CHESTER and MIDLOTHIAN, Va. – William H. Talley, III, of Petersburg, will be honored for his service to John Tyler Community College during the institution’s commencement ceremony on May 15, 2015. During the ceremony, Dr. Edward “Ted” Raspiller, president of John Tyler Community College, and Sammie Cotman, chair of the John Tyler Community College Board, will present Talley with an Honorary Associate Degree in Humane Letters.
Talley is a long-time advocate of John Tyler Community College and Virginia’s community colleges. In 1986, he joined the John Tyler Community College Foundation Board, and he actively served on that board until December 2014. Talley also spent two terms, from 1993 – 2001, on Tyler’s local College Board, during which he served as vice chairman (1997 – 1990) and chairman (1999 – 2001). He was appointed to the State Board for Community Colleges from 2009 – 2013.
During his many years of service to John Tyler Community College, Talley has whole-heartedly supported the advancement of the College and its students in a number of ways, including the establishment of the William H. Talley, III Endowed Scholarship. His generosity and dedication were recognized in 2004 with John Tyler Community College’s Homer C. Eliades Legacy Award and in 2006 with the Virginia Community College System’s Chancellor’s Award for Leadership in Philanthropy.
“It is an honor to recognize Mr. Talley with this honorary degree,” says Dr. Raspiller. “Over the years, Mr. Talley has given his unwavering support in so many ways to our students, our faculty and our staff. We truly value his generosity, his advice, his belief in the importance of education, and his commitment to improving the lives of the people in this community.”
Talley is a graduate of Petersburg High School. He attended Randolph-Macon College and holds a bachelor of science in business from the Richmond Professional Institute of the College of William and Mary (now Virginia Commonwealth University). He served in the United States Army during the Korean War. When released from active duty, he became an agency principal at his family’s insurance and financial services firm, William H. Talley & Son, Inc., in Petersburg. He is currently chairman of the board.
In addition to sharing his time and talents with John Tyler Community College, Talley has served on the Architectural Review Board, Tourism Board, and the Industrial Developmental Authority for the City of Petersburg, as well as on the boards of numerous civic and professional organizations.
John Tyler Community College’s 47th annual commencement ceremony will take place at 6:30 p.m. at the College’s Chester Campus, located at 13101 Jefferson Davis Highway.
John Tyler Community College is the fifth largest of the 23 community colleges in Virginia. With campuses in Chester and Midlothian and off-campus classrooms throughout the area, John Tyler offers quality and economical opportunities for students who want to earn a degree or certificate, transfer to a four-year college or university, train for the workforce, or switch careers. The College, which served nearly 14,000 students during the 2013-14 academic year, offers 18 associate degrees, seven certificates, and 36 career studies certificates. The institution also serves more than 13,000 non-credit trainees and over 1,000 companies and government agencies annually through the Community College Workforce Alliance.