Thomas Woodrow

Mr. Zapf was my first music teacher. I was six years old when I ventured to his home for piano lessons. He also taught my sister piano previously. He became a very good friend of our family.

When I began attending Olney in 1963 he took me under his wing and began to give me organ lessons. However, I was already an accomplished French Horn player by that time so the organ lessons did not last too long.

Then years later I was performing with the Theater Orchestra at the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City. I received a phone call at my boarding house and it was Mr. Zapf and his beautiful wife. They came to the boarding house and we had a wonderful visit. I was to later find out from my mother that he had passed away while in Acapulco soon after our visit. (1978)

I feel that it was kismet that he was the first musical influence when I was six and he made an appearance at what became the Twilite of my musical career.

Thank you, Mr. Zapf (Karl "with a 'K") for all you did for me in those early years.