Call To Quarters - Summer 2007

Call to

Fork Union Military Academy

Alumni Magazine

Volume 10, Issue 1 • September 2007

Those Magnificent Cadets

in Their Flying Machines

Also in this issue: With the help of the Lord and 2,595 Donors...

Capital Campaign Success!

Call to Quarters Call to Quarters is a publication of Fork Union Military Academy.

This magazine is jointly produced by a team from the FUMA Development Department including:

Bobby Cobb (‘71) Executive Director of Development cobbr@fuma.org

Phil Snead Director of Alumni Affairs & Planned Giving sneadp@fuma.org

Catherine Hitchcock Director of Advancement Services hitchca@fuma.org

Mission Statement

The mission of this publication is to develop a community committed to supporting the Academy through their prayers, active involvement, and financial giving.

This magazine endeavors to inform and entertain its audience of alumni, cadets, parents, grandparents, staff, and friends of the Academy with stories and pictures of the Academy’s history, current events, alumni news, and the Academy’s plans for the future.

Further, this magazine seeks to motivate its audience to be actively involved in Academy life by their participation in campus events, through fellowship and networking with alumni, by actively recommending the Academy to prospective students and alerting the Admissions Office to potential recruiting opportunities, and by giving regular financial support to meet the needs of the Academy and its cadets.

Elizabeth Liles Associate Director of Communications lilese@fuma.org

Jana Vaughan Development Coordinator vaughanj@fuma.org

Dan Thompson Director of Communications Webmaster Editor, Call To Quarters thompsod@fuma.org

Fork Union Military Academy Post Office Box 278 4744 James Madison Highway Fork Union, Virginia 23055 phone: 434-842-4200 fax: 434-842-4300 for information on admissions, call: 1-800-GO-2-FUMA http://www.forkunion.com

contents Features

Capital Campaign Success!

8

On the Shoulders of Giants Building the Future Securing the Promise Project Updates It’s Morning in Fork Union

A Capitol Class

29

Revisit. Reflect. Reconnect.

32

Alumni Weekend 2007 New Alumni Scholarship Program Kevin Plank honored as Distinguished Alumnus

Cadets Engaged in Community Service

42

Cover Story

FUMA’s Aviation Pioneer: William Knox Martin

44

The astounding life of an adventurer and visionary

The Amazing Doctor Polgar

54

A trip down memory lane courtesy of COL Robert Spencer

Parents Weekend

60

Field of Dreams

62

NFL Films comes to campus to tell the FUMA story

Phonathon 2007

68

Congratulations Class of 2007

70

Departments

Generally Speaking...................................................................................................4 Alumni Association...................................................................................................6 Parents Association..................................................................................................7 What’s New?..........................................................................................................20 Class Notes............................................................................................................72 From the Frontlines................................................................................................74 Taps......................................................................................................................76 Wish List...............................................................................................................84

generally speaking LT GEN JOHN E. JACKSON, JR.

Lt. Gen. John E. Jackson, Jr. is the President of Fork Union Military Academy.

W

hen I was a boy, my parents taught me to frame my requests with please and thank you, and thirteen years as the President of the Academy has offered me many opportunities to do so. I wanted to use this space to carry on the tradition, as we have much to be thankful for.

Thank you!

Congratulations to our cadet corps

Sincerely Yours,

The achievement of the Corps this year was notable. More than 4.5 million dollars in college scholarships were offered to our 2007 graduates.

We have a National Merit Scholarship finalist returning for his senior year. Two boys earned perfect scores on a section of the SAT. The Middle School had many boys on the honor roll and had several qualify as Johns Hopkins Scholars. Athletically our teams won multiple state championships or runner-up titles, produced a number of individual all-Americans, and a national champion.

Indeed, on behalf of the entire staff and faculty I offer you my thanks for helping to make this past year a great one. Please remember us in your prayers as we guide our students through some of the most critical years of their lives. We give all the credit to the Lord. It’s His place.

Lt. General John E. Jackson, Jr. USAF (Ret.) President

Campus Improvements Ongoing

We continue our work to improve our facilities.

The library addition, aquatic center, and tennis courts are being well utilized. The indoor track has been resurfaced and the Chapel is being renovated as I write. And I’m pleased to report that our Board of Trustees discussed construction of a new barracks for the upper school boys at the last October meeting. Plans for new barracks facilities will receive our focused attention in the upcoming months. I encourage you to consider helping us with that much needed improvement.

Record-breaking fundraising year

Our Development Department has seen several records set this year. You helped us to raise more than $100,000 through our Phonathon - a record. You also helped us raise nearly $41,000 from our silent auction this year - another record. And in light of a recent Capital Campaign challenge, with the help of the Lord and 2,595 donors, we have exceeded the final milestone in our Capital Campaign goal of $29 million.

4

Middle School Battalion Commander John Nash leads his staff as they pass in review. (Left to right: Thomas O’Connell, John Nash, Yuvraj Taneja) Call to Quarters

www.forkunion.com

5

alumni association John M. Buhl, Jr. ‘58

John M. Buhl, Jr. ’58 is the President of the Alumni Association.

Officers John M. Buhl, Jr. ’58 President Michael T. Whitmore, ’83 Past President William R. Makepeace, ’87 Internal Vice President Chris B. Coleman, ’87 External Vice President Directors Jack A. Adams, ’52 Michael Brame, ’88 Lewis Kent Carter, ’66 Charlie Edwards, ’82 Gary Lee Edwards, ‘67 David Hatfield, ’83 Alan Herring, ’80 LTC Albert H. Ivens, ’81 George F. Kayes, ’88 Robert C. King, Jr., ’68 Thomas L. Marston, ’70 Jose Montes, ’88 Steven W. Shelton, ’69 James Tolan, ‘86 Jeff Weatherspoon, ’73 James C. Wicker, Jr., ’48 Directors Emeriti Gen. William J. McCaddin, ’47 Donald G. Mutersbaugh, Sr., ’63 Robert G. Perry, ’59 Walter “Bill” Reiser, Jr., ’52

6

T

his is my first year as the Alumni Association President and I have already developed a new respect for the Academy, faculty and staff, and most of all, for the product the Academy produces.

For the last several years, the Awards Committee and I have had the privilege to interview the candidates for Charles Goodall Snead Medal, Gus Lacy Spirit and Character Award Medal, and the Greenbrier Award. Each year I am so impressed with the maturity, character, and intellect of these young men attending FUMA. As alumni we should all be proud of the quality of young men our school is producing.

Alumni Weekend 2007

Alumni Weekend 2007 was well attended with close to 200 alumni and friends in attendance. The Class of ‘57 held their reunion in Charlottesville at the Comfort Inn with some 20 members returning. Wes Hall reported at the Alumni Dinner on Saturday night that the class shot their age in the golf tournament (on the 12th hole). Any of you that are reading this from the Class of 1958 - which is very special to me - please plan to attend our class reunion next year! We should be able to surpass the ‘57 class in attendance and who knows, we can probably shoot our age before the 12th hole also!

I was very touched by the Veterans’ Ceremony during Alumni Weekend. As this was the first time I had been able to make this ceremony, it was one of the most moving experiences I have ever witnessed. The Corps of Cadets performed magnificently and we could not have had a more appropriate person to give the sermon - General Jackson. It should be an event that every alumnus returning for the weekend should take part in and remember those who sacrificed so much for our country and our freedom.

Sllent Auction & Phonathon

It was also a record year for the Silent Auction raising over $41,000 for scholarships. I am proud to say too that the Phonathon hit record numbers as well. We only have you to thank for this

success and the Academy is truly blessed to have alumni, friends and parents who give this type of support to their programs and fundraising events.

Alumni Scholarship Program

This year for the first time the Admissions and Development offices have a new tool at their disposal which is the Alumni Scholarship Program.

It is a great incentive for alumni to recruit for the school. There is no better form of marketing than “word of mouth.”

Looking Back & Moving Forward

In retrospect, it has definitely been an exciting year at FUMA and more is on the horizon for 2007-2008. Currently, the Chapel renovation is well underway and I have seen what magnificent progress they have made so far in returning it to its original state of years gone by. As a cadet, the Chapel meant a lot to me as I am sure it has to many of you. It was a time to be quiet and reflect. I have to admit in the beginning I was somewhat skeptical about the changes being made, but now that I have had a chance to see it first hand, I am very impressed with the progress.

FUMA continues to move forward into the 21st century, but its values and mission have not changed since its founding in 1898. The core of its existence is to continue building young men of character for the future. I look forward to my term as Alumni Association President and thank those of you that continue to support the school.

We hope you will take part in many of the exciting projects and events for the upcoming school year and do not hesitate to contact the Alumni Association Board* if you have any questions.

With sincere appreciation,

John Buhl, Jr., Class of 1958 Alumni Association President

*If you ever have any questions or interest in serving as an alumni officer on our board, please contact Jeff Weatherspoon, Class of 1972 at jspoon@bellsouth.net.

Call to Quarters

parents’ association RENEE & PAT FRALEY

T

he 2006-2007 academic year was indeed a very good year at Fork Union Military Academy. I remember that humid August, seven years ago, when I delivered our first-born son, Patrick, through the FUMA gates. Our campus has seen some significant changes.

It has been a delight to see cadets volleying on the new surfaced tennis courts, churning the water in the beautiful aquatic center, and studying at the heart of FUMA academics - the Beatty Library. I am also hearing about the thoughtful renovations to our historic Wicker Chapel.

We are overwhelmed at the faithful spirit of generosity from our FUMA family. A sort of “rubber meets the road” affection and support that have been consistently poured out toward enhancing our young men physically, academically and spiritually, and we are blessed to be part of it. Such a fine, upright Academy, that continually goes far beyond our expectations.

It has been a blessing to be involved with the Parents’ Association. While we parents may come from different states or countries, there certainly are similarities of heart when we drive through the gates on reporting day. It has been a privilege to meet FUMA parents, grandparents and the host of supporting friends. You all have become so dear to our hearts.

As some of you know, this has been a challenging spring with my unexpected serious illness.

God has brought much good through all of it. I am so grateful for your prayers, flowers, letters, emails and phone calls. Thank you for your sweet messages of care and concern. I am most grateful for the unwavering, hard work of prayer on my behalf. Many saints have virtually basted me in prayer. God has given great grace and His peace has flowed like a river during this trial. Despite my circumstances, fear was never my companion. Truly, I have been given a divine peace that passes all understanding. God has been so very good and attended to every detail, often times www.forkunion.com

before I knew I had a need. I am confident in my treatment and care. The purposeful hand of God has been evident in every detail of my diagnosis and treatment.

I am profoundly blessed, Dear FUMA Family, even that God would entrust me with such a great trial and give me such an anchor of support in you. He is teaching me so much about being dependent on Him, and please know all is well with my soul. Your prayers for continued recovery would, as always, be appreciated and coveted.

I am currently taking my new job of getting well very seriously and look forward to returning to campus in the fall, God willing. Missing parade season this spring was an ache. You can imagine my delight when I received a video of the Mother’s Day Parade in the mail. God is so good!

You are all such a blessing to my life and I love you dearly. Words seem somehow insufficient.

Rejoice!

Renee Fraley

Renee and Pat Fraley are the Chairs of the Parents’Association.

7

capital campaign

On the Shoulders of Giants

We stand today on the shoulders of giants: the men and women of great vision and purpose who founded and nurtured this academy; the hundreds of men and women throughout the past century who have dedicated time, tears, and treasure towards its continuous advancement.

8

Call to Quarters

capital campaign

I

n 1898, a Baptist preacher named William Hatcher said to some friends, “Wouldn’t that beautiful oak grove be a splendid place for a school?” Ten families of the community, the original guarantors, pledged $50 each to hire a teacher and the Academy was born.

This was during the Victorian Age, an era when women who dared to involve themselves in community affairs were deemed “brazen” and “forward.” But Mrs. Zadie Kie stepped forward boldly and signed her pledge of $50 to become an original guarantor of the Academy.

A widow with five children to raise on her own, she worked a small family farm to secure their livelihood. In the formative years of the school she was a dedicated and vigorous member of the Board of Guarantors. She continued to support the school as liberally as her meager income allowed. She sent three of her sons to be educated at the Academy, even though their help on the farm would have been much needed.

Another early benefactor, Thomas Bowles, was an inventor and a self-made millionaire. The story goes that his first cousin, Julia Seay Snead, another of the Academy’s original guarantors, said to him, “Now that you have accumulated much money, Tommy, I want you to give the Academy something.” He replied, “I’m too busy right now to look into it, Julia, but I promise you that I won’t forget.” Indeed, he did not forget, as his last will and testament provided a substantial bequest for the Academy.

Each generation from 1898 to the present has seen special people, just like these, step forward to nurture, guide, and grow the Academy.

Fork Union Military Academy has lived through many challenges. Destruction by fire, two world wars, times of economic depression. In the shadow of the Vietnam War, during the 1970’s, www.forkunion.com

many of the old-line military schools closed their doors. Even today, our generation faces new troubles in this post-9/11 world of terrorism and economic uncertainties. Through all these times and trials, Fork Union Military Academy has survived and grown.

Those that believe the best days of the “military school” are past need only read today’s newspapers. Cities like Philadelphia and St. Paul are opening new military schools as part of their public school systems. Parents are eagerly seeking the values and education offered by the military school environment.

Today, young men still come from around the country -- from all over the world -- to attend Fork Union Military Academy. What they experience is not much different than it was fifty years ago. They learn about respect, integrity, self-discipline. Leadership, service, honor. They make friendships that will last a lifetime.

Each year, nearly one hundred percent of graduating seniors will be accepted to the colleges and universities to which they apply. Several cadets will be granted appointments to the nation’s top service academies like West Point and the U. S. Naval Academy. Over two dozen athletes will receive scholarships to top college programs.

Success stories begin here.

We stand today on the shoulders of giants: the men and women of great vision and purpose who founded and nurtured this Academy; the hundreds of men and women throughout the past century who have dedicated time, tears, and treasure towards its continuous advancement.

We encourage you to share in memories of years past, to celebrate the success that continues today, and to look with us toward the future that awaits, the future we are building together.

9

capital campaign

Building the Future You see, the great buildings of our campus like Hatcher Hall and Snead Hall are not timeless icons of years gone by, calling for us to rest, satisfied, on our history.

Each of these buildings represents a challenge to grow and improve.

10

Call to Quarters

capital campaign

W

hile the Academy may have been born from the vision of founder Dr. William Hatcher, there can be little doubt that the school we know today owes its life to Dr. Hatcher’s brother-in-law, Capt. Charles Goodall Snead.

It was Charles Goodall Snead who helped hold the Academy together following the death of Dr. Hatcher, an event that many thought would mean the death of the school as well. It was Capt. Snead who wrote letter after letter appealing for funds to keep the school solvent and raising money to build new buildings, buy new books, and hire new teachers.

You see, the great buildings of our campus like Hatcher Hall and Snead Hall are not timeless icons of years gone by, calling for us to rest, satisfied, on our history. Each of these buildings represents a challenge to grow and improve.

Hatcher Hall was built following the death of the Academy’s founder, Dr. William Hatcher, at a time when the very future of the school hung in the balance. But if the school were to grow and improve, Snead argued, new facilities would be needed.

“We feel that we must let the public see that at this time of our loss instead of dropping back, we are determined to go forward,” Snead wrote to a friend.

www.forkunion.com

While today Hatcher Hall may seem to stand for our school’s permanence and tradition, in 1916 it represented a huge step taken in faith that the school would survive and succeed.

Snead Hall, our longtime barracks building, was built in the ashes of a great fire of 1923 that destroyed the Academy’s two original wooden buildings.

As a newspaper correspondent noted at the time, “There is an unconquerable spirit that dominates the citizens of the Fork Union Community, and the faculty and student body of the school.” Said Capt. Snead in the face of this crisis, “Oh, well, we survived the Civil War, we’ll survive these fires and rebuild.”

Snead Hall represents not the unchanging face of a school steeped and rooted in the past, but the rebirth and renewal of our school in the face of overwhelming challenge.

These great buildings of our campus were built by preachers, teachers, farmers, and FUMA families nearly a century ago, heroes of our Academy who gave willingly and generously to secure the Academy’s future, even during its darkest hours.

Yes, at FUMA we stand on their shoulders today – but we do not rest there.

11

capital campaign

Securing the Promise T

here was a plan in place and an ambitious timeline was set. Beginning in May 2003, the “silent phase” of the capital campaign would continue for two years as a number of the Academy’s principal benefactors were approached individually and asked to make pledges of support for the campaign’s fundraising goal of $29 million.

So enthusiastic were these Academy supporters that when the “public phase” began in April 2005, over $18 million in sizable pledges had already been committed to the cause.

Proceeding On Schedule

Campaign Goal $29,000,000 Amount Raised $31,344,813.45 Number of Donors 2,595 Largest Gift $3,000,000

12

According to the plan, over the next 42 months, the remaining $11 million would be raised from donations large and small. The final goal would be reached by the end of 2008.

All was proceeding well and on schedule in May 2007 with about $24 million raised, most of this coming from individual pledges of $5,000 to $1,000,000 or more.

With the exception of the Academy’s normal Annual Giving and Phonathon programs, the vast majority of our alumni and supporters had yet to be solicited directly for the $5 to $500 gifts that would ultimately be needed to reach the final goal. The last $5 million of such a campaign is customarily the hardest to raise, as so many donors must be contacted and convinced that Call to Quarters

capital campaign their gift is needed to reach the goal.

The campaign was about to enter this phase, and the final $5 million was expected to be raised slowly but surely over the course of the 20 months between May 2007 and the end of 2008.

