~ BOULEVARDIERS & BENEFACTORS ~
Alfred B. Connable II (1904-1999) and Irving S. Gilmore (1900-1986)
Kalamazoo, Michigan, c.1958.
~ Photo courtesy of the Kalamazoo Valley Museum ~
These two great friends helped to dream the dream forward of a new Kalamazoo.
Both Al Connable and Irving Gilmore came from old Kalamazoo families who left
a legacy of business acumen, arts patronage, and public service a generation before.
Al and Irving built these traditions into their own lives, yet could embrace new concepts
for a changing urban landscape in downtown Kalamazoo.
Irving Gilmore, third from right; Alice, second from right, and others enjoy lunch
"on the mall" at Gilmore's Ice Cream Parlor, early 1960s.
In 1959, Kalamazoo's Burdick Street became America's first outdoor pedestrian shopping mall. The
street was torn up and pavement was replaced with park-like amenities: grass, gardens, benches and
fountains-- an outdoor plaza dedicated to the pedestrian shopper. Cars were banished to parking lots
within walking distance. The mall started out with two blocks of Burdick Street, with a third one added
in 1960 (and a fourth one in 1975). The Burdick Street Mall transformed the heart of Kalamazoo's
downtown retail district.
According to Al Connable, in his 1998 book A MICHIGAN MAN, The Life & Times of Kalamazoo's
Al Connable, as told to Tom Thinnes:
"... The roots of the concept of the Kalamazoo Mall go directly to Bob Brown (Industrial State Bank and the County Board of Supervisors). As I recall, he and a couple of other fellows were standing on a downtown corner brainstorming. At the time, Bob was a Chamber of Commerce officer. They took the idea to Irving Gilmore, who told me about it... The Mayor was Glenn Allen, Jr., and he skillfully carried the political ball.
A tremendous amount of planning and coordination for the Kalamazoo Mall was done by Elton "Buzz"
Ham, who taught political science at Kalamazoo College, and became a tremendous resource for downtown." -A MICHIGAN MAN, p. 270.
Kalamazoo city officals and business leaders tapped the talents of Victor Gruen and Associates of
New York, Detroit and Los Angeles to come up with a "Gruen Plan" for Kalamazoo's downtown core.
Revitalization of the downtown economy was needed as competition from outlying shopping centers
was becoming a reality. The "Downtown Kalamazoo - 1980" plan became a model for other downtown pedestrian shopping malls across the country. Kalamazoo was re-named "The Mall City", a nickname that replaced the earlier "Celery City".
Mall planners from Gruen and Associates meet with Kalamazoo business leaders.
Gazette photo that appeared in Museography magazine, a publication of the
Kalamazoo Valley Museum, Summer 2009, p. 14. (click on to enlarge)
Irving Gilmore, prominent businessman and benefactor, served as a member of the local planning
committee, called the Downtown Kalamazoo Association. The reality of this new pedestrian mall had
landed literally at the front doors of Irving's department store, Gilmore Brothers at 143-147 South Burdick Street. Irving generously funded the purchase of new awnings for each business that had a
storefront on the mall.
ON THE MALL - KALAMAZOO, MICHIGAN
Water Wonderland Card Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan
-Postcard from the 1960s
Irving saw the new mall as an opportunity to expand his business, and opened Gilmore's Ice Cream
Parlor in the early 1960s. It offered traditional soda fountain treats and light lunches, and had a great
outdoor seating area, just steps from the flow of pedestrians. It was a popular spot with downtown
shoppers, and became the center of a "café society" of sorts for Al and Irving and their circle of friends
and associates. Gilmore family friend Walt Disney, and visiting dignitaries from Africa were also
entertained there as guests of Irving and Al. The Ice Cream Parlor was the place to be, and be seen--
"on the mall".
Café Society ~ Friends join Irving Gilmore at the Ice Cream Parlor, c.1964.
From right: Clark den Bleyker, Kalamazoo Symphony Personnel Manager; Alice in beige ensemble;
Irving Gilmore, in profile, seated next to Alice, and other friends and associates.
The Kalamazoo Public Library has two excellent online articles about downtown Kalamazoo.
Just click and read!
