Helen Swan Padberg

HELEN SWAN PADBERG entered this world in 1919, the third offspring of Frank P. and Birdie B. Rudell Swan and entered eternal rest in 2017. Raised in the new state of Oklahoma her hometown bordered on what was no man's land 10 years previously. Music and family were the focus of her life. Helen excelled in piano lessons with her aunt and then began to study violin. She provided performed numerous recitals before leaving for Stephens College where she focused on the violin, was a featured soloist with the college symphony, and joined the faculty string quartet. Matriculating to the University of Oklahoma for a Bachelor of Music, she was honored with the Holmberg Award as the most outstanding student in the school of music. Persisting with musical training at Northwestern University, Chicago, she was awarded a Master of Music and became a featured soloist with the Northwestern Symphony, highlighted by a virtuoso performance at the commencement concert. Pi Kappa Lambda, an honorary music fraternity elected her to membership. Post-graduate violin study continued at Music Mountain in Connecticut and with Jacques Gordon in New York City. More recently, she learned to play the Harp as well. While at Northwestern she met and married a fellow Oklahoman, Frank T Padberg, who practiced Neurosurgery in Little Rock and subsequently served as Director of Fellowship and Graduate Medical Education at the American College of Surgeons, Chicago. They shared a love of music as he was also an accomplished vocalist who declined a professional music career to pursue medicine. Both husband and wife were well known for their impeccable style while maintaining dual residences in Arkansas and Illinois. The elegance of her music and character complemented each other. Helen pursued an active musical career and toured with the USO during the Second World War. She played violin with orchestras in New York, Chicago, and Oklahoma City which included performances in Carnegie Hall, Orchestra Hall, and The Chicago Civic Opera House. Her talent was recognized when she was designated concertmaster with the Chicago West Suburban Symphony. She was a founding member of the Little Rock Chamber Music Society, and served as concertmaster of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra. A unique contribution was her role as concertmaster for a television series featuring Marjorie Lawrence, Soprano with the Metropolitan Opera; Helen recruited a trio consisting of herself on violin, Mary Head on piano, and Jean Adams on Cello for these broadcasts. She offered private instruction in both piano and violin. Professional memberships include the American Federation of Musicians, American Harp Society, and Mu Phi Episilon (a music fraternity). Helen was in demand as a volunteer leader, serving her community as a Cub Scout Den leader, Girl Scout leader, and Vacation Bible School teacher. She served as a Deacon, Elder, and/or Trustee at 2nd Presbyterian in Little Rock and 4th Presbyterian in Chicago. She served as President of the Arkansas Medical Society Auxiliary, the Pulaski County Medical Auxiliary, The Little Rock Aesthetic Club, the Pi Beta Phi Alumnae Club, Pulaski County Board of Directors for the Visiting Nurses Association, The American Opera Society (Chicago), and International Women's Associates. She also contributed to The Women's Committee for Public Affairs in Arkansas and served for decades as Historian/Archivist for the Arkansas Medical Society Auxiliary and the American Opera Society. Helen is a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, served as a docent at the Newberry Library (Chicago), and was a member of the Stephens College Alumnae Association Board. Helen was predeceased by her husband Frank and her older siblings, Frank Rudell Swan, and Ruth Swan Crabbe. Her surviving family includes daughter Kristen, a real estate professional in Denver Colo., and son Frank Jr, a Professor of Vascular Surgery at Rutgers, New Jersey Medical School, Newark N.J.; Frank Jr. is married to Sharon Smith. Helen's grandson F Thomas Padberg III recently established practice as a physical therapist in Tennessee. She is especially grateful to the two caregivers who facilitated her tenacious grasp on the twilight of her life: Keisha Barnum and Brenda Lloyd. Helen stated that she had "two strong desires as she grew up: to play the violin and to have a family". This elegant and loving woman's life story exceeded her youthful expectations. A memorial service is scheduled Monday, Nov. 14 at 1:30 p.m.at the 2nd Presbyterian church. In lieu of flowers, please direct any memorials in her honor to the 2nd Presbyterian Church, 600 Pleasant Valley Dr., Little Rock, Ark. Arrangements are made under the direction of Ruebel Funeral Home and an online guestbook will be maintained at www.ruebelfuneralhome.com.