Shoreline Craftsman Pumps New Life Into Old Organs

Once, in the early days of our century, nearly all small churches, homes and schools had a small reed organ. They were called by various names: harmonium, melodeon, reed, parlor and pump. All surviving instruments are antique, some more than 100 years old.

In their heyday there was no electricity to run them, no electronic impulses to make them

produce music; they had to be powered by leg and foot pumping.

But what a sound they made - rich, deep and mellow. The pump organ became the center of a common activity, with people gathered around for group song sessions.

Ken Mayberry, a longtime resident of Shoreline, knows and loves these instruments after 42 years of working with Balcom & Vaughan Pipe Organs, an established Seattle company that custom-builds pipe organs.

Now, in his retirement, he lovingly restores broken-down instruments.

``It is amazing how many have survived,'' he said. ``Every church organist or music teacher seems to have one stowed away.''

Often the organs are brought to him in pieces, with parts missing, looking as if they're ready for the junk heap. Parts aren't available, so Mayberry has to fashion whatever is needed.

His workshop is a marvel of organization. Drawers are marked files, reeds, felt, leather, pedals, corks; walls are covered with every conceivable kind of wood-working tool.

``When I get an organ, I take a picture of it before I take it apart,'' he said. ``Then I take the insides out, turn it upside down and make new wooded rollers, so it has something to stand on. Everything is cleaned and the bellows are made airtight again, with valve leather from Germany and ribbon cork to seal.''

When sitting to play, you push on the pedals, shoving air out of the big bellows and pushing it through reeds made of solid brass, with a vibrating unit to produce a tone.

As with all things, the quality of the organs varied, some excellent and others mediocre. But when Mayberry is finished, he says all are better than when they were new.

Most of the pump organs were made in the U.S., from Chicago and areas farther east. They have well-known names such as Storey and Clark or Kimble, and were ordered through Sears, Roebuck and Co. for about $36 each.

``All were hand done, and although each individual worked from a basic plan, the manufacturer must have given them a free hand,'' Mayberry said. ``And they were proud of their work because the people who built them would sign their names on the back of a key, which would not be seen until someone opened it to work on it.''

When the restoration is complete, the organ is a thing of beauty. The wood, often walnut, glows. Mayberry uses red cloth behind the grills (the openings that let the sound out), adding a rich touch. The stools are refinished, as well. It is at this point that an ``after'' picture is taken, to go with the ``before'' picture.

``Did you know that an organ stool always has three legs, whereas a piano stool always has four legs?'' he asked.

Mayberry has lived in Shoreline for many years, not far from the freeway. He is a native of the Seattle area and a graduate of Lincoln High School.

``I used to roller skate at the Roller Bowl, in the Greenwood area, in the '40s,'' he said. ``Eventually, I went to work there building roller skates out of old bowling pins. We made them into wheels for the skates, with precision bearings.''

He started work at the organ shop soon after high school. His wife, Corky - they were high school sweethearts - worked there together for many years.

Mayberry remembers taking the organ out of the Everett Theatre and putting it in Queen Anne High School. ``When they turned the school into apartments, we moved it to Franklin High School,'' he said.

``Over the years, I was involved in over 500 pipe organ installations. We did eight for the Mormon Church, all over the West. The organ at the First Presbyterian Church in Seattle was the biggest and nicest that we ever did.''

Mayberry doesn't know of anyone else who does this kind of work. To him, it's a hobby he enjoys. And fortunately, there always seems to be an organ waiting for his touch.

``I'm amazed at how many there are,'' he said.

Judy Van Deen's column on Shoreline people and places appears the fourth Wednesday of each month.