Chip Almarode writes:
Sprinkle had the idea, but he did not actual build the organ. Two men other than Mr. Sprinkle made the organ. One of the men was my dad, Loyd Almarode. The other man was Richard Beaver. My dad did the outside cabinet, Richard Beaver did the interior portion. They worked for Klan Organ in Waynesboro, Virginia. I’m not much of a story writer, but I thought you would like the rest of the untold facts about the Organ in the Luray Caverns. As probably as most stories go, the chiefs get the glory, and the support team doesn’t share in the glory, only the failures. Did Edison make all of the light bulbs or just the last one or did he? Did the Wright brothers make and assemble ever part in their plane? So that is why I thought I would give you the true facts on the Great Stalacpipe Organ. The man with the idea never put a piece of sand paper to wood that is displayed in the Luray Caverns. He may have tuned it, but he didn’t form the wood into a piece of beautiful furniture. As I previously mention, the two young men, Loyd Almarode and Richard Beaver, were the craftsmen. My dad was 28 years old when he worked for Klan Organ. Since then my dad was featured in the local newspaper as well as on a Richmond, Va. PBS TV program called Virginia Current. My dad died in 1996 at the age of 70. He was a master carpenter. My nephew, Jeremy Almarode, at the age of 28, wrote the following poem in honor of his Papaw.

The Master Carpenter:

An idea in his head, a small sketch on a pad,
Was all he needed, it was all he had:

He”d head towards his shop with a gleam in his eye,
Not knowing if he could build it, but willing to try;

He”d scratch down some figures, and then scratch his head,
And through it all, not a word he said;

He then began working, what a sight to behold,
He treated each piece as if it were gold;

His hands never really held the wood,
but like a potter working with clay,
He”d shape and mold his intricate pieces
as though he were at play;

He assembled it all with the greatest of care,
each piece put carefully in place,
And out the sawdust filled workshop he emerged,
with a smile upon his face;

A job well done, a masterpiece made;
My grandfather, the carpenter, a master of his trade.