Daniel A. Kyser
July 31, 2000
Daniel A. Kyser, professor emeritus of music, died June 10 in Kalamazoo. He was 81.
Before his retirement in 1980, Kyser served for 33 years on the WMU faculty, rising to the rank of full professor in 1969. He taught woodwind instruments, specializing in the clarinet. In demand as a performer who had mastered several instruments, he served as principal clarinet for the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra for 25 years.
An active volunteer on the local and national level, Kyser served on the executive committee of the National Association of College Wind and Percussion Instructors and was a member of the Music Educators National Advisory Board. He also served on the boards of directors of the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, the Chamber Music Society and the Southwest Michigan Council of the Boy Scouts of America.
Kyser earned his bachelor's degree from Oberlin College in 1940, and in 1941, he was called to active military duty. He served as a musician in the 99th Infantry Division U.S. Army Band, rising to the position of conductor several years later. He earned a master's degree from the University of Michigan in 1947.