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“For More than Ourselves” |
WPPC Newsletter July, 2009
West Point Parents’ Club of St. Louis
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Supporting Cadets & Grads |
WPPC Minutes – Hail and Farewell Meeting June 7, 2009
- The meeting was called to order by club president Alan Mandel with the Pledge of Allegiance. The invocation was provided by Mike McCullough. New club directories were distributed to all in attendance.
- 2LT Michelle Alderson ’09 addressed the group and gave the incoming cadet Candidates her insights about their upcoming four years at West Point.
- Frank Janoski addressed the group and provided his advice and guidance to the candidates.
- Graduation plaques were presented to 2009 graduates Michelle Alderson and Amelia Janoski (Frank accepted plaque for daughter Amelia).
- Mike and Marge McCullough were presented with the “Freedom Salute” award, please see details below.
- The group enjoyed the luncheon at Kemoll’s Top of the Met with views of downtown St. Louis
- Pat Flachs recognized Frank Janoski for all of his contributions to the club over the years. He stated there are 23 cadet candidates this year from our geographic area. Pat made several recommendations to new cadet families regarding hotel and restaurant reservations. He suggested that families stop at the “A Club” table at R-Day or A-Day to obtain information regarding football tickets.
- Marilyn Ballard displayed her beautiful artwork, and mentioned that she will paint personalized watercolors of your cadet. She generously donates a portion of her proceeds to our club. She may be contacted at LMBallard1@gmail.com.
- Mike McCullough, club webmaster, suggested that he be informed if there are any contact information errors on either the printed directory or our new club website. www.tinyurl.com/wppcstl. He also asked if anyone would like to become involved with the website maintenance, with an eventual goal of taking over the position.
- Alan Mandel discussed the upcoming meeting schedule. Five meetings will be held, including the traditional boodle meeting in September and the February meeting at Scott AFB.
-Marge McCullough noted that our WPPC helps fund shipment of boxes to troops. She requested to be notified of any of our area troops deployed overseas, so that she may include them in her mailing list. She also accepts money donations to help fund her efforts.
- Our Class Tumbler Fundraising project was discussed. Please see below for details.
- The cadet candidates and current cadets then recessed to an adjacent location to have the opportunity to meet and talk about their upcoming West Point experience.
- Brag news was shared while the cadets and candidates were meeting.
- Bill Henry requested that you update him with your cadet’s birthday and WP mailing address at wchenry1972@wildblue.net
- The meeting was adjourned at 2:30 PM
Freedom Salute Award to Mike and Marge McCullough
Mike and Marge McCullough have been recognized by the US Army for their contributions to the Army Community. Their names were submitted for a US Army Freedom Team Salute Commendation by LeAnn Roehm, one of our members who moved to Colorado. Mike & Marge have been sending packages to the troops since 2001, and Mike works tirelessly as our club webmaster. Congratulations Mike and Marge, and thank you for your dedication!
Congratulations Class of 2009 Graduates!
Newly commissioned 2LTs from our area are Michelle Alderson (Medical Services), Daniel Henry (Infantry), Amelia Janoski (Military Intelligence) and Logan Phillips (Engineers). Congratulations on your accomplishments and best of luck in your future endeavors!
Welcome Class of 2013!
We are pleased to welcome 23 new cadet candidates from our area for the Class of 2013. The following candidates reported for R-Day on June 29. We welcome you to the West Point “family,” and wish you the best in your future experiences at West Point!
Chris Boldt St. Louis, MO Andrew Boyd Chesterfield, MO
Shawn Brands Wildwood, MO Kelly Cassidy St. Peters, MO
Brian Cobbs St. Charles, MO Morgan Cole Glendale, MO
Patrick Collins St. Louis, MO Chance Davidson Litchfield, IL
Erin Farinelli Marion, IL Joseph Geiger Springfield, IL
Charles Gerber St. Louis, MO Patrick Heeter Columbia, MO
Roberto Hernandez Quincy, IL Kiley Hunkler St. Louis, MO
Austin Keeton Troy, IL Megan Luhrsen O’Fallon, IL
Andrw Mclean O’Fallon, IL Alexander Pinigis Carterville, IL
Bryan Robbins Shiloh, IL Michael Sheahan Columbia, MO
Jonathan Thomas St. Louis, MO Aaron Tomaszewski Scott City, MO
Chad Vessell St. Louis, MO
West Point Charity Golf Tournament August 18, 2009
The 3rd Annual Golf Tournament will be held at 11:30 AM and will include a buffet lunch, followed by an 18 hole scramble, awards ceremony and happy hour. The cost is $150 per golfer or $500 for a foursome; active duty military is $80; hole sponsorships are $250. It will be held at the Norwood Hills Country Club, 5601 Lucas Hunt Rd. St. Louis. Please RSVP to Roy Phillips at Roy.Phillips@charter.net or call 314-409-5278 by August 7. Please make your check payable to “The St. Louis Military Academies Sports Foundation” and mail to Roy Phillips, 127 Foxbrush Dr. Belleville, IL 62221. All proceeds benefit the USO & Toys for Tots.
Fundraising Updates www.WestPointClassGifts.com
The club project of selling Class Tumblers (2009 – 2012) has generated $8,000 through June where we have sold 560 tumblers. Three-fourths of our sales come from our web site www.WestPointClassGifts.com and the rest from the Cadet Store at West Point. The profit margin is about $5.00 per tumbler. At present all profits are tied up in inventory; our main source of advertising is the ParentNet. All proceeds will be used for West Point Classes; the club recommended we make a $1,000 donation to the Class of 2009 in August.
