Hanscom to hold Honorary Commander induction ceremony Published Jan. 9, 2009 By Rhonda Siciliano 66th Air Base Wing Public Affairs HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. -- Lt. Gen. Ted Bowlds, Electronic Systems Center commander, will formally induct five local community leaders as Honorary Commanders during a ceremony at 3 p.m. Jan 9, in the Minuteman Club. Everyone is welcome to attend. The Honorary Commander Program is designed to educate participants as well as build and improve relationships with local civic and community leaders by providing greater access to Air Force commanders, programs, personnel and operations. The ceremony will also recognize Hanscom's first Honorary Commanders for their participation and service in the program over the past two years. Being honored are outgoing Honorary Commanders: Charlie Zabriskie, Jr., Electronic Systems Center; Christine Schuster, 66th Air Base Wing; Shawn Cote, 350th Electronic Systems Wing; Richard Karelitz, 551st Electronic Systems Wing; Peter Zimmerman, 554th Electronic Systems Wing and John Ott, 653rd Electronic Systems Wing. Being inducted as new Honorary Commanders are: Electronic Systems Center: Michael Graham, a Boston radio talk show host and newspaper columnist. His daily talk show, The Natural Truth, airs on WTKK Boston. He is the author of several books and is a columnist for the Boston Herald. He is a graduate of Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma with a BA in English Literature. 350th Electronic Systems Wing: Tracy West, the founder, president and chief executive officer of Hayson Sports Group, a professional sports and event management firm in Boston. Ms. West is the director of Boston's PGA Tour's Champions Tour professional golf tournament and Executive Director of Nashawtuc Charities, Nashawtuc Country Club in Concord. The annual tournament is one of New England's largest spectator sports events in New England, drawing more than 70,000 fans. 653rd Electronic Systems Wing: Christopher Anderson, president, Defense Technology Initiative and the Massachusetts High Technology Council, Inc. Mr. Anderson, who joined the council in 1984, is responsible for the successful development and implementation of public policy programs and initiatives in Massachusetts and in Washington, D.C. that help make Massachusetts the world's most attractive place to create, operate and expand technology businesses. 551st Electronic Systems Wing: Dr. Robert Collings, an entrepreneur and businessman who founded and served as CEO of two successful high-tech companies. He has served on the Board of Directors or Board of Advisors of14 organizations in the fields of technology, financial services, consulting service, medical and non-profit. Since 1985, Dr. Collings has been very active in the Collings Foundation, a non-profit public foundation he founded with his wife, Caroline. 554th Electronic Systems Wing: William Haas, branch manager for Raymond James Financial Services in Lexington. Founded in 1962, Raymond James is a diversified financial services holding company with subsidiaries engaged primarily in investment and financial planning, in addition to investment banking and asset management. Mr. Haas has been a major player in the rallying of community support for many of Hanscom's support programs designed to improve the quality of life for military personnel. 66th Air Base Wing: Jonathan Elias, an award winning journalist and television news anchor for WBZ-TV News. Mr. Elias joined WBZ-TV in 2007. He is the recipient of more than a dozen Emmy awards, including two in 2008 naming him the Best Anchor, and Best Reporter in New England. Mr. Elias has been honored nationally with two George Foster Peabody Awards. While working in Phoenix, Ariz., he and his wife started the Welcome Home Project to honor returning Purple Heart recipients from the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. An active supporter of the military, he was recently invited to be a guest teacher at the U.S. Army War College in Pennsylvania. The 66th Air Base Wing inducted Mr. Elias in a ceremony Jan. 7, at the WBZ-TV station in Boston.