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Date: Thu, 22 NOV 2007 09:00:48,0500
From:,w 'wwelter@cox.net"
To: Business Net 'usma55bus@west-point.org"
Subject: usma55bus: Stemle Sends....... Al Rupp Memorial Trophy
I know this is the class net and not the football net, but I thought there would be a number of you who might be interested in what is going on. Tom Turner had provided the 'Tippi Trophy' to the winner of the college pool in honor of his deceased doggie, but all the plates on the plaque have been filled and it was time to get a new plaque. As the new 'Pool Meister', it fell my lot to name the new plaque.
In searching my memory for a classmate who exhibited 'The Army Spirit', Al Rupp came to mind. I remember Al as a fun loving free spirit with a total zest for life. Had it not been for his tragic aircraft accident I have no doubt that Al would have made it to the moon as an astronaut. For those of you who might not have known Al, he was a cheerleader and one of the crew who stole the Navy goat and brought it back to West Point.
In memory of my A-2 company mate and ex-roomie, the new plaque is called the 'AL RUPP MEMORIAL TROPHY'.
Dick Stemle
November 2007
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Date sent: Mon, 13 OCT 2008 20:24:37,0400
To: usma55bus@west-point.org
From: -w 'wwelter@cox.net"
Subject: usma1955-c1: Note From AL Rupp's Daughter
Dick Stemle wrote:
Dear Karen,
My name is Dick Stemle and for one year at the Academy your dad and I were roommates. It is good to hear from you and I will pass along a little information about my memories about Al.
To begin with, he was one of the most intelligent persons I have ever meet. I really can't remember seeing him study. He would scan the material and it would be locked away for future reference. He was also a fun loving individual and seemed to always have a smile on his face. I don't know if you have heard the details of the 'Goat Napping' adventure your dad participated in. If you haven't, let me know and I will fill in the details you maybe missing.
In my opinion, Al could have achieved any goal he established for himself. I believe he would have made it to the moon had it not been for his accident.
Your dad went into the Air Force after graduation and I went into the Army and we did not cross paths after graduation. I was happy to hear he had married and had children. In summary, your dad was a terrific person and my life was made better by knowing him.
Dick Stemle
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Al's daughter (Karen Deming) replied:
Dear Dick,
Thank you for your swift reply, and I'd love to hear of any stories you'd care to share. I don't know why it took me so long to reach out and try to contact people who knew him, but I'm very glad I finally did.
Now to fill you in about me and my family. My mother remarried 10 years after he died to a wonderful man, and they have been together for 30 years. I had one brother, Alex, who in many ways must have been like my father, very ambitious and intelligent. He graduated from the Air force Academy in the early 1980's married and had a daughter Teddy. Unfortunately, while training at The Fighter Weapons School in Nevada, he too had a tragic accident and died when his F16 crashed in 1987.
When I got married, my Aunt Susan's present to me was a treasure trove of all my fathers letters, news clippings, 4 years of the Howitzers, his West Point Coat, and many, other personal items. The letters though are the best, as they cover well over a decade of his life. As an ex roommate I'm sure you knew he wrote his parents weekly, and my grandmother kept every letter. I often thought they would make a great book.
Then, six months after I was married, fate struck another blow and Mike and I were in a car accident that caused me to have a Spinal Cord Injury. But life goes on, and with the love and support of my husband and family, I made it through a pretty tough time. Now, Mike and I have a small business making beach wheelchairs (we live in Pensacola, FL) for people with mobility problems. If you want, you can visit our web site at
Deming Designs, Inc.
Wow, that's my life in 3 paragraphs.
I look forward to hearing from you again soon.
Karen
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Date sent: Thu, 16 OCT 2008 10:14:00,0500 CDT
From: Dan 'ludwig55@verizon.net"
Subject: usma55bus: Al Rupp
To: usma55bus@west-point.org
Classmates: Recently, Jack Campbell posted a note from Al Rupp's daughter, Karen, inidcating that she has never known much about her father. I followed up on that because Chuck Roades and I have been trying to locate Al's widow for several years without success. Karen's response to me is pasted below. Hopefully, some of our Air Force files were with Al during flight training and his assignments until 1965 and can provide Karen and Al's granddaughter with some information.
Dan
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Dear Dan,
How nice of you to send me an email. I'd be happy to fill you in about me and my family. My mother remarried several years after my father he died to a wonderful man, and they have been together for 30 years. I had one brother, Alex, who in many ways must have been like my father, very ambitious and intelligent. He graduated from the Air force Academy in the early 1980's married and had a daughter Teddy. Unfortunately, while training at The Fighter Weapons School in Nevada, he too had a tragic accident and died when his F16 crashed in 1987.
When I got married, my Aunt Susan's (my fathers other sister) present to me was a treasure trove of all my fathers letters, news clippings, 4 years of the Howitzers, his West Point Coat, and many, other personal items. The letters though are the best, as they cover well over a decade of his life. Apparently, he wrote his parents weekly, and my grandmother kept every letter. I often thought they would make a great book.
Six months after I was married, fate struck another blow and Mike and I were in a car accident that caused me to have a Spinal Cord Injury. But life goes on, and with the love and support of my husband and family, I made it through another pretty tough time. Now, Mike and I have a small business making beach wheelchairs (we live in Pensacola, FL) for people with mobility problems. If you want, you can visit our web site at Deming Designs, Inc. .
While we don't have any kids, we do have 3 dogs and 1 cat, all of which are spoiled rotten .
I don't know why it took me so long to reach out and try to contact people who knew my father, but I'm very glad I finally did. Perhaps it is because when I was growing up no one really talked about my Dad. I think it was because my mother's grief was so deep, everyone was extremely careful not to open any old wounds. In fact, it wasn't until my Aunt brought me all those mementos that gained any real knowledge about his life, or who he was as a man. This may also explain why you never received any response from your efforts to make contact.
However, now that I have established contact, any information about my father would be welcomed. Also feel free to send my information to anyone who might wish to call or email me. I will also forward this information to Teddy, as I am sure she would be interested in learning more about her grandfather.
Thanks again for your interest and email, and I hope to hear back from you soon.
Sincerely,
Karen Deming
Deming Designs, Inc
850-478-5765
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