REMEMBERING PVAMU’S FIFTH PRESIDENT, GENERAL JULIUS W. BECTON, JR. (RET.)

In the honorable echoes of “ e Hill,” a legendary chapter has drawn to a close as Julius W. Becton, Jr., a revered Army lieutenant general and distinguished national leader, passed away at the age of 97. Lt. Gen. Becton lived by the rule, “Leadership and ethics are inseparable.” His life of service to community, family, country, and education shaped the life histories of generations of young people and will continue to do so for generations to come. & A 1960 alumnus of PVAMU, Lt. Gen. Becton became the first graduate to attain a star rank in the Armed Forces of the United States. After a unanimous vote by  the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents, he assumed PVAMU’s top leadership role in 1989 as the school’s president. & Under his leadership, the University experienced significant improvements in  fiscal operations and institutional accreditation by the Southern Association of Schools and Colleges Commission on Colleges, effectively saving the school from devastating  financial crises and preserving its status as an academically top-tier educational institution. From 1991 through 1994, PVAMU Provost Emerita and Professor and Director of the Toni Morrison Writing Program, Dr. Emma Joahanne  Thomas Smith, served as associate provost and...