Lieutenant General Julius Wesley Becton Jr. to Deliver Key-Note Speech at ‘Berg Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration

Muhlenberg College will commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. Day with an event on January 20, 2011, in Empie Theater from 7:00 p.m. to 8 p.m.

 Tuesday, January 11, 2011 11:45 AM

Lieutenant General Julius Wesley Becton Jr., the first African American to attend Muhlenberg College, will deliver the key-note speech. A reception will follow.

Becton graduated from Prairie View A & M College of Texas in 1960 as a non-traditional student with a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics. He earned his M.A. in economics from the University of Maryland in 1966 and is a 1970 graduate of the National War College. He holds an honorary degree from Muhlenberg, as he attended briefly in 1949, before returning to serve until 1983.

Becton was listed several times by Ebony magazine as “One of the 100 Most Influential Blacks in America.” In 2007, he was selected to receive the George Catlett Marshall Medal, the highest award presented by the Association of the U.S. Army (AUSA) for being a “soldier, combat commander, administrator, educator, public servant, government leader, and role model.”