Army Ordnance Corps Hall of Fame Inducts Florida Tech, Redstone Site Adjunct Professor
MELBOURNE, FLA.—Harry Hobbs, Florida Institute of Technology Redstone Site production and operations management adjunct professor in Huntsville, Ala., and retired chief warrant officer 5, was recently inducted into the Army Ordnance Corps Hall of Fame, a prestigious honor. He was one of 13 inductees recognized at a ceremony in Fort Lee, Va., in November.
The first missile systems warrant officer in history to be inducted, Hobbs
joined the Army in 1978 and served a total of 10 years as a field artilleryman and missile systems repair supervisor. In 1988, he was promoted to sergeant first class and to warrant officer shortly after. In 1991, Hobbs served as a platoon leader in Operation Desert Storm. He was again deployed in 1996 to Kaposvar, Hungary, to help facilitate the movement of troops and equipment into Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Hobbs’ military awards include the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal.
After retiring from the Army in 2007, Hobbs’ success continued in his civilian life. He has a reputation in the community as a strong advocate and mentor for youth. As a professor of military science at Columbia High School, he helped its Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) become the fastest growing program and one of the best in Alabama. He established the Community Awareness For Youth annual event, which draws about 2,000 young people every year to learn about careers, health, education and finances. Also a men’s ministry and young adult leader at Bicentennial Chapel, Hobbs coached and mentored the Redstone Ten-Miler into first-place finishes for seven years.
His community awards include the Veteran of the Year by the city of Madison in 2012 and Mentor of the Year by the 100 Black Men of Greater Huntsville.
Hobbs, the current communications relations officer for the Huntsville Police Department, joined Florida Tech in 2002. He received his doctorate degree in human resources management from Pacific Western University, Honolulu, Hawaii; master’s degree in human services from Murray State University, Murray, Ky.; and bachelor’s degree in resources management from Troy State University, Dothan, Ala.
PHOTO: Retired Chief Warrant Officer 5 Harry Hobbs and his wife Erica celebrate his induction into the Army Ordnance Corps Hall of Fame with Maj. Gen. Lynn Collyar, commander of the Aviation and Missile Command; and Lt. Gen. Patricia McQuistion, deputy commander of the Army Materiel Command and Redstone Arsenal senior commander. The two general officers attended the induction ceremony at Fort Lee, Va. Collyar wrote a letter of recommendation for Hobbs’ nomination into the hall of fame.
