March 16, 2014

Huxley / Pascal / McDowell Quotes

"I had motives for not wanting the world to have a meaning; consequently (I) assumed that it had none, and was able without any difficulty to find satisfying reasons for this assumption. The philosopher who finds no meaning in the world is not concerned exclusively with a problem in pure metaphysics, he is also concerned to prove that there is no valid reason why he personally should not do as he wants to do, or why his friends should not seize political power and govern in the way that they find most advantageous to themselves... For myself, the philosophy of meaningless was essentially an instrument of liberation, sexual and political. - Aldous Huxley, 'Ends and Means', pp. 270 ff.

"The evidence of God's existence and His gift is more than compelling, but those who insist that they have no need of Him or it will always find ways to discount the offer." - Blaise Pascal

"It is the person who disbelieves in the face of strong evidence supporting Christianity who is really intolerant and closed-minded." - Josh McDowell, 'The New Evidence that Demands a Verdict', pg. xl

March 13, 2014

Ettore “Eddie” Chiudioni: October 29, 1936 ~ March 12, 2014

From: Mansfield, Ohio

Visitation: Friday, March 14, 2014 from 1:00-3:00 P.M. and 5:00-8:00 P.M. at Snyder Funeral Home, Lexington Avenue Chapel, Mansfield, OH

Funeral:  Saturday, March 15, 2014 at 12:00 P.M. at St. Peter's Catholic Church

Burial:  Mansfield Catholic Cemetery, Mansfield, Ohio
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MANSFIELD: Ettore “Eddie” Chiudioni was born with music inside him. It was a necessity for him-as much as food or water. He passed along his gift to countless youngsters as a band director, as a private music teacher, and as conductor of the Mansfield Symphony Youth Orchestra. Eddie was always looking forward to his next concert.

Accomplished trumpet player, Ettore "Eddie" Chiudioni, 77, passed away Wednesday morning March 12, 2014 in the OSU Wexner Medical Center following a short illness.

Eddie was born October 29, 1936 in Dillonvale to parents Salvatore and Ersilia (Gigliozzi) Chiudioni. He graduated from Dillionvale High School with the class of 1954 and graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from Ohio University and also graduated with a Master of Arts Degree from The Ohio State University.

On July 30, 1960 Eddie married Joan Jeannette Ruckman and they started a wonderful life together full of music (Joan was a violinist in the Mansfield Symphony Orchestra and their daughters Kimberly and Kelli also studied violin and continue to play).

Mr. Chiudioni was in his 24th year as conductor of the Mansfield Symphony Youth Orchestra. He retired from teaching in 1990 after 32 years as a high school orchestra/band director: 6 years in the Crestline City Schools and 26 years in the Mansfield City Schools at Malabar High School. He conducted orchestra/band clinics and workshops throughout the state and served as an adjudicator for concerto competitions at various schools of music. Eddie served as an OMEA Adjudicator for State Orchestra, as well as Strings and Brass Solo and Ensemble Adjudicated Events.

He was in his 55th year as principal trumpet with the Mansfield Symphony Orchestra and appeared as a soloist with the Mansfield Symphony Orchestra, the Firelands Symphony, the Alliance Symphony and with area high school bands and orchestras. He served as principal trumpet with the Renaissance Brass Quintet and the Mansfield Symphony Orchestra’s Outreach Brass Trio.

Mr. C (as he was known to his students) was a private trumpet instructor in Mansfield. Many of his students have been members of the Mansfield Symphony Youth Orchestra, the East-Central Region Orchestra, the OMEA All-State Orchestra and the OMEA All-State Band. Several of his former students are now pursuing careers in music education and music performance.

Mr. Chiudioni served as Secretary-Treasurer of the American Federation of Musicians, Local 159, AFM for over 35 years and was a faithful member of St. Peter’s Catholic Church in Mansfield.

