A Sign-Off Full of NC State Spirit

Benny Suggs '69 to retire after over a decade of leading the Alumni Association.

March 14, 2022 Sylvia Adcock 4-min. read

Alumni Association Executive Director Benny Suggs ’69 — who became known at alumni gatherings and university events for a “Go PACK!” that sounds more like a command than a cheer — will retire later this year after nearly a dozen years in the job.

“Benny Suggs has made a huge impact on NC State,” says Chancellor Randy Woodson. “Under his leadership, we’ve seen an increase in the number of Alumni Association members, and the finances of the organization are in much stronger shape than when he came.”

Benny Suggs has made a huge impact on NC State. —Chancellor Randy Woodson

A native of Columbus County, Suggs enrolled at NC State as the first in his family to go to college. After majoring in psychology, he was selected for flight training in the U.S. Navy and flew attack and fighter jets off multiple aircraft carriers. He commanded Attack Squadron 55, the supply ship USS San Diego, the aircraft carrier USS America, Carrier Group Six and Battle Force Fifth Fleet. In 2000, he retired from the Navy as deputy commander in chief of U.S. Special Operations Command as a rear admiral. Suggs then moved to the corporate world as a senior executive with Harley-Davidson where he led the Harley Owners Group with 1.2 million members worldwide.

Suggs returned to NC State in 2010 to lead the Alumni Association. Under his tenure, life memberships have quadrupled, support for the Caldwell Fellows has increased, and the organization has won numerous awards from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education.

A Letter From Benny

Benny Suggs ’69 reflects on how NC State alumni have inspired and energized him.

Later this year, I will wrap up my time as executive director of our Alumni Association. As I look back on the 12 years since I was Chancellor Randy Woodson’s first hire at NC State, so much runs through my mind. So many Red and White Weeks, oyster roasts, numerous ring ceremonies, and more than a decade of Legacy Luncheons. When I think of those times, I have to give a big thanks to my wonderful staff who has helped make my job easy along the way. The Alumni Association’s engagement, communications, membership and Caldwell Fellows teams have all helped define my time here with their hard work, creativity, dedication and love of NC State.

What also stays with me is you, the alumni. It’s funny, I think back to when I came to Raleigh as a freshman from Columbus County, N.C., in the mid-1960s and how the university seemed so big to me. Campus itself seemed like a big city. It didn’t take long, though, for NC State to feel like a small town that embraced me.

When I came back in 2010 to lead our Alumni Association, the Wolfpack community felt familiar and warm all over again. That’s because of alumni I got to work with and laugh alongside here. I think of the handshakes and smiles at tailgates at Carter-Finley. I value the chats with you at Alumni Association events. And I appreciate the passion of our alumni and student leaders that I saw take pride in NC State’s homecoming weeks.

I share that passion. It’s the one thing I run on. And some of what kept that passion burning in me the last 12 years was meeting new alumni. I loved getting to hear about the cool work you were doing in areas like business, architecture, engineering, science, technology and education. And almost all of you were innovators, outside-the-box thinkers and leaders in your fields. As cool as some of your jobs were, what was even more impressive was hearing about what you were doing after hours and on weekends outside your jobs. To see your commitment to service in your local communities throughout the country and around the world has been inspiring, and it embodies the land-grant mission that defines the people’s university. You’re making a positive difference.

That said, it’s been an honor to stand alongside you and be part of your Pack. That’s sincerely how I think about you all. When I was a young Naval Aviator setting out for one of my 12 extended deployments, my mother gave me a copy of Richard Bach’s Illusions. And on its opening page, she inscribed a message referencing a passage in the book. It read, “The link that bonds one’s true family is one of love, beauty, joy and respect in each other’s lives.” That’s what NC State means to me — family. Always wear the red and white proudly, and be sure to know, when I have it on, I’m thinking of you all. I’ll always be part of the Wolfpack family. So one last time: Let’s go, Wolfpack!!

Very respectfully,

Benny Suggs ’69

Alumni Association Executive Director

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“I love Benny, and what a difference he has made for us Wolfpackers,” says Perry Safran ’71, past president of the Alumni Association and a current member of the Board of Trustees. “Benny has one speed: Fast and fast, whether it is in the air, on the ground or with the Alumni Association. We are all better off because of Benny and his incredible service.”

Woodson added that he will miss being introduced by Suggs. “He always called me the Alpha wolf,” Woodson says. “We’ll certainly miss his passion. No one has more NC State spirit than Benny Suggs.”