Students and alumni help our military legacy live on
Our next president, Walter “Ted” Carter Jr., is one more contributor to a culture rich with armed services connections and resources.
Buckeye trivia from Molly: Did you know Ohio State played a prominent role in creating the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps? In 1916, a delegation from Ohio, including President William Oxley Thompson and other university leaders, advocated the establishment of ROTC to Congress. (Photo by Logan Wallace)
Buckeyes answer the call of service beyond self in many ways, as you can see from the stories shared in our Fall 2023 edition. Three people stand out for their valiant contributions to our nation’s military and, by extension, to all of us.
Just a few weeks ago, I was honored to meet Walter “Ted” Carter Jr., who will join us as Ohio State’s president in January. He has spent his career in service to education and our country. Prior to his current role as president of the University of Nebraska System, he led the U.S. Naval Academy and the U.S. Naval War College. He is a graduate of the Navy Fighter Weapons School, known as Top Gun, and retired as a vice admiral after 38 years of service.
Gretchen Klingler ’19 leads with her advocacy for keeping our country strong and respected around the world. In addition to her role with the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, she heads a local VFW post and serves her community in many other ways.
David Hibler ’12, ’12, ’20 MS is our university’s 10th Tillman Scholar, an honor recognizing his outsized potential for serving and leading others. A former Army combat medic in Iraq, he is pursuing a PhD while helping fellow veterans feel connected on the campus he loves.
As we begin a new academic year, I find myself reflecting on my own opportunities for service. Among many initiatives I have been proud to lead in my 37 years at Ohio State is the transformation of our north residential district on the Columbus campus. The original district was completed in 1969, and those buildings were named for students who had served from World War I through the Korean War.
Eight new buildings enabled us to continue this tradition by recognizing student veterans who served from the 1950s onward, such as Dr. Clotilde Bowen, the first African American woman to receive her MD from Ohio State and the Army’s first woman colonel, and Omar Torres, who served in Iraq and was killed by an improvised explosive device. Calling families to let them know we were creating this memorial to their loved ones’ selflessness, courage and Buckeye spirit was one of the most meaningful experiences I’ve had here.
To learn more about the legacy of Ohio State veterans, you can join a Veterans Day weekend walking tour. This educational experience is hosted by the Student-Alumni Council, a group devoted to cultivating relationships among Buckeyes past, present and future. (Find the RSVP form at this link.) I hope to see you there — and I look forward to opportunities in the new year to welcome and celebrate President Carter and his wife, Lynda.
Never forgotten on campus
Ohio State’s north residential district has dorms named for veterans, and this 2016 video introduces the alumni, with pictures of each and their building namesake.
