Obituary for Charlotte B. Hegyi
Charlotte B Hegyi passed away on July 17, 2023 at Juniper Village in State College PA at the age of 95. Born in Lubbock, Texas on January 7 1928, she was the daughter of Mike Barrier and Eppie Edsall Barrier.
She began her piano studies at age 5, and during her childhood in Lubbock, she excelled as a young pianist. Her first year of high school was in Lubbock, and she finished her high school education in Ft. Worth, Texas while studying piano with Jeanette Tillett. Upon graduation, she attended Texas Christian University for one year, then left Texas and began a 5-year course of study in piano performance at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. She graduated from McGill in 1951 with a licentiate degree in piano performance. Upon returning to Lubbock, she completed her education at Texas Tech University.
Charlotte met Julius Hegyi in 1952 in Lubbock, and they were married in 1953. In 1952 Julius and Charlotte began a chamber music ensemble called Music In The Round, which went on to give many performances to critical acclaim at venues in Texas, New Mexico, Arkansas, Tennessee, New York, and Massachusetts up until 1987. During the summers from 1952-1956, Charlotte and Julius were members of the faculty at the Inspiration Point Fine Arts Colony in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. Her papers and photos pertaining to those years are housed in the special collections archive at The University of Arkansas.
In 1955 Julius and Charlotte moved to Chattanooga Tennessee from Abilene Texas when Julius was appointed music director of The Chattanooga Symphony. In 1957, Julius and Charlotte were among the founders of The Sewanee Summer Music Center in Sewanee, Tennessee, and they were on the faculty there every summer until 1964. The Center continues to this day as the Sewanee Summer Music Festival. While in Chattanooga, Charlotte was lauded as a fine pianist in both chamber music performances and as soloist with the Chattanooga Symphony. Her papers and photographs from those years will be housed in the special collections archive at The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
Their daughter Lisa was born in 1962 in Chattanooga, and in 1965 the family moved to Williamstown Massachusetts when Julius was appointed music director of The Albany Symphony Orchestra . In 1971 Charlotte and Julius built a home that was designed by Charlotte on 6 acres of land outside of Williamstown, and the family lived there until 1988. While in Williamstown, Charlotte performed extensively as pianist in chamber music performances, was also a piano soloist with the Albany Symphony Orchestra and Berkshire Symphony Orchestra, and maintained a large piano teaching studio with private students from Williamstown and Williams College.
In 1988 at age 60, she decided to follow a second career path based on her love of libraries,research, and teaching. She was accepted into the library science program at Simmons College in Boston, Mass. In 1990 she graduated from Simmons with a master’s degree in library science, and in 1991 she accepted a position as archivist and reference librarian at the Hobart and William Smith Colleges library in Geneva, NY, a position that she held with distinction until her retirement in 2003. Students of all ages who came to the reference desk or archives at the library, were given the gift of her natural ability to impart her extensive knowledge of and enthusiasm for a wide range of subjects. Throughout her 29 years in Geneva, she remained an active pianist and teacher. She gave frequent recitals both at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and in her home, including a series of concerts dedicated to the complete piano sonatas of Franz Joseph Haydn. She lived in Geneva until 2020 when she moved to State College to be near her daughter Lisa Hegyi Raymond and son-in-law Paul J Raymond.
She was a loving mother to Lisa, mother-in-law to Paul, and grandmother to her three grandsons Todd, Phillip, and Devin. She was also ecstatic to meet her great granddaughter Charlotte, who has been lovingly named for her great grandmother.
Charlotte was not only a fine pianist, librarian and archivist, she was a superb and beloved teacher. The musical and personal lives of her many students were enriched beyond measure.
She had a fantastic sense of humor, love of nature, and an insatiable appetite for reading and learning music. Her knowledge and love of classical music, musicians, and composers of every time period was astonishing, but throughout her professional life much of the music closest to her heart was that of the 20th and 21st centuries. She was dedicated to educating both musicians and non-musicians about the importance of and beauties in that music.
She was a loyal friend, fabulous cook, talented photographer, gracious hostess, and tended beautiful gardens wherever she lived. Her generosity was felt by all who knew her, and she will be profoundly missed by everyone whose lives she touched.
Charlotte is survived by her daughter Lisa and son-in-law Paul J Raymond of Howard PA, grandson Todd C Raymond (Kayla Bammerlin) of New York City, NY, grandson Phillip E Raymond ( Shannon Raymond) of Pittsburgh PA, grandson Devin E Raymond of Howard PA, and great-granddaughter Charlotte A Raymond of Pittsburgh.
The family wishes to thank the dedicated staff at Juniper Village in State College for caring for Charlotte for almost three years, and 365 Hospice for her end-of-life care.
At Charlotte’s request there will be no funeral service. There will be memorial gatherings at a later date. Arrangements are under the care of Wetzler Funeral Service, Inc. in Bellefonte.
