George C. Wilson Collection
Abstract
Dr. George C. Wilson was known as a music educator and conductor, holding positions at the at Kansas State Teachers College, University of Arizona and University of Missouri. He was elected president of the American Bandmaster Association in 1965 and was later named as an honorary life member in 1998. During his tenure he helped organize the 1966 conference of the International Society for Music Education, the first to be held in the United States, at Interlochen, Michigan. Dr. Wilson dedicated much of his life to the National Music Camp, later to become Interlochen Arts Camp, serving as a faculty member, vice-president, and also interim president in 1970-1971 for the Interlochen Center for the Arts. In 1973 he assisted Imelda Marcos with the development and planning of the Philippine Center of the Arts. This collection contains programs, posters, other documents, and some correspondence collected by Dr. Wilson.
Important Information for Users of the Collection
The collection is open for research use.
George C. Wilson Collection, Special Collections, University of Maryland Libraries.
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
This collection is PROCESSED.
Historical Note
Dr. George C. Wilson was known as a music educator and conductor. He graduated from the University of Illinois and earned a master's degree from Columbia University. Dr. Wilson began his career as a conductor at Kansas State Teachers College and went on to conduct the band and orchestra at University of Arizona. He spent ten years as the director of bands at the University of Missouri, from 1946 until 1956. Elected to the American Bandmasters Association (ABA) in 1948, he was elected president in 1965 and was later named as an honorary life member in 1998. Dr. Wilson helped organize the 1966 conference of the International Society for Music Education, the first to be held in the United States, at Interlochen, Michigan.
Dr. Wilson dedicated much of his life to the National Music Camp, later to become Interlochen Arts Camp. In 1950, he was elected vice-president and director of the National Music Camp at Interlochen, Michigan and starting in 1958, served as a full-time faculty member an the National Arts Academy. He later served as interim president from 1970 to 1971 of the Interlochen Center for the Arts. In 1973 he assisted Imelda Marcos with the development and planning of the Philippine Center of the Arts.
Scope and Contents of the Collection
The George C. Wilson Collection covers the period from 1936 to 1982. The collection contains programs, posters, other documents, and some correspondence collected by Dr. Wilson.
Custodial History and Acquisition Information
First part of collection gifted to the University of Maryland by George C. Wilson in December 1985.
Processing Information
Sally Roberts, June 2007
Processing supported by the Rose Marie Grentzer Fund.
EAD markup created using EAD database in Microsoft Access. Markup completed by Colleen McKnight, June 2007.
Arrangement of Collection
This collection has been divided into five series.
Detailed Description of the Collection
Series 1: Programs, 1936-1982 (30 items)
This series contains thirty programs spanning 1936-1982, arranged by organization, then chronologically. They include programs for Music Educators National Conferences, the first four conferences of the National Band Association, and the first conference of the International Society for Music Education held in the United States.
| Description | Series | Box / Reel | Folder / Frame | Item | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Programs--Music Educators National Conference, 1936-1970 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 1 | ||
| New York, 1936 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 1 | item 1.0 | |
| St. Louis, 1938 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 1 | item 2.0 | |
| Los Angeles, 1940 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 1 | item 3.0 | |
| Cleveland, 1946 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 1 | item 4.0 | |
| St. Louis, 1950 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 1 | item 5.0 | |
| Chicago, 1962 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 1 | item 6.0 | |
| Philadelphia, 1964 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 1 | item 7.0 | |
| Kansas City, 1966 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 1 | item 8.0 | |
| Seattle, 1968 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 1 | item 9.0 | |
| Chicago, 1970 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 1 | item 10.0 | |
| Programs--North Central Music Educators Conference, 1959-1971 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 2 | ||
| Chicago, 1959 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 2 | item 1.0 | |
| Columbus, 1961 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 2 | item 2.0 | |
| Indianapolis, 1965 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 2 | item 3.0 | |
| Detroit, 1967 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 2 | item 4.0 | |
| Fargo, 1969 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 2 | item 5.0 | |
| Cincinnati, 1971 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 2 | item 6.0 | |
| Programs--National Band Association, 1976-1982 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 3 | ||
| Iowa State University, 1976 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 3 | item 1.0 | |
| The University of Tennessee, 1978 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 3 | item 2.0 | |
