The Los Angeles Dodgers household mourns the lack of longtime Dodger Stadium organist Nancy Bea Hefley, who handed away based on a submit on Fb by her son. She was 89 years outdated.
For nearly 30 years, followers at Dodger Stadium have been serenaded by Hefley’s keys as she was the staff’s dwell organist from 1988 till her October 2015 retirement.
There are usually not many dwell organists in baseball — not to mention the world {of professional} sports activities — however Hefley was a real trailblazer in her craft.
The San Pedro native’s witty and well timed tunes performed all through the stadium allowed her humor and character to shine by way of the audio system for nearly three many years at Chavez Ravine.
One among her defining moments throughout her ‘rookie’ season in 1988 was when she would play the music “Grasp of the Home” from the musical Les Misérables every time recognized musical theater fan Orel Hershiser would take the mound.
Maybe that helped him safe a Cy Younger award that season because the Dodgers went on to win the World Sequence as properly.
Though not initially a baseball fan, she got here to be the organist of the Dodgers by way of her husband’s lifelong affinity to the franchise, plus her pal and former Dodgers pitcher named Tommy John.
“At first I didn’t suppose I’d need to sit at a baseball recreation each night time,” Bea stated to the American Federation of Musicians’ Linda A. Rapka. “I didn’t understand it was going to be a lot enjoyable.”
When the Dodgers’ earlier organist, Helen Dell, was retiring, her husband let her know in regards to the job opening.
“I’ve been right here ever since,” she stated on the time. “They haven’t been capable of do away with me!”
Dodger Stadium wasn’t the one place that Hefley has carried out.
For over 55 years, she performed the organ at Bellflower Baptist Church. That is the place she met her husband, Invoice, who would later go on to be one of many building employees who helped construct Dodger Stadium in 1962.
Earlier than her work on the Dodgers, Hefley was a substitute organist for the Los Angeles Angels. On Valentine’s Day 1988, she auditioned for the Boys in Blue throughout an exhibition recreation between the Dodgers and the College of Southern California.
Hefley handed the torch to Dieter Ruehle, the present organist for the Dodgers, who began to fill in for her in 2013 earlier than taking up full-time after her retirement.
Dodgers Nation needs condolences the Hefley household.
Picture Credit score: Kirby Lee/Picture of Sport-USA TODAY Sports activities
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