The Shadow
COVINGTON, Va. (VR) – The Alleghany Highlands Arts Council has named Kathryn (Kathy) Crutchfield the recipient of its 2024 Arts Legacy Award. The honor, which recognizes a lifetime of achievement in perpetuating the performing arts, was announced Sunday during a virtual presentation.
Ms. Crutchfield, a Covington native, has spent her life making music. Born to Norris and Nadine Lockhart, her father headed the engineering department at Westvaco, and her mother taught piano. This is where Kathy’s love for music began.
After graduating from Covington High School, she received a Bachelor’s Degree in music from James Madison University and pursued graduate work at the Hartt School of Music at Hartford University. She attended graduate classes and seminars at Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey.
Kathy is the mother of two children: a daughter, Angie, who passed away in 2016, and a son, Christopher, and a daughter-in-law Jessica. She is a doting grandmother to Aidan, Adler, Ruel, and Lila. After her retirement, Kathy relocated to Covington, Georgia, to be near them.
She began her career as music director at Rader Lutheran Church in the New Market area of Virginia. In 1978, she returned to her hometown and took a position as Minister of Music at Clifton Forge Baptist Church. Kathy accepted a music directorship at McAllister Memorial Presbyterian Church in 2015 and served faithfully there until her retirement in 2020.
Kathy taught music in the public schools of Alleghany County, first at Clifton Forge East Elementary, then Clifton Middle School. During her tenure, she directed or co-directed musicals such as Beauty & the Beast, Annie, Legally Blonde, ALADDIN, Peter Pan, Willy Wonka, and A Year in the Life of Frog & Toad. Through her teaching, she inspired many young students who have become talented adults, sharing their music with the community.
In addition to her school and church activities, she taught Kindermusik as well as leading the Boys Home Singers. In 1990, Kathy became the director of the Alleghany Highlands Chorale and served there for nearly 30 years. She led the chorale to perform masterworks such as “A German REQUIEM” by Johannes Brahms, Vivaldi’s “GLORIA,” and Mozart’s “REQUIEM IN D MINOR,” as well as more contemporary pieces like the patriotic montage “HOMELAND” by Randy Vader and Jay Rouse. The chorale’s annual holiday concert was always a favorite of local audiences.
Even in retirement, Kathy remains musically active in her new locality as the handbell choir director at Social Circle Methodist Church in Georgia. Along with teaching and directing, Kathy is also an accomplished and talented vocalist who has performed all types of music throughout her lifetime. Her commitment to her craft and community has woven a rich legacy, leaving an indelible mark that highlights her significant contributions and the profound impact she has had on those whose lives she has touched.
Past award recipients include Sara Lu P. Snyder, Ginger Leitch, R. Dean Andrews, Frances Parker Rupert, Horton Beirne & The Covington Virginian Inc., The Alleghany Foundation, Sandra Dodd Minter, Nell K. Fleshman, Founding Members: Lily Albert, Mr. & Mrs. Harold Bell, Mr. & Mrs. Hubert E. Cox, Mr. & Mrs. Nelson Coxe, Mary Frances Mays-Davis, Robert McCaleb, Mr. & Mrs. Harold Miller, Mr. & Mrs. R.L. Persinger, Mr. & Mrs. Charles Stumpp, Susan Parker Potter, Westvaco Corporation (WestRock), Allan Tucker, Jean M. Shepard, Calvin McClinton, Jeffery Stern, Luca & Arlene DiCecco, and Powell M. (Pookie) Leitch, Jr.
