Known as Captain Dyett for his service in the Illinois National Guard, Walter Henri Dyett fostered the growth of jazz and black musicians in Chicago. In 1922, putting aside medical school and violin, Dyett focused on teaching, arranging, and conducting orchestras. He led the Pickford Orchestra, Washington Park summer concerts, the DuSable-ites, the “Hi-Jinks,” and many others. From 1931 to 1961, Dyett taught classical, military, and jazz music to more than 20,000 students at Wendell Phillips and DuSable High Schools. Jazz greats including Nat “King” Cole, Dorothy Donegan, Joseph Jarman, Dinah Washington, Johnny Griffin, and Mwata Bowden credit Dyett for their early musical training.

Kathleen Zygmun