Vote on AB Board Members Online or during Alumni Weekend
Candidates for the 2011-2014 MMI Alumni Brigade Board of Directors have been announced. Voting will take place during the Alumni Brigade Annual Membership Meeting, Saturday, April 9 of Alumni Weekend 2011.
An online ballot is available for *ACTIVE Brigade Members who will not be able to vote in person in Marion.
*Active Alumni Brigade members are either lifetime members or have paid their 2011 Alumni Brigade Membership ($25year). If you have not paid your 2011 membership dues, click here to renew your membership, and then proceed with voting online.
Candidates for Brigade Board of Directors 2011-2014
- Raised in Marion; member of Marion United Methodist Church; son of John W. Anderson, Jr. (MMI class of ‘67) and Theresa King Anderson
- Attended Auburn University & AU-Montgomery
- Joined Alabama National Guard as a Military Police Officer with the 1166th MP Co. During his six years in the ARNG, attached to several active duty units; member of Governor’s Drug Task Force
- Marksman; avid hunter; pursued a career in an industry with product lines that specifically fall in line with his favorite outdoor activities: Warehouse Manager, Walter Craig (firearms company), Selma, Ala., Distribution Center Manager, Turner’s Outdoorsman, So. California; facilitated company move for Legacy Sports to Reno, N.V.; currently Director of Operations & Import-Export Manager for Legacy Sports International
- Returned to MMI Alumni Weekend 2010 and enjoyed reliving his time as a cadet; won the Alumni Drill Competition. He adds, “I have never forgotten the lessons learned on the MMI Campus of truth, honor and service. It would be both an honor and a privilege to serve as a member of the Alumni Brigade Board of Directors. I am humbled by the nomination and if elected by my fellow Alumni will serve with pride.”
Mrs. Chris Bennert Green 1973HS Northport, AL 
- Past Alumni Brigade Service: Secretary of the MMI Alumni Brigade (2001-09) with accomplishments to include paintball guns purchase; MMI crest re-installation on Chapel; yearly planners for cadets; establishing Pete Findley Scholarship and Arthur Wilkerson Scholarship funds; co-hosted 2009 Art Auction, which raised $26,000 for MMI; coordinated free tour at Westervelt-Warner Museum of American Art for 50 cadets; has solicited numerous funds and gifts to offset expenses for numerous Brigade functions.
- Serves on MMI President’s Advisory Council (2006-present); elected 2006 Chairman of the Business Campaign, which exceeded $25,000 goal.
- Currently manages family-owned commercial property in the Tuscaloosa area; worked with husband Larry at Miller Electric Co. until its recent sale
- Civic involvement: West Alabama Aids Outreach Board of Directors; Tuscaloosa Emergency Services volunteer; Tuscaloosa Soup Kitchen; Avon Breast Cancer Walk
Mr. Don Heacock 1969HS/1971JC Tallassee, Ala.
- Attended MMI for 5 years. As a C-2 at MMI, was on Brigade Staff as Executive Officer; valedictorian of junior college class; received award for having highest academic average in the junior college over a two-year period.
- Holds a bachelor’s degree from Auburn University, where he commissioned as a 2LT
- Self-employed, licensed structural engineer in Montgomery, Ala.
- Member of the Tallassee Industrial Development Board
- Married to the former Janice Nichols of Marion.
Mr. “Dollar” Bill Lawson 1971HS/1973JC Alabaster, AL
- 35 years in professional radio in Alabama; known to his huge radio audience as “Dollar Bill,” one half of the top-rated morning show team heard on Birmingham’s 102.5 THE BULL; spent 8 years as THE top-rated morning show in Birmingham during his nearly 20 years at WZZK
- As a cadet: participated in theatre at Judson; gives major credit to MMI for building a solid foundation of Truth, Honor and Service in his life.
- Holds BA in Communications (University of Alabama);
- Numerous awards (local and national) for commercial production and voice-work; in-house voice announcer for WBRC-TV Fox 6 for nearly 15 years; speaks regularly to large groups and orgs.
- Community service: Telethon host (1979-present) for United Cerebral Palsy, Muscular Dystrophy, Children’s Hospital of Alabama; has worked with hundreds of fundraising events for the Cancer Society, Head Injury Foundation, Easter Seals, The Diabetes Association, St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital and many others
- Married to wife Mary, a V.P. in banking; two children between them
- Enjoys all types of music, airplanes, woodworking, theatre, photography, traveling and most of all flying
Mr. Ben Miller 1969HS/1971JC Marion, AL 
- As a cadet: White Knights XO, Tennis Team, Morgan’s Raider, Honor Council, Letterman’s Club
- Graduate of the University of South Alabama (1973), where he received a tennis scholarship; coached tennis at Judson
- High School science teacher for Hale County Board of Education; formerly employed by the Perry County Engineering Department (1973-1990)
- Past president of Marion Jaycees & Cunningham Community Club; member of Marion United Methodist Church, Physical Science in the 21st Century (PS21), MMI Golf Assoc.
