Christopher Newkirk (“Kirk”) Sheap MD

I am a Virginian, born in Richmond and having attended schools in Henrico County, South Boston, Williamsburg, Charlottesville and Richmond.  My father was employed by what was then Virginia Electric and Power Company and was transferred on a number of occasions.  The only time I have lived elsewhere was occasioned by my two year service in the U.S. Army when my family and I lived in Hesse in what was then West Germany.

I am an avid lover of history and majored in that when I attended the University of Virginia with a major emphasis on Russian and Greco-Roman History.  I then attended the Medical College of Virginia and was in the same class as Patch Adams.  If you ever saw the movie with Robin Williams, it didn’t happen that way.  Medical School and Internship, also at MCV, were followed by a Residency in Dermatology at the University of Virginia and then my two year Army Service in West Germany.

I met my wife, Norma, as a “blind date” for a Johnny Mathis Concert at UVA and we were married at Fort Belvoir while I was in Medical School.  We have 5 children, several of whom are in the DAR or SAR as are several of our grandchildren.  This also includes the Virginia State Society C.A.R. and to which Norma and I contribute yearly.

When Norma and I moved to Harrisonburg in 1977, a local physician, the late Dr. Jean Wine, noted my middle name of Newkirk which also was the maiden surname of his mother.  As it turned out, we proved to be 8th cousins sharing common ancestry with the Newkirk family (a Dutch family) of Ulster County, New York.  Jean was a Compatriot of our Chapter and he provided the stimulus for my research which discovered my Patriot Ancestor, Captain Cornelius Newkirk of the Ulster County, New York Militia.  I became a Compatriot in the SAR and our Chapter in early February, 1994.

Over the years, I have been active on a local, state and national level.  I have served our Chapter as President, Treasurer, Chaplain, Chairman of the Flag Recognition Program and Chairman of the ROTC-JROTC Cadet Recognition Program.  On the state level, I have served as Chairman of the Flag Program and am currently VASSAR Surgeon.  I have also been honored to serve as a judge for the state Orations Contest.  On the national level, I have been recognized for “making the circuit of the Atlantic Middle State Conferences”, having attended them all.  I also serve on the NSSAR Medical Committee and a Vice Chairman of the NSSAR Flag Committee.   I have been recognized by NSSAR for attending both the Spring and Fall NSSAR Leadership Conferences for over 5 consecutive years with the Gold Roger Sherman Medal.  I have served on the Committee of the Knight-Patty Fund of VASSAR since 2013 and as Chairman since September, 2016.   I have been a General in the 1st Virginia Regiment, VASSAR since 2014 and first contributed to one of its Funds actually before the 1st Virginia was created.  I was awarded the VA Society Medal in 2006, VASSAR Presidential Award in 2007, Silver Good Citizenship Medal  (VASSAR and Chapter) in 2008, Madison Medal (VASSAR Service Medal) in 2009, Distinguished Service Award (VASSAR) 2011, Lamp Lighter AWAR from NSSAR in September, 2012 for support of the Center for Advancing American Heritage at the NSSAR Headquarters in Louisville, in 2013 the Thomas Jefferson Medal from NSSAR for support of the Knight Essay Contest in, 2014 the Joseph Warren Medal from NSSAR for support of the Rumbaugh Oration Contest and in that year, the Chapter Service Medal.

Regarding the Knight Essay Contest, I am very proud of the fact that when I was Chapter President, we received an entry from a homeschooled student.  It was submitted to VASSAR and won there, being the first such entry to do so.  At NSSAR, it placed second, losing by less than 1 point, if I remember correctly.  This “opened the door” for the participation of home schooled students in our State Contest.

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