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Last year's Scholarship Banquet featured Lady Margaret Thatcher, former Prime Minister of Great Britain. The event raised approximately $225,000 for scholarship support of Union students.

General Powell served as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff - the highest military position in the Department of Defense - from 1989 to 1993 . During this time he oversaw 28 crises, including Operation Desert Storm in the victorious 1991 Persian Gulf War.

"General Colin Powell is recognized around the world as a great leader, and we count it a genuine privilege and honor to host General Powell at our Third Annual Scholarship Banquet. It will also be a special treat to have this American hero in Jackson on Veteran's Day," Union President David S. Dockery said.

The Union Scholarship Banquet is sponsored by the university's Board of Presidential Associates, an organization whose members support the mission and work of the university. Participation in the banquet will be available through a series of sponsorship levels, ranging from $15,000 to $1,000. BancorpSouth of Jackson is the Lead Sponsor of this year's event.

"BancorpSouth (formerly Volunteer Bank) has been a part of this community for over 100 years. As Jackson-Madison County has grown and prospered, so have we. Our sponsorship of Union's Scholarship Banquet is our way of saying thanks to Jackson for its support," Bill Buckley, President of BancorpSouth-Jackson Division, asserted.

In addition to the Lead Sponsor, several Premier Sponsors have made commitments to the event. They include Benny and Norma Fesmire, FirstBank, Jack and Zan Holmes, Carl and Alice Kirkland, Ted and Tricia Nelson, Union Planters Bank of Jackson and Roy White.

In General Powell's best-selling autobiography, "My American Journey," the general traces his life from his birth to immigrant Jamaican parents in Harlem to his role in advising the country's three most recent chief executives, Presidents Ronald Reagan, George Bush and Bill Clinton.

General Powell is chairman of America's Promise-The Alliance for Youth, a national crusade to improve the lives of our nation's young people. The movement was established at the Presidents' Summit for America's Future in Philadelphia in April 1997 and was endorsed by every living United States president.

For additional information about the Scholarship Banquet and sponsorships, contact Union's Office of Institutional Advancement at (901) 661-5050 or 1-800-338-6644.