Published: May 06, 2008 11:09 pm            

Virginia Irvin

Virginia Irvin was born to Austin and Ruth Irvin in Everman, Texas, Feb. 1, 1924, and passed away on May 5, 2008, in Trinity, Texas. She and her parents moved to Houston when she was age three. After graduation from John H. Reagan High School in 1941, she entered Sam Houston State Teachers College in the fall of that year, received her B.A. degree in 1945 and her M.A. degree in 1947.

She began her teaching career at Sam Houston in 1943 as a teaching assistant, where she directed the music department choir in the absence of Charles Lindsay, who was on leave with the wartime USO. She was appointed as Instructor in 1946 and taught at Sam Houston until her retirement, seeing the University through three name changes: Sam Houston State Teachers College, Sam Houston State College and Sam Houston State University.

The advancement of music education was the focus of her professional life, as she taught at the university level, but maintained contact with the educational process from pre-school to college through her own contacts with students at all these levels.

At Sam Houston she served as Area Coordinator and Advisor to music-education students, was organizer and director of Kodaly programs; co-editor of the Department of Music alumni newsletter; and taught in the preparatory program of the Department of Music. She served as director of the University Women’s Choir for 30 years. Her choir was noted for its annual Christmas concerts. She directed 37 SHSU musical productions in cooperation with the Drama and Dance departments. She was the developer of the Department of Music Kodaly program at the Masters level. She organized study tours to Hungary and Austria for Sam Houston Kodaly students. This effort linked Sam Houston State University’s Department of Music with the prestigious Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest, Hungary, in a co-operative program.

Miss Irvin was awarded the SHSU Excellence in Teaching Award in1977, the SHSU Excellence in Service Award in 1986, and was made an Honorary Life Member of the Kodaly Educators of Texas in 1984. She was presented with the Outstanding Alumni award from the SHSU chapter of Alpha Chi in 1986. Invited to participate in the International Kodaly Symposium which was held in Belgium in 1983, she was chosen as one of twenty-four international contributing authors for the book “Reflections on Kodaly,” published by the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and the International Kodaly Society.

She was active in the International Kodaly Society and served as National President of the Organization of American Kodaly Educators. She was co-founder of Kodaly Educators of Texas, one of the founders of the Gulf Coast Orff Association, a member of the Texas Music Educators Association, the Music Educators National Conference, and of Pi Kappa Lambda, Sigma Alpha Iota, the Texas Folklore Society, Alpha Psi Omega, Alpha Chi, Zeta Tau Alpha, Philomathean Alumni of SHSU and the SHSU Alumni Association.

She became a member of the Philomathean Literary Society in 1941 and was associated with that organization for over 50 years. She became sponsor of the “Philos” in 1948 and was active with that group until 1959, when the Philos became affiliated with the national Zeta Tau Alpha fraternity. She was active in bringing national sororities to the Sam Houston campus, was associated with Zeta Tau Alpha since 1959 and was faculty advisor and rush advisor for the organization.

She was a member of Elkins Lake Baptist Church, where she taught in the children’s choir-training program. She taught Kodaly-related music classes to Huntsville children, served on the Huntsville Arts Commission, taught in the Huntsville HEAP programs and participated in many other community service programs.

In 1986, the Texas sesquicentennial year, she was recognized by the City of Huntsville for Outstanding Achievement in the Arts.

She was preceded in death by her parents.

Services will be held Thursday, May 8, 2008, at 2 p.m. at Elkins Lake Baptist Church with Dr. Ken Hugghins officiating. Interment will follow at the Adickes Addition of Oakwood Cemetery under the direction of Sam Houston Memorial Funeral Home.

She will lie in state throughout the day Wednesday with visitation from 5-7 p.m. at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations should be made to the Virginia and Ruth Irvin Scholarship Fund at SHSU or Elkins Lake Baptist Church.

Special thanks go to Dr. T.C. Cole Jr. for his compassionate care of Ginny over many years, and to the Huntsville Health Care Center for their kindness during her final months.

Those wishing to leave memorial condolences may do so at www.shmfh.com.



Sam Houston Memorial Funeral Home

        

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