The Bishop Family Organ was a gift of the C.M. Bishop, Jr. family in memory of Clarence Morton Bishop and Harriet Broughton Bishop. The organ joins the Bishop Wellness Center, Bishop Plaza and the president's house as tangible evidence of the family's commitment to Willamette University.
The Bishop Family Organ was built in by Bond Organ Builders, Inc., of Portland, Oregon, under the direction of Richard L. Bond, president. The casework is made of poplar and painted with enamel to match the chapel decor. Its style is patterned after that of Thomas Appleton, an American builder of the early 19th century. The pipe shades are hand carved and painted gold. The manual keyboards have naturals covered with cow bone and sharps of ebony. The pedal keys are of oak with ebony sharps. Console trim is of mahogany. The organ has electric stop action and combination action with eight memory channels. The key action is of the suspended mechanical or tracker type. Wind is supplied by a 3/4 HP blower which is enclosed within the organ case; action power is supplied by two rectifiers of 30 and 75 amp capacity.
The Bishop Family Organ was dedicated on January 20, 1991, with a concert performed by Philip Moore, then organist and master of the music at York Minster, York, England.