DHORPA News

Denfeld 100th Anniversary and time capsule opening, 09/25/2026, was attended by DHORPA’s Chair, Carol Donahue, Secretary Mike Donahue, and Treasurer, Todd Sletten. The event began with a ceremonial opening and sharing of the contents of the time capsule that was part of the high school’s cornerstone. The contents of the capsule contained, among other items, a copy of a 1926 Denfeld HS newspaper, The Criterion, several coins, and newspapers. Following the ceremony, a reception took place in the Denfeld commons area where several organizations including DHORPA had informational displays. Brochures and handouts publicizing the October 23rd fundraiser, “Dining at Denfeld”, were shared with attendees. A highlight of the reception was a visit to DHORPA’s display from Willliam and Vicki Denfeld and Paul Denfeld. William and Paul are great grandsons of Robert Eduard Denfeld, for whom the school is named and dedicated. The day concluded with a “History of Denfeld” presentation in the auditorium.

DHORPA’S presence at Spirit Valley Days, August 8, 2026, featured a raffle with three items: A handmade quilt, a cooler with root beer and an ice cream gift certificate, and 2 REI beach chairs. 98 $5 raffle tickets were sold. Ticket buyers then chose which item they wanted by depositing their ticket(s) in the designated container for that item. Ticket sales and donations after expenses netted almost $500. The raffle continues until 2026’s “Dining at Denfeld”, October 23. Raffle tickets will be sold until 7 PM when the drawing for the items will determine the winners.

The 2nd annual “Dinning at Denfeld” spaghetti dinner fundraiser happens Friday, October 23, 2026, from 5 to 7 PM, in the Denfeld High School cafeteria. Dinner tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for students and youth. Dinner entertainment will feature Denfeld music and drama students. Raffle tickets will be available until the raffle drawing at 7 PM. Our home page will soon feature further news and details about the dinner and entertainment.

DHORPA has had a regular presence at Denfeld’s music concerts informing concert goers of our goals and progress at restoring the auditorium pipe organ. On May 15 and 18, 2026, DHORPA sold scones at the choir and band concerts. Scones were provided at cost by “Room at the Table” Catering and Bakery. Gross sale proceeds were over $900. $380 of the proceeds were shared with the Denfeld music department.

The Arrowhead Chorale’s concert on March 7 and 8, 2026, featured Maurice Duruflé’s Requiem of Light with guest organist Dr. Richard Elliott, Principal Organist of the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square. CONCERT CAUSE: As part of the Arrowhead Chorale’s “Sing for Good” community engagement program, at each concert they select a local cause to support through a raffle of a repertoire-themed floral arrangement, generously donated by Skutevik's Floral. In honor of the organ tradition at the heart of this program, the Denfeld Historic Organ Restoration & Preservation Alliance was selected as the Concert Cause. Raffle proceeds of $500 were donated for the restoration of Denfeld High School’s historic pipe organ.

DHORPA and the Denfeld Music Department co-sponsored a community fundraising spaghetti dinner on Friday, October 24, 2025, in the Denfeld cafeteria. The net proceeds from ticket sales and donations were $3046.65! Proceeds will benefit both the Denfeld music program and the pipe organ restoration project. The KJKS Life Foundation of St. Elizebeth’s Parish matched proceeds up to $1000 for the Denfeld music program. Current music students and alumni provided dinner music. The community fundraising dinner was highlighted on the 5, 6, and 10 PMNews on KBJR TV6, October 2 and on the “The Lift” for October 13. To watch the short segment on WDIO, click on “The Lift”:WDIO News - WDIO.com. You will find a link to The Lift along the upper menu bar. The link to KBJR News: www.northernnewsnow.com. Follow-up features on the community dinner appeared in the October 26 edition of the Duluth News Tribune and on the October 27th weekly history segment by Dave Anderson on KBJR NewsCenter6 at 10. Thank You to all of you who contributed in any way— the diners and the many volunteers—students, staff and adults—who purchased tickets, made monetary donations, donated food and supplies, performed dinner music, provided the table decorations, provided publicity, and helped with the dinner itself!‍ ‍

