Brad Anderson is an alumnus of Syracuse University and also a military veteran. You should know his story because it’s a Syracuse University story—one that speaks to our past, our present, and our future.

Born in 1924 in Jamestown, New York, Brad is best known as an American cartoonist and creator of the comic stripsMarmaduke and Grandpa’s Boy. His career as a comic artist started at a young age. By high school, Brad was already publishing cartoons for aviation magazines such as Flying andFlying Aces. Having graduated in 1943 from the Brocton Central High School in western New York near the height of World War II, Brad served in the US Navy for three years. In this time, he gave more than just his service. He continued to hone his craft and published cartoons for the US Navy.

After the war, Brad used his G.I. Bill to attend Syracuse University for a bachelor of fine arts degree with a major in advertising. By this time, Brad’s work was gaining not only local popularity in the SU student magazine The Syracusan, but also commercial popularity in well-known commercial outlets like Collier’s Weekly and theSaturday Evening Post. He gave advertising a try, but quickly came to terms with his true calling and directed his energy exclusively on freelance cartooning.

Launched in 1954 and still going, Brad’s remarkably successful and celebrated creation Marmadukewas reportedly first inspired by his mother’s boxer, but he ultimately chose a Great Dane due to its “expressive face.” More than 600 newspapers in 20 countries published the comic strip throughout its syndication. Marmaduke grew into a staple of American pop culture, so much so that 20th Century Fox actually made it into a movie featuring stars like Owen Wilson, Emma Stone, and others.

Brad has received numerous awards and accolades throughout his storied career including the Newspaper Panel Cartoon Award from the National Cartoonists Society in 1978 and the George Arents Pioneer Medal in 1999, Syracuse University’s highest award that it bestows upon its graduates.

Brad Anderson is an alumnus of Syracuse University, and a veteran of the U.S. military. You should know his story.

Hillard Pouncy is an alumnus of Syracuse University, and also a military veteran. You should know his story, because it’s a Syracuse University story – one that speaks to our past, our present, and our future.

Hillard Pouncy was born on February 8, 1922 in Prichard, Alabama. He grew up in Eufaula, Alabama, on the Chattahoochee River, and had never traveled more than 30 miles from home before he went off to college at the Tuskegee Institute.

It was at Tuskegee where Pouncy says he “saw the Airmen” – he saw their uniforms, how they carried themselves, and he wanted in! A short time later, Hillard went on to become a member of the legendary “Tuskegee Airmen,” a group of nearly 1,000 African American pilots and bombardiers trained at Moton Field in Tuskegee, Alabama from 1941 to 1946. Reflecting on his wartime experience as a member of the 477th Bombardment Group, Pouncy says he’s often asked:

“Wasn’t that a stupid thing to do? Flying when the country didn’t care about us?”

In response, Hillard says that “a lot of people tell us that our air corps, the Tuskegee Airmen, helped lead the Civil Rights Movement. So maybe it was worthwhile.”

Worthwhile indeed: the Tuskegee Airmen overcame segregation and prejudice to become one of the most highly respected fighter groups of World War II. They proved conclusively that African Americans could fly and maintain sophisticated combat aircraft. The Tuskegee Airmen’s achievements, together with the men and women who supported them, paved the way for full integration of the U.S. military. In fact, many historians credit the success of the Tuskegee Airmen as the motivation for President Harry Truman to sign Executive Order 9981 in July, 1948, which ended segregation in the U.S. military, and arguably paved the way for the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision that integrated public schools.

After the service, Hillard Pouncy went on to earn a doctorate in organic chemistry from Syracuse University.  His degree from SU paved the way to a 30 year as a chemist for Union Carbide – including six years living and working in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as a technical advisor to Saudi Arabian Petrochemical Company.  However, even in the face of his successful professional career with Union Carbide, Hillard remained connected to the military.  Major Hillard Pouncy served for more than 17 years with the New York Air National Guard, ultimately retiring from the U.S. Air Force Reserve.

In 2008, Hillard received the Congressional Gold Medal in recognition of service with the Tuskegee Airmen during World War II, and is one of less than 200 World War II airmen still alive today.

Hillard Pouncy is an alumnus of Syracuse University, and a veteran of the U.S. military. You should know his story.

Cy Leslie is an alumnus of Syracuse University, and also a military veteran. You should know his story, because it’s a Syracuse University story – one that speaks to our past, our present, and our future.

