Board of Directors

James M. Sims, President
As well as being President of the Friends, Jim is the immediate Past National Commander of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, a Life Member of the Marine Corps League and Vietnam Veterans Association, and a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.  He is the Chair of the Washington Veterans Legislative Coalition and a member of the Mason County Planning Commission.

Graduating from Saint Martin's University and earning a Master’s Degree from George Washington University, Jim entered the Marine Corps, serving a distinguished career of more than 26 years. He commanded a Platoon, a Rifle Company in Viet Nam, the Marine Barracks in Hawthorne, Nevada, and the 3rd Battalion 4th Marines, to name a few of his significant assignments. He is a Distinguished Graduate of the Air War College. When he retired, Jim was the Chief of Political-Military Analysis for the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

His awards and decorations include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal, Bronze Star with V for valor, Purple Heart, Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with Palm and Silver Star, Meritorious Service Medal, Joint Service Commendation Medal, Navy Commendation Medal with V for valor, three Navy Achievement Medals, and numerous other US and foreign awards.  After retiring from the Marine Corps, Jim was the Director of the Washington State Pollution Liability Insurance Agency for 12 years, a member of the Board of Trustees of Saint Martin’s University, and in 2000 was named as the Distinguished Graduate of Saint Martin’s.

Harold “Pepper” Roberts, President Emeritus
Pepper is President Emeritus of “Friends of American Lake Veterans Golf Course.”  He created the “Friends” as a 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization in 2004 to raise funds in support of the unique course, American Lake Veterans Golf Course, which is believed to be the only course in the country designed specifically for wounded and disabled veterans.  The facility, which also welcomes able-bodied veterans, has been maintained and run by volunteers since 1995, when federal funding for all VA courses was eliminated.

A veteran of the Korean War, Pepper has volunteered at American Lake Veterans Golf Course for more than nine years, donating more than 4,400 hours of his time.  In addition to teaching golf to wounded warriors and establishing the charitable fund-raising arm, Pepper has led efforts to recruit approximately 200 volunteers who assist in running the course, and helped solicit countless donations and in-kind contributions for the construction of a Rehabilitation and Learning Center that opened last year.

Pepper received his Bachelor’s Degree from Western Washington State College in 1959. He taught math and science at Clover Park School District from 1959 to 1984, developing and implementing computer training as well as developing and supervising the micro computer curriculum for the district. In 1967 he received his Master of Arts, Education from Pacific Lutheran University; and in 1973 a Master of Arts, Teaching of Mathematics & Computers, University of California at Santa Barbara.  He was President Micro-Computer Educational Consultants 1980 – 84; Director of Marketing and Sales, Blue Sky Enterprises, Inc. and The Dotson Institute1984 - 1989; an agent for John Hancock Financial Services 1989 to 2001; and a volunteer, instructor and acting golf pro for American Lake Veterans Golf Course 2001 to the present.

Cody Miller, Vice President and Director
Cody is the Vice President and a board member of the “Friends of American Lake Veterans Golf Course”.  He is a Vietnam veteran having served from 1968-69 and received a Bachelor’s Degree in 1973 from Western Washington University.  As a Combat Engineer Company Commander, he was awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart.  He is co-owner of various local businesses, and is active in land development. 

Cody is life member of the Foundation for North American Wild Sheep and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.  He is active in the community; sponsoring hundreds of little league teams over the years, and is an avid outdoorsman and golfer.

Wolf Fletter, Treasurer and Director
Wolf, as the Treasurer of the “Friends of American Lake Veterans Golf Course”, manages the accounting functions, and joined the board in 2009.   He also works at the golf course.   Wolf has been a volunteer at the American Lakes Veteran Hospital since 2008.

Wolf entered the Army into Field Artillery and served as a 2Lt-Captain in Bamberg Germany from 1964-67.  He served in Vietnam in ‘67 and then was assigned to ROTC at the University of Akron from 68 to 73.  He also served as a Test Officer and Chief of Test Support at the Army Arctic Test Center and was later assigned to Fort Lewis.  In 1978 he left active duty as Major and went into the reserves as a Military Academy Liaison Officer. He retired in ‘86 a Lt. Colonel. 

He has a Master of Business Administration from the University of Puget Sound and obtained his CPA certificate, a Master of Arts (Urban Studies) from the University of Akron, and a Bachelor of Science (Engineering Sciences) from the United States Military Academy – West Point.  Wolf retired from Washington State service in 2006. His last assignment was with Lands and Buildings Division as a Financial Manager of DSHS Capital Programs and Leased Facilities.   Currently he volunteers in and around his community, serving on the Steilacoom Planning commission, the Steilacoom Preservation and Review board, and has been treasurer of the Steilacoom Kiwanis for over 15 years.

