Media Advisory
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date:	Tuesday, February 23, 1999
Contact:	Lisa Oviatt, Alexandria Office on Women, (703) 838-5030; Katherine Hoffman, Commission for Women, (703) 836-0443

Air Force General Vaught Speaking at Women's Awards Banquet

Retired United States Air Force Brigadier General Wilma L. Vaught will be the featured speaker at the Alexandria Commission for Women's Annual Salute to Women Awards Banquet next month. The dinner will be held on Monday, March 29 at the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center (5000 Seminary Road) in Alexandria. General Vaught, President of the Women in Military Service for America Memorial Foundation, has been the primary force behind the building of the national memorial to honor American women who have served in the military.

"We are very pleased to have General Vaught as our keynote speaker. She is a sterling example of leadership and service," said Lynn Jordan, chair of the Alexandria Commission for Women. "Her work on the Memorial for Women in Military Service is an important legacy to recognize during March, Women's History Month."

General Vaught, one of the most decorated military women in U.S. history, is the only woman in the comptroller career field to be promoted to Brigadier General. Following her retirement from the Air Force in 1985, General Vaught worked as a consultant with the Strategic Defense Initiative Organization, as well as in private industry.

At this, the 19th Annual Salute to Women Awards Banquet, award winners and nominees will be recognized for their contributions to Alexandria in the areas of leadership, health and safety, youth services, career development and education, public policy and cultural affairs.

The awards banquet will include Women's History Walk, a special presentation of the Alexandria Commission for Women. This project commemorates the roles of women in Alexandria's history as the City celebrates is 250th birthday this year.

Anyone interested in attending the awards banquet should call the Office on Women at (703) 838-5030. The cost of the banquet is $38 per person or $65 for sponsors (includes one ticket and features sponsor's name in the program). Anyone who wishes to reserve tables of ten is asked to call (703) 370-4407. The banquet begins with a reception at 6:00 p.m., followed by dinner and the awards program.

Proceeds from the banquet benefit Office on Women services, including 24-hour domestic violence and sexual assault response programs, job search assistance to unemployed and underemployed women, mentoring for young teens, and educational programs on women's health and other issues affecting women and their children.

Note: To obtain a photo of General Vaught, please contact Lisa Oviatt at the Office on Women at