Lt. Colonel Robert Earl “Bob” Kelso, U.S. Army (Retired)
Lt. Colonel Robert Earl “Bob” Kelso, U.S. Army (Retired), passed away peacefully at his home in Terrell Hills, Texas on January 23, 2024 at age 93.
Bob was born on September 23, 1930, in Bristow, Oklahoma to Fred Earl Kelso and Edna Mae Mitchell. He was a veteran of two wars whose military career spanned four decades and who later became, with his wife, Betty Kelso, a philanthropist for more than 40 years.
Having been less than honest about his age, Bob enlisted in the military at age 13 on July 28, 1944, as a private and was sent to Fort Sill, OK for training. He subsequently fought with the 342nd Armored Field Artillery Unit in France, Austria, and Germany and is believed to be among the youngest known soldiers injured in the conflict. His shrapnel and bayonet wounds earned him the Purple Heart. When the Army learned his true age, he was given a minority discharge in August 1945.
During an additional tour in Europe, Bob was assigned to the Honor Guard of General Lucious D. Clay, the Military Governor of Germany. While with the Honor Guard, Kelso auditioned with the Armed Forces Radio Station in Berlin. Impressed with Bob’s mellow, resonant voice, the station manager reassigned him to run the “Midnight Mission” radio show.
American pilots used the show’s radio signal as a beacon to circumvent the Russian Air Blockade and fly in needed supplies of food, coal, and medicine for the Americans and Germans on the ground. That led to his transfer to AFN Munich-stuttgart, then the most powerful U.S. Armed Forces radio station in the world. Bob served as a disc jockey on the daily shows, broadcasted many of the important sports events of the time, and emceed shows featuring Bob Hope and Irving Berlin, among other celebrities. His programs brought him fan mail from more than 30 countries. He was honorably discharged as a corporal in the spring of 1950.
Bob returned to Oklahoma, attained his GED, and entered the University of Tulsa where he earned a BA in Radio, Television, and Film. Upon graduation in 1954, he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant through the Air Force ROTC program. He attended pilot training in Florida and was transferred to Laredo Air Force Base in 1956. He retired from the Air Force in 1957 and married Gloria Marie Groesbeck. He continued his relationship with the military by joining the U.S. Army Reserve in Laredo.
With the onset of the Vietnam War, Bob returned to active duty in the Army in 1963 with the rank of Captain and was stationed at Fort Knox, KY. He completed two tours in Vietnam, first as an advisor with the 22nd ARVN Division from 1965-66, and then with the famed 25th Infantry Division “Tropic Lightning” from 1970-1971. Bob said the highlight of this part of his military career was serving as an executive officer of the 2nd Squadron, 6th Armored Calvary Unit from 1967-1969 at Fort Meade, MD.
Bob’s military awards include the Combat Infantryman Badge, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star with two oak leaf clusters, Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster, Joint Service Commendation Medal, and French Legion of Honor, among many others.
Kelso graduated from the Command and General Staff College in Leavenworth, KS in 1970, and served two years as editor of Armor Magazine, where his leadership significantly increased circulation. During his last three years of active duty, he served as executive officer and chief of Community Relations at Fifth Army headquartered at Fort Sam Houston. He retired from the Army in 1976 as a Lt. Colonel and continued in his same role at Fort Sam as a civil servant for seven years. He also earned a Masters in Management from Webster University in San Antonio in 1977. He married his second wife, Betty Stieren Roberts, in 1982. They were together nearly 35 years before her death in 2017.
Betty Kelso, long known for her philanthropy in the San Antonio community, found a soul mate in Bob.
They were active board members and strong supporters of numerous civic and cultural organizations and institutions. The Kelso Gallery at the University of the Incarnate Word’s Broadway campus was created and funded by their gift. In recognition of their years of support and service, UIW honored both Bob and Betty with honorary Ph.d.s in Humanities in 2015. Among their many community gifts, Bob and Betty established the Kelso Chair at the San Antonio Museum of Art, and generously supported The National World War II Museum in New Orleans as well as the National Museum of the United States Army in Fort Belvoir, VA.
The couple traveled extensively during their marriage and traveled to Europe for the last time in September 2012 when Bob was formally recognized as a Knight in the National Order of the Legion of Honor for his personal contribution as a member of the U. S. Army in the liberation of France during WWII. The Legion of Honor was created by Napoleon in 1802 to acknowledge service rendered to France by persons of great merit. Bob’s WWII action is a part of the permanent collection at the National World War II Museum.
Bob was a member of the San Antonio Country Club, the Argyle, and Club Giraud. He is survived by his daughters, Gloria Kelso Riddle (Jeff) and Barbara Kelso, and his step children, Jenny
Roberts Schimpff (Rick), Catherine Roberts, and Barry Roberts (Elizabeth); grandchildren Clayton Riddle, James Riddle, Andrew Riddle (Morgan), Kelsey Krohn, Robert Colton Krohn, Hunter Schimpff (Alarie), Jessie Schimpff Capt (Jared), William Benedict (Ana Silvia), Louis Benedict (Ana), Liza Benedict (Sean Ahern), Carolina Roberts Lewis (Andrew Jackson, IV “A. J.”), Coates Roberts, and Jay Roberts, and nine great-grandchildren. Bob was affectionately known as “Daddy Bob” to the younger generations and as “Colonel” to his friends and associates.
The family would like to thank Juana Torres for her unwavering devotion and care for the past 30 years as well as to Beva Camarillo. They would also like to thank Dr. Fernando Lopez for his compassionate care.
Pallbearers will be his beloved grandsons. Honorary Pallbearers will be Eugene Ames, Jr., Phil Bakke, Richard Calvert, Frederick Costa, George Fischer, Harry Halff, Fred Middleton, John Shary, Robert Spalten, and Bryan Worden. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Bob’s honor to the National World War II Museum in New Orleans, “Fifth Army Association” ℅ Robert Naething, 230 Geddington, Shavano Park, TX, 78249, the University of Incarnate Word, and to the Discalced Carmelite Nuns in San Antonio.
You are invited to sign the guestbook at www. porterloring.com