Bulletin News
08/28/2012
Army Gen. Ann E. Dunwoody ’75, the first woman in the nation’s history to become a four-star general, continues to earn national recognition, even as she prepares to retire.
The former SUNY Cortland gymnast and tennis player received the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s (ITA) 2012 Achievement Award during a ceremony in New York City on Sept. 7. The award honors former college varsity tennis players who have achieved excellence in their chosen careers.
In June, Dunwoody, head of the critically important Army Materiel Command, was included on the Women’s Sports Foundation’s “40 for 40” list. The list honored women of accomplishment in a wide range of fields who played high school or college sports after the enactment of Title IX, the federal law that requires all schools and colleges receiving federal money to provide the same opportunities for girls as they do for boys.
Dunwoody’s peers on the high-profile list included U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, tennis star Venus Williams, legendary University of Tennessee basketball coach Pat Summit and comedians Tina Fey and Ellen DeGeneres.
The honors are helping to cap the end of an extraordinarily successful, 37-year military career that began with a four-week Army introductory program when she was a junior physical education major at SUNY Cortland. In October, Dunwoody will officially retire from the Army, where she heads the command that provides American soldiers with everything that they shoot, fly, drive, communicate with, wear and eat.
As part of the ITA award, the SUNY Cortland varsity women’s tennis program will receive a $1,000 donation. Tom Spanbauer ’83, M.S.Ed. ’86, head coach of Cortland’s women’s tennis team, is the person who nominated Dunwoody for the national honor. The ITA is the national governing body for Divisions I, II, III collegiate tennis.
The achievement award is presented by the International Tennis Hall of Fame and Rolex Watch USA. Dunwoody will receive the award during a ceremony at the Grand Hyatt Hotel. Tennis legend Stan Smith will present the award, and Dunwoody and her husband, retired Air Force Col. Craig Brotchie, will be guests of the United States Tennis Association and the ITA for the women’s semifinals of the U.S. Open.
The annual ITA Achievement Award was created in 1994 to pay tribute to past participants in the world of collegiate varsity tennis who achieved excellence in their profession, made contributions to society and are unique in their accomplishments.
Last year, Dunwoody received the 2011 Theodore Roosevelt award, the NCAA’s highest honor.
At Cortland, Dunwoody was a starter and four-year participant on the College’s women’s tennis team under Coach Sylvia Stokes and the women’s gymnastics team under Coach Antoinette “Toni” Tiburzi.