GMC News
GMC Donor Dedicates Conference Room to Veteran Uncle
GMC Donor Dedicates Conference Room to Veteran Uncle
Gail and Jack Krapf
Through family, and graduating from Benedictine Military School in Savannah, Georgia, and later The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina, Jack Krapf comes from a military background. When he and his wife, Gail, moved to Milledgeville a little more than a year ago, Georgia Military College caught his attention. Through a mutual friend, the Krapf family and Lieutenant General William B. Caldwell, IV, President of Georgia Military College, established a friendship. Since maintaining that friendship, Krapf has recently donated to the Corps of Cadets Endowed Scholarship, dedicating the conference room in the Center for Ethics and Servant Leadership, to his Uncle that served in the Korean War.
“It wasn’t until the early 1990s that my family and I discovered my Uncle had been given all these awards and medals for his service in the Korean War,” Krapf said. “He was asked to go to Washington, D.C. and receive recognition from the U.S. and South Korean Governments for his service. He received two Bronze Stars, and a Silver Star, as well as many other medals. He never spoke about his service, only telling me of when he held is his best friend in his arms while he died, fighting at the Chosin Reservoir, noting he didn’t like to talk about his painful memories from that time. When I got involved at GMC, I thought dedicating a room in the Center for Ethics and Servant Leadership in his honor would be a way to thank him for his service, and to show others the legacy he left behind.”
Currently Krapf sits on the GMC Foundation Board, noting that it’s the values of the institution that keep him involved.
“The values and morals that are taught at GMC are the same that I was taught growing up,” Krapf said. “Those lessons are so important to instill in our youth and I’m grateful to be a part of an institution that does that.”
Krapf and his family celebrated his Uncle Thursday night with a dedication ceremony and reception for the William Meyer Krapf Conference Room in the Center for Ethics and Servant Leadership. Lieutenant General William B. Caldwell, IV, President of Georgia Military College, says the Krapf family’s donation will do great things for the Corps of Cadets.
“We are grateful for the opportunity to honor the memory of William Meyer Krapf here in the Center for Ethics and Servant Leadership,” Caldwell said. “We appreciate Jack and Gail’s generosity which will impact the lives of countless future cadets.”