Northern Oklahoma College alumni Dineo Heilmann will be inducted into the NOC Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame March 29 at NOC Tonkawa.
Heilmann, Class of 1982, will be one of three inductees honored in ceremonies during the NOC Alumni and Friends Reunion Dinner in the Renfro Center at NOC Tonkawa at 5 p.m. on Saturday, March 29.
In 1985, Dineo Heilmann started his teaching career as the band director for the Chelsea Public School system in Chelsea, Oklahoma. Dineo left Chelsea in 1988 to become the Instrumental Director at Northern Oklahoma College and to later serve as Fine Arts Division Chair from 1990 to 2017.
He received his Associate degree from Northern Oklahoma College, his Bachelor of Music Education from Oklahoma State University where he was named Outstanding Music Student his senior year. He then received a fellowship to complete his Master of Music Education degree at Wichita State University.
He was named 1991’s Outstanding Young Bandmaster for the state of Oklahoma by Phi Beta Mu. He has had the honor of working with famed conductor Eugene Corporon, renowned composer Jack Stamp and has performed in a master class for Richard Stoltzman.
Heilmann has been honored twice by the Northern Oklahoma College board of Regents, the first with a “Resolution” of outstanding contribution to music culture and the second he was honored along with his father with a “Resolution” for the 50th anniversary of the Roustabouts for “50 years of inspiring performances”.
In 2014, the city of Tonkawa named him “Citizen of the Year.” In 2015 Tonkawa High School named Mr. Heilmann as “Friends of Education” for raising money to purchase a Steinway grand piano for their Events Center.
He appeared annually with the Northern Gala Orchestra since its inception in 1996, under the baton of Conductor Gerald Steichen, performing traditional clarinet literature. Dineo has been so lucky as to have performed with New York Philharmonic Violist Dorian Rence and such soprano artists as Loraine Ernst, Julie McCoy, and Janet Gray.
In 2000 he participated in the Higher Education Leadership Academy.
He has served as the representative for Junior/Community Colleges for the Oklahoma Association of Schools of Music. He has been a member of the Music Educators National Conference, Oklahoma Music Educators Association, and Phi Beta Mu.
Most recently, the auditorium in the Kinzer Performing Arts Center was named after Heilmann in his honor.
The public is invited to the event and all NOC Alumni and Friends of the college are encouraged to attend, according to Kayla Wooderson, Director of Alumni and Community Relations. The deadline for reservations is March 14. Reservations are required; Tickets for the Dinner and Banquet are $25 per person.
NOC will present the Alumni Legacy Scholarship as well as recognize the Class of 1975.
For reservations or for more information, contact Wooderson at 580.628.6473 or e-mail [email protected]. To make reservations online, visit www.noc.edu/alumni and then click on “Alumni and Friends Reunion Form.”
Marcus Chapman and Marshall Reigh will also be inducted on March 29.
The event registration will be held from 4:30 p.m. – 5 p.m. in the Renfro Center lobby with dinner at 5 p.m. in the banquet room.
