Alton Adams (1922) in his Naval Uniform.
Alton Augustus Adams, born in the Virgin Islands in 1889, remains an iconic figure there. When the United States took over the islands in 1917, the new governor appointed Adams chief musician. The band that Adams assembled entered the U.S. Navy as a unit, making Adams the first black bandmaster to serve in the U.S. Navy. He composed a great deal of band music--"The Governor's Own" and "The Virgin Islands March" are two of his most famous compositions. The latter was quickly adopted as an unofficial anthem for the Virgin Islands, but became the official anthem in 1963. Adams also was a prolific music journalist. He died in 1987.