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> About BVA |
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National President Dr. Norman Jones, Jr., Georgia Regional Group, served in the Army during 1968-70 with the 82nd Airborne Division. He attended Airborne School in 1968. While enlisted, Norman suffered a service-connected injury that eventually resulted in total blindness. Prior to his military service, Norman had earned a bachelor’s degree in art at Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Following honorable discharge, he taught art at the junior high school level for three years as his sight loss worsened. He later completed a master’s degree in Educational Administration and Supervision at Southern, after which he became a teacher of the blind and a mastermind behind the creation of a Department of Education and Rehabilitation at the New Orleans Lighthouse for the Blind. He attended the Central Blind Rehabilitation at Hines, Illinois in 1983. Norman covered the southeastern states as a BVA Field Service Representative from 1985 to 2001. He retired to study theology, receiving his Ph.D. in February 2003 from the Andersonville Baptist Theological Seminary in Camilla, Georgia. In addition to his duties as National Vice President, Norman is the Chaplain for the Georgia Regional Group and belongs to four additional veterans service organizations.
National Vice President Dr. Sidney Ordway was born in Des Moines, Iowa, and served three tours in Vietnam. He was a Major in the Delta Forces of the Green Berets when he received a gunshot wound to the head during a firefight with hostile forces. The injury caused total blindness and several other injuries requiring both courage and a long period of recuperation. Now a retired attorney, Sid sought to overcome his sight loss through education, first attending the Central Blind Rehabilitation Center at Hines shortly after recovery. In 1972 he received a bachelor’s degree from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio. A law degree followed in 1975 from the same institution. In 1979 he received a Ph.D. in Political Science from UCLA. Sid was honored for gallantry and community contributions by the city of Los Angeles in 1973. He was the 1976 Texas Handicapped Person of the Year and received the Outstanding Veteran Award for Texas in 1982. In addition to his service to BVA nationally, he is the current President of the South Texas Regional Group. He is a master organizer and was instrumental in the development of the regional group’s website in 2004.
National Secretary Ronald White, New York Regional Group, was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He spent more than 20 years in the Army, retiring as a Sergeant First Class in 1975 after spending nine years in Germany, one year in Vietnam, and ten years in stateside locations. Following military retirement, Ron received an associate degree and became an Administrative Officer for the federal government. He joined BVA in 1998 after VA increased his service-connected percentage for blindness from ten to 100 percent. Ron has been elected various leadership positions in his regional group and has been a Volunteer Patient Representative at the Brooklyn VA Medical Center since 1999. He was recently re-elected to his seventh term as the Alumni Association President for the Eastern Blind Rehabilitation Center.
National Treasurer Roy Kekahuna, Silver State Regional Group, was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii. He is a combat-disabled Vietnam veteran of the U.S. Army, having enlisted in June 1957 as a Private E-1 and retiring as an officer 14 years later. Roy worked for five years as a sales trainer for Sun Life of Canada and for 15 years as a Director of 11 divisions in the Morale Welfare & Recreation Directorate for different military installations of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and NATO. He later owned and presided over RWKK & Associates, a San Diego-based manufacturing representative specializing in government sales and contracting. Roy has earned two bachelor’s degrees, two master’s degrees, and a Ph.D. in sports psychology. In addition to BVA, he is a life member of five other veterans service organizations and the Elks. He has served as a District Director since 2004 and is a former San Diego Regional Group Secretary and Treasurer. He has been an active VA Medical Center volunteer and a coach/advisor in youth sports and recreation programs.
Director of District 1 General Weeks, Massachusetts Regional Group, has represented the blinded veterans of the district since 1994. A Korean War era veteran of the Navy, General worked as the Fleet Maintenance Supervisor for the Coca-Cola Company. General is distinguished by having initiated, organized, and directed a series of BVA Leadership Training seminars throughout the United States. With just a couple of exceptions, the sessions have been conducted annually or semi-annually for the past 13 years, with General attending and taking charge of every single one. In addition to his duties with BVA, General has served on the Board of Directors for the Massachusetts Affiliate of the Foundation Fighting Blindness, the governing Board of Directors of Boston Aid to the Blind, the Dedham Disability Commission, the District Advisory Board for the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind, and the Board of Directors for St. Luke’s Lutheran Church.
Director of District 2 Robert Campbell, Missouri Regional Group, is a veteran of the Marine Corps, having served as an enlisted radio operator in Vietnam. He completed officer candidate school in Quantico, Virginia and served as platoon commander and company commander in reconnaissance battalions. He received a Silver Star, the Navy Achievement Medal, and a Purple Heart. Bob earned a bachelor’s degree from Chaminade University of Hawaii, a master’s degree in psychology and organizational behavior from the University of Kansas, and an MBA from the University of Chicago. He was a loan officer in two major commercial banks, a senior vice president and group head at an international commercial finance company, and vice president and president of two livestock and commodity companies. He currently teaches at Baker University’s School of Professional and Graduate Studies in the Kansas City area. Bob became legally blind in 2002 as a result of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia dating back to 1996. Having benefited from rehabilitation programs developed as a result of BVA efforts, Bob has turned his focus to helping fellow blinded veterans, having served as the secretary/treasurer of the Missouri Regional Group and a volunteer at the Kansas City VA Medical Center. In addition to BVA, he is a member of five additional veterans service organizations.
