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ARKADELPHIA, Ark. (AP) - William Francis McBeth, a composer, former
conductor of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra and one-time band teacher to
Bill Clinton, has died. He was 78. Ruggles-Wilcox Funeral Home in
Arkadelphia says McBeth died Friday.
McBeth's work took him 49 states, Australia, Canada and Japan. He taught at
Ouachita Baptist University for 39 years, retiring in 1996.
The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports that McBeth directed the Arkansas
All-State Band in 1962, in which future President Bill Clinton played
saxophone. The two caught up in 1998, when McBeth stayed at the White House
while conducting and composing for the 200th anniversary of the U.S. Marine
Band. Years before, McBeth performed in two Army bands.
McBeth was conductor of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra in Little Rock from
1970 to 1973.
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