Organist memorializes philanthropist with music
Photo and story by Rachel Haynie

Frank Deese, organist and choir master for the Anglican Church of the Epiphany, gives a concert for the late Mae Clark.

As her 90th birthday approached, Mae Clark occasionally accompanied her son Jimmy to his "little church." "That's how she referred to the Anglican Church of the Epiphany," Jimmy said.

Jim Clark said his mother, a lifelong member at First Baptist Church, had no background in Anglicism. "Hymns like Just As I am, Lord and The Old Rugged Cross were comfortable to her."

Then, at the funeral of a family friend, held at "Jimmy's little church," she met the talent behind the beautiful music augmenting the service. "She and Frank Deese, our organist and choir master, hit it off right away. She began to like the music at my church. From time to time, she would give the church's music program money," said Clark.

With help from his wife Karen, he cared for his mother following her stroke in 2005 until her death this past January.

"Her gestures touched me," said Deese. "After smoke from a fire in the church kitchen damaged the organ sheet music so severely I couldn't play it." With money from Clark, he was able to replace it. "When she died, I wanted to do something special to remember her, especially after what she had done for music at the church," said Deese.

Deese, who is an associate organist at St. Joseph's Catholic Church and other churches out of town, felt remembering Mrs. Clark with music was appropriate. "I approached Jim and his sister Zan (Suzanne Moore, now of California) about giving a concert in her memory."

Respectful of other mothers and their opportunity to spend Mother's Day with family, the three settled on the Sunday afternoon after Mother's Day for an intimate organ concert at "Jimmy's little church."

Jim created invitations on his computer and sent them to the few living family members, his mother's remaining Cayce neighbors, and organizations she had been part of.

"She helped found the American Legion Auxiliary, and was an early member of Civinettes. My dad was very involved in Civitan," said Clark, who returned to Columbia following his 1988 retirement from the U.S. Air Force. "She also was a volunteer at Baptist Hospital for 16 years."

"Mama grew up on Woodrow Street. Her first job was at Federal Land Bank on Hampton Street across from Shandon (Baptist Church). She went with Dad to Florida where his military orders took him, and where I was born. Thirty years later she happened to speak with someone at the Land Bank, they asked, kiddingly, 'Well, when are you coming back to work.' She said, 'How about Monday,' so she worked there until she was 75- years- old."

For the concert in Mrs. Clark's memory, Deese chose romantic British organ compositions including works by composers like Stanford, Elgar, Bridge, Bliss, Sumsion, and Howells. Soprano Renee Kotsovos performed works by Ray Vaughan Williams and Herbert Howells.