Ron Draper has been named president and chief executive at Textron Aviation maker of Cessna and Beechcraft airplanes, which employs 9,000 people in Wichita, Kansas succeeding Scott Ernest. Ron has been at Textron Aviation since 2012, most recently as senior vice president of integrated supply chain and operations. Ron is a former Army helicopter pilot who has been with Textron Inc. companies including Bell helicopter since 1999.

"Ron Draper has a great depth of knowledge about the worldwide aviation business and has led several of Textron Aviation's most impactful strategic initiatives," Donnelly said. "He has driven solid gains for the business in recent years, including the successful integration of our Beechcraft and Cessna operations, expansion of our quality management systems and global sourcing strategies." Read More

Michael Harrison is from Rural Retreat, Virginia, and is placed in the Office of the Vice President of the United States. As an Infantry Officer, he has led soldiers throughout Asia and Europe, including 28 months deployed to northeastern Afghanistan. Throughout his career, Mike formed and led organizations executing counterterrorism and counter-insurgency missions, as well as strategic deterrence operations within the European theater. He most recently led 4,100 soldiers as the 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team's Executive Officer while a member of the 4th Infantry Division. Mike previously served as an Assistant Professor and Executive Officer in the Department of Social Sciences at West Point, where he taught courses on American politics and economics and mentored cadets.

In addition to his professional exploits, Mike ran the New York City marathon to raise awareness for underprivileged youth, volunteered as the West Point chapter's Big Brothers Big Sisters officer mentor, served as a women's soccer team and men's football team academic mentor, and was an active Council on Foreign Relations Term Member. In his free time, he continues to volunteer and serve underprivileged youth and Gold Star families. He received a B.S. in Pre-Law from the United States Military Academy at West Point and an M.P.P. from Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government.

The prestigious White House Fellows program provides professionals from diverse backgrounds with an opportunity to engage in public service for one year by serving in various roles in Federal government. Created in 1964 by President Lyndon B. Johnson, the White House Fellows program was designed "to give the fellows first hand, high-level experience with the workings of the Federal government and to increase their sense of participation in national affairs." The highly competitive selection process to become a White House Fellow is based on a record of remarkable professional accomplishment, evidence of leadership skills and the potential for further growth, and a commitment to public service. Selected individuals spend a year working as a full-time, paid fellow to senior White House staff, Cabinet Secretaries and other top-ranking government officials. Read More

Executive Dow Constantine appointed Leo Flor to serve as the director of the King County Department of Community and Human Services (DCHS). He currently is a member of the department's management team, overseeing services that connect people to employment, support military veterans and their families, and ensure that older adults can live with dignity. He developed and led Executive Constantine's plan to renew and expand the Veterans, Seniors and Human Services Levy, which King County voters approved last year. The Department of Community and Human Services manages a biennial budget of more than $1.5 billion and oversees a wide range of programs to assist the county's most vulnerable residents and strengthen its communities.

"Leo Flor has the complete skill set to build on the progress we have made to help every child, youth, and adult in King County achieve their full potential," said Executive Constantine. "His success at creating a strong, broad coalition for the Veterans, Seniors and Human Services Levy demonstrated the leadership ability I wanted for this Cabinet position. With Leo as director, our employees and partners will continue to deliver real, measurable outcomes that improve the quality of life in King County." In 2013, Flor served as a special advisor on the Executive's Regional Veterans Initiative where he was instrumental in developing recommendations for improving access and coordination of services for veterans and their families.

As an attorney and Equal Justice Works fellow at the Northwest Justice Project, he was named by Executive Constantine to serve as one of the original members of the King County Public Defense Advisory Board in 2014, bringing special expertise in veteran's issues. "DCHS is building the coalitions and systems to address some of our region's most urgent issues, and we are working with communities to promote the conditions of equity, stability and connection that will help King County residents to thrive for the long term," said Flor. "I am humbled by the opportunity to work with Executive Constantine and his staff, the County Council, the DCHS team, and our community partners. I couldn't be more excited for this opportunity to serve." Read More

The U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command's two Army astronauts received their new rank in a unique way Sept. 27. Army astronauts Col. Andrew "Drew" Morgan and Lt. Col. Anne McClain, both from the astronaut class of 2013, were promoted while underwater following required training in the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory at the Sonny Carter Training Facility. The NBL is an astronaut training facility featuring a large indoor pool of water in which astronauts may perform simulated EVA tasks in preparation for upcoming missions. Trainees wear suits designed to provide neutral buoyancy to simulate the microgravity they would experience during spaceflight.

McClain, who was promoted first, said, "It truly is an honor to be in this suit in this pool working with this team, and it's an honor to be a lieutenant colonel in the Army. Thank you for celebrating this major milestone with me." A 2002 Marshall Scholar also, a senior Army aviator, she has more than 2,000 flight hours in 20 different aircraft. She is a rated pilot for the C-12 Huron (King Air), UH-60 Black Hawk and UH-72 Lakota, and instructor pilot for the OH-58D Kiowa Warrior. She is currently assigned to launch Dec. 20 to serve aboard the International Space Station as a flight engineer for Expedition 58 and 59.

Morgan, who is currently training as McClain's backup, is an emergency physician in the U.S. Army with sub-specialty certification in primary care sports medicine. Prior to his selection to NASA's 21st group of astronauts, Morgan served in elite special operations units worldwide. Morgan is currently assigned to launch on Soyuz 59S in July 2019 and will serve aboard the International Space Station as a flight engineer for Expedition 60 and 61. Following his promotion, Morgan thanked the NBL team and astronaut office for helping with the unique promotion experience. Read More

The following classes have added updates this week to their Class Notes pages. 1956 | 1958 | 1959 | 1969 | 1990 | 1998 | 2002 | 2004. Class Notes

The North Dakota County Commissioners Association (NDCCA) elected Bottineau County Commissioner Charlie Adams to join the Board of Directors. The NDCCA was established in 1905. As the form of government closest to the people, counties offer a unique perspective that makes them critical players in decisions affecting their citizens. The North Dakota County Commissioners Association serves as the counties' advocate before all branches of state government. It acts on legislative issues and lobbies on behalf of North Dakota's 223 county commissioners, serving 53 counties.

Adams, a county commissioner since 2015, also serves on Bottineau County's Zoning Board, the County Social Services Board, and the Souris Basin Planning Council that coordinates administration and resources for a seven-county area.

Besides county leadership, Adams serves on the board of directors of the local Dollars for Scholars organization and since 2013 has served on the panel to interview service academy applicants for U.S. Senator John Hoeven, ND.

Retired Lt. Gen. Robert L. Ord, III, who served 34 years in the Army, was sworn in as a commissioner for the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) on October 16, 2018. Appointed by President Donald Trump in August 2018, Ord, in his role as ABMC Commissioner, will work to provide strategy guidance to fulfill the agency mission.

As a commissioner, Ord serves for an indefinite term and receives no compensation. From the time of ABMC's establishment in 1923 during the Warren G. Harding Administration, a board of commissioners has always existed and played a role in the history of the agency. From Gold Star Mothers to war veterans to General of the Armies John J. Pershing, the board of commissioners has included people who represent a vested interest in how our nation honors its fallen. As a veteran, Ord brings an important perspective to this group.

He served more than three decades in the Army in Infantry command and staff assignments, culminating as commanding general of U.S. Army Pacific. After retiring from the Army in 1996, he served in a variety of roles to include a distinguished senior fellow of the Center for Civil Military Relations at the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS). In 2002, he was named dean of the School of International Graduate Studies at NPS, a position held until 2008. He served simultaneously as founding director of the Global Center for Security Cooperation (GCSC), a Department of Defense organization at NPS, and directed GCSC until retiring from federal service in 2009. Read More

Founded by military veterans and serial entrepreneurs Kelly Perdew and Craig Cummings, the LA and Austin-based venture capital firm Moonshots has closed $20 million for its inaugural seed-stage fund. Perdew and Cummings met as entrepreneurs and angel investors in the early 2000s. Drawing on their entrepreneurial and military experience, the two are interested in funding founders with specific leadership skills.

