Ronald Allen Sorgman

Ronald Allen Sorgman, born and raised in Boston Massachusetts, passed away peacefully on July 6, 2024 at the age of 81. He was preceded in death by his father George W. Sorgman and mother Emma (Klein) Sorgman. He is survived by his loving daughter Olivia Sorgman, whom he cherished. He is also survived by his brother Ken Sorgman, wife Elizabeth, nieces Vanessa and Jennifer, nephew Jonathan, and a large extended family.

Ron was a lifelong architect who worked for prestigious firms in Boston and was influential in the conversion of the Chickering Piano Factory to Piano Craft Guild Housing for Artists, that was a landmark development in the movement to recycle old buildings in Boston. He was a graduate of the Boston Architectural Center.

Ron’s never ending passion was as a Doo Wop singer. During his teens and into his 20’s, he sang first tenor with the local 4 man group, the Interludes. They performed all around Boston and New England including Symphony Hall. Later in life his group reunited and performed in several Doo Wop concerts and cruises to Bermuda which included many well known artists from the 50’s. Harmonizing in many of the classic songs of the 5O’s was his joy.

He made his second home in the mid 70’s in Santa Barbara, California for over 40 years. He worked as an architect for the County of Santa Barbara and had his own private practice.  He was very active in the Jewish Federation and created a weekly sing-a-long class that brought together a whole new community of music lovers in Santa Barbara. He was the founding member of the band the Ronelles and Imagination who performed throughout Santa Barbara for years.

Ron was always active in various community groups and organizations. He was a part of the facilities committee for the Santa Barbara Bowl Foundation supporting the restoration of the venue. He was a board member for Summer Solstice Celebration and longtime volunteer. He was involved with Visual Art in Public Places-City of Santa Barbara and a board member of Kids Draw Architecture.

Later in life, Ron moved to Hudson, Massachusetts to be closer to his long term partner and love, Kathy Whitten. During his 8 years prior to his passing, he taught guitar locally and got involved with many local advisory groups. He teamed up with 5 local residents and formed the Hudson Cultural Alliance, a nonprofit whose mission is to promote, sustain and enhance the creative economy in Hudson. He was also on the Hudson Historic Commission, Disabilities Board and Zoning Appeals Board. He rejoined forces with his longtime friend Gil Goldman from the Interludes and they performed as a duo, The Real Deal.

The Interludes and the Real Deal ended all their performances with the classic Doo-Wop song by the
50’s group, The Spaniels: “Goodnight sweetheart, well it’s time to go.”

We will always miss you, goodnight Ron.