Trent Lott: “today I rise to remember an admirable person and a devoted educator, Dr. Walter Washington. Dr. Washington served as a…”

“today I rise to remember an admirable person and a devoted educator, Dr. Walter Washington. Dr. Washington served as a classroom teacher, assistant principal, Dean of Utica Junior College, President of Utica Junior College for twelve years, and served as President of Alcorn State University from 1969 to 1994. Dr. Washington retired as President of Alcorn State University on June 30, 1994, and was subsequently named President Emeritus by the Mississippi Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning. During his tenure as both an educator and administrator, Dr. Washington was a leader in the State of Mississippi and throughout the country. He was a mentor to all who met him, and he set a high standard for his successors. His impact on Mississippi was evident in his work as a representative of the state on several national commissions. As a man of many talents, he served on the Advisory Council of the National Urban League's Black Executive Exchange Program and the U.S. President's Advisory Council on Historically Black Colleges and Universities. In 1982, he was awarded the Outstanding Presidential Cluster Citation by President Ronald Reagan. Dr. Washington was a member of several professional organizations, including Kappa Delta Phi, Phi Delta Kappa, and Alpha Kappa Mu Honor Society. He served as president of the Mississippi Teachers Association and held membership in the Mississippi Association of Educators and the national Education Association.”