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Events
Central Florida Chapter Cheers on Keydets at College Basketball Invitational Tournament
VMI alumni from across Florida gather in Daytona Beach following the basketball team’s College Basketball Invitational Tournament game versus UNC – Wilmington March 20, 2022. Pictured are Cadets Tanner Mans ’24 and Trey Bonham ’24, members of the basketball team, with alumni and family members.
Members of the Coastal Georgia – South Carolina Chapter gather for an oyster roast at the home of Michaela and John Sykes ’73 in Bluffton, South Carolina, Feb. 12. More than 30 people attended the gathering.
Attending a pregame event (left photo) at the Tobacco Road Sports Café before the VMI baseball game against the Duke University Blue Devils in Durham, North Carolina, Feb. 20 are the parents of Cadets Caden Plummer ’25 and Traylor Duval ’25, along with the grandparents of Cadet Trey Morgan ’23. The families (right photo) of Cadets Ty Barker ’23, Justin Starke ’23, and Tyler Kaltreider ’25, VMI baseball players, attend a pregame event at the Tobacco Road Sports Café before the VMI versus Duke University game in Durham, North Carolina, Feb. 20. Attending but not pictured were the parents of Will Lopez ’22.
Members of the Central North Carolina – Raleigh Chapter attend the VMI versus University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill baseball game March 15.
Attending the Central North Carolina – Raleigh Chapter February senior alumni breakfast Feb. 15, 2022, are (back row, from left) Glenn Garland ’75, Mike Kelly ’73, Paul Johnston ’61, Larry Wilson ’62, Pete Shelley ’74, Kent Wheeless ’74, (front row) Dixie Walker ’70, Mike Freeman’78, Drew Turner ’72, Bill Gibson ’65, Rick Hening ’75, and Sam Hening.
The Central North Carolina – Raleigh Chapter holds a senior alumni breakfast March 15, 2022. Pictured are (standing, from left) Paul Johnston ’61, Don Brown ’71, Dixie Walker ’70, Larry Wilson ’62, Parky Parkman ’66, Bill Murchison ’70, Barton Pasco ’77, Glenn Garland ’75, (seated) Jack Stann ’21, Richard McCue ’81, Roger Rosenfield ’47, Drew Turner ’72, Bill Gibson ’65, Rick Hening ’75, and Sam Hening.
Those attending the Central North Carolina – Raleigh Chapter April senior alumni breakfast April 19, 2022, are (from left) Mike Kelly ’73, Roger Rosenfield ’47, Parky Parkman ’66, Bill Gibson ’65, Barton Pasco ’77, Sam Hening, Rick Hening ’75, Bill Murchison ’70, Paul Johnston ’61, Larry Wilson ’62, and Don Brown ’71.
Nevada Chapter Gathers for Dinner
Rocky Mountain Chapter Holds Presentation
Thom Brashears ’95 (center), Alumni Association chief operating officer, meets with Nevada Chapter alumni at a dinner in Las Vegas, Nevada, April 4, 2022.
Members of the Rocky Mountain Chapter attend a presentation by Dr. Paul Hébert ’68, third recipient of the Jonathan Daniels Humanitarian Award. Hébert answered questions about his life after VMI and his extraordinary career, which spanned more than 30 years while serving in numerous organizations promoting and supporting humanitarian action in less-developed countries. Pictured are (from left) Creigh Kelley ’68, Hébert, Ollie Hux ’54, Henry Ehrgott ’98, Bud Frith ’60, Rich Dixon ’97, Luis del Valle ’90, Parke Smith ’79, Zach Webb ’21, Dan Lyle ’92, Jay Donato ’97, Don Noschese ’92, and Jim Maiocco ’92.
Graduate School Partnerships
The Virginia Military Institute has forged relationships with graduate and professional schools in Virginia and across the U.S. These agreements offer opportunities, including admissions concessions, internships, guaranteed interviews and, in some cases, guaranteed admissions.
Partnerships include Virginia Commonwealth University, the University of Virginia, Virginia Tech, Florida State University, Norwich University, Arizona State, and the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine. Programs include law, medicine, business, engineering, and communications.
Contact Ashley Clarke at clarkean@vmi.edu for more information.
