Alumni Review 2015 Issue 1 by VMI Alumni Agencies

VMI

ALUMNI REVIEW 2015-Issue 1

Contents

VIRGINIA MILITARY INSTITUTE Alumni Review 2015-Issue 1

IN THIS ISSUE . . . This issue includes class notes and news items covering the time period of Aug. 15 to Nov. 1, 2014.

FEATURES In Memory: Fosque ’38 and Kirby ‘41 2014 Institute Society Dinner 175th Founders Day VMI Launches New Campaign Donald Wilkinson ‘61 Puts VMI First Valor on Okinawa VMI Victorious in SportzEdge Coolest NCAA Logo Tournament 21 First Fall Reunion: Sept. 6-7 24 Second Fall Reunion: Sept. 27-28

DEPARTMENTS 2 165 174 180 183 187

Alumni in Theater: An Update Our Alumni Serving Association/Chapter News New Cadet Recruiting Class Notes Births, Marriages, Degrees Provisional Appointments Taps After Taps Alumni News

188

President’s Letter Association Directory The Institute VMI Athletics The Foundation The Keydet Club

In order to provide you with more exciting content in the Review, Memorial and Matching lists can now be found online at www.vmi.edu/foundation.

2015-Issue 1

Managing Editor: Jordan Moore Editorial Assistant: Elaine Wood

PUBLISHING OFFICE The VMI Alumni Association, Inc., Alumni Review Office VMI Moody Hall, P.O. Box 932, Lexington, VA 24450; 540/464-7224 review@vmiaa.org

NEWS AND UPDATES

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PUBLISHER The President of The VMI Alumni Association, Inc.

ALUMNI REVIEW ONLINE www.vmialunmi.org/alumnireview

6 7 14 16 17 18 20

3 5 27 36 43 155 156 158 162 167

Volume 91, No. 4

PRINTER Progress Printing Co., Inc. Lynchburg, Virginia The VMI Alumni Review (USPS 954-740) is published four times yearly in fall, winter, spring and summer by The VMI Alumni Association, Inc., P.O. Box 932, Lexington, VA 24450. It is sent to alumni and friends of the Institute without subscription. ATTENTION POSTMASTER: Send changes of address to: VMI Alumni Review, P.O. Box 932, Lexington, VA 24450 Periodicals postage paid at Lynchburg, VA. PURPOSE OF THE VMI ALUMNI ASSOCIATION To organize the alumni, the better to keep alive the memories of Institute life and—by their united efforts—to aid in the promotion of the welfare of the Institute, and the successful prosecution of its educational purposes. VMI ALUMNI AGENCIES TELEPHONE NUMBERS The VMI Alumni Association: The VMI Foundation: The VMI Keydet Club:

540/464-7221 540/464-7287 540/464-7328

WEBSITE ADDRESSES Alumni Agencies: www.vmialumni.org VMI: www.vmi.edu ON OUR COVERS Front: Snow falling on Virginia Mourning Her Dead. Photo by Tessa Schlicting ’15. Inside Front: The time capsule buried on Founders Day 2014 and its contents. VMI photos by Kevin Remington. Inside Back: Snow falling during the changing of the sentinel in Old Barracks. Photo by Tessa Schlicting ’15.

A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT Happy New Year from VMI! I trust your holidays were warm and wonderful. We have geared up and are well on our way to a great 2015 here at the Institute. An Uncommon Purpose: A Glorious Past, A Brilliant Future: The Campaign for VMI was launched on Founders Day 2014 and has been making great strides. In this issue, you will see coverage from the launch of the campaign at the Institute Society Dinner. Also featured are photos from Founders Day and both fall reunions, which honored the Classes of 1969, 1979, 1989, 1999, 2004 and 2009. This Review profiles two longtime supporters of VMI who are no longer with us. Since the last issue, George L. Fosque Jr. ’38, who served in World War II and later devoted many Perrow ’96 years of service to the VMI Alumni Association, and Frank L. Kirby ’41, who fought in Normandy in 1944 and was a faithful civil servant after his return, died. Both men were well respected and admired members of their community and of the VMI family. Their obituaries appear in the front section of this issue of the Review. Some articles in the issue I recommend are: •

An article titled, “Valor on Okinawa,” by Bolling Williamson ’60, detailing the leadership and valor demonstrated by Horatio C. Woodhouse Jr. ’36 in Okinawa, Japan, in 1945.

•

Coverage of the SportzEdge Coolest NCAA Logo Tournament, in which VMI emerged victorious – mostly due to the undying support of so many loyal alumni across the country and around the world.

•

The In Theater section of the magazine features an article by Lt. Peyton Dekker ’13 detailing the significant contribution five VMI alumni provided while serving in the 49th Transportation Battalion in Afghanistan, largely attributed to the skills learned during their time at VMI.

•

An article in the Keydet Club section titled “VMI Hosts McKenna-era Lettermen to Honor Release of New McKenna Book,” highlights the release of “Best Regrets: VMI’s John McKenna and the Lost Age of College Football” by Roland Lazenby ’74 and Mike Ashley. Over 110 VMI football lettermen returned for the weekend to take in a football game and attend a special reception in Marshall Hall.

I would like to take a moment to thank the class agents for their continual contribution to the largest piece of this magazine – the Class Notes. Without their hard work and dedication, this most-read section of the Review would not be possible. Please make sure you are updating them on events in your life – they would love to hear from you! As we begin this new year, I ask you all to think about VMI and how you can continue to ensure the Institute is still being heard from. Make an effort to attend chapter events in your area and to get in contact with your class agent and brother rats. Take on the responsibility of recruiting even just one prospective cadet for VMI. Come back to post – either for a reunion or on your own – and reflect on and relive your time at VMI. Many changes may have occurred on post since your last visit! You are the future of VMI, and you can make a difference. Yours in the bonds,

E.J. Turner Perrow Jr. ’96, President The VMI Alumni Association, Inc.

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Alumni in Theater* Recognizing Alumni Serving in Afghanistan * Theater is defined here as the entirety of the air, land and sea area that is involved in declared war operations at this time.

In spring 2012, Capt. Michael Hutchings ’10 (then first lieutenant), platoon leader, and his platoon of paratroopers from 2-508 Parachute Infantry Regiment were caught in a firefight with Taliban forces. The platoon had just finished serving as the blocking force for a successful operations raid in the Panjaway District of Kandahar Province. While exfiltrating, the platoon was pursued and enveloped by a larger Taliban force, which forced the paratroopers to take temporary cover behind the abandoned ruins of a nearby outpost. In the ensuing fight, the platoon’s anti-tank gunner was disabled, rendering it unable to operate the unit’s critically important weapon, the M3 recoilless rifle. Hutchings assumed gunner duties and engaged a Taliban machine gun position 147 meters away, which was pinning the platoon down with excessive fire. This photo, taken from a helmet camera, captured the instant Hutchings discharged the M3, firing a single high explosive round at the enemy machine gun. The Taliban machine gun ceased fire immediately, allowing the platoon to break contact with the Taliban. Later, Battle Damage Assessment credited Hutchings’ single shot with destroying the enemy machine gun position, as well as neutralizing three Taliban members who were operating the machine gun.

U.S. Air Force Lt. Hunter “Thud” Davis ’11 is currently deployed as a pilot with Air Force Special Operations at a classified location. Davis returned to full active duty in February 2013 following a nearfatal freefall training accident, after which he was hospitalized for seven months at Brooke Army Medical Center (San Antonio Military Medical Center) at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, and the Polytrauma Center at the Audie Murphy Veterans Affairs Center in San Antonio, Texas. He sends greetings to the Corps of Cadets, all VMI alumni, the Class of 1973 (who was very supportive during his recovery) and his own Class of 2011. He said he is “busy as hell, but I couldn’t be more proud of the people I work with or the mission we prosecute. Getting it done for America. Rah Virginia Mil!”

An Update The following alumni names have been received since the publication of the 2014-Issue 4 Alumni Review. This update does not include alumni names received after Nov. 1, 2014. Also, once the name of an alumnus has been listed in the Review, it will not appear again, even if the alumnus is re-deployed at a later date. Please send additions, corrections and photographs to the Alumni Review staff at: VMI Alumni Review, P.O. Box 932, Lexington, VA, 24450 (email: review@vmiaa.org). For a complete list of names that we have received, go to http://www.vmialumni.org and click on the link titled “Directories” and then the link “OEF/OIF,” or go directly to http://www.vmialumni.org/oifoef.

Class of 2011 U.S. Air Force Lt. Hunter W. Davis

The 2015-Issue 1 Review is the last issue in which we will include the In Theater section, due to the fact that our presence in Afghanistan will be non-combat related. Any photos received after Nov. 1, 2014, from alumni who are still serving in Afghanistan will now appear in the Our Alumni Serving section of the Review. 2015-Issue 1

VMI Graduates Serve in Afghanistan 49th Transportation Battalion (Movement Control) by Lt. Peyton Dekker ’13

From left: U.S. Army Lt. Chris Fukui ’11, who served as the Air Cell officer-in-charge; U.S. Army 2nd Lt. Peyton Dekker ’13, who served as the 49th Transportation Battalion battle captain; 1st Lt. John Rushton ’11, who served as the 495th Movement Control Team Entry Control Point 3 OPS OIC; and 2nd Lt. Max Curry ’13, who served as the 151st MCT Joint Distribution Management Center OIC.

Five VMI graduates serving in the 49th Transportation Battalion have made a significant impact on day-to-day operations in Afghanistan. The battalion is responsible for controlling ground and air movements across the Combined Joint Operations Area - Afghanistan. It is a large undertaking, which requires many man-hours tracking and producing products that are seen by the senior leaders at Theater Sustainment Command. At the tactical level, lieutenants in movement control teams are responsible for the consolidation and organization of all

U.S. Army 1st Lt. Samantha Farr ’12, who served as the 571st MCT Movement Control Operations Yard OIC.

trucks that are in-gated and out-gated throughout each forward operating base and airfield. Not only are they responsible for the trucks, but they also interact with local nationals on a daily basis. In addition to those responsibilities, they are also in charge of collecting and distributing the proper documents to track each shipment, along with the shipment’s size, weight, origin and final destination. With the ongoing retrograde mission and end of combat operations in December 2014, the MCTs play a crucial role in the process by ensuring the movement of equipment, supplies and troops out of the non-enduring locations. Each of these five young officers contributes significantly to the retrograde effort. Lt. Samantha Farr ’12 managed the Movement Control Operations Yard at Kandahar Airfield. The rest of the lieutenants worked at various locations, including the battalion headquarters, Entry Control Point and the Joint Distribution Management Center on Bagram Airfield. The VMI program bestowed these individuals with the attention to detail necessary to carry out these meticulous tasks. The constant VMI grind that these young officers endured during their time at the Institute prepared them for their deployments to Afghanistan by teaching time management and patience. They have come together within the battalion to work toward a common cause – the successful retrograde out of Afghanistan and to allow the country to eventually stand on its own as a sovereign nation, free of terrorism and fear. VMI ALUMNI REVIEW

The U.S. Navy’s newest aircraft drew five alumni together for a photo in front of the P-8A Poseidon Multi-Mission Maritime Aircraft. All five are testing various fixed and rotary wing aircraft and mission systems at the Naval Air Station in Patuxent River, Maryland – home to the Naval Air Systems Command. From left: Matt Martin ’88, Colin Boynton ’96, Brian Jordan ’93, Bryan Smith ’96 and Thomas Zager ’06.

Our Alumni Serving Recognizing Those Who Serve Others in Their Communities, Country and the World In addition to recognizing those who have served in Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom (as shown on the previous pages), the Alumni Association would like to pay tribute to other citizen-soliders, who are, as Col. J.T.L. Preston said and as printed on the parapet, “an honor to our country and our state, objects of honest pride to their instructors ... and ready in every time of deepest peril ... .” Those alumni whose photos and articles appear in this section of the Review could be members of the armed forces serving in non-combat capacities anywhere in the world, or they could be members of police and fire departments, doctors offering

their services to those less fortunate, alumni volunteering at food pantries or serving as Boy or Girl Scout leaders. If you or someone you know is serving others, please submit a high resolution photo (3 or 4 megapixels, minimum) taken at the location you are serving or with the people whom you serve. Along with the photo, please submit a caption that explains what your service is, where you perform it and for whom. Send these to the VMI Alumni Review staff at review@vmiaa.org or by mail to VMI Alumni Review, P.O. Box 932, Lexington, VA 24450, Attention: Editor. We will review your submission and consider it for publication.

Are you or someone you know serving the community, country or the world? Send in a photo and a description of what you’re doing, where and for whom. See instructions above.

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In Memory of George L. Fosque Jr. ’38 by Scott E. Belliveau ’83, Director of Communications, VMI Foundation

On Aug. 15, 2014, George L. Fosque Jr. ’38 died in Nassawadox, Virginia. He was 96. The only child of the late Dr. and Mrs. George Lee Fosque, Fosque was born Sept. 18, 1917, in Norfolk, Virginia. Known to family and friends as “Lee,” he grew up in Onancock, Virginia, on Virginia’s Eastern Shore. He matriculated with the Class of 1938 in September 1934. As a cadet, Fosque was a chemistry major. He played baseball during his 4th and 3rd Class years, and he was the assistant manager for the baseball and basketball teams during his 2nd Class year. He joined the sports staff of The Cadet in his 2nd Class year, and he was the sports editor of the newspaper as a 1st Class cadet. In his 1st Class year, he was also a member of the Intramurals Council and the Officer of the Guard Association. After his graduation from VMI, Fosque attended the University of Virginia and then joined the DuPont Company. In early 1942, he was called to service in the U.S. Army. He served with the U.S. Army’s 33rd Infantry Division, which trained in Hawaii before participating in the New Guinea campaign, the Liberation of the Philippines and the occupation of Japan. Awarded a Bronze

Star, Fosque left the service in 1946 in the grade of captain. After the war, he returned to DuPont and worked in a variety of manufacturing and marketing positions with the company for the next 26 years. After his retirement from DuPont in 1972, he returned to Onancock. There, he was an active member of Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, serving on the vestry and as senior warden. He was active for years in the local Boy Scout council and served on the Board of the Virginia Boys Home. He was a member and a past president of the Eastern Shore Yacht and Country Club and a member of the Princess Anne Country Club. He was also active in the Eastern Shore of Virginia Historical Society. Fosque was a proud and loyal supporter of the Institute. Easily recognized by his “VMI 38” license plate, he devoted many years of service to the VMI Alumni Association. He was the chairman of his class’ reunion committees and was a driving force in the Class of 1938’s 50th Reunion Fund. He is survived by his two sons, George L. Fosque III and Fletcher D. Fosque, as well as six grandchildren. His wife, Mary Davenport Fosque, predeceased him.

In Memory of Frank L. Kirby ’41 by Scott E. Belliveau ’83, Director of Communications, VMI Foundation

On Aug. 1, 2014, Frank L. Kirby ’41, a lifelong resident of Portsmouth, Virginia, died after a brief illness. As a cadet, Kirby majored in a curriculum then known as pre-medical. He was on the swimming team his entire cadetship and was a member of the Glee Club during his 1st and 2nd Class years. Although he had been accepted to the University of Virginia’s School of Medicine, he answered his country’s call and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army immediately after graduation. In the summer of 1944, then-Capt. Kirby served in Normandy with the 113th Cavalry Squadron (Mechanized), one of the two squadrons that constituted the mechanized cavalry group for XIX Corps, the 113th Cavalry Group (Mechanized). Along with the rest of the group, Kirby’s unit received its baptism of fire July 4, 1944, against the 17th SS Panzer Grenadier Division. As the American forces moved closer to the vital railway junction of St. Lô, Kirby commanded a special task force consisting of Troop C, 113th Cavalry Squadron and a company of M-10 tank destroyers. He and his men fought hedgerow-to-hedgerow against determined German resistance backed by strong artillery and mortar fire. While on a reconnaissance mission July 19, Kirby was gravely wounded. As a result of his injuries, he spent the next six years undergoing scores of surgeries and challenging rehabilitation in eight Army hospitals. He was assisted in his long recovery by his fiancée and future wife, Lucy Joan Biddles, a young English woman to whom Kirby became engaged in May 1944. By 1946, Kirby had recovered sufficiently to marry Joan, a union that lasted 48 years. Along with the Purple Heart for his actions in Normandy, Kirby received the Silver Star and the Bronze Star. Additionally, France awarded him the Croix de Guerre with Gold 6

Star “for outstanding services in the liberation of France.” After completing his rehabilitation, Kirby became the General Registrar for the City of Portsmouth, and then the office manager and corporate secretary for J.L. Smith Corporation. In 1959, he became the executive director of the Portsmouth Chapter of the American Red Cross, a position that he held until his retirement in 1985. Kirby served on Portsmouth’s City Council and was chairman of its Electoral Board. He was a member of the Portsmouth City Bicentennial Commission, the Board of Zoning Appeals and the Governor’s Commission for Employment of the Handicapped. He served the director and vice president of the Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce, and he helped found the Portsmouth Community Trust as well as the Portsmouth Lightship Museum. For this service – along with service he provided to other civic organizations – the Portsmouth Service League named him First Citizen of Portsmouth in 1977. A lifelong member of Portsmouth’s Trinity Episcopal Church, Kirby served it and the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Virginia in many capacities. He was a consistent and generous donor to the Institute, supporting it and its cadets through gifts to the Foundation Fund and Keydet Club Scholarship Fund, as well as the Class of 1941 Scholarship and the Portsmouth-Chesapeake Scholarship. An obituary published in The Virginian-Pilot commended Kirby as “an optimistic, energetic gentleman of honor and integrity ... a model of character, courage, resilience and tenacity.” It also stated, “He embodied the Spirit of his beloved VMI.” His first wife, Joan, predeceased him in 1994. In 2003, he married Belle Faucette Kelly. She survives him, along with his two daughters, seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. VMI ALUMNI REVIEW

Institute Society Dinner 2014

As it has for the past several years, Marshall Hall was the venue for the Institute Society Dinner.

On the evening of Founders Day, the VMI Foundation hosted almost 600 alumni and friends of VMI at its annual Institute Society Dinner in Marshall Hall. This annual event primarily recognizes the members of the Institute Society, those men and women who make a minimum annual gift of $1,500 to the Foundation Fund or donate at least $3,000 annually to a restricted fund or endowment managed by the VMI Foundation during a fiscal year. As is customary, Hugh M. Fain III ’80, president of the VMI Foundation (his first year in this position), recognized the members of the society for their enduring generosity and commitment to the Institute. Fain also recognized the three classes that conducted Reunion Campaigns during Fiscal Year 2014 – the Class of 1964, the Class of 1988 and the Class of 2003. This year, however, the event commemorated two anniversaries – the 175th anniversary of the Institute’s founding and the 40th anniversary of the Institute Society Dinner – and, as such, was the proper event at which to launch of the public phase of An Uncommon 2015-Issue 1

Purpose: A Glorious Past, A Brilliant Future: the Campaign for VMI. After being introduced by Fain, Gen. J.H. Binford Peay III ’62, VMI superintendent, addressed the guests. In his remarks, he provided an overview of VMI’s current state, staked out an ambitious future for the Institute and called for the entire VMI family to rally to the standard of this new comprehensive campaign. He was followed by Donald M. Wilkinson ’61, campaign chairman, who described the special nature of VMI and its undoubted importance to the nation as a school for leaders in the mold of the Founding Fathers. He followed with an outline of the new campaign and its goals. He then informed the audience of the goal of the campaign – $225 million in gifts and commitments – as well as its progress so far, which is an impressive $183 million. After seeing a moving video presentation related to the campaign (which can be viewed at http://www.vmi.edu/ campaignvideo), the evening came to its customary close with a performance from the VMI Glee Club, followed by the singing of “The VMI Spirit” and “The VMI Doxology,” led by the Glee Club.

