Robeson Community College recognized several employees’ service to the college, Staff person of the Year and Instructor of the Year at its annual Employee Appreciation Ceremony on Dec. 19.
Several employees were recognized for five and 10 years of service. Honorees recognized for 15 years of service included Cyd Burgwyn for her service in the IT department, Audra Harris for teaching service in the business curriculum and Toni Sacry for her service as a Psychology instructor and director of Institutional Effectiveness. The college also recognized Loretta Allen and Shelia Smith for 20 years of teaching service. Allen teaches in the Business Department and Smith teaches in the Nursing Department. Lettie Navarette was recognized as Staff Person of the Year.
Mickey Biggs was recognized as the 2018 Instructor of the Year. Biggs will have served in a full-time capacity in the college’s Law Enforcement Training program for five years this coming spring.
Biggs began teaching law enforcement training classes at the college on a part-time basis in 1988 and was named as full-time director of that program in 2014. His duties now include serving as director of Basic Law Enforcement Training, and Law Enforcement Continuing Education and department chair of the college’s associate degree Criminal Justice program. Biggs came to his current role following a stint in the Navy and a 32-year career in the law enforcement.
After completing four years of service in the Navy, Biggs worked as a dispatcher for the Lumberton Police Department in the early 1980s while attending the BLET program at Robeson Community College. Bill Vile was the program director at the time and James Sanderson was the lead instructor. During his 25 years with LPD, Biggs became one of the first canine officers for the department. He eventually made detective and spent many years investigating homicide and drug cases before retiring in 2007 as senior lieutenant.
Within six months of leaving LPD, he was working for the Criminal Investigation Division of the N.C. Department of Insurance. During his seven years with CID, Biggs was promoted to supervisor for the Eastern District of the state, overseeing all investigations east of Interstate 95. Among the highlights of this portion of Biggs’ career was his collaboration with the FBI in the prosecution of North Carolina’s first staged traffic accident ring.
Biggs also serves our community outside of his law enforcement and educational duties. He was aboard an aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf supporting the attempted rescue of American hostages in Iran in 1980. Participating in this hostile event qualified him for membership in the Veterans of Foreign Wars, where he has served as post commander for the past five years. This past year Post 8969 was recognized as an All American Post under Biggs’ leadership. Less than 200 out of over 6,000 Posts earn this honor. Post 8969 was recognized for its support of youth programs such as the Voice of Democracy speech contest and the Patriot Pin essay contest for public school children. Post 8969 provided support for veterans during recent hurricanes and provides support for families of soldiers who are deployed.
As a reserve officer with LPD, Biggs not only does routine patrols, but also worked 12-hour shifts for 10 days during Hurricane Florence. During this time he often assisted the National Guard with rescue operations.
When asked what he liked about his current role, Biggs cited the caliber of people with whom he gets to work.
“They’re good, hard-working people with a desire to help others,” he said.
When asked about the downside of his current role, Biggs again references other people, specifically the loss of his fellow officers. He notes that earlier in his career he taught LPD Officer Jeremiah Goodson, Highway Patrolman Kevin Conner and Robeson County Deputy Neal McCormick, all killed while on duty. More recent losses, Scotland County Deputy Alexis “Thunder Eagle” Locklear and LPD officer Jason Quick were particularly difficult.
“These guys were young and I saw them every day as an instructor,” he said of Locklear and Quick. “You form a different bond under those circumstances.”
