The Honorable General Colin Powell
April 5, 1937
The First black American Secretary of State in the 65 seating.
The Honorable General Colin Powell a man with Passion and focus, a pioneer, Visionary , humanitarian and Philanthropist. He is a senior military diplomat who have served under four presidential election administrations.
Quote:
“If you want to be successful in the 21st century, you must find your path to democracy, market economics and a system which frees the talents of men and women to pursue their individual destinies.”
Colin was born on Monday, April 5, 1937, in Harlem Presbyterian Hospital, in New York. His parents were Theophilus and Maud Arial Powell who are Jamaican Immigrants from the West Indies.
He grew up in his early years and was educated in the South Bronx area of New York. He went to grammar school graduated and attended Morris High School he graduated in 1954. After High School, he attended city college the CITY COLLEGE OF NEW YORK where he received his Bachelor of Science degree in genealogy in 1958.
After his higher learning degree, he entered into the ROTC program. He completed as the youngest Afro- American ever in the ROTC. He was then commissioned second Lieutenant in the Army where he spent 35 years and served two tours in the Vietnamese war. During his tour he was stationed in West Germany and South Korea. For his thirty-five years in service, he has worked and earned Four Star General Status. During that time he acted as then-President Ronald Reagan’s national Security Advisor in 1987-1989. He served from 1989 to 1993 as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for both President George H.W. Bush and President Bill Clinton.
After retiring from the military in 1993. He then founded American Promise which helps to guide and educate troubled youths and to make their life better with leadership skills.
He was then nominated to the Secretary Of State by the newly elected President George W. Bush on December 26, 2000.
His term motto as Secretary of State was to reaffirm diplomatic alliances throughout the world and revitalize the United States diplomacy through the Department of State’s organizational culture and the infusion of resources for personnel information technology security and facilities.
On November 15, 2004 Colin Powell resigned from his position. He returned to work in the private sector with a complete concentration on his foundation for children. He is on the board of directors of the Council on Foreign Relations; He is also chairman of the Eisenhower Fellowships, a cross-cultural program for emerging international leaders. He has previously served as a member of the board of trustees of Howard University, the board of directors of the United Negro College Fund, and the board of governors of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.
General Colin Powell is on the Executive Leadership Cabinet of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial and is the honorary chairman of the education center for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. He also serves on the board of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the Powell Center at the City College of New York ( CUNY). newly formed board at High Point University, the National Board of Advisors, the board of directors at Revolution Health. he is a strategic limited partner at renowned Silicon Valley venture-capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, and is on the board of Bloom Energy, HPU’s National Board of Advisors will be comprised of Fortune 500 CEOs, thought leaders, and distinguished visionaries who have positively impacted the United States and the world in significant ways.
General Colin Powell has won numerous U.S. military awards and decorations, the Defense Distinguished Service Medal (with 3 oak leaf clusters), the Army Distinguished Service Medal (with oak leaf cluster), the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit (with oak leaf cluster), Soldier’s Medal, Bronze Star Medal, and the Purple Heart. His civil awards include two Presidential Medals of Freedom, the President’s Citizens Medal, the Congressional Gold Medal, and the Secretary of Energy Distinguished Service Medal. In addition, he has also received awards from more than two dozen countries including a French Legion of Honor and an honorary knighthood bestowed by H.M. Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain, he has been the recipient of Two President Medals of Freedom, and President Citizen Medal, the Congressional Medal, and is the honorary chairman of the Colin L. Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership at his alma mater, the City College of New York. The School was inaugurated in May 2013 and stands alongside CCNY’s other premier-named schools.
Resources: US Gov History
By Neville Sober