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Troy University to honor four as Alumni of the Year during Homecoming celebration

TROY will honor four Alumni of the Year during halftime of Saturday's Homecoming game against Georgia Southern at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

TROY will honor four Alumni of the Year during halftime of Saturday's Homecoming game against Georgia Southern at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

Troy University will honor four alumni as Alumni of the Year during its Oct. 28 Homecoming game at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

Brig. Gen. Richard “Rick” Boutwell, Donna Brockmann, Paul Elliott and retired U.S. Navy Rear Admiral W. Clyde Marsh will be honored during a halftime ceremony as the Trojans welcome Sun Belt Conference foe Georgia Southern for a 2:30 p.m. kick. The Alumni of the Year awards recognize outstanding professional accomplishments, civic involvement and loyalty and service to Troy University. Winners are selected by the Board of Directors of the TROY Alumni Association.

“We are pleased to honor these four Trojan alumni for their commitments to their professions, their communities and their University,” said Faith Ward, director of alumni affairs. “Homecoming is a special time in the life of Troy University, and we hope everyone will join us as we pay tribute to these worthy recipients.”

Boutwell, a 1991 cum laude graduate of TROY, entered the Air Force that same year. He earned his wings at Vance Air Force Base, Okla. in 1993. Gen. Boutwell is a command pilot with more than 3,500 flying hours, including 149 hours in combat, serving in Operations Uphold Democracy, Southern Watch, Northern Watch and Provide Comfort. He also has served as a demonstration pilot for the USAF Air Demonstration Squadron, the “Thunderbirds.”

Gen. Boutwell currently serves as the director of regional affairs for the Office of the Deputy Under-Secretary of the Air Force in Washington, D.C. A native of Greenville, he is married to the former Leslie Ann Fuller, a 1990 TROY graduate who was crowned Miss TROY in 1990. They are members of the Troy University Alumni Association and have two daughters, Brooke and Hailey.

Brockmann, a 1979 graduate, retired in 2009 after a 30-year teaching career in the DeKalb County, Georgia School System. In 2009, she was named State Teacher of the Year by the Georgia Association of Gifted Children.

In 2011, Brockmann spearheaded the Doc Anderson Reunion, and in 2013, she organized the All Years Track and Field/Cross Country reunion. She became a mentor with the Troy University Alumni Association mentoring program in 2015 and continues to mentor TROY students as a part of the program.

Brockmann is a lifetime member of the University’s Alumni Association and a member of the Pike County Chapter’s Board of Directors. She is a Trojan Warrior and serves as the President of the Humane Society of Pike County. A former race official for the U.S. Cycling Federation in the 1990s, Brockmann continues to volunteer to assist with running, cycling and biathlon races.

Elliott, a 1995 graduate of Troy University, is a senior risk consultant for S.S. Nesbitt, working in the insurance industry for the past 25 years.

Elliott is the immediate past president of the Birmingham Alumni Chapter where he served in the position for three years. During his service to the chapter, he established the Al Lucas Endowed Scholarship and raised additional funds for 15 area scholarships for incoming freshmen of 2017. He is a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity and an active member of the Birmingham chapter of Sigma Chi.

Elliott serves as the current president of the Shades Valley Rotary Club and volunteers for the ARC of Jefferson County, helping those with mental and physical disabilities. His wife, Tara, is also a TROY graduate and works as a recruiter for TROY in the Birmingham area. They have two children, John and Grace.

Marsh earned a Master of Science degree from Troy University in 1989. He is a graduate of the Armed Forces Staff College and attended the National Defense University Flag and General Officer Course. He completed the Black Sea Regional Security Program at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and the Executive Business Course at the University of North Carolina. Some of his personal awards include the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, and the Department of Navy’s Nathaniel Stinson Leadership and Equal Opportunity Award.

Marsh serves as State Commissioner and Director of the Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs, a post he has served since October 2005. As Commissioner, Marsh manages the agency’s operations and mission and oversees 112 state employees in 67 counties, as well as more than 900 contract health service providers.

Brig. Gen. Richard “Rick” Boutwell
Donna Brockmann
Paul Elliott
Clyde Marsh
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