A a new club for Theatre Pipe Organists, Technicians and Enthusists is being formed. Ours will be dedicated to the Mighty MidiTzer, a virtual WurliTzer Style 216 Theatre Pipe Organ created by Jim Henry.

Our potentual members are located all over the globe. Therefore, we are a worldwide group having no local focus. Membership is open to all, irregardless of where they live.

Our aim is to bring about public awareness of the theatre pipe organ for the enjoyment of generations to follow in our footsteps. We will reach out to the youth everywhere in the entire world, with the goal of educating and entertaining those who would become the bright Theatre Organ Stars of the future.

Another lofty goal we hope to reach is to put a Virtual Theatre Pipe Organ in every household that wants one. Think of all the folks who love the Theatre Pipe Organ but live too far from one or cannot afford to have even a faint replica of a TPO on which to practice.

Through our promotion of the Mighty MidiTzer, Hauptwerk and jOrgan, we hope to encourage everyone with a computer that can run soundfonts to install this great program and begin to explore firsthand the wonders of the King of Instruments virtually every day, right in the comfort of their very own home. Think of the possibilities...

At the 50th Annual American Theatre Organ Society Convention in Pasadena, California, the President of the proposed chapter, Richard Mogridge of Clearwater, Florida, presented his proposal to the national board of directors. Documents will be aquired and the chapter's groundwork laid out in the days ahead.

The Bone Doctor took many hundreds of digital photographs at the seven day event, held in Pasadena, California. He used a Kodak digital camera provided by Fred Willis, the founding father of Walnut Hill.

These images were later transferred to computer by the skilled hands of Tom Hoehn, with whome ye olde Doc had the pleasure of sharing a room at the Hilton.

To find out more and see many of the photographs, click here.

The Walnut Hill Organ Club was founded on July 3, 2005 during the 50th Annual ATOS Convention held in Pasadena California. At this event, members of the Walnut Hill Virtual Theatre Pipe Organ Group on Yahoo! finally got a chance to meet in person after many months of online corespondence.

It was decided that these folks should go have lunch at one of Pasadena's fine eateries named Islanders, famous for the delicious hamburgers and imported ales they serve there.

So, off to Islanders they went. During the meal, all present concerred that the Walnut Hill Organ Club should be established. The ATOS lacked a chapter dedicated to virtual instruments.

WHOC would exist in a unique niche brought about by the likes of the Mighty MidiTzer by Jim Henry and Hauptwerk by Martin Dyde.

Officers were elected at this first meeting of what would become the only club in the entire world formed exclusively for Virtual Theatre Pipe Organ enthusiasts, players and builders.

Originally from Maryville, Tennessee, Richard, a.k.a., The Bone Doctor, after having spent 2005-2006 in Clearwater, Florida, now lives in Ridgecrest, California. Doc is the owner of three newsgroups on Yahoo!, Walnut Hill VTPO, The Theatre Organ Academy and East Tennessee Tech Pool.

A multitalented musician and record producer, Doc has been active in the Theatre Pipe Organ world since 2001, being the webmaster of Walnut Hill Productions and belonging to all the Yahoo! Music groups dedicated to the King of Instruments.

Currently, he sevices and builds computers for the music industry and produces on-site live recordings for theatre pipe organists and inhouse projects.

Tom Hoehn, a resident of Clearwater, Florida, is one of the Theatre Pipe Organ world's most talented musicians.

Tom has an uncanny ability to make himself at home on any organ, as if he has played it all his life. Formally trained in Classical and Theatre Organ study, he is currently working on a CD of his best work.

Tom is employed by IBM in Tampa as the Overnight Lead Help Desk Technician for the Tampa Offices. He also owns and operates Laughing Eyes Music, publishers of his recent Sounds of Grace CD.

Jim Reid resides in Hiwaii with his wife and a very large Allen Digital MSFET Church Organ which has been retrofitted with modern MIDI technology that allows him to explore the world of virtual organs.

Jim is quite knowledgable in the computer field, currently experimenting with running VTPO programs like Hauptwerk inside the 64-bit version of Microsoft Windows on high-end computers he has built.

Strong in the love of Father God, Jim is the driving force behind our organization.

