Piano man
rom 1962 to 1998, many Glassboro virtuosos crossed paths with Larry Wicks—professor, pianist and music lover. “I taught piano solely for quite a few years, then switched to teaching large classes in music appreciation and ended up writing textbooks, one going up to 11 editions,” said Wicks.

“I figured out a way of writing a book where the students read the text and I call out numbers and ask them questions about what’s going on in the music. It’s all structured so it repeats, with more complications each time. They would hear the same piece over and over with different ideas each time,” he said.

Today, Wicks leads a quiet life at his Pitman home and reflects on a fulfilling career in education. But as expected, a musician’s home is rarely silent. “Classical music is my favorite. I like impressionists and romantics and neo-romantics,” he said.

During his time at Rowan, Wicks’ home was filled with people as well as music. In 1983, he enlarged his house and turned it into a haven for hordes of music lovers. Borrowed card tables and TV trays lined the 17-room home for events that often attracted as many as 70 people.

“A group of women in South Jersey did a series of benefit dinner concerts for the College at our home. It went on for years until we earned enough money to make a down payment on a Hamburg concert grand piano for Glassboro State. The women took over the house and cooked. I did the bartending and performing!” laughed Wicks.

When Wicks does leave Pitman, it’s for no small occasion. Later this year, he plans to visit Suriname as a guest of the South American country’s newly named American ambassador, Lisa Bobbie Schreiber Hughes, whom he has known for decades. Wicks has remained a close friend of the Schreibers and attended Hughes’ swearing-in ceremony in Washington, D.C.

A beach fan, Wicks has also traveled to St. Thomas several times. But despite the island’s beautiful beaches, Wicks is still content to walk along the sand in New Jersey’s own Sea Isle City. Retirement has also afforded him more time to enjoy dinner with friends, with one of his favorite haunts the Riverfront restaurant in Penns Grove.

Wicks still finds time to attend Rowan’s concerts to enjoy the fruits of a semester’s hard work by the students. He remembers them as the most important and rewarding part of his teaching career, cultivating a particular affection for his private-lesson students, describing them as “like family to me.”

Wicks feels “very grateful” for his experience at the University, having seen the school change over the decades. But these days, Wicks is content to spend most of his time at home, contemplating how good life is. Beaming, he said, “Every year I get happier and happier. I sit in the sun every day no matter what the time and I enjoy being home.”

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Alumni can honor retired faculty by donating to a scholarship fund and other investment. Call James Spencer at 856-256-5403 or visit the Rowan University Foundation.