Valentine S. Keppel Valentine S. Keppel Valentine S. "V.S." "Val" Keppel (February 21, 1865 – September 7, 1940) was an American farmer and politician. Born in La Crosse County, Wisconsin in Mormon Coulee, Keppel went to the public schools. He was a farmer and lived in Long Coulee near Holmen, Wisconsin. He was the manager and secretary of the Holmen Cooperative Creamery and was also secretary of the Holmen Telephone Company. Keppel was also one of the directors of the Holmen Bank. Keppel was a supporter of United States Senator Robert M. La Follette, Sr. and the Wisconsin Progressive Party. Keppel served on
Ellis Valentine during the series' first season (original air date: March 25, 1978). Gary Burghoff plays an accountant with the fantasy of being a Major League Baseball pitcher. Valentine is one of his strikeout victims. After retiring from baseball, Valentine took a job with Avis Rent-a-Car earning $4.25 per hour. In his first baseball-related job since retirement, Valentine managed Antelope Valley in the short-lived Golden State League in . His tenure with the financially doomed league lasted just a week into the season. Valentine fought drug and alcohol addiction throughout his career. In September 1986, a year after retiring, he moved from