Spring 2015 MMA Eagle

news.missourimilitaryacademy.org | Summer 2015

Curley elected MBS governor on platform of ethical politics, transparency

MMA cadet and “governor” John Thomas Curley ’16 achieved the impossible via virtue and values at the American Legion’s Missouri Boys State 2015, stealing the highest title as a write-in candidate. The incoming senior is only the third write-in governor in Boys State’s 76-year history.

According to MBS newspaper The Record, Curley’s unconventional campaign was driven by the “pursuit of transparency.” Curley’s Federalist platform pointed out the unfeasibility in his opponents’ campaign promises to extend lightsout and re-arrange lunch shifts.

Curley’s monumental, morality-based win came amid a rash of governmental corruption, racketeering, counterfeiting and bribery charges connected with the MBS Mafia.

LEFT Governor Curley addresses the MBS crowd on June 18. PHOTO BY MAJ KEVIN FARLEY ARTICLE CONTINUED ON PAGE 15

SENIOR COLLEGES & MAJOR AWARDS Isaiah Dion Adkins Santa Rosa College Enrique Alarcon Lozano Universidad Iberoamericana Khangal Altantulga University of Arizona Kane Jacob Anderson Texas A&M University, Most Likely to Succeed Plaque, William F. Enright Jr. 1937 Memorial Award Claudio Arias Castellanos, Jr. Missouri Western State Univ.

Meritas Discipline Plaque Simon Alexis Barrera St. Mary’s University, MAJ William Bryan Medal, Dr. Gregory “Doc” McDonald Award, Charles I. Wall Cup, Don Hooton Class of 1919 Fellowship Cup Telmen Tavchuud Bat-Ulzii University of Utah Temuujin Bataa New England Tech Temuulen Batbayar Univ. of California, San Diego Munkhbold Batmunkh University of California, Irvine Edmond Ndekwe Biruta Norwich University, Mustang Scholars Foundation Plaque, American Legion Scholastic Excellence Medal, Class of 1984 Unhearalded Leader Award Nolan Ross Borgsmiller Missouri Western State Univ.

William S. Lowe Award, VFW JROTC Award Maxwell Allen Broughton West Point Preparatory, American Legion Military Excellence Medal Vincent Paul Burke, Jr. McKendree University, Daedalian JROTC Medal Purevsuren Byambatseren University of Arizona Donald Keith Canard St. Louis Community College Zikun Wuyanzu Deng Rutgers University Rodrigo Elizondo Carranza St. Edward’s University, MSGT Billy Crawford Award Munkhsuld Enkhbayar Blue Mountains International Hotel Management School Mason Lee Evans Missouri Western State Univ.

Andrew James Field Hampden-Sydney College Juan Ramon Flores Tenorio Univ. de las Américas Puebla Jose Refugio Garcia Univ. of Texas, Valedictorian, SEN John C. Danforth Plaque Octavio Gomez Landero University of Houston, SEN Thomas Eagleton Plaque Victor Gomez Ramirez University of Tampa, NSSAR Medal, Jack Meyers Class of 1939 Memorial Cup Roger Anthony Gonzalez Columbia College, Chicago AMCSUS Medal Patricio Guiot Lopez Clares Superior de Gastronomia Brandon Alan Guterman Tulsa Community College Hugh Wesley Harris Iowa Wesleyan University, Joe D. Bailey Award, Plaque for Outstanding MMA Athlete

THURSDAY, MAY 21 The 2015 Commencement Weekend began in the Centennial Gymtorium on Thursday, May 21 with the 83rd annual W. Wallace Fry, Jr. Class of 1903 Public Speaking Contest.

The seven speakers — four high school and three middle school students — represented the work of the entire Corps of Cadets.

The first annual Joy McGeorge Middle School Oratory Award went to Eugenio Valdes ’19 while

Gavin Zachary Hendee Univ. of Missouri, St. Louis LTC E.R. Jackson Music Award Armando Jimenez Rendon Universidad Panamericana Hamilton Fitzgerald Johnston Hennepin Tech Kotaro Kasamatsu Norwich University, U.S. Daughters of 1812 Award Qi Li: Florida Tech Xiao Liang: Florida Tech, Meritas Discipline Plaque Wade Kelly Lueckenotte Westminster College Victor Marroquin Gonzalez University of Tampa, Company Commander Award, American Veterans Medal Alexandre Amadeo McDonald Carroll College Dustin Daniel McGuire St. Louis Community College, COL Jerome G. Harris Cup Junior William Miller Dyersburg State Comm. College Cole Austin Mueller U.S. Military Academy (West Point), United States Recruiting Command Award Ankhbayar Narantsatsral San Francisco State University

Joshua Paley ’15 received the W. Wallace Fry Cup for Excellence in Speaking and the Winston Churchill Memorial Award for his Armenian Genocide speech.

High school finalists were senior Zikun Deng and juniors Yunil Jeon and Kyle Mertens.

FRIDAY, MAY 22 Commencement continued the morning of May 22 on Colonels Field with the Company Competitive Drill contest. Each of MMA’s five companies completed

maneuvers on the drill field and were judged by JROTC and Commandant’s Office staffers. Echo won the contest, receiving a trophy and ribbon for their company flag, after which parents mobbed the field to congratulate their sons and pose for photographs.

Following the contest, the Fusiliers performed and the final assemblies began.

A number of high school and middle school students received academic, athletic and disciplinary awards.

(See page 3 for MS awards.)

D’Cherion Charles Nelson Marion Military Institute, Babe Ruth Sportsmanship Award, Legion of Honor Ajay Kiran Nemali University of Missouri Miles O’Keefe: Roosevelt Univ.

Streep Brothers Band Award Alex Otti: University of Illinois Rodrigo Padilla Gonzalez Missouri Valley College, National Sojourners Award, Dorsey Anderson ’1895 Cup Joshua Morgan Paley Northern Arizona University Felix Ulixes Paz Valdez Texas A&M International Univ.

Efrain Perez Felix Ibero Americana Universidad Maximiliano Perez Universidad de Xalapa, Sylvia Mansfield ESL Award Alex Joseph Pratt Indiana State University Steven Allen Prinster Kansas State University, Red Ireland ’41 Trophy Brandon Allen Ricci Cleveland State University Jonathan Quinn Richardson St. Cloud State University, SUVCW JROTC Award

Seniors and their families were invited back to campus that evening for the Baccalaureate and Senior Banquet ceremonies.

SATURDAY, MAY 23 Following the Senior Review on Colonels Field, the 68 graduating seniors of the Class of 2015 received their diplomas in the gym.

One by one, seniors walked across the stage, pausing to pose for a photo. (Visit MissouriMilitaryAcademy.

SmugMug.com to purchase diploma prints.)

Derek James Ryan Missouri Western State Univ.

Ariyandev Sandui Univ. of California, San Diego MOWW Award Adam Brown Schmitz Norwich University, MMA JROTC Distinguished Service Award, Military Officers Association of America Medal Bugunutei Temuujin De Anza College Reed Anthony Vaughan Depaul University, Richard Cooper ’82 Plaque, COL Paul F. Cherches Award Rodrigo Vilches Amor Universidad IberoAmericana, MP of the Year Award Guangning Wei Penn State University, COL Veon McConnell Trophy Jiahao Wu Florida Institute of Technology Jorge Isaac Zamorano Tecnologico de Monterrey Haoming Zhang Santa Rosa College Hang Zhang Boston University Tuguldur Zolboo California State University

The senior class once again boasted 100 percent college acceptance and over $5 million in scholarships.

More than 70 percent were also admitted to highly selective colleges.

“It was an honor to work with the Class of 2015,” Director of College Placement MAJ Kevin Farley said. “There is no doubt that future classes will build upon the success of the Class of 2015. ...

This group will be very successful at the next level.”

Following a keynote speech by Chancellor of the University of Missouri Dr. R. Bowen Loftin, cadets performed the traditional march to the front lawn, forming up for the final moments of the school year. Family members crowded the roped-off grass, snapping photos as seniors approached Teardrop Lake.

Upon command by Battalion Commander D’Cherion Nelson ’15, graduates plunged their sabers into the grass, placed their hats upon their hilts, and saluted as the sound of Taps echoed across the silent grounds. As the final note faded, emotional cadets embraced one another for several minutes, tearfully hugging their brothers. (Pictured above.

Photo by Erin Chambers.)

The crowd of family members, faculty and friends then flooded the grounds. An hour of tearful goodbyes and hugs followed, as those with early flights broke off and departed campus.

Visit News.Missouri MilitaryAcademy.org to read a full article and view a complete list of awards.

BOTTOM RIGHT Rogelio Coria ’21 poses with his plaque for the highest grade in MS science.

MIDDLE RIGHT Middle school track athletes Braulio Garcia ’19, Edgar Martinez ’20, Guido Arredondo ’20 & Nehemiah Simmons ’20 pose March 12.

PHOTOS BY ERIK JENSEN ’17, HUNTER BUSH ’16, ERIN CHAMBERS AND MAJ WILLIS KLEINSORGE

Sixth graders Dongyang Chen, Santiago Sanchez, Peter Clinton and George Englehardt watch as LTC Willis Kleinsorge describes a dissection February 6.

LTC Willis Kleinsorge captures middle school cadets’ attention through labs, experiments and dissections FIRST SEMESTER In mid-September, LTC Willis Kleinsorge’s middle schoolers studied the anatomy of the human body, re-arranging the jumbled parts of “Matilda,” Kleinsorge’s human skeleton.

Small groups also created full-size posters of the human body, tracing one another’s figures and labeling organs, muscles, veins and bones.

On October 21, Kleinsorge’s first period class completed a test over the scientific method of inquiry.

Kleinsorge’s science classes conducted a surface tension lab December 8, using eyedroppers to place single beads of liquid on the surface of a penny. Measurements were recorded on handmade charts. Substances tested included water, alcohol and vinegar.

On December 11, cadets completed a worksheet on Ebola in conjunction with the December 8 edition of Scholastic’s ScienceWorld magazine. Vocabulary words included medication, virus, vaccine, quarantine, patient zero, multi-organ failure and antibodies.

Other topics of discussion within the magazine included pollution, evolution and ocean currents.

George Englehardt ’21 said the coolest fact he learned in science class is, “there are more bacteria in your body than there are human cells. Technically, most of you isn’t actually you, it’s bacteria!”

SECOND SEMESTER In early January, cadets began their study of the parts of the heart — they were given a diagram and asked to label items including the atrium, valves, ventricles, arteries, aorta, myocardium, pericardium and endocardium.

Sixth graders in Kleinsorge’s seventh period class continued their discussion of the heart on February 6, performing a group dissection of the heart, lungs and trachea of a cow.

“I felt nauseous at first, but then, once I got used to it, it was kind of cool,” Englehardt said. “The cow parts felt mostly squishy and slimy, except for the heart, which felt hard and muscly. ... There’s an obvious difference between the heart and the lungs.

2015 MIDDLE SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR WINNERS OVERALL

... The esophagus was a soft tube, rather than the tube for the lungs, which was hard and solid.”

Robert Abbott ’21, armed with a scalpel, dissected the heart.

[PICTURED AT RIGHT] “It had coagulated blood inside!” Abbott said. “It was very cool, because we got to actually see what we were talking about in class. The cow [organs] felt very mushy and gutsy and slimy. ... I would gladly do something like that again, because it [was] a lot of fun.”

Juan Pablo Medrano ’21 said Kleinsorge is his favorite teacher and science is his favorite subject.

“We get to do experiments in his class, like looking at the trachea, lungs and heart of a cow,” Medrano said. “In this experiment, we had to open the heart. We had seen the skull and others bones of an animal [before] — and a chicken wing. In this experiment, we got to remove the skin and observe the bones and muscles.”

FIRST PLACE, 8TH GRADE & OVERALL: Victor Pablos and Eugenio Valdes; Bouncing Golf Balls [ABOVE LEFT] FIRST PLACE SIXTH GRADE AND SECOND OVERALL: Santiago Sanchez, Rogelio Coria Lopez and Juan Pablo Medrano; Desalination

EIGHTH GRADE

SECOND PLACE: Chandler Bolinger, Alec Anderson and Nehemiah Simmons; Rainbow Fire THIRD PLACE: Santiago Ramirez; Electrolysis of Water FOURTH PLACE TIE: Thomas Kiefer, Floating Ping Pong Balls; Rodrigo Santos, Martin Farias and Diego Perez; Dragon Breath FIFTH PLACE TIE: Elijah Flores, Energy; Michael Naughton and Conner Nelson, Wind-Proof Roofing

SEVENTH GRADE

FIRST PLACE TIE: Guido Arredondo, Joseph Herrington and Edgar Martinez, Producing Hydrogen; Luke Greenman and Jordan Hornick, Magnetic Liquid

SIXTH GRADE

SECOND PLACE: Robert Abbott and George Englehardt; Producing Oxygen

ACADEMIC BRIEFS

From April 12 to 14, members of the MMA Future Business Leaders of America chapter competed at the FBLA State Convention. The Color Guard also presented for an audience of approximately four thousand people at the opening session.

Placing third in Emerging Business Issues (and qualifying for national competition) were MAXWELL BROUGHTON ’15, COLE MUELLER ’15 and OSCAR CORTADA ’16. Senior student KANE ANDERSON placed fifth in the Business Procedures contest. Two teams placed in the top seven at state: the Global Business Team of senior ALEX OTTI and juniors MAURO GARZA and MIGUEL GONZALEZ; and the Hospitality Management Team of seniors QI LI and JOSE REFUGIO GARCIA and junior FAHAD ALIEV.

ERIK ASBJORNSON ’20 was accepted into the Duke TIP mathematics summer program.

Duke TIP is a global leader in identifying academically gifted students and providing them with opportunities to support their development.

“When I was told I [was] accepted, I was really excited and proud that I had gotten in,” Asbjornson said. “I feel like I will learn a lot at this program and I hope it will also be fun.”

On October 17 and 18, middle school English instructor CSGT Mike Harding hosted the annual Reading Fair during Fall Family Weekend. Small groups of cadets created posters with facts and opinions about their assigned book The winning groups for each grade were as follows: 6TH GRADE: Rogelio Coria Lopez, Dongyang Chen and Juan Pablo Medrano 7TH GRADE: Guido Arredondo and Edgar Martinez Gonzalez 8TH GRADE: Zaide Johnson and Santiago Ramirez de Aguilar

MMA’s sixth, seventh and eighth graders and their teachers celebrated their accomplishments at the middle school final assembly May 22 in the Memorial Chapel.

The ceremony began with a processional, the Pledge of Allegiance and remarks by

Director of the Middle School MAJ Edsel Baker, followed by award presentations. Award presenters were LTC Greg Seibert, Baker, CPT John Noel, LTC Willis Kleinsorge and MAJ Paul Petit ’85 of Mission, Texas.

According to Baker, almost 56 percent of middle school

HIGHEST SCHOLARSHIP

MAJOR AWARDS

Sixth Grade Rogelio Coria Lopez Seventh Grade Jordan Hornick Eighth Grade Santiago Ramirez

ACADEMIC FOURRAGERE

The following cadets maintained a 3.7 GPA for at least one month, receiving Academic Fourragere.

