LieutenantGeneral and Mrs. Rosa

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The spouses and the non-deployed military members really make up the military. We couldn’t have the military we have without the families. There’s an adage: you recruit the person, but you retain the family. If your family is not happy, you’re not going to stay.

““– Lieutenant General Rosa

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When all the formal abbreviations and acronyms are put aside, Lt. Gen. John W. Rosa Jr., USAF (ret.) is simply John, a man who fell in love with a woman named Donna. This event formed the foundation upon which he eventually became the

president of The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina. His career is notable; John retired in 2006 as a three-star general, having flown over 3,600 hours in eight different air-craft. Their lifestyle is fortunate; after 25 military moves, the couple now retains residence in The Citadel’s Quarters One—the President’s on-campus house. They also escape to their beach abode on the Wadmalaw River and vacation in their quaint cabin in the Smoky Moun-tains. But, what is most intriguing is, after almost 40 years married, never does John use the word “I” but always “we.” His successes are not only his own. Sitting at ease in two wicker armchairs, lifetime copilots John and Donna waxed nostalgic for me about their meeting in Charleston, their true love of military life, and their eventual return to the Lowcountry as President and First Lady, though their roles at The Citadel seem more like Dad and Mom.

By Christy Conway Photography by Patrick Brickman & Matt Bolt

A Look at the Career, Family, and Home of The Citadel’s Lt. General and Mrs. Rosa

Flying Formation

Flying Formation

– Lieutenant General Rosa

Never Leave Your Wingman

John met Donna in 1972 when he was a football star at The Citadel and she was a ward sec-retary for the Medical Univer-

sity of South Carolina’s outpatient clinic. Upon John’s graduation, they married, and John was com-missioned in the Air Force.

“Donna had not really been out of South Carolina that many times,” John explained. “Our first base together was in Myrtle Beach. We’re both from the South, and we wanted to see the world. We end up in Myrtle Beach, go figure. Our sons were both born there. And so, that is really where we got started.” In time, they certainly got their wish to see the world. As is typical, about every 15 to 18 months, they relocat-ed. They were privelaged to experience the exotic posts in Scotland and Hawaii, as well as enjoy bases in Idaho, Alabama, Colorado, and more. See, the unique phe-nomenon about the military is that bonds are quickly made, so the most remote assignments often foster the strongest relationships. John said, “When we lived in Idaho, there were two stop-lights at that time,” John described. “Going out to the base, there was a 10 mile stretch of just high desert and tumbleweed. The first time we [John and sons] drove on base, our oldest son said, ‘Mom’s going to kill you.’ But, we ended up loving that base. It was so open. We were outdoors camping all the time. We had a ball. Most people lived on the base, so there was always something going on. Donna became very

independent, and the wives bonded.” Donna added, “It’s what you make of it. Because the guys were gone so much, the spouses were left with the kids, and it was tough. You have to depend on each other. As crazy as it seems, the show Army

Wives is dead on. When good things hap-pen, you share; when bad things happen, you share. It was a fun way of living.”

In the midst of the fun, John and Donna strived to keep their home life stable. So, the family—with the kids working on their own bedrooms—prided themselves on setting up a house in two days, some-

times working through the night. Prep-ping the family for a move was not as sim-ple. “I remember one day, the boys came up and said, ‘Moving is so easy for you, but it’s hard for us,’” Donna recalled. “One was in junior high school and the other

was in elementary school. They were not happy that we were moving again. And, I said, ‘What makes you think it’s fun for me? I know nobody. We’re a family. We move together. You just have to do it.’ Our joke was that, you have a few minutes to whine and that’s it, we’re moving.”

Even with all the moves, if you ask John, he’ll say that while he misses fly-ing airplanes, he misses that way of life and the people the most. The Rosas never intended on staying in the military. But, John explained, “Ev-ery time they [the mili-tary] would say, ‘Well, would you like to fly this airplane?’ Or, ‘You’re go-ing to go here and fly this,’ we both said, ‘Neat.’ Pretty soon, we turned around, and 20 years had gone by.” By that time, he was a colonel, moving smoothly up the chain of command. The statistics say, for every 100 officers

that are commissioned, only 10 make Colonel and just one makes General. He was the one, for in 1999, John made Brigadier General and soon found himself at the Pentagon as the Deputy Director of Operations.

“I was in the Pentagon when 9/11 oc-curred,” John mentioned soberly. “I was there when the airplane hit. Fortu-

The Quarters One entrance, featuring a refurbished chest of drawers from the General Clark era, is both stylish and inviting.

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John’s dark, wood-paneled office displays some of the family’s most prized possessions that reference their fascinating history: Citadel memorabilia (from the ’70s and now), aircraft models, family photos, and even some motorcycle collectibles.

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nately for us, it didn’t hit our pie; there are five pies. We felt it, and it filled that building up with smoke in a matter of minutes. So, the next two years were dedicated to the war on terror. Life was interest-ing for all of us in America at that time.”

After 32 years of flying sin-gle-seat jets (the equivalent of an open-wheeled Indy car, as John described it), fighting the war on terror, and—as Superintendant of the Air Force Academy—re-

directing the scandal-laden school, John and Donna thought that, perhaps, it was time to retire.

“While we were trying to decide, out of the blue, The Citadel called and said, ‘Would you be interested in coming back?’ I looked out, and Donna had the trunk packed. She said, ‘I’m go-ing home.’ I replied, ‘Wait a minute, we have a few things we need to do,’” John said. “The military was gra-cious enough to let me retire and come back here. And I

(above and below right) The two-part catering kitchen is situated right off the vast dining room. Being an industrial, professional-grade kitchen, it boasts dual ovens, spacious stainless steel countertops, and two sinks.

2000s

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With a blue-and-white checkered floor, white cabinets, and a red hutch, even the kitchen is patriotic!

think a large part of that was due to the fact that we would be continuing to edu-cate young people to serve our nation.”

Stay One Step Ahead of Your AirplaneAfter holding positions as the commandant for the Air Command and Staff College and the su-perintendent for the Air Force Academy, John is no stranger to leading schools; however, upon arriving at The Citadel, he realized public institu-tions are a horse of a dif-ferent color.

“It is funded on a shoe string. There is only one Air Force Academy, West Point, or Naval Academy. So, those services put their best foot forward. Funding is never an is-sue. But, The Citadel is no different from any other state school. And when the recession hit, South Carolina cut higher edu-cation funding more than any other state in the country. We lost 50 per-cent of our state funding,” John said. “At that time, we made a decision not to cut academically, but to build academically, which has paid off. Realizing that the business model we had, where tuition and fees pay the bill, wasn’t vi-able anymore, we got outside consultants to come in and help us think for the fu-ture. We did this early on, ahead of many other colleges. It positioned us to not only get through the recession but to grow.” Coming out of the recession, The Citadel has been named the Number One Public Institution in the South by U.S. News and World Report.

It helps that The Citadel’s alumni are in-credibly generous. Where most colleges receive donations from around 10 percent of their former students, The Citadel sees 30 percent of their alumni giving back. Since taking office, the Rosas have been

instrumental in helping the College and The Citadel Foundation to raise nearly 110 million dollars. But, John, Donna, and the staff are not resting; they’re always looking for ways to improve the school. “We’re used to, in the military, getting things done. You figure out what you’re going to do, get it done, and move on to the next challenge. That is not always so in

higher education. We pontificate, study, and discuss. So, patience is a virtue that you have to embrace,” John confessed.

Their latest challenge? Diversification. John, brother to three sisters (who he

claims could do most any-thing better than him), is a proponent of increasing not only the percentage of female students in the core of cadets, but also African Americans and other minorities. Proudly, he tells me that the class coming in this fall will be the most diverse in The Citadel’s history.

