Foundation fellows named at MTNA conference - Foundation News - Music Teachers National Association - Brief Article

American Music Teacher, June-July, 2002

Ten new Fellows were named at the FOUNDATION Gala during the MTNA National Conference in Cincinnati in March. Jane Allen, Constance Knox Carroll, Benjamin Caton, Annette Conklin, James Edmonds, Dr. R. Wayne Gibson, Martha Hilley, Dr. Gary L. Ingle, Natalie Matovinovic and Mary Veverka were honored by friends and colleagues who made donations to the FOUNDATION in their names. Certificates and pins were awarded at the Gala in recognition of the significant contributions each of these individuals has made to the music profession.

Awards were presented posthumously to Jane Allen and James J. Edmonds.

Jane Allen of Missouri was a distinguished pianist and teacher and performed extensively as a soloist and chamber music recitalist in the United States, Canada and in all the major capitals of Europe. She was widely recognized as a teacher and produced many prize-winning students. She was a recipient of the Distinguished Teacher Award from the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars in 1983, 1987 and 1996. She was on the faculty of the Saint Louis Conservatory and Schools for the Arts, now the Saint Louis Symphony Music School. She also was on the faculty of Washington University in St. Louis, the University of Missouri at Columbia and St. Louis, and the Young Musical Artists Association Summer Music Institute. She served as adjudicator for MTNA national competitions and was in frequent demand as a workshop and master class clinician. Allen held lifetime Master Teacher Certification from MTNA.

James J. Edmonds was professor emeritus of piano and music theory at Eastern Washington University (EWU) in Washington. He received his bachelor's degree from Oberlin Conservatory of Music and his master's and doctorate degrees from The University of Michigan. He performed as soloist with several orchestras in the Pacific Northwest and appeared as soloist and chamber musician in the United States, Europe and Australia. Edmonds served MTNA in many different capacities. He was a past president of the Washington State Music Teachers Association and the MTNA Northwest Division. He was the official accompanist for many MTNA state, division and national competitions. In 1967-68 he was selected by the student government of EWU as the Outstanding Faculty Member of the Year, and in 1987 he was awarded the Frederick Douglass Distinguished Scholar Award, presented by the National Council of Black Studies Pacific Northwest.

Mary Veverka of Illinois completed her undergraduate work at Mankato University, Minnesota, and received her M.M. degree from Northwestern University. She also studied at the Stanford University Classical Music Institute. During her career as a piano teacher and performer, she served on the piano faculty of Concordia University, Dominican University and Roosevelt University and taught for many years at a Wisconsin summer music camp. She was soloist with many orchestras and played chamber music throughout the Midwest and on the West Coast with members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. She was awarded the Master Teacher Certificate from MTNA in 1982. Illinois State Music Teachers Association awarded her the Salt Creek Chapter Teacher of the Year. She was an active adjudicator in the Chicago area and led adjudicator workshops at state and national levels. Veverka died on Friday, March 22, after receiving the MTNA FOUNDATION Fellow award on March 18, 2002.

Dr. R. Wayne Gibson, MTNA president, was special assistant to the president for arts affairs at Kennesaw State University in suburban Atlanta, where for several years he headed the Department of Music and Performing Arts. He holds a bachelor's degree from Huntingdon College and master's and Ph.D. degrees in music history and literature from Northwestern University. Currently serving MTNA as president, he also has served as Georgia Music Teachers Association president, MTNA Southern Division president, national convention chair and MTNA treasurer.

Annette C. Conklin, chair, MTNA FOUNDATION Board of Trustees, holds a bachelor's degree from the College of St. Catherine, St. Paul, Minnesota, and an M.A. degree in music history from the University of Notre Dame. She maintains a large independent piano studio in South Bend, Indiana. She was an adjunct faculty member at Saint Mary's College for twenty-three years, teaching studio and class piano and piano proficiency. She also has taught class and private piano at the Indiana University South Bend (IUSB) Arts Academy and in the Continuing Education Division of IUSB. She frequently adjudicates local and regional competitions and National Guild of Piano Teachers auditions. Conklin has served MTNA as president of the South Bend Area Music Teachers Association, president of the Indiana Music Teachers Association (IMTA), president of the MTNA East Central Division and as a member of the MTNA Board of Directors and the American Music Teacher Editorial Committee. She was named Teacher of the Year by the IMTA in 1997.

The MTNA FOUNDATION Fellow program offers a meaningful method for honoring deserving individuals while supporting the efforts of the FOUNDATION through donations in the individual's name. To designate a Fellow, simply send a contribution of $1,000 to the FOUNDATION in the name of the individual to be honored. Please note that the Fellow distinction may not be established in the contributor's own name. For more information about this program, please contact the MTNA FOUNDATION at (888) 512-5278, ext. 242.