Harold Brockington, a longtime faculty member and former chair of the department of music education at Delaware State University, died on April 7. He was 99 years old.
After graduating from high school in Lansing, Michigan, Brockington toured the nation as a member of several big bands and jazz ensembles. He was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1943 and served in an Army band in Okinawa, Japan.
After being discharged, Brockington used funds from the GI Bill to earn bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music at Michigan State University. After teaching at several historically Black colleges and universities. Dr. Brockington earned a Ph.D. in music theory and composition from the University of Iowa.
In 1964, Dr. Brockington was hired as an associate professor and head of the department of music at Delaware State University. In 1971, Dr. Brockington was elevated to full professor of music. He went on to become the longest serving chair of the department of music in the history of Delaware State University – 26 years from 1964 to 1990. He served an additional year as a full-time faculty member until his retirement in 1991. Later, he he returned to teach music theory as an adjunct professor from 1997 until 2004.
