Bohumil Makovsky grew up an orphan in Bohemia and came to New York on his way to Nebraska when he was 17 years old. He was unable to speak English, had only a little formal education, but carried his clarinet everywhere he went. After his arrival in Nebraska, he lead a small musical band that played at county fairs and dances in the area, and came to Oklahoma City in 1903. He played music and organized bands in Woodward, Yukon, and Prague, and ultimately accepted the position of band director and Director of Music at Oklahoma A&M College, now Oklahoma State University, in Stillwater (1915-1943). Boh became a U.S. Citizen, received an honorary Doctor of Music degree from the University of Tulsa, and was instrumental in founding Kappa Kap Psi, a national band fraternity for men, for which he also served as its grand president from 1927-1929.