Eldon A. Janzen passed away peacefully in Owasso, Oklahoma on December 10, 2022. Eldon was born in Medford, Oklahoma on March 21, 1928.
Janzen graduated from Medford High School in 1946 where he played trombone in the band, sang in the choir, and played on the Medford Class C State Championship Football Team. He earned his bachelor’s from Oklahoma A&M in 1950, then served as band and choral director in his hometown until he was called into the Armed Forces in 1951. He was stationed at Red River Army Depot in Texarkana, TX, where he served as Band Leader and Chaplain’s Assistant. It was there that he met his future wife, Nelda Routon, whom he married in 1952.
Eldon served as band director in New Boston, Greenville, and Irving, Texas. His Irving band was chosen for the Texas Music Educators Convention in Dallas as a clinic group with internationally recognized conductor, Frederick Fennell, which resulted in national recognition for the band program. After five years in this position, he was appointed Director of Music Activities for the Irving School District, which had grown to more than 25,000 students.
