Tue Feb 14 2012
By Mike Lesko
Stow Sentry
Musician Jim Traxler said he first met the late James F. Meyers when Mr. Meyers went on a mission/concert trip to Romania several years ago.
He said Mr. Meyers, a cellist, orchestra director and a recording engineer at Kent State University, had a wry sense of humor.
"He did not take his cello with him because he was assured that one would be available to him once he arrived," Traxler said. "It turned out to be quite a small cello.
"He looked at it for a while, then said, 'Where do I add water to blow it up?'"
Mr. Meyers, who lived in Mentor, died Jan. 23 at the KSU recording studio. He was 62.
A memorial concert performed by members of Kent State's School of Music took place Feb. 13 at KSU's Ludwig Recital Hall.
"I played a lot of chamber music with Jim over the years," musician George Pope said, "and I recall some of my greatest musical joys in a Cleveland chamber winds concert that Jim conducted.
"Jim was such a natural musician that his spirit and joy shone through every note he played and every project he embraced," he said. "His impact on my life will continue."
Mr. Meyers' cousin, Twinsburg's Beverly Choo, said although he played cello in the Erie, Pa., Symphony Orchestra, he was not connected with one particular orchestra exclusively. Instead, he freelanced with small chamber groups.
"I knew him from childhood," Choo said. "We would visit at our grandmother's house. He was always very approachable and had a big smile. He was very intelligent."
They reunited in the John Adams High School orchestra, where he played cello and she played violin at the Cleveland school.
"During practice, I remember looking over and smiling at him, and he would smile back," Choo said.
Mr. Meyers earned music degrees at KSU and Cleveland State University.
Choo said Mr. Meyers was more than a performer.
"As a recording engineer, he recorded concerts and worked in recording studios, making records," she said. "His focus was on concerts."
Mr. Meyers produced CDs of faculty and student performances at the KSU School of Music.
"Jim was a fixture in the School of Music for years," said Denise Seachrist, director of KSU's School of Music. "He was well regarded and well liked."
George Faddoul, one of Mr. Meyers' longtime mentors, said, "Jim had his hands in so many things, and I don't know anyone who had so many friends.
"We joked about having a party for a hundred of his closest friends," Faddoul added, "and that could be absolutely true."
***
A memorial service is set for March 13 at noon at Garfield Memorial Church Family Life Center, 3650 Lander Road, Pepper Pike. Anyone interested in attending should e-mail Choo at: groomon@yahoo.com.
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Mike Lesko is associate editor of the Stow Sentry, the weekly newspaper of Stow and Munroe Falls, a sister publication of the Record-Coruier.
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