Classical Music: John Leman, in memoriam

Friday, September 21, 2007

John Leman, in memoriam

Dr. John Leman, professor emeritus of Choral Conducting at the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music and former Director of Choruses for the Cincinnati May Festival, lost his courageous battle and died this morning. Please look in the Enquirer for an obituary and tribute to this extraordinary Cincinnati musician in coming days.

Here's the link to the printed obituary.

(I'm trying to restore the longer version that ran online only. Stay tuned.)

A memorial service is planned for 2:30 p.m. Oct. 20 in Corbett Auditorium.

33 Comments:

at 9/21/2007 10:27:00 PM

Dave Bell said...

I hope that other friends and former students of Doc Leman will take the opportunity to share fond memories here. He was a great man, a good friend and impacted so many lives.

Those who knew him are aware of what an amazing pedagog he was when it came to teaching the process of conducting, He, along with his colleagues, impacted some of the most influential choral conductors in the US.

He was proud of that accomplishment, as he deserved to be. But some of his greatest memories were of those with whom he had made music as they toured throughout Europe as a traveling choir. He shared many stories about those times and people with me during his last months.

He was an amazing man. For thirty years he struggled with MS, but he was never bitter. He always kept his sense of humor and his enviable ability to laugh. When MS claimed his right side, he learned to conduct with his left hand. When he could no longer conduct with his left hand, he perfected the art of teaching through analogy. When he could no longer venture out into public because of the threat of infection after his leukemia had destroyed his immune system, he looked into distance learning as a way to teach young conductors. The way he lived almost reminds one of the knight from "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" who after loosing both of his arms and legs shouts out, "Come back and I'll bite you to death!"

Doc loved to laugh. His gags were memorable and unbelievably bold. I think one of his funniest was in the last ten years of his life after he was using his wheelchair to get around. He convinced some choral conductor friends that his van with the automatic back gate was voice activated. But, he told them, "the battery is low, so you have to get on the ground and shout 'Door, open!' because the microphone is located under the bumper." After doing this several times, louder and louder while on their hands and knees, he secretly pressed the key fob in his pocket and the door magically opened! He thanked them for their help and they went on their way. To this day, Frank and Arlene never knew that they were "had" by a crafty practical joker. When he told me this story several years later, we laughed together until the tears rolled down our cheeks.

I can only imagine the stories his colleagues for years: Elmer Thomas, Earl Rivers and Phil Crabtree have to tell.

Ever wonder about the oomlaut on the Hopple Street exit sign on I75 that has been there for 30 years? It was an inside joke in the choral department at CCM that one of the students took to a new level. To the best of my knowledge it still stands there as a monument to Doc Leman's humor.

I need to laugh again with Doc Leman, because I am so sad that he is gone. He made my life richer in so many ways and I miss him!

at 9/22/2007 03:24:00 PM

Bill said...

I have known John Leman since my CCM days in the early 1970's. We never really got to work together, but he came to hear Faure's Requiem at my church in Wyoming a little over a year ago. I was so pleased that he made an effort to come hear my choir and he was very kind and complimentary. He said it was very moving. It was my great honor to know him over these many years.

Sincerely,
Bill Seale

at 9/24/2007 08:41:00 AM

Kathryn Jo Brown said...

I, too, was a student of Dr. Lemans in the late nineties. However, my most memorable work with him was during the three years I sang at Pleasant Ridge Presbyterian in his church choir. We have been in email contact since I left CCM. His humor and light-heartedness never seemed to amaze me. Whether he wrote me a short letter, sent and joke, or just a question mark, he never ceased to be positive and caring.

A few years back, my husband and I flew over from Germany and visited him. What was intended to be lunch turned quickly into five hours and I could hardly tear my husband away. He, too, was charmed and amazed at John's wonderful personality, intelligence and spiritual outlook on life.

John's work, his amazing ear and his never-failing positive attitude towards life have left a permanent mark on mine. We will all miss him terribly.

Sincerely,
Kathryn (Brown) Tilch

at 9/24/2007 10:13:00 PM

Marilyn McClain said...

