Rog Hiemstra’s Blog

I begin with a huge thanks to Glenn Kime, George Adams, and Mary Louise Edwards who contributed wonderful articles during the time I was away. I know they were enjoyed by many.

Janet and I got home from our trip just in time to enjoy Glenn’s wonderful 50th birthday celebration with a masterful organ recital on March 15. Well, when Glenn was just about 4 years old, and perhaps before he had decided on becoming a professional organist, many forces were in movement that eventually resulted in the acquisition of our organ.

In 1963 when the building of our current church was underway, Howland Auchincloss (then Chair of the Music Committee) was working hard on plans for an organ. Cooperating closely with Frank Macomber (then church organist) and Dr. Arthur Poister (music director at Syracuse University’s Hendricks Chapel from 1948 to 1965 and organ professor from 1948 to 1967), Howland had contracted with Walter Holtkamp (Holtkamp Organ Company) to come up with designs for an organ. Costs, of course, were an issue with the better organ some $3,000 more. To help with the decision making process, Howland brought a committee of people from May Memorial to Crouse College on the SU campus where a Holtkamp organ already existed. Dr. Poister, by manipulating stops, played several compositions as they would approximately sound on the two organs. The unanimous verdict from the committee was that the more expensive organ was identifiably different and preferable with a larger, fuller, and more satisfying sound.

Howland then argued clearly and concisely in a December 3, 1963, letter to Henry Mertens, chair of the new building’s oversight committee, for the better organ. Henry and the overall committee members were convinced and they recommended its purchase in a report to the Board of Trustees. A positive decision was made and we now have this fantastic instrument.

But wait, there is more (as the TV ad people often say)! A generous contribution by Dr. Wilbur Le Page in 1965 enabled Howland to accept a recommendation from Walter Holtkamp to add 32 Chalumeau Pipes. This enhanced our organ’s sound. Be sure to ask Howland’s for his recollections regarding this story and thank Glenn once again for making the most of our instrument.

Rog Hiemstra, Chair, History Committee

Written April 15, 2009

One of the projects of the MMUUS History Committee, under the leadership of church archivist Roger Hiemstra, involves interviewing and recording long-time members and friends of May Memorial. This project was undertaken with the following purposes in mind: “to preserve oral histories and personal memories of the church; to obtain personal insights and perspectives on what has taken place in the life of the church; and to help in obtaining an overall picture of various church-related events, experiences and activities.”

As a first step, Roger purchased a small digital audio recorder with history committee funds, and we generated an extensive list of people to be interviewed, starting with more senior members of the congregation. The history committee also developed a set of questions covering several areas, such as early experiences with church/religious education, involvement with the Unitarian Universalist religion in general, and with May Memorial in particular, memorable events in the life of the church, and hopes for the future of MMUUS. Each interview is structured around these areas and questions. This will make it easier to excerpt information on certain topics from the interviews and, if desired, to put short audio clips on our website. (The use of digital technology makes this process more manageable and also allows us to save each interview on more than one computer hard drive and compact disk.)

One of the interview questions concerns what brought the individual to the Unitarian/Universalist church, and specifically to May Memorial. It is interesting to note that some of the reasons given by people who came to MMUUS 40 years ago are remarkably similar to those we hear today. For example, interviewees have talked about the desire to find a religious home where they could explore their own spirituality and discover their own religious path, as well as the desire to find a strong religious education program for their children.

Thus far we have recorded about a dozen interviews. This is a good start, but given the number of members and friends to be recorded, it is important to get more people involved. We hope that this column will raise awareness of the oral history project and interest some of you in participating. No special skills are required; all that is needed is an interest in listening to the stories and memories of some of our long-time members, a willingness to try something new, and a little free time. If you would like to learn more, please send an email to mailto:mledward@twcny.rr.com. The history committee would welcome your participation in this interesting and gratifying oral history project.

Mary Louise Edwards, History Committee Member

Written March 15, 2009

While exploring the files in the church archives, I came across some interesting Religious Education historical items. There were three religious education pamphlets – from 1916, 1963 and 1964.

The first was a “Prospectus for 1916 – 1917 of the May Memorial Sunday School”. There was a motto:“Be Faithful” and a good photo of the James Street church on the cover. The program description on the inside indicated four departments covering ages 4 through 17. Each department handled four school grades, with two grades taught in each of the two groups in the department. Each group taught two courses – one each year. Courses included God the Loving Father, Jesus’ Way of Love and Service, Old and New Testament stories, Paul of Tarsus, Work of the Apostles and more. The program also included an emphasis on service, with contributions to The Syracuse Boys Club and the Syracuse Women’s and Children’s Hospital. In addition, each class undertook some actual work of service. During 1916-17 they also maintained a scholarship at Tuskegee. The stated hope of the May Memorial Sunday School was to “train the spirit, the mind, the heart.”