“It was a wonderful night,” stated Brian Crockett, VMI Foundation chief executive officer. “Not only did we honor the members of the Institute Society – past and present – for their decades of faithful and generous support of VMI and celebrate the Institute’s 175th birthday, but we also launched a comprehensive campaign which, when its goals are met, will transform the Institute, making it an even stronger college and, thus, even greater asset to the state and the country.”

The cadets of VMI’s Color Guard posted the Colors to begin the opening ceremonies.

Brian Scott Crockett, chief executive officer of the VMI Foundation, welcomed the guests.

Hugh M. Fain III ’80, president of the VMI Foundation, thanked those present for their leadership in support of the Institute.

Gen. J.H. Binford Peay III ’62, VMI superintendent, laid out the challenges facing the Institute as well as its exciting plans for the future.

Donald M. Wilkinson ’61, chairman of the new comprehensive campaign, announced its launch and its ambitious goals.

The VMI Glee Club, led by its new director, Lt. Col. Joshua T. Harvey, provided an entertaining medley of songs.

Elegant decorations ensured a gala atmosphere.

Conor Evans ’02 and his wife, Lauren.

C.F. Weddington Jr. ’63 and his wife, Christi, made the trip to the dinner from Texas.

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The VMI Herald Trumpets played the National Anthem.

The striking video shown at the event used an entire wall as its screen.

William G. Harshaw Jr. ’58, left, and Brig. Gen. Bob Green ’67, VMI’s deputy superintendent for finance, administration and support.

Col. James S. Park, VMI chaplain, left, and Barker Squire ’10. Anthony L. Baker ’90 examined some of the medals on display in the Hall of Valor.

Brig. Gen. Jeffrey G. Smith Jr. ’79, VMI’s dean of the faculty and deputy superintendent for academics, with his father, Lt. Gen. Jeffrey G. Smith ’43.

Cadet Scott Beasley ’16 spoke with L. Randolph Williams ’66 before dinner.

Gen. J.H. Binford Peay III ’62, VMI superintendent, with Bruce C. Gottwald Sr. ’54, former Board of Visitors president, right, and his wife, Nancy, center.

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Brother rats from the Class of 1962, left: L.B. Wilson Jr., Gen. J.H. Binford Peay III and John Duke Anthony.

Gen. J.H. Binford Peay III ’62, VMI superintendent, shared a moment with Anthony L. Baker ’90, left, and Eugene Williams ’75, center.

Institute Society Dinner Remarks by Gen. J.H. Binford Peay III ’62, Superintendent

In his remarks, Gen. J.H. Binford Peay III ’62, VMI superintendent, stressed that “this campaign will go a long way towards positioning VMI for its role in the 21st century.” VMI photo by H. Lockwood McLaughlin.

Ladies and gentlemen, members of the Institute Society and guests, I welcome you to this annual gala gathering of friends and supporters of the Institute. This year is especially notable in the life of VMI, for not only is it the 40th anniversary of the creation of the Institute Society, but it marks the 150th anniversary of the Battle of New Market and the 175th anniversary of the founding of the Institute. Earlier today at the Founders Day Convocation, we celebrated that anniversary and welcomed Virginia’s 72nd governor, the Hon. Terry McAuliffe, who spoke to the VMI community gathered in Cameron Hall and, to no surprise, declared amnesty for the Corps of Cadets. We followed that with the “Corps on Parade.” How can any of us not be proud and stand tall watching the future of America pass by? It certainly 10

gives me strength and great confidence in the Institute’s and our nation’s future. In my welcoming celebration convocation remarks this morning, I mentioned that the Institute was officially created two years before it actually began operations Nov. 11, 1839. The opening of the Institute had to be postponed because of the economic panic of that year [1837] – America’s first depression – a financial downturn that strongly resembled what this nation has just endured. Undeterred, the Virginia General Assembly and the Institute’s founders – members of our first Board of Visitors along with Smith, Crozet and Preston – did not give in or give up but persevered and succeeded. The Institute has lived on through many other financial crises, the Civil War, the Great Depression of the 1930s, two world wars and other difficult times. Looking

back over these eventful years and remarkable generations, we can truly say that the Institute has had a glorious past, and I think in the years ahead, a brilliant future – for “VMI is truly a national treasure.” For over a century and a half, VMI has provided leaders in science and engineering, education, the law, business, medicine and the military. The Institute has fulfilled “an uncommon purpose.” VMI fosters in its graduates values and capabilities for an expanding and extraordinarily complex world. Today, as we look at the Institute, we see a splendid academic program; a robust building plan to accommodate today’s needs and tomorrow’s opportunities; an athletic program that develops leaders – true student-athletes with integrity – and a strong, vibrant, disciplined and honorable Corps of Cadets. Like conditions at the founding of the VMI ALUMNI REVIEW

Institute, however, economic reality presses hard on VMI. Declining state revenues have forced budget reductions equally in all the state colleges and universities across the commonwealth. VMI’s reductions have perhaps been felt greater than the average, due mainly to its small size compounded by VMI’s significant growth in in-state enrollment, thereby limiting higher-paying out of state numbers. The growth in Virginia cadets ideally would have been accompanied by an increase in state general funds, but the state has lagged behind because of the two recessions which have occurred during the past decade. The situation is troubling, and there is, in my view after 12 years of working the halls of the Virginia legislature along with corporate business leaders who are equally concerned with an educated workforce for top jobs, little hope that things will quickly get better. Our state elected VMI friends have been incredibly helpful – particularly as regards construction resources. The lesson we have learned is that VMI cannot depend on state support in operational dollars for higher education; principally because of the decline in state revenues tied to reduced defense spending impacting northern Virginia and the Hampton Roads-Norfolk areas. We must not continue to increase the cost of a VMI education for cadets and their families. It is not in our tradition, nor favorable to the kinds of young men and women we want to enter Jackson Arch as our future graduates. Understanding the decade long record of state budget reductions, we – the Institute – need to be in the position that insures every qualified cadet that we accept to VMI, should receive some form of need-based financial support or other merit scholarship tuition assistance. This is among the priorities of the new VMI Campaign, a comprehensive campaign which focuses on significant support for academics, Corps life, athletics, preserving the Institute’s growing historical activities and, importantly, unrestricted annual and endowment support. These combinations will provide a value-based education – the very best in America. There will be numerous campaigns at VMI before the Institute reaches its

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200th birthday in 2039. We should set, stretch and achieve a VMI Foundation endowment goal in 2039 of $2 billion as we celebrate that Founders Day event. We can do that! We must do that! This campaign announcement this evening is a wonderful first step along that path that ensures our destiny and supports that 2039 goal. We are justifiably proud of the Institute’s academic program and its talented faculty. We have limited degrees, and they are all challenging. Greater than 50 percent of the Corps major in math, science or engineering. All of our full-time faculty members hold the Ph.D. degree, and all of our faculty teach. We have small classes and an excellent ratio of one faculty member to 12 cadets. We have partnerships with the best graduate schools in the nation, and we are nationally ranked and have excellent high-tech classrooms and facilities. Our cadet-athletes are student athletes, setting a standard for America. One result of many is that 98 percent of our cadets annually have jobs at graduation – an unheard achievement in these economic times. All of this and more makes VMI distinctive and highly successful. And all of this comes with high costs that increase with each year. Excellence costs! But, the return on the investment is more than justified, as the splendid record of our alumni abundantly testifies, leaders of the commonwealth and our nation, disproportionate to any in the nation. VMI graduates are trusted. Unfailing. They hone their sharpness through a rigorous military system, strong academics and a robust athletic program. The VMI experience prepares them for the life ahead: a life of strength, honor and integrity. The VMI spirit – that combination of purposefulness, loyalty and perseverance – is the common bond of these true citizen-soldiers who, in the military or as civilians, serve the nation in times of peace and of deepest peril. In the coming weeks and months, you will hear a lot about this VMI Campaign, and I believe you will be proud of what we will announce this evening. It is truly a team effort, and I commend the staffs and volunteers of the VMI Foundation,

the Keydet Club, the Alumni Association, our Parents Council and the Campaign Cabinet for their dedication to the campaign’s success. I express my heartfelt appreciation to all of our donors – past and present – who have made possible so much that has allowed VMI to thrive through its long history. And, I express my special thanks to all of you gathered here tonight. The Institute Society has made an enormous difference in the life of VMI – not only through your generosity but your commitment to the mission of the Institute and your faith in its brilliant future. It is my pleasure, as we launch our next campaign, to introduce the gentleman who leads this important fundraising effort: Mr. Donald M. Wilkinson Jr. He is a graduate of the Institute and a graduate of the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia. He served as an officer in the U.S. Army during the Cold War and then founded Wilkinson O’Grady, a New York-based global investment-management firm where he is chairman and chief investment officer today. He has given more than three decades of service to VMI, beginning with his volunteer work with VMI’s capital campaign, The Sesquicentennial Challenge. Mr. Wilkinson served as a trustee of the VMI Foundation from 1989-97, and from 2000-05, he participated in VMI’s last capital campaign, Reveille: A Call to Excel, as its vice chairman. In 2002, he helped establish the Jackson-Hope Fund, an academic advancement fund at VMI, and he remains a member of the Fund’s Board of Overseers. Mr. Wilkinson also served on VMI’s Board of Visitors from 1999 to 2007, as vice president of the board from 2005-07 and as the chairman of its Academic Affairs Committee for four years. In 2010, Mr. Wilkinson was presented the VMI Foundation’s prestigious Distinguished Service Award. Please join me in welcoming the gentleman whose past performance, support and service to VMI has, indeed, insured that the Institute will continue to be “heard from today,” the VMI Campaign Cabinet chairman, Donald M. Wilkinson Jr., VMI Class of 1961.

Remarks by Donald Wilkinson ’61, Campaign Chairman are not to be found just in the great mo- time and hard earned money to this “no Thank you General Peay. ments in its history or even in its most ordinary college?” Mrs. Peay, ladies and gentlemen, My belief is that in a confused world Tonight, I first want to talk to you about renowned alumni. It is to be found in VMI’s uncommon purpose and then its continuing ability to graduate – for of shifting values and conflict, you each about the upcoming and crucial capital 175 years – men and women of strong know that here, in the Shenandoah Valcharacter, rock-solid integrity and sound ley, there is this Victorian Gothic outpost campaign. of ideals; this outpost of uncommon For the last 175 years, we have been intellect: Graduates who possess a fervent sense purpose, teaching values that have lit building this great Institute into one of national prominence – an Institute that of duty and a willingness to provide self- western civilization for the last 2,000 has brought honor to her graduates, her less service. As you know, these traits years, values on which you can count. state – the “Old Dominion” – and to her make VMI graduates highly prized by This beloved school has the mission of exceptional nation. Tonight, we are cel- employers, highly regarded within their providing future leaders for our nation ebrating these accomplishments, riding communities and an invaluable resource who are intellectually competitive with the best and also leaders in upholding a powerful wave of success led by our the ethics of the citizen soldier. distinguished 14th superintendent, Yet at this very moment of remarkGeneral J.H. Binford Peay III. able success and on this night of On this 175th anniversary of its celebration, we have to recognize that founding, Virginia Military Institute is this is also a time of heightened risk undoubtedly in the strongest position for VMI. Over the next decades, we in her history. This is fitting, because can build on our achievements, or it the need for leaders with the values can easily become a period of painful of VMI graduates is more pressing in setbacks. In this highly competitive today’s world than possibly it has ever world, institutions that do not pursue been. excellence have a way of rapidly going Virginia Military Institute has had into decline. an uncommon character and purpose The greatest risks to VMI come not since its conception. Its founders, inspired by the central importance Don Wilkinson ’61, campaign chairman, internally from the Institute, but they of civic virtue, set out in the 1830s to made it official: This campaign’s goal is the come from the external world. For largest of any such effort in VMI history. VMI example, probably the greatest immecreate something different from an photo by H. Lockwood McLaughlin. diate risk has been brought about by ordinary American college. They purthe diminished financial capacity of the posely chose the word “Institute” because to our country and society as a whole. The Institute has always had an uncom- state of Virginia in its support of higher it set VMI apart as, in the words of J.T.L. Preston, “something different from either mon purpose. What is most refreshing education. The loss of these state funds is that while the academic curriculum comes at a time when families are broadly college or university.” Just as important as its basic character has changed with the times, as it should having difficulty funding the cost of ris– to include its military structure, which have, VMI has always kept faith with its ing tuitions. Consequently, almost every Preston described as “its characteristic enduring core values, which need never cadet today needs some form of financial assistance. In such an environment, wellfeature” – the Institute was established to change. Look up at the walls above the balcony funded schools that are better capitalized with an uncommon purpose in mind: the preparation of young cadets to be citizen- surrounding this great hall. You see with larger per capita endowments are soldiers. This intent of the founders was decorations earned in service to our competing aggressively for the outstandconsciously inspired by classic ideals nation by many of our graduates. These ing students and faculty that we wish to first defined in Greece and Rome at their are tangible expressions of bravery attract, using their financial muscle. If VMI is to remain competitive with democratic apexes. The new Institute was and patriotism. At VMI, we defend our meant to provide cadets with an education country in time of peril. We have our other leading academic institutions on a in step with the needs and challenges of a icons in George Washington, Stonewall long-term, self-sustaining basis, we must rapidly growing and changing country. It Jackson and George Marshall – as well as be able to attract the best students and was also intended to form the character Jonathan Daniels from the great Class of maintain our superb faculty, supporting of every cadet in such a way as to prepare 1961. But, what makes VMI distinctive is them as needed. To do this, it has become them to be resolute, purposeful and hon- you – the women and men attending this obvious that we need an endowment orable leaders. In the classical world, these celebration tonight. Why are you here? much larger than at present in order to Why is it so satisfying to return to VMI? support these efforts. This is a hard, cold were the marks of civic virtue. The crowning achievements of VMI Why is it satisfying and rewarding to give reality, and we may as well get to work 12

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to get the job done. Our mission is one worth preserving for not just the next 25 years but the next 175. VMI graduates are not a group that flinches from a good hard challenge. Therefore, let me tell you what we warriors are going to do to prevail; what we have done in order to win; what we are doing in order to insure victory. What we have done began in spring 2011 when the VMI Foundation, under the leadership of Walt Perrin and Brian Crockett, began taking action in response to these looming facts. Following a careful analysis of our fundraising readiness, the Foundation conducted a planning study that reached nearly 900 members of the VMI family. The findings were clear and virtually uncontested: It was time for a VMI capital campaign. Therefore, in July 2011, under thenFoundation President Walt Jeffress, the quiet phase of a campaign was initiated. General Peay called upon seven members from the great classes of the 1960s to form a Campaign Cabinet. I received that call, as did each of the following gentlemen, who I ask now to please stand and remain standing as I state your name: Walt Perrin ’62, Conrad Hall ’65, Jim Rogers ’67, Tom Slater ’66, General John Jumper ’66 is also a member of this Cabinet and could not join us this evening and Bill Paulette ’69. Further, could I ask two other gentlemen to stand? General Binford Peay ’62, our 14th superintendent, without whose focus, energy, creativity and determination this campaign could never succeed; and Brian Crockett, the chief executive officer of the Foundation and of the campaign whose job it has been to provide the infrastructure necessary to support our efforts. You see before you proud and talented alumni and a very good friend of VMI, all of whom, like you, believe passionately in the uncommon purpose of this Institute. These men exemplify the VMI spirit in their commitment to this campaign, and they have all made their mark as leaders in this effort bringing to bear their best judgment guiding us toward success. It is a high privilege for me to serve with these gentlemen as the chair of the Campaign Cabinet, and I want to publicly recognize and thank them for the

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tremendous effort they have put forth. Based on the planning study findings in June 2011, the Foundation, after much hard work, established a goal of $180 million for the campaign. That was a realistic but very ambitious number. It had been seven years since George Phillips led the Reveille Campaign. The Great Recession dropped in, and it still hasn’t entirely left. Perhaps most challenging – because of the economic environment – the competition for philanthropic support is fierce. But VMI does not shy away from tough challenges. We seek them, and most certainly we believe in the importance of our mission. If anything, world events over the last decade only highlight the value of our special mission. We met as a Campaign Cabinet for the first time in September 2011, determined to help the Institute realize its vision for the future. Since that initial meeting, we have always had this evening – the 175th anniversary of VMI – in our sights as a magnificent opportunity to move the campaign into a public phase. But there was a lot that needed to happen first, and it all boiled down to three things: One: Getting out there to see people. Two: Sharing the VMI story and its case for giving. Three: Discovering the level of support that might be forthcoming. The splendid Foundation staff, along with General Peay and the Alumni Agencies, joined the cabinet in those efforts. The response has been nothing short of inspirational. Over and over, we encountered alumni who asked, “What do you want me to do?” and who followed up by giving VMI their commitment to be an advocate and a philanthropist for the VMI mission. Most inspiring, a number of non-alumni have stepped up in significant ways wishing to stand with us and be counted. I am thinking, for example, of one gentleman who so strongly believed in the mission and vision of VMI that he committed to a million dollar planned gift before the formal solicitation could even be prepared. A distinguished widow of a beloved alumnus who made a sixfigure pledge because, she said, “I have decided that VMI’s priority should be my priority.” I stand here, ladies and gentlemen, filled with pride by what is my privilege to announce to you this evening.

I am humbled, as well, by the many examples of unrivaled devotion from so many on behalf of VMI. Although we have a long journey ahead of us, together we have already accomplished something transformative for this Institute. Remember, the initial “stretch goal” for the entire Campaign was $180 million. Because of your generosity and that of others not in this room, we stand tonight – even though all this has been accomplished in a quiet phase – having already exceeded our initial goal, for alumni and friends have already made pledges and given donations in excess of $180 million. Tonight, we stand at $183 million contributed to VMI to insure her future. Almost 12,000 separate donations make up this total. From the very small to the very large, each gift adds to our success. This evening, as we celebrate 175 years of the VMI spirit, it is my added honor to announce that VMI is now embarking on the public phase of our campaign, when we reach out to our entire family and friends. It is called An Uncommon Purpose: A Glorious Past, A Brilliant Future: The Campaign for VMI and, in that spirit, we are declaring the largest campaign goal in the history of VMI: We expect to raise $225 million! I will tell you that this goal has been set knowing we can never predict what we will face in a very competitive philanthropic landscape, and we are well aware that VMI’s plans for greatness tally much more than $225 million. But, as campaign chair, I promise you that if we all work together we can far exceed that goal, and charge through the campaign finish line with yet another evening of celebration and cheers. We can do this. I don’t exaggerate when I say that the very competitive survival of the Institute is at stake, but what I want to emphasize is the fact that success in this campaign means we can definitely continue to build on her past achievements. Thank you once again for your abiding support of VMI. I ask you to continue to be champions of the Institute, remembering how unusual our mission is in today’s world. Please share your time and talent and treasure on behalf of VMI. I firmly believe no better and lasting investment can be made. Thank you, and God bless VMI. 13

VMI Launches New Comprehensive Campaign, Sets Goal of $225 Million On the evening of Nov. 11, 2014, the Virginia Military Institute announced the launch of the public phase of An Uncommon Purpose: A Glorious Past, A Brilliant Future: The Campaign for VMI at the annual Institute Society Dinner in Marshall Hall. The effort and its ambitious goal of $225 million in gifts and commitments was introduced by Gen. J.H. Binford Peay III ’62, VMI superintendent, and Donald M. Wilkinson ’61, Campaign Cabinet chairman. In their speeches (printed in their entirety on the preceding pages), they referenced the need to keep the Institute strong in order to ensure its alumni can continue to exert a positive influence on the country by graduating, as Wilkinson said in his remarks, “men and women of strong character, rock-solid integrity and sound intellect who possess a fervent sense of duty and a willingness to provide selfless service.” In his speech, Wilkinson also revealed the campaign’s amazing progress as of Founders Day: $183 million in gifts and commitments – all raised during the campaign’s three-year “quiet phase.” The speeches were followed by a 13-minute video that provided an overview of the reason behind the campaign and its overall goals (Please visit http://www.vmi.edu/ campaignvideo to view the video). “The reaction of this audience of more than 600 of the Institute’s most dedicated supporters was enthusiastic,” said Brian Scott Crockett, chief executive officer of the VMI Foundation, who is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the campaign. “They came away excited about An Uncommon Purpose and determined to see that it meets its goal – and exceeds it. In the days immediately following this event, it became clear that the rest of the VMI family shares this initial enthusiasm. For example, the Institute and the VMI Alumni Association announced the campaign through posts which contained a link to the video on their

The campaign’s introductory video drew warm applause that evening and thousands of viewers online. VMI photo by VMI Communications and Marketing.

