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Morgan State / Coppin State University Army ROTC: The Bear Battalion


Hall of General Officers

Since 1948, twelve graduates of Morgan State University Army ROTC have reached the ranks of General Officer in the United States military.

GEN (Retired) Larry R. Ellis

General (Retired) Larry R. Ellis
Commissioning Class: 1969
Branch: Infantry

General (GEN) Ellis earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Morgan State College in 1969 and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant of Infantry. He served at all levels, including Assistant Division Commander 2nd Infantry Division and Commander of Task Force Eagle, Multinational division, Bosnia. He has commanded at all levels, culminating as FORSCOM Commander for the Army. He was the fourth African-American to have received the fourth star and first from an HBCU.

GEN (Retired) William "Kip" Ward

General (Retired) William “Kip” Ward
Commissioning Class: 1971
Branch: Infantry

General Ward's military education includes the Infantry Officer Basic and Advanced courses, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, and U.S. Army War College. He holds a Master of Arts in Political Science from Pennsylvania State University and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Morgan State University. His military service has included overseas tours in Korea, Egypt, Somalia, Bosnia, and Israel, two tours in Germany, and various assignments in the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii.

LTG (Retired) Allen E. Chandler

Lieutenant General (Retired) Allen E. Chandler
Commissioning Class: 1957
Branch: Medical Service

LTG Chandler was a distinguished ROTC military graduate with a Bachelor of Science in chemistry from Morgan State College. He has served in numerous assignments, including Chief of Medical Services 108th Combat Support Hospital and Senior Medical Advisor to the Adjutant General of Pennsylvania. He has also served as Deputy Surgeon General of Army National Guard Affairs. He serves as Medical Director and Senior Physician for the Philadelphia Health Department.

LTG (Retired) R. Scott Dingle

Lieutenant General (Retired) R. Scott Dingle
Commissioning Class: 1988
Branch: Medical Service

LTG Dingle graduated from Morgan in 1988 through the ROTC program with a Bachelor's degree in Sociology. He previously served as the director of healthcare operations at the Office of the Surgeon General and Commander of the 30th Medical Brigade in Germany. Dingle became acting United States Army Surgeon General after the July 19, 2019, retirement of Lieutenant General Nadja Y. West. He was nominated for promotion to lieutenant general and permanent assignment as the 45th U.S. Army Surgeon General and Commanding General of the U.S. Army Medical Command on July 22, 2019, and confirmed by the Senate on September 26, 2019. Dingle was officially promoted to Lieutenant General on October 17, 2019, by the Chief of Staff of the United States Army, General James C. McConville.

MG (Retired) Jackson Rozier (Deceased)

Major General (Retired) Jackson Rozier, (Deceased)
Commissioning Class: 1959
Branch: Ordnance

General Rozier specialized in personnel and logistics for much of his 30-year career. He served in various demanding command and staff positions, improving the entire spectrum of Army logistics. He commanded the Ordnance Center and School from March 1981 to October 1983. During his term, the Ordnance Center and School and the Missile Munitions Center and School were unified as the U.S. Army Ordnance Command; the Office Chief of Ordnance was reestablished after a lapse of 21 years; the Ordnance School Forward was established at the 7th Army Training Command, Germany; the Ordnance Magazine was approved as the official publication of the Ordnance Corps; the first Warrant Officer Candidate Course was implemented at Aberdeen Proving Ground; a four-phased military construction program was established to improve the quality of life for 1,200 enlisted soldiers; and construction was initiated for the M1 training facility, weapons training building and a recovery and evacuation facility.

