Hargrave Military Academy has invited the Reverend Charles “Chuck” Warnock, III and Sloan Gibson, IV to be its honored speakers for its Class of 2010 graduation ceremonies. 74 graduates and three U.S. Naval Academy Foundation Cadets are expected to earn their diplomas on Sunday, May 16 in the Hargrave chapel.

Kicking off the graduation ceremonies is the Academy’s Baccalaureate service. The Rev. Warnock is the featured speaker. Baccalaureate is Friday, May 14, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. The public is invited to this service, but seating is limited. Priority seating is for families of current Cadets and the Class of 2010.

Rev. Warnock was called as the eighteenth pastor of the historic 153-year old Chatham Baptist Church in Chatham, Virginia in June 2004. Warnock is a graduate of Mercer University, with a B.A. in English literature. He earned his Master of Divinity degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, and was named as one of the outstanding student preachers during Senior Preaching Week. He has done doctoral work at Baptist Theological Seminary in Richmond, Virginia and is currently engaged in earning his Doctor of Ministry degree at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California.

Since his arrival in Chatham six years ago, Rev. Warnock has been involved in the life of the community. He served as founding president of Chatham Cares, Inc., a not-for-profit charitable organization responsible for designing and constructing The Community Center at Chatham, which opened in June, 2008. He has served on the board of The Boys and Girls Club of the Danville Area; on the board of Piedmont Access to Health Services; and as past president of the Chatham Rotary Club. Warnock currently serves on the Federal Emergency Management Agency board for Danville and Pittsylvania County, which oversees emergency food and shelter programs. In addition to his board memberships, Warnock serves as a volunteer chaplain at the Danville Regional Medical Center in Danville, Virginia.

Rev. Warnock has been the pastor for churches in Texas, Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee, and was one of the first Ministers To Single Adults in the Southern Baptist Convention. He is an avid writer and his articles have appeared in several Christianity Today publications, as well as other Christian periodicals. Warnock writes about smaller church issues at his blog, “Confessions of a Small-Church Pastor,” which was included in the Top 100 Christian blogs in 2009 by ChurchRelevance.com. Warnock was named Contributing Editor for Outreach Magazine in 2009, and writes the "Small Church, Big Idea" column for each issue of the publication. He has spoken at The Billy Graham Schools of Evangelism, the National Outreach Convention, The Cleveland Mission, and numerous denominational and church gatherings.

Warnock resides in Chatham with his wife Debbie, who is an artist and gardener. Both are very involved in their church, their community and families, especially their new grandchildren.

Hargrave’s graduation speaker is Mr. Sloan D. Gibson, a member of Hargrave’s Class of 1971. Hargrave’s Class of 2010’s graduation is a closed service on Sunday, May 16 at 10:30 a.m. in the Hargrave chapel.

Gibson was elected by the USO Board of Governors to become the 22nd President and Chief Executive Officer of the United Service Organizations (USO), effective September 1, 2008.

The USO was founded in 1941 by President Franklin Roosevelt to integrate the efforts of multiple agencies supporting U.S. troops in World War II, and has been lifting the spirits of our service men and women ever since. Today, the USO operates more than 130 centers around the world, and provides an array of services supporting service members and their families.

Prior to joining the USO, Gibson spent more than 20 years in banking in Charlotte, North Carolina, Atlanta, Georgia, Nashville, Tennessee and in Birmingham, Alabama. In 2004, he retired from AmSouth Bancorporation, a New York Stock Exchange traded corporation, where he was serving as Vice Chairman and Chief Financial Officer. During his tenure as CFO, AmSouth was added to the S&P 500. Gibson also has a long history of service and leadership with a variety of not-for-profit organizations. In 2002, he chaired the United Way campaign in Central Alabama, which raised more than $30 million.

Gibson is a 1975 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point. He earned both Airborne and Ranger qualifications and served as an infantry officer in the U.S. Army. He earned a Masters in Economics from the University of Missouri in Kansas City and a Masters in Public Administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Gibson and his wife Margaret are the parents of two grown daughters.

Hargrave Military Academy is an all boy military school focused on college preparation. Founded in 1909, it is often noted for ongoing academic achievement in placing young men for college. Hargrave continually strives to better the future of its students by serving the whole person, mind, body and spirit. The Academy is affiliated with the Baptist General Association of Virginia. Approximately 350 students attend the Academy annually.