Nunc Dimittis

Toni Desiree Hines, Donald G. Larson, Robert Eugene Ward, Randel Lynn Wolfe, Zella Mae Woods

Toni Desiree Hines died January 19. A native of Jackson, Mississippi, Hines worked in Chicago, New York, and Philadelphia; in the latter city she was organist in residence and program coordinator at the Traverse Arts Project from 2007 to 2011, where she was the driving force of its International LGBT Arts Festival. Hines moved to Kansas City in 2011 to study at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music, and was appointed the Curdy Organ Scholar at Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral in Kansas City, where she worked with the cathedral choirs as conductor, accompanist, and bell ringer. She was a member of the Greater Kansas City AGO chapter. Toni Desiree Hines is survived by several brothers and sisters, and the cathedral community.

Donald G. Larson, age 81, died February 26 in Decatur, Georgia. He received a BA degree in music from the University of Minnesota, and a master’s degree in church music from Northwestern University. Larson served as a chaplain’s assistant in the U.S. Army. For more than 30 years he was a music teacher and counselor at Georgia Perimeter College, where he was named professor emeritus in 1995. Larson also served as minister of music at three Atlanta-area churches, and as a longtime board member of the Atlanta AGO chapter. Donald G. Larson is survived by his wife of more than 61 years, Jacqueline, a son, a daughter, and four grandchildren.

Robert Eugene Ward died April 3 in Durham, North Carolina, at the age of 95. Ward studied composition with Bernard Rogers and Howard Hanson at the Eastman School of Music and later with Aaron Copland at Tanglewood. He taught at the Juilliard School, then at Columbia University, and worked as vice president and managing editor of Galaxy Music Corporation. Ward was president of the North Carolina School of the Arts 1967–74, and a professor at Duke University. His opera The Crucible won the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 1962; he composed many choral works, and Celebrations of God in Nature and The Promised Land for organ.

Randel Lynn Wolfe, age 52, died April 14 in Reading, Pennsylvania. He earned a BMus degree from California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, an MSM from Wittenberg University, Springfield, Ohio, and a DMA in choral conducting and organ from the University of Kansas, with postgraduate study at Uppsala University in Sweden. Wolfe served the AGO as dean, and was a member of the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America, the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians, and Chorus America. He was on the board of the RSCM in America, and had served as an instructor at Alvernia University. Randel Lynn Wolfe is survived by his mother, two brothers, and his longtime partner, David B. Kersley.

Zella Mae Woods died March 6. She was 89. She taught music at Fresno Pacific University for 16 years, and had studied with Richard Purvis at Grace Cathedral, San Francisco. She was organist at Fresno First Baptist Church for 33 years, and also played for First Presbyterian, College Community Congregational, Bethel Lutheran, and St. George’s Greek Orthodox churches in Fresno. Woods also was the accompanist for the Fresno Community Chorus, the Fresno Pacific Choral Society, and Fresno Choral Artists. She served the San Joaquin Valley AGO chapter as board member and dean, and as past president of the Fresno Musical Club, the Fresno chapter of the National Society of Arts and Letters, and the central district of the California Federation of Music Clubs. Zella Mae Woods is survived by a son, a daughter, five grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.

William Brant Mills, Don G. Campbell, Steven Alan Clark, Rockwell Lewis “Wes” Deaton Jr., Dale Alexander Gilliland, E. Robert Irwin

Nunc Dimittis

William Brant Mills of Florence, South Carolina, died on February 18 at the age of 68. A diaconal minister in the United Methodist Church, Mills had served as director of music and organist at Central United Methodist Church in Florence for over 42 years. 

Mills earned degrees in organ performance—a Bachelor of Music from Florida State University, and a Master of Music from the University of South Carolina. He also did post-graduate study at Indiana University, Southern Methodist University, Stanford University, and Columbia College. Mills was founder and director of the Masterworks Choir in Florence, which toured Austria and Germany, participated in the Piccolo Spoleto festival, and sang services at Washington National Cathedral. The Masterworks Choir also sang choral works of Robert Powell at Christ Episcopal Church in Greenville, South Carolina, when Powell retired. William Brant Mills is survived by his children, Brantley Rees Mills and Susan Mills Rana, and four grandchildren.

