Norman John Roy
1924-1998
Norman
J. Roy was born in Aurora, Missouri, on September 8, 1924, the oldest child and
only son of four children of Rufus John and Iona Elvera
Swanson Roy. He spent most of his childhood
in Peru, where his parents served as missionaries. They spent a term in the
high Andes and later moved to Lima, Peru, where his father served as Superintendent
of the mission.
The
family returned to the United States in 1941 and Roy graduated from Keene
Junior College, now Southwestern Adventist University, in 1943. He attended Union College, where he completed
a B.A. in music in 1947 and then earned an M.Mus. at
Northwestern University in 1956. He later completed all classwork toward a
doctorate at Boston University.
While
attending Union College, Norman met Margaret Steeves
and they married on August 31, 1947.
Prior to their marriage she had been secretary to the director of the
Youth Department at the Potomac Conference for three years, before resuming
school at Union College. They would have two daughters, Sherryl Linnae (Rampton) and Sandra Jean
(Schmid).
Roy
directed choirs and chaired the music departments at Sheyenne River Academy,
now Dakota Adventist Academy, and Lodi Academy from 1947 to 1957 and then
taught at Atlantic Union College from 1957 to 1971. At AUC he was assistant
professor of voice and choral music and eventually served as chair of the music
department.
In his first year at the college he formed the
Aeolians, a select choir that would create a tradition in choral excellence
which inspired members of the group and audiences alike, a legend that lingers
today at the school. The group brought prestige to the college as it performed extensively in the Eastern United
States and Canada. As is true of many teachers, the influence of the man and
his effect on the lives of his students and colleagues were equally as
important as his professional accomplishments.
Roy
subsequently served as Associate Director of Admissions and Records at Andrews
University and retired in 1988, following forty-one years in education.
Beginning at Sheyenne River and Lodi academies, Margaret served as secretary to
the principal at both schools and subsequently served as secretary to five
presidents at AUC and to several at AU.
Roy
had several hobbies, including model railroading, philately, beekeeping,
photography, skiing, jogging, camping, reading, and flower gardening. In 1994
the Roys moved to Hendersonville, North Carolina, where,
after a lingering illness, he died on December 18, 1998, at age 74. He was
survived by Margaret, their two daughters, six grandchildren, and his mother
and three sisters. Margaret was living with one of their daughters in Parrish,
Florida, when she died on September 7, 2015, at age 94.
ds/2017
Sources: Brauer Research Family
Tree, Ancestory.Com; Norman Roy obituary in the Andrews University Focus, Winter 1999, 33; Norman Roy obituaries,
Lake Union Herald, April 1999, 23,
and Southern Tidings, April 1999,37;
New York Passenger Lists, 28 May 1940; information provided by his wife,
Margaret; personal knowledge; Margaret Roy obituaries, Southern Tidings, December 2015 and Union College Cord, Summer 2016, 32.
Norman J. Roy
Norman J. Roy served as
director of choirs at Atlantic Union College from 1957 to 1971. In his first
year there he established the Aeolians, a select choir that would create a
tradition in choral excellence which inspired both members of the group and
audiences alike, one that lingers today as a great legend at the school. But,
as it is with many music teachers, the influence of the man and his effect on
the lives of his students and colleagues was equally as important as his
professional accomplishments.
Even though I did not sing
in his choirs, I became acquainted with him as we rode back and forth from AUC
to Boston for two years, for his doctoral voice study and my oboe lessons as an
undergraduate student. It was a wonderful way for a student to get acquainted
with one of his teachers. There were many laughs over the traffic and other
experiences that could happen only when travelling in his Renault.
He also provided a pivotal
moment for me as a conductor when I chanced upon him in rehearsal one day in
the old chapel at what is now Founders Hall, preparing the Aeolians for a
performance of the Brahms Liebeslieder. I was totally taken with his absorption in the music
and uninhibited interaction with the choir - and their spirited response, in
turn, to him.
The following are tributes
from students and colleagues. The enthusiastic response of Doris Griffin Krueger,
former Aeolian member and present director of choral activities at AUC, to an
invitation to coordinate this project on behalf of IAMA is deeply appreciated.
Dan Shultz
Let Not your Song End. . .
Doris
Krueger Griffin
Other than his family, perhaps
no other group was affected as much by the death of former Atlantic Union
College music professor Norman J. Roy as were former members of the Aeolians.
We were all deeply touched with the loss of our beloved teacher, friend, and
mentor.
