General James Hart, Jr.

General James Hart, Jr. was honored at Chipola’s 75th Graduation Ceremony on June 4th as one of the oldest continuously involved alumni from Chipola’s early years.  General Hart, as a teenager, cleared land for the current campus to be built on, he later attend Chipola and credits Chipola’s graduation with providing the foundation and the mentorship to direct his life. His illustrious career in the oil industry in Texas, meritorious service in the Air Force and obtaining a jurist doctorate at UAB and a MBA at M.I.T. where all successes leading to the distinction of him being named 2007 Chipola’s Alumnus  of the year. More recently, Gen. Hart has retired back home to Jackson County and continues to give back to Chipola through his support of the Chipola Foundation. Dr. Clemmons shared his story at graduation to inspire the class of 2023, encouraging them to use their solid foundation received at Chipola College and to let their life lessons, their “Chipola Story”,  direct their future and their alumni story, just as Gen. Hart has.