I accompanied choruses and church choirs for John Leman. He was the most precise conductory I have ever played for. Every move had an exact meaning. Yet his music-making was sensitive and true to the style. He didn't have to say anything to explain what he wanted out of a chorus- a very difficult thing to do in conducting - and yet when he did say something it usually was to lighten the work with a joke.
I remember him saying that either before or after his PhD, he looked at his conducting in a mirror one day and decided it needed to change. He had a very unique style of conducting, yet it spoke it's own language.
The choral world has lost a one-of-a-kind musician. Those of us fortunate enough to know John will remember him forever.

at 9/24/2007 11:44:00 PM

Anonymous said...

As I only met John six years ago or so, I unfortunately never knew him when he was well - but I never once saw John act like he wasn't.

John was a client of mine where I was a health care worker, but our conversations did not revolve around his health - rather they centered around everything from politics, to religion, to sports...all of course flavored with John's unique brand of humor. The only tears I ever shared with John were of laughter.

I remember a time when a woman asked him what kind of doctor he was - he replied, "A dentist, let me look at your teeth..." and he proceeded to have the woman open her mouth so he could have a look. The lady looked puzzled as to why I was clearly choking back laughter!

Thanks John, you showed me a great way to approach life.

at 9/25/2007 03:52:00 AM

Gwen Coleman Detwiler said...

Oh I just love that last comment about Doc pretending to be a dentist! I am laughing out loud. Classic!

I was a student of Doc's at CCM from 93 to 99. My husband and I sang at Pleasant Ridge Presbyterian, and we had the pleasure of his unique humor every week. I'll never forget the day my husband and I announced to the choir that we were having our first baby. Doc's comments to my husband were, well, pure Leman. I'm blushing even now, and that was almost ten years ago!

For a short while, I was the replacement conductor for his choir while he was on sabbatical. These were enormous shoes to fill. His guidance and encouragement helped me grow as a conductor and as a musician. He helped me prepare my audition for my first tenure-track job, and gave me sage advice about academia when I headed off to that new job.

I am deeply saddened by his passing. He was a wonderful mentor, quick with an email of jokes or advice. He never took himself or anyone else too seriously. But the man who inspired me the most was that fiercely passionate musician within. He could inspire a choir to new heights with one sharp sidelong glance. He was totally sure of his musical choices, and he carried that passionate confidence with him in every performance.

I miss him. I'm so thankful for all he taught me, and I'm just so sad he's gone.

at 9/25/2007 08:00:00 AM

Anonymous said...

I had the honor--and I do mean HONOR--of sharing the stage with John Leman, lovingly known as "Doc," for six years, as member of and five-year accompanist for the University of Cincinnati Men's Glee Club.

His talent and his love for music inspired years and years of "Clubbers," and brought joy to the faces of countless audiences all over the world. His conducting style was precise and artistic, and yet, he knew when he could have a little fun with it.

For example, many were the times when the Glee Club would be singing something in four-four time and he would conduct the work in "five," just to get a smile out of the group, or he would give me a cue behind his back. It was always a delight to work with him, whether in rehearsal or onstage, and his influence on my life eventually led me to a choral conducting degree at UC in 1984.

In recent days, I had the honor of renewing our friendship through visits to his apartment and at his side at Jewish Hospital. I will miss him.

at 9/25/2007 02:33:00 PM

Anonymous said...

John Leman was a dear friend and colleague of mine. I traveled with the Cincinnati International Choral from 1992 until the time that the trips stopped. I remained in close contact with him over the years and loved his sense of humor and devotion to music. He traveled to Lexington to hear the Lexington Singers in Concert (in his motorized wheel chair)many times. I will miss his emails and his friendship. Cora Hughes

at 9/25/2007 04:01:00 PM

Anonymous said...

My wife and I have known John since just after the last dinosaur died. Sharon, John’s wife, was my wife’s roommate in undergraduate school. Our relationship was of a personal nature, although John and I often had serious, and at times irreverent, discussions concerning music.