My memories of Mr. Roy span
many years, from the time I was a music major at AUC,
through many years of calls for advice as I taught, to the planning of several
Aeolian reunions. As a student, I sang in all of the choral groups he conducted
and also studied voice with him. He was an important influence in my life. My
husband, Myron Krueger, my sister, Joan Griffin Cannuli,
and I are proud to have been charter members of the Aeolians.
Colleagues and students from
Norman Roy's AUC days have shared memories with me of their time spent with
him. Stanley Walker, former AUC department chair, talked of how he had enjoyed
working with Roy and interacting with his wife, Margaret, and his two lovely
daughters, Sherryl and Sandra. He felt he was one of the best organized people
he had ever worked with, had excellent choirs, and was easy to follow as a
conductor.
Joyce Hanscom
Lomtz described her experience as a freshman in the
Aeolians. She felt he conducted with his heart and soul and with great energy.
She remembers he always called the Aeolians "the cream of the crop."
As an insecure teenager he made her feel that at least one person on earth
thought she was valuable.
It is my privilege now to be
back where it all started for me, having returned to AUC as director of choral
activities. While singing under Norman Roy's leadership, I never thought that I
might someday be in his position! For me, the music that became the Aeolians'
theme, "Let Not Your Song End," has unique and special meaning.
A Christian Gentleman
Arni Asgeirsson
When I arrived at AUC, the
Lancastrian Chorale was the choral group. It was Norman Roy’s first year
and he started the Aeolians, a smaller, more select group. I remember
auditioning and the pleasure I felt over being accepted. There were a number of
good voices and it was fun to go to rehearsals.
One of my strongest memories
is learning the Fred Waring arrangement of T’was
the Night Before Christmas. We sang it several
times. The performance that sticks in my mind was a Christmas concert in the
cafeteria. The room was festively decorated and we performed well.
Norman was a stickler for
detail when it came to performance. Even so, he was never curt or short with
the students, getting what he wanted with kindness. Perhaps my strongest memory
is that he was both a Christian gentleman and a good musician.
He will be missed. . .
James
Londis
It must be remembered that
Mr. Roy came to AUC when the choir was in an uproar due to unfortunate events
in the previous year. Given the fact that musical performing groups at that
time were the Adventist equivalent of sporting groups, not having a well-
trained choir to travel and represent the school was a recruiting officer’s
nightmare. Roy created the Aeolians to be that group and persuaded us that in
spite of what had happened, we could sing and sing
well.
He was a gentleman and a
Christian who could get angry over sloppy work, yet maintain a kind
disposition. He will be missed.
A Special Place
Julie
Quaile Lee
One of my favorite memories
of Mr Roy happened at the end of the first
semester in my freshman year when he invited me to sing with the Aeolians.
Jeannette Rothe and I had sung soprano in the
Lancastrian Chorale in the first semester and had often joked about someday
being "good enough" to sing in the Aeolians, never expecting that we
would both have an opportunity the next semester. Being a rather timid
freshman, I probably never would have had the courage to sign up to audition,
so it was special to me to be personally invited not to audition, but to
join the group!
Being in the Aeolians changed
the direction of my life. Originally I had not planned to return to AUC for the
second semester, but Mr. Roy was very persuasive, for which I am eternally
grateful. With his support and encouragement I eventually graduated with
degrees in both music education and secretarial science. Not only did Roy
affect my young life in a special way he also touched the lives of many others
and will hold a special place in our hearts forever.
An Exceptional Experience
Albert
R. Deininger
The highlights of my
experience at AUC were the music programs, from playing in the band to singing
in the Aeolians. It was an exceptional experience! Norman Roy stands out for
his attention to detail, quest for excellence, kindness towards students,
enthusiasm for music, and firm belief that we could do anything we put our
minds to.
I remember the trip to the
Music Educators National Convention in Washington, D.C., the performances of Amahl and the Night Visitors, singing Hodie Cristus Natus Est in a round against the four walls of Machlan Auditorium and the many concerts at churches and
schools. To this day, music has been an integral part of my life and has
provided great personal satisfaction.
I thank Norman Roy and others
since him in the music department for their part in making the education at AUC
a balanced liberal arts experience.
A Soft-spoken Man with Boundless Energy
Ellsworth
Judy
Former
Chair, AUC Music Department
Norman Roy was a soft spoken man
with boundless energy who developed the AUC choral program to a very high point
with his considerable musical skills. The Aeolians were the capstone of his
career. Many of the church’s remarkable people were members of this select
group and are part of the school’s good reputation.
