COMPLETING MY EDUCATION IN ENGINEERING AT THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
Walter L. Elden, P.E. (Ret)

After my discharge from the Navy in May of 1955, I enrolled at the University of Florida and pursued getting a degree in electrical engineering. I started that summer and thereafter attended classes year round. With credits from my first year at the University of Miami, I was able to graduate in 3 years (With Honors).

Involvement with Performing Vocal and Orchestra Music During College

During my second, or Juniior year, I joined the A Capella Choir, under the direction of Clem Boatwright. A Capella means without accompanyment. An innovation of Director Boatwright was that he seated us in groups of fours; a soprano, an alto, a tenor and a bass. This enabled us to hear the harmony of parts better, I believe. We performed concerts on campus, out in the nearby communities at schools, and at a large church in Jacksonville.

During the Spring of 1957, a very large mixed chorus was formed on campus. It was created to learn and perform the all powerful Verdi Requiem. This was quite an experience. I have never heard that requiem performed before so as we were practicing it, the beauty of the music, solos and choruses just overwhelmed me. Then came time for the actual concert performance(s), and there were several. First, as we had two sets of soloists, we performed the Requiem on two consecutive nights, with the University of Florida Symphony. The challenge was the best set of soloists from that series, would then get to go with the ensemble down to Miami where we performed it again before a Music Convention held there. We took the full chorus, soloists and symphony orchestra and travelled by Greyhound buses to and from Miami. In one part of the work there is a part whereby an offstage brass choir plays and is answered by the onstage brass. This goes on back and forth and builds until finally the fully orchestra and chorus joined in. It was very exciting. This work is more like an opera than a requiem. A photo shows the complete ensemble as it was assembled on one of the evening performances.

Performing the Verdi Requiem

University of Florida Chorus, Orchestra, Soloists Performing the Verdi Requiem, 1957


Singing Bass in Verdi Requiem

Member of the Bass Section of Vocalists, in the Verdi Vequiem

In my senior year, I decided to return to my roots, so I switched from the A Capelle Choir and joined the symphony orchestra. I had to brush up on my violin as I had not played it in over 6 years. Some of the concerts we performed were at the nearby elementary schools around Gainesville, FL. But we had one real highlight program. This was an evening concert in the auditorium, wherein the program broadcast over the campus radio station, WRUF, on both AM and FM, became the first stereo radio broadcast to occur in the state of Florida. That was in the year 1958. Then we performed at the January commencement and in the Spring, we performed with the Mixed Chorus Handel's oratoria, The Messiah. I had sung in choruses before performing that work, but that was the first time I had played in an orchestra accompanying a chorus singing it. In the late Winter of 1958, I began hearing of The Bach Festival Choir, in Orlando, Fl, but I was not able to go hear them perform.

As taking these music classes were treated as electives courses, and I made "A's" in them, they helped my gradepoint average and in June 1958, I received my degree, a Bachelor in Electrical Engineering (Communications Option), With Honors, in 3 years.

Gradudation at U of FIn order to have been able to do that in that short a time, I had to go to school year round, use credits from my Freshman year at the U of Miami, and take both the first and second half of a Physics course at the same time. Don't ever try to do that yourself. It was real tough, but I somehow made A's and B's in them.
U of Florida Graduate 1958
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