Next came a pamphlet from the 1963 – 64 May Memorial Unitarian Church, School of Religion. The church was still at 472 James Street, with the Church School office at 466 James Street. Mr. Robert Burdick was chairman of the Religious Education Committee, and Mrs. (Mary) Burdick was a member of the committee. William Chaffee, MD is listed as the doctor for the school. Mrs. Lawrence was listed as the School Director, Bob Coye was a fifth grade teacher and Mrs. John Fuller was in charge of worship. There was a class for every grade from Nursery 3’s through tenth grade and a special class for 11^th and 12th graders. The Beacon Press book series was extensively used.

The following year was the first year in our new building at 3800 E. Genesee St. The 1964-65 May Memorial Unitarian Church School of Religion pamphlet included a nice drawing of the new church by Miss Joanne Ashley. In addition to describing the courses, it also shows a floor plan of the original Sunday School room assignments. Grade 9 and the class for grades 11-12 met on the upper level. The Beacon Press series was apparently only used through grade 5.

It is interesting to note the changes in Religious Education over the years. Some of the changes parallel changes in the attitudes and beliefs of the congregation. Other changes result from changes in curriculum and teaching philosophy and changes in youth perceptions. In spite of these continuing changes the statement about “our new building” in the 1964-65 pamphlet still holds true today: “Here young and old will gather as a family under one roof. The arrangement of space and the simplicity of adornment permit emphasis upon the process of becoming which is education. Here we establish anew, for ourselves and for our children, a church that shall be a house of friendship … of freedom … of truth seeking …of beauty … a cradle for our dreams and a workshop for our learning and doing together.”

George Adams, History Committee Member

Written February 15, 2009

As the May Memorial congregation began exploring a new building in the late 1950’s, there was a parallel conversation about a suitable organ for the new structure. The organ in the James Street Church was built in 1911 by the Hutchings Organ Company of Boston. By 1959 the instrument was stylistically dated, and in poor repair, although it has been rumored that the condition might have been exaggerated in the hopes for a new installation.

The Organ Committee, with Dr. Howland Auchincloss as chair, soon decided that rebuilding the old organ would not be the best choice, both artistically and financially. Instead, they found four builders for a new instrument, with the Holtkamp Organ Company of Cleveland, Ohio, at the top of the list. Walter Holtkamp, Sr., had built organs for Syracuse University with the concert instrument in Crouse College finished in 1950. This organ was built for Professor Arthur Poister, and is one of Holtkamp’s most impressive and most famous creations. May Memorial hired Dr. Poister as a consultant, and with the influence of then Director of Music Frank Macomber, a Syracuse University professor, it’s easy to see the influence the Crouse organ had on May Memorial’s choice.

One major setback was the death of Walter Holtkamp, Sr. in 1962, several hours after a phone conversation with the May Memorial committee. (No connection between his death and the Music Committee!) The firm became controlled by his son, Walter “Chick” Holtkamp, Jr. After checking the health of the company, and the expertise of Chick Holtkamp, May decided to stay

with their first choice. (Chick Holtkamp has since retired, and the company is being run by his son.)

Cost was also an issue but after a generous gift by the late Sarah Auchincloss, the church signed a contract for the larger of the two designs, for a total of $31,380.00. The organ has 27 ranks, or sets, of pipes, and was delivered in April, 1965. Current replacement cost is approximately $700,000.00, almost twice the original cost of the entire building. Chick Holtkamp worked closely with architect Dean Pietro Belluschi, especially in regard to the woods he used, and overall look. The organ does seem to grow out of the room in a unified way that is rarely seen in organ installations.

The people that have presided over the instrument as Music Director are only four. Frank Macomber came from the James Street Church. He was followed by Rob Kerner, cofounder

of the Kerner/Merchant Organ Company that still maintains the organ. Rob left to become

Curator of Organs for the Eastman School of Music. Dr Allison Evans Henry then served for five years, leaving for the First Presbyterian Church of Syracuse. I accepted the position in 1992, after being the musician for First Universalist on Waring Road in the 1980’s. A very quick 17 years it has been!

Our Holtkamp has been a source of great delight to me over my tenure. Come hear it once again in recital on Sunday, March 22 at 4:00 pm, as I celebrate my 50th birthday with a concert of some of my favorite works. Everyone is invited!

Glenn Kime, Music Director

Written January 15, 2009

Those who have read this column for awhile know that I feel the privilege is all mine in being able to pour over our archives. There is so much to learn, I gain so much inspiration from our past leaders, and my awe on what has already been accomplished by May Memorial people over the years continues to grow. This remains so true as I now go through the material of Rev. Dr. Nicholas C. Cardell, Jr., our 10^th minister (1974-1995).

