Lura P Reed

Lura P. Reed, age 85, of Mankato, died Thursday, January 8, 2009 at Hillcrest Health Care Center, Mankato.

Memorial Service will be held at 11:00 a.m., Monday, January 12, 2009 at Centenary United Methodist Church, Mankato with Rev. Pam Serdar officiating. Burial will be in Glenwood Cemetery, Mankato. Visitation will be one hour before service at church on Monday. Memorials may be given to Centenary United Methodist Church or Minnesota State University, Mankato-Music Department. Mankato Mortuary is in charge of arrangements.

Lura Pearl Reed was born May 24, 1923 to Charles and K. Pearl (Angstead) Reed in Danville, IA. She graduated from Danville High School in 1941. After graduation she enrolled in the School of Nursing at Burlington Hospital, Burlington, IA and completed the three year course in October of 1944, obtaining the R.N. Degree. World War II was in progress and Lura enlisted in the Army Nurse Corps and served for one and a half years, one year of which was spent on the island of Saipan in the Pacific.

Upon her discharge from the Army she enrolled at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, majoring in Music and graduated with a B.A. Degree in 1950 and an M.A. degree in Vocal Performance in 1951. While a graduate student she sang the title role in The Bartered Bride by Smetana, the first opera ever to be presented by the University of Iowa.
In the fall of 1951 Lura moved to New York City to continue her vocal study with private teachers and also worked as a full-time staff nurse at Mt. Sinai Hospital.

In 1953 she accepted a position in the Music Department at Parsons College in Fairfield, IA where she taught Private Voice and Music Education courses. She assisted with opera productions and sang leading roles in Die Fledermaus, The Bartered Bride, Amahl and the Night Visitors, and The Telephone, by Menotti.

Lura joined the faculty of Mankato State Teacher's College in the fall of 1956 having been hired to set up an Opera Workshop Program. During the next 10 years she presented five operas with the Music Department students singing all the roles and worked with the Theatre Department as they developed their Music Theatre series. During the summers Lura continued her vocal studies at Indiana University with Professor Dorothee Manski. She also spent summers at the University of Colorado in Boulder and also studied at the University of Iowa. Lura presented many solo vocal recitals while on the faculty at Mankato State University. She taught a wide variety of Music courses in both the Vocal and Music Education areas. For a number of years she served as faculty advisor of the student Music Educator's club. She was a leader in promoting the idea that each student must present a Senior Recital as a graduation requirement.

In the early 1980's she became interested in, and did research in the area of women composers and performers and presented a number of lectures on related topics in the Mankato area. She retired in 1985 and continued to be active in many of the organizations to which she belonged, including the AAUW, S.A.I., Delta Kappa Gamma, Alpha Lambda Delta, MEA, NEA, The Minnesota Music Educator's Association, National Association of Teachers of Singing, Centenary Church, and the Grace and Power Bell Choir. She enjoyed traveling and had visited every continent except Antarctica.

Lura is survived by a nephew, Merle Dockendorff of Fairfield, IA; two nieces, Arlys (Allen Ascher) Dockendorff of New York City and Joanne Michaelson M.D. of Bettendorff, IA; seven great nieces and nephews; and one great-great niece.

Lura was preceded in death by her parents; sister, Ila (Carroll) Dockendorff; a niece, Rita Beckerand; and life partner, Jane Eby.