Valley Forge Military Academy and College - History

History

Valley Forge Military Academy was founded in 1928 by Lieutenant General Milton G. Baker, Pennsylvania Guard (Retired), A.B., Ped.D. F.I.C.S., LL.D., Ed.D., C.B.E., D.Mil Sci, L.H.D. (then-Major, Pennsylvania Army National Guard). For the first five months of its existence, the school was located in Devon, Pennsylvania, on the south side of Berkley Road, between Dorset and Waterloo roads, which is several miles away from the campus's current location. After a fire during the night of January 17–18, 1929 devastated the original single-building campus, the former Devon Park Hotel, the Academy was moved to its present site in Wayne, Pennsylvania, the former Saint Luke's School. The highest decoration in the institution, the Order of Anthony Wayne, was made in tribute to the heroism of the first Corps of Cadets on the night that the first campus burned down.

Originally, General Baker devised an American Revolutionary War motif for the school. The school colors are Buff and Blue, the colors of the uniforms of the Continental Army. The buildings in the then new Wayne campus were named for Revolutionary War leaders: George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, Henry "Light Horse Harry" Lee, Anthony Wayne, Friedrich Wilhelm Ludolf Gerhard Augustin Freiherr von Steuben (Baron von Steuben),and Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert Du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette (or Lafayette). The uniforms, crest, and Alma Mater were patterned from those of the United States Military Academy at West Point, and so too was the first rank structure and that of the Corps of Cadets, which then had a few infantry companies and a cavalry troop, all wearing the West Point styled full dress grays when on parade.

Over time, General Baker, an Anglophile, evolved the concept and modeled many of the school's drills, customs, and ceremonies after a British motif very later in the late 1940s to 1950s. The Full Dress Uniforms are modeled from those of the British Army, while others are ostensibly West Point and British hybrids. The Academy maintains its loyalty to these traditions today.

During the 1935-36 school year, General Baker expanded the Academy to include a two-year college program, and the first College cadets joined the Corps that year as a result. Subsequently, the school was known as Valley Forge Military Academy and Junior College. Today, it is known as "Valley Forge Military Academy & College."

The Corps expanded to include artillery in the late 1930s and during the 1940s to 1960s was one of the largest in the US and its military junior colleges (the MJC title was awarded to VFMAC during those years by the Department of Defense).

General Baker retired as Superintendent in 1971, and died at his home, "Crossed Sabres" on July 31, 1976 at the age of 80. He was succeeded by Lieutenant General Milton H. Medenbach, Pennsylvania Guard (Retired), A.B., Ped.D.(then-Major General). During his Valley Forge service, General Medenbach served in, or assisted in the establishment of, practically every department of the institution as an associate of the Founder. He held the post of Adjutant, Chief of Staff, and Deputy Superintendent and served for more than 30 years as Commandant of Cadets. Since his retirement as Superintendent in 1971, he served the school as President Emeritus, a volunteer Historian and Archivist and the Vice President and Secretary of the Chapel Foundation Board of Directors. General Medenbach died on January 16, 2007 at the age of 99. General Medenbach was eulogized on the Floor of the United States House of Representatives for his outstanding life achievements by Congressman Joseph A. Sestak, Jr.(Rear Admiral, United States Navy (Retired))

General Medenbach was succeeded as Superintendent by Major General Robert W. Strong, Jr., United States Air Force, (Retired) Class of 1935, B.A., M.A., in June 1971. During the Summer of 1973, General Strong announced his resignation, and on October 15, 1973, was replaced by Lieutenant General Willard Pearson, United States Army (Retired), B.A., M.A. General Pearson assumed the Superintendency at a time when the school was in financial crisis. General Pearson brought Valley Forge into an era of relative financial stability, with an average corps of 650 cadets. During General Pearson's tenure, there were a succession of Commandants of Cadets; they included Colonel Stanley A. Harris, Pennsylvania Guard, Colonel Stephen A. Day, United States Army (Retired), B.S., Brigadier General Theodore C. Mataxis, United States Army (Retired), B.A., M.A. and Brigadier General James F. Coates, Valley Forge Military Academy (Lieutenant Colonel, United States Army (Retired)). The highly successful 1981 film Taps was filmed there in 1981 during his term of office.

Upon his retirement on August 30, 1985, General Pearson was succeeded by Lieutenant General Alexander M. Weyand, United States Army (Retired). General Weyand was succeeded by Colonel Harold J. Fraley, United States Army (Retired), who served as Acting Superintendent from July 1, 1989 to August 1, 1990. Vice Admiral N. Ronald Thunman, United States Navy (Retired) then was named Superintendent, however, the title was changed to "President" on August 18, 1992. Admiral Thunman was succeeded as President by Rear Admiral Virgil L. Hill, United States Navy (Retired) on September 1, 1993. Admiral Hill was succeeded, in turn, by Rear Admiral Peter A.C. Long, Ph.D., United States Navy (Retired), on August 17, 2000. Admiral Long resigned on November 13, 2004. He was succeeded on an interim basis by Charles A. "Tony" McGeorge, who was appointed as President in July 2005, the first civilian president of VFMA&C. President McGeorge announced his resignation on December 18, 2009 after 4 years in his term. He was succeeded by William R. Floyd, Jr., Class of 1963, as Acting President and second civilian president. The current president is David R. Gray, Ph.D., Colonel (Retired) US Army, who took office in August 2010. On August 28, 2012, Col. Gray resigned and was replaced on an interim basis by Col. James Doyle, USMC, (retired), the third civilan president. Col. Doyle previously served as superintendent prior to his retirement in 2010. The Board of Trustees has already formed a search committee to find Col. Gray's successor.