FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, February 29, 2008
ORGAN REPAIR MADE POSSIBLE BY BETHANY COLLEGE SUPPORTERS
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| Emily and Herman Mauney. |
LINDSBORG, Kan.—A significant gift in 2007 from long-time supporters Dr. C. Herman and Emily Mauney has made possible needed repairs on the Thomson-Mingenback concert organ in Presser Hall at Bethany College.
“We are grateful for this donation, one of many gifts given in support of the college by the Mauneys. And we are grateful for the life of Emily Mauney, which has influenced so many members of the Bethany community in positive ways, and which will continue to do so,” said Bethany College President Edward F. Leonard III.
Emily Mauney died in January 2008.
The Mauneys’ gift, and the subsequent organ repairs, “make a huge difference,” said Bethany College Professor Melody Steed, who also serves as college organist. “Now we can use the organ as it is meant to be used.”
The Thomson-Mingenback organ, one of the largest in Kansas, usually is tuned twice a year. This year the instrument required additional upkeep, said Steed: “Pipe organs are living, breathing instruments. They change over time and demand serious repair. Our organ also has had to weather extreme temperatures due to the Kansas climate.”
For the Thomson-Mingenback organ, the issue was sticking sliders. Because sliders are the devices which open the pipes of the organ’s wind system, certain pipes could not always be relied on to open and release sound – a crucial issue during performances.
Nationally-recognized pipe organ builder and consultant Burton Tidwell, based in Marion, Kan., led a three-person team that worked on the organ for two weeks in January, beginning January 15. After removing pipes to get to the corresponding sliders underneath, the team rubbed graphite on the sliders and smoothed out any roughness they found.
The team then was able to take advantage of an opportunity to check and clean inner parts of the organ, which are not often accessible. Finally, the instrument was reassembled and thoroughly tuned, pipe by pipe.
The team will return this summer to complete repair.
Herman Mauney, a retired businessman, is a former chair of the board of directors of Bethany College. He is a member of St. Luke Lutheran Church, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Emily (Fisher) Mauney died January 12, 2008. An active member of St. Luke Lutheran Church, UNMH Service Club, New Mexico Symphony Guild and many more community organizations, she had a love of music and travel, and devoted her life to her family, church and community activities.
A previous gift to the college from the couple created an endowment for the Carl F. and Catherine Herman Mauney Distinguished Lectureship Series in Economics and Business, which has brought a business speaker to campus every year since 1985. Named in honor of Dr. Herman Mauney’s parents, the fund provides education and professional development opportunities to students, faculty and friends of Bethany College.
Bethany College Board of Directors member and alumna Catherine (Mauney) Simmelink is the daughter of the couple. Brandon Simmelink, a 1991 graduate of Bethany College, is Catherine Simmelink’s son and a grandson of the couple.
Comprised of four manuals and pedals, 80 ranks, 4,329 pipes, two sets of Zimbelstern and one floating division, the Thomson-Mingenback organ was designed by Dr. Paul G. Bunjes and built and installed in 1976 by the Reuter Organ Company. It is named for its major donors – Mr. F. Carl Thomson of Lindsborg and Mrs. E. C. Mingenback, Julia J. Mingenback Foundation of McPherson, Kan.
In addition to its use during the Messiah Festival, the organ is played during formal college celebrations, such as commencement and convocation, and performances by visiting guest artists, Bethany faculty members and Bethany students. Students majoring in organ performance, as well as any students taking organ lessons, regularly practice on the instrument.
Bethany College, established by Swedish Lutheran immigrants in 1881, is a college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. The mission of Bethany College is to nurture and challenge individuals in their search for truth and meaning as they lead lives of faith, learning and service.Bethany College is on the Web at www.bethanylb.edu.
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