"The Dilemma of Downtown Parking" - Kalamazoo Public Library
"From Wheels to Heels: The Mall City" - Kalamazoo Public Library
ON THE MALL, KALAMAZOO, MICHIGAN,
Water Wonderland Card Company, Grand Rapids.
-Postcard from the 1960s
Garment labels of businesses on the Burdick Street Mall in the 1960s,
and one jewelry box label from Shumaker's Jewelers.
There are two excellent articles on the the Kalamazoo Mall in Museography magazine, Summer 2009,
Volume 8, Issue 3, "A Look Back at Kalamazoo's Downtown Mall", p. 12, and "The Making of the
Kalamazoo Mall", p. 14, publication of the Kalamazoo Valley Museum.
Read them online now! Just click on the KVM link, then click on General Information, then On-line Magazine. Look for the listings of Museography under Archived Museographies, and scroll down and click on Volume 8, Issue 3, Summer 2009. www.kalamazoomuseum.org
Celebrating 30 years of the Kalamazoo Mall
Back cover of Flower Fest 1989 Souvenir Program, July 19-23, 1989.
_____________________________________________________________________
BOULEVARDIERS & BENEFACTORS:
AL CONNABLE & IRVING GILMORE "ON THE MALL"
Alfred B. Connable & Irving S. Gilmore
Friends ~ Kalamazooans ~ Downtowners
World traveler and friend of U.S. Presidents, Al Connable stayed true to his roots, and was one
of Kalamazoo's most enthusiastic supporters. "A happy presence" is how he was described by
friends Timothy and Joy Light, in the Foreward to Al's book A MICHIGAN MAN: The Life &
Times of Kalamazoo's Al Connable, as told to Tom Thinnes.
Born and raised in Kalamazoo, Alfred B. Connable II (1904-1999) graduated from the University
of Michigan, and Harvard Business School. He returned to Michigan and worked in Detroit, and
served on the Board of Regents at the University of Michigan. He followed in his father's footsteps
in the investment field in Kalamazoo, and was a Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra board member
and benefactor. He also served on the Western Michigan University Board of Trustees.
Born into a distinguished Kalamazoo family, Al's father Alfred B. Connable Sr. was a mayor of
Kalamazoo, and served as Board Chairman of the Kalamazoo Symphony when it was founded
in 1921. In an editorial in the Kalamazoo Gazette that same year, Connable Sr. urged Kalamazooans
to support the newly-formed Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra under the management of Leta Snow.
Al Connable II, Kalamazoo Symphony Board Member, at the American Symphony Orchestra
League Convention in St. Louis, in 1960. Pictured with Al is Helen Thompson, who, together
with KSO Founder Leta Snow, co-founded the American Symphony Orchestra League in 1942,
now called the League of American Orchestras.
There was something about Al Connable. His high cheekbones and craggy profile made an
unforgettable impression. He looked the part of a distinguished gentleman from another era--
dapper, tweedy, and pipe-smoking. Al was hail-fellow-well-met whenever he ran into a friend.
You were enveloped in an enthusiastic embrace, accompanied by loud guffaws. He was genuinely
glad to see you, and his bright eyes just sparkled.
Al Connable was a Kalamazoo "guru" of sorts. He exuded local history, loved it, and appreciated
what his forebears were to this community. He knew who he was, and created a sense of occasion
wherever he went. He loved what was going on, and always seemed to be in the center of interesting
happenings. He remembered things about others, and always wanted to hear the latest. Al Connable
lived in the past, present and future all at once.
Any given weekday morning, let us say, around 11:30 a.m., sometime in the early 1960s, Al could be seen rounding the corner from his East Michigan Avenue office onto the Burdick Street Mall with his chocolate brown standard poodle named Fauvette, stopping by Gilmore's to look up his friend Irving. They would have lunch outside at the Ice Cream Parlor, holding court and hobnobbing with all the passers-by. In a nearby flower bed stood a stone cherub nicknamed "Little Irving".
Photo of Little Irving by Lance Ferraro
Al's good friend and fellow downtowner Irving Gilmore, was owner and proprietor of Gilmore
Brothers Department Store, est. 1881. Equally dapper, Irving preferred pinstripes to tweeds.
A tailor in the Burlington Arcade in London, England, knew his suit measurements. Irving was
a talented pianist, and attended Yale University to study music. It is said that Irving Gilmore and
Cole Porter were roommates.
