of the choirs from Catalina United Methodist Church and Trinity Presbyterian Church, conducted by his son Peter. A tribute written by former Catalina pastor Stan Brown was read, detailing their many years of collaboration. He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Ruth Williams, five children, and eight grandchildren.

Vernon de Tar died on October 7 in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, at the age of 94. He was organist and choirmaster at the Episcopal Church of the Ascension in Greenwich Village for 42 years, and had taught at Union Theological Seminary, Yale University, and the Juilliard School. Born in Detroit, Michigan, he studied piano and organ at Syracuse University, graduating in 1927, and continued studies with Franklin Cannon, David McK. Williams and Fernando Germani. He was appointed organist and choirmaster at Calvary Episcopal Church in New York in 1932 and moved to the Church of the Ascension in 1939. There he oversaw the installation of a Holtkamp organ, established a notable sacred music program and a concert series. Dr. de Tar taught at the Juilliard School from 1947 to 1982, the School of Sacred Music at Union Theological Seminary 1945-72, and at the Institute of Sacred Music at Yale University 1975-78. He was a member of the American Guild of Organists, the Association of Anglican Musicians, and the Hymn Society of America. After his retirement from the Church of the Ascension in 1981, he served as a substitute organist at several churches in Pennsylvania and continued to teach privately.

Michael R. Israel died on September 14 following a lengthy illness. Born on October 23, 1962, in North Carolina, he began his musical studies at the University of Cincinnati-Conservatory of Music and earned a degree in organ performance at the University of Louisville. He served as organist and director of music at churches in Cincinnati and in the Kentuckiana area, including Jefferstown Christian Church, Christ Evangelical United Church of Christ, St. John United Presbyterian Church, and Anchorage Presbyterian Church. He also played oboe and English horn, as well as singing baritone in various choral groups. Mr. Israel joined the staff of Miller Pipe Organ Company, Louisville, Kentucky, in 1988, first on a part-time basis while a college student, and later full-time as a technician and eventually service department manager. In that capacity, he had charge of scheduling quarterly visits throughout a ten state area as well as being a tuning team leader. He was a member of the American Institute of Organbuilders, the American Guild of Organists, and the Organ Historical Society. In 1993, he was selected as an E. Power Biggs Fellow by the OHS for the national convention in Louisville and Southern Indiana. He also performed as a recitalist at the convention, playing an 1879 organ by Koehnken & Grimm.

Robert Rayfield died on October 18 in Bloomington, Indiana, at the age of 79. He was professor emeritus of music at Indiana University, an international concert organist, and a church musician. Born April 15, 1920 in Selma, Alabama, he studied at the American Conservatory of Music in Chicago, where he won the Conservatory Commencement Contest, the Van Dusen Organ Club Scholarship, and the Society of American Musicians Contest. He was later awarded a Fulbright Scholarship for study in Paris, France with Rolande Falcinelli and Jean Langlais. While in Europe, he traveled extensively, playing recitals and studying organ design. After returning from Europe he earned the Doctor of Music degree from Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois. He was a P51 pilot in the U.S. Air Force and received the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal. He concertized extensively and had made several recordings. Before his appointment to Indiana University in 1963, he served as Chairman of the organ department at Moody Bible Institute and organist of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Chicago. He retired from Indiana in 1990. He was known especially for his performances of the music of Leo Sowerby and Jean Langlais, and had written articles for The Diapason, The American Organist, and Clavier. Dr. Rayfield was a member of the American Guild of Organists and the Association of Anglican Musicians, and continued as organist of Trinity Episcopal Church, Bloomington, at the time of his death. Survivors include his wife, Nancy Platt Rayfield, two sons, one sister, and one grandson. A Requiem Eucharist was celebrated on October 22 at Trinity Episcopal Church.

Philip Hahn, the immediate past president of the American Guild of Organists, died peacefully at his home in San Francisco, California on April 13, 2003, from complications of myelofibrosis, a disease of the bone marrow. From 1992 to 2002, he was a member of the AGO National Council and served as president from 1998 to 2002.