February 2015 Chandler Bolinger ’19 Rogelio Coria Lopez ’21 Juan Pablo Medrano ’21 Santiago Sanchez ’21 March 2015 Chandler Bolinger ’19 Rogelio Coria Lopez ’21 Juan Pablo Medrano ’21 Santiago Sanchez ’21 Eugenio Valdes ’19 April 2015 Rogelio Coria Lopez ’21 Elijah Tubalcain Flores ’19 Luke Greenman ’20 Joseph Herrington ’20 Juan Pablo Medrano ’21 Santiago Sanchez ’21 May 2015 Rogelio Coria Lopez ’21 George Englehardt ’21 Joseph Herrington ’20 Juan Pablo Medrano ’21 Santiago Sanchez ’21 Eugenio Valdes ’19

Sky Thunderchild ’19 Hal Heyman Plaque, Rotary Service Above Self Award Rogelio Coria Lopez ’21 Derrill S. Kuhlman Award, Piper Barracks Award Dongyang Chen ’20 and Martin Farias ’20 Petit Intl. Relations Plaque Zaide Johnson ’19 Best Squad Leader Award, Rotary Leaders of Tomorrow Award & stipend Santiago Sanchez ’21 G. David Bailey Discipline Trophy Jordan Hornick ’20 Piper Barracks Award Christian Cosner ’19 George Piper Outstanding MS Athlete Award Elijah Tubalcain Flores ’19 Harris Plaque for soldierly qualities Jacob Ornstein ’19 Richard White Improvement Plaque Victor Pablos Padilla ’19 Petit Fellowship Plaque Eugenio Valdes ’19 Faculty Plaque for Loyalty, Leadership & Cooperation Rodrigo Santos ’19 Rotary Leaders of Tomorrow Award & stipend Juan Pablo Medrano ’21 Sylvia Mansfield Memorial Award (ESL) and stipend

students maintained A and B grades for at least one month of the 2014-15 school year. In addition, 50 percent of middle schoolers had a year-to-date GPA of 3.0 or higher.

The assembly ended with the promotion of the 17 eighth grade students to ninth grade.

A & B HONOR ROLL

The following 20 students earned all A and B grades for at least one month of the 2014-15 school year.

Sixth Graders (# months) Robert Downing Abbott (2) Rogelio Coria Lopez (9) George Englehardt (2) Juan Pablo Medrano (6) Santiago Sanchez (6) Seventh Graders (# months) Eric Asbjornson (1) Dongyang Chen (5) Luke Greenman (6) Joseph Herrington (2) Jordan Hornick (7) Michael Naughton (6) Diego Ochoa Camarena (1) Nehemiah Simmons (4) Eighth Graders (# months) Chandler Logan Bolinger (7) Christian Cosner (1) Elijah Tubalcain Flores (7) Zaide Johnson (2) Santiago Ramirez de Aguilar (6) Rodrigo Santos (5) Eugenio Valdes (7)

Stanley is a helper and a giver.

He has true valor and virtues like honor, loyalty, respect, integrity and so many other qualities. He is truly a hero. Not all heroes are strong or can fly. Real heroes are like Stanley, with a lot of character.

ZAIDE JOHNSON ’19 I think “Holes” was a very good book. The story is set in a place called Camp Green Lake. The main character Stanley Yelnats is sent there for stealing a pair of sneakers that he didn’t steal. Stanley is innocent, but these things all happen to the family because of his “no good rotten pig-stealing greatgreat-grandfather.”

“Holes” makes me want to be like Stanley. He is always thinking positive and treats others better than he treats himself.

He is a great person. He taught his friend Zero to read and write.

When his friend Zero passed out while climbing a mountain, Stanley carried him to water.

Stanley Yelnats is very loyal to his friends, especially to Zero. Stanley has even stood up for Zero when people are making fun of him or calling him stupid. He is brave as well, because he stole Mr. Sir’s truck to try to bring water to Zero, but then he crashed it. Stanley is very responsible. Every week he writes a letter to his mom, but he lies.

Heroes don’t lie. He did it to make sure his mom wouldn’t worry too much about him and would think that the camp was a nice place.

I think Camp Green Lake is a horrible place and should no longer have kids digging holes in the hot sun. It’s torture! They get very little water and that is not healthy. They should be able to have more water and food.

ABOVE Reading Fair partners Santiago Ramirez ’19 and Zaide Johnson ’19 pose with copies of “Holes” in the MMA library on February 13.

BELOW CSGT Mike Harding’s eighth graders Elijah Flores, Conner Nelson, Alec Anderson, Santiago Ramirez and Victor Pablos pose with books while visiting the Scholastic book fair February 13. PHOTOS BY ERIN CHAMBERS

AN INTRODUCTION TO “HOLES”

BY ZAIDE JOHNSON ’19 AND SANTIAGO RAMIREZ ’19 “Holes” is very interesting and a perfect book for your child. The main character Stanley Yelnats is a normal teen that happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Stanley was walking down the street and some shoes fell from the sky.

After being wrongly accused of stealing the pair of sneakers from a homeless shelter, Stanley was sent to Camp Green Lake.

Camp Green Lake was not a camp and was not a lake. There was no lake — just a dry desert with no shade. It was like prison. He had to dig a five foot hole every day.

SANTIAGO RAMIREZ ’19 A hero to me is someone honest, courageous, respectful, loyal and unselfish. A hero leads by example and is someone with integrity — someone willing to help others. A hero can be anyone. You don’t have to fly to be a hero. You just have to need and want to help others.

Stanley is loyal and unselfish.

When Magnet stole seeds from Mr. Sir’s van and he dropped them, Stanley said he stole them instead of Magnet. Stanley admitted to the Warden that he stole them even though it wasn’t true.

Stanley is not only a hero but a very loyal friend. Stanley showed Zero how to read and write. Zero ran away and Stanley tried to steal Mr. Sir’s truck to rescue him. Stanley was also really brave when he took Zero to the top of the mountain.

When Zero got dehydrated, Stanley carried him up to the stream and sang the Madame Zeroni song so that he could get stronger.

ACADEMIC MEDAL

For having maintained a 3.7 GPA or higher for 3+ months in a row, the following cadets earned the Scholarship Medal for Academics.

First & Second Semesters: Rogelio Coria Lopez ’21 First Semester: Eugenio Valdes and Santiago Ramirez, 8th grade Second Semester: sixth graders Juan Pablo Medrano and Santiago Sanchez

ABOVE W. Wallace Fry Speech Contest finalists Rogelio Coria Lopez ’21, Jordan Hornick ’20 and Eugenio Valdes ’19 pose on May 21. Valdes received the first annual Joy McGeorge Middle School Oratory Award.

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VERSUS PRINCIPIA The 2014-15 MMA wrestling season began December 6 at the Principia Wrestling Tournament. Cadets finished fourth of eight teams with 109 points.

David Lazcano ’16 went 5-0 at the event, claiming the championship.

Three junior Colonels placed second in their respective weight classes: Damdinbazar Sumiyabazar went 3-2; Oscar Garcia went 3-2; and Connor Cunningham went 2-1. Bugunutei Temuujin ’15 went 2-2 in the 160 lb weight class, finishing fifth. Junior Mohammad Babak went 1-4 in the 152 lb weight class, finishing sixth.

“Lazcano was quite impressive in going through the tournament undefeated. ... Sumiyabazar demonstrated the virtue of pure strength,” head coach MAJ Larry McClarey said. “Cunningham wrestled in the heavyweight class and demonstrated that speed can sometimes be a factor that wins matches.”

VERSUS NORTH CALLAWAY MMA helped make history December 9 in their home opener, facing the Thunderbirds in the first-ever North Callaway wrestling meet. The Colonels won four of five matches via pin, winning the overall meet 54-17. In the 195 lb weight class, Sumiyabazar won via

Cadets triumphed 9-0 in their first match of the season March 25 verses Mexico HS. “I thought we played well against a good team,” coach MAJ Mike Pemberton said.

“I was especially pleased with the play of [senior] Victor Marroquin. Playing at No. 1, Victor showed great patience and concentration throughout his entire match. ... I was proud of our effort and good sportsmanship.

It was a great way to start the season.”

On Saturday, April 4, cadets fell 5-4 to the Jefferson City High School JV squad on the MMA tennis courts.

“This match could have gone either way. In singles, I thought we

pin in the second period. Senior Patricio Guiot dominated the 285 lb weight class, defeating his opponent by pin in the first period.

Picking up points via forfeit win were Babak, Temuujin, Lazcano and Maximiliano Perez ’15.

“Guiot achieved [his] first victory of the season,” McClarey said.

“Sumiyabazar won again, using his strength and size to great advantage.”

QUAD-MATCH The Colonels squad faced Hallsville, Blair Oaks and Versailles on December 11 in a quad wrestling match. MMA defeated Hallsville 36-29 but fell to Versailles 12-75 and Blair Oaks 18-72.

Sumiyabazar won two of three matches in the 195 lb weight class.

Garcia, Perez, Lazcano and Guiot notched one win apiece.

“Austin Rexroad ’17 had a great night, winning two of his three matches,” McClarey said.

VERSUS FATIMA The Colonels faced Fatima on December 16, picking up several wins in uncontested weight classes and finishing with a score of 45-35. Temuujin won his match by decision in the third period; boasting wins by forfeit were Perez, Sumiyabazar, Lazcano and freshman Charles Norman.

came out and played good tennis,” Pemberton said.

“Unfortunately, a couple of close matches didn’t go our way. We will learn from our mistakes and prepare for our next opponent.”

On April 7, the Colonels bounced back and stole a second 9-0 shut-out victory – this time versus Fulton High School.

“It was a great day to play tennis,” Pemberton said. “All of the cadets played well and won their matches. Our doubles teams were focused and looked more comfortable playing together.”

After an 8-1 home victory against Mexico High School on April 16, the MMA tennis team dominated three

SPRING SEMESTER Upon returning from winter break, wrestlers defeated Orchard Farm but fell to Winfield on January 13.

“Sumiyabazar continues to do well,” McClarey said, “winning his match against Orchard Farm with a pin in the first period.”

Rexroad, Alberto Avila ’18 and Norman notched one win apiece by forfeit; Babak, Temuujin and Guiot took two each by forfeit.

VERSUS OWENSVILLE Up next was an away match versus Owensville HS on January 17.

Rexroad finished second in the 145B group with three wins by pin. Babak, Cunningham and Guiot finished third in their respective B pools with two wins apiece; Norman stole third in his B pool with one win. Sumiyabazar finished fifth in the 195A pool with three wins.

TRI-MATCH MMA triumphed in a tri-match over North Callaway 52-18 and fell to Tipton 12-52 on January 20.

opponents over three days from April 29 to May 1.

First up was a home victory against Father Tolton 8-1 on April 29.

“After a couple of competitive weeks off, I was very pleased with our intensity and focus,” Pemberton said. “We served the ball well and limited our unforced errors. It was a good team victory.”

Cadets faced Hannibal on their home court the next day, triumphing 7-2.

“It was great to get the victory.

We came out ready to play and took control,” Pemberton said. “I was pleased with our effort and conditioning. We will get some rest and prepare for a tough match against Moberly High School.”

“Babak fought a very good match against Tipton,” McClarey said.

“Temuujin won both his matches.”

Rexroad, Babak and Sumiyabazar won by pin; Cunningham, Avila and Norman won one match each by forfeit; Guiot won once by forfeit and once by pin in the first period.

VERSUS FULTON MMA finished ninth of ten schools at the Fulton HS tournament on January 24 with a team score of 36.

Sumiyabazar won once and earned second place in the 195 lb weight class. Two wins earned Rexroad fourth place in the 145 lb class.

“Norman went the distance in both his closely-contested matches and demonstrated great endurance,” McClarey said.

VERSUS OSAGE The Colonels fell 6-66 to the Indians in a dual wrestling match at Osage High School on February 5.

Last up was an away match versus Moberly in which MMA triumphed 8-1.

“It was a beautiful day for a tennis match,” Pemberton said. “Playing our third match in three days, I was very pleased with our energy and effort. In singles play, we served the ball well and took control early.”

The Colonels finished up their season at districts on May 16 at the Truman State University courts versus Kirksville, Moberly, Columbia Independent and Mexico high schools.

“We knew this was going to be a tough challenge for us,” Pemberton said of districts.

“Even though the outcome wasn’t what we wanted,

Sumiyabazar picked up a win via pin in the second period, dominating “through strength and technique,” McClarey said.

DISTRICT COMPETITION Wrestlers wrapped up their season February 13 and 14 at districts in Versailles. Sumiyabazar won one match by pin, finishing a single match away from qualifying for state. Guiot won one match by pin in the first period, while Lazcano did the same in the second period.

TOP Charles Norman ’18 cheers for his teammates on January 20 — much as he was once encouraged.

“I have watched older cadets wrestle. I have people that encourage me,” he said. “They have motivation, drive, and the will to do what they do best.”

BOTTOM Mohammad Babak ’16 wrestles January 17 at Owensville.

PHOTOS BY HUNTER BUSH ’16 AND CHARLES NORMAN ’18

I was proud of our effort and attitude throughout the tournament. We fought hard and never quit.”

BELOW Pablo Rodriguez ’17 returns a shot on March 12 during practice. PHOTO BY ERIN CHAMBERS

In the spring 2015 semester, MMA joined the Jefferson City Rugby Football Club to offer the popular sport to cadets for the second consecutive year. Seniors Derek Ryan, Alex Otti, Andrew Field, Adam Schmitz and Joshua Paley kicked off the season February 28 with a tournament run JCRFC’s first match took place in the snow against CBC, the state champions.

JCRFC triumphed 20-0 and Schmitz earned his first try (touchdown). That afternoon, in near whiteout conditions, JCRFC played Frances Howell. Despite the blizzard and a slippery ball, JCRFC triumphed 10-0, with Schmitz contributing another try.

JCRFC then faced Penn High School of Indiana in the tournament finals.

“What followed was a tightly contested game between two equally matched sides

in front of a raucous, vocal crowd,” MMA rugby coach CSGT Mike Harding said.

JCRFC ultimately lost to their out-of-state opponent 10-5. “[MMA] played with grit and determination,” Harding said.

“A special mention must go to cadet Ryan in his first-ever game at fullback, putting in some crunching, gamesaving tackles. In addition cadets Otti, Field and Paley all proved themselves.”

SPRING BREAK Kane Anderson ’15 and Ryan journeyed from their homes to Kansas City on March 21, defeating Park Hill South Rugby Club by 27-15. With both sides understaffed due to Spring Break, JCRFC clenched the win 27-15.

“Ryan played well at fullback,” Harding said. “He was particularly impressive with a scything run through the opposition’s defense,

FCNB BANK IT CHAMPIONSHIP Varsity basketball players started the season with a 20-70 loss to Sullivan High School at the FCNB Bank It Championship on December 3. Jose Estrada ’16 led the team with six points.

Two days later, MMA’s varsity squad lost 50-74 to St. James HS. Ariyandev Sandui ’15 was the highest contributor with 14 points.

MMA concluded its championship run the next day with a 30-82 loss to Miller Academy. Estrada was the top MMA scorer with 5 points.

