Donald Hugh Olson, 83, died July 30 in Scarborough, Maine. Born January 31, 1940, Olson excelled at music of all types in school and was a church organist by age 12. After earning a Bachelor of Music degree from St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minnesota, where he studied piano, organ, and bassoon, he moved to the Northeast to join Andover Organ Company, Methuen, Massachusetts. After three years’ service in the United States Army, he returned to the company in 1966.
Olson held various titles at Andover including director of the old organ department, executive vice president, and general manager. For over four decades starting in 1968, his case designs were the hallmark of Andover’s new instruments. After serving as president from 1997 to 2012, he semi-retired, working on publicity and sales before fully retiring in June 2015, ending 53 years with Andover.
As an organist, Olson served at St. George’s Ebenezer Primitive Methodist Church in Methuen and at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Lawrence, Massachusetts, and played several recitals at the Methuen Memorial Music Hall. He also served as dean of the Merrimack Valley Chapter of the American Guild of Organists in 1970 and 1972.
A charter member of the American Institute of Organbuilders (AIO), Olson served as secretary of the AIO’s first board of directors and chaired the AIO Boston conventions in 1979 and 2001. He also served for a time as secretary of the Associated Pipe Organ Builders of America.
For over 30 years Olson supported the Merrimack Valley Philharmonic Orchestra (Massachusetts) as bassoon player, manager, and president. At the Maine Wildlife Park in Gray, Maine, he combined his passions for landscaping and rescue care for animals and volunteered on weekends for many years, building turtle ponds and maintaining flower beds. He also adopted a series of canine pets from local ASPCA shelters.
Donald Hugh Olson is survived by brothers Steven (Dana) of Appleton, Wisconsin, and Eugene (Ginger) of Royal Oak, Michigan; sisters Mary, of Monmouth, Oregon, and Martha (Jeff Keane), of Park City, Utah, and nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his partner of 43 years, David Dunham. Memorial gifts can be made to the Merrimack Valley Philharmonic Orchestra, P. O. Box 332, Haverhill, Massachusetts 01831, or the Maine Wildlife Park, 56 Game Farm Road, Gray, Maine 04039.