September Boodle Meeting Saturday, September 19th
The next meeting of the WPPC will be held on at 11:30 AM at the home of Alan and Annette Mandel. 5565 Lindell Blvd. St. Louis, MO 63112. We will have a potluck luncheon and assemble boodle boxes to be mailed to our cadets. ESPN will be televising the Army vs. Ball State football game during our meeting. This is always a fun meeting, so hope to see you there! The Mandel pool will still be open, so children are welcome! Please provide a dish to share according to the first letter of your last name.
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AH Salads |
IQ Desserts |
RZ Side dishes |
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Please RSVP by Sept. 10 to Kathy Spadone at spadonek@charter.net or you may call 636-600-1106.
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Brag News
Mike Edelson ’79 is a managing partner at Morgan Stanley in NYC. Mike is the son of Joan Edelson.
Brenda Edelson ’84 is working with a group supporting the IT needs of the European contingent in Germany. She works for SRA International and was promoted to a Senior Principal in February. Brenda is the daughter of Joan Edelson.
LTC Christopher Ballard ’88 is assigned to the J-3 Section in the European Command (EUCOM). He has extended his assignment into the fourth year. He is currently coordinating Simulation Exercises in the Command. Chris is the son of Larry and Marilyn Ballard.
George McCullough '00 completed his MBA at University of Illinois and works for Navistar in Chicago as Military Engine Marketing Manager. George is the son of Mike and Marge McCullough. CPT Adrian Zdazinsky ’03 recently completed an assignment at the National Training Center in Fort Irwin, CA. He then attended the Maneuver Captain's Career Course at Fort Benning, Ga., graduating in February 2009. Since then, he has been assigned to Fort Polk, La. He is now the Troop Commander of Blackfoot Troop, 4th Battalion, 10th Mountain Division. Adrian is the son of Chip and Peggy Zdazinsky. CPT Robert McCullough '04 completed Captain's Career Course (CCC) and is part of the 4th MEB at Ft Leonard Wood. Robert is the son of Mike and Marge McCullough.
Michael Collins ’06 is a LTJG (lieutenant junior grade) in the Navy, which is equivalent to the Army's 1LT. He recently completed the first half of Navy SEAL's BUDS training and will participate in various advanced, specialized training courses between now and the first months of next year. Michael is the son of Michael and Sarah Collins.
2LT Sean Flachs ’08 is stationed at Fort Leonard Wood. Sean is the son of Patrick and Lorraine Flachs.
2LT Rachel Larson ’08 is in Bamberg, Germany as a platoon leader. She will be training in Romania for four months. Rachel is the daughter of Nathan and Mary Larson.
2LT Michelle Alderson (Class of 2009) has enjoyed her post-graduation leave and is headed to Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, where she will snowbird and then go through BOLC at Fort Benning and then back at Fort Sam Houston. Michelle is the daughter of Mike and Nancy Alderson.
2LT Amelia Janoski ’09 will be the WP graduate assistant for the women’s soccer team through December, then attend Airborne school. She has recently become engaged to WP ’07 grad 1LT Rob Zargan. She has branched Military Intelligence, and has eventual plans to attend law school. Amelia is the daughter of Frank and the late Debra Janoski.
Robbie Mandel ’10 recently completed his exchange student experience in Russia, and is leading other cadets at Camp Buckner this summer. Robbie is the son of Alan and Annette Mandel.
Thomas Fowler ’11 has attended Airborne School, and currently has a classified assignment at a nuclear engineering laboratory. Tom is the son of Tim and Carolyn Fowler.
Curtis Hoffman ’11 has attended Air Assault School this summer. Curtis is the son of Randy and Patty Hoffman.
Michael Kohne ‘11 is attending Airborne School this summer. Michael is the son of Kevin and Mary Kohne.
Colin Smith ’11 is a platoon leader at the Ft. Monmouth prep school, and is completing an internship in Washington, DC. Colin is the son of Susan Smith.
Alan Spadone ’11 completed CTLT with AFRICOM in Stuttgart, Germany, helped prepare an Afghanistan conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, and is currently representing West Point at the American Institute on Political and Economic Systems (AIPES) in Prague, Czech Republic. Alan is the son of Don and Kathy Spadone.
David Bierbrauer ’12 has completed Air Assault School and earned his German Proficiency Badge. David is the son of Rick and Kim Bierbrauer.
Kevin Collins ’12 has completed Air Assault School this summer. Kevin is the son of Michael and Sarah Collins.
Jacob Henry ’12 has completed Air Assault School this summer. Jacob is the son of Bill and Lisa Henry.
Tate Husemann ’12 has completed advanced medical training this summer. Tate is the son of Wayne and Kathy Husemann.
Dan Krumrey ’12 has completed Air Assault School this summer. Dan is the son of Larry and Linda Krumrey.
Kevin Lucas ’12 has completed Airborne School this summer. Kevin is the son of John and Coleen Lucas. His proud grandparents, Shirley and Andy Lucas of Fayetteville, Arkansas attended the Hail and Farewell meeting.
Julia Schemel ’12 was on the Equestrian Team for USMA during the 2008-09 academic year. During a practice in November, she suffered a fall and was critically injured. She underwent brain surgery to relieve a subdural hematoma, was hospitalized for five days, and resumed classes in 11 days. It is unclear at this point whether or not she will resume riding for the team. She was also a member of the Spirit Band, playing clarinet. She has just completed Cadet Field Training and will be traveling to Fort Huachuca, AZ to attend Military Intelligence training. Julia is the daughter of Rick and Jean Schemel.
The following Class of 2013 candidates were present at the meeting and introduced themselves: Austin Keeton, Megan Luhrsen, Joe Geiger, Brian Cobbs, Patrick Collins, Drew Mclean, Andy Boyd, Shawn Brands, and Kelly Cassidy. We look forward to hearing about their future West Point experiences and accomplishments!