George S. Howard

Colonel George Sallade Howard (February 24, 1902 – September 18, 1995) was commander and conductor of The United States Air Force Band between 1944 and 1963.

Colonel George S. Howard, USAF Chief of Bands and Music

A native of Reamstown, Pennsylvania, Howard became a student of Patrick Conway at the Ithaca Conservatory of Music and played clarinet in Conway's professional band. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in music education and taught at the Ohio Wesleyan University (where he became a member of Phi Kappa Tau fraternity), Mansfield University and later at Penn State University. In 1942, Howard was commissioned into the Army Specialist Corps, and in 1947 Howard's reputation as a conductor led to his commission as leader of the newly formed Air Force Band.

Howard was elected President of the American Bandmasters Association in 1956, and became an Honorary Life Member in 1984. He served as Honorary Life President from 1986 until his death in 1995. The John Philip Sousa Foundation awards the Colonel George S. Howard Citation of Musical Excellence for Military Concert Bands in Col. Howard's memory and the Air Force Band's annual young artists competition is named in his memory.

External links

• Colonel George S. Howard Papers - Special Collections in Performing Arts, University of Maryland
• History of United States Air Force Band
• Interviews with George S. Howard., January 3, 1985, April 13, 1985, University of Texas at San Antonio: Institute of Texan Cultures: Oral History Collection, UA 15.01, University of Texas at San Antonio Libraries Special Collections.]

Further reading

Howard, George, A Symphony in the Sky. San Antonio, TX: The John Philip Sousa Foundation, 1991.