Since the beginning of this academic year, the College of Music has raised $3.1 million in gifts and pledges in support of faculty, student, and programmatic development. Private donations play a vital role in the college’s ability to maintain and enhance quality offerings. A special thank you for support this past semester to Eileen Houston, Doug and Ginny Jewell, Patricia and Alan Hooper and an anonymous gift in appreciation of Jack Budrow’s excellence in teaching.

Music educator Eileen Houston, BMus '62 and MMus '68, has created a wonderful new planned gift in support of the College of Music. Eileen and her late husband, Bob, were both band directors in the Grand Ledge Schools, and shared deep respect for the importance of music education in the lives of young people. This gift will be directed, in part, to their two existing endowed scholarships in the college. The first is in brass performance, for trombone and trumpet majors, recognizing the tremendous influence of their professors Merrill Sherburn and Byron Autrey, who guided Eileen and Bob on their respective instruments. The second is in music education, an endowment that supports students who may become middle school band directors. The majority of the new gift creates a new endowment for music education, to support scholarships for undergraduate instrumental music education scholars, urban instrumental music education scholars, or graduate assistantships in instrumental music education, according to the needs of the college in future years. With this new gift, Eileen has created a strong legacy of support for the College of Music with three J. Robert Houston III and Eileen G. Houston Endowments.

Pictured above: Eileen Houston, left, with Ava Ordman, associate professor of trombone and chair of the brass and percussion area

Doug and Ginny Jewell, long-time friends of the College of Music, are both MSU alumni having received their degrees from the College of Social Science, Doug in 1960 and Ginny in 1961. In 2007, in celebration of the School of Music moving to college status, Doug and Ginny established the Virginia (Mills) and Douglas F. Jewell Endowed Dean’s Scholarship in the College of Music. This named scholarship, awarded to undergraduate, graduate, or diploma candidates of exceptional talent, is among the college’s most prestigious and generous scholarship awards. Since 2007, the Jewells have made contributions to their named endowment and, this past spring, they continued their generous support and made an additional stock gift to their scholarship, bringing the market value of their named endowment to nearly $400,000, providing approximately $20,000 in annual scholarship support to deserving and talented students. To date, eight students have received significant scholarship support from the Jewell Endowed Dean’s Scholarship. To read more about the Jewells and their support of the College of Music, please click here.

Pictured above: L-R, Doug Jewell, Kimberly Goddard, Geoffery Deibel, and Ginny Jewell.

Virginia (Mills) and Douglas F. Jewell Endowed Dean’s Scholarship in the College of Music recipients:

• Geoffrey Deibel, DMA '10, saxophone
• Kimberly Goddard, DMA '11, saxophone
• Sheena Dhamsania, '11, Bachelor of Music in Music Education and Performance, bassoon
• Stephen Martin, '12, Bachelor of Music in Performance, voice
• Patrick Cooper, '13, Bachelor of Music in Performance, horn
• Matthew Nix, '12, Bachelor of Music in Music Education and Performance, cello
• Johnathan McNurlen, Class of 2014, Bachelor of Music in Music Education and Performance, viola
• Claire Strachan, '12, Bachelor of Music in Music Education, flute

Patricia Hooper, BMUS, '72, and her husband Alan Hooper, BS Eng, '71, MS ANR, '73, of Rockton, Illinois, recently created a planned gift to benefit the College of Music and the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources at MSU. The Hoopers grew up together and went to school together, but did not begin dating until both were students at MSU. They are part of an extended Spartan family, including Al’s brother and sister. Pat knew she wanted to do something that would provide lasting benefit to the College of Music, with maximum flexibility for the future. She was excited about creating an endowment that will be used to generate annual expendable amounts for the purchase and maintenance of musical instruments owned by the college. Alan pleasantly compared this direction to his desire to upgrade laboratory equipment in Agriculture and Natural Resources. The Hoopers have expressed their deep affection for Michigan State University, and their delight at having the opportunity to “give back” to their alma mater. With their generous gift to the College of Music and the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, the Hoopers are recognized in the Jonathan L. Snyder Society and the Linda Landon Society.

Congratulations to Professor Jack Budrow. In honor and appreciation for his excellence in teaching, the Winston Jack Budrow Endowed Scholarship for Bass Studies was funded with a $100,000 stock contribution in March 2013. This endowment will provide approximately $5,000 in scholarship support for talented and deserving undergraduate and graduate students studying classical double bass in the MSU College of Music. In addition to this endowed scholarship, the anonymous donor provided $20,000 to be used outright in support for a guest artist master teaching fund. Visiting artists will be invited to campus to present activities that enhance the educational experiences of the students in the classical double bass studio. Budrow, professor of double bass and co-chair of the string area at the College of Music, has been on faculty since 1996 and is the 2012 recipient of the Withrow Award for Excellence in Teaching in the MSU College of Music. 

Pictured above: Jack Budrow, right, with colleague Rodney Whitaker, professor of jazz bass and director of jazz studies at the College of Music.

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