Eloy Fominaya was born in New York City in 1925, but moved to Spain at a very early age with his family. By the age of three he returned to America with his family. As a child prodigy, he played the violin for Eleanor Roosevelt at the White House before the age of ten. By the age of 15, he played "Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in D" with the National Symphony in Washington, D.C.

At age 17, Eloy Fominaya joined the U.S. Army to enter WWII. He was a member of the Fourth Infantry Division and became an artillery "spotter". He took part in the Battle of the Bulge and helped to liberate Dachau. He was awarded the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star and at one point found himself behind an enemy checkpoint sharing a ditch with Ernest Hemingway.

After the war, Eloy Fominaya continued his study of music. He attended the Juilliard School of Music for three years before transferring to Lawrence University in Appleton, Wis., where he received a Bachelor of Music degree in violin and music education in 1950. He received a Master’s degree from North Texas State University and a Doctorate from Michigan State University in 1963 with H. O. Reed as his major professor. In 1966, Fominaya moved to Augusta [Georgia] to become the chair of the fine arts department at Augusta College, where he remained for 16 years. Fominaya was an associate conductor of the Augusta Symphony and played violin in the orchestra. He was musical director and conductor of the Augusta Chorale Society for 12 years. He was director of the Augusta Youth Orchestra from 1966 to 1994. He was also music director for Trinity on the Hill United Methodist Church from 1967 to 1970. After a 33 year career at Augusta State University, where he taught violin, composition, contemporary harmony/humanities and counterpoint, Dr. Fominaya retired as a professor of music at age 70. He died in 2002.

(Source: Obituary, The Augusta Chronicle April 14, 2002)