AMERICUS — Wray Skipper, director of Information Technology at South Georgia Technical College (SGTC), was honored at a special retirement reception at the SGTC John M. Pope Industrial Technology Center recently.
“Wray has dedicated over 23 years of his career to the information technology needs of South Georgia Tech. He has served South Georgia Tech faithfully and I am sure that everyone in this room has special Wray Skipper stories that they can share It has been a pleasure to work with Wray and I have been proud to call him my friend.  I would like to thank him for everything that he has done for this college and our system,” said SGTC President John Watford, Ed.D., when he presented Skipper with a plaque in front of the SGTC faculty, staff, friends, and family members during the retirement reception,
Steve Ferguson, chief information officer for the Technical College System of Georgia, was unable to attend but sent a letter congratulating Skipper on his retirement. “Wray has been a great resource to South Georgia Technical College but also to the entire Technical College System of Georgia. He has taken on more than his fair share of work in every situation and I am thankful for everything that Wray has done. I wish him well in his retirement,” wrote Ferguson.
Skipper has worked in the information fechnology field for approximately 40 years. He began his career at McCleskey Mills Inc. in Smithville in 1974, as a member of the accounting department. He was promoted to data processing manager in 1978, after he helped the company secure an IBM 8/32 computer system. While he was working at McCleskey Mills, he earned a bachelor of science from Georgia Southwestern College in 1976.
He remained at McCleskey Mills until 1991, when he became the manager of Collaterization and Assistant Information Systems manager for Tristate America, L.P., in Albany. Tristate America was a limited partnership between McCleskey Mills and five other companies in an effort to allow smaller companies to be able to thrive in an increasingly competitive environment. He served in that capacity until 1993, when he left to become the director of Computer Services at South Georgia Technical Institute.
Skipper was the director of Computer Services at South Georgia Tech from 1993 to 1996. He managed and supported the Banner student records computer system and supported the faculty and staff computers and lab computers. He left South Georgia Tech to become vice president and manager of the Computer Center for the Community Bank Data Systems in Americus. He stayed in that position for two years.
In 1997, Skipper returned to South Georgia Tech as director of Information Technology. He remained in that position until his retirement this year, marking over 20 years in that position and a total of 23 years at South Georgia Tech. During those 23 years, technology has advanced at a rapid pace and Skipper was responsible for overseeing much of that growth.
SGTC President Watford expressed his appreciation to Wray and his family. “Wray has been a tremendous asset to South Georgia Technical College,” said Watford. “I served as the Information Technology director here for two years before Wray came back in 1997, and I can truthfully say I was very glad to have him come back and take over that department. On behalf of everyone at South Georgia Technical College, I would like to say thank you and tell you how much we appreciate everything that you have done for each of us and for the college and our students.”