NAFEO honors Southern alum

The National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education awarded Southern University alumnus, Lt. Gen. Russel L. Honore, with its 2006 Distinguished HBCU Alumni Award during its 31st annual conference.
The ceremonial luncheon took place Mar. 25 at the New Orleans Sheraton Hotel Honore shared the recognition with several other “distinguished” alumni who were also honored.
Honore, who currently serves as the commander of the First U.S. Army, is a native of Lakeland. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Vocational Agriculture from
Southern in 1971, and earned his Masters of Arts in human resources from Troy State University. Honore also received an honorary doctorate in public administration from Southern.
NAFEO annually honors the alumni of HBCUs who have “distinguished themselves in their professions, their communities, our nation, or the world,” for their excellence and selflessness, according to a press release.
These are qualities that SU Alumni Federation Executive Director Cedric Upshaw said he feels Honore exerts daily.
“He is one of the finest human beings to come across or meet,” Upshaw said. “His style of leadership is so sincere. The man is just a natural born leader and it shows.”
Upshaw said he credits Honore for not forgetting his roots, which Upshaw said adds to Honore’s humble attitude and “down to earth” nature.
NAFEO was founded in 1969 by a group of HBCU presidents and currently represents approximately 400,000 black students and their families involved in the higher education spectrum.
The organization abides by a motto to save schools, revitalize communities and meet the international needs of African-Americans.
The award ceremony capped off a three-day conference that focused on higher education. Many sessions and forums paid attention to the black colleges, including Southern University at New Orleans, rebounding from the devastation of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
SUNO Chancellor Victor Ukpolo, Southern-Baton Rouge Chancellor Edward R. Jackson and recently selected SU System President Ralph Slaughter attended the conference.