Chattanooga State Community College representatives, elected officials, and Tennessee Board of Regents members gathered for a special ceremony on January 11 to honor the late Senator Ray Albright and Representative Paul Starnes for their leadership in helping to create a lasting legacy for the community and at Chattanooga State.
With members of the Albright and Starnes families in attendance, Chattanooga State President Dr. Rebecca Ashford welcomed everyone to campus for the special event. Rep. Patsy Hazlewood, Retired City Treasurer and County Trustee Carl Levi, Regents Tom Griscom and Tom White, and Dr. Kim McCormick, Vice Chancellor for External Affairs for the College System of Tennessee, also were in attendance.
Acknowledging two buildings on Chattanooga State’s main campus that are named after each honoree, Dr. Ashford described how thousands of students pass through the Albright Omniplex and Starnes Student Center each year. “You will be pleased to know how well our students are doing. With a 97 percent job placement rate and 98 percent licensure pass rates, our graduates are well prepared,” shared Ashford.
She then introduced Senator Todd Gardenhire, a genuine champion for education and workforce development at Chattanooga State and within the community.
Senator Gardenhire explained that having known both men throughout his career, he greatly admired their ability to work together across party lines for the betterment of education and the community. He stated that it was perhaps the highlight of Senator Albright’s legislative career to be the sponsor of legislation that established Chattanooga State as a technical community college, and that Rep. Starnes and Sen. Albright worked together to make a difference in our community and across the state.
To honor the memory of each man for their outstanding contributions, Senator Gardenhire sponsored Senate Resolution 144 (SR0144) honoring Senator Albright and Joint Senate Resolution 84 (SJR0084 ) honoring Starnes. Both resolutions were presented to the college during Friday’s ceremony.