"Rock" Rhoade Post 201:
The original Post 201 was established in late 1947. Its charter members were:
Raymond O. Anderson
Joe A. Brewer
Percy B. Keel
William H. Shelton
Raymond G. Riddle
James B. Brazelton
John W. Brazelton
Burrell C. Lanier
Joseph E. Collier
Ralph H. Keel
Carl A. [name unreadable]
[name unreadable]
[name unreadable]
The Post received its first endorsement on August 28th, 1947
, its second endorsement on September 2nd of that year, and its third endorsement sometime prior to March 13th, 1948, the date Post 201's charter was signed. This document now hangs outside the court room in Madison's City Municipal Complex. r the said Post pledges itself through its members, to uphold, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States and the principles of true Americanism, for the common welfare of the living and in solemn commemoration of those who died that liberty might not perish from the Earth. Information on the history of this early Post 201 is vague, but some members of Madison Post 229 familiar with this older Post have stated that it, at some point, had a post home, but lost it, and at some point, the Post lost its charter. Fast forward around fifty years. While on a business trip, Jeremy B. Blevins, then Madison County Commander, had the idea of starting a new Post of the American Legion that would service the professional community in Research Park. He approached Dave Shrum, General Manager of his employer, QinetiQ North America (now Vencore), to see if the company would support such an effort. Shrum enthusiastically supported the idea of an American Legion Post meeting in the office. Commander Blevins then got to work seeing if there were other Veterans in the office who would be interested in meeting with a Post of The Legion during lunch hours. Over the course of a couple months, enough Veterans in the office were interested in the concept to apply for a temporary charter. On March 18th, the group reached the fifteen-new-member mark required to apply for a Temporary Charter. The application and all requisite materials to form the Ronald G. "Rock" Rhoades Post 201 were mailed to the Department of Alabama on April 2nd. It's worth pausing for a moment to note the decision on Post number and name. Commander Blevins, who was at that time a member of Madison Post 229, was familiar with the history of the original Madison Post, and with the support of the members of the new Post, requested the old number be revived since it had history in the community. The name, Ronald G. "Rock" Rhoades was never in doubt for any members of the group. Rock had been a former collegue who had died in a motorcycle accident and was well respected and fondly missed. Chief Rhoades was born in Jonesboro, Arkansas on January 16th, 1950, to Gordon Andrew Rhoades and Frances Gwendolyn “Snooks” Ramsey. He grew up with his three sisters: Steph, Wendy, and Terry, and he attended Waterloo Public High School in Waterloo, Illinois. Waterloo is where he met Linda Ardene Probasco, whom he’d later marry after a much dogged pursuit. He attended the Air Force Academy from 1968 to 1970, and was then drafted into the US Army in 1970 to serve in Vietnam, but not before marrying the love of his life, Linda. Rock shared the next 40 years of his life with her. While he was in Vietnam, he missed the birth of his only son, Andrew Gordon Rhoades, who was born in 1972. Rock returned from Vietnam as not just a husband, but now also a father. Rock spent a total of 26 years in the Army, mostly as a helicopter pilot. He retired in 1996, but not before also serving in the Persian Gulf War. Through the course of his career, he was decorated with the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Meritorious Service Medal, and many others. He retired with the rank of CW5. Rock’s military experience allowed him to travel to many different places, including two tours in Germany. Since retiring from the military, Rock and Linda settled in Huntsville, Alabama. There Rock most recently worked at QinetiQ North America as the Vice President of the Tactical C4 Directorate, but any chance he got, he loved to spend time traveling to exciting places with his wife, visiting his grandson, and motorcycling with the Motorcycle Sport Touring Association (or MSTA). He loved movies and music, and you often found him reading something humorous or cracking a joke with friends. He will be sorely missed by many, but he lived a rich and happy life… on his terms. Rock was not the kind to lazily watch life pass him by. He was an active participant, methodically orchestrating the events of his life to the shape he wanted, and he serves as an inspiration. During its planning phase, the group appointed Tom Hutt as its Interim Commander. This Post, while initially being made up of Veteran employees of QinetiQ North America (now Vencore), membership is open to all eligible Veterans, but the Post will focus on recruiting new members from the Cummings Research Park Community. The Post planned to hold luncheon events for its monthly meetings and establish a relationship with the Columbia High School JROTC program as its service project. Interim Commander Hutt was supported by Commander Blevins, also at the time an employee of QinetiQ North America. In the months of April and May the Post met while waiting for its temporary charter to be approved. When it reieved its temporary charter, it nominated and elected Neal Petree to be its first Commander. The Post then planned June 20, 2014 as the date for its establishment ceremony. This date concided with the Department of Alabama Convention, which was held just miles away at the Huntsville Marriott on the site of the U.S. Space and Rocket Center. It invited the leadership of the Department of Alabama and Linda and Drew Rhoades to attend the establishment ceremony. The leadership of the Department graciously attended the ceremony, and the Post was honored with a special guest, then leading candidate for National Commander, 2014-2015 National Commander Mike Helms.