Valley Chapter Hosts Watch Party
The Valley Chapter holds a watch party at Heritage on Main in Waynesboro, Virginia, to watch the Keydets defeat the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Mocs, 80-75, Feb. 19. Pictured are (from left) Carrie Wagner, Cameron Seay ’70, Candy Wagner, Jake Kleinschuster ’64, Dickie Sedwick ’71, Doug Marechal ’62, Mary Seay, Buck Talley ’70, Don McQueen ’70, Stacey Bowers, and Don Bowers ’90.
Wilmington Chapter Holds Breakfast
Members of the Wilmington Chapter attending a breakfast at the Boathouse in Wilmington May 3 are Henry Brown ’60, Fred Ayers ’61, Dee Hartman ’66, Arnold Leonard ’74, Harley Myler ’75, Tom Tolbert ’66, Greg Weaver ’79, Andrew Young ’74, and John Gangemi ’61.
Wilmington Chapter Gathers for Oyster Roast
Members of the Wilmington Chapter hold their annual oyster roast at the Wrightsville Beach Brewery in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, March 13.
Virginia Beach Chapter Gathers for Concert
Members of the Virginia Beach Chapter and alumni from across the Hampton Roads Region gather to hear a performance by the VMI jazz band, The Commanders, led by Col. John Brodie (Hon) April 8, 2022. Those in attendance represented the Classes of 1952–2020 and included former members of the Glee Club, marching band, and VMI Commanders.
Foundation Welcomes over 130 to Scholarship Banquet
By Scott Belliveau ’83, Communications Officer
The annual VMI Foundation Scholarship Banquet welcomed 130 donors and donor representatives to this year’s event, which was held April 9, 2022.—Photos by Micalyn Miller, VMI Alumni Agencies.
On April 9, 2022, the VMI Foundation hosted its annual Foundation Scholarship Banquet, during which alumni and friends who have established scholarships that provide cadets with financial aid are recognized. This year, the Foundation welcomed 130 donors and donor representatives and, along with these alumni and friends, 70 of the hundreds of cadets their philanthropy supports.
“This annual event is a highlight of the year for me and my fellow trustees,” said Tom Zarges ’70, VMI Foundation president, “as I’m sure it is for the scholarship donors and recipients with us this evening.” Zarges went on to describe the power of VMI’s education to transform young cadets into people who “offer honorable and principled leadership in whatever career they pursue and ... provide selfless service to their country and communities. In short ... [people] who make a difference.” He cited donors’ generosity as the reason so many cadets can attend the Institute.
Maj. Gen. Cedric T. Wins ’85, superintendent, echoed Zarges’ appreciation of the benefactors, saying, “The assistance we are able to provide our cadets allows them to focus on achieving their goals and not worry about financial limitations that might prevent them from graduating. Your leadership and support in this effort is so critical.”
He illustrated the profound impact by talking about two cadets who receive scholarship support, as well as his own VMI experience. “Endowed funds facilitated the opportunity for me to pursue my dreams both academically and athletically. There is no doubt this helped set up a 34-year career in the military. Make no mistake, many joined with and supported me along the way, including my parents, teammates, classmates, and fellow soldiers. However, me being here today started with that initial opportunity to attend VMI through generous financial support.”
Rachael A. Dickinson ’22 and William F. Duffy ’22 described their experiences at VMI and how those experiences prepared them to realize their goals as cadets and prepare for life after graduation. Their presentations and Wins’ remarks confirmed Zarges’ statement about donations to scholarships and scholarships: “[E]very penny is well spent.”
By Scott Belliveau ’83, Communications Officer
After a two-year hiatus, the VMI Keydet Club held its annual Scholarship Banquet May 1 in Marshall Hall. The banquet acknowledges the alumni, family, and friends who give to the annual and endowed scholarships that support VMI’s cadet-athletes—those young people who pursue excellence representing the Institute at the highest level of college sports, the NCAA’s Division I, as well as in the classroom and the barracks. More than 375 people—cadet-athletes, donors, fund representatives, and special guests—attended the event.
Opening what he described as “a special evening ... that brings together our cadet-athletes with some of our most engaged and supportive alumni, family, and friends,” Andrew C. Deal ’12, Keydet Club chief operating officer, who played baseball and “had the privilege of being a recipient of a Keydet Club scholarship,” described the Keydet Club as “a special organization ... of high spirit, passion, and love for VMI athletics.” He shared that, in the current year, it provides more than $6 million in scholarship support to more than 280 cadet-athletes.
