Edward “Ed” Meadows was officially installed as the sixth president of Pensacola Junior College at the PJC District Board of Trustees meeting Sept. 22.
Board Chair John O’Connor conducted the traditional swearing in ceremony, and President Emeritus G. Thomas Delaino, fifth president of PJC, participated by presenting Meadows the official presidential medallion. Meadows became president of PJC following the retirement of Delaino in June 2008.
The medallion used for the ceremony was adopted as the official presidential medallion after being presented to the college by PJC alumnus Navy Capt. Alan Poindexter, who carried the specially minted medallion into space as pilot of the Atlantis space shuttle during the February 2008 NASA mission.
As stated by Board Chair O’Connor at the investiture, “Today is a special day for Pensacola Junior College as we officially invest Dr. Ed Meadows as the sixth president of Pensacola Junior College. Dr. Meadows, as we all know, decided not to have a formal presidential inauguration and instead wishes to focus that energy on private support for student financial assistance.”
The Board of Trustees, abiding by Meadows’ wishes, wanted to follow the steeped tradition of investiture of the president. The Board of Directors for the PACE Center for Girls requested permission to provide refreshments and cake for the investiture.
The PACE Center for Girls was subsequently invited to make a presentation about the Center at the Board of Trustees workshop prior to the investiture. On behalf of the PACE Center for Girls, presentations included testimonies by five PACE Center participants and remarks by Carol Carlan, supporter of the PACE Center for Girls, and PACE Center Director Laurie Rogers.
During the investiture, the Board of Trustees named all previous PJC presidents as Presidents Emeriti – Henry L. Ashmore, 1954-1963; T. Felton Harrison, 1964-1980; Horace “Ed” Hartsell, 1980-1998; Charles A. Atwell, 1998-2002; G. Thomas Delaino, 2002-2008.