Director of District 3 Sam Huhn, Pennsylvania Regional Group, is a native of the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area and current resides in nearby Elkins Park. Sam served in the Marine Corps beginning in 1961 and was honorably discharged in 1967 as a Sergeant E-5. His principal work was in the area of Naval Aviation Supply. Sam worked for the General Electric Company’s Aerospace Group in one capacity or another from 1957 until 1990. His various positions included Quality Property Control Inspector, Production Control Specialist, Management Specialist, Engineering Specialist, and Project Manager. He received his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration in 1973. Sam was diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa in the early 1960s but did not become legally blind until several years later. He has dedicated much of his time since the early 1990s to serving disabled veterans, acting as a volunteer National Service Officer, President of the BVA Pennsylvania Regional Group, and a BVA District Director. He is a life member of the Marine Corps League, Disabled American Veterans, and AMVETS. He has also served on the Board of Directors of the Montgomery County Association for the Blind and has been active in the Delaware Valley Council of the Blind. Sam is active in several sports and fitness service organizations and has received awards for his work with the Middle Atlantic Blind Golf Association and his participation in the annual National Blinded Veterans TEE Tournament.
Director of District 4 The Reverend Robert “Dale” Stamper was part of a unit assigned in early 1968 to replace a bridge that had been destroyed by the North Vietnamese. As he scouted the area, he tripped a landmine. The explosion knocked out Dale’s right eye immediately. A small piece of shrapnel severely infected his left eye, which later had to be removed. Although the MASH unit to which he was transported saved his life, he also suffered multiple broken bones and required several surgeries. A native of Turlock, California, Dale enlisted in the Army immediately after high school at age 18 and underwent basic training at Ford Ord in Monterey. He also completed three months of advanced training in engineering at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. Dale had already received orders to report to Stuttgart, Germany, in the spring of 1967 when he was told that his plans had been changed. He would now be going to Vietnam instead. Dale’s military honors include the Purple Heart, the National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal, the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal with Device 1960, and Marksman (Rifle M-14). Following his recovery, he completed VA Vocational Rehabilitation and one year at San Jose State University. He transferred to Fresno State University, where he began a degree in psychology, and then to the Evangelical Christian College in Fresno, where he earned a B.A. in theology with an emphasis on counseling. Dale is presently a pastor at a large church in Rathdrum, Idaho. His duties include preaching, teaching, counseling, and making hospital visits with the assistance of a secretary. He also volunteers as a mentor to many clergy who seek him out regularly for his wisdom and ability to guide others. Although he writes his notes in Braille for his own use, Dale also spends several hours a day on a computer so that he can forward Bible study sessions, notes taken at special meetings, and Sunday sermons to the sighted members of his congregation. He is now using his third computer system, having become proficient with JAWS. Prior to his current pastoral position, Dale served as a minister for more than 30 years in small and large churches in less populated areas. He was a missionary in the Philippines during 1994-96. Regarding his blindness, Dale expresses the following: “I forget that I am blind and then also make others forget. Then they are surprised if I have to ask for help.”
Director of District 5 Dr. George Stocking, Florida Regional Group, is a service-connected blinded veteran of the U.S. Air Force, losing his vision as a result of burns suffered in a mid-air collision while serving as a jet-flying instructor in the 1950s. In ten years of reconstructive plastic surgery, he underwent more than 100 operations. George has served on the BVA Board of Directors for more than 31 years, including terms as National President and National Vice President during 1977-81. He received the Melvin J. Maas Award for Professional Achievement in 1969. Before all of his surgeries were even completed, George entered a vocational rehabilitation program, where he was assigned as a darkroom technician. He was afterward placed as a vocational counseling aide in Psychology Services at Coral Gables VA Medical Center, eventually leading to a masters degree in counseling in 1968 and a doctorate in 1970, both from the University of Miami. He has been a counseling psychologist at the Miami VA Medical Center ever since. George is a past president of the Miami Lighthouse for the Blind and the Florida Rehabilitation Association-Dade Chapter. He has also served on the Florida Council on Independent Living, the Advisory Council of the Florida Division of Blind Services, and the Advisory Committee of the WLRN Radio Reading Service.
While still on active duty and attending Syracuse University to pursue a career in electronic journalism, Mark lost his much of sight as a result of a rare reaction to Lyme’s Disease caused by a tick bite that went unnoticed. Mark has logged thousands of hours in the BVA volunteer office at the Audie L. Murphy VA Medical Center, where he also represents BVA on both the Volunteer Services Committee and on the VA Hospital Directors Service Program. He is active in the local Low Vision Club. Mark was first elected as a District Director in 1999 and has also served as both President and Secretary of his regional group. Immediate Past National President Larry Belote, South Texas Regional Group, is a native of Houston, Texas and a veteran of the Air Force. Legally blind since 1970, Larry has been a VA Advanced Clinical Practitioner for 33 years and a VIST Coordinator with the South Texas Health Care System in San Antonio since 1994. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Stephen F. Austin University and a master’s degree in Social Work from the Warden School of Social Work at Lady of the Lake College. Larry currently maintains a website of training materials at www.larrybelote.com. Under Larry’s direction, the South Texas VIST program has led the nation numerous times in the number of referrals to Blind Rehabilitation Centers. His facility was the first to use ScripTalk. Larry has pioneered a risk management model of care for blinded veterans and has been responsible for Agent Orange and Audiology initiatves. He has co-authored a number of specialized benefits booklets for veterans and a family training booklet utilized by families and friends of veterans. Larry represents BVA on a number of national committees. He is also a member of the Board of the San Antonio Low Vision Club, the San Antonio Seniors Program, and the San Antonio Low Vision Task Force. VA Secretary Anthony J. Principi recognized Larry in 2004 with the prestigious Hearts and Hands Award.
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