Retired UA cello professor Gordon Epperson believed you must define yourself as a person before you can express yourself musically.
"He taught (his students) to be people who think broadly and deeply about how the arts interact with the rest of society," University of Arizona colleague Rex Woods said Wednesday, a day after Epperson died at the age of 85.
"I think what I carry most closely to me is the relationship he had with his students," said former Tucsonan Janet Anthony, who studied with Epperson through high school and college and now teaches cello at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wis. "He was a remarkably compassionate teacher."
Tucson Symphony Orchestra principal keyboardist Paula Fan got her first taste of being a professional musician when she toured with Epperson as part of the Dorian Trio. She said Epperson, a prolific author, wrote her first professional biography, which she described as flattering.
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"It was sort of the way he was. He made everyone feel really good about him- or herself," Fan recalled. "He gave everyone confidence.".
Epperson was born in Williston, Fla., on Jan. 18, 1921, and trained at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, the Eastman School of Music and Boston University.
After serving in World War II, he taught at the College of Puget Sound, Louisiana State University and Ohio State University before landing at the UA.
In Arizona, Epperson found a willing audience for his charming personality and musical passions. In his 21-years at the UA, he trained hundreds of cellists who went on to performance careers or became educators, like Anthony.
"One of the interesting things about his teaching was, all of his students played differently and at a very high level," Anthony said.
Epperson also wrote for professional music journals and published several books, including "The Art of Cello Teaching: The Musical Symbol," "The Mind of Edmund Gurney," a book of poetry called "Sonnets From India" and a novel, "The Guru of Malad."
In January 2005, dozens of his former students, including Anthony, performed "Cellissimo: A Consort of Cellos" to honor Epperson. A few months later, Gov. Janet Napolitano honored him with the Governor's Award for Arts in Education.
Epperson is survived by his wife, Mary Pearson Epperson; a daughter, Florence Marie Lemke of Milwaukee; a sister, Anne Koscielny of Shelburne Falls, Mass.; and nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his daughter Kristin Epperson.
Memorial contributions may be made to the UA Foundation Gordon Epperson Endowment. No services were announced Wednesday, but Woods said the UA School of Music will plan a memorial service.
