The National Band Association Hall of Fame of Distinguished Conductors is located on the campus of Troy University in Troy, Alabama. In 1978 NBA President Dr. William Revelli asked Dr. Al Wright of Purdue University to secure the very best location available for a National Band Association Hall of Fame. Dr. Wright contacted Dr. John M. Long, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Director of Bands, and a member of the Alabama Historical Commission, to inquire about the possibility of housing the Hall of Fame at Troy University. Dr. Long contacted Dr. Ralph Adams, President of Troy University, who said “We would be pleased and highly honored to house the National Band Association Hall of Fame.”
The National Band Association accepted Dr. Adam’s offer, and the National Band Association Hall of Fame opened in 1980 in Smith Hall. In 1995, Dr. Adams generously donated more than one million dollars to Troy University for the construction of a more permanent home for the Hall of Fame. Dr. Jack Hawkins, Jr., Chancellor of the Troy University System, also provided support to make the Hall of Fame a valuable asset to the University. In honor of these gentlemen, the National Band Association Hall of Fame is now housed in the Hawkins-Adams-Long Hall of Honor on the Troy University campus.
Membership in the Hall of Fame is open to any American bandmaster in the United States. To qualify for nomination, a director has to be at least sixty-five years old, retired, and have established a national reputation as a band conductor. He or she must also have made a national impact on the American band movement and should be known as a person of integrity and high personal and professional ethical standards as evidenced through their body of work throughout their career. Anyone may nominate a director by submitting an application to the Chairman of the Board of Electors of the National Band Association. The Board of Electors, which represents five national band organizations, then votes on the recommendation.
Nomination Process: A nomination fee of $3000 is required to accompany the Hall of Fame Nomination Form (below). Note: the narrative to accompany the form should follow the form’s outline of information needed. The nomination fee covers the cost to paint a portrait of the inductee, including framing materials and labor to hang the portrait. Once the nomination and fee are received, the Hall of Fame nomination is shared with the Hall of Fame Board of Electors for discussion and vote. If the nominee is elected, the chief nominator is notified of a special luncheon and induction ceremony that will be held on the campus of Troy University in Troy, Alabama in the Hawkins-Adams-Long Hall of Honor, which houses the NBA Hall of Fame, usually the first or second weekend of February. In the event a nominee is declined, the full nomination fee is returned to the chief nominator.
Hall of Fame Members
- Bobby Adams
- Harold B. Bachman
- Glenn Cliffe Bainum
- Harry Begian
- Kenneth G. Bloomquist
- John R. Bourgeois
- Charles Brendler
- Howard C. Bronson
- Herbert L. Clarke
- Patrick Conway
- Ray E. Cramer
- Paula A. Crider
- James Croft
- Raymond F. Dvorak
- Frederick C. Ebbs
- Merle Evans
- Leonard Falcone
- Frederick Fennell
- Henry Fillmore
- Robert E. Foster
- William P. Foster
- Thomas V. Fraschillo
- Hal Gibson
- Patrick Gilmore
- Edwin Franko Goldman
- Lowell Graham
- David Gregory
- Albert Austin Harding
- Dale C. Harris
- Robert Hawkins
- Joseph Hermann
- Mark H. Hindsley
- Nilo W. Hovey
- George S. Howard
- Robert Jorgensen
- W J Julian
- Karl Lawrence King
- Edward S. Lisk
- Samuel L. Loboda
- John M. Long
- Frank Nicolo Mancini
- Archie R. McAllister
- Donald E. McGinnis
- William J. Moody
- Michael Nakasone
- James Neilson
- John P. Paynter
- Arthur Pryor
- William D. Revelli
- William F. Santelmann
- William H. Santelmann
- Frank Simon
- John Philip Sousa
- Charleton L. Stewart Sr.
- Richard Strange
- Frank B. Wickes
- Don Wilcox
- D. O. Wiley
- Ernest S. Williams
- Al G. Wright
- Gladys Stone Wright
- Paul V. Yoder