Class of
1959
USMA |
|
January 16, 2001
Dear Classmate:
A somewhat belated Happy New Year to all of you! I hope you had a joyous holiday season, and
that 2001 is off to a terrific beginning.
The purpose of this letter is two-fold. First, to briefly review a number of key
Class activities that took place last year, as well as to alert you to several
upcoming Class activities on tap for 2001 and beyond. Of special note is the fact that we will be having our Annual
Class General Membership “business” luncheon – to which everyone is
cordially invited – on February 13th, in Virginia. And second, to provide you the “restated” Class
Constitution and Bylaws, and to request your support in ratifying
them.
2000
Overall, this past year was a very good one for the
Class. I have to tell you that I came
away particularly impressed by, and appreciative of, all those who work so hard
to keep us informed and help us stay connected.
Without attempting to chronicle by name each and every one
to whom we are indebted, let me note some stand-outs: the reunion planners for
the Carlisle mini-reunion in May – the Fishers, the Harkins, the Hilliards, the
Paschalls, the Rowes and the Walshes; the reunion planners for the Houston
mini-reunion in September – the Beaches, the Ferris’s and the Sundts; John
Gurr, for his superb work on the Versace Memorial and Medal of Honor projects;
Bob Riordan, for keeping us alerted and informed on Health issues; the two
Bills – Schwartz and Luther – for the outstanding Class Ranger KIA Memorial
Ceremony at Fort Benning; Tom Seybold, for his coordination and help at the
Army/Navy game; and the members of the Class Committee – with special cudos for
the MASTER COMMUNICATOR, Jim Walsh (“TheColJim”) – who are the glue that holds
us together, and the team that provides direction and support. Finally, a special note of recognition to
Joe Coreth, on completing his 40th Year as our Class scribe and
historian! A collective “thank you” is
due to all of them for their loyalty and commitment, and for the truly
outstanding job they’ve done and continue to do!
The single most critical function undertaken by the Class
last year was the Fund Raising effort for our 45th Reunion Gift,
spearheaded by Jerry Hilmes, Roger Ware and their great Fund Committee.
As of December 31, 2000, the Class pledges stood at $1,
404,000.00 (88% of Goal), with 56% participation – 236 of 421. So we’re getting close! The median gift/pledge is $2,000 ($400 per
yr. for 5 yrs.). The Committee recently
communicated with all of you, on 2 occasions, urging those who have not already
done so to get on board and help us “over the top.” We genuinely appreciate all of you who responded. Many thanks. Overall, however, the results were mixed: about half promising to
commit, and the other half either skeptical, “lost” (literally), or “thinking
about it.”
The fact is, we can make it, as indicated by the
results in our top six companies below.
M-1 14 of 17 for 82% $58K
K-2 13 of 16 for 81% $31K
I-2 12 of 17 for 71% $39K
H-2 11 of 16 for 69% $127K
G-1 11 of 16 for 69% $47K
I-1 11 of 17 for 65% $17 K
The pace of participation increased at year end, and the
committee will report complete, up-to-date numbers at the Class meeting in
February. The mission is still the same: we want everybody in the Class
to be a part of this capstone gift. If
you haven’t joined up yet, you can still do so. (Checks should be made payable to “West Point Fund – Class of
1959 Gift Account”, and mailed to The West Point Fund, Association of
Graduates, USMA, West Point, New York 10996.)
WHERE: TIVOLI
Restaurant, 1700 N. Moore Street, Arlington, VA 22209
Phone:
(703) 524-8900
WHEN: 1130-1400
Hours, Tuesday, 13 February 2001
HOW: Take Metro to Rosslyn. Restaurant is on 3rd floor of the
Metro Center Building. If driving,
there is parking under the building, on the street, and in adjacent parking
lots.
COST: Lunch is $18.00. Make checks payable to Tom Boyle. Mail to 205 Yoakum Pky, Apt 1511, Alexandria, VA 22304. Must be received NLT 9 Feb for head count to
Tivoli. Questions, contact Tom RTBoyle@earthlink.net Phone # (703)
823-2433.
The Class of 1959’s first-ever ski mini reunion is
scheduled for Breckenridge, CO., from February 24th to March 3rd The plan is to build off this “charter” project to install the
“Ski Mini” as an annual event. The
specific dates and the location for 2002 will be decided at Breckenridge. Info is available from Howard Stiles hstiles1@maine.rr.com or by calling
207-655-4193. Additionally, Howard is
establishing a 59Ski List via west-point.org and a page on the Class web site
for Ski Information. If you haven’t
notified him that you want to be on the Ski List do so now!
The annual A-1 and Friends “potluck” picnic for all
A-1’ers and classmates in the western Maryland, Carlisle, PA area, is scheduled
for Saturday, 19 May 2001 at the Walshes in Boonsboro, MD. Jim Walsh
There will be a Company A-2 mini-reunion in Colorado
Springs during the period 14-17 June, 2001. An invitation for the evening event will be sent to all ‘59ers in
Colorado. Vic Fernandez and Bill
Pollock.
The date for the previously announced but not finalized Window
Dedication at the Jewish Chapel at West Point for Bill Lehrfeld and family
is still undecided. As soon as a date
is determined, we will notify you by E-mail to the Class.
Midwest Mini – Dinner, golfing, Kansas City, Ft.
Leavenworth, sometime in the Spring of 2001 – Stay tuned for more information –
Jerry Fogel & Phil Sheaffer.
