Outgoing Virginia Military Institute superintendent Maj. Gen. Cedric T. Wins was the recipient of much praise at a community appreciation celebration held at First Baptist Church on Sunday. A crowd that filled the entire lower sanctuary turned out for the event in which Wins was congratulated by civic leaders and professors for his successes during his time at superintendent. Under his leadership, VMI saw an increase in admissions after a 10-year decline, a jump in state funding that made possible upgrades to the school’s aging facilities, and expansions in academic programs. Wins himself is a graduate of VMI who earned a bachelor of arts degree in economics in 1985. He then served for 34 years in the U.S.Army. Wins is the 15th superintendent at VMI and the first person of color to hold that position. (all photos by Joann Ware)
DR. LENA HILL, provost at Washington and Lee University, thanked Wins for his leadership and read passages from The Book of Esther in her remarks.
MUSIC WAS provided by the Resurrecting Praise Community Choir during the celebration. They performed “The Battle Hymn of the Republic,” “I Am the Way,” “We Shall Overcome” and “Oh Happy Day.”
BEVERLY TUCKER presents Wins with a portrait she painted of him as a personal gift. Tucker is painting another likeness of Wins that will be placed in the permanent gallery at First Baptist Church located down in the fellowship hall. AT THE END of the program, Wins and wife Cassandra took to the pulpit to thank everyone for their support during their time in the community. Cassandra Wins was very active with Project Horizon serving on the board of directors and chairing the Deck the Halls Gala, which raised $72,000 for the nonprofit last year. Mrs. Wins was presented with a pewter “Love for All Seasons” cuff bracelet as a thank you for her years of dedicated work with Project Horizon.