After graduating from Yale in English and Music in 1923, he studied in New York for a year, and
tried his luck at being a concert pianist.
In 1924, Irving returned to Kalamazoo to help run the family business, and continue his love of music
in more supportive roles. Irving lived a a Victorian house in downtown Kalamazoo, the perfect place
for his large Steinway piano. Years later, when Al and his wife Dorothy lived near Irving, the two
friends would walk to work together:
"I can remember many a warm spring morning walking on South Street from my home toward my
downtown office and I'd hear the beautiful sounds of piano music coming out of Irving Gilmore's
open windows. He was having his usual morning culture-workout. Classical, popular, jazz, he
loved all kinds of music and kept his windows open so passersby could enjoy his playing."
"Then we would walk to work together, past the Civic Theater, through Bronson Park, he to
the Gilmore store and I to my office in the American National Bank Building. We often talked
about the wonders of music and of our hometown of Kalamazoo. He loved them both and so did I."
-Al Connable, A MICHIGAN MAN, p. 295
Irving Gilmore's wheels were always turning on behalf of his business, and he had more imaginative ideas for the store, bringing in a kind of big-city sophistication that made Gilmore Brothers the centerpiece of downtown Kalamazoo retail.
Gilmore Brothers logo
on a gift box, 1960s.
Like Chicago's Marshall Fields, Gilmore's had the best windows at Christmas, and the best Mr.
and Mrs. Santa Claus this side of Macys in New York City. How many of us remember the
perfectly powdered and coiffed perfume counter sales ladies we said hello to on our way to shoes,
hats, and handbags?
Gilmore's installed the first escalator in town (1955). In the 1960s, Irving helped to organize the
Kalamazoo Women's Symphony Association's annual fashion show fund-raisers, which featured
clothing lines from his store. One year, he even arranged to have fashions flown in from Paris!
Irving was fun and formidable at the same time. His dry sense of humor and smart repartee kept
you on your toes. He was naturally shy, and demurred from drawing attention to himself. Irving's
generosity to the citizens of Kalamazoo in overt ways made him a legend in his own time, and his
behind-the-scenes assistance to individuals made him a beloved figure. He was sometimes called
"Uncle Irving".
With the phenomenally successful business his father and uncle had started, Irving S. Gilmore carried
it forward. A foundation was set up. When Irving died in 1986, he left to Kalamazoo untold riches.
Irving's legacy lives on in the world-famous Gilmore International Keyboard Festival.
"In the Key of G" video clip shows rare film footage of Irving Gilmore as a young man.
Courtesy of YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHrn73IGwUc&feature=related
Meanwhile... back in the 1960s, Al and Irving's friends would gather for lunch each Spring at the
outdoor tables of Gilmore's Ice Cream Parlor to celebrate the return of Little Irving to his place of
honor on the Kalamazoo Mall. Western Michigan University Professor of History and literary wit,
Willis Dunbar wrote several iterations of an Ode to Little Irving over the years. In 1965, Dunbar
waxed poetic with the following verse:
"I must confess
At first I thought all this was dizzy
I thought to cavort here
I was too busy
For Little Irving
Those passing
Must regard this somewhat wacky crew
As slightly touched
To waste their time on a statue
Of Little Irving." -Dr. Willis Dunbar, Ode to Little Irving (excerpt), 1965.
Little Irving celebrations at Gilmore's Ice Cream Parlor, various years, 1960s.
Irving Gilmore is pictured in the top left snapshot looking over his shoulder.
(click on to enlarge)
Graphic artist Fred Ashby was married to one of Al's nieces.
He is holding Al's poodle Fauvette. A Chinese Foo Dog
was also invited to the Little Irving Party that year.
This tradition of honoring their cherubic friend lasted until Little Irving's mysterious disappearance
in the early-1970s. Kalamazoo Gazette feature writer Dave Hager mused on this very subject in an
article on May 21, 2001:
(click on to enlarge)
POSTSCRIPT:
Al Connable was compelled to write A MICHIGAN MAN after the death of Irving Gilmore in 1986:
"... it was a person's death that invigorated me to relive my life. When my dear
friend Irving Gilmore died in January of 1986, the tragedy was not only losing
a truly wonderful colleague, but that his life and times were never put down on
paper, chapter and verse. Many of his remarkable and little-known contributions
to this community were lost. Worse yet, his great stories about those events were
stilled." A MICHIGAN MAN, Preface, p. 13.