A Challenge Made

In May 2007, however, an anonymous donor stepped up to lay down a challenge. The donor would give $1 million to the Capital Campaign if the Academy successfully raised the remaining dollars needed by July 1, 2007.

In other words, the money the Academy expected to raise over the course of nearly 600 days would have to be raised within the next 60 days.

The anonymous donor specified that any pledges committed to be paid over the next ten years would count toward meeting this challenge.

By July 1, 2007, the Capital Campaign had raised gifts and pledges totalling over $31.3 million dollars from 2,595 individual donors. The challenge was met and the campaign’s goal was exceeded by over $2 million.

The Capital Campaign was declared officially completed 18 months early.

When Will the Money Arrive?

Just over $12,000,000 remains to be collected from pledges. Most of these pledges are scheduled to be paid over the coming five years, but many of the pledges made in the final days of the campaign are scheduled to be paid over the next ten years.

Planned Giving, $6,929,072.00

www.forkunion.com

A Singular Achievement

In the life of the Academy, there have been many successes and much hard work completed. But never before has the Academy accomplished such an ambitious and successful project as this Capital Campaign.

When our children and grandchildren look back at the early years of this 21st Century, they will remember this achievement as one of the defining moments in the life of the Academy, a moment when today’s generation reached forward to secure the promise of an outstanding Gifts Received, educational experience for $12,290,756.19 those future generations to come.

What’s Next?

Frankly, this challenge seemed almost impossible to meet. Just producing a mailer to inform our alumni and supporters and soOutstanding Pledges, $12,124,985.26 licit needed gifts would take three weeks to design, print, and mail. Allowing a week for mail delivery meant that our supporters would have In addition, over $6,900,000 of to step forward with millions of dollars the funds raised are in the form of in small to medium to large size gifts “planned gifts.” These are gifts made within a month or so. through estate planning and will not Goal Reached and Exceeded produce actual funds to the Academy (18 Months Early) until the benefactor’s death.

Well, the mailer arrived in mailThis money will literally take a lifetime boxes by early June and the Academy’s to collect, and the Academy certainly friends and family responded with does not hope to hasten the collection amazing speed and commitment. of these gifts, many of which will not In addition, a number of those who had generously given during the “silent phase” made additional pledges to guarantee the success of the campaign.

Reaching this campaign goal is an incredible milestone, but the work of building the Academy’s future is a journey that knows no finish line.

be realized for the next thirty years or more.

So, the fundraising goal has been reached, but the work is not over.

In the days and months ahead, construction and renovation will continue on those projects for which we have funds in hand. The school’s endowment will be enlarged, increasing scholarships and faculty development.

We will continue to pray that our pledged gifts will be received quickly and completely so that new projects we have planned can become reality.

We encourage you to continue to give generously to support the ongoing operations of the Academy with your Annual Giving and Phonathon gifts.

We thank you for helping make this remarkable Capital Campaign such an unprecedented success and we look for great things to come in the months and years before us.

13

capital campaign

Lt.Gen. John E. Jackson, Jr. looks on as a group of benefactors prepare to cut the ribbon, officially dedicating the new Aquatic Center on the FUMA campus.

Aquatic Center Dedicated Following the Trustee Meeting on the Friday of Parents Weekend this past October, many of the benefactors who contributed to the building of the new $4 million Aquatic Center gathered in the pool’s lobby area to dedicate the new facility.

The ceremony was well attended with many of the principal donors to the project on hand to wield scissors as the ceremonial ribbon was cut.

The new pool was completed in the fall of 2005 and has been in constant use by cadets and community swimmers since first being filled with water.

After years of competing with no home pool, the FUMA swim team advanced 14

a number of swimmers to the finals in the state championship meet held at the University of Virginia in February 2006.

Will Trainor, a FUMA cadet, won both the 50-yard and 100-yard freestyle championships and broke a 15year state record in the 100-yard race.

Trainor was voted the Virginia State Championship Swimmer of the Meet.

In the 2006-2007 season, FUMA again saw many of its swimmers advance to final races in the state championship with the team overall placing 12th out of 41 teams in the meet.

Call to Quarters

capital campaign

Caruthers Tennis Courts Open For the past several years, the FUMA tennis team struggled without either a home court advantage, or even an adequate practice facility. The Academy’s existing tennis courts were cracked and broken so badly, they were nearly unplayable. In fact, the old courts were not even of adequate size according to current regulations for competition courts.

Constructed by noted Virginia sports builder Herb Osburn of Tennis Courts, Inc., the new tennis courts are of regulation size and feature a new practice backboard area, bleachers for spectators, and lighting installed for two of the six courts. www.forkunion.com

Principal funding for the courts was provided by Steve Caruthers '67, his father Preston Caruthers, and family.

The lighting was provided by Charles “Chad” Duncan '88 and his family in memory of Charles S. Duncan, Sr., FUMA Class of 1924. Many other donors gave gifts to help make this full project a reality.

Members of the Caruthers family (from left) and Duncan family (from right) are joined by other benefactors to the tennis center complex in a ribbon cutting ceremony in October 2006.

Since the opening of the new courts, the tennis team has grown in participation and the courts are used regularly by cadets and staff for recreational play as well.

This new $375,000 complex is a credit to the Academy and a true benefit to the entire Academy family.

15

capital campaign

With its wooden seats removed for refinishing, the sanctuary of the John J. Wicker Chapel looks quite different.

The chapel is undergoing an extensive interior restoration.

Chapel Restoration Underway At seventy years old, the Academy’s John J. Wicker Chapel was due for a bit of a face lift to restore the beauty and elegance of its youth. Constructed in the 1936-37 academic year and named for the Academy’s fifth president, Wicker Chapel has long been the spiritual heart of the Academy campus.

Its wooden seats have hosted many thousands of cadets since 1937, many of whom have left their own decorations or initials carved into the wooden backs. In the 1960s, its brick walls were covered over with white paint and dark wood paneling. Stained glass windows have dimmed with years of exposure to rain, sun, and grime.

16

Since spring, construction crews have been stripping the interior of the chapel down to its bare brick walls and concrete slab floor. The wooden seats have been removed to be completely refinished and reinstalled. White paint and wood panels have been removed to expose the red brick interior walls.

The original white stone cross at the front of the chapel was rediscovered, concealed under dark red curtains and layers of paint and wood. Special storm windows are being designed to protect the stained glass windows from breakage and harmful elements. New flooring, lighting, and audio-visual elements are being added, while maintaining the chapel’s original look and style.

Call to Quarters

capital campaign

Indoor Track Resurfacing The indoor track at the Academy was originally laid during the construction of the Estes Athletic Center in 1989. When the Estes Athletic Center opened, it was a state-of-the-art facility from top to bottom. The track venue was superior to that of any high school in the nation – and superior to what most colleges offered.

Two decades later, the facility is still among the best anywhere, but its surface has seen a lot of spikes. Few track surfaces last more than a decade, but despite heavy use from the Corps of Cadets, daily track practice, and the thousands of visiting athletes who compete in FUMA’s meets each year, www.forkunion.com

the track facility had served for nearly twice the average life expectancy for such surfaces.

FUMA’s track team has won the outdoor track & field state championship for the past 20 years in a row, but the team’s indoor practice and competition facility had begun to show its age.

This spring, the Academy contracted with Beynon Sports of Hunt Valley, Maryland to install over 37,000 square feet of the special elastomeric polyurethane surface. The work was completed this summer and cost approximately $225,000.

The Academy also hopes to upgrade the track team’s equipment (new hurdles, high jump/pole vault mats, etc.) as well as purchase a Finish Lynx timing system.

17

capital campaign

It’s Morning in Fork Union

Pushed by the past.

Pulled by the future.

18

Call to Quarters

capital campaign

T

oday, just as years ago, young men rise from their beds before dawn, put on their uniforms with pride, and begin their day at Fork Union Military Academy. The tradition continues, each day, passed down from generation to generation.

Remember these young men as you go about your daily lives. Know that they continue to walk in the footsteps of those that came before them.

www.forkunion.com

Fork Union Military Academy’s best days? We believe they are still ahead of us.

Although more than 100 years old, this school is still growing and developing with youthful vigor.

Pushed by the past, pulled by the future, let us join together and face the dawning of this new day - a day of new opportunity and new challenge.

It’s morning in Fork Union.

19

what’s new?

Recording Artist Christian Walker Performs for Cadets & Community

Christian Walker, an Embassy Music recording artist, performed a concert for the Corps of Cadets on campus this spring. The concert was co-sponsored by the Academy and American Family Radio, WAUQ-FM of Richmond, Virginia and was open to the public.

A basketball scholarship led Christian Walker to West Point Military Academy. Operation Iraqi Freedom led him to Iraq where he was serving with a field artillery unit as an American soldier when Saddam’s statue and regime fell in Baghdad. His faith led him to borrow a chaplain’s guitar and lead his fellow soldiers in worship during his tour of duty in Iraq. Now back home in the United States, Christian Walker is on another tour of duty, armed with just his guitar, his songs, and his passion to share his compelling story with others.

Walker’s current radio single “I Thank God” can be heard on contemporary Christian radio stations throughout the nation and his tour schedule is taking him from Nacogdoches, Texas to Virginia Beach, Virginia and dozens of cities and towns in between. At Fork Union, Walker led a worship service during the cadet’s chapel time in the morning and then headlined a community concert that evening.

Home from his service in Iraq, Christian Walker now performs his music across the United States.

His tour brought him to FUMA this past April.

20

Walker says he especially enjoyed this concert and sharing his faith and music with the cadets at Fork Union Military Academy, having attended a military academy himself for college. “I served in the Field Artillery as a Captain,” says Walker, “and I enjoyed getting paid to blow things up. There aren’t many things in life that can top getting paid to blow things up, but one of them is being a musician.”

To learn more about Christian Walker and his music, visit his Web site at christianwalkermusic.com.

Call to Quarters

what’s new?

Ransone’s Run Longtime member of FUMA’s faculty, COL John Ransone, was serious about supporting the track team this year. In a special fundraising event, Ransone ran from the Academy campus to the Ragged Mountain Running Shop in Charlottesville – a distance of about 42 miles. Collecting pledges for his effort, Ransone completed the run in good condition about 6 hours, 50 minutes after his 10am start.

Then, less than five months later, Ransone completed the round trip, beginning at the shoe shop this time and returning to the FUMA campus to arrive in the midst of the annual Gus Lacy Track Classic to the cheers of the crowd.

Ransone’s Run, Parts I & II, raised thousands of dollars for the track team.

COL John Ransone starts fresh at 10am, arriving at his destination nearly 7 hours later.

Nurses are Going Mobile Basketball campers get quick attention from Ann Yonce this summer.

The Academy’s nursing staff treats illness, injury, and discomfort 24 hours a day, seven days a week on the FUMA campus. With over 1,000 acres of grounds to serve, it’s a big job. Now, at

least, they won’t have to travel those acres on foot.

A new golf cart provided for the Infirmary by Mark and Carol Scott of West Henderson, North Carolina honors the memory of their son. Jeff Scott, a FUMA graduate from the year 2000, was an active member of the track team and wrestling team, and was often in the infirmary for injuries or to receive care for the medical condition that ultimately claimed his life during his college years.

Head Nurse, Ann Yonce, appreciates the new mobility, but notes that Jeff Scott’s legacy here was secure even before the new golf cart arrived. “Jeff ’s smile was contagious and was the highlight of our day. Despite adversity, Jeff never gave up. His motivation was an inspiration. Jeff was like a son to each of the nurses. He will always hold a special place in our hearts.”

www.forkunion.com

21

what’s new?

Online Giving: A New Way to Support FUMA For many of our alumni and friends, the idea of writing a check, inserting it into an envelope, affixing a stamp, and putting it all in a mailbox – well, it just seems so....1990s.

ets, and even making donations online.

The gifts received through this online giving page are available immediately to the Academy and can be designated for a specific purpose if the donor so chooses.

Our internet Donations http://giving.forkunion.com savvy can be funded by society has grown comfortable with the idea most major credit cards, or by electronic check drawn from the donor’s of doing business on the Web, and has embraced the checking account. Payment processing speed, efficiency, is handled by PayPal, familiar to most and convenience internet shoppers and auction buyers using eBay and other online services. of paying bills, buying movie tick-

In the first five months since our online donation processing went live, the Academy has received more than 200 gifts totaling more than $15,000 donated through online giving.

Online Video: A New Way to See FUMA Whether you want to learn more about the Academy as it is today, or you want to experience the Academy as it was in the mid-1940s and 1950s, once again, the Web is the answer.

Video content ranging from old promotional videos from 1947 or 1955, to parent and student testimonials today, and other videos about the Academy can be found on our web site.

These videos are hosted by YouTube, so visitors to that site (one of the most popular sites on the World Wide Web) can also find FUMA’s videos just by typing “Fork Union” or a http://www.forkunion.com/media similar keyword into YouTube’s search engine.

Check it out!

22

Call to Quarters

what’s new?

Kent Carter & Curtis Hathaway, join Lt.Gen. John Jackson (center) & guests Billy Duke, Pat Fischer, Jim Kite, Sonny Randle, and Sam Huff.

Hall of Fame Celebrity Golf Tournament a Success Raising money for the Postgraduate Scholarship Fund can be a lot of fun when it involves playing golf with the likes of NFL stars including Hall of Fame linebacker Sam Huff, legendary cornerback Pat Fischer, and FUMA’s own favorite receiver, Sonny Randle.

Once again, this popular event brought many alumni and friends to the Laurel Ridge Golf Course for a day of fellowhip, fun, and painless fundraising.

of low scores, but the most important score was the more than $10,000 raised to support our postgraduate athletic program that has produced so many great student athletes through the years.

Thanks to all who help in this effort.

The Captain’s Choice format saw lots of birdies and a number Major tournament sponsor, Ken Koeller ‘51, of Virginia Propane is tackled from behind by NFL Hall of Famer,Sam Huff.

www.forkunion.com

General Jackson checks the slope and Curtis Hathaway examines the grain as teammate Allan Howell waits his turn to putt.

23

what’s new?

Middle School Artists Shown in Local Exhibit The Fluvanna Art Association in partnership with Fluvanna’s Department of Parks and Recreation recently put on an exhibition of art by FUMA’s Middle School cadets and their teacher, longtime painter, Ms. Lindsay Nolting.

Fork Union’s Middle School cadets have been perennial prizewinners in Old Farm Day/Heritage Trail art shows locally. Ms. Nolting’s recent credits include participation in “Particular Places,” in New Haven, Connecticut, an exhibition curated

by Bernard Chaet, Yale Professor

Emeritus of Painting. A large Nolting landscape painted from the Columbia boat landing will tour Virginia in a group show on the theme of the James River. A drawing she made during a 2005 sojourn in southern France as a Virginia Center for the Creative Arts International Fellow is on view in the 2007 National Drawing Exhibition at the College of New Jersey. This past March Nolting served as juror for the 10th Annual National Show at the Montpelier Center for Arts and Education. This is the seventh year she has taught at Fork Union Military Academy Middle School.

clockwise from bottom left: Lindsay Nolting in the classroom; art work by John Nash; Mason Covington; Hunter Thomasson; Scott Dunn; Tré Hardaway

24

Call to Quarters

what’s new?

Coach John Shuman, and sportcaster Jerry Miller, record one of their weekly “Shuman Says” radio shows.

Shuman Says, “Listen to Our Radio Shows.”

Thousands of listeners across central Virginia tune into radio shows produced by the Academy each week to hear the wit and wisdom of three of our finest coaches.

It all started with “Track Talk with Winston Brown” airing at 7:30am Saturday mornings in Charlottesville on the local ESPN 840am affiliate.

Then came “Shuman Says” a year later, pairing FUMA’s head postgraduate football coach, John Shuman, with local sportscaster and writer Jerry Miller. This show started airing on Charlottesville’s FOX Sports affiliate WKAV 1400am.

A couple of months later, Coach Fletcher Arritt, head postgraduate basketball coach, jumped in with Jerry Miller to host “In The Paint.” www.forkunion.com

Now, the growing “Academy Radio Network” includes stations in Richmond, Blacksburg, Martinsville, and Roanoke areas, and FUMA produces 2-1/2 hours of radio content each week. Show producer, Dan Thompson, hopes enough sponsorship support can be raised to expand the shows’ reach into the Washington, DC market.

NBA players from FUMA (Vinny Testaverde, Ernest Wilford, Darryl Blackstock, Shammond Williams, and many more), top former college coaches like Lefty Driesell and Pete Gillen, as well as a mix of sports writers who cover college and professional sports.

Our growing radio studio produces three radio shows each week.

Each radio show is archived on our Web site (www.forkunion.com) and can be played or downloaded as a podcast to listen to at your convenience, wherever you live.

The shows feature highprofile guests almost every week - guests like active NFL and

25

what’s new?

Reggie Davis Retires After 39 Years of Service After 39 selfless and dedicated years of service to the Academy and our cadets, Col. Reggie Davis retired on June 30, 2007.

Reggie received his B.A. from VMI and a Master of Education from the University of Virginia. He was employed by FUMA as a History Instructor in the Upper School in 1968.

Reggie Davis in the classroom in 1970.

During his time at the Academy he has held a variety of different positions. He was appointed the Assistant Commandant in 1986 and continued to teach social studies. He was promoted to Commandant at the rank of Lt. Colonel. Reggie also served as the Assistant to the President in charge of

Cadet Affairs from December 1988 until June 1992. Since 1992, Reggie has served ably as the Academy’s Quartermaster.

His wife, Jackie, has also worked at the Academy as Quartermaster’s Assistant since January 2001.

