FREDERICK JAMES KENT's Obituary
Frederick James Kent died at his residence in Cutler Bay, Florida on June 4, 2022. A Miami native, Frederick was born on May 21, 1928, the son of Gertrude Mathew Kent and Frederick A. Kent. Upon graduating from Miami Senior high School in 1946, he pursued his higher education earning a Bachelor’s of Music in Organ at DePauw University in Indiana. He continued his studies at the University of Illinois, Urbana, earning his Master’s of Music in Composition. After completing his degree, he was called to serve on active duty in the United States Army, serving as organist at Ft. Jackson, Columbia, South Carolina. Following his military service, he returned to the University of Illinois in 1954 to continue post-graduate work in musicology and to earn a second masters’s degree in Library Science. While studying, he served as Organist-Choirmaster at the Episcopal Chapel of St. John the Divine. On completing his studies, he was hired as a librarian in the Music Department, Central Library, The Free Library of Philadelphia. Eventually he served as Head of the Music Department and, later, Music Curator of the Edwin A. Fleisher Collection of Orchestral Music, the world’s largest circulating library of orchestral scores and parts. For many years, he also served as part-time organist and choir director at several Episcopal churches in the Philadelphia area. Upon his retirement in 1992, Frederick returned to Miami to care for his mother. He served as a substitute or interim organist for several Miami churches before playing regularly at the Third Church of Christ Scientist, Kendall, until his retirement in March, 2020. Self-described as a “retired music librarian”, Frederick maintained a full schedule of performing, composing for the organ, entering his compositions in national competitions, and donating his time and talent at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral and to the American Guild of Organists (AGO). He has been an active member of AGO for more than fifty years, and is a former Dean of the Miami Chapter. Apart from his music, Frederick maintained lifelong friendships, some begun at Silver Bluff Elementary and Miami High Schools and others gained in Philadelphia. His holiday cards and cookies, baked by Frederick and shared with friends and co-workers were part of his caring legacy as was the respectful relationship he fostered with his caregivers, Marina, Zobeida, and Samantha, at the end of his life. Frederick’s life and his legacy as a composer for the organ will be remembered at the Evensong Service on Sunday, September 11, 2022, 5:30 p.m. at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, 464 N.E. 16th Street, Miami. All are welcome to attend.
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