Bok Tower Gardens: Harp for the Holidays 2012

Here is this week’s holiday video. The photos were taken on our visit to Bok Tower Gardens in Lake Wales, Florida. This amazing carillon tower and 50-acre garden was given to the American people by Edward Bok. Edward Bok (1863-1930)was an author and editor, most notably of The Ladies Home Journal which was published by Philadelphia publisher Cyrus Curtis.

And therein lies the music connection. Edward Bok married the boss’s daughter, Mary Louise Curtis, who founded The Curtis Institute of Music in 1924. In 1927, the Boks began construction on Bok Tower Gardens near their Florida winter home. The Tower Gardens were dedicated February 1, 1928 by President Calvin Coolidge.

The music accompanying the video is Bell Carol from “Break Forth.”

I leave you with a quote from Edward Bok, on the occasion of the Tower’s dedication:

Make you the world a bit better or more beautiful because you have lived in it.