A MICHIGAN MAN: The Life & Times of Kalamazoo's Al Connable, as told to
Tom Thinnes, Priscilla Press, Allegan Forest, Michigan, 1998, hardcover, 338 pp.
with over 100 photographs, and an extensive index.
Priscilla Press: isbndb.com/d/publisher/priscilla_press.html
Alice said it best: "God bless the first families in this community. They were willing to put their money
back into the town and its people." -A MICHIGAN MAN, p. 287.
_________________________________________________________________________________
Keep Scrolling....
AL CONNABLE ~ Michigan Man
Kalamazoo's boulevardier par excellence
_________________________________
Why do French expressions come to mind when thinking about
Al Connable? Boulevardier, raconteur, joie de vivre, and je ne
sais quoi all seem to be apropos when describing a man who isn't
even French! In fact, he's pure Michigan...
Born in Kalamazoo, Alfred B. Connable II (1904-1999), lived most
of his life here, but was a graduate of the University of Michigan,
and Harvard Business School, and was a world traveler.
Al experienced the trials and triumphs of the 20th century through
his involvement in civic affairs, the arts, politics, public policy,
entrepreneurship, and education. A music lover, Al Connable was
a longtime Kalamazoo Symphony board member, benefactor, and enthusiastic audience member. In his nine-plus decades, he knew
so many people, and he had so many friends. Al found time to play,
and had great "pals" (Al's word) to help him kick up his heels.
Everyone had a good time when "The Admiral" was in charge!
Al instituted a springtime ritual that took place on the mall starting in the early 1960s. Local luminaries
would gather to celebrate the return of a stone cherub to the flower bed across the way from Gilmore's
would gather to celebrate the return of a stone cherub to the flower bed across the way from Gilmore's
Ice Cream Parlor. The cherub was dubbed "Little Irving", named after Al's great friend Irving Gilmore,
owner and proprietor of Gilmore Brothers Department Store. This "ceremony" was a Connable caper
to be sure-- one with kind-hearted humor and generosity at its core, which was Al's essence.
Alice's Archivist recommends A MICHIGAN MAN: The Life & Times of Kalamazoo's Al Connable,
as told to Tom Thinnes, The Priscilla Press, Allegan Forest, Michigan, 1998, hardcover, with over 100
photographs, and an extensive index.
A MICHIGAN MAN can be purchased at Kazoo Books.
(269) 385-2665, (800) 516-2665
There are also copies in the Kalamazoo Public Library.
Type in book title/author in "Search Catalog":
If you love local history, or are new to Kalamazoo, or want to refresh your recollection of a beloved
and larger-than-life figure who looms large in Kalamazoo lore, this is your book. After reading A
MICHIGAN MAN, you will wish you had known Al Connable. For those who did, you will enjoy
a visit with an old pal. Well done Tom! -Alice's Archivist
Bookplate inside Alice's copy of A MICHIGAN MAN
Springtime gathering at Gilmore's Ice Cream Parlor, On the Mall, Kalamazoo, Michigan, c.1963.
Left: Unidentified gentleman; Middle: "Little Irving"; Right: Al Connable.
_____________________________________________________________
~Marcella Faustman
~Spanish Nights
~Designers' Showhouse '82
~Alice and Ola
~Hats Off to Leta Snow
__________________________________________________________________________________
MARCELLA FAUSTMAN: A Long & Lyrical Life
STATEN ISLAND, NEW YORK, 1940s:
A young widow sings for patients at a World War II veterans hospital. She notices a Navy
vet convalescing in the TB unit. They meet, marry and have a long life together filled with song
and poetry. As the music swells, they sail off into the sunset... Turner Classic Movies? No--
just one theme in the long, lyrical life of Marcella Faustman.
Marcella Faustman, age 104, passed away May 1, 2011.
Born in Moberly, Missouri in 1907, Marcella's mother, a milliner, introduced her to music at
age 4, starting her on piano and then violin. She played piano for elementary school productions
and began making stage appearances. That is how it all started...
