Dr. Hendley D. Hoge Director
Mercer Community Band

Dr. Hendley D. Hoge holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Akron, a Master of Music Education from Pennsylvania State University, a Master of Education Administration from Westminster College, and a Doctorate in Education from the University of Akron.

Dr. Hoge is a member of the National Band Association, Detroit Concert Band Association, Mercer County Historical Society, as well as other professional and arts-related organizations.  In 1977, Dr. Hoge and Sam Shilling began the Mercer Community Band which performs concerts each Friday night in June and July on the Mercer County Courthouse Square.  In 1985, Dr. Hoge was instrumental in raising $30,000, designing and building a permanent bandstand which today serves as the stage for the Mercer Community Band. 

During his thirty-nine years in Pennsylvania, Dr. Hoge has received many awards, including being named by the Mercer Area Chamber of Commerce as the 1985 "Outstanding Citizen of the Year."  In 1986, the Mercer Area School District honored him with the "Outstanding Teaching Award" and in 1987, the Mercer Area Jaycees named him as their "Educator of the Year."  While in the doctoral program in Akron in 1988, Dr. Hoge received the William J. Root Award for outstanding work in education and research.  In 1990, the Pomona Grange named him Mercer County's "Citizen of the Year."  In the summer of 1991, the Mercer County Commissioners renamed the Mercer bandstand on the square "The Hendley D. Hoge Bandstand" to pay a living tribute to Dr. Hoge's dedication and commitment to the people of Mercer County.  The Mercer Area Jaycees honored him as "Citizen of the Year" in 1991, and in February 1992, Governor Robert Casey presented Dr. Hoge with a Senator John Heinz Memorial Award for Pennsylvania's "Citizen of the Year."  In 2004, Dr. Hoge was awarded a Community Service Award by the Pennsylvania Music Clubs.

Currently, Dr. Hoge is retired after serving as principal of Mercer High School from 1993 to 2011. He previously served as Director of Bands and assistant principal at Mercer Jr.-Sr. High School.  Before his appointment in Mercer, Dr. Hoge taught in the Akron Public Schools, was the assistant band director at the University of Akron, the graduate assistant to the Director of Bands at Pennsylvania State University, and served as an Adjunct Professor of Music at Grove City College.

This school year, Dr. Hoge was called back into service and is currently serving as the superintendent of  the Lakeview School District in Stonboro, PA.

Dr. Hoge resides in Mercer with his wife Dawn and five children, Tyler, Jessica, Rachael, Adam, and Matthew.