Eclectic, Alabama — Maj. Gen. Sheryl Gordon has retired after more than three decades with the Alabama Army National Guard during which she became the first woman general in the organization’s history, according to local and national news reports.

Gordon, 56, who grew up in Selma and currently lives in Eclectic, also has retired from a career as a teacher and administrator at Russell High School in Alexander City, according to a report on the AlexCityOutlook.com website.

Alabama Army National Guard Maj. Gen. Sheryl Gordon -- who grew up in Selma and lives in Eclectic -- at a retirement party for her at the guard headquarters in Montgomery Fri., Sept. 27, 2013. Gordon, the assistant adjutant general for the Alabama Guard, is retiring after more than 32 years of service. Gordon is one of only two female major generals in the Guard nationally. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

A retirement party for Gordon was held Friday at the Guard's headquarters in Montgomery. She could not be reached Sunday for comment at her home in the Lake Martin area.

The daughter, wife and sister of fellow guardsmen, Gordon was promoted in 2009 to the rank of brigadier general, according to AlexCityOutlook.com. She was promoted to major general in 2011 and, according to an AP story on the ArmyTimes.com website, served as the assistant adjutant general for the Alabama Guard, which is the primary adviser to the Alabama Guard's top officer.

In addition to her guard service, Gordon was assistant principal of Benjamin Russell High for years. She said she expected her retirement from the National Guard to trigger many of the same emotions as her retirement as an educator.

Gordon first joined the Alabama National Guard in 1980.

For more on this story, please visit the Alex City Outlook and the Army Times websites.

