Colonel George S. Howard papers
Collection
0113-SCPA
Colonel George Sallade Howard (1902-1995) was known for his significant contributions to the Air Force Band Program. Director of the USAF Band program from 1944-1965, Colonel Howard took the USAF Band and Orchestra on ten international tours, promoting music as an international language. He founded several military music groups, including the Singing Sergeants, the Airmen of Note, the USAF Drum and Bugle Corp, the USAF Bagpipe Band, the WAF Band, and the Strolling Strings. In addition to Howard’s military accomplishments, he was a successful music educator, earning multiple degrees in music performance and education. Howard also served as a clinician and spokesperson for bands and band music throughout his life. A past president of the National Bandmasters Association and Chair of the John Phillip Sousa Memorial, Howard worked alongside and was closely acquainted with other prominent band directors and composers of the era, such as Patrick Conway, Ernest Williams, Percy Grainger, and Edwin and Richard Franko Goldman. The Colonel George S. Howard Papers covers the period from 1920 to 1994; the bulk of the materials date from 1935 to 1965. The collection consists of both personal and professional papers including published and unpublished writings, correspondence, addresses, programs, reports, memorabilia, clippings, and articles- related to Howard’s work as a band director of the United States Air Force Band, including his work with Ernest Williams and the Williams School of Music and Summer Camp, with Pat Conway as a student and member of Conway’s professional band, a teacher at Mansfield State Teacher’s College, Penn State, and the Mooseheart School (IL), and as a leading clinician for bands throughout his career.
There are no restricted files in this collection.
Materials from this collection must be used in the Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library's Irving and Margery Morgan Lowens Special Collections Room, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday. Contact the curator for an appointment: http://www.lib.umd.edu/scpa/contact
5.25 Linear Feet
The Colonel George S. Howard papers covers the period from 1920 to 1994; the bulk of the materials date from 1940 to 1965. The collection consists of both personal and professional papers including published and unpublished writings, correspondence, addresses, programs, reports, memorabilia, clippings, and articles- related to Howard’s work as a band director of the United States Air Force Band, including his work with Ernest Williams and the Williams School of Music and Summer Camp, with Pat Conway as a student and member of Conway’s professional band, a teacher at Mansfield State Teacher’s College, Penn State, and the Mooseheart School (IL), and as a leading clinician for bands throughout his career.
Colonel George Sallade Howard (1902-1995) served as director of United States Air Force Band from 1944-1965. He began his career in music as a clarinetist in Pat Conway's professional touring band (1922-1929). While earning multiple degrees in music performance and education, Howard taught music at the Mooseheart School in Mooseheart, Illinois (1929-1935), and the Ernest Williams School of Music and Summer Camp (summers between 1931 and 1937), Mansfield State Teacher's College, PA (1936-1939), and Pennsylvania State College (1939-1942) before joining the Army Air Forces in 1942 (became the Air Force in 1947). Under Howard's direction, the Air Force Band program grew to be a reputable force in music in the military; in addition to national concert tours, the group went on multiple overseas tours to Europe, Africa, and the Far East while Howard was director. After his retirement in 1963, Howard became director of the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police band, a post he held for 10 years, and he continued his work as an active clinician for several high school and college bands. He and his wife, Sadako Howard, retired to San Antonio, Texas in 1978, where Howard remained until his death in 1995.
This collection is organized into thirteen series.
Gift of Colonel George Sallade Howard, received in five shipments in 1980, 1983, 1990, and 1994.
Part of the Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library