| The University of Tennessee, 1980 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 3 | item 3.0 | |
| Kansas City, 1982 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 3 | item 4.0 | |
| Programs--Greater Southwest Music Festival, 1973 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 4 | ||
| Amarillo, Texas Program, 1973 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 4 | item 1.0 | |
| Handbook, 1973 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 4 | item 2.0 | |
| Map of Dallas-Fort Worth, 1973 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 4 | item 3.0 | |
| Schedule, 1973 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 4 | item 4.0 | |
| Adjudicator Badge, 1973 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 4 | item 5.0 | |
| Performance Notes, 1973 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 4 | item 6.0 | |
| Programs--Other, 1947-1982 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 5 | ||
| Tulsa: Southwestern Music Educators Conference, 1947 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 5 | item 1.0 | |
| University of Illinois-Urbana: College Band Directors National Association, 1958 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 5 | item 2.0 | |
| Chicago: College Band Directors National Association, 1962 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 5 | item 3.0 | |
| Interlochen: International Society for Music Education, 1966 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 5 | item 4.0 | |
| Ann Arbor, Michigan: Midwestern Conference on School Vocal and Instrumental Music, 1976 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 5 | item 5.0 | |
| Washington, D.C.: National High School Honors Band, 1976 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 5 | item 6.0 | |
| Traverse City, Michigan: A Night at the Opera House, 1978 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 5 | item 7.0 | |
| Chicago: Northshore Concert Band, 1982 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 5 | item 8.0 | |
Series 2: Posters, 1961-1972 (3 items)
This series contains three posters spanning from 1961 to 1972, arranged chronologically. These include two posters for the Tri-State Music Festival and one for the Greater Southwest Music Festival.
| Description | Series | Box / Reel | Folder / Frame | Item | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Posters, 1961-1972 | series 2 | box 1 | folder 1 | ||
| Enid, Oklahoma: Tri-State Music Festival, 1961 | series 2 | box 1 | folder 1 | item 1.0 | |
| Enid, Oklahoma: Tri-State Music Festival, 1966 | series 2 | box 1 | folder 1 | item 2.0 | |
| Amarillo, Texas: Greater Southwest Music Festival, 1972 | series 2 | box 1 | folder 1 | item 3.0 | |
Series 3: Documents, 1951-1976 (8 items)
This series contains eight documents spanning from 1951 to 1976, arranged chronologically. These include reports from several music associations, one issue of the Journal of Research in Music Education, and a 1962 statement from Congress regarding The Star-Spangled Banner.
| Description | Series | Box / Reel | Folder / Frame | Item | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Documents, 1951-1976 | series 3 | box 1 | folder 1 | ||
| Proceedings, College Band Directors National Association, Southwestern Conference, 1951 | series 3 | box 1 | folder 1 | item 1.0 | |
| Preliminary Report on Instrumentation, College Band Directors National Association, 1958 | series 3 | box 1 | folder 1 | item 2.0 | |
| Directory and Handbook, American School Band Directors Association, 1959 | series 3 | box 1 | folder 1 | item 3.0 | |
| Journal of Research in Music Education, 1962 | series 3 | box 1 | folder 1 | item 4.0 | |
| Congressional Statement regarding The Star-Spangled Banner, 1962 | series 3 | box 1 | folder 1 | item 5.0 | |
| Bicentennial Music Handbook for Michigan Teachers, 1976 | series 3 | box 1 | folder 1 | item 6.0 | |
| Declaration of Principles, College Band Directors National Association, Undated | series 3 | box 1 | folder 1 | item 7.0 | |
| NBA Marching Band Questionnaire Reponses, Undated | series 3 | box 1 | folder 1 | item 8.0 | |
Series 4: Correspondence, 1963-1969 (7 items)
This series contains seven letters spanning from 1963 to 1969, arranged chronologically. These letters are regarding Dr. Wilson's work with the Tri-State Music Festival.
| Description | Series | Box / Reel | Folder / Frame | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Correspondence--Tri-State Music Festival, 1963-1969 | series 4 | box 1 | folder 1 | |
Series 5: Clippings, Unknown (3 items)
This series contain three small newspaper clippings, all undated. They report on Dr. Wilson's election as vice-president of the National Music Camp at Interlochen and his resignation from the University of Missouri to work full-time at the National Music Camp
| Description | Series | Box / Reel | Folder / Frame | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clippings--Interlochen, undated | series 5 | box 1 | folder 1 | |
Related Material
This collection is part of the American Bandmasters Association Research Center
For other related archival and manuscript collections, please see the following subject guides.
Selected Search Terms
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the University of Maryland Libraries' Catalog. Researchers desiring related materials about these topics, names, or places may search the Catalog using these headings.
Subjects
- Band directors -- United States.
- Music teachers -- United States.
- Wilson, George, conductor -- Archives.
- Wilson, George, conductor -- Correspondence.