Hahn received bachelor and master of music degrees from the University of Michigan where he studied with Marilyn Mason and Robert Noehren, and earned a DMA in composition and organ performance from the American Conservatory of Music, Chicago, studying with Stella Roberts and Robert Lodine. He received certificates in organ, composition, and solfeggio from the Conservatoire Americain, Fontainebleau, France, where he studied with Nadia Boulanger and André Marchal, and held the AAGO certificate.

During his career, he was an associate professor of music at the University of Northern Iowa, where he oversaw the installation of a large four-manual organ built by Robert Noehren, and was director of music at Waterloo's First United Methodist Church. After moving to California, Hahn served as director of music at the First Presbyterian Church in Palo Alto for several years before being appointed artistic director of the San Francisco Boys Chorus. He played many recitals on notable instruments and was a featured recitalist, workshop leader, and adjudicator at many AGO conventions.

Philip Hahn was also a professional chef, holding the position of sous chef at the Clift Hotel in San Francisco, later running his own restaurant, Fanny's, in San Francisco. For several years Hahn ran the restaurant and served as organist at the First Presbyterian Church of San Anselmo, returning exclusively to church music in 1980. From 1990 until his death, Hahn served as organist-choirmaster at St. John's Episcopal Church in Ross, California.

Dr. Hahn's compositions include sacred anthems, pieces for trumpet and organ including The Trumpet Sings Thanksgiving; Spiritual; Fanfare for Five Trumpets and Organ; and two large concerted works: Fantasy for Orchestra and Acclamations! A Fanfare for Concert Band. For the organ, he wrote several short hymn-based compositions plus larger works including Sonata for Organ; Songs from the Forest: A Suite for Organ and Synthesizer; and Suite for Organ Celesta, Vibraharp, and Timpani. His Sonata for Violin and Piano was the recipient of a Sigma Alpha Iota Prize. His short ballet The Dance in the Desert was fully staged at both the First Presbyterian Church, Palo Alto, and at St. John's Episcopal Church in Ross.

He is survived by his partner of 29 years Norman Nagao, two sisters, and a number of nephews and nieces. A memorial service was held at St. John's Episcopal Church in Ross, California, on May 4.

Richard L. Johnson, 61, of Buffalo, New York, and East Longmeadow, Massachusetts, died on December 6, 2002, in Buffalo. Dr. Johnson was professor of humanities at Medaille College, Buffalo, joining the faculty in 1984. An accomplished musician and dedicated educator, he was known for his innovative theatre and music classes. He also directed numerous stage productions and was named the college's Professor of the Year for 2000-2001.

Dr. Johnson was born on May 17, 1941, in San Antonio, Texas. Upon receiving his Bachelor of Arts degree in music from Trinity University of San Antonio in 1963, he went on to earn his Master of Music degree from Yale University in 1965. He spent 1966-67 in Copenhagen, Denmark, on a Fulbright Scholarship, studying organ with Finn Viderø. Returning to the United States, he held faculty positions at Wake Forest University, Amherst College, Smith College, and the University of Maine. In 1973, he graduated from the University of Michigan with a Doctor of Musical Arts degree. In 1992, he received a National Endowment for the Humanities award to study theatre at Columbia University, and at the time of his death he was pursuing a post-doctoral Master's degree in Theatre at SUNY-Buffalo.

In addition to teaching, Dr. Johnson performed organ recitals at venues across the country, including the National Cathedral in Washington, DC, and St. Thomas Church in New York City. Several of his recordings aired on National Public Radio stations throughout the country. He is survived by his parents, a sister, brother, nieces and nephews, and his long-time partner, Richard LaBorde of East Longmeadow.

Richard Eugene Livesay died on February 24 at the age of 87. A resident of Alexandria, Virginia, he was organist at Cherrydale United Methodist Church in Arlington from 1947 to 1988, when he was named organist emeritus. At that church he had played for more than 2,000 Sunday services, 600 weddings, and countless funerals, and helped design the church's Wicks pipe organ of 37 ranks. He was a former Dean of the Alexandria AGO chapter and was a guest organist at Washington National Cathedral. Born in Tulsa, he began piano study at age 12 and organ at age 16, and he attended Blackburn College in Illinois, Park College in Missouri, and American University. In the late 1930s, he worked for Jenkins Music Co. and demonstrated Hammond organs at churches around Tulsa. Mr. Livesay was also a Defense Department official from 1940 until retiring in 1973 as staff secretary to the secretary of defense. He is survived by his wife of 64 years Veradell Elliott Livesay, two children, and five grandchildren.

