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Contact: Jason Marton
jason.marton@tamuk.edu or 361-593-4143

Javelina Band Hall of Fame welcomes three new members

KINGSVILLE (August 26, 2005) — The Javelina Band Hall of Fame inducts Gerald Babbitt, Rolando Molina and Arturo Valdez on Saturday, September 3.

The hall of fame, formed in 2003, was started to serve as a bridge for alumni between the past and the future of A&M-Kingsville and its band program.

Saturday, September 3, will be Javelina Band Alumni Day on campus. At 3:30 p.m., a reception will be held for the new Hall of Fame inductees in the Blue Room of Sam Fore Hall.

During halftime of Texas A&M University-Kingsville’s football match-up with Northeastern State University that evening, A&M-Kingsville director of bands Alfredo Velez will take the field to present the three with their honors.

Javelina Band Hall of Fame inductees are chosen through a committee made up of the A&M-Kingsville director of bands, past inductees, the assistant director of bands and the music department chair, with input from alumni.

gerald babbit
Gerald Babbitt

Gerald Babbitt’s career in music education has spanned more than 40 years, serving in the public schools of Central and South Texas as a band director and fine arts administrator from 1964-2004.

Babbitt studied trumpet under Dr. Joseph L. Bellamah while attending Robert E. Lee High School in San Antonio. After Bellamah was later appointed director of bands at Texas College of Arts and Industries (now Texas A&M-Kingsville), Babbitt would transfer to the same college to continue his studies with his mentor.

Babbitt earned a bachelor of music degree from the university in 1964 and went on to serve as band director of Memorial Junior High School in Kingsville. One of his students while he was there was fellow Hall of Fame inductee Rolando Molina. While teaching at Memorial, Babbitt took classes and earned a master’s degree from A&I in 1966.

From Memorial Junior High School, Babbitt went on to assume a band director position at Pearsall High School in 1967. He then took a band director post for the Round Rock ISD in 1973. In 1978, he would lead Round Rock bands at the Buccaneer Music Festival, where they would claim the title of Outstanding Band in every category of the competition, becoming the first school to do so.

Babbitt next served as director of bands and music for Eanes ISD. His Westlake High School Band won numerous awards and honors, including a performance at the dedication of the Air and Space Museum at the Smithsonian Institute. Most notably, his Westlake High School band became the first U.S. high school band ever invited by the Chinese government to perform a concert tour in the People’s Republic of China. In 1985, Babbitt took the post of director of bands and music for the Hays Consolidated ISD, a position he kept for 17 highly regarded years. In 2002, he retired from band directing and became full-time supervisor for the Hays CISD fine arts program and director of the Hays Performing Arts Center until his retirement in 2004. Babbitt continues to serve as executive secretary of UIL Music Region 18.

Some of the many awards earned by Babbitt over the course of his career include the prestigious Denius-UIL Sponsor Excellence Award; three commendations from the Governor of Texas, the Texas and U.S. Legislatures, and the mayor of Austin; Texas A&I Outstanding Music Graduate; and 35 years worth of U.I.L. Sweepstakes Awards for his bands.

Rolando Molina
Rolando Molina

Rolando Molina was born in Agualeguas, Nuevo Leon, Mexico and raised in Kingsville, where he has served as a band director for 35 years.

Molina holds three degrees from now-Texas A&M- Kingsville and was a member of the Texas A&I Singers ensemble, which toured Europe for 10 weeks in 1970.

Under his guidance, Molina’s high school bands have competed at the U.I.L. state marching contest 10 times, once reaching the final stage. In addition, his students have earned more than 30 U.I.L. Sweepstakes Awards.

Last year, his H.M. King High School Band was invited to perform at the Federal Express Orange Bowl.

Currently, 51 former students of Molina are now band directors or music teachers, and numerous former assistant band directors are now head directors in their respective school districts.

For more than 20 years, Molina has served on the Texas Music Educators State Board. He also has been a key member of the Texas Music Adjudicators Association as president and other offices over six years. In addition, Molina has spent 20 years as an officer of Region XIV, a band clinician in Texas and Florida, and a representative with the Texas Bandmasters Association.

Other memberships for Molina include Who’s Who Among America’s Best Teachers, the John Phillip Sousa Foundation and the 2623 Council of the Knights of Columbus. He also has been a frequent playing member of the renowned Beto Leal Orchestra for the last 42 years.

Arturo Valdez
Arturo Valdez III

Arturo Valdez III served as a Texas music educator for 26 years. His broad educational experience including Associate Director of Bands and Coordinator of Instrumental Music Education at Texas Christian University; Director of Instrumental Music with the Fort Worth Independent School District; Director of Visual and Performing Arts with the La Joya Independent School District; Executive Director of Fine Arts with the Donna Independent School District; Administrative Assistant for Human Resources/Technology with the Donna Independent School District; and 16 years as Director of Bands with the Donna, La Porte, Laredo, and Jim Hogg Independent School Districts.

His concert and marching ensembles were consistent award winners in numerous music festivals, TMEA and U.I.L. events. During his tenure as band director, Valdez’s high school band programs earned 25 U.I.L. Sweepstakes Awards, performed at the U.I.L. State Marching Contest ten times and performed in the state finals five times. His bands have earned the distinction of winning the 1983 Class 5A State Marching Band Championship with the Laredo’s J. W. Nixon High School Band, and the 1987 Class 5A State Wind Ensemble Contest with the La Porte High School Band.

Valdez has been active as a consultant, clinician, adjudicator and guest conductor throughout the Southwest. In January 2003, he conducted the New Mexico All-State Band. He has served in committees for the U.I.L., Texas Bandmasters Association (TBA), Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA), Texas Education Agency and the National Endowment for the Arts. Valdez serves as consultant/clinician and has performed professional development and leadership workshops at the Texas Bandmasters Association Convention, Texas Music Educators Association Convention and in numerous school districts across the Southwest United States.

He is Past-President of the Texas Bandmasters Association and served in the TBA Board of Directors for seven years.

In 2002, Valdez began his career as a licensed independent broker with Financial Broker Group and currently serves as executive field vice-president.

Valdez has a Bachelor of Science Degree with a major in Music Education from Texas A&I University. He received a Master’s Degree in Educational Administration from Texas A&M University-Kingsville. His educator certifications include: K-12 All-Level Music, Mid-Management and School Superintendent. His professional music affiliations include the Texas Bandmasters Association, Texas Orchestra Directors Association, Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA), Music Education National Conference (MENC), Texas Choral Directors Association, Texas Music Administrators Conference, Phi Beta Mu, Texas Music Adjudicators Association and Phi Mu Alpha.

This page last updated 26 August, 2005