ART BEATS-Art Beats: Stockton Honors Dr. Beverly Vaughn’s Musical Legacy
“Seasons in Song” celebrated Dr. Beverly Vaughn’s contributions to music, education and community, honoring the lives she has touched across South Jersey.
GALLOWAY TOWNSHIP — On Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026, the Stockton Oratorio Society presented “Seasons in Song: From Autumn to Noel,” a special tribute to the legacy of Dr. Beverly Vaughn.
South Jersey cultural leaders, including Ralph Hunter of the African American Heritage Museum of Southern New Jersey and Henrietta Shelton of the Chicken Bone Beach Historical Foundation, joined hundreds of singers, musicians, educators and others to celebrate a woman whose influence reaches far beyond the stage.
If you arrived knowing little about Dr. Vaughn, you quickly learned that her legacy encompasses much more than notes on a page.
From Stockton University President Dr. Joe Bertolino to members of the choirs she has directed and colleagues who have worked alongside her, speakers returned to the same qualities: her kindness, her smile and those unforgettable hugs.
Of course, there is plenty to say about her musical gifts. Dr. Vaughn is a brilliant pianist, a world-class choir director and a gifted mezzo-soprano. Her artistry alone would be reason enough to fill a room in celebration.
But Sunday’s tribute made something else clear: There is only one Dr. Beverly Vaughn, and God ain’t making no more.
One evening could never capture everything she has given to the arts, gospel music and the broader community. Still, “Seasons in Song” offered a heartfelt glimpse of the many ways she has touched people’s lives.
It celebrated the educator who has inspired others to become musicians and teachers. The motivator who helps people recognize their own gifts. The community builder who brings voices together to perform Handel’s Messiah, creating connections that last long after the final note.
And it honored the woman who shows up when people need her most.
At funerals, when families are struggling to find comfort, Dr. Vaughn has offered her music, her smile and her presence. Those gifts may never appear in a concert program or on a list of professional accomplishments, but they matter deeply to the people receiving them.
That is what stayed with me after Sunday’s celebration. For all the praise of her extraordinary talent, people kept coming back to how she made them feel.
Dr. Beverly Vaughn has spent a lifetime teaching people to lift their voices. Along the way, she has lifted their spirits, strengthened their confidence and given them a place to belong.
The final applause at “Seasons in Song” marked the end of a concert. Her legacy continues every time someone she inspired steps forward to teach, to sing or to offer comfort.
That is music no closing curtain can silence.
Stockton, President Dr. Joe Bertolino on his relationship with Dr. Vaughn
Dr. Ian Marshall discusses his relationship with Dr. Vaughn
Slide show of Dr. Vaughn from her first days at Stockton to The Present. And a presentation by The Africana Studies Program
The Children's Choir of Southern New Jersey Perform AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL at The Dr. Vaughn Tribute
RIDE ON KING JESUS performed by The Charter Tech and ACIT Combined Choirs
Photo Gallery of People Coming out To Celebrate Dr. Beverly Vaughn
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