Huntingdon College
News Release
May 3, 2019
For more information, contact: Su Ofe, (334) 833-4515; news@hawks.huntingdon.edu
Huntingdon’s Eddy Williams Announces Retirement
Montgomery, Ala.—Huntingdon College director of bands Eddy Williams announced today that he is stepping down from the Huntingdon band podium, effective June 1. “I have loved working at Huntingdon,” said Williams. “I have loved working with college students and I have loved sending students on to their lives. I want to thank President J. Cameron West for his vision of creating a band and for trusting me with its leadership for nine years.”
Now in its thirteenth year, Huntingdon’s Marching Scarlet and Grey has grown from approximately 40 participants to nearly double that size under Williams’ leadership. Other instrumental opportunities for its members have grown, as well, including the Huntingdon Winds Concert Band, Huntingdon Jazz, and BallHawks Pep Band. Huntingdon’s band program was the first and remains the largest in the college’s athletic conference, the USA South, and is the only conference marching band that travels. Each band member receives a scholarship, uniforms, and a new instrument (his/hers to keep at graduation), with no fee or audition required for participation.
Williams came to Huntingdon after 11 years as director of bands at Trinity Presbyterian School in Montgomery, where the Wildcat Pride band became known for performing with a consistently high degree of musicianship under his direction. Prior to his work at Trinity, Williams taught and led bands for Goodwyn Jr. High School, Floyd Jr. High School, and Jefferson Davis High School. His bands achieved consistently superior concert and marching ratings. He is an MPA Certified Adjudicator and serves frequently for solo and ensemble festivals, marching band competitions, and concert band festivals. A conductor for numerous county and district honor bands in Alabama, he has served as chair of District VI and as a board member for the Alabama Bandmasters Association. He is a member of Phi Beta Mu, College Band Directors National Association, National Association for Music Education, Alabama Music Educators Association, and Alabama Bandmasters Association, and is a performing member of the Montgomery Symphony. A graduate of Robert E. Lee High School in Montgomery, Williams earned his Bachelor of Science in Music from the University of Alabama and master’s degrees in church music from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and in music education from Troy State University.
“For me, directing is never just about the music,” said Williams. “It’s about the people. We do more than practice music, we teach life skills. Fostering relationships means more to me than any other aspect of this calling.”
“Eddy Williams has offered unwavering service to our band program for the past nine years,” said Huntingdon President J. Cameron West. “I thank him for creating an atmosphere of care and concern for each student, which we value deeply at Huntingdon. He has changed and enhanced many young lives. We wish Mr. Williams well as he not only continues to mentor young educators and musicians, but also as he enjoys what he calls his ‘grandfathering days.'”
A search for a new band director will begin immediately, said West.
Huntingdon College has been named a top 6 regional Best Value and top 11 regional college in the South by U.S. News and World Report; among a list of Colleges that Change Lives, by Washington Monthly; among the Best Colleges in Alabama and the Best Small Colleges in America by College Consensus; and among the Best Colleges: Region by Region (South) by the Princeton Review. Through the Huntingdon Plan, full-time day students are provided a laptop computer, books and information resources, active learning experiences, and senior-year travel-study opportunities—all within regular tuition and fees. Huntingdon’s Evening Studies program offers degree completion programs at 9 locations across the state. Huntingdon College continues a legacy of faith, wisdom, and service through a liberal arts academic tradition grounded in the Judeo-Christian heritage of the United Methodist Church.
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Suellen (Su) Ofe
Vice President
for Marketing and Communications
Huntingdon College
1500 E. Fairview Ave., Montgomery, AL 36106
(334) 833-4515; Cell (334) 324-6591
