Major General Lyle Drew
Graduating class: 1990
Inducted into Hall of Fame: 2018
Hall of Fame Category: Lifetime Achievement
He may not have been blessed with natural athletic ability, but in the words of his former FHS cross country coach, Steve Bender, Lyle Drew was “the best”. “I have been fortunate to coach some great, naturally talented individuals” Bender states, “but Lyle was not one of them. His talent was his work ethic. He had a never give up attitude, and he developed what he came in this world with.”
While academics came easy to Lyle, running did not and he had to work hard to improve his performance. Despite finishing at the bottom of every meet during his freshman year, he worked tirelessly in the off season and by the time he was a senior, Lyle finished in the Top 25% of every meet. That work ethic and dedication amplified his results in the classroom. As a result, he graduated as the Valedictorian of the Class of 1990. He headed to Purdue University with an Air Force ROTC scholarship, graduated with a degree in Food Process Engineering and earned a commission in the U.S. Air Force. For 23 years, he has been serving from coast to coast and around the world in acquisition program management, professional military education, and aircraft maintenance in Massachusetts, California, Alabama, Arizona, Korea, Capitol Hill, Haiti, Iraq, the Pentagon, and New Mexico. However, he never forgot what allowed him the opportunity to do all this.
In 2012, Lyle saw the opportunity to give back to a program that bolstered his confidence and instilled a strong work ethic in him. He created the West Island 5K to infuse funds into the FHS cross country program and honor a former FHS athlete and cross country coach, Crispin Demers. Over the past 7 years, the event has raised over $70,000 through the support of community sponsors and over 4,000 participants. The proceeds funded the Crispin Demers Memorial scholarship and continues to fund scholarships for graduating cross country seniors and improvements for the program, scholarships for the West Island Improvement Association, and events at Hastings Middle School. As a result of the race’s tremendous success, Lyle partnered with an Air Force colleague and started the nonprofit, Strive and Achieve. Strive and Achieve increases the awareness and promotes skilled labor career fields while providing scholarships each year to young Americans dedicated to that endeavor.
In 2015, Lyle promoted to Colonel in the U.S. Air Force and serves as 78th Air Base Wing Commander in Warner Robins, Georgia, He leads 2,700 Airmen supporting Georgia’s largest single site-industrial complex.
Update: On July 13, 2024 Lyle Drew '90 earned another star on his U.S. Air Force uniform when he was promoted to the rank of Major General. He is the Deputy Director of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency based at Fort Belvoir, Virginia.