Chadrad.com

Memorial services for former Chadron State College music professor Dr. Jackson Hammitt, age 76, will be at 10:30 AM on Friday, April 10, 2015 at the Emmanuel Episcopal Church, 717 Quincy Street in Rapid City.

Dr. Hammitt died on Monday, Jan. 12 in Houston, TX, shortly after he and wife Peggy had returned from a cruise. The Hammitts had lived in Rapid City for more than a decade.

He taught music at CSC from the fall of 1967 through the spring of 2001, when he retired. He also directed the Chadron Community Chorus for 29 years, frequently provided piano accompaniment for college students and guest performers, and often was a vocal soloist during concerts.

In addition, he almost always played the processional and recessional on the organ during Chadron State commencements and sang the National Anthem at CSC football games until his retirement. He also played the keyboards at the United Methodist Church and Grace Episcopal Church in Chadron and directed the choir at the First Presbyterian Church in Rapid City after they moved there.

During an interview in 1998, Hammitt said being at Chadron State was a perfect fit because it gave him the opportunity to do all the things he liked to do. That, he explained, included “making music” as well as teaching it.

He noted that during his tenure at the college, his skills improved because he continually worked with students and practiced for his performances. He said providing the accompaniment for guest performers was challenging because they usually chose difficult music.

His teaching specialties included music history and literature. For a number of years, he played the piano as a member of the Chadron Arts Trio that also included Dr. William Winkle on the tuba and Carola Winkle on the clarinet. The trio performed over a wide area.

Hammitt also was president of the CSC Faculty Senate “seven or eight times” (in his words) and was a Student Senate sponsor for about 20 years. He said he cherished the latter responsibility because it gave him the chance to know students who were not involved in music.

In addition, he was extremely active in Kiwanis International. He was a leader in the Chadron Club for more than 30 years, lieutenant governor of Division 6 (western Nebraska) 1977-78, and governor of the Rocky Mountain District (western Nebraska, Colorado and Wyoming) 1982-83.

In 1992, Hammitt received the Circle K International Circle of Service after he had been the district administrator for Circle K for two seven-year periods. In addition, the first six Circle K governors who had worked with him gave him a life membership in Kiwanis. This dedication carried with him when he moved to Rapid City in 2001, where he also served with the local downtown Kiwanis chapter there. During his time in Rapid City, he was the president of their chapter for two terms. This service also extended out to the Black Hills School of Mines local student chapter as well. The couple attended nearly 20 Kiwanis International conventions.

Before and after moving to Rapid City, Hammitt became involved with many civic organizations including the Dakota Choral Union, where he not only performed with the group, but was also a board member. This organization has a smaller group known as Cantori, and Hammitt also performed with them quite often. Hammitt was also a member of the American Guild of Organists and served as the Dean of the local AGO chapter in Rapid City. Hammitt is fondly remembered for living the slogan of the DCU, which is “Sharing Our Passion for Singing.”

Hammitt was also co-chair of the Young Vocal Artists Competition, where he was responsible for the planning of the organization and making sure that this competition thrived year to year.

The Hammitts, who had no children, have been outstanding supporters of the Chadron State music program both while the college employed him and after they retired. Mrs. Hammitt worked in the Chadron Public Schools for about 33 years, mostly as an elementary media specialist and an instructor in the gifted program.

In 2006, it was revealed that the Hammitts had arranged to leave a large portion of their estate to the Chadron State Foundation to help nurture the CSC music program. It was later announced that the gift was expected to total approximately a million dollars.

They also gave $35,000 for restoration of a 1919 Steinway Model D concert grand piano as well as giving annually to the CSC music fund that is used for what the faculty members believe is the department’s greatest needs, and to a music scholarship fund established in memory of Hammitt’s parents.

Hammitt was born and raised in McKeesport, Pa., where his mother was a foreign language teacher and his father also was a teacher before he went into business and sold some of the first television sets in that area. Later he was a fundraiser for the Western Pennsylvania Conference of the Methodist Church. Neither of his parents was musical, but there was an old piano in the basement of the home where his family lived before Hammitt went to school. When he started banging around on it, his parents decided he must be interested in music. Therefore, when they moved to a new home the summer after he had completed the first grade, they bought a baby grand piano and started him on piano lessons.

In high school, he played the cello in the orchestra and accompanied the choir on the piano. He seldom sang while he was in high school, but took voice lessons in college and became a powerful baritone.

He majored in organ performance at Ohio Wesleyan University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in 1959. That’s where he also met his wife, a native of New Jersey. Jackson was married to Margaret “Peggy” Read on June 24th, 1961. Both did graduate work at the University of Michigan, where she earned a master’s degree in library science and he earned both a master’s degree in 1961 and a Ph.D. in music history in 1970.

While nearing completion of the coursework for his doctorate, he applied for a job at Chadron State. He had never previously been to Nebraska and believed he was the last person hired by CSC who came by train for the interview.

During his tenure at Chadron State, the Hammitts became especially close friends/family with three of his music students—Kevin and Jan Dart, Cory and Sarah Jenkins, and Ryan and Stephanie Lovell. They and their wives are assisting Mrs. Hammitt in arranging the memorial service.

Reverend Chris Roussell, rector of Emmanuel Episcopal Church, and Jenkins, who is pastor of the United Methodist Church in Valentine, will conduct the service.