Please consider making a gift to support this initiative.
In conjunction with ROTC, a memorial plaque has been commissioned to serve as a tribute to the bravery, service, and sacrifice of the veterans, prisoners-of-war, and service members killed and wounded in action from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute since World War II. The plaque will be mounted on the Approach, adjacent to memorials for RPI alumni who died in service during the first and second world wars.
To date, 70 members of the RPI family have been identified to be included on the plaque. These individuals answered our nation’s call, and their commitment to service embodies the Rensselaer motto of “knowledge and thoroughness.” This plaque will honor their courage and carry forward their legacy.
- Col. Robert Taylor 1899
- Cmdr. Jerome N. Lawler 1924
- Rear Admiral John R. Perry 1926
- Maj. Gen. Joseph P. Gentile 1928
- Rear Admiral Thomas L. Davey 1931
- JCmdr. Joseph S. Allen 1942
- Lt. Charles W. Petsche 1948
- Lt. Philip T. Bastain 1950
- Donald W. Bennett 1951
- Col. Walter H. Clifford 1951
- Pvt. James H. Wallace 1952
- Capt. Robert M. Morgenroth 1952
- Lt. Cmdr. Robert B. Thorne 1952
- Lt. j.g. Arther Abramson 1953
- Vincent J. Franze Jr. 1954
- Lt. David B. Dunning 1956
- Col. Richard A. Kibbey 1957
- Col. Richard Kenneth Allee 1958
- Robert Flesch 1960
- Lt. Cmdr. Robert J. Kennedy 1962
- Capt. Bernard T. Lofft 1963
- Maj. Charles L. Bifolchi 1965
- Lt. Robert E. Taylor 1965
- Lt. Lance La Grange 1966
- Lt. Col. Richard Cooper Jr. 1967
- Lt. Ronald M. Frank 1968
- Col. Denzil H. Boyd Jr. 1970
- Lt. Col. Gene H. Eiler 1977
- Maj. Gen. Harold J. Greene 1980
- Jay Cook 1986
- Master Sgt. Jared N. Van Aalst 1997
- Ian T. McVey 2007
- Lt. Jerry Nelson
- Capt. John E Kingsley
- Capt. Tom Loft
- Lt. Robert A. Krause
- Lt. Col. Elmore G. Smith 1924
- Roy N. Dickie 1924
- Charles N. Metcalf 1926
- Capt. Fred M. Mosley 1931
- Rear Admiral Joseph P. Plichta 1940
- Lt. Harold L. Shipley Jr. 1944
- Lt. j.g. John Jay Entstrasser Jr 1949
- Lt. Ray W. Olcott. 1950
- Ens. Alvin C. Petrie 1951
- Lt. Owen A. Norton 1951
- Cmdr. Warren D. Andrews 1951
- Lt. Col. Stanley R. Wilber 1951
- Lt. j.g. Alois John Forger Jr. 1952
- Lt. Fred Meardon 1952
- Lt. Gordon W. Simonds 1953
- Capt. John R. Rutledge 1954
- Lt. j.g. Kenneth T. Winsor 1954
- Maj. Moses Lopes Alves 1957
- Lt. William F. Garrity 1958
- Lt. James R. Stratton 1959
- Lt. Cmdr. Paul A. Thornton 1961
- Cdr. Samuel J. Mathis 1962
- Lt. Robert J. Bond 1963
- Lt. William J. Torpie 1965
- Lt. Ralph J. Schiavone 1965
- Col. Louis Gasparine Jr. 1966
- Staff Sgt. John Jay Janoska Jr. 1968
- Lt. John E. Sherbin 1970
- Capt. Carmen Lucci 1975
- Lt. j.g. Stephen Mark Martone 1980
- Lt. Stephen Stuart Sirkin 1983
- Maj. Jeffery R. Calero 1996
- Lt. j.g. Miroslav Steven Zilberman 2003
- Lt. Col. Guy D. Potter
- John E. Walker
- Lance Cpl. Douglas Whiting Young
How You Can Help
Funds are being raised to pay for the construction and installation of the plaque with expected ceremonies during Reunion & Homecoming and Veterans Day this year. More event information and registration to come, check back soon!
You can donate using the link above. You can help bring this tribute to life through your support and by sharing the names of any alumni who may not yet be included. You can reach out to Lt. Col. Jake Miller at jakelmiller@gmail.com, Cadet Jack Gandolfini at gandoj@rpi.edu, and Cadet Aaron Verkleeren at verkla@rpi.edu or call 518-276-8001 for any new names or for additional information.
Project Team
This project is led by a team of current RPI ROTC cadets, in conjunction with Lt. Col. Jake Miller and Approach and Beyond, LLC.
- Cadet Jack Gandolfini ’26, Mechanical Engineering
- Cadet Eyenain Misgar ’27, Biomedical Engineering
- Cadet Eric Wu ’28, Engineering
- Cadet Aaron Verkleeren ’26, Computer Science
- Cadet Jake Hascup ’28, ITWS
- Lander Linen, DotCIO, Ph.D. Student, C.A.S.E
About ROTC at RPI
RPI hosts Army, Air Force/Space Force, and Navy/Marine Corps Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) programs for students desiring to commission as officers in the armed forces following graduation. For more information about each program, visit rotc.rpi.edu.
Stop by to see us during Reunion & Homecoming 2025 – October 10-12th– to see the mock-up plaque and learn more about how you can help!
- Affinity and Club Connection Hub on Friday, 10 September from 3:30 – 5:30pm outside the Rensselaer Union
- The Alumni Fan Festival on Saturday, 11 October from 3:30 – 5:30pm on the Georgian Terrace