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WILLIAM B. WEEKS BEQUEATHS $200,000+
TO THE AMERICAN GUILD OF ORGANISTS
NEW YORK CITY — The American Guild of Organists (AGO), the world’s largest organization dedicated to supporting the organ and choral music professions, is pleased to announce a generous bequest from the estate of WILLIAM B. WEEKS. Dr. Weeks’s bequest of one-third of his residuary estate to the AGO totals more than $200,000—the second largest single gift ever to be received in the Guild’s 107-year history. The policy of the AGO National Council is to designate 75% of each unrestricted bequest for permanent investment in the Guild’s Endowment Fund. Only the income from the invested funds may be used for the AGO’s general purposes. The remaining 25% of the bequest may be used to provide operating support for the national organization.
WILLIAM BAILEY WEEKS passed away on June 18, 2001 in Seattle, Wash. He was 76. Dr. Weeks was born in Bridgeport, Conn., and lived in the Seattle area for 26 years. A member of the Seattle Chapter of the AGO, he was a graduate of the Juilliard School, and received a Ph.D. in music education from the University of Arizona. He is survived by four cousins.
Through its planned giving programs, the AGO honors those individuals who include the Guild in their wills or estate plans by making them members of the Clarence Dickinson Society. 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. Clarence Dickinson’s legacy will forever uphold a standard of excellence in church music. Membership in the Clarence Dickinson Society grows each year as individuals choose to create living testimonies of their belief in the work of the American Guild of Organists through the Guild’s planned giving programs. The AGO is very pleased to honor William B. Weeks by adding his name posthumously to the distinguished membership of the Clarence Dickinson Society.
The AMERICAN GUILD OF ORGANISTS is the national professional association serving the organ and choral music fields. Founded in 1896 as both an educational and service organization, it sets and maintains high musical standards and promotes the under-standing and appreciation of all aspects of organ and choral music. The purpose of the AGO is to promote the organ in its historic and evolving roles, to encourage excellence in the performance of organ and choral music, and to provide a forum for mutual support, inspiration, education, and certification of Guild members. The Guild currently serves more than 20,000 members in more than 340 local chapters throughout the United States and abroad. THE AMERICAN ORGANIST Magazine, the official journal of the AGO, the Royal Canadian College of Organists, and the Associated Pipe Organ Builders of America, reaches an audience of more than 24,000 each month.
This information is submitted by F. Anthony Thurman, Director of Development and Communications. For further information, please contact Dr. Thurman at AGO National Headquarters. This press release is available on the Internet at <www.agohq.org/bulletin>.
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