“To their credit, the cadets hustled throughout the entire game and never quit,” coach MAJ Mike Pemberton said.

WRIGHT CITY & SILEX The varsity Colonels fell in a 43-58 road loss to Wright City High School on December 11.

Contributors included D’Cherion Nelson ’15 with 12 points, Estrada with 10 points and junior Bilguun Byambatsogt with 6 points.

On December 15, the varsity squad suffered a disappointing 46-48 home defeat courtesy of Silex HS. The score sat tied 8-8 at the end of the first quarter, but the Colonels lagged behind by halftime. Nelson netted 11 points while Estrada contributed 6 points.

“We had a chance to win at the end of the game, but the shot didn’t go our way,” Pemberton said.

The junior varsity team then triumphed 51-31 over Silex. Robert Whitaker ’17 scored 17 points and Robert Shields ’17 added 10 points.

evading a number of tackles.

Anderson, on the right wing in his first-ever game of rugby, played well.”

APRIL On April 11, JCRFC beat De Smet HS by 17-5. Seven points came from Victor Navarro ’18 who, in his first-ever game of rugby, scored a try and kicked between the posts for an additional two points.

MMA defeated Park Hill on April 25, winning 58-5 (despite the rainy conditions.

Schmitz scored two tries, while junior Mohammad “Emran” Babak kicked a conversion for two points.

MAY Cadets joined JCRFC in what Harding called “an outstanding performance” versus Park Hill on May 2, triumphing 60-0. With their win, cadets secured the top seed in the Missouri Youth Rugby Championships.

“The JV team came out and put on another great show,” Pemberton said. “We were able to force some turnovers and get easy baskets. I was very pleased with our effort.”

JANUARY 2015 The varsity team fell January 20 to North Callaway by 29-50 upon returning to campus. Estrada made 9 points, followed by Whitaker with 7 points and Shields with 5 points.

Up next was a 40-60 loss to Wellsville HS on January 23.

High scorers included Estrada with 9 points and Nelson and Shields with 8 points apiece.

Varsity cadets took to the road January 27, falling 44-62 to the Jamestown Eagles. Seniors Isaiah Adkins and Tuguldur Zolboo led the Colonels with 11 points each; Byambatsogt boasted 8 points.

The junior varsity squad triumphed over the Eagles 52-38. High scorer Purevsuren Bayanbaatar ’16 boasted 9 points; Shields scored 8 points; and Whitaker scored 7 points.

EARLY FEBRUARY 2015 The varsity Fighting Colonels fell 104-46 on February 2 to South Callaway. Sandui and Adkins added 11 points apiece, while Estrada contributed 8 points.

The following afternoon, varsity cadets faced New Bloomfield,

“Another try from cadet Schmitz and conversions from cadet Babak helped secure an overwhelming victory,” Harding said.

The combined MMA and JCRFC team played three matches May 9-10 at the Missouri Youth Rugby State Championships.

“Our first was a bruising encounter against a well-drilled Priory,” Harding said.

“JCRFC lost 14 -7. ... Special mention must go to Babak, who had an outstanding game on the wing.”

On May 10, cadets proved victorious over Marquette 33-12. According to Harding, the win was due to “Schmitz and Navarro, who kicked sublimely throughout the game, accruing a third of the team points.”

coming up behind 44-63. High scorers included Adkins with 16 points; Estrada with 7 points; Sandui with 6 points; and Byambatsogt with 5 points.

COLONELS TRIUMPH TWICE The varsity basketball team triumphed over Calvary Lutheran 63-53 on February 6.

“It was great to win our first game of the season in front of our home crowd,” Pemberton said.

Adkins led MMA with 24 points.

Nelson scored 15 points and Estrada added 9 points.

Sandui, who scored 11 points, said his favorite moment of the season was “getting a win against Calvary Lutheran, because it was somewhat of a better team than us, but we played like a team.”

Cadets stole their second varsity win of the season February 10, triumphing 77-64 over the Father Tolton Catholic JV squad.

“I was proud,” Pemberton said.

“Adkins had another great game.

He was able to use his size and strength to control the boards.”

Adkins led the Colonels with 27 points. Estrada earned 18 points,

Later that afternoon, JCRFC won 36-10 against Park Hill to end the season, earning fifth place at state — the club’s highest ranking ever.

“Unlike the top high schools in the state, JCRFC does not have a changing room, trains in a park and has coaches that have other full-time jobs,” Harding said. “Paley, Ryan, Babak, Navarro and Erick Trevino ’18 had never

while Nelson netted 14 points.

Sandui and Shields added 5 points apiece; Byambatsogt, Enkhbilegt Luvsandorj ’16, Whitaker and John Curley ’16 each contributed 2 points.

MMA’s JV faced the Tolton freshman squad, victorious 53-46 in overtime. High scorers were Whitaker with 16 points and Curley with 14 points.

VAN-FAR, TIPTON & TOLTON The varsity Colonels fell by a score of 74-52 to Van-Far on February 13. Estrada led MMA with 12 points, followed by sophomore Sean Fitzgerald with 10 points. Curley had 8 points and Sandui scored six. Byambatsogt, Nelson and Mason Evans ’15 earned 4 points apiece. Shields and Zikun Deng ’15 scored 2 points each.

The junior varsity squad came away with a 51-36 win over the Indians thanks to top scorer Whitaker’s 20 points.

Tuguldur Altangerel ’17 had 10 points, Luvsandorj earned 7 points and Fitzgerald finished with 3 points. Adding two apiece were Deng, Curley, Bayanbaatar and freshmen Oybek Kirkland and Donald Williams. Fellow freshman Christopher Greene had one point.

The varsity Colonels lost a close home match 48-59 versus Tipton HS on February 17. Sandui scored 16 points and Adkins added 15 points. Shields made 6 points; Luvsandorj boasted 3 points; Fitzgerald, Byambatsogt, Nelson and Curley had 2 points each.

played competitive rugby before. ... The last three have only played for the last two months. This was a major achievement for them.

For Otti, Field and Schmitz, it has been their first whole year of competitive rugby, from which they have learned and gained much.”

ABOVE Schmitz and Field pose at JCRFC match May 10.

PHOTO BY JOSH PALEY ’15

In Luvsandorj’s favorite game of the season, MMA’s JV squad triumphed over Tipton 53-42. “[My] favorite moment of the season was against Tipton because I was sick for the whole game, but still I played,” Luvsandorj said.

“I got 14 points and 4 three-pointers in [the] third quarter. [At] the end of the game, I had 16 points.”

Altangerel added 12 points; Shields scored 7 points; Bayanbaatar and Curley contributed 4 points each.

Making their mark with two points each were Kirkland, Williams, Deng and Fitzgerald. According to Pemberton, the JV’s third quarter performance was “our best quarter of the year.”

“JV had a really good season,” Pemberton said. “I am very proud of their hard work.”

The varsity Colonels fell 36-54 to Tolton on February 20. Shields topped the charts with 12 points, followed by Nelson with 10 points.

Byambatsogt boasted 6 points; Altangerel and Curley contributed 4 points apiece.

The JV team came up short 30-50 to end their season. Adding 4 points each were Shields, Altangerel, Fitzgerald, Greene & Bayanbaatar.

Curley and Byambatsogt scored 3 points each; Kirkland and Evans made 2 points each.

POSTSEASON PLAY Varsity cadets finished February 23 at district competition with a 24-72 loss to Bowling Green HS. Sandui and Shields added 8 points each while Curley and Nelson scored 4 points each.

MEET MAJ FARLEY

MAJ Kevin Farley came to MMA in 2014 from Wentworth Military Academy and College, where he served as the Director of Public Relations and Head Soccer Coach. At Wentworth, he developed the school’s first-ever college soccer team, helping several players earn soccer scholarships. He also led the 2012 team to earn the highest GPA (3.31) in the nation for a two-year soccer team.

At MMA, MAJ Farley led the 2014-15 Colonels to a 10-5-1 record and a No. 1 seed in district playoffs.

From 1992-97, MAJ Farley served in the U.S. Navy. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Management and a Master of Arts degree in Education.

What is your philosophy?

Be better today than you were yesterday. Be better tomorrow than you are today. We all make mistakes — that is what makes us all successful. That is what I ask of my players, not only on the field but in their lives.

What do you like to do in your free time? I spend a lot of time with my dog Baxter. I live by the lake, so I will take him on walks and enjoy time with him. I read a lot. I listen to music. I love to run. I love to play golf. ... In 1997 was the last time I ever had a television set in my house. ...

I find myself being a little more productive without distraction.

Why do you support the MMA model? The military changed my life. It made a huge difference in who I am as a person. It transformed me from being a boy to being a man. …

Some of the most fun days of my life were when I was in the military. It teaches you to take care of what you need to take care of so you can have fun.

The track team kicked off their season April 2 at the Monroe City HS Open Track Meet. Top MMA performers included senior D’Cherion Nelson, who placed 5th of 28 runners with a 39-02.25 in the triple jump and 6th of 38 runners with a time of 12.04 in the 100M dash.

Fellow senior Hugh Harris earned 5th of 17 runners with a time of 45.65 in the 300M hurdles, while senior Isaiah Adkins took 5th of 29 athletes with a 19-02.50 in the long jump and 6th of 28 competitors with a 5-10 in the high jump.

On April 9, cadets competed at the Missouri School for the Deaf Invitational, placing 6th out of 16 teams.

Physical training, corporate partners,

new website and social media

MAJ Kevin Farley will serve as the Academy’s new Athletic Director for the 2015-16 school year. In this role, he will oversee intramural and varsity athletic programs for all cadets grades 6-12.

“Upon agreeing to take over the responsibilities of being MMA Athletic Director, I spent some time thinking about how we can make a difference in the lives of our cadets,” Farley said. “Too many times in life we focus on the end results — the wins, the losses, the successes, the failures — instead of focusing on what is truly important. Before we can win, we must have the will to win.

Before we can succeed, we must

BASEBALL BRIEFS

word HONOR to the back of each Farley first formally addressed soccer jersey where a player’s last cadets May 6 in the Memorial name might be printed. The word Chapel at the final all-school will be added to the back of every assembly of the year. sports jersey this school year.

“I have seen a lot of winners this “This will serve as a reminder to year,” Farley said. “Don’t look at all of our athletes that ... they are the end result of the win or the representing their school, their loss. You’re gonna achieve both along the road. ... What I’m gonna families and themselves,” Farley said. “They will compete with a be focusing on is the will to win. will to win based on character.”

The journey.

Did you give has partnered with MMA it all you had? Adidas Athletics Mission Statement: this season as the official provider That’s going of athletic uniforms.

Developing a winning mentality to be the based on character values to More athletic training coverage mission of is also a priority this year. In the Athletic unlock the potential of our young addition to trainers attending Department.” men in order to succeed in life. games, Farley has arranged for Farley’s a trainer to visit campus two rebranding days a week. Farley also plans efforts began in summer 2015 have the desire to succeed. Before to dedicate an athletic training with the introduction of a mission we can reach our full potential, room to help the bumps, bruises statement, motto and social we must have the urge to reach and sprains aquired by studentmedia sites. our full potential. As a coaching athletes heal a bit faster. staff, we will work together “When most people think of The Athletic Department will to ensure that our athletes rebranding, they think of a new also conduct baseline concussion are learning what it means to logo design,” have a winning mentality and Farley said. focusing on the building blocks to “However, Follow the MMA Colonels online! achieving success. If our athletes rebranding Facebook.com/GoFightingColonels can graduate from Missouri MMA Military Academy with a winning athletics is Twitter.com/GoMMAColonels mentality, it could be the most much more important lesson of their lives.” than that.”

Prior to his appointment as the Some time during the early fall, testing for each student this year, Athletic Director, Farley served as sports fans will notice a change allowing for any head injuries to Director of College Placement and when they click ‘athletics’ on the be easily monitored and treated. head soccer coach. Farley will MMA website. Supporters will be AT LEFT MAJ Farley addresses remain head coach of the soccer redirected to a new athletic site, cadets May 6. PHOTO BY team, which earned a place in allowing families, friends and district competition during his fans to track individual teams and JONATHAN RICHARDSON ’15 inaugural coaching season.

ABOVE MAJ Farley takes the field athletes. with his team on September 16 One of Farley’s first prior to the Colonels’ 3-0 shutout acts as head soccer Academy Athletics Motto: victory over Fatima. PHOTO BY coach was adding the D’CHERION NELSON ’15 Pursuing Victory With Honor

Medalists were: Francisco Fletes ’18 with 4th place (57.23) in the 400M dash; Harris with 2nd place (43.9 PR) in the 300M hurdles and 3rd place in the 200M dash (24.35) and the 110M high hurdles (18.00); Adkins with 2nd place (18-00) in the long jump, 6th place in the 110M high hurdles (19.06) and 4th in the 200M dash (24.62); and Nelson with 4th place (38-01.50) in the triple jump and 3rd in the 100M dash (11.99 PR).

Seven students gave their all April 13 at the Centralia Invitational, finishing 11th of 16 teams. MMA medalists were: Nelson with 6th (11.73 PR) in the 100M dash and 4th (40-02.50 PR) in the

triple jump; Harris with first (43.17 PR) in the 300M hurdles and 2nd (16.15 PR) in the 110M hurdles; and Adkins with 6th (18-06.25) in the long jump. Reed Vaughan ’15 ran 12.48 PR in the 100M dash and Fletes notched a PR (56.71) in the 400M dash.

TRIPLE JUMP RECORD Nelson delivered a recordbreaking performance in the triple jump category April 22 at the Harrisburg Invitational, in which MMA placed 3rd of seven teams.

“The old mark was 40 feet 3 inches, and D’Cherion shattered it with a jump of 41 feet 6 inches,” Athletic Director CPT John Noel

said. “He has put forth a lot of hard work to attain the record.”

Nelson, fellow seniors Adkins and Harris and freshman Lucas Moore also took home the gold. Nelson placed first (11.52) in the 100M dash while Moore earned first in the 800M run (2:37.21). Adkins took first (18-08) in the long jump and 2nd (16.94) in the 110M hurdles and the 200M dash (24.85). Harris placed first in the 300M hurdles (44.71) and the 200M dash (24.32).

Fletes also placed 3rd (57.53) in the 400M dash.

A few days later, cadets faced their next challenge April 25 at the Ron Whittaker Bulldog Classic, finishing eighth out of 10 teams.

“We competed with only five participants and still managed to have some success,” coach MAJ Larry McClarey said.

“This was the most competitive meet so far this season.”

Top performers included: Nelson, with 3rd place (11.16) in the 100M dash and 5th (3810) in the triple jump; Harris, with 2nd in the 110M (16.10) and 300M (41.64) hurdles; and Fletes, with 3rd (55.37) in the 400M dash.

Junior John Curley threw a personal record 32-01 in the shot-put.

Nelson broke his previous record May 1, taking first (41-10.5 PR) in the triple jump at the South Callaway Invitational, in which MMA finished 8th of 12 teams.

Nelson also took 3rd (11.56) in the 100M dash. Harris placed first (42.10) in the 300M hurdles and 2nd (16.02 PR) in the 110M hurdles.

