Class Poop

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!


Class Notes Third Quarter 2015

Looking for Volunteers for the Simon Center Wall Project
9/30/2015

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Paul Schultz, who has done so much for us with the PMEE program, is now involved with organizing our effort to support the Traveling Vietnam Wall Project at West Point. He has provided this notice and appeal for help during its two day stay at our Alma Mater. Please look through the notice and see if you can help him out with this very worthwhile project. I have visited this wall in another part of the country and it is a very moving tribute to all who fell during that war. Our Classmates could add tremendously to the message and effort to maintain the memory that it represents.

Class of 1965 Volunteers Needed for Simon Center – Traveling Vietnam Wall Project at West Point

The Traveling Vietnam Memorial Wall will be erected on Trophy Point for viewing October 22d and 23rd. The Simon Center has asked for Class of 1965 Volunteers to support cadet tours of the wall. Here is a link explaining the Travelling Wall Program:

http://www.travelingwall.us/ The Head of the Simon Center (Col Halstead) describes our participation as follows: The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF) will bring the "Wall that Heals" to West Point from 22-23 OCT 15. The Simon Center has no formal relationship with the VVMF. Yearling Team Leaders will be encouraged to take their Plebes to visit the replica of the Vietnam War Memorial. MX400 Seminar Leaders will be encouraged to take their sections (all Firsties) to visit the wall as well. This will NOT be a mandatory event for any Cadets, so the turnout of the Corps may be very limited. I think that this could be an ideal opportunity for a few members of your class to help Cadets understand the selfless service and sacrifice of your classmates. We need volunteers to join this effort, I recommend that you limit your class participation to 12 or fewer graduates per day. (Note: this lets us rotate teams at wall while others rest)

If you would like to participate in this program for one or both days, please email Paul Schultz at paul@dmapsonline.com or call him at 203-778-9164. We need the Following information in your email:

  • Name and address
  • Retired Rank (if appropriate)
  • Contact Phone (cell is best)
  • Contact email
  • Dates you can be there (one or both)
  • Unit(s) served with in RVN/Southeast Asia.
  • Class mate(s) on wall you would like to represent

Further information will follow as it becomes available. Thanks in advance for your Help and support.

Paul Schultz
USMA 1965

Strength and Drive


Army-Air Force Game 7 Nov Activities
9/30/2015

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

I just received this nice invitation to all Army fans who may find themselves in the Colorado Springs area on November 7th. I have attended one of these great gatherings and from firsthand experience, I can highly recommend it. Bill Hecker writes:

As we do every other year here in Colorado Springs when Army plays Air Force in football, the Heckers will organize activities for Friday evening and Saturday. There will also be an Army pre-game Tailgate Party sponsored by the WP Society of Pike Peak at the stadium beginning 3hours prior to the game start. Since the game is telecast on ESPN Network, the game start time has not been announced.

We have set aside six rooms for classmates at $99.99 (the military rate) per night at the brand new Drury Inn and Suites located directly across from the AF Stadium for Friday and Saturday nights:

Rate includes breakfast each morning, and evening snacks.
https://www.druryhotels.com/PropertyHotelServices.aspx?property=0167

Contact the Heckers (email addresses & phone number below) if you would like one or more of the reservations from this block of rooms.

Army Beat Air Force Pre-Game Tail Gate Party Website - make your own

reservations:
http://www.westpointaog.org/2015ArmyVSAirForceTailgate?erid=16392829&trid=39612142-fab5-4535-b9ca-30c997b8071d

We are looking forward to having a great time. Please let us know if you are planning to attend.

GO ARMY - BEAT AIR FORCE!!!

Bill & Nancy Hecker

wmheckerjr@mindspring.com
nancyhecker@mindspring.com
H: 719-488-8673

Thanks Bill, let’s do to those birds what we did to Eastern Michigan.


Sudden Loss
9/30/2015

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

I’m very sorry to share this sad report. However, I strongly believe in the power of prayer and feel that a Classmate in need of support should get all that we can muster. I learned of this tragedy and then spoke with Skip and Marilyn O’Donnell before sharing it with all of you. Please keep them and their family in your prayers as they go through this very difficult time. Skip writes:

Last Thursday Marilyn and I got the sad news from our daughter Jackie that our 21 tear old granddaughter Michaela (Mikki) Earley died in a single car rollover on I-15 south of Idaho Falls. We are in Idaho Falls helping with Mikki's memorial services this coming Saturday. Her obituary will be at www.buckmillerhann.com starting this Wednesday. Mikki was a great young lady and we have many fond memories with her. She loved the outdoors and had just started her junior year at Idaho State University possibly pursuing an engineering degree.

Obviously, we are still grieving about this unexpected event. I don' feel up to accepting phone calls right now. E-mails are OK. Remember Mikki in your respective church services this coming weekend.

Sincerely,
Skip O'Donnell

skipod3@cox.net


65' at the Wake Forest Game
9/30/2015

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

I received a great photo and report from Gene Manghi regarding his tailgate party at the Wake Forest Game. While the game wasn’t what we hoped for, the party seems to have put smiles on many faces. I found it a little hard to identify people in the picture so I took the liberty of adding some arrows to help out. Gene writes:

Berni and I have been at a game a year with friends since the early 1980’s. The Wake Forest game was no exception.  

Paul and Sabine Schultz were in the group and Jim and Carol Tomaswick joined us before the game. Our neighbors, Daphne and Ken Hollings, have a son Steven, a member of the Class of 2019.

l to r front row:
George Moraitis, Sue Ramirez, Karen Moraitis, Virginia Polizzi, Steven's girlfriend is Brittany Wright, Louise Brady, Charlene Keen, Rick Keen

l to r back row:
Sabine Schultz, Jerry Polizzi, Gene Manghi, Ken Hollings [Steven’s Dad], Berni Manghi, Daphne Hollings [Steven’s Mom], Steven’s Classmate Tan, Joan O’Connell, Steven Hollings, Sean O’Connell, Paul Schultz, Bill Brady, Rick Amill.

Gene

Looks like a great party and lots of fun (except for the ballgame). Thanks Gene.


Eastern Michigan Game - Wake Forest Post Mortem
9/30/2015

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Gordy came through one more time with this analysis of the game tomorrow. He writes:

Army is playing an away game at Eastern Michigan this Saturday with a kickoff time of 6:04. The game is not on cable TV, but will be carried on ESPN3, which means I’ll be watching the game on my laptop. I still have beer left, but gathering around my laptop to watch the game would not be much fun.

Post Mortem on the Wake Forest Game

Well, Army beat the spread again, but we’re still looking for that elusive first W of the season as a 47 yard field goal with 4 seconds remaining on the game clock gave the Demon Deacons of Wake Forest their 4th straight win over Army.

Click here for the full analysis.


A Get Together in Port Jefferson
9/30/2015

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

I got a very nice note from Bob Selkis with a picture of a get together with the Dorneys. Bob writes:

Just a short note about two ol' buddies getting together for a nice lunch on the water. My wife, Betty, and I hopped on the Long Island Sound Ferry and spent the day with the Dorneys' in Port Jefferson, Long Island. Chris and Nancy were great hosts and showed us around the area. It is a beautiful place! After lunch, time was spent talking about the old days as is always the case when two or more Classmates get together.

I have attached one photo. Please do not ask what Chris's intentions were when he wrapped his napkin around my head.

Here we have Nancy, Chris, Bob, and Betty.

The location looks beautiful, the drinks look delicious, the folks look pretty happy and I won’t ask what was up with the napkin.


Sherry reaches the Big SEVEN OHHHH
9/30/2015

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

I received some nice pictures and brief notes on a party put on by Sherry Gill’s kids to celebrate her big arrival at seven ohhhhh. Clair was clearly a cradle robber back in the day but they made some really good decisions as their union has lasted a very long time. Clair writes:

Event was the party the "kids" and I put on to celebrate Sherry's arrival to the big seven-oh! Yes, she was just a child when we first met in 1960 at NY Military Academy in Cornwall on Hudson, NY. She finally agreed to marry me in 1969 between tours in Vietnam. Here are the “kids”, Chris, Heidi and Army aviator Clair with a couple of proud folks.

This pic includes from left to right: John Howell, Sherry (the birthday girl),Kay Dermody with Clair Gill behind her, and Joe and Lynn DeFrancisco who came to help her celebrate? Thanks for sharing this. It looks like a good time was had by all.


The Passing of Jerry Kelly
9/30/2015

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Once again it is my sad duty to inform you of the passing of one of our dear brothers. Jerome (Jerry) Edmonde Kelly passed away on Saturday, September 19th in an assisted living facility in Alexandria, Virginia following a year and a half battle with stomach cancer. His wife Lee is the Next of Kin. At this time plans are being made for a private ceremony locally with a public ceremony to be held in conjunction with interment at Arlington National Cemetery (ANC). Due to the difficulty of making arrangements at ANC the public service and interment could be delayed for several months.

At the request of the family, I am making an exception to my regular practice of naming a Classmate to act as the Point of Contact (POC). Paul F. Mlakar, class of 1966 is married to Lee’s sister and the family has requested that he be permitted to take on these duties. The connection is appropriate and I’m pleased to honor the family’s wishes.

Jerry’s son Jerry Jr. shared with me the following obituary and also offered to take any calls that folks may wish to make to the family. His number is 703-727-2486.

Lt. Col. (ret’d) Jerome Edmonde Kelly, Sr.

Obituary Final

Jerome Edmonde Kelly, Sr., 71, a retired Army Lieutenant Colonel and one of our Nation’s wounded warriors, died September 19, 2015, in Alexandria, Virginia after a long and courageous battle with cancer.

Jerome (“Jerry”) was a longtime Alexandria resident who was born in Graceville, Minnesota. Graceville was the nearest hospital to his mother's family farm in Dumont. He was named after his father’s best friend and colleague from the Manhattan Project, Jerome Ackerman.

A 1965 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, he went on to complete qualifications in both Airborne and Ranger schools, as well as the Armored Officers Advance Course. He served in Germany and then was deployed to Vietnam as part of the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment ("Blackhorse Regiment"). He suffered a severe head injury during combat in June of 1968, while directing the defensive efforts of his troops' command post against a mortar attack. Jerry was awarded the Bronze Star for Valor with Oak Leaf Cluster and a Purple Heart for his actions, which were credited in saving the lives of many of his men.

After a long recovery during which he was nursed back to health by his loving wife Lee, he attended Washington & Lee University School of Law and was admitted to the District of Columbia Bar. Jerry completed his active duty career in the United States Army as a member of the Judge Advocate General Corps, with tours of duty in Virginia and with U.S. forces in Seoul, South Korea. Additional decorations include the National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal, the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, the Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm, and the Army Commendation Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster.

After retiring from active duty in 1986, Lieutenant Colonel Kelly continued his service to the Nation as a civilian employee with the Department of the Army at Ft. Belvoir, Virginia until his retirement in 2006.

Jerry was a devout Catholic who loved his family, friends, and pets. He was an avid fisherman, bird watcher, and football fan. Always kind, polite and humble, his smile radiated the innocence and joy he found in life. He had a great sense of humor and was happiest while reading with one of his beloved pets nestled in his lap. Jerry's perseverance in facing, without complaint, the increasingly debilitating effects of his war injuries and cancer was a source of inspiration to family and friends. He was a hero to his family first and his Nation second.

Survivors include his wife of 50 years, Lee Halloran Kelly of Alexandria; three children, Anne Louise Fruehauf (Richard) of Sewickley, Pennsylvania, Jerome (Jerry) Edmonde Kelly, Jr. (Andrea Courduvelis) of Alexandria, and Robert Halloran Kelly (Dana) of Alexandria; seven grandchildren, to include, Sarah and Sophie Fruehauf, Patrick and Christina Kelly, and Robert, Christopher, and Thomas Kelly.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at a future date at the Ft. Myer Old Post Chapel, Arlington, Virginia. Interment with full military honors will be in Arlington National Cemetery where both he and Lee’s parents also rest. A reception for family and friends will follow at the Ft. Myer Officer’s Club. In lieu of flowers, expressions of sympathy may be made to the Wounded Warrior Project, PO Box 758517, Topeka, KS 66675, or online at https://support.woundedwarriorproject.org.

Grip hands my friends as we, once again, bid farewell to one of our dear brothers.


