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The new commandant of cadets at Virginia Military Institute will be the keynote speaker at this year’s Veterans Day ceremony in downtown Lexington. It will be held at 10 a.m. on Monday in the sanctuary of the Lexington Presbyterian Church.
Retired U.S. Air Force Col. Lawrence Havird assumed his duties as VMI’s commandant on Aug. 5. A 1990 graduate of VMI, he served in the Air Force for 32 years in a variety of roles, both abroad and in the U.S.
Besides Havird, Lexington Mayor Frank Friedman and other invited political representatives will offer their comments on veterans and their service to the United States.
Music will be performed by third grade students from Waddell Elementary School. The Lexington Police Honor Guard will present the colors and Peter DelVecchio will play “Taps” at the end of the ceremony.
The two winners of the “What the Pledge of Allegiance Means to Me” essay contest from Lylburn Downing Middle School’s sixth grade will also present their thoughts.
This is the fourth year the program is being organized by the Lexington Woman’s Club. The committee members are Mel Botulinski, Julie Goodrich, Anita James, Jan Lowry, Freda Scheuer, Helene Baker, Charlotte Blackburn and Liz Shupe.
This event was entrusted to the Lexington Woman’s Club because of its long record of service to the community beginning in 1911.
For more information, contact Julie Goodrich at hcirdoog@hotmail. com or (772) 696-2351.
