Classmates, wives and widows--

  I am relaxing in Michigan, at the family cottage in Epworth Heights, Ludington. The cottage was in Judy's family.  In spite of the fact that my brother-in-law and a cousin Alan Sibert from Raleigh NC were here with me, I am finding it lonely without Judy and her sisters and her parents.  I long for the good old days, but that is not to be.  Life...

In fact, my sister Kathy and her daughter Elizabeth just arrived!  For those who do not remember, our Sibert parents had two children, 16 years apart.  My line on this is that our parents had two only children.  My sister and I overlapped at home only one year, my senior year at Fayetteville High School with Robert Higgins.  FHS was near Ft Bragg where our fathers were stationed.  Sadly, Bob left Ft Bragg when his father was assigned to Japan.  We met up again enroute to West Point in July 1954 when we joined that very special group known as the USMA Class of 1958.  Kathy came to live with Judy and me when she was age 11 and soon became our first teenager -- I was a grad student at Princeton getting an MSE in Aeronautical Engineering.  Time flies.

Very sadly, I must begin by citing the deaths of two class wives.  The first is Betty Beyea who died earlier this year on 30 March.  They lived in Alexandria.  I thank the trusty B1 CCQ Dick Price for providing this sad information.  Betty's funeral will be on 6 September at Arlington National Cemetery.  No doubt all classmates remember that Betty's husband Dick Beyea is a retired Air Force Brigadier General.  Watch for details of Betty's funeral at Arlington from Dick Price and/or Jack Downing (actually Terry Connell is the new notifier of classmate deaths and biurial information).  May Betty rest in peace and may Dick find some peace and solice.

The second wife to whom we must sadly bid adieu is Edna Mae Serchak.  Edna Mae was the wife of our classmate and reitred Army Colonel Bill Serchak.  Sadly, Edna Mae died on 22 June.  Funeral details will be forthcoming.  I knew Edna Mae and know their daughter Bridget, a frequent attendee at DC area class functions.  Bill is fortunate to have Bridget near to help him with his loss.  Many received a very warm email tribute to Edna Mae written by Bill.

Ramsden Award.  Jack Downing sent an email about the award and other awards from the Chemistry Department.  I cannnot remember for how many years this award has memorialized our classmate and former head of the department, Jim Ramsden, but it was well conceived by Jack when he began this project to memorialize Jim.

I have a short list of subjects to cover in class notes.  First and most important is that our EC Chairman Andy Andreson had surgery on 19 June.  I did let you know that Andy was scheduled, but thought a follow-up was needed.  I just called Andy.  The surgery on the outer portion of his knee went well.  He is home and we chatted on 24 June.  With continued good progress, he should make the next class lunch on 18 July.  Scribe hopes to see a good gathering at the class lunch -- a chance for many to check on Andy's continued progress and see other classmates/wives.

 Looked over my list and most  subjects were covered last time but here they are again for good luck: Mike Daley was added to EC.  He now has Jim Morgan's tailgate spot for home football games at West Point.  Think that I  mentioned Jack May's 1973 Dino and the "Sea-to-Shining-Sea Memorial Dash" -- this serves as a corrrection because I had the year of his "dash" incorrect last time.

New items from my list will follow here.  First is that the Capelle Award which is now endowed and will continue forever and ever, amen.    Next is that the Perpetual Endowment Fund is set up for its first major distribution at the 100th in 2058.  I do not expect that many of us will be there... smile... but some of our offspring may make it.  The distributions will then continue every ten years for a long time as in forever and ever, amen.  Our Time Capsule will be opened by Class of 2008 at their 50th in 2058.  Any questions on our Time Capsule should go to Jack Downing well before 2058 while we are still above the grass.

Now that I am caught up, time for some new information.  Wish I had some information.  If you read this as a plea for your being in contact and providing information, you are correct.   Found some new info...

Bob Grete sent an email to the class forum.  His grandson Robbie Grete, graduated from West Point, class of 2009, and his granddaughter Alicyn Grete just entered with class of 2023.  She is to play softball at West Point.

George Lawton sent me a new address for Norma Lindquist: 56 Fairview Station, Hartwell, GA 30643.  Her phone number is 706-376-2089.  Thanks, George.

Norma also told George about donating Bob’s ring to the Ring Melt a few months ago. She could not attend the meltdown at West Point, but their daughter, Debra, flew out from Colorado to attend the festivities as did one of their sons, Karl, from Columbia, SC.  Norma took the stone, a Black Star Sapphire, from Bob’s ring and incorporated it in a necklace she had crafted for Debra.  The kids said the ring melt was a fantastic experience and they were glad they went.

Scribe is sure that all remember that our classmate Ron Turner (died 29 April 2013) wrote an article for Assembly in 2002 which began the Ring Melt Program.

Jack Downing has a new class responsibility -- he is in charge of silver plates for our graduating grandchildren.  Let him know of any offspring in class of 2022 and beyond.  Jack's telephone number is 703-569-2887.

John Brinson is incredible.  He sent an email with a war story from his first assignment after Airborne and Ranger merit badges.  Here is the story: "I arrived in Freidberg Germany in late February 1959, home of 1/32 Armor. I was immediately posted to the Tank Gunnery Ranges operated by the British and Germans in northern Germany. I was there until mid-July and before I left, I went into the target impact area and picked up those two 90mm solid shot rounds that I use as bookends.  24 pound bookends! 

