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TEMPELHOF FAMILY FUND: Fund Perpetuates Donor's Lifelong Love of Music, Fund to Benefit Organ Students
Janet Tempelhof was 24 years old in 1942, when she got up the nerve to ask Robert Kline, the organist who played in NCR's auditorium, if he'd give her lessons.
He agreed. "I took up the organ and fell in love with it," she said. "I studied off and on with him for about five years; he could really make an organ talk! Sometimes he'd send me to churches to substitute for other organists in the summertime. He taught me how to make the organ fun." Janet Tempelhof, who worked at NCR, said organ lessons were expensive. "About a quarter of my paycheck went for lessons," she said. "It was that important to me, that important to my parents. Often my brother would play his violin; I'd play my Hamlin organ; and we'd give my parents a little concert at home. I played for both my own and my family's enjoyment." Now 85 years old and legally blind, she sold her organ in 1979. She never forgot, however, her struggle to afford organ lessons. So in 2002, in memory of her brother and parents, she established the Tempelhof Family Fund through The Dayton Foundation to award grants to the Cedarville University music department for the benefit of students studying organ. "There are many young people at Cedarville who love music but can't afford organ lessons," she said. "A pat on the back is nice, but getting a grant is something these young people will remember. At some point in their life, they will look back and say, 'I got some assistance. Maybe I should be doing the same thing.' Then maybe they will help another student. I hope it becomes a perpetual thing. If you love music, you want to share it with somebody else, if you can." Upon her death, the fund also will assist students studying organ at Wittenberg University and fulfill wishes for young people with life-threatening illnesses. Janet Tempelhof, who was born prematurely, often sat on the sidelines as a child due to poor health. She understands how a child's heart aches when he or she cannot do what other children can do. "Children who are ill should have a little something to enjoy in life," she said. She chose to establish her family fund with The Dayton Foundation after a trust officer told her it would be a wise decision. "I think it's one of the best investments I've ever made," She said. "What better thing can you do but give to charity? Through The Dayton Foundation, my family fund draws interest now and does something for people even after I'm gone. Knowing that makes me happy."
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File date: 6-27-06
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