Lloyd Alan Scheidt

Alan was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on March 27, 1960. He attended the Greenhills High School where he was involved in theater and the school newspaper as a movie critic. He served as Editor of the school newspaper his junior year. In addition, he was awarded Best Actor both his Junior and Senior years. His favorite role was the Cowardly Lion in the Wizard of Oz.

Alan attended Wright University in Dayton, Ohio and majored in Theater from 1978-1979. He transferred to the Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music and continued to major in Theater from 1979-1980.

Alan worked in several restaurants and in the New World Bookstore in Cincinnati.

Alan’s chief activities were writing, theater and film. He worked as a staff writer and reporter for the Nouveau in Cincinnati, from 1990-1991. He was the Classical Music host of Command Performance at WGUC 90.9 FM and was a contributing writer to ArtScape Magazine in 1994-1995. He was a contributing writer to the City Beat in Cincinnati, from 1997-2007. In addition he was a contributing writer to Horizons at the University of Cincinnati and worked as Editor-in-Chief at the Art Spike Magazine from 2002[2003.

In 2006 Allan won the First Prize Award in the Ruth Rauth Memorial Poetry Contest, sponsored by the Cincinnati Writer’s League.

Alan met George Graham in the New World Bookstore where Alan helped George find Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s Sonnets from the Portuguese and other Poems. A week later they met again in the lobby of Symphony Hall in Cincinnati and soon Alan moved to Union, Kentucky, to live with George where George was a public health director and professor. When George retired in 2007, they moved together to Phoenix.

Alan’s passion was film and his knowledge of film was encyclopedic. According to George, “The only person who was more knowledgeable is Robert Osborne of Turner Classic Movies.” The Harkins Theater tee shirt and cup were annual Christmas gifts.

Adding to his passion for film was Alan’s love of the annual Academy Awards. Alan started watching the telecast when he was 13 and never missed a single show.

Alan was often writing something. Whether it was a poem, and article, an opinion piece, or capturing an impression, his pen or fingers were at work. Some of his writing was for publication and some was for himself. Two of his poems were published in the 2013 booklet of poems by members of the Phoenix Quaker Meeting monthly poetry group.

While being a writer was how Alan viewed himself, he maintained a keen interest in theater. His last performance was in Cincinnati in the production of “In the Boys’ Room” that was written by his friend and playwright, Kevin Barry. Alan and George enjoyed going to plays produced in the many theaters in Cincinnati, New York City, and Phoenix.

Seeing opera productions in Cincinnati was where Alan revealed another facet of his appreciation of the arts. His enthusiasm became infectious, and George too grew to enjoy seeing opera thoroughly, especially the productions at the Met in New York.

Alan’s comprehensive appreciation of the arts can be summed up by his e-mail address: alanlivesarts.

While in Phoenix, Alan became a member of Phoenix Sister Cities from 2011-2012. He was also a member of Park Central Toastmasters and Phoenix Quaker Meeting, which he considered his spiritual home.

Alan’s hobby was cooking. He loved to invite friends to the house for a meal that he prepared. The food, lively conversation and friendship were a perfect mix and a convivial way to spend an evening.

Alan died in Phoenix on October 5, 2014. He is survived by his partner of many years, George Graham.