Dr. Roy Pritts

Roy Pritts, educator, musician, composer, author, administrator and recording engineer died in Aurora, Colorado on June 20, 2007. He was 70. Professor Pritts established the Music Technology/Recording Arts program at the University of Colorado at Denver in 1971 and was instrumental in founding the graduate program in Recording Arts in 2002. He taught audio engineering, electronic music and music composition until his retirement in May 2006. During his tenure he served as the Resident Dean of the College of Music (now the College of Arts & Media at the University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center) from 1984-1989. He also taught audio engineering courses at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell, the University of Miami, the Institutes of Cinematography in both St. Petersburg and Moscow, the Moscow State University (Russia), the Technical Universities of Gdansk (Poland) and Prague (Czech Republic), Taller de Arte Sonoro (Venezuela) and the University of Lulea-Pitea (Sweden). As a professional musician and composer, he was on the arranging staffs of the Martha Raye television show and the Stan Kenton Orchestra, and performed with such artists as Les Elgart, Billy May, John Denver, The Carpenters, The Fifth Dimension, Elvis Presley and Andrew Lloyd Webber. He also performed with the Denver Symphony Orchestra and created multi-media compositions for the Gates Planetarium. He played trombone, piano, synthesizer and other instruments. Professor Pritts graduated from East High School in 1955. He attended the University of Denver where he earned a Bachelor of Music Education in 1966 and a Master of Arts in Composition in 1975. The University of Colorado Board of Regents presented the Centennial Medallion to him in1976 for service to the University. In 1981 he received the University of Colorado at Denver faculty award for 'Outstanding Research, Publications and Creative Work.' As a consultant in audio forensics, he advised the Colorado Bureau of Investigation and numerous other Colorado agencies. He presented technical articles, papers and panels on topics in education, audio recording, acoustics, hearing damage and electronic music to the Audio Engineering Society, Society of Broadcast Engineers, Acoustical Society of America, The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, The Society of Professional Audio Recording Services, MIX Magazine, PRO SOUND NEWS, EQ magazine and DOWNBEAT magazine. Professor Pritts participated in a variety of leadership positions in the Audio Engineering Society, serving twice on the Board of Governors, chairing the Education, Membership and Admissions Committees, serving as Vice President of the Western U.S./Canada Region, and as President. His biography appeared in the "International Who's Who in Music and Musicians," and in the "Who's Who in American Music'. The Pritts Collection of historical audio technology is on display at the National Center for Voice and Speech in Denver. UCDHSC Provost Mark Heckler said, 'With the passing of Professor Roy Pritts, the University has lost an esteemed colleague, a dedicated teacher, and a dear friend. Audio studios from coast-to-coast and around the globe are staffed with engineers who earned their recording chops under Roy's tutelage. He brought extensive knowledge, a steady hand, a superlative ear, and genuine compassion to his work as an educator. He was celebrated internationally as an innovative artist and educator, and all who knew him were captivated by his stories and moved by his passionate advocacy for his chosen profession.' Roger Furness, Executive Director of the Audio Engineering Society observed, 'Roy first joined the AES in 1974 and served the society very well since then, as Chair of the AES Colorado Section, three terms as an AES Governor, Vice President Western U.S. Canada Region and President (2000-2001) of the Society. He had been Chair of the Membership, Admissions, Nominations, Awards, Education and Regions and Sections Committees and was a Life Member and Fellow of the AES. He was instrumental in promoting the Education Fair/Forum at International conventions of the AES and directed the establishment of the Student Delegate Assembly. He visited many AES Student Sections in the U.S., Venezuela, Sweden, Russia, Poland and Croatia. He chaired the Audio Forensics AES Conference held in Denver in 2005. Roy was very generous with his time and knowledge, especially to students, and his opinion was respected and sought. His sense of humor was well known and his friends and colleagues enjoyed his company both in audio discussions and socially. He will be greatly missed by many people in the audio world.' The survivors of Professor Pritts include a sister (Diane Lewis), four children (Randy [Melody], Kurt [Kelly], Candace [Craig McCormick] and Stephanie [Brock Dennis]), seven grandchildren (Christopher, Amanda, Brittney, Brook, Caitlin, Ethan, and Ava), two great-grandchildren (Lucas, Aubree) and significant friend Wanda Newman. The family will receive friends on Friday, June 29, 4:00 - 8:00 p.m. at Horan & McConaty Family Chapel, 11150 East Dartmouth Avenue (at Parker Road) in Aurora. A memorial service followed by a reception will be held in the Concert Hall at the King Academic and Performing Arts Center, 855 Lawrence Way on the Auraria Campus on Saturday, June 30 at 2:00 p.m. For details, visit www.horanandmcconaty.com. The family has established a scholarship in his honor for graduate students in Audio at the University of Colorado Denver. Contributions may be made payable to ARCS Colorado, P.O. Box 6808, Denver, CO 80206-0808. On the memo liine of your check, please write: Roy Pritts Memorial.