Street Named for Bunker Hill Community College Graduate Killed in Afghanistan

Friday, August 5, 2011

Governor Deval L. Patrick has signed legislation to name a street in Salem, Massachusetts, in honor of a Bunker Hill Community College alumnus killed in action in Afghanistan. James A. Ayube, a Salem resident, graduated from Bunker Hill Community College in 2007 with an associate degree in sociology.

Sergeant Ayube, a U.S. Army medic, was killed by a suicide bomber during a combat mission on December 8, 2010.  The street, Sergeant James Ayube Memorial Drive, will commemorate Sergeant Ayube’s service to the nation.  Ayube, 25, was the recipient of a Bronze Star and Purple Heart.  He had served previously in the Iraq War.

Lloyd Sheldon Johnson, a professor in the Behavioral Science Department at the College, remembered Ayube as “a wonderful and sensitive student who had a focus and a force that were infectious.” 

Bunker Hill Community College currently enrolls more than 400 veterans of the U.S. armed forces.  The College offers a seminar geared to the concerns of veterans, and has recently opened a Veterans Center to help student veterans with GI Bill benefits, academics and health services.

Media Contact:

About Bunker Hill Community College
With more than 50 years of academic excellence, Bunker Hill Community College (BHCC) is one of Massachusetts' largest community colleges, serving approximately 16,000 students annually. With campuses in Charlestown and Chelsea, BHCC offers a broad range of educational opportunities throughout Greater Boston. BHCC fosters a welcoming and supportive learning environment for students by offering associate degrees and certificates, early college and dual enrollment, community education, corporate training, and industry-specific programs.