Don G. Campbell, age 65, died June 2 in Boulder, Colorado. A native of San Antonio, Texas, Campbell studied at the Fontainebleau Conservatory in France, and earned two degrees at the University of North Texas. He was the author of 23 books, including the bestsellers The Mozart Effect and The Mozart Effect for Children; his most recent book, released in 2011, was Healing at the Speed of Sound, co-authored with Alex Doman. Campbell founded the Institute of Music, Health, and Education in Boulder in 1988, serving as its director until 1997. He also was involved with Aesthetic Audio Systems, which worked with hospitals and health care systems to provide music systems to optimize healing. Campbell was a member of the Denver AGO chapter, for which he served on the executive board.

The American Music Research Center at the University of Colorado is creating the Don Campbell Collection to house his books, videos, DVDs, and documents, including source material for several of Campbell’s most popular works. The collection will also include private letters from Nadia Boulanger, Campbell’s teacher. 

Steven Alan Clark died July 14 in Nashville, Tennessee. He was 60 years old. He began organ study at age eleven, and earned a bachelor’s degree in organ and a master’s in choral conducting at the University of Tennessee. Clark served as organist-choirmaster at six churches in Tennessee and Florida, and served in a number of leadership roles in the AGO. He was also a licensed massage therapist. Steven Alan Clark is survived by his wife, Donna, two daughters, two grandchildren, his father, four siblings, a sister-in-law and two brothers-in-law, and seven nephews. 

Rockwell Lewis “Wes” Deaton Jr. died in Davidson, North Carolina on July 26 at age 59. He was organist at Davidson Methodist Church and earned a bachelor’s degree in music in 1974, studying organ with Wilmer Hayden Welsh. He earned a master’s degree from the Peabody Conservatory in 1976, where his major teachers were Cherry Rhodes and Donald Sutherland. Deaton moved to New York City in 1976 and studied with Calvin Hampton, and played for churches in the New York area, including St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Woodhaven, New York, and Church of the Transfiguration. Deaton’s advertising career took him around the world; he served as senior vice president at Publicis New York, among other positions that he held. In 2000, Deaton returned to Davidson, where he established a marketing company and became involved in local organizations. There he served in substitute and interim organist positions. Rockwell Lewis Deaton Jr. is survived by his partner Robert Guttman, two children, two grandchildren, in-laws, and cousins.

Dale Alexander Gilliland, age 79, died June 28 in Bellevue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He began organ studies at age twelve and started his 63-year career as a church organist at Knoxville Baptist Church in Pittsburgh in 1949. During the Korean War, Gilliland served as a chaplain’s assistant and organist at Fort Belvoir, Virginia; following military service, he served various churches. Gilliland served as treasurer of the Pittsburgh AGO chapter and was on the 1999 AGO Region III convention committee, was past president and treasurer of the Pittsburgh chapter of the Presbyterian Association of Musicians, and a committee member of the Pittsburgh Organ Academy. Dale Alexander Gilliland is survived by Elizabeth Douglas Gilliland, three daughters, and two grandsons. 

E. Robert Irwin died July 28 in Norfolk, Virginia. He was 73 years old. A native of Grand Rapids, Michigan, Irwin studied organ at the Oberlin Conservatory, receiving a bachelor’s degree in 1961. He earned a doctorate in organ and sacred music from the Eastman School of Music, where he studied with David Craighead. Irwin was a professor of music at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina, where he taught organ, music history and theory, and organ literature for 24 years and established a program in church music. He was honored twice by the university as teacher of the year. During retirement, he served as a church musician in Michigan, Virginia, and North Carolina. E. Robert Irwin is survived by his wife, Claudette Smith-Irwin, two sons, a daughter, a brother, and five grandchildren.

Royston John Merritt Jr. died on July 7 at the age of 84 in Matthews, North Carolina. After serving in the U.S. Army, he earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Georgia and worked at DuPont, Reigle Paper, and First Union Bank. He also enjoyed a 53-year career as organist and choirmaster, serving numerous churches, the last of which was Central Steele Creek Presbyterian. Merritt was active in the Charlotte Oratorio Singers and the Charlotte AGO chapter, the North Carolina Train Host Association, and at the Plantation Estates Retirement Community where he resided. Royston John Merritt Jr. is survived by his wife of 61 years, Jean, three children, ten grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.