Reggie has done a superb job and will be extremely difficult to replace. We wish Reggie well as he begins this new chapter in his life. Jackie will continue to serve as a member of the Quartermaster office so we’re sure Reggie will visit us often—old habits are hard to break.

Best wishes to Reggie and have a great retirement!

COL Reggie Davis was honored by the Cadet Corps this past May as he was asked to take the review of their parade.

26

Call to Quarters

what’s new?

FUMA alumnus and NBA player Shammond Williams awed campers with his shooting and ball handling skills.

NBA Lakers’ Shammond Williams Speaks at Camp Former FUMA basketball player, Shammond Williams, returned to campus this past July to be a guest speaker at Coach Fletcher Arritt’s 22nd Annual Basketball Camp.

The 10-year veteran of pro basketball who played this past season with Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers stopped by to show off some dazzling shooting and ball-handling skills to the young campers.

Williams’ skill led to Final Four appearances with North Carolina and then on to the NBA and professional leagues. He has just signed a lucrative contract to play in Spain this coming season.

Humble and unassuming, Williams’ loyalty to Coach Arritt and Fork Union was apparent as he stayed www.forkunion.com

through the evening to speak to students attending Summer School at Fork Union. Williams told the students that during his time as a cadet, he sat and listened to the alumni who came back to campus to speak to the cadets and he always hoped that one day he would accomplish something good enough that he would be given the honor of sharing his story with students at Fork Union.

Williams received zero demerits and was honored as the Best Drilled Cadet for the year.

Williams spends some time interacting with the young basketball campers.

During his time as a FUMA cadet,

27

what’s new?

A Powerful Message from a Powerful Man True fulfillment came only when Nikita Koloff “walked the aisle,” not to a championship wrestling ring, but in a church. The day he made that decision - the decision to follow Jesus Christ was the day he made the best decision of his life.

Nikita Koloff once sought championship belts, but now seeks to win souls.

“Are you listening to me?”

Koloff had no trouble holding the cadets’ attention with his message.

Koloff took time to interact with cadets following his message and showed he hasn’t lost his wrestling touch entirely.

28

This is the message the five-time professional wrestling champion brought to the Corps of Cadets during a special chapel time this past year.

Koloff shared his experiences, which include wrestling alongside or against such legends of the sport as Dusty Rhodes, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Ric Flair, Ivan Koloff, and many others. Koloff also shared his difficult childhood, including growing up in the projects of Minneapolis, MN as the youngest of four children, raised by their mother after their father left the family when Nikita was only three years old. Koloff told the cadets that he chose to rise above his circumstances through sports, because the only other choice was to wallow in self-pity.

Koloff wanted all the cadets to know that they were all special in the eyes of God. He remembered saying as a child that he felt he was a mistake, that his mother and father had made a mistake.

“Hear me when I say this,” Koloff emphatically stated, “God does not make mistakes.” Koloff encouraged any who did not have a personal relationship with God through Jesus to consider their connection with God, and closed the meeting with a powerful prayer.

More information on Koloff ’s Christian ministry can be found on his website, at www.nikitakoloff.com.

Call to Quarters

COL Hitchcock (on right) and his class meet FUMA parent Lisa Noon outside the State Capitol.

A Capitol Class

COL Hitchcock’s AP Government visits state leaders in Richmond

S

tudents since the mid-1970s have described the classes taught by Bill Hitchcock to be among the most challenging and enjoyable they have taken in their high school years.

This past Spring, COL Hitchcock took his AP Government class to Richmond to see some of the concepts they’d been learning about in action within the state government. Students had been studying the role of lobbyists, that often misunderstood and much maligned group. The cadets learned that the role of lobbyists is to provide information that legislators need when deciding on issues. In order to gain access, a lobbyist must first establish a reputation as a reliable source of credible information for legislators.

COL Hitchcock and class take time to pose for a photo with Virginia Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Bob Bloxom, a FUMA Trustee & alumnus.

Cadets met with Lisa Noon, parent of Cadet Cameron Noon, and Mrs. Dana Schrad. Mrs. Noon serves as a lobbyist for the Virginia Association of Realtors and acted as the tour guide for the class visit. www.forkunion.com

29

Cadets spent the day meeting with lobbyists, staffers, and legislators at the State Capitol, including Delegate Watkins Abbott who represents the Fork Union area in the Virginia House of Delegates.

Cadets (above) listen intently to FUMA alumnus and Virginia’s current Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry, Robert S. Bloxom (at right).

That afternoon, cadets were treated to a meeting with Virginia’s Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry, Robert S. Bloxom.

Bob Bloxom is a 1955 graduate of FUMA and served as Battalion Commander and Senior Class President. He currently serves on FUMA’s Board of Trustees. He was elected in 1978 to the Virginia legislature and served in that role until his retirement in 2003.

The position of Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry was created in 2004 to provide a cabinet level voice for Virginia’s number one industry.

Bob Bloxom was appointed by then Governor Mark Warner as the department’s first leader.

30

Call to Quarters

www.forkunion.com

31

Revisit.

Reflect.

Reconnect.

Alumni Weekend 2007

The Battalion’s Adjutant, Cadet Alex Witchell, receives the report.

32

Call to Quarters

www.forkunion.com

33

Alumni Golf

Alumni Lacrosse

34

Call to Quarters

Alumni Parade

www.forkunion.com

35

Alumni Association Dinner...

36

Call to Quarters

Did we see you?

www.forkunion.com

37

Fun and fellowship for all ages

38

Call to Quarters

Alumni Weekend 2008 Start planning now for Alumni Weekend 2008! Next year’s Alumni Weekend events will be held on May 3rd and 4th on the campus of Fork Union Military Academy. The class reunions will be for the following classes: 1958 (50th Reunion), 1983 (25th Reunion), 1968, 1978, 1988, and 1998. If you are interested in becoming a class agent, please contact Phil Snead in Alumni Affairs at 434/8424377 or email sneadp@fuma.org. A full list of activities and events will be posted at a later date. For a list of class agents visit the Web at www.forkunion.com.

Post 50th Class Reunion The post 50th classes are also planning a social gathering on Friday, May 2nd at the Omni Hotel in Charlottesville, VA. These classes have enjoyed fellowship together since their 50th reunion on the FUMA campus. It is a great way to keep the bonds of friendship going and if you have not attended a reunion in the past, then the invitation is open to attend. Post 50th Classes include any class prior to 1958!

If you are interested in attending the dinner on Friday night please contact Ron Preville, preville@ verizon.net or call 804-276-3865. The tentative schedule is as follows: Friday, May 2nd - Omni Hotel in Charlottesville Reception 5:00-6:30 p.m.

Dinner 6:30-10:00 p.m.

A block of fifteen rooms each have also been set aside at the Omni Hotel (434-971-5500) or the Best Western (434-244-9969). When making reservations please indicate you are with Fork Union Alumni Post 50th Reunion Class.

New!

Alumni Sholarship Program The Alumni Scholarship program is a new tool available to our alumni to help bring new cadets to Fork Union Military Academy. Students recommended and nominated by an alumnus, who are accepted for admission to the Academy, are eligible to receive a scholarship to Fork Union Military Academy.

Any student nominated for an Alumni Scholarship by an alumnus will receive a grant of at least $500 toward their tuition, regardless of financial need. The amount of scholarship awarded can range from the guaranteed minimum of $500 up to $3,000, based on a showing of financial need.

A FUMA alumnus must request an application from the Development Office (434-842-4370) in order to nominate a student for the Alumni Scholarship and return it to the Director of Development for approval.

Learn more about the Alumni Scholarship Program online at:

http://www.forkunion.com/alumni/alumni-scholarship.html

www.forkunion.com

39

Kevin Plank

Under Armour Founder Honored as Distinguished Alumnus

“A

ll roads lead back to Fork Union, Virginia,” said Kevin Plank, founder and CEO of Under Armour addressing guests during Alumni Weekend. Plank, a member of the Class of 1991, was honored as a Distinguished Alumnus this past May during the Alumni Dinner.

Plank, founder and CEO of Under Armour Apparel, played on John Shuman’s football team as a postgraduate and went on to become special teams captain at the University of Maryland.

Alumni Association President John Buhl (left) and Lt. Gen. John Jackson look on as Kevin Plank addresses the alumni and guests at the dinner where Plank was honored as a Distinguished Alumnus of the Academy.

40

“I honestly can say that much of my success is attributed to my time spent at the Academy.

The relationships I formed while I was there will be ones that I continue to carry in both my personal life and professional career.”

Plank said that when he was playing both high school and college football he began to grow weary of the sweat-soaked cotton t-shirt. “I had a great product concept to create the ultimate t-shirt – one that would not absorb moisture.” The idea, however, would not become successful unless it was launched to the right people. “I have to give credit to those friends from FUMA that helped me get the product out to the general public,” he says. “The network of guys that I met at FUMA, including Eddie George and other Call to Quarters

NFL draft picks, were the people I needed to try the product and attest to its quality.”

Nearly ten years later, Plank has turned that synthetic fiber concept into an apparel revolution. Under Plank’s direction, Under Armour has grown exponentially and is now available in more than 8,000 retail locations worldwide.

Under Armour apparel is worldwide and is now the official supplier of performance apparel to Major League Lacrosse, the National Hockey League, USA Baseball and the U.S. Ski Team. It is also worn by every collegiate and professional team.

Among his accomplishments, Plank has been named to the Sports Business Journal “Forty under 40” top young executive list three years in a row and has been featured in USA Today, ESPN the Magazine, Inc. Magazine, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Fast Company and more.

In a radio interview on Shuman Says, Kevin Plank was asked the question: Did you ever expect such success when you started your product? His answer, “I have always been a big advocate of team sports. I was taught to keep your head down, your mouth shut, do a good job and people will notice.”

Kevin Plank cannot say that his success has gone unnoticed. www.forkunion.com

41

Cadets Community Service engaged in

Dear Alumni:

Oh my, 37 years have passed since I started working at FUMA. I actually came to FUMA as the new bride of Captain Jerry Austin in 1963.

I remember so many of you so well and will always cherish the friendships I have made. Many of you baby sat for me when you were cadets, I gave many of you your weekly allowances down in the PX, and I still remember the excuses you gave me for always needing more than your $3.00 per week allowance. I have to say that I could have never imagined a job that would bring me so much joy and happiness as having worked at FUMA has brought me. That is not to say I have not had my moments, but for those of you who have been a part of my life, I want to thank you for the memories. I hope that I still have a few years left to work here. I still enjoy my job and I still enjoy working with the cadets.

I enjoy hearing from you and I hope that you will continue to visit and support your school in years to come.

Bev Hanlin (top photo in red sweater) supervises as cadets load hundreds of pounds of food items collected for the local food bank, helping needy families in the community.

42

I want to take this opportunity to share some of the things that the cadets of Fork Union Military Academy have been doing over the past few years. For those of you who are an alumnus of the Academy, you know how precious “free” time is to you. From the blowing of reveille in the morning until the blowing of taps at night, the day is pretty well consumed with a schedule of things that you “have” to do. And, in the event you have some “free” time you want to take a nap, go to the PX or just be left alone for a while. Well, my friends, things have not Call to Quarters

changed much. The day is still crammed with the things to do and little time left for “free” time. But just like you, our cadets of today still can find time to do community service and they do it well.

Over the past three years our students have participated in the following community service projects: • Raised $2,000.00 for American Red Cross • Raised $1,200.00 for the Cancer Society

• Raised $5,000.00 for the Tsunami victims • Raised $5,000.00 for Hurricane Katrina Relief • Collected 400 Bibles to send to Katrina victims

• Raised $2,000.00 to help a fellow cadet’s brother have open heart surgery

• Raised $1,148.00 for the Ronald McDonald House in Baltimore and delivered the check in person – 14 cadets visited

• Collected nearly 7,000 pounds of food in the last two years and donated it to the local food bank – 4,660 pounds of that in November 2006

those in need

• Cut and delivered fire wood for families in need • Helped in building a Heritage Trail for the county • Student chorus sang at various churches and nursing homes

This is a pretty impressive list of the community service projects that our cadets have taken part in. Whenever there is a need, they step up to the plate. Anytime I ask for volunteers, they are ready to serve. I am so proud of what they do and I wanted to share this pride with you. I hope that you will also be proud of them, for they represent you and your school and their school. They are great young men and teaching them to care for others is a part of their learning process. I am glad that I can be a part of that process and I hope that the things they learn at FUMA will be with them throughout their lives.

My hope is that they will always remember that “sharing is caring”.

Thank you for your support of the school and our students and keep us in your prayers.

Remember, we are still a work in progress.

Sincerely,

Beverly Austin Hanlin Registrar/Community Service Sponsor

• Adopted a highway to keep clean

• Worked at the Village Nursing Home • Assisted at the Happy Face program at Christmas for those in need • Collected money for a family who lost their home to fire

• Purchased blankets to send to Soldiers’ Angels – the blankets are given to wounded soldiers – each company raised money to buy the blankets • Started a monthly visit program to McGuire Veterans hospital in Richmond • Supplied food baskets at Thanksgiving and Christmas for www.forkunion.com

Our Red Hat Ladies working on staff at FUMA also provided a handcrafted blanket to Soldiers’ Angels. Clockwise from bottom left: Ellen Melton, Carol Childress, Henri Cobb, Sharon Higginbotham, Cathy Hitchcock, and Julie Boisseau.

43

FUMA’s Aviation Pioneer...

William Knox 44

Martin

El aviador americano intrépido!

Call to Quarters

Shown here in a postage stamp issued in his honor

by Colombia, and at left in the first Boeing airplane, William Knox Martin was an international aviation pioneer.

R

omantic. Pioneer. Visionary. These are the words used to describe William Knox Martin by his granddaughter, Olivia Korringa of Old Tappan, New Jersey.

Journalists in South America proclaimed the young Knox Martin “El aviador americano intrépido!”

This intrepid American aviator lived a life short on years but long on adventure and accomplishment. Even an abbreviated list of some of his notable “firsts” is impressive:

First test pilot for William Boeing.

First pilot to fly across the Colombian Andes.

First pilot to fly airmail delivery in Colombia.

First Fork Union cadet to appear on a postage stamp!

William Knox Martin, a cadet at Fork Union until 1908, went on from our campus to become one of America’s pioneer aviators.

That’s right, whenever you travel in one of those big Boeing 747 airliners, you have a Fork Union cadet to thank for helping make that flight possible. www.forkunion.com

45

Knox Martin (center) stands between cadets identified in the photo’s margin as cadets Hague and Wilshire.

At first his story seems hard to believe. How could one man do so much in so few years?

William Knox Martin was born in Salem, Virginia on October 30, 1892. Or, perhaps he was born on October 31, 1891. Or maybe 1894.

Sources vary.

Like many events in this adventurer’s whirlwind life, exact dates and places are hard to pin down. It’s as if he lived his life faster and bolder than could be recorded. But while some of the details of his life may remain sketchy, there is enough hard evidence to back up his many accomplishments.

Known as Fork Union Academy in those days, the school was still co-educational and like many of his classmates, Martin was a member of the Ciceronian Literary Society. While Martin was himself a poet and an artist, it was no secret that the membership rolls of the Literary Society were well-populated primarily because it was one of the only social clubs on campus that allowed both the cadets and the coeds to be members.

Fork Union, 1908

A slight boy in his early to mid teens, his peers towering head and shoulders above him, Knox Martin stares at the camera lens with an obvious intensity in an early family photograph taken on Fork Union’s parade grounds with two fellow cadets.

Martin left his imprint on the very first yearbook published by Fork Union in 1908. The premier issue of The Skirmisher features a cartoon signed “W. K. Martin - 08 -” on page 74.

46

Knox Martin cartoon from the 1908 Skirmisher Call to Quarters

Perhaps in keeping with his artistic interests, Martin was also a member of the much smaller “Kodak Club” on campus. It should be noted, however, that according to its listing in The Skirmisher the club’s “favorite occupation” was listed as “taking pictures of the co-eds.”

Aerial Club

The yearbook also features a photo of the members of the Academy’s “Aerial Club” in 1907-1908 and there in the very center of the group was the pint-sized Knox Martin, the same intense look on his face.

While not much is known about this early Aerial Club, (Their favorite occupation? It’s listed as “singing after C.Q.”) it is likely that kites, ballooning, and gliders were primarily what interested these young cadets. The Wright Brothers had made their first flights at Kitty Hawk less than five years earlier in December 1903, and their public exhibitions and flying demonstrations did not really begin worldwide until 1908. Powered flight by airplanes was still in its infancy in 1908.

But, clearly, Knox Martin’s love of poetry, his skill as an artist, and his interest in flight were all on display as early as 1908 in the pages of the Academy’s yearbook.

Art Education

At age 16, Knox Martin went to the University of Maryland in Baltimore to study art and paint-

ing. But still his eyes were drawn to the skies.

In November 1910, The Baltimore Sun offered a prize of $5,000 to French aviator Hubert Latham to intice him to bring his Antoinette monoplane to the Aero Meet being held at Halethorpe Field (today covered by an industrial park) in Baltimore and fly over the city as a demonstration.

Crowds of city residents watched the plane’s flight across the region, some even climbing the Washington Monument in DC to seek a glimpse of this feat. As Knox Martin watched Latham’s flight from Druid Hill Park, he decided that he wanted to become an aviator.

Hubert Latham’s 1910 flight over Baltimore inspired Knox Martin to become an aviator.

Martin declared his intention to his uncle, the man who was serving as his sponsor. His uncle encouraged Martin to continue his art studies instead, even paying for his travel to Paris, France to continue his studies in the European art center the following summer.

