Stories About our Donors

A Passion for the Harp is the Impetus for Gaskin Family Gift

Dr. Lewis Gaskin has always loved the harp, especially since it became the musical instrument of choice by his daughter Rebecca, who began taking harp lessons as a young girl. Rebecca has gone on to a career in international law, leaving her harp studies behind and her harp in the care of her parents. Lewis, a retired anesthesiologist, wanted to keep his mind and fingers nimble, so he began to take harp lessons himself a few years ago from Jacquelyn Bartlett, a harpist well-known throughout North Carolina who teaches harp at UNCG, NC School of the Arts, and Appalachian State. His admiration for Jackie’s musical artistry and teaching skills, as well as the tremendous dedication and generosity of spirit she has for her students, was a catalyst in Lewis and Pat Gaskin’s decision to make a substantial contribution to establish a harp program at the UNCG School of Music. Their gift provides for the creation of two new endowments, one for harp scholarships and one for harp program enrichment, such as guest artists, master classes, and the acquisition of printed and recorded music. The Gaskin’s generosity also included the purchase of the School of Music’s first harp from renowned harp manufacturers, Lyon & Healy in Chicago, IL.

Since retirement from practicing medicine in 1993, Lewis and Pat have made their permanent home in Laurel Springs, NC where they own and operate the Laurel Springs Christmas Tree Farm, a thriving business that ships trees to suppliers all over the country and boxwoods to nurseries in the northeast. Pat has become an expert in the field and a vocal advocate for environmental issues and research affecting fir tree growth and production. She was appointed by Governor Easley to serve on the NC Forestry Commission and has also become politically active, especially with issues concerning immigration reform issues. While Lewis practices playing the harp, the creative side of Pat’s personality has blossomed into an additional business of greenery and wreath production during the holiday season.

The School of Music dedicated the new harp and formally recognized the Gaskin’s for their generous gift on Sunday, September 24, 2006, with an inaugural concert of harp chamber music in their honor performed in Recital Hall by Jacquelyn Bartlett and other faculty members. Our alumni and friends were welcome to share this exceptional program in celebration of the addition of an exciting new instrumental performance major to the UNCG School of Music curriculum, made possible by people who transferred their passion for the harp into philanthropic action benefiting the School of Music.

William F. “Bill” Black – A Champion for the School of Music

(and other areas of UNCG too!)

William F. “Bill” Black is one of those friends and supporters every university likes to have. He is not only a vocal advocate for UNCG but also a generous donor of his time and resources, serving on the School of Music’s Students First Campaign Leadership Committee and the UNCG Excellence Foundation Board. In October 2004, Bill established the William F. Black Scholarship Endowment in Jazz Studies for students majoring in Jazz Studies in honor of James E. Roueché, a faithful attendee of all School of Music performances who has befriended many of our international students. A few months later, Bill honored his mother’s memory by creating the Susan E. Brown Music Scholarship Fund for both jazz studies and general music students. He has also thoughtfully named UNCG the owner and beneficiary of one of his life insurance policies. Bill’s particular enthusiasm for the School of Music, especially the Miles Davis Jazz Studies Program, stems from his lifetime involvement with music.
Bill was surrounded by music throughout his life, as his mother attended Meredith College for one year, majoring in voice, and his brother played the trumpet. In addition, Bill’s uncle was a pianist and organist who led dance bands in Raleigh and Florida while pursuing a career in life insurance. An avid opera lover, he took Bill to see his first opera, “La Boheme” at the Metropolitan Opera.

Bill began to study clarinet in fourth grade and continued to play in Herbert Hazelman’s bands throughout his public school years. He graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill with a degree in Business Administration, briefly served in the Navy, and began his banking career in 1957. Bill was only thirty-nine years old in 1970 when he was instrumental in organizing Community Bank of Carolina in Greensboro, which he served as president. The bank expanded to six branches before merging with Southern National Bank in 1984, which in turn merged with BB&T in 1995. Bill served on the Bank Board in Winston-Salem, NC through 2000.

