Music was Frank E. Owen’s life | High Story

Owen retired in 1964, finishing a profession that spanned 37 years of dedication to the scholars of Batavia. He handed away on July 9, 1978, in Batavia, and shortly after, a scholarship was arrange in his title and is awarded every year to a scholar pursuing a profession in music schooling.

Earlier this week, Jim Owen had stated, “My father was very humble, however very happy with his music division, of his college students, of his lecturers. I feel he could be, deep down, very proud that after 95 years, that they’d not forgot him within the sense of how he cherished music,” Owen stated.

The dedication is an honor for the college district and the district music division, the administration, the board of schooling and the lecturers and college students via the dedication of the Frank E. Owen Auditorium.

Patti Pacino, a 1965 Batavia graduate, pursued a music schooling diploma at Crane College of Music at SUNY Potsdam.

“Despite the fact that Mrs. Pacino moved in a special route, music was a powerful a part of her life,” Excessive College Principal Paul Kesler stated whereas introducing her. She labored within the district for 35 years as a instructor’s aide and within the Excessive College Profession Heart for her final 10 years. She moved on to work at Genesee Group Faculty in 2006. One other speaker, Liz Johnson Conway, attended Heidelberg Faculty in Ohio for vocal music schooling. at Oakfield-Alabama for 36 years.

Pacino stated in 1927, there was a novel meeting program.

“A younger man strode onto the stage and invited the assembled college students to sing with him. The varsity newspaper reported on it and stated, “We sang. We joined within the enjoyable and sang as we had by no means sung earlier than,” Pacino stated.

Frank Owen had come to Batavia Excessive College.

“Over the subsequent 37 years, Mr. Owen created a base of ever-growing music program that entails a serious portion of our college students from kindergarten to commencement,” she stated. “I used to be fortunate sufficient to be a type of college students and what a magical trip it was. Music was Mr. Owen’s life and he taught us greater than notes on a paper,” she stated. “In Ladies Choral Membership, we discovered to mix with a stage stuffed with voices, lots of whom had no expertise. In Modernettes, we wore formal robes and we mastered four-part concord for ladies.”

Owen’s programs have been well-known not just for native concert events through the yr, however for annual vacation concert events on the radio for servicemen abroad.

“The exceptional a part of learning with Frank Owen was his British-themed approach that might elevate eyebrows in right this moment’s educating world,” she stated. “Mr. Owen presumed we have been all as devoted as he was. There was no lacking rehearsal for every other appointment. You knew your half by coronary heart. There was no sheet music on stage. Hardly ever was there accompaniment. We sang a capella. His concept of a take a look at was to say, ‘Soprano, alto, tenor, base — come up right here and sing beginning in Part 2.

Throughout concert events, if you happen to felt sick or have been going to faint, you have been anticipated to faint quietly, below the ground, with out inflicting a disturbance, Pacino stated as laughter may very well be heard within the viewers.

“Not fulfilling the necessities solely had one consequence. The record of Choristers who could be singing within the live performance was learn the day earlier than,” she stated. “If you weren’t on the record, there was no arguing, since you have been left off for some unworthy discretion.” Pacino’s classmate, Liz Conway, stated it was humbling to be there Thursday night time for the dedication.

She was lucky to be in Choristers, Ladies Choral Membership, Modernettes and was sometimes an accompanist, however just for two years

“He had the audacity to retire on the finish of my junior yr. However in these two brief years, I discovered to love and admire this man,” Conway stated. “He was on the pinnacle of his profession and I used to be lucky to have been witness to his information of music and choral conducting — a bit bit frightened of him, however in awe of him.”

Superintendent Jason Smith stated planning this occasion was actually quite a lot of enjoyable and actually a labor of affection.

“We’re right here tonight to honor Mr. Frank E. Owen,” Smith stated. “When the board was contemplating naming the auditorium in his honor, we acquired quite a few emails advocating for this occasion to happen.”

Smith shared a number of of the “particular” emails with the viewers.

“As a graduate of BHS and a member of the Choristers all my years on the Excessive College, I can inform you that he, Mr. Owen, not solely instilled a love of music, however a way of service to our neighborhood,” stated one electronic mail. “After retirement, he additionally went on to serve on the identical Board of Training that lots of our board members are on right here tonight, to serve with distinction and dedication. It is rather becoming that we honor his dedication to BHS music and schooling by making an affirmative vote, naming the auditorium after his exemplary service to our faculty and to our metropolis.”

One other electronic mail got here from somebody who stated Frank Owen was a “humble grasp of music, revered and praised.”

“My brothers and I have been in Choristers and band. My oldest brother turned a music instructor with Mr. Owen’s urging, together with many different graduates,” the author wrote.

One other particular person emailed, “A few of our fondest reminiscences are the annual, stay Christmas morning broadcast of the refrain … and the copies of that program on vinyl, blue information … which every of us can buy.

“I can’t consider a extra becoming honor than naming the auditorium after Mr. Owen, a house to so many people throughout our years at BHS and in recognition of the affect he had on so many lives,” the author stated.

Smith closed his remarks by sharing a tribute given to Owen on his retirement in 1964.

“Not solely do these phrases converse to Mr. Owen’s legacy, they converse to all educators and musicians,” Smith stated.

The retirement tribute to Owen was as follows: “Mr. Owen’s aptitude as an educator must be class within the better vary. Music, to him, just isn’t merely an summary topic. It’s one thing that could be a very actual a part of life, with ramifications in historical past, tradition and improvement of a civilization. Those that had the benefit of his educating and his management gained not solely the distinctive appreciation and understanding of music, but in addition a large respect for it.”