With a music degree from Missouri Christian College (now Columbia College), Marcella
landed a job in the St. Louis Municipal Opera as chorus member and understudy.
Bitten by the show biz bug, there was no turning back. Marcella took her talents east to
New York City and stayed over 20 years. She earned her Masters Degree at Columbia University,
sang in various productions, toured, and married a man with a beautiful baritone voice. She also
worked as a model and bookkeeper during the Depression.
After her husband died in 1947, friends persuaded her to join a Red Cross Music Program that
involved performing for soldiers recovering in the VA hospital on Staten Island. This brings us
back to our opening scene...
Philip Faustman, the Navy vet Marcella had noticed when singing in the TB ward was soon cured.
They married in 1950.
The year before, Marcella had been hired by the School of Music at Western Michigan University
in Kalamazoo to teach voice, vocal literature, history of song, and physiology of the voice.
Marcella's dedication to her students is legendary. She could be tough and demanding, when she
knew a student had potential. She would expand their horizons in terms of vocal range and choice
of repertoire. She championed the inclusion of minority students in the School of Music. She even
gave advice to students who were not her own.
People who knew her enjoy telling Marcella stories. They loved her forthright manner, her bon
mots, and salty language.
As a mezzo-soprano, Marcella Faustman made frequent appearances as recitalist and soloist during
her years at Western. She gave her final performance at age 69, at Miller Auditorium. She retired
from WMU in 1977 as Professor Emerita of the School of Music. She taught privately until her
90th year.
From the opera stages of Europe, to teaching studios across the United States, her vocal students
now have established careers of their own.
Marcella and Philip Faustman established vocal music and music theatre scholarships at WMU:
The Marcella S. and Philip F. Faustman Vocal Performance Endowment, and The Musical
Theatre and Performance Endowment Fund.
Marcella and Philip were married for 58 years. Philip died in 2008-- husband, friend, shipmate.
They had sailed into many a sunset together in their 30 years cruising the Great Lakes in their
trawler named "Spray"-- a passion they shared... Cue the music...
-Written by Alice's Archivist for Heritage Community of Kalamazoo,
January 31, 2010, updated May 14, 2011.
A NOTE FROM MARCELLA TO ALICE:
Keep scrolling for...
_______________________
~Spanish Nights
~Designers' Showhouse '82
~Alice and Ola
~Hats Off to Leta Snow!
______________________________________________________________________________
~ SPANISH NIGHTS ~
Nights in the Gardens of Spain, Symphonic Impressions
for Piano and Orchestra, by Manuel de Falla (1876-1946).
The Kalamazoo Symphony was conducted that evening by
Mexican maestro Luis Herrera de la Fuente. KSO Music
Director Gregory Millar took a seat in the audience that
evening at Central High Auditorium (Chenery). Six months earlier, Millar had guest conducted the National Symphony of Mexico.
These musical renderings found in Nights of the Gardens of Spain were, in Falla's own words,
written to "evoke the memory of places, sensations and sentiments." -Excerpted from Kalamazoo
Symphony Program Notes, by Hans Lick (William Burke).
(click on to enlarge)
The Kalamazoo Symphony employed the writing talents of William (Bill) Burke, of Kalamazoo
College, and later of the Sound Room audio shop in downtown Kalamazoo. Program notes for
all the works to be performed were published in a 4 1/2" x 6" folio, and mailed out to symphony
subscribers to use as a study guide prior to the concert.
The Kalamazoo Gazette's reviewer R.A. Patton called the performance of Falla's Nights, an
"enthralling interpretation". -Kalamazoo Gazette, Wednesday, January 15, 1964. See below...
(click on to enlarge)
A post-concert reception took place at Carver Center. Alice photographed well in red taffeta!
Top photo: Alice and KSO Guest Conductor, Luis Herrera de la Fuente;
Middle row, left: Alice with Kalamazoo concert pianist and teacher, Ola Krudener,
Alice's concerto coach and mentor; Bottom photo, left: Alice and KSO Music
Director, Gregory Millar.
________________________________________________________________________________
KEEP SCROLLING...
