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January 21, 2025

MSU Music mourns the passing of influential alum Fritz Stansell

portrait of man in suit with background material showing musical notes.William Fritz Stansell was a proud music education graduate of Michigan State University. He passed away on December 27, 2024, at the age of 92, and he leaves a strong legacy of music education as a teacher and founder of Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp.

A protégé of MSU’s Leonard Falcone and James Niblock, Fritz believed wholeheartedly that all students, regardless of background or ability, should be able to benefit from studying the arts. To that end, he generously supported students through millions of dollars of scholarships to attend Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp.

He was a visionary and an award-winning pioneer who, with his wife Gretchen, built an organization that maintains a close relationship with the MSU College of Music to this day.

“What an impact within the state of Michigan and well beyond, Fritz and Gretchen made by providing such inclusive opportunity and access to the power of music for so many young people,” said College of Music Dean James Forger. “What they accomplished is nothing short of amazing.”

black and white image of a man on left conducting a group of young musicians in a crowded room

Stansell leads an ensemble in the earlier days of the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp.

 

Full obituary of William Fritz Stansell

William F. “Fritz” Stansell, 92, Founder and President Emeritus of Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, Inc., in Twin Lake, Michigan, passed away on Saturday, December 27, 2024.

Fritz Stansell was born on January 18, 1932, in Columbus, Ohio, son of Gilbert and Marguerite Stansell. He graduated from Scottville High School in 1949, then studied Music Education at Michigan State University. His first teaching position was at Dansville Public Schools. After completing his Bachelor’s degree in 1953, he married Gretchen H. Kutschinski before serving in the U.S. Army. Following the completion of a Master’s degree in Education at Purdue University, Fritz went on to teach all levels of Band and Orchestra at Grant Public Schools, North Muskegon Public Schools, Muskegon Public Schools, and Muskegon Community College. In 1965, he left public school teaching permanently to launch Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, an internationally recognized non-profit summer school of the arts, now celebrating its 60th season of operation.

During his childhood, Fritz was influenced greatly by his father, Gilbert Stansell, who was a professional musician and educator. He spent many summers with his maternal grandfather, Ludolph Arens, who was also a professional musician, composer, professor of music, and founder of the Arens Art Colony in Wisconsin. During his college years, he met two significant mentors: Dr. Leonard Falcone and Dr. James Niblock, both professors of music at M.S.U. Throughout Fritz’s early career, his parents and mentors encouraged him to create a West Michigan destination where artistic youth could build upon their talent and grow personally in an enriching environment, similar to his grandfather Arens’ summer program. Together with his wife Gretchen and family, he took the first steps in 1963 to build Blue Lake, and worked tirelessly throughout his career to sustain its mission. In 1970, together with Gretchen, he created the International Exchange Program, and in 1982, he initiated Blue Lake Public Radio. His goal was to provide a quality experience in arts education for deserving children of all abilities. He knew that for the arts to survive in the future, not only must we cultivate the next generation of artists and musicians, we must also encourage the next generation of knowledgeable and appreciative audiences. His vision has been a unifying force among many distinguished musicians and educators across the country, who have supported Blue Lake by serving as faculty, conductors, guest artists, administrators, and members of the Board of Trustees.

Fritz’s generosity was boundless. He constantly endeavored to serve students from diverse backgrounds and underserved communities by creating opportunities through a generous scholarship program. One of the first organizations with a non-profit status within the state of Michigan, Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp has awarded millions in scholarships under his leadership, reaching thousands of students each season. Fritz Stansell’s life’s work now serves as a beautiful self-portrait, achieving the highest standards in his field through unwavering pursuit of a personal dream. His lifetime of accomplishments represent a legacy of selfless leadership for the betterment of the whole. His impact as a visionary, educator, musician, conductor, and leader reaches far and wide. Ars longa, vita brevis.

In 1992, Fritz Stansell was awarded the Michigan Governor’s Arts Award for Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp from Gov. John Engler. In 1993, he received the Grand Rapids Federation of Musicians Lifelong Contribution to Music Award. In 1995, he was named Michiganian of the Year by the Detroit News. In 2005, Michigan State University presented him with the Distinguished Alumni Award. In 2007, he received the Michigan Guvvy Award from Governor Jennifer Granholm. In 2012, he received the American Bandmasters Association Goldman Memorial Citation.

Those who knew Fritz will remember him for his wonderful sense of humor and wit, generous heart, unassuming personality, and immense knowledge of a variety of subjects in music, the arts, history, language and literature. He was a lifelong learner, always reading, studying, traveling, observing, listening, and working toward understanding. He was incredibly knowledgeable about many subjects but especially European-American history and World War II. But he also loved the humor of Groucho Marx and Calvin & Hobbes, the wit of Mark Twain, and life lessons of A. A. Milne. His primary instruments were baritone and string bass, but he was proficient in many. He had a soft spot for stray animals, loved a good fire in the wood stove, and was an avid Spartan fan. After retiring, he enjoyed the peace and solitude of his home in the Upper Peninsula, perched on the edge of Lake Superior and fondly named “Troldhaugen” after Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg’s famous lakeside residence.

Fritz was mindful of rich family history and careful to preserve stories and traditions through the generations. A loving husband, father, and grandfather, Fritz Stansell is survived by Gretchen Stansell, wife of 71 years, along with three children – Terry Stansell (Suzanne), Tom Stansell (Em Laursen), and Heidi Stansell (Richard Erne); five grandchildren – Jillian Stansell (Fernando Campo), Nicholas Stansell, Monique Stansell, Grace Erne, and Jackson Erne.

In lieu of flowers, the family encourages donations to the Fritz Stansell Endowed Fund at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, which provides camp scholarships to arts students. For more information, contact: Andy Lofgren, Vice President Finance & Development, at development@bluelake.org, or write Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, 300 E. Crystal Lake Road, Twin Lake, MI 49457.