I have always admired John, most particularly, after he took medical leave from his position at CCM. I never heard him complain about his lot in life, even after the second blow of the news concerning his leukemia. He lived his life to the fullest capacity possible. He was always able to find humor in everyday life.

Two incidents demonstrate his outlook on life. Several years ago, John sent out an email stating that he was changing his direction in life and was moving to a South American country to work with a political action group. I was then instructed to open an attachment allowing me to view a photo of some of the individuals he would be working with. Upon opening the attachment, I saw 7 beautiful women who lacked several necessary articles of clothing. I immediately sent a return pointing that the daily rain in the country would quickly mire his electric cart over the top of his wheels. The next day I received another email stating that he had made a change in his mode of transportation. Again, the same routine with the attachment. This one showed a large number of women on bicycles lacking the same missing articles of clothing.

The second incident was much more bittersweet. My wife and I, along with Sharon, were playing dominos at John’s facility early in 2007. John was attempting to place a domino which was a fair distance across the table. I asked John if he wanted me to place the domino for him. He just looked at me sideways and shook his head-NO. John was forced to ask for help at times, but he did so with grace and only when it was necessary.

I will miss him!

at 9/25/2007 08:55:00 PM

Anonymous said...

As a high school freshman, 45 years ago, I had the incredibly good fortune to be one of John Leman's first students. Fresh out of Illinois (I heard him tell, once, of singing "Hail to the Orange" after the Rose Bowl with a group that included Dick Butkus), armed with only a bachelors degree, he took a few kids from an ordinary public high school and made us the best high school chorus in Illinois. In three trips to the state music contest, the Leman-led choir took one second place and two firsts.

But more than building choirs, John Leman built people. We, his first students, are in the process of turning sixty. I doubt there is one of us who would not gladly stand and say that John had a positive impact on our lives. He taught music, of course -- and performance and self-confidence and self-control and poise and pride in good work. He didn't have to demand our best, he merely expected it, and we gave it.

A little more than a year ago, Dr. Leman, in failing health, did us the great honor of returning for our fortieth class reunion. The chance to see him again, hear him tell a joke, and see that his mind worked just as it had 44 years before when we met, was the high point of the reunion. And when he asked a couple of us to sing something for him, separate from the group singing that we all enormously enjoyed, it was an unparalleled honor.

John Leman taught me and my classmates much. And when called upon to do so, he lived with the dignity and courage in difficult circumstances that he tried to teach us, even as a handsome, healthy young guy in his mid-twenties. Some say that those who can't do, teach. But John Leman could do, and teach, and set the gold standard for both.

Paul Ground
St. Louis

at 9/25/2007 11:56:00 PM

Anonymous said...

When I first met Doc Leman, my wife and I were singing at Pleasant Ridge Presbyterian Church. I've sung for many directors over the years, but never one as gifted in teaching and communicating with his choir as John. Somehow, he could make a subtle movement tell you exactly what sound he wanted. If by chance you were a bit off or late he would give a look that said "come on .. you know better" ... again without a word.

St. Francis tells us to preach constantly and use words only when necessary. John was truely unique in his ability to communicate through his movements, his actions, and his spirit. I feel blessed to have known him ... and part of his PRPC choir for 7 years. He will be missed.

Gary Bivins

at 9/26/2007 01:55:00 AM

mamab said...

lohn leman was one of the great ones - a great person, husband, father, friend and musician, and my life was made richer for knowing him. i sang in his choral groups at CCM from 1968-1972, and will forever smile when i think of the university singers' spring break trip to kentucky...

john and i had been regular email buddies for some time, exchanging jokes, often more than a little risque. but below is one of the last funnies (g-rated) he forwarded to me - i just read it again, and laughed out loud, just as i did the first time!

A guy went on vacation into voodoo territory. When he
checked into his hotel he heard the drummers playing an unusual
and insistent rhythm. At first he found it fascinating.

However, after several hours, the sound became an annoyance,
so at dinner, he asked the waiter, "When do the drums stop?"

The waiter went pale and stammered, "No. No. Drums not
stop. Very bad when drums stop."

After tossing and turning half the night, he called the
front desk at 2 a.m. to ask when the drums would stop.

