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Walk It Out Cleveland Event Postponed

Due to forecasts of severe weather for the upcoming weekend the Walk It Out Cleveland kick-off celebration scheduled for this Saturday at the Delta State University Fitness Trail will be postponed one week to Saturday, Feb. 12 from 10 a.m. – Noon with registration beginning at 9 a.m.  For more information about Walk It Out Cleveland, contact Leigh Pickard at 662-846-4572 or lpickard@deltastate.edu.

Norman R. Augustine to Present Lecture at Delta State University

Norman R. Augustine, retired president and chief executive officer of Lockheed Martin Corporation and author of Augustine’s Laws and Augustine’s Travels, will present a lecture at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 7 in the Baioni Conference Center located in Broom Hall on the campus of Delta State University.

Augustine’s discussion will address the decrease in competitiveness our nation is experiencing in our economy and educational institutions particularly in the areas of math and science. He will explain the critical role our next generation plays in our nation’s future. Leaders working with youth in our communities and schools today have the unique task of encouraging this next generation to step up to the challenges that lie ahead. As a chair of the original Gather Storm Committee, Augustine offers insight to better prepare our youth for such a challenge.

Joining the Douglas Aircraft Company in 1958, Augustine then served in the Office of the Secretary of Defense as an assistant director of Defense Research and Engineering. He joined the LTV Missiles and Space Company in 1970. In 1973 he returned to government as assistant secretary and then under-secretary of the Army. He joined Martin Marietta in 1977. He became its chairman and CEO in 1988 and 1987, respectively, and then served as president of the Lockheed Martin Corporation upon its formation. He was subsequently CEO and chairman before his retirement in August 1997, after which he spent two years on the faculty of the Princeton University School of Engineering and Applied Science.

The National Medal of Technology was presented to Augustine in 1997 for his role in the development of technologies such as space vehicles, “smart” weapons, information systems and advanced aircraft systems. In January 2006, the National Academy of Sciences awarded him the prestigious Public Welfare Medal.

The Defense Department has bestowed on him its highest civilian decoration, the Distinguished Service Medal, five times. He has received meritorious service awards from the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Army, Air Force, NASA, Treasury Department and Central Intelligence Agency.

Augustine was chairman and principal officer of the American Red Cross for nine years, president and chairman of the Association of the United States Army, chairman of the council for the National Academy of Engineering, the Aerospace Industries Association and the Defense Science Board. He is a former president of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and the Boy Scouts of America. Augustine is a regent of the University System of Maryland, trustee emeritus of Johns Hopkins and a former member of the board of trustees of Princeton University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is a member of the advisory board to the Department of Homeland Security and he was a member of the Hart/Rudman Commission on National Security. He served for 16 years on the President’s council of advisors on Science and Technology. He is a member of the American Philosophical Society, the National Academy of Sciences and the Council on Foreign Affairs and he is a fellow of the National Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Explorers Club.

Augustine graduated magna cum laude from Princeton University, where he earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in engineering. He holds 24 honorary degrees; Augustine received the degree of Doctor of Business Administration from Drexel University in 2006. He has traveled in over 100 countries and stood on both the North and South Poles.

Donald Bracken was involved in a serious car accident on Thursday, October 28, 2010 in Cleveland, Mississippi. He was the passenger in a vehicle that flipped multiple times, landing on him. Donny was cut out of the car by the Jaws of Life and was airlifted to "The Med" Regional Hospital in Memphis, TN. Donny was evaluated by the trauma team. Donny suffered paralysis from the chest down, multiple cervical (neck) fractures, and a large wound to his left leg from being drug by the car. Also, Donny suffered symptoms of spinal shock, including a very low blood pressure that had to be maintained with medicine.

Donny is currently receiving medical treatment and rehab services from Shepherd’s Spinal Center. Shepherd's Spinal Center is the #1 brain and spinal injury rehab hospital/center in the nation. Donny's twin brother, Ronny, and his family live in the suburbs of Atlanta, so Ronny & his wife, Cassandra, have taken on full liability and responsibility of making sure Donny gets the best medical treatment possible.

The insurance company will not pay for him to stay at Shepherd's during the recovery time, which is about 8 weeks. Therefore, Donny is scheduled to arrive to his twin brother’s home on February 3, 2011. Without returning to Shepherd’s and completing the rehab program, Donny will remain a full quadriplegic. In order for Donny to return to rehab, we must raise $25,000. The $25,000 will allow Donny to complete 9 weeks of needed rehabilitation services. From January 20, 2011 thru January 28, 2011, we raised $5,320! WOW, the power of family, classmates and friends.          

You can donate with your debit/credit card or paypal account on this websitehttp://cleveland1985.blogspot.com/ OR you can send a check, money order or cashier's check to: