CLARENCE DICKINSON SOCIETY
The Clarence Dickinson Society is the AGO's planned giving program, offering members and friends the opportunity to remember the Guild in their will or estate planning.
A founder of the AGO and the School of Sacred Music at Union Theological Seminary, Clarence Dickinson (1873-1969) was known as the Dean of American Church Musicians. Dr. Dickinson—organist and choirmaster, composer, virtuoso, performer, author, lecturer, and teacher—worked in all his capacities to broaden appreciation of organ music and reach new audiences. He worked tirelessly to improve the quality of church music, even as he celebrated his 90th birthday conducting a large choral festival at The Riverside Church in Manhattan. Clarence Dickinson’s legacy will forever uphold a standard of excellence in church music.
In 1997, 16 members of the Guild became charter members of the Clarence Dickinson Society (CDS) by including the AGO in their will or estate plans. They were Lorene S. Banta, Muriel W. Crowley, Paul J. Danilewski, Harriet L. Dearden, Winifred Howe, Edwin H. Holmberg, Jr., Joel H. Kuznik, Wm. A. Little, John Obetz, Helen A. Osterberg, W. James Owen, Frank J. Poole, Jr., Peggy Kelley Reinburg, Charles L. Smith, Jr., Frederick Swann, and Clementine Miller Tangeman. We extend our heartfelt thanks to all these visionaries.
Membership in the Society grows each year. By including the AGO in their will or estate plans, these individuals have displayed a public commitment to the mission of the Guild that will transcend their earthly life. Their bequests will forever be a living testimony to their belief in the work of the American Guild of Organists. Your legacy can do the same. Won’t you join us?
Membership in the Clarence Dickinson Society requires no minimum financial commitment. For more information about estate planning and wills, please contact F. Anthony Thurman, Chief Development Officer, at 212-870-2311, ext. 4308, or at [email protected].
CURRENT MEMBERS