The beginning

I don't know how it all started, but when I was in H.S. I started playing popular organ on our church organ. When I went away to College in Tennessee in 1970, I found out about the American Theatre Organ Society and joined. This started my huge theatre organ LP collection. In the late 1970s I needed my own organ and nearly bought a Rogers but the one I wanted was no longer available. I ended up (to my pleasure) purchasing an Allen 425 theatre model, "Music Scene" with card reader for alterable sounds from the local dealer, Lee Stadele. I thoroughly enjoyed it and performed several concerts in my home.

I attended the national ATOS convention in 1978 at Atlanta. It was a wonderful experience I got to meet many people and even some professional organists. I traveled around on the buses with Ashley Miller (a former Radio City Music Hall organist) who I had met before. He related some fascinating stories.

At this time I got involved in the Garden State Chapter of the ATOS and was involved in the removal of the theatre organ from the Fabian Theatre in Paterson, NJ. We were in the process of installing it in the Casa Italiano an former Stanley theatre in Newark. As my career to expanded I no longer had time to travel to Newark.