In addition to his loving wife of 53 years, Joan J. Chiudioni of Mansfield, he is survived by his two daughters and a son-in-law: Kimberly J. Roseblossom of West Farmington, and Kelli J. and William Snively of Westerville; four grandchildren: Morgan McAuley, Matthew Roseblossom, Adam Snively, and Hope Snively; one great-grandson Mason McAuley; one brother and sister-in-law Ernest and Francy Chiudioni of Canton; and several nieces and nephews.

Eddie was preceded in death by his parents Salvatore and Ersilia Chiudioni; his wife’s parents Kenneth and Dortha Ruckman; and a brother-in-law and sister-in-law James and Veronica Ruckman.

His family will receive friends 1 to 3 and 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, March 14, 2014 in the Lexington Avenue Snyder Funeral Home. A mass of Christian burial remembering his life will be held 12 p.m. Saturday, March 15 at St. Peter’s Catholic Church, 54 South Mulberry St. in Mansfield. The Rev. Father Gregory Hite will officiate and burial will follow in Mansfield Catholic Cemetery.

Contributions in his memory to the Mansfield Symphony Youth Orchestra may be made at the funeral home or sent in care of: Snyder Funeral Home, P.O. Box 3085, Mansfield, OH 44904.

Snyder Funeral Homes is honored to serve Eddie’s family and private messages to them may be sent to: SnyderFuneralHomes.com

Conductor's passion for music will long be remembered - lmartz@gannett.com

MANSFIELD — Mansfield Symphony Youth Orchestra founder Ettore “Eddie” Chiudioni maintained a keen interest in upcoming concerts and the aspiration of young musicians — despite serious health problems during the past year.

Chiudioni died early Wednesday morning.

He was in his 23rd year as conductor of the youth orchestra.

He had spent six years teaching in the Crestline City Schools, where he worked after graduating from Ohio University, and taught 32 years as orchestra/band director for the Mansfield City Schools, retiring in 1990.

Chiudioni mentored hundreds of local music students over the years — including two-time Grammy-winning classical singer Sylvia McNair. McNair was a member of the youth orchestra founded by the music teacher.

Friends said Chiudioni, 77, suffered from a heart condition. He recently had checked into the Cleveland Clinic to have a heart pump implanted.

Despite health problems, especially during the past year, Chiudioni continued to return to the Renaissance Theatre a couple of times weekly to copy music.

“Always a smile,” Renaissance president Mike Miller said. “He would be in the Renaissance at least a couple of times a week to copy music or prepare for concerts.”

He conducted orchestra and band clinics and workshops throughout Ohio, and served as an adjudicator for concerto competitions at music schools.

“He always was looking at new ways to help kids,” Miller added. “The miles he racked up, driving all over the state, taking students to auditions or events.”

Despite weight loss and a frail appearance, Chiudioni attended the Renaissance board’s meeting last week. “His enthusiasm remained. He was so adamant about staying a part of it,” Miller said.

He’d expected to be present at a Youth Strings concert this weekend and a Youth Symphony concert in May, friends said.

“If there was any possible way, he would be at the rehearsals — and he totally expected to direct,” Dalton Derr said. “He was very frail and we were very distressed. But he was still Eddie, with this Italian spirit and tenacity.”

Both men worked at Malabar Middle School for years, as choral director and instrumental director.

Chiudioni was not an imposing looking teacher, “not like 6-foot-5,” Derr said. But he coaxed quality performances from students. “He was demanding and he would lead by example. He was an informed and well-organized individual that his students revered.”

As a public school music teacher, Chiudioni was required to familiarize himself with a wide variety of string, woodwinds, brass and percussion instruments.

But in his own performances, he never strayed from “his” instrument, the trumpet.

He’s served 55 years as principal trumpet with the Mansfield Symphony Orchestra, “He was the first chair trumpeter for the symphony for, I don’t know — 50 years,” Derr said.

Chiudioni performed in Renaissance Brass Quintet and the Mansfield Symphony Orchestra’s Outreach Brass Trio.