Thomas H. Schleis died July 19 in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois. He was 62. Schleis studied piano, organ, and harpsichord at Lawrence University and received a master’s degree in musicology at the University of Wisconsin. He was also a Fulbright scholar, conducting research in Germany. An adjunct faculty member at the University of Illinois since 1981, Schleis taught music history and performance, and served as head coach of the opera department. He received the Excellence in Teaching and Faculty Service Award from the university continuing education association, and served as organist at the campus’s Newman Center for 33 years. Schleis was dean of the East Central Illinois AGO chapter for 15 years. Thomas H. Schleis is survived by a sister, a stepsister, and two stepbrothers.

Carlo Curley, Margaret Garrett Hayward, Daniel T. Moe, The Rev. Carl E. Schroeder, Florence Emily Westrum

Carlo Curley died at his home in Melton Mowbray, England, on August 11. He was 59. Born into a musical family in North Carolina in 1952, he attended the North Carolina School of the Arts. His organ studies were with Arthur Poister, Robert Elmore, Virgil Fox, and George Thalben-Ball.

Early in his career, he was invited by the President to play at the White House, and made history as the first classical organist to give a solo organ recital there. Carlo Curley played before crowned heads of Europe, including the late Princess Grace of Monaco, the Princess Royal of England, and several Command Performances for the Danish Royal Family; he made private recordings for the Sultan of Oman. Curley played in every state and province in North America and Canada, as well as Europe, Asia, Australia, and Hong Kong; he recently toured Japan with the King’s Singers. 

Carlo Curley also appeared on TV and radio. His network TV appearances in the United States, England, Australia, and Japan are well known. In England, he made innumerable appearances for the BBC, including organ spectaculars from the cathedrals at Ely, Lichfield, Norwich, Guildford, and Gloucester. Recently the U.K.’s Classic FM broadcast live his concert at Westminster Abbey, given in aid of the Abbey Choir School and the Royal School of Church Music. Carlo Curley’s recordings included CDs and the first-ever commercial video of a classical organ performance, Organ Imperial. His recordings have been voted “Best of the Month” by Stereo Review in the USA, “Record of the Year” in Scandinavia, and “Laser Disc of Exceptional Merit” by FM Fan in Japan, where his CDs enjoy particularly brisk sales.

Margaret Garrett Hayward of Centerport, New York, died February 1. She was 94 years old. A 1938 graduate of Skidmore College, she studied organ with a number of teachers, including Stanley Saxton, Palmer Christian, Paul Callaway, and Thomas Richner. She played at churches on Long Island for nearly 55 years, including 17 years at Locust Valley Dutch Reformed Church; she also served at Bayshore Methodist, Old First Presbyterian of Huntington, St. Paul’s Methodist, Trinity Episcopal, Huntington Episcopal, and others. Margaret Hayward retired in 1998 but continued to play as a substitute.

Daniel T. Moe died May 24 at age 85 in Sarasota, Florida. Born in Fargo, North Dakota, Moe served in the Naval Air Corps (1944–46) as a clarinetist and saxophonist. He later graduated from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota, and earned master’s (University of Washington) and doctoral (University of Iowa) degrees. Moe was a faculty member at the Oberlin Conservatory from 1972–92, where he directed the choral ensembles. He retired to Sarasota, Florida; at the time of his death he was conductor emeritus of the Key Chorale, and composer in residence at the Church of the Redeemer. His composition Cantata for Peace was performed in 1993 during the visit of Pope John Paul II. Daniel T. Moe is survived by his wife, five sons, seven grandchildren, two brothers, and a sister. 

The Rev. Carl E. Schroeder died June 12 in Mount Joy, Pennsylvania. He was 78. Schroeder earned three diplomas from the Peabody Conservatory; he served two large Lutheran churches in Baltimore, then came to Lancaster, Pennsylvania in 1964, where he served as organist and choirmaster of Trinity Lutheran Church, the former Zion Lutheran Church, the former St. Stephen’s Lutheran Church, and All Saints Anglican Church. He also taught organ, piano, and theory at Elizabethtown College, founded and directed the Music Sacra choral society, and served five terms as dean of the Lancaster AGO chapter. Other activities included private teaching, writing book and music reviews, music composition, and playing recitals. Schroeder studied at Scott Seminary in Richmond, Virginia, and was ordained a priest, after which he became the rector at All Saints Anglican Church in Lancaster. He retired from All Saints in 2010. Rev. Carl E. Schroeder is survived by his wife, Jane Elizabeth (Hymes), a daughter, a son, four grandchildren, two sisters, and two brothers.