STATE COMPETITION Harris represented MMA at the Class 3, District 4 track meet May 16 in Centralia, finishing 3rd in the 110M hurdles with a time of 16.10 (PR) and 4th in the 300M hurdles with a time of 42.74.

Harris qualified for the state meet with his performance May 23 at the sectional meet. He placed 3rd in the 300M intermediate hurdles with a personal best of 41.39 seconds. Harris also competed in the 110M high hurdles, where he finished in 15.67 seconds (PR) to earn 5th place.

“By himself Harris outscored one school and tied another at the meet,” Noel said. “I've coached him since he was a freshman and his dedication and growth in four years has been amazing. I am so proud of the man he has become. The sky is the limit for him.”

Harris competed May 29 at the state meet, placing tenth with a time of 41.59 in the 300M hurdles.

MMA kicked off its season April 14 with a 3-1 home victory over Wellsville-Middletown.

Cadets lost April 17 versus Monroe City by 6-4 and fell 17-4 to Silex on their home field the following day in what would become an up-and-down season sprinkled with both triumph and loss.

After defeating Glascow 18-5 on April 20, the Colonels lost 8-6 to New Bloomfield on April 30.

Following a 5-3 defeat

by Jamestown on May 1 and a harsh 7-0 shutout loss to Russelville on May 2, MMA bounced back that afternoon with an 8-5 triumph over the Osage Indians.

TOLTON TRIUMPH The team triumphed over Father Tolton 11-10 in eight innings May 5, boosting their record to the team’s highest in more than 15 years.

Robert Whitaker ’17 led the Colonels, going three for three with two triples and a double, scoring five runs and driving in one.

“It’s really good to come home and play a good game,” Whitaker, a Columbia native, said.

“It was nice to see a couple of my friends, play a good game against them and get the win.”

Whitaker scored the winning run in the top of the 8th when junior Corry Tega hit a soft line drive to first.

DISTRICT PLAY The Fighting Colonels baseball team lost its district matchup 6-1 on May 18 versus the Macon Tigers.

Tega scored MMA’s lone run courtesy of a hit in the top of the 4th inning by Robert Shields ’17. Whitaker hit a double while Sean Fitzgerald ’17 recorded a single.

Mason Evans ’15 started on the mound for MMA, throwing five innings and facing 28 batters. Evans struck out five, walked three, hit one batter and gave up six hits. Vincent Burke ’15 finished the 6th inning, neutralizing a bases-loaded situation with two ground outs and a strike out.

ALL-DISTRICT TEAM Six cadets were named to the all-district team rosters in late May. First Team: junior catcher Anthony LaViola and sophomore centerfielder Robert Whitaker.

Second Team: senior pitcher Vincent Burke; sophomore shortstop Sean Fitzgerald; junior outfielder Corry Tega; and junior outfielder Elliot Gianaris.

TOP LaViola, Maverick Jones ’16, Fitzgerald, Photsavat Pongusea ’16 and Evan Reynolds ’18 pose April 20. PHOTO

BY SANTIAGO SANCHEZ ’21

A peek at how our 360° Education develops a cadet’s mind, body and spirit

On April 30, five cadets were recognized on the floor of the Missouri Senate as the first in the state to earn the silver Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.

Seniors D’Cherion Nelson, Maxwell Broughton and Joshua Paley, junior Mohammad Babak and sophomore Charles Eckardt received their medals from Senator Jeanie Riddle and Senator Wayne Wallingford, a retired Lt. Colonel with the United States Air Force.

“The DoE Award is not some award you can get from a short-term commitment.

It takes a long time. I started mine last year and feel as though the hard work was worth it,” Eckardt said.

Cadets earned the silver medal after first receiving the bronze award in 2014. The silver medal required them to complete community service, hone a skill and complete physical training over the course of six months.

Finally, cadets embarked on a three-day, two-night adventurous journey, during which they hiked and biked more than 60 miles.

“It is another chance to challenge myself and try and become a better person,” Paley said. “It feels great to have all of your work pay off, and have something to pride yourself [in].”

Eckardt and Babak traveled to Pike’s Peak in Colorado

in late May to complete another adventurous journey and qualify for the Duke of Edinburgh’s gold medal.

“The DoE Award means a lot to me. It allows me to reach out and help my community to benefit others while benefiting myself,” Broughton said. “It is an amazing opportunity and an awesome experience. I have developed as a person and as a leader through this program and it will help me accomplish

more goals later on in life.

Receiving the silver DoE Award was amazing. I never thought I would have the opportunity to be a part of

something so significant and challenging. Knowing that I was the first MO resident to receive the silver award was an incredible achievement.”

THE COLDNESS OF SUFFFERING,

BY GABRIEL VALLEJO ’18

TOP RIGHT Gabriel Vallejo ’18 visits the Berlin Wall on February 19.TOP LEFT Russell Holman ’16 poses for a photograph February 24 in Salzburg, Austria.

BELOW Educational Tour chaperones and cadets pose for a group photo in Berlin, Germany, on February 19. PHOTOS BY LT CHERYL MORRIS

70 CADETS, 10 CHAPERONES, 3 COUNTRIES, 9 DAYS A total of 80 students and staffers wove their way through Germany, the Czech Republic and Austria from February 17 to 25.

Cadets visited five cities: Berlin, Dresden, Prague, Munich and Salzburg.

FEBRUARY 19: BERLIN, GERMANY Sightseeing highlights included: the Olympiastadion, used for the 1936 Summer Olympics; the Berlin Wall; the Konzerthaus Berlin; the Fernsehturm television tower; the Brandenburg Gate; and the Reichstag dome.

FEBRUARY 21: PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC Sightseeing highlights included: the St. Vitus Cathedral; Golden Lane; Prague Castle; and the Charles Bridge.

“The Charles Bridge is the most popular bridge in Prague, and it is just amazing to walk across it,” Alberto Avila ’18 said.

“There [are] salesman, painters, photographers and much more.

AND 5 CITIES -- A ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME OPPORTUNITY

... There is also a statue of John of Nepomuk, and on the bottom of the statue there is a bronze engraving which [is said] to give you luck if you rub [it.] ... The engraving has been rubbed so much that it turned [gold].”

While sightseeing in Prague, cadets rode a boat down the Vltava River.

“We were able to see a huge part of Prague, mostly everything, and the landscapes were unbelievable. It was like a three-hour ride and I never stopped taking pictures,”

Avila said. “It was just a moment that I really wanted to capture and it was amazing.”

FEBRUARY 22 & 23: MUNICH, GERMANY Sightseeing highlights included: the moving clocktower RathausGlockenspiel; the BMW Welt, including racing simulators and a chance to climb behind the wheels of luxury cars and motorcycles; and a somber visit to Dachau, a Nazi concentration camp.

“My favorite part of the trip was when we learned some of the traditional Bavarian dancing while we stayed in

Munich,” Simon Barrera ’15 said. “A boy told us about how he started dancing at the age of six. You saw his passion while he danced.”

FEBRUARY 24: SALZBURG, AUSTRIA Sightseeing highlights in the city of Salzburg included: the birth place of musician Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart; the Kapitelplatz, featuring the famous Die BalkenholMozartkugel statue of a man standing on a golden sphere; and a salt mine.

Why do we judge other people by their religion, race, sexuality, beliefs or their physical appearance?

Why do we believe that some of us are better than others? Why are we humans so inhumane? I do not know what the people in the concentration camps felt, but I will tell you what I felt and what I saw.

The Dachau concentration work camp was the first of its kind in Germany. Illness, excessive work, hunger and maltreatment were some of the factors that caused death. Other deaths were more inhumane; scientists experimented on prisoners to help develop ways of aiding the Nazi army in case of emergencies.

Fear ruled the Dachau camp; no one in that place knew peace. Prisoners worked like slaves. They did not get enough food, water, clothes or medical treatment, much less their liberty. The people lived all together in barracks with no privacy for themselves.

The Nazis used to put 72 people in a small room. The people inside were packed so tight that they couldn’t move at all. No food was taken to them. No water.

The terror that they felt cannot be explained. When I saw this I felt dreadful.

You could feel the coldness of the place from all the suffering souls.

The camp had another terrible edifice — the incinerators. This is where Nazis burned the bodies of the prisoners.

In the building beside the incinerators, they threw away all the bodies. These two buildings were close to the showers, so if they were taken to the shower, they were taken to meet their death. Living in the same environment as people who died every day — it’s disturbing. In my mind, I can imagine the smell of the dead.

These people, millions of them, were suffering for a cause that would bring an end to their freedom; the end of their beloved friends and family; the beginning of their death. I cannot describe the feeling that those walls possess. I felt only despair standing there.

Why are we so inhumane?

Humans can be better than that. I know we can change. We cannot forget what happened to those in the camps. We shall not forgive those who did it.

Even in the darkest places there is always light; faith.

$225

12 CADETS, 2 STAFFERS, 10 DAYS On February 26, a dozen cadets departed for Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota on a 10-day volunteering mission. Their destination: the headquarters of Re-Member, a group dedicated to improving the lives of impoverished reservation residents.

“The first day we were there, there was a pow wow at the town of Porcupine,” chaperone LTC Paul Gillette ’70 said. The trip marked Gillette’s fourth to Pine Ridge. “Sky Thunderchild ’19 was quite excited about the pow wow.”

BETTERING THE LIVES OF 28,000 RESIDENTS IN PINE RIDGE, SD — THE THIRD-POOREST U.S. COUNTY

Side trips throughout the visit included stops at the reservation’s Red Cloud Indian School, college and radio station. According to Gillette, each school teaches Lakota culture, religion and language.

While at Pine Ridge, cadets insulated house trailers and installed steps at Pine Ridge mobile homes sitting above ground level.

of their own. Many sleep on the floor or in shared beds.

“I liked the work because we got a chance to improve people’s lives,” trip attendee William Moore ’18 said.

“It was my second time there and it won’t be the last. We made new friends and [became] closer as cadets. We got the experience “I used to live on a reservation. ...The reservation re-taught of helping people me that I am not white, or black, or any other race but and at the same time Native American — and that I should be very proud.” made our SKY SPOTTED EAGLE THUNDERCHILD HENIO ’19 brotherhood stronger.”

March 5 was the Students also built, According to Gillette, the whole last work day on the group joined in dancing on their sanded, painted and reservation for the first evening. delivered bunk beds MMA group — on for children.

According Each morning after breakfast, March 6 they traveled to the Re-Member volunteers listened to readings to Mt. Rushmore for website, many Oglala of “the wisdom of the elders” some quick sightseeing Lakota children have (writings by the great chiefs) before beginning the never slept on a bed before heading to their worksites. trek back to campus.

GREAT WISDOM, PATIENCE AND COURAGE,

BY HAOMING ZHANG ’15 Prior to the trip, I kept imagining what it was like on the reservation.

I would never have imagined this place could possibly exist in a developed country like the U.S. LTC Paul Gillette ’70 told me the government didn’t take good care of these people.

I found a problem as soon as I set my feet on the reservation: the obesity rate. Due to poverty and poor support from the government, people have no access to fresh and healthy food.

I clearly remember there was a family that was having popcorn for breakfast when I entered their house to deliver the bunk beds.

My first reaction was, “Seriously?”

Another thing which shocked me was the suicide rate. Before we went on the trip, LTC Gillette told me the suicide rate on the reservation is incredibly high; especially for teenagers around 13 to 15. That made think about how depressing and frustrating that is.

There is a graveyard right next to the place we stayed on the reservation. When I walked in there, I could tell that nobody was taking care of it. Everything looked messy. Weeds were everywhere on the graves.

What shocked me the most was that most of those graves are small and tiny. I saw Barbie dolls, toys and some teenagers’ decorations on the graves; obviously, those are children’s graves. Around eighty percent of the graves were like that.

It is sad to see these blooming flowers end up committing suicide. But that is a very harsh truth on that reservation.

During the trip, I got the chance to tour a place called Wounded Knee where a massacre took place in 1890. The death toll was 300, and 75 percent of the casualties were women and children. That was a part of U.S. history that didn’t get the chance to be shown in the textbook. I was really glad that I got the chance to find out the truth. If I hadn’t chosen to go on

this trip, I probably would never have gotten the chance to know this part of history.

The Lakota people have such a great culture and wisdom. They are great men and women, great leaders and mentors.

They are the combination of great wisdom, patience and courage.

What I felt the most from the Lakota people was great fatherhood and motherhood. They believe in respecting and following Mother Nature. Also, they believe in loving and respecting women. Women are sacred to the Lakota, because they are the ones bringing new lives.

I’m really grateful I got the chance to go on this trip. I learned a lot of things that I would not able to obtain from textbooks. I would definitely go back to help those people again.

ONE Eighth grade cadet Sky Spotted Eagle Thunderchild Henio sightsees March 1 on the Pine Ridge Educational Tour.

TWO Santiago Sanchez ’21 gets his hands dirty and [THREE] Haoming Zhang ’15 befriends a puppy at the worksite March 2.

FOUR Pine Ridge volunteers pose March 6. (Pictured: Donald Canard ’15, Rogelio Coria Lopez ’21, Oscar Cortada ’16, Alexandre McDonald ’15, William Moore ’18, Paul Murphy ’18, Ajay Nemali ’15, Alex Pratt ’15, Jason Russell ’16, Santiago Sanchez ’21, Sky Thunderchild ’19, Haoming “Remington” Zhang ’15, LTC Paul Gillette ’70 and MAJ Kevin Farley.)

FIVE A battered Pine Ridge mobile home sits amid garbage. SIX Cadets visit a Wounded Knee burial ground March 1.

PHOTOS BY SKY THUNDERCHILD ’19, ALEX PRATT ’15 AND SANTIAGO SANCHEZ ’21

SOUL-CONSUMING MELANCHOLY,

BY OSCAR CORTADA ’16

The first night there, we went to a pow wow. There was our first taste of the poverty. As people were watching the dance, little kids were walking up and down the aisles of the gymnasium where we were seated. Some of the cutest kids you have ever seen were pickpocketing unsuspecting victims. Women were the worst; they melted at the sight of them and, as a result, were easy victims.

I came to Pine Ridge with no idea what to expect. When we got to the reservation, the houses became trailers; the countryside became barren. It was one of the most shocking moments of my life.

When I was 13, my parents divorced. It taught me that luxury is not something everyone can afford. I owe something to how my mother raised me in the slums of Gava, a village outside The life expectancy in Pine Ridge of Barcelona. You is the lowest in the nation and should be grateful for the small things the second-lowest in the Western in life, because Hemisphere. Only Haiti has a not everyone gets to enjoy them. It lower life expectancy rate. showed me that poverty is still a problem. But not I can’t write a paper on like this. We always had clothes on my experience without our backs and a bed to sleep on. mentioning what Donald What I saw at Pine Ridge was Canard ’15 did. Something something that, if you were not unprecedented and careful, could consume your soul admirable. As one of the with melancholy. kids was trying to pickpocket

him, he turned to him.

The kid jumped back, frightened.

Canard casually stared straight ahead and acted as if nothing had happened. When the child wasn’t looking, Canard slipped a dollar bill into the kid’s jacket pocket. It was the most impressive act of compassion I have ever seen in my life. Not only did he gain my respect for it, he gained my friendship.

