B. Winfred Merrill Scholarship Fund
B. Winfred Merrill was born May 20, 1864 in Elgin, Illinois. He graduated from Gottschalk Lyric School in Chicago, where he studied violin and composition. From 1900 to 1903, he studied violin with Joachim and Moser in Berlin, Germany. Dean Merrill came to IU in 1919 as professor and head of the Music Department. He served as the first dean of the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music from 1921 to 1938, and as dean emeritus from 1938 until his death in 1954. Much of the steady and healthy growth of the IU Jacobs School of Music must be attributed to the bold vision and quiet, determined enterprise of this man. As conductor of the University Orchestra, he enriched the musical life of the community through the presentation of concerts reflecting unerring taste and originality in programming. Dean Merrill persevered in his efforts to obtain adequate quarters for the School of Music. He took an active part in planning the Music Building (on Third Street) which now bears his name. Dean Merrill was admired for his tenacity in the face of discouragement and for his ability to stretch available resources to provide maximum educational service. He was respected for his musical perception and artistic integrity. He was beloved by his students and fellow faculty members for his gentle, kindly manner and subtle, piquant humor.
This scholarship fund was established in 1995 by Margaret Culver Miller as a lasting tribute to Dean Merrill's memory. In her will, Mrs. Miller specified that the scholarship be awarded annually to benefit students of stringed instruments at IU Jacobs School of Music.