The audience of alumni, friends and cadets provided an enthusiastic response to the announcement of the public phase of An Uncommon Purpose: A Glorious Past, A Brilliant Future: The Campaign for VMI. VMI photo by H. Lockwood McLaughlin.

respective Facebook pages Wednesday morning, Nov. 12. In a little more than 24 hours, almost 8,000 people had seen the posts and watched the video, and hundreds of them then shared the post with friends.” “With that level of excitement,” said

Scan this page with

Crockett, “this phase of the campaign is off to a strong start.” For more information about the goals and the progress of An Uncommon Purpose: A Glorious Past, A Brilliant Future: The Campaign for VMI, please visit: www.vmi.edu/campaign.

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Donald Wilkinson ’61 Puts VMI First by Rich Griset, Contributing Writer

Donald Wilkinson ’61 has worn many hats in his lifetime. After graduating from VMI, Wilkinson served in the U.S. Army as an air defense artillery officer. He co-founded a global asset-management firm and has served on the boards of numerous corporate, civic and charitable efforts. But for Wilkinson, all roads lead back to VMI. The past few decades have seen Wilkinson sit on the Institute’s Board of Visitors and the VMI Foundation Board of Trustees, volunteer for the Sesquicentennial Challenge, serve as founding overseer of the Jackson-Hope Fund and serve as vice chairman of VMI’s capital campaign “Reveille: A Call to Excel.” Wilkinson has heeded the call to service once again, this time serving as chairman of An Uncommon Purpose: A Glorious Past, a Brilliant Future: The Campaign for VMI, for which he has already made a significant financial commitment. Looking back, Wilkinson has fond memories of his time at the Institute. “It was an extraordinary experience intellectually,” Wilkinson recalled. “I was an English major, and I took a number of economics courses – particularly money and banking. Colonel Herbert Dillard ’34 and Colonel Alex Morrison ’39 had a great impact on my life.” While attending VMI, Wilkinson was a 1st Battalion sergeant major and a cadet captain of Company A as a 1st Class cadet. He was also editor of the 1961 edition of The Bomb and The Bullet, staff member of The Cadet, and a member of his class’ ring committee, Ring Figure Committee, Timmons Music Society and the R.E. Dixon English Society. All of this set up Wilkinson for a lifetime of giving back to the Institute. “Early in life, I found that I really enjoyed serving VMI,” he said. “I got a lot out of it, and I learned a lot from the experience. I got more out of it than I put in. Later in life, I found working as a trustee of the Foundation, serving on the Board of Visitors and being an overseer 2015-Issue 1

of the Jackson-Hope Fund remarkably rewarding, working with such a great group of people.” After graduating, Wilkinson spent nearly three years in the Army, serving mostly in Germany. He received a Master of Business Administration degree from the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia and co-founded the global assetmanagement firm Wilkinson O’Grady in 1972. Even now, Wilkinson considers his time at VMI as the cornerstone of his success and said the values instilled by the Insti-

Wilkinson ’61 tute are ones that must be carried on. “Its goals and values are extraordinarily important in today’s society,” he said “Loyalty, truthfulness, responsibility – these are enduring values that you find throughout the VMI family.” Wilkinson stated that, over the past 50 years, society has come to see values of right and wrong as relative, but VMI stands in contrast; there are rights, and there are wrongs. “VMI hasn’t changed that much,” said Wilkinson. “Over its 175-year history, it has stood for the concept of the citizen soldier; the concept of duty. Society in large part has moved away from some of those

values, so VMI stands out more vividly today than it did 50 years ago when I graduated from VMI.” With the rising cost of higher education and the reduction of state funding, Wilkinson declared it’s more important than ever to financially support the Institute. “It’s harder and harder for families to afford the tuition and the cost of higher education,” he said. “The cost of it has gone up much faster than the average person’s income ... We have to raise more capital to increase the size of our endowment to be able to compete for students and faculty and provide scholarships.” Wilkinson emphasized that increasing VMI’s endowment and scholarship opportunities are critical to keep the Institute ahead of the pack. “We live in a highly competitive world. VMI is in competition for students, faculty, financial resources – it’s a competitive world in every way,” he said. “We have to make sure that this opportunity is open to meritorious men and women ... If you do not pursue excellence in today’s world, you simply get passed by and fall behind.” Through their financial support of the Institute, brother rats are proving one of VMI’s greatest lessons – greater goals can be achieved through working together. “Our alumni are as generous as any in the country. In life, you can’t achieve everything all by yourself, and it’s so much more powerful when you’re working with other talented people,” he says. “VMI produces – in a quiet way – young people that are trained in critical thinking, which is the most important thing in education.” To continue its mission of creating competitive citizen-soldiers who stand for proven ideals, Wilkinson pressed that now is the time to act. “If you believe in what VMI’s doing, what it would like to do and what it stands for, it needs more financial resources than it controls,” Wilkinson said. “We really have to grow the size of the endowment for the VMI Foundation to make VMI selfsustaining in the long term.” 15

Founders Day, Nov. 11, 2014

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VMI photos by Kevin Remington, Kelly Nye and John Robertson IV.

Celebrating 175 Years of VMI

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Valor on Okinawa

One of the earlier plaques erected in the VMI Memorial Gardens, occupying a prominent spot near the steps, is in memory of Horatio C. Woodhouse Jr. ’36 who was killed in the battle for Okinawa in 1945. A native of Norfolk, Virginia, “Monk” was a popular member of the class. His writeup in the 1936 Bomb noted that he rose to the rank of first lieutenant “...maintaining his military prestige without becoming ‘eager.’” It continued, “Never has a block running detail left without him. When asked why he wanted to take such chances with his stripes, he remarked that he only wanted to enjoy himself while he was young.” After graduation, he accepted a commission into the Marine Corps, served a tour in China and then served as a tactical instructor for schools at the U.S. Marine Corps Base at Quantico. After the

Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Woodhouse was posted to a variety of command and staff assignments in the Pacific theater and was involved in several amphibious operations.

Invasion of Okinawa April 1, 1945, found Lt. Col. Woodhouse commanding the 2nd Battalion, 22nd Marine Regiment and landing with the assault wave on Okinawa. They were a part of the 6th Marine Division and were participating in the largest amphibious landing in the entire Pacific war. It would also prove to be the most costly. Gaining control of the island would enable the Allies to build air bases virtually on the doorstep of the Japanese homeland, so the Japanese troops mounted a defense that, compared with previous battles, was unparalleled in its ferocity. The 6th Division was assigned to take

Lt. Col. Horatio C. Woodhouse Jr. ’36 as a cadet.

“...the greatest commander I ever knew.” –Retired U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Gen. James L. Day the northern end of the island, which happened to be more lightly defended, and the units moved relatively quickly to secure it. On April 19, Woodhouse’s troops raised the American flag on the northernmost tip of Okinawa – the nearest point to the Japanese homeland reached by any American unit at that time. Most of the 6th Division was then ordered to the southern end of the island where the Japanese had concentrated their defenses and virtually stopped the Americans.

The Battle for Sugar Loaf Hill U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Lemuel Shepherd of the 6th Marine Division studied a map on Okinawa, June 1945. Courtesy of the National Archives, photo no. 127-GR-95-122119.

As the men of the 2nd Battalion moved out toward their new objective, a series of low hills lay in their path. The lead company came up against the first, which became known as Sugar Loaf Hill – a

seemingly insignificant mound rising 50 feet above the surrounding terrain but which constituted an integral part of a network of mutually-supporting defensive strong points. The company was repelled; continued efforts to take the hill reduced their strength to 24 effectives, at which time the company was pulled back and others from the battalion were sent up. Woodhouse was personally involved in the four assaults made by his troops by leading and encouraging their efforts. The ground around the hill, which the troops had to cross, was a killing zone; several times the Marines managed to reach the summit, only to be driven back off. This was due to the murderous fire that came from artillery and mortars, as well as from firing ports that were so well designed VMI ALUMNI REVIEW

Photos of Woodhouse, Clement, Buckner and Shepherd courtesy of the VMI Archives.

by Bolling Williamson ’60, Contributing Writer

Maj. Gen. William T. Clement ’914

A demolition crew from the 6th Marine Division watches dynamite charges explode and destroy a Japanese cave. Okinawa, May 1945. Robert M. Cusack, U.S. Marine Corps. Courtesy of The National Archives.

Lt. Gen. Simon B. Buckner ’906

Maj. Gen. Lemuel C. Shepherd ’917 2015-Issue 1

and concealed inside interlocking caves that many of the troops said they never saw an enemy soldier. The placement of the Japanese reinforced concrete reverseslope bunkers made them impervious to American artillery and airstrikes, and the hill couldn’t be attacked with a force any larger than a rifle company because of its physical dimensions. After 8 days of back-and-forth fighting that chewed up a series of very good companies from two regiments, the hill was finally taken. In a news release published in the New York Herald Tribune May 18, 1945, war correspondent Homer Bigart wrote: “I drove along with Lt. Col. Horatio C. Woodhouse of Norfolk, Virginia, commanding the 2nd Battalion of the 22nd Marine Regiment. Woodhouse is 31 years old and, like many other officers of his division, a graduate of Virginia Military Institute ... It was his battalion that withstood so gallantly the fierce Japanese counterattack two nights ago on Sugar Loaf Hill. There had been no retreat. The company occupying the crest of the hill had repulsed wave after wave, until all the men were dead or wounded ... Woodhouse had a thousand men when the offensive started six days ago. Now he could count 250 effectives ... The fierce intensity of the fire was a revelation to the Marines who had never experienced such heavy

concentrations of artillery ...” Twelve days later, May 30, Woodhouse was killed by a sniper as he led his troops in an assault on another objective. He was posthumously awarded the Silver Star for his bravery.

Epilogue The same flag that had been raised April 19 was raised again when the last defensive position had been taken. It was then sent to Woodhouse’s mother in Norfolk. She subsequently gave it to the VMI Museum, and it is currently on loan to the Marine Corps Museum. James L. Day, a corporal awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in the battle for Sugar Loaf, later decorated in Korea and Vietnam and now a retired major general, described Woodhouse as “the greatest commander and Marine I ever knew,” crediting him with decisive actions that enabled his men to move forward rapidly and, most importantly, avoid unnecessary casualties. VMI was well represented in the battle for Okinawa: Lt. Gen. Simon B. Buckner ’906 commanded American forces ashore but was killed in action in the last days of the campaign. The 6th Marine Division was commanded by Maj. Gen. Lemuel C. Shepherd ’917 (a cousin of Woodhouse), and his assistant division commander was Maj. Gen. William T. Clement ’914. 19

VMI Victorious in SportzEdge Coolest NCAA Logo Tournament

From the very beginning of the Coolest NCAA Logo Tournament, VMI proved that its cadets, alumni and family are loyal and passionate about the Institute. The website that hosted the competition, SportzEdge, is powered by WTNH-TV News 8 of Connecticut. They openly doubted the Keydets’ ability to win because of its small size in comparison to larger major universities throughout the country, but the Institute held a mostly steady lead throughout the four months of the “March Madness” tournament format. For VMI, the contest began among nine other teams in the Southern Conference. During this initial phase of the contest, VMI garnered an impressive 123,496 votes and 50 percent of the polls among a lineup of schools including the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, The Citadel, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and Western Carolina University, which VMI beat in a highly contested conference battle to earn a no. 1 seed in the Field of 64 Tournament. The Institute’s impressive vote count didn’t go unnoticed by SportzEdge. “The Keydets don’t boast a lot of tournament success, but their backing here by the nation shows that this might be their title for the taking,” wrote the website. However, the website questioned the importance of the logo and stated, “[the logo] is simply just the VMI letters, with some primary colors thrown in.” This statement was soon challenged by commenters. One by the name of vmi06 stated, “Dr. J.H. Campbell, a resident of Lexington and a graduate of the Institute, is credited with drawing on the significance 20

of these colors and in 1886, wrote: ‘Let red represent the artillery, white the infantry and yellow the cavalry.’” To which the website responded, “We’re not disrespecting that logo again.” VMI trumped the University of Texas with 91 percent of the votes in the Round of 64 and George Washington University in the Round of 32 with 80 percent of votes. It was during the contest with GWU that SportzEdge decided to limit voting to only once per hour, for it suspected that voting bots were being used to garner votes. Again, VMI was held under scrutiny because those following the competition questioned the capability of a school with a Corps of Cadets of only 1,650 to achieve such high numbers of votes. VMI then entered into the Sweet 16 round against Utah Valley University. Even though the voting was close, with VMI only winning by roughly 600 votes, the Institute progressed to the Elite Eight, where they earned a win by almost 20,000 votes against New Mexico State University. VMI faced its toughest competitor when it entered into the Final Four against Washington State University. Alumni, cadets and VMI supporters pulled through more than ever, relentlessly voting every hour from all of their devices and urging those they knew to do the same. Joe Levine ’68 stated, “VMI is locked in a real David versus Goliath battle against Washington State University. Washington State has 24,000 students and 200,000 alumni compared to VMI, which has only 1,600 students and about 11,000 alumni.”

Indeed, the competition with WSU proved the most challenging for VMI, with a constant back-and-forth lead. But in the end, due to the enthusiastic passion that VMI’s network holds, the Institute came out on top with 186,231 votes, leaving Washington State over 7,000 votes behind. The final National Championship round ended Nov. 7 and put VMI up against North Carolina State University. This final round proved an almost anticlimactic finish, as VMI finished with over 111,000 votes and North Carolina State with just 27,000, drawing the months of intense competition to a close and officially crediting the Institute with the coolest NCAA logo. When asked how VMI was so successful, Greg Cavallaro ’84, Keydet Club chief executive officer, responded, “When the emails were sent, they went viral within minutes to other alumni, cadets, parents, relatives, co-workers and friends. What is known as the spirit of VMI truly has carried VMI through every round. VMI is one of the smallest Division I schools in the country, yet our ‘never say die’ motto and our brother rat class unity, turned this into more than being about which school has the coolest logo, but more about love, pride, passion and support for our beloved alma mater. Very special thanks to everyone who participated. In a small but meaningful way, winning this national competition reinforces for so many much of what makes VMI such a special place. Here’s to the spirit of VMI and wishing the Institute a happy 175th birthday!”

The final poll results from the National Championship round of the Coolest NCAA Logo Tournament, hosted by SportzEdge.

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First Fall Reunion

September 12-13, 2014

Photos by H. Lockwood McLaughlin

Classes of 1969, 1979 and the Honored Class of 1989

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Second Fall Reunion

September 26-27, 2014 Classes of 1999, 2009 and the Honored Class of 2004

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ASSOCIATION NEWS ASSOCIATION NEWS Alumni in Petersburg Observe 150th Anniversaries of New Market Day

and the Battle of Crater

Left: At the Gen. William Mahone ’847 Memorial in the Petersburg National Battlefield in Petersburg, Virginia, Samuel Mattocks ’74, left, and John Knox McEwen ’66 observed the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Crater July 7, 2014. Right: The Tri-Cities Chapter observed the 150th anniversary of the Battle of New Market at Blandford Cemetery in Petersburg May 15, 2014.

Band Plays Concert with Jethro Tull and Ian Anderson On Oct. 5, 2014, the VMI Commanders played a concert with Jethro Tull and Ian Anderson at the National Theater in Richmond, Virginia. The 2,000 seat venue was sold out. The band played for 30 minutes as the warm up for the Jethro Tull/Ian Anderson “Honoring the Heroes” concert. Many alumni were in attendance.

Alumni Attend Jonathan Daniels Pilgrimage in Alabama On Aug. 9, 2014, alumni collected an offering in the courthouse in Hayneville, Alabama, for the Jonathan Daniels Pilgrimage. Present were, from left, Tom Jones ’69, M.D.; William Lee ’59; and John Jenkins ’97.

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ASSOCIATION NEWS Lynchburg Chapter Hosts Rat Send-off The Lynchburg Chapter hosted a rat send-off at the Sandusky House Aug. 20, 2014. The chapter met six of the area’s new 4th Class cadets and wished them good luck in the upcoming year. Alumni ranging from the Classes of 1943-2014, family and current cadets were in attendance. Left: Lynchburg’s newest 4th Class cadets were introduced by Charlie Schindler ’91, chapter president. From left: Henry Thelin, Donald Simpson, Peyton Maddox, Robert LaFuze and Seth Shank. Bottom Right: Hugh Jones ’66, left, and Chris “Bozz” Boswell ’00.

Retired U.S. Army Gen. Louis Abbenante Speaks at Networking Dinner The New England Chapter Networking Dinner was held Sep. 16, 2014, at the Sheraton Hotel in Framingham, Massachusetts. Alumni from The Citadel and Norwich University were invited to attend. Top Right: At the event, Eric Hunter ’08, right, presented retired U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Louis Abbenante, guest speaker, with the book “Virginia’s Ring” (written by Lynn Seldon ’82) and a VMI challenge coin. Bottom Right: From left: Joe Barra ’82; Pat Griffin ’80, chapter president; Abbenante; and Hunter.

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ASSOCIATION NEWS New England Chapter Hosts Rat Send-off The New England Chapter hosted a rat send-off Aug. 12, 2014, at the Chateau Restaurant in Norwood, Massachusetts. The 4th Class cadets in attendance were, from left, Ross Richards, Finn Swenson, Nicholas Albano, Ryan Wells, Chandler Skolnick, Ian Horkan, Nicholas Mill, Darin St. Sauveur and Brennan MacDonald.

North Jersey Chapter Hosts Rat Send-off

A rat send-off was hosted by the North Jersey Chapter at the Summit Elks Club Aug. 8, 2014. The event was attended by cadet parents, alumni and their spouses and children, and friends of VMI. John Lane ’68 gave a historical overview of the Institute, and current and former cadets extended advice and best wishes. Pictured, from left, were Kevin Sincavage ’87 and son Adam, John Lane ’68, Ron McGovern ’82, Rachel Werner ’17, Joe Riccadonna Jr. ’18, Nick Ceflo ’18, Joselyn Wall ’06, Matthew Lazzarotti ’18, Jonathan Owney ’15, Eddie Gloeggler ’14, Rick Wolffe ’78, and Cheryl and Gregory Doltz, mother and brother of the late Sgt. Ryan Doltz ’00.

Rappahannock Chapter Elects Officers for 2015 On Oct. 12, 2014, at its annual business meeting at the Indian Creek Yacht and Country Club, the Rappahannock Chapter elected its officers for 2015. From left: Henry W. Moncure ’74, vice president; Pam Kidwell, treasurer; Stephen E. Wilson ’68, president; and William F. Brent ’67, chapter representative.

