John W. Kolmer
Dr. John Wilson Kolmer, Colonel, USA (Ret.) graduated from Andrew Lewis High School in 1951. A native of Salem and an excellent student, he participated in numerous organizations including the Latin Club, the Beta Club, the Class Council, the Pep Club, the Senior Choir, the News Staff, and Boys State. He was also a member of the basketball and track teams and was selected for the Senior Mirror.
In 1955, Dr. Kolmer graduated from Hampton Sydney College. While there, he ran track and cross country, was a member of the Men’s Chorus, the honorary leadership society Omicron Delta Kappa, and the Kappa Alpha Order for which he served one year as president. In 1959, he received his M.D. degree from the Medical College of Virginia. Following his graduation from medical school, he served as a physician with the U.S. Army 29th Infantry Division in Munich, Germany. When he returned to the States, he completed a four year residency program at the Medical College of Virginia and Roanoke Memorial Hospital and became board certified in Otolaryngology medicine and surgery. For the next eight years, he served on the staff of physicians at Gill Memorial Clinic and Hospital in Roanoke. In 1971, he was confirmed as a Fellow in the American College of Surgeons.
In 1975, Dr. Kolmer returned to active duty with the U.S. Army at Fort Carson in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Three years later, he was named Chief of the Otolaryngology Service and Residency Training program and Chief, Department of Surgery at Fitzsimons Army Medical Center in Aurora, Colorado. During his years with the military, he served in various positions which included Director of Combat Casualty Research and Development at Fr. Detrick, Maryland; Deputy Hospital Commander at Ft. Hood, Texas; and Hospital Commander at both Ft. Devens, Massachusetts and Fr. Eustis, Virginia. Colonel Kolmer also served with distinction on the Joint Task Force in Honduras for six month. He was assigned to the Pentagon for one year where he was in charge of Acquisitions for the Office of the Under Secretary of the Department of Defense.
During his Army career, Colonel Kolmer was awarded numerous military honors. Among these were The Legion of Merit, The Meritorious Service Medal with Two Oak Leaf Cluster, The Army Commendation Medal with Oak Lear Cluster, The army Achievement Medal, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Expert Field Medical Badge, and membership in the Order of Military Medical Merit. Colonel Kolmer retired from the Army in 1995 after 26 years of service. He then returned to private practice for several years.
The Kiwanis Club, Habitat for Humanity, and the Boy Scouts of America were among Dr. Kolmer’s area of community service. An Eagle Scout and Scout Leader in his youth, he served in his adult years as Scoutmaster, Assistant District Commissioner, Roundtable Commissioner, and Wood Badge Course Director. He was a member of the Vigil Honor Order of the Arrow and was the recipient of the Silver Acorn Ward. He also served on the National Health and Safety Committee at three National Jamborees. His professional affiliations included the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Otolaryngology, the American College of Surgeons, and the Retired Officers’ Association.
Among Dr. Kolmer’s personal interests were an appreciation of music and love of camping and travel. Foremost, however, was his love and concern for people. His wife, the former Mary Ann Wright of Richmond, his four children, John, Jr., Thomas, Dave, and Kathryn, his patients, other family members and friends have all been enriched and inspired by his honesty , integrity, love of God, and service to others.
Dr. Kolmer died on April 10, 2003. Following a memorial service at Stony Point Reformed Presbyterian church in Richmond, Virginia, he was inurned with military honors at Arlington National Cemetery.
In recognition of his outstanding career achievements, John Wilson Kolmer is posthumously inducted into the 2003 Salem Alumni Hall of Fame established by the Salem Educational Foundation and Alumni Association.