“We went co-ed in ’96, in many respects pulling, screaming, and kicking. When I came back here, there was a certain seg-ment that said, ‘We need to go back to the way we were.’ I made it quite clear that I wouldn’t have come here if The Citadel weren’t the school that it is,” John declared. “Every young person ought to have the opportunity for this type of education. If you want this, if you want to put forth the effort, it shouldn’t matter where you come from or what gender you are. This is America. I served 32 years so everybody could be free. I mean, that is kind of pie in the sky, but it’s re-ally not.”

Ultimately, the Rosas’ goal is to foster graduates that are well-rounded and prepared for leadership. To succeed in the military, where almost 40 percent of their students went last year, John believes they must understand diverse groups and know how to lead them. In this way, John acts very much as the Dad

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of the school, always looking out for the students’ futures, whereas Donna—who takes a softer approach—thinks of her-self as The Citadel Mom.

In fact, their son Brad went to The Citadel, so Donna knows quite a bit about the pressures the cadets face. “Our son had a really hard time as a freshman, coming back after Christmas. It’s dif-ficult because the students go home for almost a month, and they’re with kids who go back to normal schools. He was

coming back to a strict life in the bar-racks,” Donna explained. “We’ve tried to build in more programs that involve the cadets coming over here, so they get to meet me and John. We try to show them that we support them.” One program, among many, that Donna is particularly proud of is the Cheeseburger in Paradise spirit booster, a party for all the mem-bers of the freshman class, held at Quar-ters One. The students—and Donna—do karaoke, eat, and socialize in their P.T. (physical training) clothes.

“Donna has really developed a great re-lationship with these kids. She sits there at graduation and cries,” John mused. “This one time I was sitting at my desk, and I heard a knock at the door. I looked out, and there was a young lady, a cadet. I thought, oh, something bad has hap-pened. She’s coming to the President’s house to let me know what’s going on. I opened the door, and she said, ‘Is Mrs. Rosa here?’ It turns out this young lady had been invited to go to a formal, and she didn’t have jewelry. So, she and

On the back side of the house sits a long sunroom (with 24 windows!) and a brick and flagstone porch, which is where the Rosas say their parties always migrate. (below) The Rosas’ front and back yards are designed so that each month something is blooming, thanks to Judy Eelman and Daisy Drayton.

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TIMELINE

Lt. Gen. John W. RosaSeptember 28, 1951Born

John Rosa and Donna Kangeter, with parents, marry July 14, 1973

Donna Kangeter meets Cadet John Rosa his sophomore year

Starting Quarterback, Sophomore Year

Cadet Rosa graduates from The Citadel and enters the Air Force

2LTC Rosa with a T-38 during pilot training

Flight Commander of the Jaguar squadron at RAF, Lossiemouth, Scotland

The Rosa family stationed at RAF, Lossiemouth, Scotland

1970

1971

1973

1974

1982

1981

1973

oct. 23, 1973Second Lieutenant

oct. 23, 1975First Lieutenant

oct. 23, 1977Captain

march 1, 1985Major

A-7 Corsair

Jaguar

Flown from1977-1980

Flown from1980-83

Flown from 1975-1977

A-10 Thunderbolt

1970s 1980s

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THE CITADEL PRESIDENT LT. GENERAL ROSA

Timeline designed by Ashley Holiday.Photographs provided by The Citadel's Archive and Museum and the Rosa Family. Select photography by The Citadel's Russ Pace.

