DAV Magazine — 2016 AVDLM Book
American Veterans Disabled For Life Memorial Leadership And Donors
Board Of Directors
Lois B. Pope
Co-Founder and Chairperson
Lois Pope is a Florida philanthropist whose commitment to disabled veterans dates back 40 years to a performance she gave at the Rusk Rehabilitation Center in New York. In 1998, she joined forces with DAV National Adjutant Arthur H. Wilson and the late Secretary of Veterans Affairs Jesse Brown to create the Disabled Veterans’ Life Memorial Foundation, Inc.
Her efforts also support medical research, scholarships, summer camp programs, humanitarian relief, performing arts and animal welfare for organizations as diverse as Unsung Hero Scholarships, Guatemala Water Project, The Lois Pope LIFE Center, International Achievement Award, Sudan Genocide Response Team, Ambulances for MDA, Lois Pope Pet Mobile and The Cedars of Marin.
Pope was recently elected to the board of directors of the American Humane Association and is also the founder and president of Leaders In Furthering Education (LIFE), a 501(c) (3) charity.
Arthur H. Wilson
Co-Founder
Art Wilson, a veteran of the U.S. Air Force who was disabled during the Vietnam War, co-founded the Disabled Veterans’ Life Memorial Foundation, Inc., in 1998 and served as its President until 2015.
Wilson’s 47-year DAV career began in 1966 in Atlanta, where he was the organization’s first Vietnam veteran to enter the National Service Program. Following assignments around the country, he was appointed National Service Director at the DAV’s Washington, D. C., headquarters in 1981, a position he held until 1993. He then became CEO and National Adjutant, serving 19 years before retiring in 2013.
In addition to his roles at the DAV and Disabled Veterans’ Life Memorial Foundation, Wilson has served on the USO World Board of Governors and is a member of the Advisory Council of the USS Intrepid Museum Foundation.
A native of Nahant, Massachusetts, Wilson enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in September 1962. He served as a runway construction specialist in Vietnam, the Philippines, Thailand and Taiwan from 1964 to 1966.
Jesse Brown (dec.)
Jesse Brown, who became the first Executive Director of the Foundation after leaving the VA in 1997, was a U.S. Marine who lost the use of his right arm after being wounded in 1965 in Vietnam.
He joined the DAV staff in 1967 after a lengthy recuperation from his combat wounds, rising rapidly through the organization’s ranks. As Executive Director at the DAV’s National Service and Legislative Headquarters in Washington, D.C., he became prominent in policy-making circles and established an unchallenged reputation as the nation’s foremost expert on veterans’ benefits and programs.
His outstanding achievements on behalf of veterans culminated in his appointment in 1993 by President Bill Clinton as Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Brown died in 2002.
Eugene A. Murphy
Gene Murphy has been a member of the Board since its creation in 1998 and has served as Treasurer since 1998. A veteran who was paralyzed by gunshot wounds in Vietnam just 30 days before he was scheduled to return home, Murphy served as National Commander of the DAV from 1987 to 1988. He was appointed by Governor George Mickelson in 1989 to serve a five-year term on the South Dakota Veterans Commission and was reappointed to a subsequent term by Governor William J. Janklow. He was awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart.
Named Outstanding Disabled Veteran of the Year in 1984, Murphy is a member of the Paralyzed Veterans of America, Military Order of the Purple Heart, VFW, American Legion and the South Dakota Veterans Council, for which he served as President from 1978 to 1979.
Murphy is an an avid skier and a star player on the nationally known wheelchair basketball team the Sioux Wheelers.
Kenneth G. Musselmann (dec.)
Elected to the Board in 1998, Ken Musselmann was a veteran of the U.S. Army’s Americal Division in Vietnam. During combat, a land-mine explosion and gunshot wounds resulted in the amputation of both of his legs. He was awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart for his combat service.
Musselmann, whose leadership with the DAV on the national level began in 1981, was elected National Commander in 1986. From 1989 to 2008, he served as Adjutant of the DAV Department of California, the organization’s largest state-level entity. He held all elected officer positions in California, including State Commander, and was Commander of DAV Chapter 19 in Lakewood, California, where he was a life member.
Previously, Musselmann managed technical services for business and logistics data processing at Naval Weapons Station in Seal Beach, California. Musselmann, who died in 2009, was succeeded on the board by his wife, Diane.
Dennis A. Joyner
Dennis Joyner was elected to the Board in 2008 and named Secretary in 2009.
