Leigh Gerdine (22 June 1917 - 1 March 2002) was an American musician, composer, educator, civic leader and patron of the arts who was called "the spiritual father of the arts in

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

." A Rhodes Scholar, he served as President of

Webster University Webster University is a private university with its main campus in Webster Groves, Missouri. It has multiple branch locations across the United States and countries across Europe, Asia, and Africa. It offers undergraduate and graduate programs ...

and founded the

Opera Theatre of Saint Louis Opera Theatre of Saint Louis (OTSL) is an American summer opera festival held in St. Louis, Missouri. Typically four operas, all sung in English, are presented each season, which runs from late May to late June. Performances are accompanied by th ...

Early life

Leigh Gerdine was born on June 22, 1917 in

Sheyenne, North Dakota Sheyenne is a city in Eddy County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 186 at the 2020 census. Sheyenne was founded in 1883. Located in the city are a U.S. post office, a senior citizens' center, and a fire department. A community ...

. He began playing the piano around age 8 and later played the saxophone in high school.

Education

Gerdine received a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

degree from the

University of North Dakota The University of North Dakota (also known as UND or North Dakota) is a public research university in Grand Forks, North Dakota. It was established by the Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishment of the state of ...

in 1938. He attended

Lincoln College, Oxford Lincoln College (formally, The College of the Blessed Mary and All Saints, Lincoln) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford, situated on Turl Street in central Oxford. Lincoln was founded in 1427 by Richard Fleming, the ...

as a

Rhodes Scholar The Rhodes Scholarship is an international postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom. Established in 1902, it is the oldest graduate scholarship in the world. It is considered among the world' ...

, from which he received a bachelor's degree in music in 1940. In 1941, he completed his doctorate at the University of Iowa. He was inducted into

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal a ...

Phi Eta Sigma Phi Eta Sigma () is an American freshman honor society. Founded at the University of Illinois on March 22, 1923, it is the oldest and largest freshman honor society and has chartered three hundred and eighty-six chapters throughout the United Stat ...

, and the

Blue Key Blue Key Honor Society is an American national honor society for college upperclassmen. Blue Key has over 50 chartered collegiate chapters within the United States. History Blue Key Honor Society was founded as Blue Key National Honor Frater ...

honor societies. Gerdine subsequently studied piano in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

with

Louis Kentner Louis Philip Kentner (19 July 190523 September 1987) was a Hungarian, later British, pianist who excelled in the works of Chopin and Liszt, as well as the Hungarian repertoire. Life and career He was born Lajos Kentner in Karwin in Austrian S ...

for 2 years.

Military service

During World War II, Gerdine served in the U.S. Air Force. He enlisted as an aviation cadet but subsequently went into the intelligence service. He served as aide to General

John K. Cannon General John Kenneth Cannon (March 9, 1892 – January 12, 1955) was a World War II Mediterranean combat commander and former chief of United States Air Forces in Europe for whom Cannon Air Force Base, Clovis, New Mexico, is named. Biography Joh ...

and was decorated with the French

Croix de Guerre The ''Croix de Guerre'' (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awa ...

Bronze Star Medal The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

and German Occupation Medal.

Career

Gerdine began his teaching career as an associate professor of music at Mississippi State College for Women. In 1948, Gerdine joined the faculty of

Miami University Miami University (informally Miami of Ohio or simply Miami) is a public research university in Oxford, Ohio. The university was founded in 1809, making it the second-oldest university in Ohio (behind Ohio University, founded in 1804) and the 10 ...

Oxford, Ohio Oxford is a city in Butler County, Ohio, United States. The population was 23,035 at the 2020 census. A college town, Oxford was founded as a home for Miami University and lies in the southwestern portion of the state approximately northwest ...

. While at

, he served as the executive secretary of the music department. Gerdine joined

Washington University in St. Louis Washington University in St. Louis (WashU or WUSTL) is a private research university with its main campus in St. Louis County, and Clayton, Missouri. Founded in 1853, the university is named after George Washington. Washington University is r ...

as head of the music department in 1950. During his time at Washington University, Gerdine also served as director of the

Civic Chorus and as president of the Musicians' Guild. In 1970, Gerdine joined

as President. He oversaw a large increase in the student population at Webster in his tenure. Attendance at the university increased from 1,300 in 1970 to 10,000 in 1990, the year of his retirement. The Leigh Gerdine College of Fine Arts at

was named in his honor.

Opera Theatre of Saint Louis Opera Theatre of Saint Louis (OTSL) is an American summer opera festival held in St. Louis, Missouri. Typically four operas, all sung in English, are presented each season, which runs from late May to late June. Performances are accompanied by th ...

In 1976, Gerdine co-founded the

. Its young opera artist program, Gerdine Young Artists, was named in his honor.

National Medal of the Arts The National Medal of Arts is an award and title created by the United States Congress in 1984, for the purpose of honoring artists and patrons of the arts. A prestigious American honor, it is the highest honor given to artists and arts patrons ...

In 1989, Gerdine was awarded the

National Medal of Arts The National Medal of Arts is an award and title created by the United States Congress in 1984, for the purpose of honoring artists and Patronage, patrons of the arts. A prestigious American honor, it is the highest honor given to artists and ar ...

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushSince around 2000, he has been usually called George H. W. Bush, Bush Senior, Bush 41 or Bush the Elder to distinguish him from his eldest son, George W. Bush, who served as the 43rd president from 2001 to 2009; pr ...

in recognition of his distinguished career as a musician and educator and for his enlightened patronage of the arts in

Death

On March 1, 2002, Gerdine died of an apparent heart attack at the age of 84.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gerdine, Leigh 1917 births 2002 deaths University of North Dakota alumni American Rhodes Scholars Alumni of Lincoln College, Oxford Webster University Heads of universities and colleges in the United States United States Air Force airmen 20th-century American academics Washington University in St. Louis faculty Miami University faculty University of Iowa alumni