OBITUARY   Volk, Elizabeth Ann Elizabeth Ann Volk received the gift of eternal life on December 30, 2009. Born on Long Island, New York, she moved when her father's work was relocated to Dallas. A graduate of Highland Park High School, Liz graduated from Southern Methodist University with a Bachelor of Music Education. A retired choral teacher, Liz began her career at Edward H. Cary Junior High School for seven years. She taught at Thomas Jefferson High School for 12 years and finished her 30 years of teaching at Newman Smith High School. She was an accomplished director having consistent top award winners at contests and festivals throughout the nation. Some of her accomplishments included several of her choirs singing with the Kings Singers and traveling internationally. She was an active member of TMEA, TMAA, TCDA and ACDA. She was a published author of a book and many pieces of music. She is preceded in death by her father, John R. Volk and mother Dororthy M. Volk. She is survived by her brother Dr. John S. Volk and wife Judi and their two sons John and Joshua; and sister Barbara Volk Ibbotson and her husband Tom, along with their three children Elizabeth, Thomas and Paul. A memorial service celebrating her life will be held at 2pm on Saturday, January 16, 2010 in the Sanctuary of Highland Park United Methodist Church. The Reverend Bill Smith officiating. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to The Elizabeth Volk Scholarship Fund at TCDA; 7900 Centre Park Drive, Suite A, Austin, TX 78754. Published in the Dallas Morning News on January 12, 2010 Submitted by Edward Lynn Williams

 

OBITUARY Liz Volk (right) with sister Barbara Volk Ibbotson   Funeral is Saturday for Dallas choir teacher who devoted life to students 03:01 PM CST on Friday, January 15, 2010 By SCOTT PARKS / The Dallas Morning News [email protected] Liz Volk never married and never had children. Instead, she devoted her life to the high school choir students she encountered during a 30-year teaching career in Dallas and Carrollton. Courtesy Liz Volk (right) with sister Barbara Volk Ibbotson. View larger Photography Photo store On Saturday, many of those former students – perhaps hundreds – will gather at Highland Park United Methodist Church to sing at a memorial service for the teacher who remained a major influence in their lives years after high school. Volk died of natural causes on Dec. 30 at the age of 56. Barbara Volk Ibbotson, her younger sister, said Volk sometimes wondered whether she had devoted too much time to her job and not enough to her personal life. Ibbotson said she tried to reassure her: "I told her, 'I'm only a mother of three. You were a mother to thousands.' " Amy Welty Peterson, a 1987 graduate of Thomas Jefferson High School in Dallas, is among those thousands. She considers Volk her all-time favorite teacher. "The final exam in her class was multiple choice, but it wasn't over music theory or the curriculum," recalled Peterson, now 41 and a stay-at-home mom in Idaho. "The test was designed to find out how much you knew about your classmates. "What was so-and-so's nickname? Who played what prank on whom during a field trip? I don't think her true gift was singing. It was teaching you how to communicate and how to connect with people." Volk also was an accomplished pianist and writer. She taught mostly in Dallas and finished up her career as choir director at Carrollton ISD's Newman Smith High School in 2003. "To me, she is not replaceable," said Trey Randal, a 1986 Thomas Jefferson graduate. He is now a 42-year-old technical  writer in Dallas. "No one else like her will ever come along." Volk was the kind of teacher who taught you to stand up straight and radiate self-confidence. If you got in trouble, you knew you could call her to bail you out, no questions asked. She understood high school students. On Fridays, she advised them not to do stupid things over the weekend and to come back safe on Monday. Also Online View, sign a memorial guestbook for Liz Volk "She could tell if something was going on in your life and she cared enough to counsel you about it," Randal recalled. "I always had trouble with math and she was always concerned for me about it." Ibbotson, who received touching e-mails from former students, parents and teachers, is gearing up for Saturday's memorial service. Even though eight years separated them, they were as close as sisters could be. They finished each other's sentences. They took trips together, once boating down the Amazon River in South America. After she retired, Volk wrote a college textbook on how to be a good choir director. She did some vocal coaching and served as a judge at choir contests. Sometimes, she helped out with the youth choir at Highland Park United Methodist. "She stayed in the music world," her sister said. "It was everything to her." Remembrances from students Your sister was put on this earth specifically to help me through the most difficult period in my life. My mother died when I was very young and your sister was a mom, sister, coach, teacher, counselor, taxi driver, comedian and friend. I cannot think about my days in school without her name and wonderful smile being at the front of my memories. –Eric McHenry Ms. Volk was the greatest teacher I ever had&hellipand that includes college and graduate work. Almost 30 years have passed since I was her student, and not a day goes by when a fond memory of her does not come to mind.– Phil Robertson A strong competitor and friend Peggy O'Neill, a retired choir director who taught at R.L. Turner High School in Carrollton, was Volk's close friend for many years. They also became friendly competitors when Volk left Thomas Jefferson and became choir director at Newman Smith. Volk's students always won top awards in statewide choir competitions. "I never wanted my kids to follow hers during a competition," O'Neill said. "Her kids performed with the greatest degree of perfection I have ever heard. Sometimes you would have to tell her, 'Liz, I think that's perfect enough.'." Volk graduated from Highland Park High School and continued her education at SMU, eventually earning bachelor's and master's degrees in music education. Compared to most of her students, she came from a privileged background. But she never acted like it, O'Neill said. "Liz had been a foreign exchange student in Africa in college and she saw things there that really opened her eyes," O'Neill said. "She didn't have an ounce of racism in her." Once, before a choir trip to Austria, she found an expert traveler to teach her students how to properly pack a suitcase. And she dragged out china and silverware to show them proper dining etiquette. "Sometimes I would do something like lick my knife just to make her yelp," O'Neill said. Loved by parents, colleagues Courtesy Liz Volk laughs it up with her students and a faculty member at Newman Smith High School. View larger Photography Photo store Liz was one of my favorite people and mentor. I student-taught with her at Newman Smith just before I graduated from UNT. She has always been one of my biggest influences. We never lost touch after all these years. –Steve DeCrow, assistant choir director at Lewisville High School My son, Patrick, was blessed to have been under Liz's direction at Newman Smith. She was so much more than a teacher to Patrick – she was best friend and a mentor like none he has ever had. Patrick called Liz his "Angel of Music," and gave her a silver angel charm bracelet while he was still in high school. –Debbie Pevehouse "What is a teacher?" Listening to former students, colleagues and family talk about Volk leads one to ponder the question, "What is a teacher?" Volk was a Christian and she lived out her faith. Christmas carols and other hymns were an important part of her program. High school students, beginning to search for their places in the world, sensed that she was genuine. She tried to bring them together, make them feel good about themselves and care about each other. She fought against high school as a tribalized collection of subcultures. "She would have no idea whether a kid could sing or not," said Randal, her former student at Thomas Jefferson. "If you needed a place to belong, she would pull you in." Her choir program attracted football players, band students and kids who were never involved in other extra-curricular activities. "The one thing every culture has is music," said Ibbotson. "If you find the music, you can bridge cultures. And that's what Liz did." Denton Record Chronicle - January 15, 2010 Submitted by Edward Lynn Williams

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