Legion College 2008 sets graduation record

Fifty-four people graduated from American Legion College last week, more than any previous class. The week-long training session, held Nov. 2-7 at National Headquarters in Indianapolis, proved to be a resounding success. Legionnaires from all across America attended, and they returned home with even stronger leadership skills, problem-solving abilities and organizational know-how.

Past National Commander Robert Spanogle started the college off on the right foot by giving an entertaining and informative lecture on American Legion history. Spanogle retired as the Legion's national adjutant in October after 27 years of service in that position. After a break, Legion Human Resources Director Patty Waltz led a discussion about how to use and interpret the Myers/Briggs personality profile. She emphasized that personalities are neither right nor wrong; we are all simply different, and tools such as the Myers/Briggs help us to understand the best ways to get along with our cohorts, colleagues, acquaintances and office-mates.

The 54 Legionnaires were split into five groups, each one representing an actual American Legion post. Their first assignment was to give a five-minute presentation on their respective posts, providing information on history, demographics, operational background, etc. The students soon realized their evenings were also fair game for working on group presentations in the days to follow.

On Monday, the college heard presentations from several key Legion individuals: Peter Gaytan, director of the Legion's Veterans Affairs and Rehabilitation Division; John Hickey, service officer for the Department of Indiana; Joe March, director of the Public Relations Division; and Howard Trace, who recently replaced Joseph Hovish as librarian and curator for National Headquarters.

Throughout the rest of the week, the Legion College class of 2008 heard other thoughtful and informative presentations on topics ranging from Children & Youth programs to legal issues and court cases involving The American Legion. The group also got a tour of the Roudebush VA Medical Center in the city.

By Friday, each group had presented a resolution to the college for consideration, and had made three more presentations. Then it was time for the graduation ceremony; several of this year's graduates even made videotaped interviews for the newly developed American Legion TV.

Of course, there were group photos outside, followed by heartfelt goodbyes as the graduates of American Legion College 2008 parted ways and returned to share their hard-earned knowledge with posts, districts and departments across America.

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