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ASSOCIATION NEWS Annual Fundraising Dinner in Memory of Sgt. Ryan E. Doltz ’00 A brass ensemble from Band Company traveled to Dover, New Jersey, to perform at the annual fundraising dinner for the Sgt. Ryan Doltz Memorial Foundation. The foundation is a charitable 501(c)(3) corporation which funds scholarship grants for deserving students, including several VMI cadets, through the Institute’s Ryan Doltz ’00 Scholarship. The foundation was created in memory of Doltz, who died while serving our nation in the war in Iraq. The dinner was held at the Dover American Legion Lodge Sept. 20, 2014. In attendance were, from left, 2nd Lt. James Ethington ’14, Cadet Flury ’17, Anne Doltz, Cadet Tyler ’16, Kevin Sincavage ’87, Raymond Doltz, Cadet Ellis ’17, Gregory Doltz, Cadet Connolly ’16, Rick Wolffe ’78, Cadet Meyer ’17, Cheryl Doltz and Cadet Martin ’16. (Cadets Nobile ’16 and Celfo ’18 were present but not pictured.)

Tampa Chapter Hosts Rat Send-off Left: The Tampa Chapter gathered with future Keydets, friends and family at Old Salty Dog restaurant in Sarasota Bay, Florida. From left: Phil Valenti ’66, Bob Bailey ’72, 4th Class Cadet Caleb Allen, 4th Class Cadet Bryson Kelly, Cal Lloyd ’62 and John Scott ’69.

Right: From left: 4th Class Cadet Caleb Allen with his girlfriend, Margo Ennis, and aunt and uncle, Kristi and Chris Allen; Phil Valenti ’66 and his wife, Betty; Bob Bailey ’72 and his wife, Grace; 4th Class Cadet Bryson Kelly and his mother, Yvette Varnadore; Cal Lloyd ’62 and his wife, Ann; and John Scott ’69 and his wife, Nancy.

VMI ALUMNI REVIEW

ASSOCIATION NEWS Potomac River and George C. Marshall Chapters Host Rat Send-off On Aug. 2, 2014, the Potomac River Chapter hosted a rat send-off at Ft. Ward Park in Alexandria, Virginia. The picnic was a team effort in which Tony Esteve ’00 secured the location; A.J. Schmaus ’03 and his wife, Jessica ’04, coordinated the food; Maj. E. Sean Lanier ’94 arranged the photographer (Courtney Ropp); and Nichole Kramer ’03 of the Alumni Association provided the registration. Over 120 future and current cadets, alumni, alumni board members, Alumni Association members and Parents Council members were in attendance.

Top Left: Bob Hughes, Parents Council co-president, interacts with members of the crowd. Bottom Left: Christopher Haney ’00, chapter president; Abigail Dawson ’14; and Renee Reives ’15. Top and Bottom Right: Prospective cadets at the event.

Postgraduate Scholarships Available

VMI Veterans Transition Program

Graduates from VMI may apply for postgraduate scholarships to support their graduate and professional study. These scholarships are for those pursuing a graduate degree in any field – including law, business or engineering. Application materials and instructions are available from Lt. Col. Meagan Herald, chair of the Graduate Education Subcommittee (heraldmc@vmi. edu). The deadline for receipt of all application materials is March 15, 2015.

Are you retiring or planning to transition from active duty military service to another job or career? If so, the VMI Alumni Association, Inc. can help. Please contact Placement and Career Networking Officer Eric Hunter ’08 at ehunter@vmiaa.org, and discover how you can find a rewarding career in the civilian workforce through networking with other alumni.

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ASSOCIATION NEWS Westminster-Canterbury Welcomes Whitmore The VMI family at Westminster-Canterbury in Richmond, Virginia, recently celebrated two events with cocktails and dinner. The first was a Valentine’s Day celebration, and the second was an event to welcome Jackie Whitmore on her arrival to Westminster-Canterbury May 15, 2014. She is the wife of the late John “Jack” Edward Whitmore ’42.

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1. Robert B. “R.B.” Barnes ’54. 2. Andrew J. “Buddy” Metz ’45. 3. Jackie Whitmore and Benjamin F. Harmon III ’49B. 4. Russell and Anne Scott (widow of Fred Addison ’44). 5. John “Morton” Eggleston ’59 and wife Audrey. 6. Harry G. Lee ’47 and wife Elizabeth. 7. John S. Halsey ’43. 8. Charles B. Miller ’42 and wife Mary EasterlyMiller. 9. George C. Hutter ’52 and wife Mary. 10. Jo Ann O’Hara (widow of Robert G. O’Hara ’35). 11. John R. “Bunny” Tucker Jr. ’37 and Suzanne Pollard. 12. Ann Artz (widow of Edwin H. Artz ’53). 13. Edward L. “Ed” Smith ’50B and wife, Sarah.

VMI ALUMNI REVIEW

ASSOCIATION NEWS Chattanooga Chapter Kick-off Event VMI Versus the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Tailgate Will Council ’82, who is in the process of building a Chattanooga Chapter, hosted a pregame tailgate before the VMI versus the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football game Oct. 4, 2014. With the help of Jackie Flint, Alumni Association executive assistant; Adam Volant ’88, Alumni Association executive vice president and chief operating officer; and Donnie Ross ’74, Keydet Club vice president, Council was able to pull the event together. Close to 100 alumni and friends attended the chapter kick-off event. Anyone who is interested in helping start this chapter, please see Council’s contact information in the Class of ’82 class notes.

A spirit sheet, with all of the guests signed in under their class year.

Rob Witcher ’05 at the tailgate with his family.

A red and white circus tent set the stage for the tailgate.

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Donnie Ross ’74 explained the game plan to Will Council ’82 and another alumnus.

ASSOCIATION NEWS Wood Joins Alumni Review Staff

Graduate School Partnerships

Elaine Wood joined the VMI Alumni As- retire from the Army in early 2015. One of sociation staff as the editorial assistant of the the large contributing pieces of her portfolio The Institute has forged relationAlumni Review in September 2014. Wood is at JMU included an in-depth interview and ships with some of the best graduate research project investigating a native of southern Virginia, and professional schools in Virginia the similarities and differences most recently living outside of and across the U.S. These agreements of the emotional impact of war Charlottesville. She expressed offer a range of opportunities, includbetween males and females in excitement about relocating ing admissions concessions, internthe military. to Lexington, considering it a ships, guaranteed interviews and, in Wood’s ability to serve others town rich in historical value some cases, guaranteed admissions. was honed through several in which it will be great to Partnership institutions include Virginia managerial positions in the establish roots. In this role, Commonwealth University, University retail world. In these roles, she is responsible for writing of Virginia, Virginia Tech, College of she acquired the knowledge the Taps and Alumni News secWilliam & Mary, Florida State Univerand customer service skills tions of the magazine. She also sity, Norwich University, Arizona State needed to succeed as the point completes layout and design and the Via College of Osteopathic of reference for all alumni in work for various sections of Medicine. Programs vary but include Wood contact with the Review. “I’m the magazine and serves as the law, medicine, business, engineeradministrator of the VMI Alumni Association very excited about meeting alumni. They ing, communications and other fields. Facebook page. She reports to Jordan Moore, play such an active role in the Review’s If interested in learning more about the creation, and I look forward to finally being managing editor. available partnerships, please contact “Elaine has already proved to be a great able to put faces with the names of those Barry Cobb at cobbbr@vmi.edu. asset to the Alumni Review,” said Moore. with whom I interact.” “I have no doubt that she will excel in this position, and we are very excited to have her Taiwan Chapter Celebrates Founders Day working with us.” Before joining the Alumni Review staff, Wood studied at James Madison University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. Within her major, she concentrated on non-fiction and memoir writing, devoting her senior year entirely to her written portfolio. She had the unique opportunity to participate in several writing workshops with published authors and poets, allowing her the ability to focus on her growth as a creative writer. Adam Volant ’88, Alumni Association executive vice president and chief operating officer, said, “We were fortunate to discover Elaine as we searched for a person to fill this critical role. Her positive attitude and creative skills make her a perfect match for our magazine and staff.” Wood is passionate about her new position, Present at the 2014 Taiwan Founders Day celebration were Formal Minister knowing she has the ability to grow and Kao Hua-Chu, Eric H. Chen ’03, Han-Lung Jin ’06, Pang Tu ’03, YingChie expand in the publishing field. “The aspect Hsieh ’08, Kuo-Ruey Liang ’03, Ching-Pu Chen ’85, Alan Chen (Ching Hang Chen) ’11, ShuChang Liu ’07, Ben Lu (Jin-Lung Lu) ’95, Pei-Jun Lee ’04, I love most about this position is that I get KaiYu Shih ’07, Vincent Kuo (Cheng-Wei Kuo) ’12, Peter Chu-Wu Fang to interact with and serve alumni who form ’93, Mason Wei (Gang-Hong Wei) ’09, Chung Yen Yang ’12, KungCho Chao an atmosphere focused on values I admire ’95, Shun-Te Shih ’13, Ming Chin Jou ’02, Keven Lai (RongJun Lai) ’96, and respect.” Chong-You Liu ’14, Randy Shyu (Shi Rou Shyu) ’96, Lin Liu ’01, Chan Yi She is also passionate about the military, as Wang ’12, Hao Po Chang ’05, Wen Zheng Huang ’99, Chin Yuan Liu ’90, Chu Guang Liu ’86 and Wen Hua Zhuo ’97. she has several family members who chose it as their career, including a brother due to 34

VMI ALUMNI REVIEW

ASSOCIATION NEWS Expanding Networks and Uniting Through a Common Bond by Eric Hunter ’08, Placement Officer, VMI Alumni Association

In an effort to expand the networks of VMI alumni, five networking dinners were held throughout fall 2014 that united alumni in different locations with a similar bond – having attended a senior military college or service academy. The dinners held in New England; Charlotte, North Carolina; and Raleigh, North Carolina, were open to alumni from VMI, The Citadel and Norwich, while the dinners in northern and southern California were also open to the service academies. One of the best parts of each dinner is giving the alumni in attendance the opportunity to stand up and share who they are, what they do and what they are looking for. You may know someone who is looking for a job, who has a job opening or who is just looking to meet others in the area. The vision is to have this turn into an annual event for each area and to grow over time. We want to bring our alumni together with others in the area and move from having not just a similar bond in the form of schooling but a similar goal in helping each other succeed professionally. “In early October, I had the opportunity to attend the VMI/Citadel/Norwich alumni networking events in Charlotte and Raleigh. As a transitioning Army officer, I quickly learned that it was a target rich environment that provided an excellent

At the Northern California Networking Dinner were, from left, Pat Chang-Lo ’66, George Tisdale ’73, Scott Donald ’06, Eric Hunter ’08, Hugh White ’73, Phil Gioia ’67 and Todd Arris ’87.

opportunity to network and open doors to future opportunities that would have otherwise never been possible. From start to finish, both events were professionally run, and every lead or interview I have gotten since was a direct result of networking at both events,” stated Chris Sterbenz ’09. Robert Gates ’89, who attended the Charlotte Networking Dinner, said, “The VMI (Citadel/Norwich) networking dinner was a great opportunity to meet like-minded local and regional alumni. It is very rewarding to assist in the job search for the recent graduates and connect those looking for jobs with others

who can assist them. Having recently returned from overseas, I also enjoyed connecting with alumni and improving my personal network in the area.” Angie Gomez ’10 attended the Southern California Networking Dinner. After the event, she wrote, “Thank you to the VMI Alumni Association for coordinating the networking dinner in San Diego. I am very grateful for the VMI network we have that can give us hope in today’s world. The camaraderie and support I have received is such a gift, which we must continue to utilize and share with our fellow VMI alumni to ensure this VMI spirit never dies!”

Raleigh Networking Dinner

From left: Rick Hening ’75, Eric Hunter ’08 and Larry Wilson ’62.

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From left: John Beducian ’07 and Chris Sterbenz ’09.

ASSOCIATION NEWS Prospect Weekend 2014 by Nichole Kramer ’03, New Cadet Recruiting, VMI Alumni Association

Prospective cadets gathered in Marshall Hall during Prospect Weekend 2014.

Team Admissions, comprised of VMI Admissions and VMI Alumni Association New Cadet Recruiting, held the second annual Prospect Weekend Oct. 18, 2014. Prospect Weekend offers an opportunity for alumni to get involved in the recruiting process by hosting a high school student for the day. The annual event includes a presentation on the educational experience at VMI, lunch in Crozet and tickets to the football game. Alumni traveled across states – some even from out of the country – to bring a prospective cadet to see the VMI post. The team was thrilled to see the numbers of attendees far surpass their expectation. A good turnout was expected to be around 75 guests, but close to 200 people visited the VMI post for this event! Many alumni brought multiple prospective cadets. Sean

Lanier ’94 helped organize a group of 46 guests to travel via bus from the Tidewater, Virginia, area, and Jay Thompson ’86 brought more than 40 JROTC students. The team looks forward to improving the event as interest and needs of prospective cadets evolve. New Cadet Recruiting receptions, college fairs and open houses are ongoing for high school juniors and seniors. For younger prospective cadets, the popular Legacy Day is right around the corner in the spring. Stay tuned to the VMIAA website for more information. If you would like to learn more about any of these activities or get involved, please contact Nichole E. Kramer ’03, New Cadet Recruiting officer, at nkramer@vmiaa.org.

2015 Graduate Reception We welcomed them as rats in our own special way ... now let’s welcome them as alumni! Please join the Young Alumni Committee in giving warm and hearty congratulations to our newest alumni ranks, the Class of 2015! We will celebrate with them May 13, 2015, at 6 p.m. in Moody Hall. For more information, contact Nichole Kramer ’03 at nkramer@vmiaa.org or Eric Hunter ’08 at ehunter@vmiaa.org. 36

VMI ALUMNI REVIEW

ASSOCIATION NEWS 2014 Cadet-Alumni Networking Forum by Eric Hunter ’08, Placement Officer, VMI Alumni Association

Thank you to all the alumni who participated in the 2014 CadetAlumni Networking Forum Dec. 6, 2014. With 38 alumni in attendance, this was the largest turnout yet for this event. The high level of alumni participation shows the strength of VMI network and displays it in the truest sense – alumni are willing to take the time and make the effort to help future graduates of the Institute. If you are interested in participating in a future Cadet-Alumni Networking Forum, please email Eric Hunter ’08 at ehunter@vmiaa.org. Alumni present at the forum were: Tom Puskas ’74, Kevin Callanan ’75, Mike Fleenor ’75, Ray Ramos ’76, Jay Gede ’79, Chuck

Jim Lunsford ’80, Ashley Johnson ’84 and Vinston Porter ’94 formed the new media/film/communication group.

Ramon Williams ’90 and John Shuman ’80 spoke to cadets in the coaching/athletic administration group.

Nate Gede ’08, Andy Clark ’97, Chris Haney ’00, Quinn Adam ’12, Jay Gede ’79, Grover Outland ’81 and Bill Nixon ’88 with the legal group.

Julian Bowers ’11 and Keith Taylor ’09 talked with a cadet.

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Smith ’79, Rick Fowler ’80, Pat Griffin ’80, Jack Keane ’80, Jim Lunsford ’80, John Shuman ’80, Grover Outland ’81, Jim Outland ’83, Doug Wainwright ’83, Sam Browne ’84, Ashley Johnson ’84, Chris Parks ’84, Bill Nixon ’88, John Williams ’88, Bill Miller ’89, Ramon Williams ’90, E. Sean Lanier ’94, Cory McCallum ’94, Mike Meads ’94, Vinston Porter ’94, Bret Wilkinson ’94, Andy Clark ’97, Chris Haney ’00, Matt Keller ’00, Steve Nakazawa ’03, Michael Child ’06, Wes Haynes ’07 (keynote speaker this year), Nate Gede ’08, Keith Taylor ’09, Julian Bowers ’11, Caleb Gibson ’11, Quinn Adams ’12 and John Garrett ’13.

Michael Child ’06 spent some time speaking one-on-one with a cadet between sessions.

John Garrett ’13, Wes Haynes ’07, Mike Meads ’94, Cory McCallum ’94 and Bret Wilkinson ’94 spoke in the business/investments and finance group.

Cadets and alumni gathered in Marshall Hall for the opening remarks before breaking out into field-specific groups.

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Young Alumni Receive Sashes Before 2014 Institute Society Dinner

E.J. Turner Perrow ’96, Alumni Association president, presented red, white and yellow ribbons to be worn as sashes to young alumni attending the Institute Society Dinner held Nov. 11, 2013. The dinner recognized donors who contributed at a leadership level during the previous fiscal year year. A cocktail reception was hosted by the Alumni Association to recognize Institute Society members who graduated within the past 15 years, some of whom were attending the gala for the first time.

Alumni Review Contributing Writers in This Issue Bolling Williamson ’60 Bolling Williamson ’60 earned a bachelor’s degree in history from VMI and, in 1969, a master of business administration degree from the College of William & Mary. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 196067. In 1969, he joined Crestar (now Sun Trust) Bank, where he remained until he retired in 2000 as senior vice president of Commercial Lending. Williamson has written a number of highly regarded historical articles about alumni for the Review. He explains his motivation as follows: “VMI alumni have established a record of service and valor that is virtually unmatched, and the objective of my articles is to increase awareness of our heritage.”

Rich Griset Rich Griset graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a bachelor’s degree in mass communications (print journalism), minoring in religious studies. He is an award-winning freelance reporter and theater critic in Richmond, Virginia. His work has been published in Diverse: Issues in Higher Education, The Virginian-Pilot, Daily Press and Richmond Magazine. He’s a regular contributor to Style Weekly and the Chesterfield Observer. Griset refers to himself as an Air Force brat and was born in Germany.

VMI ALUMNI REVIEW

ASSOCIATION NEWS

Photos by Adam McBryde.

9th Annual Ride to the I Sept. 27, 2014

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ASSOCIATION NEWS VMI Alumni Association Hosts Record Breaking Pregame Tailgate at the U.S. Naval Academy

Photo by Chuck Steenburgh

The VMI Keydets faced off against the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, Oct. 11, 2014. Many alumni attended to watch the football game and see other alumni and friends at the Alumni Association pregame tailgate. Although the outcome of the game did not favor VMI, loyal fans cheered for the Keydets. Over 550 alumni, along with family and friends, attended the event. Music was provided by Greg Viola and Mike Schwarzmann, the acoustic lineup for Marylandbased band Mad Planet. Mini reunions were held for the Classes of 1981 and 1988. Before the game, the VMI and USNA color guards marched onto the field for the rendering of the “Star Spangled Banner.” During halftime, both school’s pipe bands performed together on the field. After the game, the VMI football team paused and stood before alumni and friends for “The Doxology.”

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Photo by Chuck Steenburgh

ASSOCIATION NEWS

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Contact Cheryl Cathcart to place an order.

