October 26th, 1936: Helen Margaret Kotur purchased Symphonic Masterpieces. Sixty-three years later her great-grand-niece, Abigail Dentico, would be born on the same day. I found it sort of comical that Helen would have never guessed that Abigail Dentico’s college roommate would do a deep-dive on the internet, and dig up old records all because Abigail inherited three books from her great-grandmother’s sister.

Helen Margaret Kotur, later Helen Hunter, was born in Austria, Hungary in 1915, but very quickly her parents Anna and Andrew Kontur fled to Yonkers, New York. Shortly after, her sister, Yolanda (and Abigail’s great-grandmother), was born. Helen’s family then moved to, and continued to live in Buffalo for the majority of her life. Her sister Yolanda eventually moved to Rockland County, where Abigail’s family resided (and still resides now).

Abigail Dentico is a music major at SUNY New Paltz, and while she has an extensive knowledge on music, she is an alluring Celloist. I consider myself lucky to share a space with someone who brings a powerful energy into the house. Abigail’s talents extend beyond her. Her father, David Dentico is a musician himself. And Abigail’s grandparents, Sheila Dentico and Michael Dentico, are lovers of music too. In Sheila’s obituary, she was claimed to adore music, especially going to her husband and son’s bands. And of course, Abigail’s great-grandmother (Yolanda Kotur), and great-grandaunt Helen Margaret Kutor had a love for music. Above I have pictured Helen as a violinist in 1932 at her high school Hutchinson-Central High School.

Abigail provided me with three books: Symphonic Masterpieces, The Lure of Music and Beloved Friends: The Story of Tchaikowsky and Nadejda Von Meck. All three of these books have dates in them from the 1930s, around the time Helen was going to school, or finishing up school. Helen was an educated woman. In the 1930’s, only 2% of women achieved a high school degree in the city of Buffalo. As I dug through many of the newspaper clippings, I discovered that she had a love for the Irish Tenor, John McCormack. While the books were purchased in the 1930’s, the newspaper clippings range from the 1930’s to the 1980’s. Some of them are from a newspaper in Fort Lauderdale, others in New York City, and of course, some are from Buffalo, New York. Throughout the book, Helen underlines and writes notes about them. She had a love for music and playing music. She could have never comprehended how music would be passed down through her family.

In 1949, Helen Kutor married Wilbur Hunter. They had no children together. Helen’s whereabouts are hard to discover after her marriage, but it is likely Fort Lauderdale. As I dug through her newspaper clippings, I discovered that many of them are from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. I am assuming after their marriage, Helen moved to Florida. Wilbur passed away in 1980. She passed away in 2003, leaving her sister Yolanda to take her remaining stuff. Yolanda and Helen were very close, and loved each other dearly. Many of Helen’s things went to Yolanda. When Yolanda passed away, Abigail’s grandparents, Michael and Sheila Dentico, cleaned out Yolanda’s house, and these books laid in a box. At the unfortunate passing of the beloved Micheal and Sheila (as they passed away in close proximity of time to each other), Abigail’s father, David Dentico, went to clean out the house. At that point, David must’ve picked up these books, most likely to save for Abigail, who loves classical music.

Abigail, on a trip home one day, asked if she could have them. She inquired with her father about who’s books they were, and he knew that it was Margaret’s book. David, however, was certain that she went ot Julliard. I spent a lot of time researching her name, using ancestry.com, looking through pictures– I was unable to find anything that said so. One 1940 census reported that she had only completed high school, and at that point she was 25. It is unlikely she went to Julliard.

Abigail helped me to start this project, but I took on a lot. I found a picture of her in high school, and found out she was a deep music lover. I also discovered that Abigail’s father, grandparents and great-grandparents were great lovers of music. I feel myself deeply attached to Abigail’s family, and I found that their love for music is intrinsic to their ancestry. All of them were great lovers of music, and performed on many occasions. Abigail, too, has brought a great life in my life. She is one of my best friends, one of the warmest people I know. She brings a great deal of love and music into my life. And I find this to be more effectual and alluring, knowing how important it has been to her family too.