"The only place in the world we know of where literally millions of dollars are spent training people explicitly in leadership is the military," Perdew told Crunchbase News.

With that, Perdew said that 70 percent of the funds that the two have deployed through their angel investments, through the Moonshot Capital angel syndicate, and with the new fund thus far has gone to startups founded by military veterans. That remaining 30 percent, Perdew said, has gone to founders which they believe show the leadership and planning characteristics common among founders on those other teams.

For its first fund, the firm plans to write checks in a sweet spot of $500,000 to $800,000. ;So far, the company has invested in cyber defense startups New Knowledge and Threatcare, business travel tool Shep, digital content startup Catalog.; "Our focus is on late-seed [startups with] product-in-market, some revenue generated, and some investment already occurred where Craig and I can really roll up our sleeves as operators and help them grow," Perdew explained. Read More

Photo: Courtesy of Dawn Bowery

The following classes have added updates this week to their Class Notes pages. 1954 | 1962 | 1971 | 1981 | 1989 | 1993 | 2000. Class Notes

The Birmingham Business Journal has named Attorney Clint Speegle a 2018 "Veteran of Influence." The annual program recognizes military veterans in metro Birmingham "who have distinguished themselves in the local business world." A special advisory committee considered criteria such as the candidates' contributions to their company, their track record of innovation and leadership and their role in the Birmingham community.

"Clint is a valued member of our team, and we are grateful for his significant contributions to Lightfoot, Franklin & White LLC," said managing partner Melody Eagan. "As a firm, we are committed to servicemembers and their families, and we are proud to have many veterans on our team."

Clint served multiple tours in Operation Iraqi Freedom as a combat-proven attack helicopter pilot. In addition to a Bronze Star, his awards and decorations include an Air Medal, two Army Commendation Medals, the Combat Action Badge, the Army Aviator Badge, the Army Parachutist Badge, the Army Pathfinder Badge and a United Arab Emirates Special Operations Command Parachutist Badge. Clint continues to give back to West Point as the head of recruiting for the Academy in Central Alabama. Since 2011, he has also served on the Military Academy Nomination Board for Alabama's 6th Congressional District, which is currently represented by Congressman Gary Palmer.

Jarvis V. Hollingsworth has been named to the 2018 EBONY Power 100 List in honor of his outstanding professional accomplishments and commitment to the African American community. For more than 30 years, the EBONY Power 100 List has honored the work, accomplishments and influence of African American leaders in various sectors.

Hollingsworth has a fiduciary and corporate governance legal practice and chairs Bracewell's public/education law practice group. He is a former member of the firm's management committee. Hollingsworth currently serves as a trustee and chairman of the board of the Teacher Retirement System of Texas, a Texas state agency that manages a $150 billion+ pension trust fund. Read More

Congratulations to Brigadier General Reizal Arif Tan Sri Ismail '94, Tentera Darat Malaysia  who made history on October 18, 2018 when he became the first Malaysian West Point graduate promoted to Brigadier General.

Brigadier General Ismail was a two-time commander of Malaysian peacekeeping contingent in Lebanon known as MALBATT 850 contingent. Read More

Tom Mannle has received the Julian Wolf Award. This award pays tribute to the one rowing official in the USA that stood apart from the rest in his/her contribution to rowing in the past year. It is based upon one, several, or all of the following: outstanding performance, dedication, heroic acts or outstanding contributions to officiating. The winner is selected by past five Wolf award winners.

