News
CCC-Hastings VMRC Now Includes Prominent Family Name
October 3, 2018
The Central Community College Foundation has announced a significant gift from Alan Hartley and his wife, Dorothy, to Central Community College. The planned gift celebrates and honors the Hartley’s lasting commitment to the nation’s armed forces and Alan’s 40-plus years of service and dedication as a CCC employee.
During a renaming and room dedication ceremony on Sept. 28, the Veterans and Military Resource Center (VMRC) on the Hastings Campus was changed to the Hartley Family Veterans and Military Resource Center. The naming honors not only the Hartley family, but all those who serve in the U.S. military.
“Initially, I wanted to recognize my father, Cpl. Kenneth Hartley, who was a World War II veteran and a paratrooper in the U.S. Army’s 17th Airborne,” said Hartley. “The more we thought about it, I also wanted to recognize the service my sons had done. My wife reminded me that I was in the service, too. We just wanted to recognize the fact that our family has a rich family service history, as do many families.”
A commemorative plaque in the VMRC includes the names of Alan, his father and sons, their respective branches of service and a brief detail of their experience.
Hartley, who was an instructor and staff member at CCC for more than four decades, served for 12 years in the U.S. Army Reserve. Called to active duty during Operation Desert Storm in the Persian Gulf War, he served for six months with the 295th Ordinance Company in Germany.
His sons are Lt. Cmdr. Michael Hartley, U.S. Navy; Staff Sgt. Kendall Hartley, Nebraska Air National Guard; and Senior Airman Christopher Hartley, U.S. Air Force.
The VMRC serves veterans and military service members throughout their studies at CCC and acts as a liaison with the Veterans Administration for students claiming benefits. In recent years, the VMRC has been recognized nationally and has earned the top ranking among two-year colleges on the Military Times’ Best Colleges survey for five consecutive years.
“It’s a big transition to go from military life to civilian life,” said Hartley. “It’s a big cultural change when you go in and it’s a big cultural change when you come out so that extra support, I think, really helps the students be more successful.”
CCC established the VMRC in 2011 at the Columbus, Grand Island and Hastings campuses. A fourth VMRC was opened at the Kearney Center in 2017.