Five join the DLA Hall of Fame

The Defense Logistics Agency inducted five members into its Hall of Fame at a May 7 ceremony at the agency’s headquarters, recognizing Anthony D’Ambrosio, Lillian Gardner, Sherry Low, Lee Oppenheim, and retired Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Wallace H. Robinson Jr., who was honored posthumously in the legacy category.

DLA Director Army Lt. Gen. Mark Simerly hosted the event, noting the honorees’ combined 157 years of federal service and acknowledging the families, friends and colleagues who supported them. “The Hall of Fame ceremony reinforces our culture, connects generations of the workforce, and ensures the lessons and values of those who came before us are not lost to time,” Simerly said. “When we honor our inductees, we affirm who we are as an agency and who we aspire to be.”

“When we choose to remember, when we lift up the men and women whose service shaped this agency, we reveal something essential about our values,” he added. “We show that excellence, innovation, and dedication matter. We show that the professionals who built DLA’s reputation for readiness and reliability deserve to have their stories carried forward.”

D’Ambrosio began his federal career in 1985 as a procurement agent and rose to become deputy director of the Construction and Equipment Supply Chain at DLA Troop Support before retiring in 2018. He led vendor-managed programs, directed contingency logistics for humanitarian operations, supported wartime construction in the U.S. Central and Pacific Command regions, and helped steer DLA’s responses to the Ebola outbreak in Liberia and to Hurricanes Harvey and Maria. “It was a great experience being part of an organization that provides support to military humanitarian efforts worldwide,” he said. “I took great pride in being an acquisition professional in such an innovative organization. I learned from so many dedicated professionals along the way. Even now, when I see world events in the news, I know that the DLA workforce provided exceptional support.”

Gardner launched her federal career in 1983 as an inventory management specialist and later served as supplier operations chief for the Continental U.S. Subsistence Prime Vendor Program, director of supplier operations for Construction and Equipment at DLA Troop Support, and director of the DLA Contracting Services Office in DLA Acquisition. She helped expand the Unified Tray Program, which provides a 14-day meal rotation for deployed forces, and crafted acquisition strategies for items such as maritime lifesaving and diving gear, tactical equipment and firefighting gear. “All of these programs were fun, sometimes challenging, but business-changing for DLA,” she said. “They became successful because the people at DLA are a family. We worked together through many long hours, getting to know each other — and in later years, texting each other — to accomplish the job, and most importantly, to support our warfighters.”

Low spent more than four decades with DLA Disposition Services, rising from a clerk typist in Battle Creek, Michigan, to lead the Customer Support Division, where she oversaw reutilization and donation efforts, customer relations, and the Law Enforcement Support Office. She organized the first DLA/Army Industry Day on demilitarization that produced a new process and cut transportation costs by more than $800,000, and she led reforms of the program that transfers excess military equipment to law enforcement. DLA Disposition Services Director Mike Cannon, speaking on her behalf, said, “I did not have a harder worker on the staff. But one of her favorite quotes was, ‘It’s not work if you love what you do.’” He added, “She made a significant impact on the workforce through her leadership and mentorship. I can attribute about 60% of what I know about disposal to three people, Sherry being one of them.” Cannon reflected on her career arc: “She was a full circle story,” Cannon said. “When she started her career, she had to get driven to work by her mom, and over four decades, she set the standard in Disposition Services for service, leadership and dedication.”

Oppenheim, who joined federal service in 1976 as a chemist, built a reputation as a fuels quality authority and problem-solver in complex supply chains. After field duty overseas as a quality assurance representative, he returned to the DLA Energy Quality Directorate and represented the agency in standards organizations including ASTM International and the American Petroleum Institute. He also launched a Quality Intern Program and taught DLA Energy courses to develop future specialists. “To my Energy family, I thank you for enabling me over the years to achieve success,” he said. “You gave your time to answer my questions about the how the business worked and allowed me to see how quality and technical, or regional groups, fit into the overall scheme.”

Robinson, DLA’s predecessor agency’s fourth director from 1971 to 1975, became the Hall of Fame’s second legacy inductee. During his tenure at the Defense Supply Agency, he expanded global responsibilities by creating Defense Subsistence Regions in Europe and the Pacific, assumed worldwide responsibility for bulk petroleum and property disposal, and established the Defense Property Disposal Services in Battle Creek. He later served as commissioner of the Federal Supply Service and led the National Defense Industrial Association. His daughter, Christine Trapnell, shared a tribute by video: “If I had to describe my father, I would say love of family and duty to his country, especially the United States Marine Corps. He believed deeply in serving his country, and that belief guided him through his life,” she said. “My father was an exceptional, self-effacing man who always sought to support his troops and to respect and to appreciate those with whom he worked,” Trapnell said. Robinson died in 2013 at age 93.

With this class, DLA’s Hall of Fame now includes 158 members.