Fran Asbeck  (asbeck@VNET.IBM.COM)
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Introducing myself, I am Fran Asbeck, born Toledo, Ohio in 1938, living out
the balance of my life in the rural quiet of Boyds, Maryland.
 
I have no formal music education beyond 10 semester hours of theory.  My
Bachelor of Science (University of Toledo 1960) is in Applied Math, and my
Master of Science is in Computer Science. My musical training was by way of
private lessons; several years piano, three organ with the late Raymond A.
Keldermans, in Toledo.  I served my home church in Toledo (Roman Catholic)
as a volunteer organist, and I now serve my current parish, St. Rose of
Lima, Gaithersburg, Maryland, which does me the honor of paying a stipend,
though I rate my skill as modest.
 
By occupation, I am first of all a retiree from my computer programming job
of 32 years; secondly, I'm a double-dipper, working yet another programming
job; thirdly, I'm training as a stained-glass craftsman, currently working
at that craft part-time, hoping to become a full-time glass artisan in the
very near future.  And when they need me, I'm an adjunct Computer Science
instructor in a local community college's night school.
 
When I began serving St. Rose in 1966, we had a toaster.  I convinced the
Powers that I could replace it with a real organ at modest cost, and I did
by, through the Organ Clearing House, locating a one manual + pedal Odell of
1899, moving it from Lawrenceville New Jersey to St. Rose and installing it
in time for Christmas, 1969.
 
When the church underwent extensive renovation in 1988, we decided to
replace the Odell with a new organ taking less floor space.  This plan had
its ups and downs, but in 1995 we acquired a small baroque organ by Gene
Bedient; see its specification on OSIRIS.  The Odell is now in the North
Wayne (Maine) Community Church.
 
At home is a 1902 Bechstein grand, model VA, and a Zuckermann 1x8 slab-side
kit harpsichord I built in 1966.  I'd like to add a small tracker organ to
the menagerie, but that, alas, is still a dream.
 
I've been married since 1967, to Kathy (Ragan, University of California, Los
Angles 1963,) also a music lover, though she prefers bel canto to Bach.
She's self-employed as Pickles the Clown.  We have a daughter, Teresa, and
two grand-daughters, Sabra (born 1991) and Serina (born 1992) who are the
delights of my life.
 
My musical taste lacks discrimination.  I'll enjoy anything written before
1750, and most of what's been written since, though the curve begins to drop
exponentially at about 1900.  However, I especially enjoy listening to Bach
cantatas, Scarlatti sonatas, English boychoirs, Renaissance dance suites,
and anything played on, or accompanied by, the King of Instruments.