Brig. Gen. Joseph L. Bass, commanding general, U.S. Army Expeditionary Contracting Command, received the highest and most prestigious award given by Longwood University's Alumni Association during a ceremony this February.
Bass received the first William Henry Ruffner Alumni Award, which is given to alumni who have "achieved outstanding success and national distinction in both the recipient's personal and professional life - the embodiment of the citizen leader." The award was presented March 4 by Longwood President (Retired Army Brig. Gen.) Patrick Finnegan.
Bass is a 1983 graduate of Longwood, where he earned a B.S. in business administration, was a member of the wrestling team and was an ROTC cadet.
Bass is believed to be the first Longwood graduate to attain the rank of general. He has been a member of the Acquisition Corps for more than 20 years and has served tours in Iraq and Kuwait. He has master's degrees from Webster University and the National Defense University.
Bass was nominated for the award by Jay Poole, a 1982 Longwood graduate and retired Army colonel who is now dean of education and outreach for the Army Logistics University at Fort Lee.
They were fraternity brothers at Longwood, and Poole was later Bass' company commander in the Army.
The Ruffner Award is named for the educator (1824-1908) who was Virginia's first superintendent of public instruction and served as Longwood's first president after it became a public institution in 1884. Founded in 1839, Longwood, in Farmville, Va., has more than 4,800 students
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