Mrs. Elizabeth Lankford Peek, the beloved Associate Minister of Music at Covenant Presbyterian Church for more than 47 years, died Sunday, March 24, 2013.
Born June 10, 1929, in Spartanburg, SC, Mrs. Peek was the only child of Braxton Charles Lankford and his wife, Grace Smarr Lankford. She attended the Spartanburg schools, graduating in 1946 at the top of her class. At the urging of one of her teachers, she enrolled at Mary Baldwin College in Staunton, VA, and continued to excel in her studies. She served as president of the junior class and was inducted into the Honor Society during her junior year, an honor usually bestowed on seniors. She was graduated Magna cum Laude in 1950, after serving as President of the Student Body, Valedictorian, and receiving the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award.
Following graduation she entered the Union Theological Seminary School of Sacred Music in New York City. She studied organ and composition with M. Scarle Wright, and in 1952 received her Master of Sacred Music degree. On June 6, 1952, she married Richard Maurice Peek, whom she met at Union.
The Peeks were invited by church leader Don Davidson and the Reverend Dr. Warner L. Hall to interview for positions at Charlotte's new Covenant Presbyterian Church, and they were hired to establish and lead a ministry of sacred music. They began their ministry at Covenant July 1, 1952. The church had been established five years earlier through the merger of two older churches, Second Presbyterian and Westminster, and construction of the new Covenant sanctuary was underway at the intersection of East Morehead Street and Dilworth Road. When they arrived in town, the Peeks said the sanctuary was "a big hole in the ground". Over the next 47 and a half years, they developed and led a music ministry that became one of the most renowned church music programs in the nation.
Looking back over her years of service, Betty Peek said, "This church has always known how essential music is to the very act of worship. I see Covenant as a church that has responded to the better things of life – not the catchy, cheap, or sentimental, but maintaining theological depth....What the church through the ages has believed is that God becomes apparent through beauty, and music is a part of God's beautiful creation. Music has the wonderful capacity to take us a step beyond the spoken word. It is an important way in which God speaks."
The Peeks were involved in the selection and acquisition of Covenant's fine musical instruments, and they led and coordinated numerous musical programs that were open to the public. Arriving long before the city had a full-time symphony orchestra or a performing arts center, the Peeks introduced Charlotte to world class music by producing free concerts, and sponsoring visits by choirs and organists from around the world. There are three pipe organs in the sanctuary building, and the bell tower houses Charlotte's first cast-bronze carillon. One of the favorite summer performances was the semi-annual production of Gilbert and Sullivan operettas. Other fondly remembered programs were the Independence Day carillon recitals, and busloads of carol-singing members on visits to nursing homes and hospitals.
Mrs. Peek directed the children's choirs at Covenant, and she also directed the handbell choirs, the first in Charlotte. During worship services, and also during special performances, she often served as the organist, while Dr. Peek conducted. It was often noted that Betty Peek was hired to work part-time, as the Assistant Organist and Choir Director, but from the very beginning she plunged into her work with unbounded exuberance.....full-time and still more. Her son Charles recalls that years ago, when the church hired an "associate minister", Betty Peek promoted herself to "Associate Organist and Choir Director".
During her many years of dedicated service, she became known throughout the denomination as one of its outstanding leaders. She led and participated in numerous music and worship conferences, and she served as president of the National Presbyterian Association of Musicians from 1978 to 1980. In the mid-eighties she was appointed by the General Assembly to serve on an 18-person committee established to develop a new hymnal for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), formed by the merger of the two main branches of the Presbyterian denomination.
Warm and outgoing, Mrs. Peek knew and loved the members of Covenant Church as her own family. She had a special gift for bringing together people of totally different musical abilities – professionals as well as those who were tone deaf – and producing anthems of worship and praise. A gifted musician herself, she always diverted attention and honor to others.
She served as the church wedding and funeral coordinator over a period of years, and in some cases, she directed the weddings of two generations in a family. Along with her husband, she visited the sick and homebound, and shared in the joys and sorrows of the congregation. For almost two decades the Peeks led the youth choirs on cross-country trips, singing for churches along the way, and often sleeping on the floor of church buildings. The youth trips always included sports events, concerts, and visits to museums, historical landmarks, and other points of interest. Next to her love for family, church and music, Betty Peek was perhaps best remembered for her love of sports. She was a passionate fan of the UNC Tarheels and the Atlanta Braves.