-Designers' Showhouse '82
-Alice & Ola
-Hats Off to Leta Snow
_____________________________________________________________
DESIGNERS' SHOWHOUSE '82, "THE OAKLANDS"
A FUNDRAISING PROJECT OF THE KSO WOMEN'S ASSOCIATION
& FRIENDS OF THE ART CENTER, APRIL 21 TO MAY 12, 1982
Drawing by Terri Maurer of The Oaklands, on the campus of WMU
TERRI MAURER studied fine art at Western Michigan University, and was a 1977 graduate
of Kendall School of Design in Grand Rapids. She was involved in graphic design at the KIA,
and has also done free-lance commercial work, and stained glass.
THE KALAMAZOO SYMPHONY WOMEN'S ASSOCIATION embarked on a most ambitious
fundraising project in 1982. They teamed up with the FRIENDS OF THE ART CENTER to
present DESIGNERS' SHOWHOUSE '82, featuring the work of 20 area interior and landscape
designers.
They were given the opportunity of completely refurbish "THE OAKLANDS", an elegant 23-room
mansion built in 1869 in the Italian Revival Style. Located on what is now the campus of Western
Michigan University, The Oaklands has served WMU in a number of capacities: a residence for
several university presidents, a place for visiting dignitaries to stay, a gracious setting for special
occasions, meetings and university functions.
The designers showcased their individual talents in an assigned room or area of the house. Even a
boutique and a garden shop were set up in the lower level. Tours, fashion shows, luncheon speakers,
live music, and cooking demonstrations were scheduled during the three-week event.
In addition to the 19 professional design firms, several rooms were designed by WMU's student chapter
of the American Society of Interior Designers.
Executive Staff for Designer's Showhouse '82 were: Jean Amlicke, Ramona Bernhard, Marge Bitson,
Helen Domeny, Connie Kemp, Marilyn Middleton, Gayle Smythe, Anne van Giessen, Fran Vorys,
and Nancy Wilson. There was also a Standing Committee of over thirty people, and a large contingent
of volunteers.
Gail Fitzpatrick-Fox, member of the Program Standing Committee, was in charge of the overall design
and layout of this souvenir program. She also worked closely with the many businesses that placed ads.
Thanks Gail for lending this program to Alice's Archives. Beautiful work! -Alice's Archivist
Designers' Showhouse '82 Logo was by TOM KAYSER. He created the logo of the three oak leaves
expressly for this souvenir program. Tom was Director of the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts.
Inside the program were 28 drawings of the Designers' Showhouse rooms, executed by KEN FIRTH.
Ken volunteered his talents for this project and produced the drawings in four weeks. He studied fine
art at the Cleveland Institute of Art. His works are in galleries nationwide. Ken worked in advertising
at Biggs|Gilmore in Kalamazoo, and after retirement returned to his first love-- watercolor.
Designers' Showhouse '82 was a great success as a fundraising project, and was repeated in 1988, 1991,
1992, 1995, and 1999.
In 1983, the Women's Symphony Association changed its name to the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra
League (KSOL), and began admitting men as members.
LINKS: www.ksoleague.com/history.htm www.wmich.edu/oaklands/history.html
_________________________________________________________________________________
ALICE & OLA
OLA KRUDENER, Pianist, Teacher, Concerto Soloist, Committee Member, Mentor & Friend
Piano and Orchestra, with the Kalamazoo Symphony, Guest Conductor Luis Herrera de la Fuente,
January 14, 1964. This snapshot was taken at a post-concert reception at Carver Center.
OLA KRUDENER (1899-1983) coached Alice for her various solo engagements with the Kalamazoo
Symphony in the 1960s. Ola was one of those grand old ladies of the piano from an earlier era--
a wonderful person, and a fine musician who had a certain flair about her. Trained in Boston, Ola
later moved to New York City, where she was an accompanist for singers. Alice was fortunate to
have Ola Murray Krudener as a mentor and friend during these years.
Ola performed the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Kalamazoo Symphony under unusual
circumstances. The concert took place on February 19, 1933, during the dark days of the Depression.
The banks were closed for that week. KSO Founder and Manager LETA SNOW devised a clever plan
to ensure that people were not deterred from attending the upcoming concert due to lack of funds for a
ticket. Snow had the Kalamazoo Gazette print a coupon in the newspaper, and upon signing it, the
concert-goer could hand it in at the door in lieu of a ticket for the concert. With this IOU promise, they
could pay later, once the banks had re-opened and they could access their funds.
