MTSU Mondays: Campus hosts Army Reserve General; Recycling Roundup June 8

Courtesy of Middle Tennessee State University
·3 min read
Lt. Gen. Jody Daniels, center, commanding general of the U.S. Army Reserve, accepts a commemorative poster from Grand Ole Opry announcer Kelly Sutton during the Opry’s Salute the Troops celebration held Tuesday, May 21, at the Opry in Nashville, Tenn. Looking on at right is retired Lt. Gen. Keith Huber, Middle Tennessee State University’s senior adviser for veterans and leadership initiatives who introduced Daniels from the stage and hosted her at a campus visit earlier that day.

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This year’s edition of the recent Grand Ole Opry’s annual Salute the Troops celebration, again sponsored by the Charlie and Hazel Daniels Veterans and Military Family Center, featured not one, but two generals and two country music stars with ties to Middle Tennessee State University.

Lt. Gen. Jody Daniels, commanding general of the U.S. Army Reserve, and MTSU’s retired Army Lt. Gen. Keith Huber led a parade of veterans and active duty troops into the Opry House before the show. Both generals served as guest announcers on the Opry stage.

Daniels, the first female to command the Reserve component, commands more than 200,000 soldiers and civilian employees who live and work in communities across the country.

Lt. Gen. Jody Daniels, center, commanding general of the U.S. Army Reserve, accepts a commemorative poster from Grand Ole Opry announcer Kelly Sutton during the Opry’s Salute the Troops celebration held Tuesday, May 21, at the Opry in Nashville, Tenn. Looking on at right is retired Lt. Gen. Keith Huber, Middle Tennessee State University’s senior adviser for veterans and leadership initiatives who introduced Daniels from the stage and hosted her at a campus visit earlier that day.

Speaking to the Opry audience, both in person and over WSM radio and streaming platforms, Daniels said it was a “distinct privilege” to represent at the event “not just the Army Reserve, but all the men and women of the Armed Forces who dedicate themselves to our American values every day.”

Opry member and MTSU alumnus Craig Morgan, who serves as a warrant officer, was the show’s headliner and performed with the 313th U.S. Army Band. Also featured in the show was MTSU alumna Hunter Wolkonowski, who performs as HunterGirl, and Opry members Lauren Alaina and Trace Adkins.

The Army Reserve chief also visited the MTSU campus before the Opry event, meeting with Army ROTC cadets, touring the Daniels Center with Huber and presenting a full Minuteman ROTC scholarship to incoming MTSU freshman Morgan Sheldon of Murfreesboro, who plans to major in exercise science.

Daniels visited campus and the Opry at the invitation of Andrew Oppmann, MTSU’s vice president for marketing and communications, who serves as one of Tennessee’s four civilian Army Reserve ambassadors. Joining Oppmann to welcome the general was Ambassador Emeritus John Dyess of Franklin and Ambassador Douglas Gilbert of Nashville.

Campus hosting Recycling Roundup for community on June 8

Volunteers with the Tennessee Environmental Council post at a previous recycling collection drive. The Murfreesboro Recycling Roundup is set for 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, June 8, at the Middle Tennessee State University Rutherford Parking Lot, 602 N. Rutherford Blvd. in Murfreesboro, Tenn. For more details and a complete explanation of items that can be dropped off, visit TECTN.org/MurfreesboroRoundup.

If you’ve wondered what you can do with your tattered tees, old tires, used toner cartridges and tossed-out mattresses, MTSU is hosting the perfect event to help.

The Murfreesboro Recycling Roundup is set for 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on June 8, at the MTSU Rutherford Parking Lot, 602 N. Rutherford Blvd.

“MTSU totally supports the education on the need for recycling and the need to develop the awareness of necessary recycling for the environment,” said Linda Hardymon, Recycling Program manager at the MTSU Center for Energy Efficiency, who is overseeing the event on campus.

The free public event is presented through a partnership between MTSU, the Tennessee Environmental Council’s Recycle Tennessee and the Tennessee Department of Transportation’s Nobody Trashes Tennessee programs.

“The Murfreesboro event is made possible by a grant we received from TDOT to continue these much-needed roundup events across the state,” explained Abby Schneider, Recycle Tennessee program director for the Tennessee Environmental Council.

Although there is no charge to drop off, there is an additional fee on mattresses and tires beyond the allotted limit — two mattresses and/or eight tires per vehicle. And the donation center may close once at capacity, so participants are encouraged to arrive early.

For more details and a complete explanation of items that can be dropped off, visit TECTN.org/MurfreesboroRoundup, email Ginger Reasonover at Ginger@TECTN.org or call 615-379-8259.

“It is a pleasure to be asked to provide a venue and support for TEC to use MTSU as part of the Recycling Roundup Program for Murfreesboro and Rutherford County,” Hardymon said. “We share the same goals in providing a means to keep the various items collected out of the landfills.”

Read the full story and more roundup details at mtsunews.com.

MTSU Mondays content is provided by submissions from MTSU News and Media Relations.

This article originally appeared on Murfreesboro Daily News Journal: MTSU Mondays: Campus hosts Army Reserve General; Recycling Roundup