 Major General Claude W. Reinke retired this year after 32 years of service in the U.S. Marine Crops, during which he showed impressive leadership skills in many varied assignments throughout the world--leadership skills developed on the playing fields and in the classrooms of Sam Houston State University.
A native of Bay City and graduate of Bay City High School, he attended Sam Houston State from 1961 to 1965, graduating with a bachelor of science degree. Following graduation he remained for an additional year as a graduate fellow. While attending Sam Houston State on an athletic scholarship, he lettered four years in football. He was named an All-Texas and All Lone Star Conference player in 1963 and 1964. His off-field leadership included service as president of the T-Club Lettermen's Association and member of Alpha Tau Omega fraternity. Upon graduation, Reinke was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps. In addition to service as a company commander in Vietnam and in Okinawa, Japan, he has had a number of domestic assignments. He has been an infantry tactics instructor, an associate professor with the Naval R. O. T. C. unit at the University of Minnesota, and deputy director of the Marine Corps Institute in Washington. He served three years as assistant Naval attaché in Athens, Greece and two years as the ceremonial parade commander at Marine Barracks in Washington. He has been a political-military plans officer at the headquarters of the Marine Corps in Washington and operations officer for the First Marine Division in California. He has also held the positions of battalion commander, commanding officer of Officer Candidate School, and chief of staff for the 3d Marine Division. As a general officer he has served as the commanding general of Camp Butler in Japan, as the facilities director of Marine Headquarters in Washington, and commanding general of Camp Pendleton in California. During his career he was a distinguished graduate of the Marine Corps' Amphibious Warfare School and the Command and Staff College in Quantico, Virginia. He also graduated from the Foreign Service Institute in Washington and was a senior fellow at the National War College. He has been awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal with Combat "V", Meritorious Service Medal, Combat Action Ribbon and numerous unit citations. He is married to the former Abby Holley of LaCrosse, Wisc. They have five children: Kathryn, Kari, Kelli, Kati and Christopher. Following his retirement this year he assumed the position of publisher of The Californian, a daily newspaper in Riverside County in Southern California. |
As profiled at the October 30, 1998 Distinguished Alumni Banquet