Edenton-Chowan school board chairman to receive Distinguished Alumni Award at Homecoming Oct. 17
FAYETTEVILLE — Col. George E. Lewis III ’93, a Chowan County resident and chairman of the Edenton-Chowan Board of Education, will receive the Distinguished Alumni Award from the Methodist University Alumni Association during a special awards ceremony Saturday, Oct. 17, at 10 a.m. in the Matthews Ministry Center.
Story’s photo comes from the 9/11 Memorial Service where Lewis gave an inspiring speech to the Boys and Girls Club and the community.
Lewis is one of five 2026 Alumni Award recipients who will be honored as part of the university’s Homecoming festivities. The association invited the campus community to celebrate the recipients’ achievements and contributions to Methodist University.
Lewis was born in Gainesville, Florida, into what he calls a “military brat family.” His mother was a nutritionist who later worked in refugee affairs for the State Department in Southeast Asia, and his father was a military veterinarian in medical research.
He originally planned to play soccer at the University of Florida. Instead, he enlisted in the Army a few months after graduating. He spent six years as an enlisted soldier at Fort Bragg before a Green to Gold scholarship sent him to officer training at Methodist University, where he graduated with honors.
He went on to spend 25 years as an Army officer in intelligence and special operations. Lewis said he is a survivor of a mass shooting, an experience he says drives his focus on school safety, a focus he continues as chairman of the Edenton-Chowan Board of Education.
His wife, Michele Lewis, says the character behind that service has been tested over a lifetime together.
“After 37 years of marriage, many years of deployments, the incredible joy of raising our children and now loving three grandchildren, the unimaginable heartache of our son going to heaven before us, the loss of Soldiers and loved ones, battles with cancer, and so much of life lived together, I can say with absolute confidence that I know the measure of this man,” Michelle Lewis said. “George is an honorable man, a loyal man, a trustworthy man, and, above all, a man of God. He is a man of integrity who will stand firmly in the truth, even when that truth is difficult, unpopular, challenged, or misrepresented. I have watched him lead when the stakes were high, serve when no one was watching, stand for what is right when doing so came at a cost, and remain steadfast when life was at its hardest. I could not be prouder to call him my husband, and I cannot imagine a more deserving recipient of this recognition.”
Other honorees
Four other alumni and members of the university community will also be recognized:
- Distinguished Young Alumni Award: Caitlin Pollard ’19
- Outstanding Alumni Service Award: Jackson Bingham ’19
- Outstanding Faculty/Staff Award: Mareion T.J. Gill ’15
- Philanthropist Award: Carolyn and George Armstrong ’68
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