A veteran of the U.S. Army, 9th Infantry Division, he lost both legs and an arm in 1969 in Vietnam due to a land mine, and was awarded the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart.
Joyner served as National Commander of the DAV from 1983 to 1984, when President Ronald Reagan named him Handicapped American of the Year. He was previously honored as DAV’s National Outstanding Disabled Veteran of the Year in 1977.
Joyner’s professional experience includes serving as an accountant at the Westmoreland County Juvenile Services Center and fiscal manager for the Westmoreland County Courts in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. When he was appointed Westmoreland County Court Administrator in 1979, he became responsible for administration of the eight-judge court system and all courtrelated offices. In Florida, Governor Jeb Bush appointed Joyner Supervisor of Elections for Seminole County in January 2004. He retired a year later.
Roberto “Bobby” Barrera
Bobby Barrera, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, was elected to the Board in 2013. Barrera—who was seriously burned when a bomb exploded beneath his armored personnel carrier while he was serving in Vietnam in 1969—was medically retired in September 1970. He has been awarded the Purple Heart, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal and other honors. He earned the Department of Defense Outstanding Employee with a Disability Award for 1997 and received the Presidential Unsung Hero Award from the Leaders in Furthering Education Foundation (LIFE) in 1998.
Barrera was named the Disabled American Veterans Outstanding Disabled Veteran of the Year for 1998 and was elected National Commander of the group in 2009. The following year he was elected Chairman of the group’s Board of Directors.
The late Jesse Brown, Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, selected Barrera’s story of overcoming injury for inclusion in his book The Price of Their Blood. In 2005, Oliver North included Barrera’s story in the television series War Stories with Oliver North.
Gordon H. Mansfield (dec.)
Gordon Mansfield, who was elected to the Board in 2009, served as Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs from 2005 to 2009 under President George W. Bush. He had been VA Assistant Secretary for Congressional and Legislative Affairs from 2001 to 2004.
Mansfield, who served two tours of duty in Vietnam and sustained a spinalcord injury during the Tet Offensive of 1968, was a graduate of Villanova University and the University of Miami School of Law. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the Bronze Star, two Purple Hearts, the Combat Infantryman’s Badge and the Presidential Unit Citation. He was honored as the DAV’s Outstanding Disabled Veteran of the Year in 2006.
Mansfield died in 2013.
Allen F. "Gunner" Kent
Gunner Kent was elected to the Board in 2008.
He was named Adjutant General of the Veterans of Foreign Wars in 2005; prior to that, he served as the Veterans Service Organization Liaison in the Department of Veterans Affairs in Washington, D.C.
Kent was on active duty with the U.S. Marine Corps from 1958 until 1982. During his military service, he was awarded a Bronze Star with Combat V device, the Navy Commendation Medal, the Combat Action Ribbon, the Vietnam Service Medal with four stars, the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal and several unit commendations, citations and foreign decorations.
Diane Musselmann
Diane Musselmann was elected to the Board in 2009, succeeding her late husband of 43 years, Ken Musselmann. A graduate of California State University at Long Beach, Musselmann has worked with special-needs high-school children for more than 20 years. She has held several offices with the Disabled American Veterans Auxiliary, is involved in her church and has played key roles in several civic organizations.
To raise awareness for the Memorial, in 2010 Musselmann walked 90 miles, from Long Beach to San Diego, California, pushing her deceased husband’s wheelchair. Through the pouring rain and chilly October temperatures, with supporters cheering her along the route, Musselmann passed through Newport Beach, Dana Point and San Juan Capistrano before arriving at her destination, the VA Medical Center.
Robert C. Miller
Robert Miller served as Secretary to the Board from 1998 to 2008. Miller is Senior Vice Chairman of the Foreign Policy Association; a member of the Budget and Audit Committee of the National Endowment for Democracy; Chairman of the Hurford Foundation; and a Director of Leaders in Furthering Education and the Lois Pope LIFE Foundation. He is a former Trustee of the Brooklyn Public Library.
Prior to becoming a partner of the firm Davidson, Dawson & Clark, he was a partner in several prominent New York City and international law firms. Miller is a longtime member of the New York City, State and American Bar Associations, where he has been active on various estate planning and tax committees. He has also been active in civic and foundation activities.
