For Immediate Release:
April 20, 2016
Primary Media Contact:
Sally Voth
Public Relations Specialist
[email protected]dge.edu
Phone: 540-868-7134
Thomas Kirk of Fauquier County is the recipient of Laurel Ridge Community College’s (Laurel Ridge) 2016 Distinguished Alumni Award. He will receive the award on Friday, April 22, at the President’s Appreciation Luncheon in Middletown, VA.
Kirk grew up in Hastings, Pennsylvania. At the age of 17, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy. After 20 years of service, Chief Petty Officer Kirk retired and moved to the Shenandoah Valley.
He earned an Associate of Applied Science degree in management from Laurel Ridge in 1983. Two years later, Kirk graduated summa cum laude from Shenandoah University with a bachelor’s degree in business administration.
Kirk then enjoyed a successful career in banking, starting with Shenandoah Valley National Bank and ending with BB&T of Warrenton, where he was a senior vice president, region manager, and trust officer.
After retiring from BB&T, Kirk became the executive director of The Jesse & Rose Loeb Foundation, a position he still holds.
Kirk was a member of the Laurel Ridge College Board from 1995 to 2005, serving as board chair from 2000 to 2002. He was also a member of the Laurel Ridge Educational Foundation board, and was instrumental in securing funding to support the Fauquier Campus.
Kirk has been involved with many community organizations and projects to help make Fauquier County a great place to live, work, and go to school.
He lives in Warrenton with his wife Barbara and enjoys playing golf as much as possible.
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Founded in 1970, Laurel Ridge Community College is a multi-campus public institution of higher education. With four locations — Middletown, Warrenton, Luray-Page County and most recently, Vint Hill— the College serves eight localities in the Shenandoah Valley and northern Piedmont regions. The localities are the counties of Clarke, Fauquier, Frederick, Page, Rappahannock, Shenandoah and Warren and the city of Winchester. Laurel Ridge offers more than 75 associate degree and certificate programs in a wide variety of disciplines, in addition to providing access to bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs offered on site by a four-year institution. Laurel Ridge also serves the business community by offering workforce preparation programs for employees and employers. Laurel Ridge serves more than 9,000 unduplicated credit students and more than 11,000 individuals in professional development and business and industry courses annually.
Laurel Ridge Community College (Laurel Ridge) is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award associate degrees. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of Laurel Ridge Community College. Laurel Ridge Community College is an equal opportunity institution providing educational and employment opportunities, programs, services, and activities and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, age, religion, disability, national origin, marital status, political affiliation, sexual orientation, or other non-merit factors. Laurel Ridge also prohibits sexual misconduct including sexual violence or harassment.
Laurel Ridge Community College was known as Lord Fairfax Community College until June 2022. For consistency purposes, the college will be referenced as Laurel Ridge going forward.
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