Tom Mannle began his involvement in the rowing community as his daughter began rowing in high school. He began as a volunteer for local regattas in the Washington, D.C. area and in club administration, "much to my daughter's embarrassment." Mannle became an assistant referee in 1999 and completed his license in 2001. "I am humbled by the award and by the fact that it came from the coaches on the Charles. I was touched [by this nomination] as none of us do this for that recognition," said Mannle.

Mannle closes all of his emails with the phrase, "smooth water." While the conditions do not always deliver, Mannle goes above and beyond to ensure race day goes smoothly. He coordinates the careful execution of racing for collegiate programs, across seven institutions, on one of the most challenging rowing venues in the country. Each weekend, racing commences from 7 a.m. until noon, on eight-minute centers, with any number of the 17 local programs hosting up to four visiting teams. With a steady hand and a great sense of humor, Mannle skillfully organizes schedules, officials, finish-line staff, video, timing, and results, alleviating the burden on coaches. Read More

Robert D. Boyd's law firm, Boyd Collar Nolen & Tuggle received their seventh recognition as a "Tier 1" Atlanta family law firm, recognized in the 2019 edition of U.S. World News and World Report’s "Best Law Firms." The firm’s high-ranking results from positive client feedback, peer reviews and exceptional demographic evaluations honored by colleagues within the Atlanta Bar. Firms included in the 2019 "Best Law Firms" list are recognized for professional excellence with persistently impressive ratings from clients and peers. Achieving a tiered ranking signals a unique combination of quality law practice and breadth of legal expertise. The 2019 rankings are based on the highest number of participating firms and highest number of client ballots on record. To be eligible for a ranking, a firm must have a lawyer listed in The Best Lawyers in America, which recognizes the top 4 percent of practicing attorneys in the U.S. Over 13,000 attorneys provided more than 1,000,000 law firm assessments, and over 7,500 clients provided more than 65,000 evaluations.

Jim Noles has recently released the book Undefeated. In 1943, the West Point basketball team, the Cadets, had only managed a 5-10 record, and for the 1944 season coach Ed Kelleher's hopes in reversing Army's fortunes rested on his five starters. They consisted of three seniors – team captain "Big Ed" Christl, John "Three Star" Hennessey, and class president Bobby Faas – and two juniors, Dale Hall and Doug Kenna. At the academy, Kelleher molded his cadets into a new kind of team, and, as the new season opened in January of 1944, Kelleher's strategy paid handsome dividends. By the end of January, West Point was 6-0; by the end of February, the team boasted a 13-0 record. Of course, during those weeks, it only took a glance at the newspaper headlines to be reminded that there were far bigger contests than intercollegiate basketball afoot in the winter of 1944.

The cadets would not be able to play in the NIT or NCAA national tournaments for a likely national championship. The world was at war, the U.S. Army needed its finest on the front line more than on the court, and the three seniors were soon destined for other battles. Hennessey endured weeks of front-line fighting, battling from the waist-deep snow of Alsatian forests to the bombed-out rubble of German cities. Christl, a fearless forward observer for his field artillery battalion, made it all the way to Austria, where he would lose his life in the final week of the war in Europe. Three months later, Faas was shot down over Japan and forced to bail out over the Pacific Ocean. Coach Kelleher would die overseas on his own special assignment with the Army.

In the years that followed, the Army's basketball team would never again have a chance to again play in the NCAA tournament and, in the modern era, few remember West Point's perfect 1944 season. Although West Point's home basketball court is named the Edward C. Christl Arena, and the National Invitational Tournament's trophy is named after his coach, Edward A. Kelleher, too few people fully appreciate why. But after reading Undefeated, they will.

The following classes have added updates this week to their Class Notes pages. 1959 | 1965 | 1968 | 1969 | 1971 | 1973 | 1985 | 1990 | 1994 | 2003. Class Notes

The El Paso County's Veterans Service Office honored Colonel Victor Fernandez as the recipient of the second annual Veteran of the Year award. Marshall Bosworth, El Paso County's Veterans Services officer, said the Veteran of the Year designation is "a way to honor veterans in the El Paso County community for their contributions in helping veterans and their family members." Vic has been working on bringing the Pikes Peak National Veterans Cemetery to the region for the past several decades. He has been the driving force behind project, serving as chair of the local cemetery committee. This effort led to the purchase of a 350-acre site off of Drennan Road that will become the national cemetery for our veterans. This site will be sufficient to bury or intern 95,000 veterans and their spouses.