Seymour “Cy” Leslie was born in December of 1922, in Brooklyn, N.Y.  Raised in the Bronx, Cy was a child of the Great Depression, and from an early age took on the burden of working to support his sister and widowed mother, delivering ice and other goods throughout the neighborhood.  After graduating from DeWitt Clinton High School, Cy went on to Syracuse University, and then wartime service with the United States Army’s Signal Corps during World War II.

After the war, Cy started composing birthday songs and other musical themes with his wife Barbara.  The husband-wife team recorded the songs on 45s as greeting cards, and sold them through drugstores.  It was from these humble beginnings, that a career and an entertainment industry icon was born.

In 1953, Cy Leslie founded Pickwick Records, named for the first volume in a set of Dickens novels Leslie had treasured as a youth. The company created compilation discs, a revenue source neglected by the major record labels.

Pickwick went on to experience rapid growth, and became one of the first publicly traded record labels.  By 1957, the label had sold more than 100 million records, licensing efforts from the likes of Sammy Davis, Jr., Fats Waller, and Dizzy Gillespie. Pickwick also released any number of rock & roll records, several of them featuring a then-unknown Lou Reed, who served as a staff songwriter at Pickwick. Pickwick also spun off the subsidiary labels P.I.P. and De-Lite, with the latter notching a series of hits via the funk band Kool & the Gang.

In 1980, Leslie entered the nascent home video business as president of CBS Video Enterprises, two years later becoming founder and chairman of MGM/UA Home Entertainment Group. During his tenure at MGM/UA, Cy was instrumental in transforming home video from a rental business into a sell-through enterprise, in part by introducing and popularizing boxed sets. Among MGM/UA’s first release was the Wizard of Oz, something that didn’t surprise those who knew Cy well (it’s said that Cy always had a ‘crush’ on Judy Garland).

Cy Leslie died in 2008, just a few days past his 85^th birthday.  He was a true pioneer of the entertainment industry, and was widely recognized as one of the 20th Century’s most influential and outstanding leaders in the industry. Some of those recognitions include the Record Industry’s Man of The Year (1975), the Presidential award from the National Association of Record Manufacturers (1976), and Time Magazine’s Home Viewer/Time Magazine Man-of-The-Year Award for special achievement (1987). Cy was also Vice Chairman of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and an active member of the Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Seymour “Cy” Leslie is an alumnus of Syracuse University, and a veteran of the U.S. military. You should know his story.

The Honorable Norman A. Mordue is an alumnus of Syracuse University and also a military veteran. You should know his story because it’s a Syracuse University story—one that speaks to our past, our present, and our future.

Norman Mordue was born in Elmira, NY in 1942. As a Syracuse University Economics student, he was part of the ROTC program and commissioned as a Second Lieutenant upon graduation. After completing Basic Training, the new First Lieutenant heroically led his platoon during the Vietnam War. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross after his selfless efforts to relieve another platoon that had come under heavy artillery fire. Armed with a machine gun, First Lieutenant Mordue rescued two of his men who had been injured from enemy fire. Though he was severely injured after the incident, he refused to accept medical help until his men could withdraw and they could order artillery strikes on enemy positions.

His commitment to leadership and courage in the face of adversity helped advance the American offensive and eventually defeat the enemy. Norman was also awarded the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star, retiring from the military as a Captain in the U.S. Army.

Following his distinguished military service, Norman returned to Syracuse University in 1971 to earn a degree in law. After graduating with his J.D., he served as the district attorney for Onondaga County. He eventually worked his way up to the bench, serving as the State Supreme Court justice in the county from 1986 until 1998.

Nominated by President Bill Clinton and confirmed in only sixteen days, Norman was appointed to the Northern District of New York, serving from the chief judge of the court until 2011 when he became the Senior Judge on the bench. His distinguished career as a judge has garnered him great respect in his local community. Judge Mordue and his wife, Christina, have three children: Daniel, Jackie, and Michael.

Norman A. Mordue is an alumnus of Syracuse University, and a veteran of the U.S. military. You should know his story.

Daniel Patrick Moynihan is a faculty alumnus of Syracuse University, and a veteran. You should know his story, because it’s a Syracuse University story—one that speaks to our past, our present, and our future.