Though his clarinet lay dormant for forty-five years, Bill’s love of music, especially big band jazz, continued, and he became a regular concertgoer at the UNCG School of Music. In recent years, Bill has begun to play clarinet again for pleasure and is one of UNCG’s strongest advocates. In addition to his volunteer service at the School of Music and UNCG, Bill is actively involved in the Greensboro community, primarily with West Market Street United Methodist Church, The Salvation Army, the Guilford Veterans Memorial Committee, and the Kiwanis Club of Greensboro. The William F. Black Scholarship Endowment in Jazz Studies and the Susan Elizabeth Brown Music Scholarship Fund illustrate his desire to support the Students First Campaign, his admiration for the Miles Davis Jazz Studies Program, and his wish to provide scholarship assistance to talented students majoring in music at UNCG. These two scholarships complement three other scholarships Bill is funding annually in the Bryan School of Business and Economics, named for his father J. Norman Black, and the Schools of Nursing and Education named for Bill and his late wife, JoAnn Fuller Black, Class of 1953.

The School of Music celebrated Bill’s generosity on September 29, 2005 at the first UNCG Jazz Ensemble concert of the year, with a program that featured a tribute to the big bands, including a special selection or two chosen by Bill for the occasion.
Bill explains his generosity to the School of Music in this way, “Music is a constant in my life. I have many to thank for it.” We at the School of Music are thankful to Bill for his ongoing enthusiasm and support.

Bert G. Lynch

Bert and Shirley Lynch were both born in Louisville, KY, he on March 31, 1922, and she on June 21, 1925. Shirley grew up in Crawfordsville, IN, where her father was a merchant, but she often returned to Louisville to visit her mother’s relatives. Bert played high school football and was pursuing a college degree at the University of Texas when military service in the Air Force during World War II interrupted his education. Shirley was a friendly, vivacious young woman, voted “Most Popular” in her high school class and close friends with Bert’s younger sister, Margery. Bert and Shirley’s whirlwind romance began when Bert returned from military training, and Shirley, while visiting Margery, saw him in uniform for the first time. They married during wartime, with Shirley promising her parents that she would go to college and Bert planning to finish when the war was over. As the years passed, the war ended, the family grew, and neither one fulfilled their plans.

The family hosiery business brought the young family to Greensboro in 1954 where they became active congregants at Beth David Synagogue, as well as dynamic volunteers in the Jewish community. Shirley was one of the founding members of the Greensboro Jewish Federation Women’s Cabinet and a life member of Hadassah. She served as a Girl Scout leader, youth group advisor, homeroom mother, and on countless committees. Bert and Shirley insisted that their four children excel in school and encouraged them to participate in extra-curricular activities, such as scouting, music lessons, sports, and religious school.

When the family business broke up in the late 1960’s, Bert had to begin a new career and Shirley began to work part time as a marketing researcher and for one of the vendors at the High Point Furniture Market. Making sure all four children could complete their college educations was a top priority for Shirley and Bert Lynch. There were times of financial hardship, but with careful planning and the help of scholarships, this important goal was achieved. All four children earned graduate or professional degrees, including two from UNCG.

Over the past thirty years, Bert’s new career in real estate and his personal investments thrived. His master plan was to provide significant resources for Shirley to live comfortably after his death, as he totally expected her to outlive him. Sadly, this plan is not what came to pass, and Shirley died on November 3, 2003, only six weeks short of their sixtieth wedding anniversary. In loving memory of Shirley, in respect for the college educations they never completed, and in appreciation for the scholarship assistance their children received when it was most needed, Bert established the Bert G. and Shirley Golden Lynch Music Scholarship Endowment with a pledge of $500,000 in May 2004. Bert looked forward to meeting and hearing some of the talented students who would benefit from his generosity, but once again, his plans were thwarted. Bert died on November 5, 2004, a year and a day after his beloved Shirley. A realist and a man with foresight, he wisely made provisions for fulfillment of his gift through his estate, a transforming legacy for the UNCG School of Music.

Dr. William B. Herring

Dr. and Mrs. William B. Herring became members of the Musical Arts Guild in the early 1970s. Music had always been an important part of their lives (Bill is an accomplished pianist), and in the ensuing years, they developed a strong affinity for the School of Music. Bill served on the Steering Committee for the School of Music during the Second Century Campaign, and decided he wanted to make a gift in honor of his beloved wife, Betty. After contemplating various naming opportunities within the new building itself (it was under construction at that time), Bill decided to give the School of Music a garden adjacent to and complementing the new building. Betty had a lifelong passion for gardening and was extremely pleased with the prospect of a garden bearing her name at a place that had come to mean so much to her and Bill.

