KENNETH L VOGEL 72 No 30862 5 Jan 1948 3 Aug 1989 We are better for having known him and for having had the opportunity Died in Los Angeles CA Interred in Forest Lawn Cemetery Las Angeles CA to share his brief yet full life Kenny's classmates remember him fondly as a practical joker giving and loyal friend and for his sense of spirit and adventure KENNETH LEE VOGEL was born to Kathleen and Virgil Vogel in Burbank CA He attended local schools and graduated from Van Nuys High School in 1966 Ken was a Boy Scout and an avid hockey player during his youth in the Los Angeles Youth Hockey Association He attended Los Angeles Valley College in Los Angeles during February 1966 to July 1967 Restless and adventurous by nature Ken sought and attained an appointment to West Point in July 1968 Ken spent four years as a cadet in Company E 2 and was an A Squad Hockey Player During his First Class year he won the Major Henry S Beukema Class of 1944 Memorial Award established in 1955 for the outstanding hockey player Kenny's classmates remember him fondly as a practical joker a giving and loyal friend and for his sense of spirit and adventure Many anecdotes and West Point myths surround Kenny's name for he was the son of a Hollywood movie director dated Linda Evans and was known for his diamond class ring and the Jaguar he drove cross country and crashed into Storm King Mountain It was promptly replaced a few weeks later Another anecdote passed on by a classmate told the tale of his planned weekend pass to Germany to buy a BMW He worked a detailed itinerary sent it forward to his TAC MAJ Mallory now Ret LTG Mallory in hopes of approval As expected the weekend leave overseas met with considerable scrutiny at USCC Headquarters Ultimately the weekend was approved with the known consequences of late return eloquently articulated by the Tactical Department Ken chose not to travel after all but the effort captures his personality and spirit of adventure If you didn t know him closely you may have missed his friendliness generosity and wry sense of humor While at West Point Ken met Bobbie Jean Zurawicki of Ladycliff College She became his OAO after a short period and the two married in October 1972 in Amsterdam NY Following graduation Ken was assigned to Army Personnel Command Headquarters and served almost five years in a series of jobs at the Hoffman Building He earned a master's degree from the University of Maryland and continued to play hockey in the local night league After completing his commitment to the Army Ken and Bobbie Jean returned to the Los Angeles area to work for Universal Studios in the film editing career field His brother Jim characterized him as an innovator in the motion picture and television industry Ken and Bobbie Jean enjoyed work their two Somoyeds Red and Blue skiing and traveling In constant pursuit of challenges Ken prepared for and ran the San Francisco Marathon in 1982 finishing in less than four hours Sadly Ken was stricken with leukemia He fought a valiant fight but unfortunately was taken from us all much too soon during the prime of his life He is survived by his brother James Floyd and three nieces Katie Kellie and Jamie His family and those who knew him have been touched by his warmth generosity and spirit As long as we keep his memory alive he remains a part of our lives A letter from Ken's classmate Frank Turek aptly summarizes how we all feel I called Kenny's father right after his death I don t know exactly why I don t even know how I came upon Virgil's telephone number I don t know how to explain it but Kenny Vogel's spirit lives with me today and I am sad that he is gone God bless Kenny Life is not measured by length alone the quality of the experience and the weight of the contributions more clearly define its legacy In that spirit Ken Vogel's life was full rich with friends and blessed by a loving family We are better for having known him and for having had the opportunity to share his brief yet full life Be thou at peace Kenny Classmates family and friends