List of famous alumni from Virginia Military Institute, with photos when available. As Commandant, he secured a place on the Joint Chiefs of Staff, gaining parity for the Marine Corps with the other military services. [118] Private support covers more than 31 percent of VMI's operating budget; state funds, 26 percent. The most important of these was George C. Marshall, the top U.S. Army general during the war. [90] While the Dyke watches out for the Rat and the Rat works for the Dyke in accordance with Institute policy, Cadre still enforce all rules for the Rats. Thomas A. Saunders III is an American investment banker and philanthropist. Prior to his selection as Chief of Engineers and Commanding General of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, he served as the Commanding General of the Engineer School and Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. See how your gifts support the Institute and leave a legacy with cadets. The independent report concluded that VMI "maintained and allowed a racist and sexist culture that, until recently, it had no appetite to address." Harry Flood Byrd Jr. was an American orchardist, newspaper publisher and politician. Walker is the first graduate of the Virginia Military Institute (Class of 1852) to serve as Lieutenant Governor of Virginia. Riley was elected the first Commander (or President) of the chapter at VMI, and served as the first Regent of Sigma Nu fraternity, a position he held for ten years. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from the Virginia Military Institute and a master's degree in civil engineering from Mississippi State University. Virginia Military Institute ranked 758th for Liberal Arts & Social Sciences in the United States and 2645th in the World with 244 publications made and 3,083 citations received. In addition to the Ratline, VMI has other traditions that are emblematic of the school and its history including the new cadet oath ceremony, the pageantry of close-order marching, and the nightly playing of "Taps". Leonard Townsend Gerow was a general in the United States Army who served with distinction in both World War I and World War II. The entire body of Rats during the Ratline is called a "Rat Mass." General Clark Louis Ruffner was a senior officer in the United States Army who served in World War II and the Korean War. He rose through the United States Army to become Chief of Staff of the US Army under Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman, then served as Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense under Truman. [88], During the first six months at VMI, New Cadets are called "Rats," the accepted term (since the 1850s) for a New Cadet. See how your gifts support the Institute and leave a legacy with cadets. The school was founded in 1839 and is the oldest state supported college in the country. He earned the nickname "Stonewall Jim" for his days as commander of the famed Stonewall Brigade. Following the war, Matthew Fontaine Maury, the pioneering oceanographer known as the "Pathfinder of the Seas", accepted a teaching position at VMI, holding the physics chair. After the war, Herron became a senator in the Virginia General Assembly, and attorney for the Norfolk and Western Railway and later the Virginian Railway. The first classman is called a "Dyke," reference to an older Southern pronunciation of "to deck out," or to get into a uniform, as one of the roles of the rat is to help prepare their "Dyke's" uniform and dress them for parades. This page was last edited on 25 December 2022, at 10:48. In order to accelerate VMI's matriculation process, several women were allowed to transfer directly from various junior colleges, such as New Mexico Military Institute (NMMI), and forgo the traditional four-year curriculum required of most. After marching overnight 80 miles from Lexington to New Market, on 15 May 1864, 247 members of the VMI Corps of Cadets fought at the Battle of New Market. Marshall was the Army's first five-star general and the only career military officer ever to win the Nobel Peace Prize. Born in St. Louis, Missouri, he entered the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) in the fall of 1866. Marr was killed at the Battle of Fairfax Court House, Virginia on June 1, 1861. Are in Class and in Uniform", "Retropolis: At VMI, Black alumni want Stonewall Jackson's statue removed. By the time of the Mexican-American War, he was widely considered one of the most capable officers in the army and a superb organizer. Byrd claimed that his expeditions had been the first to reach both the North Pole and the South Pole by air. [48][49] Three days later, the VMI Board of Visitors voted unanimously to remove from campus the statue of Confederate general Stonewall Jackson, a former VMI professor, and create a building and naming committee. After World War I, he served as the Superintendent of the Virginia Military Institute, succeeding General John A. Lejeune, and had a post-military career as a distinguished writer. Virginia Military Institute opened its doors in 1839 as a public senior military college in Lexington, Virginia. Virginia Military Institute ( VMI) is a public senior military college in Lexington, Virginia. It is unknown when the first Muslim cadet graduated from VMI, but before the Iranian Revolution of 1979, under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, several Persian cadets attended and graduated from VMI. [23][24][25], The organizers of the planned school formed a board of visitors, which included Preston, and the board selected Claudius Crozet as their first president. U.S. Navy vice admiral, Deputy Commander, Professor of Military Science and Tactics at VMI; Commanding General, U.S. Army 100th Infantry Division, U.S. Navy rear admiral, polar explorer, Medal of Honor recipient (1926), Lieutenant general and Commander, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Brigadier General, U.S. Army; Assistant Commanding General of the, General, U.S. Army; Commanding General, V Corps (194345) and, Major General, U.S. Army; Commanding General of the. See what's happening around post and at alumni chapters across the globe. Thomason played college football at Virginia Military Institute and was drafted in the first round of the 1949 NFL Draft. Since Rats are not officially fourth classmen until after Breakout, the Rat Mass is also not officially considered a graduating class until that time either. Before becoming a filmmaker, he trained at VMI for 12 weeks. [35] Just before his famous flank attack at the Battle of Chancellorsville, Jackson looked at his division and brigade commanders, noted the high number of VMI graduates and said, "The Institute will be heard from today. CUNY Graduate School and University Center, Same level universities in the United States. During this ceremony, the roll is called for cadets who "died on the Field of Honor" and wreaths