- Married to Elaine since 1973; their son, Catlin Miller, is a freshman at MMI this year
Mr. Ed O’Neal 1980JC Boaz, AL
- As a cadet: White Knights, adjutant of Morgan’s Raiders, commander of Band Co., Thomas Jefferson Society; Phi Theta Kappa; commissioned as a 2LT
- Holds a BS in Health Services Admin. from Auburn; MS in Personnel Management from Troy State
- Received a Regular Army commission in 1982 and entered active duty in the Medical Service Corps; Senior Army Aviator; served as an Aeromedical Evacuation Officer.
- Since 1993, has been a senior leader at Progress Rail Services (now a subsidiary of Caterpillar) in several areas, including health & safety, quality and human resources; currently VP of Leadership Development
- He and his wife Shan have raised four children
- Civic involvement: Past President of United Way of Marshall Co.; Executive Committee of the Greater Alabama Council, Boy Scouts of America; Elder at Grace Fellowship Presbyterian Church, Albertville, Ala.
- MMI commitments: lifetime member of the MMI Alumni Brigade; Vice Chair, MMI Presidential Advisory Council; member, White Knight Alumni Executive Committee
LTC Jody Sanders, USA (Ret) 1981JC Huntsville, AL
- As a cadet: White Knights Commander, Morgan’s Raider, Distinguished Military Student, Who’s Who in America’s Junior Colleges; commissioned as a 2LT in the Army Reserve
- Holds a BS in Criminal Law (Florida State University)
- Entered active duty in the U.S. Army in 1983 and started his aviation career; served 22 years on active duty, 11 of those overseas in various positions working with foreign military units, most notably as an advisor for the Egyptian Air Force’s only Apache Wing. Qualified in five different aircraft. Retired in December 2005 as a Lieutenant Colonel.
- Civilian career: working in Security Assistance with Middle Eastern countries; Black Hawk Foreign Military Sales program manager for Saudi Arabia; currently Middle East Branch Chief, Utility Systems Division of the Security Assistance Management Directorate.
- Awards: Soldier’s Medal for heroism, four Meritorious Service Medals, Army Commendation Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service medal, and the Defense of Korea Service medal; 2010 recipient of the SAMD Logistician of the Year
- Lifetime member of the MMI Alumni Brigade; dedicates his available time to support Alumni events and help increase participation at Alumni Weekend; Co-Chairman of the White Knight Endowment
MAJ Rodney Wilkerson, USA (Ret) 1972HS/1974JC Hartford, AL
- As a cadet: White Knights; Morgan’s Raiders, commissioned as a 2LT in the U.S. Army
- Distinguished military career: held many leadership positions, including Assistant PMS/Recruiting Officer for Early Commissioning Program at MMI (1985-89). Served in Germany with the 3rd Armored Division, in combat during Operation Desert Storm as part of the VII Corps. After retirement from the Army, returned to MMI as VP for Enrollment Management (1996-98)
- Federal civilian service at Ft. Benning, Ga. and Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville, Ala.; served as Branch Chief within the South Central Region’s CPOC, responsible for the civilian personnel servicing of employees at Ft. Polk, La., and Ft. Eustis, Va. Promoted to current grade, GS-14, in April 2006; currently Director of the Civilian Personnel Advisory Center at Ft. Rucker, Ala.
- Holds a BS from Cameron University; graduate of U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, Army Management Staff College, Sustaining Base Leadership Management Course, and Army’s Organizational Leadership for Executives Course
- Awards & decorations include Army’s Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters, Army Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters, Army Achievement Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, and the Department of the Army Commanders Award for Civilian Service, 2nd award, among others.
- Past member of the MMI Alumni Brigade Board of Directors; member of MMI Presidential Advisory Council
- Married to the former Angela Garrison of Mobile, Ala.; one daughter, Daphne
Candidate for Brigade Board President 2011-2012
Fraser Sparkman 1965HS/1967JC Birmingham, Al
- Graduated from Samford University after attending MMI
- Member of the Founding Board of the MMI Alumni Brigade (formerly Battatlion)
- Retired from the Alabama Air National Guard after 30 years of service
- Currently President of Lowder Realty Company, Inc., Vice-President of Colonial Commercial Realty, Inc., Vice-President of Colonial Realty, LLC, Managing Broker-In-Charge of Maggie Valley Resort Management, LLC, President/CEO of ASRE Group, LLC, and Director of Crestwood Green Corporation
- Licensed real estate broker in six states; published author of three real estate textbooks
ONLINE BALLOT
