Welcome to the Greenbrier Military School Alumni Association!

Register for GMS Reunion 2023

Plan your trip ahead of time by registering online for this year's reunion

Register for Reunion

Search the Cadet Database

Search our extensive database of over 6k cadets that attended Greenbrier Military School

Search

View the Alumni Record

See our growing collection of Alumni Records as we transition to a paperless format

Alumni Record

Press to interact with the Newest Alumni Record

Register for GMS Reunion
 

Most Recent News

Recent Cadet Passings

 

It has recently been brought to our attention the following cadets have passed away. At this moment we have no further particulars. If any of you have any information on these alumni, could you forward those details to me at: GMS.Mike.Ruth@gmail.com

Fred F. McIntosh III, Class of ’45
Old Tappan, NJ
March 10, 2022

Dr. Robert Bell , Class of '52
San Antonio, TX
July 12, 2022

Robert Nelson, Class of '53
Lady Lake, FL
No Date Available

Barham Parker, Class of '57
Black Diamond WA
February7, 2021

Mike Amling, Class of ’69
London, OH
June 2022

Recent Cadet Passings

 

6-15-2022

Sadly, we have recently been informed of the passing of the following Alumni. No other details have been included.

Walter Beauvais: Freshman Class of 1949
Passed 2020

Albert Anson III: Senior Class of 1954
Passed September, 2021

Thomas R. Farrington: Freshman Class of 1957
Passed 12/19/2020

Joe McGlothlin: Senior Class of 1956
Passed Date Unknown

David Lewis Manzo: PG Class of 1956
Passed July 28, 2020

Daniel Wykoff: PG Class of 1967
Passed September, 2020

Nathaniel David Helmick: Senior Class of 1953
Passed 2018

THE 2022 REUNION

 

April 20, 2022
Greetings from Eden Prairie, MN.

There is a heading on page 5 of the 1969 “Brier Patch” that reads, “It is a Spirit That Frees Us and Enables Us To Believe in the Future, To Live with Zest—The Free Spirit”. Truly this is a statement describing our alumni. The Free Spirit: free to learn, to accomplish, to compete, to get together, and to make friends. That is who we were then and who we are now.

This year is the 50th anniversary of the closing of Greenbrier Military School. A while back Bob Boles (’70) asked if I would write a little something about why one should come back to Lewisburg for a reunion. My original intent was to compare leaving GMS after 3 years to my retirement in 2014 from Minnesota State University Moorhead (MSUM).

You know, it is really impossible to compare the two, GMS and MSUM. My 28 years teaching at MSUM pales against the short span of the 3 years spent in Lewisburg. While making strong connections at MSUM over those years, none will hold the bonds made years ago with you guys, the school and community. So why go back to this particular reunion, the 50th Anniversary of the closing of GMS? Here is why I keep going back.

Angelo Damante (’69) once wrote to me: “The years go by so fast, and we tend to forget so much, due to the fact that we are tending to our daily existence…”

In 1977, I made it back to Lewisburg while heading to Snowshoe on a ski trip. After that I attended a reunion probably around 1994 and then another, then maybe another, etc. Since 2004, I have been back at every reunion that I could attend. I have rekindled friendships and I have made new ones. I have connected with faculty members and cadets who actually remembered me, and some that stare thinking, “Mike Who?”.

Why this attachment after all these years, why attend this particular reunion? Let me be clear, this is NOT the last reunion. But 50 years ago GMS closed and I believe we have been doing organized reunions since the mid 80s. 50 years is a milestone year, 5 decades, 50 trips around the sun, ONE HALF OF A CENTURY! We are not getting younger, our ranks are diminishing each time a reunion rolls around and there are no new cadets to take our place.

Where are those guys in those yearbooks we had so much in common with? We are in such a small club anyway that it is a shame we have not stayed in closer contact. Where are you guys? What’s become of you? Share with us your trials and tribulations.

Think about the community bonding we went through. What our daily regiment meant to us: reveille, retreat and taps that ruled our day; eating breakfast, lunch and dinner with 300 of your closest friends; daily bathroom routines that our friends back home would never understand. Think of the close camaraderie amongst all of us no matter what our age, social strata or school rank. One would never have seen that outside the walls of an institution such as ours.

