Fort Smith Symphony Orchestra, Inc. v. Fort Smith Symphony Ass'n

Darrell Hickman, Justice.

Dissension arose in the Fort Smith Symphony Association when their conductor of 14 years, Walter Minniear, resigned in 1984. Some performing members wanted more voice in the decisions made by the board of directors which was made up primarily of nonperforming members. About half of the performers resigned or disassociated themselves from the orchestra in May of 1984 and formed a new organization; it was incorporated as a non-profit corporation named Fort Smith Symphony Orchestra, Inc. The old organization, which had existed since the late 1920’s, the Fort Smith…