Community College league to honor retired major general with Distinguished Alumni award

[aesop_image imgwidth=”500px” img=”http://www.signaltribunenewspaper.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/LBCC-honoree-for-NEWS-or-COMMUNITY.jpg” credit=”Courtesy LBCC” align=”center” lightbox=”on” caption=”Peter Gravett” captionposition=”center”] The Community College League of California, a nonprofit public benefit corporation, recently selected Peter Gravett, a retired major general and Long Beach City College (LBCC) graduate, as an honoree of the 2015 Distinguished Alumni Award, presented to graduates who have achieved high rank or honor in their professions.
Gravett was one of four honorees statewide chosen for the award, which also recognizes career accomplishments and community service among community college graduates. The award will be presented at the league’s annual convention in San Francisco in November.
“Major General Gravett has served our community, our state and our country with distinction for decades,” said Eloy Ortiz Oakley, LBCC president. “This is a well-deserved recognition, and we are proud that he is a product of Long Beach City College.”
Gravett has more than 40 years of military service, 22 years concurrently with the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), and he served most recently as the Secretary of the California Department of Veterans Affairs.
“I would not be where I am today without LBCC,” Gravett said. “The college gave me a high-quality education with the flexibility to pursue my career in law enforcement. I am delighted to represent LBCC as a distinguished [alumnus].”
Gravett began his military career when he joined the U.S. Army after high school. After he left active duty with the Army, he continued his military service in the California Army National Guard while serving in the LAPD. He completed his associate’s degree at LBCC while working full-time as a police officer. He later earned his bachelor’s degree from CSU Long Beach and a master’s degree from the University of Southern California.
In the California National Guard, he served as commanding general of the 40th Infantry Division from 1999 to 2002. He was promoted to the two-star rank of major general, becoming the first African-American National Guard division commander. Throughout his career, Gravett earned more than 20 awards and decorations, including the Distinguished Service Medal and the Legion of Merit.
During his LAPD career, he rose to the rank of watch commander and received the department’s highest award, the Medal of Valor. Gravett served as secretary of the California Department of Veterans Affairs from 2011 to 2015, and he was inducted into LBCC’s Hall of Fame in 2013.