The Crestwood School Board voted unanimously to honor Maj. Gen. David C. Hill, Claass of 1986, and Jorge A. Junquera, Class of 1967, as Distinguished Alumni of the District.
Hill currently commands the United States Army War College in Carlisle. The facility is responsible for educating and developing leaders for service at the strategic level while advancing knowledge regarding ground forces’ role in achieving national security objectives.
In his immediate prior assignments, Hill served as the Deputy Commanding General, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers , and as the Deputy Commanding General, U.S. Army Central.
Hill commanded the Transatlantic Division of the USACE, in Winchester, Va., providing engineering and construction services in the Middle East and Central and South Asia. He also commanded the Southwestern Division of the USACE, in Dallas, Texas, providing public engineering services and stewardship of water resources across all or part of seven states.
Other command assignments include the 36th Engineer Brigade, Fort Hood, TX; Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, TX; Headquarters Company, 16th Engineer Battalion, Giessen, Germany.
Junquera’s father was an integral part of the clandestine movement in Cuba to overthrow the military dictatorship of Cuban President Fulgencio Batista in the 1950s. During this time, Jorge’s father supported Castro’s led revolution to create a new democratic government. When it became clear that Castro would also govern by communist dictatorship, Junquera spoke out which put his own life and the lives of his family in danger.
At age 12, Junquera and two of his siblings (ages 13 and 8) were put on a plane bound for Jamaica not knowing if anyone would be waiting to collect them or if they would ever see their parents again.
Junquera was reunited with his parents a year later and eventually came to Mountain Top where his father, as production manager, would oversee Dana Perfumes in the Crestwood Industrial Park.
At Crestwood, Junquera excelled as a student, athlete and leader earning a scholarship to King’s College where he studied finance and Spanish.
Upon graduation from King’s, Junquera was recruited by Popular Inc. (and their banking subsidiaries) with headquarters in Puerto Rico to enter their executive training program. His ascent to the highest levels of executive management came quickly. Fueled by an unparalleled work ethic and a vision for the future of banking, as well as Popular’s place in the international banking space, Junquera climbed to a C-Suite Executive position in the bank before age 30.
Established in 2021, the Distinguished Alumni of the District award is given annually to deserving individuals who have made outstanding contributions to society. Individuals who, with roots in the Crestwood Community, have aspired to and met with excellence in various aspects of their professional and personal lives. Equally important, is that the program will raise the level of awareness and appreciation throughout the entire Crestwood School Community, concerning the invaluable academic possibilities offered by our local schools.
The award recipients were selected from an extremely deep and competitive pool of graduates. A selection committee was formed to identify worthy candidates who graduated from either Fairview, White Haven or Crestwood High School. Nominations were also submitted by the public for consideration. In all, more than 20 thousand graduates, dating back to the late 1800s are eligible for this award. All nominees who were not selected to receive the award will be considered again in future years. The public may submit additional nominations at any time through the district website.
“Once again, this year’s award recipients are shining examples of the quality of graduates coming out of the Crestwood School District. The pool of nominees from which the selection committee deliberated was extremely deep. Clearly, the educational foundation that Crestwood provides its graduates positions them to accomplish amazing things,” said committee chair Tom Benz
An award ceremony will be held this fall.
Previous (2021) award recipients include:
• Louis Fouché (Class of ’03) – Musician/Producer, MIT Graduate, STEM Outreach Professional
• James Harvey (Class of ’42) – Tuskegee Airmen
• Marcie Turney (Class of ’87) – Renowned Chef, Urban Revitalizer, Entrepreneur
More information about the Distinguished Alumni Award, including profiles on all past award winners and the selection committee can be found at www.csdcomets.org/domain/80.
