Article By: Clark Leonard
Two University of North Georgia (UNG) alumni were inducted into the Army ROTC Hall of Fame this fall. The induction of retired Lt. Gen. Benjamin "Randy" Mixon, '75, and retired Col. Gerald Lord, '61, means UNG now has nine alumni who have received this honor since the ROTC Hall of Fame started in 2016.
After serving as the UNG Corps of Cadets' brigade commander as a senior, Mixon served 36 years on active duty and had numerous combat deployments. His Army career included command positions from platoon to theater level, serving in the 82nd Airborne Division, 3rd Infantry Division, 101st Airborne Division, and 75th Ranger Regiment.
His final two assignments were commanding general of the 25th Infantry Division, including deployments for Operation Iraqi Freedom and Task Force Lightning and Multi-National Division North in Iraq, and commanding general of the United States Army Pacific.
North Georgia and the Army helped me progress from not knowing what I wanted to do with my life to doing some wonderful things.
Retired Col. Gerald Lord
UNG alumnus
"North Georgia really instilled in me the devotion to duty and the ethics that I needed to be successful as a military officer," Mixon said. "That underpinning provided me with the necessary skills to begin leading an infantry platoon on the day I entered the Army. It laid the most solid foundation I could have had to be successful in the military."
Mixon maintains his connection to UNG today as a trustee and longtime supporter of the Corps of Cadets.
Lord served in the Army for more than 30 years, including a stint as professor of military science and commandant of cadets at UNG from 1984-1988. He also served combat tours in Vietnam. His final active-duty assignment was as commander of the Army Garrison in Fort McPherson, Georgia, from 1988-1991. Lord served another stint as UNG commandant while also serving as director of Auxiliary Services from 1997-1999 and was associate vice president for business and finance from 2001-2008.
"North Georgia and the Army helped me progress from not knowing what I wanted to do with my life to doing some wonderful things," Lord said. "This award was a huge honor and one I didn't expect. I just tried to do the job that needed to be done."
Though graduates from different decades, Lord and Mixon concur that UNG's model for training Army and civilian leaders remains rock-solid today.
"It's one of the premier institutions in the country for building leaders and good citizens," Mixon said.
The ROTC Hall of Fame was established in 2016 as part of the ROTC Centennial celebration. The Hall of Fame honors graduates of Army ROTC who have distinguished themselves in military or civilian pursuits. UNG's previous inductees are retired Lt. Gen. Burton Patrick, '57; retired Brig. Gen. David Grange, '69; Bob Mathews, '71; retired Maj. Gen. Alan "Bud" Thrasher, '72; retired Col. James "Tom" Palmer, '73; retired Lt. Gen. James Terry, '78; and, retired Gen. Stephen Townsend, '82.
