Leon Breeden, Professor Emeritus of music who directed the jazz studies program and the One O’Clock Lab Band from 1959 to 1981, was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from UNT at the 2009 summer commencement ceremonies.

Under Breeden’s guidance, the jazz studies program — the first of its kind in the country — rose to international prominence. Before he stepped down, the lab bands had received almost 50 national awards for group and individual performances.

A respected clarinetist, saxophonist, arranger and composer, Breeden has earned numerous accolades, including being inducted into the National Association of Jazz Educators Hall of Fame in 1985.