While in France, though, young Martin was drawn to the Hendon Aerodrome near London where he met English aviator Claude GrahameWhite and was further encouraged to pursue his dream of flying.

Knox Martin stands at the very heart of the Aerial Club in this photo from the 1908 Skirmisher.

47

Flight Education

When Martin returned to the States, he moved to Bath, New York to study flying at the Thomas Aviation School.

In late 1912, Martin joined the aviation school of the Sloane Airplane Company as that school was preparing to move from New York to Los Angeles during the winter months.

Martin participated in the annual flying meet at the Dominguez Flying Field with others from the school, and then continued his flying lessons, piloting a French-made Deperdussin monoplane owned by the school.

Knox Martin sits in the cockpit of the Deperdussin monoplane he learned to fly in California.

The airplane was a single-seater, so students received instruction from a teacher on the ground and learned to fly the airplane using a “progressive hop” method.

with two passengers, flying from the Mineola airfield on Long Island to an altitude of 2,600 feet. It is believed that Knox Martin in these months was the first aviator to carry a woman as a passenger in a plane.

On September 3, 1913, he narrowly escaped injury when his biplane crashed into the Maplewood cemetery in Norwich, Connecticutt.

Martin was on his fifth flight from the New London county fair when the mishap occurred.

The biplane he was piloting was built by Joseph Stevenson who designed, built, and flew the airplane for the first time at the fairgrounds in Birmingham, Alabama in 1912. On that first flight, the “Stevenson Biplane” climbed to a height of thirty to forty feet but would climb no higher. The plane stayed aloft for about two minutes before pitching to the left, to the right, and then plummeting straight into the ground.

Stevenson tried unsuccessfully to jump from the aircraft, but suffered multiple injuries and died the next morning.

The fact that Martin’s plane had already caused the death of one pilot caused him “no worries,” he told a newspaper reporter in Norwich following his own crash. The reporter, who described Martin as “cool and collected in the machine as out,” reported that Martin was “undaunted” and already making plans to repair the damaged parts and fly the biplane out of the cemetery that very afternoon. He wanted to test the plane by ascending several thousand feet in altitude and flying over the city of Norwich, stating he would “give an exhibition such as the residents here have not seen before.”

On March 29, 1913, Martin flew his license tests and received his aviation certificate on April 23, 1913, the 224th issued by the Aero Club of America, and given a rating of “expert aviator” by the International Aeronautical Federation.

Early Flying Career

Knox Martin remained with the Sloane Airplane Company as a pilot and flight instructor, returning to New York and doing some exhibition flying over the summer of 1913.

He established an altitude record for a plane 48

Martin stands with his downed biplane in a Norwich cemetery in September, 1913. Martin repaired the plane and flew away.

Call to Quarters

Not only did Martin get his biplane back into the air, but by December 1913 he was flying it in Venezuela as part of an expedition up the Orinoco River. The expedition was cut short 200 miles upriver, reportedly, by encounters with unfriendly local natives and alligators, but Martin found time to get in some flying demonstrations in Caracas to the amazement of the city’s population. Knox Martin was the first aviator to bring a plane to Venezuela. Martin vowed to return to South America, convinced that the airplane would open up borders between North and South America.

Flying Boats and Mexican Generals

Seemingly unstoppable despite two life-threatening crashes already in his career, Martin’s world travels and adventures continued through the following months.

Martin joined the Jannus brothers, Tony and Roger, in their Baltimore-based plane manufacturing facility.

Jannus Brothers built “flying boats” for carrying passengers and had, the previous year, opened the first scheduled passenger airline, ferrying passengers from Tampa to St. Petersburg in Florida.

Did you know?

Other prominent FUMA aviators include Tom Davis, Class of 1934, founder of Piedmont Airlines, and General John T. Chain, Jr., Class of 1952, former commander in chief of the Strategic Air Command and chairman of the board of Northrop Grumman.

With the help of his Uncle Will, Martin bought one of these flying boats and painted his name on the nose.

Martin traveled to San Diego, California with the Jannus’ where they put on demonstrations and ferried passengers at the big Pan-American Exposition. They did a big business in January

Martin back at the controls of his biplane in Venezuela in December, 1913.

Another Close Call

On June 8, 1914 while flying over the airfield at Mineola, Long Island, a control wire on his biplane snapped and the plane began rolling over and over again while plummeting toward the ground. Martin was able to get the plane righted and the local newspaper reported it flew “lamely but gamely for half a mile.” Again came another “topsy-turvey drop” and again Martin righted the aircraft and continued to descend. Several times these drops and recoveries were repeated while Martin fought for control.

Fifty feet from the ground, the plane rolled over one last time and hit the ground, knocking the engine off its mounts and catching on fire. Dazed from a blow to the head, Martin was pulled from the burning wreckage by passing motorists. Amazingly, he was not seriously injured and returned to his room at the McLaughlin’s Hotel in Mineola sharing stories of his adventure and the fall of his “wounded bird.” www.forkunion.com

Martin’s new plane was a flying boat, and the first to bear his name on the fuselage.

Martin’s flying boat was similar to the plane shown flying at right.

49

and February of 1915, until one of the other Jannus pilots crashed the plane into the San Diego Bay. The Jannus Brothers headed back east, and Knox Martin struck out on yet more adventures.

Just south of San Diego, things were heating up in the Mexican Revolution. General Pancho Villa was known for using horse-mounted cavalry to great advantage, but he and his ally, General Emiliano Zapata, were also among the first military leaders to make use of the airplane in battle.

Pancho Villa, the Mexican revolutionary, was among the world’s first military leaders to see the value of airplanes in combat. Knox Martin was one of his pilots in 1915.

Villa had established a small squadron of planes with a handful of pilots from the U. S. and France and used the planes for reconnaissance and bombing missions. Knox Martin found his way to Mexico and enlisted in Pancho Villa’s small air force.

The story goes that Martin carried cargo and delivered bombs. The bombs he dropped consisted of long-fused sticks of dynamite which he lit from a glowing cigar tip and dropped over the side on various government fortifications. Between flights he was not above taking part in some of Pancho Villa’s cavalry raids as well.

1915 and 1916 as the young Martin moved from one adventure to the next around the world. But by the summer of 1916, there is clear evidence where Knox Martin was.

He was in Seattle, Washington.

First Test Pilot for Boeing

Washington State businessman William E. Boeing went for his first plane ride in 1915 with barnstorming aviator Terah Maroney and became hooked on airplanes. He signed up for flying lessons and built a hangar facility on Lake Union in Seattle. Boeing began to build his first airplane, a biplane with aerodynamic pontoons for water take-offs and landings.

On June 15, 1916, Boeing’s first plane was ready for testing and Boeing himself taxied it out onto the waters of Lake Union and soon was airborne.

While no records were kept of that maiden flight, two weeks later formal testing of the plane began in earnest.

The first test pilot to put the new Boeing aircraft through its paces? William Knox Martin.

Martin flew more than forty test flights of the new Boeing B&W #1, so-called for the initials of Boeing and his partner Conrad Westerveld, between June and September of 1916.

As Pancho Villa’s revolution turned into a lost cause, Knox Martin apparently headed out for other worlds and wars.

He traveled first to Australia to join up with the Anzac flying forces and help train their pilots.

He moved on to China to help train pilots for Sun Yat-Sen. At some point during these months, he reportedly stopped in Japan and put on a flying exhibition for the Emperor.

It is difficult to separate reality from legend during the years 50

Knox Martin on the shores of Lake Union in Seattle, Washington with the first plane manufactured by William E. Boeing. Martin was Boeing’s test pilot.

Photo: The Boeing Company Call to Quarters

Knox Martin stands aboard the pontoon of Boeing’s B&W #1 inside the hangar at Lake Union in Seattle, Washington in the summer of 1916. Photo: The Boeing Company

www.forkunion.com

51

The test logs of Boeing’s first airplane describe the initial test flights made by Knox Martin.

The test logs from those flights detail what must have been some exciting moments (such as “landed with dead motor in Lake Union,” or “radiator plate tore off while flying,” and “oil pump broke”) in calm, block letters.

Martin served as Boeing’s chief pilot and flight instructor throughout 1916 before moving on once again, this time to Vancouver, Canada to become the chief flight instructor for Hoffar Aircraft Company, a Canadian manufacturer of seaplanes that was later purchased by Boeing.

World War I

World War I was in full fury in 1917 and Knox Martin joined the Imperial Royal Flying Corps while still in Canada. Once the United States joined the war effort, Martin obtained his release from the Canadian government and returned to the States where he served as a flight instructor and aviator in Texas and Florida. Martin also served briefly with the United States Aerial Mail 52

Service during 1918. The War Department supplied the planes and pilots for the first air mail service in the U. S. beginning May 15, 1918 until the civilian Post Office Department took over the entire operation in August, 1918.

Knox Martin received his discharge from the military in March 1919 and soon was on his way to keep a promise he’d made back in 1913.

Back to South America

The citizens of Barranquilla, Colombia looked up on June 14, 1919 to see an aviator performing hair-raising aerial spins and loops in the skies overhead. William Knox Martin had returned to South America.

Martin had arrived earlier in the year in Cartagena on the Atlantic coast, a mysterious young foreigner with a large crate of goods.

Martin opened his boxes and began to assemble his Curtisss “Jenny” airplane in the town square.

Most of the curious onlookers had never seen Call to Quarters

an automobile or a train, let alone an airplane. As Martin finished his plane’s assembly, he passed out leaflets offering to accept paying passengers for flights over the Crowds in Colombia gathered to town, as well as watch the 1919 flights of El aviadseeking interor americano intrépido in the skies ested business- above, just as young Knox Martin men to finance himself had been awed by Hubert Latham’s flight in Baltimore. a passenger and airmail service in Colombia.

Drumming up publicity by aerial exhibitions over a number of Colombian cities and villages in the following weeks, Martin caught the imagination of the country. On one occasion, the railroad was forced to add special train service for the multitudes who came to see the spectacle.

obstacle to a successful flight.

Across the Andes

Crossing the mountain range in the thin atmosphere at an altitude of 18,000 feet could easily prove fatal from the dangers of hypoxia. In today’s modern aircraft, oxygen is required by regulation for pilots operating above 10,000 feet.

Knox Martin planned to make this flight in an open cockpit biplane with a hand-held compass as his only navigational aid.

Martin flew up the Magdalena River to the small village of Honda about 75 miles from Bogota. From there, he intended to fly over the mountain village of Facatativa high on the Andean peak, following the railroad tracks that climbed to that small hamlet.

His rigging iced from low hanging clouds, and suffering a nose bleed, headache, and sputtering engine from the lack of oxygen, Martin found his way through the Facatativa Pass and down to Bogota on the plateau below at 8,600 feet.

First Airmail Flight in Colombia

Carrying local businessman Mario Santo Domingo and a sack of 60 pieces of mail in his plane, Martin flew from Barranquilla to Puerto, a distance of forty miles. This was the first passenger flight and the first airmail flight in Colombia.

This airmail demonstration was impressive to the locals, but Martin had even bigger ambitions.

Colombia’s capital, Bogota, was rather isolated inland from the other major Colombian cities located along the coast. A vast mountain range, the Andes, rose as high as 18,000 feet between the capital and the coast. Fewer than 75 miles of roads then existed in Colombia, a country larger than California. Mail sent from the coast took a month or so to arrive in Bogota, traveling by boat up the Magdalena River and then across the mountains on pack mules.

Martin proposed to fly this route and deliver mail in less than six hours.

He attracted interested investors, but the cautious businessmen wanted proof that such an airmail flight could be made successfully. The imposing Andes mountains were a formidable www.forkunion.com

Epilogue: Knox Martin married a Colombian woman in 1923 and settled down to a life as a journalist and artist, raising three children.

He returned to the United States with his family in 1926 and began flying again as a corporate pilot.

Martin arrives in Bogota, Colombia after crossing the northern Andes mountain range in August 1919.

Martin’s arrival in the isolated capital marked the first aerial crossing of the northern Andes and forever placed the name of William Knox Martin in the history of Colombia as the father of aviation in that part of South America.

In the next four years Martin would make frequent flights from Bogota to the coast, often accompanied in the cockpit by his pet ocelot. He formed the Bogotanian Airlines (later absorbed

by Aviana in 1940) and continued training pilots and adding aircraft to the skies of Colombia.

Today, you can book a ticket from Barranquilla to Bogota on Avianca for less than $400 and board a Boeing aircraft for a flight of about 85 minutes. And former Fork Union cadet William Knox Martin helped make all of that possible.

He died in 1927 from injuries sustained in a crash - an automobile crash - just weeks after Lindbergh made his historic flight to Paris.

His son, William Knox Martin, Jr., took up his father’s passion for painting and is a renowned painter, sculptor, and muralist. His art hangs in museums and galleries worldwide.

In 1994, Colombia issued a postage stamp in his honor, marking the 75th anniversary of his first airmail flight.

In 2005, Martin was inducted into the Virginia Aviation Hall of Fame.

53

By Robert Spencer

I

t was verdant springtime in Virginia at the rural “Crossroads of the World,” as renowned national newscaster Morgan Beatty had dubbed our village. I was waiting with anxious anticipation at the bus station for the arrival of the late afternoon bus from Richmond. Among its passengers was a personality who was touted as “a new kind of hypnotist.” His press release quotes proclaimed, “He has hypnotized one million people!” and “Whatever’s on your mind Polgar knows!” and “Everybody loves Polgar.”

As recently appointed Special Services Officer at Fork Union Military Academy, I had seen dozens of the propaganda brochures and flyers offering entertainment for the corps of cadets, faculty, and staff families. However, one promo packet that crossed my desk had impressed me, with its inclusion of reprints from such magazines as LOOK, LIFE, Collier’s, and The Saturday Evening Post. Besides, I had read brief mentions of the Amazing Polgar in Genii and other magic journals to which I subscribed. So, with the assistance of L.F. Sherman Artist Management of New York City, I defied my budget and booked The Amazing Polgar and his “Fun With the Mind.”

The bus was late, but when it finally rumbled into town and stopped, and the usual daily commuters stepped off, there was no one resembling Polgar among them. I apprehensively approached the driver and said, “I was expecting Dr. Polgar.”

I drove Dr. Polgar the short distance to our campus and to the academy owned motel and restaurant. I checked him into his room and then we went to dinner. As we both ate light suppers, I carried the conversation so the good doctor could relax and eat. I assured him that the stage in the auditorium had been arranged just as requested, telling him that because the cadets were studying, he would have an hour and a half after dinner before his show. I would pick him up in plenty of time.

When he arrived the auditorium was packed with over 600 cadets plus staff families and village folk – the result of good publicity with Polgar’s impressive posters. Without any doubt there was expectancy and excitement in the air.

It was probably the most unusual entertainment ever presented there. I escorted Dr. Polgar with nothing but his briefcase to the wing of the stage. He approved of what he saw.

There was some undeserved applause when I went out to introduce him, but when The Amazing Dr. Polgar walked onstage, he had to have been impressed with the enthusiastic welcome he was accorded.

That evening, from my vantage point backstage, I gained a living lesson in stage presence and showmanship. It was the first of many valued lessons I would receive from the man who would become a cherished friend. Like Harry Blackstone, another performer I idolized, Franz Polgar was the epitome of stage deportment. He had an uncanny ability to engage an audience

Dr. Polgar (left) with FUMA’s longtime faculty member Robert Spencer

“Oh, he’s here,” came the reply. “I had to wait for him to make his connection.” Both of us got on the bus and walked to the rear. There he was, snoozing! A briefcase and suit bag was on the seat beside him.

“Dr. Polagar!” I said, awakening the world-famous hypnotist.

“I was so exhausted I put myself to sleep,” he said with a smile. He had played three other gigs en route form his home in Rye, New York.

“Well, welcome to rural Virginia,” I said as the driver and I gathered his luggage. I breathed relief that the evening’s expensive entertainment had safely arrived. www.forkunion.com

55

Dr. Franz Polgar presents “Fun with the Mind” at Fork Union Military Academy. Here he is hypnotizing the cadets.

with the spoken word. Those fortunate enough to have seen either of these master showmen in action know that they were in absolute command of the stage from the very moment they walked on to perform.

Polgar declared to me many times that most important to any successful demonstration of hypnotism and mental feats is the outward appearance of total confidence and authority on the part of the performer. This is closely related to the “faith/prestige/reputation factor,” and any indication of weakness, uncertainty, timidity of shyness is anathema.

Ironically, this is quite a persona contrast from the Ferenz Polgar who arrived in America in 1933. He knew little English, had low self-esteem, and spoke with a thick Hungarian accent.

The latter he kept, on purpose I think, as it was so much a part of his charisma and charm.

Ferenz Julius Polgar was born April 18, 1900 in Enying, Hungary, to Julius L and Eliza Polgar. He attended public school until age ten when his parents sent him to Kaposvár and Székesféhervár for high school. Ferenz won scholarships in mathematics, physics, and other sciences. During vacations he would assist his father in teaching. After graduation he volun56

teered for the Hungarian Army. Serving during World War I, he quickly attained the rank of First Lieutenant. It was on the Italian front that an incredible rescue of Polgar from a pile of presumably dead soldiers took place, thus saving the life of the future Amazing Polgar.

After the war, to please his parents, he enrolled in college to study commerce and economics.

Becoming fascinated and often confounded with the mental capabilities he possessed, Ferenz desired to study psychology. He enrolled at the University of Budapest, and it was there that he was taken under the wing of the eminent professor of psychology Dr. Istwan Nemeti.

