TROY News Center

TROY – Nearly 1,000 athletes with intellectual and functional disabilities and about 350 of their coaches and chaperons will compete May 17-19 in the Special Olympics Alabama State Games at Troy University.

This year’s event marks the seventh year Special Olympians have competed at TROY.

Competitions will include 11 sports conducted both on the Troy Campus and at venues in the city of Troy and Montgomery, beginning with the opening ceremonies at 7 p.m. May 17 in Trojan Arena. The ceremony will include a parade of athletes and entertainment.

The opening ceremonies are preceded by the Special Olympics Torch Run by law enforcement officers state wide. In Troy, the run will begin at 2 p.m. Friday at the City of Troy Police Department. The route will take runners south on South Brundidge Street and onto University Avenue, arriving at Sartain Hall about 2:15 p.m.

Sporting events begin on May 18 at 9 a.m. at various venues. Sport events include swimming, gymnastics, equestrian, bowling, track and field, softball, bocce, power lifting, cycling, flag football and golf. A Victory Dance will be held Saturday night.

Closing ceremonies will be conducted May 19 and will include a memorial service for those athletes who have died in the past year.

“The athletes are very excited to be returning to TROY,” said Dean of Students Herb Reeves. “Not only would we extend an invitation for students and community members to participate in the special ceremonies, but volunteers are very important in order to make this event a success,” he said.

To volunteer, contact Reeves at 334-670-3202 or via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. "> This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

“We invite you to visit, cheer or volunteer to assist the athletes in having the best time ever.  Your interest and help is greatly appreciated,” he said.

To purchase tickets, contact the theatre office at (334) 241-9567. Tickets may also be purchased online for an additional fee on the “Subscriber Series” page of the website: www.troy.edu/davistheatre. Discounted balcony tickets are not available online.

DOTHAN—Houston County Commission Chairman Mark Culver will deliver the keynote address to Troy University graduates during the spring commencement ceremony for the Dothan Campus on Sunday, May 19.

The ceremony will be held at 3 p.m. at the Dothan Civic Center. More than 190 students are set to receive undergraduate and graduate degrees this semester at the Dothan Campus.

Culver, a lifelong resident of Dothan, was first elected to the Houston County Commission as District 4 representative in 1986, the youngest person ever elected to the commission. He was appointed chairman in 1997 by then Governor Fob James to fill a vacancy, and was elected to a full term the following year. He has been re-elected three times.

During his more than 25 years on the commission, Culver has played an active role in recruiting new business and industry to the area, and was president of the Association of County Commissions of Alabama in 2001.

Culver is married to the former Tami Cochran of Dothan. He has three children: Stephanie, 27, Robert, 24 and Cannon, 13. Culver is an active member of the First United Methodist Church.

TROY – Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley will provide the keynote address to Troy University’s largest-ever spring commencement exercise on May 10.

This spring’s graduating class includes some 915 students who have filed intents to graduate, among those some 825 from the Troy Campus alone. In all, about 650 students representing 27 states and 14 countries will take part in the ceremonies.

Commencement exercises will begin at 10:30 a.m. in Trojan Arena, and will require a ticket for entry. Graduating students will receive instructions on how to obtain tickets for families and friends.

Gov. Bentley was elected Alabama’s 53^rd governor in 2010 on his promise not to accept a salary until the state reached full employment, calculated to be a 5.2 percent unemployment rate. As a result, his administration has keyed on new job creation and has seen a drop from 9.3 percent in January 2011 to 6.9 percent in January 2013. Gov. Bentley surpassed his goal of creating more than 10,000 new jobs for Alabamians in his first year in office. As a result of his efforts and his leadership, more than 17,200 new, future jobs were announced by the end of 2011. In 2012, companies in Alabama announced 20,847 new jobs, bringing the total number of jobs added to more than 38,000 in the first two years of the Administration.

Gov. Bentley has led legislative efforts to increase incentives for new businesses and industry, to protect consumers by controlling the rising cost of homeowners insurance in the state, to reform the state’s pension system and to streamline government services and reduce spending. 

Gov. Bentley is committed to saving Alabama taxpayers $1 billion over the next four years by “right-sizing” state government.

Prior to becoming governor, Dr. Bentley served two terms in the Alabama House of Representatives, serving from District 63. He was born and reared in Shelby County and graduated from the University of Alabama School of Medicine. He established a dermatology practice in Tuscaloosa in 1974, and, under his leadership, Alabama Dermatology Associates grew to become one of the largest such practices in the Southeast.

Gov. Bentley co-chairs the Governor’s Task Force on Prescription Drug Abuse through the National Governor’s Association. He also serves on that organization’s Economic Development and Commerce Commission. He is the incoming chair of the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission.

He and his wife of 47 years, Dianne, have four sons and six granddaughters.

Gov. Robert Bentley