Fork Union Military Academy announced today that Bill Hitchcock will be delivering the commencement address to the Class of 2023 at their graduation ceremony on Friday, June 2. The ceremony is set for 10 a.m. 

Hitchcock officially retired from teaching at the Academy this year after a decorated 49 years of service. 

Born on December 30, 1937, in Chicago, Illinois, Hitchcock attended Lake Forest College where he played guard and linebacker and earned AP Little All-America Honorable Mention. Following his time at Lake Forest College, Hitchcock enlisted in the United States Marines from 1961-64 where his achieved the rank of 1^stLieutenant. 

In 1967, Hitchcock obtained his master’s degree in history from the University of Arizona. During his time in Tucson, Hitchcock married his wife, Cathy, who was also a graduate student at the university. 

Following his time at the University of Arizona, the Hitchcocks moved back to Cathy’s home state of Virginia where their first daughter, Jennifer, was born. In 1974, Bill was looking for a job to support his growing family and joined the Southern Teacher’s Agency which linked him to an opening at the Academy to teach history and coach football. The Hitchcocks came to the Academy, expecting to stay one year while Bill finished his dissertation. Instead, they found a home and their second daughter, Sharon was born in 1977, and the Hitchcock family stayed, nurtured by a wonderful Fork Union community.

Hitchcock began at the Academy teaching Geography to freshman and eventually moved on to teaching Government to juniors and seniors. He was one of the teachers instrumental in developing the AP and Dual Enrollment programs at Fork Union. He also served as a reader for the AP US History and AP US Government exams. 

From 1988-1991, Hitchcock served as Chairman of the Social Studies Department and Faculty Advisor to the Honor Council until his retirement from full-time instruction in 2013. 

From 2013-2023, Hitchcock would continue teaching two dual enrollment classes per year until fully retiring from teaching after Term 4 of the 2022-2023 academic year. He is a recipient of the Ford Foundation Teacher of the Year award and received a study grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. 

Outside of the classroom, Hitchcock has coached football, baseball, wrestling and soccer at the Academy. He has answered any and every call to help the school and Corps of Cadets in any capacity. 

Seniors will cross the stage at Fork Union Military Academy to receive their high school diplomas on Friday morning, June 2, 2023, in a commencement ceremony schedule to begin at 10 a.m. at the Stadium Field. 

All Fork Union Military Academy graduating seniors will have the opportunity to continue their education at college in the fall as the Class of 2023 achieved the Academy’s annual goal of 100% college acceptance.