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Public Invited to Ithaca College Event Honoring Veterans

ITHACA, NY — Members of the community are invited to join in honoring our nation’s veterans at Ithaca College’s Seventh Annual Veterans Day Celebration on Tuesday, Nov. 10. The one-hour program will begin at noon in Ford Hall in the Whalen Center and will include a talk by a local veteran and a musical tribute. There will be a shuttle bus operating to and from the visitor parking lot on campus.

Attendees are encouraged to bring a donation that will be used in making care packages to send to troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Suggested items for donation include paperback books, DVD movies, batteries, body wash, foot powder, playing cards, coffee and sunflower seeds. For more information, visit http://www.give2thetroops.org/items.htm.

Serving as master of ceremonies for the celebration will be Douglas Armstrong, retired professor of modern languages and literatures, with opening remarks by Carl Sgrecci, vice president for finance and administration.

The keynote speaker will be U.S. Navy Capt. Larry Olsen, professor of naval science and commanding officer of the Naval ROTC unit at Cornell University. A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, Olsen has served in a number of positions at sea and ashore, including commanding officer of the U.S.S. Miami; commanding officer of the Naval Submarine Support Facility, New London, Conn.; nighttime operations officer at the Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain; and director of operations on the staff of Commander, Submarine Forces, Norfolk, Va. His awards include the Legion of Merit, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Navy Commendation Medal and Navy Achievement Medal.

There will be a presentation of the colors by the Ithaca College/Cornell University ROTC Color Guard, along with musical performances by the Ithaca College Brass Choir and IC VoICes.

The event is sponsored by the IC Veterans Day Committee, School of Music and Division of Finance and Administration. For more information, visit http://www.ithaca.edu/veterans/ or contact committee chair Pat Phelps at pphelps@ithaca.edu or 607-274-3370.