No one can say Colonel Vincent Horrigan ’67 isn’t a go-getter. The U.S. Air Force fighter pilot retired in 1998 after 27 years as a career officer flying Pentagon, NATO and Command assignments and serving as deputy undersecretary of the U.S. Air Force in Washington, D.C.

 

Horrigan began his second career as executive director of the American Red Cross for Chautauqua County, the same position he held with the Southwestern New York chapter. Last May he retired from the Red Cross after being named a Hometown Hero by the organization. Now he is running to represent District 17 in the Chautauqua County Legislature. The Gilmour alumnus is a trustee of the Village of Bemus Point, N.Y., where he lives with his wife of 40 years, Barbara, and serves on the board of directors of the Chautauqua Lake Association and the Red Cross Southwestern NY chapter.

 

In reflecting on his days at Gilmour, Horrigan recalls how hard his parents worked to send him to the Academy. His father used to tell him “That coat and tie you had to wear to Gilmour didn’t do you any harm did it?” One memorable moment involved playing footsie with Barbara at his junior prom. Their son, Sean, daughter, Carrie, and their respective spouses, Lynn and William, plus four granddaughters round out the family dynasty.

 

As a youngster, Horrigan’s family often visited Chautauqua Lake and his father bought a cottage at Bemus Point. After various additions to the cottage, it is now the Horrigans’ year-round family home.

 

What did Horrigan learn at the Academy that prepared him for such rigorous careers?

 

“Live your life with integrity and respect others with different points of view,” Horrigan notes. “Always look for the glass half full. Surround yourself with good people – and never jump out of the emergency door of a school bus or you will face discipline measurers of Mr. Frank ‘the Tank’ Urankar.”

 

After graduating from Gilmour, Horrigan earned a bachelor’s degree in management from Kent State University and a master’s in business management from Troy State University, then attended Graduate Air War College at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Ala.

 

Flying and boating are among Horrigan’s favorite pastimes and he remains active in his parish and local Catholic organizations. Previously president of the Rotary Club of Jamestown and the Chautauqua Leadership Network, he received awards from both, as well as from the Jamestown Chamber of Commerce.