In 1991 the Peeks led Covenant's adult choir on the first of several concert tours in Great Britain and Europe, with programs in St. Paul's Cathedral, York Minster, St. Giles Cathedral, Durham Cathedral, and other well-known churches.
When Mrs. Peek and her husband retired in December 1999, Covenant published a 164-page book about the couple. Dr. Peek died in 2005.
Mrs. Peek is survived by her two sons, Dr. Richard Maurice Peek, Jr. and wife, Dr. Julie Thomas Peek, of Nashville, TN, and Charles Andrew Peek of Charlotte, and two grandchildren, Christopher Thomas Peek and Jennifer Lankford Peek.
A service to celebrate the life of Betty Peek will be held at 2:00 p.m. Tuesday, March 26th at Covenant Presbyterian Church with the Reverend Dr. Bob Henderson officiating. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to the Covenant Presbyterian Church Music Department, 1000 E. Morehead St., Charlotte, NC 28204. Condolences may be offered at www.HarryandBryantFuneralHome.com.
As published in Charlotte Observer, The (NC) - Monday, March 25, 2013
Born June 10, 1929, in Spartanburg, SC, Mrs. Peek was the only child of Braxton Charles Lankford and his wife, Grace Smarr Lankford. She attended the Spartanburg schools, graduating in 1946 at the top of her class. At the urging of one of her teachers, she enrolled at Mary Baldwin College in Staunton, VA, and continued to excel in her studies. She served as president of the junior class and was inducted into the Honor Society during her junior year, an honor usually bestowed on seniors. She was graduated Magna cum Laude in 1950, after serving as President of the Student Body, Valedictorian, and receiving the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award.
Following graduation she entered the Union Theological Seminary School of Sacred Music in New York City. She studied organ and composition with M. Scarle Wright, and in 1952 received her Master of Sacred Music degree. On June 6, 1952, she married Richard Maurice Peek, whom she met at Union.
The Peeks were invited by church leader Don Davidson and the Reverend Dr. Warner L. Hall to interview for positions at Charlotte's new Covenant Presbyterian Church, and they were hired to establish and lead a ministry of sacred music. They began their ministry at Covenant July 1, 1952. The church had been established five years earlier through the merger of two older churches, Second Presbyterian and Westminster, and construction of the new Covenant sanctuary was underway at the intersection of East Morehead Street and Dilworth Road. When they arrived in town, the Peeks said the sanctuary was "a big hole in the ground". Over the next 47 and a half years, they developed and led a music ministry that became one of the most renowned church music programs in the nation.
Looking back over her years of service, Betty Peek said, "This church has always known how essential music is to the very act of worship. I see Covenant as a church that has responded to the better things of life – not the catchy, cheap, or sentimental, but maintaining theological depth....What the church through the ages has believed is that God becomes apparent through beauty, and music is a part of God's beautiful creation. Music has the wonderful capacity to take us a step beyond the spoken word. It is an important way in which God speaks."
The Peeks were involved in the selection and acquisition of Covenant's fine musical instruments, and they led and coordinated numerous musical programs that were open to the public. Arriving long before the city had a full-time symphony orchestra or a performing arts center, the Peeks introduced Charlotte to world class music by producing free concerts, and sponsoring visits by choirs and organists from around the world. There are three pipe organs in the sanctuary building, and the bell tower houses Charlotte's first cast-bronze carillon. One of the favorite summer performances was the semi-annual production of Gilbert and Sullivan operettas. Other fondly remembered programs were the Independence Day carillon recitals, and busloads of carol-singing members on visits to nursing homes and hospitals.
Mrs. Peek directed the children's choirs at Covenant, and she also directed the handbell choirs, the first in Charlotte. During worship services, and also during special performances, she often served as the organist, while Dr. Peek conducted. It was often noted that Betty Peek was hired to work part-time, as the Assistant Organist and Choir Director, but from the very beginning she plunged into her work with unbounded exuberance.....full-time and still more. Her son Charles recalls that years ago, when the church hired an "associate minister", Betty Peek promoted herself to "Associate Organist and Choir Director".
