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Gerald Edward
“Jerry” Van Valkenburg was born at St. Mary’s Hospital in Enid, OK, and
raised there as the adopted son of Howard and Ruth Van Valkenburg. He had one
sister, Minerva Jane Van Valkenburg (Boone). When Jerry was a teenager, he was
told he was adopted; however, he was never able to verify the identities of his
birth parents.
Jerry attended
Enid High School and completed high school at Oklahoma Military Academy in
Claremont, OK, graduating in 1946. After almost one year at Oklahoma A&M, he
enlisted in the Army, completed jump school, and was assigned to Japan. Jerry
was working at an Army golf course in Japan when several officers, noticing his
abilities as an athlete and golfer, suggested he consider attending USMA. This
seed apparently took root, and by 1949 Jerry was attending the USMA Prep School
at Stewart AFB, Newburgh, NY. On 5 July 1950, Jerry and almost 900 other young
men met head-on with the 1st Beast Detail of the Class of 1951. After the usual
happy days in Beast, Jerry was assigned to Company F-1 in Central Area. As noted
in the Howitzer, Jerry was familiar with some lower sections in academics, but
his accomplishments on the fields of friendly strife were noteworthy. He played
Corps squad soccer for four years, earning a minor “A.” Jerry also played on the
golf team all four years, winning another minor “A” and a Navy Star. First class
year, he was captain of the team.
Jerry graduated
with the Class of 1954 on 8 June. After completing the Infantry Basic Course and
Ranger School, he was assigned to the 11th Airborne Division at Ft. Campbell,
KY. On 10 Jul 1955, he married Margaret Mary “Peggy” Burns at Staten
Island, NY. In late 1955, the newlyweds were transferred to Augsburg, Germany,
where their first three children were born: Gregory James in April 1956, Scott
William in August 1957, and Mary Jane in September 1958. At the time of Mary
Jane’s birth, Jerry was in Lebanon; his unit, the 1st Airborne Battle Group,
187th Infantry, had deployed there in 1958. He did not get to meet his only
daughter until she was several months old.
Upon their return
to CONUS, Peggy, Jerry, and their children spent some time at Ft. Campbell and
Ft. Bragg. Jerry next earned a master of science in physical education at
Indiana University and returned to West Point as an instructor in physical
education. Their fourth child, Michael Edward, was born at West Point in October
1963. While at West Point, he began teaching his four children and Peggy to play
golf. To this day, all five are avid golfers.
In the summer of
1967, after completing Command and General Staff College at Ft. Leavenworth,
Jerry deployed to Viet Nam, where he served in the 1st Cavalry Division, and his
family moved to Highland Falls. After Viet Nam, Jerry and the family spent three
years in Tidewater, VA, while Jerry served with TRADOC at Ft. Monroe. In 1971,
Jerry was sent to Ft. Polk, LA, while Peggy and the children remained in the
Tidewater area because the older children were in high school. In 1972, Jerry
retired at Ft. Polk as a lieutenant colonel and returned to Virginia, where, for
a time, he taught physical education in the Hampton, VA, school system. In 1975,
Peggy and Jerry separated, and he returned to Enid, OK. Unfortunately, three
years later, they divorced.
In 1979, Jerry
married Judi E. Bell in Enid, OK, and became surrogate father to Judi’s two
children. Jerry and Judi did a lot of traveling together, and Jerry was able to
enjoy his passion for golf, at which he continued to excel. He served as a golf
ranger in California and in Arkansas, where he and Judi lived for a time. After
eighteen years of marriage to Judi, Jerry died in Enid, OK in 1997.
Jerry’s children
and grandchildren are remarkable in many ways, most notably in military matters.
Jerry’s first wife, Peggy, and her second husband, Lachlan “Mac” Macleay, USNA
’54, a pilot and now retired USAF colonel, deserve much of the credit, of
course. Jerry’s oldest son, Greg, attended USAFA for three years and is a CPA in
Florida; Scott, the next son, graduated from the USAFA in 1979 and is a USAF
Colonel pediatrician assigned as the Air Force Southern Command Surgeon at
Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ and married to Wendy Simanek of Dayton, OH; Mary Jane
graduated from USAFA in 1980 and married Wayne Kellenbence, USAFA ’78. Jerry’s
youngest son, Michael, received his bachelor of science degree in chemistry
while in the ROTC program at Washington University in St. Louis, MO. He is now
the Permanent Professor of Chemistry at the U.S. Air Force Academy with a Ph.D.
in chemistry from the University of Florida.
As to Jerry’s
grandchildren: Mary Jane Kellenbence’s three sons are Christopher, USAFA ’06 (a
Lieutenant in Acquisitions); James, USAFA ’07 (in Pilot Training); and Nick,
USAFA ’08. Scott, Jerry’s second son, has two sons, Zachary, USAFA ’08, and
Kyle, USAFA ’10. Jerry’s youngest son, Michael, had his oldest child, Joseph,
start Texas A&M on an Army ROTC scholarship in the fall of 2007. Michael’s three
youngest children, Lauryn, Kelley, and Grace Elise, are not yet of college age.
Jerry’s qualification
badges and decorations include the Combat Infantryman Badge, Senior Parachutist
and Glider Badges, Ranger Tab, two Army Commendation Medals (one with “V”
device), the Air Medal, and the Republic of Viet Nam Cross of Gallantry with
Palm.
Jerry Van
Valkenburg’s memorial gravestone is near Enid, OK. At his request, his ashes
were scattered there and at the Angel of Shavano Camp Ground in Colorado. Jerry
was first, last, and always, a soldier and accomplished athlete who loved the
military life and his country.
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