MEDIA RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Doug Perry 205.391.3988
dperry@sheltonstate.edu
Malena Cunningham 205.746.9942
strategicmedia@bellsouth.net
SHELTON STATE SPRING COMMENCEMENT CEREMONY SET:
AMBASSADOR J. GARY COOPER TO SPEAK
MAJGen USMC (Ret.)
(Tuscaloosa) – Shelton State Community College has scheduled its spring
commencement ceremony for Tuesday, May 8 at 12:00 p.m. in the gymnasium of the
Martin Campus at 9500 Old Greensboro Road in Tuscaloosa.
Ambassador J. Gary Cooper will be the speaker for the commencement ceremony.
Ambassador Cooper is currently the Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of
Commonwealth National Bank. He serves on the boards of GenCorp, USX, Protective Life
Corporations and PNC Financial Service Group, Inc.
In 1994, President Bill Clinton selected Major General Cooper, a military, government, and
business leader, as the first African American to serve as the United States Ambassador to
Jamaica. Upon Senate confirmation, Mr. Cooper presented his credentials to the Governor
General of Jamaica on November 4, 1994. Ambassador Cooper returned to his home in
Mobile, Alabama in December 1997.
From 1992 to November 1994, Ambassador Cooper was the senior vice-president of
David Volkert and Associates, a regional engineering and architectural firm. He also
served as vice president of David Volkert from 1981 to 1989.
In 1989, President George H.W. Bush appointed, and the U.S. Senate confirmed, Cooper
as the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Manpower, Reserve Affairs, Installations
and the Environment. He participated in the planning of Operation Desert Storm. He
served throughout the Bush Administration.
Shelton State President Mark A. Heinrich said, “We are honored that Ambassador Cooper
has accepted our invitation to speak at our graduation ceremony. His experience and
service in the military, foreign service, and industry, makes him an ideal speaker for
Shelton State Community College graduates.”
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