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Edmund Bukolt left musical legacy behind

By GEORGE ROGERS
of The Gazette
His tombstone tells the story. The stone is in Guardian Angel Cemetery on Stevens Point's east side, and on it are inscribed the words, "The Quintet of the Masters." Under this are listed the valuable stringed instruments Edmund V. Bukolt owned, including a Stradivarius and an Amati, awesome names in the world of music.

The instruments are now owned by the Copernicus Cultural Foundation and are on a year-to-year loan to the Department of Music at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

Bukolt, who died in 1965 at the age of 67, came from a talented family. His father, John J., was an inventor who founded Lullabye, now gone but once one of Stevens Point's leading industries. It occupied a site just north of the CenterPoint MarketPlace.

John Bukolt's best-known invention, patented in 1897, was an automatic cradle which rocked thousands of babies to sleep. His wife, who had eight children, was said to have suggested it as a way of lightening mothers' burdens. One of the cradles found its way into the household of the king of Spain.

He also invented a tire protector which was strapped onto the wheels of cars in an era when a motorist could expect at least one blowout on any lengthy trip. And Bukolt, who grew up on a farm, devised a milking machine. It was primitive by today's standards, but so were Edison's first light bulb and Ford's first car.

Ed Bukolt had a different talent, music. As a boy he took violin lessons, said his widow, Kathryn, who lives in the home they shared for many years on the Wisconsin River. As an adult he continued to play, and at the time of his death he was first chair in the Central Wisconsin Symphony Orchestra of Stevens Point, and in symphonies in Oshkosh, Clintonville, Fond du Lac, Wausau and La Crosse.

Jack Whitney, now of Waupaca, was a charter member of the local symphony, founded a half-century ago. He was a student then at Central State Teachers College, now UW-SP, and he went on to a music teaching career.

Peter Michelsen, who headed the music department at the teachers college, "did a wonderful job of bringing together older professional musicians and younger players" in the symphony, said Whitney.

Ed Bukolt was one of the members. "I remember Mr. Bukolt as a very serious musician," Whitney said. "He practiced as much as his busy schedule would permit, and did his best to help develop a young orchestra. He was the first person to come to every rehearsal, and always set a good example of professional musicianship for the younger players.

"When others would do an exceptional job of performance, he was always the first to compliment the performer. Without Mr. Bukolt's support, both musically and financially, I doubt if the orchestra would have been able to get off the ground in that period."

Bukolt's love of music extended to the instruments he played. Starting in 1942, he began collecting antique musical instruments, the ones now on loan to the university.

Gerard McKenna, dean of the UW-SP College of Fine Arts and Communication, said the instruments include "two violins, one playable and the other a museum piece, a cello, a bass and a viola, plus four expensive bows. The cello and the viola are being played all the time by Lawrence Leviton (cello) and Dee Martz (viola). The violin is occasionally being used by Steven Bjella and so is the bass, used by Catalin Rotaru. They are played mostly here in Stevens Point but are also played on occasion in other states, based on the faculty performance schedule."

Playing the instruments is a necessity if they are to retain their quality, said McKenna. "So we get to play fine instruments and we help the Copernicus Foundation maintain the value of their instruments by using them properly," he said.

The first of the five instruments that Bukolt bought was a 350-year-old King Henry IV violin that he found in the shop of a friend in Chicago. It had been made by Antonio and Geronimo Amati, famed Italian fiddle makers, nearly half a century before the birth of Antonio Stradivari, the most renowned instrument builder of them all.

Then came the "Giese Strad," named for the original owner and called typical of Stradivari workmanship. The bass, another violin and the viola followed.

Before he died Bukolt turned the instruments over to the Copernicus Cultural Foundation, of which he was a founder. Copernicus is the Latinized name of Kopernik, the renowned Polish astronomer who lived from 1473 to 1543 and who propounded the then-revolutionary theory that the earth orbits the sun, rather than vice versa.

Besides being the custodian of the musical instruments, the Copernicus Foundation provides funds to help in the education of future Catholic priests.

Stevens Point attorney Paul Anderson, who represents the foundation, said Bukolt's goal in donating the instruments was to give something back to the community. For a time, though, they left the community and were lent to the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Milwaukee Symphony.

Then an arrangement was worked out with UW-SP. "It has worked out well," said Anderson. "There has been a benefit to the community." And, because the instruments are being played, there's a benefit to the foundation, he added.



