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This is an edited version of Bob Doughty's 5 March 2004 message to the class. It has been edited to make it "Web" friendly. Clicking on the link will open it in a separate window. You can shift back and forth between the Close the window to return to this document.
5 March 2004 Classmates, The Design Subcommittee for the entryway to the Arvin Cadet Physical Development Center has finished its deliberations and received a go-ahead from our Class leaders. We are prepared to submit our proposal through USMA’s Museum, Historical, and Memorialization Committee to the Superintendent but want to ensure members of our Class understand and support our proposal. The design we posted about a year ago has been modified but the overall concept remains the same. The key change is that we could not get the Superintendent to agree to our mounting the plaque showing our Class’s great success in varsity sports. We do have the Superintendent’s support for our general design and, assuming you concur, will now seek his final approval of our detailed design. Please read the following carefully and provide me any comments or suggestions you have. Pay special attention to the names of our deceased classmates. Are their names correct? Have we forgotten anyone? Do not be concerned with spacing, margins, or format of the wording, for the plaques will be sized and formatted carefully by an expert engraver and approved by the Design Subcommittee. To begin, as you enter the Arvin Center through the original doors, you will see two pillars to your direct front with an archway between them. Just behind them are two other pillars with an archway between them. To the right rear is an alcove in which we plan on placing two benches. We have expressed our desire to display additional information about the Class in the alcove and will pursue this when appropriate. If you want to see an artist’s rendering of the entryway, go to: Although this rendering is not exactly what I describe below, it is close enough for you to understand what we are proposing. We have received the Superintendent’s approval to place on the left front pillar a plaque with information about Bob Arvin’s two Silver Stars, on the right front pillar a plaque memorializing our classmates who died in the service of our country, and on the archway connecting the two pillars our Class slogan "Strength and Drive." Above and on the left of the slogan we will mount a bronze USMA crest, and above and on the right of the slogan we will mount a bronze Class of 1965 crest. On the archway between the two rear pillars we will mount a quote from President Eisenhower extracted from a telegram he sent our Class just prior to the Army – Navy game in November 1964. On the left rear pillar we will mount a plaque displaying the telegram containing that quote, and on the right rear pillar we will mount the Arvin Wrestling plaque that currently is mounted on the left front pillar. The Eisenhower quote on the rear archway will be: "You will always have what you give today -- the more you give the more you will keep! D.D.E. ’15" In the floor to the right and left of the four pillars we will place two small (approximately 2 feet x 2 feet), colored Class of 1965 crests. The three new plaques are: 1) On the left front pillar, we will mount a plaque with information about Bob Arvin’s two Silver Stars. We propose the following wording for this plaque:
2) On the right front pillar, we will mount a plaque that memorializes our classmates who died in the service of our country. PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO ENSURE WE HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN ANYONE AND HAVE NOT MADE MISTAKES IN THEIR NAMES. We recommend using the informal names by which we knew them rather than the full, formal names listed in Cullum Hall and the Register. About a year ago we asked the Class about using this informal approach and received over-whelming support. As for the criteria for being on the list, we believe a classmate must have died while in the service for service-related causes. In other words, dying for health-related reasons does not meet the criteria for being on the list. We propose the following wording for this plaque:
3) On the left rear pillar we propose putting a copy of the message President Eisenhower sent on the eve of the 1964 Army-Navy football game. At the bottom of the plaque will be one sentence that explains the significance of the message.
4) The Arvin Wrestling Plaque is currently mounted on the left front pillar and lists the winners each year of the wrestling award. We intend to move it to the right rear pillar. We are concerned about its color, which has turned darker as it has aged, and may replace the plaque if its color is distinctly different from the other plaques. If you have comments or suggestions, please send them to me at: | |||
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