"No. No. Drums not stop. Very bad when drums stop."

After a sleepless night, he was waiting at the front desk
for the manager. He asked once again, "When do the drums stop?"

Again came the reply, "No. No. Drums not stop. Very bad
when drums stop."

Grabbing the manager by his shirt, the man screams, "What
happens that's so bloody bad when the drums stop?"

"English horn solo!"

Aloha, my friend. I will miss you!

Leigh Braley, Honolulu, HI

at 9/26/2007 04:19:00 PM

Anonymous said...

Love is spelled in so many ways, in so many languages, but in music is is expressed the best. John Lehman taught love, & I had the priviledge of learning that over 40 yrs ago as a HS student in Decatur, Il. I taught that love to my children, grandchildren, patients, & employees. Thanks Mr Lehman (he wasn't a Doc then) & to all "music teachers" who teach love.

at 9/26/2007 08:34:00 PM

Jim Grigg said...

Mr Leman, as he was known 45 years ago, taught his students love, humor, dedication, and just about life in general. He and Sharon were always there for his students. As his first job after college, he wasn't that much older than his charges, but he had control beyond his years. We respected him and his love for music. He challenged us to be the best we could be. I was fortunate enough to have him for my last two years of high school. My love for music and the discipline to strive to be the best I could be has remained with me all the years since.

We wrote our own high school musicals under his direction, recorded two records--that's the vinyl 33 1/3 speed discs that were before CD's, for all of you younger students of the Doc. We sang for special events around Decatur, IL and Mr. Leman always made sure that we left a lasting impression.

As Paul wrote earlier, Mr. Leman expected our best, and we gave it. His leadership and direction allowed five of his students to be a part of the University of Illinois Varsity Mens Glee Club at one time--a record number of students from one school that I believe still stands today.

Mr. Leman returned to Decatur on at least two occassions to be with his former students. Ten years or so ago he came for a reunion of the "Tiptones," a sub-group of the Concert Choir of Eisenhower High School. It was a multi-class event, and Mr. Leman played the piano and led the group in songs we sang and recorded, reminising until the wee hours of the morning--we loved him and he loved us.

When he honored us with his presence at our forty year class reunion, one of the most emotional moments in our tenure together was when he gave an emotion charged speech to our class during a Saturday morning rehersal with his former students of years goneby, he passed the baton to another. Mr. Leman knew then that his conducting days were past,but his love for music was still there.

Mr. Leman--John, as we knew him later in life--will always be a part of who we are and what we became. We will miss him and his positive spirit.

Until we meet again in the Heavenly Choir.

at 9/26/2007 10:01:00 PM

Anonymous said...

It was my privilege to have been one of John’s caregivers. No matter what obstacle or illness was placed at his feet, he handled it with dignity, made others feel comfortable and even joked about it.

He enjoyed each and every email, phone and visit from family and friends. Every time I saw him, he would recount the cities, states and countries that had been in contact with him since last I was there. I am sure that is what kept him going.

Over the past year, it was his goal to listen to all his tapes and CDs one more time. He enjoyed the music and reminiscing about the many persons in his life who had produced the music. Towards the end he would get upset as he would have to listen 4-5 times to the same CD as he kept falling asleep. I am happy to report that there were only 3 left in the huge stack left unplayed.

We all were blessed to have known him and to have him in our lives.

God be with you until we meet again.

at 9/28/2007 10:33:00 AM

Anonymous said...

Great to read the various comments!

I worked with John as a DMA student at CCM for a period from the mid-80s. He was an extraordinary teacher of conducting technique, with an astounding ability to mimic back to you EXACTLY what you look like and to suggest small changes that brought large results.

After school, I mainly kept in touch at conferences and particularly remember sitting with him and Dick Westenburg in a hotel lobby at the Minneapolis IFCM Symposium listening to an impromptu joint performance by a Russian choir and Gary Graden's chamber choir from Stockholm. With his love of the sound of the male voice, he was in heaven listening to the combination of basses in the two choirs (especially as they sang the Bogoroditse Devo of Rachmaninoff!).

