WHEREAS, the Directors of the Enterprise State Junior College Foundation are saddened by the death on February 12, 1999, at the age of 79 of Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) US Army Marion E. (Ted) Avrett of Enterprise, a member of this board since 1983, and a loyal and effective supporter of the Enterprise State Junior College; and

WHEREAS, LTC Avrett was born and reared in Samson, educated at Riley Business College in Dothan and The University of Maryland while in the US Army; and

WHEREAS, LTC Avrett began his twenty-seven year military career in the Alabama National Guard which was mobilized in 1940; served in numerous capacities at Army Camps in Florida, Texas, Mississippi, and Virginia; received a Battle Field commission to 2nd Lieutenant and served in New Guinea in the Pacific Theater during World War II; served in Korean conflict; served in the Pentagon as the Chief of Manpower for the Surgeon General of the Army; and served as Executive Officer of Lyster Army Medical Center at Ft. Rucker; and

WHEREAS, LTC Avrett earned several medals during his military career including the Bronze Star Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster and the Legion of Merit; and

WHEREAS, LTC Avrett lived in Enterprise since his retirement from the military and had several business interests including automobile dealerships, and owned 600 acres of farmland on which he raised peanuts and cotton; and

WHEREAS, LTC Avrett helped organize the Ft. Rucker National Bank in 1968 (which later merged with Coffee County Bank to form Community Bank and Trust), and served on its Executive Committee and the Board of Directors; was active in the Association of the US Army and served as president of the Ft. Rucker chapter; was a member of the Army Directors for the Army Aviation Association of America; served on the Board of Directors for the Army Aviation Museum Foundation, the Community Bank and Trust, the Association of the US Army, the Enterprise Country Club, the Enterprise Public Library, and MAST Air Ambulance Service; and

WHEREAS, LTC Avrett attended the New Brockton Assembly of God and was also a member of the Piney Grove United Methodist Church, a Mason, and a Shriner; and

WHEREAS, LTC Avrett was instrumental in the endowment of the Enterprise State Junior College Foundation's Charlie Davis Memorial scholarship; and

WHEREAS, LTC Avrett was a driving force in raising the funds to build the Army Aviation Museum at Ft. Rucker; and

WHEREAS, LTC Avrett is survived by his wife, Jimmie Beckham Avrett of Enterprise; two daughters, Faye Avrett Wise and Jennifer Avrett Grimes; three grandchildren, Wade Wise, Alex Grimes, and Ashley Grimes; three sisters, Blondell Davis of Samson, Frances Crocker of Dothan, and Claire Sessions of Samson; and one brother, Bill Avrett of Enterprise,

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Board of Directors of the Enterprise State Junior College Foundation express a deep sense of appreciation for the life, talent, and dedication of LTC Marion E. (Ted) Avrett and express full recognition of his contributions to the Enterprise State Junior College and his community.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this resolution be furnished to members of the family of LTC Avrett with the heartfelt sympathy of the Directors of this Foundation.