For more than 60 years, Dr. Stanley F. Michalski Jr. was a profoundly influential figure in music education, beginning with a remarkable 31 years as a distinguished professor of music and conductor of bands at Clarion University.

The beloved Michalski passed away Dec. 27, 2025. To honor his outstanding Clarion legacy, a tribute weekend featuring a dinner, reception and concert has been planned Feb. 28 – March 1. Members of Michalski’s family will attend.

A reception and dinner will begin at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 28 on the Clarion campus. Dinner reservations are requested by Feb. 20. Register at https://www.givecampus.com/schools/ClarionUniversityFoundationInc/events/dr-stanley-f-michalski-tribute-weekend.

Musicians – including Clarion alumni, guests, friends and current band members – who would like to perform in the concert are asked to register by Feb. 25 and attend a rehearsal from 3 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 28, in Marwick-Boyd Fine Arts Center. The concert will begin at 2 p.m. Sunday, March 1, in the Marwick-Boyd auditorium; musicians should dress in black and white for the performance.

Michalski began his career in 1961 at then-Clarion State College. He found great fulfillment in the many students he guided who went on to teach, conduct and lead at the elementary, middle, high school and collegiate levels.

Among those students is Lisa Hummel ’91, director of bands for PennWest Clarion, who came out of retirement from a 33-year career in music education to take the position. She is organizing the tribute weekend.

"Dr. Michalski was one of the most influential people in my musical experiences, at Clarion and beyond,” Hummel said. “His attention to detail, selection of outstanding music for performances, and knowledge that, in order to be believed, one must use publicity to its highest potential, completely shaped my career as a band director.”

Hummel said mediocrity was not acceptable to Michalski, affectionately known as Doc. Among the guiding principles that he instilled in students is to acknowledge personal responsibility for actions, both in front of a band and outside of school. 

“His passing has made me and the many people whose lives Doc influenced reflect on the amazing opportunity that we all had being his student, his mentee, and later his colleague and his friend," Hummel said. “Dr. Michalski had such an impact on so many Clarion band alumni, and a tribute weekend of music and dinner where we will share our stories will be the best way to honor and memorialize him.”

After retiring from Clarion, Michalski and his wife Joan moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, to be near family, warm weather and year-round golf. He embraced a second chapter of service as coordinator of instrumental music for Mecklenburg Area Catholic Schools, where he built a thriving music program from the ground up. With vision and dedication, he transformed a modest initiative into a vibrant cultural force, touching thousands of students and nurturing their confidence, discipline, and love for music.

In addition to his work for the Mecklenburg Area Catholic Schools, Dr. Michalski was an emeritus conductor of the Winthrop University Carolina Wind Orchestra. Post retirement, he continued to pass on his love for music as a volunteer piano player at Novant Matthews Hospital each Monday afternoon.  

Michalski’s professional achievements were numerous and distinguished.  In 1973, Dr. Michalski was elected for membership in the prestigious American Bandmasters Association, the professional association of master conductors and musicians. In 1997, he was elected the association’s president – a post once held by John Philip Sousa.

Michalski has served as tuba soloist, clinician-adjudicator and guest conductor in 43 states, Canada, Australia, Mexico, Japan, Brazil, Korea and Europe. He conducted the International Youth and Music Festival in Vienna for six years. His trips to Ireland to judge St. Patrick’s Day parades in Dublin, Limerick and Galway were an annual highlight; he made his final trip there March 2025. He has guest conducted the U.S. Air Force Band, the U.S. Marine Band, the U.S. Army Band (Pershing’s Own), the Armed Forces Bicentennial Band, the U. S. Navy Band and the U.S. Army Field Band. A biography is available at https://education.musicforall.org/clinician/dr-stan-michalski/.

Michalski’s legacy lives on in every note played, every student inspired, and every life he touched through decades of devotion to music, community and his family.