The Bohumil Makovsky Memorial Award was first presented in 1979 to honor outstanding conductors in the college bands. “Boh” was the Director of Bands and Head of the Music Department at Oklahoma State University from 1915 until 1945 and is considered to be “The Guiding Spirit of Kappa Kappa Psi.” The recipient of this award is selected by a vote of the National Council.
Award Recipients
| —- | Gustav Bruder | Ohio State University |
| —- | John E. Howard | University of North Dakota |
| —- | Oscar Lehrer | University of Oklahoma |
| —- | Donald E. McGinnis | Ohio State University |
| —- | Hugh McMillen | University of Colorado |
| —- | Max A. Mitchell | Oklahoma State University |
| —- | Donald I. Moore | Baylor University |
| —- | William D. Revelli | University of Michigan |
| —- | C.M. Stookey | Eastern New Mexico University |
| —- | Charles Strain | West Texas A&M University |
| —- | J.B. Vandaworker | Butler University |
| —- | William R. Wehrend | University of Oklahoma |
| —- | Manley Whitcomb | Florida State University |
| —- | D.O. Wiley | Texas Tech University |
| —- | Stanley G. Finck | Kansas State University |
| 1981 | Gary T. Garner | West Texas A&M University |
| 1983 | Donald L. Wolf | Northern Arizona University |
| 1985 | David L. Oakley | University of Missouri, Rolla |
| 1987 | Allan McMurray | University of Colorado |
| 1989 | Mark S. Kelly | Bowling Green State University |
| 1991 | Ray E. Cramer | Indiana University |
| 1993 | Robert C. Fleming | Arizona State University |
| 1995 | James Croft | Florida State University |
| 1997 | James Barnes | University of Kansas |
| 1999 | Gene Thrailkill | University of Oklahoma |
| 2001 | Don Wilcox | West Virginia University |
| 2005 | John Whitwell | Michigan State University |
| 2007 | Paula Crider | University of Texas |
| 2009 | James Copenhaver | University of South Carolina |
| 2011 | Frank Wickes | Louisiana State University |
| 2013 | Craig Kirchhoff | University of Minnesota |
| 2014 | Donald Abbott | Clarion University |
| 2017 | H. Robert Reynolds | University of Michigan / University of Southern California |
| 2019 | Joseph P. Missal | Oklahoma State University |