INSTITUTE, W.Va. – Four West Virginia State University (WVSU) alumni will be inducted into the university’s ROTC Hall of Fame on Friday, Sept. 26.
The ceremony is scheduled for 11 a.m. in the lobby of the Walker Convocation Center with a reception to follow. It is free and open to the public.
WVSU’s ROTC Hall of Fame was created to recognize the accomplishments of its graduates who have excelled in their fields.
This year’s inductees are Brig. Gen. Murray E. “Gene” Holt, Lt. Col. (Ret.) Lazelle E. Free, Lt. Col. Starria Haigood, and Lt. Col. (Ret.) Fredrick D. White.
Holt is the Assistant Adjutant General – Army and commander of the West Virginia Army National Guard. As the Assistant Adjutant General, he provides command and control over all Army National Guard forces assigned to the state and is the principal advisor to the Adjutant General on all matters related to the Army National Guard. Holt enlisted in the West Virginia Army National Guard in 1985 and received his commission through the ROTC at WVSU in May 1990 after completing his undergraduate education in accounting.
Free graduated from WVSU in 1961 and served 20 years in the Army, which included two tours of duty in Vietnam. After retiring from active duty in 1982, he we employed by Guilford County Schools as the Senior Army Instructor at Grimsley High School. He retired from Guilford County Schools after 19 years, having revived a thriving program for integrated students at the once segregated school, changing the lives of hundreds of students, many of whom are still active military.
Haigood was commissioned through the WVSU Army ROTC program into the Signal Corps in December 2000. She served in combat during Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, and Operation New Dawn. Her Joint and Strategic military assignments include the NATO Communications and Information agency, the Army General Fund Enterprise Business System, and the Army Program for Enterprise Information Systems.
White was an accomplished U.S. Army officer who served in numerous positions over a 28-year military career including his highest role as an acting Brigade Commander and concluding with an executive leadership role within the Army Futures Command. He graduated from WVSU in 1991 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration.
The WVSU ROTC Hall of Fame was started in 1980. Since its beginning, more than 170 service members have been inducted.
The ROTC Hall of Fame induction ceremony is taking place as part of Homecoming activities at WVSU. The induction ceremony is free and open to the public.
For more information on WVSU Homecoming activities, including registration, visit https://connect.wvstateu.edu/Homecoming25.
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