The Reverend Harold L. and Evelyn Figley Endowed Fund for Music
With Music Department chair Dr. Kenneth Scheffel (standing) and President Mark Erickson (seated), Rev. Harold Figley signs papers to establish a special-project fund in music.
The Rev. Harold Figley (BS ’49, BD ’53) visited the Music Department in the summer of 2006 to meet with Profs. Trudy Faber and Kenneth Scheffel regarding the department’s needs. A faithful alum and frequent supporter of music at Wittenberg, Figley proposed the establishment of an endowed special-project fund for music to be used (1) for repairing, replacing, and enhancing existing computer equipment and music instruments; (2) for the purchase of new equipment and instruments; (3) for additional support for the Evelyn Figley Scholarship Fund; and (4) for the sponsorship of short-term or visiting music scholars and performers at Wittenberg.
President Mark Erickson (right) thanks Wittenberg alumnus Rev. Harold Figley for his gift to Wittenberg.
This fund results from the donor’s careful management of his own resources and, when established, will serve as another example of Rev. Figley’s concern for Wittenberg students and their needs. Figley has already endowed the Evelyn Figley Scholarship Fund, in memory of his spouse (an alumna in music, ’52), to provide financial assistance to qualified students at Wittenberg who wish to study the organ, especially those who plan to use this training in music ministry.
“My primary reason for making this donation to the Music Department is my lifelong interest in music,” Rev. Figley explained. Now living in Englewood, Ohio, Figley is a semi-retired pastor, having served as full-time pastor in several different congregations for over half a century. Figley’s late wife, Evelyn, was a music major at Wittenberg, where she studied keyboard with John Thomas Williams. The Figley’s three children live in New York, Chicago, and Atlanta. Two attended Wittenberg: Sue Figley Smith ’78 and Timothy Figley ’82.
Richard Stenberg, Director of Major Gifts (Wittenberg Advancement Office), assisted Rev. Figley in establishing the details of this fund. Richard (rstenberg@wittenberg.edu) welcomes inquiries regarding donating to Wittenberg.