The Tribute to Bob Arvin 9-26-2015
9/29/2015

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Walt Oehrlein and Chuck Moseley (along with the constant help I receive from Chuck Nichols) have made it possible for me to share with you just a little taste of what it will be like to be in Michigan for the tribute to Bob Arvin at the Army/Eastern Michigan University (EMU) this coming Saturday. Walt wrote the following introduction to a brief slide show that will be presented at half-time during the game. While we were not able to get all the slides that will be used and shown on the big screen, I was able to insert four of them for you below in the actual narrative that is expected to be used. Walt writes:

Greetings and hope you are ALL well.
Below is the tribute to Bob Arvin scheduled this Saturday at half-time of the ARMY/EMU football game in Ypsilanti, Michigan (Bob's hometown). They will show six slides/photos to accompany the dialogue. Any Classmate who is able to attend is welcome to join us on the field for this tribute. Eastern Michigan's Athletic Marketing folks have been extremely cordial and most supportive of this meaningful tribute.

Go ARMY!
S&D,
Walter Oehrlein

BOB ARVIN NARRATIVE TRIBUTE

Photo Right: Bob in Uniform

Ladies & Gentlemen, please direct your attention to the Big Screen/Board where we pay tribute to a fallen Ypsilanti Soldier, C. Robert Arvin, in this 50th Anniversary Year of his graduation from the United States Military Academy @ West Point, NY. ALSO, gathered on the field are the 59th Superintendent of the Military Academy, LTGEN Robert Caslen, Capt Arvin's widow Merry Lynn, Ypsilanti High School teammate & Arvin Foundation Chairman C. Tino Lambros, and West Point 1965 Classmate LtCol Walter Oehrlein. Behind them are Ypsilanti high school pals, other Arvin Foundation Board members, and West Point Classmates.

Photo Left: High School

Bob Arvin had a successful academic and sports career at Ypsilanti High School. A State Wrestling Champion, he is also a Member of the School's Athletic Hall of Fame.

Third Slide---President Eisenhower & Bob

He continued his excellence at West Point. As First Captain of the Corps of Cadets, he broke ground for a new dining/mess hall building with President Eisenhower. Bob completed both Ranger and Airborne Schools. He married Merry Lynn Montonye, they had nine months together before Bob's assignment in Vietnam.

Fourth Slide--- General William Westmoreland

In combat, Bob was wounded as he helped his Battalion secure an objective. He was later awarded a Silver Star and a Purple Heart for his actions. During combat again, he directed gunships and died on the field of battle on 8 Oct 1967. By the request of General William Westmoreland, Bob was days away from being transferred to Saigon as one of his Staff Members. He was later posthumously awarded a second Silver Star w/Oak Leaf Cluster and a second Purple Heart.

Fifth Slide---Arvin Building
The 495,000 sq ft Cadet Gym at West Point was officially named and dedicated as the Arvin Cadet Physical Development Center on 25 Feb 1989.The Michigan Military Museum in Frankenmuth and the Ypsilanti Historical Museum both honor Bob with displays. In addition, the Ypsilanti VFW dedicated their Post on 15 June 2002 as the 'C. Robert Arvin VFW Post 2408' and it remained that designation until closing.

Friends of Bob formed a 'Captain C. Robert Arvin Foundation' and have awarded over $110,000 of scholarship monies to local high school graduates. The group now operates as part of the Ypsilanti Area Community Fund and will continue awarding scholarships in perpetuity. Few people are honored Locally, in their State, and Nationally.

Ladies & Gentlemen, please join in heart-felt applause for our Ypsilanti native Son and an American Hero, Capt C. Robert Arvin. Thank You.

Wow, this sure makes me wish I could be there to join in such a wonderful tribute to my dear friend Bob.


Dinner with the Jones
9/22/2015

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

I guess lunch wasn’t enough with Jones. Tad an Hiro were invited back for dinner and got some even greater pictures of Bob and Freya’s spectacular home. Tad wrote:

We were invited to Bob and Freya Jones for the second time for a little wine and sunset. We then went to a near-by restaurant in Kawaihae, Pesto, and had a very enjoyable dinner. Pictures are self-explanatory: Their house from the pool, Freya and Hiro sitting in front of the Jacuzzi to catch the beautiful sunset. the four of us at the restaurant. a memorable, enjoyable evening.

Tad

Looks like another terrific time was had by all. I noticed that Bob. at dinner, is wearing the shirt from the Army/Hawaii game last year. Thanks to all of you for sharing this.


A Salute to Bob Arvin at the Army/EMU game
9/22/2015

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

There will be a wonderful opportunity to, once again, salute one of our favorite Classmates, Bob Arvin. I’m proud to say that Bob was a good friend of mine and I want to strongly urge anyone who may live in the area or may be visiting to attend and support this tribute to one of the finest men I have ever known. Mitch Bonnett and Walt Oehrlein shared the following with me:

Army plays Eastern Michigan University (EMU) on Saturday, September 26, 2016. EMU is located in Ypsilanti, MI. Our Classmate and First Captain, Bob Arvin, grew up in Ypsilanti and was an outstanding Michigan athlete in football and wrestling. He was also a top student and Class President. He will be honored during the game in a tribute which is planned to include the Superintendent, Bob’s widow Merry Lynn, his Ypsilanti teammates, and West Point Classmates. Mention will be made of the Arvin Foundation which has been in place for over 10 years. Donations to the Foundation will be encouraged from attendees and others watching the game. The Foundation has provided over one hundred scholarships to deserving Ypsilanti students. A large tailgate party has been arranged. More than 500 Army supporters will attend this event. If there are Classmates or others who would like to attend the game, they should go to the following website:

https://secure.west-point.org/wpsmi/armytailgate/

Kickoff will be at 1800 Saturday, September 26th.

The caterer has extended the online registration time. PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD that online registration will be open until noon on Monday, September 21.

Check-in at the game will begin at 1530 hours and the person who registered will receive an envelope with tickets and wristband to enter the tailgate area at the check-in table.

Thank you gentlemen, I hope we get a large turnout for this special event.


UConn Post Mortem and Wake Forest Preview
9/17/2015

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Here is the anxiously awaited (by many) report from Gordy on the UConn game and the preview of the Wake Forest game. Gordy writes:

A disappointing game against UConn last Saturday, but the team returns to Michie to host Wake Forest this coming Saturday. I still have some leftover beer and some munchies if anyone would like to join Major and me in watching the WF game. Kickoff is at noon, as is normally the case for home games. Just show up if you’re interested, unless you need a gate pass.

UConn Post Mortem

The Good

  • Ahmad Bradshaw continues to impress with his running skills. He broke a tackle and dodged a couple of defenders before racing 56 yards for the first touchdown, and he nearly broke another one in the third quarter that was negated by a holding penalty.
  • Linebacker Andrew King had 3 sacks and an additional 1.5 tackles for loss as part of his 9 total tackles in the game.
  • Strong safety Rhyan England had a good game leading the team with 13 total tackles including 2 tackles for loss, and senior Nose Tackle TJ Altimalala added 6 tackles with 2.5 tackles for loss.
  • Growchowski had a good day kicking the ball with a 41 yard FG in his only attempt, 2 of 2 PATs and an average of 63 yards on kickoffs.

Click here for the full analysis


Visit With Bob Jones in Kamuela, Hawaii
9/15/2015

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

I just received this terrific report from Tad Ono who shares some of the details of a visit with Bob Jones. Tad writes:

Hiro and I had a delightful visit with Bob today at his beautiful 5 acre property in Kohala Ranch overlooking the Pacific Ocean where he watches and listens to the Humpback whales in the winter (Freya was busy doing her own thing). After a nice cold glass of chardonnay and a tour of his beautiful custom home with hand-made local wood dining furniture, bar, bed, mahogany floor, etc., etc. My ipad camera was acting up, so I'm posting only one shot of the view from just outside of his great room but I think you can get the idea of what the house must be like. Then he took us to his club, the famed John D. Rockerfeller developed Maunakea for a beachside lunch.

One last item was a moving one. Note the special license plate holder of his very special license plate and then the truck itself.

It was willed to Bob by his best friend and USAF buddy, Jim Hall (in fact, Jim served as the summary court officer to take care of Bob's affairs after his capture). A very special, relaxing, and enjoyable afternoon. Thanks, Bob.

Tad

Thanks Tad. Great report and what looks like a very special house in the Islands. Our best to you, Hiro, Bob, and Freya.


A Call for Interested RVers
9/11/2015

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Don Parrish had an interesting idea. When he heard that I was motor homing recently, he suggested a poll of our Classmates to determine who of us is into that sort of thing and maybe put together a muster or a caravan. While I haven’t got the time to orchestrate such a thing, I would be happy to spread the word if anyone would like to take the lead.

To begin with, please drop me a response if you are into RVing and if we get a significant number of interested folks, I will share that information and let one of you take it from there. Please just respond with either “Reply” to this message or directly to my personal e-mail at: rickbunn@bunn-family.com . I think it would be helpful if I could just have the type of RV you have (MH, trailer, 5th wheel, etc.), the state you would be coming from, and how far you might be willing to travel to gather with other RVing Classmates.

I have no idea how many RVers we have out there, but it might be fun to put something together.


Linda Taylor's Memorial and Interment - A Report
9/11/2015

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,


Wow, if we were all judged by brevity, Tom Abraham would be our most recent big winner. He writes:

The Cindrics, the Gills, and the Abrahams at the Coal Miners Cafe in Jennerstown, Pennsylvania. L-R Ina, Tom, Janie, Tom, Sherry, and Clair.

No complaints from me, however. I’m always pleased to get anything that folks are willing to share. I was not able to make out the details of the second picture but it appears to be a tribute to a coach with a terrific record. Tom may choose add some detail later. Anyway, thanks Tom.


Linda Taylor's Memorial and Interment - A Report
9/11/2015

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Bob Frank was kind enough to provide the following report on the funeral service for Linda Taylor. Bob writes:

I must apologize up front that there are no photos to go along with this report. Nonetheless, I think it is important that we note Linda Taylor's passing with a record of how the Class paid tribute to Linda's memory and supported Wes in this difficult time.

The funeral service was conducted on 8 September at the Demaine Alexandria Chapel. The Rev. David I. Mosher came from Dover, Delaware to lead the service and give inspiration and comfort to all those present. Rev. Mosher was quite familiar with the role and sacrifices of an Army wife, as he had worked at Arlington National Cemetery for a considerable number of years and heard of the extraordinary efforts made by women such as Linda. COL Clint Taylor spoke on behalf of his sister Kathleen and himself in giving substance to his mother's strong influence in their lives from childhood to the present. He spoke as well to the love his children had received from their grandmother. Then, Wes spoke of meeting his life partner while he was still a cadet and of their 50+ years as husband and wife. Wes's praise of Linda as his rock and the family's foundation was limitless. In Wes's words, theirs is an everlasting love.

Many people were present to honor Linda and to support Wes and the family. Our Class included: Dan and Nancy Benton (up from Atlanta), Emory Chase, Bob Clover, Tricia Zonne Cargould (Bob Zonne's widow), Pete Cahill, Bill Connelly, Lynne and Joe DeFrancisco, Kay Dermody, Bob & Mary Frank, Roger Frydrychowski (Richmond), Jim and Mary Ellen Kelly, Leo Kennedy, Alice Kenny, Steve Morrissey (up from Atlanta), Bob Radcliffe (up from North Carolina), Sonny and Sherry Ray, Ric and Patty Shinseki, Bob Wolff, Linda and Barrie Zais. In addition, John Thompson and Rog Griffin (Hopewell [south side of Richmond]) were able to make the burial the next morning. The burial was led by an Army chaplain, supported by a contingent from the Old Guard.

Thank you Bob for this outstanding report. What an inspirational time to pay tribute to Linda and all the wives out there whose contribution make possible the amazing military we all so proudly served.


Army vs Fordham - Post Mortem
9/11/2015

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Here is a great wrap up of the Fordham game by Gordy Larson. It’s a lot to read but really gets to the nitty gritty of what happened. Gordy writes:

Below is a copy of the message I sent out to a few Army fans here in NC who sometimes show up to watch the football games at my house. The gathering for Fordham included Dan and Susan Christman, Sandy Hallenbeck, and Bob Radcliffe, as well as two couples from the Class of 72. I didn’t take any photos of the motley crew. Dan Christman inadvertently sampled one of Major’s treats and does not recommend them by the way.

Fellow mourners of the Army football loss on Friday,

The Gathering:

We had a good turnout for the opening game against Fordham, and when not watching the game, everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. The two members of the Class of ’72 apparently were confused about their responsibility for the defense and let the game get out of hand in the first half. They turned things around fairly well in the second half, but the cow was already out of the barn, and our beloved Black Knights were burned.

