Magnificent organ a tribute to slain professor 



 Sergey Shayevich, 
 The Arizona Daily Star 


By L. Anne Newell 
The Arizona Daily Star 

Five years ago last night, Eric Johnson probably would have been
calling his father, Roy Johnson, long-distance from Missouri. 

The pair spent nearly every Sunday night discussing Roy Johnson's
dreams for a new organ for Northminster Presbyterian Church, where
the University of Arizona music professor had been the organist for
14 years. 

That dream was realized yesterday afternoon, nearly four years after
Roy Johnson was murdered. 

It was a bittersweet dedication for the nearly 600 people who
packed the church, some of them friends who came from out of state
for the service, some former students, others lifelong friends. 

The haunting chords that filled the long hall were echoed by the
raised voice of the chorus and the brass bellows of the Heavy Metal
Brass Quintet, with which Roy Johnson often played. 

But more than a time for sadness, it was a time of celebration and
renewal. 

``It was just a glorious service,'' said Stardust Johnson, who was
married to Roy Johnson for 35 years. ``It was a wonderful
inspiration, and I'm so uplifted.'' 

The service was especially poignant for Eric Johnson, who works for
the company that made the organ, Quimby Pipe Organs. 

``We used to talk a lot about organ building, and over the years I
got a pretty good idea of what I'd build him if I got the chance,'' he
said. 

``Now I'm a little biased,'' he said, ``but I think this organ is just
about the best in town.'' 

The organ contains 2,709 pipes - 653 of them retained from the
previous church organ, which was dedicated to a 16-year-old church
member killed in a car crash after an ice cream social. 

The pipes range in size from more than 16 feet in length to smaller
than a pencil. 

About a year after the murder, the church began collecting funds for
the organ, which would have cost about $500,000 with all-new parts,
Eric Johnson said. 

The two-hour ceremony yesterday was the culmination of those
years of work and sorrow and was designed to dedicate the
instrument to God, as well as to remember Roy Johnson, church
officials said. 

``This organ will speak to our souls, thrill us, paint with musical
notes a beautiful voice that will lift us and take us to heaven,'' the
Rev. Dr. Richard F. Rowley said during the ceremony. 

``The tragedy of Roy Johnson's death has inspired us to build an
organ worthy of his honor,'' Rowley added, and the crowd murmured
in agreement. 

Johnson, 58, disappeared Feb. 28, 1995, after an organ performance
at a Green Valley church. His body was found four days later,
face-down in a muddy wash near West Ajo Way and South Sandario
Road. 

In August 1996, his killer, Beau John Greene, was sentenced to
death, a decision upheld by the Arizona Supreme Court last October. 

But the pending death sentence has brought little solace to his
family. 

``I can't believe it's been almost four years. I just can't comprehend
it,'' Stardust Johnson said before the ceremony. ``There are people
who think I should be over this, but I will never be over this for the
rest of my life.'' 

She said she has been unable to listen to her husband's recorded
music since his death, but she put together a CD for the service
yesterday. 

Afterward, people slowly filed through the balcony that houses the
organ, asking Eric Johnson questions about the instrument or simply
staring in wonder. 

``Roy would just be so proud,'' Stardust Johnson said. ``He would
be dancing. . . . It was a wonderful service filled with glorious
music.''