The Church of St. John the Divine

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The Church of St. John the Divine

Houston businessman Milton R. Underwood and his family donated a 28-bell Petit and Fritsen carillon that was first played on December 6. 1953 by Wendell Wescott. 

Seven additional Petit and Fritsen bells were added in 1962.  These bells might have been donated by George Nelson Allen and his family in memory of his mother-in-law, Cory Allison Leavens and the carillon may have been named after her at this time, but no confirmation of this has been found.

References
1935 C. Allison Leavens (13 Dec 1878 - 6 Feb 1935) grave

1953 "Carillon Concert Set Today," The Houston Post, December 3, 1953, Page 86.
A dedicatory recital in honor of the new Saint John the Divine Church will be played on Sunday by Wendell Wescott.
The carillon in the tower of Saint John the Divine Church is a donation of Mr. and Mrs. Milton R. Underwood.

1953 "New Beauty in Houston:  Music in a Noble Form For All Souls To Heed," The Houston Post, December 11, 1953, Page 43.

1968 George Nelson Allen (29 Jul 1902 - 3 Apr 1968) grave

1982 Milton Ramon Underwood (17 Aug 1901 - 29 Jul 1982) grave

1995 Edith Leavens Hughs (27 Nov 1905 - 11 Jan 1995) grave

1996 Carillon: the evolution of a concert instrument in North America, by Karel and Linda Keldermans | also here |
This carillon was given in memory of Cora Allison Leavens by the George Allen family. Sutherland Tower was built with funds provided by William and Georgia Sutherland, in memory of William S. Sutherland, Anna Bell MacDougall Sutherland, Dan John Super and Lula Trautwein Super. In 1952, 35 Petit & Fritsen bells were installed in the tower. In the original installation, 4 swinging bells were added for use in peals. Seven more bells, plus a new keyboard, were added by Gerard Fritsen in 1962 to make a carillon of 42 bells. This instrument is housed in a very narrow tower, and action wires pass so close to one wall that a double set of intermediate cranks were needed to connect to the keyboard. While she was Carillonneur in 1968, Colleen Young successfully lobbied against a Church proposal to electrify the carillon. In 1980, there was a minor renovation of this instrument by Theo King of Verdin.

A Brief History of the Cora Allison Leavens Memorial Carillon   
In 1953, four bells were installed with pitches of F (2,200 lbs.), A (880 lbs.), C (640 lbs.) and F (440 lbs.). They were used for calls to worship and peals. The remaining 38 bells making a full carillon, including the keyboard, were added in 1962. A minor renovation occurred in 1980.

© 2023 Morris A. Pierce