Wednesday, July 31, 2002
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Wednesday, July 31, 2002 |
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Bill Dendinger's 'Swan Song' Endows Musical Gift to Clayton State
Joseph William (Bill) Dendinger, a retired chemist with the State of Georgia and resident of Doraville, passed away in February of this year after a long illness. Dendinger was a lover of music, especially opera, and had a collection of classical and operatic music that would fill a room. He also loved Spivey Hall, Clayton College and State University's world-renowned recital hall. Though he became ill shortly after its completion more than 10 years ago, and was unable to attend the hall, he did listen to many of the 50 plus yearly performances from Spivey that were broadcast over public radio stations, not only in Georgia, but throughout the United States. Dendinger's sister, Carolyn Mitchell and his nephew, Chet DeFonso, have presented his music collection - more than 4,000 classical CD's - to Clayton State. In addition, it was Mitchell's decision to sprinkle her brother's ashes on the University's 12-acre Swan Lake. "He was concerned about what would happen to his music and wanted it to be used and enjoyed," says DeFonso. "We talked about what to do with the collection," says Mitchell. Dendinger himself decided to donate it to Clayton State. "I wanted him to be close to his music," continues Mitchell. "He loved the campus at Clayton State." The collection is valued at well over $60,000. "But, it represents more than money," said Dr. Bryan Edwards, vice president of External Relations at Clayton State. "It represents his heart and soul." "It was his most prized possession," added DeFonso. So, it seems appropriate that this generous benefactor of Clayton State is now sleeping with the swans of Swan Lake. And that his 'Swan Song' would be this generous donation; and that he would rest so close to his beloved music and the hall, which awed him so much. Dr. Michiko Otaki, associate professor of music at Clayton State and a world-renowned classical pianist, is especially excited about the donation, partly because the collection contains multiple presentations of the same composition from various directors and performers. "This will allow students to compare the different techniques used by these artists for the same piece," she says. "This is something that Clayton State has needed for a long time." "One thing my uncle did was to observe the evolution of a performer over the course of their career," adds DeFonso. Dr. Thomas K. Harden, president of Clayton State, Sherryl Nelson, director of Spivey Hall, Edwards, Otaki, Reda Rowell, Clayton State director of Development, and Robert Fox, director of the Clayton State Library, were all in attendance for the July 11 presentation in the University's new music building. The collection will be housed at the Clayton State Library and kept behind the circulation desk. It will be cataloged separately and made available to all the students. "Each CD will have a label indicating it is from 'The Bill Dendinger Collection'," says Fox. "Our online catalog will also reference the collection, so people will be able to pull up just CDs from that collection as well." |