Bruce McKenty, Course Manager and Director
Bruce is the Course Manager of the American Lake Veterans Golf Course as well a board member of the “Friends of the American Lake Veterans Golf Course”. 

He is a retired Army officer and a retired general contractor. He graduated from Texan A&M University where he earned his commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Field Artillery.  He went on to flight school en route to his first assignment in Vietnam as an AH-1G Cobra attack helicopter pilot.  Wounded twice, he has the unique distinction of being one of a small handful of Army helicopter pilots to survive after being shot down by an SA-7 heat seeking missile.  He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star, Two Purple Hearts and numerous Air Medals with two of them being awarded for valor.  Bruce went on to spend 21 years in the Army and retired in 1991 as a Lieutenant Colonel.

He earned a Master of Science degree from the University of Southern California in 1984 and in 1986 graduated from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, KS.   Later he became a general contractor in the greater Seattle/Tacoma area. After his retirement, Bruce became a very active and enthusiastic volunteer at the American Lake Veterans Golf Course. He is deeply involved in helping veterans through his leadership in the Military Order of the Purple Heart, where he is currently the National Junior Vice Commander.

Michael E. Bickford, Director
Mike Bickford graduated from the University of Washington with an emphasis in Asian studies, Chinese language and International Communication.  He is a past President of the Washington State China Relations Council and served on UW Advisory Boards for certificate programs in International Business and Professional Languages. He also served in US Navy Reserve.

Employed by Weyerhaeuser Company for 30 years, including ten years in the Peoples Republic of China as President/General Manager of Weyerhaeuser China Ltd., he earned the company President’s award for China leadership and market development. Mike also held the positions of Director of Corporate Marketing and Communications, Director of Corporate Public Relations and Positioning, and Director of Communications for all Pulp and Paper businesses. He also served as Regional Public Affairs Manager in several locations, including as a member of the company recovery team from the eruption of Mount St. Helens in Washington State.

Gene Daniel, Director    
Gene is a Major General, U.S. Army, retired.   He graduated from Texas Western College with a Bachelor of Business Administration and also has Masters Degree in Public Administration.  General Daniel served as the Assistant VII Corps Commander in Germany and Saudi Arabia during Desert Storm; served in the Joint Chiefs of Staff as the Deputy Director of International Negotiations in Washington D.C. and as the Chairman, JCS Representative and lead negotiator for Strategic Nuclear Negotiations (START) in Geneva, Switzerland.

He also served as Chief of Staff and 1st Brigade Commander of the 24th Infantry Division at Fort Stewart, Georgia as well as serving two tours in Vietnam as an Armored Calvary Troop Commander and as a Corps Assistant Operations Officer. General Daniel retired as the Director of Operations, Intelligence, and Policy at NATO’s Allied Forces Central Europe in Brunssum, The Netherlands. His awards include the Army Distinguished Service Medal, the Silver Star, and Bronze Star with V and Four Oak Leaf Clusters.

Pat Gailey, Director
As a major supporter to the Friends of American Lake Veterans Golf Course, Pat has secured over $350,000 in gifts-in-kind from contractors and material suppliers for golf course improvements.   He has managed over $700,000 in construction and site improvements funded by the “Friends”.  From 1953 to 1959 he attended the University of Washington for two years taking general business and engineering classes. 

Pat spent 2 years in the U.S. Army and is a Korean War Veteran. After the war he went to work for companies such as Midway Asphalt Co. and Rainier Asphalt Paving where he managed the Auburn branch until 1968.  He later became Vice President and General Superintendent of Lloyds of Washington, Inc.   From 1972 to 1975 he was General Superintendent and Chief Estimator of Asphalt Paving and Engineering.   Pat was Vice President and General Superintendent of Tucci & Sons, Inc. from 1975 to 1988 where he was in charge of all field operations, construction and asphalt plants. From 1988 to 1990 he was Owner of Gailey Construction Co. performing private and public works site construction. He was Project Manager of M/WBE Company.  From 1990 to 1993 he was Vice President and General Manager of Robison Construction, Inc. where he managed major projects and worked directly with the owner.  In 1995 he worked for RCI Construction as a Senior Project manager and provided consultation to RCI Construction and RCI Environmental. From 1995 to 2000 he was President of Gailey Construction Management, Inc. In 2000 he retired and did volunteer construction management consulting for the “Friends”.

Roger Gatts, Director
Roger is the assistant manager of the course at the American Lake Veterans Golf Course.  Roger has been assisting our veterans as a volunteer in various positions since 2003.

After joining the Army, Roger was stationed in Camp Stanley, Korea. Returning home, he served at Fort Lewis where he worked for the Director of Logistics. After developing some medical problems, he retired from the military and worked in residential real estate sales and marketing, becoming a commercial sales broker. Additionally, he worked in Information Resource Management for Puget Sound Health Care System and as the project manager for a food service contractor at Fort Lewis.

Regarding his position at the Golf Course, Roger says that after all these years, God has blessed him with something that he really enjoys. He finds it very rewarding to be involved with so many wonderful volunteers with the same passion as he that work very hard every day to make a difference in the lives of our veterans and their families.

Doug Kemper, Director
Doug, in addition to being a Director on the board of the” Friends of American Lake Veterans Golf Course”  is also the Chief Operations Officer for the Regal Financial Bank.  Doug has been involved with international business and banking his entire career while residing in Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles and London.  

He is the immediate past Chairman of the Trade Development Alliance of Greater Seattle and is either presently serving or has served on the boards of the World Affairs Council, the Washington Council for International Trade, the Japan-America Society, the Washington State China Relations Council, the World Trade Center Tacoma, the American Red Cross for Pierce County, and Seattle University’s Global Business Advisory Board.  Doug holds a degree in International Business from Oregon State University and is a graduate of the Pacific Coast Banking School.

Will Kinne, Director
Will Kinne attended Tacoma Community College and the University of Washington where he studied Public Administration. He has 38 years experience in public administration. As Operations Manager for Pierce County Public Works and Utilities, he was responsible for managing infrastructure operations, maintenance administration, engineering, pavement management, and utility inspection. Will was also Operations Manager with King County, Department of Executive Services, Facilities Management Division, where he was responsible for managing building services operations for 36 county owned buildings including administration, courts, criminal justice, sheriff precincts and Public Health facilities. As Assistant Clubhouse Manager for the Seattle Mariners Baseball Club, Will provides support for the visiting teams to Safeco Field.

Will was President of the Washington State Association of County Supervisors in 1997. His other professional affiliations include involvement with Washington State Technical Training (TransAid), Washington State University Road Management Steering Committee, National Association of County Engineers and the Tri-County Salmon Conservation Coalition (NOAA). He also served in the United States Coast Guard.

Morry Manning, Director
Morry attended Western Washington University in 1967 and 1968, and Tacoma Community College 1966 through 1967.   He is the owner/operator of Evergreen Excavation, Inc. from 1979 to the present.   Previously he was the foreman for J.D. Shotwell from 1973 through 1978 and a salesman for Pete Lovely Volkswagen 1971 through 1973.   He also worked in the construction trade from 1968 through 1971.   Morry was a start-up board member of the Pierce Commercial Bank, a board member of the Fircrest Golf Club, the Tacoma Athletic Commission, Bellarmine Boosters and Sons of Italy.

Jim Martinson, Director
Jim is a Vietnam Veteran who lost both legs above the knee in Da Nang in 1968.  He started racing wheelchairs in 1976 and competed in numerous road races and track events.  Jim founded Shadow Products, a sports equipment manufacturing company and developed products like the Race Wheelchair for 10k, marathon and track, the Kan Ski for water skiing, the mono ski for snow skiing, the basketball and tennis wheelchair and many other sports products. In 1992 Sunrise Medical Quickie purchased his company and he worked with them in product development and training through 2000. 

He participated in the 1980 Paralympics in Holland winning 3 gold and 2 silver medals, was first in the 1981 Boston Marathon and won 3 gold medals at the 1984 Paralympics in New York where he set 2 world records. Jim participated in the Los Angeles Olympics, 1500 Wheelchair Exhibition and carried the 1984 and 1993 Olympic Torch.   He finished first in the 1987 Midnight Sun race from Fairbanks to Anchorage which covers 367 miles in 9 days.  In 1989 he began competing in downhill ski racing and won the 1989 and 1992 National Disabled Ski Championships gold medals.  Jim also received a gold medal at the 1992 Albertville France Paralympics in downhill and won gold medals for the Canadian Championship Slalom, Giant Slalom. Jim was also nominated for the Governor’s Trophy that year.

The State of Washington Senate passed a resolution presenting him with the Washington Ambassador for Good Will Award. He also received the Distinguished Citizen Award and the Washington General Award; was nominated for Seattle Post Intelligencer Athlete of the Year.  In 1982, Jim received the Viet Nam Veteran of the year award and the America Silver Helmet Award in Washington D.C. from AMVETS.  In 1983 he was the Milwaukee, WI Veterans Wheelchair Games Most Outstanding Athlete. In1993 he received the Most Outstanding Skier Award in Beaver Creek, Colorado.  Jim was inducted into the National Disabled Ski Hall of Fame in 2003, the National Wheelchair Hall of Fame in 2007, and the Pierce County, Washington Hall of Fame in 2008.  The Exercise Trail at Wildwood Park in Puyallup, Washington is named after Jim. 

Jim is currently retired from competitive sports, but still enjoys participating in recreational activities and takes pleasure in helping others by coaching and instructing them.

Stan Naccarato, Director
Stan served 2 years in the U.S. Army, achieving the rank of Master Sergeant.  He signed with the Cincinnati Reds Professional Baseball Team right out of high school and won three World Series rings.  He sponsored Tacoma’s national champion Stanley Shoemen Baseball team in 1956, the first time a team west of the Mississippi had won this championship.

For 20 years he was President and General Manager of the Tacoma Tigers Baseball Club.  In 1975 he was named General Manager of the year and awarded the Charley McPhail Promotional Trophy from the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues.  Stan was named General Manager of the Year by “The Sporting News”.  He was also awarded a Special Achievement Award by the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues.

Stan considers his largest accomplishment to be his first phase chairmanship for the Tacoma Dome, bringing the idea, plans and capital, to make this dream a reality.  Stan has twice been the President of the Tacoma Athletic Commission, serving 5 governors over 25 years as State Athletic Commissioner and Chairman governing Professional Boxing and Wrestling.    He has a 15 year involvement as chairman for Golden Gloves boxing events. He is on the Executive Council of the Tacoma Pierce County Sports Commission, has been inducted into the State of Washington, Sports Hall of Fame and was named the Tacoma Athletic Commission’s 10 Year Man of the Year for 1970 to 1980.

In 1992 the Stan Naccarato award for the Boys and Girls Club was instituted and is awarded every year. He currently serves as liaison between the City of Tacoma and the Puyallup Indian Tribe and has been presented with the key to the city 3 times.  Stan is a highly recognized public figure, active in local sports and community events, and named “Mr. Tacoma” by the Tacoma newspaper.

Ken Still, Director                    
Ken has been a Professional Golf Association member since 1953. He joined the PGA tour in 1960 and had 3 tour victories.  He was a member of the 1969 Ryder Cup Team and Ken appeared in the top 60 1966-1973. He won the CBS Golf Classic in 1970 with partner Gene Littler.  Later joining the Senior PGA, Ken’s best year was 1990, when he finished 42nd on the money list and registered 5 top 10, and 11 top 25 finishes.   He is the 1969 Washington State Athlete of the Year, a Member of the Washington State Sports Hall of Fame, Pacific Northwest Golf Association Hall of Fame, and the Pierce County Hall of Fame. He played the Masters 7 times.

Ed Trobaugh, Director    
Ed is a Major General, US Army, retired.  He graduated from West Point with a Bachelor’s and also holds a Masters Degree in Public Administration.  He served one tour in Korea as Company Commander, and two tours in Vietnam as Battalion and Brigade Operations Officer and Battalion Commander.  Ed was Assistant Division Commander at Ft. Lewis; Assistant Commandant at Ft. Benning; Chief, Joint US Military Assistance Advisory Group, Spain; and Commanding General, 82nd Airborne Division, Ft. Bragg. 

The General retired as Deputy Commanding General, Fifth U.S. Army at Ft. Sam Houston, Texas.  He has many awards and decorations including the Army Distinguished Service Medal, the Silver and Bronze Stars, and Purple Heart.

David R. Walters, Director
Born in Albert Lea, MN, Dave graduated from the University of Iowa.  He went on to earn two Master’s Degrees, one from Pacific Lutheran University and another from the U.S. Navy Postgraduate School.

Dave’s Air Force career included positions such as Weapons Controller, Electronic Countermeasures Officer, Legislative Liaison Officer and White House Liaison Officer.  After studying Mandarin Chinese, he became an Air Attaché in the U.S. Embassy Beijing, China.  Dave’s military decorations include the Joint Services Meritorious Service Medal and the Air Force Meritorious Service medal with one Oak Leaf cluster.

Upon his retirement after 20 years of military service, Dave worked initially for Westinghouse Defense Electronics as Managing Director, Business Development establishing their China Office located in Beijing.  Later, as Vice President, Business Development, he established their Southeast Asia Office located in Bangkok, Thailand.  Moving back to the U.S. he was appointed Director, Government Affairs for Northrop Grumman Corporation.  Later, he returned to Bangkok for another posting and his final appointment was Vice President, Middle East and India located in Abu Dhabi, UAE.