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DAV • William V. Brooks Chapter 47

Chapter History

Nearly dissolved in 2008. More than 700 members strong today. This is how Chapter 47 came back — and the veterans who rebuilt it.

Our Chapter

A History Still Being Written

Chartered in 1983, DAV Nebraska Chapter 47 has a long history — but membership and active participation dwindled significantly over the years. By 2008, there were calls to shut the failing chapter down and consolidate its meager numbers with the nearby Omaha chapter.

Undeterred, leaders like Commander Thomas G. Kimmet stepped up to rebuild. Kimmet had taken the chair in 2006 and would hold it for seven years — the longest tenure in the chapter's recorded history. He hosted the first meeting in years on 24 September 2011, with eight other members in attendance and not many more on the roster. When asked what inspired him to turn things around, he simply responded, “the heart and soul of who I surrounded myself with.”

That powerful motivation inspired his teammate and succeeding commander, Richard T. Reck, who began working closely with Bellevue University and its Military Veteran Services Center for support. In December 2013 the chapter opened an office inside the MVSC — the first, and only, on-campus facility to host a DAV office.

Together, they built an enduring relationship that culminated on 26 April 2014, when Ms. Jane E. Brooks honored the chapter with the name of her late husband, William V. Brooks — World War II veteran and one of Bellevue University's key builders. Commander Reck had written to her that February to ask; she gave her “whole-hearted consent” in a letter dated 12 March 2014, and she and her family attended the dedication ceremony on campus that spring.

Thomas G. Kimmet
Thomas G. Kimmet

Commander, 2006–2013. Held the chair through the chapter's near-dissolution and its rebuilding, then served as Treasurer, Adjutant, and Department Service Officer. One of the chapter's first five Service Officers.

1983
Chartered in Nebraska
700+
Members on the Roster
15,000+
Veterans Assisted
15
Bonded Service Officers

Milestones

Four Decades, One Chapter

From a charter in 1983 to a near-dissolution in 2008 to one of the busiest DAV service operations in Nebraska.

  1. 23 June 1983

    A Chapter Is Chartered

    The National Executive Committee grants a local charter to fifty-seven Nebraskans, authorizing a chapter of the Disabled American Veterans at Bellevue, Nebraska. The charter is issued under the hand and seal of the National Commander at National Headquarters in Cold Spring, Kentucky, and countersigned by the Adjutant for the Department of Nebraska. Among the founding members is Donald J. Gallagher, who will serve as the chapter's Commander two decades later.

    The charter of DAV Chapter 47, listing its fifty-seven founding members
    The Chapter Charter

    Granted 23 June 1983 at National Headquarters in Cold Spring, Kentucky, and naming all fifty-seven founding members. This copy is a reissue, carrying the original 1983 charter date under the name the chapter took in 2014.

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  2. 2008

    On the Brink

    After years of declining membership and participation, there are calls to dissolve the chapter outright and fold its remaining members into the nearby Omaha chapter.

  3. 24 September 2011

    Nine Members, One Room

    Commander Tom Kimmet convenes the first chapter meeting in years. Eight other members attend, and the roster holds not many more. It is the turning point.

  4. December 2013

    The Doors Open

    DAV life member J.R. Richardson, director of the Bellevue University Military Veteran Services Center, reached out to Commander Richard T. Reck to see how the university can support. The chapter opens an office inside the university's MVSC — the first and only on-campus facility to host a DAV office. The MVSC then occupies what is now the Rotert Building on Harvell Circle, a nearly 6,000‑square‑foot center named for its former owners, Bill and Alice Rotert.

    The chapter opens those doors with its first Chapter Service Officers — a small group of five, including Tom Kimmet, Mike Jackman, and Rick Reck, each of whom would serve as Commander of Chapter 47. Their first class is taught by National Service Officer Mark Moore. Five veterans are assisted in that first month.

  5. 26 April 2014

    The Chapter Takes a Name

    Commander Richard T. Reck writes to Ms. Jane E. Brooks on 25 February asking to name the chapter in memory of her late husband. She answers on 12 March: “I am sure Bill would be pleased with such an honor, and I give my whole-hearted consent to your request.” MVSC Director JR Richardson helps carry the renaming through. The Brooks family attends the dedication ceremony on 26 April, and the chapter becomes DAV William V. Brooks Chapter 47.

    Richard T. Reck
    Richard T. Reck

    Commander, 2013–2015, and one of the chapter's first five Service Officers. Pivotal in building the partnership with Bellevue University, and the man who wrote to Jane Brooks asking to name the chapter for her late husband. The chapter's scholarship carries his name.

