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BYU GETS COLLECTION OF OSCAR-WINNER
Brigham Young University has received the memorabilia of three-time Academy Award-winning musician Ken Darby, whose film work began with the 1939 classic, ``The Wizard of Oz'' and continued through ``Airport'' in 1970.
When Mr. Darby died in 1992, his will named BYU as the place where his papers would be donated. The collection, now housed in the Harold B. Lee Library's Special Collections and Manuscripts Department, includes, among other memorabilia, pristine copies of original studio sound tracks for some of the great musicals of the 1940s and '50s. Manuscripts, recordings, photographs, Oscar statuettes, correspondence and Darby's grand piano were also included in the donation.
The collection came to BYU, in part, because of Mr. Darby's cordial relationships with James A. Mason, dean of the College of Fine Arts and Communications and James D'Arc, curator of the library's Arts and Communications Archives. The men struck up a friendship more than a decade ago.
Among other affiliations, Mr. Mason worked with the musician extensively in 1987 when Mr. Darby's tribute to nine-time Oscar-winning musician Alfred Newman premiered at BYU.
During his long Hollywood career, the singer, vocal coach, supervisor, arranger, conductor and musical scorer received Academy Awards for ``Porgy and Bess,'' ``The King and I'' and ``Camelot.''