Bob Finn died

http://www.cleveland.com/obituaries/index.ssf/2011/07/robert_finn_longtime_classical.html


Robert Finn, longtime classical music critic of The Plain Dealer, dead at 81
Published: Monday, July 25, 2011, 12:20 PM Updated: Monday, July 25, 2011, 8:27 PM
By Grant Segal
Robert Finn 1930-2011
Survivors: wife, Mary; children, Laurence of Mayfield Heights and Elaine of Audubon, N.J.; and three grandchildren.
Funeral: 10:30 a.m. Thursday at Catholic Church of St. Clare, 5659 Mayfield Rd., Lyndhurst.
Contributions: Rainey Institute, 1705 E. 55th St., Cleveland, Ohio 44103, raineyinstitute.org, or Cleveland Chamber Music Society, 2532 Lafayette Dr., University Heights, Ohio 44118, clevelandchambermusic.org.
Arrangements: Fioritto Funeral Home.


Lyndhurst-- The bow-tied Robert Finn, who died Saturday, was an award-winning music critic, a widespread cultural leader and a calming influence in a profession not know for calm.
He once saw a young colleague, Karen R. Long, visibly stewing. In his modulated but resonant voice, Finn said, "There's always another story."
Finn, 81, was diagnosed with cancer about three months ago. He died at Hillcrest Hospital from complications.
"He was always a gentleman," Gary Hanson, executive director of the Cleveland Orchestra, said Monday. "He had an extraordinary balance. In a negative review, he would remain respectful. In a positive review, he would be enthusiastic without being a cheerleader."
Tom Feran, Plain Dealer reporter and former features editor, said, "He was a gracious man and a graceful writer. When you were with Bob Finn, you were in civilized territory."
Finn was a past president and a 45-year trustee of the Rainey Institute, which teaches arts to children on E. 55th St. Lee Lazar, Rainey's executive director, said, "As the voice of reason, he always brought us back to reality."
Finn critiqued classical music for The Plain Dealer from 1964 to 1992. He was president of the national Music Critics Association for two terms.
He co-founded the International Charles Dickens Fellowship's local chapter and chaired it for 22 years. In 2009, he spoke to a global gathering of that literary fan club here.
Finn won four awards from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. He won the first Friends of Music Education Award from the Ohio Music Education Association. He accepted an invitation from President Carter to hear classical guitar genius Andres Segovia at the White House.
Finn wrote as he spoke: fluidly, with a gentle wit.
"The eerie moon and mist-laden trees lent a romantic charm to the magic of the program," he wrote about a Cleveland Orchestra concert at the Blossom Music Center in 1968. "But, alas, the whippoorwill did not sing."
In a rare mistake, he was once locked inside Detroit's Cobo Hall.
Finn was raised in Winthrop, Mass., and became a lifelong fan of the Boston Red Sox. He studied piano privately for 10 years and flute for four.
In high school, he was a copy boy and scholastic sports freelancer for the Boston Record-American. At Boston University, he edited the newspaper and helped create a discussion series featuring Eleanor Roosevelt and Norman Thomas.
During the 1950s, Finn served with the U.S. Army Security Agency in Hawaii, helping to crack Russian codes. He reported for the New England Newspaper Service and the New Bedford Standard Times. He continued with the Akron Beacon Journal from 1959 to 1964.
For The Plain Dealer, he covered many musical groups, including the Cleveland Orchestra from Severance Hall to Australia. At Severance, he chose seats toward the rear of the orchestra level for the best acoustics. He put the scores in his lap and followed the concerts with his ears and his eyes.
At first, Finn phoned in reviews of nighttime concerts for the next day's paper. One morning, the surname of composer Gabriel Faure became Foray. Finn began to deliver his typically impeccable copy in person the next day.
He strained to be fair but could not like all music equally. He hated some of the program at the popular July 4 concerts.
Finn wrote two books: "Exploring Classical Music" and "Symphonic Journey, Con Amore," a history of the Cleveland Philharmonic Orchestra. He also taught fellow critics in seminars around the country.
He loved crosswords and was often a finalist in the North American Championship Crossword Puzzle Tournament in Connecticut.
Finn retired in 1992 but hardly faded. He led the daily "Thanks for Listening Show" on WCLV-FM from 1992 to 1995. He taught for years at Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland Institute of Music, Music School Settlement and elsewhere. He wrote program notes for the Cleveland Chamber Music Society and gave talks before performances by the Chamber Society, the Philharmonic and the Cleveland Opera.
He reviewed books on history and other subjects for The Plain Dealer. He reviewed a couple of concerts each summer at the Chautauqua Institution for its daily newspaper.
He freelanced for Opera News, American Record Guide and many other publications. He took up the Internet and wrote columns for publications on line. He served on several nonprofit boards.
Finn liked liberal politics, chocolate ice cream and short-wave radio. He scoured stores for used books, rare opera scores and more. He seldom drank liquor but had milk with most meals.
He steadily alerted The Plain Dealer to newsworthy figures for obituaries. Last July, in good health, he volunteered a resume for use in his own obituary when the time came.