Florence Emily Westrum died August 6 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She was Organist Emerita at First Presbyterian Church, Ann Arbor. Born in Beardsley, Minnesota, February 15, 1921, she earned a bachelor’s degree in music education at Hamline University and taught school for a year before moving to Berkeley, California, to work at the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory, where her future husband, Edgar F. Westrum, Jr., was working on the Manhattan Project. After their marriage, the couple moved to Chicago and then to Ann Arbor, where Edgar became professor of chemistry at the University of Michigan. Florence was a founding member of the First Presbyterian Church, where she served initially as music director and organist, and then as organist. She was active in the American Guild of Organists and in the Faculty Women’s Club, and volunteered at the University Hospital and Ronald McDonald House. Florence Emily Westrum is survived by her husband of 69 years, Edgar F. Westrum, Jr., four children, six grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.

Nunc Dimittis

Ronald Kent Arnatt, 88, died August 23, 2018. He was born January 16, 1930, in London, England, and was a boy chorister at Westminster Abbey and King’s College, Cambridge. He was educated at Trent College, Derbyshire, Trinity College of Music, London, and Durham University. From the latter, he was granted a Bachelor of Music degree in 1954. In 1970, Arnatt was awarded a Doctor of Music degree from Westminster Choir College, Princeton, New Jersey.

Over the course of his career he held numerous positions, including instructor, American University, Washington, D.C.; director of music, Mary Institute, St. Louis, Missouri; professor of music and director choral activities, University of Missouri, St. Louis; director of music and organist, Christ Church Cathedral, St. Louis; founder and conductor, St. Louis Chamber Orchestra and Chorus; conductor and music director, Bach Society of St. Louis; director of music and organist, Trinity Church, Boston, Massachusetts; president, American Guild of Organists; director of music and organist, St. John’s Episcopal Church, Beverly, Massachusetts; professor of church music and department head, Westminster Choir College; and editor, ECS Publishing, Boston. He was also the recipient of numerous awards, fellowships, and prizes.

Ronald Arnatt married Carol Freeman Woodward, who died in 2017. They had two daughters who survive, Ronlyn and Sylvia. He is also survived by nine grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.

Jon L. Bertschinger, 65, died July 13, 2018, in St. Joseph, Missouri. He was born July 25, 1952, in Burlington, Iowa. Bertschinger began taking piano lessons at an early age, followed by organ lessons on the new M. P. Möller organ at his church, Messiah Lutheran Church, in Burlington, in 1958. He sang in and accompanied one of the five choirs at that church while in junior high school.

Bertschinger began work for the Temple Organ Company when it moved to Burlington in 1966, helping to install the rebuilt organ at First Methodist Church in 1967. He was still working with David Cool, son of the company’s founder, Fred Cool, when the church burned in 2007, and he accomplished the tonal finishing for the new 60-rank organ for the rebuilt church.

Bertschinger was on the volunteer staff for the Auditorium and Temple in Independence, Missouri, performing recitals under the direction of Jan Kraybill, former director of music for the Community of Christ Church. He also had regular church jobs in St. Joseph, sometimes two at a time, playing over the years at Westminster Presbyterian, Trinity Presbyterian, First Christian, and, up until his death, Brookdale Presbyterian.

Wesley Coleman Dudley, II, 85, of Williamsburg, Virginia, and Bar Harbor, Maine, died July 25 in Williamsburg. He was born in Buffalo, New York, December 15, 1932. He attended Nichols School and graduated from St. Paul’s School, Concord, New Hampshire, before receiving his bachelor’s degree from Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut. After two years in the United States Navy in Hawaii, he returned to Buffalo in 1958 to work at Worthington Pump Company. Six years later he became an entrepreneur, managing Auto Wheel Coaster Company, North Tonawanda, New York, before joining his family’s management office. He began spending winters in Williamsburg, Virginia, and summers in Bar Harbor, Maine, allowing him to explore his two dominant passions: pipe organs and boating.

