MSU mourns the passing of retiree Dr. Earle Louder

The Morehead State University community is mourning the loss of retiree and professor emeritus Dr. Earle Louder, who died Wednesday, May 26, at age 88.   

Louder began his career at MSU in 1968 as a music professor, specializing in euphonium and tuba. In 1987, he was awarded the MSU Alumni Association's Distinguished Faculty Award and the Kentucky Music Education Association's Teacher of the Year Award, which he would win again the following year. In 1994, he was named a lifetime member of the International Tuba Euphonium Association (ITEA), of which he was a founding member.  

Louder retired in 1996 and was given the title of professor emeritus. In 1999, he received the Tubist Universal Brotherhood Association (TUBA) Lifetime Achievement Award. Most recently, he was awarded the prestigious Edwin Franko Goldman Citation in 2019, presented by the American Bandmasters Association in March 2020.  

Throughout his career and after his retirement, Louder performed with many groups, including the U. S. Navy Band, Symphonia, Keith Brion's New Sousa Band, the Danville Advocate Brass Band and the River City Brass Band, among others. He also served as conductor, adjudicator and judge for several concert band festivals and marching band competitions. He was a permanent faculty member at the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in Michigan, where he spent more than 30 years as a euphonium instructor, soloist, conductor and annually adjudicated the International Euphonium Solo Competition for the Leonard Falcone International Euphonium/Tuba Festival.  

Louder earned his undergraduate degree at Michigan State University, where he studied with the renowned euphonium artist Leonard Falcone. He earned his doctoral degree at Florida State University.  

He attended Clearfield Baptist Church where he was a deacon and minister of music.  

He is survived by his wife, Louise Twiford Louder; two sons, Joseph and Stephen Louder; three daughters, Mary Nixon, Kathy Norman, and Leslie O'Neal; dozens of grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild.  

The family will announce a Celebration of Life Service at a later date.  

Arrangements are under the direction of Northcutt and Son Home for Funerals in Morehead and a virtual guest book is available at www.northcuttandson.com.