Send your input to Class Scribe - LTC Richard (Rick)
D. Bunn
(Retired)
at rickbunn@bunn-family.com
Visit the 1965 Class Notes Photo
Album to see all the photos below
full-size!
Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,
Wow, I guess I learned my lesson. Be careful what you ask for. Back in February I asked for a little help with stories and submissions as I was approaching the deadline for this submission of our Class Notes. Well the response was almost overwhelming. I now have so much to deal with that some won’t fit within the guidelines for submission. Thank you to all who stepped up to help me out. Also, if you don’t see your story here know that I will hold it for an opportunity down the road.
By the way, now that I have the pleasure of dealing with a plethora (I’ve long hoped for a place where I could stick in a word like that and hope it sounded cool) of material to work with, doesn’t mean that I don’t want you all to think in terms of sharing stories (especially with photos) whenever you get together with Classmates.
Finally, I want to use this opportunity to say thank you to all of you who have taken the time to say a few kind words regarding my efforts here. It is greatly appreciated and really helps as I try to decide the direction all of you want me to go with our communications.
This great story comes from Jack Lowe. Bill Zadeland
Jack were assigned as Captains in 1968 in Danang. Jack was assigned as
an Army Officer to the III Marine Amphibious Force and Bill was
assigned to 3d Marine Division. Bill was getting a lot of grief from a
Marine Major who graduated from Annapolis. What it essentially
boiled down to was that USNA turned out tougher officers in the Marine
Corps than USMA turned out for the Army. This went on and on and
Bill basically just put up with it as a Marine Captain graduated from
West Point.
Then the Marines in Danang thought that morale needed some improvement so they announced that there would be a big Smoker (open amateur boxing tournament). Well that really lit things up and all the tough guys in the Marines were signing up for the Smoker. Without saying anything to the Major, Bill signed them both up to fight each other in the Smoker. Well, interest in the Smoker went through the roof when it was learned that a Major and a Captain were going to fight. Then when it was learned that a USNA grad was going to fight a USMA grad to see which Academy turned out the toughest grads, anticipation was beyond measurement.
Now, as you know, no one in his right mind would want to climb in the ring with Bill Zadel for three, two minute rounds. The Major immediately thought the same thing. He started trying every way possible to get out of the fight without saying he did not want to face Zadel in the ring. While the point can’t be proven, it appeared as if many marine officers serving there who were not USNA grads were conspiring to thwart every effort of the Major to get out of the fight. Finally, as the Major ran out of options he just chickened out and said he would not fight Bill. It was the last they heard about USNA graduating tougher officers than USMA. (Photo: There were no photos available with the story so I used this one that I took on the boat ride during our 45th reunion – Here is Bill with Bob Selkis)
Last fall, October 21st to be
precise, Mike
Lapollafinally had his West Point graduation party. Bob andKay Cato graciously hosted this
wonderful event at their home in Arlington, VA.
The story behind this event is unique. Ruthand Larry Neal got married graduation day. Neither of them had parents who could plan for or finance a wedding reception, and with them being too young, naïve, poor, and otherwise incapable of pulling it off, Mike’s mom and dad (Ray and Kathryn Lapolla) stepped up and organized the reception at Mike's home in Peekskill. What a great party it was, with maybe a hundred guests (seemed like). Even John J. "shake the hand that shook the hand that shook the world" Sciviletto of Peekskill's Union Hotel attended, and a kid named George Pataki (later to become Gov. of New York), and several I-1 mates.
However, Mike’s graduation party, originally planned for that date, was collateral damage. It was toast, scratched, no makeup day possible. Ruth and Larry carried guilt feelings for 46 years. They had a great time finally celebrating Mike's graduation and reminiscing. Joining them were the spirits of Spotswood Dewitt and Frank O'Brien. Also present in Peekskill were Randy Guenther, Roger Griffin and Bob Cato all of whom had been saber bearers at the wedding (as was Mike). The damage was repaired and all was forgiven on Oct 21st. (Photo: Seated for what looks like a great meal are: Bob Cato, Ruth Neal, Carol Lapolla, Mike Lapolla, Roger Griffin, Randy Guenther, Trish Griffin, and Larry Neal)
John Malpass shared this story and photo. Sandy Hallenbeck and John Pickler are seen here vacationing
in Iraq, circa 2003-2004. Tired of sitting in front of their computer
screens in Northern VA, Sandy and John were desperate for some field
time where they could get shot at again. As soon as Saddam was pushed
from power, John got his chance as the director of security in Iraq for
Bechtel. And, three days after the US Army took Baghdad, Science
Applications International Corporation (SAIC) sent Sandy off to manage
the Iraqi Media Network and, later, the New Iraqi Army project. In
addition to travelling around mundane places like Baghdad, Mosul, and
Basrah, John and Sandy both got to visit such hot spots as Falujah and
Al Ramadi. And, over the course of the year, both made a lot of Iraqi
friends.