National Spokesperson
Gary Sinise
Actor/humanitarian Gary Sinise has been working in support of veterans for more than 30 years, starting in the Chicago area. His portrayal of Lt. Dan Taylor in the 1994 film Forrest Gump created an enduring connection with servicemen and women that led him to begin working with the Disabled American Veterans and the USO. In 2004, Sinise and author Laura Hillenbrand founded Operation Iraqi Children, which ships school supplies to troops for distribution to local students; this evolved into Operation International Children. The Gary Sinise Foundation, formed in 2011, honors defenders, veterans, first responders, their families and those in need through programs designed to entertain, educate and build communities.
Sinise has received honors including the Bob Hope Award for Excellence in Entertainment from the Medal of Honor Society and the Dwight D. Eisenhower Award from the National Defense Industrial Association. In 2008, he received the Presidential Citizens Medal, the secondhighest civilian honor for exemplary deeds performed in service of the nation.
Executive Staff
Rick Fenstermacher
Chief Executive Officer
Rick Fenstermacher joined the Foundation staff as Chief Operating Officer in 2007 and was promoted to Chief Executive Officer in 2013. Under his leadership, the Foundation completed the Capital Campaign, secured final approvals from federal and local agencies, selected the construction and artisan contractors and successfully executed its responsibilities under the U.S. Commemorative Works Act [40 USC Chapter 89] for construction of the Memorial and Dedication on October 5, 2014.
Prior to joining the Foundation, Fenstermacher’s professional career in corporate risk management included senior executive positions with Aon Corp. and Mutual Insurance Company Ltd. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology from Denison University with post-graduate studies in organizational management, law and finance.
Barry Owenby
Project Executive
Barry Owenby joined the Foundation staff as the Memorial’s Project Executive in spring 2007. In addition to securing final design approvals by the National Capital Planning Commission and the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts in 2009 and 2010, respectively, he was fully engaged with the Architect of the Capitol, the U.S. Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration, and the National Park Service in planning for and managing the Memorial’s construction and completion on October 5, 2014.
Owenby retired from the American Battle Monuments Commission in 2005, having served as the Director of Contracting and also Project Executive for the National World War II Memorial. Prior to his tenure with ABMC, Owenby served in the General Services Administration as a senior procurement official and contracts manager with supervision and oversight of major design and construction procurements. Owenby is a distinguished military graduate of The Citadel, and has graduate degrees in management and business administration.
Lois B. Pope
Co-Founder and Chairperson
Lois Pope is a Florida philanthropist whose commitment to disabled veterans dates back 40 years to a performance she gave at the Rusk Rehabilitation Center in New York. In 1998, she joined forces with DAV National Adjutant Arthur H. Wilson and the late Secretary of Veterans Affairs Jesse Brown to create the Disabled Veterans’ Life Memorial Foundation, Inc.
Her efforts also support medical research, scholarships, summer camp programs, humanitarian relief, performing arts and animal welfare for organizations as diverse as Unsung Hero Scholarships, Guatemala Water Project, The Lois Pope LIFE Center, International Achievement Award, Sudan Genocide Response Team, Ambulances for MDA, Lois Pope Pet Mobile and The Cedars of Marin.
Pope was recently elected to the board of directors of the American Humane Association and is also the founder and president of Leaders In Furthering Education (LIFE), a 501(c) (3) charity.
Arthur H. Wilson
Co-Founder
Art Wilson, a veteran of the U.S. Air Force who was disabled during the Vietnam War, co-founded the Disabled Veterans’ Life Memorial Foundation, Inc., in 1998 and served as its President until 2015.
Wilson’s 47-year DAV career began in 1966 in Atlanta, where he was the organization’s first Vietnam veteran to enter the National Service Program. Following assignments around the country, he was appointed National Service Director at the DAV’s Washington, D. C., headquarters in 1981, a position he held until 1993. He then became CEO and National Adjutant, serving 19 years before retiring in 2013.
In addition to his roles at the DAV and Disabled Veterans’ Life Memorial Foundation, Wilson has served on the USO World Board of Governors and is a member of the Advisory Council of the USS Intrepid Museum Foundation.
A native of Nahant, Massachusetts, Wilson enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in September 1962. He served as a runway construction specialist in Vietnam, the Philippines, Thailand and Taiwan from 1964 to 1966.
Jesse Brown (dec.)
Jesse Brown, who became the first Executive Director of the Foundation after leaving the VA in 1997, was a U.S. Marine who lost the use of his right arm after being wounded in 1965 in Vietnam.