The next day my group went to a poor trailer home. We picked up trash and dug a trench around the house so they could keep in the heat easier.

The children there were inspiring. They smiled incessantly — their angelic smiles revealed that most of their teeth weren’t real. Their smiles contrasted heavily with

the reality of the situation. It would be a real eye-opener for kids that might feel depressed when they realize that their new iPad isn’t the latest model.

The last day we visited houses to set up beds. I met a kid named Adam. His pure smile remind me why it is we smile. It infected my soul and was contagious beyond word. Adam talked to me in Lakota unfazed, as if he didn’t understand a word I was saying. I realized that, in fact, he didn’t.

Reality came pouring in.

I realized how lucky I am to know three languages.

I’ve had a fine upbringing.

But this unsullied, sinless young boy couldn’t even tell you his name outside the reservation if you asked him for it.

Visiting Pine Ridge was the type of trip one has to take to fully grasp its value.

There is always something, no matter how small, that you can do. So do it.

HANG ZHANG ’15 received an Honorable Mention Award in the Scholastic Writing Awards. Zhang’s sonnet entitled “Finally Embrace the End of our Love” was selected from nearly 1,000 submissions received from throughout Missouri and Kansas City, KS. He also won a Silver Key in the midwest region of the Scholastic Art Awards for his photography submission entitled “Appetite.”

Academic Dean DR. FRANK GIUSEFFI received the Lighthouse Award for Excellence from Lindenwood University on April 19.

“Each year the doctoral faculty review candidates who finished their dissertation and graduated the previous year. Frank and his doctoral study garnered the most votes of appreciation,” Dr. Steven A. Sherblom of Lindenwood University said. “Frank’s performance was exemplary and … he made a powerful impression on the faculty with his intelligence, his passion and his dedication.”

Dr. Giuseffi received his doctorate in April 2014 and has been with MMA for 16 years. His dissertation was entitled, “The Investigation of the Influence of the Socratic Method on Leadership Skills Among JROTC Cadet Leaders at a Military Boarding School.”

Three cadets placed at the 2015 Excellence in Mathematics Competition sponsored by St. Louis Community College.

ZIKUN DENG ’15 earned 6th in the senior division, followed by TEMUULEN BATBAYAR ’15 in 10th place.

NISHAN KHANAL ’16 took 7th place in the junior class.

AT RIGHT Jose De La Vega ’18, Alejandro Gastelum ’17 and David Lazcano ’16 pose with their MMA alum fathers October 17.

PHOTO BY ERIN CHAMBERS 1940 to 1949

EOGHAN MATTHEWS ’13

Bill Parker ’48 recently moved to Cape Corral, Florida, from North Lauderdale. Email him at bwpqbalo@comcast.net.

Eoghan Matthews of the MMA class of 2013 — and current West Point engineering major — visited Japan from February 28 to March 6.

Matthews attended an annual international conference sponsored and hosted every year by the National Defense Academy of Japan.

Only two cadets from West Point were chosen to attend. Matthews will spend the 2015 fall semester in Japan attending the NDA. “He studied Japanese at his high school in Australia,” Eoghan’s mother Mary said. “He visited Japan when we were in Australia, so he already has some familiarity with the language. I am so proud of him!”

1950 to 1959

Frank Sierra ’58 traveled in March with his son Marc to Bhutan, Nepal and India. Email him at commandercondor@ yahoo.com.

1960 to 1969

Doug Varnes ’60, a two-year cadet and U.S. Navy veteran, moved to Chicago, Illinois, and can be reached via email at dvarnes@comcast.net.

Jimmy Lasley '69 has retired and moved back to Texas, his home state.

On January 27, he visited former commandant Charles Vines in Arkansas.

1970 to 1979

Eric Johnson ’70 attended MMA for three years before joining the Navy Reserve. He is a supervisor at Polaris Industries in Roseau, Minnesota, and can be reached at EricR.Johnson@yahoo.com.

John Davis ’71 attended MMA for six years before joining the U.S. Army, where he attained the rank of LTC and served from 1975-2002 before retiring. He lives in Destin, Florida, and can be reached at emeraldappraiser@earthlink.net.

Raymond “Dude” Stotlar ’71 is president of fiscal consulting firm The Exeter Group Ltd. in Carbondale, Illinois. He looks forward to his 45th reunion in 2016 and extends his best wishes to alums and staffers of Missouri Military Academy. Contact him at dude2@midwest.net.

SHAWN RAO ’98 Shawn Rao ’98 lives in Dallas and owns several restaurants which support the local community with a Pay It Forward program.

Customers are given envelopes with anywhere from $2 to $20 in cash along with a letter encouraging them to use the money to help someone else in need.

“We always wanted to give back on a larger scale,” Rao said. “We felt that if we gave away money, we can help many more causes and spread the word about philanthropy one day at a time.”

Rao estimates that the money given away grows by 500 percent.

“One gentleman took the 2 dollars, added 100 and bought clothes for a homeless person,” Rao said. “Another woman took 5 dollars, added 50 and helped send a sick little girl on a trip she wanted to go on. These are just two of hundreds of stories.”

LT John A. Waterhouse, an MMA math instructor from 1972-74, lives in Henderson, Nevada, and would love to hear from former students via e-mail at JohnWaterhouse@cox.net.

Don Hall ’74 attended MMA for four years, after which he served in the U.S. Marine Corps. Hall is a trustee of Salt Creek Township in Monroe County, Indiana, and a history professor at Ivy Tech Community College. His son Jesse serves in the U.S. Navy on the USS Blue Ridge LCC 19 stationed at Yokosuka, Japan. Email him at donnhall403@yahoo.com.

Edgar Eckles ’77, a five-year cadet and United States Air Force veteran, moved to Memphis, Tennessee, and can be reached at drpostman@gmail.com.

James Vaughn ’78 attended MMA for four years, after which he served in the U.S. Navy from 198285. He lives in The Woodlands, Texas, and can be reached at jamesmma78@yahoo.com.

1980 to 1989

Derek Kennedy ’80 was a four-year MMA cadet, lives in Downsville, Louisiana, and looks forward to visiting campus for his 35-year reunion. He can be reached at dsst1230@yahoo.com.

Price Laird ’80, a four-year MMA cadet, is a senior archaeologist at TRC Environmental Corporation and lives in Lawrenceville, Georgia. Contact him via email at price.laird@gmail.com.

Jesus Soriano ’82, past Alumni Association president, married Melissa Urban on April 18. The happy couple resides in O’Fallon, Missouri, and can be reached at mma82@aol.com.

Scott Riech ’84, a four-year cadet, lives in Springfield, IL, and can be reached at scott.riech@msn.com.

Paul Herndon ’85 and his wife Debra recently adopted their second daughter, nine-year-old Amber from Arizona. Their first child was adopted from Kazakhstan in 2003. The Herndon family owns Pleasant Meadow Creamery in Idaho and can be reached via e-mail at Paul@HerndonCPA.com.

William Lloyd ’85 served in the U.S. Army from 1985-95 and lives in Des Moines, Iowa. Contact him at willy_lloyd2002@yahoo.com.

MAJ Paul Petit ’85, Paul Petit ’14 and Jean Franco Petit (below) recently completed annual

training with the Texas State Guard. Paul Jr. earned the Military Emergency Management Specialist Badge upon completing his FEMA training. Paul Sr. is serving his 7th year as MMA Summer Camp XO. Jean continues his EMT studies at Texas State Tech College. The trio can be reached at paul.petit.85@ missourimilitaryacademy.org.

Peter Hedlund ’88 is a farmer in central Minnesota. Contact him at pshedlund@gmail.com.

Gilberto Crombe Camacho '89 was interviewed by CNN en Espanol in March 2015. Contact him at tass@infosel.net.mx.

1990 to 1999

Michael Girardeau lives in Forsyth, Georgia, and served in the U.S. Navy. You can reach him at mjg1771@gmail.com.

Gregg Center ’91, a two-year cadet and U.S. Navy veteran, lives in Sarasota, Florida. Contact him at gcenter13@gmail.com.

Joe Layman ’97 visited campus during his move to Colorado for a law enforcement job. Contact him at drillcop@gmail.com.

Patrick Bracy ’97, a four-year cadet, served in the U.S. Army from 1997-2003. E-mail him at fordman081978@gmail.com.

2000 to present

Maxwell Frederickson ’01 is a singer/songwriter in Kansas City, Missouri. Check out his music at MaxFredMusic.com and contact him at maxfred@me.com.

Steve Strehl '03 lives in Maryland Heights, Missouri, and can be reached at skipstrehl@gmail.com.

Jackson Pavelka, a cadet from 2006-08, lives in St. Louis, Missouri, and can be reached at jacksonpvlka27@gmail.com.

Oziel David Arizpe ’05 lives in Jalisco, Mexico. Contact him at david.arizpe@arizlu.com.

CHAD RUDKIN ’92 I have been married to my wife Elizabeth for 17 years. We have two children — Ryan, who is 8 years old, and our daughter Peyton, who died in 2011 at the age of 7 from a very rare brain tumor called DIPG (Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma).

After serving in the U.S. Army as a Field Artillery Officer for 6 years, I spent 12 years working for Janssen Pharmaceuticals as an Institutional Sales Representative. I currently work for The Medicines Company as a Customer Solutions Manager in Surgical and Perioperative Care.

My wife and I run a non-profit organization called Peyton’s Ranch that focuses on the human-animal connection with children facing lifethreatening illnesses such as brain cancer.

Chad’s family lives in Washington. Email him at Chad.Rudkin@gmail.com or visit PeytonsRanch.org for information about his non-profit organization.

ANDY DURHAM ’81 Andy Durham attended MMA from 1975-79 and is the son of the late COL Courtney Durham, who taught at the Academy from 1967-79.

“On February 13, 2014, I had a heart attack and kidney damage. And it’s been a hard year. Had to give up my job and try to get healthy again. But am now getting the treatment I need and improving,” Durham said. “A big part is due to my MMA brothers who have had words of of encouragement — and some have even helped financially. The three MMA Facebook groups have been a lifeline for me. I want to say thanks to all my MMA brothers, and my goal is to get healthy enough and financially stable enough to make it back to MMA for one more visit!”

Andy lives in Ocklawaha, Florida, and can be reached at AndyDurham1@gmail.com.

A MESSAGE FROM MMA ALUMNI ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT-ELECT JEFF KAYS ’84

The following address was delivered to the Class of 2015 at the Senior Banquet on May 22.

I came to MMA in the fall of 1975 as a nine-year-old boy.

I returned each fall until I graduated in the spring of 1984.

Nine years as a cadet. As you can imagine, I was ready to move on by the time graduation arrived. Actually, I was probably ready to move on by November of 1983.

But I stuck with it. When I graduated, I was confident that I had received a top-notch education.

You and I have a lot in common simply because we both attended and graduated from Missouri Military Academy.

Think about how unique that is in this world. If we had never met before but somehow we met in passing, say at an airport or a football game, we would immediately have a bond, a shared heritage, common experiences. Even though I may be decades older than you and we may live on different continents, we would immediately know something about each other because we shared some of the same experiences. Only people that went to MMA — here in the middle of the United States in Mexico, Missouri — would know what we know.

After I graduated, I really wanted nothing to do with MMA. I wanted to find out who I was without MMA. I came back for my 10-year reunion and I came back for my 20-year reunion. That was it for the first 20 years. In 2008, I came back and have been back every year since. I regretted staying away for so long and I regretted losing contact with most of my classmates. Only a place like MMA can develop that camaraderie, that fellowship and that brotherhood. We really are a band of brothers.

And there’s nothing else like it.

And you should not take it for granted.

I encourage you to keep in contact with your classmates.

You are all scattered across the world. You are busy starting a career and raising a family — but don’t forget your MMA brothers. You will be glad that you kept in contact. Come back for Homecoming whenever possible. In fact, don’t wait for Homecoming. Organize get-togethers with alumni wherever you may be at any time of the year. You will be glad that you did.

The camaraderie you have developed here can be a very important part of your life, not only in friendships but also in careers. Don’t let that slip away.

You have earned your right to wear the senior ring. You have earned your right to come back to campus year after year and stand with the thousands who came before you.

ABOVE Jeff Kays ’84 presents an award to Edmond Biruta ’15 at the senior banquet May 22.

PHOTO BY ERIN CHAMBERS

In early July, MMA administrators released an enhanced version of the 125th anniversary commemorative crest to appear on all marketing materials and school uniforms.

The Academy’s iconic crest was first updated in 1989 to celebrate MMA’s centennial and was again slightly modified in 2013. To create this new logo, elements including the Missouri state seal and the Lamp of Knowledge were enriched with additional, accurate detail.

This 2014 version of the MMA crest was originally designed only for use during the 2014-15 school year to commemorate the Academy’s 125th anniversary. Due to its popularity, however, administrators chose to modify the look and continue its use.

The updated crest released in early July now includes MMA’s founding year 1889.

The saber and rifle clasped in the eagle’s claws have

also been updated to appear more authenitic.

In its beak, the eagle now also holds a ribbon with the Academy’s original motto “Love, Honor, Truth,” printed in Latin. One of thenAcademy President COL Emmett Young Burton’s first acts in office was to adopt this motto in 1914. Administrators rediscovered this motto while researching Academy history for MMA’s 125th

Five-year cadet Carl Aubrey Ade ’52 died February 19 in Bowie, Texas.

Ade was an airline pilot for 25 years and is survived by his wife, daughters and grandchildren.

anniversary celebration and decided to honor MMA’s history by reintroducing it in the crest.

FAR LEFT The Academy’s original crest, used until 2013. MIDDLE The Academy’s 125th anniversary crest. BELOW MMA’s centennial celebration crest.

RIGHT Missouri Military Academy’s mostrecent crest.

Former instructor SFC Domie Dean Ballestros died at age 55 on March 17. He served in the Army for 20 years and is survived by his wife, children and grandchildren.

DR. STANLEY M. ZYDLO ’52 DR. GREGORY A. “DOC” MCDONALD Nine-year MMA baseball coach, football coach and instructor Dr. Gregory A. “Doc” McDonald died on February 4 at age 58. In Doc’s honor, an annual memorial award was established to recognize a cadet who demonstrates the MMA Honor Code and reflects integrity and character. The first award was given to Simon Barrera ’15 on May 22 at the Senior Banquet. Doc’s family requested that memorials be made as gifts to MMA. “You were a great mentor, friend and coach to all. You will be missed. Thank you for everything.” Vincent Burke ’15 “You were a great man, teacher, mentor and father for me. I will never forget what you told me. You will be truly missed.”

Kotaro Kasamatsu ’15 “We are blessed to have had you in our lives Greg McDonald. You were a mentor, a friend and a father figure.

You touched our lives in a profound way and made this Earth a much better place.”

CPT John Noel REMEMBERING DOC

BY ANNETTE MEINHEIT, 2011-14 FACULTY MEMBER I have too many fond memories of Doc to narrow it down to just one. We were colleagues, but more importantly we became very good friends. He had a calmness and serenity that I wanted to have and to emulate.

