Page 21 - Florida Sentinel 5-20-22

FAMU News
FAMU Plaque-Laying Ceremony Honors Rattlers In Arms Giving
The Rattlers in Arms, five veterans who gradu- ated from Florida A&M University’s famed Rattler Battalion, were honored for their generosity to stu- dents with a plaque at the Eternal Flame on Friday, April 29, 2022.
Honored were retired Colonel Sam Driver, re- tired Colonel Miciotto “Bear” Johnson, retired Lieutenant Colonel Ricardo M. Kinsey, retired Lieutenant Colonel Maurice S. Pickett Sr., Ed.D., and retired Colonel Keith Stubbs, Sr. Donors of $100,000 or more are recognized with plaques at the Eternal Flame.
President Larry Robinson, Ph.D., and Vice President for University Advancement Shawnta Friday-Stroud, Ph.D., were among those who par- ticipated in the ceremony.
“It’s only proper we honor our Rattlers in Arms. Thank you, gentlemen, for what you are doing for our young men and women,” Robinson told the gathering.
Kinsey, whose father graduated from FAMU, said beginning with an endowment in his parents’ name, he and his retired military colleagues have tried to help students.
“We were students here; we knew that students do have needs; as Dr. Robinson said, ‘many of our kids come from families that have an income of only $50,000.’ Without the help, we can’t move them forward,” Kinsey said.
Since his retirement, Kinsey has been an avid supporter and highly engaged Rattler. Most notable, he has established five endowed scholarships valued at more than $250,000. In 2017, he established the ‘Lt. Col. Retired Ricardo “Rick” Kinsey Scholarship’ and has awarded more than 20 scholarships to high school students attending FAMU.
A distinguished military graduate of FAMU, Kin- sey comes from a family legacy of Rattlers and has a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. Kinsey is a staunch supporter of FAMU Athletics, FAMU Army ROTC and FAMU NAA.
He is father of five children, Devin, Alaina, Jessica, Jordan, and Jansen. Alaina, Jessica, and Jordan are graduates of FAMU. His daughter, Jansen graduated from the FAMU School of Allied Health Sciences on Saturday, April 30.
Retired Colonel Sam Driver is a 1990 distin- guished military graduate who earned a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Business. After graduation, he was selected as an Army Aviation Officer and completed flight training in the AH-64 Apache at Fort Rucker, Alabama.
He has served globally as an Army officer, includ- ing returning to campus from 1997 to 2000 as an as- sistant professor of Military Science in the FAMU Army ROTC program. He re-
tired from the U. S. Army in
2017. Driver and his wife, the
former Stefanie Shopshire,
have two sons, Dylan and
Nicholas.
Miciotto Johnson, who flew in from Dubai for the cer- emony, is the program man- ager for the ARCENT Training Support Services Contract (ATSSC) under Defense Train- ing for Vertex’s Technology & Training (TTS) Division, a leader in critical mission sup- port and training solutions.
Prior to joining Raytheon, and now Vertex in 2015, Johnson served in the U. S. Army until his retirement in
From left to right: Rick Kinsey, Keith Stubbs, Sr., Dr. Maurice Pickett, Sr., Miciotto Johnson, FAMU President, Dr. Larry Robinson and Sam Driver.
2014. He is an accomplished senior leader and men- tor with more than 36 years of experience leading multifaceted organizations focused on planning, training, systems automation, and program manage- ment.
“You can do anything you want to do it. If you fall down, get back up.”
Dr. Maurice Pickett graduated from Hawkinsville (Georgia) High School before enrolling at Middle Georgia College (MGC) in Cochran, Geor- gia, where he earned an Associate of Arts Degree in Criminal Justice. Shortly after graduating from MGC, Pickett enlisted in the U. S. Army and began his service overseas at United States Army Head- quarters, Europe.
Pickett retired from the U. S. Army in 2006 after 23 years of active military service. In retirement, he has served FAMU tirelessly. He was the vice presi- dent of the Washington, D. C., alumni chapter, is the immediate past president of the Plant City, Florida Chapter, and past Florida Region vice president.
All four of his children attended FAMU. The old- est daughter, Keisha, graduated in 2002 from the School of Journalism & Graphic Communication and his youngest, son Maurice S. Pickett, II, graduated from the School of Business and Industry on April 29, 2022.
During his cumulative military career, Keith Stubbs exhibited experience leading multifunc- tional organizations through diverse challenges, as a high-performance executive and advisor in strate- gic, joint, and high intensity combat environments.
As a four-year Rattler Battalion scholarship re- cipient, Stubbs was commissioned in 1986 as an army officer/distinguished military graduate. He served 30 years of combined active and reserve duty as a decorated combat military police officer and law enforcement officer for the City of Orlando.
He established the ‘Colonel Keith Stubbs Schol- arship’ to support students from King High School, Bartow High School, and Brandon High School sen- iors attending FAMU.
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