Vernon Wicker, professor emeritus of music, died on Oct. 21, 2024, at the age of 87. He retired in 2002 after serving more than 25 years in the Music Department. During a 1999 President’s Chapel recognizing faculty and staff, Vernon was honored for 20 years of service with this short tribute.
“Vernon is a consummate scholar with a rich baritone voice that he can — and does — take anywhere. He has performed concerts in Europe and Dartmouth College, Notre Dame University, and St. Paul’s Cathedral in Pittsburgh. The contemporary Czech composer, Petr Eben, composed for Vernon and German organist Peter Stradmuller the music of Thomas a Kempis which was sung at the 750th anniversary of the city of Kempen, Germany. Editor-in-chief of Hymnology Annual: An International Forum on the Hymn and Worship, Vernon can sing in nine languages and has done English translations of Baroque contatas and Bach arias. He is known for a warm and personal faith, and for his support and affirmation of colleagues and students alike.”
Vernon served on numerous faculty committees and was part of the Casey Planning Committee that worked on a Camp Casey master plan in 2002. Upon his retirement, student Paul Kawabori wrote this tribute. “Through his extensive knowledge, experience, and passion, Dr. Wicker has profoundly impacted my life. He was a professor who brought to the table a wealth of musical achievement and academic prowess, as well as a deep and reverent faith. A fellow student told me that in two years of voice lessons, Dr. Wicker was never late to a single one. I personally experienced how wholeheartedly he gave of his time, how he encouraged and uplifted me with so much grace and understanding. He taught me to sing and always knew, almost instinctively, how my voice was doing before I even opened my mouth. Dr. Wicker treated me with the skill of a physician and the heart of a proud father. His mentorship will now serve to help me navigate my way through a music career.”
A memorial service for Vernon was held on Saturday, Nov. 9, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Freeland, Washington.