The UConn game an away game this week but will be carried on CBS Sports for some reason. Major and I will be at home watching the game and consuming leftovers, and you are cordially invited to assist in that task while watching to see if our beloved Army West Point team has learned anything this week. The game starts at noon, and you can just show up at any time between 30 minutes before kickoff and the end of the game.

My Two Cents on the Fordham Game, for what it’s worth (two cents is about right):

Fordham was psyched for the game, and they did a great job of rebuilding their offense from all their losses last year. Their sophomore running back, Chase Edmonds, is a consensus FCS All American and won the Rice trophy as the best freshman player in the FCS last year; so I was expecting that he’d give us some trouble but not as much as he did. We contained him pretty well in last year’s game, Click here for the full analysis.


Sonny gets his Black Belt - Addendum
9/11/2015

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Mitch Bonnett sent me this interesting comment regarding the Bunnogram about Sonny’s black belt:

Here is the picture of our instructor on the cover of the book by Robert J. Clark. As I remember, Clark brought Duk Sung Son to the U.S. and arranged for him to teach at West Point.

I also recall a story on the front pages of one of the NY papers where a bunch of thugs accosted Mr. Son. He was outnumbered and tried in Korean (the only language he knew) to warn them they could get hurt. They didn't understand or just ignored his warnings. When they tried to take his groceries, they became front page news and found themselves in the hospital. Mr. Son was absolutely incredible!

Thanks Mitch, nice addition to the story.


Those Things Worth Saving
9/10/2015

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Ed Armstrong sent me this brief comment with the following picture. There are clearly some things worth saving:

Cleaning out some old West Point packing boxes in my Mom's attic I found a Camp Buckner memento. It has been repurposed in my yard. I now feel compelled to dig a short slit trench behind it.

Thanks Ed. I think that would look great with a trench behind it. By the way, nice yard.


Sonny gets his Black Belt
9/8/2015

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

I just received this nice note from my good friend Sonny Arkangel who included a great picture from the archives. I threw in a few words to help identify the principles. I’m sure you can make out Sonny who is clearly very much into the bout. Sonny writes:

Aloha Rick,

Appreciated your ramblings tremendously well, especially about Ron. This prompted me to pull out and scan the picture that I sent to Janice to share with his son since he was interested in learning about Ron's TKD experience. This photo was taken by an Army photographer--whoever carried cameras except when we were playing tourist?-- the event was the awarding of my black Belt in Taekwondo on 5 May 1965. I am sparring with our instructor Master Son Duk Son who was the ranking TKD instructor in Korea in 1964. However, he left there because the Korean government wanted to make TKD part of the military, draft him, make him an officer, etcetera. However, Master Son did not want this Korean traditional martial art to be changed and came to NY.

He hit hard and as you can see, I was expecting one of his fast powerful side snap kicks. Notice no pads--this was pre-pads--and strikes had to be focused gi-thickness strikes. One was penalized if you struck too hard, i.e., more than the thickness of the cotton gi. When I discovered the 4X7 photo, I had it blown up and noticed Ron & Dean Loftin in the background. Thanks to the person at CVS, she was able to bring out the people in the shadows and background so you can appreciate Ron & Dean. I have sent Janice & Dean a copy of this photo.

To continue rambling, we did not have cameras until we all got one while on our first tour of VN where we bought a 35 SLR and/or a Super 8 movie camera. We had 1-2 leather film carriers on the leather strap of the camera cover. Also bet we all have somewhere multiple rolls of that 35mm film.

Hope you got home safely.
Stay well,
Sonny

Thank you Sonny, I love these glimpses of our past.


How Cool is this?
9/8/2015

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Bob Wolff just sent me this brief comment and terrific picture:

Photo taken at my grandson’s Bar Mitzvah last month in Carlsbad, CA. The party theme was sports with everyone wearing a sports jersey. Mine is a USMA football jersey I purchased at the auction that was held at the Army Sports Hall of Fame dinner when Rollie was inducted. The shoulder pads helped give me that tough look.

Bob Wolff

Great idea, what a good looking boy and you look like you’re ready to take the field. It also looks like you have a pretty healthy hunk of bread there to share.


How's this for a Great Idea?
9/8/2015

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Gerry Buckosky shared this very interesting note taken from the Fox News Insider (the official blog of the Fox News Channel):

Future West Point graduates plan to wear a reminder of the consequences of Sept. 11. The class of 2016 has decided to use steel from the World Trade Center in its class rings.
Cathy Kilner of the Association of Graduates told the New York Post that the cadets "were raised seeing the footage of what happened and the consequences of that day.”
Class rings also include gold from past class rings, which have been donated.
About 1,000 cadets will graduate in 2016.

What an interesting concept.


Road Trip Ramblings
9/8/2015

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

As I was returning from a recent motor home trip to the small town of Newport on the eastern boarder of Washington state, I found myself getting a little tired and bored. I was just entering the eastern side of the Palouse (the relatively high plains of eastern Washington) and expecting that the long, straight highway would soon be trying to put me to sleep. My beautiful wife, Donna, was already asleep in the shotgun seat with our little Shiatsu, Molly, also asleep, in her lap. At times like this I find that playing memory games (I really have a horrible memory so this takes some effort) and listening to loud music often helps. After just a few miles I saw signs for the town of Cheney, Washington which surprisingly brought back a flood of both long gone and recent memories. You see, that was the town where my very dear friend, Ron (Chops) Walter, lived when he served with the ROTC at the local collage.

Having memories of Ron rush into my head was very effective at turning me from drowsiness to many mixed emotions about my little bitty buddy and the many adventures we shared over the years. I was first drawn to the memory of the privilege I was given to present the eulogy at his memorial service early this summer. While the stress was almost overwhelming when combined with my sadness at his passing, I was amazed to find that I was relatively comfortable once I got into the presentation. Naturally, I now look back and think of all the things I wish I had said to insure that all in attendance knew just how special he was and what a great loss it was for all of us when he passed so early in life. My mind then wandered to many great memories we shared such as the time we were driving into the town of Acapulco, Mexico while on our grand adventure following graduation. We were driving down a long and fairly steep slope leaving the mountains and entering the beach area of the city, doing about 50 mph. I saw a sign and asked Ron (he was proud of his two years of Spanish and quickly took on the role of our interpreter), “What’s a topa?” He barely had time to shrug his shoulders when we both learned together that we had just seen a warning sign for a speed bump coming up. We were riding in my brand new Pontiac convertible (top down) and pulling a small pop-up tent trailer which came very close to joining us in the car. Ron was quick to record this so we would know next time. (A note to those of you who speak that beautiful language that my memory of that actual word may be off a little but you get the idea)

As this and many other memories danced around in my head, my multi-disc CD player switched to one of my favorites, a great selection of military march tunes (including the “thumper’). These never fail to bring back memories of those 47 months at the Rock. While I think I was like most in not being too fond of parades, I must admit that when we all stood at “parade rest” as the band marched the length of the Plain and back, playing magnificent music, I did enjoy the experience. Of course I wasn’t at all pleased with having to memorize the playbill prior to parades when we were Plebes but that was only one of four years. At this point a rough spot in the road woke Donna up and she asked “How are you doing?”. I told her I was fine and then proceeded to share with her one of the silliest memories which always comes back to me when I remember those parades. With nothing to do but daydream during those long minutes while the band played my mind would wonder in some pretty weird directions. Strangely, a particularly rhythmic tune would cause me to picture the cartoon strip “Peanuts” with Snoopy dancing joyfully in a field of flowers and how easy it would be for me to do the same in all that lush green grass in front of us. (At least I didn’t go crazy – or did I?) At this point I assured Donna that I never acted on this foolish fantasy, to which she replied, “There’s always the 55th Reunion.” Actually, this brings me to a great opportunity to once again salute Alex Alexander for his terrific prank during our 50th.

Digging into many memories of our time at the Rock also brings to mind what I consider to be one of my lowest points. There have been times in my life (as I’m sure there have been for all of us) when I just flat felt sorry for myself. On Christmas Day, 1961, unable to be with my family, feeling alone and depressed, I took a walk out on the Plain. I found myself at one point standing in knee deep snow, looking back at gray buildings, covered by a gray sky, even the trees and ground looked gray (hell, I was even wearing gray) and I just felt sorry for myself. Fortunately, I was soon back with my Classmates who, once again, provided the support I needed to realize just how blessed I was to be there and to be taking advantage of a very amazing opportunity that so few were privileged to receive.

About this time I realized that, while my memory game had kept me from driving off the road, I was still too tired to proceed safely. A convenient rest area was just ahead were I was able to take a quick 20 minute power nap and get safely back on the road to home.

Please consider these unusual ramblings to be just one more in a series of efforts to tap into the vast wealth of experiences and memories we all possess. I can’t help but wonder if some of you also reminisce from time to time about those amazing years when we all got to know each other. My good fortune at having access to this bully pulpit permits me to frequently share my thoughts but I offer to anyone else so inclined to send me your thoughts so I can share them with all our brothers out there.


Don Erbes a Dental Giant in Florida
9/3/2015

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

My good friend Don Erbes has once again been honored for his amazing work as a Dentist in Florida. I am going to make a comment here because my failure to do so three years ago caused me to get an admonishment from one of you out there. I clearly goofed last time when I failed to point out that an award of this kind makes it obvious that, due to his military and dental background, Don is a highly qualified drill instructor. OK, those groans I think I’m hearing belong, not to me but, to the guy who shared the thought three years ago. Would that my memory was good enough to name him.

Anyway, Don wrote:

I was recently honored and very humbled by receiving the Florida Dental Association's Lifetime Service Award at the 2015 Annual Meeting/Convention in Orlando. I loved being a dentist and truly believe this was what I was supposed to do in life. Of course, we are all aware that any award/honor is only possible with the support and help of many. Obviously my greatest supporter was my loving wife, Joy who made it possible for me to give back to my wonderful profession.
Don Erbes

Don shared several pictures from the event: here we see the presentation of the award and then his daughter and granddaughter:

Next we have, as he described it, his awsome team past and present now that he is retired. In the second picture he identifies - left to right Lance (son-in-law), Sherri(daughter), Haley
(granddaughter), Joy, Don (holding the very impressive award). Being surrounded by so many good looking folks, it’s no wonder he has such a big smile.

Below is the news release regarding the award:

Local Dentist Wins Lifetime Service Award at the Florida Dental Convention Gainesville, Fla. (June 13, 2015) – The Florida Dental Association (FDA) is proud to announce Dr. Donald Erbes of Gainesville was recognized with the J. Leon Schwartz Lifetime Service Award at the 2015 Florida Dental Convention in Orlando. Dr. Erbes has held leadership positions at all levels of organized dentistry including Trustee to the FDA, member of the Florida Delegation to the American Dental Association and Past-president of the Central Florida District Dental Association. He has received several awards from the FDA including the 2006 Leadership Award, the 2011 Service Award and the 2012 Dentist of the Year Award. Dr. Erbes also was an American Dental Association Action Team co-leader with his wife Joy; their teamwork won the annual award for Best U.S. Congressional Legislative Action Team in 1997. His community involvement included leadership roles in the Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce, the Gainesville Economic Development Council, Gainesville Area United Way dental fundraising chair and Past-President of Gainesville Sunrise Rotary Club. He is most proud of founding the Dental We Care Program for the underserved in Alachua County in 1992. This program is still helping local residents In need.

Dr. Erbes has contributed more than three decades of selfless service to the profession. His leadership was instrumental in shaping association policy and current governance. As the association’s liaison to the Florida Board of Dentistry for over five years, he helped to create and maintain the highest standards for Florida dentist by assisting in writing current licensure law, rules and regulations. He is thoughtful, hardworking and politically savvy knowing when to push and when to stand back. These skills have enabled him to navigate the most difficult issues with ease. “Dr. Erbes is a true professional,” said Drew Eason, Executive Director and CEO of the Florida Dental Association. “He has served as an excellent leader for the Florida Dental Association and is always giving back to the profession and the community.”

About The Florida Dental Association: As the state’s premier professional organization representing Florida-licensed dentists, the Florida Dental Association (FDA) serves as Florida’s advocate for oral health. A constituent society of the American Dental Association, the FDA was established in 1884 to ensure patients receive the highest quality of care from dental professionals. The FDA is the leading expert and advocate on issues affecting Florida dentists and the oral health of Floridians. To learn more, visit www.floridadental.org.

Well done Don, you clearly have much to be proud of.


Dave Hurley to become Regional Society Advisor - Southeast Region
9/3/2015

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

While I had the pleasure of hearing this good news just minutes (OK maybe hours) after it became official, I was so tied up with things to do on my motorhome trip the past few days, I didn’t get a chance to share it with you. Anyway, Dave Hurley sent out this first message and then responded to my request with a much more detailed account of what it all means. His first report to Russ Campbell:

I wanted to let you all know that just a few minutes ago I was informed that I had won the close election for SE Regional Advisor. My term starts on January 1, 2016 and is for three years.

