May 29, 2013- Albany, Ga.-- Albany Technical College will hold its first annual Memorial Day Ceremony on Thursday, May 30, 2013, at 10am in the Kirkland Conference Center.
In an effort to create a student awareness of why Memorial Day and Veteran's Day is celebrated, Dr. Anthony O. Parker, President of Albany Tech, said this year marks the first of what he hopes will be an annual tradition for the college.
Keynote speaker for the ceremony will be Maj. Gen. Charles Hudson from the Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany. In 2011, Hudson came to Albany to take the helm following Maj. Gen. James Kessler. During his career, Hudson has done multiple deployments, the most recent of which was a one-year stint in Afghanistan, which ended roughly two months before his arrival in Albany. Through his deployments, he has also participated in operations conducted in Grenada, Lebanon, the Arabian Gulf, East Timor and Iraq.
Hudson was commissioned in 1981 after graduating from The Citadel. He was subsequently assigned to the 2nd Force Service Support Group, where he served as a platoon commander and detachment commander with 2nd Landing Support Battalion and Marine Amphibious Unit Service Support Group 22. He also served with the 12th Marine Corps District, the 1st Force Service Support Group, the Marine Corps Combat Development Command, I Marine Expeditionary Force and U.S. Central Command. Immediately prior to his assignment at Camp Pendleton, he served as the chief for the Office of Military Cooperation of the United States Defense Representative in Kuwait.
A graduate of the Marine Corps Amphibious Warfare School, Marine Corps Command and Staff College, Hudson also served as a faculty member from 2001 to 2003 at the Marine Corps War College. He holds a Master of Military Studies, a Master of Strategic Studies, and a Master of Science in Human Resource Management.
Remarks will also be given by Dr. Willie Adams, Retired OB-GYN and former Mayor of Albany. Adams served as the Mayor of Albany from 2004 to 2012. He has practiced medicine in Albany for nearly 25 years and remains actively involved in community and civic affairs. He is a member of the Diplomat American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the Governor's Council of Maternal and Infant Care, the American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists, the American Medical Association, and the Georgia Medical Society. As an officer in the medical corps of the U.S. Army Reserve,
Adams provided aid to military personnel for more than 20 years. The Florida A&M University and Meharry Medical College graduate joined the United States Army as a 2nd Lieutenant and retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve.
The Color Guard of Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany will do the presentation of colors. Barbara Etheridge, Human Resources Coordinator at Albany Tech, will perform the national anthem. A special musical tribute of "Hero" will be presented by Charlene Duncan, dean of the Early Childhood Care and Education program at Albany Tech.
