The University Record, November 5, 1996
OBITUARY: Benning Dexter
Benning Dexter, professor emeritus in the School of Music, died Sept. 23. He was 81. Dexter joined the U-M in 1949 and served as chair of the piano division in 1961-73. He retired in 1985.
He attended San Jose State College and the University of California before receiving a fellowship to the Juilliard School where he studied with Alexander Siloti, Felix Salmond and Sascha Gorodnitzky.
His solo and chamber music performances included television and radio broadcasts, including several dozen on Radio Tokyo during the early occupation of Japan in 1945-46 as well as network broadcasts in this country.
During his career, Dexter premiered works by Ross Finney, Leslie Bassett, George Wilson and Darius Milhaud in his concerts and recitals. He was a frequent recitalist in California and the Great Lakes region.
He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth, and daughter, Drucilla. His first wife, cellist Betty Barbour, died in 1969. Memorial contributions may be made to the School of Music to establish a scholarship in his name.