As secretary-treasurer of Local 159 of the American Federation of Musicians, Chiudioni was very successful in securing grants from recording industries for educational concerts, and park concerts for the community, retired Mansfield Senior High School music director Percy Hall said. His efforts gave “hundreds of people the pleasure of attending these live music concerts,” he added.

Funeral services will likely be well-attended by several generations of musicians who were mentored by Chiudioni, friends said.

“He’s my paisano,” Derr said, referring to the word used by Italians to their closest links, their “brothers.”

Derr said he was thankful for Chiudioni’s willingness, when both of them worked for the city schools, to share the hard work needed to stage complex joint choral and instrumental events such as Gian Carlo Menotti’s “Amahl and the Night Visitor” or portions of Handel’s “Messiah.”

When David H. Williams, a Tucson choral arranger, wrote a piece for Derr’s mother Mabel, “Eddie wrote the instrumental portion, and we performed it on one of the joint concerts,” Derr said.

Hall said Chiudioni became a close friend when Eddie began teaching music in Crestline.

“I met him first when we were both performing in the Mansfield Symphony Orchestra, which at that time was a community orchestra, rather than a professional orchestra. We talked on the phone almost daily, sharing problems, solutions, ideas and giving each other encouragement,” Hall said.

“I have always respected his ability as a trumpet player, and a private teacher of many, many students, a good number of whom have gone on to be outstanding performers, in college, in symphonies and as teachers. He will be a hard act to follow in his many roles in the musical scene of Mansfield.

“He and I have been such close friends for a long, long period of time, that I can hardly imagine not having the ability to talk to him and share our thoughts. My deepest sympathy goes to his wife Joan, and all of his family,” Hall said.

“Many of his students have been members of the Mansfield Symphony Youth Orchestra, the East-Central Region Orchestra, the OMEA All-State Orchestra and the OMEA All-State Band,” Barb Byrd said.

“Eddie was just one heck of a good and caring person. He was devoted to teaching and playing music because it was his passion and he loved it. Eddie was always ready to share a joke or a story with you and made us laugh,” the Renaissance staff member said.

March 08, 2014

Piano Time

Myths and Legends vs. The Gospels - C.S. Lewis

"If he [the biblical critic] tells me that something in the Gospel is legend or romance, I want to know how many legends and romances he has read, how well his palate is trained in detecting them by the flavour; not how many years he has spent on that Gospel... I have been reading poems, romances, vision-literature, legends, myths all my life. I know that not one of them is like this."

- C.S. Lewis, Professor or Medieval and Renaissance Literature, Cambridge University; author of the Chronicles of Narnia.

March 05, 2014

"Queenie Eye" - Paul McCartney

"My Valentine" by Paul McCartney, with Natalie Portman and Johnny Depp

Don Harvey

Unbelievable. My friend was taken in a car accident the other day. Enjoy the fullness of Jesus' presence my friend  - it is what you were made for.

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Donald Harvey, age 65, of Columbus, died suddenly as the result of an automobile accident on Friday, February 21, 2014. Preceded in death by his mother Mary Ann Harvey. He is survived by his daughters, Anne Marie Harvey of Fleming Island, FL, Danielle (Ben) Irwin of Tallahassee, FL and Colleen (Andrew) Hanrahan of Dublin; his granddaughter, Lorielei Fondren of Tallahassee; his former spouse, Georganna E. Harvey of Fleming Island, FL; his father, Paul R. Harvey, Sr. of Everett, MA; his sister, Mary (John) Warren of Citta San Angelo, Italy; his brother, Paul R. (Paula) Harvey, Jr. of Philadelphia, PA; and his nieces and nephews. Don was a member of Hilltop Lutheran Church. A Memorial Service will be held at a later date with the date and time to be announced in the Dispatch. Arrangements by the Rutherford Funeral Home at Powell, 450 West Olentangy St., Powell, OH 43065 (614)-792-1471. Please visit www.rutherfordfuneralhomes.com to send condolences to the Harvey Family.