In his remarks, Maj. Gen. Cedric T. Wins ’85, superintendent, said, “It is no secret that the cost to maintain a Division I sports program requires a long-term commitment from all of us. We continue to invest in superb facilities, recruit and retain excellent coaches, and provide opportunities for great athletes [who] can excel in sports and as cadets.” He also thanked the Keydet Club’s leaders, describing their service as “extremely important as we plan for the future of our sports programs. You help us meet our goal to provide for our talented athletes and help them compete at the highest level.”
A highlight of the banquet always is the presentation of the Three-Legged Stool Award. The term “Three-Legged Stool” was coined by Giles Miller, Class of 1924, in reference to the Institute’s policy of educating “the whole person” through an education that balances academics, leadership development, and athletics. This year’s recipient was Makenna Moore ’22. A mechanical engineering major with minors in applied mathematics and physics, Moore played water polo for her entire cadetship. A team captain for two years, she received the All-America Collegiate Water Polo Association’s Outstanding All-Academic Award and was named to the Virginia Sports Information Directors’ 2020–21 All-Academic Team. The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference twice named Moore to its All-Academic Team. After graduation, she will attend the Navy’s Nuclear Power School and join the Navy’s submarine community afterward.
Ron Carter ’78 provided the evening’s keynote address, and he did not disappoint. “VMI shaped my life, career, character, and future in so many amazing and unforeseeable ways that merely saying thank you to VMI feels like a grossly inadequate expression of my immense gratitude.”
Carter described how he became conscious
Bland Massie ’77, Keydet Club president; Ron Carter ’78, Keydet Club Scholarship Banquet speaker and VMI basketball star; and Maj. Gen. Cedric Wins ’85, superintendent, at the 2022 Keydet Club Scholarship Banquet May 1, 2022.—Photos by Micalyn Miller, VMI Alumni Agencies.
early on that he was a descendant of Baseball Hall of Famer Josh Gibson, often described as the Babe Ruth of the Negro Leagues. “I learned at an early age,” said Carter, “about the responsibility that comes when commitment meets preparation and leads to competitive excellence.”
He also recounted how he was recruited to play basketball at VMI one day in summer 1974. Coaches Bill Blair ’64 and Charlie Schmaus ’66 came to Pittsburgh to see Carter play at a neighborhood recreation center. “While attempting a dunk, I fell and broke my left wrist ... Coach Blair and Coach Schmaus offered to take me to the hospital.” When they emerged outside the center, two of Carter’s friends were in the process of stealing the coaches’ car. “I was able to persuade my career criminal friends to give Coach his car back so they could take me to the emergency room. En route to the hospital, I was offered an NCAA Division I Keydet Club-sponsored basketball scholarship.”
“I had no idea how improbable it was for me to get an offer for a scholarship to play college basketball at an NCAA Division I university. Nor did I realize that four years at VMI would go on to shape my life and the futures of my family and children in ways I could never have imagined.”
At VMI, Carter was introduced to the term “Three-Legged Stool.” “I fully embraced the concept on its merits, and I decided to anchor my personal and professional evolution in this uniquely American ideology.” While he did not achieve his goal of having academic stars as an economics major, he was a two-time All American and VMI’s first African-American battalion commander. Carter, who played in the NBA for several years after graduation from VMI (the Los Angeles Lakers chose him with the 22nd pick of the 1978 NBA draft), went on to a successful career in business and public service.
He then cited the experience of many of his contemporaries in barracks who were cadet-athletes supported by scholarships and went on to excel in a wide variety of careers. It is evidence, he asserted, that, when it comes to professional success, VMI alumni rival that of any university in America. Then, there are the strong bonds formed in barracks. “My best friends in life are not Lakers, Pacers, or Nets; they are VMI men. I am confident that graduates at other D-I schools do not share in this type of committed camaraderie. I wear my VMI class ring and my wedding ring. I do not wear the Laker Championship ring.”
“Everyone associated with the Keydet Club was pleased to again celebrate our donors’ generosity and the amazing effects it has on the lives of our cadet-athletes,” said Deal. “We also were delighted to have Ron Carter give moving evidence of the efficacy of the VMI education and the special and enduring nature of the bonds forged in the shared experience of barracks.”
Makenna Moore ’22 (left), who majored in mechanical engineering with minors in applied mathematics and physics, was awarded the 2022 Three-Legged Stool. Moore commissioned into the Navy and was slated to attend the Navy’s Nuclear Power School following graduation. She played water polo for her entire cadetship and was team captain for two years. Carter (above) with cadet-athletes at the banquet. In his speech, Carter describes the effect VMI had on his life, family, and career.
