Purdue News

April 18, 2003 Nine alumni to be inducted into the Purdue ROTC Hall of Fame WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Nine alumni will be inducted into the Purdue University Reserve Officer's Training Corps Hall of Fame on Saturday, April 26. The induction ceremony, which honors distinguished graduates from the Army, Navy and Air Force ROTC programs, will take place at 10 a.m. at the Purdue Armory. The inductees include: Retired Col. Robert E. Cockrum, Richard L. McArthy, Judge Charles W. McCoy Jr., Loren R. Graham, Capt. Charles L. Robinson, Addison Terry, retired Lt. Gen. James F. Record, retired Col. William D. Spillane and the late Capt. Ivan C. Kincheloe. Cockrum, who resides in Indianapolis, graduated from Purdue University in 1955 with a degree in electrical engineering and an Army commission as a signal officer. As a member of Army ROTC, he achieved the cadet rank of lieutenant colonel and served as pledge master of the Purdue Drill Team, which was undefeated national champion during this three-year period. He served on active duty at Fort Monmouth, N.J., as a signal microwave officer until 1957 when he joined the Army reserves. Serving in numerous positions until his military retirement in 1987, Cockrum earned the AUSA Award for most outstanding student at Command & General Staff College in 1973. He received many other awards including the Indiana National Guard Commendation Medal and Army Meritorious Service Medal. In his civilian capacity, Cockrum, of San Clemente Calif., worked at Hazeltine Electronic Corp., served as representative of General Motors Corp. on a Department of Defense advisory task force and had administrative responsibility for several major programs until his retirement from Allison Transmission in 1991. He also served two terms on the Decatur school board and held the position of Civic Council president, deacon at the Valley Mills Christian Church and positions within the Decatur Central Lions. Cockrum was awarded the city of Indianapolis Outstanding Neighborhood Leader Award in 1994. A 1950 graduate, McArthy was commissioned as an ensign in the U.S. Navy after receiving a chemistry degree from Purdue. He then served aboard the destroyer USS Chevalier, and served with the Seventh Fleet and Task Force 77 in Korean waters. Following his tour of duty, Lt. McArthy attended the Navy EOD School and later qualified as an undersea explosive ordnance disposal officer and diver. He returned to school at the U.S. Navy Post Graduate School where he earned his bachelor's degree in ordnance engineering and a master's degree in chemistry. After being selected for weapons engineering duty officer, McArthy served on the original Polaris and Trident ballistic missile projects. His completion of the Industrial College of the Armed Forces and several significant ordnance assignments earned McArthy selection as commanding officer of the Naval Weapons Support Center in Crane, Ind. He also served as chairman of the Indiana Lieutenant Governor's Science Advisory Committee. After retirement McArthy joined the space and defense sector of TRW Inc. He was promoted to site manager and supervised the testing and development of propulsion systems for spacecraft and launch vehicles. Upon graduation from Purdue in 1968 with a degree in industrial management, McCoy was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps. He served in Vietnam as a fire direction officer and later as an assistant operations officer. During his four years of service, McCoy was decorated twice with the Navy Commendation Medal. After his tour of duty, he pursued a law career and graduated with honors from the University of Texas School of Law in Austin. He currently serves as a faculty member at Pepperdine University School of Law, Southwestern University. He has presented cases to the U.S. Supreme Court. In 1992 McCoy was appointed to the bench of the California Superior Court. He currently presides as complex litigation trial judge in Los Angeles Superior Court. He also has served as a member of the board of directors of the California Judges Association, the Executive Committee of the Los Angeles Superior Court, and the Governing Board of the California Center for Judicial Education and Research. A 1955 graduate, Graham was commissioned as an ensign in the U.S. Navy after receiving his bachelor's degree in chemical engineering "with distinction." Graham then served on the destroyer USS Charles P. Cecil as communications officer. He later returned to graduate school at Columbia University where he earned his master's degree in history. While serving as a lieutenant in the Naval reserves he studied at Moscow State University and later earned a doctorate from Columbia University. Graham also has lectured at several prestigious universities. He has taught at Columbia University as a professor of history, at Harvard University as a visiting professor of the history of science, and he currently holds a professorship of history of science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In 1986 Graham was awarded an honorary doctorate from Purdue. Graham is recognized as a leading historian of Russian science in the United States. Because of his expertise, he has been an adviser to the U.S. government and the Wall Street Journal on Russian scientific endeavors. In 1996 Graham received the George Sarton Medal of the History of Science Society, the highest award given in the field. He currently resides near Cambridge, Mass. A 1967 graduate, Robinson received his bachelor's degree in industrial management before being commissioned as an ensign in the Navy. During his initial tour, he served aboard the USS Hancock, flew the F-8J Crusader and flew 175 Vietnam combat missions. He later served in two cruises aboard the USS Saratoga as an administrative and maintenance officer. Robinson served as commanding officer of the maneuvering/tactics detachment at NAS Key West, and also as commanding officer of Fighter Squadron 151. In 1987 he reported to the Naval War College where he earned his master's degree in national security and strategic studies while