PR2004 Dec U1

SHELTON STATE FALL COMMENCEMENT CEREMONY SET

RETIRED TEXACO CHAIRMAN, JOHN K. MCKINLEY TO SPEAK

(Tuscaloosa) – Shelton State Community College has scheduled its fall commencement ceremony for Tuesday, December 14 at 6:30 P.M. in the atrium of the Martin Campus at 9500 Old Greensboro Road in Tuscaloosa.

Speaker for the commencement ceremony will be John Key McKinley, former Director and retired Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Texaco Inc.  Born in Tuscaloosa, he graduated from Tuscaloosa High School and received a B.S. degree in chemical engineering and a M.S. degree in organic chemistry from the University of Alabama.  He also graduated from the Advanced Management Program at Harvard University and received honorary Doctor of Laws degrees from the University of Alabama and Troy State University.

John McKinley joined Texaco in 1941 as a chemical engineer at Port Arthur, Texas.  He was elected President of Texaco Inc. and became a director of the company in 1971.  In 1980, the Board of Directors elected Mr. McKinley to serve as Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer in 1980.

He was also elected as a Managing Director of the Metropolitan Opera Association and served as National Chairman of the Met’s Centennial Endowment Fund Drive.  He now serves as an Honorary Director of the Metropolitan Opera Association.

John McKinley holds a number of patents in chemical and petroleum processing and is a Registered Professional engineer and a member of a number of technical and professional organizations.  He has been awarded the George Washington Honor Medal by the Freedoms Foundation and the Gold Medal by the National Institute of Social Sciences.  In 1982 he was inducted in the Alabama Business Hall of Fame, and in 1983 was installed in the Alabama Academy of Honor.

Shelton State President Rick Rogers said, “We are honored that Mr. McKinley has accepted our invitation to speak at our fall graduation ceremony.  His experience and service in industry, as well as the arts, makes him an ideal speaker for Shelton State Community College graduates.”

The fall commencement ceremony will be held Tuesday, December 14 at 6:30 P.M. in the atrium of the Martin Campus at 9500 Old Greensboro Road in Tuscaloosa.