St. Paul's Organ - Chapel of the Apostles - Sewanee

The School of Theology formally dedicated a new organ, celebrating its completion and installation in the Chapel of the Apostles, February 18, 2004, during a service of choral evensong. Purchase of the magnificent pipe organ was made possible by a generous gift from the congregation of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Chattanooga, Tenn.

The donation from the St. Paul's Hansell G. King Choir fund was given in honor of the Church's rector, the Rev. Dr. H. Hunter Huckabay, Jr. (retired), and his wife, Prestine Crosby Huckabay, for their ministries to the School of Theology, the University of the South, and the wider Sewanee community.

"Through the years, the School of Theology at the University of the South has given a great deal to me and to my family," said Dr. Huckabay. "The Chapel of the Apostles is a place of worship that our seminary has needed for a long time. I am delighted that St. Paul's Church has given this instrument to the Chapel. At the same time, I am both humbled and gratified that St. Paul's Church has given Prestine and me the opportunity to be part of giving something back to the University, which has given so much to us."

[Members of St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Chattanooga, TN, who attended the dedication of the new chapel organ were: (pictured from left - first row) Ann Woody, Jo Ann Green, Maurice Bowen, Mary Bowen, the Rev. Dr. H. Hunter Huckabay, Jr., Prestine Crosby Huckabay, Brit Huckabay, Jane Bauer, and Chris Smith; (second row) Herman Green, Taylor Dinsmore, Ann Drum, Sally Betts, Emily MacDonald, and John Woody; (third row) Joel King, Phil Lawrence, Jennie Lawrence, Caldwell Huckabay, John Drum, Cliff Betts, and H. Hunter Huckabay, III.]

The Rt. Rev. Henry N. Parsley Jr., chancellor of the University and bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama, performed the dedication service assisted by the Rev. Dr. James F. Turrell, School of Theology assistant professor of liturgics and the history of liturgics, as officiate and Deborah Branden, a seminarian from the Diocese of Alabama, as reader.

John A. Cannon, assistant university organist, performed the Psalm Prelude Op. 32 No. 3 by Herbert Howells, Ach bleib bei uns, Herr Jesu Christ BWV 649 by J.S. Bach, and Dieu Parmi Nous by Oliver Messiaen, among other sacred music selections.

Choir Director Susan K. Rupert and the 30-member School of Theology choir performed an anthem written especially for the occasion by Dr. Mark Schweizer, composer, editor and university professor.