St Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary - News Releases News Release Festivities Are Held in Honor of Prof. David Drillock

- See photo gallery of the day's festivities - Read the appreciation by Fr Paul Lazor

David Drillock, chief financial officer and professor of liturgical music, will retire this spring after forty-eight years of employment at the seminary. To celebrate his lifetime of service, the seminary threw a surprise retirement party for him on Bright Saturday, April 17, 2004. Tricked into believing he was going to his granddaughter's baptism, Professor Drillock was instead surprised by a large gathering of friends, family, current and former music students, and members of the seminary community who applauded him upon his arrival in the Boich courtyard. Live accordion music, known to be among Drillock's favorite styles, and perfect weather, provided the background for the outdoor gathering.

Dean John Erickson presented a framed picture of Professor Drillock which will be hung in the Rangos building to honor long-serving faculty, then announced that the party would continue in the Metropolitan Philip auditorium, where more activities were planned in Drillock's honor.

Once inside, Helen Erickson, Professor Drillock's longtime musical colleague, gathered together a choir from those present to sing new arrangements of Orthodox liturgical compositions—some of them written especially for this occasion. Dn Kevin Smith and Mark Bailey, also close musical colleagues, took turns conducting. In between the singing, friends were asked to approach the microphone and share stories about him. These stories ranged from poignant to entertaining. Especially stirring were the words of Fr Paul Lazor, whose friendship with Professor Drillock began when they were both SVS seminarians in the 1960s. Fr John Nehrebecki, pastor emeritus at Christ the Savior Church in Paramus, New Jersey, knew Drillock during his youth in Osceola Mills, Pennsylvania, and thus shared humorous anecdotes from his pre-seminary days. Fr David Brum, secretary to the Metropolitan (OCA), offered greetings on behalf of His Beatitude, Metropolitan HERMAN, who could not be present at the party.

Professor Drillock expressed that his overriding emotion upon leaving SVS is gratefulness for everything, especially for his wife Barbara, and for all the people who have worked alongside him. He added that there was never a moment during all of his forty-eight years at the seminary when he doubted his vocation—he always knew that SVS was where he wanted to be.