Return to Archives Page

138th Column


            138th Column.  25 Sep: getting an early start.  Scribe has more or less recovered from 45th and Hurricane Isabel.  The reunion was super.  However, six days without power thanks to Isabel were not fun.

            Scribe will share some class stats provided during the breakfast-class meeting on 12 Sep.  Bad news first.  Our Roll Call of classmates and wives at the Trophy Point Memorial Service later that same morning numbered 150.  Forty-nine have been added since the 40th  Reunion in May 1998.  Math hives will quickly see that virtually one third of the total joined during the last five years!  We are truly in the primary zone for selection to join the Ghostly Assemblage.  Success in this selection process is being passed over.  Not our call.  Just as during our service time, things we do can impact the selection, but there are no guarantees.  As Stan Bacon reminds us on the PC-net, “we are what we eat.”  My admonition to each of you is to attend the San Antonio Mini 21-24 Oct 04 (Jack Bujalski OIC), other mini reunions as announced and our 50th in May 2008 (Garry Roosma OIC).

            A bit more info on our Roll Call.  The 150 is split between 35 wives (including 9 June Ladies) and 115 classmates.  We all know that 13 of our classmates (12 ’58 grads and one a gift to ’59) fell in Southeast Asia.  They are listed on the VN Memorial Wall and are remembered by the class annually on the Sunday the weekend before Memorial Weekend.  In recent years we have focused on one of these 13 with war stories and participation by family members.  Next year our focus will be on Lon Spurlock I-1.

Ninety-eight of 115 classmates were graduated in ’58, seven in ’59 and ten did not graduate.  Twenty-eight died on active duty or active reserves, 57 were retired and 30 were in civil life.  Scribe says again, San Antonio – be there!

            Sep-Oct Assembly (pp 32-33) provided some stats on recently graduated class of ’03, 45 years our juniors.  Comparative info/data.  Their speaker was VP Cheney.  Ours was SecDef Neil McElroy.  First Capt, Class Pres, 1st in class standing and one Rhodes Scholar were listed in the article.  Ours are well-known: Bob Durkin, Jack Bradshaw, George Walker (died 1/31/59) and John Sewall.  I hope the ’03 luminaries will be as dedicated to military careers and as successful as ours were!  Graduate statistics: ’03 graduated 864 (75% of those who entered with the class); ’58 had 573 grads, but that included great gifts from ’56 (1) and ’57 (21).  We graduated 551 of the 772 who entered Beast on 6 July 54 graduate in June 58 (73.3%).  Other graduate comparisons: ’03 had seven international grads, we had four (Pete Kullavanijaya and Sammy Sookmark rose to four stars and beyond in Thailand while Luis Mirasol (died 12/6/98) retd from Philippine AF a colonel and Juan Villanes is in civil life in Peru); ’03 had 124 women, we, of course, had none (* below); ’03 had 55 African-Americans, we had Ron Brunner (died 11/20/98) ’03 had 44 Asian/Pacific Islanders, we had Dick Hirata and Bob Matsumoto; ’03 had 68 Hispanics, I cannot identify all of ours; ’03 had one Native American, we had Willie Jon Marshall (died 12/5/02) ’03 had four commissioned in USAF, we had 143; ’03 had 38 sons and daughters of grads (4.4%), we had 56 sons of grads (9.8%).  We all wish ’03 Godspeed as they begin their service in a very difficult time in the life our country, our Army and all the armed services.

True confession re female grads.  Scribe is the proud (?) possessor of a Medicare card issued to George Sibert, Female!  Documentary proof of yet another first for ’58.  It does have Judy’s birth date; therefore, both of our Medicare records are confused.  Retiring was a bigger adjustment than I expected.  You can imagine (1) what this card did to our early Medicare claims and (2) the myriad problems getting it changed in the various Medicare computers.  Almost two years later and some Medicare summaries arrive still screwed up.  Love it.  As with Larry Bullis who had a PA driver’s license with date of birth 24 Oct 56, which made him under TWO at graduation, my Medicare card and his license have been corrected.  Larry is sadder than I about the corrections: he relished being twenty years younger!  For a short time ’58 had both the first female grad and the youngest ever graduate.