During his studies at Budapest, Polgar was introduced to Dr. Sigmund Freud who was pioneering psychoanalysis and the introduction of hypnosis to the medical profession. Freud invited Polgar to lecture and demonstrate hypnosis for classes at Vienna University, however, on the applications of hypnosis Freud and Polgar were in opposite camps.

In his pursuit of understanding the powers of hypnsosis, Polgar became obsessed with Germany’s Erik Jan Hanussen, the self-proclaimed psychic and occult entertainer who promoted himself as the “Mental Wizard of all Call to Quarters

Ages.” Polgar observed Hanussen’s flamboyant performances and disliked the way he deceived his audiences, calling the man who would eventually become Adolph Hitler’s hypnotist and astrologer to be “sinister.” Polgar acknowledged Hanussen to be a great showman, but also a greater faker.

Perhaps a word is in order here about the daredevil and wild side of young Ferenz. Toward the end of his military experiences, he had become a parachutist and continued to make jumps. He acquired a craze for motorcycling, and while he never became a professional racer, he took part in amateur events like extreme cold-weather and 24-hour races. Polgar had an exhibitionist bent.

By 1927 Polgar had earned his Doctorate of Psychology and claimed his Doctorate of Economics from the University of Budapest.

For the next few years he engaged in hypnotherapeutic practice with his brother, Dr. László Polgar, as well as psychoanalysis and psychic research at the University of Pécs, Hungary’s oldest institution of higher learning.

The year 1933 was very good for Polgar. His other brother, Andrew, who was in the shipping business, arranged for a free trip for him to the United States. Crossing the Atlantic on the Bernstein Line and speaking very little English upon his arrival in New York, Ferenz depended upon his relatives and a few contacts to help him through the difficult adjustment.

Polgar’s first job in America was as a motorcycle mechanic, but that didn’t last long because he was unfamiliar with the English names of tools.

Other short-lived and poor-paying jobs were as an elevator operator and a waiter in a Hungarian restaurant. Finally, he found gainful employment in a high-class speakeasy, and when the boss found out that Polgar could “telepathically” find money hidden by the social joint’s patrons, the job became more lucrative. Word spread fast that young Ferenz was a mind reader, and he was soon in demand as a party and nightclub entertainer. Needing help with coordinating his bookings and correspondence, he placed an ad for a part-time secretary and manager.

It was another stroke of fortune when a young brunette schoolteacher from Brooklyn, Lillian Sherman, answered the ad. The short version www.forkunion.com

of the story is that Ferenz and Lillian not only found great satisfaction in their working arrangement that before long they became Mr. and Mrs. Franz J. Polgar. At her suggestion the first name was now Franz.

(I then understood the L.F. Sherman Artist Mangement of NYC, through which I first contracted The Amazing Polgar.)

Lillian was a God-sent wife for Franz and would prove to be a good mother for their children, Julian and Lisa.

She also played a large role in the American success story of the legendary Polgar who, in 1944, was naturalized as a citizen of the United States.

“No pain, No pain!”

Hypnotized cadet feels no pain as a match burns under his fingertip.

The title of “The Amazing Polgar” was deserved for reasons far beyond his early personal achievements. Following the break into the entertainment scene, Polgar exploited his extensive knowledge and unique talent by coupling entertainment with educational lectures. His captivating program was presented under two titles, “Miracles of the Mind” and “Fun with the Mind.” From the 1940s through the 1960s it was witnessed by thousands upon thousands of audiences, including civic clubs, social organizations, and every major college and university in America. Once seen, repeat engagements The chair becomes so were a sure thing. Also amazing is the fact that heavy that the three young men drop it to Polgar made appearances on all of the popular

the floor after struggling to hold it up.

57

The longest and most fun portion of the show saw the hypnotizing of a stage full of volunteers.

They were first seated in chairs and then called upon singly or in groups to engage in the most incredible and hilarious actions. The New Year’s Eve party in which glasses of ice water became champagne for the hypnotized subjects was one of the most astonishing and amusing things I’ve ever witnessed.

The handkerchief is floating in the air. The cadet holding it is invisible to the hypnotized subject.

radio and television talk shows of those decades, returning for repeat guest appearances on the programs of Steve Allen, Arthur Godfrey, Garry Moore, Arlene Francis, Mike Wallace, Dave Garroway, and Jack Paar. He was the subject of feature articles in most of the major magazines, including The New Yorker. In 1951, Polgar’s book The Story of a Hypnotist: My Adventures in Telepathy, Hypnosis and Memory was published.

Written by Curt Singer, authority on foreign affairs and espionage, the first edition was published by Hermitage House, Inc., with later editions published by Thomas Nelson & Sons.

Telepathy – read muscle reading or contact mind reading – was the finale of the show. This was where Polgar would find his deviously hidden paycheck by mental directives only from a member of the audience. This feat was a masterpiece, as it went beyond mere muscle reading, leaving the audience dumbfounded. Waving his found check high, Polgar would thank his audience and bid them farewell, usually to a standing ovation.

For a brief summation of a Polgar show I can only state that it was a combination of an infectious Hungarian accent and a perfect demeanor and know-how that delivered the promise that “Everybody loves Polgar!”

The Amazing Polgar has located his paycheck hidden among the cadets, using “mental directives” only.

Polgar’s “Fun with the Mind” show, the educational version, nearly always consisted of four parts. There was an opening talk, where he broadly discussed the power and potential of the human mind, the uses of hypnosis and Polgar’s experiences with it, and his research with memory and telepathy. Then came the memory tests. For his feat of magazine memorization the audience would call out any page number of a current magazine and Polgar would recite the contents of that page in great detail, be it a fact-filled page of news or an advertisement. The Magic Square followed with Polgar remembering random numbers and recalling objects named by the audience that were written on sixteen squares on the blackboard. This presentation was smooth and fast – remember, he was a math whiz!

58

Call to Quarters

Dr. Polgar is welcomed by longtime FUMA faculty member Robert Spencer.

Author’s Note

The numerous times I saw Polgar perform, as well as the privilege of often privately discussing his theories, methodology, and applications with him, provided a special education that I shall forever treasure. I came to know the Polgars rather well, keeping in touch as they moved from Rye to Mamaroneck, New York, while they traveled abroad for USO and private engagements, and as they wintered at Bay Harbor Isle, Florida. In the later years, Lillian frequently joined Franz on the road, remaining the guiding force for his booking from their home base.

Between the years 1959 and 1976, the Amazing Dr. Polgar presented his “Fun with the Mind” program five times at Fork Union Military Academy. The last was on November 16, 1976, and on this visit his beloved Lillian (the L.F. Sherman of his Booking Agency) was with him. Upon their arrival Mrs. Polgar was feeling ill and requested a doctor. Dr. Julian Yeatman, longtime Academy physician, was called upon to see her. That evening while Polgar again amazed his audience, Mrs. Polgar remained in their motel room taking Dr. Yeatman’s medicine. The next morning she was singing praises to our famous doctor, www.forkunion.com

and the Polgars went on their way to Florida.

They always remembered Dr. Yeatman.

Franz Polgar was from a distinctively different era of entertainment, and his passing in 1979 left a big void in my intimate circle of performing friends. Sadly, most of them have already taken their final curtain call.

It seemed such a shame that The Amazing Polgar has been all but forgotten, and that is why I felt compelled to tell his story. Just as he had for millions of college and university students, Polgar left a lasting impression upon the thousands of cadets who witnessed his captivating program. For years afterward upon their returns to the campus, they would inquire about him. So, it pleases me to know that this article will be republished in the Call to Quarters. Certainly many who read this will remember the Amazing Dr. Polgar, and some of you even appeared on stage with him.

This article was written for the October issue of M-U-M magazine at the request of its editor John Moehring. Col. Bob Spencer put into practice what he learned from Franz Polgar, presenting a program entitled “Adventures in the Pyschic World” simultaneous with his career as teacher and minister.

59

Parents Weekend Also Known As...

The October Surprise

I

t hardly seems possible. It seems like it was just days ago that these young men were dropped off at the FUMA campus by their parents, but in those few short weeks a change has taken place. Young men who might have spent their time slouched on the sofa are now standing tall and proud.

Time that might have been wasted on video games and television is now being invested into academics and athletics. Boys who’d barely glance in their parents’ direction as they mumbled a reply will now respond directly, politely, with respect and confidence.

It’s what some parents might call The October Surprise.

Parents Weekend in mid-October is often an eye-opening experience for parent and son. Each views the other with a new measure of respect and expectation. Already, the FUMA cadet is growing in body, mind, and spirit - and the change shows.

Be sure to mark your calendar for our next Parents Weekend, October 20-21, 2007. Join us for our Parents Day Parade and other activities on campus.

60

Call to Quarters

Marcus Hampton-Gayle, Alpha Company Commander in the Middle School Battalion, stands in formation with his company around Fraley Circle during Parents Weekend activities.

www.forkunion.com

61

Field

Eddie George reflects on his days playing high school football on this very field

62

Call to Quarters

of

Dreams T

he air was crisp with excitement.

The stadium seats were filled and the Corps of Cadets was buzzing with energy. Broadcasters from the local ESPN radio affiliate were chatting into their broadcast headsets, airing the pregame show to listeners throughout central Virginia.

Fork Union’s prep football team was playing arch rival Collegiate. A number of FUMA’s NFL alumni were present in the stands.

Heisman Trophy winner, Eddie George, was on the sidelines. And NFL Films was there to record the event for an episode of the awardwinning sports documentary show NFL Films Presents. www.forkunion.com

63

Eddie George shares a laugh with his high school track coach, COL Fred Hardy.

and Billy McMullen of the Minnesota Vikings, as well as other longtime veterans like offensive tackle Roman Oben of the San Diego Chargers and linebacker Dexter Coakley of the St. Louis Rams.

NFL Films, the winner of more television Emmy Awards than any other sports broadcaster, focused their cameras on Fork Union Military Academy to highlight FUMA’s status as the high school that has produced more NFL football players than any other prep school in the nation.

Fork Union Military Academy is the featured subject on an episode of the highly respected sports documentary show NFL Films Presents.

The documentary series airs around the world on ESPN and the NFL Network and is hosted by Steve Sabol, who individually has won at least thirty of the more than ninety Emmy Awards presented for NFL Films programming.

“Fork Union has a list of alumni in the NFL that would be the pride of any school in the nation,” explains NFL Films producer Jay Jackson. “But Fork Union is not a football factory. It really is about the body, mind, and spirit there, and Fork Union is as much about academics and molding men of character as it is athletics.

We wanted to tell that story.”

Jackson and his crew members from NFL Films arrived on campus Wednesday, October 18th and worked through the Academy’s first full dress parade on Saturday, October 21st, filming scenes of cadet life and education and recording interviews with current students, staff, and notable NFL alumni including Eddie George and Don Majkowski.

On Friday, October 20th the NFL Films cinematographers recorded the action at FUMA’s much anticipated prep league game with rival Collegiate. Many of FUMA’s NFL alumni were invited to return for this game and to participate in special halftime ceremonies.

FUMA’s NFL alumni who returned for this event included former Tennessee Titans running back (and Heisman Trophy winner) Eddie George, the FUMA/UVa quarterback Don Majkowski (who was recently inducted into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame), Ken Brown of the Denver Broncos, former Virginia Tech and NFL veteran quarterback Will Furrer (recently inducted into FUMA’s Sports Hall of Fame), Jay Sherrill (who kicked for several NFL teams and whose son, Wes Sherrill, was the prep team kicker at this game), Duane Ashman of the Denver Broncos, and John Hilton (a Pittsburgh Steeler in the 1960s and former NFL coach).

More than seventy alumni of Fork Union Military Academy have played for NFL teams, from the early days of the league until now.

More than a dozen active NFL players on this season’s rosters attended FUMA, including star wide receivers like Plaxico Burress of the New York Giants, Ernest Wilford of the Jacksonville Jaguars, NFL Films Producer Jay Jackson interviews Eddie George for the television show NFL Films Presents.

64

Call to Quarters

The NFL Films Presents episode has aired a number of times and has produced a number of inquiries from students interested in attending the Academy - and not all of them are athletes.

The producers were successful in showing that the Academy is about achievement in academics first, with football following as a lower priority.

“Football is one of the only sports where academic success is essential for professional success,” said Dan Thompson, the Academy’s Director of Communications. “Before a player arrives in the NFL, he must first have succeeded in a good college program. We are proud that so many outstanding young men have come to Fork Union for that academic preparation. We were excited to have the incredible filmmakers from NFL Films help tell the story of their success.”

Request your free copy of this NFL Films Presents episode on DVD

Originally available only by special order direct from NFL Films, we are pleased to be offering limited quantities of these DVDs at no charge while our supplies last.

We will do our best to ship the requests in a timely manner, but please allow at least 2-3 weeks for delivery.

You may order online at:

http://www.forkunion.com/nflfilms.html

or call Jana Vaughan in our Development Office at 434-842-4370.

Green Bay Packer Hall of Famer, quarterback Don Majkowski, greets Coach John Shuman on campus.

www.forkunion.com

65

FUMA’s SuperBowl Players

FUMA Alumni in the NFL

Maurice Anderson Duane Ashman Tyrone Davis Tyronne Drakeford Rickey Dudley Eddie George Steve Hamilton Robert Jones Brian Kozlowski

Fork Union Military Academy has a long history of alumni in the National Football League: - over 70 players drafted or signed by teams - at least 30 players making their way into the starting lineup of a regular season game

- 10 players have been selected in the First Round of the NFL Draft since 1954 Duane Ashman

FUMA’s ProBowl Players Dexter Coakley Eddie George Don Majkowski Don Oakes Mike Quick Sonny Randle Vinny Testaverde

FUMA’s NFL First Round Draft Picks 2007-Gaines Adams 2004-Chris Perry 2000-Plaxico Burress 1997-Jim Druckenmiller 1996-Rickey Dudley 1996-Eddie George 1992-Robert Jones 1987-Vinny Testaverde 1982-Mike Quick 1954-Steve Meilinger 66

- 7 players have been selected to one or more Pro Bowl appearances - at least 10 players have been on teams that played in SuperBowl games.

This list of players (below) signed or drafted by NFL teams through the years remains a work in progress (and does not include players signed this year, such as Gaines Adams).

If you know of players who have been drafted, signed, or otherwise spent time with an NFL team, please e-mail us at webmaster@fuma.org with that information.

You can find out more about FUMA’s NFL Alumni and the teams for which they played online at:

http://www.forkunion.com/athletics/nfl-alumni.html

1. Maurice Anderson 2. Duane Ashman 3. Michael Barber 4. Charles Bearoff 5. Darryl Blackstock 6. Ken Brown 7. Tom Brown 8. Mike Bulino 9. Plaxico Burress 10. Clen Capriola 11. Erik Christensen 12. Orman “Topper” Clemons 13. John “Johnny” Clowes 14. Dexter Coakley 15. Albert Lee Crow 16. James “Jim” Davis, Jr. 17. Josh Davis 18. Tyrone Davis 19. Antonio Dingle 20. Ernest Dixon 21. John Dorsey Call to Quarters

22. Tyronne Drakeford 23. Darren Drozdov 24. Jim Druckenmiller 25. Rickey Dudley 26. Will Furrer 27. Eddie George 28. Chris Gerhard 29. DeMingo Graham 30. Marques Hagans 31. Steve Hamilton 32. John Hilton 33. James Jackson 34. Robert Jones 35. Dave Kadela 36. Jeff Komlo 37. Brian Kozlowski 38. Pasquale “Pat” Lamberti 39. Johnny Lascari 40. Don Majkowski 41. Jimmy Martin 42. LeRon McCoy 43. Dick McElwee 44. Billy McMullen 45. Steve Meilinger 46. Thomas M. “Tom” Miller 47. Eric Moss 48. Don Oakes 49. Roman Oben 50. Chris Perry 51. Mike Quick 52. Sonny Randle 53. Morgan Roane 54. Merrill Robertson 55. Tyrone Robertson 56. Ashley Sheppard 57. James “Bud” Sherrill 58. Jay Sherrill 59. Jack Simcsak 60. Lamar Slade 61. Akil Smith 62. Terrance Stubbs 63. Jon Eric Sullivan (Scout) 64. Shannon Taylor 65. Vinny Testaverde 66. Art Thomas 67. Stacy Tutt 68. Lowell Vaught 69. Carter Warley 70. Joe Wessell (Coach) 71. Ernest Wilford 72. Lee Williamson 73. Jamaine Winborne 74. Bill Wood www.forkunion.com

Follow FUMA Football on internet radio...

All of FUMA’s prep football games will be broadcast by our local ESPN radio affiliate this season. While some of the games will be tape-delayed for playback on local radio the following day, ALL of the games will be heard LIVE via internet webcast.

We encourage you to listen in to our internet game broadcasts and show your support for the Blue Devils.

Look for a link to our game webcasts on our web site at:

http://www.forkunion.com/sportscast.html

Schedule: Friday Aug 24

@ Fluvanna

7:00 pm

Friday Aug 31

@ Norfolk Academy 4:00 pm

Saturday Sep 8

STAB

2:30 pm

Friday Sep 14

Hargrave

3:30 pm

Saturday Sep 22

@ Loyola (MD)

12:00 pm

Saturday Sep 29

@ Woodberry Forest 2:00 pm

Friday Oct 5

@ St. Christopher’s 4:00 pm

Friday Oct 12

@ Liberty Christian

7:30 pm

Friday Oct 19

Collegiate

3:30 pm

Saturday Oct 27

Benedictine

1:30 pm

Friday Nov 2

@ Christchurch

2:30 pm

Fri/Sat Nov 9/10

VISAA Playoffs

TBA

Fri/Sat Nov 16/17

VISAA Championship TBA

Rising senior Marcus Dowtin follows in the footsteps of our prep football greats like Eddie George and Chris Perry.

