Alabelle Allie Hueter died at home

in Claremont on May 12, 2014.

She was born in Omaha, Nebraska in
1924 to Zena and Alexander Hunter.
Mrs. Hueter began piano lessons at the
age of four, and also took singing and
tap dancing as a young girl. She was a
lifelong pianist and supporter of the
arts.
Mrs. Hueter came to California by
steam train in 1942 to study at Scripps
College. She met her future husband,
Pomona College student James Hueter,
at a freshman introductory dance at
Scripps. Neither of them danced and
they became acquainted.
World War II took James away from
Claremont from 1943 to 1947 and Allie
also left after her freshman year, earn-
ing her bachelors degree from the Uni-
versity of Nebraska, Omaha. She
returned to Claremont for graduate
studies in the fall of 1947 at the same
time James had returned to finish at
Pomona College. A mutual acquain-
tance put them back in touch and they
were married in March 1948, establish-
ing their home in Claremont. Daughters
Barbara and Elizabeth were born in the
early 1950s.
Mrs. Hueters life in Claremont cen-
tered around friends, community in-
volvement and her daughters school,
Foothill Country Day School. She and
her husband (on drums) played jazz
with Paul Darrow (on saxophone and
clarinet) on Friday nights in the 1950s
and early 1960s. Both daughters re-
member listening through the wall
heater vent.
During the 1960s, she was a member
of the Claremont Motion Picture Coun-
cil (with Martin Weinberger), the Fam-
ily Service Agency and the Claremont
Coordinating Council. She promoted
the Saturday childrens film series at
the Village Theater, which ran in the
1960s. Mrs. Hueter was involved with
Foothill Country Day School for over
50 years and played the piano for
dozens of school plays, Christmas pro-
grams and commencements. After her
daughters graduated in the late 1960s,
she continued to teach generations of
Foothill students the music for those
events and was well known for her
masterful accompaniment.
Mrs. Hueter loved classical and jazz
music, foreign movies and attending
the Los Angeles Philharmonic. She and
her husband were longtime patrons of
the summer Cabrillo Festival of Con-
temporary Music in Santa Cruz. She
was also a particular fan of pianist
Dave Brubeck, singer Mel Torme, Mel
Brooks movies and comedian Sid Cae-
sar. Her favorite movie was Stanley
Kubricks Dr. Strangelove or: How I
Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the
Bomb. Mrs. Hueter played jazz piano
at home and loved to perform and listen
to music with her grandsons as they
were growing up. In her last year, she
enjoyed re-watching Fawlty Towers
and listening to political histories.
She is survived by her husband of 66
years, James Hueter; by her daughters,
Barbara Schenck (Steve) of Claremont
and Elizabeth Hueter of Davis, Califor-
nia; and by her grandsons, Alexander
and James Schenck.
In lieu of flowers, contributions can
be made to the Cabrillo Festival of
Contemporary Music, 147 S. River St.
#232, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, or the
Glaucoma Institute of Beverly Hills
Research Foundation, 8733 Beverly
Blvd. Suite 301, Los Angeles, CA
90048-1800. There will be no services.
Claremont COURIER/Friday, May 16, 2014 11
Alabelle Hueter
Longtime Claremonter, arts supporter
OBITUARIES