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Lanett native, R. Wayne Whitman, was honored for his career as an educator and bandleader by being inducted into the 2023 Florida Bandmasters Hall of Fame. 

Whitman was born and raised in Lanett, and graduated from Lanett High School in 1962. The honoree love of music began as a 7th grader at LHS. He started with the trumpet under the late band director, and Whitman’s mentor, John Kendrick. This experience, he said, shaped him. 

When asked what the importance of bands and orchestras were for students, Whitman’s answer was clear.

“It gives them a sense of responsibility, teamwork,” he began, “You’re depending on other people, but yet, other people are responsible to you, and it teaches you how to just live in our society with other people and understand that you’re not the only person that life is about.”

Whitman divided his time between music and swimming. He was a competitive swimmer throughout his childhood, and taught lessons at the Lanett Community Pool. 

“That’s where I started learning how to teach,” the educator said. “Well before the band, I was hanging around the swimming pool from five years old on, they were my babysitter.”

The pool was where he met another mentor, Ken Avinger. Kendrick and Avinger were huge influences on Whitman going into education. 

In the band, Whitman really flourished, qualifying for Alabama All-State band and earning first chair in his final year at Lanett High. Kendrick clearly saw something special in Whitman, as the teacher helped his student get into the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. Afterwards, he went on to earn a Bachelors and Mater’s degree from the University of Alabama. 

Whitman would teach in his home state for over a decade, leading his bands to the same level of success he enjoyed in high school. He then went to Florida, where he would teach at Middle Schools, where his bands would earn county and state recognition. Whitman would serve as a Florida teacher for 25 years, before retiring in 2007. 

While retired, he continues to mentor and help other bands and band directors in Florida. 

“[I am] trying to help them get through the hurdles of the profession and what have you, it’s just important that we give back to our profession and our children and hopefully our society,” Whitman said.