Margaret (Peggy) Reynolds Bell

1930 - 2005

Margaret (Peggy) Bell, an accomplished flutist, played in a number of orchestras and taught the instrument at three Seventh-day Adventist colleges. She was a frequent soloist and with her husband, Charles, performed numerous flute and oboe/English horn duets. Since there was little music written for this instrumentation, she arranged a number of works for their use.

Peggy was born in Esperanza, Mexico, to medical missionaries T. Gordon Reynolds. M.D., and Cordelia Price Reynolds, R.N.  The family later resided in Glendale and Loma Linda, California. Peggy received a B.S. in secretarial science from Pacific Union College in 1951 and married Charles V. Bell, Ph.D. in 1954. She was responsible for doing the word processing of the original proposal for the Stanford Linear Accelerator while Charles attended Stanford University.

The Bells resided in College Place from 1960 to 1962 and 1972 to 1984, when he taught in and served as dean of the engineering school and she taught flute in the music department at Walla Walla College, now University. She completed a B.A. in music in 1978 at WWC. Through the years she studied flute with Roger Stevens, Pat Garside, Frances Risdon, and Richard Hahn, and attended master classes by James Galway, Julius Baker, Ransom Wilson, Samuel Baron, Donald Peck, and Geoffrey Gilbert.

 While living in Walla Walla, she was principal flute and occasional soloist in the local symphony.  She served as an adjunct instructor in flute at La Sierra College (now La Sierra University), WWC, and PUC. She also served as music department secretary at Mississippi State University and later at PUC. Charles was an accomplished performer on oboe and English horn and the Bells played numerous duets beginning at Walla Walla College and continuing when Charles became Vice-President for Academic Administration at Pacific Union College in 1984.

Peggy was a gifted seamstress and gourmet cook and the Bells freguently entertained student, faculty, and church groups. She was active in church functions at both colleges and was a Paul Harris Fellow of Rotary International. 

They were living in Angwin, California, when Peggy died on July 4, 2005, at age 74.  She was survived by Charles, their three sons, and daughters-in law; grandchildren, and her two sisters.

 ds/2009/2022

Sources: Personnel files, music department, Walla Walla University; Obituary, Walla Walla Union Bulletin, July 2005; The Press-Enteprise, July 10, 2005; personal knowledge.