A quiet philanthropist, he supported many projects anonymously, but there was one exception, the public radio program, Pipedreams. He was also a frequent donor to the Organ Historical Society.

Wesley C. Dudley was preceded in death by his daughter, Katherine Mary Dudley. He is survived by his wife of sixty-two years, Lucinda Nash Dudley, and his children, Nanette (David) Schoeder, Donald M. (Janet) Dudley, three grandchildren, Nicholas Schoeder, Katherine Dudley, and MacLaren Dudley, their mother Meg Dudley, and two step-grandchildren, Grace and Madeleine Waters. Memorial contributions may be made to Minnesota Public Radio, attn. Jamie Ziemann, 480 Cedar St., St. Paul, Minnesota 55101, or to the Dudley Scholarship at the Eastman School of Music, attn. Suzanne Stover, 26 Gibbs St., Rochester, New York 14604.

Steven E. Lawson, 63, of New York, New York, died suddenly, August 19, of natural causes. He had completed his usual Saturday evening practice at the Church of the Heavenly Rest, where he had served as assisting organist for 21 years, and failed to show up on Sunday morning.

Lawson was born September 9, 1954, in San Diego, California, attended elementary school in Fullerton, California, and high school in Topeka, Kansas. He earned the Bachelor of Music degree in organ performance at Oklahoma City University, where he studied with Wilma Jensen, and the Master of Music degree in organ performance at Indiana University, also studying with Wilma Jensen. At Indiana University, he minored in carillon performance and accompanied the University Singers, working with conductors Robert Shaw and Margaret Hills. Before his appointment at the Church of the Heavenly Rest, Lawson served St. Luke’s Lutheran Church near Times Square in New York City for ten years.

As an active member of the New York City Chapter of the American Guild of Organists, Lawson served as registrar, webmaster, and editor of the chapter’s concert calendar, but his towering achievement was the New York City Organ Project (NYCOP). Starting with his interest in gathering the histories of various pipe organs in churches he served or played in, the NYCOP grew into a seemingly limitless body of information, published online as part of the website of the New York City AGO Chapter. Thousands of organs are diligently documented with histories, specifications, and photographs. (For example, see the documentation of organs at the Church of the Heavenly Rest: www.nycago.org/organs/nyc/html/HeavenlyRest.html.) Friends and colleagues have joked that no one knew the organs of New York City as well as Lawson, given the countless hours he traveled around the city carrying heavy photographic equipment.

Lawson’s passion for collecting and making available this type of information drew him to the Organ Historical Society’s Pipe Organ Database, where he continued his vast contribution to the art of the organ, expanding his boundaries from New York City to include the entire United States. He worked closely with the OHS Database Committee, contributing and updating countless entries of organs, and behind the scenes with the development of a new, more user-friendly version of the database.

Steven E. Lawson is survived by his parents, George W. Lawson and Doris E. Lawson, and his cousin Linda Driskel.

­—John Bishop

Frank G. Rippl, 71, died August 11, in Appleton, Wisconsin. Born in Neenah, Wisconsin, Rippl earned the Bachelor of Music Education degree from Lawrence University Conservatory of Music, Appleton, where he minored in organ, studying with Miriam Clapp Duncan. He received a Master of Music degree in Orff-Schulwerk from the University of Denver. Rippl also studied at the Cleveland Institute of Music, as well as the Royal School of Church Music in England.

In 1979 he co-founded the Appleton Boychoir, for which he conducted and played organ for 26 years until his retirement from the organization in 2010. He initiated the Boychoir’s popular Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols held each Christmas in Memorial Chapel, Lawrence University. During Rippl’s tenure, the choir performed as choir-in-residence at the Green Lake Festival of Music under Sir David Willcocks and toured nationally and internationally.

Rippl taught elementary vocal music in the Appleton Area School District for 33 years. Upon retirement from school teaching, he pursued additional organ study with Wolfgang Rübsam. In 1996 he founded the Lunchtime Organ Recital Series held each summer in the Appleton area, attracting organists from all over the country.