1-800-444-1839 • ccathcart@vmiaa.org Shako Pendant

$34.99 plus $6 shipping ($15.00 if overnight) Includes an 18 inch gold-filled chain

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“Put the Boys In …” $250.00 unframed art plus $20 shipping (VA & CT residents add $16.20 for tax)

VMI Mailbox

Original VMI mailboxes available to purchase as a single door or have it incorporated into a wooden coin box. Wood used will be red oak and you can choose walnut or oak stain. If you would like a specific number (Class year, Box #, etc.) add $10.00 Wooden Coin Box - $42.00 plus $12 shipping Single Door - $18.39 plus $7 shipping

Jumbo Ring Replica

The perfect display piece $189.00 plus tax $12.00 shipping *restrictions apply if tooling not available through Jostens for each class year*

VMI ALUMNI REVIEW

CLASSNOTES NOTES CLASS Richard H. Knight Jr. ’70

’35

167 Charleston Park Nashville, TN 37205 615/385-0848 rhklwk@bellsouth.net

It has been 35 years since the “Miracle on Ice.” It happened at the 1980 Winter Olympics, held in Lake Placid, New York. The United States, with an ice hockey team of amateurs, collegians and cast-offs, defeated the mighty Soviet Union and went on to win the gold medal. The Class of ’35 played a role in the Winter Olympics that year. George Travis designed the refrigeration system that was used on both the luge and the bobsled courses. James Avery, who worked in Lake Placid during the summer of 1933, recalled that the bobsled course was one of the toughest in the world and that George was equal to the task. I have kept my copies of the Alumni Review since my graduation 45 years ago. I wanted to have a look at what ’35 was doing 35 years ago, and it was not that difficult finding the 1980 issues. Mr. Avery, the class agent, reported the above information in the “spring” issue. Some other things in that issue caught my eye. For years, “B” Holt (Mrs. Clary Holt) regularly appeared in ’35’s column, and that issue was no exception. It was easy to understand why. Mrs. Holt was a “pioneer” in North Carolina politics. Her remarkable story may be found on the Internet by searching for “Bertha Merrill Holt.” Lew Knight was mentioned in that issue, and that (finally) prompted me to see if I could connect our lines. I couldn’t. Mr. Knight’s family was from Alexandria, and I pushed his line back to 1800 but could go no further. My Knights were living in southside Virginia by then. I will keep trying. Jim Sherman, class agent emeritus and the “junior” man in the class (101 in March 2015), was the object of some envy in that issue: He had just returned from a week of skiing in Vail, Colorado. Jim remains very active to this day. How many class agents can relate to this? In that same issue, Frank E. Schlegel ’917 wrote, “If I could get a short note from all you brother rats at least once a year, the job of class agent would be a 2015-Issue 1

pleasure instead of a drudge.” Happily, we have never had this problem in ’35. The class has been drudge-free for 80 years! (Just ask Jim Sherman.) The Alumni Review is a treasure chest of information for both historians and genealogists, and I have managed to hang on to mine – at a price. For the privilege, Linda made me take the National Geographics to recycling. I had a nice telephone call from Tom Byrd ’68. We reminisced about Tom’s dad, Sen. Harry F. Byrd Jr. Harry spent 78 years at the Winchester Star, and Tom was there at his side for 42 of those years. Tom and Harry were very close, and they shared the same business and political philosophies. The Winchester Star is now in its 119th year. The Byrd family has owned and operated the newspaper for five generations. Harry’s grandson (Tom’s son) is working there now. Thank you, Tom. I received a nice letter from Col. Pearson D. McWane ’59. Col. McWane wrote all of the class agents to remind them of the VMI Foundation’s Memorial Ring Program. It is a program designed for alumni, their spouses and their descendants who may be willing to donate their VMI class rings to a good cause. The donated rings are melted and recast into new rings in time for Ring Figure. The new rings reduce the high costs that must be borne by the cadets. Donating a VMI ring that is worn smooth or has only modest sentimental value is a gallant gesture. If interested in the Memorial Ring Program, please contact Col. John Wranek

’85, VMI Foundation vice president of alumni and reunion giving, at 1-800-4441839. Eddie Arnold, the “senior” man in the class (101 in February 2015), was planning a festive Thanksgiving and Christmas in the high-plains desert of Albuquerque, New Mexico, with four generations of family. Likewise, Jim and Peggy Sherman were looking forward to the holidays with their families. Their 80th Reunion is just months away. Until next time, and on behalf of the great Class of 1935, here is wishing all of you the very best. Dick Knight ’70

’36

There is no class agent for the Class of 1936. If you would like to be the class agent, contact John Wranek ’85 at 800/444-1839.

’37

John Forsyth’67

Editor’s Note: We did not receive notes from the Class of 1937.

’38

Glenn Foust

Editor’s Note: We did not receive notes from the Class of 1938.

Class of 1938: Glenn Foust with his family at a wedding in the mountains of Denver, Colorado.

CLASS NOTES

’39

Frank Parker III ’64

Not much news to report. Ira Saxe is in the process of recovering from hip replacement surgery. It will allow him much more mobility and maybe even get him back on the golf course. Lisa Tracy (lisatracybooks@gmail.com) contacted me concerning her project to interview alumni from the World War II years. If you have information that may help her, please contact her. Col. Pearson McWane ’59 contacted me to remind us of the Memorial Ring Program. This program allows VMI alumni to bequeath their class ring to the VMI Foundation. The gold will be melted and either blended with the 2nd Class rings or sold, and the proceeds will be used to offset some of the cost of their rings. If you or your family has a class ring you would like to donate, contact the Foundation or let me know. I’m off to Nicaragua on a Rotary project and to shoot some doves. Keep in touch.

’40

Robert Smith

This column is being submitted a little early, but hopefully it will not miss much. Your correspondent will go into dry-dock for repair of a heart valve using the latest technology only two days before the due date of Nov. 1. So if all goes as well as expected, my birthdate – also Nov. 1 – will give me a present of better health with a renewal of spirits including, of course, the VMI spirit that is so sustaining for the prospect of a meaningful life. Maybe, too, there will be a return to enjoying the evening spirits that are so beneficial in raising the haze that comes with the dinner hour. Sol Rawls seems to go along as constant as the tide. His news was that he, too, was anticipating his birthday in a few days. When we last talked it was late 44

October, and he was fine. But earlier that month, Sol and I had had a longer conversation that included my telling him about the taped interview I had just given to Ms. Lisa (Elizabeth Kilbourne) Tracy, author and granddaughter of Gen. Charles E. Kilbourne ’894, former superintendent. She is interviewing many alumni, and her purpose in these interviews is to provide the VMI archives with a file of oral histories of the experiences of any cadets who attended VMI during the years of 1936-46. In doing so, she will add to the existing material of the period when Gen. Kilbourne was superintendent. It was a privilege to be a part of this project, made more so because some unique circumstances had given me the opportunity and honor during our 3rd Class year to have spent a few hours of serious and constructive exchanges with her grandfather. That experience gave me much personal respect for him, and especially for his enormous caring feeling and regard toward “his” cadets. With respect to the part of the interview in which she asked me to talk about my personal experience in transitioning to military life, my reflections brought out one aspect she said was not something others had highlighted. That was the matter of the internalization and adoption of personal honorable standards that included my commitment to the Honor Code. That was something that happens with all new cadets. Just like my brother rats, I considered myself an honorable young man before I arrived at VMI. But, unlike most, I had already gone to that strict Baptist-inspired University of Richmond, where cheating was looked down on by virtually all and where Dr. Raymond B. Pinchbeck (later my friend, but then the dean of the university) had inspired students to adhere to the highest standards as a part of his special matriculation indoctrination address to the freshmen. Still, the matter of complete adherence to the honorable life was not completely internalized! There came a moment early on at VMI when there was a transition to a more proactive adherence and internalization of the Honor Code. In my case, it came when, after only a week or so, I was given a test I had missed in class to take back in my room in barracks. I remember vividly looking within myself and coming face-to-face with the decision as to what kind of person

I wanted to be. For others, this graphic poignant moment may have come long before they matriculated at VMI. But still, we all know that the internalization of the commitment to honorability is just about the most important asset of all VMI men. Hopefully this will be an important subject for Ms. Tracy’s telling and for her to ask about in later interviews. Ben Hardaway was cordial and talkative when I phoned. He had not gone up to his mountain retreat at Cashiers, North Carolina, over the summer, as he said the drive up there was more than he felt comfortable with. He quickly summed up, saying he “had no pain, goes downtown, still shoots, has a little hip pain and was going to shoot a few clays that afternoon.” He thinks about going down to Alabama for some coyote hunting and may do it. His music protégé, Shannon Whitworth, was coming to see him in a few weeks, but he had to cancel an earlier party he was giving at which she was to have performed because he wasn’t well. It always gives one a lift in spirits to talk with Ben. Matt Freidlander and Jacqueline’s stay this summer at their Highlands, North Carolina, place was cut short because Matt had fallen. They were back in Atlanta late in October when we talked. He had bruises and bumps on his limbs and a few broken bones but only a removable cast. Inspired by this life’s lesson, they are going to move on to Lenbrook, a continuing care retirement community, in Atlanta. The website for Lenbrook shows it as a very complete and attractive facility with high-rise buildings and every urban amenity. They planned to get in by mid-November. Lately, there has been a flurry of correspondence and rediscovery of memorabilia about our Paul Shu and his great football exploits during our cadetship. Recently, I wrote to his son Rodney Shu ’70: “Again, it was great to hear from you. I have two more connections to your father that I have not mentioned. About two weeks, as I remember it, before he was stricken, I by chance ran into him in New Orleans on Bourbon Street. We greeted each other warmly as you would imagine and then had dinner together. Both of us were there on business which we had done during that day and were at a loose end for dinner, so it was great. I found out that he VMI ALUMNI REVIEW

CLASS NOTES was with the Southern Company, as you are, which I didn’t know before. It was a treasured life experience for me because of our closeness at school and because he was so soon gone. Later, I felt so blessed for having seen him again before it was too late. “I now live in a retirement village, TidePointe, in Hilton Head. In the cottage across the street lives Mrs. Helen Bishop and her husband, Tom. They made their home in Louisville before Hilton Head. Tom is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Washington and Lee University – class of 1941, I believe. The point is that Helen was a “prom trotter” – as we used to call the popular young ladies who came to school for our hop weekends – and she was your father’s date at times; specifically at our graduation time. Your father gave her his shako at graduation. At that time, she was Helen Lewis and was at Longwood University, which was then Farmville State Teachers College. I understand that a.) the shako was later given back to you or your brother, Phil, by her mother – not really clear on which or when, and b.) that either one of you may have visited Helen and Tom while working for the [Louisville and Nashville Railroad] and had a dinner and watched a football game. If this was you, which I suspect is correct because of the railroad connection, then you know all this.” So, it is a small world, thank goodness. More recently, Helen Bishop sent over for my disposal a group of clippings and saved documents. Notable is a full page from The Roanoke World-News of Friday, Nov. 24, 1939, the day after Thanksgiving. The two half-page photos at the top of this page showed the benches of the teams during the game, and two of the headlines said “Shu and Co. Halt Gobbler Dominance” and “Smiles and Joy Displace Mud and Gloom of 1938 for V.M.I.” The final score that day was 19-7 in our favor. Other noteworthy headings said “Turn In First Keydet Victory Since 1929 – Lexington Institute Annexes State Football Championship.” Other great players in our memory banks were cited with such thrilling phrases as: “Then the sophomore passing combine Pritchard throwing and Catlett catching broke loose.” Bosh Pritchard ’42 and Nelson Catlett ’42 will always be joyfully remembered from our Keydet days. The paper had a second full-page devoted to pictures with one showing past football stars 2015-Issue 1

Class of 1941: Stuart Seaton and Frank Louthan visited Frank Kirby and Vince Thomas ’43 in Norfolk, Virginia, in 2014 shortly before Kirby’s death.

Wert Faulkner ’924, B.B. Clarkson ’914 (former coach), Andy Trzeciak ’39, Wyndam White ’926 and Jimmy Leech ’921. Except for Andy, these are the men that used to show up at the cheer rallies on the post before the important games and puzzle us as 4th Class cadets because we mostly had no idea who they were and nobody told us – we were just somehow supposed to know of their fame. There is a very special issue of The Cadet with pictures showing the centennial celebration at which President Franklin Delano Roosevelt made an address to the Corps and guests. Still another special issue reports on our graduation and the address to us by Gen. George C. Marshall ’901. Now, to close, let me share some recent reflections with you. As a class we are diminished, but our memories are still vivid with triumphs and turmoil, life changing events, and our part in our beloved nation moving relentlessly in fulfilling its destiny as the greatest on Earth and the leader among nations of the world. What is so remarkable in this saga is how close we all have been to the crux of things. For example, all VMI men of close to our generation revered General of the Army George C. Marshall ’901. His very existence and what he accomplished has inherently put into our minds a question that will never go away or be answered for us: How could a VMI man who received the same schooling and discipline that we did build upon the kind

of experience we share with him to reach the ultimate military position within all the military forces mobilized on the Allies’ side? His dreams were not beyond his reach, and that has always comforted us about our potentials. It is wonderful to be a part of this inspiring VMI life.

’41

Walter Richards

Editor’s Note: Before going to press, we heard the sad news that Walter Richards died Dec. 10, 2014. The following are his last class notes: Hello, ’41. In the August notes, I referred to the obituaries of Pauline France, Frank Kirby and Al Ellender. Now we have another to report. Carter Beamer died Aug. 20, 2014. If you read their obituaries, there is one singularity. They were all great contributors to the welfare of the citizens of their city and our country. They were citizens. Let us read again Kirby’s contribution. “Almighty God, Heavenly Father, “We, thy humble servants, pause before Thee to offer our most humble and hearty thanks for so many treasures we have received from Thy unlimited bounty. Among 45

CLASS NOTES these, we count most dearly our brother rats of the Class of 1941 and VMI itself: “For knowledgeable teachers; “For a demanding but fair system in which we were immersed; “For the Corps; and “For the inflexible bonds of integrity and honor, all based about Thy teachings. “We entered these crenellated barracks as bright-eyed boys. With Thy help, guidance and support through often weary nights and days, we departed these hallowed halls as men – VMI men – into a world ready to test us again and again. “And often, in those misty moments in the chill of dawn, time and time again we hear the voices of the bugles, and with Thy help, we have risen to face and meet the challenges ahead. For courage and honor, we thank Thee. “Now, Father, we who remain behind pray Thy continuing blessings upon our brothers who now rest from their labors in Thy holy paradise. Continue to bless them, we pray, as they go from service to service and joy to joy. With pride, we remember them – every one. “So often now, echoing down through these 70 years, come the words graven on our class ring: ‘Gloria practerito, Fides futero,’ which we remember as, ‘Pride in our past, Faith in our future.’ With Thy help, we claim the heart of these words. “For all of this and for the joys of this, our 70th Class Reunion, we offer to Thee our deepest gratitude. In Thy most holy name we pray. Amen.”

’42

Charles B. Miller

I had a nice note from Jimmy Hume’s widow, Corbin. Their daughter, Brooke Pendleton, is a new trustee of the VMI Foundation. We know that Jimmy would be proud. Charlie Purdum’s new artificial heart has gotten his pulse back to normal. Jack Patton is giving up on Colorado and moving to his daughter’s house in the Atlanta, Georgia, area (2650 Burnt Hickory Drive, Cumming, GA 30028, 678-341-9578). The Internet shows a nice looking, new, 46

Class of 1942: From left, Unknown person, Jack Thacker ’43, Willoughby Williams, Jack Woodward, Bob Goodman and Harry Siebert during Thanksgiving dinner in 1943.

Class of 1942: The 39th Bomb Group (VH) Crew 28 in 1944. Charles B. Miller, pictured here as a captain, served as the airplane commander.

VMI ALUMNI REVIEW

CLASS NOTES 3,500 square foot, four-bedroom house. It should beat living alone. From the family of Brother Rat Blandy Crafton, Jack has a set of Wedgwood china created for the VMI Centennial in 1939. After Jack has settled, he plans to drive to Lexington and give the china to the Institute. P.X. Geary got out of a five day stay in the hospital for pancreatitis with the prescription, “No more booze.” He is thinking about changing doctors. His friend, Vi, not to be outdone, fractured a vertebra and is in a collarbone-to-hip rigid cast. “No rock and roll” for six months. Lisa Tracy is writing a book about her grandfather, Lt. Gen. Charles E. Kilbourne ’894, who was superintendent of VMI from 1937-46. She was in Richmond in October talking to those who knew him. I understand she saw Jed Wilson, Frank Louthan ’41, Stuart Seaton ’41 and Harry Lee ’47. She also spoke with Maggie Bell Moore, sisterin-law of Charlie Moore ’40 and daughter of Col. George Wiltshire ’915, professor of military science and tactics and senior cavalry officer while we were at VMI. The first practical electric trolley system in the world was in Richmond, Virginia. The service started in 1888 and was discontinued in 1949. Recently, a producer working on a documentary about the streetcars of Richmond checked here, at Westminster Canterbury, looking for old people who remember them. I agreed to an interview and the producer showed up with camera, lights and crew. I told them about my going to the downtown YMCA at the age of 7 to 9, getting a hot dog for lunch for a nickel, going to the cowboy movie for a dime and riding the street car home for 7 cents. My friends and I rode in the back of the car, when white folks were supposed to be sitting in the front. When we got off, we would run around to the back and jam the trolley cord. Then, when the street car came to a curve, the trolley disengaged from the overhead power line and the street car stopped. I guess we were just bad little boys in 1929. My buddy told about his grandfather telling him about when he would sit on the curb at the streetcar stop so he could see the lady’s ankles as they got off the street car. The documentary may not be completed until June 2016! Mary and I plan to go to Marion, Massachusetts, for Thanksgiving to see Mary’s 2015-Issue 1

son, Harry “Cap” Easterly ’67, and to Beverly Hills, California, in December to see her other son, Frank Easterly ’69. I married into a VMI family: Mary’s former husband was Harry W. Easterly Jr. ’44. Harry, who left VMI to join the Marines, came back after the war to graduate with the Class of ’48B. He had to live in barracks while Mary, who was with Cap and pregnant with Frank, stayed in Lexington. Jed Wilson says he is getting around pretty well with his walker. He continues calling Gabe Horne daily and gets some conversation out of him occasionally. Harry Siebert sent me an ad for “A Higher Call,” a book about a B-17 pilot and a German fighter pilot and their encounter over Europe in December 1944, which is the same time I was there flying B-17s. A friend had just loaned me his copy, so I am enjoying reading a very interesting story of two enemies who got together 40 years later.

’43

Jeffrey G. Smith

I deeply regret to report that our brother rat, my good friend, highly decorated soldier and world esteemed jewelry expert Brian Bowen died Oct. 16, 2014, of a heart attack. Our class now has 25 survivors according to my unofficial count. It seems only yesterday (actually it was August 2014) I received a very welcome letter from Brian thanking me for my

humble efforts with the class notes. He’d just returned from Cape Cod, prompting him to remark, “traveling by myself was a little daunting ... but the airline took good care of me.” I called Brian to thank him for his letter only to learn that in October 2013, he had a blood clot removed and a stent emplaced to keep the blood flowing. Then the stent clogged in mid-September 2014. Sadly, Brian had his share of heart problems. Brian’s son told me that his father’s mind remained “sharp as a tack,” and he remained quite active physically till the day he died. Dick Catlett sent me a magazine clipping (from a doctor’s office) stating that the very best fine jewelry store in Virginia was the Bowen Jewelry Company in Lynchburg, Virginia, not in Richmond (aka “The Holy City”). At their last annual estate sale, the Bowens included pieces from Elizabeth Taylor’s iconic collection, along with 18th and 19th century estate jewelry. A few minutes ago, I was staring at my computer as if it were the enemy (a thought that frequently comes to mind) and coming to grips with the fact that, except on rare occasions, my brother rats don’t do much to contribute on their own volition to these notes. Unless, that is, they either (1) die; or (2) I call and prod them into recounting what might interest their brother rats. I regard my class notes as a duty in every sense of the word, but sometimes duty is a stern and often unpleasant master. Little did I realize seven years ago when Johnny Van Landingham twisted my

Class of 1943: The 5th Cavalry Regiment pictured at Fort Bliss, Texas, 1940. Jeff’s father, Col. H.J.M. Smith, was the regimental commander. The regiment had approximately 1,800 men.