Leta Snow got the result she was after-- a large crowd at Central High Auditorium to hear Ola play the
Tchaikovsky Concerto. People's spirits were lifted that February afternoon, and Manager Leta Snow was able to re-coup the ticket money later.
At the time of her concerto performance, Ola was also serving as President of the Women's Committee.
Leta Snow established the Kalamazoo Symphony Women's Committee in 1930, nine years after starting
the Kalamazoo Symphony itself. Ola was the second woman to become President, and took the helm in
1932, serving until the end of 1933.
The Women's Committee was an extremely popular group to join, and members were required to show
their cards at the door to ensure a seat in the capacity audience at the Civic Theater. The Women's
Committee presented a series of music lectures and programs for each season. They also planned a full schedule of social activities and philanthropic projects throughout the year, in support of the KSO.
Ola Krudener maintained her private piano teaching studio for many years, and taught a generation of
pianists. Many of her former students now have teaching studios of their own throughout the U.S.
Ola was also on the Kalamazoo Symphony's Conductor Selection Committee when Gregory Millar was
hired in 1961. The committee traveled to St. Louis and San Francisco to interview conductor candidates.
The person who founded the American Symphony Orchestra League in 1942, was none other than KSO
Founder Leta Snow!
KEEP SCROLLING DOWN FOR THE NEXT ARTICLE...
__________________________________________________________________________________
HATS OFF TO LETA SNOW!
FOUNDER OF THE KALAMAZOO SYMPHONY
KALAMAZOO WOMEN'S SYMPHONY ASSOCIATION Ticket Sales Kick-Off (9/10/64)
Left to Right: Alice Mullen, Chair of Ticket Sales; Charlotte Richardson, Ethel Seeley, Leta Snow
-photo by Bennett, Kalamazoo Gazette
The 1964 photograph above shows Leta Snow at age 84, involved in one of the Kalamazoo Symphony
Orchestra's most important aspects-- the selling of subscription concerts. The Kalamazoo Women's
Symphony Association was in charge of this annual endeavor, and KSO Founder Leta Snow was still
a vital presence at that time.
Snow herself started the Kalamazoo Women's Symphony Association in 1930 under another name.
The Women's Committee was an extremely popular group to join, and members were required to show
their cards at the door to ensure a seat in the capacity audience at the Civic Theater. Educational programs, lectures, concerts, and social and philanthropic activities were planned for each season.
Leta Snow (1880-1980), founded the
Kalamazoo Symphony 90 years ago in 1921.
There had been attempts by others to start an
orchestra before and after the turn of the century.
Kalamazoo was a vibrant musical community
already, and symphonic music certainly had its
supporters. Leta came along at the right time to
re-kindle the idea.
Born in Paw Paw, Leta and Harry M. Snow lived
in the Chicago area during the early years of their
marriage. Trained as a pianist, Leta loved all the cultural opportunities that came with living in a large metropolitan area.
When her husband relocated to Kalamazoo for business reasons, Leta brought with her some of those
big city sensibilities, and a brilliant talent for working with people.
Leta Snow made her vision a reality. With great effort, enthusiasm, and a few tears, she worked
tirelessly on behalf of the Kalamazoo Symphony for the rest of her life. She wore many hats in her
capacity as Manager: personnel, ticket sales, marketing, fund raising, and dealing with the Board of
Trustees.
Leta got to know the local talent, and retained the services of the gifted conductor, Chester Z. Bronson.
Snow even recruited players away from Chicago. When they moved to Kalamazoo, Leta found them
part-time jobs in the off-season. She rolled out the welcome mat for European musicians who had just
arrived in the United States as refugees, and needed work. Leta Snow was KSO Manager until her
retirement in 1949.
In 1951, the name Women's Committee was changed to the Women's Symphony Association (WSA).
In 1983, the WSA was changed to the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra League, and began admitting
men as members. KSOL Website: www.ksoleague.com
In addition to her founding the Kalamazoo Symphony in 1921, Leta Snow also established the national
American Symphony Orchestra League in 1942. It is now called the League of American Orchestras.
