Maj. Gen. John H. Stanford Conference Room established at USTRANSCOM
Army Lt. Gen. Daniel G. Brown, deputy commander in chief of USTRANSCOM, and Air Force Gen. Charles T. "Tony" Robertson, commander in chief of USTRANSCOM, led the ceremony announcing the Maj. Gen. John H. Stanford Conference Room.
Stanford served as director of plans and resources from 1989-1991, and as acting deputy commander in chief of USTRANSCOM in 1991. He died on Nov. 28, 1998, after a courageous battle with leukemia.
The room is adorned with memorabilia from Stanford's life including his high school and college days, his 30 year military career and his celebrated tenure as Seattle public schools superintendent.
Brown spoke about Stanford's military record that included serving two tours each in Korea and Vietnam and an impressive resume' as a civil servant following his military career.
However, Brown noted, Stanford was foremost a "people person." Brown himself had served as a battalion commander under Stanford.
Stanford was widely known for his personal, hands-on style of leadership that often found him interacting with many of his subordinates in a variety of settings.
Stanford's enthusiastic leadership style, Brown related, included numerous notable and humorous efforts by Stanford.
Stanford once fascinated members of USTRANSCOM by rappelling from the ceiling of USTRANSCOM's building 1961 (which, now houses his conference room). He was also noted for dressing in a Superman costume for Halloween and leading trick-or-treating throughout the base neighborhoods.
"He made his impact in his own way," said Brown.
Guests at the ceremony viewed a video of Stanford's speech at the 1996 Democratic National Convention which highlighted his life-long philosophy of "Love 'em and Lead 'em" and his deep commitment to educating the nation's children.
Brown was joined by Robertson and Pat Stanford, widow of the late Stanford, in cutting the ribbon to the new room.
The idea for the conference dedication arose when Air Force Brig. Gen. Walter I. Jones, USTRANSCOM's director of command, control, communications and computer systems, had a conference room constructed in his directorate last year.
He asked Dr. James K. Matthews, director of the USTRANSCOM research center and command historian, to suggest a name for the room.
Jones enthusiastically accepted the recommendation of Stanford's name and Matthews began the effort to collect items for the room.
Matthews visited Mrs. Stanford in Seattle and was granted permission to select items - memorabilia, photographs, and documents - from the Stanfords' personal and professional possessions.
Returning to USTRANSCOM, Matthews, with computer assistance, created a series of original prints depicting Stanford's military and civilian careers.
Stanford's military career spanned 1961-1991. In his career he served as commanding general of Military Traffic Management Command; commander of Military Traffic Management Command Western Area; commander of 2d Infantry Division support command; commander 765th Transportation Battalion; commander 34th Support Battalion; and two transportation companies.
During Operations Desert Shield/Storm, Stanford was a USTRANSCOM crisis action team director.
His military awards included the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, Distinguished Service Medal (Army), Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit (with Oak Leaf Cluster), Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star Medal with V (for valor) device (with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters), Meritorious Service Medal (with Oak Leaf Cluster), 13 Air Medals, Army Commendation Medal (with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters).
Stanford was a senior aviator, and was airborne and Ranger qualified. He was also authorized to wear Expert Infantryman Badge and the Army General Staff Identification Badge
Following retirement from the Army, he served as Fulton County Manager (Atlanta, Ga.) from 1991-1995.
During his tenure as Fulton County Manager, Stanford gained national notoriety for his government reengineering initiatives.
In 1995, he became superintendent of the public schools in Seattle, Wash., where he was praised for his vision and his successful efforts to improve the school system. He won national attention for his efforts to improve education.
Stanford's legacy lives on through the numerous tutoring, mentoring, and volunteer programs he established as Seattle school superintendent.
Likewise, the Stanford Conference Room will serve to inspire USTRANSCOM troops to excel for years to come.
Also attending the ceremony were, Army Maj. Gen. Kenneth Privratsky, commanding general of Military Traffic Management Command, retired Air Force Maj. Gen. John E. "Jack" Griffith, USTRANSCOM's first director of operations and logistics and his wife Bonnie, Army Brig. Gen. Carlos "Butch" Pair, incoming USTRANSCOM chief of staff, Jones' wife Dawn, Robertson's wife Brenda, and Brown's wife Janie.
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