During her many years of dedicated service, she became known throughout the denomination as one of its outstanding leaders. She led and participated in numerous music and worship conferences, and she served as president of the National Presbyterian Association of Musicians from 1978 to 1980. In the mid-eighties she was appointed by the General Assembly to serve on an 18-person committee established to develop a new hymnal for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), formed by the merger of the two main branches of the Presbyterian denomination.
Warm and outgoing, Mrs. Peek knew and loved the members of Covenant Church as her own family. She had a special gift for bringing together people of totally different musical abilities – professionals as well as those who were tone deaf – and producing anthems of worship and praise. A gifted musician herself, she always diverted attention and honor to others.
She served as the church wedding and funeral coordinator over a period of years, and in some cases, she directed the weddings of two generations in a family. Along with her husband, she visited the sick and homebound, and shared in the joys and sorrows of the congregation. For almost two decades the Peeks led the youth choirs on cross-country trips, singing for churches along the way, and often sleeping on the floor of church buildings. The youth trips always included sports events, concerts, and visits to museums, historical landmarks, and other points of interest. Next to her love for family, church and music, Betty Peek was perhaps best remembered for her love of sports. She was a passionate fan of the UNC Tarheels and the Atlanta Braves.
In 1991 the Peeks led Covenant's adult choir on the first of several concert tours in Great Britain and Europe, with programs in St. Paul's Cathedral, York Minster, St. Giles Cathedral, Durham Cathedral, and other well-known churches.
When Mrs. Peek and her husband retired in December 1999, Covenant published a 164-page book about the couple. Dr. Peek died in 2005.
Mrs. Peek is survived by her two sons, Dr. Richard Maurice Peek, Jr. and wife, Dr. Julie Thomas Peek, of Nashville, TN, and Charles Andrew Peek of Charlotte, and two grandchildren, Christopher Thomas Peek and Jennifer Lankford Peek.
A service to celebrate the life of Betty Peek will be held at 2:00 p.m. Tuesday, March 26th at Covenant Presbyterian Church with the Reverend Dr. Bob Henderson officiating. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to the Covenant Presbyterian Church Music Department, 1000 E. Morehead St., Charlotte, NC 28204. Condolences may be offered at www.HarryandBryantFuneralHome.com.
As published in Charlotte Observer, The (NC) - Monday, March 25, 2013
Mrs. Elizabeth Lankford Peek, the beloved Associate Minister of Music at Covenant Presbyterian Church for more than 47 years, died Sunday, March 24, 2013.
Born June 10, 1929, in Spartanburg, SC, Mrs. Peek was the only child of Braxton Charles Lankford and his wife, Grace Smarr Lankford. She attended the Spartanburg schools, graduating in 1946 at the top of her class. At the urging of one of her teachers, she enrolled at Mary Baldwin College in Staunton, VA, and continued to excel in her studies. She served as president of the junior class and was inducted into the Honor Society during her junior year, an honor usually bestowed on seniors. She was graduated Magna cum Laude in 1950, after serving as President of the Student Body, Valedictorian, and receiving the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award.
Following graduation she entered the Union Theological Seminary School of Sacred Music in New York City. She studied organ and composition with M. Scarle Wright, and in 1952 received her Master of Sacred Music degree. On June 6, 1952, she married Richard Maurice Peek, whom she met at Union.
The Peeks were invited by church leader Don Davidson and the Reverend Dr. Warner L. Hall to interview for positions at Charlotte's new Covenant Presbyterian Church, and they were hired to establish and lead a ministry of sacred music. They began their ministry at Covenant July 1, 1952. The church had been established five years earlier through the merger of two older churches, Second Presbyterian and Westminster, and construction of the new Covenant sanctuary was underway at the intersection of East Morehead Street and Dilworth Road. When they arrived in town, the Peeks said the sanctuary was "a big hole in the ground". Over the next 47 and a half years, they developed and led a music ministry that became one of the most renowned church music programs in the nation.
Looking back over her years of service, Betty Peek said, "This church has always known how essential music is to the very act of worship. I see Covenant as a church that has responded to the better things of life – not the catchy, cheap, or sentimental, but maintaining theological depth....What the church through the ages has believed is that God becomes apparent through beauty, and music is a part of God's beautiful creation. Music has the wonderful capacity to take us a step beyond the spoken word. It is an important way in which God speaks."
