Ed and Mary Swartzendruber Music Scholarships

Goshen College enjoys the generous financial support of many persons, but only one family has adopted an entire department.

Ed and Mary Swartzendruber of New Paris, Ind., have been loyal patrons of the music department for nearly a decade. Their donations have nourished endowments, added to funds for special projects and financed the purchase of books, records and instruments——lots of instruments.

Student ensembles have received everything from crumhorns to saxophones. Gifts to the orchestra have included a 32—inch timpani, a bass clarinet and orchestral bells. And who can forget the harpsichord, the portable pipe organ built in Austria and three grand pianos?

Neither Ed nor Mary is an alumnus, but their two children, Kay (Montgomery) and Douglas, are. Kay is an assistant professor of music at GC. Ed and Mary have sung with local choral groups and attend almost every musical event at the college.

Their love for music and their desire to see Goshen expand its music program prompted their first gift to the college in 1974. Following an orchestra concert, Ed approached Lon Sherer, the orchestra director, to say that he wanted to contribute something to the department. Sherer had just had his request for an English horn refused for budgetary reasons and suggested a horn purchase.

“Just like that,” Sherer said, “Ed agreed to buy it for me. I got absolutely the best, top—quality, professional English horn.” Not long after, Lon dedicated the orchestra’s performance of Dvorak’s “New World Symphony,” which contains a famous English horn solo, to Ed and Mary.

A pattern of giving soon developed. Ed would periodically ask the department for a “want list,” and from this he and Mary would select their next gift. Recent contributions have included funds for an opera workshop, a stipend to allow Mary Oyer to do church visitation and the beginning of a fund for a possible new music building or expanded facilities.

While the magnitude of the Swartzendruber’s giving deserves recognition, music faculty say the spirit of their giving deserves more praise.

“Ed and Mary will come to us and say, ‘We have this much to give; what do you need?” said Sherer. “Such an approach helps us to spend the money very effectively. The appropriateness of Ed and Mary’s ministry to our needs has given me some insights about the attitude one ought to have when giving gifts.”