Many readers know that Nick spent time in prison on two occasions. Once was as a Prisoner of War during WWII and 54 years later as a Prisoner of Conscience when he served time in a Federal Prison Camp, joined by active members Dan and Doris Sage, for their demonstrations against the School of the Americas. You can read more about the despicable background of the U.S.’s School of the Americas at http://history.mmuus.org/judasbyproxy.pdf in a sermon by Nick in the fall of 1997. Several months years later Dan, Doris, and Nick’s prison terms began. Go here to read some about his experiences: http://www.uuworld.org/1999/0799feat3.html. Such commitments based on conscience establish a role modeling atmosphere explaining so well why I am a Unitarian Universalist and why I so love this church. I encourage parents with young children to talk about this with them and read some of Nick’s words.

I recently discovered an undated sermon by Nick entitled From POW to POC. It was written sometime in 1999. You can see it at http://history.mmuus.org/From%20POW%20to%20POC.pdf It, too, is well worth reading. Nick talked about the feelings people have when they do something that is truly based on their conscience and knowing that they know how to distinguish right from wrong in terms of the way you deal with others: “There is a joyful exhilaration in risking something with others for the sake of some deep-down fundamental conviction that has to do, I think, with belonging and caring—with loving. It is a spiritual experience.” In essence, I believe Nick was describing how spirituality comes about in so many different ways.

Rog Hiemstra, Chair, History Committee

Written November 15, 2008

Many past May Memorial heroes have been mentioned in this newsletter, but many have been missed. This month and next month, that will be somewhat rectified. If you know of others who should be mentioned, please let me know. Many of the names contained in these two articles also have important historical connections to the Syracuse community.

• Right from our beginning in the 1830s, we were persecuted because of the beliefs by many that Unitarians were non-Christians or even heathens. This meant our forbearers had to be strong, courageous, and quiet heroes, such as our church initiators Stephen Abbott, Dr. Hiram Hoyt, Joel Owen, and Elisha Walter.
• Many know of the Jerry Rescue history in 1871, when Sam May helped break out of the Syracuse jail a former slave who was illegally placed there. However, there were many Unitarians also involved in various ways, including George Barnes, Oliver Burt, Dr. Lyman Clary, Captain Hiram Putnam, and Charles B. Sedgwick.
• Our church finances were finally put into the plus column in the late 1890s through the ability of Amos Padgham, long-time clerk and treasurer, and father of Elizabeth Padgham who became a well-know Unitarian minister and then a long time supporter of May Memorial after her retirement. About this same time Mary Redfield Bagg created a graded course of religious study for youth that was introduced at May Memorial and eventually adopted by many other Unitarian churches.
• In the 1920s, Dora Sedgwick Hazard and her sister Kitty Burlingame worked with Black community leaders to organize a youth recreation program at the AME Zion Church (this eventually because the Dunbar Society.
• A few years later in the early 1930′s when the unemployed men of the Syracuse had no place to go for recreation of any kind, reading and social rooms were provided for them at our church, with Mrs. Frederick R. Hazard taking the lead to supply them with refreshments, games, and reading material. Give a passing thanks and hearty congratulations to these wonderful people.

Rog Hiemstra, Chair, History Committee

Written October 15, 2008

Sadly, the Fall, 2008, issue of the UU World, announced the passing of Rev. Ric Masten, a true original, after a long and courageous battle with prostate cancer. You can find a chronicling of his battle with this terrible disease on the web simply by goggling his name. Ric was known as the “troubadour minister,” because he performed for years with music and poetry before many UU congregations across this country. Although he attended several colleges, he never received a degree as he struggled with dyslexia and a troublesome hearing impairment. He probably was the only fellowshipped UU minister who never graduated from college or a seminary, being ordained in 1971 at the UU church in Arlington, Virginia.

Ric had a long history with May Memorial, having appeared here several times in the 70s and 80s, usually with a 12 string guitar in tow, his wonderfully animated voice, and a large repertoire of poetry and song. His first appearance here may have been in 1971, at least that is the first mention of him in the archives. To see a photo of that visit, go to http://history.mmuus.org/ricmasten.pdf. To see a more recent photo during the period of his struggle with cancer go to http://history.mmuus.org/RicMasten2.jpg

I was fortunate to see him in the early 80s in what may have been his last visit to May Memorial. I remember being enthralled and he certainly seemed to captivate all of us in attendance. He talked openly about the problems he had faced in life, including the marital struggles he was undergoing. If memory serves me correctly, his wife, Billie Barbara Masten, poet, author, and actress, performed with him that evening. I seem to remember them talking together about the struggles of staying married with his and their hectic travel schedules when she went with him. They even split at one point, remarried, and then maintained a ritual of reaffirming their marriage with stated vows each year, an activity that Billie insisted upon until the end.

A winner of many honors, in his last award ceremony this past January he told the crowd in attendance, “All you have to do is catch a fatal disease and the awards just fall out of the trees like apples.” His ashes were spread on a steep dirt road leading to his California home as per his wishes so he could “leave behind a little winter traction for his neighbors.” His passing is very sad, but he left behind a legacy of quirky (he was even a quick-draw artist with a pistol) but beloved troubadouring.

Rog Hiemstra, Chair, History Committee

Written September 7, 2008