Doc was the first one to tell me that MMA had hired me for a reason, that I was supposed to be there, and that what I was doing would have long-lasting effects on the lives of the boys.

He also taught me to relax through meditation, to use it as a tool for renewal and strength.

It was he who inspired me to create the Meditation Club during the 2013-14 school year.

I loved watching Doc interact with the boys. He pushed them to be their best and to exceed others’ expectations. He looked at things from different perspectives, especially when handling difficult situations or students. If one approach didn’t work, he would encourage me to find another.

He understood, however, that sometimes letting go was the best solution I had.

I will always remember Doc for his personal and professional lessons. Because of Doc, I’m a better teacher, colleague and person. He will be missed by everyone whose path crossed his. You couldn’t help but be changed by knowing Doc.

Dr. Stanley M. Zydlo of the MMA class of 1952 passed away June 3 at the age of 81. An Air Force veteran and medical instructor, he helped pioneer the practice of training firefighters as paramedics and founded the first emergency medical system in Illinois. Zydlo often credited the death of his own brother, who suffered a heart attack six blocks from a hospital, as his personal motivation.

John Edward Boehmler ’71 of Houston, Texas, died April 15, 2015, at the age of 61. After attending MMA, Boehmler received an appointment to attend the United States Marine Academy at West Point. He achieved the rank of captain in the U.S. Army.

Jose Cantu Saldivar ’97 passed away in January 2015 in a helicopter accident.

Stephen F. Castellano ’78 passed away in March.

John Coultis ’43 died at the age of 88 at his home in Wichita on January 23, 2014. Coultis attended the Parsons School of Design in New York City and worked for more than six decades with John Coultis Associates, an international interior design firm.

Douglas Clark Eshelman ’65 of Decatur, IL, died May 11 at 67 years old following heart surgery.

Eshelman was a U.S. Navy veteran and a prominent realtor and is survived by his son.

Class of 1969 graduate Jimmy Lasley’s mother passed away.

Alberta B. Logue, mother of Terry Logue ’72, passed away in Columbia, Missouri, on February 8 at age 87. Alberta is survived by her children, granddaughter and extended family.

Genelle Troll, mother of Board of Trustees member Tom Troll ’69, died May 4 at age 100. She retired after a 25-year teaching career.

Robert Alvin Weatherly ’58 passed away in his sleep April 17 after a 19-month battle with cancer. Bob, an Air Force veteran, is survived by his wife of 54 years Faye and his children and grandchildren.

Jane H. Williams, wife of the late Robert Francis Williams, an Academy instructor in the 1950s, has passed away.

AT LEFT In 1986, Dr. Stanley Zydlo ’52 displays a briefcase cardiac monitor utilized by early paramedics. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE DAILY HERALD

ROBERT COPLEY ALBRIGHT JR. ’49

BY CHRISTINE SMITH “You make a living by what you get; you make a life by what you give.”

This quote is probably one of the most popular memes out there. It’s attributed to Winston Churchill, but he didn’t say it. However, it remains one of my favorite sentiments, and Churchill’s beliefs were certainly consistent with this thought.

In 1908, he is quoted as saying “What is the use of living, if it be not to strive for noble causes and to make this muddled world a better place for those who will live in it after we are gone?”

This is the thought that inspires this tribute to our good friend Robert Copley Albright, Jr. ’49, who passed away on March 22 of this year. Bob had great passion for and dedication to MMA. A Charlie cadet and 2nd Lieutenant, he graduated third in his class and lettered in track and basketball. His most significant contribution to the Academy began after graduation, however.

Bob served on the Alumni Association Board, as Chair of the Board of Visitors, and as the Chairman of the Heritage Club.

He funded the faculty AbbottAlbright Award for Excellence in Teaching, which is selected annually by student vote, and played a significant role in the development of the Class of 1949 Saber, which recognizes community members who support MMA’s mission.

Bob’s dedicated involvement was consistent and endearing. If a

class reunion was approaching, Bob was organizing the effort to bring his classmates to campus.

During the in-between years, he kept track of everyone’s whereabouts. He would often call to chat about what was happening at MMA, traveled from Columbus to support Maroon & Gold, and would pass along ideas and notes with helpful tips. I was personally most moved when Bob called my home to express his congratulations after my daughter Robin’s birth.

As his health declined, so did his ability to participate in MMA happenings, and he was missed.

This was particularly obvious during our 125th anniversary celebration in September 2014, which was his 65th reunion.

One could not help but think how Bob would have enjoyed attending a major event at his cherished alma mater.

Bob had a tremendous sense of commitment and generosity. He displayed it himself and valued it in others. I often heard about the Creason family, who would host him for dinners during his time at MMA. This was a frequent reminder to me, a staff person, about the lifelong impact our generosity has on these boys.

His career path is what we want for every graduate — a fulfilling and self-directed vocation. He served in the Air Force and went on to graduate from Lehigh University, immediately beginning a career in banking as a management trainee at Citicorp in New York City. He then worked as an executive with the American Bankers Association for nearly 20 years.

As Director of In-Bank Training, he introduced over 30 programs practiced nationwide. He was the Associate Director of the Stonier Graduate School of Banking for ten years at Rutgers University and was the Corporate Personnel Director for

First Bankers, Inc. in Pompano Beach, Florida, and Sallie Mae Corporation in Washington, D.C. He moved to Columbus, Ohio, where he earned a Master’s Degree in Educational Technology from Ohio State and retired as the VP of Organizational and HR Planning at Huntington Bancshares. He was proud of his career and the numerous awards he received.

Bob loved his children and grandchildren and was devoted to many causes and interests.

It is a great honor for MMA to have been remembered in his estate. Stribling Hall’s Advancement Suite was dedicated in his name and we will continue to use his generous gift to enhance our cadets’ experience so they, too, will someday be inspired to continue their evolving relationship with this school in life and beyond.

Thank you, Bob, for all you have done for MMA. You are missed, but your spirit of giving lives on.

From 2008 to 2015, cadet families paid an average $29,118.71 in tuition and fees per year. During that time period, the actual cost to educate a single cadet was $31,276. Thus, for the past seven school years, the average gap between what MMA charges cadets and what it actually costs to educate each student was $2,157 per cadet.

Some people choose to call this a gap. But a gap typically means something is empty.

MEET MMA’S NEW DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT KEVIN QUINN

MMA will welcome Kevin Quinn to its administrative team as the Academy’s new Director of Development on August 3. The Academy conducted a thorough search to fill the chief fundraiser role, which has been vacant since April 2013.

“This hire is the result of a careful and thoughtful search for the right person to fill this crucial role at MMA,” said Tony McGeorge, Academy president. “Kevin has the right mix of skills and experience to help us pursue new opportunities — but most importantly, he believes that what we do here is important.”

Quinn comes to MMA from Westminster College, where he has served as the Executive Director of Development since January 2013. He has been in the Westminster College development office since 2011.

Quinn’s development experience spans several decades and includes work with the University of Missouri, Bethel College in Tennessee, and the Missouri Baptist Convention. Quinn holds a bachelor’s degree in Public Relations from William Jewell College.

GENERAL’S CIRCLE ($10,000 to $24,999) Fox Family Foundation R. Stribling Koster PRESIDENT’S CLUB ($5,000 to $9,999) Anonymous Thomas & Susan Bisanz Mr. Jim Lee Robert Moore & Linda Angel Charles W. Schmidt ’65 Sika Corporation Don ’54 & Moira Vaughn HONOR COMPANY ($2,500 to $4,999) Mr. Alfonso E. Estrada Mrs. Sheryl Feutz-Harter James & Diane Field Mr. & Mrs. Daniel Guterman Mr. & Mrs. Russell Holman Kurt ’74 & Julie Kirtley Mr. & Mrs. Felix Lazcano Dr. Alvin & Dr. Sue Miller Mr. and Mrs. John Orscheln MMA Parents Committee Mike ’69 & Becky Wrenn COLONEL’S CLUB ($1,200 to $2,499) Doug and Nancy Besemer Mr. & Mrs. David Adams Mr. & Mrs. Edsel Baker Mr. & Mrs. Lance Broughton Mr. & Mrs. Vincent P. Burke Dr. & Mrs. Randel Cardott

At MMA, the gap is stuffed with opportunity. Opportunity to make a greater impact on the lives of young men through resources like teachers, trips, equipment and facilities. A world-class education is not inexpensive, nor is it extravagant — every dollar is put to use in the way that is most useful.

It costs more to educate a student than their families and financial aid pay in tuition.

Thus, Missouri Military Academy charges cadets less than it costs to provide a world-class education. How do we account for that gap? It is in part balanced every year by the Annual Fund, a mostly unrestricted pool which allots funds to the areas in which they are needed most.

The Missouri Military Academy Annual Fund includes thousands of donations from dedicated parents, cadets, alumni, faculty, staff and community members. Contributions to the Annual Fund cover uniforms, athletic equipment, school supplies, field trips, facility upkeep and much more.

You can donate to MMA at MissouriMilitaryAcademy. org or fill out the envelope enclosed in this newspaper to make a gift to the Annual Fund. Your generosity is greatly appreciated and is highlighted in the Honor Roll of Donors, a printed list of supporters both large and small.

A MESSAGE FROM ANNUAL FUND DIRECTOR CASSANDRA BROOKS “Thanks to our donors, MMA recently sent newly minted graduates out into the world.

Because of donor support, these graduates received a

The Class of 2015 Commerce Bank of KC & Bancshares Foundation James Daar ’63 Dan Davis ’71 Mrs. Sarah Dickherber Jim ’72 & Kristen Edmonston Steve & Laura Erdel Larry & Cheryl Feala Andrew J. Field ’15 Rick Frahm ’71 Larry ’74 & Christine Harrod Mr. and Mrs. Ray Johnson Randall Kelly ’89 LTC Herman E. Kiefer III Kenneth K. Kinsey ’59 Randy & Kelly Lueckenotte Jeff ’66 & Rebecca MacLellan Rene H. Males ’50 Bob Manche ’63 Dana Marshall Kathy Reardon President Charles A. and Mrs. Joy McGeorge LTC Jim & Sherry Medley Mr. Gregory S. Paley Paul ’85 & Veronica Petit COL Dana Reynard MAJ Peggy Reynard Dr. Kamala Rose Dennis & Kathleen Spaulding CPT Anthony Stafford, ret.

Dennis Steele Ray ’71 & Deborah Stotlar COL C. R. Stribling III ’44 Dr. Greg ’71 & Cindy Temple

well-rounded education that has prepared them to be responsible global citizens. This is the time of year when the difference our donors have made in the lives of so many young men truly hits home.

Luke Gosnell [RIGHT] graduated from MMA in 2001. He is just one of thousands of young men who have benefited from the MMA experience.

Luke came to MMA in 1998 as an average teenage boy, but once he set foot on campus, “average” no longer applied to his future.

Luke quickly began to fulfill the potential that MMA and supporters knew he possessed.

Within a few months he was promoted to a platoon leadership position — and that’s how it all began.

MMA empowers young men like Luke to unlock their potential through a program of academic excellence, character, social development and leadership training.

Within our structured envrionment, that is exactly what Luke achieved.

Jerry L. Witts ’63 Kent & Kathryn Yoest SABER CLUB ($500 to $1,199) Mr. Robert L. Andrews Aurora Gaming, INC. Greg Barnard Law Firm PLLC Charles Barney ’71 Mr. & Mrs. Simon Barrera Senator Kit Bond & Linda Bond Mr. Christopher Borgsmiller Bucket Media Buff & Terri Chance The Class of 1984 Ms. Gretchen Clinton Richard J. Cooper ’82 Mrs. Sandra Cunningham Mark DeJaynes Direct Impaqt Clay “Tex” ’56 and Charlene Dodson John Dowling Kathleen Downes John Ellis ’63 Mr. & Mrs. Robin Englehardt Exxon Mobil Foundation Mr. & Mrs. Helen Fenlon Col. Kathleen Fitzgerald Robert Gaiswinkler ’49 Lawrence X. Garrett ’57 Dr. James & Mary Gehring Jerome & Gabriella Giuseffi Mr. & Mrs. Rogelio Gonzalez Graf & Sons Mr. Greene & Dr. Jean-Claude 1SG Alan Hakes Mr. and Mrs. Sean Hannagan Hanover Uniform CSGT Michael Harding Mr. & Mrs. Gregory Hendrix Tarleton ’61 & Diane Hocker Paul Jackson Mr. & Mrs. Frank LaViola

After the groundwork was laid, Luke graduated from MMA. He went on to further his education and life skills at the New Mexico Miltiary Institute, Army National Guard, Western Illinois University, General Dynamics Information Technology and the Arizona Rangers.

Throughout his career he earned many awards, including the Bronze Star in Afghanistan.

That’s quite a resume!

As an organization, MMA exists to assist students as they pursue their personal best in all aspects of life: academic, physical, professional and spiritual. MMA provides a structured, safe environment that grants cadets an opportunity to develop essential leadership skills, a sense of honor, self-awareness and good citizenship.

Mr. & Mrs. Richard Layne Felix ’79 & Cristina Lazcano Leach Charitable Foundation Lockton Mr. & Mrs. Dave Masselink MAJ & Mrs. Larry McClarey Joseph ’55 & Jeanne Meinert MMA Alumni Association Mr. & Mrs. Greg Morton Robert Murphy LT Sean Peters Arthur & Mary Petty Poydras Gaming Subsidiary Greg Ropp Mr. & Mrs. Jeffrey P. Schmitz Mr. & Mrs. Greg Smith Gary ’72 & Dee Stewart Summit Sportswear, Inc. Sydenstricker Implement Co. BrGen. Carl Tegtmeier ’62 Mrs. Elizabeth Tegtmeier Mark Weaver, Kelly Whitaker Ms. Kyounghi Yi Mr. & Mrs. Danfeng Yi EAGLE CLUB ($150 to $499) Mr. Gerald Allen Mr. & Mrs. Kevin Allmeroth Phillip ’81 & Mary Andrews Mr. Richard Armstrong Clay Arvola Eric ’65 & Arlene Aschinger ASL Marketing, Beth Bender Simon Alexis Barrera ’15 Dennis Bell ’63 Ben’s Auto Body, Inc. Best Western Teal Lake Inn Mr. Edwin G. Birdwhistell Ashok Bokde ’85 Ms. Cassandra Brooks James & Irene Buchanan LCDR William Bushnell Ms. Julie Campbell

Luke recognized what the Academy had to offer and seized the opportunity he was fortunate to have.

“MMA put me on a life path that I otherwise would have never considered or been able to pursue,” MAJ Gosnell said. “I owe it all to those who gave me the personal mentorship I needed to achieve.”

Today, MAJ Gsnell is an Operations Officer at the National Air and Space Intelligence Center.

He — like so many other Missouri Military Academy graduates — contributes his success to the seeds that were planted here at MMA. Seeds that wouldn’t have flourished without the loyal and continued support of alumni, families and friends like you. Tuition alone is not enough to cover the cost of educating a cadet, which is why your support is so vital.

Thank you for your past support of Missouri Military Academy. I hope you will continue to support the Academy by contributing to our Annual Fund.”