Happily, Sandy was away from Baghdad when the bad guys sent an RPG into his hotel room, making a mess of his liquor cabinet. When John and Sandy were both in Baghdad at the same time, however, they often shared a meal together in the Palace dining facility (pictured) or in Bechtel’s dining facility. John and Sandy reported that it was a great year: “The most fun I’ve had since I became a civilian”, said Sandy. (Photo: Sandy Hallenbeck and John Pickler in Saddam’s Palace)
Johnny Wells was kind enough to
help me out when I put out my plea last month. He found four “Academy
Vellum” letter boxes stored deep in one of his closets. The tape
holding one of them closed was old and split so out dropped this
picture of Jim
Talbot who was
Johnny’s roommate and Ranger buddy. The guess is that it was taken at
Ft Benning in either Airborne or Ranger School. Does this look familiar
to anyone? It looks pretty crumby to me, so Ft Benning seems right and
he seems to be dealing with sore feet, so Ft Benning definitely seems
right. Comments? (Photo: Jim Talbot dealing with sore feet?)
My good buddy, Ron (Chops) Walter also stepped up
when I called for help and shared a great story and many photos which
show he and his beautiful bride Janice as they made the
transition from hard working business owners to very busy retirees with
a wanderlust and a desire to be closer to a big city and new and old
friends. I must admit to nudging the boy just a little as I have been
retired a few more years than he and was anxious for him to join our
ranks as well as have him move a little closer.
Ron and Janice had been living for many years in the small town of Sierra Vista in the South East corner of Arizona and were planning to move to Scottsdale when they finally accepted the reality of retirement. In 2009 they finally sold the business and made the move. Then they were off to Assisi, Italy and later on to Turkey and a cruise of the Aegean Islands. Then in 2010 they took in the Oberammergau Passion Play in Germany and took a cruise of the (not so Blue) Danube, then on to Salzburg, Austria and Budapest, Hungary, with a stop in Bratislava, Slovakia. Enough travel (my fingers are getting sore from all the unfamiliar letter arrangements). (Photo: Ron and Janice Walter on a parapet overlooking the Greccio Valley in Italy where Ron had hoped to consult the Oracle concerning something to do with his height)
Between trips to Europe they find
time to be with family both in Arizona and North Carolina. Here they
are in North Carolina for granddaughter Maegen’s baptism with daughter
Jeanine, son-in-law Blaise Williams and granddaughter Sadie. After all
this gallivanting around, they took the time to purchase a beautiful
cabin in Durango, Colorado just so they could get away from the summer
heat in Scottsdale. (Photo: At their granddaughter’s baptism are:
Janice, Ron, Jeanine with Maegen, and son-in-law Blaise Williams with
Sadie)
Dick Williams recently retired from a
second career Directing Public Safety in Pinellas County, Florida. He
is now working harder than ever with a remodeling project, a long list
of honeydos, and getting a brand new RV ready for a 6 week, 7,000 mile
trip from Florida to California and back in one great big loop. Now
that’s my idea of fun if you can get past the pain at the pump when it
comes to filling that puppy up.
I have already asked Bill and Joan to stop when they go through Goodyear, Arizona so we can share a lunch or dinner and talk about retiring on the road. He’s hoping to find time for a stop, but he’s on a tight schedule to get to a 2 week skydiving clinic and competition in Lodi, California. Yes, that was Dick you saw in the last Class Notes making a dead center landing also at a meet in Lodi. Not inclined to limit themselves to RV travel, Dick and Joan will be on a cruise from Istanbul to Athens in July, but then they will be back on the road to follow the turning of the tree leaves from Maine to Florida in the fall then next year it will be the Great Northwest to include Yosemite and Mt. Rushmore. Maybe they will be able to joinBill Sherrell for his Pacific Northwest golf outing in late July. (Photo: Bill and Joan Williams in front of their new RV – with them is their RV factory representative)
Jerry & Peggy Merges report that The
Villages, Florida’s Friendliest Hometown, has two other permanent
residents making up the ’65 team, Dave& Marcella Gnau and Dan & Diana Steinwald.They
were all recently visited by snowbirds Don &Carol Appler who came down from
Kentucky to enjoy some of the warmth of Florida during the winter. The
men and their spouses enjoyed a night out dining. Later the Gnau’s
along with Don and Jerry got together for an afternoon of pickleball.