I appreciate your support and hope I can benefit from your wise counsel as needed. And in the words of our dear friend Harry, “I need strokes”

Beat Navy, Strength and Drive

Dave

This was followed by these details which helped me understand what it was all about:

The official position is Regional Society Advisor, Southeast Region. For purposes of West Point Society support, the AOG had divided the country into six regions. Each region elects three advisors who represent the West Point Societies of the region to the AOG. The term is three years and one advisor is elected each year, so only one new advisor arrives each year. My term begins on January 1, 2016. The Southeast Region includes Florida, North and South Carolina and Georgia and there are 25 West Point Societies in the region.

In order to be selected you must be nominated by your home West Point Society and usually this is a process of selection by the local West Point Society Board. You must supplement your nomination with a letter of qualification and agreement and other recommendations. This year there were three nominees in my region and each Society President votes for the selected nominee. The competition was significant this year, and it took a while to gather all the votes, so there was a delay in announcing the results, but I got lucky.

Regards,

Dave

This is really terrific and I’m sure Dave will do a great job. I was surprised to hear how many societies we have in that four state area. Good stuff!


Big Get Together in the East
9/3/2015

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Stan Genega sent me a great report on another great gathering on the east coast. Stan writes:

On Aug 29th, my wife, Barbara and I hosted a get together for classmates and spouses from NH, MA and RI. Dinner was great, drink was plentiful, and there were many tall tales. I think it was Don Nowland who said that some of the tall tales were even true.

Here we see kneeling: Leslie Alger, Linda and Tom Kelly, Stan and Barbara Genega, Karen Henneberry, Davita Nowland; and standing: Bob and Pauline DeLaar, John Salamone, Dagmar and Rick Kuzman, Jack and Jane Barwis, Jim and Carol Tomaswick, Tom Henneberry, Russ Campbell, Don Nowland. (Side note for Carol Tomaswick – check out the insert picture – that’s one of the socks Jon Thompson gave me – wouldn’t they go great with what you were wearing in this photo? – I’d give you these but I’m sure I have stretched them too much. However, I’ll bet Jon could find some for you. Just promise me a picture if you get some)

Here we see, Standing: John Salamone, Rick Kuzman, Jack Barwis. Bob DeLaar, Jim Tomaswick, Don Nowland; Kneeling: Tom Kelly, Stan Genega, Tom Henneberry, Russ Campbell

Not shown: Mary Kay Salamone who was being the photographer along with my daughter. A good time seemed to be had by all!

Stas'

Regards,
Stan Genega
H: 617-364-7252
M: 617-851-8388
sggenega@comcast.net

Great report and great pictures, thanks Stas’.


A New Feature - Sports Analysis
9/3/2015

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

My friend Gordy Larson has been asked by the publisher of GoBlackKnights.com. towrite frequent articles for them with analysis of the Army Team and brief rundowns of the opposing teams. During a recent teleconference of the Class Leadership Team, we discussed the possibility of approaching him to share those analyses with all of us through my Bunnograms. Gordy has agreed to do so and I will be sharing these throughout the season. While they are fairly long, theyare quite comprehensive and, I think you will agree, are very interesting and help to make the experience of watching the games much more enjoyable.

Here is his first installment – enjoy:

Preview of the Football Team and the Fordham Game

Theteam was dominated by seniors last season, and Monken and staff have had to replace the entire starting backfield and 7 starters on defense this year. Monken brought in 79 plebes on R-Day and 77 of them made it to pre-season camp to join 67 returning players; so we’re likely to see quite a few plebes onthe field this season. Click here for the full analysis.


Summer Adventures - Addendum
9/3/2015

Here’s an interesting follow up to the brief story Bill Hecker sent me about his climb to the top of Pikes Peak. Kent Brown sent this:

While I am impressed that Bill climbed Pikes Peak at age 72, I must tell you that I climbed Pikes Peak, with 2 other Airborne- RANGERS (in an ill planned New Year’s escapade that started the night before at a drunken party) on New Year’s day 1968. We were featured in “The Fort Carson Times” that week and we damned near froze to death in the process. And the rest of the story is that Bill and Nancy Hecker were our next door neighbors at the time. Obviously Bill picked a better time of the year to do this than I did. Well done Bill!

Kent Brown

Thanks Kent, it’s always interesting to hear reactions to the stories shared.


Summer Adventures
9/3/2015

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

My good friend Bill Hecker, who lives in Colorado Springs, decided to hike up the mountain that made me nervous in a car. Each to his own. Bill writes:

Thought that I might share one of my summer adventures - working to complete my bucket list as it were.

In late July, accompanied by active duty Army Airborne Ranger Special Forces Lt Col Jon Wiley, an AFA grad 31 years my junior, I climbed Pikes Peak on a Saturday. Having Jon along was important insurance - which fortunately was not called upon. For an old guy like me, even if I was an Air Borne Range Artilleryman of yesteryear, it was quite a challenge. (that’s Bill on the right)

Starting in May weekly hikes were taken in the Colorado Front Range hills near Colorado Springs working up to 12-13 miles a hike on the trails between 7000 and 9000 feet.

The day of the climb, the weather was beautiful and sunny. While I huffed and puffed my way up, Jon walked with me. Starting at 6am in the morning to avoid the afternoon lightning and thundershowers common on Pike Peak that time of year, we made it to the top at 14110 feet in 5
1/2 hours. Not bad for an old guy on his 72nd birthday. As you can see from the big smile at the end, it was a happy day. :-)

Beat Navy!!!!

Bill

Well done Bill, I’m impressed!


2 wayward Soldiers
9/3/2015

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

My good friend Hank Mickells sent this brief note to assure everyone who was looking for him at the 50th, that he is OK. He writes:

Wanted to send this picture of me (Hank Mickells) and Carl (Slats) Letterie earlier this month at Nye Beach, Oregon to allay any fears concerning our non-appearance at the 50th Reunion. We are doth doing well with the normal pains associated with being 70 something. Carl and Angie now live in FL after moving this year from NJ (Philly) area. Trina and I are still in Tucson, AZ. Sorry we missed 50th.

Thanks Hank, good to see that you and Slats are hanging in there.


Crab Fest - More Stuff!
8/27/2015

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Here’s some more nice stuff. Bob Frank sent me this report on a Crab Fest to welcome 7 who were beginning their exchange at USNA. Bob writes:

The Franks and the Kolettys were on hand for the annual Crab Fest welcome to the 7 cadets who are beginning their exchange at USNA. From left to right, Bob & Mary Frank, Janet, Jayden & Jack Koletty.

What was shocking to Jack and me was that we were the oldest grads present!

Bob asked Jack to confirm the name of his grandson and when he did so, Jack added:

We might have been the oldest Grads at the Welcoming Picnic for the USMA Exchange Cadets, but we still got our memories in gear, at least for one more year.
Cheers, for now!

Thanks guys. A very nice report and good to see that you are remaining engaged with the cadets. I’m sure they benefit more than you know from the experience.


So Far This Year...
8/27/2015

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

I just received this nice report and great pictures from Hank Kelley who introduced it to me by saying, ”You ask for stuff, you get stuff”. So here is Hanks “stuff”.

To get ready for the 50th Reunion, I participated in the 25th annual El Tour de Mesa, a 72 mile race held, by odd coincidence, in Mesa, Arizona, to benefit the Phoenix Children's Hospital and other charities. It was a great ride, except some b*st*rd put a very steep hill around the 50 mile mark. Himself, aka number 294, at the 52 mile mark, praying for a tailwind. And then a good Strength and Drive finish. By the time I crossed the finish line, the S&D gauge was in the red. Fortunately there was a micro-brewery a short distance from the finish line where I was able to replace vital fluids.

The Event of the Year: Our 50th Reunion. (the best I've attended) Three Amigos: Fourth class roommates in M-1. l to r: Joe Sanchez, himself, Sonny Arkangel. {When the training schedule says "tie optional," it's a no-brainer.}

Claiming a new continent to celebrate my 74th birthday. And finally at the annual Ride to End Alzheimer's. I try to ride this event every year in memory of two of my aunts who had Alzheimer's. It's a great ride (if you don't forget the route.) and for a good cause. Photo 3 | Photo 4 | Photo 5

Cheers,
Hank

Thanks Hank, good stuff.


Now that was Fun!
8/27/2015

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

My good friend and Ranger Buddy, Duncan Brown flew over from Silverdale, Washington to a little airport near my home in Puyallup, Washington a little over an hour ago so we could have lunch together. Here we are in the airport restaurant enjoying a quick bite (boy I really have to cut back on the cookies) but I was able to answer the often asked question, “where is the fuchsia shirt?”

After solving many of the world’s problems we went out to the parking lot so I could show Duncan my “Mustang Sally” and then he reciprocated with a visit to his Cessna 172 out on the flight line.

A quick, “good bye”, and soon he was in the air tipping his wings as if to wave.

Good friends mean so much! Photo 3


The Pacific Northwest Gathering
8/24/2015

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Last Thursday, we had another great Pacific Northwest Gathering at the beautiful home of Bill and Susan Sherrell in Spanaway, Washington. As soon as I arrived I saw that Bill and Susan were talking with someone in the back yard. As they approached, I got this first picture which includes their amazing view of Mt. Rainier (I’m not sure why but the mountain didn’t appear in any of the other pictures I took). Just as I was taking the picture, I heard a voice behind me asking if Tad had stepped in a hole (recall that he is one of the little people in our Class along with my recently passed dear friend Ron [Chops] Walter). Here we have Bill, Tad Ono, and Susan (do they look like happy campers or what?). I also got a nice picture of the host and hostess:

We spent most of the afternoon enjoying the beautiful weather outdoors on the back deck. Here we have a good picture of most of the attendees, but then I recruited the services of Bill a Susan’s grandson, Ben, to take one of all of us so that I could show off the super socks that Jon Thompson sent me. Thanks Jon. In the second picture we have moi, Susan Sherrell, Duncan Brown, Anita Fredricks, Grant Fredricks, Bill Sherrell, Tad Ono, Jim Holmes, and Donna Bunn.

We talked for hours and solved most of the problems of the world but mostly we just enjoyed each other’s company. Finally we got the standard picture of the guys, all smiles and happy to be back together one more time. Here we have Duncan Brown, Grant Fredricks, Bill Sherrell, Tad Ono, Jim Holmes and moi.

All in all, a beautiful day, a wonderful party, and great folks to spend the afternoon with. Thank you Bill and Susan. Once again you out did yourselves with your hospitality.


A Day at the Beach in Rhode Island
8/24/2015

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Our new President (Russ Campbell) is really getting into the swing of things and setting a great example for all of you who have a hard time remembering to send me stuff to share. Here we see where he and his lovely wife, Maryann, hosted a very nice gathering of Classmates for a day at the beach. Russ writes:

Maryann and I hosted "a day at the beach" in Rhode Island. This first picture is our Classmates on our deck just having enjoyed a wonderful lunch, L to R, Tom Henneberry, Rick Kuzman, Russ Campbell, John Salomone, and Mike Applin. Talk about beefcake!

This is dinner with all of us and our wives at "Jim's Dock" at East Matunick alongside the RI commercial fishing and recreational sailing harbor of Point Judith.
L to R, John Salomone, Mike Applin, Cathy Applin, Maryann Campbell, Dagmar Kuzman, Mary Kay Salomone, Tom Henneberry, Rick Kuzman, and me (facing).

We had a wonderful day together!.

Thank you Russ. I know many more of you out there are gathering in small and large groups. Please take the time to whip out the camera (it’s right there on your phone) and send me a picture or two and a few lines to share about where you are and a little about the occasion.


Alumni Leaders Conference
8/24/2015

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

I just got this in from Dave Hurley.:

Recently I attended the Alumni Leaders Conference at West Point as a representative of my West Point Society. Russ Campbell and Bob Frank were also there as representatives of the Class.

At the dinner we had this photo op with LTC David Siry who is the director of the Center for Oral History. That is his wife Melissa in the center.

He was very gracious and gave us a tour of the center and displayed some of their interview highlights among which was our own Russ Campbell. They are very appreciative of the support of the Class of 65 in their efforts. These interviews can be viewed at their web site www.westpointcoh.org and they have some very interesting history there which I would recommend to our class.

Regards,

Dave

Thanks Dave, great stuff, and thank you to all three of you for representing us so well.


