First Captain Robert J. Kelsey Leadership Award Announced at OU

NORMAN, Okla. (NNS) -- A University of Oklahoma (OU) Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) Midshipman received the first Capt. Robert J. Kelsey Leadership Award during a ceremony at the university's ROTC center here, April 16.

The award, presented to Midshipman 2nd Class Alan Tompkins, includes a $1,000 scholarship.

Capt. Kelsey, who died in 1992 after a long and courageous battle with cancer, was a highly decorated Navy fighter pilot during the war in Vietnam.

"Midshipmen Tompkins is an excellent representative for the first recipient of this award," said Capt. Rod Clark, commanding officer of the OU NROTC unit. "He often volunteers his time within the community, all while maintaining a 3.8 grade point average in mechanical engineering. I expect great things from him."

Tomkins, 22, from Kady, Texas, is a junior at OU and plans to commission into the nuclear power program.

"It means a lot. I know there are plenty of other midshipmen who are more than qualified for the award, so to be chosen as the first recipient is very humbling and rewarding," said Tompkins. "I am honored to be recognized by the Kelsey family and very thankful for the opportunity they have provided. I hope to continue to be a good example in the battalion and the community."

The scholarship endowment was established by the family and will be administered by the Oklahoma City Community Foundation.

"We are extremely pleased about this opportunity to honor Bob's memory while helping current and future Navy ROTC students," said Kelsey's father, Charles Kelsey. "He was very dedicated to God, his family, his country, and the U.S. Navy. He was a tremendous role model for his children, his seven younger siblings and, I'm sure, hundreds of fellow military members."

A Lawton, Okla., native and Lawton High School graduate, Capt. Kelsey received his commission in the U.S. Navy through NROTC at OU where he was selected to Phi Beta Kappa and graduated with a bachelor of science degree in Mathematics and Physics in 1967. He also held a master's degree from Oxford, where he earned a Master of Arts in International Relations and International Economics. He also served a tour at the Harvard University Center for International Affairs. While at OU, he received the top award during his summer NROTC training exercise after his freshman, sophomore, and junior years.

During his naval career, Kelsey flew the A-4F and A-7E and accumulated more than 3,500 flight hours and 960 arrestments (aircraft carrier landings). He was awarded the Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, three Meritorious Service Medals, the Air Medal, 30 Strike Flight Air Medals, seven Navy Commendation Medals and many other awards. His squadron was once named the best Attack squadron in the U.S. Navy. He served in the Navy for 25 years, including three tours in Vietnam and was selected for major sea command.

"Capt. Kelsey left a great legacy at this university, both as a midshipmen and during his very distinctive service," said Clark. "It is a wonderful thing that his family has created a scholarship to continue that legacy"

The purpose of the University of Oklahoma NROTC Program is to educate and train qualified young men and women for service as commissioned officers in the Navy's unrestricted line, the Navy Nurse Corps and the Marine Corps. As the largest single source of Navy and Marine Corps officers, the NROTC Scholarship Program plays an important role in preparing mature young men and women for leadership and management positions in an increasingly technical Navy and Marine Corps.

For more information about NROTC, visit https://www.nrotc.navy.mil/. For more information about NSTC, visit http://www1.netc.navy.mil/nstc/ or visit the NSTC Facebook pages at https://www.facebook.com/NavalServiceTraining/.