Personally, his family and
mine were tied closely together, not only by our musical careers at AUC, but by
the fact that our wives were administrative secretaries at the college and that
we both had two daughters of nearly the same age. Our lives were fairly closely
intertwined, with work, school, Sabbath school, Pathfinders, etc..
An event that I remember most
clearly, after almost forty years, is the time we went to Plymouth Rock on
Thanksgiving morning, when the Mayflower replica was docked nearby. With our
girls, who were decked out in their Pilgrim dresses, we saw several
reenactments of battles and other Pilgrim events. This trip and the delicious
vegetarian Turkey dinner later that day remain as a wonderful memory of this
kind Christian man and his family.
A Heavenly Reunion
Melvin
and Betty West
The Roys
and Wests go "way back" - in fact, to Lodi, California, where the two
families were often found at the home of my parents enjoying some homemade ice
cream. When a choral opening occurred at AUC I immediately suggested Norman's
name. The Roys responded positively and thus began an
even closer association between our families. I recall when our little
two-and-a-half-year-old son, Larry, declared he wanted to become a farmer,
Roy's two-year-old daughter, Sandy, asked if she could be the farmer’s wife.
Our families kept in touch
after time together at AUC. Nearly 20 years later, the Roys
found themselves "babysitting" our boxer dog at Andrews University
one summer while we made the transition from Walla Walla College to Kettering,
Ohio. Norman and Margaret were always very pleasant to work with and so willing
to be of whatever help they could in whatever situation they found themselves.
What a joy it will be at the great heavenly reunion to be reunited with them
and the many other friends from this planet who have blessed our earthly
journey.
A Mentor and Friend
Terry
Koch
Elementary
and Junior High music specialist; adjunct professor in elementary music
education, Walla Walla College, College Place Washington
How can one put a value on
godly influence? Only from the perspective of eternity will God's plans for our
lives, sometimes made known through the tact and wisdom of others here on
earth, take on their true significance.
When I was a senior Music
Education major at Atlantic Union College, Norman Roy, who was my advisor and
voice teacher, suggested I consider a career in elementary music education. He
said he felt I had the personality and gifts for success in that area. As I
think back on this occurrence in my life, I am in awe of his confidence and
prophetic insight. Not only did his predictions prove correct (I have now
taught for over thirty years at mostly the elementary level) but I was shown by
his example the power of mentoring, influence, and dedication to excellence
that I have tried to emulate and continue to strive for.
In the years since graduating
from AUC, I kept in contact with Mr. Roy, much as an aircraft in flight keeps
in touch with ground controls. His interest in my career and his positive and
affirming words gave me courage and enthusiasm for my lifework. He continued to
be interested in my vocal development after I left AUC and did graduate work at
Andrews University, where in subsequent years he had become registrar.
As a member of the
"Aeolians," I had always hoped to return to AUC for a choral reunion.
However, I lived in Hawaii for many years and the distance and cost for just a
weekend were just too great. When I relocated to Walla Walla, Washington, I was
finally able to attend the 1996 Aeolian reunion. By then, Mr. Roy was suffering
the effects of Parkinson's disease, and was able to conduct us only on one
anthem, Lutkin's The Lord Bless You and Keep You."
Even though his motions were slow and stilted as a result of his physical
condition, he still evidenced the grace and power that was part of his musical
manner. Many of us could not make it through that performance without shedding
tears. It would be the last Aeolian reunion with Mr. Roy present.
Last December, I received a
call from Mrs. Roy that her husband was near death. Her invitation to sing for
the memorial service was an honor impossible for me to turn down. The
opportunity to express even a fraction of one's gratitude while a person lives
is wonderful; to be able to participate in an occasion remembering such a very
special life is even more precious.
I was asked to sing the
Aeolians' theme song, the text of which appears to exactly typify the life of
Norman Roy. The song begins,
"Let
not your song end with its singing, but let it flood the world with its
harmony; and let it fill all living with rejoicing."
I believe this was Norman
Roy’s mission in life. And as a tossed pebble gently disturbs the tranquil
surface of water by sending out ever-widening circular ripples, his life
continues to radiate wherever songs and anthems are sung, harmony sounds, and
life rejoices.
Spring/Summer
1999 Notes (International Adventist Musicians
Association) 8-13