The piano idols of Dick Katz ’ 46 — Fats Waller and Art Tatum — are well-known.
And while Katz’s name might not be as familiar,
if you know of Waller and Tatum, you likely
have heard Katz or records he produced.
The Baltimore native was a fixture in the
New York jazz scene for six decades, bridging
generations from Waller’s stride-piano era to
the modernists of the hipster ’60s. In clubs and
recording sessions, Katz seemed to have played
with everybody who was somebody in mid-
20th century jazz, whether touring or crossing
paths for a spur-of-the moment gig.
Katz died Nov. 10 at age 85.
In appreciating his career, The New York
Times cited his playing on saxophonist Benny
Carter’s 1961 album, Further Definitions, as an
example of Katz’s ability to mesh with musicians ranging from the swing era to the current. Over the course of his career he played
with, among others, clarinetist Tony Scott,
RICHARD AARON KATZ ’ 46 1924–2009
Pianist Played Many Roles in N.Y. Jazz Scene
in
memoriam
STEVE BERMAN/ THE NEW YORK TIMES
bassist Oscar Pettiford, drummer
Kenny Clarke and trumpeter Miles Davis.
Katz also produced, wrote and taught
music. In 1966, he and producer Orrin
Keepnews founded Milestone records, where
he stayed until the early 1970s. He received
Grammy nominations for the notes he wrote
for Jazz Piano: A Smithsonian Collection in 1990
and The Complete Capitol Recordings of the Nat
King Cole Trio in 1993. From the 1980s, he
taught at the New School, the Manhattan
School of Music and Jazz at Lincoln Center.
Katz was a veteran of WWII, joining the
Navy in 1942, and he saw action in the battle
of Saipan. At UNC, he was a member of Tau
Epsilon Phi and the Hillel Foundation.
—Keith King ’ 82
Jazz pianist Dick Katz ’ 46 crossed paths with many of the
bright lights of 20th century jazz in New York, as a player, producer and writer. In 1966, he co-founded his own jazz label,
Milestone, and received Grammy nominations for the notes he
wrote for jazz albums.
Service League. At UNC, she was a charter member
of Delta Delta Delta. u Margaret M. Williams (’ 47),
86, of Fernandina Beach, Fla.; Sept. 6, 2009.
Williams taught business at Salisbury Business
College and Mitchell Community College in
Statesville. u Jean Littell Winslow (’ 41 AB), 91, of
Wilmington, Del.; Sept. 16, 2009. Winslow was a clinical social worker for the Delaware Department of
Health and Social Services in the ’60s and was a
published poet. At UNC, she belonged to Chi Omega
and Philanthropic Society.
’50s Charles Henry Adams (’ 58) of Chapel Hill has agreed to serve on the newly formed advisory committee for the N.C. Sports Hall of Fame. u James Tully
Beatty (’ 57 AB) of Charlotte, the first man to run a
mile indoors in less than four minutes, was the grand
marshal at the second
annual 5K HogJog in
Charlotte and the guest
speaker at the Belmont
Sports Hall of Fame
Induction banquet.
Beatty is a former
member of the GAA Board of Directors (1967-70). u
Doris Waugh Betts (’ 54) of Pittsboro joined John
Griffin Rowell (’ 83 AB) and Daniel Wallace (’08 AB)
on a panel, From Books to Movies, Plays and Musicals, at the 2009 N.C. Literary Festival at UNC. Betts
is a past faculty representative on the GAA Board of
Directors (1984-87). u Joel Lawrence Fleishman
(’ 55 AB, ’ 59 JD, ’ 60 MA) of Durham received the University Medal for Distinguished Service from Duke
University and delivered the Founders’ Day speech in
Duke Chapel. Fleishman is a professor of law and
public policy studies at Duke, where he also directs
the Heyman Center on Ethics, Public Policy and the
Professions and the Duke Foundation Research Program. He was the founding director of the Institute
May 7–9, 2010
55 Reunionth
Class of ’50:
May 7–9, 2010
60 Reunionth
on Policy Studies (now the Stanford School of Public
Policy). u Betty Ray McCain (’ 52 AB) of Wilson has
received a North Carolina Award for Public Service
for her role in the civic and political life of the state.
