KMEA Hall of Fame
James S. Ralston
Inducted in 1997
James S. Ralston earned the Associate Degree from Kansas City, Kansas Junior College, and the Bachelor of Music, the Master of Music Education, and the Ph.D in Music Education from the University of Kansas. Dr. Ralston served in the Navy from 1952 to 1956, taught choral music at Washington High School in Kansas City from 1956 to 1962, and was on music faculty at The University of Kansas from 1962 until his retirement in 1994. He served as the Chair of the Department of Ensembles and the Director of the Choral Division at The University of Kansas, where he initiated the masters and doctoral degrees in Choral Conducting and was associated with the Midwestern Music Camp. Choirs under Dr. Ralston's direction performed at conventions of KMEA, MENC, ACDA, and with The Kansas City Philharmonic, The Kansas City Symphony, and The Wichita Symphony. His choirs performed new works by prominent composers in association with the Symposium of Contemporary Music.