Southeast Community College

Ken Molzer, who attended Fairbury Junior College and went on to a lengthy career as a high school band director, will be presented the Distinguished Alumnus Award during Southeast Community College's Beatrice Campus graduation exercises at 7:30 p.m. June 12 in the Truman Center.

Ken and his wife, Charlotte, are one/fifth of their 10-member graduating class from Plymouth High School in 1957. They both attended Fairbury Junior College, and after one year, Charlotte taught rural school. Ken went on to graduate from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1961 with a degree in music education.

That same year the couple married. Ken was teaching music in Shickley, and Charlotte was teaching in Strang. After teaching six years in Shickley, Ken taught in the Wahoo Public School District for two years, then completed his teaching career with his final 30 years as the director bands at Papillion Junior High School. He received his master’s degree in music from UNL in 1968 and has additional hours from several other universities.

Bands he directed were selected to perform at three Nebraska State Bandmasters Conventions, two Nebraska Music Educators Conventions, in addition to the American School Band Directors Association National Convention. Many of his students received solo, ensemble, concert and marching band awards, with a number of them also becoming music educators.

Ken has served as president of the NSBA and the NMEA, as well as his local Papillion Area Lions Club, of which he is a charter member. He was selected as the NSBA Bandmaster of the Year in 1996, is a member of the NMEA Hall of Fame, and was honored as the Papillion/LaVista Secondary Teacher of the Year in 1994. In 1999, upon this retirement, he was Grand Marshal of the Papillion Days Parade and the first honored by the city of Papillion as the Volunteer of the Month. In 2008, the Sarpy County Chamber of Commerce selected him as the Outstanding Volunteer of the Year. The Midlands Community Foundation, at its Nov. 14, 2009, Annual Reflection Ball, will be honoring Ken and Charlotte for their involvement in the community.

For the past 35 years, Ken has directed the First Lutheran Chancel Choir and has been an adjudicator and guest conductor for many honor bands in the mid-states area. In 1971, he initiated the Papillion Junior High Instrumental Music Clinic for middle school and junior high solos, ensembles and bands. That event continues today. He is the founder/director of an adult community band, the Papillion Area Concert Band, and finds time to play professionally in a dance band. The Sumtur Amphitheater, located southwest of Papillion, was completed in 2007 under Ken's leadership and had more than 15,000 attending performances at the outdoor venue during the first two years of operation. Ken was involved with the establishment of the Sarpy Area Arts Council, is on the board of directors for the Papillion-LaVista Community Theatre, and presently serves as music education specialist for Dietze Music in the Omaha area.

Ken and Charlotte have two children and five grandchildren.

For more information, contact:
Stu Osterthun
Administrative Director of Public Information and Marketing
(402) 323-3401