James Lafayette Peterson Hurd

August 2, 1945 — January 1, 2025

Dr. James L.P. Hurd, a longtime music professor and organist, passed away Jan. 1, 2025, at his home in Westchester, California. He was 79. After a 50-year career teaching organ, piano and music appreciation, James retired from El Camino College in Torrance, California, in 2023. He was currently serving as the organist/director of music for St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Redondo Beach, California, as well as organist for First Baptist Church of Palos Verdes in Rolling Hills Estates.

James Lafayette Peterson Hurd was born August 2, 1945, to the Rev. E. Bernard and Myrtle Faye Hurd in Bonham, Texas, and raised in Topeka, Kansas, where he attended Monroe Elementary School, Lincoln Elementary School, East Topeka Junior High School and Topeka High School.

James started piano lessons at the age of five, continuing lessons through junior high and high school. He was fascinated by the pipe organ at his father’s church. Calvary Baptist Church was one of the few Black congregations in Topeka that had a pipe organ. It was during his second year at Topeka High School that he requested of his parents that he take organ lessons. By age 17, he became the organist at Calvary, where his father, the Rev. E. Bernard Hurd, Sr. was the pastor.

Following his graduation from Topeka High, James earned a bachelor’s degree in music from Washburn University in 1967, graduating with departmental honors, where his instructor was Dr. Max Elsberry. While at Washburn, he was a member of Kappa Alpha Psi, and his leadership enabled the fraternity to win the Greek Sing in the ’60s. He was also a member of the Washburn Singers, the Washburn Symphonette and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, an honorary music fraternity.

He later received a Master of Music degree from the American Conservatory of Music in Chicago in 1968, where he studied organ with Dr. Edward Eigenschenk. He earned a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of Southern California in 1973, studying organ with Dr. Irene Robertson.

Over the course of his career, he performed in organ concerts across the United States and Europe, had been a featured soloist with several college and university symphony orchestras, and a featured recitalist with the American Guild of Organists several times. His organ concerts showcased traditional organ literature as well as jazz and gospel arrangements for the pipe organ.

“I’m blessed that I have the ability to perform music and that I’ve been given this talent,” said James in a 2019 interview with “The Union,” the student newspaper at El Camino College. “I’m blessed, and every time I think about it, I just say to myself ‘gosh if I had to do it over again, I would do it over again.’ Everything in my life relates to music… it’s sort of my bread and water.”

James loved teaching. He said being a music teacher at El Camino took him on a long journey that had been “different, exciting, uplifting and full of surprises.”

In 2023, Washburn University announced that James, a proud alumnus, made a naming gift for a new recital hall. In February 2024, he joined Washburn leadership and donors as they broke ground on the Dr. James Hurd Recital Hall, which is expected to be completed in the spring of 2025. Previously, he had helped Washburn fund the repair of the bells on the iconic Kuehne Bell Tower in the center of campus.

James was the recipient of many honors and recognitions. The First Presbyterian Church of Inglewood awarded him the status of A Living Legacy after he served as organist and music director from 1973-1996. In 2015, he was named an Alumni Fellow by Washburn University, which is bestowed on chosen graduates whose careers have shown dedication to the advancement and support of higher education. In 2018, he received the Excellence in Arts Award from the Cultural Arts Commission of the city of Torrance in appreciation for his Outstanding Contribution to the Arts. He was a long-time member of the Los Angeles chapter of the American Guild of Organists and had served on the Executive Board.

He was a devoted son, brother, uncle, friend and teacher. He is survived by his brothers, the Rev. E. Bernard Hurd Jr. (Patricia) of Topeka; and Walter R. Hurd (Lyn) of Surprise, Arizona; nieces Heather Hurd (Ken Beazer) of Aurora, Colorado; Hilary Hurd Anyaso (Uchendu) of Wilmette, Illinois; Holly Hurd of Denver, Colorado; and Ashley Collins (Cameron) of Wichita, Kansas; great niece Sahana Balde; and great nephews Daniel Anyaso, Aaron Beazer; his cat Riley; and many other family members and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents.

A Celebration of Life will be held Saturday, March 15, 2025, at 1 p.m. in Marsee Auditorium located on the campus of El Camino College, 16007 Crenshaw Blvd., Torrance, California, 90506. Kansas services are pending. Please email [email protected] to receive additional updates.