Former Albany resident honored by Defense Department

ALBANY _ Mamie Rush, a former Albany resident, has been honored by the U.S. Department of Defense for her contributions in the classroom at Fort Benning, Ga.

Rush is a graduate of Dougherty High School and Albany State University.

Rush has been involved in Department of Defense schools for 33 years. An Army spouse, she began working as a kindergarten teacher at Atterbury Elementary School in Frankfurt, Germany.

In 1985, she came to Fort Benning, joining Patch Elementary as a first grade teacher. She moved to Frank R. Loyd Elementary two years later. In 2008 when the a new principal discovered Rush’s talent for singing, she was approached to become the music teacher.

DOD officials say the music program has flourished under Rush’s leadership, particularly through an after-school choir program serving more than 70 students.

The choir performs at numerous Fort Benning and Columbus events including an annual Christmas concert, the opening for a Columbus hockey team, Hispanic Heritage Month activities on base, the National Infantry Museum’s Soldier 2014 marathon, The “Nutcracker” performance at River Center Stage in Columbus and for children at the U.S. Army hospital.

Rush was one of the DOD Outstanding Civilian and Service Members with Disabilities for 2015. She has a hearing impairment.