Trio of Legends to Be First Inductees Into KWU’s Music Hall of Fame

KWU will launch its Music Hall of Fame at Homecoming 2024 as part of the Oct. 19 “Come Home” concert that marks the opening of a fully renovated Sams Chapel. Dean Kranzler, the late Bill McMosley and Prof. Barbara Marshall Nickell will comprise the first class inducted.  

“The KWU Music Hall of Fame is an important step in recognizing the importance of the arts on our campus,” said Ken Oliver, executive vice president of advancement and university operations. “Music has always been a vital part of the KWU culture, and to recognize these three individuals as the first Hall of Fame class is a true honor.”

Kranzler is a Kansas legend, without question. As a two-time inductee into the Kansas Music Hall of Fame – both on his own and with the Salina-based band Midnight Flyer, of which he was a founding member – he is one of the most well-known performers in the region. He continues to play with numerous bands and groups, including Jazz Tangent, The Blades and others. Kranzler is celebrating 50 years with the Salina Symphony, where he continues to serve as the principal percussionist. He also has a litany of academic experience, including nearly four decades as an instructor at four different institutions. He continues to teach private lessons.

Marshall Nickell, as many know, is one of the longest-running professors in KWU history, having taught in the Fine Arts division for nearly four decades. Her work to intertwine the KWU Music and Theatre programs with the region has helped students gain opportunities, grow professionally and emerge ready for what comes next. For some, that has included work on Broadway or in Los Angeles. 

Marshall Nickell costumed and directed the operas Kansas Wesleyan produced in conjunction with the Salina Symphony from 2005-2010. For several years, she was a board member of the Salina Symphony, for which she also served as narrator at concerts. Besides the joint productions, she has also costumed and directed plays and operas at Kansas Wesleyan and for high schools. She was named the Kansas Speech Communication Association (KSCA) Collegiate Educator of the Year this past summer.

Instrumental music performance at Kansas Wesleyan owes the shape of its existence to the late William F. “Bill” “Mac” McMosley. Before he joined the KWU faculty as director of bands in 1999, Kansas Wesleyan had not had a performing instrumental group for at least the previous decade. His first semester, McMosley formed a pep band, jazz band and symphonic wind band. In 2005, while McMosley was chair of the Music Department, he added director of the Salina Municipal Band to his duties, which he led until 2018.

Students liked his directing style, but they also learned to work and be organized with classes and band. They learned to swing, especially in jazz — McMosley’s first love. McMosley retired from Kansas Wesleyan in 2013. He and his wife, Collette, moved to Iowa, where he passed away in 2020. Students still benefit from McMosley’s tenure at Kansas Wesleyan, with a music scholarship named in his honor.

“We owe the success and the influence of KWU Music, in large part, to these three individuals,” said Michelle Dolan, executive director of music. “It’s fitting that, on such a historic night, we pay tribute to people who have been so important to the history of our department, our culture and the musical culture of our city.”

To reserve seats for the “Come Home” concert, please visit www.kwu.edu/homecoming2024 and click the link at the top of the page.