South Carolina State University News May 5, 2016 Alumnus to Become the Second Highest Ranking General Officer in University History U.S. Army Major General Stephen M. Twitty, a 1985 graduate of South Carolina State University, has been nominated by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the U.S. Senate for promotion to the rank of lieutenant general, Three Star General. Twitty will become the second SC State University alumnus to be promoted to the rank in the university's Army ROTC program's history. Henry Doctor Jr. (deceased), a native of Oakley, South Carolina and a 1954 graduate of SC State University, was the first alumnus to be promoted to the rank while serving on active duty in 1985. "Very few military officers achieve the rank of lieutenant general. SC State University taught me that through hard work, dedication, and a good education anything is achievable. The values that I learned at SC State have shaped me into the person that I am today. I am enormously grateful for the many people that I came in contact with while attending the university. There were many from the faculty, administration and my fellow colleagues that had a tremendous impact on my life." Twitty currently serves as the commanding general of the 1st Armored Division and Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas. In conjunction with the promotion, the U.S. Army has announced that Twitty will be reassigned and serve as the commanding general of 1st United States Army at Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois. Twitty is a native of Chesnee South Carolina. He was selected as a 2004 SC State University Distinguished Alumni and inducted into the SC State University Army ROTC Hall of Fame in 2009. Twitty has served 31 years in the Army, including multiple overseas assignments and five combat tours in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait. He was awarded the Silver Star Medal, the nation's third highest award for valor, for his gallantry in combat in Iraq in 2003. SANDRA M. PHOENIX Executive Director HBCU Library Alliance sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org> www.hbculibraries.org<http://www.hbculibraries.org/> 800-999-8558, ext. 4820 404-592-4820 Skype: sandra.phoenix1 Follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/hbculibraryalliance1/ Check out "PULSE!" The HBCU Library Alliance's News Source! - https://hbculibraryalliance.wordpress.com/ 1438 West Peachtree NW Suite 150 Atlanta,GA 30309 Toll Free: 1.800.999.8558 (LYRASIS) Fax: 404.892.7879 www.lyrasis.org<http://www.lyrasis.org/> Honor the ancestors, honor the children.