Ployhar attended
Valley City State University in
Valley City, North Dakota, and was initiated into the Beta Rho chapter of
Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia music fraternity in 1952. He earned a master's degree from the
University of Northern Colorado, and did doctoral study at
UCLA. Ployhar was president of the VCSC Alumni Association from 1975 to 1976 and a member of the V-500 Foundation. On May 20, 1977, he was given the Distinguished Alumnus Award at Valley City State University. A public-school teacher of nineteen years, Ployhar was a prolific writer in the field of music education and authored
Contemporary Band Course. He received the citation of excellence by the executive committee of the National Band Association. He founded the Fargo Big Band All-Stars, a musical group that frequently performed at the historic
Fargo Theatre, and he co-produced the 1994 Disney film
Iron Will. Ployhar died January 2, 2007, in
Fargo, North Dakota ==References==