The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-03-18
SHIP LAUNCHING
 IN MAINE FRIDAY
s. s. Lillian NOrdica Was Sponsored By Pres. of
 Natl Fed. of Music Clubs

From the yards of the New Eng land Shipbuilding Corporation in South Portland, Maine, the s. s. Lillian Nordica, first Liberty ship to be named for a musician or mus ical artist, went down the ways Friday, March IT. Appropriately the sponsor will be Mrs. Guy Patterson Gannett or Portland, president of the National Federation of Music Clubs, Americas largest musical or- ganization.
 The launching ceremonies will open with the singing by Miss Doris Doree, American-born dramatic soprano, of the Metropolitan Opera Company, of Ethelbert Nevin's Mighty Lax @ Rose" and Mrs. H. H. A. Beach's "The Years at the Spring" These two songs were made famous by the late diva and both were sung by Nordica when she came back to her native Maine in the fall of 1912 to dedicate the aud- itorium of Portland's City Hall. AS the s. s. Nordica begins its descent, a double quartette from the En- signs School at Bates College, Lew iston, will sing 'The Star Spangled Banner"
 Miss Jean Gannett. 2o-year-old daughter of the Federation presi- dent. who is a senior at Bradford Junior College, will be maid-of- honor at the ship christening, and music clubs officials from Maine and nearby states are on the invi- tation list. A buffet supper at Mrs. Gannett's home, Grey Rocks, Cape Elizabeth, for special guests will immediately follow the launching, and there Miss Doree, whose voice is said to resemble in quality and rich ness that of Mime. Nordica in her early career, will sing other songs from the Nordica repertoire.
 The late Lillian Nordica, one of the greatest opera artists of her day, and one of the two most fa- nous of Maine born operatic so- pranos-Emma Flames was the other was a native of Pennington, born there December 12, 1857. Nordica was a stage name, signifying from the North" adopted because her parents, whose name was Norton, were opposed to her following an operatic career.
 The future diva made her debut as tiny child at Sunday school concert in Pennington, where, after singing Little Drops of Water" SlH burst into startled tears when the audience applauded. Her early mus ical studies were at the New Eng land Conservatory in Boston, and her first professional engagement as soloist with a choir of 100 voices in that city, where she won fame by singing the high c in the "1Il- flammatus" from RosSini's "Strat- bat Mater"
 The old Norton homestead in Pennington is now museum owned by the Nordica Memorial Associa- tion, and in it are preserved many @f her Qperatic costumes, while 8 portrait of the Maine singer, in her Isolde costume, the property of the State of Maine, is hung in the Hall of Flags in the State House.
 Few natives of Maine have brought such fame to their home state as Nordica and it is regarded as highly appropriate that a Maine built ship should bear the singers name. 'The Federation of Music Clubs" according to Mrs. Gannett, lis particularly appreciative that a Maine shipyard should pioneer in naming Liberty ship for a singer and hopes that other yards will fol- low the example and perpetuate musical genius in this way"