LETTER: DR. HARRY ESKEW

Dr. Harry Eskew is the final word on all things Southern Harmony. As the letter above reveals, he worked directly with William Walker’s materials, thanks to Dr. Eskew’s association with Walker’s grandson, Earle W. Justice. Dr. Eskew taught at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary in New Orleans for 36 years. He taught music history, hymnology, and served as the seminary’s music librarian.

I reached out to Dr. Eskew to acknowledge his contribution to my project and to invite him to our inaugural concert, and he wrote me this very sweet and cherished letter. I was looking forward to the day when I could send him our commercial CD along with a concert program. Unfortunately, Regret, Repent, Rejoice was released on the Centaur label in March of 2021, after which I discovered that Dr. Eskew had passed in November of 2020.

I reached out to his wife Margaret, an accomplished scholar in her own right, who teaches writing at literature at Mercer University in Macon, GA, where the pair moved after Dr. Eskew’s retirement. Mrs. Eskew is equally lovely, and I have sent her the CD and concert program.