ESSAY: FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING

TRADITIONS

Fellowship of the Ring

This year marks the 100-year anniversary of the Norwich Class Ring. Steve Gagner ’03 & M’17 recalls a remarkable gesture from his friend and fellow cadet Matthew Shanks ’98

Iwas unsure of my future when I decided to leave Norwich in December 1997 to enter the Army, but it was a Norwich cadet (now alum) that brought everything back into perspective for me. Matthew Shanks ’98 was a friend of mine on the Ranger Challenge Team that year. We had spent many hours together, and he was disappointed to hear that I was leaving. The day before my departure, he called me into his room (he was the regimental XO), and he talked to me about what I had gone through and what I had accomplished during my short time at Norwich. He seemed distraught when I told him I didn’t know if I would return. That’s when he gave me his Norwich class ring. He told me that every day that I was in the Army, I should conduct myself befitting of a Norwich cadet and that, after my obligation, I should return to NU to receive my own ring.

His actions amazed me. The class ring is a treasured memento that every cadet dreams about for three long years—yet he was willing to loan it to me to ensure that I would remember the place that I needed to return to. Never have I met someone who embodied the ethos and traditions of Norwich like Matt. Every day that I served, I would wake up and see his ring on my nightstand and dream about the day that I would receive and wear my own. For three years it sat on my end table until I made the decision to return.

I feel comfortable knowing that Norwich, although it may change from year to year, will always remain true to the past, because it is in the hands of people who love it as much as those that have gone before them. n

Editor’s note: Look for special coverage of the Centennial Anniversary of the Norwich Class Ring tradition in the next issue of the Norwich Record. Do you have a story to share? Email the alumni office at alumni@norwich.edu.

“I feel comfortable knowing that Norwich, although it may change from year to year, will always remain true to the past, because it is in the hands of people who love it as much as those that have gone before them.”