DHORPA has acquireda replacement Kilgen organ console. On October 29, 2024, DHORPA Chair Carol Donahue and Secretary Mike Donahue along with their son Joel, transported the 1932 4-manual Kilgen console from Christopher Soer Pipe Organs, LLC shop in Washington, Missouri to Duluth where it was stored at Jaeckel Organ Company until it was moved and is now stored in the organ blower room at Denfeld. This second move took place July 18, 2025, with help from several volunteers who also helped organize the blower room on July 16 to accommodate the console. A moving truck and driver for this move were generously donated by Dukes Towing of Duluth who carefully loaded all the components of the disassembled organ console into their truck for the move to Denfeld. Here is a link to view the console being stored in the blower room beneath the Denfeld auditorium stage: https://youtu.be/ybo6fxjQ-wU

The purchase and transportation from Missouri to Duluth were made possible by a generous donation from Karen and Gerald Ruona and in-kind donations from Carol, Mike, Joel, daughter Rebecca Peterson, and Dan Jaeckel. Chris Soer, Joseph Eckelkamp, Brian Seever, and Joel carefully loaded the disassembled organ console into the truck and trailer for the 600+ mile journey to Duluth. The original 1920 Kilgen organ console was discarded during a previous unsuccessful attempt to restore part of the organ and was replaced with a smaller 3-manual Riesner console. The Riesner console is unable to connect to all of the Denfeld organ’s 5 divisions.

WDIO's "The Lift" With Host Baihly Warfield Featured the Denfeld Organ. WDIO Channel 10 news anchor/reporter Baihly Warfieldand her videographer visited Denfeld High School on October 17, 2023, and spent nearly two hours learning about the workings and history of the organ in the Denfeld auditorium. She interviewed DHORPA board chair Carol Donahue and technical advisor David Rollin. Their story was featured on WDIO's“The Lift” and covered the organ’s history and ongoing efforts to raise funds to restore the organ. The feature was part of the Friday, November 3, 2023 programwhich aired on channels 10 and 13. The feature is now available on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xn8PwznUHT4‍ ‍ and had over 6000 views ranking it as the top story of 2023. “The Lift” airs Monday through Friday from 4:30 to 5 PM. For other local stories of interest airing weekdays on “The Lift” visit the WDIO website and click on “The Lift”:WDIO News - WDIO.com‍ ‍

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DHORPA Organ Project Makes Front Page of the Duluth News Tribune. The March 8, 2023 print and digital edition of the Duluth News Tribune featured an article by reporter Joe Bowen which included interviews with DHORPA chair Carol Donahue and Denfeld High School Principal Tom Tusken. Over the course of a 2-hour tour of the Denfeld auditorium organ, Carol explained the workings of a pipe organ and all its various components. Duluth News Tribune photographer Clint Austin captured Carol, the auditorium, and various features of the organ. A link to the complete article: https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/local/nonprofit-hopes-to-restore-denfelds-school-organ

Minnesota Historical Society Grant Awarded to DHORPA. DHORPA was awarded a Minnesota Historical & Cultural Heritage Grant through the Minnesota Historical Society (Minnesota Historical Society (mnhs.org)). The grant is limited to the following project: Denfeld Historic Organ Condition Report and Treatment Proposal. In other words, this grant helped fund a complete physical checkup of all parts of the organ: blower system, several pipe chambers, the organ console, and the pipes and pipe components. Foley-Baker Inc., pipe organ builders of Tolland, Connecticut, (Foley Baker Inc. | Pipe Organ Restoration, Consulting & Repair Services) were at Denfeld on February 6 and 7, 2023 and completed the condition assessment and treatment plan of the auditorium Kilgen and Son organ. Thefull 21-page survey report including a cost estimate was received March 10, 2023. The next step in the process, to solicit bids from additional organ builders capable of the complete restoration of this 1920 vintage pipe organ, was completed later in 2023, and in early 2024.

