MGCCC Homecoming 2005
Spirit of Gulf Coast Award

Jonathan Pittman

Jonathan Pittman, a computer science major at Mississippi State University, got his higher-education start at the Jackson County Campus in January 1998. Come Homecoming Day, the 1994 Gautier High School graduate will receive the Spirit of Gulf Coast Award.

At 24, Pittman has done much to deserve the award. His credentials stretch from the sands of the Mississippi Coast to the sands of Iraq, where he served for 14 months (February 2003-April 2004) with the 890th Engineering Battalion in Operation Iraqi Freedom. In fact, because of his computer work while deployed, he was awarded the Bronze Star at Camp Shelby in Hattiesburg on June 26, 2004.

Pittman joined Bravo Company ( Pascagoula) in late 1997 while still in high school. Just after graduation he began his military training. He became a private in late 1998 and began at JC immediately afterwards. He ultimately accepted the rank of sergeant at the Headquarters Company ( Gulfport) in early 2003. Shortly afterwards, he left for Iraq.

Pittman draws on his JC experience quite frequently. “My fond memories of the people at JC are so vast that they are impossible to enumerate. Some of the fondest include speaking with Joy Mitchell, Sue McGuff, Raymond Tanner and Mary Noble. I wish that I could drink coffee with Pattye Grady every day. And I wouldn’t be anything like the person I am now without the ethics and professionalism that I learned from my mentor, Randy Cornell.”

Cornell, a JC-based network administrator with the Computer Center, reflects back to Jonathan’s time at JC. “Throughout my time working with Jonathan, I learned that there are no problems, only solutions. If it was broke, Jon would figure out a way to fix it. He is the only person I know that can actually read a technical manual from front to back as if it were a novel. If that’s not dedication, I don’t know what is. Jon started out as a co-worker and ended up being a good friend. I also thank Jon for serving are country in the war against terrorism.”

Call Toll Free
1-866-735-1122
or Request Information Online