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William F. “Jack” Fry
1921 – 2011
Please join us for a memorial tribute
Little did I know that a casual meeting with Jack Fry at Norman Paulu’s
home in 1975 would evolve into a life-changing experience. Jack had
stopped over to show Norman some bows that he had made and the discussion
later turned to a violin in Chicago with a big reputation. It was
the Sanctus Serafino that I acquired later that year. It was also
the beginning of a long association with Jack, and my awakening to
the unknown about violins as I played his instruments for him and
discussed his theories and hopes for rediscovering the structural
mysteries of the great Italian instruments. As the years progressed,
the Token Creek Festival presented Jack in forums and demonstrations,
culminating in a concert in 2004 in which the ensemble played exclusively
on Fry instruments (available on CD, TCR
111). Most prized among Jack’s
many awards was his election to the Galileo
Academy of the University
of Padova, Italy, for his discoveries in violin acoustics. Jack leaves
an amazing legacy as scientist, seeker of musical mystery, colleague
and friend. It is hard to imagine a world without him. He did, indeed,
find the truths he sought and there is great solace in that fact. – Rose
Mary Harbison
Jack Fry was born at the family farm on Scotch Ridge, south of Carlisle,
Iowa. After completing his Ph.D. in 1951 he was commissioned a naval
officer, supervising research on jamming devices for guided missiles.
At the White Sands, New Mexico, rocket site he was in charge of researching
German V-2 rockets. Professor of Physics at the University of Wisconsin,
in high energy physics, from 1952 to 1998, he later pioneered the
astrophysics program. An avid historian who collected Italian manuscripts
from the 12th century through the Fascist period during his extensive
travels in Italy, he donated more than 40,000 books and documents
to the University of Wisconsin
Library, the largest collection of
Italian Fascist-era documents available to scholars worldwide. He
spent more than four decades in violin
acoustical research, in search
of understanding the secrets of the fine Italian instruments. His
accomplishments in violin research are recognized in books and film,
and are detailed in a scientific video book he completed last year.
Solving the Stradivarius Secret
A memorial gathering will be held to honor this extraordinary man
and pay tribute to his lifetime’s achievements:
Sunday September 25, 2011
3:00 – 5:00 p.m.
Token Creek Festival Barn
4037 Hwy 19 • DeForest, Wisconsin
Alice Pedersen
1902 - 2006
in memoriam
Jack Fry
1921 - 2011
in memoriam
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Token Creek Chamber Music Festival media coverage
Token
Creek Chamber Festival performances meet the challenge of Mozart,
mostly — 77 Square, August
28, 2011
2011
Token Creek Chamber Music Festival premieres a Mozart might-have-been— ISTHMUS, August 28, 2011
Token
Creek Chamber Music Festival a diverse experience — 77
Square,
August 25, 2011
Classical
Music Q&A: Harvard scholar Robert Levin — Well-Tempered
Ear,
August 25, 2011
Classical
Music Q&A: Composer John Harbison, Part 2 of 2 — Well-Tempered
Ear, August 24, 2011
Classical
Music Q&A: Composer John Harbison, Part 1 of 2 —Well-Tempered
Ear,
August 23, 2011
Sounds
of the Summer — ISTHMUS, June
9, 2011
Token
Creek Chamber Music Creek to expand this summer — Well-Tempered
Ear, March 3, 2011