Dale Wood died on April 13 after a valiant battle against esophageal and lung cancer, at his Sea Ranch, California home. A renowned composer, organist and choral director, he was known for his numerous published choral works and hymn tunes, and his compositions for handbells, harp, and organ. He was for many years organist and choirmaster in San Francisco at the Episcopal Church of St. Mary the Virgin and served in a similar capacity in Lutheran churches in Hollywood and Riverside, California. He had published numerous articles on worship, liturgy, and church music, and was a contributing editor to the Journal of Church Music for over a decade. His monthly column appeared in the Methodist journal Music Ministry for three years. Wood headed the publications committee of Choristers Guild from 1970-74. After serving as music director of the Grace Cathedral School for Boys in San Francisco (1973-74), he was appointed executive director for The Sacred Music Press, a position he held from 1975-96, and was editor emeritus 1996-2001. The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) honored Dale Wood annually since 1967 for his "very important contribution towards the creation and development of contemporary American Music." The Board of Regents of California Lutheran University awarded Dale Wood the title of "Exemplar of the University," citing him as "an example of excellence in service and a worthy model of a good and useful life."

Ronald Edward Ballard, of Little Rock, Arkansas, died on January 23, from kidney, liver, and heart disease. Born on January 9, 1947, in North Little Rock, he was a graduate of Oklahoma Baptist University. He wrote theater and concert reviews for the Spectrum and Arkansas Times and was business administrator for Stanton Road School and First Christian Church in Little Rock. At the time of his death, Ballard was organist and choirmaster of Westover Hills Presbyterian Church in Little Rock. He previously served a number of churches in Little Rock, North Little Rock; Charlotte, North Carolina; and Brenham, Texas; and taught music, history, and mathematics in North Little Rock Public Schools and Stanton Road School. He served as dean of the Central Arkansas AGO chapter in 1976–77.

George A. Brandon died on March 30 in Davis, California, following a short illness. He was 76. Born in Stockton, California on February 4, 1924, he earned a BA in history at College of the Pacific in 1945 and a Master of Sacred Music degree in 1952 at Union Theological Seminary. He served as organist-director at several churches in the New York City area, and before returning to Union in 1955 to earn a master's in religious education he served two years as organist-director of the First Presbyterian Church in Burlington, North Carolina. While at Union, he met Dona Lee Banzett, whom he married in 1954. They taught for five years at two small midwestern colleges and then relocated to Davis, California, in 1962. During the 1960s, Mr. Brandon held positions at several Davis churches, including Incarnation Lutheran, Davis Community Church, and St. Martin's Episcopal Church. In 1994 he was commissioned by St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Sacramento, California, to write the "St. Paul's Suite," an organ work based on the last chorus of Saint-Saëns' Christmas Oratorio, for a concert that celebrated the restoration and 80th anniversary of the church's 1877 Johnson organ (opus 503). Mr. Brandon was a free-lance composer, with over 300 published compositions, including anthems, hymn tunes and texts, choir responses, secular choruses, organ and piano pieces. He researched and wrote about many aspects of church music and related fields, especially early American hymnody. He was a member of the AGO, the Hymn Society of the US and Canada, the Hymn Society of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Sonneck Society. A celebration of Mr. Brandon's life and work took place at St. Martin's Episcopal Church, Davis, on May 17. He is survived by his wife of 45 years, Dona Lee Brandon, a daughter, and a sister.

