EMERITUS PROFESSOR JOHN J. DAVYE DIES

John J. Davye, professor emeritus of music, died Sept. 25, 2007, in his home in Norfolk after a long illness. He was 77.

Born in Dorchester, Mass., Davye grew up in Miami, Fla. He received his B.A. from the University of Miami and his M.A. from Ithaca College in New York.

He spent 11 years as a high school music educator. During his tenure as music program and choir director at Owego Free Academy in New York, the music program there was considered one of the best in the state.

He came to Old Dominion University in 1966 and joined music department. From 1966-83, he directed the ODU Concert Choir. Under his direction, the choir performed throughout the United States and was broadcast internationally.

Davye was a prolific composer of choral and instrumental works, including Symphony in One Movement (1980), Missa Brevis (1967), A Child Is Born to Us (1972), and the ballet Four Days from My Life (1990). He retired in 1995. In addition to his wife, Betty, Davye is survived by his daughter, Mary, and son, Michael.

Davye requested that there be no services. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Old Dominion Music Department Scholarship Endowment Fund, Diehn Center, Norfolk, VA 23529.