Doug Booth Can't Play a Tune, but his Dedication has Helped Fill the Hills with the Sound of Music

Doug Booth Can't Play a Tune, but his Dedication has Helped Fill the Hills with the Sound of Music

BREVARD, N.C., July 25 /PRNewswire/ -- The man who admittedly can't carry a tune in a bucket is helping to ensure the development of some of the finest musicians in the world.

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Former Duke Energy executive Douglas W. Booth and his wife Emily have pledged $300,000 to help create the David Effron Principal Conductor's Chair at Brevard Music Center.

This summer alone, the center, located on 140 acres in the Blue Ridge Mountains, features 384 students from 42 states and 11 foreign countries. They range in age from 14 through post-college and will be taught and mentored by 68 distinguished faculty artists drawn from major universities, conservatories and orchestras throughout the country.

Conductor Keith Lockhart will be the first to occupy the Chair, effective Oct. 1, 2007. A BMC alumnus, Lockhart is music director of the Utah Symphony and conductor of the Boston Pops.

Booth was chairman of the ad hoc committee created to come up with an appropriate way to honor Effron, who is retiring this summer after 11 years as the center's artistic director.

Mr. and Mrs. Booth pledged $300,000 to kick off a fund-raising campaign for the chair's endowment. The other members of the BMC board of trustees and close friends of the music center quickly pledged the remaining $200,000.

Booth's contribution was made possible, in part, through his long history with Duke Energy. Booth was president and chief operating officer of the company formerly known as Duke Power when he retired in 1989 after 37 years.

As a member of Duke's board of directors, he was one of a few specific directors allowed to designate a payout to a charity of his choice upon his death.

Booth said, "That's too long to wait. I feel pretty good."

He spoke with BMC officials and determined the organization could actually make more money in the long run by taking the funds now and investing them.

The policy allowed for an immediate payment at a reduced rate. It amounted to $142,800. Doug and Emily added their own funds to raise the contribution to $300,000.

Music has always been a major influence on his life. Consequently, Booth's life has had a major influence on music.

   Blame it on his two loves.   The first is his wife of 59 years.  

"Emily was from West Tennessee, and Transylvania has more waterfalls and young people's camps than anywhere," he recalled. "As a youngster, she came to Brevard to attend camp and later became a counselor." His second love is music, which he found in abundance at the Brevard Music Center.

"I can't carry a tune but I enjoy all forms of music -- from Bluegrass to Opera. And all of it took place right here," he said. "When a delegation called on me to be a trustee, I was quite interested in joining the group."

Booth became a member of the BMC board of trustees about 35 years ago.

He has been chairman of the board three times, and is currently chairman of the finance committee, responsible for BMC's budget and investments.

The center's endowment has grown under his tutelage to $17 million.

That's not bad for a 71-year-old organization, which fell into debt in the early 1960s and nearly went bankrupt. Since then, the center has operated for the past 28 consecutive years in the black.

"It's a real credit to the institution," Booth said, attributing the success to "good management, a wonderful product, and a music-loving area with retired people who support the center."

Booth actually has two institutions dear to his heart: the Brevard Music Center and the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center in Charlotte. He was chairman of the building committee when the performing arts center was constructed.

"The power company made it possible for my name to be associated with the small theater," he said.

The Booth Playhouse of the North Carolina Blumenthal Performing Arts Center is a courtyard-style proscenium theater with cabaret and theater-in- the-round capabilities. It contains 434 seats with seating in orchestra and gallery levels. It hosts a variety of dance, choral and other musical ensembles, as well as meetings, seminars and workshops.

John Candler, BMC president, credited Booth with playing a key role in maintaining the center's solid financial footing.

"He has provided strong leadership," Candler said. "Doug has been creative and cautious in guiding our funds.

"He's just a guy who has given freely of time, talent and treasure," Candler added. "He's just a wonderful human being."

    CONTACT:  Tom Shiel    Phone:    704/382-2355    24-Hour:  704/382-8333  

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Source: Duke Energy Corporation

CONTACT: Tom Shiel of Duke Energy Corporation, +1-704-382-2355,
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Profile: International Entertainment