Otto Juergen Hofmann, organbuilder of Austin, Texas, died on May 12, at the age of 82. He was born of German immigrant parents in Kyle, Texas on December 9, 1918, the youngest of ten children. He attended the University of Texas, studied physics, music, philosophy, and sociology, and had a PhD in physics from UT-Austin. Hofmann built his first slider-chest and mechanical-action organ in 1938. One of his first contracts was to rebuild the organ at St. Mary's Cathedral, Austin. He then built the organ for St. Stephen's Episcopal School. This was soon followed by an organ for the chapel of Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. Hofmann built, rebuilt, and restored numerous organs throughout Texas and beyond. He was involved in the early efforts of the tracker organ revival, and collaborated with Flentrop in building an organ for Matthews Memorial Presbyterian Church in Albany, Texas, in 1955. He served as president of the International Society of Organbuilders, and in 1975 was awarded the Industrial Arts Medal by the Austin chapter of the American Institute of Architects. He retired from active organ building in 1994.

James Dale Holloway died on May 17, the random victim of a shooting on the campus of Pacific Lutheran University, Tacoma, Washington. Holloway, age 40, was appointed assistant professor of music and university organist at PLU in the fall of 2000. Born in Columbus, Georgia, on July 4, 1960, Holloway received a BMus from Shorter College in Rome, Georgia; a master's degree from the University of North Texas; and after beginning doctoral studies at the University of Alabama, completed his doctorate at the University of Washington. As a church musician, he served parishes in Georgia, Texas, Alabama, and Oregon, before moving to Tacoma in 1989 to become minister of music at Trinity Lutheran Church. For ten years he taught part-time at PLU before his full-time appointment in 2000. He was a performer and lecturer at national and regional conventions of the AGO, the OHS, and the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians. He was current president of the western regional ACLM, and was a winner in 16 organ competitions at the state, regional, and national levels. A memorial fund, the "James Holloway Music Scholarship Fund," has been established at PLU in his memory. A memorial service took place on May 21 at the university. He is survived by his wife, Judy (Willis) Carr, and five stepchildren.

Antonio Ruffatti died on May 6, in Padova, Italy, at the age of 89. He co-founded Fratelli Ruffatti, organbuilders, in Padova in 1940--following a centuries-old tradition in that geographic area of Italy--a firm which continues today under the direction of his sons Francesco and Piero. In the 1950s, he succeeded in making Fratelli Ruffatti known internationally by building a five-manual organ for the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal. In the following decade, he built many organs in the United States. Following the classical tradition in his own country, he was among the first in Italy to call for the return to mechanical action. Fratelli Ruffatti built several tracker instruments in the early 1960s, a practice which was highly uncommon, if not controversial, at the time in Italy, but which has grown to become an important part of the current activity of the firm. He also delved into restoration techniques, and today Fratelli Ruffatti is one of the few firms licensed by the Italian government to do historical restoration on Italy's ancient instruments.

Henry August “Hank” Elling died October 10, 2010, in Catawba, North Carolina, at the age of 85. He was music director and principal organist at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church and School in Rockford, Illinois for 36 years. Born into a long line of Lutheran pastors, he first played the organ at age 15, for his sister’s wedding. Following service in the Philippines in World War II, he earned a bachelor’s degree in organ and piano from Augustana College, Rock Island, Illinois, a master’s from Wayne State University, and worked toward a Ph.D. at the University of Southern California. Elling served as choir director at Chicago’s Luther North High School, where the award-winning choirs concertized in Europe and sang at Christmas programs organized by Mayor Richard Daley. He was a longtime member of the Rockford AGO chapter. Henry August Elling is survived by his wife of 50 years, Martha, sons Henry J. (Cathy), Kurt A. (Jennifer), daughter Suzanne (Rev. Gregory) Alms, brother Rev. Norman (Selma) Elling, daughter-in-law Kerry Osley Elling, and grandchildren, nieces, and nephews.

