New Renovations Prove "Skipper is here to stay"

By Cadet Kyle Reeder and Katie Mallory '03, Communications Director

Forty-one years is a long time — especially when those forty-one years encompassed roughly twelve football games a year (including the Coach Beamer era), numerous pass in reviews, Ring Premiers, Ring Dances, Military Balls, and other events where Skipper would be expected to fire multiple times. While the total number of shots fired over that 41-year period may be a hard number to pin down, it was not hard for Col. Bob Shelton ’95 to see that Skipper was ready for much deeper maintenance to safely extend the life of the cannon loved by Hokies worldwide.

Shelton, the deputy commandant for 3rd Battalion, became the staff advisor for Skipper Crew last spring. He enlisted two other staff members, Command Master Chief Rich Curtis, 2nd Battalion’s senior enlisted advisor, and Ken Mallory '06, director of the Citizen-Leader Track, to assist in the upgrades for Skipper, which carried a potentially heavy price tag.

“We saw that Skipper holistically as an organization and equipment needed an overhaul,” Shelton said.  

Alumnus J. Pearson ’87 was quick to answer the call when a new-to-Skipper Crew truck was needed. The prior truck was unreliable and looked, as comically put by both Shelton and Mallory, “like a Flintstone's car.”  

“If you pulled the floor mats back, you could see the pavement as you drove,” Mallory said. “It was not a good image for the Corps."

Now, Skipper is towed by a 2018 F-150 thanks to Pearson, and it bears the red Skipper emblem and Corps logo, thanks to Sonny Merryman, Inc.

“With the new truck, there will be absolutely no question as to who’s towing the cannon,” said Shelton. “It is very professional. It's very sleek and clean.”

But a truck alone would not ensure Skipper’s longevity at campus and Corps events.  

Skipper’s wooden wheels had not been designed for long term use. During the Civil War, cannon wheels would have only lasted about 30 days...not 41 years. Skipper’s carriage needed updated wheels of its own, and Skipper supporters around the globe answered the call through a six-week crowd-funding campaign in May where $13,098 was raised for maintenance, equipment, and training.

However, finding a qualified wheel repair technician for the cannon was almost impossible.

The Corps found Ben Miller, owner of Miller Wagon & Cannon Co., and his shop in Parrottsville, Tennessee. The wheels were delivered there for restoration by Miller, a wheelwright with over 25 years of experience.  

“He’s considered one of the few remaining Civil War artillery experts in the country,” Shelton explained. “We ended up taking the wheels down to Mr. Miller’s shop. He pulled them apart and re-tired them for us. He cut out a piece of metal and reforged those wheels.”  

As the wheels were refurbished in Tennessee, Curtis oversaw the restoration of the cannon’s carriage back on Upper Quad.

“We stripped the paint off, broke it down, and made sure it was sound,” Curtis said. “Every bolt. Every screw. Every nut came off. We completely repainted it and put it back together.”

Curtis then found local partners to help supply Skipper’s resources. Nearby hardware stores supplied new nuts and bolts; a local artist helped design a new stencil, and with the hardworking hands of several cadets, the Skipper cannon and crew began to shine.

“Skipper I lasted 21 years then blew up. Skipper II is now 41 and in a good, sound functional state, but it won’t last forever, and we’re getting to the point where these cannon experts aren’t going to be around anymore,” Mallory said.

Along with upgrades, maintenance, and policy changes for both Skipper and Skipper Crew, Shelton’s team identified one more hurdle to overcome to keep Skipper firing: ammunition.  

No Primer, No Boom

 “Skipper is one of one,” Mallory said. “There's no other Civil War replica that fires the way that Skipper fires.”

Due to a change in industry standards, the .22 caliber blanks originally used to fire Skipper’s iconic barrel were no longer available. It took the Skipper repair team almost two months (and several test fire training events with many misfires) to find new ammunition. After testing numerous cartridges through trial and error, one looked promising. With skepticism toward future ammunition shortages due to industry changes, the team stocked up.

“The ammunition we have now is going to last us for the rest of Skipper’s life.” Mallory said.   

Polishing Policies for Skipper Crew

Skipper’s year of upgrades would not be complete without a training and safety procedures review for Skipper Crew.

“We put some new training, firing procedures, tap process, and cleaning procedures in place,” Mallory said. “We did a deep dive and revamped the regulations for the first time since the late 90s.”

Facelift for the Cave

In “the Cave” where Skipper is stored in Pearson Hall East, remodeling continues.  

“It’s going to be a working museum inside of the Cave,” Col. Shelton said. “We repainted it. It’s more of a showpiece room that gives the crew a sense of pride. They rally around that and it’s a great place for them to work and operate out of.”

Today, Skipper rolls to Lane Stadium for football games with new wheels, a new truck, and pride-filled cadets marching by its side. The cannon sounds off after every touchdown from a new, ample source of ammunition just as hopes for a fruitful football season in 2026 are skyrocketing.

“We bought ourselves time to start thinking about what Skipper III will look like without having the pressure of needing it done now,” Mallory said.  

“Skipper is here to stay,” Shelton said.