A man who built the Mountain Home High School band into one of the most decorated in the state of Arkansas has died. Robert Nelson died Friday morning at Hospice of the Ozarks at the age of 79. Nelson spent 35 years as the band director at Mountain Home High School, touching many lives during that time.
Nelson was a fourth-generation native of Baxter County and a 1960 graduate of Mountain Home High School. He received a bachelor’s degree in music from Arkansas Tech and taught three years at Searcy Junior High before being hired at his alma mater where he served as band director for 35 years until his retirement in 2002. In 2014, the band hall at the high school was named the Robert N. Nelson Band Hall.
Current band director Tom Chentnik, who took over following Nelson’s retirement, says his predecessor meant a great deal to a lot of people.
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Chentnik says it was intimidating following a legend like Nelson, but the retired director was always there willing to help.
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Chentnik says he, along with all of Nelson’s students, learned a lot from him.
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Clint Czeschin, a member of the band in high school and current president of the Mountain Home Band Foundation, says Nelson made the Mountain Home band one of the best in the state.
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Czeschin says as a member of the band, you worked hard to please Nelson.
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Following his retirement from teaching in 2002, Nelson served on the board of the Mountain Home Education Foundation and the Mountain Home School Board and was an active member of the Baxter County Retired Teachers Association and the Bomber Alumni House board of directors.
He also served as president of the Arkansas School Band & Orchestra Association and was a member of the Arkansas Bandmasters’ Association and the Arkansas chapter of Phi Beta Mu.
Funeral services will be Thursday afternoon at 2 at First Baptist Church of Mountain Home. Visitation will be Wednesday from 4 to 8 at the church with the family receiving friends beginning at 6. Burial will be in Baxter Memorial Gardens.
Robert Nelson is survived locally by his wife Ann.
Memorials may be made to MHHS Bomber Band Boosters, Mountain Home Education Foundation, First Baptist Church of Mountain Home or Hospice of the Ozarks.
Arrangements are by Roller Funeral Home.
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