The Rev. Dr. George E. LaMore Jr. will present “Music for Persons with Short Attention Spans,†the Summer Organ Sounds concert for Friday, July 6, at noon in First United Methodist Church in North Adams.
LaMore, of Mount Pleasant, Iowa has played first violin in the Southeast Symphony Orchestra for many years. This will be his ninth year performing in the Summer Organ Sounds series.
LaMore is a native of North Adams and a professor at Iowa Wesleyan College. He and his wife, the former Jane Esther Blackburn of Lanesborough, come back to the Berkshires every year. They have a place in Lanesborough.
His program Friday runs the gamut from unaccompanied plainsong chants through traditional church hymns, recognized musical classics, and even includes popular romantic songs. Dwight Killam will accompany some of the selections on piano and on the church’s historic three-manual E.M. Skinner pipe organ, which is the focus of the series.
“I’m doing improvisations in the beginning of the program on some hymns. And when I say ‘improvisation,’ I mean the high-wire act without a net,†LaMore said. “I mean that, sure, I’ve tried a few improvisations before I get up there, but I try to do them ... in the moment — because that’s what improvisation used to be in music.â€
“Bach would ... have the audience suggest a theme, and then he’d take off on it. And I’m not about to do that, but it’s that kind of thing at the beginning. So it will be short and, I hope, sweet.â€
The concert is free, and is followed by a moderately priced lunch in the downstairs hall of the church.
Braytonville roots
LaMore was raised on Richview Avenue in the Braytonville section of North Adams. He went to Brayton School and graduated from Drury High School in 1949.
His father, George Sr., was an electrician and was very well known in the Northern Berkshires.
“In the height of the Depression when no one could afford to electrify their houses he did it for dirt cheap prices, so he was working all the time,†he said.
George Jr. developed a love of music at a young age.
“Being very poor ... we couldn’t afford a piano. My mother dearly wanted me to study the piano, but couldn’t afford one. But she did happen to own an old violin,†he said. “Byram Briggs was a very notable violinist in Northern Berkshire at that time and I would end up studying with him for 18 years. My mother used to clean houses during the Depression just to pay for my lessons.â€
He next studied with violinist Louis Virgil Bedard of Adams.
LaMore received a general scholarship and went to Williams College, where he majored in philosophy and minored in music. He next went to Boston University school of theology, earned a degree in divinity and was ordained in the United Methodist Church. He received a fellowship and continued on for a doctorate in a cooperative program between Boston University and Harvard. He also studied at Oxford.
Inspiring young people
The main focus of LaMore’s efforts were to become a Methodist minister. He was pastor in Adams and Stamford, Vt. for nine years.
“In those years an unusual number of young people decided to go into the ministry under my ministry. The reason was simple: I would take them around — I wouldn’t dare do it now — but I’d take them around on counseling situations,†LaMore said. “Some of them were fascinated by the fact that you were dealing with all kinds of people.â€
“They saw that that’s what the ministry consisted of and they were hooked. So I thought to myself, ‘Gee, if I were to work with young people full time, I wonder what would happen?’ †he said. “And boy it has been magic. I’ve got a big family of ministers across the country, male and female, out of that ministry in Iowa.â€
LaMore went to Iowa 42 years ago to be chaplain and professor of religion and philosophy at Iowa Wesleyan College. This is an undergraduate college with an enrollment of about 1,000 in the southeast corner of the state, not far from the Mississippi River. The college is located in Mount Pleasant, a town about the size of Williamstown.
He is still teaching full time: “I think that I’m just getting good at it to be honest with you,†he said.
In 2000, donors gave $1 million to the college to establish the George Edward LaMore Jr. Endowed Chair of Religious Studies, the first such in the 158 years of the college.
“It blew my mind completely,†he said. “Normally, persons who give that kind of money, name the chair for themselves.â€
Members of the family who made the main donation “were fascinated by my work, and named it for me, which was pretty generous of them,†he said.
A national ministry
Largely, LaMore’s ministry has been within the church, though it also extends well beyond that.
