Heney, John, 1902-1975

<p>Bandmaster and musician. Born in 1902 and graduated from Stetson University, he served as Bandmaster in the DeLand Public Schools for over thirty years. He was the last remaining head of the drum section of the famous Sousa Band. Before joining the Sousa Band he played with other bands and the Royal Scotch Highlanders. He retired as bandmaster in 1967 and died in 1975. Correspondence, band programs, and articles created or collected by John Heney between 1927 and 1969. The majority of the files pertain to DeLand High School Band.</p>

<p>A percussionist, music educator, and historian, John Joseph Heney, Sr. (1902-1978) played with numerous bands throughout his career; most notably the Sousa Band during its final six years. In addition to playing professionally, Heney taught at numerous schools in the Florida area, including Ketterlinus High School, Stetson University, and DeLand High School, where he stayed for thirty-two years. A member of the Sousa Band Fraternal Society, Heney was elected as archivist in November of 1969. During his time as archivist, Heney attempted to collect memorabilia from Sousa's life in order to preserve the history of the Sousa Band and its members. This collection contains correspondence, publications, clippings, articles, scores, programs, contracts, diaries, scrapbooks, yearbooks, photographs, sound recordings, and memorabilia related to his career as a music educator, his involvement with the John Philip Sousa Band, and his interest in preserving Sousa's memory after the band leader's death.</p>