The Peeks were involved in the selection and acquisition of Covenant's fine musical instruments, and they led and coordinated numerous musical programs that were open to the public. Arriving long before the city had a full-time symphony orchestra or a performing arts center, the Peeks introduced Charlotte to world class music by producing free concerts, and sponsoring visits by choirs and organists from around the world. There are three pipe organs in the sanctuary building, and the bell tower houses Charlotte's first cast-bronze carillon. One of the favorite summer performances was the semi-annual production of Gilbert and Sullivan operettas. Other fondly remembered programs were the Independence Day carillon recitals, and busloads of carol-singing members on visits to nursing homes and hospitals.
Mrs. Peek directed the children's choirs at Covenant, and she also directed the handbell choirs, the first in Charlotte. During worship services, and also during special performances, she often served as the organist, while Dr. Peek conducted. It was often noted that Betty Peek was hired to work part-time, as the Assistant Organist and Choir Director, but from the very beginning she plunged into her work with unbounded exuberance.....full-time and still more. Her son Charles recalls that years ago, when the church hired an "associate minister", Betty Peek promoted herself to "Associate Organist and Choir Director".
During her many years of dedicated service, she became known throughout the denomination as one of its outstanding leaders. She led and participated in numerous music and worship conferences, and she served as president of the National Presbyterian Association of Musicians from 1978 to 1980. In the mid-eighties she was appointed by the General Assembly to serve on an 18-person committee established to develop a new hymnal for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), formed by the merger of the two main branches of the Presbyterian denomination.
Warm and outgoing, Mrs. Peek knew and loved the members of Covenant Church as her own family. She had a special gift for bringing together people of totally different musical abilities – professionals as well as those who were tone deaf – and producing anthems of worship and praise. A gifted musician herself, she always diverted attention and honor to others.
She served as the church wedding and funeral coordinator over a period of years, and in some cases, she directed the weddings of two generations in a family. Along with her husband, she visited the sick and homebound, and shared in the joys and sorrows of the congregation. For almost two decades the Peeks led the youth choirs on cross-country trips, singing for churches along the way, and often sleeping on the floor of church buildings. The youth trips always included sports events, concerts, and visits to museums, historical landmarks, and other points of interest. Next to her love for family, church and music, Betty Peek was perhaps best remembered for her love of sports. She was a passionate fan of the UNC Tarheels and the Atlanta Braves.
In 1991 the Peeks led Covenant's adult choir on the first of several concert tours in Great Britain and Europe, with programs in St. Paul's Cathedral, York Minster, St. Giles Cathedral, Durham Cathedral, and other well-known churches.
When Mrs. Peek and her husband retired in December 1999, Covenant published a 164-page book about the couple. Dr. Peek died in 2005.
Mrs. Peek is survived by her two sons, Dr. Richard Maurice Peek, Jr. and wife, Dr. Julie Thomas Peek, of Nashville, TN, and Charles Andrew Peek of Charlotte, and two grandchildren, Christopher Thomas Peek and Jennifer Lankford Peek.
A service to celebrate the life of Betty Peek will be held at 2:00 p.m. Tuesday, March 26th at Covenant Presbyterian Church with the Reverend Dr. Bob Henderson officiating. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to the Covenant Presbyterian Church Music Department, 1000 E. Morehead St., Charlotte, NC 28204. Condolences may be offered at www.HarryandBryantFuneralHome.com.
As published in Charlotte Observer, The (NC) - Monday, March 25, 2013
Born June 10, 1929, in Spartanburg, SC, Mrs. Peek was the only child of Braxton Charles Lankford and his wife, Grace Smarr Lankford. She attended the Spartanburg schools, graduating in 1946 at the top of her class. At the urging of one of her teachers, she enrolled at Mary Baldwin College in Staunton, VA, and continued to excel in her studies. She served as president of the junior class and was inducted into the Honor Society during her junior year, an honor usually bestowed on seniors. She was graduated Magna cum Laude in 1950, after serving as President of the Student Body, Valedictorian, and receiving the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award.
Following graduation she entered the Union Theological Seminary School of Sacred Music in New York City. She studied organ and composition with M. Scarle Wright, and in 1952 received her Master of Sacred Music degree. On June 6, 1952, she married Richard Maurice Peek, whom she met at Union.
