Sympathy to the Family and Former Colleagues of Dr. Jared Spears, Emeritus Professor
JONESBORO – The university community extends sympathy to the family, friends and former colleagues of Dr. Jared Spears of St. Charles, Mo., who died Sept. 18. Spears was a faculty member at Arkansas State University from 1967 until retirement in 1999, at which time he was named emeritus professor of music.
Spears earned his B.S.E. degree in music education from Northern Illinois University, the B.M. and M.M. in percussion and composition from the Cosmopolitan School of Music, and the D.M. in composition from Northwestern University.
At A-State he taught composition, applied percussion and percussion ensemble, orchestration and arranging, music theory, and music history. The award-winning composer had more than 300 published works to his credit. He frequently appeared as guest conductor for honor bands and lecturer at many schools and universities throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe.
After retiring, he relocated to the St. Louis area, where he continued to compose. He served several years on the board of the St. Louis Wind Symphony and was named their composer-in-residence.
Survivors include his wife Gay, of O’Fallon, Mo., along with a son and two daughters and their families. Visitation and memorial service will be Saturday, Nov. 1, in St. Charles. The complete obituary is online.
The clock tower of the Dean B. Ellis Library will be darkened Thursday, Sept. 25, in memorial tribute to Spears for his contributions to higher education and Arkansas State University.