We also began to keep touch via email and I was on his email "joke list" as many others here--his sense of humor was extraordinary.

I was lucky last fall to come back to CCM as a guest professor and saw John a number of times, including a nice lunch where he picked me up in his van (no, he didn't try his "voice activated" lift gag on me).

Quite simply, beyond his abilities as a musician (and they were great), it was his great spirit which inspired.

He will be missed.

at 9/28/2007 10:55:00 AM

Anonymous said...

I remember the first day I ever met Dr. Leman at CCM. It was in the parking garage. We meet just as we entered the stairway--I was there to audition Drs. Leman, Thomas and Rivers. My undergraduate teacher, also a student of Dr. Leman's (Julie Pretzat), told me to get ready for an incredible adventure. She was right. From the first aural evaluation in his office where a young terrified student, so desperately hoping to become a conductor, had to identify the key after a long modulation, to the first time we shared a friendship mug at Christie's and learned the "Thing-bee" song, to the proud moments when Dr. Leman would give you a wink and a smile after a performance with Chamber Singers...it was a great adventure, indeed!

The gift of conducting, of music, of laughter, of friendship, of memories...for all these things and so much more, I say thank you.

Here's to you, Dr. Leman!

--David Belles (CCM Class of 1994)

at 9/28/2007 01:06:00 PM

Anonymous said...

I am so fortunate to have been able to study with Dr. Leman during his last two years at CCM. I was so young and green when I first walked into the choral room for our first 8:30 AM conducting class, having never conducted for more than a handful of elderly Presbyterians in small-town Ohio. Dr. Leman was always patient, encouraging, hilarious, and determined to see us do our very best.

I hope my classmates can remember with me this one particular moment. The combined choirs were working on a performance of Mahler 2, and, in a complete departure from our normal class routine, Dr. Leman decided we should all experience what it would be like to conduct its ending. One at a time we each grabbed our batons, stood up on the podium in the choral room, and proceeded to wield thunderbolts in time (mostly!) with the recording. I will never forget the feeling, nor the look of pure joy on Dr. Leman's face at each repetition of Mahler's concluding bars.

I feel very honored to have known Dr. Leman as a teacher, mentor, and friend. He was an excellent man, and I will miss him very much.

Sincerely,
Anne (Overton) Lyman
CCM Class of 1999

at 9/28/2007 11:05:00 PM

Anonymous said...

I was the Pastor of Pleasant Ridge Presbyterian Church during John's last years there. He was a skilled, entertaining, incisive and easy-going colleague.

Just before I went there, another conductor said to me, "John Leman does more with one hand than other conductors in this city can do with two." I discovered that was true. In addition to preaching, I sang in the choir, and I loved learning to follow his eyes as well as his hand.

When I cut myself up pretty badly trimming candles on Easter morning and I came to church with my right hand bandaged (thumb stuck straight out), John conducted the introit with his thumb stuck proudly in the air, happily mocking me.

We had trouble one year finding a tenor section leader, leaving me the only tenor. John's advice: "Sing loud as hell."

My life is much richer because he has been part of it.

(Bob, now in Clarinda, Iowa)

at 9/28/2007 11:25:00 PM

Anonymous said...

So many memories of John. How to begin.

Cueing the tenor section with his middle finger after they had missed a previous, perfectly cued entrance.

Those 8:30 a.m. conducting classes where you really thought he was asleep, but he caught every little nuance that either enhanced or hindered your gestural communication.

Being at an ACDA National Convention and hearing him bellow MORGEN from the bottom of an escalator as several of his students steadied his electric cart - riding up the escalator.

Hearing him say to me during a Chorale rehearsal (I accompanied for him for 2 years) "Hey McConnell - move your little finger over one to the right."

Sitting at the piano, about to explode with laughter as he told a sweet, though clueless little lady who came into his office for a conducting lesson during a summer workshop that "The Star Spangled Banner really works better in four."

Telling the bass section "Hey boys -- Sing like you've got two!"

Those hysterical and irreverant emails.

But most proudly -- the moment he stood up from his cart on the stage in the Shoemaker Center, steadied himself with one hand on my shoulder and with the other placed the doctoral hood over my head.