CLASS NOTES arm into taking on the duty of the side, always cheerful despite notes, it more and more seems his failure to recover comit has become a lifetime completely from the ill effects of mitment. Unless, I can always the stroke he had a few years hope, other classmates would ago. Never the quitter or comvolunteer for the duty. Mind plainer, he “works out” several you, today’s volunteer should times a week, and he is workbe computer “literate.” And that, ing hard to achieve a mile on I’m afraid, is easier said than his walks. He admits he has a done, given our ages and stages bit to go to achieve that goal. of life. Not a one of our classGordon told me a tale or two mates appears to have an email about Pooley Hubert, the head address. But if any of you do, I football and basketball coach of plead that you send it to me. My our cadet era. Pooley was nevemail address is at the start of my er one to mince words. During notes – for all the good it does. afternoon basketball practice, I have never received an email Gordon recalls Pooley yelling from a brother rat. Doesn’t speak at Vince Thomas, “Thomas, well for a class composed overget your skinny a-- over here!” whelmingly of engineering maPooley who had made a name jors when we graduated in 1943. for himself at the University I had, as always, a pleasant of Alabama, was a character telephone chat last night with Class of 1943: Command Group and Colors of the 5th Cav- about whom many stories have Johnny. He’s had to give up golf alry Regiment 1940. In the forefront is Col. H.J.M. Smith. been told. Part buffoon, part – at least temporarily – whilst he coach, part teacher and part undergoes an eight week physical therapy in one of his major arteries. mentor. My last look at him was when I course. Shirley remains contented in her Vince Thomas’ big news was that his joined the Beta Chapter of the Kappa Alnearby home for “ladies.” Johnny con- 4th Class grandson is firmly ensconced pha Order shortly after our class gradutinues to eat dinner with her every night. at the Institute and “likes it very much” ated May 22, 1943. The ceremony was Her short-term memory problems appear – no ifs, ands or buts! That’s a delight for held in the lower level of the Robert E. no better, but she always knows Johnny. me to pass on. I’m certain that Betty and Lee Memorial Church, with – of all peoDick Catlett told Johnny his (Dick’s) Vince are as proud and happy as can be. ple – Pooley Hubert presiding. It was a balance problems are such that he very solemn but quick ritual. had to give up his beloved golf. Somehow, I expected a man Of course, that’s why so many of of proven gravity to preside, our age rely on canes – or at least and I had to suppress a nascent carry them as an insurance device chuckle. However, Pooley rose (which is what I do). On a quarto the occasion. He impressed ter mile straight away, I can zoom all there very favorably. along unaided. But – there is alI conclude with a few words ways a “but” at our age – I always on the lingering death of the carry (although seldom need) a U.S. (Horse) Cavalry. I take no cane. joy in doing so, as I am the son So near and yet so far from the of the next to last commander Class of 1943: Col. H.J.M. Smith commanding the 5th Atlantic Ocean shore. That sums of the 5th Cavalry (Horse) in Cavalry Regiment on maneuvers in Louisiana with a up Bruce Suter’s location at the staff officer. 1939-41 before World War Harrogate, a very comfortable II. My father and I were very retirement residence in New Jersey. It Vince was, you’ll recall, super active in proud of that, and I so remain. However, is only 8 miles inland. Both Bruce and intramural (company) sports. I gathered if there were ever senior leaders of the Joan appear to be as busy as can be with their grandson is as well. Vince was his Army – particularly the last two chiefs a long list of community activities. It usual ebullient self. Strong, cheerful of cavalry – that suffered from a head-inalmost seems as if their residence man- voice and not a word or complaint about sand syndrome, it was they. agement ought to be paying them, rather his still being a wheelchair user. In 1939, the start of World War II “feathan the other way around. Bruce states I recently had a heart-warming chat tured” the mass slaughter of the elite Polthat he is in “fine” health with the aid of with Gordon Smith. He keeps a veg- ish horse cavalry by German machine a newly inserted stent to aid blood flow etable garden. Always looks on the bright guns. That grisly lesson was seemingly 48

VMI ALUMNI REVIEW

CLASS NOTES ignored by many Army leaders until Gen. Marshall ’901 became chief of staff and forced a long, bitter goodbye to the horses. I and several brother rats (Bill Gottwald, Ned Brantly and Tom Jones among them) were assigned to the 124th Cavalry Regiment. It was a nationalized Texas National Guard Regiment – and was the very last to lose its horses in mid1944. We brother rats in the 124th were there when it happened. There were six horse cavalry regiments at World War II’s beginning – two Regular Army (5th, 7th, 8th, 12th). All were soon dismounted and designated cavalry (special). Special meant infantry, and the members of the “special” regiments were entitled to earn the Combat Infantry Badge, among other things. There were many bitter staff disputes concerning the role of horses. Many farthinking, mid-level, top quality cavalrymen sought duty in the newly formed armored divisions. Sadly, for my father, he was in the chief cavalry’s office and tagged thereafter (highly inaccurate) as a die-hard horse advocate. At the dinner table, he often recounted the inter-staff disputes, which he escaped in 1940 by becoming commander of the 5th Cavalry Regiment (Horse). At the time, it was considered a plum assignment. However, his Washington experiences marked him as horse cavalry advocate (which he actually was not). He remained open minded and was loyal to his superiors (even if they were stubborn to a fault). Nonetheless, there was never a doubt in our household that Dad’s loyalties eventually put a ceiling on his career. That’s all for now. I wish all of you the very best.

’44

Tom L. Peyton Jr.

After finishing my last class notes in August and sending them off to the editor with the comment that no brother rats had died during the quarter, I received an email from Andy Jones, son of our Brother Rat Joseph Redfern Jones Jr., telling me that his father had died July 27, 2014. This sad 2015-Issue 1

news was immediately forwarded by way of our postcard notification system, and an amendment to my class notes was sent to the editor of the Review. Those notes should appear in the fall issue, which is now being printed as I write. An obituary appears in the Taps section of this issue. Joe’s experiences at VMI and with early military service were similar to those of many of us: initially three years at the Institute, including enlistment in the U.S. Army Enlisted Reserve Corps, active duty at the end of our 2nd Class year (1943), Army basic training, Officer Candidate School and commissioning. Joe was commissioned in the field artillery and served as an instructor at Fort Sill. In time, he was sent to Saipan to prepare for the invasion of Japan; however, World War II quickly ended with the atomic bombing of Japan. Before returning to the U.S., he was assigned to duties rounding up Japan soldiers who had not surrendered and running a prisoner of war camp. Upon return to the U.S., he re-entered VMI and graduated with a degree in civil engineering. Joe’s professional career was spent as a fire protection engineer with the Ohio Protection Bureau and the Insurance Services Office, also in Ohio. Joe’s wife, Janet, died in 2005, after 61 years of marriage, during which they raised three children. Eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren also survive. Joe was always a loyal and supportive classmate. His son, Andy, who accompanied him to our 60th Reunion, commented, “He loved VMI so much that I feel connected to the place. I know more VMI songs than I do of all of the other schools I attended combined. He read everything VMI-related cover-to-cover.” Sympathies have been expressed to his family, and the Class of 1944 made a donation to the VMI Foundation in his memory. We recently learned that Dick Niess has been honored in a presentation ceremony at which he received a special award from the Civil Air Patrol, US Air Force Auxiliary, for 50 years of service. Dick serves in the CAP at the grade of lieutenant colonel. He has loved flying all of his life. After losing sight in one eye in 1941 while he was at VMI, he was told that his lack of depth perception would keep him from ever being a pilot. This posed a challenge that Dick gladly accepted. After graduation from the Institute, he took a job with a defense contractor and learned to

fly. He has been soaring now for more than 70 years. Joining the CAP in Staunton, Virginia, in 1964, he has since served in five different CAP wings and three regions and has been on the staff of five cadet encampments from 1966-72. Some of his emergency service qualifications are: mission pilot, mission observer, mission scanner, mission radio operator, incident commander and senior pilot. Dick proudly recalls a CAP mission in Virginia, where he had a hand in rescuing Audie Murphy, one of the most decorated U.S. Amy soldiers in World War II. Since moving to Florida in 2005, Dick has been a member of the CAP Marco Island Squadron. In 2006, he accepted the position of public affairs officer, which he has served with distinction. In 2011, at age 90, he was named the Marco Island CAP Man of the Year. Involvement in the CAP program has been a Niess family affair. Dick’s wife, Ann, also serves as a lieutenant colonel and will complete 50 years of service in 2015. Their three children have actively participated in squadron events and youth encampments. The CAP Cadet Program has been high on Dick’s agenda. He says, “It is one of the finest programs for teenagers, both boys and girls, providing a complete family experience that keeps parents and teens busy and involved in each other’s lives.” Congratulations, Dick, and

Class of 1944: Bob Smothers and his dance partner and friend, Mei Kitchen, are pictured at Tango Del Rey in San Diego, California, Oct. 20, 2014. The tango is one of their specialties. Photo by Kim Marcelo.

CLASS NOTES thank you for your service. In planning for our 70th Reunion, the opportunity arose for dance enthusiasts Bob Smothers and his friend, Mei Kitchen, to display some of their dancing talents for the enjoyment of the rest of the Class of 1944 attendees. We had been aware that they had been competing and winning some contests on the West Coast. Their specialty is the tango. Our plans collapsed at the last minute when Mei was injured in a fall. Both attended the reunion, happily, but there was no tango. Not to be entirely denied, however, upon returning to California and Mei’s recovery, they were able to resume dancing and have the picture taken which accompanies these notes. Thanks, Bob, for your efforts in having the picture taken so we can see the athleticism that you both display in this dramatic dance. Judy Beam gave me the photo in the previous Alumni Review from the file of her late husband Joe Beam. The photo showed a group of our brother rats in Col. Ritchey’s 1943 2nd Class chemistry section. As a test of memory, see how many that you can identify without referring to the caption. Bill Eickleberg remains with us, but sadly, all of the rest of our brother rats shown have moved to the lab in the great beyond, where only “10s” are the grades received. Walter “Slim” Galliford writes from Naples, Florida, expressing his regrets at not being able to attend our 70th Reunion. He said he is not able to travel anymore – a limitation that he shares with a number of our brother rats these days. Slim recalls being on a hilltop in Okinawa when he was joined by Harry Easterly. He also said that when he reported for duty on Guadalcanal, the Marine Corps division commander, assistant division commander and his regimental commander were all VMI men. Obviously “the Institute was heard from” in that epic struggle. Slim expressed his regrets at some of the changes the Institute has found necessary to make for the sake of being politically correct. Sophie Parker had hoped to attend our 70th, but regretfully for us, a special family reunion kept her from Lexington. In a note, she commented about Charlie, his career and how much he loved VMI. She said that she lives in a pretty retirement home in Milwaukee on Lake Michigan (St. John’s on the Lake). Additionally, Sophie has a 50

cottage about an hour’s drive away, also on Lake Michigan. She says that summers in that area are “just lovely.” Volunteer work occupies a lot of her time. Additional efforts are devoted to her important avocation of painting, with a show coming up to display her work in 2015. Mary Easterly, now married to Charlie Miller ’42 but keeping her previous name and still living at the same address at Richmond’s Westminster Canterbury, wrote that she and Charlie travel a lot and enjoy life together. Mary has four living children, 12 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren. Surely the number of grandchildren and great-grandchildren must be a Class of 1944 record. She didn’t explain how she kept track of birthdays, etc., but I am quite certain Mary has all of that well organized. Maybe in a follow-up note, she will reveal her methods that I can pass on to the rest of the readers of these notes. A special thank you goes out to Jim Doss, Patricia Wen, Marguerite Ellett, Mabbot Warren, Art Taylor, Miriam Helmen and Harold Lockwood for your notes of appreciation and support. Your words of encouragement make my efforts even more rewarding. In the category of something to be aware of: The VMI Foundation has established the VMI Memorial Ring Program. The purpose of the program is to aid cadets determined to be in financial need in purchasing their traditional class rings. The program encourages alumni to bequeath their own class rings to the Foundation. When bequeathed rings are received by the Foundation, they are melted down, the gold is sold and the funds from the sale are used to assist in the purchase of new rings for the cadets qualifying for assistance. Questions about this program are referred to Col. John Wranek III ’85 at the VMI Foundation. He can be reached at 1-800 444 1839 ext. 244 or jwranek@vmiaa.org. It was great to note in the October issue of the Institute Report that VMI continues to be highly ranked among the nation’s colleges and universities by Money magazine and by U.S. News and World Report. Enormous efforts have gone into the growth and achievement of this current standing of the Institute’s academic program. The sources of these efforts are many and varied, but make no mistake – the generous financial

support of our alumni and friends has been and will continue to be absolutely vital to its success. We can be and many of us are contributors to this effort. It is a real source of pride that the Great Class of 1944 was a leader in percentage of participation in annual giving at 72 percent in the Institute’s latest fiscal year, which concluded at the end of June 2014. Many thanks to all who gave to this most worthy cause. This is an annual effort, so this is no time to rest on our laurels. Let’s continue to lead the way and aim for 100 percent.

’45

Richard A. Matheis

I just completed a phone call with my brother, Roy, in which I explained my dilemma of writing my class notes, due in 10 days, with little news from my brother rats to support it. He offered to write the notes. I asked how he could do it, playing along with his great inspiration. He answered, “Fake it.” I told him that would never sell. He retorted, “It sounds to me like that’s what you are going to have to do anyway!” He may be right. There is, of course, the reunion. These notes will be published shortly before the time it will occur – April 19-22, 2015. Recently I have talked, or tried to talk, to each one of you. The purpose was to learn if you would be “able” to attend. That word is all encompassing these days for a bunch of 90-year-old gentlemen. Also, as always, I was on the hunt for material to be used for these notes. Much of it, sadly, related to health issues. It was encouraging, though, to learn that our original target for attendance of 50 percent of our current roster is doable. That plus wives and a number of sisters will make for an interesting group. By arriving a day earlier than normal, everyone will have an afternoon of rest after traveling. Before dinner, we will have the dedication of the plaque honoring the brother rats who lost their lives in World War II and Korea. Brother Rat Rev. George Stenhouse will conduct the ceremony. Then there will be a buffet dinner at Eloise Adams’ home, thanks VMI ALUMNI REVIEW

CLASS NOTES

Class of 1945: 1945 Bomb photo of Walt Weber.

Class of 1945: 1945 Bomb photo of Eiland Anthony.

Class of 1945: 1945 Bomb photo of George Renneman.

to her generous offer. I haven’t discussed details with her, but I strongly suspect she would welcome a little assistance. Anyone wanting to offer support, please contact me or Eloise at (540) 463-1010. Whenever I think of the plaque, I reflect on one of the listed names, George Renneman. Let me tell you about him. George, Bob Osborn and I were the first three to matriculate back in September 1941. I was surprised shortly thereafter when I learned George was the same person I knew as a great athlete at a rival high school back in Long Island, New York. He was an outstanding player in football, basketball and baseball. I always admired from afar, and here he was – now my roommate! When war was declared, the Corps of Cadets all enlisted in the reserves of one of the branches. Both George and I chose the Army Air Corps. We reported to duty in Richmond, Virginia, in March 1943 and were then sent to Nashville, Tennessee, and assigned to separate training facilities. We stayed in touch with each other but didn’t get back together until August 1943, when we were at two bases only 50 miles apart in Florida. We spent an enjoyable day together at the midpoint – Ft. Myers. Little did I realize that would be the last time I would ever see him. Several months later, I received my commission and returned home on leave for a week. While there, I decided to contact his parents, only to learn that George had been killed in a midair collision. I drove to his home to meet his parents for the first time. They were very fine but distraught

parents. Mrs. Renneman told me that Mr. Renneman had been mourning by sleeping in George’s bed every night since they learned of his death. The story of the Rennemans doesn’t end there. They had two sons. The younger son graduated in 1948 from Annapolis, but because of his six foot five inch height, he was commissioned in the Army instead of the Navy. A couple of years later, he was on duty in Korea during the war. One night, he had a premonition he would be killed the next day. He sat down and wrote a lengthy letter to his parents thanking them for all the things they had done for him. That letter appeared on the first page of a New York paper. The reason – he did indeed die the next day. Only two children and both killed serving their country. That is only one of the stories behind the 19 names listed on our class’ memorial plaque. In my latest conversation with Bob Allen, a story developed involving the U.S. Military Academy at West Point that I found interesting. His wife has a son who is a graduate of the class of 1964. The family decided to visit the academy while vacationing along the East Coast this past summer. Her son acted as guide. Bob had only been to West Point once before, and that was as a member of VMI’s polo team – as was Jim Morrison. (After the war, Jim was an instructor at West Point.) Bob described the buildings and grounds as being “magnificent.” At one point, he recognized the building that was the riding hall and was later converted into classrooms. Bob remembered Jim telling a story

about his conducting a class in that building and informing his students that he, at one time, rode his horse full speed through their classroom! John Williams called to tout a film titled, “Field of Lost Shoes.” The story is based on the Battle of New Market and the events leading up to it. The premier occurred this summer in Richmond and now is being shown generally in Virginia theatres. He says the critics are giving it great reviews. I’m looking forward to it, but it has not hit the local establishments as of yet. There is a young lady named Lisa Tracy in Lexington who teaches at Washington and Lee University and is the granddaughter of Gen. Kilbourne ’894, our former superintendent. She is writing a book involving the part played by VMI men during the victorious campaigns of World War II. I may have told you about her before. She will be present during our reunion and will want to interview some of you during that time. Please help her if you can – she has a daunting task on her hands. I received word from the Alumni Association last week of the passing of Brother Rat Walt Weber. He lived in Catskill, New York, on the Hudson River. Walt practiced law in New Jersey but spent quite a bit of his life in boating activities, including owning and operating a marina in Catskill. Our deepest sympathies to his wife, Barbara, and family. I received a thoughtful note from Karen Redwine down in Athens, Georgia, in which she provided her new address – 350 Wood Lake Drive, #22 Athens, GA 30606. Karen

2015-Issue 1

CLASS NOTES also advised she is definitely planold friend; no doom and gloom, ning on attending the Reunion. just fond memories and an honor Atta’ way to go, Karen! guard from the Army to fire the I received another beautiful note, three rounds and sound “Taps.” I this time from Elisabeth Welles. had a nice chat with Binky, who She was so complementary I bewas kept very busy greeting the lieve I blushed. Thanks mucho, large crowd of over 100 who attended. Elisabeth. She also mentioned she The only other news I have is is unable to attend the 70th. personal. Next Wednesday I am In a phone conversation with Eiattending the annual fall dinner of land Anthony, I learned he lost his wife, Jane, two years ago. Other our local Williamsburg Chapter than that, he is doing rather well but of the VMI Alumni Association. is not ready for the Boston Mara- Class of 1945: From the files of deceased BR Rogers Our speaker will be Dr. Dave thon – or the reunion. Diles, director of Intercollegiate Welles, taken while his father was teaching at VMI. Back to the reunion. I decided Athletics, who will discuss VMI to reshape the program somewhat based with my basket of M&M’s close by (but football in the mid-20th century under John on some comments I received (which were safely out of my reach) waiting for the few McKenna, legendary football coach, and very much on the mark). Anything requiring young treat-or-tricksters that we have in the what has happened to intercollegiate footphysical effort or staying power has been de- neighborhood, it is hard to realize that, by ball since we were cadets. I don’t think any leted, i.e., house or garden tours for the ladies, the time you read this, we may be up to our of us will forget having marched with Joe golf activities for the would-be Tiger Woods. posteriors in February snow. Muha ’43 who was No. 2 in both the NFL Something else that is hard to realize is I draft (Philadelphia Eagles) and the AllTransportation will be provided to and from have been your class agent for 10 years ... American backfield after Frankie Sinkwich all events. We will try to obtain a poster board for the and I am still begging for material for these of Georgia. Only World War II kept him out hospitality room to display photos, so bring notes! Some of the younger classes have of the Hall of Fame. What we didn’t know with you any you think would be of general so much traffic that they have several class at the time was that when they demobilized interest. In the past, several have displayed agents to handle their volume of news. I in 1946, our Brother Rats Vince Ragunas their scrapbooks which have been priceless. I can’t certify to it, but I think I’m still using and Jack Hutchinson would return to VMI hope they are ready for a repeat performance. the same printer cartridge I started with in to graduate and get drafted by their hometown Steelers. I don’t think any other VMI Speaking of the hospitality room, if anyone 2004. There isn’t really that much else to report class has had two members play in the NFL would be willing to fill in as host or hostess, please let me know. Also, the ladies at past re- about the Class of 1946 this time, either. together. Another first for ol’ ’46! Mac Alunions have been good enough to provide the What info I have is not all that good. While len and I were the only old cadets on Poolroom with samples of their baking skills. A re- writing these notes, I received an email ey Hubert’s 1943 football varsity; the rest peat performance will be greatly appreciated! from Lexington that they had received were 4th Class cadets. I had the distinction At this point, Sandra came into my den and returned mail from Phil Fairman marked of being the oldest (18) and the heaviest asked how I was progressing on the notes. I “deceased” and asked me to check it out. I (188). I was third string and got into two told her I had run out of material and inspi- called his home in Hallandale Beach, Flor- games. We played the Maryland Terps in a rations. She must have been talking to my ida, and talked to Thereza, who confirmed blinding snowstorm on Thanksgiving bebrother. She offered to finish the job for me. that Phil was gone. I didn’t find out when cause the Hokies had quit football for the I smelled a “lose-lose” crisis here. The only because the dear lady broke down, so I as- “duration.” We lost 8-6 on a safety that they solution I could think of quickly was to claim sume it was recent. I gave her condolences are still looking for. from all of us. (Editor’s Note: Before goSpring is almost here; let me hear from I was finished – which I now am. Thanks for reading all of this. See you all ing to press, we discovered that Philip B. you – Now, misto! Fairman died Dec. 15, 2011. A Taps entry Bill April 19. God bless the Great Class of ’45 and VMI. will appear in the 2015-Issue 2 Review.) Last month, I drove up to Richmond, Dick Gus Robbins Virginia, to represent VMI and our class William A. Eliason at the interment ceremony for the ashes of our Brother Rat Waldo Forster. Waldo died last winter, but Binky and the family wanted to wait for the pleasant time of the year for the outdoor service in HollyI had just remarked on how nice it was to wood Cemetery. I’m no fan of funerals, but work on the class notes without having to Sitting here at my desk on a warm Halloween this was more like saying goodbye to an include any obituaries, when I was notified

