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The Los Angeles Dodgers reported Saturday that former longtime organist Nancy Bea Hefley has died. She was 89.
The Dodgers took to social media to share condolences and best wishes to Hefley’s friends and family, and added that she delighted millions of fans for nearly 30 years.
A moment of silence for Hefley was conducted before Saturday night's game at Dodger Stadium.
Since 1971, Dodger Stadium has been the home to three organists, including Helen Dell, Hefley and Dieter Ruehle.
As a lifelong Dodger fan, and reporter who interviewed Hefley, the news of her passing stung sharply, like losing a beloved grandmother.
Hefley made her Dodger Stadium debut in 1988, the year the team went on to beat the then Oakland A’s in the World Series.
She continued to play at Chavez Ravine until her retirement in 2015.
Before coming to Dodger Stadium, Hefley was a substitute organist for the Angels. When she wasn’t at a stadium, she played for over 55 years at Bellflower Baptist Church.
During the 1988 season, Hefley was known for playing the tune “Master of the House” from the musical Les Misérables whenever known musical theater aficionado Orel Hershiser would take the mound, the Los Angeles Times reported.
By 1994, Hefley had played for President Richard Nixon and George H. W. Bush, done talk shows, recorded movie soundtracks such as Major League II, and accompanied some of the world’s greatest singers, LA Weekly reported.
She confessed that when the Dodgers played badly, “It’s hard. The things you think of, you wouldn’t dare play.”
Before retiring, Hefley would commute from Nevada to Los Angeles for homestands. She was often accompanied by her husband, Bill, who died in 2019.
With a smile of a loving grandmother, Hefley greeted my son and I in the Vin Scully Press Box at Dodger Stadium.
It was Wednesday, Aug 10, 2011, and we were invited to the stadium to cover the late 100-year-old Thaddeus “Ted” Kowalski of Apple Valley as he prepared to play the organ.
As Kowalski began playing, a handful of reporters left their laptops and game notes and focused their attention on the master musician from the Victor Valley.
“Oh, I love this organ, it sounds so good,” Kowalski told Hefley, as he continued to play, his music filling the stadium.
Hefley told me that Kowalski was “one of the rare musicians” who ever sat at the stadium’s Baldwin organ and was “so comfortable” that “he played it like he owned it.”
Kowalski also praised the Dodger organist, saying “Nancy is so beautiful and she really knows how to play this organ. I’m honored just to be sitting here.”
As Kowalski played, Hefley whispered to me, “He really is a gem and he plays masterfully.”
As Hefley turned back to Kowalski, Dodger radio announcer Vin Scully entered the room and made his way toward us.
“We are delighted and honored to have you here,” said Scully, as he smiled and shook Kowalski’s hand.
“You are my favorite announcer and I’ve listened to you since you came here,” Kowalski told Scully. “I could listen to you forever. You know what to say at the right time.”
Standing between Scully and Hefley made me feel like it was my grandparent’s house during the holidays, minus the tamales and cookies.
Scully was considered the “Voice of the Dodgers,” and had been the team’s announcer since 1950 and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982.
When Kowalski told Scully he couldn’t listen to any other radio announcer, Scully replied, “I’m like an old pair of shoes: You just get comfortable with them.”
Scully died in August 2022. He was 94.
Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on X @DP_ReneDeLaCruz
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Reporter’s notebook: Mourning former Dodgers organist Nancy Bea Hefley
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The Dodgers took to social media to share condolences and best wishes to Hefley’s friends and family, and added that she delighted millions of fans for nearly 30 years.
A moment of silence for Hefley was conducted before Saturday night's game at Dodger Stadium.
Since 1971, Dodger Stadium has been the home to three organists, including Helen Dell, Hefley and Dieter Ruehle.
As a lifelong Dodger fan, and reporter who interviewed Hefley, the news of her passing stung sharply, like losing a beloved grandmother.
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Dodger Stadium debut
Hefley made her Dodger Stadium debut in 1988, the year the team went on to beat the then Oakland A’s in the World Series.
She continued to play at Chavez Ravine until her retirement in 2015.
Before coming to Dodger Stadium, Hefley was a substitute organist for the Angels. When she wasn’t at a stadium, she played for over 55 years at Bellflower Baptist Church.
During the 1988 season, Hefley was known for playing the tune “Master of the House” from the musical Les Misérables whenever known musical theater aficionado Orel Hershiser would take the mound, the Los Angeles Times reported.
By 1994, Hefley had played for President Richard Nixon and George H. W. Bush, done talk shows, recorded movie soundtracks such as Major League II, and accompanied some of the world’s greatest singers, LA Weekly reported.
She confessed that when the Dodgers played badly, “It’s hard. The things you think of, you wouldn’t dare play.”
Before retiring, Hefley would commute from Nevada to Los Angeles for homestands. She was often accompanied by her husband, Bill, who died in 2019.
Meeting Nancy Bea
With a smile of a loving grandmother, Hefley greeted my son and I in the Vin Scully Press Box at Dodger Stadium.
It was Wednesday, Aug 10, 2011, and we were invited to the stadium to cover the late 100-year-old Thaddeus “Ted” Kowalski of Apple Valley as he prepared to play the organ.
As Kowalski began playing, a handful of reporters left their laptops and game notes and focused their attention on the master musician from the Victor Valley.
“Oh, I love this organ, it sounds so good,” Kowalski told Hefley, as he continued to play, his music filling the stadium.
'Nancy is so beautiful'
Hefley told me that Kowalski was “one of the rare musicians” who ever sat at the stadium’s Baldwin organ and was “so comfortable” that “he played it like he owned it.”
Kowalski also praised the Dodger organist, saying “Nancy is so beautiful and she really knows how to play this organ. I’m honored just to be sitting here.”
As Kowalski played, Hefley whispered to me, “He really is a gem and he plays masterfully.”
As Hefley turned back to Kowalski, Dodger radio announcer Vin Scully entered the room and made his way toward us.
“We are delighted and honored to have you here,” said Scully, as he smiled and shook Kowalski’s hand.
“You are my favorite announcer and I’ve listened to you since you came here,” Kowalski told Scully. “I could listen to you forever. You know what to say at the right time.”
Standing between Scully and Hefley made me feel like it was my grandparent’s house during the holidays, minus the tamales and cookies.
Scully was considered the “Voice of the Dodgers,” and had been the team’s announcer since 1950 and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982.
When Kowalski told Scully he couldn’t listen to any other radio announcer, Scully replied, “I’m like an old pair of shoes: You just get comfortable with them.”
Scully died in August 2022. He was 94.
Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on X @DP_ReneDeLaCruz
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Reporter’s notebook: Mourning former Dodgers organist Nancy Bea Hefley
Continue reading...
