Paula Margaret Morgan died January 22 in the Helene Fuld Trauma Center. A resident of Princeton for more than fifty years, Paula devoted her life to music, friends, and her church. Paula was born on August 11, 1935 in Modesto, California. A scholar of music, she earned a B.A. from Mills College, an M.A. from Columbia University, and an M.L.S. from the University of California, Berkeley. She worked for Princeton University as Music Librarian from 1964 until 2000. During her tenure, the Music Library evolved from dark stacks and cramped quarters in the basement of Firestone Library to the spacious Mendel Music Library in the Woolworth Center. This move also consolidated the Music Collection and the Music Listening Library into one patron-friendly collection and location. In her professional life, Paula was an active member of the Music Library Association. She wrote approximately 150 articles for the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, first edition (1980), and revised and updated most of them and added some new articles for the second edition (2000). Paula also co-curated an exhibition, "Il Caro Sassone: George Frideric Handel at Princeton," that was on display from September 1999 through January 2000 in Firestone Library. A musician in her own right, Paula was a singer and played the clarinet and piano. After retiring, Paula served as a volunteer for the Crisis Ministry of Princeton and Trenton and as a volunteer librarian in the Archives of the Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey. She sang in the Absalom Jones Inspirational Choir in Trinity Cathedral, Trenton. For the cathedral, she served as a lay eucharistic visitor and brought communion to the Mercer Geriatric Center. She also edited the cathedral newsletter. For many years, Paula worshipped at All Saints’ Episcopal Church, Princeton, where she sang in the choir, served as a lay eucharistic minister and visitor, and was a member of the Liturgy and Music Committee. She served on the Vestry and was chair of the All Saints’ Organ Committee. In December 2012, Paula was admitted to the Society of the Companions of the Holy Cross, a group of approximately seven hundred women, members of the Anglican Communion, called to live individual lives under a rule of intercessory prayer, thanksgiving, and simplicity of life with intentional concern for the unity of all God’s people, God’s mission in the world, and social justice. Paula is survived by her sister, Laurie Karp, in Patterson California, by the Companions of the Holy Cross, by her church family at All Saints’, by her friends Marlene Lynch and Carol Sassman, both of Lambertville, NJ, and by her friend of more than forty years, the Rev. Deacon Mary Ann Jensen of Princeton, with whom she shared a home. A celebration of Paula’s life will take place at All Saints’ Episcopal Church, 16 All Saints Road, Princeton, NJ 08540 at 11 a.m., Thursday, January 30. Interment will take place in the All Saints’ Trinity Cemetery, and a reception will follow in the church. Memorial donations may be made to All Saints’ Episcopal Church, 16 All Saints Road, Princeton, NJ 08540 or to the charity of your choice. VAN HORN-MCDONOUGH FUNERAL HOME