Daniel Patrick Moynihan was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma and grew up with humble beginnings as a shoe-shiner in New York City. He attended public and parochial schools in the city, ultimately graduating from Benjamin

Franklin High School in East Harlem. Before he began college, he worked as a longshoreman on the piers. After his first year of college at City College of New York, he entered the U.S. Navy.

Moynihan served as an active duty sailor from 1944 to 1947, last serving as a gunnery officer on the USS Quirinus. After leaving the Navy he went on to earn his M.A. and Ph. D. in Sociology from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, and then later studied economics at the London School of Economics as a Fulbright fellow.

Daniel enjoyed an impressive career working in the Executive Branch of government, serving under four different U.S. Presidents in a number of capacities. Notably, as a member of the Kennedy and Johnson administrations, Daniel served as the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Policy Planning and Research, dedicating much of his efforts to eliminating poverty in the United States. Under President Nixon, Daniel was appointed as Counselor to the President on Urban Affairs. During this time, Daniel was instrumental in bringing issues of acid rain and the greenhouse effect to the attention of NATO as pressing concerns for the future and for social policy research. Daniel then pursued a career in international diplomacy, first working tirelessly as the US Ambassador to the United Nations and then to India. In 1976 Moynihan was elected to the US Senate to represent the state of New York, and held that position until 2001.

During his career, Daniel Patrick Moynihan was held in high esteem by his colleagues for his commitment to bipartisanship, and for his ability to identify and enact innovative and novel solutions to the most pressing problems of the day. He is remembered for his affinity toward seersucker or tweed suits, and for exhibiting a flair for captivating speeches.

After leaving the Senate, Moynihan joined the faculty at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University.

Daniel passed away in 2003 from complications of a ruptured appendix. In 2005, the Maxwell School honored him by renaming the Global Affairs Institute as the Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs.

Daniel Patrick Moynihan was a faculty alumnus of Syracuse University, and a veteran of the U.S. military. You should know his story.

Major General Joseph August “Bud” Ahearn, U.S. Air Force retired, is an alumnus of Syracuse University, and also a military veteran. You should know his story because it’s a Syracuse University story—one that speaks to your past, our present, and our future.

After graduating from the University of Notre Dame in 1958 with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, Ahearn was commissioned as a second lieutenant and began his career as a civil engineer officer in the U.S. Air Force. He later pursued his Master’s in Engineering Administration from Syracuse University, graduating in 1967.

During his 34 years of experience with the Department of Defense, Major General Ahearn was responsible for shaping financial strategy, developing budgets, and executing infrastructure programs totaling more than $7 billion annually. As the Senior Civil Engineer for the U.S. Air Force, he directed the development and operations of all U.S. air bases around the world.

Ahearn was decorated with several honors for his service, including the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters, Air Force Commendation Medal, Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with “V” device, Federal Republic of Germany Army Cross of Honor in Gold and the Republic of Vietnam Armed Forces Honor Medal. In 1984, General Ahearn was awarded the Society of American Military Engineers Newman Medal for his outstanding military engineering contributions in Europe.

Ahearn is affiliated with several professional societies, including the American Society of Civil Engineers, the National Society of Professional Engineers, the Society of American Military Engineers, Civil Engineering Research Foundation, and the American Public Works Association.  He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2010 “for contributions to improving the environment and transportation infrastructure through engineering and construction projects.” In 2012, he received the Carroll H. Dunn Award of Excellence from the Construction Industry Institute.

In his talks, Ahearn stresses the essentials of authentic leadership:  the ability to embrace uncertainty; performance readiness; and openness and inclusiveness. Above all other traits, he values strength of character—integrity in all actions, service to others before self, and excellence in all endeavors. Major General Joseph August Ahearn is an alumnus of Syracuse University, and a veteran of the U.S. military. You should know his story.

Maj. Gen. James E. Freeze, U.S. Army, (ret.) is an alumnus of Syracuse University, and also a military veteran. You should know his story, because it’s a Syracuse University story – one that speaks to our past, our present, and our future.

Growing up in rural Marengo, Iowa, James Freeze enlisted in the Army in 1949. As the Korean War showed no sign of dwindling, Freeze desired the opportunity to move up within the ranks of the Army and continued his education through the University of Maryland as part of the officer corps program. Later, Freeze graduated from Syracuse University with a Master of Business Administration degree.

Freeze served 32 years in the United States Army. He enlisted as a private and rose through the ranks to Major General. He was the first cryptologic officer to be selected for flag rank. Freeze established an impressive career contributing to intelligence operations with the Army. He led the Army Intelligence Agency and Security Command Group in a number of capacities until he ultimately retired from his role as the senor cryptologic officer for the US Army.