Retirees to lunch at 1 pm July 29

PD Editorial Retirees & Expatriates
Gather for lunch on the last Fridays of January, April, July and October
Spouses and guests always welcome

NEXT LUNCHEON: 1 p.m., Friday July 29
Note the change in the luncheon time.

PLACE: Sterle’s Slovenian Country House,,
1401 E. 55th St., Cleveland
(south of the Shoreway and St. Clair and north of Superior)


COST: Order from the menu
Change in luncheon time makes this possible.


RSVP by Friday, July 22
JoAnn Pallant (440) 734-1923, or japallant@sbcglobal.net
Let’s make this luncheon our own tribute to Jane Scott.

Aug. 28 memorial Jane Scott

A memorial service for Jane Scott, The Plain Dealer's pioneering rock 'n' roll writer, will be at 7 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 28, at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. An earlier graveside service will be private.

She died July 4 at age 92. Her family suggests donations in her name to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, 1100 Rock and Roll Blvd., Cleveland, OH 44114.

Legendary Jane Scott dies at 92

Jane Scott, the legendary journalist who covered four decades of rock 'n' roll for The Plain Dealer, died early Monday after a long illness, said Linda Scott, Jane Scott's niece. She was 92. Details of the funeral services, to be held in Ann Arbor, Mich., are pending. A memorial service will be held at a later date in Cleveland.

Her byline appeared in the newspaper thousands of times, above music features, concert reviews and her long-running "What's Happening" column in Friday! magazine.
Scott was on a first-name basis not only with music fans throughout Northeast Ohio, but with most of the luminaries in the rock 'n' roll universe.

For the rest of the PD obit, go www.cleveland.com/popmusic/index.ssf/2011/07/jane_scott_legendary_plain_dea.html"

Obits were in newspaper far and wide, from the New York, L.A. times to a paper in Newfoundland. Jane would be happy.



The photo, by Rosemary Kovacs, was taken at Jack Hagan's going away party in December 2005. She was still dancing.

Former copy editor Steve Esrati points out that the obit neglects to mention that Jane was a lieutenant commander in the Navy during World War II and that she was a tee-totaling Christian Scientist who held great (alcohol included) parties near Christmas every year in her tiny Gold Coast apartment.

Jane, a member of the Rock Hall of Fame, attended Steve's 70th birthday party at Sergio's in 1997. All other PD attendees preceded her in death, he says.

Former PD photographer Bill Wynne recalls:
Jane family name was Sapp. The Family decided to change the name to Scott, in her young years because of ridicule the family faced through the years. Jane's brother was a high executive at Ford Motors and Pres of Philco in his later years.
I spent my first 11 years covering almost exclusively the Sunday Features Dept. 1953--'64. I chauffeured Scotty, (kids and Golden agers.) Esther Brightman, (Women's Clubs) Jane Artale (Woman's Golf) Cecil Relihan (Home Decorating, ) Bess Howell, and Irma Winkle Bartell Dugan ) (Gardens) ( Paul Metzler and Helen Borsick Cullinan (Art) Helen Robinson ,and later a little of Janet Beigle French, (Home Ec) some of Bob Finn ( Music) ,Mary Strassmeyer, (Society and Features.)
Those were busy years, some Sundays had 24 photos published and there were many mid week. It was easy to exchange stories of our family lives with each other with the frequency of assignments and long drives . l Ioved all of those gals but I was glad finally to get off the bicycle with less rushed usually, news stories. Another Scotty revelation. Scotty's dad worked on the far Eeast Side. They lived in Lakewood. Her dad grew tired of driving into the sun in the mornings and coming home into the sun in the evening. so the family moved to Chagrin. One of the funniest assignments Jane dug up was going to cover her piano teacher in Lakewood who was now aged. The teacher sort of didn't recognize Scotty , but began to tell us about this little girl peppy little girl named Jane Sapp that hustled into her parlor for lessons and hustled out, flying down the street.
Scotty didn't mention anything about it on the way back. Neither did I.


From Roldo Bartimole

My step son was in charge of the radio program "Wait, wait don't tell me"
when it came to this area (Akron actually) for a live show.

The area guest of the show in the early 2000s: Jane Scott.

Saw her nodding off in the audience as she awaited
her call. However, she was awake and funny when she got her
chance on stage. An excellent guest.

Greg Stricharchuk did a front page piece on her when he was
at the Wall St. Journal.