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| Thomas
Rees Memorial Carillon |
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Longtime Springfield publisher Thomas Rees died in 1933 and left $200,000 to the Springfield Park District to construct and maintain a carillon of 49 bells with a traditional keyboard. Rees has become familiar with carillons while travels in Europe and reading articles. Work on the carillon was to begin twenty-one years after his death or when his last relative had died. The park accepted the legacy in 1956, by which time it had grown to $330,000. Rees had worked as a consultant for Edward Bok's Singing Tower in Florida and recognized the value of a quiet, peaceful location.
After an extensive evaluation period discussed in the 1990 reference below, the park trustees sought proposals for a 66-bell carillon and accepted the offer of Petit and Fritsen. The carillon was dedicated with a series of recitals from June 23-28, 1962. Concerts were given by Staf Nees, Leen ‘T Hart, Frederick Marriott, Wendell Westcott, and Raymond Keldermans. A 67th bell was added in 2000.
References
1933 "Thomas
Rees, Springfield Publisher, Is Death Victim," The Belleville
News-Democrat, September 9, 1933, Page 1 | part
2 |
1990 "The Thomas Rees Memorial Carillon," by Karel Keldermans," Bulletin of the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America 36:43-56 (1990)
© 2023 Morris A. Pierce