MUSIC MAN: Note of gratitude

It was with great joy that I read your article about Mr. Fahringer and that he is being honored. In a letter about him two or three years ago, I wrote that I had seen him in a picture at Post Falls taken in 1923 and that he retired in 1953. My family, J.V. and Helen Rodkey, moved from Colorado in 1934. Our family, being musical, was delighted to be under his tutelage. Both the Post Falls School District and the Coeur d’Alene School District are to be congratulated for your city sharing him with us. Perhaps in the early days Coeur d’Alene could not pay him for Mondays. Regardless, he spent every Monday at Post Falls teaching most, if not all instruments, to students. {Probably through as least 1943.} The last class every Monday, the orchestra practiced. It played at various programs. His students placed well at the music festivals each year at Lewiston!

Mr. Fahringer, as we students all called him out of respect, single-handedly, probably is responsible for raising our culture to a new level. He had a good orchestra of 18 violins and appropriate numbers of associated instruments.

Post Falls owes a great debt of gratitude to Coeur d’Alene and our respect to them for allowing and then continuing to share this great man with Post Falls. Thank you for giving him this most special honor at this time.

GEORGE W. RODKEY, M.D.

Graduate of Post Falls