Retired Marine Corps Col. Gerald F. Russell will be honored at an Oct. 13 banquet hosted by The Navy League of Central Pennsylvania in partnership with the Nittany Leathernecks Detachment of the Marine Corps League.
Russell will be the first recipient of the Navy League’s Lt. Michael P. Murphy Distinguished Citizen Award. Gen. James T. Conway, who retired in 2010 as commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps, will be the keynote speaker during the banquet at the State College Elks Club.
Russell is a decorated combat veteran of World War II who served at both Guadalcanal and Iwo Jima. He commanded a combat battalion in Korea and a regiment at Guantanamo Bay during the Cuban Missile Crisis. After retirement, he served Penn State as an assistant vice provost in the College of Education. His many volunteer efforts include Pennsylvania Special Olympics, Centre County Toys for Tots and United Way Day of Caring.
The Lt. Michael P. Murphy Distinguished Citizen Award is given to a non-active duty person( s) whose character, distinguished military or civilian service and stature draw exemplifies the qualities for which the Navy League, Central Pennsylvania Council, strives.
Michael Murphy, a 1998 Penn State graduate, was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor on Oct. 22, 2007, for his actions in combat in Afghanistan.
Tickets are available for purchase. Order forms can be downloaded from www.navyleaguecentralpa.org. Tickets are $50 per seat, with various sponsorship opportunities available. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Col. Gerald F. Russell Scholarship Fund and Navy League of Central Pennsylvania scholarships. For more information, contact John Groenveld at 863-9896.
