His was an optimistic and gentle soul. This Sunday night on “The Lost Chord,” we remember John Duffy, who died on December 22, at the age of 89.

Duffy was founder and president of Meet the Composer, an organization dedicated to the creation, performance and recording of music by American composers. In that capacity, from 1974 to 1995, he initiated countless programs to advance American music.

We’ll hear Duffy’s Symphony No. 1, commissioned by the Utah Chapter of the Sierra Club, “A Time for Remembrance,” a cantata written to mark the 50th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, and a selection from his Emmy Award winning music for the PBS television series, “Heritage: Civilization and the Jews.”

I hope you’ll join me for “Meet the Composer,” as we remember John Duffy on “The Lost Chord,” tonight at 10 ET, with a repeat Wednesday evening at 6; or that you’ll listen to it later as a webcast at wwfm.org.

John Duffy on his war experiences and his decision to become a composer:

On naming Meet the Composer:

On tolerance and growth: