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Stories in this issue:
- We have a winner!
- Coach Shuman welcomes a former player back to campus...with his son
- Jeffrey J. Jones, II, PG Class of 1986 is now the President and CEO of H & R Block, Inc.
- Cadets volunteer at national Special Olympics Tennis Tournament
- College Road Trip visited Virginia Commonwealth University
- Next College Road Trip to go to Randolph-Macon College
- PHOTO ESSAY: A snowy day on campus
We have a winner!
Echo Company victorious in Chili Wars
The final match of the annual Chili Wars has been completed and the youngest cadets on campus, Echo Company, defeated the staff/faculty finalists from the Art Department to claim this year's crown as Chili Champions of 2018.
Showing wisdom beyond their years, the young men of Echo prepared their chili on Wednesday evening (following mid-term exams), so it could rest and collect flavor overnight. The Art Department worked fast and efficiently last Thursday morning to prepare their chili fresh for lunch.
The voting throughout the lunch periods was enthusiastic with the lead changing hands numerous times. But, in the end, their could only be one winner. Echo Company pulled out the victory with a vote count of 98 to 96.
Mr. Larry McIlnay, the Director of Dining Services, extends his congratulations and appreciation to all the teams who competed in this year's Chili Wars.
Coach Shuman welcomes a former player back to campus...with his son
Richard McMahan was a member of the much-vaunted varsity football team of the Postgraduate Class of 1983 that went undefeated for the season.
Quarterbacked by future NFL Pro Bowl and Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame inductee, Don Majkowski, the 1983 team defeated Hampden-Sydney College JV, Virginia Military Institute JV, Virginia Tech JV, US Naval Academy JV, East Carolina University JV, Penn State University JV, University of North Carolina JV, University of Virginia JV, and James Madison University JV.
This past week, Mr. McMahan returned to campus with his son, Matthew, who is preparing to join this fall's postgraduate football team under Coach John Shuman. Coach Shuman, an assistant coach under Coach Red Pulliam in the 1982-83 season, was on hand to welcome this football father and son to Fork Union Military Academy.
Jeffrey J. Jones, II, PG Class of 1986, is now the President and CEO of H & R Block, Inc.
Jones says FUMA "set me up for success."
In October 2017, Fork Union alumnus Jeff Jones was named the President and CEO of H & R Block, the tax preparation company with 12,000 retail locations nationwide.
Named "One of the World's Most Influential CMO's" by Forbes and "One to Watch" by the Wall Street Journal, among other honors, Jeff Jones has held executive positions in marketing and executive leadership in companies as diverse as Uber, Target, Coca Cola, Gap, and Leo Burnett since graduating from the University of Dayton in 1990.
Jones proudly acknowledges his education at Fork Union Military Academy in his official biography on the H&R Block website.
In a recent interview published in the Parkersburg News Sentinal, Jones' hometown, he speaks of his time at Fork Union Military Academy as the place where he learned the importance of discipline and being a good student. He told the interviewer that the Academy "set me up for success."
Cadets volunteer at national Special Olympics Tennis Tournament
On January 11th and 12th, 18 of our cadets volunteered in the national Special Olympics Tennis Tournament, held each year at the Boar’s Head Inn in Charlottesville. This annual event attracts Special Olympians from across the country, as well as from other countries. On Thursday the 11th, our cadet volunteers served as banner-carriers for the opening ceremony. The next day, our cadets, along with student volunteers from other schools in the area, served as ball boys for several of the matches held that day. Our cadets were awed by the talent shown on the court and enjoyed getting to meet so many of the athletes participating in the tournament.
College Road Trip visited Virginia Commonwealth University
On Friday, January 19th, nine of our upperclassmen traveled with COL Feathers, our Guidance Director, to Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond to learn about what this school has to offer. Following a briefing with an admissions representative, the cadets were led by two VCU students on an informative walking tour of the campus and then were treated to dinner at the University’s dining hall. These “College Road Trips” are held once a month and provide our cadets invaluable information regarding the college application process and offer a general view of what the college experience is all about. The next road trip will be to Randolph-Macon College on Friday, February 23rd.
Thank you!
Credits:
Photos by: COL Al Williamson, Kate Pendergrass, John Justice, & Charles Thomas