Jamey Aebersold, Gamma Tau (Indiana) ’58
Jamey Aebersold is an internationally-known saxophonist and authority on jazz education and improvisation. He has developed over 120 volumes of Play-A-Longs in book and CD formats. He has led Summer Jazz Workshops for over 40 years to improve jazz musicianship for students of all abilities. The International Association of Jazz Educators inducted Aebersold into their Hall of Fame in 1989.
Dr. Ray E. Cramer, Kappa Psi (Western Illinois) ’62
Ray Cramer is the former Director of Bands and chairman of the Band Department at Indiana University. He has served as president of the Indiana Bandmasters Association, the College Band Directors National Association, and the American Bandmasters Association. He is currently the president of the board of The Midwest Clinic. He is in demand as a guest conductor, clinician, and adjudicator internationally and has been a regular guest conductor of The Musashino Academy of Music in Tokyo.
Dr. Kenneth D. Fuchs, Beta Tau (Miami) ’75
Kenneth Fuchs is an award-winning composer who was written for orchestra, band, chorus, jazz ensemble, and various chamber ensembles. With Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lanford Wilson, Fuchs created three chamber musicals, The Great Nebula in Orion, A Betrothal, and Brontosaurus, which Circle Repertory Company presented in New York City. His music has performed in the United States, Europe, and Japan, and has been recorded by the American String Quartet, London Symphony Orchestra, and the New York Philharmonic Ensembles.
Jason R. Palmer, Epsilon Rho (Northern Illinois) ’75
Jason Palmer created a symphony program in northern Illinois after a seven-year absence of any community Philharmonic program. Starting from scratch, he created the Fox Valley Philharmonic, a semi-professional community orchestra, and serves as Music Director for the Fox Valley Youth Symphony Orchestra. Additionally, he started a program called “Access to Music,” an afterschool music program run by volunteers and is run at no charge to families.
Capt. Winston E. Scott, Epsilon Iota (Florida State) ’70
Winston E. Scott is a distinguished Navy pilot and NASA astronaut. He accumulated more than 5,000 hours of flight time in 20 different military and civilian aircraft and more than 200 shipboard landings. Captain Scott was selected to become an astronaut by NASA in 1992. Serving as a mission specialist, he logged over 24 days; including 3 spacewalks totaling over 19 hours. He is a published author, has advised elected officials on matters related to space and aeronautics and currently serves as the Dean of the College of Aeronautics at Florida Institute of Technology.
Leonard M. Thomas, Beta Lambda (Muskingum) ’51
Leonard Thomas is a multi-talented educator and performer. He is perhaps most well-known through his 31-year association with bandleader and radio-television personality, Fred Waring, Alpha Zeta (Penn State) ’56. He became a choral director for the Pennsylvanians and continued working under the Waring name for many years. He worked with William Revelli, Alpha Lambda (Illinois Wesleyan) ’35, as a primary adjudicator of the Festival of Music at the University of Michigan and served as keyboard editor for the Shawnee Press until his retirement in 2002.
Frank Ticheli, Alpha Alpha (National Honorary) ’09
Frank Ticheli is an award-winning and well-regarded composer, known largely for his prolific repertoire for wind ensemble. He has also composed critically acclaimed works for both orchestra and chorus. In 2006, Ticheli received the National Band Association/William D. Revelli Memorial Band Composition Contest for his Symphony No. 2. Ticheli is an active clinician nationally, and he teaches composition at the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music. He was initiated as a National Honorary at the 2009 National Convention in Orlando.

Lee D. Loughnane, Kappa Phi (DePaul) ’65
James C. Pankow, Kappa Phi (DePaul) ’66
Walter J. Parazaider, Kappa Phi (DePaul) ’64
As founding members of the rock band Chicago, Lee Loughnane (trumpet), James Pankow (trombone) and Walt Parazaider (woodwinds) have been a part of the horn section of the band since its inception. Each has been writing, arranging, recording, and touring for over 40 years. Their influence has led the band to sell over 120 million albums worldwide, with 22 Gold, 18 Platinum, and 8 Multi-Platinum albums. Over the course of their career, they have charted five No. 1 albums, and have had twenty-one top ten hits.