If you were to ask someone in this area to name a famous musician with local roots, most likely the first name you would hear is the famous hymn composer Philip P. Bliss. The name of George Rosenkrans is rarely brought up, nor is he much though of today. He certainly wasn't as famous as P.P. Bliss, but he was just as prolific a writer and composer as Bliss. My husband and I found his tombstone in the Penfield Cemetery located in Huston Twp., Clearfield County, PA a few years ago. It is the most impressive stone in this rather neglected cemetery, and reads simply " George Rosenkrans, Composer. Jan. 17, 1881--Aug. 18, 1955 "He Gave His All For Music." It was obviously placed there in tribute by members of the community. This past Thursday morning I was poking around in the basement of the Elk County, PA Historical Society and came across an old Bennett's Valley newspaper that contained an article about George Rosenkrans, and I thought I would type it up and share it with all of you. I am posting to both the Elk and Clearfield county lists because the town names overlap at times. Enjoy! Article- The Bennett's Valley News, Weedville, Elk Co., PA. Thurday, September 25, 1969 Many Valley Citizens Remember George Rosenkrans and His Music Except for his music, played the world over, there is little written account of the near famous composer, the late George Rosenkrans of Penfield. But he is alive in the memory of many present and former Valley residents. Mrs. Elsie Spleen, now of Boot Jack Farm in Ridgway, probably has the most vivid memories of the great musician. Rosenkrans was the 80 year old Mrs. Spleen's cousin. Relating a capsule history, she explains, "He was born in Penfield in 1881. George had a talent for music but he never had a music lesson. A cousin taught him how to read the staff. He wrote band music for every instrument. He taught band in Weedville and then in Butler, but he was never paid for his teaching. His talent all went to music, none of it went to business. He died in Butler in 1955, a pauper." The former school teacher disclosed several anecdotes to illustrate Rosenkrans' lack of business sense. Russel Orner, owner of a music store in Dubois, published and sold Rosenkrans' music. George once commented to Mrs. Spleen that if he had a list of all the high school bands in the country he could make $50,000 by selling each band a piece of music for 50 cents. Mrs. Spleen asked why he didn't ask Orner for a list, and Rosenkrans replied that Orner wouldn't be interested in giving up the list. On another occasion a band leader in what was then Siam wrote that he had heard Rosenkrans' music being played on the West Coast, and would he rewrite a particular musical selection for an instrument not included in the original composition? George did so, and for only 50 cents. Mrs. Amy Anderson of Weedville remembers Rosenkrans as "a wonderful man but quite eccentric." Explaining her remark, she recalled, "After his mother died he lived alone in Penfield. Mr. Snyder of Medix Run would keep in contact with him. Like an artist, Rosenkrans didn't always eat right. One time Snyder went to see George and he'd been sick and didn't have anything in the house to eat." "Clarence Anderson and Snyder arranged to get Rosenkrans a job in one of the plants in St. Marys. They got him some clothes and a place to stay. George worked there for about a year, but he didn't like that kind of a life at all." Bob Woodel, a former Penfield resident who is now an announcer for TV 3 in LaGrange, Georgia, wrote to Mrs. William Steis, Mrs. Spleen's sister, about George Rosenkrans. He wrote: "George Rosenkrans has long been one of my personal heroes. I learned to love his music long before I ever saw him. On Tuesday nights I would sit on the downstairs porch of my grandfather's hotel and listen to the Grampian Band practice across the street from the Fire Hall. I saw George many times direct the band in his compositions." "On Oct. 11, 1938, I joined the Grampian Band to which my father, Guy Woodel, and brothers, Harry, Carl, and Ralph had belonged for many years. While a member of the band, I had many opportunities to meet and play under the direction of George Rosenkrans. I was in the band when George first tried out the marches Greetings to Grampian, Doughman's March, The Governor James Inaugural March, and many others." "All of George's music had a lyric quality that could easily be recognized. I remember Twilight in the Mountains, a tone poem; Cinderella Overture, From Maine to Manila,, From Alaska to Panama, Colonel Miner March, Remembrance of Col. Miner, The Illuminator, Royal Welcome Home, Grieving Breezes, Our Juniors and Seniors, Greetings to Bethlehem, The Military Escort, etc. Remembrance of Col. Miner was the very first march I ever played on parade with the Grampian Band." "Many of George's marches have been recorded by the San Jose State Teachers College Band and the Purdue University Band. While my brothers Carl and Ralph (Woodel) were members of the Medical Field Service School Band at Carlisle Barracks they corresponded with George quite a bit and he sent them many marches to be played by the MFSS Band on the weekly Mutual Network radio broadcasts." "My father and we four boys were also members of the Clearfield American Legion Band from the middle 1940's through 1948 when it won all of those State Championships and National Legion Honors. Later, in 1948, the Legion Band became the Clearfield Firemen's Band and still later it was simply called the Clearfield Band. During those years my brother Harry was selecting the music for the band, and he selected a lot of George's music." "Russell Orner of Rockton, when he learned of my admiration for George's music, gave me a hymn book that had been written by George and Orner, who owned the music store in Dubois many years ago. The book also contained several selections by George's father, A.H. Rosenkrans, such as When We Walk on the Streets of Gold. " "I was working in radio in Rochester, NY when George died, but when I learned of his death, I cam home to attend the funeral." "My great uncle William Lanich lived in Mill Run. The Milford Spragues and Marguerite Challingsworth are some of our relatives who still live there." "I was born and raised in Grampian but lived in Penfield at Hickory Kingdom. I did church work in Penfield, Mill Run, Benezette, Weedville, and wrote for the Bennett's Valley News. I'm the fellow knowns as Kernel Korn both on radio and in newspapers. My Kernel Korn's Korner and Kornfidentially Yours columns appeared regularly in the Courier Express, Progress, News, Record and other for many years. "Some fine day I would like to create a permanent and continuing memorial to George Rosenkrans at Penfield. I would like it to be in the form of a week long music camp or similar observance where the famous and near famous composers, musicians, singers, etc, would gather and play and sing George's music. Possibly it could be in the form of a combined tribute to both George and P.P. Bliss."