Lewis Girdler, '61

Fri, 5 Dec 2008

Composer, conductor, teacher (with the greatest of teacher's gifts, as others have noted, the ability to know every one of us as individuals and recall us decades later without the slightest hesitation), colleague, friend, husband and father-- there's also Fenno the arranger. At a Whiff reunion some years back, three alums took the stage to announce that in the car on the way, they had found that Fenno's arrangement of "September Song" worked even with one part missing. They proceeded to knock us all out by showing how very true that was. By way of explanation, their spokesman observed, "Well, it's Fenno". No more needed to be said.
Now the heavenly choirs are pulling up their socks, clearing their throats, and getting ready to sing as they've never sung before. Fenno and family, I hope you are feeling the love and the gratitude just pouring in.

Lewis Girdler, '61