June 18, 2025

The Citadel Alumni Association Distinguished Alumnus Highlight Dr. J. Patrick Johnson, '78 Johnson is an internationally renowned spinal expert and Clinical Professor of Spinal Neurosurgery. He serves as Director of Spine Centers at both UCLA and Cedars-Sinai. Recognized as one of the premier spine surgeons on the West Coast, Dr. Johnson has successfully treated some of the most complex spinal conditions, including trauma, tumors, cancer, infections, and severe deformities. Often referred to as the “physician’s physician,” he is among a select group of neurosurgeons specializing in innovative treatments for scoliosis and complex spinal deformities. Johnson is the author of more than 500 manuscripts, abstracts, books, and book chapters published in leading medical journals. He has served as a Visiting Professor at numerous top academic medical centers both in the United States and internationally. He credits his Citadel education with helping him discover his potential and achieve goals he once thought unattainable. Dr. Johnson also shares a proud Citadel legacy—his father and two brothers are fellow alumni of the Long Gray Line. To learn more about The Citadel Alumni Association Distinguished Alumni List, visit citadelalumni.org/news-stories/distinguished-alumni.

The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia named Dr. Christopher M. (Mike) Johnson, '01, as president of the University of West Georgia. usg.edu/news/release/finalist_named_for_university_of_west_georgia_president

June 16, 2025

Born on June 16, 1871, Alexander S. Salley, Class of 1892, assumed the position of secretary, treasurer and librarian at the South Carolina Historical Society in Charleston, a private organization concerned with the preservation of the state’s past, on October 1, 1899. In 1905 the General Assembly passed a bill providing funding for a full-time secretary for the State Historical Commission, making the agency responsible for all state public records. Salley began as that secretary on April 1, 1905. For the next 45 years, Salley organized, filed and wrote about South Carolina’s documentary heritage, the beginning of what is now the South Carolina Department of Archives and History. scencyclopedia.org/…/salley-alexander-samuel/ scdah.sc.gov/news/2018-12/meet-former-staff-alexander-samuel-salley

Today is National Bourbon Day! Get your Sword and Sash Bourbon from Ironclad Distillery to celebrate! ironcladdistillery.com/store/sword-sash-small-batch-bourbon-whiskey Sword and Sash is proud to be the first distilled spirit to be licensed by The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina. For those who have graduated from the Corps of Cadets – whether a year ago or 80 years ago – the memories, both bitter and sweet, last a lifetime. Sword and Sash is the perfect companion to celebrate those memories. Distilled for The Citadel from Virginia corn, wheat, rye, and malted barley. Aged over two summers in new, charred oak barrels.

Today is the 250th anniversary of the creation of the United States Army!

Friday, June 13, 2025