USMA Class of 1968 – Class Gift Update
July 25, 2007
"Befuddlement and Low Comedy"
Classmates,
When Thomas Jefferson signed the act authorizing the establishment of the Military Academy back in 1802, he couldn't possibly have imagined the louche crowd that would one day take up residence there under the collective name of "The Class of 1968." This is fortunate, for had it been possible, he might not have put pen to paper, and we'd have missed out on four years of shared befuddlement and low comedy. Payback time has arrived, however. Part of our class's gift to the Academy is going to be a life-sized bronze statue of our third president for the entrance rotunda of the building that will bear his name. It will be sculpted by James Muir, a renowned artist and former classmate who'd had a full and sufficient helping of the befuddlement and low comedy by December of 1965 and who chose to resign at that point. If you'd like to get a look at a clay model of the sculpture, just point your web browser to the following URL: <
http://www.aogusma.org/wpf/allimages/pictures/JeffersonSculpture.jpg
>
The historical authorities here at the Academy are still niggling over a couple of details -
whether Jefferson actually wore buckle shoes, whether the coat's length is correct - but what you see is pretty much what we're going to get. It promises to be the magnificent
centerpiece for the Class of 1968 Rotunda, a space that will permanently memorialize the entire class while paying particular tribute to our classmates who fell in war.
It's fitting that the new library will bear Jefferson's name and house his statue for a
number of reasons. Among them is the fact that Jefferson valued education and respected the power of the human mind -properly used. Seldom publicly vain, he did nonetheless boast, "I was bold in the pursuit of knowledge, never fearing to follow truth and reason to whatever results they led, and bearding every authority which stood in their way." Furthermore, he claimed, "I cannot live without books." More to the point of
this letter, though, is one of his most famous urgings: "Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today." And what you can do today is help us fulfill our pledge to West Point.
Dan Kaufman laid out the financial details in his letter last month. He concluded that we have about $350,000 more to raise. Being more pessimistic, I'd say that $500,000 is a better number. With that much, we could cover unforeseen contingencies and cases wherein changed personal circumstances do not allow some of our classmates to fulfill their pledges. But no matter how you look at it, we have a big job here with less than a year to get it done.
Many of us regard the pledge as a debt of honor. Playing for laughs at the beginning of
this letter, I spoke of befuddlement and low comedy, and there was much of both, to be
sure. But dominating the four years were experiences of learning, achievement, growth, and fulfillment. I also mentioned a payback. But it's not really a payback to Thomas Jefferson in thanks for what he did in 1802; it's a payback for what the U.S. Military Academy did for all of us during a period that's nearly four decades in our past. It established the firm foundation on which we built the rest of our lives.
Recognizing the debt, many classmates have given at the $5000 level and have been awarded a bronze class coin. Others have given at the $10,000 level and have been awarded a silver coin. The list of those who have achieved these levels of giving is available on our class website at <
http://www.west-point.org/class/usma1968
>.We thank all of them, just as we thank those whose circumstances have not allowed them to make the coin list, but who have nonetheless given what they could. The time has come, however, for a last big push if we are going to make it to our metaphorical finish line: a check presentation to the Superintendent - accompanied by our wild
cheering - at our 40th reunion in the fall of 2008.
How do you go about giving to the class fund? Go the class web site already mentioned and click on "Class Gift Fund Form." It offers you an array of ways to give, from writing a check, to using your credit card, to setting up an electronic funds
transfer. You can also access the Company Representative list and call your rep for help in the process.
The Class of '68, diverse, gifted, and accomplished, with a proud past and still open
future, has a challenge facing it. Let's join together again to overcome it. As the folks at
Nike would put it, let's just do it.
John Calabro
