In memoriam.

Editor's Note: MTNA would like to recognize those individuals whose lives made a mark in the music teaching profession. We note with sorrow their passing.

Usher Abell, 87, of Vermillian, South Dakota, died February 6, 2003. He taught violin at Ouachita College in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, and was concert master of the Arkansas Symphony in Little Rock from 1939-1942. He served as a musician in the U.S. Navy from 1942-1945, and he joined the faculty at the University of South Dakota (USD) in 1946. Abell chaired the school's music department from 1952 to 1969, retiring in 1976 after thirty-one years of teaching. He received the South Dakota Music Educators Award in 1982. In 1988, he and his wife, Edith Barnes Parrish, were presented with the South Dakota Governor Award for support of the arts. Usher served as adjudicator, clinician and conductor in South Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska and Minnesota. Conductor of the USD symphony for many years, he also played violin and viola in the Sioux City Symphony for more than thirty years.

Anthony Chanaka, 84, of Chevy Chase, Maryland, died October 25, 2002. Chanaka, a Washington, D.C., native, was a graduate of the Washington College of Music, where he served for a time on the faculty. He also attended George Washington University. As a pianist, he worked with soprano Sarita Gloria, giving recitals in the 1950s and '60s and recording Brazilian songs for RCA Victor. He also gave solo recitals at the National Gallery of Art and the Phillips Collection. He was recognized as a fifty-year MTNA member in 1999.

Isabel Laughlin Scionti, acclaimed concert pianist and teacher, died June 26, 2002, in Denton, Texas. Scionti attended Baylor University, where she studied with Roxy Grove. Upon graduating with honors, she studied with concert pianist Silvio Scionti at Chicago Musical College. After earning her master's degree, she became Silvio Scionti's assistant, and soon afterward became his wife. The Sciontis played two-piano concerts, achieving high acclaim in major cities in Europe, Mexico and the united States. Their 1938 and 1939 concerts at Carnegie Hall drew rave reviews. Renowned for their Bach interpretations, the Sciontis performed the first all Bach two-piano concert in New York's Town Hall on December 5, 1941. They also gave two Philco Television concerts in Philadelphia in 1942, marking the first time serious music was presented on television. After moving to Denton in the early 1940s, Isabel Scionti started an independent studio, at one time filling her roster with eighty students. Among her many awards, she was selected as the Outstanding Teacher of the Year by the Texas Music Teachers Association. She was a principal judge and benefactor to the Kingsville International Isabel Scionti Piano Solo Competitions.

Jerome Stasson of West Bloomfield, Michigan, died January 3, 2003. Jerry was known to many in MTNA, especially after he and his wife, Betty Kowalsky Stasson, emerged victorious from their zoning battles. The Stassons successfully changed first their local zoning ordinance, then Michigan state law. In 1994 Michigan Governor John Engler signed into law three bills exempting home music instruction and in-home tutoring from local zoning laws in all Michigan municipalities. In the years since winning their own zoning fight, the Stassons provided support to teachers in other states who needed assistance or encouragement with zoning issues. Jerry spent many years on the Michigan Music Teachers Association (MMTA) Board of Directors, serving as chair of the string division of student achievement testing. During his career as a violinist, string teacher, conductor, adjudicator and music administrator, he received many honors. In 1986, he was named MMTA Teacher of the Year, Detroit Musicians League Teacher of the Year and he received a "Testimonial Resolution" from the Detroit City Council for his contribution to the arts. In 1993, he was appointed chair of the MTNA String Repertoire Committee. Stasson's teaching expertise was contributed to the MTNA Study Guide for Teachers, published in 1994.

Carol Winborne, 58, of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, died September 8, 2002. Carol earned a bachelor of music degree from Saint Andrews Presbyterian College in 1966 and a master of music degree from Illinois Wesleyan University in 1968, with additional studies at the University of Illinois. She earned MTNA professional certification in 1985. Carol worked tirelessly in many leadership roles for MTNA. On the national level, she chaired the Independent Music Teachers Forum (IMTF) for four years. She was appointed to the National Conference Program Steering Committee for 2002-2003 and was East Central Division President-elect. Locally, she was a founding member of the Oshkosh Keyboard Teachers Association, filling the role of president more than once. She served as president of the Wisconsin Music Teachers Association, in addition to volunteering as auditions chairperson and as a member of many committees and task forces. Teaching piano in her independent studio since 1974, Carol co-founded the Winborne-Shaw Piano Studio in 1977 with Carmen Shaw. She was a full-time faculty member at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh from 1971 to 1974, teaching applied piano, piano classes and piano pedagogy. She continued at the university as an ad hoc faculty member. Carol was a clinician, adjudicator and mentor for teacher development. She was the organist at First Presbyterian Church of Oshkosh for fifteen years, and she was a member of the American Guild of Organists. The Winborne-Shaw Duo frequently performed repertoire for piano-four hands, and for two pianos.