Vic worked tirelessly with national, state and local leaders to ensure that the cemetery became a reality. This included securing legislative approval and the needed funding, reviewing multiple sites, making the final site selection, and initiating the design for the cemetery. Now that the Pikes Peak National Cemetery is a reality and Vic has stepped down as chairman of the Cemetery Committee, The "Support Committee at Pikes Peak National Cemetery" has been established and will continue to support the Pikes Peak National Cemetery. Click here to read the newspaper article.

Vic is a lifelong Colorado resident, born and raised in Trinidad. His family has roots going back more than 150 years. His great grandfather fought in the Civil War. His father was a World War II veteran and his father-in-law served in the Pacific during World War II and was on General MacArthur's staff during the Korean conflict, and is interred at Ft. Logan National Veterans Cemetery in Denver. During his 30-year military career, Vic served two tours in Panama, two in Vietnam, two in Germany, and a variety of stateside posts. He is a graduate of the Command and General Staff College and Army War College. His numerous military awards include the Defense Superior Service medal, the Bronze Star Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Defense and the Meritorious Service Medal. Read More

The following classes have added updates this week to their Class Notes pages. 1956 | 1959 | 1979 | 1982 | 1988 | 1993 | 1996 | 2000 | 2010. Class Notes

Col. Donald Fallin had been hiking the Appalachian Trail since March in support of a scholarship fund for the children of fallen warriors and recently finished the trail at Bear Mountain. At Springer Mountain, Georgia on March 27, Fallin started up the nearly 2,200-mile trail on a mission to raise awareness and money for the Johnny Mac Soldiers Fund.

Fallin established a crowdfunding campaign through GoFundMe subsidiary Crowdrise, with an original goal of raising $5,000 for Johnny Mac. After large contributor responses, and after gaining the attention of the Gary Sinise Foundation, he was able to push the goal to $15,000 and exceeded the goal by $2,000.

On a long Columbus Day weekend, Fallin's son traveled from West Point to meet him and hike a portion of the trail with him during a particularly rainy stretch of the hike.

Said Fallin, "He's the one that had been giving me a hard time about the trail, about "You know, Dad, it's just walking," or he'd be like, "Finish with your backpack or in it." So, he drove up and hiked with me for two and a half days in Vermont, those muddy, wet, rainy days. He's like--we were sitting in the shelter; we were pretty wet and cold--he said, "You've been doing this for six months, haven't you?" Then he said, "Hmm." I knew what he was thinking. But he didn't give me a hard time about anything after he went out and did it for a couple of days." Read More

Photo: Col. Donald Fallin atop Mt. Katahdin, Maine, the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail

Dr. Terry Alger, a director in the Powertrain Engineering Division at Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), will receive the 2019 Edith and Peter O'Donnell Award in Technology Innovation. The award, presented by The Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science of Texas (TAMEST), recognizes Alger for his role in developing vehicle engine technologies that lower pollution levels and improve fuel economy.

"The TAMEST award is a tremendous honor, but I would not be in this position without the great support of SwRI and the hard work of my colleagues," Alger said. "Everything we have achieved over the years has been a true team effort."

Alger is the principal inventor of numerous vehicle engine technologies that have improved efficiency and reduced emissions. He is currently researching novel hybrid engines, the use of connected and autonomous features to improve fuel economy, and the causes and prevention of abnormal combustion. "Dr. Alger loves to solve difficult problems," said SwRI President and CEO Adam Hamilton. "While he's still mid-career, he already has 23 patents and numerous other awards. He continues to innovate on a daily basis." Read More