A major highlight at the recent Marsden Methodist Church anniversary celebration was the salute to Mr. Rodney Tucker, the church’s organist for a record 68 years.Pastor Whalen presented him with an inscribed tablet with members of his immediate family encircling him before an applauding congregation.Mr. Tucker was eloquently profiled by two members, the pastor’s wife, Heather Whalen, and Mr. Steve Smith. Together with their own poetic sentiments, they quoted from Shakespeare and an extensive Royal Gazette interview by Nancy Acton in the paper’s Living Section of March 2, 2000 in their tribute to this extraordinary musician and churchman.They described his organ-playing legacy of nearly 70 years at Marsden as setting a Guinness World record for Bermuda. The actual Guinness World Record for the longest tenure as a church pianist and organist is held by a fellow United Methodist organist, Mrs. Ida Mae Cumbest. At age 90 she has served as organist for the Caswell Springs United Methodist Church in Mississippi, USA for 69 years!Mrs Cumbest has topped Rodney “by one year in playing and by a few years in age!” remarked Steve Smith, adding: “Both persons are certainly worthy of recognition. And so it is here today at Marsden First United Methodist Church that we honour Mr. Rodney Tucker on this our 150th Anniversary!”In 1997, Mr. Tucker was first honoured at Marsden for 50 years of continuous service.Mr. Whalen related how the Rodney Tucker story began on Talbot Lane, South Shore Road, Smith’s, with his attending the Talbot School where Marjorie Trott was the headmistress.He began playing the organ at 14 years of age, with a musical legacy that may be regarded as a genetic endowment because it originated with his grandmother, Mrs Mamie Talbot who was the church organist in the 1920’s, and continued with his mother, Mrs Mearl Talbot Tucker who began playing the church’s pumped organ in the 1930s. Young Rodney would listen to his mother Mearl as church organist rehearse hymns on the piano at home, and then he would go to church and play them on the little pedal organ when she wasn’t available.From the Talbot School Rodney attended The Berkeley Institute. He took lessons from Mr. Joseph Richards, the music teacher there. Mrs. Whalen noted those who knew Mr. Richards and his musical legacy might think that Rodney acquired his teacher’s” soft but stern mannerisms and cultured ways through osmosis, both as a gentleman and a musical scholar,”He bought music books, read voraciously about music theory and quenched his insatiable music appetite by questioning his mother continuously about what he read pertaining to music.Steve Smith told how the Talbot Family was very musical. They would always be singing hymns in the house, and the expectation of four-part harmony was a family requisite, establishing the beginning of Rodney’s love of choral music. As he developed his musical skills on the organ at Marsden, his self-taught proficiency led him to become one of the most sought-after full-time church organists.He also worked at the US Air Force Base in Bermuda, being s in charge of the barber shops there. He was asked if he could “help out’’ in the Base chapel one Christmas, and that began a stint at the base that lasted 20 years. During his time at the Kindley Field Base chapel, which had a Hammond Organ, he entered his choir in an international competition for choirs of U S bases around the world, and under his leadership, the choir from Bermuda won first prizeMr. Tucker also had a stint as organist at the Peace Lutheran Church in Paget, adding to his already full plate of Sunday commitments. Explaining how he did it, he said: “The Base service was at 9.30am, Peace Lutheran was at 11am, and Marsden was at 3pm.”In addition to all the Sunday services, Mrs Whalen explained Mr Tucker had to conduct choir rehearsals at Marsden, practising both the Senior Choir and the Men’s Choirs up until recently. When there were special concerts featuring the Junior Choir, like an Easter Sunday or Mother’s Day concert, he would rehearse the children on a weekday and Mr Tucker would play for them on the organ during the occasion.When guest singers arrived at Marsden with music in hand to perform without a rehearsal, he was never known to refuse playing for them. Even when he was unfamiliar with what they were singing, he would obligingly accompany them.In addition to his church commitments, Rodney played with his cousins as the Talbot Nephews and later with his uncles, the famous Talbot Brothers, for at least five nights per week when tourism and the hotel industry were thriving back in the day.He was always known to turn up on time and ready to rehearse. Many past members of Marsden’s “Senior Choir” recalled rehearsing thoroughly and for several months in advance, several cantatas, be they either John W. Peterson’s “Hallelujah! What a Saviour”, and “The Glory of Easter” or John Stainer’s “Crucifixion” for Easter Sunday or Peterson’s “Night of Miracles” or “No Room” for the Christmas cantata. There was always collaboration with or an invitation from other Methodist choirs and on several occasions it was most notably the Senior Choir of Wesley Methodist Church that came under his musical direction as well.He loves playing and singing the traditional hymns of the church. On Communion Sundays he’s noted for reverently and softly playing his unique rendition of instrumental hymns on the piano as we participate in the Service of Thanksgiving and Communion.”Steve Smith, quoting from Nancy Acton’s article, stated.: “Mr. Tucker is no more a stranger to honours received during his decades-long posts as organist and choirmaster. Over the years has seen it all as an organist; happy times, sad times, late brides, squalling babies and more.”He said he has seen the ‘zeitgeist,’ the spirit of the times and the evolution of church and organ music. He remarked in his interview with Nancy Acton that: “At one time, every potential choir member was auditioned, but today you work with whoever volunteers. Also, many churches are replacing solo pipe organs with combinations of electronic organs and drums, for example, in an effort to attract the young.”Mr Tucker feels that as long as Marsden has a pipe organ within its sanctuary the era of classical; sacred, and traditional hymns will live on. In many Evangelical churches, traditional songs are classified as hymns while more contemporary worship songs are not considered hymns. A hymn is defined as a type of song, usually religious, specifically written for the purpose of praise, adoration or prayer.Speaking directly to the honouree, Mrs. Whalen declared: “Mr. Tucker, we honour you for your work in the past and we celebrate the present work that you have done here at Marsden and as you have set the musical place for traditional music this will help us to build on our music for the future. Your musical legacy and contribution to Marsden will be forever remembered in our hearts.”