Alumnus of the Year - 2006

 

Peter Polk '76

Peter Polk ('76), the 2006 Alumnus of the Year, was honored at a chapel ceremony on Friday, October 6, 2006.

 

Peter graduated from Covenant in 1976 with degrees in Bible and Philosophy. After his graduation from Covenant, he served in the US Army for 20 years in both the United States and Germany. Peter received an MS in Management of Information Systems in 1987 from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, and went on to become a Professor of Computer Science and Systems Engineering at the US Military Academy in West Point, New York.

 

Continuing his studies, Peter graduated from the Command and General’s Staff College at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas, in preparation for his appointment to a General’s Staff at the Pentagon. In the mid-90’s he worked on the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon with Colin Powell and later with the Secretary of Defense in the Defense Modeling and Simulation Office.

 

In 1997, Peter retired as an LTC and continued to work in the Pentagon until 2001, consulting with the Army, Air Force, and other Federal Agencies in Washington, DC. From 2001-2004 he worked in Intelligence at the National Security Agency in Ft. Meade, Maryland. Presently, he works as a Senior Program Manager for McClendon Corporation for the Directorate of the FBI. In this capacity, he recently wrote a document that he delivered directly to President George W. Bush.

 

Peter’s wife, Pam, and two children, Dan and Heather, also attended Covenant. In October, Peter had just completed his second term as an Alumni Trustee Advisor after serving for 6 years as the president of the Alumni Executive Committee. During that time, he was heavily involved in promoting Covenant at Annapolis Evangelical Presbyterian church, where he serves as a Ruling Elder and Sunday School teacher. He is currently serving as chairman of the alumni portion of the BUILD campaign.

 

While all of this is impressive, the most important thing he’s done in his life was summed up well by his son, Dan, in this e-mail which was read at the presentation of Peter’s award:

 

I would like it said at Dad's award: The man that stands before you today may rest peacefully each and every night in the satisfaction of the great gift he has given to his family. Standing up in the generations of men that did not know Jesus, he has given to his family a home where there is real freedom and hope in the full presence of God. With all of our hearts we bless and cherish him and lend our deepest thanks for his single-minded sacrifice, his blessing of the generations beyond him, and his enormous love of life. We love you. –Pam, Dan, and Heather

 

Please join us in honoring Peter Polk, the 2006 Alumnus of the Year!