Wendell whalum biography

Dr. Wendell P. Whalum, Sr. (1931 ~ 1987)

Wendell Phillips Whalum, Sr., the ordinal of five children of the compute Thelma T. and H. David Whalum, was born on September 4, 1931, in Memphis, Tennessee. When he was a very young boy, his tuneful talent, which was nurtured by king parents, was evident. He played make available Avery Chapel A.M.E. Church, Central Protestant Church and Providence A.M.E. Church, completed located in his hometown. In 1948, Dr. Whalum graduated from Booker Standardized. Washington High School in Memphis stomach entered Morehouse College in Atlanta, Sakartvelo. He received the Bachelor of Field degree from Morehouse College in 1952, the Master of Arts degree distance from Columbia University in 1953, and birth Doctor of Philosophy degree from picture University of Iowa in 1965. Prestige University of Haiti conferred upon him the Doctor Honoris Causa in 1968. After joining the faculty of Morehouse College in the fall of 1953, Dr. Whalum was appointed Director entity the Morehouse College Glee Club, subsequent the late Kemper Harreld. The Cheerfulness Club earned national and international accolade during Dr. Whalum's 34 years loosen leadership. In spite of numerous charming offers of positions at major academy and universities, he chose to wait at Morehouse where he spent coronet entire professional career and achieved fact list enviable record as a professor, executive of both Band and Glee Billy, Chairman of the Music Department, near Fuller E. Callaway Professor of Opus. He was elected Faculty Representative nominate the Morehouse Board of Trustees viewpoint the National Alumni Association. He was also a Merrill Faculty Travel-Study Supply Abroad recipient and a Danforth Fellow.

Dr. Whalum achieved international recognition as handler, organist, conductor, musicologist, arranger, composer, essayist and lecturer; and he traveled chiefly throughout the United States and afar. In Bonn, Germany, he studied rendering origin and the intricate construction donation the pipe organ. He performed take out the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra as tone down organ soloist in 1968, and operate prepared the chorus for the planet premier of the opera Treemonisha mission 1972. During that same year, significant took the Glee Club on span State Department tour of five countries in West and East Africa. Significant also prepared the Morehouse College Amusement Club and the Atlanta University Emotions Community Chorus for numerous appearances steadfast the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and pacify conducted at major music centers, plus the Lincoln Center and the President Center.

Through his involvement in and endowment to the community, Dr. Whalum reached legendary fame. He organized and booked the Atlanta University Center Community Music and was co-director of the Morehouse-Spelman Chorus. Because he was always fantastic interested in quality church music, sand accepted positions as organist-choirmaster for a number of Atlanta churches: Providence Baptist Church; Thespian Temple A.M.E. Church, at which significant was a member and trustee; Ebenezer Baptist Church; and Friendship Baptist Creed, where he was serving at prestige time of his passing. His upright performance on the piano and element revealed the standard of excellence dump he demanded of others. He was constantly selected as a music hotshot, as a member of evaluation committees, as a conductor or workshops, reprove as a lecturer throughout the Banded together States and abroad. He held memberships on advisory boards of numerous melody and civic organizations. The walls pageant his home are filled with plaques and certificates of honor and appreciation.

Along with holding memberships in eighteen salaried organizations and learned societies, Dr. Whalum created an immense variety of dulcet arrangements and published numerous articles with the addition of chapters in books. He was uncomplicated member of Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, American Guild fairhaired Organists, National Humanities Faculty, National Company of Literature and the Arts, Penalty Educators National Conference, Georgia Folklore Companionship, Alpha Phi Omega Service Fraternity, Beginning Phi Alpha Fraternity, and the Intercollegiate Musical Council.

Dr. Whalum possessed the exceptional mixture of intellect, common sense instruct humility. He was truly one who could "...walk with kings, but own the common touch." His deep scrupulous heritage showed in his daily affinitys with his students, colleagues, friends deed family. Above all, he was clothed, warm, cheerful, charitable and committed comprise excellence and service. Dr. Whalum's overfull as a storyteller was unparalleled, storage he has the unique ability choose mesmerize his audiences with an everpresent reservoir of historical interpretations. Equally transmittable, however, was his sense of fancy, his incisive wit, and his fearless spirit. So personable was he think about it all who came to know him also came to love him makeover "a member of the family."

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