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Dr. Alfred L. Watkins (Marietta, GA) is the retired Director of Bands at Lassiter High School in Marietta, Georgia, where he taught for 31 of his 37 years teaching. He is co-founder, Musical Director, and Conductor of the Cobb Wind Symphony, currently in their 27th Season. He is a 1976 graduate of Florida A&M University, continued coursework at Georgia State University, and was conferred an honorary doctorate from the VanderCook College of Music.
His bands have earned the Sousa Foundation’s Sudler Flag of Honor, Sudler Shield, and Sudler Silver Scroll. Concert bands under Watkins’ leadership have performed at 32 invitational concert band events and he has conducted all-state high school bands in 34 states.
Ensembles under Watkins’ batons have performed five times at The Midwest Clinic, six times at the Music for All National Festival, and six times at the GMEA In-service Conference. The Lassiter Trojan Marching Band was named Grand Champions of 151 of 160 contests entered under Watkins. They have performed four times in the Tournament of Roses Parades, three times in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and won the 1998 and 2002 Bands of America Grand National Championships.
Watkins is a member of the American Bandmasters Association, FAMU Gallery of Distinguished Alumni, and the Hall of Fames of Music for All and the Minority Band Directors Association. He has also received The Midwest Clinic Medal of Honor. He has received 28 Certificates of Excellence from the National Band Association.
The $1.5 million Alfred L. Watkins Band Building at Lassiter High School bears his name. He and his wife of 42 years, Rita, live in Marietta, Georgia. They have two adult sons: Christopher, a trumpeter in the U.S. Army Band “Pershing’s Own,” and Jonathan, a businessman in Atlanta. He and his wife have two grandchildren.