By Joseph Richards
This is the 2nd post in a 2-part series about The Presser Home for Retired Music Teachers. Read Part 1 here.
Love in the Home
At times, the Presser Home celebrated more than camaraderie and an appreciation for music; it celebrated love as well. At times, married couples who were both involved in music would move to the home. In 1940, Connecticut couple Ruth Starr and Charles Starr celebrated their 50th golden wedding anniversary surrounded by their friends in the home, with the help of their friend, best man, and superintendent of the home board, Mr. Foy.
An excerpt from a letter commemorating the anniversary and renewal of vows stated, “The bride and groom entered the dining room and were greeted with healthy applause. A most delicious dinner was served, concluding with squares of golden ice cream, bearing the inscription “50th anniversary,” accompanied with pieces of the wedding cake, cut by the bride’s fair fingers.” Included in this letter was a picture, taken after the Starrs read their vows, with both of them in their original wedding outfits.
Leaving the Home
Unfortunately, the Home became too expensive to maintain over time. As it needed a number of renovations towards the end of the 1970s, The Presser Foundation found it easier to help take care of the individuals by integrating them into a bigger community with more companionship. As a result, starting in 1979, the individuals that lived in the Presser Home were moved to another residential community center named Cathedral Village. More than 50 residents moved together to the Village over the course of five years, and became a part of another community whether they were able to share their enjoyment of music and common interests with a larger elderly community. During this move, certain individuals such as Mr. Baker, the director of the home, and portions of the staff in the home were also brought along with the residents as staff to help residents integrate and keep a sense of community in their new home.
How the Home Lived On
Mr. Presser’s generosity clearly impacted similarly minded individuals such as Merle Holloway, an individual in the Foundation’s Assistance to Music Teachers grantmaking program, who also lived in the home for its final years before it closed. Although Ms. Holloway only spent a few years in the home, her time before the home was filled with music. She served as president of the Florida Music Teachers Association in 1945 and created her own music program for teachers at East Texas State University in 1973. In her early career, she worked as a concert pianist in New York and Chicago before moving to Florida at the age of seventeen. She founded the Tampa Music Teachers Association, which functions as a nonprofit to this day under the National Music Teachers Association (which was started by Theodore Presser in 1876). While she spent a majority of her time helping the residents of Florida learn the piano, she often traveled and taught a variety of students over many years, including Jennie*, who Ms. Holloway taught for many years and who spoke at her funeral. From the eulogy Jennie gave at the funeral, we see glimpses into Ms. Holloway’s other travels throughout many states. Jennie also shared how Ms. Holloway always helped others, as she spent one weekend per month with Jennie training her. Jennie also shared a variety of anecdotes about meeting friends and colleagues of Ms. Holloway’s at dinners and social gatherings, a kind of philanthropy that fostered connections between musicians and those passionate about music.
Concluding Thoughts
Through the blessings of Mr. Presser’s efforts, he created a home that fostered a great deal of inspiration to individuals who cared about music education; his efforts were magnified ten-fold by those whom he supported. While the Presser Home’s closing may be considered by some to be a sad facet of its history, it’s clear to see how the Assistance to Music Teachers program, which focuses on the financial aid for people in need to help cover medical costs and expenses for individuals who have taught music, has continued to revitalize life for retired music teachers across the country. That program is still a great resource and way to honor Mr. Presser’s memory and hopes for the world of music.
* – last name not included
Joseph Richards served as the Research Intern at The Presser Foundation during the summer of 2022. He conducted research at Temple University’s Special Collections Research Center.