Today, James Freeze serves as the Chairman of the Board for Pinkerton Government Services, Inc., (“PGS”) and Paragon Systems, Inc. His military experience combined with private-sector knowledge provides Freeze with over 50 years in the intelligence, security and electronic warfare arena. Freeze rose from Private to Major General during a 33-year Army career. He subsequently established The Freeze Corporation, a professional services firm that provided intelligence, security and management support to government and corporate clients. Major General Freeze was honored for his admirable dedication to his work in 1987 when he was inducted into the Military Intelligence Hall of Fame.

In his spare time, James Freeze enjoys hitting the ski slopes and spending time with his wife, childhood sweetheart Dorothy Tompkins. They have two grown children and have been blessed with two grandchildren.

James E. Freeze is an alumnus of Syracuse University and a veteran of the U.S. military. You should know his story.

Colonel F. William (Bill) Smullen, US Army (Retired), is an alumnus of Syracuse University and also a military veteran. You should know his story because it’s a Syracuse University story—one that speaks to our past, our present, and our future.

COL Smullen attended the University of Maine where he earned a B.A. in Business and Economics in 1962 and a commission as a U.S. Army infantry officer. Following two tours to Vietnam, he returned to school in 1974 to pursue a Master of Arts degree in Public Relations from Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Public Communications.

In the course of his 30-year military career, COL Smullen held numerous command and staff positions as an infantryman and public affairs officer with additional overseas assignments to Korea and Panama. Notably, he served as the Special Assistant to the 11^th and 12^th Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral William Crowe, Jr., and General Colin Powell.

Bill Smullen’s successful career continued in the public sector in which served as an executive assistant and, later, chief of staff to Secretary of State Colin Powell, where he monitored the formulation and implementation of State department policies and assisted with planning and development of U.S. foreign policy strategy.

Since 2003, Smullen has served as Director of the National Security Studies program and Senior Fellow in National Security Affairs at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School. He also teaches public relations at the Newhouse School of Public Communications. Drawing on his rich experience in the military and in public service, Smullen recently published the book Ways and Means for Managing Up: 50 Strategies for Helping You and Your Boss Succeed.

He has received numerous accolades as a public servant.  Smullen’s military decorations include—among others—the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, Combat Infantryman’s Badge. He has also been elected to the Syracuse University Newhouse School Hall of Fame and University of Maine ROTC Hall of Fame.

William Smullen is an alumnus of Syracuse University, and a veteran of the U.S. military. You should know his story.

Bismarck Myrick is an alumnus of Syracuse and also a military veteran. You should know his story because it’s a Syracuse University Story – one that speaks to our past, our present, and our future.

Bismarck graduated from the University of Tampa in 1972 with a degree in History and subsequently earned an M.A. in History from Syracuse University in 1973.

As an enlisted army private, Bismarck served his country as a military police officer in Okinawa and Germany before later being assigned to South Korea as an infantry officer. After his service during the Vietnam War, Bismarck left the military as a decorated war veteran. He was awarded the Silver Star, the Purple Heart, and four Bronze Stars for his heroism in combat. In 1996, he was inducted into the Army’s Hall of Fame at Fort Benning, GA.

Bismarck entered the Foreign Service in 1980 and worked as Desk Officer for Somalia during its largest mass refugee crisis and war with Ethiopia. He then served as a Political Officer in Liberia. Later, he worked out of Washington, D.C. as the Action Officer in the Office of Strategic Nuclear Policy and eventually served on the U.S. Delegation to the Geneva Nuclear Testing Talks. During his tenure as a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, Bismarck served as the U.S. Ambassador to Lesotho from 1995-1998 and to the Republic of Liberia from 1999-2002. Notably, the Ambassador was fortunate enough to represent the United States at the swearing in of South Africa’s first democratically elected parliament under Nelson Mandela. His support for the evolving nation helped provide an American presence in the former apartheid state as it transitioned to an emerging democracy.

Today, Ambassador Myrick has returned to his home state, Virginia, and spends some of his time as a lecturer of political science and history at Old Dominion University in Norfolk. He enjoys travelling and completing study projects in southern and western Africa.

Bismarck Myrick is an alumnus of Syracuse University, and a veteran of the U.S. military. You should know his story.