Dowtin has verbally committed to attend the University of Georgia after graduating from FUMA.

67

Phonathon 2007 a record year recorded by cadets

T

his year the cadets at Fork Union Military Academy have bragging rights to surpassing a goal of $100,000 during its annual Phonathon campaign. Overall, the amount of pledges made to the Phonathon was $111,000, and as of July 1st, $92,000 in pledge payments have been collected. Each year the Development Department sets a goal they feel is attainable during this annual campaign. A team of cadets work hard each night in reaching alumni, friends and family of the Academy to help raise funds for annual giving and other needed projects on campus.

The team is trained for two weeks on telemarketing and fundraising.

“It is interesting to see how the cadets approach the alumni,” says Phil Snead, Director of Alumni Affairs. “Each cadet has his own unique way of asking for a gift, but we stress the importance of politeness and professionalism during their phone conversations.”

This year for the first time, alumni and friends were able to take advantage of receiving a FUMA license plate cover if they gave $100 or more to the Phonathon. It was a great way to build awareness of the school and gener-

68

ated interest from many alumni and friends who had never given to the Phonathon in the past. Over 75% of donors gave $100 or more as compared to last year’s total of 51% of donors giving $100 or more.

Each night of the Phonathon the Development Office tallies the dollar amount of pledges each cadet receives. This year’s winning callers were Cadet Yuvraj Taneja from the Middle School and Cadet William LaCour from the Upper School. The two young men are presented certificates during the Awards Ceremony at the end of the school year for their hard work and dedication each night.

Bobby Cobb, Executive Director of Development, says it is always a challenge to keep the cadets motivated and to think of innovative ways to entice alumni to continue to support the school. “I have been working on the Phonathon for over thirteen years. I am thankful that we had so many alumni, parents and friends reach out to help the Academy this year. The cadets also enjoy the opportunity to speak with our alumni who have helped contribute to the success of the school.”

Call to Quarters

A special thank you gift...

Donors to our Phonathon who gave $100 or more received a special edition FUMA license plate cover to display with pride on their vehicle. www.forkunion.com

69

Congratulations 2007 Class of

Senior Class of 2007

Jason Matthew Abel Bardia AlipourKargar Robert Joseph Anetz Jamere Anderson Bailey Zacharia Abdalla Bandak Matthews Collins Berry Robert Martin Bongers, II Brandon Spangler Bowling Paul Edward Brady Brandon Alexander Braun Richard John Braxton Demetrius Anthony Brown Christopher James Chapman Lenard Andrew Chester Coburn Shell Clements Robert Lee Courtney, Jr. Markiva Shontarizo Cox Owen Kearsley Crewe Samuel Jarreau Daniel Mathew Ryan Davis Matthew Walton Dellinger Kristopher Eugene Dendtler Chance Fitzgerald Dickerson Neal Olando Dodson, II Cameron James Duchene John Alexander Fox Corey Huffman Fulwiler Justin Allen Gause Caleb Edward Gilmer Max Lindsay Graham, III Zachary Michael Talty Green Domonic Harrison Gregory Jean-Paul Guzman Bryan James Halfpap

Peter Claybourne Hansinger Bryan Derek Hardy Vincent Bernard Harris Michael Phillip Harvey Reza Hashemi Ryan Vincent Hedges Robert Randolph Hembrick, Jr. Joseph Ho Steven James Hubert Stephen Crail Hurt Benjamin Chi-Hoon Hwang Phillip Mark Hylton Nikolai Ivanov Daniel Armstrong Jarvis Tienne Norris Jefferson Timothy Matthew Jensen Bryson Early Jobe David Chandler Johnson Yong Suk Kang James Alexander Keating Theodore John Richard Kent Do Hwan Kim Daniel Stephen Klestinec Justin Daniel Lane Lemond Edward Lee Seung Yoon Lee Kong Weng Liew Ritchie Lee Allen Lindberg Carl Sylvester Lucas, III Alexander Francis Marlier John Parker Blake McAfee Michael Isaiah McCloskey John Thomas McManus Alexander Powell Merle-Smith

Jonathan Lee Montgomery Gary Giles Moreland Arkadiusz Mostrag Thomas Wayne Mountain, Jr. Cameron Robert Lee Noon Chul Joong Oh Stephen Anthony Brockett Palmer Hyun Kyu Park Jonathan Park Keelan Nance Parker Daniel Andrew Pearre Aleksandr Conrad Peterson Khalil Milan Pinkard Peter Alexander Pope Adam Lanier Pratt James Robert Reichlen Matthew Peter Riley George Kurtis Robinson Szymon Rola Paul Alexander Shank Joshua Roy Sharp Wesley Montgomery Sherrill Austin Kennedy Steed Matthew Burdette Sullivan Erick David Thompson Cale McAvoy Triplett Michael Vincent Tumbarello Ryan Charles VanGieson Frank Darrell Walker, III Kevin Zachary White Mark Isaiah Williams Alexander Hart Witchell

Blake Richard Gallagher Andrew Ettore Fodera Keith Antaun Graham Ian Charles Harding James Daniel Humphrey Craig Timothy Johnson, Jr. Zachary Kenneth Johnson Tredale Robert Kennedy, Jr. Michael Scott LaBarre Kerby Javon Long Christopher Barnard McIntosh David Mark Meyer Montel Da’Von Mitchell Donavan Lamar Monroe Thomas Joseph Murrer Derico DelSharon Neal

Vidal Joubert Nelson Raymon Cody Ochoa Phillip Michael Pandak Zachary Eugene Pierson Donald Ray Porter, II Dwayne Anderson Robinson Donald Eric Sims LaPrade’ Tyrone Smith Winfred Franklin Stinespring Alexander James Thomas Jamie Davell Veney Bradley Thomas Walter Adam Dominick West Kayson Ta Marion Wharton

Postgraduate Class of 2007 Richard Adam Absher Daniel Lee Aiken Moncell Raymond Allen Joseph Momodu Bangali Andre Lloyd Baxter Michael Evert Bullock, Jr. Mario Von Burruss Michael S. Butler Alexander Clinton Chace Asa Brandon Chapman Travis McKenzie Cuthbert Austin Tyler Dahn Jason Paul Dawson Matthew Nye Dominguez Grant Robert Domsic Oden Mureed Farha

70

Call to Quarters

www.forkunion.com

71

classnotes Class of 1942

Jack Seiferth of New York, NY retired after 50 years in education. After graduating FUMA he served in the United States Marine Corps.

Class of 1945 William Paton of Delray Beach, FL retired after 40 years of Fire Service.

He served Ft. Lauderdale and Broward County, FL as Battalion Chief.

Class of 1946 R. George Hubbard of Newport News, VA retired from selling commercial real estate and now enjoys volunteering for the Newport NewsWilliamsburg Airport and his local church, St. Matthews Anglican.

Class of 1958 D. Page Elmore of Salisbury, MD was re-elected on November 7, 2006 to the Maryland House of Delegates for his second four year term.

Class of 1959 Robert G. Perry of Washington, DC was recently named President of the National Trust for the Humanities.

This is an independent charitable organization that generates financial support to extend the benefit and reach of the programs of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

He has served as Chairman and CEO of BSI Americas and has senior executive experience in telecommunications, marketing, public affairs and manufacturing. As Vice President for AT&T in Washington, DC, he oversaw many of the corporation’s sponsorship programs, including those at the National Gallery of Art, the Kennedy Center, the National Museum of Women in the 72

Arts, and the Smithsonian Institution.

His public sector experience includes service at the White House as a member of the President’s Executive Exchange Program, on Capitol Hill, and with the U.S. Army. Perry’s philantrophic financial development experience includes the Boys and Girls Clubs, Fork Union Military Academy, George Washington University, The YMCA and The Arts and Embassies Program. He was awarded FUMA’s Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2005.

Class of 1972 Bobby Sander of Hilton Head, SC has been selling real estate since 1983. He was the top realtor in condos/villas on the island from 1993 to 2007 and is a member of the ReMax Hall of Fame.

Class of 1973 Ray Stratton of Clarkesville, GA retired from the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve after 33 years of service. He retired as a Chief Warrant Officer 4 and was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal for duty in Iraq and the global war on terrorism during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

James Cohn of Winston-Salem, NC and the North Carolina Army National Guard, assumed the rank of Colonel in a ceremony held at the North Carolina National Guard Joint Force Headquarters in Raleigh, NC on March 8, 2007.

Cohn has served more than 22 years with the National Guard and is currently the J1 Chief responsible for human resources planning and administration of nearly 12,000 Guard Soldiers and Airmen.

In his military career, Cohn has served, with ever increasing responsibilities, as a Fire Direction Officer, Executive Officer, Battery Commander, Operations Officer, Liaison Officer, Operations and Training Officer, Mobilization Officer and Battalion Commander. His awards and decorations include: Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal and Humanitarian Service Medal.

He graduated from Fork Union Military Academy and attended High Point University Alumni earning a Bachelors of Arts and Commission through R.O.T.C. in 1984. He completed his studies with Houston Graduate School of Theology. His military education includes Field Artillery, Officer Basic Course, Combined Arms and Services Staff School, Command and General Staff College and The US Army War College. Cohn and family live in Winston-Salem.

Class of 1974 Kevin Tylus was named President of Yardville National Bancorp in January 2006. He was formerly a partner with the firm of Deloitte & Touche. He serves as a board member of various professional and community organizations. He was named a Distinguished Alumnus of the Hun School of Princeton. Kevin played basketball and baseball for Gettysburg College following his time at FUMA and has served as an administrator and coach of several youth organizations.

Call to Quarters

Class of 1976

Class of 1981

Paul T. Dwyer III of Pembroke, MA is working at State Street Corporation.

He has been elected Chair of the Board of Selectmen.

William M. Brooks Jr. has been promoted to senior vice president at BB&T in Fayetteville, NC and has been named city executive. He received his bachelor’s degree in history from NC State University and serves as a board member of the Cumberland County Business Council. He is a past executive committee and board member of Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce and United Way of Cumberland County. Mr. Brooks served more than twenty years in the NC Army National Guard, including two years as aide-de-camp to the adjutant general.

Class of 1978 Gregg Garrison of Lisbon Falls, ME retired after 21 years in the Navy in April 2006. He currently works as the Senior Physical Security Specialist at Naval Air Station in Brunswick, ME. He and his wife, Karen, have been married for 16 years and have two children.

During his career in the Navy, Mr. Garrison was awarded many medals, including but not limited to the following: Joint Service Commendation Medal; Navy Commendation Medal; Air Force Achievement Medal; Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation; Navy Achievement Medal; Navy Good Conduct Medal; and National Defense Service Medal.

Class of 1980 MAJ Phillip Corbo, USA (Ret.), is currently Deputy Commandant at Massanutten Military Academy. Mr. Corbo is a native of Bridgewater, NJ and currently resides in Broadway, VA. He is a 1984 graduate of Virginia Military Institute with a B.A. degree in History. Major Corbo enlisted in the infantry in 1984 and went to Officer Candidate School in 1986 and was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant, branched Armor. He holds a Master’s Degree in Education from Mississippi State University. Major Corbo has served in Korea, Fort Riley, KS, Tupelo, MS, Fort Sill, OK, and finished his career as the Assistant Professor of Military Science at the College of William and Mary. Major Corbo is a veteran of Operation Desert Storm.

www.forkunion.com

of Pittsburgh School of Law (2004) and also holds a degree in Chemical Engineering from West Virginia Institute of Technology (1997).

Pete Webb married Sharon Hitchcock, daughter of Col. and Mrs. Bill Hitchcock of Fork Union, in a sunset ceremony overlooking the Caribbean, at the Rock House Hotel, Negril, Jamaica, on February 18, 2006. Some 60 friends and family attended the ceremonies and shared several wonderful days of wedding festivities and Jamaican hospitality along with the happy couple.

Class of 1982 Kevin Dolliver of Richmond, VA works as a Mid-Atlantic Sales Manager with WinStar Mortgage Partners in Glen Allen.

Steve Krawczyk of Southington, CT celebrated his 24th Anniversary of owning Southington Auto Wash and Quick Lube in November 2006.

Class of 1985 Paul J. Sullivan of Minden, IA is currently a prosecutor in Omaha, NE specializing in child victim crimes and juvenile matters. He graduated from Creighton University Law School in 2002 and previously served eight years as a police officer in the Kansas City area. He has been married to his wife, Kimberly, for eighteen years and they have three daughters.

Class of 1992 Christopher R. Monday of Fairfax, VA was married to Kelly on August 27, 2006. He currently works as a contract attorney in Washington, DC. He is a graduate of the University

Class of 1998 Michael Beason was wed on February 10, 2007 to Caroline Cole in Charlotte, NC.

Class of 2003 Baker E. Hatcher of Augusta, GA has been named to the Dean’s List at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for the fifth consecutive semester.

He was recently invited to participate in the Carolina Leadership Institute and successfully completed the Kenan Flagler Business School’s Carolina Business Institute.

73

from the

frontlines Department of the Army Headquarters, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team 2nd Infantry Division Unit #43318, Civil Military Operations, S-9 HHC, Brigade NLEC Section Camp Liberty, Iraq APO AE 09344

25 April 2007 Cadet Khalil Milan Pinkard & Members of National Honor Society Fork Union Military Academy P.O. Box 278 4744 James Madison Hwy. Fork Union, VA 23055 Dear Khalil: Please let your classmates in the National Honor Society know how much my soldiers and I appreciated your package. I wear my red FUMA shirt in my room all the time now especially for video clips I make for my family.

They say it brightens me up. You asked some questions about my experience and if I ever thought about things like going AWOL when I was a FUMA cadet. My experience started in summer school of 7th grade because I had discovered girls and doing things other than study when I was home. It was 1972, bell bottoms, platform shoes, the Beatles, and lost hope in Vietnam were the backdrop. My folks sat me down and asked if I was ready to repeat the 7th grade (year end grades included D in Science, D- in English, and F in Math). They offered to help me focus with FUMA. I attended Summer School and made A+ in all subjects…mom and dad were elated and I liked the environment enough to ask if I could try the 8th grade in a military setting. My play of choices as a little boy besides sports was Army. So Junior School looked really cool. It was. I never cried about being there, I turned it around mentally and always did my very best.

As the oldest in my family I’ve been a de facto leader all my life. FUMA reinforced my taking responsibility and helping those who had a tough time getting the little things right. You know, from marching to wear and appearance of the uniform, some guys are just dense. It was a breeze for me, mainly because I had the right mindset. This single fundamental has been characteristic of my life ever since FUMA. Any of us have the skill and ability to accomplish great things, the difference is attitude. One may find himself amid all the opulence and finer trappings of our great society and be absolutely miserable. Proper attitude and mindset garnish perspective and can make any situation better.

AWOL? Are you kidding? That was a cop-out for those with no spine---in my opinion. It never crossed my mind.

Look there is nothing in this world so tough that we can’t face it…again mindset. When you add the training of FUMA that develops you Body, Mind, and Spirit you have formidable combination that makes you different. How you apply that difference matters. Today, I realize the love and sacrifice my parents have for me and made for me to attend FUMA. They knew that a positive difference in this world you have to have a core ethos. FUMA developed that ethos that mom and dad started in me with essential structure I needed to attain it.

Well we have our days here in Iraq! The price of this letter for my unit is 381 WIA and 29 KIA (we have about 4,000 soldiers in the Brigade). Half my career I’ve served the Army Corp of Engineers, and the rest up to now in Special Operations focused on Civil Affairs. Governance, Economics, and critical infrastructure such as Sewer, Electricity, Water, Trash, and Academics absorb my days. Yet, there is so much carnage in the name of religion, and really in the pursuit of power that it does get frustrating. Now it’s getting hot again, and believe me, you are not hot standing in formation during Spring Parades. I do remember though loving so much those blessed words: “Pass In Review.” God Bless and thank you for your continued prayers.

Best Wishes, Kenneth (Kent) L. Daniel, Jr., Class of 78 Major, Civil Affairs

74

Call to Quarters

Members of FUMA’s National Honor Society received a letter (at left) and certificate (above) after sending a “care package” and letter to one of our FUMA alums serving in Iraq.

Class of 1975

Class of 1993

Michael L. Preas was promoted to Captain, USN in August 2006. He is presently Senior Operations Officer, Bolling AFB, Washington, DC.

Matt Rowell is currently serving in Baghdad, Iraq.

Class of 1987 Michael J. Silberman of Louisa, VA recently left for his third mobilization with the reserves. He is employed by the Louisa County Sheriff ’s Office.

Class of 1991 Major Tony Bailey has been assigned to duty in Afghanistan. He is an Armor Officer in the Navy. www.forkunion.com

Class of 1999 Chester Douglas McFarland is relocating from the Los Angeles AFB to USAF Post Graduate School, WrightPatterson AFB, near Dayton, OH. He was promoted to the rank of Captain, USAF on May 24, 2007 and is still involved with Aerospace Engineering. He will be serving with the U.S. AirForce until 2012.

Help us keep in touch!

Are you, or do you know of, a FUMA alumnus serving our nation in the armed forces?

Please take a moment to post this information, mailing address, and news updates to our FUMA411 forum at http:// www.forkunion.com/community - just look under the Alumni Central area for the topic “From the Frontlines.”

You can also e-mail information and updates to Mrs. Elizabeth Liles at lilese@fuma.org.

