From Nancy Laine: Kathryn Johnson made a very interesting presentation on Oct. 15 to Church Music Institute about including the “O” Antiphons when planning for upcoming Advent services, both musically and visually. The handout shows some of the original musical notation (which fortunately Kathy has transcribed into modern notation!). If you would like a copy and did not get it attached to the emailed newsletter, you can request it from Mary Williams.

From Susan Poelchau: This afternoon (after our September meeting) I delivered Pat Hill's yearbook to her and had a delightful visit. I know she is as lovely and delightful as ever but quite frail. I asked if she wanted to attend a meeting and she said it was very difficult for her to get around. It seems to me that someone would have to volunteer to take her in a wheelchair but if it was a special occasion that would be possible. She observed that she is still patron chairman and asked to be relieved from that duty. She asked if Marybeth Johnson had gotten her yearbook. [Yes] Marybeth practices and teaches, and might want to perform at a meeting. Melody club has given up the ghost after 100 years in Dallas. That was one of Pat’s pet projects along with Mu Phi. She asked about the older members and still remembers everyone. I hope we can keep in touch with these legacy members. She loves listening to the library concerts.

Amy Canchola and Noe Garcia have been performing all over the place. Great to hear! They will be traveling to Mexico this month for with Julio Cesar Oliva, who has written songs for them.

Claudia Jameson is spending some time in Oregon with her daughter Rachel and granddaughter. She says she will be a second-time grandma in 2023 - son and daughter-in-law Willliam and Fukiko are expecting.



Ashley Bouras says she has finished her Master's classes but now faces the next hurdle... her certification portfolio and exam. She has started the writing process for her portfolio. She says to feel free to remind her that she is so close and to get to work.

Former President Peggy Wood (1972-1974) has passed away. I did not find a local obituary for her and don't have any details or a photo.

Jenny Smith is playing trumpet again in the Tarrant County Orchestra. Jenny says: For the first time since 2007 I was able to play with an orchestra again! I had a blast during the first concert of our year last Sunday with the Tarrant County Orchestra. Thank you to Dr. Bryan English at TCC Northeast for giving people like me who have experience and love music but have other full time jobs this opportunity!

In September Jenny lost her partner in crime and constant companion for the past 16 years - Zelda the Beagle. Jenny said: She brought so much joy to everyone.... She was not sick, but was in quite a bit of discomfort and pain recently, and just succumbed to old age....Thank you to everyone who helped make her life special.

Pat Suitt informed us of the death of Priscilla Long. Priscilla was a member of our chapter for many years and many members knew her from other music organizations as well. On Wednesday of last week Pat and her son were concerned about Priscilla as she had not been well lately and was not answering her phone into the evening. When they went to check on her, her car was there but she was not answering her door. They got a key from a neighbor and found her unresponsive in a chair. She was taken to the hospital but apparently she had had a stroke and she died the next day. Her service was held on Friday Nov 4 at 2 pm at Community Christian Church in Richardson. Below is the obituary that appeared in the Dallas Morning News. [photo from DMNews]




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By Mary Williams

From time to time I interview one of our members so that we can get to know each other better. When I set up an interview time with Mary Ann Taylor, I had no idea that she was as accomplished as I have come to find out. I also found out that we had much in common:

• 9 grandchildren each – Mary Ann with 8 boys and one girl; me with 7 boys and 2 girls
• A degree in music, but also a degree in something else – Mary Ann in English, me in Business
• An assortment of jobs and interests and travel experiences – some within the field of music, some elsewhere
• An tendency to agree to take on jobs and volunteer projects that strike us as important, thereby giving to our communities, but also spreading ourselves too thin with multiple projects going on at once

Mary Ann is a native Texan (San Angelo) who grew up with a natural knack for music. She played flute and also cello (playing cello in her first semester at college, but eventually giving it up to concentrate on flute). Her flute teacher recommended eight hours of flute practice a day – but that never happened – and she says she didn’t ever get to be as proficient as she might have otherwise. (I could also relate to that.) She played second flute in the San Angelo Symphony as a senior in high school and the third flute and piccolo as an adult until moving to Dallas.

She attended Texas Tech as a music major and married Jerry Taylor in the middle of her sophomore year. He was a fine pianist, band director and eventually church organist, and also played in musicals. When the Viet Nam war came along Jerry volunteered in order to get a better military posting. He and Mary Ann spent a year in South Korea during his military service. This was an interesting time for Mary Ann getting to experience another culture.

On their return, she completed her bachelor’s degree with a double major in music and English at UT Austin and her master’s in English later at Angelo State University.

She raised three sons and worked for Child Protective Services as an investigator for 11 years full time and then another 25 years on contract. She wrote a training film called “Essences” for employees. She taught English at Mountain View College until 2019. Lately she has been working for a media analysis company, monitoring and rating media outlets from Associated Press to Pink Slime, but also local news outlets. They are monitored for reliable/verifiable news and their bias of liberal, center or conservative reporting.

Mary Ann is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and volunteers at her church, with DFW Alliance for Religious Freedom (concentrating on education on first amendment rights), Dallas Interfaith Council (she chaired/arranged the Thanksgiving Square Gratitude program where students submitted thoughts of gratitude which Mary Ann wove into a choral reading and the Winter Festival of Faiths at Thanksgiving Square in 2021), Friends of the Library, Keep Duncanville Beautiful Board, and as President of our Mu Phi Epsilon chapter – for the second time. Her interests range beyond music and the literary arts to theater, art, science, mathematics and philosophy – and who knows what else.

Many of us were fans of her blog “Bluebonnet Syrup” that she published monthly on Facebook for five years, but recently discontinued. We followed the antics of her young grandsons – the Taylor Boys Demolition and Wakeup Service - as they spent weekends at her house, plus her musings of a more serious nature. She has started a novel that is in a holding pattern at present. Anyone familiar with her writing style will encourage her to finish it so we can read it. We know it will be wonderful!

Her loving husband and musical partner, Jerry, suffered a traumatic brain injury and passed away two years ago after a few years in a specialized brain injury facility and hospice care. Despite her loss, Mary Ann continues to be a committed and giving person to her family, community and our chapter.

Thank you – Mary Ann!