Robert Howat, professor emeritus of music, played his first full piano recital in Weaver Chapel. He also met two of his mentors, famed French musical pedagogue Nadia Boulanger and Russian composer Alexander Tcherepnin, on Wittenberg’s campus.

Yet, it’s the hundreds of students Howat taught to appreciate music who consider him their mentor, especially Evelyn Iversen ’64, one of his first piano students at Wittenberg.

Iversen, who majored in music while on campus and who went on to earn her master’s and her doctorate in music, recently established two funds, The Robert Howat Piano Fund and the Robert Howat Endowed Piano Fund, in honor of her mentor and friend.

Both funds will provide piano replacement and maintenance in the department of music. Currently, the department does not have sufficient funding to repair and/or restore its grand pianos, many of which were given as gifts to the university 30 years ago.

“We’re very grateful,” said Trudy Faber, professor of music and department chair. “This will allow us to begin a very systematic repair of our grand pianos, and eventually our practice pianos.”

Iversen hopes other alumni who share her love of music and who benefited from Howat’s teaching will join her in her quest to preserve Wittenberg’s pianos.

For more information on these funds, contact the Office of Advancement at (800) 677-7558.