The Presbyterian Historical Society of the Southwest is interested in persons, families, churches, institutions and virtually any aspect of the history of Presbyterianism in the Southwest. Occasionally, inanimate objects may capture our interest – stained glass windows, baptismal fonts, Communion tokens and tables, church architecture, to name but a few.
Lately there has been much going on at the Presbyterian Pan American School in Kingsville. In addition to having a new president (Dr. Joey King), the school is preparing to host Mission Presbytery next spring. In doing so, the school’s board chairman, Bill Rutherford, has been engaged in all kinds of research. In the center of Kingsville stand statues of Captain Richard King and his wife, Henrietta King. She contributed the land for what is now the Presbyterian Pan American School. It seems that originally the statues were going to point to the north; however, a member of the Kleberg family insisted that they face the south – towards “Mrs. King’s school” (what is now Pan Am).
Construction of the campus chapel began in 1959 under the presidency of Sherwood Reisner. It was completed in 1960, funded primarily through a gift from board member Henry Morris of McAllen in memory of his wife. Dedicated on Sunday, May 15, 1960, the Morris Chapel has served as the center of the campus’ spiritual life. At some point an organ was installed. It’s not clear if it was part of the 1960 opening of the chapel or if it came later.
What’s interesting is that it is a Rieger tracker organ. The Rieger Organ Company is an Austrian company that goes back to 1843. How the Presbyterian Pan American School became the recipient of such an organ remains a mystery. Mr. Michael Morgan, owner of the SG Price Pipe Organ Company in Edna, Texas estimates the value of this organ at somewhere between $75,000 and $125,000. Morgan says that the University of Houston has an identical Rieger organ and that it is “their prized piece.” Morgan also indicates there may be only three or four such organs in the United States (although other organ companies make tracker organs). An email to the Reiger Organ Company in Austria to see if there is any record in their files of having constructed such an organ around 1960 or before and assembled in this country has gone unanswered. Search for a registration or identification number on the organ is still being explored.
For over 40 years the organ at Pan Am has gone unused because it stood in need of repair, but no one was sure what needed repairing or how much it would cost. Thanks to Bill Rutherford, Mr. Morgan was called in. He discovered two problems which could be fixed in one day. One had to do with a hole in the leather around the blower which was repaired with a fabric strap and rubber cement. The second was the need for oil to prevent the motor from squealing. A third problem was dealt with by removing the remains of a decaying rodent that was blocking two of the keys on the keyboard from functioning. With a few other cosmetic changes that Rieger organ will now produce lovely music and will be available to Pan Am students.
While the search for solving the mystery of Pan Am’s organ continues, what stories might lie behind the organ, piano, or handbells in your church? Where was it (or were they) made? How old is it (or are they)? Who arranged for the purchase? Or, if your church has stained glass windows, what stories might lie behind them? Where were they made? Were they memorial gifts? Where did the baptismal font come from? Who made it? And the Communion table? What story lies behind it? Is there a story behind the church’s pulpit? Our churches are filled with many untold stories that may be both fascinating and revealing.
As we make history today, may we do so giving thanks for the legacy that is ours, and may we be as generous to future generations as those who have gone before us were to us.
The Presbyterian Historical Society of the Southwest exists to “stimulate and encourage interest in the collection, preservation, and presentation of the Presbyterian and Reformed heritage” in the Southwest. If you are not a participating member of the Society and would like to become one, the annual dues are $20 per individual and $25 per couple. Annual institutional and church membership dues are $100. Checks may be made out to PHSSW and sent to:
PHSSW – 5525 Traviston Ct., Austin, TX 78738