Gilbert Mead died November 25, 2010 of complications from congestive heart failure at his home at Windsor Park Manor in Carol Stream, Illinois, at the age of 83. He was well known particularly in the Chicago area for his involvement as a musician on WMBI, the flagship station of the Moody Radio Network.
Born April 4, 1927, Mead began playing as a church organist when just a boy in his hometown of Battle Creek, Michigan. His fascination with pipe organs led him to seeking books on organbuilding from libraries some distance from Battle Creek. He particularly remembered the E. M. Skinner organ (Opus 720, 1928) at the First Presbyterian Church of Battle Creek, where his first piano teacher was the church’s organist. Battle Creek had many E. M. Skinner instruments of this period (1928–1932), with installations at the Kellogg Auditorium, St. Phillip Catholic Church, and St. Thomas Episcopal Church. Mead’s first organ lessons were at St. Thomas. He recalled the impeccable pedal technique of their organist who, according to his memory, played in highly polished white shoes that showed no sign of scuffing between the feet.
Gilbert Mead earned a Bachelor of Music degree in piano performance at the American Conservatory, where he studied with Leo Sowerby, Stella Roberts, Irwin Fischer, and Bruno Glade, and a master’s in organ performance from Northwestern University, where his instructors included Barrett Spach, Richard Enright, and Grigg Fountain.
Mead came to Chicago to study at the Moody Bible Institute in 1945 and gradually became involved at WMBI. Upon completion of a course in Biblical studies, he became a full-time staff musician, working in radio from 1950–1962. He logged thousands of hours in varied programming as a solo organist, pianist, accompanist, and director of various choirs. In 1962 Donald Hustad invited him to join the Sacred Music Department of Moody Bible Institute when the trend in radio was away from “live” music toward pre-recorded music. He joined a faculty with some renowned organists—Donald Hustad, Robert Rayfield, Lillian Robinson, Lester Groom, and Preston Rockholt.
Mead was known for his polished performance style at the organ, and was revered by a host of fine students on both piano and organ. He had a passion for providing engaging and sympathetic accompaniment to congregational singing. His approach caused one colleague to quip that Gilbert Mead always “played the words”.
Mead served four churches in the Chicago area over a period of about 55 years: Judson Baptist Church in Oak Park (1950–1968), First Baptist Church of Elmhurst (1968–1973), Wheaton Bible Church (1973–1989), and College Church in Wheaton (1990–1996). He filled the dual role of organist-choirmaster at Judson Baptist and First Baptist Churches. At Judson Baptist, he oversaw a large rebuilding of the church’s original Estey organ (10 ranks) into a much larger 3-manual organ with 31 ranks of new pipework from Aeolian-Skinner (Opus 1466). He finished his church music career as organist for five years at the College Church in Wheaton, where he served as consultant for the installation of the new 3-manual Schantz (1992).
Mead was well respected in the Chicago area for his conscientious work as an organbuilder and restorer. His weekends, apart from Moody Bible Institute and his church work, were filled with service calls to dozens of Chicago-area churches and colleges in tuning and in some rebuilding work. There are a handful of organs in the Chicago region bearing the nameplate “MEAD AND SONS, Elmhurst, Illinois.” His work in maintaining the historic Reuter organ at Moody Memorial Church was well on display when that organ was a featured instrument in the events held by the Romantic Organ Music Symposium in the summer of 1988. In preparation for a recital by Robert Glasgow when the weather had been extremely hot, and in an un-air-conditioned church, Mead managed to keep the organ in tune, to the delight of all.
Gilbert Mead is survived by his wife of 59 years, Martha (Jennison), four sons: Stephen (Marjorie Lamp), Robert (Connie Blaschke), David (Brenda Simms), and Donald (Karen Sarasin); and a sister Beverly (Mead) Todd.
—Donald Mead

Andrew Seivewright, master of music at Carlisle Cathedral for more than 30 years, died December 10, 2010, at age 84. He served as cathedral master of music from 1960 to 1991. He founded the Abbey Singers in 1962 and took the group on tours throughout Europe and the USA. He was an established composer whose latest choral CD, If Winter Comes, was released last year. He was also a pianist, organist and conductor.
Following his retirement, Seivewright was organist at Crosthwaite Church in Keswick for four years and then, from 1994, at Grasmere. The son of a clergyman, he began playing the organ when he was 10 years old. He studied at Denstone College before going on to read classics at King’s College, Cambridge. In World War II he joined the RAF, training as a navigator in Canada. After the war he returned to Cambridge and studied music. He and his wife Nora lived in Yorkshire, where he had teaching posts, and then, in 1960, they moved to Carlisle. In June 2010 a concert was held to mark Seivewright’s 50 years as a church musician.

