Obituary of Dorothy Evelyn Latham

Dorothy was born into the Christian home of Eugene and Burdelle Griffin on August 6, 1928 in New Rochelle, New York, where music was integral part of her life.   She grew up in Shiloh Baptist Church where her mother was a soloist in the Senior Choir and she and her brother Walter sang in the Choir as soon as they were old enough.

As Dorothy became more proficient at the piano and her brother Walter did the same on violin; they were often asked to perform at “Teas” and various church events in Westchester County.

In 1946 Dorothy was accepted into the freshman class at the Boston Conservatory of Music.  During that year a concert singer Ellabelle Davis invited her to attend a Boston Symphony concert where Ellabelle was the guest soloist with the orchestra.  This was an awe-inspiring experience for Dorothy who in years past has endeavored to provide the same opportunity to children at Twelfth Baptist Church.

While pursuing her degree, Dorothy became curiously aware of an emerging new focus in the music field: Music Therapy.  She researched and prepared her required thesis on this subject.  After earning a Bachelor of Music in 1950, Dorothy was accepted into the Music Therapy Training and Internship Program at the Essex County Overbrook Hospital in New Jersey.

Upon completion of the program, she was hired as a Music Therapist to work in the institutional setting with psychiatric patients as they received electric shock treatments and joined other patients to perform musically in programs that included choirs for Protestant and Catholic Church services.  It was there that a dear patient, a former organist, taught Dorothy to play the Hammond Organ.

Love and the proposal of marriage came knocking and in 1953 Dorothy married Roland E. Latham from Winchester, MA.  She moved to Boston with her husband who was pursuing degrees at Boston and Suffolk Universities.  They resided in the South End with the William Davis family who shared their home with college students.

Dorothy continued to work as a Music Therapist gaining employment at Boston State Hospital in Mattapan until the birth of her son.  She remained at home for a couple of years before deciding to reactivate her music skills with pre-school children, which fit her parenting life style.  Subsequently Early Childhood Education became a new focus for Dorothy leading to graduate studies at Wheelock and Simmons College.

This new chapter in her life led Dorothy to become a Pre-School Teacher and Co-Director at the Hilltop Center on Blue Hill Avenue; a Substitute for Boston Public School; Director of the Day Care Department for Model Cities Administration’s Initiatives; Consultant for the Development of Childcare Regulations in Massachusetts and Education Specialist for the Department of Education until retirement in 1992.

During the early phases of her life in Boston, Dorothy was on a quest for a church home.  The quality and diversity of the music at Twelfth Baptist Church where the choir sang hymns, anthems and spirituals and did cantatas that were familiar, along with Reverend Hester who reminded her of Reverend Slater, the Pastor of her youth, drew Dorothy to Twelfth on many occasions.  She became a member about 60 years ago.

At that time Reverend Hester’s wife, Sister Beulah, was the Director of the Chapel Choir.  As Reverend Hester’s health began to decline, Mrs. Hester gave up the choir and Dorothy was asked to take over.  She directed the Chapel Choir for the next 50 plus years, retiring in 2010.

In additional to singing, the Chapel Choir was accustomed to taking trips.  This tradition continued with Dorothy who expanded the trips to overnight and weekend excursions.  Bermuda, Canada, Washington DC, Pennsylvania and New York were visited to enjoy theatre, festivals, dinner shows and sightseeing.

The Choir also hosted many fundraising events i.e. The Feast of Seven Tables, The New England Spiritual Ensemble Concerts and the Strawberry Festival, which became an annual tradition.  The Choir also purchased pew bibles, a Spinet Piano for the community room, piano and organ covers and gave monetary donations to the church yearly.

In addition to directing the Chapel Choir, Dorothy accompanied the Children’s Choir under Mrs. Jenkins’ leadership on the Sundays they sang at Church and when they performed at Symphony Hall.  She cooked the campus meals for the first overnight Camp Adventure Week and coordinated music and choirs for numerous Women’s Retreats.

At Twelfth Baptist Church’s 1990 Anniversary Celebration, Dorothy was the recipient of the Church Award as a result of involvement on the Board of Christian Education, the By-laws Committee, the Three-Fold Celebration Committee and memberships on the 25th and 150th Year Anniversary Celebration Committees, in addition to being the Coordinator of the Fellowship Supper Program, a member of the Chancel Chorale since its inception and the recipient of TBC Women Honor Recognition.

To uphold her desire to emulate Ellabelle Davis’ legacy of exposing young people to classical music, Dorothy served as the Roxbury/Twelfth Baptist Church Coordinator for the Education Department of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Inc.  This entailed coordinating trips to concerts for a multitude of our children; recruiting children to attend a one-week summer camp at Tanglewood in the Berkshires; organizing the Annual Trip for adults to Symphony Concerts at Tanglewood and hosting the Annual Chamber Music Concerts at Twelfth.

Dorothy continued her work as a part-time Events Staff employee at the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Inc.  She has traveled to the Holy Land twice and traveled to Kenya and Brazil with Reverend Haynes on educational tours.

Although widowed, Dorothy is blessed with a devoted family.  From her son Roland and daughter-in-law Rhonda, Dorothy has 4 grandchildren:  Mercedes, Mia, Roland III, Gina and 8 great grandchildren:  Marlee, Nevaeh, Nya, Nathan, Tristan, Asher, Aaryn and Ava.

Dorothy has also been blessed with a host of nieces and nephews, extended family and many dear friends and colleagues.

“Give of your best to the Master;

Give of the strength of your youth;

Throw your soul’s fresh, glowing ardor into the battle for Truth”.