Gifts of record

Somewhere along the way to obsolescence, vinyl records began making a cult-like comeback. It’s more than nostalgia. It’s the sound, say fans, the richer, fuller sound that you just don’t get with digital. Still, vinyl isn’t the main means to get your kicks on Route 66. MP3 players and Internet radio are handy. Downloads are cheap. And then there’s that other aging technology called a CD. These are the ways we listen to music now.

That doesn’t mean, however, that the 78 and 33 1/3 RPM vinyls recently donated by Alan and June Dyer can’t perk up ears – be they young or old and not too gone from thundering decibels.

The Dyers’ gift really begins with their $47,000 pledge to the Cal State San Bernardino music department. With that gift comes a historical record collection. So now, plans for a new Theatre Arts Building at CSUSB will include accommodations for the Alan G. Dyer Music Collection and Listening Room.

“Cal State San Bernardino gave me the professional skills to be successful as an educator and civic leader, so there was never a doubt in my mind that I was going to give back to the university,” said Dyer, a 1968 graduate of CSUSB with a bachelor’s in sociology. The listening room will allow students to improvise on their instruments as they learn from many of the masters of jazz and contemporary music as it was captured on vinyl. The collection will also be available to the public.

The Dyers’ gift is the first in an entire set of resources that will help fund the proposed Theatre Arts Building.

“June and Alan’s generous gift will allow the music department to fill a significant need — an electronic rehearsal space where students can study and practice along with audio recordings,” said music department chair Todd Johnson. “The Dyers’ vintage record collection will be the centerpiece of the new facility.”

A retired educator, Alan Dyer taught in San Bernardino and Rialto schools, as well as adult education. He also retired from the U.S. Air Force, and has served as an elected director on the West Valley Water District Board for the past 18 years. He currently serves on the CSUSB Water Resources Institute’s Advisory Board, and is a lifetime member of the CSUSB Alumni Association.

He grew up in Fontana. He and his wife have resided in Rialto for the past 38 years.  June is also a CSUSB alumna. She retired from the San Bernardino City Unified School District after retiring from the U.S. Civil Service at Norton Air Force Base.

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