Oldest Musical Conductor
Frank Emond, 101 yrs., is still actively performing. Pensacola Civic Band Director, Don Snowden, realized that Frank might actually be setting a world’s record. On Memorial Day weekend, May 27, 2019, Frank participated in the annual Memorial Day concert. In addition to telling the story of his early life, which included being on the USS Pennsylvania to play morning “colors” when Pearl Harbor was attacked by the Empire of Japan, Frank then walked to the conductor’s stand, picked up the baton and proceeded to direct the band in “Stars and Stripes.” He made a Guinness World Record as the oldest conductor in the world!
In the following days, Don filled out the forms and his stage crew put together a documentary video and sent the information to Guinness.
Guinness World Records, formerly known as The Guinness Book of Records, is the ultimate authority of record breaking achievements. It started out as an idea for a book of facts to solve arguments in pubs. [1] Their purpose is to inspire people to participate in record-breaking – to realize their potential and re-examine the world. Their mission is being the ultimate global authority on record breaking.
On November 9th, the Pensacola Civic Band performed at the Pensacola Saenger Theatre. The first order of business when their performance began was to present Frank Emond with his official Guinness World Record plaque. Just to reinforce his win, Frank again conducted the band as they performed “The Star Spangled Banner.”
Frank also sings in his church choir and spent many hours in volunteer work at the Navy hospital. He retired from the hospital program when he turned in his driver’s license after that 101st birthday.
We never tire of hearing Frank recall the events of December 7, 1941.