Knowing that each of us had different feelings and emotions regarding GMS back then, one thing is clear to me. When I reflect on my time at GMS, I think mainly of good friends and good times we had together. We received a dang strong education that led many of us to be valuable and creative members of this great country. I think back on GMS football with fall colors and smells that will never be matched anywhere else; cold walks to the basketball games and snows that coated our campus in a winter splendor. The rebirth of the hills each spring is something I miss even today and will always cherish. Yet, we all experienced some really tough times and major homesickness, being away from home, family and friends, maybe away from your girl. But we made it through. And, let us particularly not forget the girls from “GCW”. Friendships that have endured to today and whose presence helped us get through our years at GMS. Remember, they were in a similar boat.

GMS Alums such as Bob Boles (’70), Terry Byrnes (’68), Beaman Cummings (’63), John Byrnes (’65), Bill Deck (’64), Jim Dodway (’69), Jim Downer (’71), Frank Frashier (’69), Dan Pennington (‘69), Tony Sadler (’70), Sam Sardis (’70), Perry Woodside (’64), with faculty Herb Pearis (’56), Ellsworth Buck and Ed Rock have been instrumental to my returning time and again to Lewisburg each Fall. And many of these listed have taken an active role in the GMSAA organization, trying to keep our memory alive in some small but important way.

October will quickly be upon us. So come back to Lewisburg this fall and maybe find out what happened to your roommates and friends, see what GMS has evolved into, chat with some of the faculty members and coaches. Come and share some good food and stories. And OH YES, those stories get longer, bigger and better every year!”

Cordially,
Mike Ruth, GMS Class of ‘69

Prepare for GMS Reunion 2022!

 

More details to follow shortly! Online Registration will open soon; check back in early April.

Hotel rooms go fast so BOOK EARLY!

Click here to see the Reunion Schedule

GMS 'Brier Patch' Yearbooks NOW AVAILABLE FOR VIEW!

 

Hello to all GMS Alumni & Friends,

I am happy to announce as of today (May 24th, 2020) that 50 years of GMS yearbooks are now available for FREE VIEW on our website!

I hope many of you find pleasure in viewing these archives of history as I certainly did in the process of optimizing, stabilizing & cropping all 4,289 total pages from a dark microfilm state. Each yearbook has been carefully lightened with level & curve adjustments for easier visibility. As seen in this photo, the PDF reader allows for the PDF to be downloaded if you'd like to keep a copy for yourself. Also, to view the yearbook in full screen, click the "Presentation Mode" button above the reader.

A huge thanks also goes to Mike Ruth '69 and our museum curator, Mary Essig, for making this yearbook project possible!

Ready to check it out? View them under the Cadets dropdown, select "'Brier Patch' Yearbooks!"

Enjoy,

Matt Winans
GMSAA Webmaster

Most Recent Cadet Obituaries

John Morgan Gibson

1961
 

John Morgan Gibson of Lewisburg passed away at the Peyton Hospice House on Friday, September 15, 2023, following a long illness.

John was born to Richard Vernon Gibson and Mary Morgan Gibson Detch on February 17, 1943.

A longtime and dedicated educator in Greenbrier County, John was a graduate of the Greenbrier Military School, in Lewisburg, WV, Randolph Macon College, in Ashland, VA, and obtained his master’s in education from the West Virginia Graduate College.

John served as a teaching principal at Williamsburg Elementary, principal at Lewisburg Intermediate School, and one semester as the last principal at Lewisburg Junior High before the county middle school consolidation. John worked in the insurance industry for a few years before returning to his true love of teaching. He adored the students, the teachers, and administrators throughout his career and retired from teaching at Alderson Elementary.

A loving father, he is survived by his son John Morgan Gibson II (Kathy) of Lewisburg, grandsons Morgan Gibson (Melissa) of Delmar, MD, Dillon Gibson of Myrtle Beach, SC, Jack Gibson (Mykenzie), and his granddaughter Megan Gibson of Beckley, and his daughter-in-law Jennifer Highlander Gibson Brown.

He will be missed by his extended family, including sisters Nancy Jo Hansen (Bruce) of Orange, CT, and Ellen Gibson Goodwin of Morgantown, WV, as well as several nieces, nephews, cousins, and countless friends. Also left to remember John is his longtime partner, Mary Dailey, who was steadfast by his side.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his second son, Michael Scot Gibson, and his brother-in-law, Stephen P. Goodwin.

A kid at heart, in addition to his passion for education, his other great loves included spending time with his family, time spent at his cabin on Spring Creek and gardening. He also enjoyed talking, telling tales, driving muscle cars, as well as occasionally thrilling his nephews with a quick ride.

Always the epitome of cool and a truly unique individual, it is essential to note this obituary and future memorial service are for those he left behind, as John’s instructions were just to let him go with none of the fuss.

At John’s request, his body has been donated to West Virginia University for the advancement of science.

A visitation will be held on Saturday, November 11, 2023, at 10:00 a.m., followed by a memorial service at 11:00 a.m. at the Wallace & Wallace Funeral Chapel at 884 N. Jefferson Street, Lewisburg, WV. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Peyton Hospice House at 1265 Maplewood Avenue, Lewisburg, WV 24901, in memory of John M. Gibson.

Richard Carden

1949
 

Richard Otis (Dick) Carden, 92 of Richmond, died Tuesday September 12, 2023. He was the
retired editor and publisher of The Virginia Engineer magazine.

He is survived by his wife, Georgeen Dahlem Carden; four children from a previous marriage,
Richard II, who preceded him in death (Patty), of Hanover; W. David (Susan), of Cumberland; Susan
Baskette (Roland), of Cumberland; John Earl (Jan) of Cumberland; and two step-children, Stephen
Garfield, of Texas, and Bonnie Garfield (Keith), of Pennsylvania. He is also survived by six
grandchildren, Jessica Sharp, Elizabeth Carden, Isaac Porter Carden, Robert K. Lipscomb, IV, Sara
Welton and Megan Richardson and step-grandchildren, Leah Gonzalez and Joel Garfield. He has nine
great-grandchildren and four step great grandchildren.

Born in Richmond on January 19, 1931, his early years were in Victoria, VA, where his father,
Roscoe, was a lawyer. His mother, Francis Otis, was a retired Director of Public Welfare for the City of
Hopewell.

An honors graduate of both Greenbrier Military School (1949) and Washington and Lee
University (1952), he later earned a master’s degree at the University of Richmond.
He was Chief of the Suffolk Bureau for the Norfolk Ledger-Dispatch, and ended a 10-year
newspaper career to become the first Director of Public Relations for the Virginia Retail Merchants
Association. He later became Executive Director of the Virginia Society of Professional Engineers, a
position he held until he resigned in 1972 and became owner/publisher of The Virginia Engineer. After
retiring, he built and flew his own airplane.

He and his wife lived in Cumberland County for more than 40 years before moving to the
Masonic Home of Virginia in 2016. An active Episcopalian, he served as both Parish and Cure Warden;
he was a past president of the Cumberland Farm Bureau and the Farmville Chapter of the Experimental
Aviation Association, and served on the boards of the Cumberland Public Library, Cumberland County
Meals on Wheels, and the Cumberland Community Christmas Mother. He was a Past Master of
Cumberland Masonic Lodge and was a District Deputy Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Virginia.
After moving to Richmond, he became active in the Varina Food Pantry, an outreach activity of Varina
Episcopal Church.

A memorial service with reception following will be held at the Masonic Home of Virginia, 500
Masonic Lane, Richmond,VA 23223 on October 2, 2023 at 11:00 am. Interment will be at Grove
Church Cemetery, Old Buckingham Road, Cumberland, VA 23040 on October 3, 2023 at 11:00 am.
Heading west on Old Buckingham Road (Rt 13) from Powhatan,VA the cemetery is located on the left
just past Sunnyside Road. Heading east on Old Buckingham Road (Rt 13) to Powhatan,VA from
Cumberland Courthouse, the cemetery will be on the right just past Strawberry Hill Road.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Varina Episcopal Church Food
Pantry, 2385 Mill Road Henrico, VA 23231 or the Masonic Home of Virginia, P O Box 7866
Richmond, VA 23231.

Paul L. Turman

1960
 


PAUL LEWIS TURMAN "Mayor T" went to see his Savior on August 3, 2023. He was preceded in death by his mother and father, Mary and Bill Turman, and his mother and father-in-law, Minnis and Gladys Yeager. He also was preceded in death by his brothers-in-law, Jack and Chuck Yeager. He is survived by his loving and dedicated wife Karen of 60 years; his two sons, Paul Jr. (Lorri) and Tom (Patty) and his daughter Teresa (Rob Blake); his brother and sister-in-law, Waymond (Peggy), his sister, Donna Jefferson, and his sister-in-law, Barbara Yeager; his grandchildren, Megan (Nick) Anuszkiewicz, Bryan (Katy) Turman, Laura and Lee Blake, William and Olivia Turman; his great-granddaughter, Emery Ann, who brought him so much joy, and his great-grandson, Benjamin Paul, who is on the way; as well as many special nieces and nephews.

Paul was a graduate of Barboursville High School where he served as the Class President of 1959. He played football, baseball, basketball and wrestled for the Pirates. Everyone affectionately called him "Termite" and the name stuck for all his life. Afterwards, he was off to Greenbrier Military Academy. He then went to Marshall University where he received an ROTC scholarship. He proudly played for his beloved Thundering Herd football team that he loved supporting from the stands and later from his recliner. He enjoyed recounting how he never dropped a punt during his time on the team. He served his country in the United States Army as a helicopter pilot in the Vietnam War and was promoted to the rank of Captain. Following his service he worked at his family's construction company, Turman Construction. During this time, he served as the President of the Contractors Association of West Virginia. Paul was particularly proud of his service to his community that he loved as both a Barboursville City Council member and the Mayor of Barboursville for 14 years. He was a member of Steele Memorial United Methodist Church and a member of Gideon International where he served his Savior in this ministry.

Donations in memory of Paul can be made to the Gideon International or the Huntington City Mission. Online condolences may be expressed to the family at www.timeformemory.com/wallace.

Harold K Smith

1956
 

H.K.'S OBITUARY
H. K. Smith, 86, of Parkersburg passed away Tuesday August 1, 2023 at the Eagle Pointe Healthcare Center. He was born September 15, 1936 in Marietta, OH, a son of the late Harold and Evelyn (Smith) Smith.

H.K. graduated from Parkersburg High School in 1955, where he ran track and was a running back on the football team. After graduation, he went to the Greenbrier Military Academy, in Lewisburg, WV, attended Marshall University and then served his country in the United States Army. H.K. worked for Amax Specialty Metal Company in Washington, WV, was a former Wood County Clerk, manager of the American Legion Post #15 of Parkersburg, and was part of the PHS Chain Gang for over 40 years. He enjoyed golfing and was active with the Parkersburg Lions Club.

He is survived by his wife, Janet Cozart Smith; two sons, Terry Smith (Pam) of Williamstown, Riker Smith (Yuri) of Parkersburg; one brother, Allan Johnson of Johnson City, TN; one sister-in-law, Joy Smith of Belpre; four grandchildren, Shane Smith, Brooke Cooper, Kiko Smith, Yume Smith; three great-grandchildren, Palmer, Cameron, Arlo; and several nieces and nephews.

In addition to his parents, H.K. was preceded in death by two sisters, Diana Sue, Sheila Rae, and one brother Phil.

In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to the Belpre Church of Christ Food Pantry 2392 Washington Blvd. Belpre, OH 45714.

The family would like to thank the doctors and staff at Camden Clark Medical Center, Housecalls Hospice and the staff at Eagle Pointe Healthcare Center for their love and care.

To plant Memorial Trees in memory of H.K. Smith, please visit our Sympathy Store.

Robert Thomas DeHart

1962
 

Robert Thomas “Tom” DeHart, Jr., 79, entrepreneur, creator, athlete, and bigger than life, Tom DeHart, 79, died Tuesday July 18th at his daughter’s home in Oxford, MS.

Born July 27, 1943 in Philadelphia, PA, raised in Wenonah, NJ, Tom was always involved in sports. Growing up Tom played little league baseball and football. The family treasures Tom’s ball glove and football pads that are mementos of that time he spent with his brothers as child athletes. Tom graduated from Woodbury High School, where he was a state wrestling champion and played high school all-american football. It was football where recruiters for Memphis State noticed Tom’s natural skills. Tom would move to Memphis where he would play on the offensive line 1963 - 1966 while earning his Bachelor of Science degree. Tom would return to Memphis in the late 60’s where he was a general assistant and offensive line coach 1967 - 1970 for the Tigers.

It was while he was a student at Memphis that Tom met Sandra on a blind date, and it was love at first sight for both of them. After more than 58 years of marriage, Sandra passed just days before Tom, and he re-joined her on what would have been her 79th birthday. Tom and Sandra were die-hard Tiger fans, holding season tickets for decades. If they couldn’t be at the game,
they spent every Saturday watching the game on TV while at the same time listening to the radio play-by-play…they always wanted to know how their Tigers were doing!

Services for Tom and Sandra will be held at a later date.