Purdue's ROTC Hall of Fame to hold induction ceremony

The induction ceremony, which honors distinguished graduates from the Army, Navy and Air Force ROTC programs, will be at 2 p.m. at the Purdue Armory.

The inductees are:

• Col. Richard T. Ball, Army, class of 1942. Ball spent more than 30 years in the Army, participating in the Louisiana Maneuvers, serving in the European Theater during World War II and then continuing his service as an officer in the U.S. Army Reserve. He retired in 1974 and then served as the chief of structural engineering for various firms on the East Coast, including VVKR Architects and Engineers in Alexandria, Va.

• Lt. Col. Robert G. Sikora, Army, class of 1972. Sikora entered active duty in 1973 and began a 21-year career as a medical service corps officer and Army pharmacist in assignments including Berlin, Washington, D.C., and Fort Bragg, N.C. After retiring from active duty, he began working at Pfizer Inc. He recently retired from Pfizer after serving as the vice president for the clinical education consultant division.

• John P. Strouse, class of 1958. After graduation, Strouse served at Fort Eustis, Va., and in Greenland. He left active duty in 1960 and began his career in education as a teacher of vocational agriculture, biology and general science. Strouse went on to earn a master's and doctorate from Purdue. He retired from Ball State as a professor emeritus in 1999 after 31 years of service.

• The late Lt. Commander Roger B. Chafee, Navy, class of 1957. Chafee was selected by NASA to be a member of the third group of astronauts in 1963 and was part of the first three-man Apollo flight. Overall, he logged more than 2,300 hours of flying time, including 2,000 hours in jet aircraft. Chaffee died on Jan. 27, 1967, in the Apollo spacecraft flash fire during a launchpad test at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

• Capt. Michael J. McCulley, Navy, class of 1970. McCulley worked with the Navy as a test pilot and then was selected by NASA as a pilot on space shuttle flight crews. As part of the crew aboard the shuttle orbiter Atlantis in 1989, he helped deploy the Galileo spacecraft on its journey to explore Jupiter. Now retired, in 2003 McCulley was named the president and chief executive officer of the United Space Alliance.

• Jack B. ReVelle, Air Force, class of 1957. ReVelle spent his active duty time between North America and Asia. He finished his active duty career in 1968 as a nuclear operations officer for the Defense Nuclear Agency in Washington, D.C. ReVelle also earned a master's and doctorate in industrial engineering and management. He went on to work both in the industry and in academia. He currently is a consulting statistician for ReVelle Solutions, LLC.

• Brigadier Gen. Scott P. Van Cleef, class of 1972. Van Cleef completed pilot training and flew the F-4, F-5 and F-16 fighters and was the vice commander of an F-16 training wing. After a tour in Cairo, Egypt, he served as deputy commander of the 16th Air Force and director of the Combined Operations Center at 5th Allied Tactical Air Force. Prior to his final Pentagon tour, he was commander of the 52nd Fighter Wing. He retired in 2002 from the Air Force and is now self-employed as the owner of a custom hardwood furniture shop.

The Hall of Fame was established in 1974 to recognize Purdue's Army ROTC graduates who have distinguished themselves through leadership, integrity, courage and discipline. In 1999, the bylaws were amended to include recognition of distinguished alumni from all Purdue ROTC programs. Service to the nation and community and leadership in the fields of business, government, education or other professional fields are used as the basis for selection. More than 150 former Purdue ROTC students have been inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Writer: Christy Jones, (765) 494-1089, christyjones@purdue.edu

Source: Dave Tate, chair of ROTC Hall of Fame committee, (765) 494-1392, dgtate@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

Purdue Navy ROTC

Purdue Air Force ROTC

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