Local Legend Mary Jo Papich Receives Legacy of Leadership Award

Last month, the Community Foundation of Central Illinois honored local legend Mary Jo Papich with the 2024 Women’s Fund Legacy of Leadership Award.

Mary Jo, renowned for her dedication to arts education, is the co-founder and inaugural president of the international nonprofit Jazz Education Network (JEN), operating in over 22 countries.

She has been honored with the prestigious Medal of Honor from the The Midwest Clinic International Band and Orchestra Festival and has devoted over 35 years to serving public school education. Mary Jo retired as the Fine Arts Chair at Highland Park High School and served as the Director of Fine Arts for Skokie D219 until 2012.

As the district Fine Arts Coordinator in Peoria Public Schools 150, she established the Peoria Jazz All Stars, who performed at Montreux, North Sea, and Umbria Jazz Festivals, as well as at the IMEA Conference, ASBDA, and numerous state and local events. Before this, Mary Jo garnered acclaim as an award-winning band director at Peoria’s Woodruff High School and Roosevelt Magnet School for Arts K-8.

Her personal mission is "to bring encouragement, inspiration, and joy to others so they feel empowered and motivated to bring good to the world." The impact she has had on the lives of countless students is immeasurable.

Mary Jo Papich Legacy of Leadership Presentation
March 6, 2024

by Todd Kelly, Bradley University Music Department Chair

Good evening, everyone. My name is Todd Kelly, and I am the Chair of the Music Department of Bradley, where I am finishing my 26th year on the music faculty and third year as department chair. I am so happy and honored to speak to you about my friend and colleague Mary Jo Papich.

I think that most of you are aware of her amazing accomplishments in this community, so I want to direct mycomments to my personal experiences with her as a colleague and friend, and about her leadership in the field of JazzEducation.

The first time that I met MJ in 1997, when I was a doctoral student at Ball State University. The Ball State Jazz Ensemble was performing at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, and one of our gigs was at a place called Duke’s Bar, which was owned by the famous jazz musician George Duke. We were hanging out before the gig, and my director introduced me to Mary Jo.

She looked fabulous, of course! She told me that she lived in Peoria, that she directed a group called the Peoria Jazz All-Stars, and that they were performing at the festival as well.

Fast forward a year, and I got my job at Bradley. I remembered, “Hey, Peoria is where Mary Jo lives, and she has this awesome Peoria Jazz All-Stars group.” I got in touch with her to tell her that I was in town. She immediately asked me to come and guest solo with the All-Stars, and I was thrilled to do so. At that time, I hadn’t really put together that she was an internationally known figure in jazz education, but it didn’t take me long to figure it out.

That was the beginning of what has become an enduring friendship, and one that I value so much. To be honest, I wasn’t quite sure what to make of Mary Jo at first. I remember thinking, “Come on. No one is really that friendly, that supportive, and that generous about what they do. Maybe it’s an act.”

Well, as all of you in this room know, it is not an act. Mary Jo Papich is all of those things and more. Mary Jo is one of the most authentic human beings that I have ever known. Her heart for teaching, for kids, and for PEOPLE, is the real deal.

I would like to make special note of Mary Jo’s leadership in the Jazz Education Network. JEN is the world’s largest jazz organization, and it would not exist without Mary Jo’s vision. When the International Association for Jazz Education folded in 2008, MJ was the first person to step up to the plate and create a new organization, one which has been incredibly successful and which has helped countless teachers and students. The Jazz Education Network is active in 22 countries, and they strongly advocate for jazz education, performance, and audience building. They hold a conference each January which is best described as the world’s largest jazz party. The list of attendees is an absolute “who’s who” of jazz musicians, teachers, and industry professionals. I am grateful to be a member of this wonderful organization.

As if that wasn’t enough, Mary Jo is the recipient of the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic’s Medal of Honor in 2018. This award acknowledges and honors those who have made significant contributions to Music Education.

Mary Jo fills an incredibly important role in the musical world. She is an advocate of the highest order, who really has no peer. I can walk up to almost any jazz musician and say, “Hey, Mary Jo says hello.” They will not only say hello back, but also go on at length about their fondness for her and the work she does for the global jazz community.

To quote legendary journalist Ron Burgundy, she’s kind of a big deal!

I would like to share a couple of quotes from her former students, both of whom were members of the Peoria Jazz All-Stars.

From Greg Ward, Professor of Jazz Saxophone at Indiana University:

“Mary Jo Papich has been a guiding light to so many of us. At a time when I was getting serious about music, she noticed this spark and took it upon herself to show me some of the vast possibilities that a life in the arts could offer. I’m still as excited about music as ever and now, have the privilege of showing my students what a thrilling life this can be. I am forever grateful for being placed in her path.”

From Doug Stone, Professor of Jazz at Louisiana State University:

“Mary Jo’s work in the field of jazz education is an inspiration to me. In all the groups she has worked with - schools, honor bands, educational organizations - she has had a vision and has done all the necessary work to bring her vision to fruition. Her legacy can be defined in many ways, but her legacy of diligence and persistence has made an impact on me. Thank you for all you have done for your students and colleagues, Mary Jo!”

Doug Stone Quartet’s CIJS Performance at Trailside Event Center

When I became chair of the Music Department in 2021, one of my first items of business was to make Mary Jo a part of our faculty. Honestly, it never made sense to me that we had one of the great arts advocates in the world living a couple of miles from campus, and that we hadn’t harnessed her superpowers for Bradley University. I can’t tell you how glad I am that we brought her onto our team, and how grateful I am for everything that she does for us.

MJ, you are so richly deserving of this honor. I want to thank you, first and foremost for your friendship, but also for your wise counsel and for your unflagging support for me in my career, and for your commitment to the arts and to excellence. I feel so very fortunate to call you my friend, and I am grateful that you are a part of my life, and such an important source of light in our community and beyond. Thank you!

Dr. Todd Kelly