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Flown from 1994-95

F-117 Nighthawk

1995

2003-2005

1993

2006

Deputy Operations Group Commander, Holliman AFB, New Mexico

Col. Rosa as F-16 Wing Commander, Shaw AFB, Sumter, South Carolina

Lt. Gen. Rosa becomes the 19th President of The Citadel

Rosa family portrait, Christmas at The Citadel. Lt. Gen. and Mrs. Rosa with sons Brad and Jonathan; daughter-in-law Elisha; grandchildren Mikey and Matty

Lt. Gen. Rosa as Superintendant, Airforce Academy in Colorado Springs, CO

Jan. 1, 1990Lieutenant Colonel

Feb. 1, 1994Colonel

aug. 1 1999Brigadier General

april 1, 2003Major General

Sept. 1, 2003Lieutenant General

Flown from1999-2000

Flown from1999-2000

Flown off & on from 1983-2000

F-16 Falcon

HH-60

HC-130

2011

1990s 2000s 2010s

Brig. Gen. John Rosa was working in the Pentagon

at time of the attack.

September 11th, 2001:

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Donna were in the back digging through all of her jewelry.” John’s re-spect of Mrs. Rosa’s impact on the ca-dets is obvious. And, one can easily link The Citadel’s recent success to both their partnership and their individual leadership.

Trust Your Instruments; They’ll Take You HomeThe Rosas strive to be always acces-sible, making Quarters One—a five bedroom ranch on campus—the per-fect place to convene. Built in 1954 specifically for General Mark Clark (as in I-526), the house has a formal din-ing room, living room, study, sunroom, handicap-accessible restroom, and

(above) The dining room in Quarters One has seen its fair share of important dinner parties, which is why General Clark’s opulent chandelier from Austria fits so nicely within the space. (below left) The sitting room, beyond the entrance, connects with the dining room, providing a perfect place for after-dinner drinks, socializing, and karaoke—thanks to Mrs. Rosa. (below right) One of the first changes the Rosas made to the home was altering the guest bathroom to be wheelchair accessible, while still retaining Mrs. Rosa’s Lowcountry style.

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porch, all designated public spaces for par-ties and meetings. The remaining rooms in the house are for personal use, though the Rosas find it difficult to define the line.

“There are events where we’re stand-ing out here entertaining, and we’ll look in the house and say, ‘There’s somebody walking around in our bedroom!’” John said while chuckling. “We had a two-story house when we did this before [at the Air Force Academy]. So, everything upstairs was ours, and people didn’t go up there.” Donna noted, “We had a huge house at the Air Force Academy, about 10,000 square feet. But, the home was a bit ostentatious. The first thing the boys said when they came in [to Quarters One] was, ‘Okay, now we’re back home again.”

Donna knew she wanted Quarters One to be a Charleston house with bright col-ors, reflecting her and John’s beginning. The office is perhaps the best example of her personal touch. She decorated with framed family photos and memorabilia of their time in the military—from cadet mementos to treasures from all the plac-es they’ve lived. When the students visit, the Rosas can hear giggling as the cadets survey their vast library of memories.

For the rest of the house, Donna used a combination of pieces left by previous presidents (some found in the attic and

restored) and their own furniture. One feature that is particularly impressive is the dining room chandelier. “It was given to General Clark by the Austrian govern-ment. After World War II, he was part of the team that divided up the way Europe was going to look,” John explained. “No-body wants to clean it. Nobody wants to touch it because it is General Clark’s. It shows the significance of General Clark. He made a huge impact. I think all of us have tried to make it [the home] more livable. Big magnolias were planted in the back by our predecessors when the Joe Riley Stadium was built [in 1997]. The ballpark lights were so bright, they couldn’t sleep. Those trees have grown up now, and it blocks the light.”

With that addition, the Rosas’ porch, is perhaps the best “room” in the house,

which is probably why most parties end up back there and why Donna said the guys like to have their cigars and scotch back there.

But, no matter how lovely the house is, it is essentially a working home, not a relaxing home. “We figured it out. Be-tween the two of us, we can do this [work on campus] for about 45 days straight. Then, you’ve got to have some breaks. You’ve got to have some type of a place to get away and chill out,” John said. “Our goal when we were young was to have a house in the mountains and somewhere at the beach. And, we’ve done that. We have a house in Maggie Valley, North Carolina.” Donna interjected, “It’s just a tiny little thing. It’s two bedrooms. When we built the cabin up there [in 2001], we had no idea that we were going to come

The sunroom is a favorite space of Lt. General Rosa for its beautiful sunsets in the winter.