’46

’47

VMI ALUMNI REVIEW

CLASS NOTES that our BR Joseph Lancing Smith had died. Lance was from Wilmington, North Carolina, and like most of our class, left the Institute after our 4th Class for service in the U.S. Army Air Corps. After World War II, he did not return to the “I” but went to the University of North Carolina and received a degree in business and accounting. He had a certified public accountants office in Wilmington for many years and was also involved in commercial real estate. He is survived by his wife, Maggie; an older sister; and former wife and mother of his three sons, Virginia. The good news arrived in a wonderful letter from Dick Spencer detailing his – and many of our BRs’ – years at the “I” from June 1943 until January 1949. A copy of his letter is included: “Dear Gus, “The Alumni Review arrived yesterday, and I have been reading notes from several classes to see what was going on among those I have known over the years – from the Class of ’44, which was the 1st Class our rat year, through the Class of ’49B, which I joined and graduated with after World War II service. I began to wonder what it was like during ‘normal’ times at VMI – before June 1943 and after the last of the World War II veterans graduated. Here are some observations of the ‘life and times’ of the Class of 1947 over a period of several years beginning June 9, 1943, when we matriculated at Jackson Memorial Hall. “It had been decided that, due to the uncertainties of the war, we would start a two year, eight month cycle without summer vacations to cover our required four years. As a result, only six of our class graduated ‘on time’ in April 1946 instead of June 1947. “I arrived with a group that traveled from Texas: Jack Timmins, Carl Vandervoort, Don Doherty, Pendell Pittman and Olin Bates. Being early arrivals, we were assigned rooms on the first stoop. Carl, Don, Olin and Pendell were assigned to room 122 with Jorge Sarmiento. I was assigned to room 120 with Corky Land and Sambo Roddy. After a few days, we had a ‘shuffle,’ and I traded places with Olin, spending my rat year in room 122 and he in room 120. We were issued khaki uniforms – the first time the Corps had worn khaki since World War II – instead of cadet gray. “When we arrived, we found there was an 2015-Issue 1

Army Specialized Training Program college group at VMI, and they were assigned rooms on the second and fourth stoops. We were originally told that due to the presence of the ASTP living in the barracks, there would be no Rat Line for us. We all met in J.M. Hall for an orientation meeting and voted to retain the tradition of the Rat Line. The subject never came up again. “There were about 195 in the rat class (us), 56 in the 3rd Class, 27 in the 2nd Class, and only 5 in the 1st Class. Initially, the entire 1st Class was in one room. All of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Classes were assigned to rooms on the first stoop. After a week or so, a group of pre-medical cadets from the Class of ’44 arrived, having been released by the Army to return for their senior year. The Army was going to need more doctors during World War II. Every ‘old cadet’ had two or three rats as dykes, because there were too many rats in comparison to the number of 1st Class cadets. I started out as a dyke for Pat Echols ’46, but when the pre-med group arrived, Pat sent me to dyke John McClung, along with Bill Rudolph. They were assigned to a room in sub quarters in the corner of the third stoop. So, instead of having to arrive at my dyke’s room on the first stoop, Bill and I had to make it to the third stoop. “After about a week, I found that Joe Cimo was in our class and lived over in the corner of the first stoop. Neither of us knew the other was planning to attend VMI. Joe and I were both from Waco, Texas, and had gone through public schools together and graduated high school with one another. Joe left for the Army after the first year. He took the exam for the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and graduated from there. I lost track of Joe, but he went on to fly jets and was flying choppers as a lieutenant colonel when he was shot down and killed. It wasn’t until after I moved to Franklin, Tennessee, in 1995 that a high school classmate filled me in on Joe. He had married and left behind a widow and two daughters living in Florida. The widow remarried but wanted her daughters to know about Joe’s history, since they were young when he died. I wrote a letter with memories and sent it to the widow. “One event in our rat year stands out in my memory. It seems that Gen. Kilbourne ’894, our superintendent, made it his practice to

invite out-of-state cadets to have dinner with him and his wife at their home. One Saturday evening, I received an invitation and attended dinner. I do not remember who else was there, but there were four or five of us. After dinner, Gen. Kilbourne said that he had most of a chocolate cake left over and that we would draw straws for it. I won and took the cake back to barracks to share with four receptive roommates. I still have the slip of paper with ‘winner’ written on it. “In Fall 1943, we switched from khaki uniforms to cadet gray, and then switched back to khaki in late spring 1944. During our rat year, we regularly lost members to the military draft. By the end of our 3rd Class year, we were down to less than 50 members still in school. In Company A, P.X. English ’49C, George Gelly and I were the ‘tall’ guys in the first platoon, and we decided to room together. We moved into our new room, and a week later George went to Roanoke for his ‘pre-induction’ physical. He called from the induction station and said he would not be back but instead was going into the Army that day. He requested we send his things to his parents. It was years later that we saw George again, and he was living in Atlanta. I had found his name in an advertisement in Shotgun News and wrote to confirm that he was our George Gelly. He then began attending our reunions. P.X. and I had a two man room for the first semester of our 3rd Class year, but we moved down to room 137 to room with Sam Hairston and Tom Stanley for the second semester. “There was an unfortunate incident in September 1944 that not too many remember. We had a torchlight parade the evening before a football game. As we finished walking around the road along the Parade Ground, we dropped our torches on the bricks in front of J.M. Hall. I finished and made my way to room 137, which overlooks the Parade Ground, and heard a loud explosion. I saw commotion at one of the cannons. A cadet had tried to extinguish his torch by putting it into the barrel of one of the cannons. Someone had apparently placed powder in it, and the torch set the cannon off, blowing the torch through the cadet and killing him instantly. No one would expect powder to be in one of the cannons, but as a safety measure, they 53

CLASS NOTES were all immediately plugged. “As the second semester of our 3rd Class year was progressing, someone noted that it was customary for a class to have Ring Figure in the fall of their 2nd Class year. It was estimated that our remaining 47 would drop further, so it was decided that we would schedule our Ring Figure before the end of the fall semester. At that time, there were shortages in certain metals and there was also little time to get a design for a new ring approved. With that in mind, we contacted the Class of ’42, requesting permission to have a cast made from their ring and simply change the two to a seven. This was granted, and we had our Ring Figure in October 1944. After finals a few days later, I left to enter the Navy – Nov. 3, 1944. I was discharged in July 1946, and re-entered VMI in September. I stayed in the Navy Reserve and obtained a reserve commission in the Navy Civil Engineering Corps, but never had more active duty. “In September 1946, we had a mixed bag of those of us returning after our World War II service. We had many from the Classes of 1944-48. A few had married. Those with commissions were assigned to Company G and did not participate in ROTC, drills or parades. The married cadets lived in town with wives and were not in uniform. I had stayed in the Navy Reserve and would not be signing an ROTC contract, so I was transferred from a regular company to Company G. By June 1948, most of Company G would be graduating, and there wouldn’t be enough of us left to retain the company. We were given a choice: either move back into a regular company, or live in town as a civilian cadet. I chose the latter and lived in a rented room on White Street. Those of us in the category had a locker in the basement of Nichols Engineering Building to store books during the day. “It was at VMI that I met the young lady who became my wife. In September 1947, I found an article in my hometown newspaper, with pictures, about several young ladies who would be attending college away from Waco, Texas. One of these was Ann Alexander. We had gone to the same public schools, were members of the same church and our families were friends. Ann was going to attend Mary Baldwin College in Staunton, Virginia. I wrote and asked her 54

to come for the October football game and dances. She accepted. Ann’s birthday was also that weekend, and her parents drove from Texas to celebrate. She finished one year at Mary Baldwin before transferring to the University of Texas in September 1948. That was OK, because I graduated in January 1949 and was back at home after that. We married July 6, 1949. After I retired from civil engineering, we moved from Austin, Texas, to Franklin, Tennessee, in February 1995 to watch a grandson grow up. By the time we had settled into our new home, we found that Ann had a heart problem. She died peacefully in her sleep in April 1995. “Gus, I am sure that there are many more stories out there, but thought I would pass these along. Like most of our BRs, it is ‘patch, patch, patch.’ I had my knees replaced 10 years ago, had cataract surgery in 1996 and am now in treatment for glaucoma. Ann and I had started a genealogical research into our families when we moved to Austin in 1968. After moving to Franklin, I have gotten into membership and activities with the Sons of the American Revolution, War of 1812 Society and other patriotic societies. A friend invited me to join the America Legion, and I did so. I was able to go on Honor Flight for World War II veterans to Washington, D.C., with my son as my guardian. (A guardian was assigned the responsibility of helping three veterans, as needed. Out of 105 veterans, we had 15 in wheelchairs for that trip.) Plus, I work as a volunteer in our county archives, helping others with family research. “Best Regards, Dick.” I wish my memory was as sharp as Dick’s. Betty Lane and I had a brief visit in August with Garvin and Lucie Jones. They were on their way home from vacationing up north and stopped to visit friends in Chesterfield, Virginia, for a few days, so we enjoyed dinner with both couples. Garvin seems to be nicely recovered from his accident a year or so ago. He enjoys playing nine holes of golf but hopes to be up to 18 very soon. Indeed, we often find what a small world it is! This summer, we were in the waiting room of our orthopedic practice in Richmond when who should walk in but Bette Jacobsen. She was being seen and taking

therapy for pulled and torn tendons in her shoulder. I am happy to report, after talking to her recently, she is healing rapidly and planning on being back playing croquet soon. BR Lucius Dabney sent a great letter detailing some information on the death of Fred LeBlanc. Fred graduated from Louisiana State University with an accounting degree after World War II, and made a career as an accountant with Kaiser Aluminum. He was preceded in death by his wife. He is survived by a son, four grandchildren and a sister. Lucius is one of our more active BRs, as he still works a full schedule and gets in a three mile walk every day. He and Allene do some traveling, although not too far from home. Earlier this year, they were in New Orleans for a conference of the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. Sarah Newsom called and we had a delightful chat last week. She is doing quite well and does enjoy many get-togethers with her four children. She and her daughter, Boodie, and husband, Peter, will be traveling to New York state to visit friends, and then they will tour the Maine coast. October should be a beautiful time to travel that area. Betty Lane and I attended the recent VMI versus the U.S. Naval Academy football game in Annapolis, Maryland, and were weekend guests of Anna May ’47 and Bruce Taylor ’49C, who live in Severna Park, Maryland. They have family Navy connections, so we enjoyed a terrific tailgate with a fun group of Navy graduates from the class of ’77. The game was lopsided, as Navy trounced our Keydets, but VMI attendees were still in good spirits. At halftime, the VMI pipe and drum band joined the Navy pipe and drum corps for a fine performance on the field. I wish I could report news of more of you fine BRs, but maybe now with Christmas coming, I will get some Christmas card news from you for the next quarterly issue. I hope our class doesn’t get like some of the older classes and have nothing to share! You may not think what you are doing or where you are going is interesting to others in the class, but it is. So let me hear from you. Thanksgiving and Christmas are just about upon us as I write these notes, so I hope you had a thankful and happy holiday season. In the spirit, Your BR Gus VMI ALUMNI REVIEW

CLASS NOTES Dale E. Wykoff

’48A

Peggy Kritzer has moved to the Herndon, Virginia, area. I will be glad to share her address with you – just give me a call. Dora Meler has been working both from her home and from the office in New York City, but recent complicated eyesight problems have begun to dictate some changes. J.Y. O’Neal was recuperating from a bout with cancer, and I was hoping to find out how he was doing. Unfortunately, his telephone gives off nothing but odd sounds before cutting off. J.Y., I will write you. Irene Sadler was looking forward to a VMI alumni meeting in Williamsburg, Virginia, that she expected in November 2014. Her son visited from their ancestral home in Hawaii. Although Irene hoped he might stay in the contiguous USA, he decided to return to Hawaii. Irene invites all the brother rats and friends to visit her at the Patriots Colony in Williamsburg. Sara Stagg left Bon Air, Virginia, and relocated to a retirement area. Please give me a call for that address. John and Barbara Trumbo remain in good health and continue to lead a very active life in Stuarts Draft, Virginia. John recently visited Gilly Williamson at his retirement home in Woodstock, Virginia, where he has lived for about five years. Gilly asked about all the brother rats and sent his greetings to everyone. Lamar Whitmore starts every day at about 3 a.m., giving her ample time to work about her home in Norfolk, Virginia. I told her to be wary of strong winds blowing around her since she now weighs well under 90 pounds. As for Dale Wykoff, life goes on very fast at the Deerfield Retirement Center in Asheville, North Carolina. Let’s stay in touch. Give me a call.

’48B

Louis Castellano Jr.

I spoke to Libby Danforth, wife of our late brother rat, Clarence. As you know, 2015-Issue 1

Clarence was an electrical engineer. Libby and Clarence had five children, 11 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. One of Libby’s daughters is a teacher at the Packard School in Brooklyn, New York, which is a private school with classes from first grade through the last year of college. Lastly, I might mention that Libby’s father, Gary Eppley, was involved with the University of Maryland. There is an athletic building named after Gary at the university. Recently, I spoke with Catherine Fitz. Jim is under the weather, unfortunately. Catherine and Jim had four children and seven grandchildren. Jim went to Yale School of Architecture, served in Korea and was an architect in the Alabama area for many years. I heard from our brother rat, Mickey Lawson, with assistance from his wife, Helen. Mickey advised that Brother Rat Bob Duke passed away last September. Mickey and Helen have three children who are probably approaching retirement age. Their oldest child, Charles, graduated from the medical school at the University of Texas. Their middle child is a paralegal for the Texas hospital administration in charge of nursing licensing of staff. Upon retirement, she will return to teaching business in high schools. The youngest is a product standards manager for IBM in Austin, Texas. Helen and Mickey recently celebrated their 60th anniversary. They forwarded me a very generous contribution for the VMI Foundation. I spoke with Christian Hoeser who graduated from VMI in 1947. He served in Korea for one year, 1951-52. He came back and went to work for the Norfolk and Western Railway, which ultimately became the Norfolk Southern Railway. Christian retired after 40 years. I reached out to Jane Kempsell, Howard Kempsell’s widow, who lives in Gloucester, Virginia. I was unable to reach Jane, but her daughter, Bonnie, called me back. I learned that Jane contracted meningitis about 10 years ago from an injection and is in a health care facility. She has some disability because of the meningitis. Jane and Howard had three children. One son went to VMI, one went to the University of Richmond and Bonnie went to the College of William & Mary. Howard had the foresight to secure long-term health insurance for Jane, which is a godsend expense-wise to take care of her financial obligations and to give her peace of mind on financial issues.

Being a class agent at the age of 87 is a true task. However, it does have its rewards. I recently spoke to Ed Hartman. Ed graduated from VMI in 1947 and applied to Harvard Law School. Harvard turned him down, but a few days before school started, Ed made a personal visit to the school and persuaded the dean of admissions to give him a try. Ed was admitted to Harvard. He graduated and practiced law in Maryland for over 40 years. He has multiple interests. I believe Ed started a tour boat business that his daughter now runs. Ed has three children, six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. I spoke to Brother Rat Lionel Lieberman. Lionel went to VMI for one year, was in the U.S. Navy, then came back and went to medical school at the University of Virginia. His specialty for the past 30 years has been nuclear medicine. He travels to Israel with his wife for six months out of the year. He has a daughter in Israel who has five children. He leaves for Tel Aviv in March 2015. I spoke to Brother Rat John McGiffert’s wife who lives in San Antonio, Texas. John had a career in the U.S. Army and retired as a lieutenant general. He died in 1990. He had four children, eight grandchildren and I think eight great-grandchildren. One of my granddaughters, Meghan Castellano, graduated as an engineer from Clarkson University and is presently employed by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas in Austin, Texas. ERCOT has something to do with controlling utilities or rates charged by utilities. Quite frankly, I am not 100 percent positive.

’49A

James Harrington

Editor’s Note: We did not receive notes from the Class of 1949A.