2002 - 2004
Hawaiian Mini – Mark your calendars for this
one! Two weeks in Hawaii: a week at the
Hale Koa Hotel at Ft DeRussy on Waikiki Beach, and a week on a newly
commissioned cruise ship to the other islands of Hawaii. Tentatively being planned for February 2002. Military ID will not be required if
reservations are made through our reunion committee for the Hale Koa, so plan
to bring your kids. Jack Bohman, Roger
Gaines, Lenny Katsarsky & John Seely.
45th CLASS
REUNION
Once the football schedule is known for the 2004 season, we
will be planning our 45th Class Reunion at West Point around
one of the home games in the early fall.
We will be looking for volunteers to help us get a good start as well as
to help us in the planning of our 50 Year History Project.
Jim Walsh has been approached by several Classmates who have
movies and slides covering all our years since 1955, and the recommendation has
been made to make a composite video to include as a “pictorial” report along
with our 50 Year Book. Some have
proposed we combine the book with a CD-ROM to take advantage of technology for
the convenience of the Class, and to set a “modern” example for other
Classes. This is clearly feasible, but
we need to call on any and all experts in the related technology areas to help
us. If any of you want to contribute
and help in this project, let Jim Walsh know. TheColJim@aol.com We would like to have a good proposal in
place to announce at our 45th Reunion in 2004 so we can develop an
outstanding product to have completed and available in 2009.
As Enclosures to this Letter (Enclosure #2 and Enclosure #3)
are two items for your review and ratification: the “restated” Class Constitution and Bylaws. Steve Werbell and Pete Keogh did the lion’s
share of work in drafting these documents, and the Class Committee worked
through the provisions in detail so that they reflect the best thinking – and
endorsement – of the Committee.
Steve and Pete took the approach of creating “restated”
documents to avoid the ponderous, and inherently confusing, approach of
“amending” item-by-item from the originals.
This approach produces a much clearer and more easily understandable
expression of what is intended as the “going-forward” underlying authority and
operating basis for the Class and the Class Committee.
As all of you are well aware, through the years the nature
of the activities and interests of the Class have continuously evolved. From the time we were newly graduated,
busily starting families and learning what our profession was all about;
through the Vietnam war years; to multiple assignments in the Pentagon and
around the world; to where, today, only one of our number – Pete Stromberg –
remains on active duty, and many of us are well into the joys of
grandparenthood; the focus of our collective attention and interest has shifted
and changed.
So, too, has the way we have operated as a Class. Following a couple of different early
arrangements, and up until our 40th Reunion (a period of some 20
years), the Class Standing Committee
served as the principal organizing element.
Located in the Washington, D.C. area, and made up of volunteers from
that locale, it steered our activities and held fiduciary responsibility for
the Class funds. During our 40th
Reunion meeting at West Point, another in the series of evolutionary shifts was
decided upon in the structure of Class governance, transforming the Standing
Committee back to a reconstituted Class Committee to oversee and support
the interests and activities of our Class.
The purpose of the restated Class Constitution and Bylaws
(which now require a ratifying response from you) is to provide official
sanction to the way we are currently handling our Class affairs. In addition to being “procedurally tidy”,
this step is more significant in that, as discussed above, we are well on the
way to completing the effort to rise $1.5 million for the Military Academy as
our 45th Reunion gift. This
is by far the largest amount we have ever undertaken to raise and, in all
likelihood, will be our “capstone” gift as a Class. For this, and related reasons, it was felt that we should get the
members of the Class to officially ratify the basis on which the group making
decisions on our collective behalf operates.
Traditionally, Constitutional documents have not made for
compelling and “riveting” reading. The
two enclosed here are no exceptions. In
sympathy for the non-Constitutional-scholars among us, I have noted below their
key provisions:
The Class Committee replaces the
Standing Committee as the governing body of the Class.
The Class Committee remains
geographically “centered” in Washington, D.C.
The Officers of the Class Committee
are:
President: Pete Dawkins
Vice-President: Nick Krawciw
Secretary: Jim Walsh
Treasurer: Art Griffin
Historian: Joe Coreth
Information
Systems Officer: Frank
Campbell
This formulation resulted from two
intentions: (1) to endorse the individuals who had been serving the Class in
key functions for some time; and (2) to derive the officer-slate – to the
extent practical – from the group of individuals elected as permanent Class
Officers when we were Cadets.
Officers serve for 5-year terms, being
reelected or succeeded at each of the future Class 5-year reunions. (Provisions are specified should the need
arise to replace an Officer during the period between reunions.)
We ask that each of you review the attached Constitution and Bylaws. Having decided if you want to ratify the documents, you should then communicate your decision either by e-mail or by First Class U.S. mail. Details are included in Enclosure 1 to this Letter.
Sorry this Letter has gotten to be so long. Thanks for your patience. We would genuinely appreciate your taking
the time to ratify the Constitution and Bylaws, and don’t forget to send
in your reservation and check to Tom Boyle for the Class luncheon on 13
February.
I look forward to seeing many of you in Washington next month, and to everyone else my very best wishes to you and your families for a truly great year in 2001!
Sincerely,
Pete
Dawkins
President
P.S. Over 250 of us
are on the Class list server maintained and moderated by Frank Campbell fcampbel@ida.org. If you have e-mail capability and are NOT on
the list, I urge you to send your screen name to Frank or Jim Walsh and get
included.
3 Enclosures:
1. Ratification
Instructions
2. Restated
Constitution
3. Restated
Bylaws