Jazz pianist and radio personality Marian McPartland, who died at her home Tuesday at 95, had a
special relationship to Bowling Green.The host of “Piano Jazz,” an NPR staple, performed here a number of
times dating by the 1970s, and most recently in April , 1998 when she received an honorary degree from
Bowling Green State University.At that time she told the Sentinel-Tribune, Bowling
Green felt like a second home. She’d met and maintained contact with so many people.Her performances
included playing an Edvard Grieg piano concerto with the Bowling Green Philharmonia. She acknowledged
getting coaching on the piece by Virginia Marks.“They very kindly let me try it out,” McPartland said in
1998.That grace was evident when she returned to the university to receive an honorary degree.Shortly before
the concert and degree presentation, she met bass student Emily Rupp, of Bowling Green.Later during the
concert she dedicated Johnny Mandel’s “Emily” to the student.Before she received the degree, she played a
half dozen numbers with professors Roger Schupp on drums and Jeff Halsey on bass.“It’s always great to play
with an icon,” Halsey said at the time.She and the bassist even engaged in an impromptu duet on “All Things
You Are” that summoned the spirit of J.S. Bach in the middle of a jazz set to the amusement of musicians and
audience alike.The event closed with McPartland joining a larger contingent of faculty for a rousing version
of “Things Ain’t What They Used To Be.”