“All of my professional career, I’ve had a kind of national ministry,†he said. “I do an enormous amount of lecturing for businesses, professional groups and so on across the country.â€
His topics include interpretation of contemporary culture, ethics, motivation, and business management styles. Numerous times he has been invited to speak at more than 100 commencements in a single year.
“Summers, I have usually been preaching somewhere or other every Sunday, and it will be that way this summer.â€
One of the accomplishments he is very proud of originated back in 1968 at Iowa Wesleyan.
“We started a volunteer program in which I managed to persuade them that service could be a part of education — should be a part of education,†he said. “At first they couldn’t see it. It didn’t look like readin’, ’ritin’ or ’rithmetic. But altruism is a pretty valuable quality.
“So we got them to do it. It’s called Responsible Social Involvement,†he said. “And we became the first college in America to actually require a significant human service by either individuals or teams.â€
Students are then required to write about their service, and defend it almost like a doctoral dissertation.
“Which meant that they could fall flat on their faces in the project, but if they made sense of their failure, they’d get an ‘A,’ †he said. “Well, it’s been going strong ever since.â€
He noted that this program has been a model for other programs across the nation.
LaMore has numerous hobbies, including flying airplanes and bicycling.
What does he think about North Adams these days?
“I’m amazed at what is happening,†he said. “I knew I was being raised in a mill town, with a mill town attitude. And that I should ever go to Williams out of that to me was spectacular and scary.â€
He said that though he had an appreciation of the natural beauty of the area when he was growing up, most people didn’t. He said residents are waking up to the fact of the natural beauty that surrounds them.
“Interestingly enough, culture is pouring into the Arnold Print Work,†he said. “The size of MASS MoCA blows my mind.â€
“I see all the right stops being pulled now, I think, at last.†he said. “We’ve survived the mill town attitude. That was the thing I think most in our way.â€
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Berkshire County Homes Celebrating Holiday Cheer
By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
There's holiday cheer throughout the Berkshires this winter.
Many homeowners are showing their holiday spirit by decorating their houses. We asked for submissions so those in the community can check out these fanciful lights and decor when they're out.
We asked the homeowners questions on their decorations and why they like to light up their houses.
In Great Barrington, Matt Pevzner has decorated his house with many lights and even has a Facebook page dedicated to making sure others can see the holiday joy.
Located at 93 Brush Hill Road, there's more than 61,000 lights strewn across the yard decorating trees and reindeer and even a polar bear.
The Pevzner family started decorating in September by testing their hundreds of boxes of lights. He builds all of his own decorations like the star 10-foot star that shines done from 80-feet up, 10 10-foot trees, nine 5-foot trees, and even the sleigh, and more that he also uses a lift to make sure are perfect each year.
"I always decorated but I went big during COVID. I felt that people needed something positive and to bring joy and happiness to everyone," he wrote. "I strive to bring as much joy and happiness as I can during the holidays. I love it when I get a message about how much people enjoy it. I've received cards thanking me how much they enjoyed it and made them smile. That means a lot."
Pevzner starts thinking about next year's display immediately after they take it down after New Year's. He gets his ideas by asking on his Facebook page for people's favorite decorations. The Pevzner family encourages you to take a drive and see their decorations, which are lighted every night from 5 to 10.
In North Adams, the Wilson family decorates their house with fun inflatables and even a big Santa waving to those who pass by.
The Wilsons start decorating before Thanksgiving and started decorating once their daughter was born and have grown their decorations each year as she has grown. They love to decorate as they used to drive around to look at decorations when they were younger and hope to spread the same joy.
"I have always loved driving around looking at Christmas lights and decorations. It's incredible what people can achieve these days with their displays," they wrote.
The Wilsons' invite you to come and look at their display at 432 Church St. that's lit from 4:30 to 10:30 every night, though if it's really windy, the inflatables might not be up as the weather will be too harsh.
In Pittsfield, Travis and Shannon Dozier decorated their house for the first time this Christmas as they recently purchased their home on Faucett Lane. The two started decorating in November, and hope to bring joy to the community.
"If we put a smile on one child's face driving by, then our mission was accomplished," they said.
Many homeowners are showing their holiday spirit by decorating their houses. We asked for submissions so those in the community can check out these fanciful lights and decor when they're out.
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