UNC’s Lifelong Impact on Veteran Alumnus

 The University of Northern Colorado’s Veterans Services was created to provide support to the military-affiliated community by assisting in the transition process and providing a stand-alone space with a strong inclusive community.

 Prior to 2008, UNC’s veteran support was more directly focused on the use of military education benefits like the GI Bill®, the Post 9/11 GI Bill®, or CH 31, 35, or 1606 and others.

 Today, the center serves as a source of support for all military-affiliated students, aids in the process of utilizing military benefits, and provides resources, student-led organizations and activities for all military-affiliated students to support their engagement and belonging on campus.

 In the following letter, UNC alum and Vietnam veteran Ted Engelmann '77 shares his experience as a student attending UNC in the 1970s, and why he supports student veterans at UNC through his philanthropy.

 While attending Appalachian State University (ASU) in Boone, North Carolina, I spent Thanksgiving of 1972 skiing in Colorado. It didn’t take much to get hooked on skiing out here, compared to skiing in the mountains of North Carolina. Returning to ASU, I continued my undergraduate work in biology and secondary education. Life went on as before, but with a special memory.

 With student teaching coming soon, I wanted an assignment out of North Carolina. Thinking my request was pushing the boundaries, I was hoping for a school just across the state line a few miles away; maybe in Tennessee or Virginia. When it came time for my interview, I sat across from the gentleman taking notes and making decisions. Seeing him cross a cowboy boot over his knee, I just had to ask, “You’re not from around here, are you?” He said he’d just left the same position at the University of Northern Colorado (UNC) in Greeley. Smiling, I leaned forward and asked politely, “Please, tell me more.”

 From September to December 1973, I was lucky to student-teach at Arvada West High School. My UNC supervisor was Dr. Ladd Cochrane, a peace-time veteran, though I never knew about his service until years later. The teaching assignment in earth science and physical science was easy enough. The teacher I worked with was an avid skier, so we got along famously.

 My only problem was the GI-Bill gave us $300 a month for everything. My finances were about or below starving student status when Dr. Cochrane gave me permission to work part-time at a local ski repair shop. Evidently, he felt I had the maturity and ability to make lesson plans, teach and work on weekends. Without Dr. Cochrane’s understanding and support, I’m sure my student teaching experience would have turned out much differently.

 Returning to ASU in January 1974, my parents called in April, asking me to return to Upstate NY and help them run a weekly tabloid newspaper, of which I knew nothing about. Leaving ASU three days after their call for help, I spent three months of frustration before I left and headed back to North Carolina. Things were different in Boone and at ASU, so I took the advice of Horace Greeley and headed west, to Colorado. Eventually I found an apartment and job at a local ski repair shop in Greeley. After getting settled, I shifted gears and focused on enrolling and hopefully completing my undergraduate degree at UNC.

 When the biology department chair told me he wouldn’t accept many of my credits from ASU I was very discouraged. Ready to leave the building, dejected, and not knowing what was next, Dr. Ken Shropshire stopped me in the hallway, struck up a conversation, and asked if he could help.

 Dr. Shropshire was chairman of the Earth Science department. He explained the courses he could accept from ASU, and others from UNC that would qualify for an Earth Science degree. It would take another two years, but he seemed to be in my corner, so I agreed and signed up.

 True to his word, two years later, in June 1977, I received my Bachelor of Arts in Earth Science. It was a long and arduous road, and Dr. Shropshire did a lot to cajole and support me in many ways.

 During those two years, plenty of emotional wounds from my year in Vietnam (1968-69) continued to haunt me. Remember, it wasn’t until 1980 that PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome) was recognized and the Veterans Administration was forced to treat emotional wounds. Until then, veterans had to stuff their emotional wounds down and get along as best they could.

 Today, it’s my feeling that Dr. Shropshire stuck with me because he was a peace-time veteran. From my experience, being in the military service develops a wider appreciation for others and life in general. From our training and experiences, we help when and where we can. That’s my feeling, anyway.

 There was never any discussion that I remember with either Dr. Cochrane or Dr. Shropshire discussing their military service in connection with their support for me. It seems both gentlemen kept their military service to themselves, as older generations often did. Instead, it was me who was bouncing off the walls and obviously needing help getting through some stressful times.

 Since I’m not in direct contact with younger veterans like my professors were, my alternative is to share my savings (ironically, US government funds from my disability) with veterans having similar needs as I experienced. Some things don’t change.

 A final thought from an old cliché… “Life’s a journey, not a destination.” You never know who you’ll meet along the way. Help when and where you can. You never know the impact you might have.

 - Ted '77