Performances + Events
NEC alumnus and President’s Council Member Marvin E. Gilmore Jr. ’51 DP, ’24 hon. DM took center stage at Jordan Hall on Saturday, September 21, to celebrate his 100th birthday. Gilmore officially turned 100 on Monday, September 23. The Boston Globe covered this extraordinary milestone in an article where they shared more details of the event. They write,
… he was only expected to play one song. But once his son, Marque, handed him four wooden maracas, he rattled a soulful sextet through a second song — Stevie Wonder’s “Happy Birthday” — and then a third reggae encore.”
In a special reception on October 4, Gilmore was also awarded an Honorary Doctorate from NEC celebrating his distinguished career and his legacy. Ken Schaphorst ’84 MM, Co-Chair of the Jazz Department, presented Gilmore’s honorary doctorate, highlighting the significant contributions Gilmore has made throughout his life. Ken shared,
I became reacquainted with Marvin through our mutual connection with NEC. And at that time I realized that there was a lot I didn’t know about Marvin. I didn’t know that he was an NEC grad himself. I didn’t know that he opened the state’s first black-owned bank. I didn’t know that he fought on D-Day. I didn’t know that he was a leader in the NAACP and Civil Rights movement. I didn’t know that he had served as president of the Community Development Corporation of Boston, investing desperately needed funds in the communities of Roxbury and the South End. But perhaps the most impressive thing about Marvin is his almost superhuman energy and positivity.”
President Andrea Kalyn conferred his degree, noting in his citation:
Marvin E. Gilmore, Jr. has always understood that music is not merely an art form—it is a vehicle for social progress and unity. His passion for jazz, his collaborations with world-renowned artists, and his enduring support for young musicians have enriched the cultural fabric of the nation.”
Gilmore has been recognized as a civil rights leader and was recently named a Boston “hero” on the 1965 Freedom Plaza that surrounds the Embrace sculpture. A D-Day U.S. veteran, his distinguished career and legacy include establishing OneUnited Bank—the first Black-owned bank in Massachusetts, opening a Cambridge jazz and reggae club called Western Front in 1967, and serving as President and CEO for the Community Development Corporation of Boston for 43 years, just to name a few.
Gilmore is beyond deserving of these celebrations and recognitions, and we are grateful for the significant and far-reaching impact he has made on both the Boston communities and the NEC community. Read more about Marvin’s legacy here.