MG (Retired) Arthur T. Dean

Major General (Retired) Arthur T. Dean
Commissioning Class: 1967
Branch: Adjutant General

MG Dean earned a Bachelor of Arts in History from Morgan State in 1967 and a Master of Arts in Management and Supervision from Central Michigan University in 1977. He also completed the Stanford University Advanced Management Program in 1988. His military education and training include Field Artillery Basic and Adjutant General Advance courses. As well as the Command and General Staff College and the U.S. Army War College. MG Dean also completed both Airborne and Ranger courses. During his 31 years, General Dean served in combat in the Republic of Vietnam and Operation Desert Storm in Saudi Arabia. He commanded two companies, two battalions, and two brigade-level commands. His later assignments were Director, Enlisted Personnel Management (MILPERCEN), G1 U.S. Army Forces Command, and Director of Military Personnel Management (G1 HQDA). MG Dean is an A.G. Corps Hall of Fame member and an Outstanding Alumnus of the U.S. War College).

MG (Retired) Bennie E. Williams

Major General (Retired) Bennie E. Williams
Commissioning Class: 1972
Branch: Infantry

MG Williams is a Graduate of Morgan State University Class of 1972 with a Bachelor of Science in Education Administration. BG Williams received his Master of Science degree in Transportation Management from the Florida Institute of Technology. He has served as Chief of the Transportation Defense Logistics Agency and Defense Logistics Support Command Chief of Staff. He has also commanded at various levels, including the 16th Maintenance Battalion, Corps Support Command, and the 16th Corps Support Group. BG Williams has over 29 years of distinguished service.

MG (Retired) Thomas L. Prather

Major General (Retired) Thomas Levi Prather
Commission Class: 1962
Branch: Ordnance

MG Prather received a Bachelor of Science degree and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Ordnance Corps in 1962 from Morgan State College. 1974, he received a Master of Science degree from the Florida Institute of Technology. His military schooling included the Armor Officer Basic Course, the Ordnance Officer Basic and Advanced Courses, the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, and the U.S. Army War College. He held various command and staff positions in the United States, Germany, and Vietnam during his 33-year military career. Key commands were Commanding Officer, Tobyhanna Army Depot, and Commanding General, Troop Support Command. Key staff positions were Brigade Supply Officer, 198th Infantry Brigade, Vietnam; Captains' Assignment Officer, Ordnance Corps Branch; Military Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations and Logistics; Deputy Commander, 2nd Support Command; Deputy Commanding General, U.S. Army Armament and Munitions Command and Deputy Chief of Staff for Research, Development and Engineering, Army Materiel Command.

BG (Retired) Avon C. James

Brigadier General (Retired) Avon C. James
Graduating Class: 1951

A 1951 graduate of Morgan, BG James enlisted in the Air Force in 1951. After attending Officer Candidate School and being commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in 1953, His service included an assignment at the 81st Fighter Wing, Bentwaters, England. During his service, he served as First Deputy Commander of the U.S. Air Force in Washington, D.C. He was responsible for managing and directing the Air Force's data processing program. BG James previously held several positions in the Air Force Command and Control System software applications.

BG (Retired) George Brooks

Brigadier General (Retired) George Brooks
Commissioning Class: 1950
Branch: Transportation

General Brooks was the first Morgan ROTC graduate to make the rank of Brigadier General. His first assignment was as a Transportation Lieutenant during the Korean War. Following the war, General Brooks served in various assignments with the Maryland Army National Guard, including commanding the 29th Support Center. One of his final assignments was as the Maryland Civil Defense and Disaster Preparedness Agency director. He was responsible to the Governor and Secretary of Public Safety and Correctional Services for carrying out the State's civil defense program.

BG (Retired) Talmadge J. Jacobs

Brigadier General (Retired) Talmadge J. Jacobs
Commissioning Class: 1955
Branch: Infantry

General Jacobs served more than 24 years in the Army Reserve. He served as a rifle platoon leader in the 79th Infantry and later as Chief of Staff of the 79th Army Reserve Command. One of the General's premier assignments was as Commander of the 157th Infantry Brigade. General Jacobs continued his education at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, earning a doctorate in osteopathy.

BG (Retired) Vernon Taylor

Brigader General (Retired) Vernon Taylor
Commission Class: 1969
Branch: Signal Corps (Delaware NG)