Two persons have been on staff through most of the past 50
year period. One of them is Rowena Pine, Diaconal Minister, described
elsewhere. The other is Dan Abrahamson, our organist, bell ringer, and choir
pianist. Judy Niebaum wrote the following for the church newsletter, the NEXUS,
for July 19, 1999.

Dan Abrahamson has
been our organist here at First
United Methodist
Church since 1963. When I
asked him how this came to be he told me that he first became interested in
music because of his parents. His father, with no formal lessons, played the
piano using only the black keys so that his large fingers avoided
getting caught between the keys. His mother insisted that Dan and his brother
and sister have musical training, so at the age of seven, he began piano
lessons.

He
learned and played all through grade school and high school. Then one Sunday,
in his hometown of Appleton,
Minnesota, the regular organist
didn’t show up for their Presbyterian Church service! He had never played
the organ before, but was well known for his fine piano playing. The minister
asked him to substitute for them that day on the organ. He did and ENJOYED it!

After
high school he headed to the university to study music education but soon
discovered that even though he loved music, he didn’t want to be a
teacher of music. He dropped out of school and began to work for the
Wick’s Organ Co. in Illinois.
While there he realized that to create the kind of music he loved, he did need
more training so he went to Illinois Wesleyan in Bloomington, Illinois
and graduated with a Bachelor of Sacred Music degree in 1959. The next two
years were in the military serving as the chaplain’s assistant and
playing tuba in the band.

On
July 22, 1961, he and his high school sweetheart, Carol, were married. They
came to Lawrence, Kansas then where Dan would begin work with
Reuter’s Organ Company and play organ for the Presbyterian Church. In
August of 1963, the organist across the street at First United
Methodist Church
left suddenly. Dan’s boss at Reuter, a member at the Methodist Church,
asked him to come to substitute in this church. With an eye to less travel for
the organ company, and more time playing the organ, Dan agreed to become the
permanent organist in September of 1963. And, as Dan puts it, “The rest
is history!”

Happily
and thankfully Dan Abrahamson IS part of the history of our church! These 36
years have seen Dan and Carol’s four children, Emily, Heather, Jennifer,
and Rik all baptized in this church and we do appreciate the beauty and grace
in service that Dan and Carol and their family have given us here at FUMC!

Carol
Abrahamson retired from teaching in May 2001 and Dan retired from Reuter Organ
in December 2001. At this writing Dan continues as our Church organist after
more than 40 years, and Carol continues to bless us in choir with her beautiful
voice.