John continues: "At night, I went into a nice little town (Celle) with the British officers, and drank myself silly. On the weekends it was into Hamburg, and twice, with 5 days leave to Copenhagen.  I was in Copenhagen on 4 July 1959 with a Classmate, sitting by the lake in Tivoli Gardens, when I heard a marching band in the distance. Soon, here they came, right through the middle of Tivoli, playing the 'Stars and Stripes Forever.'  It seems like only yesterday, but it was 50 years ago."

Chances are that if Scribe asked John the classmate's name, he would remember that also.  Wonder if the classmate who was with John remembers the band and music?

From the West Point Society of DC email bulletin reminds all in DC of Wounded program -- a fantastic program run by our classmate Lee Miller.  Quoting from the article, "Tuesday, 30 July, 6:30-8:15 PM, Wounded Warrior Mentor Program New Mentor and Refresher Training for the Wounded Warrior Mentor Program at Booz Allen, Tysons Corner (8283 Greensboro Dr, McLean, VA 22102). The mission of the Wounded Warrior Mentor Program (WWMP) is to assist Wounded and Injured Soldiers, including Spouses, to transition to a new productive life and profession using education, internships and jobs as the mantle to accomplish this. The WWMP matches volunteer Mentors with wounded, ill and injured at Walter Reed NMMC and Ft Belvoir as well as other locations around the U.S. Contact Lee Miller if you have any questions at cell 240.620.5019."

Lee and the Wounded Warriors Mentor Program do great work for wounded vets and their wives!  So says your Scribe and many others as well.

An email from Pete Penczer is an answer to my prayer for info: "I’ve sent you a copy of a booklet done by Bibs Reynard on how to handle yourself in Army society, etc.  It’s quite good and concise.  She sent it to me when I was scribe and was collecting information of authors among the class and our wives.  I thought I should send it on to you.  Incidentally, Lynne did write and publish a book on the Portuguese immigrant community. It was derived from her dissertation when she got her Ph.D. in Anthropology from Yale and studied the community here in Bridgeport.  It turned out to be generally applicable to the Portuguese immigrant communities even though they didn’t all come from north central Portugal, as those here do. It has been well received."  Thanks, Pete.  For the record, Judy and I introduced Lynne and Pete.  Think they beat us to the altar 60 or so years ago...  all that happened while we were at Ft Belvoir for the Engineer Basic Course long ago and far away.  Actually,  the proper name was Engineer Officers Basic Course (EOBC).  It truly was long ago...

Must check for other emails, but that will be tomorrow because it is late and I am fighting my computer.  And losing the fight.

Back again with an email from Jim Tilley which provides interesting data: "18 grandkids and two great grandkids.  Finally found something I was good at.  Stay well."  I am well, but Scribe is far behind in offspring count.

Another answer to prayer, this one Tom Claffey:  "As noted in yesterday's email and obituary from Scott Meyer, Art's son, the Memorial Service for Art will be in Tucson on Saturday 13 July 2019.  I will not be able to attend.  If one of you will attend (K-2 company-mates), please let me know.  Thanks"

SENATE ARMED SERVICES -- Holds a hearing on the nominations of Christopher Scolese to be director of the National Reconnaissance Office; and Air Force General John Raymond to be commander of the U.S. Space Command and commander of the Air Force Space Command. Scolese and Raymond testify.

Location: Dirksen Senate Office Building, Room G-50  GEN Raymond is the son of our classmate John Raymond who died 1 Dec 2016 and will be watching the hearing from the Ghostly Assemblage.  Scribe hopes that mother Barbara Raymond was able to attend.

An email from Stan Bacon provides some interesting data: "According to WP-ORG's Defender page at <http://defender.west-point.org/service/taps.mhtml>   Deceased from USMA Class of 1958 (250).  That leaves 323.  Stan"

Malone Award at Georgetown.   George, I thought this would be appropriate for the for the class notes: I added a little history for the award for those classmates that don’t remember how we became sponsors of this award.

On 27 April 2019, John Herren presented the Malone Trophy to Cadet August Iorio at the annual Georgetown U. ROTC dining in. This culminates twenty years of the Class of 58’s sponsorship and participation in that event. During those 20 years five classmates from Larry’s Company M-2 presented the award: Pete Brintnall (died 16 Sep 2017), Dale Hruby, Bob Tredway (died 10 Mar 2009), Bob Tallgren (died 30 May 2017), and Townsend "Van" Van Fleet.

John wrote: "Gen Royal Reynolds who Larry was an aide for, initiated the award after Larry was KIA in Vietnam in 1968. Our class became sponsors of the award after the Ranger Company was discontinued at Georgetown ROTC and a new Ranger Challenge Team was formed in 1998.

"Last year at the 50th reunion of the Georgetown U Class of 1968, I was asked to speak at a Memorial Service for one of Larry’s students organized by the Georgetown U ROTC class.  I got confirmation that they would takeover sponsorship for the Malone Trophy since they were cadets when Larry taught at Georgetown.   That will occur this year.  So the tribute to Larry Malone will live on at Georgetown for years to come.  I would like to thank our class for providing the funds to pay for the trophy and for the enthusiastic support of the presenters, three of whom are no longer with us.  John Herren, Class Coordinator for the Malone Ranger Award." 

Scribe is departing tomorrow (5 July) for Alexandria, about a 12-hour drive.  I was going to send this when home again, but decided to launch it now.  Whatever other info I have will have to wait till I get home and attack the next column.  HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!

I will end with my normal plea for CCQs to send this to classmates not on the unrestricted email list.  Good chance for you to be in touch with classmates not on the email list.  Off to finish packing and loading my car...