75

Taps Class of 1931 Capt. Osborne S.P. “Ossie” Koerner, USNR (Ret.) of Arlington, VA, passed away on December 13, 2006. Ossie was born April 20, 1912, in Avalon, PA, the son of Annie P. and William J. Koerner. He was raised in Grove City, PA, and graduated from Grove City High School and completed postgraduate work at Fork Union Military Academy, Fork Union, VA. He received an LLB from the National University Law School in 1936 and was admitted to the District of Columbia Bar in April 1937 and to the Bar of the Supreme Court of the United States in 1940. Ossie pursued his passion for intellectual advancement throughout his life and was awarded a JD degree

by George Washington University in 1970.

In 1942, Ossie left his position of 8 years as an attorney in the Federal Housing Administration and was commissioned as an Ensign, USNR, and following intensive training in navigation, ordnance and naval tactics, was ordered to the Light Cruiser, U.S.S. Helena (CL-5O) in the South Pacific where he was assigned to the gunnery department. In a citation commending the U.S.S. Helena, then Secretary of the Navy, James Forrestal writes of the Helena opening the night Battle of Cape Esperence, “boldly sending her fire into the force of enemy warships, sinking a hostile destroyer and holding to a minimum the damage to our destroyers in the rear of the Task Force.” Ossie also participated in the Battle of Guadalcanal (Third Savo) on the night of November 12-13, 1942.

Secretary Forrestal also writes in the commendation to the Helena that she “valiantly sailed down the restricted and submarine-infested waters of Kula Gulf under the terrific torpedo gun fire of the enemy to bombard Kolombangara and New Georgia while covering the landing of our troops at 76

Rice Anchorage.” Later in the battle, the Helena was sunk by a Japanese torpedo. Two destroyers were sent back to look for survivors. Ossie was picked up by the U.S.S. Radford (DD-446) several hours after his ship had sunk.

While being cared for by his rescuers he vowed that if he ever had a son he would name him after the ship that saved his life.

After two months survivor’s leave, then Lieut. (j.g.) Koerner was ordered to the new aircraft carrier, the U.S.S. WASP (CV-18). As a Division Officer he was again assigned to the Gunnery Department in charge of air defense batteries. Aboard the U.S.S. Wasp he participated in actions including the Mariana Islands, Philippine Sea, Formosa, Leyte Gulf, Iwo Jima, Okinawa and Tokyo.

Then Lt. Koerner (s.g.) departed active duty service to return to his work at the FHA which merged in later years and became the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Ossie retired from the Naval Reserve in 1972 with the rank of Captain, having served a total of 30 years. He had received the Asiatic Pacific Area Campaign Ribbon with 13 stars, the Philippine Liberation with 2 stars; American Theater; Navy Commendation Ribbon for service aboard the U.S.S. Wasp and the Navy Unit Commendation for the U.S.S. Helena. Ossie retired in 1973 from the Federal Government.

In his retirement years, Ossie pursued his lifelong love of travel, visiting China with the D.C. Bar Association in 1978 as well as other trips to Russia and Europe. He never stopped his quest for educational enrichment and audited classes regularly at George Washington University. He attended summer school classes at Harvard University, as well as Worcester and Merton Colleges, Oxford, England.

His wife, Rachel Hood Koerner pre-

ceded him in death in 199O. He is survived by his loving children, Marianne H. Koerner and Radford S. Koerner (Christine Vick). Captain Koerner was a member of Trinity Presbyterian Church in Arlington, VA. Previously, he had served as an Elder, Trustee, and Deacon of National Presbyterian Church in Washington, DC. He was a member of the U.S.S. Helene and U.S.S. Wasp organizations.

Class of 1933 A. E. Haydon, Jr. of Richmond, VA passed away on March 28, 2007.

Class of 1936 Raymond Rigler of Lewes, DE passed away on July 30, 2006.

Class of 1938 Robert Oscar Allen, of Charlottesville, VA passed away on July 9, 2007.

He was born in Charlottesville on January 12, 1920, to his mother, Etta Victoria Bruffey Allen Harlow of Charlottesville, Virginia, and father, Robert Pinckney Allen of York County, South Carolina. He is predeceased by one sister and his wife, Anne Carter Johnston. Survivors included a sister; two nephews; four nieces; and many cousins and family through marriage.

Mr. Allen was educated at Fork Union Military Academy of Fork Union, Virginia, in high school. Fork Union was then and is now a prestigious private school which steeps its students with studies including lessons in character, leadership and scholarship.

He then studied pre-law for one year at the University of Virginia before making his way into the military to become a pilot, flying the B-24 during World War II. He earned the American Theater Ribbon and the World War Call to Quarters

II Victory Medal during this time.

He was Honorably Discharged on December 18, 1946. He then continued to serve the forces in the Reserves until 1963 when he was Honorably Discharged.

Mr. Allen went to work for FHA/ HUD in the 50’s and remained there until his retirement in 1978. He diligently worked to appraise homes and value properties as the Chief of the Evaluation Department in the Shreveport office. He worked in the field overseeing improvements and took personally the policy that each case stood alone.

Class of 1939 Joel T. Broyhill of Arlington, VA passed away on September 24, 2006.

His obituary is on page 79.

Class of 1943 William F. Firneisen, Jr. of Bandera, TX passed away.

Class of 1944 Robert Henry Downing of Panama City Beach, FL passed away on September 23, 2006. He was preceded in death by his son, Robert, Jr. and wife and mother of his children, Phyllis Edgerton Downing. He is survived by his wife, Joan; daughter, Donna; one grandson; his brother; and several nieces, nephews and step-children.

Mr. Downing was born in S. Orange, NJ and graduated from Fork Union Military Academy. He served his country during World War II in the Philippines as an aircraft mechanic.

Finishing his military service, he relocated to Charlottesville, VA and attended the University of Virginia.

Mr. Downing was employed by the Virginia Land Company and became www.forkunion.com

Vice President. Later he became President of Downing and Company and spent nearly 50 years in real estate and land development.

Mr. Downing enjoyed travel with his friends, swing music and sledding and ice skating.

Class of 1946 Ralph Raymond Jones Jr., of Manchester, TN formerly of Newport News, VA., died June 26, 2007, after a brief illness. The son of Ralph Raymond Jones Sr. and Emma Hicks Patrick of Battery Park, Va., Mr. Jones was born in Newport News on March 25, 1929, and was a long-time member and deacon of the Orcutt Baptist Church in Newport News.

After graduation from Fork Union Military Academy in 1946, Mr. Jones enlisted in the Army and served one tour of duty during the occupation of Japan at the close of World War II. After his honorable discharge from the Army in 1947, he returned to Newport News and attended the Apprentice School of the Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company.

In 1950, he married the former Nancy Virginia Reese of Petersburg, Va. After having been called from the reserves for a second tour of duty in support of the Korean War, Mr. Jones returned to Newport News and joined his father to work in the family furniture business, R. R. Jones Furniture, Inc. From humble beginnings as a used furniture business, Mr. Jones and his family grew the business to one of fine home furnishings in the Colonial Williamsburg tradition.

In his spare time, Mr. Jones was an avid woodworker and provided his family, friends and church with many lasting tributes to his skill. Mr. Jones retired from the furniture business in 1991 and, after a fulfilling retirement in

Newport News pursuing travel and his passion for woodworking, Raymond and Nancy moved to Manchester to be closer to family where he became a member of the First Presbyterian Church. He was a member of the Korean War Veterans Association.

Mr. Jones was preceded in death by his parents, infant twin sisters, a brother and a sister. He is survived by his wife, a son, and two grandsons.

Class of 1949 Jackson R. “Jay” Dunlap, Jr. of Milton, DE passed away on December 1, 2006. He was born in Lewes, son of the late Rev. J. Russell Sr. and Lillian (Marsh) Dunlap. He was a graduate of Fork Union Military Academy and attended York College and he received a B.S. in Business from Temple University. He also received a doctor of law degree from Temple.

Mr. Dunlap served in the U.S. Navy in the Atlantic Theatre and earned his wings as a pilot in Pensacola, FL. He was admitted to the Delaware Bar in 1961. He practiced law in Georgetown and was deputy attorney general.

Mr. Dunlap served on local and national Bar associations, the Bar Censor Committee, the Association of Trial Lawyers of America and Tri-State Investigators. He was a member of Westminster Presbyterian Church, Rehoboth Beach, where he served on numerous committees as an officer.

He was also a member of the Milton Lions Club, Rehoboth Beach Kiwanis Club, American Legion Post 28, Millsboro, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons Jefferson Lodge 15, Lewes and Rehoboth Beach Country Club.

He received the Ralph Helm Fellow Award for Humanitarian Service from the Milton Lions Club.

He was preceded in death by his parents and two sisters. He is survived

77

by his wife of 22 years, Francis Reed; two daughters; four grandchildren; two stepsons; four step-grandchildren; and his ex-wife, Mary Hirt of Harrington.

Class of 1950 William E. Wickert, Jr. of White Stone, VA passed away on August 31, 2006 from cancer. He was a retired Bethlehem Steel Corporation Vice President of Federal Government Affairs, who represented the company in Washington, DC for 30 years.

Mr. Wickert graduated from the University of Maryland’s College of Journalism and completed his studies at Harvard Graduate School of Business. He was born in Boston, MA and reared in Dundalk, MD and South Pasadena, CA. He attended Fork Union Military Academy on an athletic scholarship, where he played on the 1950 Virginia championship football team and on its baseball team.

During the Korean Conflict, he served four years in the U.S. Air Force as an Air Traffic Controller.

Among his accomplishments, Mr. Wickert is recognized for originating and spearheading the formation of the Congressional Steel Caucus. He developed arguments and strategies that over three decades persuaded Congress and Presidents from Carter to Bush to adopt programs geared to protect the domestic steel industry from illegally traded imports. He was a member of the American Iron and Steel Institute and twice Chairman of its Government Relations Committee. He was a member of the Business-Government Relations Council, the Executive Committee of the Economic Strategy Institute, Sigma Delta Chi, Society of Professional Journalists and the Joint Automotive Suppliers Governmental Action Council.

Survivors include his wife of 24 years, 78

Cheryl; two daughters and one son; and two grandchildren. He is also survived by the mother of his children, Katherine D. Wickert. He enjoyed sports, international travel, swing music and golf.

ber of the Knights of Columbus at St. Bernadette’s Parish in Springfield, VA.

Class of 1975

Class of 2001

Russell D. Davis, 49, of Richmond, VA formerly of Buckingham, died Friday, June 22, 2007.

He is survived by his mother, Jo Ann T. Davis of Richmond; his father, Eugene R. Davis of Buckingham; his sister; two aunts and uncles; and numerous cousins and extended family members.

Mr. Davis attended Prince Edward Academy and was a graduate of Fork Union Military Academy. He served six years in the United States Navy and worked 26 years for Dominion Virginia Power Company. Rusty was an avid hunter and NASCAR enthusiast.

Class of 1982 Robert W. Riddle of Springfield, VA passed away on March 19, 2007.

He was 44 yrs old. Mr. Riddle was a graduate of the Delgado Community College in New Orleans, LA where he received an Associate of Applied Science degree. He also earned a BBA degree from Eastern Kentucky University.

He was a Systems Specialist in the computer industry, working for Accenture since 1998. He is survived by his wife COL Rebecca Samson, currently stationed at the Pentagon with the US Army G-4; a son and daughter; his mother; and his three brothers. He was active in youth sports league and enjoyed coaching his son’s baseball and basketball teams while living in Stockbridge, GA; Carlisle, PA and Springfield, VA. He was a mem-

Mr. Riddle often commented that it was his education at FUMA that directed him in the right path as a young man.

Christopher Brandon Smith of Fredericksburg, VA passed away on June 10, 2007 as a result of an automobile accident.

Former FUMA Trustees Pass Away James T. Rutherford of Arlington, VA passed away on November 6, 2006.

Mr. Rutherford served two terms in the Texas House of Representatives, a term in the Texas State Senate, and four terms in the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas.

A former Marine Corps Major, Mr. Rutherford was previously the Executive Secretary to the Association of Military Colleges and Schools of the United States. Until his retirement, he served as the President of J.T. Rutherford & Associates, Inc., a public-government relations firm. He served as Trustee Emeritus at Fork Union Military Academy. A member of the Columbia Baptist Church in Falls Church, Mr. Rutherford served as Deacon and on the Nominating Committee.

Mr. Rutherford was preceded in death by his wife Sara. He is survived by two daughters and a son; a brother; two grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.

Robert Emerson Ankers, Jr., formerly of McLean, VA, passed away on December 30, 2006. He was born in Richmond to Robert and Alice Ankers.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Betty and is survived by his second wife, Nelda, of Raleigh. He is also surCall to Quarters

vived by his daughter; three grandsons; a brother and sister.

Mr. Ankers received a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering from North Carolina State University and spent four years in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He was a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, and retired from managing the Washington Engineering Office of Technology for Communications International.

He served as a member of the Masonic Order Harwood #91-Maine and belonged to the Scottish Rite, 32nd degree, and the Civil War Round Table, Alexandria, VA chapter. He was a member of Westover Baptist Church in Arlington, VA for forty years and served on the Board of Deacons and as its Chairman. He was elected to the FUMA Board of Trustees in 1977 and served as Trustee Emeritus. His father, Robert E. Ankers, Class of 1899 was the first graduate of the Academy.

Joel T. Broyhill, Class of 1939, of Arlington, VA passed away on September 24, 2006. Mr. Broyhill was the former U.S. Representative in Northern Virginia for more than two decades. He graduated from Fork Union Military Academy and was elected to the Board of Trustees in 1952 and served for 26 years.

After leaving FUMA he attended George Washington University, Washington, DC. Entering the Army as an enlisted man in World War II, he advanced to the rank of captain in less than two years. While serving as company commander in the 106th Infantry Division, his command and others in the division were virtually wiped out during the ill-fated Battle of the Bulge in which heavily out-numbered American forces were striving to hold the line against the enemy breakthrough. Made a prisoner in this battle, Captain Broyhill was www.forkunion.com

in a German prison camp for several months, finally making a daring escape through enemy lines and rejoining the American forces. His total service was four years, and his record as an officer bears the rating of “Superior.”

After the war, he returned to Virginia and resumed a business career becoming a partner and general manager of one of the leading real estate and building firms in Northern Virginia.

He became active in numerous community and civic organizations and served as President of the Arlington County Republican Club for 1950 and 1951. He also served as Republican Campaign Chairman for Arlington in 1949, 1950, and 1951; was a member of the Arlington County Republican Executive Committee and Republican State Finance Committee. He was first elected to Congress in 1952, losing his seat in 1974. In 2000, Congress named a large regional post office in Merrifield after Mr. Broyhill in recognition of his advocacy for federal employees, including postal workers.

Mr. Broyhill served as campaign manager for John W. Warner’s successful first campaign for Senate in 1978. He returned to the family real estate and investment business which developed several neighborhoods in Northern Virginia. He was the lead developer for Kiln Creek in Newport News.

He is survived by his wife of 25 years, Suzanne; three daughters; a stepdaughter; four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his first wife Jane Marshall Bragg who died in 1978.

Lewis Ashby Martin Jr., 82, of Charlottesville, VA passed away on July 20, 2007. He was born November 6, 1924, the son of Lewis Ashby Martin and Lillian Byrd Detamore Martin.

A lifelong resident of Charlottesville, he was a member of the first class to graduate from Lane High School

in 1941, after which he entered the University of Virginia, interrupting his education at the age of 18 to voluntarily enlist in the United States Army.

During the early portion of his active military service, while in the ASTP, he attended Kansas State College in Manhattan, KS. Returning after World War II, he continued his education at the University of Virginia, receiving his BA in 1948 and his LLB in 1951.

Mr. Martin was an active member of First Baptist Church in Charlottesville and the Boy Scouts.

He served in combat in the European Theatre of Operations as a scout with the Intelligence and Reconnaissance Platoon of the Headquarters and Headquarters Company, First Battalion, 303rd Infantry, 97th Division, which, at the end of the war, had advanced into Czechoslovakia as part of the Third Army under the command of General George S. Patton. His decorations include the Bronze Star Medal and the Combat Infantry Badge. Following the end of World War II, he also served in the Occupation of Japan with the 97th Division, one of only two Army Infantry Divisions to serve in both the European and Pacific Theatres.

After his release from active duty in 1946, he remained with the United States Army Reserve, and after receiving his commission, was assigned in Charlottesville as Executive Officer of Battery C, 787th Field Artillery Battalion and later as Adjutant of the 2304th Government Group. For 13 years he was assigned to the headquarters of the First Battalion, 318th Regiment, 80th Division (Training) located in Charlottesville, serving as Battalion Commander for 11 years beginning in 1961. He graduated from the United States Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas in 1972,

79

and from the United States Army War College at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania in 1974.

He later completed courses at the National Defense University, Fort McNair, Washington, D.C. Upon promotion to Colonel, he was assigned to units of the 80th Division in Richmond, VA. He was retired from active Reserve duty in 1979 and from inactive Reserve status in 1984, as a Colonel, after 42 years of service.

When he became 21 years of age, and while he was still on active duty with the Army of Occupation in Japan, he submitted an application for membership in Widows Sons’ Lodge No. 60 AF & AM, in which his father was Tiler. He was Raised by his father on May 23, 1946. He served the Lodge as Worshipful Master in 1963. He was a member of Royal Arch Chapter No. 58; Lynchburg Consistory of the Scottish Rite and an honorary member of the Virginia College Masonic Societas Rosiccuciana In Civitatibus Foederatis. He was the last surviving charter member of Virginia Research Lodge No. 1777. He is also the author of A Historical Sketch of Widow’s Sons’ Lodge No. 60, published in 1949 for the 150th anniversary of the Lodge.