Steve ’84 & Laura Chambers The Chase Park Plaza Hotel Chevron Corporation Bruce & Cathy Clark Comm. Found. of Tampa Bay John Kirwan Jr., Roy Curran ’50 Dean ’78 & Patricia Davison George ’68 & Patricia Davison Mr. & Mrs. Brian Dean MAJ & Mrs. Dennis Diederich Mr. Brian Dittmer Dan & Cheri Erdel Jason ’88 & Barb Falbo-Gwinn MAJ Kevin Farley Mrs. Tracy E. Feldkamp First Command Fin. Services Mr. & Mrs. James Fisher Maxwell Frederickson ’01 Trent W. Frohock MAJ Brian Galarza Dr. Frank Giuseffi Octavio P. Gomez-Landero Dr. Michael K. Gorman Morris Grabau ’53 A.P. Green House Bed/Brkfst.

Steve Hagan, Steve Holman Don & Susan Hand John Heimos ’81 Todd Helm ’80 Mr. & Mrs. Justin Hendee Mr. & Mrs. James Hilderman 1SG & Mrs. Randy Jacobson Lynn ’57 & Sandra Jenkins Nancy Jensen Mrs. Kay Johnson Mr. & Mrs. Shawn P. Jones John ‘72 & Jennifer Josendale Mr. William Keish Derek Kennedy ’80 MAJ Willis Kleinsorge Mrs. Laura Kreger Mr. Michael Kulas MMA QM & Laundry Depts

Jerry Lehmann The Law Office of Leonatti & Baker, PC Jim D. Loftis, PC Mrs. Joyce Lowry Linda Maassen Helen Maupin CPT Gregory Maximovitch Judy McConnell Richard ’52 & Helen Meinert Mexico School District #59 Mr. & Mrs. Donald Mieger Sr. Mr. & Dr. James Miller Debra Moore Cheryl Morris Mr. and Mrs. Mueller CPT & Mrs. John Noel Mr. & Mrs. Eduardo Olmedo Ms. Valerie Otti Mr. Dennis Owens Mrs. Karina Padilla Doug Payne ’68 Mr. & Mrs. Robert W. Peak Pearl Motor Company Lloyd ’50 & Marilyn Peterson Pilcher Jewelry Co., Inc. Mr. & Mrs. Gary Prinster Mr. and Mrs. Fritz Rahr Mr. & Ms. Thomas Reynolds Edwin C. Ribback ’55 Mr. & Mrs. Stephen Rober Javier Rosado William Savitt ’46 Marco Scherer ’94 LTC Gregory & Mary Seibert Mr. Paul Seigfreid Leo D. Smith ’48 Howard Y. Thomas ’66 Dr. Harry G. Thompson Jr. WO2 & Mrs. Rik Thornton Dr. and Mrs. Chuck Tillman GySgt. Mark Tompkins Col. Guy Troy ’40

CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES R. STRIBLING KOSTER

For more than 125 years, MMA has produced leaders in every aspect of society — not in Missouri, but across the nation and around the world.

Today, MMA is a school on the move, an organization which leads from the front and makes a difference. We are proud to be 43 percent international, representing 18 countries and 23 states. We are proud to increasingly be the place where the world is turning to educate its future leaders.

That leadership role wouldn’t be possible without the dedication of our world-class staff, the ones who make us successful, along with dedicated family, friends, parents and alumni.

MMA is enjoying another fantastic year. We have the largest enrollment in the last five years and the highest re-enrollment in our history. We are making great strides in the schoolhouse and improving areas in and around campus. We continue to expand our global focus through affiliation with such world-renowned schools as Eaton and Harrow colleges, Gilman, Boys Latin, Raffles, McCallie, St. Albans and The Haverford School.

We have introduced collaborative teaching techniques such as the socratic method and relational teaching, which demonstrates our commitment to 21st century education and dramatically impacts our students’ critical thinking.

We will continue to invest in people and programs which will allow us to provide your sons with a world-class, 360 Degree Education. The board of trustees itself has invested more than 15 million dollars over the last 7 years in building infrastructure such as Barnard Hall, the Koster Media Center and Stribling Hall. We are also committing an additional 5 million dollars in the next few years to continue to upgrade. In that vein, we also intend to significantly upgrade our athletic facilities by building a brand-new new complex.

Thank you for your support. Thank you for bringing your sons here.

Thank you for helping MMA succeed for not just the last 125 years but the next 125 as well.

The above address was delivered at Commencement on May 22, 2015.

PHOTO BY ERIN CHAMBERS

Steve Turner ’64 Mr. and Mrs. Vito Valenzano Mr. Armando Vazquez Larry Webber YongGuang Wei HongGuang Gao Stephen White ’88 John & Mary Wiegand Mr. David Wilkins Lawrence E. Wylie ’88 MAROON & GOLD CLUB (up to $149) A&B Prescription Shop Diaz G. Abelardo Ms. Fatima Alieva Mr. Charles D. Anderson Mr. & Mrs. Larry Anthony Alan O. Arbogast Dave Arendes ’65 Auffenberg Motor Co. The Honorable Robert Barney Mrs. Marilyn Bassett Tim & Penny Bealmear Mr. & Mrs. David A. Beck Roger Beckermann ’60 Fred & Tracy Belton Marcos & Elizabeth Benavides Dr. & Mrs. Paul Bernhardson SFC John Biddle Ms. Rhonda Blaue Nannie Blue LT James Bonanno Mr. & Mrs. Ralph Bruce Mr. Dan Burton Robert ’47 & Selene Butters Ms. Oneida Byrd Mr. & Mrs. Donald A. Canard Erin Katherine Chambers Thomas Charleville Major Bill Chrismer Dr. Gordon Christensen Dr. Alice Christensen Mr. & Mrs. Mark Clark Mr. & Mrs. Edward Clausen Stuart & Julie Clubb Ms. Carolyn Colburn Mrs. Marcela Lopez

Administrators, faculty, staff, cadets, parents, alums and families from all across the U.S. gathered for the annual Maroon & Gold fundraiser March 28 at the Chase Park Plaza Hotel.

After receiving their nametags and auction paddles, guests entered the Starlight Room which offers a skyline view of downtown St. Louis and an outdoor terrace overlooking Forest Park.

The event began with a cocktail hour during which attendees mingled and bid on silent auction and raffle items.

Each company hosted a raffle.

Parents Commitee members Jackie Burke and Michele Ryan designed and hosted a “Bubbles and Bling” table for Delta. The Missouri Military Academy Alumni Association hosted a wheelbarrow and tool raffle, while Bravo boasted a booze wagon, Charlie and Band parents offered a lottery tree and Echo contributed a cake made of money.

The MMA Jazz Band entertained guests as they mingled and bagpiper Matt Pantaleoni ushered them to their seats in the dining room. Each summer, Pantaleoni travels to Scotland to compete against top musicians from across the world.

Following an introduction by Academy President Charles McGeorge, the introduction of the Cates Scholar program (see inset) and a blessing led

by Simon Barrera ’15, guests enjoyed a three-course meal.

The silent auction concluded as dinner ended. The Cadet Chorus, accompanied by MAJ Peggy Reynard and directed by MAJ Mike Shoemaker, next took the stage.

Mr. Francisco Cortada Robert Cox CPA, P.C. Mrs. & Dr. Norman Crecelius Albert Cunningham ’57 Dagwood’s Jr. of Mexico Roger Dahlgaard Jr. Ms. Melody Daly Michael and Beth Davis Jary Dawson ’91 Rick Dehlinger ’93 Mrs. David Dickherber Diner 54, Domino’s Pizza Dennis Doering ’61 Tom Douglass Downtown Appliance Home Center Juan Du Ms. Annemarie Duncan Mr. & Mrs. William D. Ehler Mrs. Nancy Ekern CPT Carl Estenik Ross Fernstrum ’47 Chelsea Fischer Ms. Christine & Jackson Ford SGM Robert ’41 & Joan Forties Fresh Ideas, Mr. Jingting Fu Gerald A. Gamble Hal Gant ’69, Ted Gianaris Joe Goble ’69, Sean Gold ’99 Dr. Cesar Gonzalez de Leon Lisa Gramlich, Graphitti James ’64 & Sheryl Green Mr. & Mrs. Gerald Grimes Mr. & Mrs. Mike Groves Doug & Ellen Gundy Mr. & Mrs. Joseph K. Hackett Richard ’72 & Susan Hall Andy Hall ’85 Mike ’76 & Claire Harbor Ms. Irene Hard Hardee’s of Mexico David ’60 & Virginia Harmon Heartland Ovation Payroll Mr. and Mrs. Marco Herrera Mr. & Mrs. Daniel Herrington CPT and Mrs. Chad Herron Ralph Herzmark

After remarks by senior Battalion Commander D’Cherion Nelson, COL John C. Church, Jr. USMCR delivered the keynote address.

CATES AWARD Two-time Missouri Governor and four-time U.S. Senator Christopher S. “Kit” Bond next received the second-annual Clifton B. Cates, class of 1910 “I Will Hold” Award for Leadership.

The award recognizes exceptional leaders who have demonstrated determination, steadfastness and perseverance.

Cates, who graduated from MMA in 1910, was an honor student & four-letter athlete.

He graduated to lead a distinguished military career, eventually becoming the 19th Commandant of the Marine Corps. He is best known as the man who fought Congress to save the Marine Corps from extinction, paving the way for the USMC’s growth and prosperity.

According to McGeorge, Senator Bond was an “obvious choice,” to receive the award.

“Senator Bond’s lifelong dedication to serving his country is exceptional,” he says. “This is a gentleman who chose to devote his life to government, and whose leadership made an impact on our state, our country and the world.”

The live auction, led by auctioneer and MMA parent Sean Hannagan, included vacations to San Francisco, Colorado and Mexico, an electric guitar autographed by Bon Jovi, a pistol, a yacht getaway and an autographed golf legends photograph.

Following the auction, raffle winners were announced and

LT and Mrs. David Higgins James L. Holton Mr. Shale M. Houston Mr. and Mrs. Ken Houston Colorado Huppert ’08 Dr. & Mrs. Robert E. Hurley Mr. & Mrs. Rob Istas Ms. Susan Iverson Hunter ’85 & Melanie Jenkins Mr. and Mrs. Scott Johnson Rafael and Luz Juarez Masum Kaisar Dr. Huston & Elanor Kellogg Mr. John J. Kennedy Robert & Mary Kerr MAJ & Mrs. Ananta Khanal Rupert Kiefer ’99 Robert Kirk ’63 Mrs. Nancy Barnard Knox Mr. & Mrs. Michael Kolich Michael & Chris Konrad Mr. Kay Kramer KXEO-KWWR Radio Scott Lane, Allen LaPoe Mr. & Mrs. Dale Larison Mr. and Mrs. L.T. Lehnen Mrs. Brandi Lewis LT Liping Li Mr. Melton Lister, KMA WO2 Freddie Lomas Michael A. Lombardo ’44 Dr. James ’47 & Carol Long Mrs. Helen Longstreth Kelly Loyd ’79 Mrs. Margaret Maple Frank Marth, Shera Martin McDonald’s of Mexico Lisa McMahon Melody’s Quality Jewelry Merle Norman Studio Mexico Area Chamber of Commerce Mexico Cinema III Andrew Mohrmann Mr. & Mrs. Michael Morand MAJ Keith Morgan Mr. George W. Morrell

the Academy’s Academic Dean $38,000 in attendee donations Dr. Frank Giuseffi took home the through raffles and auctions halftime heads-or-tails prize. as well as more than $25,000 in event sponsorships.

This year’s raise the paddle supported the purchase of LEFT President McGeorge new drum equipment for the presents the Cates Award to Sen. Fighting Colonels Marching Bond. RIGHT Senior student Band, which has entered a new Nolan Borgsmiller and his father era under the leadership of WO2 attend Maroon & Gold 2015.

Andrew “Freddie” Lomas. Lomas PHOTOS BY ERIN CHAMBERS came to MMA from the Royal Marines School of Music, where he served as bandmaster.

FIRST-EVER MMA Lomas retired after CATES SCHOLAR: 25 years to take the helm of the band at TAMAR MODISE MMA. His goal is to At the 2015 Maroon & Gold bring notariety to fundraiser, Academy President the Academy and Charles McGeorge announced the educate promising selection of Tamar Modise as the young musicians. first-ever General Clifton B. Cates Since its inception Scholarship recipient. circa 2005, Maroon “I would like to thank President and Gold has McGeorge and Mr. David Adams for become MMA’s this opportunity,” Modise said. “I love premier fundraiser.

MMA and I will do my best to work Over the past five hard and be successful.” years, this gala event has doubled Modise was accompanied by City in attendance and Academy President Judy Fisher. has raised over Modise previously attended City $100,000 for Academy Academy in St. Louis and will enroll programs, equipment at MMA as a seventh grader for the and cadet life 2015-16 school year. initiatives.

“Tamar is a straight-A “Just a few years ago, student with Maroon and Gold enormous potential,” was a small dinner of McGeorge said. less than 50 people,” “This is an exciting Assistant Vice opportunity for us to President Christine give back. ... We will Smith said. “Since take him, and I know that time, we have he is going to take us, grown it to raise to great places.” significant funds for The announcement MMA, with more of the Cates Scholarship recipient than 200 people in will be an annual feature at future attendance.”

Maroon & Gold fundraisers.

Maroon & Gold 2015 raised more than

John C. Mosby III ’49 Mr. Thomas Naughton Ms. Pam O’Keefe Bruce & Nancy Oliver David & Leslie Ornstein Mr. and Mrs. Alex Otti Ricardo A. Padilla Christian Parchman ’86 Mr. & Mrs. Bryant Pascoe Mr. and Dr. Walter Pate Jr. Dr. George Pelican ’58 MAJ Mike Pemberton Mrs. Connie Pickering Larry ’63 & Sue Pifer Pizza World, Pizza Hut Giuseppe Poletti ’07 Porky’s Smokehouse Mr. & Mrs. Henry Priester LTC Elwray Pujol, ret.

