Dr. Norman E. Smith District V Band Director of the Year

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2025-2026  Dr. Norman E. Smith District V Band Director of the Year Award
 

Mr. Gary Young currently serves as the Director of Bands at LeBlanc Middle School in Sulphur, Louisiana. He earned his Bachelor of Music Education degree from Northeast Louisiana University (now the University of Louisiana at Monroe) in 1979.

Mr. Young has devoted 44 years to teaching band in District V, sharing his passion for music education across Allen, Cameron, and Calcasieu Parishes. His teaching experience includes positions at Kinder High School and Kinder Middle School in Allen Parish; South Cameron High School and South Cameron Elementary in Cameron Parish; and LaGrange High School, F.K. White Middle, S.J. Welsh Middle, J.I. Watson Middle, Reynaud Middle, and LeBlanc Middle in Calcasieu Parish.

He has also served as Middle School Vice President for the District V Band and Orchestra Directors Association. Now in his 14th year at LeBlanc Middle School, Mr. Young has led the band program’s growth from approximately 30 students to well over 120. Under his direction, LeBlanc Middle bands have achieved consistent success at performance assessments, honor band events, and solo & ensemble competitions. Many of his students have continued their musical journeys into higher education and professional careers.

Outside the classroom, Mr. Young enjoys gardening, hunting, fishing, carpentry, raising honeybees, and traveling.

This Award is given in memory of Dr. Norman E. Smith by a resolution adopted by unanimous consent on December 1, 1998. Dr. Smith was Professor Emeritus of Music at McNeese. He was not only a teacher, but also a friend to all educators and musicians. A great deal of Dr. Smith’s teaching career was spent as a band director at various levels. It is indeed a great honor to be selected as the recipient of this award.

Our association selects one member each year for special recognition of his work. The following guidelines have been established for selecting this individual.

• Contribution to the Association through performance of duties as assigned through elections, mandatory appointment, and voluntary appointments
• Level of excellence obtained in competition with his/her musical organizations
• Level of excellence obtained in instruction proficiency as a professional educator
• Accumulation of achievements in the professional and competitive realms during his/her entire period of servitude in the district.

2024-2025 Jordan Moore

2023-2024 Leslie Gunter

2022-2023 Aaron Theall

2021-2022 Mathew McMillen

2020-2021 Daphne Richardson

2019-2020 Betsy Stoupy 

2018-2019 Kyle Cook  

2017-2018 Amanda Riggs

2016-2017 Eva Brown

2015-2016 Reggie Rogers

2014-2015 Roland Smith

2013-2014 Huber “Mickey” Smith

2012-2013 David Landry

2011-2012 Tim McMillen

2010-2011 Kevin Coker 

2009-2010 Fred Roeder

2008-2009 Matthew Jones

2007-2008 Jay Ecker

2004-2005 Tim McMillen

2000-2001 James Hearne

1999-2000 Steve Hand