On Saturday, April 28, 2018, Nicholas Albron Peck passed away at the age of 84. Predeceased by his high school sweetheart and wife of 64 years, Jane Peck, and his grandson and namesake, Nicholas Peck, he will be remembered by his children Scott (Lezlie) and Catharon Peck, and his grandchildren, Sara, Tyler, and Matthew.
Nicholas, “Nick,” was born April 30, 1933 in Lewes, Delaware, to George A. Peck, music educator and founder of Pecknel Music Company Inc., and Virginia Nicholas Peck, a homemaker. Nicholas was educated in both Delaware and North Carolina public schools before attending and graduating from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill in 1955. Following his graduation, he served in the United States Air Force with the Strategic Air Command as a combat navigator and later with the North Carolina Air National Guard.
Nicholas was an active and enthusiastic presence in the music industry for most of his life, not only as the President of Pecknel Music Co., but as former President of the National Association of Music Merchants and former President of the National Association of School Music Dealers. Additionally, he served as Vice President of the American Music Conference, Chairman of the American Bandmasters Foundation, and Chairman of the Economic Conference of the Music Industry. He was the voice of the Clemson Tiger Band for twenty-nine years, and is perhaps best remembered for relabeling the Tiger Rag as “the song that shakes the southland,” a tagline still used today.
He was a member of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity, the Mu Beta Psi Music Fraternity, as well as Stokes Lodge #32 AF & AM, the Hejaz Shrine Temple, and the Tiger Brotherhood at Clemson University. He served as the Chairman of the Greenville Area Mental Health Board, and following his and his wife’s move to the Cliffs at Glassy, he served on the Glassy Architectural Review Board and volunteered with their fire department.
At the time of his death, Nicholas had recently stepped down as the Chairman of Pecknel Music Company Inc., a position he held for over fifty years. He was a member of Mountain Hill Community Church at the Cliffs at Glassy in Landrum, SC, as well as a member of the Glassy Men’s Chorus and the Mixed Chorus.
A memorial service will be held at the Mountain Hill Community Church—34 The Cliffs Parkway, Landrum, SC 29356—at 3 pm on Thursday, May 3, 2018. Light hors d’oeuvres and refreshments will be served in the Fellowship Hall immediately following the service.
In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Nick can be made to St. Joseph’s Indian School, Greenville County Animal Care, or a charity of your choice.
Arrangements by Mackey Funerals and Cremations at Century Dr., mackeymortuary.com
