Gary E. Morris retired after forty-four years, including twenty-eight years in Arkansas public schools. His choirs established a record of artistic choral performance and excellence and under his direction received numerous accolades and awards. His ensembles have performed throughout the United States and Europe, including the Inaugural Prayer Service for President Bill Clinton at the Washington Cathedral in 1993, as well as ARKMEA in-service meetings, Arkansas All State conventions, Mississippi Music Teachers Association convention and ACDA conventions.

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His teaching career in public schools included Forrest City High School and Jonesboro High School. His collegiate career conducting career included Lyon College, University of Mississippi, and Arkansas Tech University in Russellville. In his tenure at ATU the number of choral music education majors doubled and many are now teaching in Arkansas and surrounding states. ATU choirs were chosen to sing at the Arkansas Music Educators Conference in 2007, and at the
Arkansas All-State Music Conference in 2007 and 2012.

Mr. Morris has conducted numerous all-region and honor choirs, including the 2009 Florida All State Women’s Chorus and the 2017 Arkansas All State Mixed choir. He holds the BME and MME from Arkansas State University and completed additional study at Westminster Choir College and VanderCook
College of Music. After serving on the executive board of the Arkansas Choral
Directors Association for twenty-four years, he was elected an honorary member of that organization in 1998. He has served ACDA as the National High
School Standards and Repertoire Chairman, President of ACDA Arkansas, and
coordinator of the first Southwest ACDA Collegiate Choir.