WARRENSBURG, Mo.--Brig. Gen. Arnold N. Gordon-Bray, a 1978 alumnus of Central Missouri and former member of the UCM Mules basketball team, will be the the keynote speaker for the annual Freedom Scholarship Dinner, planned for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 19, in the Elliott Union ballroom.

The dinner raises funds for the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Scholarships.

These scholarships are presented annually to high school students from Johnson County, Mo., and the metropolitan Kansas City area, as well as students currently enrolled at UCM.
Cynthia Newsome, weekend news anchor for KSHB-TV Channel 41 NBC Action News in Kansas City, will serve as master of ceremonies for the event.

Gordon-Bray was commissioned in the Infantry as a Distinguished Military Student through the U.S. Army ROTC program at the University in 1978. He received a bachelor’s degree from UCM and master's degrees in International Strategic Studies from the United States Air War College and the Naval War College.

Gordon-Bray’s command assignments include Brigade Commander, 2nd Brigade of the 82nd Airborne Division (Falcon Brigade), where he changed command in Baghdad on July 6, 2003, after more than 25 months; Battalion Commander of the 1st Battalion, 508th Airborne Combat Team in Vicenza, Italy, from 1996-1998; Commander, “A” Company, 1st Battalion 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment and Commander, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) Fort Campbell, Ky.

Prior to his current assignment as the Deputy Commanding General of the U.S. Army Cadet Command, Gordon-Bray completed his second tour in Iraq, as the principal advisor to the Iraqi Ground Force Commander from 2006 to 2007.

Proceeds from tickets sales and table sponsorships for the dinner support the Freedom Scholarships, which were awarded to nine students last spring. The 2009 class of recipients, all of whom currently are enrolled at UCM, will be recognized at the dinner.

Other events that week will include the MLK Issues Forum, “Civil Rights as a Social Contract: a Campus Dialogue,” planned for 9 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 14. Recipients of the Community Service Awards, presented in cooperation with the Greater Warrensburg Area Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Center, will be honored at the chamber luncheon at 11:45 a.m. Friday, Jan. 15.

The ecumenical church service is planned for Sunday, Jan. 17, at Shiloh Baptist Church in Warrensburg, and the annual MLK Gospel Concert, presented in conjunction with the Performing Arts Series, is scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday, Jan. 18.

In addition, UCM students will participate in “The MLK Challenge: A Day On, not a Day Off,” a day of community service throughout the same day. Wrapping up the celebration is the Community Service Blood Drive, planned for Jan. 26-27.

For information about table sponsorships, you may contact Dale Carder, UCM Office of Corporate Relations, Humphreys 403, 660-543-4755. For additional information about The 2010 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration, visit www.ucmo.edu/diversity/mlk, or contact the Office of Community Engagement at 660-543-4156.