Darrah Bash - 2015
8/18/2015

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

I received a great report from Bob Selkis regarding this year’s Darrah Bash. Bob writes:

This past weekend Steve Darrah hosted his annual "Darrah Bash" at his golf club, the Foundry, outside Richmond.

Usually, 12 members of the class get together for three days of golf, fine dining, and poker. This year 10 classmates made the trip. Bob Radcliffe could not play golf but rode around in his cart and inspired the teams (some may have called it harassment). His recent medical issue prevented him from playing golf but it did not seem to hamper his ability to play poker .Fred Grates received the award for traveling the farthest, coming in from Houston.

The weather was great and as always, everyone on the staff at the Foundry bent over backwards to make our outing special.

I have included several random pictures - inside the lodge overlooking the first fairway where we stayed, inside the club house and at our dinner table near the club house.

Participants: Jack Thomasson, Barrie Zais, Fred Grates, Steve Darrah, Steve Ammon, Pat Kenny, Sandy Hallenbeck, Chris Needels, Bob Selkis and Bob Radcliffe.

Photo 3 | Photo 4 | Photo 5

It looks like they all had a terrific time, as usual. It is good to see Bob Radcliffe up and around even though he was not quite ready to swing a club.

Thanks Bob Selkis for the report.


A Good Report About George Seaworth
8/13/2015

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

I got a nice message from Ken Yoshitani regarding the good recovery of George Seaworth. Ken writes:

A group of us checked up on George Seaworth to see how he is recovering. George is doing very well and is recovering nicely. He did not appear to be someone who has had a heart surgery recently. Maybe, just maybe, he is faking the whole thing to get attention and sympathy. The photo shows in the front from left Anna Croak and Jill Seaworth, and in the back from left Norm Eckstein, Bridget Eckstein, Tom Croak, George, Izumi Yoshitani and yours untruly.

We all had a pleasant afternoon. And, yes, the Colls were AWOL.

Ken

Thanks Ken, great report and good to hear that our friend George is doing well.


Sharing Pat's Birthday with you!
8/13/2015

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

I received this nice message from Bob and Pat but delayed sending it out as I thought there might be more to the story since I have Bob’s address as Burlingame, California and Fresno is almost 200 miles west and south of there. It turns out that they have decided to live in Fresno, where Pat has a beautiful home. Smooth move Bob! Here is their message:

Dear Family and Friends,

Yesterday was a gala evening at one of Fresno's premier restaurants. It was the same place where we got engaged back in April. The same waitress as then served us top flight drinks and a wonderful merlot from Alexander Valley. Everything was so nice there, we only left after 3 hours.

This morning was time to work on preparing patio pots and planting flower we bought from an outdoor garden. Temperature then was 103; much better at 70 early this morning!

We hope this finds you well and enjoying the last month of the Summer of '15.

Love,

Bob and Pat

Happy Birthday Pat. It sounds like a great time and you make a good looking couple.


Father - Son Hike
8/12/2015

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Wow, what a great report and what a great adventure to share with your kid! Keyes Hudson sent me this report with a couple of great shots in it:

My son Kevin and I finally ticked off a major bucket list item this week – a four day hike on the Inca Trail ending at Machu Picchu. Here we are at the highest altitude on the Trail: 13,779 foot “Dead Woman’s Pass. Note the special headgear carried in the backpack for just such photo opportunities.

Peru is beautiful. The people gracious and friendly, the scenery amazing. I recommend the hike for everyone. The Inca Trail is a piece-of-cake, especially since they added escalators and people movers.

Keyes

P.S. OK, I lied about the Trail. It was a BEAST, but well worth it! After training for 6 – 8 weeks here in the Texas Hill Country, I went to Peru 9 days before the hike to adjust to the altitude. Kevin came a week later from sea level in Palo Alto, so we were on about equal footing fitness wise. I was the oldest hiker on the Trail, and Kevin was second oldest in our group. It was a challenging but truly rewarding experience for us to share. Here’s a picture of our group at the Sun Gate with Machu Picchu in the background on the last day. NO ONE regretted getting there “the hard way”. 72 is just a number! Thank you Keyes, I am super impressed. I have a tough time getting around a fairly level golf course when they require “cart path only”. This is very impressive.


Strength and Drive - the Book
8/7/2015

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

While it took me longer than I anticipated to get to it (many things going on for me this year), I finally got around to reading Bob Doughty’s magnificent book about us. I don’t have enough words at my disposal to say all the great things I feel about his effort and the finished product. Reading so many wonderful things about and by my Classmates makes me feel so much closer and proud to be a small part of this unique group of men and their ladies. I have always felt incredibly proud to have had the good fortune to be counted as one of the members of this Class. After reading Bob’s book I now realize how much more special this Band of Brothers is than I had even imagined.

Thank you Bob for all the effort that went into writing this amazing book.

If you haven’t had the opportunity yet to read it, I highly recommend that you do so. It will make you feel good just to see how well Bob was able to capture so much and share it with us in this way. He left no stone unturned and dug deep into some of the most amazing aspects of our Class.

I, for one, will be extremely proud to have future generations in my family read about the fact that I was one of the members of the unique Band of Brothers we call “Strength and Drive”.


Sharing the Pride of the Strength and Drive
8/5/2015

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Denny Coll took on the project of displaying the pictures of many of our Classmates’ license plates in a nice collage which grew and grew until his final effort, shown here, which is three collages: Photo 3

Cool stuff, thanks Denny.


Returning to the Family Home with Honor
8/4/2015

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

I love it when I receive stories to share and this story, from Ralph Locurcio, is particularly nice because he was being honored by his father’s home town. It must have been a thrill to revisit his family’s origin and to be so honored at the same time. Ralph writes:

I was recently honored by the cultural society of my Dad’s hometown in Italy for those with origins to the town of Sant’Agata di Puglia who have made contributions to world peace and who have brought honor to the town. Here are a few photos from the ceremony and some words of explanation. Photo 3 | Photo 4 | Photo 5 | Photo 6 | Photo 7 | Photo 8

My Dad, Raffaello Locurcio was born in a small hilltop town in southern Italy Sant'Agata di Puglia. (Wow, I’ll bet everyone in that town has strong legs!)

My grandfather, Vito, brought my Dad to America to find better prospects for his son(s)... but my grandfather died in America and the family was separated, leaving the two remaining sons in Italy. During AOT, I returned to Sant'Agata to rejoin my extended family and we have visited many times since.

Most recently, the cultural society of Sant'Agata honored me and my family with a ceremony commemorating persons with origins in Sant'Agata who have made contributions to peace in the world and at the same time brought honor to Sant'Agata. These are some photos of that ceremony. As you might guess... my entire Italian family was there to share in the proceedings which were typically "spectacular".... note the Italian word for a ceremony is "spectacolo"... no translation needed! It was a wonderful ceremony and an honor for my entire family:)

Ralph included several great photos taken at random throughout his visit. This first one is of Ralph and his wife Ingrid wearing the hats of the Italian Brasielliere. Ralph explains: Those hats are the hats of the Italian Brasielliere… an elite Italian army brass band that plays while “running”. (I played trumpet in my HS marching band and I know how difficult it is to play a trumpet while “marching”… so it’s especially difficult to play while “running”… and also a good way to lose a few teeth!!!). If you have ever seen any of the Italian police or army units… they are big on hats & feathers… the more feathers the higher the rank. When the chief of the band walked in with those hats we just had to try them on!

The ceremony took place inside the castle which is at the top of the mountain, at about 900 meters. There are about 2000 citizens in the town today… more like 5000 when my Dad was born. The castle has now been renovated as a museum and auditorium. The castle was built by the Holy Roman Emperor Federico II (a German) who liberated southern Italy from the Muslim Saracens back in the 12th century.

The ceremony lasted about one hour… I had to make a short speech about my family origins in Italian (thanks to Google translate)… there were about 100 persons in attendance… about half were family! Afterwards we all went down to the main city square (piazza) where the band entered running and playing and then gave a concert in my honor… we also placed a commemorative wreath at the monument respecting those soldiers who had fallen in battle protecting the city and Italy. I really liked the group of children waving flags during the concert… they had a great time and it was a super indication of their pride and patriotism in Italy and their heritage.

Strength & Drive!!!!

Ralph

Prof. Ralph V. Locurcio, PE
Brigadier General, US Army (ret)
Email: locurcio@fit.edu

A terrific story Ralph, thank you for sharing it. Does this make you our favorite Italian Stallion or maybe our Best Bambino?


Glee Club Reunion
8/4/2015

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Our Glee Club seems always to be hard at work to represent us and the Rock in the best way. Here they enjoy a reunion and let their hair down (so to speak). Terry Ryan writes:

The third Glee Club Reunion was held at West Point this past week starting on Wednesday and culminating with a well-attended concert with the West Point Band at Trophy Point on Saturday night. Over 100 singers worked for two days with the band prior to the concert. The great class of 1965 had five members and wives in attendance. Jim and Karen Ferguson, Dave and Marcella Gnau, Terry and Sharon Tutchings, Steve and Trish Davis and Nancy Ryan and me.

A couple of things of note (no pun intended). First, the Reunion Glee Club performed the very first presentation of the new Viet Nam Medley. Hopefully, the Alumni Glee Club will be able to add the medley to our repertoire over the next year or so. Secondly, two of our classmates shined. Steve Davis performed a couple of times with the Headliners (a small performing group of the Glee Club that goes back at least fifty years) and Jim Ferguson was a featured soloist on “The Girl I Left Behind,” part of the Army Medley.

The pictures here are of the post reunion visit of the Fergusons and Gnaus for a couple of days at our beach cottage on Long Island Sound in CT. In the group pic you have from left to right: Jim and Karen Ferguson, Terry and Nancy Ryan, Marcella and Dave Gnau. The other pic is of some old guys enjoying lobster and maybe a beer or two too many.

Regards,

Terry
(703) 263-2232

Thank you Terry, looks like fun and that cottage looks none too shabby either.


USMA License Plate Collage #2
7/30/2015

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Denny Coll, constantly working for the Class, has put together the final collage of license plates for us. I went back to find the first one and a picture that accompanied it so we can have them all together here. The first one is the result of his original efforts. Next we have his second and final collage followed by the photo of the garage of a true gray hog and Lexus lover:

Thanks Denny, a lot of effort there and we appreciate it.


Music by Slats
7/30/2015

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

I never cease to be amazed at the talent we find in this Class. Here is a great report on our own Slats the Sax Man that comes from Mike Huston down in Florida:

Last night, Joanie and I went to Venice, Florida, about a half hour from our home in Punta Gorda, to see Slats Letterie perform his magic on his saxophone. He has found a place in Venice--the Allegro Bistro--which has a jazz jam every Tuesday night. Musicians like Slats get to play two songs with the house band. Slats goes there nearly every Tuesday night to perform, normally accompanied by two couples who live in his neighborhood. The place was packed last night and the music was outstanding. Joanie and I (as well as everyone else there last night) were amazed by Slat's talent on the sax. Below is a picture of Slats performing with the house band behind him.

It was a very enjoyable night! Unfortunately, we forgot to take a picture of the four of us - Joanie and I and Slats and Angie.

Thanks Mike great report. So Slats, why didn’t we hear some of that at the reunion?


Bob & Tricia's UK Vacation
7/30/2015

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

I just received this terrific report from my Plebe Year roommate, Bob Clover. I didn’t have to do anything to this report as it came to me almost exactly as you see it – thanks Roomie!

I would like to interject a little story here which I found embarrassing and very telling. As expected, with my horrible memory and the fact that many of you know me by my Bunnograms, I ran into many folks at the reunion who I didn’t remember. However, after many months of helping each other through the roughest year of our lives, you would think I would at least remember my old Roomie. But, No! I even screwed this one up. The only reason I can think of is that he must have become better looking than the skinny kid who helped me through those long months of Plebe Year. Fortunately he has forgiven me and all is well.

Here is his great report:

Our second granddaughter, Claire Parnell, is a Junior at Georgia Tech in Bio-Medical Engineering, and is doing a quarter at Oxford University in the UK. We all decided this would be a good opportunity for the family to visit her.

Our first granddaughter, Abby Parnell has just graduated from Georgia Tech with a degree in Industrial Systems Engineering and has just started working, so she was not able to join us. In addition to most of her family, we also brought my son's children with us.

Shortly after our arrival in London, we went to see the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace. Although I did take a couple of photographs there, most of them were the backs of other people’s heads who had crowded in front of me. This was a nightmare of crowded people.

Afterwards, we walked back to our hotel which was just across the Westminster Bridge. We walked along the St. James Park where the next photo was taken.

