Staff

Brian A. Mattias – President

Brian Alan Mattias was born on November 8, 1970 in Warwick, RI. He began organ lessons at age 7 and was playing First Friday masses at his church by the age of ten. He began lessons with Hazel Hawkins and then later studied with Brad DeGraide and Henri St. Louis. Brian attended Bishop Hendricken High School where he started playing the trumpet. He became an Eagle Scout in 1986 and graduated in 1988. It was during the Senior Experience Program at Hendricken that Brian began working with the Potter-Rathbun Organ Company. Upon graduation, Brian attended the University of Rhode Island for one year. He then completed five years of study at Berklee College of Music as a trumpet principal, dual majoring in Music Education and Commercial Arranging.

Brian’s interest in music started at an early age and his tastes have always been very eclectic. At age 5, the first concert he attended was Bobby Vinton at the Warwick Musical Theater. He attended a KISS concert in Providence at age 8. By the time he was in high school, Brian was heavily into jazz. In 1995, he bought a bass guitar, formed the country band ‘Sundown’ and went on to record in Nashville. The band’s first ‘big break’ was opening for Grammy Award winner Kathy Mattea at none other than the Warwick Musical Theater where Brian saw his first concert. Sundown also opened for other Nashville artists including: Trace Adkins, Chad Brock, Billy Ray Cyrus, Sarah Evans, Exile, Billy Gilman, Sammy Kershaw, Lorrie Morgan and Pam Tillis.

He has been organist/choir director at his home parish of Our Lady of Częstochowa – Coventry, RI since 1988 and still serves in that capacity. A partial list of Brian’s many interests (besides pipe organs)include: cooking/food, fine microbrews and bourbons, pedal steel guitar (Brian owns a Sho-Bud LDG), Amtrak travel, steam engines, sound engineering/recording, ham radio (N1TIK – 13wpm General), NASCAR, football and anything old that you can drive. He is always happy to spend time alone with Heather-Rose or with their cats Prissy and Martini. He served on the 2005 OHS convention committee and is a member of the RI Chapter of the American Guild of Organists. He holds a Colleague Certification from the American Institute of Organbuilders and currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Institute.

Heather-Rose Mattias – Treasurer

Heather-Rose grew up in West Warwick, RI and graduated from West Warwick High School in 1993.  After high school she began working at the Coventry Credit Union in the Bookkeeping Department.  She worked there until she moved to Florida where she worked for a Durable Medical Equipment Company, Able Medical Aids, for 2 ½ years.  Then, moving to the East coast of Florida she worked for a national radiology firm, US Diagnostic, where she was eventually promoted to a National Trainer.  In this position she was able to do much traveling to many free-standing radiology offices.  Home sick, she returned to Rhode Island in 2001.  She began working at Kent Hospital in the Patient Accounts office until July 2005.  She applied for a position with the corporate office for Care New England, the healthcare system that owns Kent Hospital, Woman & Infants Hospital and Butler Hospital.  Her current position there is Health Care Analyst.

Though she has always loved music, she was not introduced to the world of pipe organs until she began dating Brian Mattias several years ago.  She was immediately interested in the living beast – The Pipe Organ.  When Brian decided to purchase Potter-Rathbun Organ Co. it just seemed natural for her to take over the office management from the retiring Carol Rathbun.

Scott was born on June 9, 1983 in Warwick, RI. He grew up in West Warwick and lived there all of his life with the exception of a short 6 month period when he lived in Lexington, KY. He attended West Warwick public schools and graduated from West Warwick HS in 2001. Scott went on to the Community College of Rhode Island before transferring to Rhode Island College, majoring in Music Performance as a tuba principal.

Scott’s musical interest started at age 6. He began piano lessons with Mrs. Anna Bettencourt and later studied with Dr. Audrey Kaiser and Ms. Chris Briendel. In elementary school, he started trombone studies with Mr. Louis Pezzullo. In high school, Scott learned to play bass and tuba. He studied bass with Mr. Paul Bettencourt. Just six months after he began playing bass, Scott won the Judges Choice Award for outstanding musician at the Berklee College of Music Jazz Festival. His tuba instructors include Mr. Louis Pezzullo, Mr. Gary Buttery and presently Mr. Tom Gregory. During high school, Scott was a member of Rhode Island All-State band and orchestra, as well as every possible ensemble in his high school. He is a life long member of Tri-M (Modern Music Masters). In college, Scott played with CCRI Chamber Ensemble, URI Symphonic Wind Ensemble, RIC Wind Ensemble and The American Band. He has also sat in with the Fall River Symphony Orchestra and has played with his own brass quintet and small jazz combo.