  6. 2015

    The Chapter Grows

    Regular meeting attendance has doubled and the roster swells with new members and transfers, as word spreads about the free help available at the MVSC. The work of helping veterans access their hard-earned benefits becomes the chapter's defining mission.

  7. February 2018

    The 2,000th Veteran

    The chapter marks its 2,000th veteran served at the MVSC. Thirteen bonded and certified DAV service representatives are now working out of the center.

  8. February 2024

    Ten Years, Ten Thousand

    The chapter celebrates a decade at the MVSC and its ten thousandth veteran assisted. Chapter Commander Cornelius Hood opens the ceremony, followed by DAV Nebraska Department Adjutant Jamie Jakub; Department Service Officers Tim Butz and Tom Kimmet — both former Chapter 47 officers — who trace the heritage of the DAV and of Chapter 47; Bellevue University President Dr. Mary Hawkins; and MVSC Director JR Richardson. Fourteen volunteer Service Officers are now serving veterans at the MVSC and the Omaha DAV office.

  9. 21 November 2025

    A Bigger Home

    In June 2024 the MVSC and its partner organizations temporarily relocate off Harvell Circle to make way for construction of the university's new field house. The move is made permanent in the John B. Muller Administrative Services Building near the center of campus — an 11,800‑square‑foot facility that nearly doubles the available space. A ribbon cutting and open house mark the new home on 21 November 2025.

  10. 2026

    Team 47 Today

    Over 700 members. More than 15,000 veterans assisted. Fifteen bonded and certified Service Officers — nearly half of every Service Officer in DAV Nebraska.

The Roll

Those Who Led

Every chapter runs on the people willing to take the chair and keep the books. These are ours, as far back as the records go.

Commanders

  • 2003–2006Donald J. Gallagher
  • 2006–2013Thomas G. Kimmet
  • 2013–2015Richard T. Reck
  • 2015–2018Darell J. Kodad Jr.
  • 2018–2019Bradley E. Pelham
  • 2019–2020Andrew M. Ferguson
  • 2020–2023Michael M. Jackman
  • 2023–2025Cornelius Hood
  • 2025–PresentBryan E. Bell

Adjutants

  • 2003–2009Donald J. Gallagher
  • 2010–2011Darrell D. Charlton
  • 2011–2012Gilbert D. Head
  • 2012–2015Michael M. Jackman
  • 2015–2017Thomas G. Kimmet
  • 2017–2018Timothy C. Butz
  • 2018–2020Darell J. Kodad Jr.
  • 2020–2023Timothy C. Butz
  • 2023–2026Bob Servant
  • 2026–PresentKen Hermanson

Officer records before 2003 have not yet been recovered — a twenty-year gap between our 1983 charter and the earliest roll we hold. If you served as an officer of Chapter 47 in those years, or remember who did, please write to us. For the chapter's current officers, see Chapter Officers.

DAV Chapter 47 members and Service Officers at Bellevue University's Military Veteran Services Center
20 December 2023 — Chapter 47 at Bellevue University's Military Veteran Services Center, marking ten years of service to area veterans.

“Chapter 47 has earned the reputation we have through word-of-mouth from veteran to veteran.”

Mike Jackman — former DAV Nebraska Department Commander and proud member of Team 47

Where We Stand

Chapter 47 Today

DAV Nebraska Chapter 47 continues to expand its reach and its ability to positively impact thousands of area disabled veterans. Our partnership with Bellevue University has never been stronger, with complete scheduling, administrative, and IT support from their amazing staff, along with regular meeting spaces and two dedicated offices for our Service Officers.

You'll find us in the John B. Muller Administrative Services Building at 812 Bruin Blvd, the MVSC's home since 2025 — a space nearly double the size of the center we grew up in on Harvell Circle.

Speaking of Service Officers — our chapter now has fifteen bonded and certified. Nearly half of DAV Nebraska's Service Officers call Chapter 47 their home.

Our roster has grown to over 700 members, with monthly meetings drawing 30–50 members from generations ranging from today's Global War on Terror veterans all the way back to veterans of the Korean War.

We can't wait to see you at our next meeting.

Help Us Fill In the Gaps

Between 1983 and 2008, the written record of this chapter is thin — and our members are the only archive. If you have photographs, meeting minutes, newsletters, charter documents, or simply a story about the chapter's early years, we would be grateful for it. Email us at davchapter47@bellevue.edu.

References

Sources

Corrections are welcome. If you spot an error or can add to the record, write to davchapter47@bellevue.edu.