Margaretha Lohmann Blumen; Pianist, Teacher

Margaretha Lohmann Blumen, 96, a pianist and teacher who founded the music department at Whittier College. She was born in St. Louis; her mother was an accomplished pianist who studied at the St. Louis Conservatory. The family moved to Los Angeles when Margaretha was 4, and she began studying at a local music academy. Known professionally as Margaretha Lohmann, she began her performing career in earnest after high school. She traveled the Western states and Canada before taking a job at Whittier College, where she founded the music department in 1929. In her 41-year career at Whittier, Lohmann launched the college’s Bach Festival, now in its 64th year, and brought the Community Concert series to Whittier. Among her students was future President Nixon, Class of 1934. On Dec. 30 of congestive heart failure in Folsom, Calif.