Sue Smith lives in Denver, Colorado. She has successfully combined virtual organ technology with her Yamaha Electone organ to do some wonderful things with the Mighty MidiTzer.

A strong troubleshooter, Sue helps us find and solve bugs in new releases of the Mighty MidiTzer, and suggests music for others to produce. She is an avid listener and knows when things are right.

Russ Ashworth lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. A man on fire with enthusiasm for the King of Instruments, Russ operates the MidiTzer Store at Cafe Press and is the owner of the newsgroup on Yahoo! known as Rialto WurliTzer 216.

Russ has helped out immensly with the development of the Mighty MidiTzer and actively promotes it everywhere and every way he can.

Per Schultz lives in Stockholm, Sweden. A long time fan of the Theatre Pipe Organ, his extensive knowledge of electronics has enabled him to convert his analogue Rodgers Theatre Organ into a control center for virtual organ.

Per is a man of good humor, keeping us going when the going gets tough. A frequent traveller, we can depend on Per to find esoteric knowledge where others fail to look. He has a grand opportunity to do this because he is heavily involved in the restoration of the 2/9 Mighty Skandia WurliTzer Theatre Pipe Organ.

Fred Willis lives in Ridgecrest, California. He is another man on fire for the King, having overcome physical handicaps to enjoy the sound that only a Mighty MidiTzer can make.

Having served in the Navy as an engineer, Fred knows quite a lot about the technology needed to assemble a virtual organ. He has three very powerful 64-bit computers connected together to form the biggest virtual instrument in the group. He single-handedly put Walnut Hill on the map with his generous financual contributions to the group.

Jim Henry is a resident of Anahiem, California. A practicing patent lawyer by day, he plays Theatre Organ by night and is the author of the Mighty MidiTzer, a virtual Style 216 2/10 Mighty WurliTzer that runs in Microsoft Windows.

Esquire James is heavily involved with several restoration projects in and around Los Angeles, California. Without his hard work and devotion to the Mighty Theatre Pipe Organ, there would be no Walnut Hill website and the Virtual Theatre Organ community would be a far poorer and duller place with fewer choices and less knowledge.

William J. Huppenbauer, known to all who love him as Papa Bill, was born in Maywood, Illinois on May 3rd, 1931.

He grew up in Forest Park, Illinous and went to school at Oak Park High School. After school, he started working at a machine shop at 17 for 4 years.

Papa Bill then worked at a tool and die shop for 7 years. After that, he worked in the mold making industry for 4 years.

William moved to Florida in 1979 and worked at a rental agency as a small engine mechanic for 7 years. He then worked at Baxter Health Care as a tool room machinist for 12 years.

He retired in 1997 after amassing quite a bit of knowledge as a metal working engineer during his long career.

Papa Bill got interested in Theatre Pipe Organs by attending the shows his son-in-law, Tom Hoehn performed. He got involved in the inner workings of the instruments by hanging out with the Walnut Hill crew and attending ATOS chapter events.

Bill, one of the founding fathers of WHOCand a lifetime member, is currently a member of ATOS, CFTOS, and MTOS and is involved with the Walnut Hill Productions staff as an engineering advisor and crewmate for all things technical.

Below is a list of the various levels of membership in the Walnut Hill Organ Club. The founding members listed above have lifetime membership in the club and retain their offices until it is decided that they want to step down, at which time, new officers will be elected to replace them. Prices given are annual dues payable to The Walnut Hill Organ Club.

• Regular Membership - $20 per year
• Contributing Membership - $50 per year
• Founding Membership - $100 per year
• Lifetime Membership - $1,000 one-time payment

You can be part of the action as this grande endevour takes off. Membership in WHOC affords many ways to become actively involved with the Mighty MidiTzer.

To become a member, you must first be an member of the ATOS in good standing, ready and able to take part in Pioneering History.

To find out more, contact the President of WHOC, Richard Mogridge.

Membership in the ATOS is required to become a member of the Walnut Hill Organ Club. ATOS membership is open to everyone who shares an interest in the preservation and promotion of the Theatre Pipe Organ. To become an ATOS member, visit the Membership page at the ATOS website or contact: