Stephen Rippe
Stephen Rippe
Retired Major General Stephen T. Rippe was commissioned into the U.S. Army upon graduation as a Distinguished Military Graduate in 1970. His three decades in the Army included assignments in Germany, Korea and Kuwait. He led soldiers in light infantry, airborne, heavy mechanized, aviation and armored cavalry organizations.
Today, Steve is the executive vice president and chief operating officer for the Protestant Episcopal Cathedral Foundation, which consists of the Washington National Cathedral, St Albans School for Boys, the National Cathedral School for Girls, and Beauvoir Elementary School.
Structure, discipline, and community defined Norwich for me. Our class learned to pull together as a team toward a common goal. Leadership, we learned early on, depended upon mutual respect — respect that had to be earned and could never be taken for granted. Those are lessons that last a lifetime.
The major challenge was — at the relatively immature age of 18 — trying to establish a balance in my life and coming to grips with the fact that self-discipline is important. You have to achieve that before you can discipline and lead others.
I almost transferred from Norwich after my first year because the disciplined environment was so rigorous. Fortunately, my dad advised me to give it another year. By the end of my sophomore year, I knew I wanted to pursue a military career, and Norwich provided a great initial training ground.
What I remember most vividly about my years at Norwich are the friendships, the impact of professors like Dr. Loring Hart, and the incredible fun we had getting through it all. It was a special time.
Several years ago, I was the guest speaker at the junior ring ceremony. The theme of my speech was that the one thing that remains constant is values. The world in 1966, when I arrived at Norwich, was obviously much different than the world is today, from many perspectives. But the one thing that has remained constant is our enduring values. The Statement of Guiding Values in the Cadet handbook is that constant and serves to bind all of us with the Norwich experience together over time.
~ Stephen T. Rippe
