Chattanooga State Community College representatives, elected officials and Tennessee Board of Regents members gathered for a special ceremony on Jan. 11 to honor the late Sen. Ray Albright and Rep. Paul Starnes for their leadership in helping to create a lasting legacy for the community and at Chattanooga State.
With members of the Albright and Starnes families in attendance, Chattanooga State President Rebecca Ashford welcomed everyone to campus for the special event.
Rep. Patsy Hazlewood, Retired City Treasurer and County Trustee Carl Levi, Regents Tom Griscom and Tom White, and Kim McCormick, vice chancellor for external affairs for the College System of Tennessee, also were in attendance.
Acknowledging two buildings on Chattanooga State’s main campus that are named after each honoree, Ashford described how thousands of students pass through the Albright Omniplex and Starnes Student Center each year.
“You will be pleased to know how well our students are doing. With a 97 percent job placement rate and 98 percent licensure pass rates, our graduates are well prepared,” Ashford said.
Ashford then introduced Sen. Todd Gardenhire, who said he greatly admired the ability of both men to work together across party lines for the betterment of education and the community.
Gardenhire also said it was perhaps the highlight of Sen. Albright’s legislative career to be the sponsor of legislation that established Chattanooga State as a technical community college.
To honor the memory of each man for their outstanding contributions, Sen. Gardenhire sponsored Senate Resolution 144 honoring Albright and Joint Senate Resolution 84 honoring Starnes.
Both resolutions were presented to the college during Friday’s ceremony.
-- By Betty Proctor | Chattanooga State