Donations in Charlotte’s memory may be made to The Nature Conservancy/nature.org, or National Public Radio/npr.org
She began her piano studies at age 5, and during her childhood in Lubbock, she excelled as a young pianist. Her first year of high school was in Lubbock, and she finished her high school education in Ft. Worth, Texas while studying piano with Jeanette Tillett. Upon graduation, she attended Texas Christian University for one year, then left Texas and began a 5-year course of study in piano performance at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. She graduated from McGill in 1951 with a licentiate degree in piano performance. Upon returning to Lubbock, she completed her education at Texas Tech University.
Charlotte met Julius Hegyi in 1952 in Lubbock, and they were married in 1953. In 1952 Julius and Charlotte began a chamber music ensemble called Music In The Round, which went on to give many performances to critical acclaim at venues in Texas, New Mexico, Arkansas, Tennessee, New York, and Massachusetts up until 1987. During the summers from 1952-1956, Charlotte and Julius were members of the faculty at the Inspiration Point Fine Arts Colony in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. Her papers and photos pertaining to those years are housed in the special collections archive at The University of Arkansas.
In 1955 Julius and Charlotte moved to Chattanooga Tennessee from Abilene Texas when Julius was appointed music director of The Chattanooga Symphony. In 1957, Julius and Charlotte were among the founders of The Sewanee Summer Music Center in Sewanee, Tennessee, and they were on the faculty there every summer until 1964. The Center continues to this day as the Sewanee Summer Music Festival. While in Chattanooga, Charlotte was lauded as a fine pianist in both chamber music performances and as soloist with the Chattanooga Symphony. Her papers and photographs from those years will be housed in the special collections archive at The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
Their daughter Lisa was born in 1962 in Chattanooga, and in 1965 the family moved to Williamstown Massachusetts when Julius was appointed music director of The Albany Symphony Orchestra . In 1971 Charlotte and Julius built a home that was designed by Charlotte on 6 acres of land outside of Williamstown, and the family lived there until 1988. While in Williamstown, Charlotte performed extensively as pianist in chamber music performances, was also a piano soloist with the Albany Symphony Orchestra and Berkshire Symphony Orchestra, and maintained a large piano teaching studio with private students from Williamstown and Williams College.
In 1988 at age 60, she decided to follow a second career path based on her love of libraries,research, and teaching. She was accepted into the library science program at Simmons College in Boston, Mass. In 1990 she graduated from Simmons with a master’s degree in library science, and in 1991 she accepted a position as archivist and reference librarian at the Hobart and William Smith Colleges library in Geneva, NY, a position that she held with distinction until her retirement in 2003. Students of all ages who came to the reference desk or archives at the library, were given the gift of her natural ability to impart her extensive knowledge of and enthusiasm for a wide range of subjects. Throughout her 29 years in Geneva, she remained an active pianist and teacher. She gave frequent recitals both at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and in her home, including a series of concerts dedicated to the complete piano sonatas of Franz Joseph Haydn. She lived in Geneva until 2020 when she moved to State College to be near her daughter Lisa Hegyi Raymond and son-in-law Paul J Raymond.
She was a loving mother to Lisa, mother-in-law to Paul, and grandmother to her three grandsons Todd, Phillip, and Devin. She was also ecstatic to meet her great granddaughter Charlotte, who has been lovingly named for her great grandmother.
Charlotte was not only a fine pianist, librarian and archivist, she was a superb and beloved teacher. The musical and personal lives of her many students were enriched beyond measure.
She had a fantastic sense of humor, love of nature, and an insatiable appetite for reading and learning music. Her knowledge and love of classical music, musicians, and composers of every time period was astonishing, but throughout her professional life much of the music closest to her heart was that of the 20th and 21st centuries. She was dedicated to educating both musicians and non-musicians about the importance of and beauties in that music.
She was a loyal friend, fabulous cook, talented photographer, gracious hostess, and tended beautiful gardens wherever she lived. Her generosity was felt by all who knew her, and she will be profoundly missed by everyone whose lives she touched.
Charlotte is survived by her daughter Lisa and son-in-law Paul J Raymond of Howard PA, grandson Todd C Raymond (Kayla Bammerlin) of New York City, NY, grandson Phillip E Raymond ( Shannon Raymond) of Pittsburgh PA, grandson Devin E Raymond of Howard PA, and great-granddaughter Charlotte A Raymond of Pittsburgh.
The family wishes to thank the dedicated staff at Juniper Village in State College for caring for Charlotte for almost three years, and 365 Hospice for her end-of-life care.
At Charlotte’s request there will be no funeral service. There will be memorial gatherings at a later date. Arrangements are under the care of Wetzler Funeral Service, Inc. in Bellefonte.
Donations in Charlotte’s memory may be made to The Nature Conservancy/nature.org, or National Public Radio/npr.org