Here we have grandson Clayton Parnell, Tricia, me, Robert Clover III, and Carrie Clover. Robert and Carrie are the children of my son, and this was their first trip overseas. It was a wonderful experience for them, and a great opportunity for us all to spend some time together. After our walk in the park, we got on the Hop-on Hop-off bus for a tour of London.

Photo Right: The next day, we all took a trip to Stonehenge and to Bath. Although I was not able to get any good photos at Bath, below is a decent photograph at Stonehenge.

​Here we have me, Clayton, Robert, my daughter Kathleen, Carrie, Tricia and Aunt Cat (a close friend of my daughters when they were both at Georgia Tech).

Photo Left: One of the other sites we visited was the tower of London. Below is a photograph of us with our "Beefeater" tour guide. The Beefeaters are all retired military and they and their families live in the Tower premises.

​Again, here we have Robert, Clayton, our Beefeater, Tricia, Daughter Kathleen, me, Carrie, and finally Clay Parnell (my son-in-law) who was not included in most of the pictures because he was taking them. I am in this picture because this was taken before our tour. I became so engrossed that I got separated from the family, and was lost for an hour or so.

We also visited Westminster Abby, St Paul's Cathedral, and the Winston Churchill Museum. I enjoyed the Winston Churchill Museum and could have spent a couple of days in there. We also managed to visit several of the local pubs, and enjoyed the "pub food" except for the youngest two who ate hamburgers and cheese pizza (no fish and chips for me please!!!).

One of our last adventures was a ride on the London Eye (in the background of the next picture). Although the London Eye gives you the opportunity to see much of London from an elevated view, I am not convinced that it was worth the 2 hour wait in line for the 30 minute ride.

​Here we have Carrie, Claire, me, Tricia, Robert, and Clayton.

This was a wonderful trip, an opportunity to visit our Granddaughter in Oxford, and spend some quality family time.

Bob
--
Robert L. Clover
703-895-0015 Cell
Bob.CloverSr@gmail.com

Wow, sounds like a fantastic trip. What a great way to really get to know all the kids as they are growing and changing.


Some Great Old Memorabilia Available
7/28/2015

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Back in 2013, Darlene Cooper, widow of our Classmate, Bob Cooper, offered to share some items that might be of interest to some of you. Circumstances are such that she has offered once again to do this. Below is a list of the items available. I’m sure there are some real Gray Hogs out there who would enjoy adding some of these items to their collections. In order to claim any of the items, simply contact Darlene at drcooper@tampabay.rr.com . She will give any of the items to the first person to respond. Darlene writes:

Odds and Ends of West Point STUFF!

I have a friend whose father (’41) and brother (‘65, turned back, ’66) attended West Point. As she cleans out the family home, she passes all the West Point materials on to me. If anyone is interested in any of this, I will ship it (postage would be appreciated). If not, I have taken items to the AOG and museum on my annual trips to USMA and they have accepted them.

  1. Reviewing Stand ticket, June Week, 1966; Awards Convocation Ceremony, June 7, 1966; ticket stub from Graduation Banquet and Hop, 7 June 1966
  2. The Pointer magazine: 1959; March 17, 1961
  3. Catholic Chapel 6 June 1966 Schedule including marriage banns, Missal bulletin for Stewart Air Force Base June 5, 1966
  4. Assembly magazine: April 1944, October 1946, January 1947, July 1947, April 1955, July 1955, October 1955, Spring 1959, Winter 1959, Winter 1965, Summer 1966, June 1979, September 1979, March 1980, June 1980, September 1980, June 1981, September 1981, March 1986, March 1987, June 1987, September 1987, February 1988, April 1988, October 1988, December 1988, February 1989, April 1989,
  5. 1967 Register of Graduates
  6. 21 Miscellaneous postcards
  7. 2 copies of Historic Hudson River Valley map
  8. West Point Official Guide book, USMA visitor pamphlet; wallet size visitor information folder
  9. In Memory, issue of Assembly, April 1944
  10. Graduation program, 1966; 2 leather bound June Week programs 1966, 2 Alumni Information pamphlets June Week 1966
  11. Collection of seven hop cards from 1940-1941
  12. 4 West Point Christmas cards
  13. Leather bound June Week program 1940
  14. Cadet Glee Club concert program for Tampa, Florida, March 27, 1965; Cadet June Week Concert 5 June 1966, post card of Glee Club
  15. Thayer Hotel wallet calendar 1941, Thayer Hotel pamphlet
  16. Graduation ticket, June 11, 1941; June Week parking pass, 1941, Graduation Exercises program June 11, 1941
  17. Army/Navy track and baseball ticket, May 31, 1941
  18. Miscellaneous West Point stickers and stencils
  19. Graduation Banquet program, 7 June 1966
  20. Beat Navy sign
  21. Class of 1955 Graduation supper program, 4 June 1955
  22. Founders Day program March 20, 1959, West Point Society of D.C.
  23. 2 pages from Army Navy Journal, Washington, D. C., June 7, 1941 showing graduating classes
  24. Felt West Point banner, approximately 8” x 12”
  25. Class of 1966 Graduation invitation
  26. Spiral bound Pointer calendar 1963
  27. Colored postcard size scenes

Various “jewelry” items—see photo


A Visit and A Gathering
7/28/2015

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Tom and Ina Abraham and Bob Frank. Standing in the Westmoreland County (PA) courthouse rotundaHere’s a bit of twofer for you. Bob Frank, who is always very supportive of my efforts to share stories, combined a visit with Tom and Ina Abraham in Pennsylvania with a gathering at the home of Jim and Jean Hamon on Long Island, New York. Bob writes:

Here is a picture of Tom and Ina Abraham and me. We are standing in the Westmoreland County (PA) courthouse rotunda, a magnificent piece of architecture from the early 1900s.

Left to right: Bob Frank, Jim Harmon, Kay Dermody, Patti Jones, Ray Hawkins, Jean Harmon, Mary Frank, Linda Hawkins and Dave JonesTom took me to the local Greensburg High School, where the wrestling room is named for his father, top wrestler in 1939. He introduced me to a high school classmate of his who is a judge in the Family Court, as well as to the president of the County Commission. The latter gentleman explained the Colonial & Revolutionary War history of the county, which was then claimed by Virginia. It was a great visit, and Ina and Tom were wonderful and gracious hosts to Mary and me.

Several Classmates and their brides gathered on the North Fork of Long Island, as guests of the Harmons. A day of golf, swimming and a picnic dinner at a local vineyard allowed for much laughter and gaiety. A good time was had by all. From left to right: Bob Frank, Jim Harmon, Kay Dermody, Patti Jones, Ray Hawkins, Jean Harmon, Mary Frank, Linda Hawkins and Dave Jones.

Thanks Bob, good stuff and great pictures to share. Jim and Jean – I’m guessing there is a story to go with the bottles I see you both holding in this picture. How about sharing it with us?


One Affiliation Class Member off to a Great Start
7/24/2015

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Ross Wollen spotted this article in the New York Post and shared it with me. I decided to share it with you as it gives us a chance to see how one of the members of our Affiliation Class is doing. It looks to me like this kid has a pretty good future ahead of him. Enjoy:

Yankees prospect is an Army lieutenant, two months from battle
By Zach Braziller

July 21, 2015 | 10:33pm

Alex Robinett delivers the ball for the Staten Island Yankees on July 20. Robinett has a commitment to the U.S. Army he must honor before he can pursue pinstripes. Photo: Bill Kostroun

Alex Robinett is living out one dream while another awaits.The Yankees farmhand sits in a dugout at Richmond County Bank Ballpark on Staten Island, looking out at the field in front of him, knowing a completely different field is up next - a dangerous battlefield that could short-circuit a promising career. And yet the right-handed pitcher is eager for that military career to begin, while looking to make the most of the opportunity at hand. “It’s part of the job I signed up for,” he said matter-of-factly. Robinett is a West Point graduate, a 32nd-round pick of the Yankees who has a military obligation that will begin in September. It could last as long as five years, or as short as two, if the Yankees deem him valuable enough. If he has a contract offer after those two years Robinett may apply for a waiver to play professional baseball. If the waiver is granted, he will have to serve eight years in the Army reserves, instead of three in the Army. Robinett has been commissioned as a second lieutenant and will report to Oklahoma’s Fort Sill for basic training following the New York-Penn League season. Then he will join the 82nd Airborne Division in Fort Bragg, N.C. He expects to be deployed overseas at some point, to either Iraq or Afghanistan, where he will be a field artillery officer in charge of his own platoon.

Alex Robinett was nicknamed “Lieutenant Dan” by his Staten Island teammates. Photo: USMA Sports “Just giving back to the country,” he said, when asked why he wants to go overseas. “I’m sure it’s dangerous, and I would probably sound like a fool if I said I didn’t see that, but we’re the best military in the world and we have all the equipment backing we need. “I’m not anxious at all about the prospects of going over there.” Asked if he worried about what can happen, the 22-year-old Robinett hardly flinched. “No nerves at all,” he said. “If it’s your time to go, it’s your time to go.” “He just wants to challenge himself in everything he does,” his father, Mike, said in a telephone interview.
Robinett has been nicknamed “Lieutenant Dan” by his Staten Island teammates, a nod to the “Forrest Gump” character played by Gary Sinise. He said he finds it funny - he doesn’t take himself too seriously. Following a star-studded senior season at Army in which Robinett had a 2.01 ERA, threw eight complete games, tossed a no-hitter and struck out 21 hitters in a victory over Air Force - the most a college pitcher has fanned since Stephen Strasburg (23) in 2008 - the Yankees took a chance on him in last month’s draft. They are using Robinett in relief so far because of his heavy workload in the spring with the Cadets. After pitching well for the Single-A Pulaski (Va.) Yankees of the rookie-level Appalachian League, throwing five scoreless innings in three relief appearances, he was quickly promoted to Staten Island. There, he has struck out 10 in eight innings, allowing just two earned runs and picking up a save. “I saw him pitch [Monday night] for Staten Island,” Yankees scouting director Damon Oppenheimer said in a phone interview. “His velocity was 90 to 93 [mph] and [he] had a really good curveball he can spin for strikes. He is a competitor.” “As you would expect, he is really disciplined and everything is done by the book.”

Robinett represented Saudi Arabia in the Little League World Series. Photo: Courtesy Robinett family Before leaving for his Army duties, Robinett has to show the Yankees why they should bring him back in two years. “That’s the ultimate goal for this season, to prove to the Yankees I’m a worthy investment,” he said. “They have to know they can utilize me down the road. I think it’s important to show them you have a high ceiling for potential.” Robinett grew up in Saudi Arabia, his parents working for an oil company. His dad put a baseball in his hand at the age of 4, and watched him develop into a dominant pitcher. He led his team to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa., in 2004 and 2005. Even then, that steely resolve and power right arm were apparent. “He was throwing 75 mph as a 12-year-old,” Mike said. “He had this presence. Nothing fazed him.” Robinett’s development continued through high school in Bend, Ore. He was recruited by a number of top programs, schools such as Gonzaga, Oregon State and Duke, but serving his country was appealing. Having two grandfathers who served their country ingrained in him at a young age the sense of responsibility and pride military service could give him. When the opportunity arose, he remembered listening to their stories and realized the possibilities a career in the military could create for him. “I want to be part of something bigger than myself,” he said. “I always told myself when I was younger, if baseball hadn’t worked out, I would join the military. Going to West Point, I could join the military and play baseball.” Sure, Robinett had second thoughts. West Point was different than the average NCAA Division I school. There were 5:30 a.m. wake-up calls for special training, a heavy workload and then baseball. But he also said he wouldn’t change anything about how his life has turned out. Robinett has thought about his future a lot in recent weeks. The opportunity to play professional baseball for the Yankees. His upcoming time with the Army. His likely time overseas. But he’s also thought about years down the road, and he knows where he wants to be. “Hopefully,” Robinett said, “pitching in The Bronx.”
Additional reporting by George A. King III

Thanks Ross,


Putting the Grandkids to Work
7/24/2015

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Now here’s a boy who knows how to submit a report for sharing. Larry Neal sent this report with photos already inserted (I only cropped them a little to make the people easier to see). A great report and terrific pictures.

What’s up with all these mollycoddling pix of grandkids?? Don’t our mates know what a cheap source of labor they are? Here is grandson Ridley (10) helping me place bird netting in my vineyard.

Later he and his two brothers will help harvest and process the grapes into juice and wine. It’s a small vineyard, producing enough for a couple dozen cases for me and a few unlucky friends.

I confess to some mollycoddling also.

