Paul Hosford is a fifth-generation resident of Boone County, where he currently oversees four farms that have been in his family for over a century. Mr. Hosford and his wife Lori have owned and operated Hosford Music Services in Albion since 1986. Hosford has designed and built much of his recording equipment and does recordings, tunes pianos, teaches music lessons and has conducted hands-on stringed instrument clinics for area elementary students for over 30 years. The Hosfords opened Painted Heart Music, LLC, an Internet-based record label in 2003 and have released 20 CDs since that time. Hosford’s solo jazz guitar CD, Emergence, was given five stars by a reviewer for Jazz 2/Day and his work with young musicians has won him the respect of many in the music industry, including writer Nat Hentoff. Hosford has been listed in National Register’s Who’s Who among Executives and Professionals and Madison’s Who’s Who in recognition of his accomplishments in the music industry.
Hosford has been active in rural development projects since the early 1990s and spearheaded the development of a first-of-its-kind Small Business Resource section in the Albion Public Library. The Hosfords were active in POP-IN (Products On Parade In Nebraska), an event that brought tourists to and showcased local artists and craftspeople along the length of Nebraska Highway 14. Hosford’s essays and columns, many dealing with rural issues, have appeared in a number of Nebraska online and print newspapers, including in the Omaha World-Herald’s Midlands Voices feature.
The Hosfords are currently co-directors of the Albion Area Arts Council which serves a dozen small communities and school systems in the greater Boone County area. Hosford serves on grant and artist evaluation panels for the Nebraska Arts Council. In addition to the Arts Council, Hosford currently serves as Secretary/Treasurer for the Boone County Historical Society.
In 2007 Hosford was appointed by Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman to fill an unexpired term on the Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission. He was subsequently appointed to a full term of his own. Hosford was retained on the NADC for a year after this term expired, serving until July of 2015.
The Hosfords have been active in efforts to stem domestic violence and sexual abuse, and in 2004 were given an award for their efforts by the Center For Survivors in Columbus, NE.
In 2009 the Hosfords initiated a project which has brought together architectural students from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the University of Arizona with rural communities to design nearly 100 innovative and eco-friendly buildings to help small communities adapt and grow.
In 2016 Paul became a TeamMates mentor, working with students in the local PATHWAYS Alternative Education Center.
The Hosfords have been married since 1985 and have three children, William, Angela, and Thomas.