The resulting gift, the Elizabeth Herring Garden, provides a place of natural beauty, peace and tranquility to students, faculty and guests throughout the year. Most recently, Bill has generously ensured that the garden will be lovingly maintained for years to come through his establishment of an endowment for that purpose.

Mary Jane Bolton Black

When Jonathan Randall Black was a toddler, he was fascinated with opera. Like his mother, Mary Jane Bolton Black, a 1966 graduate of UNCG, he was an only child, beloved and showered with experiences that shaped the bright, well-rounded and talented young man he grew to be. His love for music began with cello lessons, and gradually his musical expertise expanded to include trumpet, electric bass, and guitar as well as various percussion instruments. Once he entered high school, Jonathan devoted his energy to marching band practice and enjoyed playing halftime shows and traveling to band competitions throughout the state.

Jonathan was an honors student whose academic interests encompassed history, psychology and French. He was a sensitive and caring young man who volunteered with the Alcohol Law Enforcement Office of NC. Jonathan loved to travel and had dreams and aspirations for the future. In May 2003, during the year’s final band concert, Jonathan was named Outstanding Musician by Band Director Jerry Williams, a teacher whom Jonathan respected and admired. Two weeks later, Jonathan was killed in a tragic automobile accident.

Many parents never recover from a loss of this magnitude, but Jane has chosen to follow a positive, uplifting path. She has celebrated Jon’s love of music and rewarding high school band experience by giving Jon’s baritone horn and a new trumpet to the Pinecrest music program and has donated an annual scholarship award at Pinecrest in his memory. In addition, she has established the Jonathan Randall Black Music Scholarship Endowment at the UNCG School of Music with a pledge of $25,000.

In terms of life experience and friendships, Jonathan lived far beyond his eighteen years. It is a distinct possibility that he may have come to UNCG to study music if his life had not been tragically cut short. With the establishment of this endowed scholarship, Jane Black created a legacy of what might have been, casting aside her grief and bitterness to celebrate the talent, strength of character, and selflessness that embodied her son. Her generosity in these difficult circumstances will perpetuate Jonathan’s memory while enabling other gifted young people to realize their musical goals and dreams.

Dedicated Alumna Creates a Legacy to Provide Scholarships in Piano

A native of Eden, Marie Burnette is a graduate of the UNCG School of Music, where she earned a Bachelor of Music degree in Piano and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Organ in 1962, followed by a Master of Music degree in Organ in 1964. Marie has taught piano and organ in High Point for over forty years and recently retired after sixteen years as Music Assistant/Organist at Emerywood Baptist Church.

Marie was the first independent music teacher to serve as President of the NC Music Teachers Association. She also served as National Secretary of Music Teachers National Association and has presented many programs for that organization. In 2004, Marie was nationally recognized as an MTNA Foundation Fellow, a designation given to outstanding individuals who have made a significant difference in the music world for their distinguished service to the music teaching profession.

Marie also served as the National Chairman of the Independent Music Teachers Forum of MTNA and Secretary/Treasurer of the Southern Division of MTNA and is professionally certified by both MTNA and NCMTA. A founding member of the High Point Piano Teachers Association, she has held every office in that organization. Marie has served as a judge for piano festivals throughout North Carolina, Virginia, and South Carolina. Her articles have been published in American Music Teacher, Music Educators Journal, and Keyboard Companion, and she has been featured in an article in the High Point Enterprise.

Marie is a member of Pi Kappa Lambda, Mu Phi Epsilon, and the American Guild of Organists. Her exemplary devotion to the arts in the High Point and Greensboro communities is illustrated through her service on the boards of the UNCG Musical Arts Guild, High Point Community Chorus, Piedmont Artists, Music for a Great Space, NC Organ Festival, and the High Point Library. Her passion for travel has resulted in trips to all fifty states and forty-seven foreign countries.

