[78-L] Fred Williams obit

David Lennick dlennick at sympatico.ca
Fri May 17 08:55:31 PDT 2013


I know a number of 78-ellers knew Fred or knew of him and his great collection.

On 5/17/2013 11:14 AM, Anthony DiFlorio wrote:
> http://chestnuthilllocal.com/blog/2013/05/15/frederick-p-williams-musician-and-investment-broker-dies/
>
>
>   Frederick P. Williams, musician and investment broker, dies
>
> Obituaries <http://chestnuthilllocal.com/blog/category/obituaries/> May 15,
> 2013 2 Comments and 0 Reactions
> <http://chestnuthilllocal.com/blog/2013/05/15/frederick-p-williams-musician-and-investment-broker-dies/#disqus_thread>
>
>
> <http://chestnuthilllocal.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/OBITPIX_Williams.jpg>
>
> *by Walter Fox*
>
> Frederick Park “Fred” Williams, 89, of Chestnut Hill, a retired investment
> broker, musician and longtime community volunteer, died April 28 of heart
> failure at Fairview Nursing Home, where he had been a resident for the past six
> years.
>
> Mr. Williams retired in 1989 from the Kidder Peabody & Co. investment firm, but
> he was best known in the Chestnut Hill community for his 36-years as manager of
> the Pastorius Park Summer Concerts. For his years of dedicated service to this
> annual event, he was cited by the City of Philadelphia and received the
> Chestnut Hill Community Association’s Benefactor’s Award in 2000.
>
> Mr. Williams’ community service, however, went well beyond the Pastorius Park
> concerts. He was a member and past president of the former Chestnut Hill
> Fathers Club, a member of the Water Tower Advisory Council and an active Town
> Watch member.
>
> On major holidays, like Memorial Day or the Fourth of July, he could be found
> either leading or playing tuba in local bands. He served for many years as a
> judge, and for a time was head judge, at the Mummer’s Parade in Philadelphia.
>
> *Mr. Williams was considered to be an authority on music history, especially on
> John Philip Sousa and the marching-band music of that era, which he loved. He
> wrote numerous articles for music journals and was constantly sought after for
> his encyclopedic knowledge of music.*
>
> *His extensive record collection of marching-band music is now housed at the
> University of California at Santa Barbara.*
>
> Born in Los Angeles, he traveled around the world with his mother and father,
> who was a mining engineer, and, while living in New York, became an Eagle
> Scout. During World War II he served in the Canadian Army.
>
> He received a bachelor’s degree in music education from Oberlin Conservatory
> of Music and a master’s in music from Columbia University. He taught music in
> the Philadelphia public schools for several years in the 1960s before entering
> the investment field with Eastman Dillon & Co.
>
> Mr. Williams is survived by his wife, Barbara; a son, Robert W.; four
> grandchildren, and three great grandchildren. A son, Frederick L. Williams,
> preceded him in death. Funeral services were private.
>
>
> Karen Rile
> <http://chestnuthilllocal.com/blog/2013/05/15/frederick-p-williams-musician-and-investment-broker-dies/#>
> • a day ago
> <http://chestnuthilllocal.com/blog/2013/05/15/frederick-p-williams-musician-and-investment-broker-dies/#comment-899266423>
>
>
> We are so sorry to hear of the death of our neighbor, Mr. Williams. Our family
> lives on border of Pastorius Park, and for years enjoyed the fruits of his hard
> work. I remember taking one of my daughters, then three, to a concert by the
> Allentown Band. During one of the Sousa marches, she turned to me in joy
> saying, "I know this song! It's from Barney!" (The purple dinosaur.) Twenty
> years later, her musical tastes have refined, and she is a lifelong lover of
> classical and other kinds of life music. Thank you, Mr. Williams, for making
> free, live, outdoor music available for generations of families in our community.
>
> Avatar
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>
> Julie Byrne
> <http://chestnuthilllocal.com/blog/2013/05/15/frederick-p-williams-musician-and-investment-broker-dies/#>
> • 2 days ago
> <http://chestnuthilllocal.com/blog/2013/05/15/frederick-p-williams-musician-and-investment-broker-dies/#comment-898450600>
>
>
> Sorry to hear of Frederick's passing. I feel honoured to follow in his
> footsteps and continue his legacy by helping to organise the Pastorius Park
> Concerts.
>
>
>   Moving the Frederick P. Williams Collection from Philadelphia to Santa Barbara
>
> http://www.library.ucsb.edu/special-collections/performing-arts/pamss72a
>



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