President Joseph R. Biden approved legislation that officially redesignates the San Angelo VA Clinic as the Colonel Charles and JoAnne Powell VA Clinic.
West Texas VA Health Care System will rename the San Angelo VA Clinic to the Colonel Charles and JoAnne Powell VA Clinic in a ceremony at 3 p.m. on Monday, July 31, at 4240 Southwest Boulevard.
In 2022, the 117th Congress voted to change the name of the San Angelo VA Clinic based on a bill co-sponsored by U.S. Sen. John Cornyn and U.S. Rep. August Pfluger.
Col. Charles E. Powell was a Texas native and a 30-year Air Force pilot who volunteered to serve in Vietnam as a Rescue Crew Commander flying 168 combat missions and later served as commander of the 17th Training Wing at Goodfellow Air Force Base. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, two Legions of Merit, and the Air Medal with seven Oak Leaf Clusters.
His wife, JoAnne, served as a Congressional District Office Manager and regional staff aide to four local members of Congress throughout multiple decades of public service. She served on the boards of the Red Cross, Meals for the Elderly, Hospice of San Angelo, and was frequently referred to as “the First Lady of Goodfellow Air Force Base.”
