Scott Summerhays, president and CEO of Summerhays Music in Salt Lake City, Utah, passed away on Nov. 22 following an illness that he battled privately. He was 55.
“I started working at the store when I was 12, pre-computer,” Summerhays said in a NAMM interview in 2015. “Obviously, the rent-to-own receivables, they were all on paper. So, literally, my first job was to take a ledger paper and type in the name of the customer, and then write down every single month of their payment all the way down the ledger paper for the entire length of the contract, and write in the amount of the payment.”
Summerhays was well-respected in the music industry, serving in a variety of mentorship and leadership roles. He was a past president of the National Association of School Music Dealers (NASMD), a former NAMM board member, a member of many other industry organizations and an advocate for music and arts education on the local, state and national level.
“Scott was an incredibly vital NAMM member, participating in virtually every way possible and giving selflessly for the good of others,” said Joe Lamond, NAMM president and CEO. “This one hurts badly. We’ve lost a dear friend and industry brother way too soon. His legacy of service to the music community will inspire us all and remind us once again to never take these deep connections for granted.”
“Scott leaves behind more industry friends than we can count, and will be missed and long remembered,” NASMD said in a statement.
The Summerhays Family will continue to operate Summerhays Music and is dedicated to supporting music education.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests pictures of Scott and stories that can be shared at a celebration of life to take place in the near future. Please send all pictures and memories to Cris Behrens at cbehrens@summerhaysmusic.com.