Rippl began playing the organ at St. Mary Catholic Church, Menasha, later at Saint Bernard Catholic Church, also of Menasha. He was organist and choirmaster of All Saints Episcopal Church, Appleton, for over 46 years (1971–2018), retiring January 7. At his retirement, the parish established a choral scholarship for Lawrence University students to sing in the church’s choir. (For information on Frank Rippl’s retirement celebration, see the April 2018 issue, page 8.)

Rippl served as dean of the Northeastern Wisconsin Chapter of the American Guild of Organists, was active in the Organ Historical Society (OHS) and the Packerland Theatre Organ Society, and performed on Minnesota Public Radio’s Pipedreams. He penned numerous OHS convention reviews for The Diapason. He accompanied silent movies on the organ for over 20 years for the American Theatre Organ Society. He loved teaching and the pipe organ, and combined these two passions by giving organ lessons to many students.

In 2007, Rippl received the Rotary Club Paul Harris Service Award for service to the community; he played for the Appleton chapter’s weekly meetings for many years. While a student at Lawrence he was Vince Lombardi’s favorite pianist at Alex’s Crown Restaurant, as cited in David Moraniss’s When Pride Still Mattered. In 2014 he became director for the new Memory Project choir, “On a Positive Note,” for those suffering from memory loss and their families.

Frank Rippl is survived by his wife of 43 years, Carol Jegen, his brothers Bill Rippl, Rick (Marie) Rippl, and Dan (Becky) Rippl, as well as numerous extended family members. His funeral was held August 21 at All Saints Episcopal Church, Appleton. Memorial donations may be directed to All Saints’ Episcopal Church, Appleton, the Appleton Boychoir, or his family for an organ scholarship.

James Ralph Verdin, of Indian Hill, Ohio, died August 8. He was born July 30, 1936, in Cincinnati. He grew up in Mariemont and graduated from Mariemont High School in 1955. After graduation, Verdin served in the United States Army.

Verdin was president and chief executive officer of the Verdin Company of Cincinnati, a family-owned business since 1842 that installs bells, tower and street clocks, electronic carillons, and organs across the United States and abroad. Notable installations include the World Peace Bell, the Ohio Bicentennial Bell Project, and the Verdin Mobile Bell Foundry.

Verdin’s vision to redevelop and transform the Pendleton Neighborhood in Over the Rhine, Cincinnati, led to the founding of the Pendleton Art Center, Pendleton Square Complex, the old Car Barn (Nicola’s Restorante), and the restoration of St. Paul’s Church. The church became the corporate offices of the Verdin Company and is now the Bell Event Centre.

A funeral Mass was celebrated August 16 at Old St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Cincinnati. James Ralph Verdin is survived by his wife Carole (nee Conners), daughter Jill (Sam) Crew, and grandchildren Caroline Verdin Crew and Samantha Verdin Crew. Memorials may be made to Summit Country Day School, 2161 Grandin Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45208.

Nunc Dimittis

Richard William Knapp, 80, of West Simsbury, Connecticut, died February 21. Born in Mineola, New York, on May 15, 1935, Knapp earned a bachelor of science degree in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1957 and a master’s degree in nuclear science from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Hartford Graduate Center, in 1959.

A pianist, organist, harpsichordist, and choral conductor, his early musical studies were with his father-in-law Glenn H. Smith of West Hartford. Knapp won the American Guild of Organists Hartford Chapter “Young Organist Award” in the late 1940s. A church musician for sixty years, he served as organist and director of music at the First United Methodist Church, Hartford, from 1957 through 1988.

As a teenager, Knapp installed a pipe organ in the family residence in West Hartford. Later, he designed, sold, and installed numerous instruments throughout New England as regional representative of Casavant Frères, of St-Hyacinthe, Québec, from 1966 until his death.

A firm believer in the positive role of nuclear power in promoting clean air and energy independence, Knapp worked for forty years in the commercial nuclear power field, starting as an experimental physicist with Combustion Engineering, Inc., in Windsor, Connecticut; he retired as director of nuclear systems business development for ABB-Combustion Engineering in 1997. He authored and presented numerous technical papers and received two patents and various awards for his work in nuclear power.

