Donald Shetler Obituary

Dr. Donald J. Shetler MT. PLEASANT - Dr. Donald J. Shetler, 87, of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, husband of the late Jean Elizabeth Newsom Shetler passed away on Saturday, May 31, 2014. A Celebration of Dr. Shetler's Life will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, June 14, 2014 at St. Philip's Church, 142 Church Street. Arrangements by J. HENRY STUHR INC., MOUNT PLEASANT CHAPEL. Dr. Shetler was born July 22, 1926 in Bad Axe, Michigan, son of the late Emil A. Shetler and Doris Pardee Shetler. He was Professor Emeritus and former chair of the music education department at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY, where he taught from 1965 until his retirement in 1988. He was Adjunct Professor of Music at Charleston Southern University, and was known internationally for his research in fetal music response and arts education curriculum development. His study on the influence of music on the pre-natal infant, involving the later development of language and memory skills in children exposed to music in utero, is often cited by other reseachers. He was the first Eastman faculty member to be awarded a University of Rochester Bridging Fellowship, which supports interdisciplinary study by faculty members in schools across the University. Professor Shetler served as a visiting professor at 22 colleges and is the author of the books, "Film Guide for Music Educators" and "In Memoriam Howard Hanson: Future of Musical Education in America." In 1965, he founded the Suzuki Talent Education Program and served as its first director until 1971. As a musician, Professor Shetler served as principal cellist and assistant conductor of the Cleveland Philharmonic Orchestra. He also was a cellist in the Ann Arbor, Jackson, and Toledo orchestras and played trumpet with several jazz groups. Professor Shetler conducted the College of Charleston Community Orchestra in 1989 to 1990. He attended St. Philips Church. He is survived by his children, Pam Coopersmith of Mount Pleasant, SC, Kerry Cassidy of Vernon, VT, and Donn Scott Shetler and his wife, Jill Gross of Boston, MA; grandchildren, Jesse Coopersmith and his wife, Mihaela of Mount Pleasant, SC, Melissa Shetler of New York, NY, and Katelyn Bosley and her husband, Keith of Newport, OR; great-granchildren, Anna Coopersmith, Lucas Coopersmith, Stella Bosley, and Evie Bosley; and his brother, Jerold Shelter and his wife, Jane of San Antonio, TX. Memorials may be made to the "Shetler Family Scholarship Fund," c/o The Charleston Music Club, 1071 Deleisseline Blvd., Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464. A memorial message may be sent to the family by visiting our website at www.jhenrystuhr.com. Visit our guestbook at www.legacy.com/obituaries/ charleston