Description
This article chronicles the integration of Russell High School, which during the segregated era, was an all-white school, with South Fulton High School, which was an all-African American school. This integration took place in 1970.
Contributor
Fry, a 1971 graduate of Russell High School, is researching and documenting the histories of three South Fulton County Bands: Russell High School, Hapeville High School, and headland High School. In 2011, Fry retired after 36 years of service to music education and is writing these histories as his first retirement project.
After his graduation from Russell, where he was a band student of Dr. William Prescott, Fry graduated from Columbus State University (GA) in 1975 and received the Masters of Music Education from Georgia State University in 1981. He obtained the Doctor of Musical Arts in Instrumental Conduction from the University of North Carolina/Greensboro in 1991.
Prior to his 2011 retirement from a music position with the Muscogee County School District (Columbus, GA), Fry held band director positions at Columbus State University and Susquehanna University (PA). From 1975 to 1987, Fry was coordinator of all instrumental music activities at Redan High School, Stone Mountain, Georgia, and held an assistant conductor position with the Yaarab (Atlanta) Shrine Band.
Fry has appeared as a feature conductor at the Georgia Music Educators State Convention, Florida State University “Tri-State” Conductors Symposium, CBDNA/NBA Southeastern Regional, and the Carolina Conductors Symposium. He has authored several articles on conducting and is a noted authority on the band music of Don Gillis.
Fry has three grown children and resides with his wife, Anne, in Columbus, Georgia, where he has been conductor of the Columbus Community Orchestra since 1999 to present. He is also a saxophonist with “DNR,” an all-doctor rock band that plays volunteer benefit performances throughout the Columbus area. Additionally, Fry currently holds a part-time music position at Point University, West Point, GA.