Newly renovated and restored facility on Old Capitol Square named after GMC President Emeritus Maj. Gen. William P. Acker
"Oh my gosh, huge jubilation, it's actually very exciting," said Lieutenant General (Ret.) William B. Caldwell, IV.
MILLEDGEVILLE, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – The President of Georgia Military College (GMC), Lieutenant General William B. Caldwell (Ret.) the IV spoke about the completion of the newly renovated and restored Acker Hall at the Old Capital Square in Milledgeville.
“Oh my gosh, huge jubilation, it’s actually very exciting,” he said.
Caldwell says GMC started renovations to every building on the square 11 years ago, converting them back to academic use. This hall is the last one, and it will now be used as the new school for fourth and fifth graders.
“We here at Georgia Military College Preparatory School and in the Junior College believe in duty honor and love of this great nation of ours and so we teach that and instill that in each of our students,” Caldwell said.
Acker Hall is named after Major General William Acker, a GMC Jr. College graduate, who eventually became the school’s 19th president.
“At that time, we couldn’t even get loans from one or two of the banks,” Caldwell said. “They knew that we gave scholarships to minority students, and so Bill Acker took it from it from a three percent minority population to 18 percent in just seven years.”
“Seeing my dad’s name on the building, that’s just amazing,” Col. Patricia Acker-Griffin (Ret.) said. “I actually kind of feel like he’s here. It’s great, it’s great.”
Acker-Griffin was wearing her uniform to honor her dad. She said she’s proud to see her father’s name on a campus building.
The total cost of renovations for Acker Hall was approximately $7 million.