A devoted alumnus and longtime donor, Marie is a member of the Harriet Elliott Society at UNCG and supporter of the Focus on Piano Literature, but she felt it was important to continue her support of the School of Music after she is no longer here. She has documented bequests in her estate plans and designated the School of Music as the beneficiary of her IRA, which will be used to establish the Marie Burnette Piano Scholarship Endowment benefiting future students at the UNCG School of Music who are majoring in Piano.

Professional Volunteer and Arts Advocate Establishes Guest Artist/Guest Lecture Endowment

Shirley Anne Pierce Spears embarked on her career as a professional volunteer in the early 1970’s, when she became involved with family and children’s service agencies. Over the past thirty-five years, she has worked tirelessly in support of Eastern Music Festival, the Tarheel Triad Girl Scout Council, Family and Children’s Services of Greater Greensboro, and the North Carolina Arts Council. Other organizations she has served include the Greensboro Symphony, the YMCA, the United Way, the Greensboro United Arts Council, First Presbyterian Church, and the Greensboro Urban Ministry. Her service to the community encompasses all areas of life with a strong emphasis on the arts.

Shirley, a 1957 graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill, also harbors a deep respect for higher education, having been on the Board of Visitors at Bennett College and serving as co-chair for the recent capital campaign at Guilford Technical Community College. She has been the recipient of many accolades, including the O. Henry Award from the United Arts Council, the Brotherhood Citation from the Greensboro National Conference for Community and Justice, and UNCG’s Holderness/Weaver Award in March 2005.

In addition to her exhaustive involvement with community life, Shirley is dedicated to her family, providing love and care for her 91-year old mother, as well as being a loving mother and grandmother. Understanding the importance of exposing our music students to artists and scholars from other parts of the country and the world, Shirley’s generous Students First Campaign commitment established the Shirley Pierce Spears Guest Artist/Guest Lecture Endowment which will do just that.

Graduate Degree Recipient Gives Back in a Big Way

It is a common belief that college graduates have less attachment to the institution where they received their Masters or Doctorate than the one where they pursued their undergraduate studies. Elizabeth Triplett Beam, a 1983 Masters graduate of the UNCG School of Music with a major in Music Education, proves that is not necessarily so. An energetic and enthusiastic volunteer, she was the driving force behind two very successful Smedes Parlor concerts and receptions featuring UNCG School of Music faculty members, held at Saint Mary’s School in March 2004 and April 2006. She also serves on the School of Music’s Students First Campaign Leadership Committee and has made a generous gift to this fundraising effort establishing the Elizabeth Triplett Beam Choral Ensemble Travel Endowment.

During her career, Elizabeth managed a private voice studio in her home and worked as a choral director in the Wake County public schools before joining the faculty at Saint Mary’s School, a private girls’ preparatory boarding school in Raleigh. Elizabeth’s musical mentor and friend is Louise Wilson, a Woman’s College alumna who founded the well-respected choral program at Raleigh’s Enloe High School, and with whom Elizabeth did her student teaching during her undergraduate years at Meredith College. It was Louise who inspired Elizabeth to pursue her masters degree at UNCG, a decision Elizabeth has never regretted. Elizabeth’s mission at Saint Mary’s was to build the school’s music program, a goal she accomplished through growing the choral program, bringing her choir to workshops, some of which feature the UNCG choral faculty, and initiating joint concerts with neighboring boys’ schools. In her third year at Saint Mary’s, she was named Chair of Fine Arts and Director of Choral Activities. Throughout her employment there, she has encouraged her most talented students to seek admission to the UNCG School of Music.

Elizabeth has channeled her creative energy in many directions, serving on the Board of Trustees at her undergraduate alma mater, Meredith College, and holding the position of conductor of the Cardinal Singers, an all-women’s chorus sponsored by Raleigh Parks and Recreation Department, for over twenty years. Elizabeth is a deserving recipient of many honors including the Music Education Award from the United Arts Council and selection as a member of the Greater Raleigh YWCA’s Academy of Women in Arts and Entertainment.

Elizabeth is married with two children, a son David, a graduate of Wake Forest and presently a divinity student at Emory University who plays the cello, and a daughter Sarah, a Wellesley graduate who works in marketing for cultural centers in New York. Her very full and satisfying family life and professional career have not dimmed the memories of the excellent graduate music education she received at UNCG, and Elizabeth found a very generous way to express her appreciation.