During the summer of 1936, Major Ed Chenette was employed by the University of Florida to conduct a short course in band work high school band directors and their students. As far as is known, this attempt was the first of its kind by an institution of higher learning to further the cause of band music in the high schools of the state.

Several bandmasters from over the state were asked to assist in the course, and both they and the other participants were stimulated by thoughts of what could be done to improve the instrumental music programs in Florida. From this course came the idea of an organization.

Subsequently, there was a meeting held for interested band directors which focused on the lack of a unified group within the state. From the discussion at this meeting the Florida Bandmasters Association was formed. Major Chenette was named chairperson pro-tem with the authority to act for the group to contact all Florida bandmasters and attempt to form a statewide organization. Major Chenette was then elected President and John J. Heney was elected as Secretary.

Charter members of the Florida Bandmasters Association were:

Ed Chenette	Brown Greaton Cole	James Crowley	P.J. Gustat	Ed Heney
John J. Heney	William Heney	J.B. O'Neal	E.L. "Bud" Roberts	V.D. Sturgis

Mr. E.L. "Bud" Roberts is the only living charter member; he resides in St. Petersburg and regularly attends FBA meetings and functions.

The FBA sponsored a single State Festival for several years. In the late 1940's, the Festival became so large that the state was divided into six geographical Districts, and District Contests were divised to serve as qualifiers for bands attending the State Contest nds receiving a Superior rating at the District were eligible to go to the State Contest.

Later, the State Festival was divided into two regions comprised of the North section (Districts 4, 5, and 6) and the South section (Districts 1, 2, and 3). The state grew large in following years that it was divided into 10 Districts, then to 14, then to 15 in 1982, to 17 in 1987, and to 19 in 1995 (now called Evaluation/Festival to more accurately reflect the nature of the event) eventually had to be divided into three sections - North, Central, and South.

In 1960, the FBA instituted the Annual Marching Clinic and All-Star Marching Band on the University of Florida campus. This band gave a performance each year at the North-South High School All-Star Football game. In 1979 the All-Star Band began performing at Tampa Bay Buccaneers pre-season games each year. Many outstanding nationally known marching band directors have conducted the Clinics and Bands throughout the years. In 1993, this group was discontinued.

Robert O. Lampi served as Executive Secretary ably and competently with superb loyalty and dedication for 36 years. The influence that Mr. Lampi exerted through the years contributed in large measure to the considerable success of the F.B.A. After his retirement in 1983, he continued to serve as a Consultant to the Association until his death in 1985. In 1983, F. Lewis Jones assumed the position as Executive Director, and served in that capacity for 17 years. Great strides in organization and scope were made under Mr. Jones' capable leadership. In 2000, Duane L. Hendon became the Executive Director of the Florida Bandmasters Association.

The FBA, through its membership, has provided exceptional musical experiences for thousands of band students, while upgrading the musical standards and making music an integral part of the school curriculum, making our slogan, "A Band In Every School" a reality.

Presidents of the F.B.A.

Major Ed Chenette	1936 - 1938	Robert O. Lampi (Hon.)	1969 - 1970
John J. Heney	1938 - 1941	Robert C. Price	1970 - 1971
Fred McCall	1941 - 1943	Louis W. Lindsay	1971 - 1972
* P.J. Gustat	1943 - 1944	F. Lewis Jones	1972 - 1973
Major J.B. O'Neal	1944 - 1945	Ervin J. Hamme	1973 - 1974
V.D. Sturgis	1945 - 1946	James W. Wilson	1974 - 1975
Al G. Wright	1946 - 1947	Frederick M. Humphreys	1975 - 1976
Romulus Thompson	1947 - 1948	Melvin E. Baker	1976 - 1977
Harry F. McComb	1948 - 1950	R.G. (Jeff) Bradford	1977 - 1978
R. Orion Whitley	1950 - 1951	Jack H. Herron	1978 - 1979
Roy V. Wood	1951 - 1952	Joseph W. Courson	1979 - 1980
H.B. Swyers	1952 - 1953	John R. DeYoung	1980 - 1981
H. Carlton Mason	1953 - 1954	William E. Cannon	1981 - 1982
E.L. Roberts	1954 - 1955	Andrew J. (Jack) Crew	1982 - 1983
O.J. Kraushaar	1955 - 1956	Michael P. Leclerc	1983 - 1984
Oliver Hobbs	1956 - 1957	Bobby Adams	1984 - 1986
Charles W. Quarmby	1957 - 1958	Duane L. Hendon	1986 - 1988
Robert T. Scott	1958 - 1959	M. Jerome Edwards	1988 - 1990
Joe A Lusk	1959 - 1960	Frank R. Howes	1990 - 1992
William Ledue	1960 - 1961	Cynthia E. Berry	1992 - 1994
Melvin Dean	1961 - 1962	Phillip D. Wharton	1994 - 1996
Logan Turrentine	1962 - 1963	James E. Sammons	1996 - 1998
James H. Leonard	1963 - 1964	Bert F. Creswell	1998 - 2000
T. Edison James	1964 - 1965	Neil Jenkins	2000 - 2002
Thomas Bishop	1965 - 1966	D.R. Roadman	2002 - 2004
Charles F. Ulrey	1966 - 1967	Paula Thornton	2004 - 2006
E.W. (Jack) Williams	1967 - 1968	Chuck Fulton	2006 - Present
Richard H. Elliot	1968 - 1969	Mark Spreen	President Elect
William Higgins	1969 - 1970

* P.J. Gustat = Named "Father of Bands" in the State of Florida

A Brief History of the Florida Association of Band Directors

Prior to 1940 and two years thereafter, there were no programs in the public schools of Florida offering instrumental music to the African American children in those schools. As a result, the schools of higher education (such as Florida A & M College, Edward Waters College, Bethune-Cookman College, and Florida Memorial College) had no feeder programs for the development of bands.

In 1941, Leander A. Kirksey (band and orchestra director) and J. Harold Brown (director of the music department at Florida A & M College) called a meeting of four or five young graduates from the music department of Florida A & M College. George Hill (employed at Crooms Academy in Sanford), Alvin Downing (employed at Gibbs High in St. Petersburg), Raymond Sheppard (employed at Booker T. Washington High in Pensacola), Michael Rodriguez (employed at Booker T. Washington Jr. High in Tampa), and Guy Glover (employed at Dorsey High in Miami) met April 10-12, 1941 to organize an association whose chief purpose would be to provide feeders for the instrumental program at Florida A & M and other predominately black colleges in Florida. The association was named the Florida Association of Band Directors.

Prior to its merger with the FBA in 1966, its membership had grown to more than thirty band directors, who were teaching several thousand students.

Past-Presidents of the F.A.B.D.

Leander KirkseyGeorge H. Hill	James W. Wilson
1941 - 19551955 - 1960	1960 - 1966