Opening up to guests beyond the foyer, the Quarters One living room invites guests to make themselves at home, the goal of Mrs. Rosa when decorating the space. The original, 1954 glass division between the living room and sunroom allows light to filter throughout the home.

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back here. We just thought that had to be our little getaway place.”

More locally, the Rosas have a home on the Wadmalaw River. “It’s a great place to fish, shrimp, and clear your mind. I grew up in Jacksonville, Florida. For all my life in the military, except for Myrtle Beach, we didn’t have the opportunity to do that. So, it’s kind of like coming home,” John said. For this house, they’ve done quite a bit of remodeling (which they find relaxing)—some in the kitchen and a lot on the dock. They invested so much effort because, when they retire from The Cita-del, they want to stay in the area. Donna’s extended family of nephews, nieces, and her sister Tommye, remain in Charleston. And Jonathan, their oldest son, along with his wife, Elisha, are successful local busi-ness owners. “We love the beach and the Lowcountry, all that is here,” John shared. “We have so many good memories. My family is only three and a half hours away. We love South Carolina.”

The Rosas won’t be leaving The Citadel any time soon. Their renewed contract has them staying longer than any of the past presidents since General Clark (who was in office for eleven years).

Never Stop Flying; Never Give Up“When I committed [to The Citadel] I said, ‘We’ll see what we’re going to do at the end of five years.’ We didn’t know what was going to go on in our lives. Don-na is a cancer survivor. We didn’t want to say we’re going to commit to 10 years and then realize we don’t like this.”

It’s true. At the time of the Rosas’ return to Charleston, Donna’s hometown, she was a four-time cancer survivor with 10 years’ worth of scares under her belt—a stage four tumor on her lung among them. “It started with a mole on my back that had been watched for three years,” Donna described. “I insisted that they take it off after reading an article about a young lady that had passed away from melanoma that started as a mole on her back. They did the biopsy on me and when it came back as melanoma, they did a wide incision to get the surrounding area. They said the mar-gins were clear and that we were good. But, actually, the margins weren’t clear. Unfortunately, we trusted the doctor. We didn’t get a second opinion.”

This is the mistake that she vows to pre-vent others from making. As a speaker

and participant for Relay for Life, she spreads this message. In addition to serv-ing on the advisory council for MUSC’s Hollings Cancer Center, she has spoken on bases around the country about her struggles in order to urge people to get skin screenings, wear sunscreen, and—most importantly—stay positive.

“People think it’s a death sentence, but it’s not,” Donna insisted. “It’s very im-portant to me for people to realize that. When I had cancer in my lungs, the life expectancy was nine months, and that was in 2000. By talking about it at differ-ent bases, it’s amazing the people that call and say, ‘You’ve saved my life,’ or ‘You’ve let me see that there’s hope.’”

Then, a year ago, after years of clean scans, the Rosas found out that Donna had cancer in her foot—the fifth diagno-sis of melanoma. Taking her own advice, Donna got through the surgery and now says, “I’m good again,” implying she ac-cepts that her health will always be an ebb and flow of good and bad.

Remember: A Good Landing is One You Can Walk Away FromThrough setbacks, successes, and even interviews, John and Donna remain hand in hand. Like they do for so many of their cadets and colleagues, they opened their home to me. It’s easy to see why the Rosas have retained so many friendships, in spite of all the moves. Their honesty, modesty, and joy of life is palpable. ★

Even while enjoying beverages and the paper on the porch, it is clear John is still very much in love with Donna, his wife of almost 40 years.

THE CITADEL PRESIDENT LT. GENERAL ROSA