Rabble,
https://www.westpointaog.org/societynews
West
Point
Society of Michigan Founders Day
Shortly after the Civil War ended, West Point alumni began
celebrating annually, the founding in 1802
of the U.S. Military Academy by President
Thomas Jefferson. Like other West Point
alumni societies around the World,
the West Point
Society of Michigan (WPSMI) stages a
Founders Day Dinner every year. The recent
216th anniversary event attracted 190
guests to the Auburn Hills Marriott
Pontiac on 17 March 2018.
Guest speaker was Detroit native MAJ(R) Pat Locke,
author, motivational speaker and teacher,
and the first African American woman to
graduate from West Point in
1980. Since
retiring from the Army, she has dedicated
her live to improving life skills of
under-privileged youth. Following an
introduction by event chair Jim Suhay
’66, Pat described how, as a child, she
was impressed by the appearance and
demeanor of the 82nd Airborne
Division soldiers camped near her home,
during the summer of 1967 Detroit
riots, which led
to her decision to join the Army.
She went on to describe her leadership of
West Point’s program that teaches middle
and H.S. students valuable Leadership,
Ethics and STEM skills through a workshop
piloted in Detroit in 2011 and presented
annually by WPSMI and other West Point
societies around the country.
The evening was filled with traditions and toasts including one, in
absentia, to the fallen soldier for whom a
dinner place was set, a video message from
the West Point Superintendent and remarks
from the oldest and youngest grad in
attendance, MG Jim Pocock ’57 and Caleb
McCullum ’08. AOG’s Mike
White ’82, gave us an update as we
move toward the 150th Anniversary
of the AOG. The traditions and
messages made a big impression on future
members of the West Point class of 2022 in
the audience
(20 of them), who
were cheered as they were
introduced. The evening was
quite lively with numerous shouts of “Beat
Navy” whenever references were made to
football, especially the
14 - 13 Army victory over Navy in December
2017—its 2nd victory in a row
over Navy after a long drought. The
three Navy representatives tried a few
“Beat Army” yells, but were definitely in
the minority.
Len Dixon ’73 was awarded the WPSMI
Distinguished Member of the Year award for
his multi-year efforts in support of West
Point recruiting, LEADS and numerous other
Society activities.
West
Point
– America’s Academy - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwhrYTGqYA4
If
you
have not, please pay your annual $25 dues -
https://secure.west-point.org/wpsmi/membership/
Check
out
our website - http://www.west-point.org/society/wps-michigan/index.htm
BEAT
NAVY!
Tom
Lynch
‘82
President
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