are placed on the graves of those who died during the Battle of New Market. [9], Assistant Secretary of Defense Frederick Pang, however, warned the school that the Department of Defense would withdraw ROTC programs from the school if privatization took place. Today the VMI Museum System consists of the VMI Museum on the VMI Post, the Virginia Museum of the Civil War located at the 300-acre New Market Battlefield State Historical Park; and the Jackson House, interpreting the life of VMI Professor Thomas J. Darren Wayne McDew is a retired United States Air Force general who served as the Commander of United States Transportation Command at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. After Smith agreed to accept the Superintendent's position, Preston applied to join the faculty, and was hired as Professor of Languages. The Peay Endowment for Academic Excellence, Central NC/Raleigh Senior Alumni Breakfast April, Hampton Roads Quarterly Networking Breakfast April, The VMI Alumni Association Board of Directors Meeting And the Annual Meeting of its Members, Cole Jenkins 24 Named National, SoCon Player of the Week, Cole Jenkins 24 Powers VMI to Doubleheader Sweep at Western Carolina. A Republican, he represents the 3rd district of the Virginia Senate, which includes parts of the Virginia Peninsula, plus King and Queen County, King William County, New Kent County, and Gloucester County on the Middle Peninsula. Following the ruling, VMI contemplated going private to exempt itself from the 14th Amendment, and thus avoid the ruling. John Ellis Wool was an officer in the United States Army during three consecutive U.S. wars: the War of 1812, the MexicanAmerican War and the American Civil War. Many versions of the Breakout ceremony have been conducted. Following graduation and commissioning from the Virginia Military Institute in 1969, he completed Airborne and Ranger training and began his career as an Engineer Officer. VMI's alumni include: former governors of Virginia (Ralph Northam, Westmoreland Davis); the 25th secretary of the Army (Ryan D. McCarthy); a five-star general, secretary of state, secretary of defense, and Nobel Peace Prize recipient (George C. Marshall); Pulitzer Prize winners, 13 Rhodes Scholars, Medal of Honor recipients, an Academy Award winner, an Emmy Award and Golden Globe winner, a martyr recognized by the Episcopal Church, senators and representatives, governors, lieutenant governors, a Supreme Court justice, numerous college and university presidents, many business leaders (presidents and CEOs) and over 285 general and flag officers, including service chiefs for three of the four armed services. [84] The first co-ed class consisted of thirty women, who matriculated as part of the class of 2001. The Deputy Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army during the war was also a VMI graduate as were the Second U.S. Army commander, 15th U.S. Army commander, the commander of Allied Air Forces of the Southwest Pacific and various corps and division commanders in the Army and Marine Corps. A member of the Republican Party, he was first elected in 2018 and succeeded Ron DeSantis, who went on to be elected the 46th governor of Florida. He died sixteen months into his term, having made no progress on the most divisive issue in Congress, slavery. He was born in Georgia and grew up in an Army family. VMI alumni include more than 285 general and flag officers, including the first five-star General of the Army, George Marshall;[73] seven recipients of the highest U.S. military decoration, the Medal of Honor; and more than 80 recipients of the second-highest awards, the Distinguished Service Cross and Navy Cross. As of 2021, he is the president of the National Test Pilot School located in Mojave, California. He served as a United States Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and of the United States Circuit Courts for the Ninth Circuit and previously was a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of California and a Justice of the Supreme Court of California. Justin Fairfax, Virginia House Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn, State Senate President Louise Lucas, Attorney General Mark Herring, and Chairman of the Black Caucus Lamont Bagby. BS, Civil Engineering. He was killed in action during the Maryland Campaign while defending Fox's Gap at the Battle of South Mountain. James Alexander Walker was a Virginia lawyer, politician, and Confederate general during the American Civil War, later serving as a United States Congressman for two terms. While over 50 percent of VMI graduates are commissioned each year, the VMI Board of Visitors has set a goal of having 70 percent of VMI cadets take a commission. Fifteen graduates rose to the rank of general in the Confederate Army, and one rose to this rank in the Union Army. Congressman representing Virginia's 7th congressional district (as had his father). Beginning his career fighting guerillas in Haiti and Nicaragua as part of the Banana Wars, he later served with distinction in World War II and the Korean War as a senior officer. His previous senior command positions include Commander of Air Mobility Command as a general and Commander, Eighteenth Air Force (18AF) as a lieutenant general. After completing Ranger and Special Forces training, he served primarily with infantry units before transferring to the Engineer Branch of the U.S. Army in 1983. He rehabilitated his political career, becoming the first independent in the history of the U.S. Senate to be elected by a majority of the popular vote. [14] The cadets are a military corps (the Corps of Cadets) under the command of the superintendent and under the administration of the Commandant of Cadets, and constitute the guard of the institute. While at VMI, James Frank Hopkins, Greenfield Quarles and Riley became close friends and founded Sigma Nu fraternity. Northam, a member of the Democratic Party, served as the 40th lieutenant governor of Virginia from 2014 to 2018 prior to winning the governorship against Republican nominee Ed Gillespie in the 2017 election. VMI's "Vision 2039" capital campaign raised more than $275 million from alumni and supporters in three years. He was their starting fullback four of those years and a two-time All-Pro selection. One of them was placed in Lexington. In March, 2019, soon after General McDew's retirement, United States Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao named him as Co-Chair of the Special Committee to Review the Federal Aviation Administration's Aircraft Certification Process. All "Rats" refer to their classmates, male or female, as "Brother Rats." VIRGINIA MILITARY INSTITUTELexington, Virginia 24450General Information:(540) 464-7230Admissions:admissions@vmi.edu. [113] The Keydets play their home games out of Alumni Memorial Field at Foster Stadium, built in 1962. 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