Photo Left: Ridley and me again along with his brother Kyle (13) and another guest from Laramie River Ranch in Colorado a couple of weeks ago:

Grandson Brayden (15) rounded out the “four gentlemen from Virginia” as we became known as at the ranch.

Photo Right: Brayden, Kyle and me.

Best regards,

Larry Neal
4271 Garth Road
Charlottesville, VA 22901
(434) 823-2168
LarryNeal@frii.com

Thanks Larry, good stuff.


Bob Arvin - A huge source of pride for S&D
7/21/2015

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Art Hester sent me this great report on the final Awards Dinner conducted by the Arvin Foundation. Art writes:

The Arvin Awards for Excellence Dinner was held on Thursday, June 27, 2015 in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Ten Ypsilanti area high school graduates received $1,000 awards in recognition of their academic excellence, leadership skills, and selfless community service in the manner exemplified by Bob Arvin.

This was the twelfth, and final, Awards Dinner conducted by the Arvin Foundation. The Arvin Foundation is being dissolved in order to pass the administration of the endowment, and corresponding awards, to the Ypsilanti Area Community Fund. During the course of its twelve years, the Foundation awarded $110,700 to 115 Ypsilanti area high school graduates.

I was privileged to be the guest speaker for this year's event, following a group of outstanding guest speakers at the previous dinners; Fred Laughlin, Joe Anderson, Chuck Moseley, Clair Gill, Dan Christman, Ric Shinseki, Buddy Bucha, James Warner (a high school friend of Bob, a Marine pilot who spent 5 ½ years as a POW in Vietnam), Dave Kuhn, Bob Jones, and Tom Abraham. Walt Oehrlein, a Foundation Board member, and Mitch Bonnett presented the awards to this year’s recipients. Joe Anderson and Tom Beierschmitt, ’68, attended the dinner as well.

Photo Left: Tino Lambros, Foundation Board president, is located in the center. Tom Beierschmitt on the left, Joe Anderson in the back row, and Mitch, Walt and myself on the right.

Photo Right: is of Walt giving the award to Shannon Egbert who will be attending Eastern Michigan University this fall.

The last photo is Mitch giving the award to Nathan Wagner who will attend Penn State.

In some respects, it was a somber feeling to see this activity end. However, it’s gratifying to know that since the Ypsilanti Area Community Fund will continue to provide awards in Bob’s name, his legacy will continue to serve as a beacon of excellence to the young men and women of his hometown. That’s an honor that each of us would be grateful to have.

Art

Thank you Art for this great report and your continuing support of Bob’s legacy.


The Passing of Jim Hume - follow up
7/21/2015

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

I learned of the passing of Jim Hume the night before my departure on my recent road trip. Chuck Nichols, who frequently acts as my back up among the many other things he does for me and our Class, stepped in quickly to cover for me. He shared the basics that we had learned at that time and then proceeded to contact Jim’s widow, Michele Polinitz, to offer her assistance and began the search for a POC to follow through with the necessary details.

Roger Griffin has, very willingly, stepped up to take on the role of POC. He too has been in touch with Michele and is actively assisting her with the necessary paperwork to arrange for Jim’s interment in Arlington National Cemetery. Additionally he is assisting her with the necessary details of the Dependency Indemnity Compensation process which will be pursued through the VA.

At this time the intention is to have Jim interred, with full military honors, at Arlington National Cemetery. Due to scheduling issues, this may not happen until fall. It is Michele’s intention to have a reception afterwards at the Press Club. More information will be shared when a date is determined and more details are available.

The family has also decided that in lieu of flowers they would prefer that donations be made to one of Jim’s favorite charities. The name of that charity and contact information will be shared at a later date. There will also be a $200 donation to the chosen charity by the Class in Jim’s name.

Thank you Chuck for your usual great work and to Roger for stepping up to take on the role of POC.


Road Trip 2 - Report
7/20/2015

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Well, I survived two magnificent road trips. The most recent one found my younger (15 ½) teenage granddaughter, Angie, focusing on the wilds of British Columbia and her love of Asian cultures. Originally, I had planned to take her to the Grouse Mountain Arial Tram to start things off. However,  when we saw an opportunity to visit the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden in Vancouver, that’s where we went. It was a pleasant walk through the gardens and not even the huge Coy fish where distracted by my favorite fuchsia shirt.

Following our visit to the gardens we made our way to the famous Harrison Hot Springs Resort where we spent the night. A very friendly member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (pictured below) gave us a cordial welcome. A wonderful dinner and an evening of dipping in the many warm to very hot pools finished off a very nice day.

Day two found us heading up the Fraser River Canyon to the Hell’s Gate Arial Tram only to find that the tram had just run into a problem stranding some folks out over the river. We waited, but when the announcement came that there would be a three hour wait, we decided to continue our journey. Part of the fun of the second day was not knowing where we would end up and what kind of accommodations we would find. Highway 5 to Merritt and then 97C to Kelowna proved to be just the ticket. With no particular schedule we were able to stop for points of interest, swap meets and scenic views. We also ran into another big guy who reminded me of the Sasquatch in the old movie, “Harry and the Henderson’s”. He was too big for a selfie so we just got two shots with Harry. I’m not proud of it, but I found it interesting how similar our builds are (Harry and I, not Angie and I). Photo 3 | Photo 4

From Kelowna we headed south through two towns that just sounded (and proved to be) very interesting. We stopped and enjoyed Peachland and Summerland and eventually got lucky by taking the last room available in the beautiful town of Penticton. Again, accommodating the Asian focus (Angie has dreams of teaching English in Japan) we chose one of many Japanese restaurants and enjoyed a very tasty dinner.

The next morning we returned to the good old USA where I find it much easier to keep track of my speed – mph not kph. Lunch in the charming little western town of Winthrop and then a beautiful drive over the scenic north cascade highway and back home. Angie had wanted to see some mountain roads and get some pictures. The poor kid only got 446 pictures. Maybe we’ll do better next time.

Well, that’s it for my adventures with my two beautiful granddaughters. Now I need some more similar reports for all of you who want to share your wonderful grandkids with all of us.


Steve and Anne Harman 50th Wedding Anniversary Party, July 4th 2015
7/16/2015

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

My good friend Steve Harman sent me this wonderful report on the celebration he and his beautiful bride Anne shared with so many friends and family. If the number of friends and loving family you surround yourself with is any indication of your success in life, Steve and Anne couldn’t be much more successful. Congratulations to you both! Steve writes:

Anne and I celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary on June 12th and our kids had a party for family and friends on July 4th in Northern Virginia at the home of our son, Jim. Our brothers and sisters and families and several classmates and other friends attended the party.

The four pictures give you an idea of the gathering.

Photo Left: (All of Us) shows us with our seven kids-Steven, Mary, Jim, Joe, Katee, John and Barbara.

The second one (Us and Mirandos) shows us with Connie and Jim Mirando. They introduced us in September 1962. Anne and Connie were classmates at Ladycliff. Connie and Jim were married on June 13th, 1965. We attended each other’s weddings and we have remained close ever since.

The third picture (Walt, John, Steve, Jim and Bernie) shows a few guys from ’65. Walt Kulbacki, Jim and I played on the Army Baseball Team. John Malpass was my best man and Bernie and Ellen Ziegler were in Augsburg, Germany with us in 1965-67 in the same signal battalion. Our families have remained close over the years.

Photo Right: (The Whole Harman Clan) shows all the family and friends who attended the party.

Regards,

Steve Harman

What a great party and celebration. Thank you for sharing this. My best to you all!


S + D = Very Prolific
7/15/2015

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Johnny Wells sent me this great comment which I hope is true. He wrote:

You've really stepped in it this time; I expect your grand kid thread will be a long one!

Photo Left: me and Rose Ann taken this past weekend with all 11 of our grandchildren.

Another photo with the grandkids by the pool.

Because they live in three different states, we rarely get to see all of them at once.

Photo Right: taken this past Christmas, is a shot with "everybody" (including the same 11 grandkids).

Johnny

Thanks Johnny, great pictures and a wonderful family.


The Ladies Represent S&D Very Well
7/14/2015

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

With some input from Bob Frank and Sherry and Clair Gill I received this nice report on the ladies participation in a member-guest golf tournament.

And then from Bob Frank:

Here is a shot of the wives who upheld the honor of the Class of '65 at the Indian Lake women's member-guest tournament. From left to right are Sherry Gill (member), Mary Harter, Mary Frank and Kay Dermody. The golfer in the middle is a likeness of Arnold Palmer.

Arnold designed the Indian Lakes course. It was his first effort at being a golf architect. Hence, his prominence in front of the clubhouse. The ladies did us proud in the scramble format, but they had to battle groups a few years younger. How did all these lovely beauties marry guys so much older?

Now, I would argue the word “likeness” although the stance after the swing is pure Arnie, the face looks to me like it belongs to someone else. Listen to me – an art critic.

Thanks folks, for a very nice report.


Fun in the Woods with the Grandkid
7/14/2015

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Here’s a quick one. Bill Sherrell sent this picture along which shows him harnessed and ready for the zip line. He writes:

An old man zip lining with his daughter and nine year old grandson at Northwest Trek. (Northwest Trek is a wildlife and adventure park very near to where he and I live)

Kinda reminds me of the “Slide for Life” at Recondo.

Thanks Bill.


Sharing a Memorable Celebration
7/13/2015

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

I got this nice note from Bob Wolff:

We were pinned at the same restaurant in 1964 when it was Chez Francois in downtown D.C. It is now in Great Falls, VA. Had a wonderful dinner with Phyllis’s Mom (95 years young), daughter Dina and her husband Jim.

We can’t believe it’s been 50 years! Congratulations to other classmates celebrating their 50th this summer.

Regards, Bob Wolff

Thanks Bob, very nice.


What a Great Response!
7/13/2015

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

John Funk sent me this great message about his family:

Sandy and I have 8 wonderful grandchildren - 1 boy and seven beautiful girls. Two of my eldest daughter's children have been on a softball journey that has lasted years. Jordan, the oldest of the two is currently a sophomore at Cisco College here in Texas. She has been a pitcher of some note during her competitive career so far: she was selected to the Texas All State team three years running, and her senior year was also selected to the Small School All-America team and had a record of 35-1. She now plays at Cisco, and this year her record was 17W 15L, 213.1 innings, 64 earned runs, 5th in the nation garnering 237 strikeouts and a 2.10 earned run average.

Jordan's sister Mackenzie(Kiki) played three years on the same team as Jordan while in high school. This year she hit 8 HR with a .542 batting average and has been selected to the Texas State All Star team roster and will play in the All-star game July 16. She has also received a scholarship to Cisco and will room with her sister this year. In the picture Jordan on the left and Kiki.

Needless to say we are very proud of their achievements. Additionally, they are very sweet young ladies that have given Sandy and I the anticipation of more achievements. Our other grandchildren are involved in other areas of endeavor but that is for another day because they are just beginning their journey.

John Funk

I replied that I would sure like to see a picture of his grandkids with him in it and look what I got back:

Here is a picture of the entire clan. Jordan and Kiki are in the middle next to my daughter in the pink blouse and the guy with the black shirt and Texas A & M hat. I am the shortest one in the back. My wife is in the white blouse between the twin granddaughters.

Wow, what a clan! Thanks John.


Whitewater Rafting with the Grandkids
7/13/2015

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Here is an excellent example of the type of grandkid sharing I was talking about in my Road Trip report. Pat Kenny sent me this brief note with a great picture.

Here is a picture of me whitewater rafting with 2 of our grandchildren on the Chattahoochee River in downtown Columbus, Georgia; you can tell by the smile on Alice (front left) that she enjoyed the trip. That’s me in the white shirt and Jack up front on the right and Alice up front on the left. I was amazed at the lack of dexterity displayed by my body, perhaps those 74 years take a toll.

Pat

Thanks Pat, good stuff but it doesn’t look much like downtown.


A Nice Addition to the Story on The Passing of Marie Parmly
7/13/2015

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

John Howell sent me this nice addition to the story on the passing of Marie Parmly:

Lee Parmly was not only a Tac but also the OR / faculty Rep for the Class Ring and Crest Committee and as the Chairman I was fortunate to get to know him and his wife, Marie, personally. In fact, the Parmlys and I (with my date from California) doubled to our 500th Night at Bear Mountain.

Later, in 1966, I bumped into him in Plei Ku where he was the C Detachment Commander – I was in the 1st Cav. We met and spent an evening together when the unit I was with bivouacked across the road from the C Detachment compound. When I informed him that I planned on extending to become an Advisor to the ARVN Airborne or Rangers he suggested he could get me into Special Forces and he did.