45th Reunion.  We had about 250 classmates and widows.  Largest crowd was 550 for lunch at the club after the Memorial Service on Friday.  Kudos to Garry Roosma and his crew: Will Collett registrations, Tony Bauer treasurer, Tom Sands CINC golf, Dan Brockwell memorial service bulletins and Chuck Toftoy Benny Havens Room complete with all the FREE Samuel Adams beer you could drink.  Join Chuck & me in thanks to the Samuel Adams Brewery for supporting this ’58 Reunion!

We stayed at the Park Ridge Marriott – super hotel.  Now that we know where it is, most of us hope to return there for our 50th in May 2008.  Activities included arrival cocktail party on Wed.  Thursday was a free day (golf and tours or time in Benny Havens Room) complete with company dinners that night.  Friday began with class meeting & breakfast followed by bus trip to West Point for Memorial Service at Trophy Point, lunch at the club and time with Supe (super presentation) and time to wander around.  Before the Supe’s presentation, John Calabro ’68, AOG VP for Alumni Support made a surprise presentation to Ron Turner.  Ron was commended for his conception and execution of the Class Memorial Ring Program.  As you all know, this involves melting down the gold from donated rings so that all rings beginning with the Bicentennial Class of ’02 share gold from rings of the Long Gray Line.  Pop your chest up, way up, Ron!

Back at the hotel we had an Oktoberfest dinner.  Saturday saw us back on the buses to West Point for P-rade (rain held off) in our distinctive uniform of gray trou, blue blazers and WHITE hats (see C-1 photo).  Lunch followed in Washington Hall and then the football game for those who braved the weather.  Back at the hotel we had a buffet and, of course, our Benny Havens Room (open virtually 24/4 – four days of reunion).  Those of us there missed the larger half who were AWOL.  About 90 went on the post-reunion cruise to Nova Scotia organized by Betty & Herb Puscheck.  Names and photo of this activity will appear next time.  Also next time Herb’s trip section to Antietam to re-fight the bloodiest day of the Civil War.

Class Widows.  Must report on the great gathering of widows at the 45th, nine of whom attended the breakfast organized by Audrey Webb.  Audrey wrote each of the class widows encouraging each to attend the 45th.  A labor of love.  Thanks, Audrey!  Please see the breakfast photo of Audrey, Charlotte Mason Kitchell, Roxie Yarr, Mary Ann Maxson, Mary Kay Olson, Sue Kernan (all standing) & Gay Brown and Joan Normington (seated).  Not pictured was Suzy Spurlock who did attend the breakfast.  Other widows and a number of offspring attended the memorial service.  Widows and offspring are both important categories of attendees.  At my father’s 65th Reunion (he had already joined the ranks of the Ghostly Assemblage) in 2001, we “kids” outnumbered the ’36 grads!

Without the definitive list of attendees (casualty of my being off the internet for over two months), I will brag a bit about H-2.  Scribe was 100% for roommates attending: Will Roosma, Bob Stinson (Ghostly Assemblage 5/14/58), Bill Parks, Jim Hall and Clyde Brown.

H-2 had 15 of 17 surviving grads attend.  In addition to my four living roommates, other attendees included: Rich Clements and Nadine Cox, Joe & Thai DeChant, Bob & Chris Dey, Jack & Margie Downing, Betsy Hall, Esther Jackson & daughter Corrine Jackson  Spech, Joe & Peggy Luman (kudos to Joe, our effective CCQ, for great attendance), Joe & Inez McElroy, Mary Jane Parks, Phil & Lynn Pryor, Garry & Jill Roosma, Sandy Roosma, Denny & Shirley Sharon, Judy Sibert (my current roommate) and John & Suzy Soper.  AWOL were Lou Prime and Mike Riordan.  Sadly, none of the three H-2 non-grads (each is an Associate Member of AOG) on the class mailing list joined us: Bill Harrison, Ed Linkiewicz and Fred Ruffner.  We are working on those five for San Antonio next year.  Our Cow and Firstie Tac, Bill Humphreys ’46 is planning to attend and take roll.  Be there!   Fun for me to brag about my company for a change.