View a video of the Denfeld auditorium pipe organ’s assessment by using the following YouTube link: Denfeld Organ Video V5 Shortened some.mp4 - Google Drive

Bidding packets were sent to several organ builders in July 2023 inviting them to bid on the total restoration of the organ. One builder, Schantz Organ Company (The Schantz Organ Company | Pipe Organ Builder since 1873), completed an assessment August 2, 2023, and on August 25 offered a proposal for the complete restoration of the Denfeld organ. Goulding & Wood Pipe Organ Builders (Goulding & Wood – Pipe Organ Builders (gouldingandwood.com) completed their assessment on November 15, 2023, and offered their proposal on February 9, 2024. This completes assessments by three highly regarded organ builders/restorers, Foley-Baker, Schantz, and Goulding & Wood. All three of these companies have adequate staff and experience restoring Kilgen and Son pipe organs. DHORPA’s goal is to select a builder by December 2024. More information on the bidding progress will be shared here on our website as developments occur.

DHORPA Progress: From our first meetings of the beginnings of DHORPA, with five people in attendance, the organization has grown to include an organ builder, a professor of organ studies, a legal advisor, several organists, educators, fund raising experts, grant writing experts, a graphic artist and designer, a facilities advisor, Denfeld parents and staff, and organ enthusiasts—all serving as volunteers. DHORPA has no paid employees. Officers and Board Members serve without compensation. In little over half a year, DHORPA was recognized as a non-profit corporation by the State of Minnesota and granted tax-exempt 501(c)3 status by the IRS. This status required the approval of DHORPA’s Articles of Incorporation, Bylaws, and a Conflict-of-Interest Policy. DHORPA welcomes your questions and comments. Please contact us by email: dhorpa65@gmail.com.

Security Upgrade: The Denfeld auditorium organ has five organ chambers housing almost 2000 pipes. Four of the chambers are located behind the fabric grills on the right and left sides of the stage. A fifth chamber, the Echo, is located in the balcony. Holm Construction in February 2024 installed secure locks and hinges on the doors of three of the five chambers and on the door leading into the blower room. In past years minor damage occurred along with some pipes being removed when break-ins occurred into the chambers. This security upgrade is to prevent any additional damage now and, in the future, when the organ is fully restored. Donations are welcome to offset the cost of $6531 for the installation of the locks, hinges, and related hardware.

Fundraising Progress: DHORPA has produced an informational and fundraising brochure, designed a website, produced a short educational video of the Foley-Baker assessment, secured a credit card processing arrangement, and has received several donations of varying amounts from people who have heard of our efforts by word of mouth and when DHORPA has made presentations to various community and school groups. DHORPA’s officers and advisors are currently putting together a multi-year fundraising and capital campaign to begin soon, now that the organ assessment has been completed. Funds, grants, and donations will be sought from individuals, businesses, corporations, foundations, and entities such as the Minnesota Historical Society. DHORPA was fortunate to receive an initial transfer of funds from the previous organ restoration committee. This transfer and the many early donations have provided DHORPA with funds necessary for its operational expenses. DHORPA appreciates donations of any amount. A recent donation came from a 1947 Denfeld graduate who “has fond memories of the sound of the organ”. You may contribute by mailing a check or making a secure credit card or debit card donation on our Donate page.

Getting the Word Out: DHORPA’s story was shared with the West Duluth Business Club in June 2023 and with an update in June 2024. DHORPA’s story was again shared with the Duluth Rotary Club in August 2023. Spirit Valley Days, August 2024, included a DHORPA informational booth. In addition to these meetings and events, representatives from DHORPA have and will continue to visit Denfeld class reunions. At the December 15 Denfeld Holiday Concert, DHORPA presented a brief overview of the project during a pause between musical groups, handed out brochures to interested attendees, and had a poster board and banner display of the organ’s current condition. DHORPA was also present at the Red-Carpet Concert and attended all additional concerts of the band, orchestra, and choirs for school year 2023-24. DHORPA will also have a presence at all 2024-25 Denfeld music department concerts.

An Inspirational story of a restored Kilgen organ in Oklahoma: To hear what the restored Denfeld auditorium organ will sound like and the reasons it needs to be restored check out this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDbM-3ol3Gg

There are only a handful of Kilgen organs still in existence and only one other Kilgen organ like the Denfeld auditorium organ. This makes DHORPA’s project in preserving a historical musical and cultural treasure a timely opportunity.

THANK YOU FOR YOU INTEREST IN THIS HISTORICAL PROJECT.

11/06/2025