He was privileged to have Raised both of his sons in Widow’s Sons’ Lodge No. 60, where he was recognized in May of 2006 for his 60 years of membership.

All of his life he attended the First Baptist Church and served the church as Deacon from 1950, Chairman of Deacons, then as Deacon Emeritus, and as Trustee from 1959, including Chairman of the Trustees from 1963 until becoming Trustee Emeritus in 2005. He also served as Director of the Training Union and as a Sunday School teacher throughout the years.

He began the practice of law in Charlottesville in 1957 with his as80

sociation with the law firm of Taylor and Deets. For the next 42 years he practiced with several firms, including 15 years with his son, Lewis III, in the law firm of Martin & Martin. He concluded his practice in 1999 after serving as counsel for five years with the firm of Martin & Raynor P.C. During his legal career he was a member of the Charlottesville Albemarle Bar Association (President from 1985 until 1986), the Virginia State Bar, from which he received recognition for 50 years service in 2004, the American Bar Association and the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association.

He served more than 20 years on the Board of Trustees of Fork Union Military Academy (Executive Committee and Secretary), and was designated Trustee Emeritus upon conclusion of his service. He also served on the Board of the Salvation Army and was President of the Thomas Jefferson Civitan Club.

Lewis is survived by his wife of 58 years, Anna Margaret Scott Martin; two sons; a daughter; and eight grandchildren.

The family requests that in lieu of flowers, memorial donations be made to one of the following: First Baptist Church, Charlottesville, VA; The Salvation Army, Charlottesville, VA; or Fork Union Military Academy.

Friends of the Academy Louise Mosby Stephens Cropp, 92, died peacefully at her home in Richmond, VA on June 25, 2007. Born on May 2, 1915, she was the daughter of the late Rosalie Snead Stephens and John Marvin Stephens.

She was reared in Montvale, VA, but spent many of her formative years in Fork Union, VA. Her maternal grandfather, William Frank Snead, was a founder of Fork Union Military

Academy.

She met her husband, Wilson Warner Cropp, while he was a cadet at the Academy, and they married in 1940.

They reared their family of four children in Charlottesville. Mrs. Cropp was a devoted wife and mother, a sports enthusiast, an accomplished golfer, a tournament and duplicate bridge player, an accomplished hostess and cook, an avid gardener, as well as a community activist.

She was a member of the Board of Education of Rock Hill Academy.

She was a member of the Jack Jouett Chapter, National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, where she served as Regent. She was an active member of the First Baptist Church of Charlottesville for over 60 years.

Her husband of 54 years predeceased her in 1994. She is survived by her three daughters and one son; ten grandchildren; and twelve great-grandchildren. She is survived by one brother and preceded in death by one brother and two sisters.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations to her memory may be made to Fork Union Military Academy Scholarship Fund.

Former Faculty and Staff LtCol. Kenneth H. Gilmore, a former FUMA faculty member, passed away on October 23, 2006. He was on staff at the Academy from 1954-1956 and served in the Korean War. John Curry Lee, Jr. of Woodstock, VA passed away on December 17, 2006. He was a former math teacher and football and track coach at Massanutten Military Academy, Fork Union Military Academy and Central High School in Woodstock. He is survived by his wife, Mary Lou; two sons; and four grandchildren. He was Call to Quarters

preceded in death by his daughter, Susan Anne.

Ann B. Thompson of Fork Union, VA passed away on January 2, 2007. She was the wife of Rev. A. Paul Thompson for 56 years (now Historian at the Academy). Mrs. Thompson was born in Sperryville, VA and was the daughter of Rodes, Sr. and Anna Smith Brown.

She was preceded in death by two brothers and a sister.

She is survived by her husband, Paul, of Fork Union; her daughter and sonin-law; grandson; two nieces, three nephews; and two great-nieces and a great-nephew.

Mrs. Thompson came to the Academy in 1956 with her husband Paul and they both taught at the Academy over the years. Paul Thompson continues to serve the Academy as historian and curator of Fork Union’s Alumni House Museum.

Robert J. Buffman of Bethlehem, PA passed away on February 15, 2007. He was born in Philadelphia, PA, the son of the late Joseph and Amy Buffman.

He was a well known and beloved biology and genetics teacher at Liberty High School from 1966 until 1992.

He also served as the head football coach. Prior to his tenure at Liberty High School, Mr. Buffman taught at Fork Union Military Academy from 1961 until 1966. He was in the Biology Department and also served as the Assistant Varsity Football Coach and Assistant Swimming Coach at FUMA. He was also proprietor of Buffman and Son Concrete Contractors for 35 years. He served in the Navy where he played football and was later recruited by the University of Richmond. He graduated with a BS degree and was one of the top 100 football players at the University. He is survived by his daughter and former wife, Patricia (Edwards) Buffman; and one brother. www.forkunion.com

Harry Albert Griffin, 72, of Fork Union, passed away on January 20, 2007. Mr. Griffin worked at the Academy for close to 20 years. He served in the Maintenance Department as foreman and retired in June 1996.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Paul and Alice Griffin; a daughter, brother and two sisters. Survivors include his wife, Jean; his daughter; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Mr. Griffin was a former Worshipful Master of Fork Union Masonic Lodge #127 A.F.&A.M. and member of Fork Union Presbyterian Church.

Former Commandant at FUMA Colonel George W. Powers of South Carolina passed away on June 11, 2006. He was a retired member of the United States Army and husband of Debbie Stokes Powers. Colonel Powers was born in Bronx, NY, February 17, 1945, the son of Warren Powers and Virginia Roeder Powers. He was commissioned in the US Army upon graduation from The Citadel class of 1966 as a distinguished graduate.

His 26 year career included assignments with the 81stArmor Division, 11thArmored Calvary Regiment, and Tactical Officer and Assistant Professor of Military Science at The Citadel. Following graduation from Command and General Staff College, he was assigned to the Military Police School as Chief of Enlisted Training Developments. Colonel Powers commanded the 759th Military Police Battalion and served as the Ft. Dix Provost Marshal. He commanded the 42nd Military Police Group and served as the Director of Plans and Support, Counter Drug Enforcement Officer of the Secretary of Defense. Colonel Powers’ awards include the Silver Star, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Joint Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal

with 4 oak leaf clusters, Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with Bronze Star, and the Haitian Distinguished Service medal. Surviving are his mother of Ocala, Fl.; his sister; his wife of Lorida, FL; two daughters, two sons, and four grandchildren.

Former Assistant to the Dean Gayle E. Hudson of Milton, DE, formerly of Fluvanna County, VA, died Saturday, March 31, 2007 at home.

She was 69. Mrs. Hudson was born in Richmond, Virginia, the daughter of the late George Reton Edgerton and Anna Beatrice (Whitehead) Edgerton.

She was an Administrative Assistant to The Dean at Fork Union Military Academy for 22 years retiring in 1988.

While living in Fluvanna County, Virginia, Gayle enjoyed singing in the Fork Union Baptist Church Choir, she served as President of the Fluvanna Arts Council and was active in the Fluvanna County Historical Society.

She took a personal interest in the life of the cadets and helped lead the Quadrille Club at Fork Union Military Academy. In Delaware, she was active in Bethel United Methodist Church in Lewes. She served as chairman of the 36th District of the Delaware Republican Party and was a member of the Sussex County Republican Women’s Club. She enjoyed playing tennis and was an avid fan of the Phillies and Eagles. Survivors include her husband, Aubrey Hudson; her two children, stepchildren, five grandchildren, and four step grandchildren.

Contributions may be made to Fork Union Military Academy, G.R. Edgerton Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 278, Fork Union, VA 23055.

81

Former Librarian and Instructor...

Henry Pulliam Dies at Age 83

Major Henry Talmadge Pulliam, (Ret.), 83, of Murfreesboro, NC passed away on July 18, 2007, at Roanoke Chowan Hospital in Ahoskie.

Mr. Pulliam was born on November 29, 1923, in Person County to Henry and Hassie Cox Pulliam. In 1941, he graduated from Roxboro High School and served in the U.S. Army from 1943 to 1945, in the Detachment Medical Department, 204th General Hospital. He was engaged in the invasion of Guam and was given the Good Conduct Medal, the Victory Medal, the Asiatic Pacific Theatre Campaign Medal and the Bronze Service Star.

Following his military service, Pulliam graduated from Wake Forest College in 1951, and then attended the School of Library Science at UNC-Chapel Hill. He was a member of the faculty at the High Plains School in Person County for two years, and then spent two years teaching at the High School in Colerain. Following these years, he joined the faculty at Fork Union Military Academy in Fork Union, Virginia. He served as an English instructor in the Junior School from 1954 to 1958 and as the Librarian from 1958 to May 1987. Having completed 33 years of distinguished service at the Academy, he retired in Fayetteville, NC. He later moved with his twin brother, Bruce, to Murfreesboro.

A strong supporter of the arts, Pulliam served on various boards in the areas where he lived. He was an avid reader of the works of Thomas Wolfe. This avocation led to collecting books and items related to Wolfe. His extensive collection was donated to the Wake Forest University Library and is housed in the rare book section denoted as “The Pulliam-Thomas Wolfe Collection.� Mr. Pulliam was a past member and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Elizabeth Sewell Parker Memorial Library, Murfreesboro; a member of the Board of the Fayetteville Museum of Art; a member of the Fayetteville Symphony; and a member of the Murfreesboro Historical Association.

His parents and his sister, Roxie Snead, preceded Pulliam in death.

He is survived by his twin brother, Bruce; his sister and brotherin-law, Mildred and S. T. Wrenn of Murfreesboro; nephews, Jim Snead of Roxboro, Kevin Wrenn, Sr. of Ahoskie, Kenneth Wrenn of Greenville, and Karl Wrenn of Mooresville. There is a host of great nieces and nephews.

82

Call to Quarters

Former Housemother, and More...

Louise Crockett Passes Away at Age 95

Rebecca Louise Gilly Crockett, age 95, a resident of The Masonic House of Virginia in Richmond, passed away on January 21, 2007.

She was born December 15, 1911 in Middlesboro, KY, the daughter of James Morgan and Stella Sherman Gilly.

Louise graduated from Appalachia High School, VA in 1929, where she was the first girl to be president of the senior class, was captain of the girls basketball team, and responsible for the school’s first year book, The A.H.S. “Accolade” Vol. I. After high school, she attended Hollins College.

On December 31, 1930, Louise married Frank Allen Crockett, a Virginia Military Institute graduate, class of 1927. Their first home was Blackstone, VA, where Frank was employed at Blackstone Military Academy. They moved to Fork Union, VA in 1931, where her husband was employed as a coach and math instructor, and later as Commandant and Registrar at Fork Union Military Academy.

After her husband’s death in 1974, she was employed as housemother of the Academy’s Junior School from 1975-1991. She was honored as the first honorary alumna at the Academy, which was founded in 1898, and was the first woman elected to Fork Union Military Academy’s Board of Trustees. She continued her service at the Academy as a Trustee Emeritus. Mrs. Crockett was a member of the Fork Union Baptist Church, where she served on the State Executive Board of the W.M.U., the only person from Fork Union Baptist Church to serve; was a charter member of the Fluvanna Garden Club, a life member of the Virginia Federation Garden Club, and a member of the Fluvanna Historical Society.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Frank Allen Crockett; brother, Peter Marvin Gilly; sisters, Lillian Gilly Hurt and Ruth Gilly Albert.

Mrs. Crockett is survived by her children, David Alan Crockett and his wife, Juanita of Neptune Beach, Fla. and Linda Crockett Tansey and her husband, Jim of Lake Monticello, VA; nine grandchildren, 17 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.

Contributions may be made in her name to the Frank A. Crockett Endowment (FACE) at Fork Union Military Academy.

www.forkunion.com

83

Wish List F

rom time to time the faculty and staff at Fork Union Military Academy put together a “wish list” of items that would be beneficial to the school for academic and extracurricular purposes. Often, a gift-in-kind will fill a specific need that can help the Academy accomplish an important goal.

These gifts are fully tax-deductible and help support our cadets and teachers. For more information about our current “wish list” and how you can contribute wish list items, please contact the Development Office at 434-842-4370. Your contribution is gratefully appreciated.

Gaines and Shirley Lott of Georgia arrived on campus this spring bearing gifts.

Mr. Lott attended the Academy during his middle school days. He saw our “wish list” published in the last issue of Call To Quarters and noted that our current middle schoolers needed televisions and VCRs for their classrooms.

Loading up a flatbed trailer with eight new 27” television sets, eight DVD/VCR players, and eight media carts, Gaines and Shirley drove up from Georgia to deliver their much-appreciated gift.

Mr. Lott also took time to speak with grateful cadets about his experiences at FUMA and the way the Academy changed his life for the better.

Mark and Carol Scott found a special way to honor the memory of their son Jeff (Class of 2000) by donating another needed “wish list” item.

FUMA’s Head Nurse Ann Yonce stands beside the infirmary’s new golf cart given by the Scotts. This vehicle will provide quick and flexible transportation around campus for our school nurses.

Feedback Form

Please cut out and return this feedback form. We’d love to have your phone number and e-mail address in our records. Thank you for your support of Fork Union Military Academy!

Do we have your e-mail address?



Name:_________________________________________________________ Address:________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ City:__________________________ State:__________ Zip:_____________ Home Phone:___________________ Work Phone:_____________________ E-Mail:________________________________________________________

 Please update my e-mail, phone, and address.  I would like to donate $____________ to the Academy’s

Annual Giving Fund.

 My check is enclosed, payable to Fork Union Military Academy.  Send me a pledge statement to pay this amount in:

 One Annual Payment  Quarterly Installments  Monthly Installments

 Charge to my credit card:  Visa  Mastercard  Amex  Discover

Card Number:_____________________________________Exp:__________

 My company has a matching gift program and I am sending you the form.

Don’t know if your company offers matching gifts? Check online at FUMA’s Web site: http://www.forkunion.com/development

 I would like information on including FUMA in my will,

and other planned giving options.

 I would like information about FUMA’s Alumni

Scholarship Program.



 I would like a package with admissions information and

a school video that I can share with potential cadet families in my area, church, or civic organization.

Comments:

Please place in envelope and mail to: Fork Union Military Academy Development Office Post Office Box 278

Fork Union, VA 23055

Our Promises to Our Donors

I

’ve thought for some time that I should list our promises to all of our donors past, present, and future. I want you to know exactly where we are coming from and precisely how we operate our fund-raising program. It’s very important to us that we be straight shooters with you and upfront in our approach and philosophy. Here are our promises to you:

7

We will receipt all donations showing the fair market value of any materials sent in order to help contributors determine the tax-deductible portion of their gifts. (The Internal Revenue Code permits donors to deduct the amount given to the Academy in excess of the value of materials received from the organization.)

2

8 9 10 11

3

12

1

First and foremost, the Academy belongs to the Lord. It is His place and He is in the life-changing business here. It is not a monument to its President, the Board of Trustees, or the Development Office. All of us are simply servants of the Lord in this place.

Since our founding in 1898, the Lord has put his mantle of approval on the work being done here. What the Lord blesses, He can also take away. There have been times over the century that they were close to shutting down, but the Lord chose to provide the finances to keep it going. If He chooses to close the gate, we will accept His leading and yield the outcome to Him. Until then, we will work with every ounce of energy to accomplish the task at hand.

We seek God’s approval in our mission.

One of the ways to discern His approval is through the support He sends (or doesn’t send) from His people. During lean times, we will make our needs known to our friends-but we will not squirm, scratch, or claw for contributions. We will never resort to what we consider to be disrespectful and dishonorable methods of fund-raising, even when the needs are serious.

4 5 6

We will ask people not to support Fork Union Military Academy until their obligations to the local church have been met.

We will not operate the Academy at a deficit.

We consider the contributions we receive to be “sacrificial giving”-sent from loving people who have sacrificed to make their gifts possible.

Our obligation, therefore, is to spend wisely in continuing to preserve the Academy and its mission. We have no limousines, expense accounts, or condos in Hawaii. Every penny raised is used to sustain the Academy. Not one cent is paid to the Development Officers or myself in the form of fund-raising incentive bonuses or salaries. www.forkunion.com

We will have an annual audit conducted by an external audit firm.

We will not try to raise more money than we need.

When you designate a specific intended use of your donation, your wishes will be honored.

The President along with the Development Officers are the primary fundraisers. It is our job to solicit funds to sustain the Academy. We want to be respectful in our approach, but make no excuses for doing our job of asking for funds. Since tuition and fees cover 70% of the annual budget, we must raise 30% more to sustain the school. If we don’t make the Academy’s needs known, who will?

Our spiritual mission is to have every young man who comes our way hear the gospel. Over 400 young men do receive the Lord every year while here at the Academy.

Our promise to you is that we will stay focused on that mission and the funds you provide will sustain that mission, God willing.

13 14

We will not sell or release our mailing lists to anyone.

We will maintain confidentiality of the amount of your donations; and if you chose to remain anonymous, we will honor that request.

15

We want only the best for the young men entrusted to our care. We promise to do our best to be God’s servants and good stewards of His money.

It’s that simple. Our prayer is that you will help us. Please.

Lt. Gen. John E. Jackson, Jr., President 87

ForkMilitary UnionAcademy 4744 James Madison Highway Post Office Box 278 Fork Union, Virginia 23055

Non-Profit Organization U. S. Postage PAID PPCO

Can you guess what year this photo of the Fork Union Motor Lodge was taken?

Submit your answers online at: http://www.forkunion.com/guesstheyear.html