Sharyl Attkisson, Frank Laudano, Joel Jebb 

     Sharyl Thompson Attkisson was voted into the RHS Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame in April.  However, due to her busy professional schedule and a thousand mile travel distance, Sharyl's Hall of Fame plaque was mailed to her in Arlington, Virginia in early May. Then on May 29th, I received an email from Sharyl indicating that she would be in Sarasota the weekend of June 23rd, and that she would have time to attend the reception that the Board had offered to organize in her honor. In addition, she said that she would be pleased to sign both of her New York Times best selling books for placement in the Riverview Archive Room. Obviously, the Board was thrilled with the news. With the support of Riverview’s Principal Erin del Castillo, an informal reception was held at Riverview. The pictures in the slide show taken by one of Sharyl's former teachers...retired biology teacher Joe Saladino...include members of Sharyl's family, members of the Class of 1978, members of the Hall of Fame Board, and Riverview's new principal.

Ceremony - Sharyl Thompson Attkisson - Class of 1978

     Sharyl Attkisson is a five-time Emmy Award winner and recipient of the Edward R. Murrow award for investigative reporting. She is author of two New York Times best sellers: “The Smear: How Shady Political Operatives and Fake News Control What You See, What You Think and How  You Vote,” and “Stonewalled.” She is host of the Sunday morning national TV news program, Sinclair’s “Full Measure,” which focuses on investigative and accountability reporting. Attkisson has delivered two popular TEDx talks: Is Fake News Real? (2017) and Astroturf and Manipulation of Media Messages (2015) that have drawn a combined 3.4 million views online. For thirty years, Attkisson was a correspondent and anchor at CBS News, PBS, CNN and in local news.
     In 2013, she received an Emmy Award for Outstanding Investigative Journalism for her reporting on “The Business of Congress,” which included an undercover investigation into fundraising by Republican freshmen. She received two other Emmy nominations in 2013 for “Benghazi: Dying for Security” and “Green Energy Going Red.” Additionally, Attkisson received a 2013 Daytime Emmy Award as part of the CBS Sunday Morning team’s entry for Outstanding Morning Program for her report: “Washington Lobbying: K-Street Behind Closed Doors.”
     In September 2012, Attkisson received the Emmy for Outstanding Investigative Journalism and the RTNDA Edward R. Murrow Award for Excellence in Investigative Reporting for the “Gunwalker: Fast and Furious” story.
     Attkisson received an Investigative Emmy Award in 2009 for her exclusive investigations into TARP and the bank bailout. She received an Investigative Emmy Award in 2002 for her series of exclusive reports about mismanagement at the Red Cross. Attkisson is one of the few journalists to have flown in a B-52 on a combat mission (over Kosovo) and in an F-15 fighter jet Combat Air Patrol flight. She is a fourth degree black belt in TaeKwonDo.
     Previously, Attkisson hosted a medical news magazine on PBS called “HealthWeek,” anchored for CNN, and reported at several local news stations. She is a graduate of the University of Florida School of Journalism and Communications.  Attkisson has received several other awards for her reporting and producing, including a New York Black Journalists Association public service award, a Mature Media National Award, a Florida Emmy Award, a Sigma Delta Chi Award and a Florida Communicator's Award.