I last saw John at the NCCO Conference in San Antonio in November, 2006. His spirit was still very much alive, his tongue still sharp, and his love of our profession and its practitioners palpable. Godspeed to you - teacher, mentor, supporter, and friend.

Bill McConnell (DMA '98)
Laurinburg, NC

at 9/30/2007 07:01:00 PM

Anonymous said...

My conducting student asked me today how to do a really clear cutoff with the left hand. I said "wrist flick."....Dr. Leman we miss you.

I had the priviledge to sing in one of his last concerts at CCM in the spring of 1999, the Verdi Four Sacred Pieces. How in the world was he going to be able to conduct all of those dramatic dynamic and tempo changes using only one hand? Well we found out at the end of the Stabat Mater that has a crescendo from ppp to ff with sopranos ending on a high b. Not only was it there, it blew the roof off! Now there was an argument against the use of unnecessary theatrics on the podium. The choir gave it everything they had (our love for him had a lot to do with it). I will never forget that moment!

Andrea Goodman DMA '00

at 10/02/2007 09:48:00 AM

Anonymous said...

John Leman.... What a beautiful man with a beautiful spirit. I love and miss you very much.

at 10/04/2007 10:15:00 AM

Anonymous said...

I had the privilege of studying conducting with Dr. Leman as a Master's student from 1994-1996. In that short time, I gathered a number of good 'Leman stories'. One of my favorites ... at a Fall backyard gathering, the conducting grad students & faculty were seated around the perimeter of a porch. A student from Singapore had prepared a seaweed jello mold that was Crest-toothpaste blue in color; each of us received a generous portion (whether we wanted it or not). As all struggled to down the jiggling delicacy (or hide it under a napkin), Leman casually lifted his fork and flung the jello over his shoulder into the bushes. It seemed that everyone witnessed it except the student who made the jello. (I'm laughing as I type!). On a serious note, Leman was a master conductor and teacher. One simply can't say enough ... His passing is a great loss for so many. What a wonderful legacy he leaves behind.

at 10/04/2007 05:30:00 PM

Anonymous said...

Dr. Leman was, without question, the professor from whom I learned the most in my music education career. Classic Leman: on the way to observe a high school choir, I was in a car of students following Doc. We were not native Cincinnatians, and we were dependent on him to get where we were going back in the days before mapquest. The whole way there, he NEVER used his turn signal, and he drove quite fast. We mentioned it to him at the school, and asked him to help us out on the way back to CCM. On the way back, he used the OPPOSITE turn signal for every single turn. I can't imagine having the presence of mind to do it! What a great man.
--Becky (Dowell) Hall, CCM '92

at 10/07/2007 08:16:00 AM

Heather said...

I am so saddened to hear of Dr. Leman's death. I also remember him for his great sense of humor. I picture him in my mind with a smile. He had that type of smile that he always looked like he was up to something. I hope his loved ones can take comfort in the fact that he will be greatly missed. He always made me feel great about myself which a rare quality to find. He was a great educator. He never made you feel as though he were better than you even though he was very accomplished. He didn't feel as though he had to make you feel stupid in order to build himself up. I loved that about him. He will be missed!- Heather Reichle 1996-2000

at 10/08/2007 10:15:00 AM

Anonymous said...

In the three years that we lived in Cincinnati from 1979 to 1982 we were privileged to sing in May Festival Chorus under John's direction. We learned so much from him - not just about singing and music but about life. I shall never forget his sense of humour or the barbeque at his place when we saw the biggest mantid ever - like the one in Pan's Labyrinth! He was such fun to be with, and we have very often quoted his quotable quotes to each other in the past 24 years when singing at London Symphony and other choirs here in England.

at 10/11/2007 09:13:00 AM

Anonymous said...

My connection with John was relatively brief and a long time ago, but he left a lasting impression. He was the assistant director of the University of Illinois Varsity Men's Glee Club under Dr. Harold Decker, and when Dr. Decker retired, John became the director. Thus passed my sophomore and junior years. I remember the VMGC as a great group to sing with, and John as being a really fun director who got the best out of the group.