concurrently earning a master's degree in management from Salve Regina University. In 1988 he took the post of force safety officer for Naval Air Forces, Pacific Fleet. Robinson's military career includes two Meritorious Service medals, eight Strike/Flight Air medals, the Navy Commendation Medal and Four Meritorious Unit Commendations, in addition to other awards. He resides in Virginia. Terry graduated from Purdue in 1948 with a degree in economics and was awarded a regular Army commission as a field artillery officer in 1950. Terry was assigned to active duty and deployed to Korea where he served as a forward observer and later as an infantry platoon leader during the Korean War. After being wounded for a second time in September 1950, Terry was evacuated. He returned to duty in May 1951 when he performed assignments as assistant operations officer at Fort Bragg, procurement officer with the Army quartermaster general in Washington, D.C., and as rifle company commander and battalion operations officer in Puerto Rico. He resigned his commission in 1955 as a major and holds two Purple Hearts and the Bronze Star. After military service, Terry formed the Addison Terry Company, specializing in mortgage brokerage services and venture capital origination. By the mid-'70s his company had offices worldwide with accomplishments that included the development of the nation's largest privately funded airport, Houston Southwest. He has served as an adjunct professor, teaching economics, business law and entrepreneurship. He also has written two books. His first work, "The Battle for Pusan," has been selected for the Military Book of the Month Club. His own newly formed publishing company, "Old Soldier Publishing," will publish his third book, "What a Deal," this summer. Terry currently resides in Richmond, Texas. While attending Purdue, Record was a member of the Arnold Air Society, Purdue's Flying Club, Military Ball Committee and the drill team. Record graduated in 1961 with a bachelor's degree in agriculture and an Air Force ROTC commission as a second lieutenant. Record entered pilot training at Laredo Air Force Base in Texas. In 1962 he earned his wings and distinction as "Top Graduate" and "Best in Class." While on active duty, he commanded three fighter wings, an air division, served as the first deputy commander of Joint Task Force Middle East and served as commander of Joint Task Force Southwest Asia. He also was assigned to the Pentagon and held high-level joint duty positions with U.S. Central Command, United Nations Command and the U.S. Combined Forces Command. He is a command pilot with more than 6,400 hours, including 1,100 combat hours and 616 combat missions over Southeast Asia. As a civilian, Record served as president of Hughes Arabia Ltd., structuring a joint venture company that generated $165 million annually. He currently resides in Tucson, Ariz., where he serves as director of business development for Raytheon Missile Systems. Spillane was commissioned a second lieutenant in 1959 after receiving his bachelor's degree in economics and a minor in political science from Purdue. Spillane entered pilot training and earned his wings at Laredo Air Force Base in Texas. He was the No. 1 graduate for both his initial and advanced flying training classes. He held a number of instructor pilot positions very early in his career. He also flew combat patrol missions during the Cuban Missile Crisis and "Sky Raider" missions over North Vietnam and northern Laos. He is a command pilot with 5,000 fighter and fighter trainer hours. In 1966, after returning from Vietnam, Spillane transferred to the Air National Guard where he continued to have a significant impact on flying operations. During this time he also began flying with Pam Am Airlines and United Airlines. Spillane currently resides in Manhattan Beach, Calif., where he is involved in local politics. Kincheloe entered the Air Force in 1949, following graduation from Purdue with a bachelor's degree in aeronautical engineering and a commission through the ROTC program. He entered pilot training, first at Perrin Air Force Base in Texas, and then Williams Air Force Base in Arizona. He earned his wings in 1950 and began serving in Korea a year later. During the course of his 131 combat missions, he downed 10 enemy aircraft and damaged 11 others, becoming a double ace. Following his tour of duty in Korea, Kincheloe entered an exchange program with the Empire Test Pilot School in England. After 10 months of intense aviation training, he received orders to the Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base in California. He earned a position in the experimental "X" plane program. These aircraft were designed to push the limits on high-speed, high-altitude flight. While flying the X-2, Kincheloe broke existing records for altitude and speed. This captured the attention of the Air Force chief of staff, who awarded him the Mackay Trophy "for the most meritorious flight of the preceding year." On July 26, 1958, while flying a routine F-104 mission, Kincheloe died after his plane experienced engine failure at 2,000 feet. The Purdue ROTC Hall of Fame was established in 1974 to honor graduates who exhibit the leadership, integrity, moral courage and self-discipline which the ROTC program seeks to develop. Originally established for graduates of the Army ROTC program only, the Hall of Fame was expanded in 1999 to include distinguished alumni of Purdue's Navy and Air Force ROTC programs. Nominees are evaluated based upon their service to the nation and the community, and outstanding leadership in the fields of business, government, education or other professional fields. The Hall of Fame currently includes 147 former Purdue ROTC students. Their photos are displayed on the Hall of Fame wall on the first floor of the Purdue Armory. CONTACT: David Tate, nominating committee chairman, (765) 494-1392, dgtate@purdue.edu. NOTE TO JOURNALISTS: Expanded biographies on most inductees are available. Contact Tari Terrell at (765) 494-2099. Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu To the Purdue News and Photos Page