	Edmund Bukolt left musical legacy behind By GEORGE ROGERS of The Gazette His tombstone tells the story. The stone is in Guardian Angel Cemetery on Stevens Point's east side, and on it are inscribed the words, "The Quintet of the Masters." Under this are listed the valuable stringed instruments Edmund V. Bukolt owned, including a Stradivarius and an Amati, awesome names in the world of music. The instruments are now owned by the Copernicus Cultural Foundation and are on a year-to-year loan to the Department of Music at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Bukolt, who died in 1965 at the age of 67, came from a talented family. His father, John J., was an inventor who founded Lullabye, now gone but once one of Stevens Point's leading industries. It occupied a site just north of the CenterPoint MarketPlace. John Bukolt's best-known invention, patented in 1897, was an automatic cradle which rocked thousands of babies to sleep. His wife, who had eight children, was said to have suggested it as a way of lightening mothers' burdens. One of the cradles found its way into the household of the king of Spain. He also invented a tire protector which was strapped onto the wheels of cars in an era when a motorist could expect at least one blowout on any lengthy trip. And Bukolt, who grew up on a farm, devised a milking machine. It was primitive by today's standards, but so were Edison's first light bulb and Ford's first car. Ed Bukolt had a different talent, music. As a boy he took violin lessons, said his widow, Kathryn, who lives in the home they shared for many years on the Wisconsin River. As an adult he continued to play, and at the time of his death he was first chair in the Central Wisconsin Symphony Orchestra of Stevens Point, and in symphonies in Oshkosh, Clintonville, Fond du Lac, Wausau and La Crosse. Jack Whitney, now of Waupaca, was a charter member of the local symphony, founded a half-century ago. He was a student then at Central State Teachers College, now UW-SP, and he went on to a music teaching career. Peter Michelsen, who headed the music department at the teachers college, "did a wonderful job of bringing together older professional musicians and younger players" in the symphony, said Whitney. Ed Bukolt was one of the members. "I remember Mr. Bukolt as a very serious musician," Whitney said. "He practiced as much as his busy schedule would permit, and did his best to help develop a young orchestra. He was the first person to come to every rehearsal, and always set a good example of professional musicianship for the younger players. "When others would do an exceptional job of performance, he was always the first to compliment the performer. Without Mr. Bukolt's support, both musically and financially, I doubt if the orchestra would have been able to get off the ground in that period." Bukolt's love of music extended to the instruments he played. Starting in 1942, he began collecting antique musical instruments, the ones now on loan to the university. Gerard McKenna, dean of the UW-SP College of Fine Arts and Communication, said the instruments include "two violins, one playable and the other a museum piece, a cello, a bass and a viola, plus four expensive bows. The cello and the viola are being played all the time by Lawrence Leviton (cello) and Dee Martz (viola). The violin is occasionally being used by Steven Bjella and so is the bass, used by Catalin Rotaru. They are played mostly here in Stevens Point but are also played on occasion in other states, based on the faculty performance schedule." Playing the instruments is a necessity if they are to retain their quality, said McKenna. "So we get to play fine instruments and we help the Copernicus Foundation maintain the value of their instruments by using them properly," he said. The first of the five instruments that Bukolt bought was a 350-year-old King Henry IV violin that he found in the shop of a friend in Chicago. It had been made by Antonio and Geronimo Amati, famed Italian fiddle makers, nearly half a century before the birth of Antonio Stradivari, the most renowned instrument builder of them all. Then came the "Giese Strad," named for the original owner and called typical of Stradivari workmanship. The bass, another violin and the viola followed. Before he died Bukolt turned the instruments over to the Copernicus Cultural Foundation, of which he was a founder. Copernicus is the Latinized name of Kopernik, the renowned Polish astronomer who lived from 1473 to 1543 and who propounded the then-revolutionary theory that the earth orbits the sun, rather than vice versa. Besides being the custodian of the musical instruments, the Copernicus Foundation provides funds to help in the education of future Catholic priests. Stevens Point attorney Paul Anderson, who represents the foundation, said Bukolt's goal in donating the instruments was to give something back to the community. For a time, though, they left the community and were lent to the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Milwaukee Symphony. Then an arrangement was worked out with UW-SP. "It has worked out well," said Anderson. "There has been a benefit to the community." And, because the instruments are being played, there's a benefit to the foundation, he added.