The Andalusia High School Outstanding Graduate Committee will honor five graduates of the city’s schools with the annual award this Friday.

 

Ivan Bishop, Class of 1963

Ivan Bishop grew T.V. Cable Company of Andalusia, Inc., which his father founded, from a small antenna service company to a full-blown communications company providing Internet, broadband, and phone services. Under his guidance, the company grew from approximately 1,500 accounts in the early 1970s to more 14,000 accounts. The company was sold in 2017.

Bishop serves as president of the Andalusia Health Services Foundation. He is a 44-year member and former president of the Andalusia Lions Club, and past chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Andalusia Hospital.

 

Harvey Donaldson, Class of 1961

Harvey Mitchell (Pete) Donaldson spent much of his management and engineering career making the U.S. Postal Service more efficient, working in the Washington, D.C., headquarters from 1981 until 1997. Donaldson has presented his work on postal automation internationally, and was loaned to the Georgia Institute of Technology for one year, in 1997. He later worked at Georgia Tech as a faculty member from 1998 until his retirement in 2012.

He is a longstanding board member of the Andalusia High School Scholarship Foundation (formerly the Class of ’48 Foundation), and has chaired the organization’s scholarship committee since 2008.

 

Doris Bass Tyler, Class of 1950

Doris Bass Tyler is the president of the Solon and Martha Dixon Foundation. In this role, and in many others, she has given her support to the community, its schools, and civic organizations.

She previously served as office manager, executive secretary and bookkeeper to the Dixon Family Partnership, L.P., and in a similar role with Charles Dixon and Co., from 1967 until her retirement in 2001. She has been engaged in civic endeavors throughout her life.

 

Charles Vickery, Class of 1954

Charles Vickery is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy who spent his career in the U.S. Air Force, retiring as a brigadier general. As a command pilot, he accumulated more than 5,000 flying hours. He held many command and staff positions including Deputy Director for Operations, National Command Center for the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon. His last command was Vice Commander, Military Traffic Management Command.

 

Johnnie Vinson, Class of 1962

Johnnie Vinson’s career is inseparable from the band programs at Auburn University, where he served as Director of Bands and Professor of Music from l 991-2007, including symphonic band, two concert bands, marching band, jazz ensemble and two basketball pep bands. He also spent five years as an associate director of bands, with responsibility for the Auburn University Marching Band.

He currently was as an arranger/composer/clinician of music.

 

The Andalusia High School Outstanding Graduate Award, also known as the Robert Brown Outstanding Graduate Award, was established in 2007 by the Class of 1948 Foundation. The award is designed to honor those graduates of Andalusia High School, Woodson High School and Ralph Bunche High School whose personal lives, professional accomplishments and community service exemplify the ideals of Andalusia High School. Nominations are accepted each year, and awards are made by members of the Outstanding Graduate Committee, currently chaired by Andalusia Mayor Earl V. Johnson (Class of 1965).