Ralph S. (Tony) Eads grew up in Brown County, where his parents, L. Gaither and Emily Sperry Eads, and his grandparents Ralph and Portia Howe Sperry encouraged his early interests in music, cinema, and the visual arts. While a teenager, he played the organ at the Nashville United Methodist Church before he left for college. 

Tony returned frequently to Brown County and was a lifelong patron of local arts and artists.  After his law career in Chicago, he and his wife, Mary Ellen, built a home on Mathis Road, where Tony spent most of the remaining 10 years of his life and where he died of pancreatic cancer in December 2024.

Tony’s family is pleased to be able to support Chamberfest in his memory.