26th Annual Honors Convocation - Sunday, April 18

Alfred State College will celebrate the academic achievements of its students during the 26th annual Honors Convocation slated for Sunday, April 18, at 4 p.m. in the Orvis Gymnasium on the Alfred campus.

The convocation recognizes the outstanding work of students through acknowledgement of membership in a variety of honor societies as well as the conferment of scholarships and special recognitions. More than 300 students will be honored at this year’s celebration, presided over by Craig R. Clark, ASC interim vice president for academic affairs. The welcome and introduction of keynote speaker Distinguished Alumni Award Recipient 2009 James A. Bradbury, president, Kanawha Scales & Systems, Inc., will be given by Dr. John M. Anderson, college president.

Bradbury, ’67, arrived in Alfred in 1966 (after attending West Virginia University for two years) from Dunbar, WV. He was drawn to Alfred by a degree program (measurement science) that would equip him with the knowledge and skills he would need to join his father in the family business. Paul Bradbury had founded Kanawha Valley Scale Services in 1954 to serve the chemical and coal industries in West Virginia.

However, before returning to West Virginia, Jim worked two years in Columbus, OH, for H. J. Fuller & Sons.

In 1969, Jim returned to West Virginia, where he took the small, two-person company and grew it into the world-class company it is today.  Kanawha Scales and Systems employs over 220 people, has 14 offices in six states throughout the Eastern United States, as well as offices in Beijing, China, and Sao Paulo and Belem, Brazil. KS&S also serves clients in Australia, Canada, and South Africa. The home office is located in Rock Branch Industrial Park, Poca, WV, which is just outside Charleston.

Jim has won numerous awards including West Virginia Entrepreneur of the Year, 1994, for manufacturing and most recently the governor’s award for excellence in exporting. Kanawha Scales & Systems has grown to include numerous international markets, such as China, Brazil, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Canada, Mexico, and Columbia and the company is looking forward to expanding to others.

In addition to honoring ASC students, this year’s Honors Convocation will honor the recipients of the Freshman Advocate Award and the Alumni Award for Outstanding Faculty, who will be announced the day of the event.