McCain is a past secretary of the N.C. Department of
Cultural Resources and the first woman to chair the
state Democratic Party. McCain is a past chair of the
GAA Board of Directors (2001-02). u Hugh Leon
McColl Jr. (’ 57 BSBA) of Charlotte has received a
North Carolina Award for Public Service for his role in
transforming banking and as a benefactor to the arts
and education in his community. McColl retired as
CEO and chair of Bank of America in 2002 and
founded McColl Partners, an investment banking
firm, and McColl Fine Art, a gallery that specializes in
American and European paintings. u Betty Lentz
Siegel (’ 53 MEd) of Marietta, Ga., has received three
awards: the 2009 Legacy Award presented by Chattahoochee Technical College Foundation in recognition of her legacy in the state and Atlanta metro
area; the Whitney M. Young Jr. Service Award from
the Atlanta Council of the Boy Scouts of America for
her service in the development of opportunities for
youth from rural or low-income urban backgrounds;
and the 2009 Tower of Strength Award from Morris
Brown College for distinguished achievements in
education, leadership and business. Siegel is president emeritus of Kennesaw State University and
endowed chair of the Siegel Institute for Leadership,
Ethics & Character. u Olga Bernardin “Bo” Thorp
(’ 56 AB) of Fayetteville has received a North Carolina
Award for Fine Arts for her role in building the Cape
Fear Regional Theatre from a small 1962 project, the
Fayetteville Little Theater, into a nationally recognized
theater. Thorp has served as artistic director, in supporting and starring roles, as producer and as
fundraiser. She also was honored with the Realtor
Cup by the N.C. Chamber of Commerce. u Roberts
Edgar “Bob” Timberlake (’ 59 BSIR) of Lexington has
teamed with his son Daniel Lee Timberlake (’ 85
BSIR) in acquiring 204 acres along the proposed
west bypass in Davidson County to develop Brown
Street Industrial Park. In October, Bob Timberlake
and fellow artist Mary Dobbin Long (’74 BFA) contributed work for a mini-auction to benefit
Hospice/ACC.
; obituaries
Joseph L. Albright Sr. (’ 51 BSBA), 81, of Greensboro;
Sept. 22, 2009. Albright owned a life and health
insurance business. Active in the Gate City Kiwanis
Club, he served as president and received numerous
honors from the group. He was an Army veteran of
WWII, serving in the Army Security Agency in
Germany. At UNC, he was president of Zeta Psi. u
Jo-Anne McRae Ard (’ 51), 79, of Auburn, Ala.; Jan.
19, 2009. u E. Clayton Averitt (’ 50 BSCOM), 83, of
Bowie, Md.; Sept. 29, 2009. Averitt retired as chief of
investigations for the U.S. Office of Personnel
Management in Washington, D.C. In WWII, he was a
gunner in the Army Air Forces. u Anne Wellons
Barker (’ 51 ABEd), 79, of Charlotte; Sept. 3, 2009.
After Barker retired as an educator, she joined the
Friendship Force and traveled around the world. u
Norman M. “Buddy” Black Jr. (’ 50 BSCOM), 82, of
North Myrtle Beach, S.C.; Sept. 25, 2009. Black
retired as president of a construction company in
Charlotte. He relocated to Atlanta and worked for
several years in a family-owned business. He served
in the Army in WWII. u Billy Bowen Bridgewater (’ 51
MEd), 86, of Raleigh; Oct. 25, 2009. Bridgewater was
a retired furniture manufacturer’s representative. He
co-founded Starclaire Athletic Association and was
chair of the Charlotte Parks and Recreation
Commission. In WWII, he served in the Army Air
Corps with a bomb squadron. He was shot down,
captured, survived a forced 281-mile march through
Austria and was liberated in May 1945. Later, he
served in the National Guard Reserve. u Mary Ann
Glod Browne (’ 53 ABEd), 78, of Wilmington; Sept. 24,