Ceremony - Brigadier General Frank Laudano - Class of 1978

     When our community learned of General Frank Laudano's passing, there were some who believed that there were no words that could express the awful sadness we all felt. That belief may have been true at first. However, for many of us who knew Frank…there were words that rushed into our collect memories. Words that when woven together expressed the true nature of the man we are honoring today. Words such as Courage…Honor…Respect…Integrity!
Four words…four words that serve as the cornerstones of his legacy…a legacy that challenges all of us to be better and to do more!
     Frank Laudano was a family man…deeply devoted to his wife and children, he was an outstanding educator dedicated to his profession and the schools he served, he was an active volunteer in his community, and he was a proud member of the United States military where he served with distinction and reached the rank of Brigadier General.For some of us gathered in this room, we knew Frank before he was a husband or a father or an educator or a member of the Armed Forces of the United States. We were introduced to Frank in our classrooms and in the extracurricular activities we coached and sponsored.Those of us who knew him during those formative years agree…that even as a teenager in high school, Frank demonstrated those cornerstone elements that would become the hallmarks of his life: Courage…Honor… Respect…Integrity.
     A few years after Frank graduated from Riverview, he found himself back at Riverview as a valued member of the math department and a colleague of many here in this room.As colleagues, we witnessed Frank’s steadfast love of teaching and the positive impact his teaching had on young people. Frank’s professional journey, after Riverview, eventually led to a position at the Sarasota Military Academy. At SMA he was able to combine the two professions he loved most…education and the military.  And, just as we had witnessed at Riverview, Frank’s continued dedication to excellence had a positive influence on the lives of those students and that faculty.
     As Robert Kennedy said in a speech he made to the young people of South Africa on their Day of Affirmation. “Few will have the greatness to bend history itself, but each of us can work to change a small portion of events, and in the total of all those acts will be written the history of this generation.” Those words spoken over a half century ago ring just as true today. Frank worked to change a small portion of events…and in doing so, he changed the lives of those around him…those in the community he loved and that loved him!
     Therefore, it is altogether fitting and proper that we should gather together today to honor Frank’s memory and to officially announce his induction into the Riverview High School Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame. His Hall of Fame plaque reads as follows: In Honor of Frank Laudano, Brigadier General…Class of 1978… Whose personal life, professional achievements, and community service enhanced the legacy of Riverview High School and inspired future generations of graduates. At this time, would Mrs. Laudano and family members please come forward to accept this recognition in his honor?
 

Joel Jebb

Class of 1978

Joel Jebb

Academic

Riverview High School:  Class of 1978.   Phi Beta Chi

West Point:    Class of 1982. BS and was commissioned as an armor officer

Duke University:    MA in philosophy; August 1990

Columbia University:   PhD in English Education; March 2014

Professional

After graduating from West Point, Joel attended his armor officer basic course in  

Fort Knox, Kentucky.  His first assignment was with a tank battalion in Germany at the height of the Cold War.  He served as a tank platoon leader and company executive officer.  He was in Germany from March 1983 to May 1986.

After this assignment, he rotated back to Ft. Knox for his armor officer advanced course. He was then stationed in Ft. Hood, Texas from November 1986 to July 1990. While there, he served as a Battalion Maintenance Officer, Assistant Operations Officer and Company Commander. Toward the end of this tour, he was selected to teach in the English Department at West Point.  He left Ft. Hood in July 1990 and began graduate school at Duke University in August 1990. After two years he earned a MA in philosophy. 

He arrived at West Point in July 1992 and served his first tour in the English Department as an English instructor from July 1992 to June 1996.  He was stationed at Ft. Meade, MD from July 1996 to June 1998 where he served as a Brigade Training Officer.  He returned to the English Department in June 1998 and served there as an English instructor until he retired from the Army in October 2006.  

He became the Director of Class Support for the West Point Alumni Association in October 2006 and served in that position until September 2010. It was in 2010 he became an English instructor at the United States Military Academy Preparatory School (USMAPS).

He began a full-time doctoral program at Columbia University while continuing to work full time at USMAPS.  He earned his PhD in English Education in May 2016. He was selected the Department Head of the USMAPS English Department in March 2014.

Personal

While in the Army, Joel earned his Parachute Wings as well as four Army Achievement

Medals, three Army Commendation Medals, and two Meritorious Service Medals.

At his armor officer basic course, he earned the physical fitness award (#1 of more than 80 officers). At his armor officer advance course, he earned the physical fitness award again (#1 of 66 officers), the writing award (#1 of 66 officers), as well as the Commandant’s List (#6 in a class of 66).

At West Point, he was an instructor for three years and then became an assistant professor.  He was also the Secretary for the Superintendent’s Honor Committee for four years, the Head Department Academic Counselor for five years, and the Department

Executive Officer for four years.

Joel is married to Brigadier General Cindy Jebb, the first woman Dean of West Point. Joel and Cindy were West Point Classmates and were married on May 29, 1982, three days after their graduation. They have three children.