Earl V. Kelone, 82, of Little Rock, Arkansas, died on May 10 from a stroke. He was born on November 18, 1919 in Little Rock and was a member of Our Lady of the Holy Souls Catholic Church, where he served as organist and choir director for 48 years. He also served as treasurer of the Central Arkansas AGO chapter for several years, and was an Army veteran of World War II in the Pacific Theatre. Mr. Kelone is survived by his wife of 55 years, Gertrude Kelone, a daughter, a brother, a sister, and two grandchildren. Memorials may be made to the Msgr. Allen Trust Fund, c/o Our Lady of the Holy Souls Church, 1003 N. Tyler St., Little Rock, AR 72205; or St. Joseph's Endowment Fund, 1115 College Ave., Conway, AR 72032.

Frederick A. Lake, age 72, died on June 28 at Kaiser Hospital in San Francisco, California, after a lengthy illness. Fred served as senior voicer at Schoenstein & Co., San Francisco, where was employed since 1981. In his 21 years of dedicated service to the company, he was a major contributor in developing their American Romantic tonal style. He carried out numerous voicing research and development projects based on the firm's studies in France, Germany and England, and conducted numerous tonal experiments toward the creation of new stops such as the Schoenstein Symphonic Flute. Fred also took part in tuning and tonal finishing activities.

According to members of his family, Fred developed a passionate interest in the pipe organ and its music as he grew up in Kalamazoo, Michigan. He studied organ in school and college and held posts as a church organist through much of his career. His organ work started with an apprencticeship at the firm of Rudolf von Beckerath in Hamburg, Germany. His training was primarily in flue voicing. In 1958 he joined John Shawhan, the Casavant representative in Saginaw, Michigan, where he took part in the installation and finishing of many new Casavant organs as well as rebuilding projects and tuning. In 1968, Fred joined the Berghaus Organ Company in Bellwood, Illinois, where he served as voicer and handled other organ building, rebuilding, and service responsibilities until moving to San Francisco and joining the Schoenstein organization. He was a member of the American Institute of Organbuilders.

Fred Lake was highly respected by co-workers and clients alike. He was a gentlemanly, soft-spoken, and learned colleague with extensive interests and knowledge in a wide range of scientific subjects. His thorough dedication to the study of pipe organ tone made him a valued member of the pipe organ community. He is survived by his sister Ruth Ann Saunders of Kirkland, Washington.

--Jack Bethards

President, Schoenstein & Co.

Robert Noehren died on August 4 in San Diego, California. He was 91. Dr. Noehren enjoyed a long career as a recitalist, teacher, scholar, and organ builder. He taught at the University of Michigan from 1949 to 1976, serving as head of the organ department and university organist, and was named professor emeritus in 1977.

Born on December 16, 1910, in Buffalo, New York, Noehren studied organ with Gaston Dethier, Ernest Mitchell and Lynnwood Farnam, and composition with Paul Hindemith. Early in his career he served as a church organist in Germantown, Pennsylvania; Buffalo, New York; and Grand Rapids, Michigan. He taught at Davidson College prior to his appointment to the University of Michigan. Noehren made over 40 recordings and was the first organist and one of only two non-French organists to receive the Grand Prix du Disque (for his recording of the Bach Trio Sonatas). In 1978 he received the Performer of the Year Award from the New York City AGO chapter.

Through grants from the Carnegie Foundation and the University of Michigan, Noehren toured France, Germany, and Holland extensively, gathering scaling and voicing data on the organs of those countries. Articles based on those experiences appeared in The Diapason beginning in 1948. He formed his own organ company in Ann Arbor and built 20 organs between 1955 and 1979, including large four-manual instruments at St. John's Cathedral, Milwaukee; First Presbyterian Church, Buffalo, New York; and First Unitarian Church, San Francisco. In 1999, Harmonie Park Press (Warren, Michigan) published Noehren's collection of essays, An Organist's Reader, which details his life in music and organ building. Recent recordings include The Robert Noehren Retrospective (Lyrichord LYR-CD-6005) and Johann Sebastian Bach (Fleur de Lis FL 0101-2).

[A tribute will appear in a later issue.]