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Wesley Thomas Selby Jr.
Posted 7/30/08
Wesley Thomas Selby Jr., 80 ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Wesley Thomas Selby Jr., 80, died July 3, 2008. He was born to widowed Carrie McAbee Selby in Salisbury. He was raised in Crisfield by an aunt, Ida …
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Wesley Thomas Selby Jr.
Posted
Wesley Thomas Selby Jr., 80 ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Wesley Thomas Selby Jr., 80, died July 3, 2008. He was born to widowed Carrie McAbee Selby in Salisbury. He was raised in Crisfield by an aunt, Ida Selby Somers, along with Wesley's cousin Clyde Covington, and his wife Beatrice. Their daughter, Peggy Ann was much like a sister to Wesley, as they grew up together. Childhood on Chesapeake Bay was colorful and blessed with lots of soft crabs, sea trout, oysters, whitefish, and ducks, which their waterman neighbor traded Ida for vegetables. On Sundays, they went to Aunt Kate's. She had a parlor organ and they sang hymns. He began his organ music career at the young age of 9 in the hometown church Mt. Pleasant. Graduating early from Crisfield High School in 1944, he started college in Salisbury, then headed west and enlisted in the Army in 1946. While stationed at Camp Carson, Colo., he met and married Betty Jean Taylor, (died, 6/23/95). They moved to Albuquerque in 1947 where they raised their four children. While working as organist/choir director for adults and St. Cecelia's girl's choir, at St. John's Episcopal Cathedral, and teaching piano, he earned two masters of music from UNM in 1952, and CU in 1958. Wes's passion for organ music and Bach continued throughout his career. He played for many Albuquerque churches, directed the choirs, and taught organ, music theory, composition, and conducting at UNM until July 1988. He organized a Bachathon at UNM and summer choir camp for children at Estes Park, Colo. In 1959, the family moved to Denver, where Wesley was minister of music at Montview Presbyterian Church and taught at CU in Boulder for four years. At Montview, he played for a standing room only service for guest minister the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and conducted a rarely performed concert of Benjamin Brittan's War Requiem. For a decade, under contract to Wicks organ manufacturing, he designed and built many pipe organs, overseeing their installation and tuning, often giving the dedication concerts. He was very active with the American Guild of Organists, chairing the Albuquerque Guild for many years. He traveled to East Germany in 1985, touring the homes of Bach and Mozart and playing some of the region's historic organs. His slide presentations and organ concerts upon his return showcased his enthusiastic study of music. He built a harpsichord, which he donated to the music department at UNM, and a small practice pipe organ for his home. Wesley loved reading, skiing, and tennis, and was a huge fan of the UNM Lobos. He is survived by his second wife, Connie Selby; his children, Peggy Loftfield, Thomas Selby, Laurie Stanton and Wesley Mark Selby; 8 grandchildren, and 8 great-grandchildren, Arthur and Peggy Ann Howard and Paula Jones. He was a caring, devoted father and grandfather who enriched all our lives with his beautiful music and wit.
