Honoring one of J-Town's own WWII Heros!

Virgil Ropel, a local born and raised WWII Veteran that will be turning 100 and the American Legion needs you as they're Birthday Card Campaign for Virgil.  His daughter Maureen joins Tony & Scott with a look back on "Rop's" life.  You can send those cards to

Virgil Roppel
c/o American Legion Post 244
3408 College Drive
Jeffersontown, KY  40299

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Well, they used to call himRop. Maybe they still call him Rob.
Virgil Rappel, Stable of Jaytown andall of Louisville, best known as
the co founder of Rappel Radiator nowRapel Industry is so what a man for
sure? Well, the American LegionGI Post GI Joe Post two forty four

(00:21):
in Jeffersontown has a big celebration forRop and we have his daughter, Maureene
Rappel joining us this morning. Maurin, how are you. It's good to
talk to you. I'm doing I'mterrific. How are you? I'm it's
I'm smiling because I remember, youknow, for years Rappel Radiator being on
this radio station advertising with Wayne Bertieand all the gang and El Metso and

(00:46):
everybody. And there's lots to celebrateabout your dad, isn't there. Yes,
Yes, he is an amazing man. How old is your dad now?
He's ninety nine. In thirty somethingdays he'll be one hundred, and
we're going to celebrate his one hundredthbirthday, this great World War Two veteran,

(01:07):
right, Yes, we're gonna celebrateit in style, you know.
Marine. It was interesting because Iwas talking with your friend Kathy there and
she was sharing the story of yourdad. It holds true to me because
I'm a Navy vet myself, sowhen we get honor another Navy veteran,
that's awesome. She was telling usin the story that your dad actually used
to invite people in who were fromout of town for the Kentucky derby who

(01:32):
needed the car repair to stay hisplace, didn't I I yeah, I
heard that story too. That's justthe way he was. Everybody was his
friend, and when it came tobusiness, the customer is always the most
important thing. Well how important marinewas that? Growing up around your father?
What did you learn from him becomingsuch a small business icon here in

(01:53):
Louisville. I learned at a veryearly age that the customer is always right,
take care of people your kinds,you're generous, and he just lived
by that and we all learned itand we all live it too. Has
he been a part of Wonterflight Bluegrass. Has he had a chance to go
over into d C. He hashad the chance. They had asked him.

(02:20):
But my brother lives in d C, so we've been up there to
all the memorials a lot of times. So he didn't. He just didn't
want to do the big long allday. But he went up on that
flight that they had that be twentyfive right at Bowman Field. O.
Great, Yeah, he really likedit. This is a real treat to

(02:40):
talk to you. Marine. Ofcourse, going to honor her father,
the longtime staple of Jaytown, that'sfor sure. And you know it was
reading about your dad and about yourfamily. Now, you guys lived in
Jaytown when it wasn't the Jaytown weknow now, right. I remember that
I was not happy when he saidwe were moving jay Town because she said

(03:01):
it's the country. I don't likethe country. Well, I remember when
your mom was right about bicycle goJayjown. Now, if if I understand
this right, Marine, his shopused to be wearing Baxter Avenue. Yes,
that was the original shop. Andwhat what what caused him to move

(03:22):
out to Jaytown from Baxter Avenue?His father his father found this house,
I'm not sure how, and hesaid, Virgil, this is the house
to buy. You gotta buy it. And they'd say, okay, there
you go. Let's talk a littlebit real quickly. The one hundred birthday
card celebration campaign. When is it? How can we get involved? And

(03:45):
can we come see you guys atthe American Legion g I Joe Post two
forty four. Well, Kathy's herewith me, and she's the one that
organized all this, so why don'tyou ask her and she can fill you
in on all the details. Okay, all right, very quickly, we're
just asking everybody, especially those whoremember Rop and and all everybody lirrible pretty

(04:09):
much. If you're very old atall, you know that name. We're
asking folks just to send a happybirthday card. If you know him,
maybe put a memory in there sobecause the family will take these cards afterwards
and and open on one, youknow, slowly over time after his birthday,
but on but on uh, we'regoing to celebrate it actually at the
post of a smaller celebration on thetwenty eighth. But we asked that the

(04:33):
cards be mailed by the twenty thirdto the care of Virgil Rappel, care
of the American Legion Post two fortyfour. That's at thirty four oh eight,
Colleague Drive, Jeffersontown, Kentucky forzero two nine nine. That's gonna

(04:56):
be great. We're gathering up allthose cards as a surprise to him.
They're gonna we'll have a little cake, a small birthday celebration there at the
post and well presenting with all thecards, and we're hoping to get them
from all over the country and maybeeven hopefully we've got some military folks out
there on faces outside of the UShe hears about it. Maybe they'll melt

(05:17):
them from other countries. That wouldbe great. Well, we'll get that
out on our Twitter feed as well, so people can send Virgil a car.
Thanks so much, Kathy Snyder andalso Marine Rappell joining us this morning.
We're coming back with Caleb Silver Newsabout your Money coming up next