Jerry explains, for those who don’t know what he’s talking about, that
pickleball is a paddle game played on a 1/2 size tennis court, with a
tennis net, hard whiffle ball, and graphite or wood paddles. It is like
table tennis on steroids and you, the player, are on the court. A very
fast paced game, excellent for those who like a great workout and not
running as far as tennis players do. I can attest to this description
as I played many years of this game while in the Seattle area where it
was invented by a doctor who didn’t have room in his yard for a full
size tennis court. He also had a dog named Pickles, hence the name he
gave the game. Now you know all you need to know to go out and give it
a try.
Jerry, Dan, and Don also spearheaded the 2nd Founders Day celebration in The Villages, with '69's Fred Dibella as the guest speaker. For those who branched armor, Fred was the Chief of the Armor branch, had a very distinguished career, and a successful post service career as well.
All S&D'ers are invited to visit anytime. They have over 500 holes of golf, both championship and executive and Dave & Marcella will gladly give you lessons.
At the last minute
(just prior to submission of these Notes) I received this great photo
from Jerry Merges at the very recent Founders Day Event in The
Villages. It looks like a delightfully casual event. (Photo:
Founder’s Day at The Villages. In the back row are: Dan Steinwald, Bob de Laar, Frank
Arnall, and
Jerry Merges, front row are Pauline
de Laar, Marcella
Gnau, Dave Gnau, and Peggy Merges)
Paul & Neva Renschen sent me some great
pictures of a Boreal Owl which was the first owl they had seen visiting
their beautiful home way up north. Having spent about 21/2 years in Alaska, I can
relate to the appeal, however, when it hit - 48 degrees on my last
visit to Fairbanks, I discovered that I had not lost anything up there
that I’d be coming back for. Their usual guests are moose and other
local critters. If you have a particular interest in the owl pictures
or Paul’s home, let me know, but with the limited space I now have,
thanks to the great response from my plea for help, I chose to limit
this story to one picture of the happy couple. (Photo: Paul and
Neva Renschen enjoying some wine in a restaurant outside Denali
National Park, Alaska)
Emery Chase submitted this
great picture of his clan gathering for the Army/Navy game late last
year. It sure looks like a dedicated Army family. Emery points out that
our Affiliation with the Class of 2015 obviously holds a special
meaning for him. (Photo: Emery, his eldest son Emery III (Class of
1989), his grandson Gavin (Class of 2015), and his son Kenneth (Class
of 1991 – Gavin’s dad))
The event was the 25th Annual United States
Service Academies and Military Colleges Ball which was held on 30
December, 2011 in Kansas City with an attendance of over 300. The Ball
is usually just for cadets, midshipmen and their families but Steve Kempf was a special
invitee because of our Affiliation with the Class of 2015. Steve sent
two pictures. The first showed him cutting the 25thAnniversary
cake while surrounded by upperclassmen and this one which includes
seven of the attendees who are members of the Class of 2015. (Photo:
Retired COL Steve Kempf with seven members of the Class of 2015)
Jim Webb sent this picture taken
when he visited Tyler Glasz (a member of our Affiliation Class of 2015)
and his parents at their home. Tyler was home on a 4 day pass (I
remember when a pass of any kind seemed like such a far off dream). Jim
points out that he is a fine young man, a member of G-2, who plans to
major in civil engineering (wouldn’t majoring have been fun?). (Photo:
Jim Webb with Tyler Glasz – Class of 2015)
Russ Campbell reported: “Nine
hundred plebe parents, family and friends signed up for the AOG
sponsored Plebe Parents Breakfast at Herbert Hall on Friday, March 9,
2012. AOG estimated that 1,000 showed up. It was
unbelievable weather for the dead of winter and “gloom period” at West
Point – a perfect sunny, dry, and about 45 degree day. We were
met and graciously escorted during the event by Elena Meskill ’99 from
AOG.”
Russ and his wife Maryann represented ’65 with the assigned mission to meet, mingle and engage the parents. As the only reps they did their best but they were limited to just how many participants they could meet. On the other hand, the AOG rolled out their entire staff and they did a great job meeting and greeting parents and guests.
Bob McClure ‘76, AOG President and CEO, gave a brief warm and welcoming speech to all five groups. In his remarks he singled out the affiliation class and acknowledged the presence and support of ’65.
