Later I received an MA in keyboard pedagogy and psychology at Texas Woman's University, where I also studied music therapy, physical therapy,and occupational therapy. (I never lost my fascination with medicine.) At the same time, still living in Denton, Texas, I was going through three doctoral programs in music at North Texas State University, musicology, DMA performance in organ, and Music Education - Pedagogy of Keyboard Instruments. I was also commuting to Fort Worth, teaching all level keyboard levels at Tarrant County Junior College. I also still maintained a private music studio at home in Denton. I was also music director and organist at a large Episcopal church, St. David's. and sometimes played at a Lutheran church in town, St. Paul's. My doctoral level courses were in psychology, musicology, piano, harpsichord, organ, and keyboard pedagogy. I was required to give two public lecture recitals, and a full length piano recital. I ended up completing 538 semester hours, and five degrees, but only an ABD at the University of North Texas. There was a tragic reason for that! Military Intelligence paranoia! Because I had done some of my doctoral dissertation research in what was then East Germany, the MI (military intelligence) confiscated half of my dissertation research (ten years worth!)from the Berlin APO (military post office), when I mailed it back to my University. And I never saw it again! That was a shame, because I had collected quite a bit of primary sources important to american music history. God bless America?! But I didn't let that stop me. When I requested a short time extension from the graduate dean to replace the missing pages,I found that there was a new dean - the husband of a woman who was also a piano teacher, and who was jealous of me. Her husband refused to grant me more time, and refused to even hear what had happened. I could have sued the University. But I returned to Berlin for a few more years, and I found a University on line who offered degrees based on transcripts plus experience. I sent them all of mine plus my dissertation, and did some correspondence work with them. I also passed a very comprehensive examination. And they awarded me my PhD, and sent me a diploma. That was back in 1987. I considered this was an earned degree, not a "bought degree". I ended up with more than 600 semester hours credit!
More TragedyMeanwhile my oldest daughter Stephanie had started college at age 13, shortly after Bill died. She had begun playing hookey and running away from home. We found that she spent the time when she was out of school in the public library, devouring books. A psychologist suggested she take the SAT, because she was extremely bright and always studying. Her score at age 13 was over 1300, so they let her register for a couple of courses at the university on a trial basis. She did well, so she continued on full-time.
When she was a 17 year old senior she informed me that she had secretly applied to be an exchange student in London as a tour guide for London Transport, where she would guide people on tours to Shakespeare's London and Dickens' London.(She had read ALL of Shakespeare's plays by the time she was 12 years old! Since she had arranged this all by herself and was very mature for her age, I allowed her to go to Europe alone. She travelled on a Eurail pass that summer, as she had to pass her eighteenth birthday on November 1st before starting work. But before she even found her housing, she was stabbed through the heart by a 42 year old Pakistani Muslim school teacher (a long story). I had to fly to London to be with her, and afterwards also went to Germany to prepare to move there with my two younger children, Bill and Martha.
Steffi died eleven months later at age 18 after three open heart operations. The man who stabbed her went free. This case involved Scotland Yard and Interpol. They decided not to prosecute him. I tried to file a civil lawsuit against the man, but finally had to accept the fact that revenge is wrong, and needs to be left up to the Lord. The day before her heart stopped a nurse gave her a lecture about how there was nothing serious wrong with her, and that she should be ashamed for complaining. But I think Steffi knew she would not survive. On the television that night the big story was that John Wayne had had his aortic valve replaced with a pig valve - the same operation Steffi had had. She said , "Look at him. He's an old man, but I'm only eighteen!" He lived, but she only had two or three days of life left. The night before her cardiac arrest she looked at me piteously and said, "Mama, please don't let him get away with this."
Well, he did. I tried my best to get the law to do something. They didn't want to bother - she was a foreigner. I went to London numerous times to try to get the law to prosecute, but they wouldn't even speak to me.
It upsets me that other people are so hard hearted about wanting to execute killers. God didn't allow me the satisfaction of getting this murderer punished,and I could not do anything against him personally. God made me suffer until I came to the understnding that revenge is his, not mine. A hard lesson!
I will write another link later about Steffi's travels, using her diary, and telling her tragic story. The children and I decided to have her buried in the same grave with her father in national cemetery of Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio. They are my very own angels in heaven!
