Hall of Fame
Originally from Freeport, Pa., CDR Kevin Kropp found out about Norwich from his high school track coach, Charles Hauser, a member of the class of 1954. Kropp had received a ROTC scholarship and wanted a school where he could also participate in sports. "Norwich was a great fit for me," Kropp said.
At Norwich Kropp essentially ran all year round, participating in both cross country and indoor/outdoor track. As a junior Kropp ran the 3000 meter and set the Norwich record for it in 1988 at 9 minutes, 0.6 seconds. He was co-captain of the outdoor team in 1988. That same year, he bettered his time in the 10,000 by 20 seconds. He also participated in the All-New England meet and placed fifth in the 10,000. In the 1989 postseason, he ran the 10,000 meters at the All-New England meet.
Kropp fondly remembers his running days at Norwich under the direction of Coach Wally Baines. "We had great team camaraderie," he said.
After receiving a degree in Business Administration from Norwich, Kropp went to flight school in Pensacola, Fla. He has had a 20-year military career in the Navy as a pilot. Kropp flew H46 Sea Knight helicopters and was the commanding officer of a squadron at helicopter training school. He has worked in flight schools and trained future pilots.
"I love flying and enjoy the opportunity to train naval aviators," Kropp said. "You are essentially teaching your replacement."
Kropp served an active tour of duty on the USS Kearsage based out of Virginia. He is the Air Boss Commander for the amphibious assault ship.
"I got an excellent education at Norwich," Kropp said. "The structure and responsibility I learned helped me in flight school because of the amount of personal responsibility you need to put forth."
Kropp is the proud father of Riley, and still runs competitively. "Running still makes me feel great," Kropp said. "It's a great stress release."