He joined the DAV staff in 1967 after a lengthy recuperation from his combat wounds, rising rapidly through the organization’s ranks. As Executive Director at the DAV’s National Service and Legislative Headquarters in Washington, D.C., he became prominent in policy-making circles and established an unchallenged reputation as the nation’s foremost expert on veterans’ benefits and programs.
His outstanding achievements on behalf of veterans culminated in his appointment in 1993 by President Bill Clinton as Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Brown died in 2002.
Eugene A. Murphy
Gene Murphy has been a member of the Board since its creation in 1998 and has served as Treasurer since 1998. A veteran who was paralyzed by gunshot wounds in Vietnam just 30 days before he was scheduled to return home, Murphy served as National Commander of the DAV from 1987 to 1988. He was appointed by Governor George Mickelson in 1989 to serve a five-year term on the South Dakota Veterans Commission and was reappointed to a subsequent term by Governor William J. Janklow. He was awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart.
Named Outstanding Disabled Veteran of the Year in 1984, Murphy is a member of the Paralyzed Veterans of America, Military Order of the Purple Heart, VFW, American Legion and the South Dakota Veterans Council, for which he served as President from 1978 to 1979.
Murphy is an an avid skier and a star player on the nationally known wheelchair basketball team the Sioux Wheelers.
Kenneth G. Musselmann (dec.)
Elected to the Board in 1998, Ken Musselmann was a veteran of the U.S. Army’s Americal Division in Vietnam. During combat, a land-mine explosion and gunshot wounds resulted in the amputation of both of his legs. He was awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart for his combat service.
Musselmann, whose leadership with the DAV on the national level began in 1981, was elected National Commander in 1986. From 1989 to 2008, he served as Adjutant of the DAV Department of California, the organization’s largest state-level entity. He held all elected officer positions in California, including State Commander, and was Commander of DAV Chapter 19 in Lakewood, California, where he was a life member.
Previously, Musselmann managed technical services for business and logistics data processing at Naval Weapons Station in Seal Beach, California. Musselmann, who died in 2009, was succeeded on the board by his wife, Diane.
Dennis A. Joyner
Dennis Joyner was elected to the Board in 2008 and named Secretary in 2009.
A veteran of the U.S. Army, 9th Infantry Division, he lost both legs and an arm in 1969 in Vietnam due to a land mine, and was awarded the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart.
Joyner served as National Commander of the DAV from 1983 to 1984, when President Ronald Reagan named him Handicapped American of the Year. He was previously honored as DAV’s National Outstanding Disabled Veteran of the Year in 1977.
Joyner’s professional experience includes serving as an accountant at the Westmoreland County Juvenile Services Center and fiscal manager for the Westmoreland County Courts in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. When he was appointed Westmoreland County Court Administrator in 1979, he became responsible for administration of the eight-judge court system and all courtrelated offices. In Florida, Governor Jeb Bush appointed Joyner Supervisor of Elections for Seminole County in January 2004. He retired a year later.
Roberto “Bobby” Barrera
Bobby Barrera, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, was elected to the Board in 2013. Barrera—who was seriously burned when a bomb exploded beneath his armored personnel carrier while he was serving in Vietnam in 1969—was medically retired in September 1970. He has been awarded the Purple Heart, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal and other honors. He earned the Department of Defense Outstanding Employee with a Disability Award for 1997 and received the Presidential Unsung Hero Award from the Leaders in Furthering Education Foundation (LIFE) in 1998.
Barrera was named the Disabled American Veterans Outstanding Disabled Veteran of the Year for 1998 and was elected National Commander of the group in 2009. The following year he was elected Chairman of the group’s Board of Directors.
The late Jesse Brown, Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, selected Barrera’s story of overcoming injury for inclusion in his book The Price of Their Blood. In 2005, Oliver North included Barrera’s story in the television series War Stories with Oliver North.
Gordon H. Mansfield (dec.)
Gordon Mansfield, who was elected to the Board in 2009, served as Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs from 2005 to 2009 under President George W. Bush. He had been VA Assistant Secretary for Congressional and Legislative Affairs from 2001 to 2004.
Mansfield, who served two tours of duty in Vietnam and sustained a spinalcord injury during the Tet Offensive of 1968, was a graduate of Villanova University and the University of Miami School of Law. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the Bronze Star, two Purple Hearts, the Combat Infantryman’s Badge and the Presidential Unit Citation. He was honored as the DAV’s Outstanding Disabled Veteran of the Year in 2006.
