Page PageRemembrance Service for Peggy Hillman
First Baptist Church, Lamar, Missouri
3 May 1999
In her novel, "The Nine Tailors", Dorothy Sayers writes that at the death of a villager, the local change ringers in the church would ring "three solemn notes, and a pause; three notes [again], and then three more", followed by a stroke of the bell for each year of life of the deceased, to send the soul of the beloved heavenward into the arms of the Almighty God. Tailor Paul, the largest of the tower bells, had inscribed upon it "Nine Taylors Make a Manne in Christ, His Death at End in Adam That Began", and the inscription was dated 1614. As recently as 1997, the same tradition was heard around the world, and indeed throughout England, as every village church and cathedral once again tolled for the death of Princess Diana, in the tradition of six strokes for a woman: "three solemn notes, and a pause; three notes [again]."
One of the many gifts that Peggy Hillman of Lamar, MO gave to Pittsburg State University was a thesis describing the history of bells; the English history of change-ringing; the Belgian adaptation of playing tunes and melodies on handbells. Peggy worked for several years on her master's degree, and it was in this capacity that the Bells of the Balkans Handbell Choir at PSU had their beginnings. Several members of the group are present with us today.
Many of us met Peggy, and heard Adoration and Praise, the adult handbell choir of First Baptist Church, on Tuesday, November 14, 1989 at a Collegium Musicum recital in McCray Hall on the Pittsburg State campus. She announced at this program that she was forming a group in January of 1990 for anyone, regardless of experience, who wished to learn and play handbells. We started with approximately 8-10 members. Our first public performance was held on November 12, 1990, for the Treble Clef Club, less than a year after we began. Our most recent performance was a Christmas Concert where we played with the Southeast Kansas Symphony in December of 1998.
By the time of Peggy's death in 1994, we had performed at banks, schools, malls, afternoon recital hour, and participated in two festivals held on the PSU campus, as well as three festivals held at First Christian Church in Pittsburg. We also grew to know many of you through various festivals held here in Lamar as well as at Evangel College in Springfield, as many of the Adoration and Praise members served as substitutes for Bells of the Balkans, and often times a few of us we able to join Adoration and Praise in various events as well.
More importantly, though, than what the Bells of the Balkans as a group has done, is what Peggy did for us, and what Peggy's influence continues to support.
Peggy came to the PSU Music Department full of ideas and energy unlike what many of them had seen. In a traditionally conservative state university, she asked a lot of questions and challenged a lot of assumptions about music education in general, and handbells in particular. She did not take NO for an answer.
She would enjoy Robert Fulghum's comment, "Never forget that music is much too important to be left entirely in the hands of professionals!"
She courageously gave witness in a largely secular environment, and while often confronted with difficult and seemingly unmoveable attitudes towards music education, she perservered by example and by sheer energy.
We thank Garry Greek, a fellow colleague during her master's program, for being with us today, as I know during her years at PSU Peggy often spoke of Garry's support in the classroom as well as in performance. Being the sole handbell expert and classical guitar expert among a sea of opera singers was surely not easy!
Peggy gave us added incentive to challenge the establishment in various programs she worked vigorously on: music education, both at the elementary and secondary levels; the use of handbells with full orchestra and organ; solo ringing, of which at least three in the PSU group have studied with her; a strong emphasis on improvisation and creative experimentation; active support of various duet, trio and quartet ensembles; fund raising; work with music therapy programs in the nursing homes and with elder citizens; and significant interest in music programs for the developmentally disabled and physically challenged.
Her teaching and mentoring produced no less than five members from the Bells of the Balkans group who now direct their own choirs in Joplin and Pittsburg.
As we met the past few weeks tracing the history of our group, one larger theme resurfaced each time we talked: Peggy's ability to create the sacred among the chaos and sometimes even the utter rejection of the secular world.
I chose today to play for you the Lord's Prayer because Peggy and Garry often played it. I asked Peggy once why she played it so often, and she said, well, simply, when I am exhausted, tired, stressed, even physically ill, when I simply run out of words or don't even have the energy to arrange words in any coherent fashion, I know that if I pray the Lord's Prayer, God will hear me and know my needs.
We know that Peggy faced many trials and tribulations, and yet she brought to all of us much joy. We all have "Peggy stories", some of which will be shared today. She was a visionary that went before us and waited for us to catch up with her.
We thank her family, and her family here at First Baptist for sharing her with us down in Pittsburg. What we remember most about her, was her enduring faith: faith in our abilities as ringers, faith when things didn't always go right, faith in God to forgive, and sustain us each and every day.
Today, although we continue to miss her, we wish to give back to you the gift that Peggy shared so freely with us: her faith, and her ability to find the sacred in all of us. We need not be sad. I know of no better news, no more uplifting thoughts than this:
We rejoice, we give thanks. If each time we pick up our bells and remember Peggy's gifts to us, we have reason to celebrate. Peggy has gone on, again is waiting for us to catch up with her. We rejoice today. Peggy has made it. Peggy is home. Peggy is in heaven, Hallelujah!
Please join me in prayer.
[The Lord's Prayer, played by Susan Johns, handbells, and Garry Greek, Guitar.]
Send comments to: suzyq@pittstate.edu
Susan M. Johns-Smith
Axe Library
Pittsburg State University
1605 South Joplin Street
Pittsburg, KS 66762
Phone: 620-235-4115
This page last updated Monday, 28-Oct-2002 15:58:27 CST