UF music professor inducted into Florida Bandmasters Association Roll of Distinction
December 22, 2014
UF music professor inducted into Florida Bandmasters Association Roll of Distinction
The Florida Bandmasters Association has honored R. Gary Langford, professor of music emeritus at the University of Florida School of Music, by inducting him into its Roll of Distinction at a concert and ceremony held at Stetson University in Deland, FL. Langford becomes the 15th inductee and fourth Gator to receive this honor.
The Roll of Distinction was initiated in 2001 and honors those music people who have distinguished themselves with Florida bands, other than in secondary education, and who have made significant contributions to the history and development of bands in Florida.
“To be honored by one’s peers in this way is beyond anything I could ever have imagined,” said Langford. “I am truly blessed and humbled to be in the company of such distinguished individuals who have had such a major impact on the development of band music in the state of Florida and beyond.”
Other past UF faculty who have received this award are Richard “Dick” Bowles (2001), Reid Poole (2003) and Col. Harold Bachman (2011). Langford was nominated for the honor by Florida Bandmasters Association members and selected by the Hall of Fame Board. The Hall of Fame weekend was attended by more than 450 guests, including many of the association’s members from around the state, as well as family members and friends of each of the inductees.
“It is not what Gary has accomplished and continues to accomplish that is important, but rather who he is, the extent of his talent, and the personality he possesses…his leadership…and the joy and commitment he brings to whatever he does,” according to John Duff, director of the UF School of Music. “Having had the opportunity to work with very bright and talented faculty during my time as department chair, which dates back to 1987, I don’t hesitate a moment in considering Gary Langford among the most outstanding and inspirational of those faculty.”
A native of Susquehanna, Pennsylvania, Langford began playing trumpet at an early age and early in the morning. (He would start practicing at 6 a.m. in his family's cellar.) After graduating from high school in 1958, he attended Bucknell University where he earned his bachelor's degree in 1962. After college, he joined the Air Force and reached captain before moving on to graduate school at the University of North Texas, where he earned a master's degree in trumpet performance. During his 38-year career at UF, he served as professor of music, assistant director of the School of Music, and director of Concert Band, Marching Band and Jazz Band. An accomplished arranger, Langford has completed over 400 arrangements for marching band – many of which are still performed by the current band.
Langford is a past president and treasurer of the International Association of Jazz Educators, Florida unit, and was selected as the "Outstanding Jazz Educator" in Florida in 1982-83. He has been thrice honored by UF as the College of Fine Arts’ “Teacher of the Year” and, in 2006, was selected as “Co-Teacher of the Year” for UF. Other honors include the prestigious “Distinguished Service to Music Medal” by Kappa Kappa Psi, the national band fraternity, and being named “College Music Educator of the Year” by the Florida Music Educators Association in 1998.
For more information, please contact Leah Craig at (352) 273-1489 or lcraig@arts.ufl.edu. To learn more about the University of Florida School of Music, please visit www.arts.ufl.edu/music.