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Mildred Morford Andrews Boggess
Mildred Morford Andrews Boggess (1915-1987) was an outstanding twentieth century organ teacher and performer. She was the highest-honored Professor of Music at the University of Oklahoma because she produced at least twelve Fulbright scholars and many competition winners during her tenure. Professor Boggess was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 1971. The success she enjoyed as an accomplished professional female musician was unique at that time. Professor Boggess’ career and artistic philosophy are important to the history of church music in Oklahoma and the southwest region of the United States.

Early Life and Education
Mildred Morford Andrews was born in Hominy, Oklahoma on September 25, 1915.

Both of her parents were natives of Kansas. Her father, George Andrews (1882-1953), was an Oklahoma banker, cattleman and a devout churchman. He came to Oklahoma from his native West Cedar, Kansas in 1905 to start a bank on the Osage Indian Reservation near Hominy, which he operated for fifteen years. Mildred's mother, Clara Andrews (1887-1951) was born in Manhattan, Kansas. Clara married George Andrews in 1909.

Mildred began piano lessons at an early age. She attended Collinsville High School in Skiatook, OK and graduated as valedictorian in 1933. She attended Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas from 1933-1934. She would later receive her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Piano from the University of Oklahoma in 1937. She received her Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Michigan in piano performance. Mildred also completed graduate work at the University of Michigan and at Union Theological Seminary in New York City.

After finishing her degrees, Andrews continued to take private lessons from | Marcel Dupré, an eminent French organist. She also studied with Palmer Christian, | Arthur Poister, David McK. Williams, and | Carl Weinrich.

Professional Career
Mildred Andrews served as Professor of Organ at the University of Oklahoma from 1938 to 1976. Mildred Andrews became one of the first women to play an organ recital in 1948 at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. She created one organ recording in the early 1950s at the First Presbyterian Church of Kilgore, Texas. This recording featured the Complete Preludes and Fugues of Vincent Lübeck as well as Sonata Op. 92 by Ernst Krenek, Chromatic Study on the Name of Bach by Walter Piston, and Chorale No. 1 by Roger Sessions. She was named the David Ross Boyd Professor of Music at the University of Oklahoma in 1964. In the Summers of 1963 and 1966 she served as visiting Professor of Organ at Union Theological Seminary. She was awarded the “Distinguished Service Citation” in 1967 and was named one of the University of Oklahoma’s “Ten Outstanding Professors” in 1952.

Mildred served as organist and choirmaster at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Norman, OK for twenty-six years, from 1936-1962. She first began playing there as a sophomore music student at the University of Oklahoma. At the time, there was a small two-manual Austin organ in the church.

The church's small Austin organ was removed to St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma in 1987 and rebuilt by Möller Organ Company in 1970. A Bedient organ (Opus 24) now resides in the rear of the nave at St. John’s Episcopal, installed in 1988. She also owned a two-manual mechanical-action Schlicker organ in her home. When she died, it was sold to St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church in Midwest City. It is still in use today.

Miss Andrews’ accolades continued to accumulate in the 1960s and 1970s. Miss Andrews herself was honored with:
 * the Outstanding Young Woman Faculty Member award (1948);
 * the Outstanding Professor award (1952);
 * David Ross Boyd Professor of Music, the highest honor awarded by the Board of Regents at the University of Oklahoma on the basis of proven teaching ability (1964);
 * Distinguished Service Citation, University of Oklahoma’s equivalent to an honorary doctorate (1967);
 * listed in Who’s Who in the Southwest, Who’s Who in American Women, ‘Who’s Who in America’ (1968);
 * elected to Phi Beta Kappa (1969);
 * diploma for distinguished achievement in the Two Thousand Women of Achievement (1969);
 * National Professional Panhellenic’s Outstanding Career Achievement award (1969);
 * Oklahoma Hall of Fame (1971);
 * National Director of Guild Student Groups, American Guild of Organists;
 * Oklahoma Musician of the Year Award (Presented by the Governor of the State of Oklahoma) (1972);
 * Mu Phi Epsilon “Elizabeth Mathias Award” for outstanding achievements in the field of music (1974);
 * Byliners Award, Women in Communications, Inc. for Music Education (1975);
 * Distinguished Service Citation (1976)

Retirement and Legacy
In November 1973, Mildred Andrews married Rough Adams Boggess (1908-1986). He was born May 27, 1908 in Comanche, Oklahoma. He spent most of his career in military service. Mr. Boggess also worked as the Coordinator of Veterans Affairs under Dr. William C. Price.

With the assistance of Pauline Riddle, Mildred Andrews created an organ pedagogy method titled Church Organ Method published by Carl Fischer in 1973. This method was the first method book published specifically with the intent for church music instruction. Miss Andrews likely drew on the three concurrent method books of Dupré, Dickinson, and Gleason for inspiration in the Church Organ Method.

Andrews died at the age of 71 on August 10, 1987, in Norman, Oklahoma. She was considered Oklahoma's First Lady of the Organ. The University of Oklahoma School of Music continues to honor the legacy of this incredible woman through custodianship of the Mildred Andrews Boggess Memorial Organ, a 3M Fisk organ installed in the second-story balcony of Grace B. Kerr Gothic Hall at the Catlett Music Center.