Carousel organ receives new life through Gary Bagley ’69

From left: Kelsie Barrineau’s grandfather, Gary Bagley ’69, Kelsie Barrineau ’26, and Kelsie’s grandmother, Jennifer Bagley, at a Furman Singers concert. Photo provided

Furman University alumnus Gary Bagley ’69 chronicled his restoration of a vintage band organ in Carousel Organ, a publication of the Carousel Organ Association of America. Bagley, a music education alum and retired Presbyterian minister, began tuning and repairing pianos in his father’s shop at age 15 and later tinkered with player pianos and other mechanical instruments. Bagley’s father, John, came into possession of the abandoned Gebrüder Bruder organ in 1962. Previously, it was “on assignment” in a Virginia carousel ride, then later was part of the traveling fairground circuit, making rounds in a 1940 Dodge truck.

The first attempts to restore the WWI-era organ came in the late 1980s and early 1990s. After sitting idle for nearly 30 years in John’s shop in Georgia, the organ was moved to Gary’s shop, where it underwent extensive restoration in 2021. Now fully restored, the 185-pipe organ saw repairs to the facade, pump, pipes, pipe chests, player chest, drums (snare and bass), and drum mechanisms, among other fixes. The organ is thought to be among only a few in existence in the world.

Bagley’s granddaughter, Kelsie Barrineau ’26, is a vocal performance major who is minoring in linguistics. She alerted Furman News to the article. Ron Bopp, editor of Carousel Organ, granted permission to make the content available on Furman News.