Reverend Harvey L. Prinz (1931-2012) was an ordained minister in the Lutheran church who also handcrafted dulcimers. Prinz introduced himself to Lilah Gillett in 1975 after reading about her in a local newspaper, and they formed a duet in 1977, the same year they founded the Prairie Dulcimer Club. They performed together at the Walnut Valley bluegrass festival in Winfield, Kansas; for several years, Rev. Prinz was tapped by the festival to custom-build a dulcimer to be awarded as one of their competition prizes. Originally from Davenport, he returned to Iowa in 1987 after securing a position at a local church, where he served as pastor for about ten years before retiring.