When, through a weird coincidence involving among other things a newspaper story about Lisa Nowak, I reconnected with John, I was amazed at his positive, cheerful attitude in the face of his medical problems. I visited him in Cincinnati in February 2007, having not seen him in 40 years. I very much regret that 40-year gap, and also that I was only able to make that one visit.

at 10/20/2007 03:28:00 PM

Anonymous said...

Stevie said--The finest "ear", both musical and personal. And the two ladies in his life, Sharon and Elizabeth with the brightest of wits and brown eyes. Knowing them has gently shaped my adult path in the best of all possible ways. Thank you John for affording me that private conducting instruction, instigated by Sharon which solidified my musical future. Oh, my ---- I cannot wait to hear the Mahler up there in paradise or maybe the Verdi Requiem.

at 10/20/2007 06:44:00 PM

Meridian13113 said...

in 1981, after my first season as a member of the May Festival Chorus, I sang with John's CCM summer choir in a concert I'm sure none there will forget. It was a fairly serious concert, as I remember -- until the time came for the one piece of the program that many in the audience probably were dreading. It was Charles Ives' "The Circus Band."

Not at all dreadful, the piece turns out to be quite accessible, especially with John's crowning touch: the entire chorus trooped down into the audience and repeated the entire piece -- on kazoos.

I sang with John for 8 May Festivals and was on the famous trip to the Dubrovnik Festival.

Thanks, John, for musical experiences I will never forget. You will be missed.

at 10/24/2007 09:49:00 AM

Anonymous said...

John Leman was not only a gifted musician, but, perfected the true art of making people feel comfortable in any given situation.

I met John in the early 90's and was amazed at his positive attitude despite his health issues.

When John learned of my medical background, he asked if I would give him bi-weekly shots from a serum some Dr. in Budapest prescribed for him. I obliged and all went well until one day when I called to see if he was ready for me to come down to his office in Dieterle Hall. He had me on speaker phone and answered yes, and then, all of a sudden, he let out this horrific yell and made noises as if he was having a heart attack. I told him to hang tight and I would get him help immediately.

I called 911 and told him what had happened and where to find John. Then, I called Dean Warren George to let him know what was happening. He went tearing out of Emory Hall to get to John before the police and ambulance arrived. I then called Earl Rivers office to ask them to get someone to John's office ASAP.

Well, I get a call from Dean George who is calling me from John's office, on speaker phone, and he and God knows who else was in that office, were laughing hysterically. It seems that while John was talking to me on speaker phone, he was also trying to remove his "male member" from his pants so he could pee in his urinal, and he got a cramp, that, to the unsuspecting, made him stiffen up and make sounds....

My God, I was so embarrased, and to this day, I am remembered as the woman who called 911 because John Leman was tryingto take a pee.

I also cherish the many times when John and I watched the old Dean Martin Roasts. He loved Foster Brooks and his drunk stuttering ways! We would laugh until we cried.

I miss you John!

at 11/15/2011 10:15:00 PM

Chris Wood said...

I had the pleasure and priviledge of singing with "Doc" from 1973-77 in UC Men's Glee Club, 2 years in Chorale, 7 years in May Festival and in his Presbyterian Church choir. In my entire life I have had noone provide me with better guidance and positive reinforcement.

His friendship and mentorship still impacts my life and I am eternally grateful to have been blessed with knowing him. There hasn't been a day in my adult life that I don't reminisce about our rehearsals, concerts and insanely fun spring break bus trips with glee club. "Doc", I miss you greatly, as all who knew you do, but am so glad to say I knew one of the greatest human beings God put on this planet.

A big "WHUPPERN" to you up in Heaven.

Chris Wood

at 5/01/2013 09:37:00 AM

Guy Klose said...

Upon this May Day, upon this May Day, we sing Happy Birth-day!

at 5/01/2013 09:39:00 AM

Guy Klose said...

Upon this May Day, upon this May Day, we sing Happy Birth-Day!

Previous Posts

Friday, September 21, 2007

John Leman, in memoriam

33 Comments: