Col. Kenneth Ray Kreps '33

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Col. Kenneth Ray Kreps '33, a bomber pilot in World War II, led an interesting life - but, until recently, even his family did not realize just how remarkable it been. Then, Kreps' grandson, Erik, and his wife discovered Kreps' war chest in an old family storage unit.

"He joined the military after graduating from UCLA [with a degree in philosophy] and served for 30 years," Erik Kreps said. "He only spoke of his experiences in World War II once, and never again, to his son (my dad) on his son's 16th birthday, but the conversation was left unfinished when he became overcome with emotion. He also said he had a war chest that was not to be opened until he died. He lived into his 90s and the chest was largely forgotten about."

The contents were nearly beyond belief," Kreps continued. "We learned that he'd been decorated with 14 medals, six Bronze Stars, 10 Oak Leaf Clusters, and two unit citations, among other honors. His awards included the Purple Heart, Silver Star, Distinguished Flying Cross and Presidential Unit Citation. He had documented interactions with Dwight Eisenhower, Winston Churchill, George Patton, George C. Marshall, Curtis LeMay, and many other high ranking officials. He and my grandmother had Hollywood connections and were 'entertained at Romanoff's by their friends the Gary Coopers.' After the war he carried out intelligence work in Ireland, had an office in the Pentagon, taught at the Air War College, was Executive Officer at Lackland Air Force Base, and advised Congress on the future of air power on the world stage."

Michigan Today wrote an article about the findings, and the family created an extensive google slide deck with additional details, photos and artifacts. It is a snapshot into mid-century American military, political and cultural history spanning several decades, including an event predating the U.S. entry into the war that was of interest to another Los Angeles institution.

"A gentleman from the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles saw the article," Kreps said, "and reached out to let me know that he's been researching the Observatory's role during the the period spanning from World War II to the Apollo missions and had discovered that my grandfather was part of a top secret mission in May of 1941, flying the lead plane of a squadron of B-17s being transported by celestial navigation from California to Hawaii."

And through it all, the colonel never lost his love for his alma mater, according to his grandson, who works for the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research.

"Although my grandfather never talked about his illustrious past, he wasn't shy about his love for UCLA," Kreps said, pointing out some of the banners and pins found in the storage unit. "That love was instilled in the family growing up. We know there are Bruins fans all over the world, including right here in Michigan."