Col. Edward Payson retired after 41 years of service to Culver Academy  in 1967. Below (left to right) are: five photos from his retirement ceremony at CMA; an honorary membership in the Beaver Division of Culver Woodcraft Camp in 1966; a citation honoring Payson at the time of his retirement in June, 1967; a 1967 article from the Vedette regarding Col. Payson's retirement; an article from the Culver Woodcrafter on Col. Payson's retirement.

Below: at the time of his retirement, a host of well-wishers wrote to commend Col. Payson for his years of service; only a small sampling of the letters are represented below.

During his many years as Music Director at Culver Military Academy, Col. Payson was involved in countless projects on and off campus conducting, directing, and playing music. Below, from left: part of a program from the 1967, on-campus production of The King and I; the 1967 Commencement program; a program from 1958 noting Col. Payson's work with the Notre Dame symphony; a 1966 program from Notre Dame; the cover of a 1956 Elkhart Symphony Orchestra performance; the interior of the same 1956 Elkhart Symphony program; an invitation from the South Bend String Quartet from 1970; a Symphony program from the 1966-67 season.

Below: one of Col. Payson's favorite hobbies after his retirement was working with the Model Train Club at Culver Academy. This he did not only with and for Academy students, but also for the children of Culver's community at large, as is reflected below: a 1976 Vedette article on Col. Payson's involvement with the club; a 1976 Vedette article on Col. Payson's retiring from the Train Club; a 1972 letter from Culver's community high school thanking Col. Payson for involving community youth in the Club; a 1976 photo of Col. Payson working with the model trains; two 1976 articles on Col. Payson and the Train Club, from the Pilot News of Plymouth and the Culver Citizen.

Assorted photos:

Below: Col. Payson, Basil O'Reilly (CMA Band Director), Bess Easterday, Bertha Mae Rust (CMA Music Teacher), and Ruth Behmer (Music Teacher) at Culver Academy; Col. Payson directing the CMA band, 1967; a 1965 Moffett Studio publicity shot of Col. Payson for CMA.