Anne Lambert Bushnell

1935 -

Anne Bushnell, a pianist, taught at a Seventh-day Adventist academy in San Diego, California, and at two Adventist colleges. She and her husband, Vinson, ran a well-known record store in Bloomington, Indiana, for many years.

Anne grew up in Florida, near Forest Lake Academy. At her mother's urging she started piano at age six, eventually studying with a teacher at Rollins College in nearby Orlando during her high school years. Following graduation from FLA in 1951, she enrolled at La Sierra College, now University, influenced to do so by two of her FLA teachers who were from LSC.

At La Sierra, Lambert studied piano with Allen Craw and organ with Harold Hannum. Her greatest pleasure then and in later years, however, was in accompanying. She was accompanist for John T. Hamilton throughout her time at LSC, an experience she found musically inspiring.

After graduating with a B.Mus. Ed. from LSC in 1955, Lambert taught for one year at San Diego Union Academy. In 1956, she accepted a position at Southwestern Junior College, now Southwestern Adventist University, where she taught piano and theory until 1958.

She took graduate work at Northwestern University for three summers, starting in 1956. In her first summer, she took lessons on both the organ and piano, thinking she might switch to organ, but when her study with the piano teacher proved to be enjoyable, she stayed with piano. She also got a job accompanying in a voice studio in those summers at NU.

While taking an accompanying class at NU, Lambert obtained from the professor the name of a teacher in Dallas associated with Southern Methodist University who could give her additional accompanying instruction. This experience and her approaching marriage led to a transfer of graduate study credits from Northwestern to SMU, where she completed an M.Mus. in 1959.

At Christmas time in 1958, she married Vinson Bushnell, a childhood friend from Florida. Also a pianist, he was pursuing a master's degree at Eastman School of Music on a Woodrow Wilson fellowship, having graduated from Southern Missionary College, now Southern Adventist University, earlier that year.

In January 1960, Vinson began teaching piano and theory at Southwestern Junior College. Three and a half years later, in 1963, the Bushnells left so that he could begin work on a Ph.D. in music at Harvard University. During his first year of graduate study at Harvard, Anne taught his classes and lessons at SWJC. She and their three children joined him in Massachusetts in 1964.

When Vinson accepted a position at Walla Walla College, now University, for the 1968-1969 school year, Anne taught his classes in music theory and history in the fall quarter, while he was doing research at Harvard. She continued to teach piano, accompany, and play piano duet music with Vinson until they left in 1972. At that time, they moved to Bloomington to work with a friend to establish a stereo equipment store, a move intended to allow Vinson more time for his dissertation.

Three years after arriving in Bloomington, the Bushnells opened The Glass Harmonica, a record store located near Indiana University that became nationally noted for its service and depth of offerings. They continued operating the store for over twenty years, until 1996. When national vendors such as Barnes and Noble and Borders came to Bloomington, it became difficult to continue the business. During these years Anne also completed two additional master's degrees at Indiana University, one in arts administration (1976), the other in counseling (1987).

With the closing of the store, Anne spent three years in home health work. She fully retired in 1999, after spending six weeks in Spain visiting a son and daughter-in-law who were expecting their first child.

Through the years in Bloomington, Vinson and Anne have enjoyed playing for themselves and friends and, occasionally, with others in chamber music. More recently, after a hiatus of several years, they resumed playing duo piano music for their own enjoyment. While their children were given opportunities in music, only one, David, has pursued a career as a professional musician, playing principal horn in the state orchestra of Galicia, Spain.

Although he initially retired in 2001 because of illness, Vinson returned to work for a short while before fully retiring in 2004. In retirement the Bushnells, have traveled extensively in the States and to Spain and Portugal.

ds/2007

Sources: Interview and email exchanges with Anne and Vinson Bushnell, October and November 2007; Walla Walla College school paper, The Collegian, 23 January 1969 and other articles.