Buies Creek, N.C.-A nine-foot concert grand piano made by celebrated Steinway and Sons company was dedicated in memory of Salemburg physician Donnie Martin Royal and in honor of his wife Dorothy Turlington Royal on Monday, April 27 in Campbell University’s Butler Chapel. A special dedicatory recital performed by international artist Randall Atcheson highlighted the service.
A native of Salemburg, N.C., Royal graduated from Wake Forest College and earned a medical degree from the Medical College of Virginia. At the urging of his father, he returned home to Salemburg in 1926 to practice medicine in the town where he grew up. After 60 years of practice, Royal retired in 1986.
Over the years, Dorothy Turlington Royal, an alumna of Meredith College where she majored in Applied Music with a concentration in piano, invested her talents in establishing an outstanding choral and instrumental music program at Salemburg Baptist Church that continues today. Dr. Royal died in 2001, leaving a legacy of service and a love and appreciation for music both he and his wife shared.
“It is most fitting that the university chapel piano honor their names,” said Campbell president Dr. Jerry M. Wallace. “Just as Steinway and Sons set the standard of excellence for pianos, the lives of Dr. and Mrs. Donnie Martin Royal are examples to which we should all aspire.”
A graduate of Juilliard, Steinway artist Randall Atcheson became the only student in the history of the school ever allowed to pursue and receive simultaneous degrees in piano and organ performance. He made his debut at Carnegie Hall in 1991 and has subsequently recorded16 albums featuring classical music as well as his own arrangements of sacred music. Atcheson has been a featured guest on the nationally televised Gala of Stars from Radio City Music Hall and has performed at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles, Ca. He has performed with numerous symphony orchestras and at venues on five continents. He frequently performs gospel concerts throughout the country.
The Steinway concert grand is the industry standard for artists and educational institutions throughout the world. According to campus officials, the university chapel setting will provide a new campus venue for piano concerts and recitals.
Photo Copy: Campbell President Dr. Jerry M. Wallace and Dorothy Turlington Royal at the Steinway dedicated to Mrs. Royal and her late husband Dr. Donnie Martin Royal. (Photo by Bennett Scarborough)