JANUARY 2004

            Jim Satterwhite sends the photo of the class contingent in the march back on August 11 and 12 from the plebe hike of the Class of 2007.  They are the same five stalwarts who did it last year; Satterwhite, Don Coen, John Eberhard, Tom Leo and Tom Russell, “runts” all, as Jim points out, adding regrets that the term for the diminutives is no longer in the cadet lexicon.  (Leo’s not a “runt,” is he?)  Jim hopes for more quantity and more diversity in the picture next year, and especially the year following, when we will be the “grandfather class” for the Class of 2009.  He’s thinking that 59 of us from the Class of 1959 for the march back with the Class of 2009 might be a commendable goal.  That’s only 54 more than this year!

March Back stalwarts:  Satterwhite, Eberhard, Russell, Leo, and Coen.

Jim Walsh reports that the class dinner at the gracious McLean, VA, home of Fred & Marlene Malek on September 12 was a huge success, with over 100 classmates, wives, and friends.  The weather outside was inclement, but there was sunshine in the hearts of those present, according to Jim. 

Malek Dinner:  Luther, Bair, and Malek.

            Pete Dawkins took a few minutes to recognize the presence of Mike Faber, our honorary classmate, and his wife Sharon, and thanked Mike for his organizing a very successful Rocky Versace Golf Tournament at Andrews AFB that raised money to purchase computers for the Rocky Versace Children’s Center in Alexandria. 

Pete then presented Citations for Exemplary Service to Bill Luther and Bill Schwartz.  Bill & Carol Luther were present and Pete presented Bill his plaque, honoring him for, among other things, organizing a memorial ceremony at Ft. Benning in October 2000 honoring those classmates who were Rangers and killed in Vietnam; and preparing the Distinguished Graduate Award nomination that resulted in Ed Burba’s receiving that award in 2003.

Malek Dinner:  Dawkins presents citation to Luther.

Bill Schwartz was cited for his work in recognizing our Ranger classmates killed in Vietnam; for chairing the Lake Tahoe mini-reunion; for his work as the Admissions Liaison Officer in recruiting potential candidates in the Oakland, CA, area; for his work as an Hepatitis C advocate; and for playing a key role in creating an organ donor web site for West Point.Org.  Although Bill was not present to receive his award, Pete planned to hand carry it to Bill when he visited San Francisco in October.  Turned out he couldn’t, so he mailed the plaque to Bill with a nice note of commendation. Bill e-mailed a very grateful message to the class on October 9.  Well done, to both of our honorees.

Ted & Mary Colby are in Dover, NJ, contemplating a move to the Norfolk, VA, area.  Ted says he spent 22 years growing up and at West Point, 22 years in the Army, now 22 years in NJ, and it’s just time to move on.  There are five children, including twin boys who were predicted by Dick Maglin in his toast at Ted’s wedding in 1959;  and of course the children now have children, a couple of whom Ted has identified as potential cadets in the Classes of 2010 and 2011.  Ted worked for GPU Nuclear in NJ, ran for municipal office (won twice, lost twice) and is now fully retired.  Unless, he says, you count his writing novels, sitting on various boards, and trying to figure out the secrets of the Medicare-Blue Cross-Tricare process.  He’s written two novels in the past three years, and has started on a third.  He says it’s difficult for a 32-year-old to live in a body more than twice that age.  Amen, brother!

Bob & Irene Roth are in Langhorne, PA, and Irene sends the photo of Bob and Bill Cohen taken last June on the occasion of the Roth’s visit with Bill & Nurite.  The trip included a three-day visit to the San Diego Wild Animal Park and attendance at their grandson’s high school graduation.

Bob Roth and Bill Cohen.

Nancie Weber reports that Paul was the distinguished participant in the annual Golfing Grads tournament last May in St. Augustine, FL.  But mulligans were not among the perks offered to the eldest entrant.  She says classmates will be solicited to attend next year’s very enjoyable event.  Paul & Nancie were in FL (they live in Canyon Lake, CA) for son Eric’s graduation from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach.  Eric also played in the tournament, and, thanks to Jim Stapleton ’64, was invited to a job interview and was subsequently hired by Allied Transport at their Orlando site.  That’s a nice story!

Once again, Howard Stiles is running the next Ski Mini in Beaver Creek, CO, from February 21 to 28, 2004.  This is always a very popular event, with many repeat participants who look forward to it every year.  Even non-skiers and beginners are enthusiastic.  Contact Howard at hstiles1@maine.rr.com.

Maine gathering:  Hilliards, Stiles, Fitzgeralds, and DeMonts.

Jay & Jerry Weisler are in Brenham, TX, where Jay, having retired from his law firm in 1996, played a daily game of golf until in 2000 some of his friends decided he was spending too much time on the golf course and made him the presiding municipal judge in Brenham.  He is also president of a title company and active in the American Legion.  Jerry had a bout with chemotherapy for melanoma for six months last year, and was scheduled for one more surgery in June.  Jay says she was holding up well.

Jay drove to the national convention of the American Legion in NC in August 2002 and stopped to see Jim Burwell in Huntsville, AL and talked to Bill McCoy by phone.  He moved on to Columbia, SC, where he had dinner with Joanie Poole and Jack, Jr.  The next day he and Jack played golf at Ft. Jackson, and Joanie joined them for lunch.  He was planning a trip to Lubbock and to have dinner one night with Dorsey Baker.

Wheeler and Luther at Holmes Beach, FL.

The Weislers have two daughters.  Christina, their oldest, completed her LLM in tax law at the University of Houston in May 2003.  She married Martin Hunt, a partner in a large Houston law firm.  Martin is an Englishman who graduated from Cambridge, so they divide their time between Houston and London and other parts of the world.  Youngest daughter Caryn is married and works in the mortgage department of a Houston bank.  She presented the Weislers with their first grandchild, Julian Daniel Jones, in November 2002.

Ray & Carol Baugh are in Irvine, CA, and are fully retired.  They stay busy with traveling, visiting grandkids, supporting the local Philharmonic Society, and making pictures in the darkroom.  The only classmates they see and hear from on a regular basis are Don & Kay Markham, who live in Tucson.  Ray and Don both worked for Hughes Aircraft in retirement.  Ray found the internet most useful at Hughes, later Raytheon, but is too busy to devote much time to it now.  So he keeps up with the class the old fashioned way, with his Assembly subscription.  Let’s hear it for that!