I was fortunate to overlap with him when he returned to West Point for a tour and I was there at the same time.

I have very fond memories of the Colonel and his lovely wife. They did influence the Class of ‘65 in many wonderful ways.

John

Thank you John, great memories.


Road Trip 1 - Report
7/13/2015

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Well, I just returned from my first of two road trips with my two teenage granddaughters and I’m pleased to report that it was a huge success. The eldest (almost 17) of the two, Sara, chose for her “adventure with Grandpa” to visit the National Bison Range and Glacier National Park in the “Big Sky Country” of beautiful Montana. We spent the first night in Plains, Montana where we were able to enjoy the Hot Springs at Quinns Resort. We took off on the 19 mile (Red Sleep Mountain Drive) gravel road through the park.

Photo Right: On Friday, after a stop at the visitor center where we met this rather gentle giant (I’m referring to the furry brown guy behind us, not the guy in the shorts with his arm around my beautiful granddaughter)

The road took us up over 2000 feet to provide numerous vantage points for observing all sorts of wild animals. After about 17 of the 19 miles we finally sighted some of the magnificent bison that live in the refuge. You can see a couple of them behind us as Sara teaches Grandpa how to take a “selfie”. By the way “Sally” (my Mustang) performed beautifully on the entire trip. Almost as if she felt at home in this environment.

We then drove up to Glacier National Park where we traveled both ways through the park on the 48 mile “Going to the Sun Road”. If you have had the pleasure of seeing it, you would probably agree with me that the magnificence of the scenery is almost overwhelming. At the East end of the road we stopped to practice another “selfie”.

Photo Left: The new hat on Sara is Grandpa’s gift to help her remember the trip.

This kid is so terrific, she even suggested that with her new learners permit she would be willing to help me with the driving. So, for about 30 miles on a well selected stretch of road outside the park she took the wheel of Mustang Sally. She did a wonderful job, handled the car like a pro, and proved that she is becoming a terrific driver. I, on the other hand, was a complete basket case. After all, Sally is still my new toy.

A night in Kalispell and we were back on our way home to the Pacific Northwest with about 1290 miles behind us. Sara has been a vegetarian for several years and challenged me to join her by going totally vegetarian on the trip. It went very well as I learned how to live with a very limited diet and a few new flavors. However, I’m very happy that after dropping her off at her house and heading home to mine, I didn’t see any cows along the way.

With this report I am providing a sample of one way to share stories of our grandkids which I hope will be of interest to others. We all love our grandkids and are proud to share how terrific they are, so here is a way to do it. I only ask that pictures include you so we can maintain the tie to the Class. Let’s see if we can generate some great stories as we share this wonderful part of growing older.


The Passing of Marie Parmly
7/13/2015

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

It is my sad duty to inform you of the passing of Marie Parmly to make you aware and to give you an opportunity to reach out to the family should you wish to do so. Guenter Hennig shared with Chuck McCloskey the information below who then passed it on to me.

Marie Parmly, wife of Colonel (deceased) Eleazar (Lee) Parmly, class of 1946, passed away on June 27 in St. Augustine, Florida. She was 91. Classmates will remember then - Major Parmly as a TAC.

Guenter Hennig and his wife Diana were friends with Mrs. Parmly and saw here frequently in church. They reported that she was always smiling, liked to have a good time and was active in church activities. The Hennigs attended Marie's July 2 funeral mass and the reception that followed. Many Parmly family members were present, including two brothers, three daughters and one son who traveled from Switzerland. Marie was inurned at West Point on July 7.

Marie was a big fan of the Class of 1965 and had ordered several copies of Bob Doughty's book for her family.

Chuck

Should you wish to express your condolences to the family the best way would be by e-mail or phone to Elizabeth (Beth) Parmly, (daughter of Marie) at : bethbalboa65@gmail.com, (904) 535-7685.

The following eulogy was published in the St. Augustine Record:

Marie Parmly was born on March 18, 1924, to Charles W. West and Hortensia Maria Guiteras in Honolulu, Hawaii, where her father was stationed in the Army. She died on June 29, 2015. She grew up in Cuba, Panama, West Point, New York and Washington, D.C. Marie West married Eleazar Parmly IV (Lee) in 1946 at West Point, immediately after his graduation from the US Military Academy. They lived in Japan, Thailand, Panama, and various postings throughout the United States. When Lee retired, they came to Crescent Beach. After her husband's death in 1977, Marie returned to college and then spent several years as a Maryknoll Lay Missioner assigned to Mexico City and Maryknoll, New York. Subsequently, she returned to her home in Crescent Beach, where she was an active member of St. Anastasia Catholic Church, a lay sister of the Sisters of Saint Joseph, and active in support of many religious and social issues. Marie will be missed by her children: Beth Parmly (Ponte Vedra Beach), Barbara Parmly (New York), Joanne Bryant (North Carolina), Michael Parmly (Geneva, Switzerland) and David Parmly (Knoxville). Her influence will also be missed by her 12 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren. Two brothers and some 30 other relatives were full or part-time St. Augustine residents and provided Marie with ongoing family joy and support.Marie often mentioned how important family and good friends have been in her life. Given her personality, Marie was probably unaware of the difference she has made in the lives of so many who are grateful and honored to call her "friend", and who love her. A Mass of Celebration of Marie's Life will be held at St. Anastasia Catholic Church on Thursday, July 2, 2015, at 4 p.m.St. Johns Family Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Thank you Guenter and Chuck for helping to keep us informed.


Additional New Hire for Monday
7/9/2015

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Our intrepid climber, Bruce Marshall, is at it again. He just shared this great report on his most recent climb to the top of Boundary Peak in Nevada:

Summited Boundary Peak, NV on June 27th.
I'm shooting for 45 States including North Dakota, Oklahoma, Utah (turned around on this one a couple years ago), Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama & Florida - any Classmates want to join me on any of these?

Since I have a Drop Foot (can't raise my right toes) from a nerve entrapment (30 years ago), I probably won't do OR, WA, MT, WY & certainly not AK! 

Bruce R. Marshall, CFP
brucesiphone@yahoo.com
443-286-3163

Bruce also included the attached brief clip of the summit as well as this link to a much longer video of the climb which is on YouTube: http://youtu.be/9mJe9AIVScM

Thanks Bruce, great report.


A Great Recovery Story
7/9/2015

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Tommy Thompson was so pleased with the outcome from his recent hip replacement surgery that he sent me this very nice report with a picture which shows that he up and about already:

Came home yesterday, about 24 hours after surgery completion.

Still tired today or more like dopey due to the anesthesia and Oxycodone pain killers. As advertised, the operation apparently went very well, lot better than I was expecting due to reading info about this operation in general rather than the specific improvements using the anterior incision method. Only pain I have now, and it is quite significant, is the surgical pain and some muscle pain like a charley-horse, more like a burning than the sharp nerve pain I was having. That is GONE! also many less restrictions, can shower, dressing is water proof, also allowed to bend more than I thought. Only thing I cannot do is turn the surgical hip outward in a split motion. I won't do that. I am already walking with only a slight limp with a crutch. He lengthened the surgical leg due to loss of bone in the ball and socket. I expect almost normal walking within a week. Amazing. Gonna wait on golf for at least six weeks, so I can get in shape. The artificial joint is not "glued" into the femur, just inserted so the bone will grow around it. He said my bones are very strong. Also, the dressing (selfie below) is removable Sunday. There are no sutures or staples, just "super glue". About six inches long on the right front of my right hip:

You can just see the top of the bandage at his right index finger. We went through a few other shots but this one was the most discreet and still shows the location of the incision. Mine, on the other hand, which was done about eight years ago, came in much more from the rear (almost as if they caught me trying to run away). There have been many improvements in the procedure in a very short period of time. Tommy continues:

Highly recommend this operation, don't wait like I did, and take steroid shots first.

Thank you Tommy, Good report that may be helpful to some out there considering such surgery.


A Message from our Immediate Past President
7/8/2015

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

As I’m sure we can all agree, we owe Clair Gill a huge debt of gratitude for a job extremely well done. For the past ten years he has served as our Class President and has led us while many of us wrapped up our careers and entered the world of the retired. I had the privilege, for the past five of those ten years, of working with him and experiencing his leadership style first hand. He has been a pleasure to work with and I, for one, am very pleased that he was willing to take on the task of the Presidency and that he did such a great job with it.

If it sounds like I appreciate the guy, that would be an understatement. I am taking this opportunity to say a few nice things and share the thoughts of many whose comments were not heard previously because of his “fly below the radar” approach to things.

Ok, with that said, I would like to share a message from Clair to the entire Class:

Strength and Drive Classmates,

Below is copied a note I recently received from our West Point Superintendent, LTG Bob Caslen. You may also have seen the recent posting by the West Point AOG commending our Class of 1965 on such a successful gift campaign.

This appreciation belongs principally to each of you who made the effort and shared some of your resources for the betterment of our alma mater. I cannot begin to thank each of you enough.

The next level of appreciation belongs to the marvelous team who made it happen. Our beloved “old man” Harry (Dermody) got this campaign off to a great start after Fred Laughlin and his committee worked with the Academy and the Class to figure out what would be the best application of our 50th Reunion Gift. Harry’s first decision was to “hire” Bob Harter as his vice chairman, knowing that his longevity might be curtailed before the reunion. He also decided to divide the country into five distinct geographic areas and assign key lieutenants to each, for the purpose of making the contacts and dealing with those of us who lived in their areas. These great individual were Bill Hecker, Dennis Hawker, Fred Smith, Larry Neal, Steve Ellenbogen, and Steve Harman. HOOAH!

The plan worked and we had achieved our monetary and modest participation goals by a year prior to the 50th Reunion. At that point, I asked Bob Harter to press the pedal to the metal to see how far we could get in Class participation. His response to this charge generated enormous energy as we pressed out to have deceased Classmates memorialized, engaged with the Company Reps, and even reached out to sports team leaders. Our competitive juices kicked in and we began to really engage with each other as a Class. 87.5 % participation means we engaged positively with almost all of our surviving Classmates. Well done.

Our significant contributions will be felt for many years to come by the recipients as all of the gifts are in perpetual endowments. One of my personal hopes is that we may have stirred a desire by many of you to continue to contribute to West Point—in whatever amount or program you choose.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Clair Gill
Past President

Thank you Clair for this and your tireless service to our amazing Class.


One Good Story Often Leads to Another and Another
7/1/2015

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Well, as expected, great stories frequently lead to just one more. Here’s another one from Mike Barker, inspired by Steve Philo’s shared memories of Plebe Year:

I gotta tell this Beast story on myself. By way of background, I grew-up in a rural, poor, rather isolated and unsophisticated environment. ’t even have TV until I was in high school, then only sporadically. Frankly, West Point was a massive cultural eye-opener for me.

Anyway, one day in the Cadet Mess about three weeks into Beast, I was seated in the solo end seat opposite the Firstie Table Commandant. As I recall, we “cadet candidates” rotated through that table position, and had the duty of cutting and serving the various offerings. On this unlucky day for me, the table waiter deposited a large rectangular metal tray with a very aromatic main course in front of me. I obviously took a few seconds too long to guess what it was and decide how to go about serving it. Suddenly the table com shot out, “OK, Dumbjohn, what’s the delay? “ To which I gave the obligatory “No excuse, sir!” The very perceptive Table Com then said, “Smack, you don’t know what that is do you?” To which I replied, “No sir, I do not.” To which the Table Com proclaimed, “That, Dumb Smack, is a very tasty pizza, but you are not going to find out today,” followed by the dreaded “Pass your plate out!” Alas, another day of semi-starvation. In fact, I think that actually was the first time I had ever seen, smelled, or heard of “pizza.” And, of course, I still had not tasted pizza. Memories…

Mike Barker, G-1 to L-1

Ah, those were the good times, enjoying a tasty pizza cooked in what was usually used as a garbage tray. I always assumed they did a good job of cleaning the trays before cooking the pizza, it made the pizza taste better if you believed that.


George Seaworth in Need of Support/Prayers - Response
7/1/2015

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Now here’s a very nice response to my request for support/prayers for George Seaworth. His daughter, Terry, was kind enough to send along this message and great picture:

This is George's daughter, Terry. He asked me to pass along to all his Classmates his thanks for all the warm thoughts, prayers, and good wishes that have been filling his inbox. He looks forward to answering each of them personally when he's up to it - probably starting in a couple of weeks. He's doing very well so far, and I'm sure he'll make a speedy recovery.

Many thanks for all the Classmates support and cheer while he's recovering!

Terry

Thank you Terry for your assistance and thank you George for the great pose for the picture. You’ve got a big heart my friend.