WKU music legend passes away

BOWLNG GREEN, Ky. – The Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, and music communities are mourning the loss of one of their own.

Hopkinsville native and devout Catholic, Joseph Stites passed away on March 1st, he was 69-years-old. He was known as a mentor for countless music educators and faculty. Stites had been with the department since 1987 until his retirement.

He held various roles within the university–significantly shaping the music department’s curriculum, scholarship programs, and student advising.

Stites also was extremely involved in the Kentucky Music Educators Association, even serving as the president at one time.

He is described as a kind soul with a generous heart and best known for his humor.

Distinguished music professor, Dr. John Cipolla, shares a sentiment to Stites’ character. He recalls when times got “too stressful” Stites would “start reading pages of Doctor Seuss books.”

Cipolla goes on to say that students would “leave the room … learning some of the content and feeling better.”

In 2022, Stites was inducted into the Western’s Department of Music Wall of Fame. He was honored with the Robyn Swanson Legacy Award earlier this year.

We send our condolences to those impacted.