I grew up in Midwest City, Oklahoma, a suburb of Oklahoma City that was developed in the 40’s around Tinker Air Force Base. My parents were very musical but did not have the opportunity for training. I began piano lessons in 2nd grade and remember that I advanced to the John Thompson 3rd grade book in that one year! My brother who is 6 years older than I is a very talented musician and was organist at our home United Methodist Church. When he went to college at Oklahoma City University (all of 10 miles from home) he began to give me organ lessons. I always joked that he did this so that I could play his 8:30am service on weekends when he had late fraternity parties! The organ in our church was a mighty Baldwin which had TV tubes in it. When they failed, my dad opened the back of the organ, took out the tubes and took them to the local appliance store for replacements. I fondly remember sitting at the Baldwin practicing the Gleason exercises! The first time I played a pipe organ at about age 13 was in the auditorium at OCU on what was probably an old Kimball. I thought it was the most wonderful thing I had ever heard!
I continued both piano and organ lessons and, when the time came, attended Oklahoma City University as a double major in piano and organ. It was most fortunate for me that the year before I started at OCU, Wilma Jensen, well-known concert organist, had come to Oklahoma City with her husband who was appointed Music Director at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in Oklahoma City. Wilma was an amazing teacher and became a good friend. I will never forget her crouching on the floor beside the organ bench making sure my pedal technique was exactly correct!
A year after I graduated from OCU, my husband and I moved to Evanston—just to get out of Oklahoma for a little while—and stayed a lifetime. He had a job teaching in River Grove but I was going to work on my Master’s degree at Northwestern so we chose Evanston as our place to live. Again, to my most wonderful fortune, Karel Paukert had just arrived at NU and I was thrilled to be able to study with him. I could not be more thankful and grateful for the years of study with both Wilma and Karel. Their influence on my playing and my life is beyond measure.
Fast-forward: I have enjoyed wonderful years of serving in several Chicago and North Shore churches, presenting recitals in this area, and traveling in Europe with opportunities to play some of the world’s greatest organs. I tried to retire once in 2015 after 20 years at First Presbyterian Church in Lake Forest. After 3 years of subbing Robert Harris called me in the summer of 2018 to sub for a few Sundays at Winnetka Congregational Church. I’m still there playing the wonderful Pasi organ and serving as Director of Music/Organist. Guess I will continue as long as the fingers will play!