Will Ogdon, Founding Chair of Department of Music, Dies at 92
Composer Will Ogdon, founding chair of UC San Diego's department of music, died Oct. He was 92. Ogdon was hired in 1965 by Muir College Provost John Stewart, along with composer Robert Erickson, to create the music department at UC San Diego. In turn, Ogdon hired conductor Tom Nee, and classes began in 1967. Under Ogdon's direction, UC San Diego's department of music provided an atmosphere where students were encouraged to explore their own original ideas, without a rigid emphasis on classical and earlier 20th century music. As the department grew, newer faculty such as Ed Harkins, János Négyesy, Pauline Oliveros, Bernard Rands and Roger Reynolds sustained Ogdon's vision, and the department earned an international reputation as a university center for experimental music. Négyesy, a violinist, joined the faculty in 1979.
