Jon Ledwon, ATOS President, was able to secure the donation of a small Wurlitzer theatre pipe organ which had been originally installed in Cecil B. DeMille's home.

Dave Moreno, Sacramento's resident theatre pipe organ builder and technician, was employed to design and manage the organ installation with the help of several Sierra Chapter volunteers.

Dale Mendenhall donated a beautiful three-manual console, originally installed in Lowe's State Theatre, St. Louis, to replace the smaller DeMille organ console. The Lowe's Wurlitzer had an interesting history. It was installed in the theatre in 1924 as Opus 846, a Style 235 Special. During the late 1950s, Stan Kann moved the organ to Ruggeri's restaurant where some serious mitering took place to accomodate a low ceiling. Stan served as house organist for many years until the restaurant closed. When the organ was sold, it was parted out and Dale Mendenhall purchased the console for his home organ.

To complete the installation, other parts were purchased, donated or traded to enlarge the organ to a total of 16 ranks. A rank is a set of pipes that produce the sound of an orchestral instrument, such as a trumpet, flute, or violin.

On Friday, November 20, 1992, the new 3/16 Wurlitzer was presented to the public by veteran theatre organist, Jack Moelmann. Guest speakers at the official unveiling ceremony included Ernest Hartley, Museum Director; Jay Hyde, CVF President; Douglas Fisk, ATOS Executive Director and Dale Mendenhall, ATOS Board Member and Chairman of the Organ Project.

The mission of ATOS is to preserve and promote the theatre pipe organ and its music. Installing an organ in a museum for the benefit of museum patrons and the public is consistent with that idea. Sierra Chapter has sponsored numerous concerts and silent movie programs during the past twelve years. The organ has also been featured at all of Nick Langdon's classic film productions.

In 1994, Jeanne Blau, Events Coordinator, established the Sunday Theatre Organ Pops Concerts. Since the first concert was presented on May 1, 1994, there have been more than 100 concerts featuring a dozen different organists. Over 6,000 visitors have attended these Sunday afternoon concerts.

On July 2, 2002, ownership of the organ was transferred from the American Theatre Organ Society to Sierra Chapter, ATOS, a California nonprofit public benefit corporation. Sierra Chapter is now responsible for tuning and maintenance. Donations to the chapter are tax deductible and greatly appreciated.

The California Vehicle Foundation and Sierra Chapter enjoy a very special relationship. Working together, we will continue to make beautiful music at the Towe Auto Museum.