Mansfield died in 2013.
Allen F. "Gunner" Kent
Gunner Kent was elected to the Board in 2008.
He was named Adjutant General of the Veterans of Foreign Wars in 2005; prior to that, he served as the Veterans Service Organization Liaison in the Department of Veterans Affairs in Washington, D.C.
Kent was on active duty with the U.S. Marine Corps from 1958 until 1982. During his military service, he was awarded a Bronze Star with Combat V device, the Navy Commendation Medal, the Combat Action Ribbon, the Vietnam Service Medal with four stars, the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal and several unit commendations, citations and foreign decorations.
Diane Musselmann
Diane Musselmann was elected to the Board in 2009, succeeding her late husband of 43 years, Ken Musselmann. A graduate of California State University at Long Beach, Musselmann has worked with special-needs high-school children for more than 20 years. She has held several offices with the Disabled American Veterans Auxiliary, is involved in her church and has played key roles in several civic organizations.
To raise awareness for the Memorial, in 2010 Musselmann walked 90 miles, from Long Beach to San Diego, California, pushing her deceased husband’s wheelchair. Through the pouring rain and chilly October temperatures, with supporters cheering her along the route, Musselmann passed through Newport Beach, Dana Point and San Juan Capistrano before arriving at her destination, the VA Medical Center.
Robert C. Miller
Robert Miller served as Secretary to the Board from 1998 to 2008. Miller is Senior Vice Chairman of the Foreign Policy Association; a member of the Budget and Audit Committee of the National Endowment for Democracy; Chairman of the Hurford Foundation; and a Director of Leaders in Furthering Education and the Lois Pope LIFE Foundation. He is a former Trustee of the Brooklyn Public Library.
Prior to becoming a partner of the firm Davidson, Dawson & Clark, he was a partner in several prominent New York City and international law firms. Miller is a longtime member of the New York City, State and American Bar Associations, where he has been active on various estate planning and tax committees. He has also been active in civic and foundation activities.
National Spokesperson
Gary Sinise
Actor/humanitarian Gary Sinise has been working in support of veterans for more than 30 years, starting in the Chicago area. His portrayal of Lt. Dan Taylor in the 1994 film Forrest Gump created an enduring connection with servicemen and women that led him to begin working with the Disabled American Veterans and the USO. In 2004, Sinise and author Laura Hillenbrand founded Operation Iraqi Children, which ships school supplies to troops for distribution to local students; this evolved into Operation International Children. The Gary Sinise Foundation, formed in 2011, honors defenders, veterans, first responders, their families and those in need through programs designed to entertain, educate and build communities.
Sinise has received honors including the Bob Hope Award for Excellence in Entertainment from the Medal of Honor Society and the Dwight D. Eisenhower Award from the National Defense Industrial Association. In 2008, he received the Presidential Citizens Medal, the secondhighest civilian honor for exemplary deeds performed in service of the nation.
Executive Staff
Rick Fenstermacher
Chief Executive Officer
Rick Fenstermacher joined the Foundation staff as Chief Operating Officer in 2007 and was promoted to Chief Executive Officer in 2013. Under his leadership, the Foundation completed the Capital Campaign, secured final approvals from federal and local agencies, selected the construction and artisan contractors and successfully executed its responsibilities under the U.S. Commemorative Works Act [40 USC Chapter 89] for construction of the Memorial and Dedication on October 5, 2014.
Prior to joining the Foundation, Fenstermacher’s professional career in corporate risk management included senior executive positions with Aon Corp. and Mutual Insurance Company Ltd. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology from Denison University with post-graduate studies in organizational management, law and finance.
Barry Owenby
Project Executive
Barry Owenby joined the Foundation staff as the Memorial’s Project Executive in spring 2007. In addition to securing final design approvals by the National Capital Planning Commission and the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts in 2009 and 2010, respectively, he was fully engaged with the Architect of the Capitol, the U.S. Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration, and the National Park Service in planning for and managing the Memorial’s construction and completion on October 5, 2014.
Owenby retired from the American Battle Monuments Commission in 2005, having served as the Director of Contracting and also Project Executive for the National World War II Memorial. Prior to his tenure with ABMC, Owenby served in the General Services Administration as a senior procurement official and contracts manager with supervision and oversight of major design and construction procurements. Owenby is a distinguished military graduate of The Citadel, and has graduate degrees in management and business administration.
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