NEW YORK (Army News Service, Nov. 6, 2007) -- Lt. Gen. Russel L. HonorAfA, commanding general of First U.S. Army, received the Alumni Leadership Award from the Thurgood Marshall College Fund Monday in New York City.
The award was presented at the Fund's 20th Anniversary Awards Dinner Gala at the Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers
Lt. Gen. Honore, a native of Lakeland, La., graduated from Southern University and A&M at Baton Rouge. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1971 and has served as commander of First Army at Fort Gillem, Ga., since June 2004.
During his tenure at First Army, he commanded Combined Joint Task Force Katrina, heading up the Defense Department's response to hurricanes Katrina and Rita in Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana.
As commander of First Army, Lt. Gen. HonorAfA is responsible for training and deploying Army National Guard and Reserve Soldiers across the United States for Iraq and Afghanistan. Since Sept. 11, 2001, First Army has trained nearly 500,000 Soldiers and 25,000 Sailors and Airmen.
The Thurgood Marshall Fund was established in 1987 and represents 47 public Historically Black Colleges and Universities, known as HBCUs, located in 22 states with an enrollment of well over 232,000 students.
Over the last 20 years, the Fund has awarded more than $68 million in scholarships, programmatic and capacity support, enabling over 6,000 students to attend public Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
The Thurgood Marshall College Fund also provides internship programs and joins corporate and foundation partners in providing leadership training and support to students preparing for undergraduate and professional schools.
The Fund's awards dinner gala is an annual event in which the organization bestows its highest honors to individuals who embody the legacy of Thurgood Marshall through their commitment to the Fund and its mission.
The event is traditionally hosted by accomplished celebrities - recent emcees included Angela Basset and Diahann Carol. This year, the dinner was hosted by actor Terrence Howard who most recently starred in the motion picture, "The Brave One," released in September.
The Annual Awards Dinner and Gala is held during the Fund's Annual Leadership Institute & Recruitment weekend. This year's award recipients also included:
Corporate Leadership Award - Tom Long, president and chief executive officer of Miller Brewing Company
Education Leadership Award - Dr. N. Joyce Payne, founder of Thurgood Marshall College
Community Service Award - E. Marianne Gabel, attorney and community leader
For more information, visit the Thurgood Marshall College Fund at <a href="http://www.thurgoodmarshallfund.org">http://www.thurgoodmarshallfund.org</a>.
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