Kudos as well to Alan Salisbury, Palmer McGrew and all the singers for entertaining us during the Oktoberfest.  The photo is the smaller group which began the program.  This group was later joined by ALL the singers for a trip down memory lane with songs of our cadet days.  Nice to see they still remember the words!  No one enjoyed being one of the Oktoberfest singers more than Jack Lowe D-2, a casualty of Social Sciences in Jan 57.  Welcome back, Jack and Merlyn!  Good spot to recognize all our non-grad classmates & wives who attended the 45th: Floyd & June Likins B-1, Doc & Cathy Heyerdahl I-1, Stu & Joanne Matt M-1 (famous for the Hershey Mini in 1997), Paul & Earldean Dean B-2, Hugh & Nancy Fisher E-2, and Stan & Nell Snipes L-2.

Largest family gathering at 45th must have been Doug & Pat MacLeod with their three children and their three spouses and four grandchildren!

First Responders.  An email reply missed in my last column: “Some time ago you ask us to identify our children who are front line defenders. Our son Jon qualifies. He is Senior Detective in the Sierra Vista, AZ police dept. Our area constantly defends our country against illegal drug imports as well as illegal aliens which consist of far more than poor Mexicans trying to get here for jobs. Our southern border is porous and people from all nations you can imagine come pouring in daily. Forget what you read in the papers -- we are at war here on our own border.  Regards, Gary Kosmider” Thanks for the info, Gary.  Sorry it appears late.

Promotions of class offspring.  For reasons Scribe does not understand, this information is difficult to obtain, perhaps because it is another measure of our growing older.  Scott Miller ’83, son-in-law of Dave (died 1/1/00) & Leticia Coury, has been selected for COL.  Scott is IN and has served in Somalia (in the bad days), Bosnia, Afghanistan and Iraq.  Patty Jones, daughter of Linc & Ann Jones, has been selected for LTC.  I know that Patty has served in Afghanistan as has her MAJ(P) husband Malcolm Frost ’88.  They are both in Hawaii, but Malcolm is slated to command a bn on its way back to Afghanistan.  Patty’s brother Peter Jones ’85 is commanding a mech bn in downtown Baghdad, part of 1st Armored Div.

            Reminder of class activities for 2004.  29 Feb – 4 Mar Ski Park City (Bob Moore).  4 Mar lunch with our Yearlings of ’57 at Ft Myer (John Herren).  14-22 Apr Normandy, the Loire and Paris: Re-trace Eisenhower's Great Crusade (Tom Morgan and Dick Schonberger) with follow-on Ardennes to Rhine.  23 May 15th Annual Memorial Service and brunch (George Sibert and Andy Andreson).  Summer date TBD, Billie Nadal Golf Tournament Williamsburg (Tony).  9-10 Aug Plebe March-Back with ’08 (Ed Weckel).  19 Aug First Class Club Turnover (Bob Pointer).  21-24 Oct the Main Event San Antonio Mini (Jack Bujalski).  6 Dec Beat Navy.  For those not going to the game, join the DC Tail Gate (Alan & Florence Salisbury).  No excuse for not attending something with ’58 classmates next year.  Be there for at least one of these, especially San Antonio Mini. 


Photos for 138th Column – Jan/Feb Assembly

1.      Breakfast with Audrey

2.      Bill & AliceLee Graf, Vince & Ann DeBoeser, Larry & Judy Bullis and George Yurick at Central PA Founder’s Day

3.      ’58 Marchers Aug 2003 (digital photo you have from Ed Weckel)

4.      C-2 Dinner plus Jerry Cook (digital photo coming from Pete Penczer)

5.      C-1 before P-rade

6.      Oktoberfest Singers

7.      Karin Hudson, Jo Ann Smith, Burgermeister & Barbara Bauchspies, Harriett Connell