Gamma Chapter History

Gamma Chapter
Indiana

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Indiana Bandmasters Assocaiton

History

Phi Beta Mu is the highest honorary international band director’s fraternity. It was organized to encourage the building of better bands and the development of better musicians in schools throughout the world and to foster deeper appreciation of good music and more wide spread public interest.

Phi Beta Mu was established as a result of the respect and appreciation its founder, Colonel Earl D. Irons, had for his professional associates, school band directors. He envisioned an organization that would honor outstanding band directors whose dedication and devotion to their profession was paramount, but whose admirable traits and services were not necessarily known nationally. In order to do this, Col. Irons sought to honor deserving individuals on a state level. The fraternity was named Phi Beta Mu with the subtitle National Bandmasters Fraternity, as the name of the organization. Phi Beta Mu was interpreted to mean Life, Love, and Music. The colors chosen to represent the Fraternity were blue and white.

The first official meeting was held at the Rice Hotel in Houston, Texas in February, 1939. The first initiates were R.C. Davidson, Jack H. Mahan, Lyle Skinner, Alfred Wiley, Vergne Adams, and Holmes McNeely. Dr. Cothburn O'Neal was the first individual to be made an Honorary Member in recognition of his work with Col. Irons in developing the Fraternity Constitution and Oath.

Dr. Milburn Carey was initiated in 1942 as a member of Alpha Chapter. In 1944, Dr. Carey chartered Beta Chapter in Enid, Oklahoma. In 1946, Harold L. Walters, who had become an honorary member of Beta Chapter, invited Dr. Carey to charter Gamma Chapter in Indiana

Gamma Chapter of Phi Beta Mu was organized and the charter members initiated on November 27, 1953, at the state convention of the Indiana Music Educators Association. There are presently over 100 active members in the state of Indiana.

With an International Office, the Fraternity grew to include additional state chapters and began expanding into foreign countries. New chapters were established chapters in Graz, Austria and Alberta, Canada in 1975, and Japan in 1978. International growth continues today as Phi Beta Mu's ideals are recognized as valid and important to the development of bands throughout the world.

Phi Beta Mu is:

The only national or international bandmasters' fraternity in the world;
The only bandmaster-organization to be organized because of one's love and respect for his fellow man;
The only bandmaster's organization that provides a forum, by oath, for a closer contact between leading members of the profession;
The one organization that acts as a liaison between all bandmaster organizations; and
The one organization which, through the American Bandmasters Association, has as its heritage the greatest bandmasters of all time.