Richard William Knapp is survived by his wife Ann Stanford Baird Knapp, daughter Charlotte Knapp of Silver Spring, Maryland, son Jonathan of Tolland, Connecticut, daughter Lucelia Fryer of Tariffville, Connecticut, son William of Palm City, Florida, and several grandchildren. He was predeceased by his first wife, Demaris Smith Knapp, in 2005 and brother Peter J. Knapp in 2014.

Organist and physician Robert B. Scoggins, 83, died March 27 in Richmond, Virginia, where he and his wife of 56 years, the former Nancy Lee King, moved in 1965. The Scogginses became members of St. James’s Episcopal Church, where Bob substituted regularly on the four-manual Austin organ and twice served as interim organist. He served on organ committees at St. James’s that selected the 80-rank Rieger organ installed in 1974 and destroyed in the fire of 1994 and the 61-stop Fisk Opus 112 that was dedicated in 1999.  

A dermatologist trained at Emory and Harvard and an officer of the U. S. Public Health Service at the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, where he conducted research, Dr. Scoggins came to Richmond to join the medical faculty at the Medical College of Virginia (now Virginia Commonwealth University). He entered private practice in 1969, remaining as a volunteer on the medical school’s faculty, eventually as clinical professor of dermatology, until his retirement at age 70. 

Born January 18, 1933, in Athens, Georgia, he took organ lessons there before entering high school at age 12. He was appointed organist of St. George’s Episcopal Church, Griffin, Georgia, playing the 1929 Pilcher 2-manual organ while completing high school. He worked as an organist for churches in Atlanta and elsewhere during his undergraduate and medical training at Emory University, including St. Paul’s and Grace United Methodist Churches. The Scogginses were married in 1960 in Atlanta at Second-Ponce de Leon Baptist Church, where Bob was the organist. During his residency in dermatology and work as a Harvard research fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Scoggins pursued his musical interests with organ lessons given by John Cook.

Bob and Nancy Scoggins served many arts and cultural organizations, including the Richmond Symphony, the Richmond Fan District Association, the Federated Arts Council of Richmond, the Virginia Opera, the Riverside School, and the Vestry and various committees of St. James’s Church. Robert Scoggins is survived by his wife Nancy, daughter Elizabeth of Richmond, son Robert and grandson Ben of Colorado, and sister Joanne Taylor of Tallahassee, Florida. ν

Eugene Hoyne Clark, known to his friends as Gene, died suddenly on March 2. Born December 12, 1929, in La Crosse, Wisconsin, he graduated from La Crosse Central High School in 1947; he went on to Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, where he earned his bachelor of music degree in 1951 and his master’s in 1952. In October of that year he was inducted into the U.S. Army and was sent to Korea, where he directed prize-winning choral groups. He was honorably discharged in 1954.

Upon release from the military, he relocated to San Francisco and taught choral music for the San Francisco Unified School District. He also held organist/choir director positions in several Bay Area churches, including St. Francis Lutheran Church and Lakeside Presbyterian Church in San Francisco, St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Oakdale, and Woodside Village Church in Woodside. In later years he was substitute organist/director in many Bay Area churches.

Ronald Cross died February 21 in Staten Island, New York, at the age of 84. A native of Fort Worth, Texas, he earned a B.A. degree from Centenary College and M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from New York University. A Fulbright fellowship supported his studies at the Venice Conservatory, Chigi Academy, and the universities of Siena, Vienna, and Florence. Cross taught at Notre Dame College, Staten Island, from 1958–68, and at Wagner College, Staten Island, from 1968 until his retirement. A member of the New York City AGO chapter, he had previously served as dean of the Staten Island chapter. He had served St. Paul’s-St. Luke’s Evangelical Church in Staten Island as organist-choirmaster.

Arlene Heywood Howes, age 77, died February 28 in Longmeadow, Massachusetts. Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, she graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1956. Howes served for 38 years as organist-choir director at Calvary Presbyterian Church, Enfield, Connecticut, directed the handbell choir of the Second Baptist Church in Suffield, and performed with the Springfield Symphony Chorus in Massachusetts for more than 40 years. She was a longtime member and former treasurer of the Springfield AGO chapter. Arlene Heywood Howes is survived by three daughters, three grandchildren, and four stepchildren.