Outside of music, Scott is licensed by the FCC as an Amateur Radio Operator (KB1JEB). He is a communications specialist with WWEMA and WWCERT. Scott enjoys micro brewed beers, camping, hiking and fishing. Scott is returning to school part-time to finish a degree in Law Enforcement that he started in 2001.

David was born (feet first) on October 26, 1979. He attended Cranston East HS where he played clarinet and sousaphone in the marching and concert bands. He studied at Rhode Island College and majored in Industrial Design at the Art Institute of Seattle.
Dave is an avid collector of just about everything….”yeah, I got one of those”. His interests include: cinema, drawing, composing electronic music and fine cheeses.

Along with some friends in 1999, David co-founded the Obscure Company - www.obscurecompany.com. The Obscure Company is a charitable organization that funds the community and charity organizations through unconventional events and activities.

David is an Associate member of the American Institute of Organbuilders.

Pete Gilbert

Gregory P. Drew

Bruce S. Gardzina

Caroline E. (Flanders) Rathbun

Carol was born in Providence in October of 1938 and has lived in Cranston all of her life.  She attended Oak Lawn Elementary School, Bain Jr. High School and graduated from Cranston (East) High School in 1956.  During her school years she was a member of Girl Scouts of America, beginning as a Brownie and continuing through high school as a junior leader.  Carol was a member of Oak Lawn Community Baptist Church and was active as a Sunday School helper and in the Youth Fellowship program.  Following high school, she attended the RI School of Practical Nursing and graduated in 1957.  Also in 1957, she married Arnold Rathbun. 

In addition to her work with the organ company and raising four children, Carol became a Camp Fire leader in 1958 and worked with this organization for over 25 years, sometimes leading as many as 3 groups at a time.  Arnold and Carol both joined Meshanticut Park Church where Carol was active in the Christian Education Program in many capacities for over 40 years as well as serving as church treasurer for 15 years. 

Both Arnold and Carol enjoyed camping and managed to combine work with pleasure many times as the whole family made camping trips to northern New York State and northern New England to repair pipe organs.  The children took turns holding keys for their father and the whole family enjoyed afternoons of sightseeing and evenings around the campfire. 

Now in semi-retirement, Carol enjoys her part time secretarial job at Oak Lawn Baptist Church and spends as much time as possible with her grandchildren.  She is also Arnold’s full time care giver.

Arnold Charles Rathbun (Retired)

Arnold was born at 465 Oaklawn Avenue in Cranston on August 16, 1928, the son of Eola May (King) and Ernest Charles Rathbun.  He has one sister, Helen, who is 14 years older than he.  He attended Meshanticut Park Grammar School through 8^th grade.  He and a friend printed a newssheet about Meshanticut Park for a few years while they were in Grammar School.  This was done on a small home printing machine with hand set letters.  He studied piano and organ with Dorothy Sperry.  His father ran a machine shop at 520 Oaklawn Avenue for many years and Arnold was often there with his father learning how to use the machinery.  He graduated from Cranston (East) High School in 1946.

During the summer of 1945 while substituting for his teacher on the reed organ at Oak Lawn Community Baptist Church, he experienced some problems with the organ.  He contacted Ralph Potter who explained how to repair the part and get the organ running again.  Ralph took an interest in Arnold and asked him to work with him.  Much to his father’s disappointment, Arnold chose to work with Ralph instead of attending college.  Because the organ work was only part time, Arnold used his knowledge of machines and his mechanical abilities to repair clocks and reed organs in his ‘spare’ time.  Word got around and he did not lack for projects to fill his time and provide some spending money.  He continued to live at home with his parents and therefore had minimal expenses.  He played the pipe organ at Crompton Baptist Church from about 1946 until he went into the Army in 1952.  Arnold also taught a Sunday School Class at that church.  He played the pump reed organ at Plain Meeting House for the two Sunday afternoon services held there each year.  From 1952 until 1954, he served Uncle Sam in the Army near the end of the Korean Conflict.

Ralph Bassett Potter  - Founder

Ralph B. Potter was born on October 14^th in the early 1880’s in Providence, RI.  His father, William Knight Potter (1844-1914) served as mayor of Providence (Democrat) from January 1892 – 1894.  Birthplace: New York City. He became the city's second Democratic mayor, and the first after the Civil War. Potter was Chairman of the City Democrat Committee, and served as a member of the Rhode Island House of Representatives. He was also a candidate for the United States House of Representatives. (Portrait number nineteen, located on the fourth floor)