Hallock Reisel ’60 Stephen ’60 & Barb Richards Mr. David Richardson CPT Thomas Roberts Fran Robley Mrs. Dorothy Rodes Ms. Michele Ryan LTC Ralph Saner ’71 Mr. Eric Santamaria-Linares Ms. Sonia Toussaint-Claire Mr. Ramon Santos Jr. Ken & Marilyn Saunders LTC Tim Scherrer Woody Schisler Adam Schmitz ’15 Fred ’57 & Sheila Schulman Mr. Doug Bryan D. Scott Miff Seabaugh ’63 Daniel Severns MAJ Mike Shoemaker John & Barbara Shoeman ’48 Mr. Michael Sinon Slumberland Furniture David Smallbone Peter ’48 & Susan Stiles Mr. & Mrs. Charles Stockdall Lindsey Stoneking Mr. & Mrs. Keith Stumpe

Subway SGM Henry Suddarth Mr. & Mrs. Dean Sweet Darryl & Susan Taylor Corry & Ms. Wendy A. Tega Mrs. Michelle Tyser Mrs. Suzanne Underwood US Army, Navy and USMC Recruitment Centers Mr. & Mrs. Warren Mr. Jack Webber Miss Julia Welch Westlake Ace Hardware Ms. Gina Whitsell Larry ’67 & Joyce Woltzen Wonneman’s Flowers & Gifts Dr. Yakima Young-Shields Jinguang Zhang Shouzhong Zhang Jiaxuan Zhou In memory of Harry Greene

by Charles & Cathy Partusch In memory of Dottie and Fritz Feutz by Mary Smith In memory of Lilla Christine Lasley Claughton

by Jimmy Lasley ’69 In memory of Mike Walker

by Mr. Vincent Mirabella In honor of Gregg Center ’91

by Sam ’94 and Jamie Blair In memory of Patricia Piper

by COL Robert Piper ’67 and John L. Walker Jr. In memory of Dr. Stanley Zydlo ’52

by Ron Baran ’60 In memory of Gary Moe and CPT William Moe

by Jeff ’92 and Barbara Moe In memory of Bob Weatherly ’58

by Richard Schrader

In memory of Greg Dunn Caliendo

by LTC Harry ’65 and Mary Hoyt In memory of Dallas Osterhouf

by John L. Walker Jr. In memory of Waldo Roberts

by Chris ’88 and Jeanne Gentry In memory of John Mosby III ’49

by Ms. Mary M. Brockman, Linda Carlson, Ms. Ann Mullally, Terry ’72 & Evelyn Logue, and Garlich Printing Company In memory of “Doc” McDonald

by John & Mary Braxton, Armine Alioto, Ashley Brown, Mr. & Mrs. Bruce Horwitz, COL Ronald & Susan Kelly, Mrs. Joan Luterman, Nancy Ray, Angelica & Jason McDonald, and Mr. Christopher Sinkler In memory of George Cline ’46

by Adelyn & Marilyn Cline In memory of David Good ’94

by Class of 1994 members Michael Aubuchon, Jose Bours, Brad Lopata & Ross Patterson In memory of Carl Ade ’52

by James Broussard, Kenneth K. Baker, Jackie Oelze, Mr. Joel Litman, LTC Paul ’70 and LaWanah Gillette In memory of Vera Yoest

by Jody Elliott, Judith Trinkle, LTC Paul ’70 & LaWanah Gillette, and Chris ‘77 & Karen Yoest In honor of Brandon Guterman

by Willam & Barbara Dotar, Cynthia & Herb Elias, Susan Gelwick, Dr. Steve & Sheryl Rose and Robert & Darla Vanskike In memory of Bob Albright ’49

by Mr. & Mrs. Jay Young

FIRST SEMESTER On August 20, LT Zijie “Jackie” Li’s Chinese 4 students senior D’Cherion Nelson and juniors Yunil Jeon and Turbold Tumurkhuu practiced their speaking skills by conversing with Chinese parents visiting campus.

Topics of discussion included Chinese food, the Chinese language and leadership positions.

“Our Chinese class is very challenging but also very exciting,” Nelson said. “We are the highest level of Chinese and LT Li trusts us to still get our work done while having fun.

In a nutshell, the class is full of [the] challenges of learning the language, but also is very fun. … After learning and practicing day after day, you see better results.”

The trio also performed the Chinese song Pengyou (Pung Yo) for their guests.

On November 4, Chinese I seventh grader Erik Asbjornson and freshmen Carlos Liriano, Garrett Stafford, Alberto Avila and Gabriel Vallejo made dumplings from scratch during a class outing.

In between classes, Li’s students serenaded passersby with a foreign language Christmas carol — a Chinese version of Silent Night — outside Academic Dean Dr. Frank Giuseffi’s office on December 18.

“The classes sang a Chinese song in the hall for the whole Corps,” Li said. “Nelson and Jeon sang a Chinese song at the Dumpling Festival.”

DUMPLING FESTIVAL October 23 marked the third consecutive year in which cadets attended the Columbia Friends of China’s Dumpling Festival.

The event included a silent auction, a raffle, a family-style seven-course meal and contemporary and traditional Asian art exhibitions. The menu included vegetable and meat dishes, desserts and dumplings — 4,350 dumplings were prepared for the evening.

Cadets purchased cultural souvenirs and tried their hands at calligraphy, practicing how to write their Chinese names.

According to Li, about 240 people attended.

“Guests included people from the local community, visiting scholars from China, college students, faculty and staff ,” Li said. “This is a great event for the cadets to try authentic Chinese food as well as learn about the Chinese culture.”

MAKING MOVIES On April 9, Li’s aspiring filmmakers attended the William Woods University First Flight Film Festival.

Chinese 4 students Jeon, Nelson and Tumurkhuu

created MMA’s 2015 entry, a 9.5-minute mystery thriller entitled “Springfield 1903.”

“There are only three actors in the movie. The story was written by cadet Jeon, and he also directed the movie,” Tumurkhuu said. “Filming was kinda hard for me, because I [have never done anything] like this before.

But for Jeon and Nelson, it was their second time making a movie. So I think it was easy for them.”

Jeon was selected as the recipient of the Best Director Award by a panel of film students and faculty. This marked Jeon’s second appearance at the festival — in 2014 he won the Newcomer’s Award.

The following day, cadets entered “Springfield 1903” in the University of Central Missouri’s Foreign Language Film Festival.

The film, which earned third in the Best Advanced Level Film category, tells the story of two men trapped in a room. There is no way out and no sense of time in the room. But there is a gun.

To read the script and view the film, visit: Tinyurl.com/pn5j52v “The movie is a reflection of the cadets’ creative thinking, enthusiasm, team work and talents,” Li said.

STUDYING ABROAD Charles Eckardt ’17 received a scholarship to participate in the National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) Chinese language immersion program in China. Eckardt is the first MMA cadet to be accepted into the program, which will be held in Zhuhai city in the Guangdong province from June 16 to August 3.

The NSLI-Y program provides merit-based scholarships for eligible high school students to learn less commonly taught languages.

NSLI-Y is part of a U.S. government initiative that prepares American citizens to be leaders in a global world.

“Eckardt has been taking Chinese for almost two years. He has talent in the language, works very hard and has good grades,” Li said.

“To qualify for the NSLI-Y program, cadet Eckardt had to submit an application and a recommendation from his teacher, and do an interview with NSLI-Y. He is one of the few finalists to receive the scholarship.

This is a wonderful and exciting opportunity for cadet Eckardt!”

INSET Charles Eckardt ’17

LT Cheryl Lu and LT Lu Shu celebrate Lunar New Year with freshmen Rongyang Yi and Sizheng Zhang; sophomores Xinyu Tong, Lihan Zhang and Zenghui Zhang; juniors Weitao Cong, Haozhang Li and Qihui Liu; and seniors Zikun Deng, Guangning Wei and Hang Zhang on February 12. PHOTO BY ERIN CHAMBERS INSET Yunil Jeon ’16 receives his Best Director Award on April 9 at William Woods University’s First Flight Film Festival. PHOTO BY CHRISTINE SMITH BOTTOM RIGHT Erik Asbjornson ’20 shows off his Chinese caligraphy at the Dumpling Festival on October 23.

PHOTO COURTESY OF LT ZIJIE LI TOP D’Cherion Nelson ’15 hugs Chinese instructor LT Zijie Li at Final Formation May 23. PHOTO BY ERIN CHAMBERS BOTTOM LEFT Juniors Yunil Jeon and Turbold Tumurkhuu pose with LT Zijie Li in Chinese 4 class on September 19.

PHOTO BY D’CHERION NELSON ’15

Math Department Head MAJ Ananta Khanal’s cadets question what they know in conceptual physics class

ABOVE The cadet with the highest grade in each class level receives the math bar at mess April 15.

Juan Pablo Medrano ’21 (6th grade); Dongyang Chen ’20 (7th grade); Eugenio Valdes ’19 (8th grade); Jose Luis De La Vega Ferreira ’18 (algebra I); MinJun Kim ’18 (geometry); Fahad Aliev ’16 (algebra II); Rodrigo Elizondo Carranza ’15 (statistics); Guangning Wei ’15 (AP statistics); Bugunutei Temuujin ’15 (college algebra); Damdinbazar Sumiyabazar ’16 (pre-calculus); and Zikun Deng ’15 (AP calculus AB).

For the first time since the 1993-94 school year, Missouri Military Academy boasted five companies — Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo and Band.

First-year Bandmaster WO2 Freddie Lomas oversaw the reforming of the Band Company, which was housed in Charlie Company barracks. Band Company boasted its own commander and staff, marching alongside other companies in battalion reviews.

Lomas, an accomplished violinist, came to the Academy in October 2015 from the Royal Marines School of Music where he served as bandmaster, instructor and conductor.

Lomas was named January 2015 Teacher of the Month at the all-school meeting January 28 and received a Bravo Zulu Award at the May 6 all-school assembly.

“It should be more often said that your education includes not just math and history and foreign language,” Academic Dean Dr. Frank Giuseffi said in his May 6 address to the Corps.

“This Fine Arts Department that we have this year has done a wonderful job instructing you — and more importantly caring for you, guiding you and helping you.”

Former bandmaster COL Dana Reynard also received the Bravo Zulu Award.

Lomas thanked Reynard for his willingness to serve as a substitute instructor.

“[COL Reynard] had the whole music program completely set up,” Lomas said. “It was like a well-oiled machine when I took the post over from him. But not only that, he’s very supportive. He’s always given me advice and he’s my go-to person if I need any information or advice on the music program.”

Highlights of Lomas’ first year at MMA included: MMA’s 74th annual Evensong celebration; a cadet rock band performance of modern songs by Smashing Pumpkins and Blink 182 at the Festival of the Arts; five top-four chairs at the annual Military School Music Festival; and a performance August 30 at MU’s Band Day, in which

cadets played alongside the Marching Tigers, the Golden Girls and 1,400 other high school students for about 60,000 spectators.

Lomas also introduced modern pieces to the band’s repertoire including “Let It Go” from the hit movie Frozen and songs by Bruno Mars, Coldplay, The Beach Boys and Lorde.

“It is fun to get to know music better and play different pieces of music, like the famous piece Royal,” eighth grader Chandler Bolinger said.

Bolinger said his favorite class is band, and his favorite instructor is Lomas.

“Lomas is a great person to be around. He is very funny and always brightens my day,” he said. “He motivates

IS TIME TRAVEL POSSIBLE? Qi Li ’15 and MinJun Kim ’18 Traveling space and time is impossible for us today. The amounts of energy required to propel spaceships to relativistic speeds are billions of times the energy used to put the space shuttles into orbit. Traveling close to the speed of light in order to take advantage of time dilation is completely consistent with the laws of physics. But if these problems are overcome and space travel becomes routine, people might have the option of taking a trip and returning in future centuries of their choosing.

me for the day every day I see him. He makes me happy to be in his class.”

To finish off his first year, Lomas and band mom Linda Angel led cadets in a T-shirt fundraiser, raising over $600 for a road trip to Chicago in which cadets performed at veterans homes along the way.

RIGHT Lomas coaches Eric Santamaria ’17 as he plays the piano November 17.

TOP LEFT Lomas and COL Dana Reynard receive Bravo Zulu awards May 6.

BOTTOM LEFT Chandler Bolinger ’19 plays the tuba November 17. INSET Band Company Commander Yunil Jeon ’16 poses.

PHOTOS BY CHRISTINE SMITH, KYLE SPRADLEY AND ERIN CHAMBERS

HOW DOES A ROCKET FLY? Qi Li ’15 and Zenghui Zhang ’17 The initial thrust of the rocket lifts it vertically. Another thrust tips it from its vertical course.

When it is moving horizontally, it is boosted to the required speed for orbit.

WHAT IS AN EARTH SATELLITE? MinJun Kim ’18 and Gunbold Ganbold ’18 An Earth satellite is a projectile moving fast enough to fall continually around Earth rather than into it. A stone thrown fast enough to go a horizontal distance of 8000 meters during the time (one second) it takes to fall five meters will orbit Earth.

ARTICLE CONTINUED FROM PAGE ONE “I would like to thank all the guys who supported me … all the people of Boys State. … It’s an honor to be the third write-in candidate [to become MBS governor],” Curley said in his address to his 992-member MBS constituency. “It speaks a lot about our citizens and that they know what they want in our government.”

Curley received four additional titles at Missouri Boys State, a youth leadership and citizenship program taking place June 13 to 20 on the campus of the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg, MO. Prior to his successful gubernatorial campaign, Curley was also appointed Governor’s Chief of Staff, County Committee Chair, City Party Chairman and Ward Committeeman, Ward II. Athletic Director MAJ Kevin Farley represented MMA by attending the swearingin ceremony June 18 and said Curley’s actions exemplify the motto of the MMA Athletic Department: “Pursuing Victory with Honor.”

“I am so proud of John Curley. When he does something, he does it full force and with honor,” Farley said. “It is because of young men like cadet Curley that I am proud to be a member of the Missouri Military Academy community.”

Former Missouri governor Bob Holden crowned Curley the victor June 18, while Senior Advisor and Deputy Chief of Staff to President George W. Bush and Fox News Contributor Karl Rove delivered a keynote address June 15.

Across the nation, the American Legion Boys States have shaped some of the most prominent leaders in the United States.

Former President Bill Clinton, basketball legend Michael Jordan

HOW CAN EVERYTHING BE IN MOTION? Qi Li ’15 and Gavin Hendee ’15 Everything moves.

Even things that appear to be at rest are moving. They move with respect to the sun and the stars.

A book that is at rest relative to the table it lies on is moving at about 30 km per second relative to the sun. It moves even faster relative to the center of our galaxy.

PHOTO BY ERIN CHAMBERS

and world-renowned astronaut Neil Armstrong are just a few of the prominent leaders who have come from the Boys State program.

Curley has accomplished much athletically and academically during his one short year at MMA. Curley served as the junior class cadet council representative for the 2014-15 school year, was named December 2014 Student of the Month and participated in the Color Guard and Fusiliers drill team.

A bronze Duke of Edinburgh’s Award medalist, Curley will study in the UK at the Duke of York’s Royal Military School through MMA’s student-exchange program for the fall 2015 semester. The football, baseball and basketball athlete is a member of MMA’s M-Club athletic honor society and also excels academically as a member of the National Honor Society and MMA’s Delta Phi academic honor society. Curley took second place in Entrepreneurship and fourth in Securities and Investments at the FBLA district level, qualifying to compete at the state level.

In April, Curley competed as a finalist at Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s INSPIRE National High School Research Competition.

His thesis explored the correlation between the student loan debt of individuals under 25 and their willingness to pursue entrepreneurial ventures. He was inspired by Wall Street Journal article entitled “Endangered Species: Young U.S. Entrepreneurs.”

“MIT is my dream school. Seeing the campus and experiencing life here is really amazing,” Curley said. “This competition has ... allowed me to meet other aspiring young individuals as well as esteemed professors and staff here at MIT.”

SAVE THE DATE: Homecoming 2015 October 2-4, 2015 Featuring a host of events for alumni, parents and friends of Missouri Military Academy: battalion review, tailgate party, golf outing, awards convocation and evening entertainment.

Reserve a room now to secure a place to stay!

For more information and a full schedule, visit:

MissouriMilitaryAcademy.org/Homecoming