The Peeks were invited by church leader Don Davidson and the Reverend Dr. Warner L. Hall to interview for positions at Charlotte's new Covenant Presbyterian Church, and they were hired to establish and lead a ministry of sacred music. They began their ministry at Covenant July 1, 1952. The church had been established five years earlier through the merger of two older churches, Second Presbyterian and Westminster, and construction of the new Covenant sanctuary was underway at the intersection of East Morehead Street and Dilworth Road. When they arrived in town, the Peeks said the sanctuary was "a big hole in the ground". Over the next 47 and a half years, they developed and led a music ministry that became one of the most renowned church music programs in the nation.
Looking back over her years of service, Betty Peek said, "This church has always known how essential music is to the very act of worship. I see Covenant as a church that has responded to the better things of life – not the catchy, cheap, or sentimental, but maintaining theological depth....What the church through the ages has believed is that God becomes apparent through beauty, and music is a part of God's beautiful creation. Music has the wonderful capacity to take us a step beyond the spoken word. It is an important way in which God speaks."
The Peeks were involved in the selection and acquisition of Covenant's fine musical instruments, and they led and coordinated numerous musical programs that were open to the public. Arriving long before the city had a full-time symphony orchestra or a performing arts center, the Peeks introduced Charlotte to world class music by producing free concerts, and sponsoring visits by choirs and organists from around the world. There are three pipe organs in the sanctuary building, and the bell tower houses Charlotte's first cast-bronze carillon. One of the favorite summer performances was the semi-annual production of Gilbert and Sullivan operettas. Other fondly remembered programs were the Independence Day carillon recitals, and busloads of carol-singing members on visits to nursing homes and hospitals.
Mrs. Peek directed the children's choirs at Covenant, and she also directed the handbell choirs, the first in Charlotte. During worship services, and also during special performances, she often served as the organist, while Dr. Peek conducted. It was often noted that Betty Peek was hired to work part-time, as the Assistant Organist and Choir Director, but from the very beginning she plunged into her work with unbounded exuberance.....full-time and still more. Her son Charles recalls that years ago, when the church hired an "associate minister", Betty Peek promoted herself to "Associate Organist and Choir Director".
During her many years of dedicated service, she became known throughout the denomination as one of its outstanding leaders. She led and participated in numerous music and worship conferences, and she served as president of the National Presbyterian Association of Musicians from 1978 to 1980. In the mid-eighties she was appointed by the General Assembly to serve on an 18-person committee established to develop a new hymnal for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), formed by the merger of the two main branches of the Presbyterian denomination.
Warm and outgoing, Mrs. Peek knew and loved the members of Covenant Church as her own family. She had a special gift for bringing together people of totally different musical abilities – professionals as well as those who were tone deaf – and producing anthems of worship and praise. A gifted musician herself, she always diverted attention and honor to others.
She served as the church wedding and funeral coordinator over a period of years, and in some cases, she directed the weddings of two generations in a family. Along with her husband, she visited the sick and homebound, and shared in the joys and sorrows of the congregation. For almost two decades the Peeks led the youth choirs on cross-country trips, singing for churches along the way, and often sleeping on the floor of church buildings. The youth trips always included sports events, concerts, and visits to museums, historical landmarks, and other points of interest. Next to her love for family, church and music, Betty Peek was perhaps best remembered for her love of sports. She was a passionate fan of the UNC Tarheels and the Atlanta Braves.
In 1991 the Peeks led Covenant's adult choir on the first of several concert tours in Great Britain and Europe, with programs in St. Paul's Cathedral, York Minster, St. Giles Cathedral, Durham Cathedral, and other well-known churches.
When Mrs. Peek and her husband retired in December 1999, Covenant published a 164-page book about the couple. Dr. Peek died in 2005.
Mrs. Peek is survived by her two sons, Dr. Richard Maurice Peek, Jr. and wife, Dr. Julie Thomas Peek, of Nashville, TN, and Charles Andrew Peek of Charlotte, and two grandchildren, Christopher Thomas Peek and Jennifer Lankford Peek.
A service to celebrate the life of Betty Peek will be held at 2:00 p.m. Tuesday, March 26th at Covenant Presbyterian Church with the Reverend Dr. Bob Henderson officiating. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to the Covenant Presbyterian Church Music Department, 1000 E. Morehead St., Charlotte, NC 28204. Condolences may be offered at www.HarryandBryantFuneralHome.com.
As published in Charlotte Observer, The (NC) - Monday, March 25, 2013
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