The parents were not only appreciative of the event but expressed genuine respect and pride in the experience. A common theme when asked how their son or daughter was doing they all reported that they were doing fine---no real problems except challenged by lack of sleep and challenges with time management. So they are doing well and the place has not gone completely soft. That’s good.
As you can see, we
could have used many more from our Class at this function. Please join
in when the opportunities come up. Thank you Russ and Maryann for
representing us so well. (Photo: Maryann and Russ Campbell
with a proud 2015 parent.)
Since about 2008 the Berry’s
from Fredericksburg, the Helberg’s
from Midlothian, the Hopkins’
from Mechanicsville, and the Harvey’s
from Chesapeake have been taking turns hosting dinner/get-togethers two
or three times a year, congregating in an area in Virginia about 120
miles long. Dave Hopkins shared this story and picture which, this time
came on 4 February when they met at The Tobacco Company (I wonder if
they have a smoking section?) restaurant in the Shockoe Bottom area of
Richmond. (I had some fun with my Google map trying to get a feel for
these places) they spent their time sharing the latest about kids
and grandkids, solving world problems, reviewing Army’s football
progress (another world problem), and generally having a good time with
dear friends. An interesting coincidence – these are four Classmates
with the first name Jim (Dave is actually James David). (Photo:
Couples, left to right are Jim and Margie Berry, Jim and Lynne Helberg,
Dave and Darlene Hopkins, and Jim and June Harvey)
Terry Ryan sent me this great report
regardingJohn Pickler’s long
service to the Military Community Youth Ministries (MCYM). He wrote:
“At the invitation of John, several Strength and Drivers and their
ladies joined John and Karen
Pickler to
attend an event that honored the completion of John’s service as
Chairman of the Board of Military Community Youth Ministries at their
National Banquet at Fort Meyer. Clair
Gill (sans Sherry who was grand mothering), Bob & Mary Harter, Jack &Annette Lowe,
Tom & June Fergusson,
Frank &Gisela
Koleszar, and of course my OAO Nancywere
in attendance.”
John Pickler also shared, “It’s a great organization with a critical mission of ecumenical Christian ministry to military teenagers worldwide, and I have been privileged to have served for over 12 years on the board of directors, most recently as the chairman for the past three years, of MCYM/Club Beyond. As you know, the past eleven years have been particularly turbulent in the lives of our military families and particularly our teenagers, many of whose parents have been on multiple deployments, whose families have been frequently moved, and some of whose parents have been wounded or killed. Others have suffered the family strains and dissolution from an extended period of war and deployments, and MCYM/Club Beyond trained religious staff members and community teams have joined installation chaplains and staff to counsel and minister to these teens and their families.” (Photo: In this photo we see John Pickler, Linda Bradshaw, Sam Bradshaw (MCYM Board Member), and Bonnie Burrell (banquet guest)
Is there any other kind of day on a
golf course? Bob
Radcliffe sent
me this great picture of a small band of S&D’ers who went out to
beat up on some small white balls. Their “Great Southern Migration”
took them to Cape Fear National Golf Course in Leland, North Carolina
(just outside Wilmington). Bob
Selkis, Barry Zais, and Steve
Darrah were
joined by Pat
Kenny, Gordy Larson (full
time southern residents), and Bob
Radcliffe. Later, they were joined by Ed Knauf for poker night (as if the
golf course doesn’t provide enough of a gamble). (Photo: Bob
Selkis, Pat Kenny (I guess he doesn’t even need a club), Steve Darrah,
Bob Radcliffe, Gordy Larson, and Barry Zais)
Terry Ryan sent me this photo
of our Classmates at the Gainesville, Virginia Founders Day. It looks
like a good time was had by all. In attendance from our Class were: Terry & Nancy Ryan, Larry & Jean Bennett, Jim & Karen Ferguson, Bernie & Ellen Ziegler,
George & Sue Gehringer, Bill & Jane Lehman, Curt & Ann Adams, and John & Linda Concannon. As Terry put
it “it was perfectly organized by Concannon, Adams, Bennett, and
Ziegler. (Photo:
From left to right, couples are Terry & Nancy Ryan, Larry &
Jean Bennett, Jim & Karen Ferguson, Bernie & Ellen Ziegler,
George & Sue Gehringer, Bill & Jane Lehman, Curt & Ann
Adams, and John & Linda Concannon)
I am thrilled that I
have nothing to report here.
Rick