’49B

Dan Smaw

These notes cover the period from midAugust to Nov. 1, 2014. 55

CLASS NOTES On Aug. 21, I received a call from Lynne Bolvig telling me that Axel died Aug. 13. He had been in a nursing home for several years and was not in very good shape. Axel is survived by his wife, Lynne; a son; two daughters; and three grandchildren. A memorial service was held at the Independent Presbyterian Church in Birmingham, Alabama, at 4 p.m. Aug. 18. Our sincere condolences go to Lynne and the family. I called Lon and Doris Walter Aug. 22 to tell them about Axel and to see how they were doing. They were doing OK and appreciated getting the info about Axel. As you probably know Lon no longer has a computer. Jack Evans called in early September to say his carpal tunnel syndrome had reached the point that he can no longer play golf. Other than that, he is doing pretty well and gets visits fairly often from some of his children. Greg Nelson wrote in September that he, Kitty, two of their sons and two grandsons went to Lexington for the VMI versus Davidson College football game, which VMI won 52-24 – that doesn’t happen too often. They had lunch in the mess hall then shuttled to the game and had a very good time. Greg says the present Corps eats better than we did. Greg wrote that at last year’s GardnerWebb University game, he asked a Keydet if they let the 4th Class cadets out of the Rat Line for a day if VMI wins. He was told they don’t do that. This year, he asked two Keydets the same thing and got somewhat contradictory answers. After the game and the singing of the “Doxology,” there was an announcement on the PA system saying the supper roll call was canceled and the Rat Line suspended until midnight Sunday. Some old customs apparently remain. Jack Evans called in mid-September to say he had a long talk with Jean Thomason. He later talked to Tommy Bowers and mentioned talking with Jean. A couple of days later, Tommy called Jean and had a nice conversation. At some point Jack, Bobby Thomason and Tommy had all roomed together. On Sept. 20, VMI returned to the Southern Conference, playing Samford University in Birmingham. VMI was a member of the Southern Conference for 79 years before shifting to the Big South Conference in 2003. This information came from a newspaper 56

article that Tom Cooke sent, along with “cheers” from downtown Rockbridge Baths, Virginia. On Sept. 26 we had to “put down” Skip, our much beloved dog. He was an abused dog we got from animal rescue. We had him for 14 years and he was a joy. I am sure the animal lovers in the class know what it means to lose a pet – it isn’t easy. Greg Nelson wrote that he, Kitty, son Greg and Benny Harmon went to the VMI versus Mercer University game Sept. 27. They tailgated with George and Jane Dooley, who put on a great spread of food and drinks. The Corps marched on the field as usual. The sun shining brightly on their white uniforms was a magnificent sight – seeing the entire Corps on the field, facing them at attention. Charlie Upshaw and I recently had a lengthy conversation which covered many things. At the end, we both figured there was nothing we had discussed that would be of interest to the class. He did mention that his grandson, Andrew ’06, is stationed in the Munich area of Germany. Our grandson, Andrew Timpner ’07, reported to school at the navy base in Newport, Rhode Island, Oct. 14 for a six month course. Upon completion, he will report to Norfolk, Virginia, for assignment to the USS Arleigh Burke, the oldest destroyer in the navy. He is looking forward to sea duty after the three years he spent teaching at the navy school in Dahlgren, Virginia. I recently had a conversation with Vaughn and Izzey Maxwell. Vaughn says he feels pretty good most of the time. He gets around well in his motorized wheelchair. We recalled lots of things that happened years ago and just had a good time reminiscing. He would welcome a call from you guys to hear about what is going on with you. Izzey gets out to play bridge, which she enjoys a couple of times a week. Benny Harmon emailed me that he saw Gertie Gault’s obituary in the Richmond paper saying she died Oct. 22. Our condolences to her son and daughter and their families. Since Joe and Shirley Spitler moved into a retirement community in July, they sent out an early letter with their new address in hopes they will hear from you. In February, Shirley, Joe and two daughters spent time in Richmond helping Joe’s sister, Joann,

move into assisted living at the Virginia Baptist Home. In July, they moved into a two bedroom apartment in the independent living section of the Fountains at La Cholla. They are staying busy; Shirley is knitting, crocheting and reading while Joe is playing flutes and exercising in the facility in their building. Meals were one of the big draws of the facility, and Shirley is enjoying not cooking or cleaning house. Their five children, seven grandchildren and five greatchildren are well and healthy. For the fiscal year that ended in June, 34 brother rats contributed $37,155, and three sister rats contributed $700. Thanks to all of them and to those who have contributed this year. God Bless America, VMI and ’49B.

’50A

Bill Moore

Charlotte (Harold) Logsdon had major surgery recently – colon blockage. It was a serious operation, but thankfully no malignancy was found. She’s doing well – a little weak, but well. Colon surgery is messy in more ways than one, but I’m sure that with Charlotte’s incomparable spirit her recovery will be complete although slow. Her daughter, Cheryl, has been attending to her, so she is in good hands. We’re both concerned that this may impact her ability to make our reunion. I certainly hope not, because all of us will miss her vitality and hearty laugh. Everybody else is having a pretty calm time of it. Nancy (Elliott) Hudgins says that they are doing well but sticking close to home, as Elliott has a lot of doctors he has to regularly visit. Their son, Lt. Col. Reed Hudgins ’90, is the chief of the Combined Arms Logistics branch of the Army and is in charge of running the Soldier for Life program, which develops opportunities for soldiers to earn civilian certification in fields based on their military occupational training. B.J. and Kenny Stagg are calmly holding the Holy City (Richmond, Virginia) down. He says that they are, in the words of Bill Clark, “Keepin’ on keepin’ on.” Harriet and Jennings Bunch report things are well VMI ALUMNI REVIEW

CLASS NOTES with them without anything too exciting going on. Gene Witcher recently visited old friends in Austin, Texas, for a week and had a great time. They even came to Houston and picked him up. Now that is what I call real friends – especially at our age. He is still living with his aortic valve stenosis and says he’s about ready to do something about it, as he is beginning to have some tiredness because of it. He was scheduled to have the valve replaced a couple of years ago; however, his doctors decided that he didn’t need it quite yet. They were going to do a new procedure called a transarterial valve replacement, which doesn’t require open heart surgery. I know that when/if I live long enough to have my aortic valve replacement replaced, I’d certainly consider that method. I never want to have open heart surgery again if I can help it. In the meantime, the Food and Drug Administration has just approved a TAVR method that doesn’t use a metal valve. Instead, a tissue valve is used in a metal carrier. Supposedly this avoids having to take Coumadin or another blood thinner for the rest of your life. Gene is looking forward to being at our reunion, and I’m looking forward to seeing my old roomie again. Barbara (Hugh) Barnes is still volunteering at a hospital. She says she enjoys it even though she has to arrange transportation in order to do it. Her granddaughters are growing up, and she isn’t quite as involved in their lives as she used to be. I understand how that is. Judy and Ralph Mooney recently held an outside wedding for their granddaughter. I can imagine how beautiful it must have been at their Blue Ridge home this time of year. Ralph is doing better after his recent hospital stay, and Judy always does well. Syd Stealey reports that he and Beverly have had a short growing season this summer in Fairbanks. Nevertheless, they have enjoyed the tomatoes they have gotten from their garden. Both are well and looking forward to our reunion. Joanne (Ed) Miller’s grandson, Eric, will be home at Thanksgiving, and she’s looking forward to his visit. She was so kind to invite me up for Thanksgiving dinner, but I’m afraid I couldn’t make it, as my own family stays so busy, busy, busy that I’ll need to spend some time with them, and holidays are about the only time that I get 2015-Issue 1

to visit with our extended family. Debra and I made the trip to Annapolis, Maryland, for the VMI versus the U.S. Naval Academy game. Neither the game nor the weather cooperated, but we had a great trip and enjoyed much delicious seafood. All my folks are well and busy. Debra’s are the same. Incidentally, the great little restaurant in Rock Hall, Maryland, that I told you about is now a larger great seafood restaurant in the Imperial Hotel in nearby downtown Chestertown, Maryland. Chestertown is a really neat little old town. There were no rooms in Annapolis the weekend of the football game, so we stayed in Chestertown. It turned out to be a good choice. I’m sorry that I couldn’t catch up with all of you this time. I’ll chase you down, physically if necessary, for the next issue. I don’t even have a good story from the past for you. We must have been on “pledge” more than any class in the Institute’s history! Three out of our four years. If I don’t come up with a better story, you’ll get that one. Bill Moore

’50B

Robert White

I was 17 years old when we matriculated at VMI in 1946. The majority of my brother rats were about the same age. The huge surprise to me was the fact that so much of our class was made up of veterans who were much older and whose experience in the military had given them maturity far beyond their ages. For example, Harvey Wise had flown B-26s in the Army Air Corps, and Bobby Hagan had been a Marine Corps officer. Nick Thomas had also been an Army Air Corps officer, and Mark Hansen had been a combat soldier who had fought all over Europe. There were so many others with comparable wartime experiences, one of which is worthy of describing. Paul A. Louis ’45 (not a 1950B, but clearly a hero of mine) was a B-26 pilot who flew many bombing runs over Germany before he was shot down and captured by German soldiers. He was put on a train headed for the place in Germany for confrontation and questioning. (When

asked for the names of people in his unit, he gave the names of his high school football team.) His dog tags indicated that he was Presbyterian although he was a Jew, and he carried a gold Mezuzah for luck. Along the way, he noticed workers beside the tracks, obviously emaciated and obviously Jewish. He knew that Jews in Germany had it very hard and possession of the Mezuzah worried him a great deal. The train was then strafed by U.S. planes, and it was ordered to stop and the passengers were directed to go into the train station there. While at the station, Paul went into a bathroom stall and stuck the Mezuzah into an overhead pipe with chewing gum. From there he continued on to prison, where he stayed until the end of the war. At that time, he tried to get permission to return to the train station to look for the Mezuzah, but he was told that he could not go anywhere but to board transportation back to America. Paul wrote a letter to his brother-in-law, Charles Stein, who was an American officer stationed in Germany and requested him (if he could) to go to the train station and look for the Mezuzah. Charles did as requested and went to the train station which had been bombed and was severely damaged. Carrying a flashlight, he explored the station, never thinking he would have success. To his surprise, he spotted a gold glint coming from the pipe where Paul had secured the Mezuzah, and there it was! Paul died a few years ago, but needless to say, the Mezuzah is in a place of honor in the home of his widow, Nancy. The mixture of ages and wartime experiences among the brother rats of 1950B gave our class a characteristic that no other VMI class has ever had. The veterans were smart, motivated and mature far beyond other brother rat classes, with the result that our non-veteran 17-year-olds were given role models for study, learning, friendship, socializing and seriousness that otherwise had never existed at VMI. It was as though a separate class in maturity had been created for the younger brother rats, and our personalities and characters have benefited from this our entire lives. One important aspect of these benefits was the ready acceptance of VMI’s Honor Code, and this means believing and observing the 57

CLASS NOTES code even when no one is looking; not just following a rule. It has to do with a better way of life. Sadly, most of these veterans are gone now. They were three, four and five years older than the younger members of the class. But, on the other hand, they are with us still, and we are grateful for all they did – then and now. Speaking of veterans, I believe that Ralston Brooks was the youngest veteran in our class. He graduated from high school in 1945 and immediately joined the Navy. I am not sure why, but he was discharged soon enough to begin with our class as a brother rat. He lives in an assisted living home outside of Richmond where John Taylor also lives. Ralston’s son, Robert, went to college at Washington and Lee University and to law school at the University of Virginia. He has practiced law in South Carolina for a number of years but plans to return to Virginia in the near future. Ralston plans to be with us in our 65th. Another thing that impressed me when I started at VMI was the merit of the teachers and how well they were regarded; not only by other teachers at the Institute but also those at other schools and other places. There was one in particular whom I knew well, as did other cadets who were lucky enough to be taught by him. That was Herbert Nash Dillard ’34, known as Do-Do. He taught mainly English literature, but he tried to convince his students that there were other areas worth learning about, and if we were to be educated people we would have to be exposed to the thinking and work of the great minds of the world. This would be no simple pastime but would be in addition to whatever trade we had for earning a living. For example, he thought an educated person should have some knowledge of Voltaire and of Voltaire’s championship of the Enlightenment. He also believed that there were other areas worthy of study. Do-Do could also be funny. Sometimes when we were first getting to know him, the word “impotent” came up. I, together with most of the other members of the class, did not know what it meant or how to pronounce it. Do-Do took great pleasure in explaining both, and by saying, “I’d rather be it than say it.” (“Impotent” mispronounced.) I am sure that no cadet in that class ever forgot that quote. 58

An interesting article concerning the statue of Thomas Jefferson in front of the Rotunda at the University of Virginia was published in the UVa Magazine for fall 2014. The sculptor was Moses Ezekiel ’866, who fought in the Battle of New Market as a cadet. The following is a copy of that article. “God is in the Details: U.Va. instructor uncovers an overlooked facet of the Jefferson statue. “Most everyone at UVa has walked by the Jefferson statue in front of the Rotunda, but few have examined the statue’s small details. W. Scott Harrop, an adjunct lecturer in UVa’s department of Middle Eastern and Asian languages and cultures, says he was astonished when a visiting professor pointed out a curious feature of the statue. The names of various deities – God, Jehovah, Brahma, Atma, Ra, Allah, Zeus – are carved into a tablet held by one of the statue’s symbolic spirits, who represents religious freedom. “Harrop went digging through the Special Collections Library to research sculptor Moses Ezekiel, who completed the statue in 1910. Harrop found a letter Ezekiel wrote to his father explaining that he carved the deity names to show that ‘under our government, they mean and all are God – and have no other meaning and have each an equal right and protection of our just laws as Americans.’ “As Harrop wrote in UVa’s ‘Middle Eastern and South Asian Languages and Cultures’ newsletter, the subject of religious freedom had especially poignant meaning to Ezekiel, who was born in 1844 in Richmond to a family of Sephardic Jews and faced antiSemitism through much of his life. “Ezekiel was the first Jewish man to enroll in the Virginia Military Institute, where he became close friends with roommate Thomas G. Jefferson [’867], a greatnephew of UVa’s founder. They continued their friendship on the battlefield, where Jefferson died in Ezekiel’s arms as the future sculptor read aloud from the Gospel of John.” Here we are – two months shy of our 65th Reunion. First of all, we should thank and congratulate Braxton and Judith Green for all their efforts and love for putting it together. They have been wonderful in so many ways. Thank you so much, Braxton and Judith. Our celebration will be because we are

there and because of so many who are no longer with us whose influence is still great. We received the following report from Hogie Sutherland: “Thanks for calling me about Peyton (Robertson). In many ways, he was the face of our class. And, perhaps more than anyone, he made sure that everyone knew ’50B was alive and well and would always be there. “Our class was unquestionably unique – the first to arrive after the end of World War II, with frightened teenagers rooming with combat veterans; young and old blending together and wondering what the devil was going on. We couldn’t figure it out, but neither could the folks that greeted us. In many ways, even though they had the upper hand, in a real sense, we ran the place even then. And, believe me, they knew we were there – and by all that’s holy, they knew Peyton was there. You never knew what he was going to do or say. Perhaps take a picture with an alligator, try and steal your date, hike the Appalachian Trail or just be a nice guy – but never be a quiet one. Lots of memories on the rowdy side, but for some reason, the one I remember is from the other side of the fence. Our family was in Charlottesville to be with my father, who was very ill, in the university hospital. As I was walking around the grounds, I bumped into Peyton, who at the time was working on his doctorate at the university. We walked down the hill together, and I introduced him to my family. We talked for a while, and then Peyton knelt beside my mother, held her hands and for over 20 minutes they talked together, just the two of them. I am certain there were tears in both their eyes. She never forgot that and neither did I. To hell with all those alligator stories – a good man. “Last summer on a visit to Lexington, we got together for a delightful visit with Helen Talbott and Jane and Olivia Patton. It is always good to see these folks. We first had a late lunch/early dinner with Helen in the restaurant next to our reunion hotel (the Wingate by Wyndham.) We have talked to or seen a number of brother rats over the last number of months. Vince Palazzo – Laura called him to see how things were going. They have that special New York connection with an Irish cop from Brooklyn and a policeman from the Bronx, in their backgrounds to laugh and VMI ALUMNI REVIEW

CLASS NOTES talk about. He seems to really like where he is living – a lovely place with a caring group of nuns to take care of him. “Tom Kelley – We talk to Tom (and Norma) and Sue, as do you. He seems to be doing well, and loves to tell all those old stories (particularly about Nick Thomas) we all so enjoy. When we last talked to him, he was roaring with laughter about a couple of ones that happened, of all places, in church. And, of course, ‘the potato chips broke my fall’ is one that defies description.” From “Thanatopsis,” by William Cullen Bryant. “So live, that when thy summons comes to join that innumerable caravan which moves on to that mysterious place where each shall take his chamber in the silent halls of death; go not like a quarry slave at night, scourged to his dungeon, but sustained and soothed by an unfaltering trust like one who wraps the draperies of his couch about him and lies down to pleasant dreams.”

’51

John Ross

This note covers the period Aug. 11 to Oct. 28, 2014. Sam Scott called requesting the schedule for the interment of Joe Tom Howard at Arlington, which I furnished. As is wont with Sam, we then had a long visit. Sam intended to make Joe Tom’s service and then proceed to visit a daughter in Maryland. He reported that he intends to sell his home and downsize. Marie and I received a short note from Nancy and Sookie Hill, which included the first page of the VMI Cadet reporting the details of our 1951 graduation. This brought back memories of that significant day in our lives. On Aug. 16 and again on the 19th, your class agent wound up in the emergency room of the hospital. The final diagnosis was a tear of the left inguinal muscle. Whatever, it was very painful. As a result, I missed Joe Tom’s service. Rav Marshall called me and reported the service was very impressive and well attended. In addition to Rav, Alice and Jim Close and Sam Scott were in attendance. I was very sorry to miss 2015-Issue 1

the service and wrote to Frances explaining my absence. Winston Baber, our hardworking email coordinator, thanked me via email for a birthday card. He noted he found it hard to believe he is 85 and still very active. He does his own yard work. I failed twice to reach John Evans in Greenville, South Carolina, with birthday wishes. However, I did wish Jake Wamsley in Tucker, Georgia, a belated happy birthday. Paul Shrader in Pensacola, Florida, called to thank me for my birthday message. He reported that Polly is in rehab after elbow surgery, and they intend to continue their travels with a fall cruise. We sadly noted that, along with Jim Wornham, we are the only surviving Marine Corps graduates of 1951. I wished Steve Meader a happy birthday. He reports that he just enjoyed a great visit with his family and intended to return to Virginia from his Rhode Island summer home at the end of September. I finally connected with John Evans to extend birthday wishes. He and Ann are doing well and hope to make it to the next reunion. Homer Ambrose called as a result of my birthday message to him. He reported that he is not doing well (neuropathy) but is looking forward to a family reunion in Rockbridge Baths, Virginia, which is near Lexington. I failed to reach Mrs. Hamlin in Danville, Virginia, with birthday greetings but left a message to that effect. My birthday card to Jim Evers in Elgin, Illinois, was returned as “not deliverable.” I consequently learned that Jim had moved to St. Charles, Illinois, so I forwarded the card there with a note asking for news. After some difficulty, I reached Cindy Marshall in Melbourne, Florida. She reported that she is doing fine and that Jim is about the same. She said she would pass my birthday wishes to Jim. I failed to reach Johnny Lyden in Mobile, Alabama, with birthday greetings. I also failed to reach Fred Watson in Weatherford, Texas, but I did talk with Marilyn. She reported that they both are well and still do a lot of traveling. She passed my birthday wishes on to Fred. I received word from VMI that Hobart

Richey requested to be placed in the nonsolicitable category and, thus, will be removed from my class directory. I failed to reach Mrs. Minear, as the phone number provided by VMI is no longer “allocated.” Jake Wamsley called to say he had decided to not schedule a formal reunion in 2015 in order to concentrate on our 65th in 2016. I will check to see if anyone is interested in an informal get-together in Lexington in 2015. I left a birthday message for Frans Kasteel in Lancaster, Virginia. He subsequently called and reported he and Shirley are fine and enjoying various social activities. Frans has also been very busy with his Coast Guard duties. Marie and I received a wedding invitation for the wedding of Dorothy Ann Reason and Harry R. Bailey Oct. 4, 2014, in Orlando, Florida. Unfortunately, as Harry recognized, we will be unable to make this happy occasion due to Marie’s travel limitations. I received a very nice note from Marion Carozza in Baltimore, Maryland, thanking me for my phone calls and reminding me that she still has the following available for the asking: 1948 and 1949 Bombs, the Sporting-Pictorial Annual ’49, the Sporting Log-Pictorial Military ’47 and ’48, Georgia Tech versus VMI program ’51, 1948 Memorial Issue, and a VMI paddle. I wished Jack Evans in Virginia Beach, Virginia, a happy birthday and learned that Joyce and he are both well. They had just returned from a great boat trip: Azores; Ireland; D-Day beaches; Copenhagen; and then home. I had a nice visit with Lee Duval in Lewisville, Texas, when I called to wish her a happy birthday – which she celebrated at a family gathering. Lee reports that she now requires the use of a walker. I wished George Maxwell in Savannah, Georgia, a happy birthday, and we had a great and long visit. He is doing well with many of the health problems related to our maturity. (My Marie forbids the use of “age.”) We reminisced about our VMI days and I described the major construction that I observe as I regularly drive by Episcopal Seminary in Alexandria, from which both George and Johnny Jordan received their graduate degrees. I wished Earl Patton in New Iberia, 59

CLASS NOTES Louisiana, a happy birthday. He had just returned from an eight day trip to Ireland with a grandson. Earl reported that he is “still vertical.” He inquired about Hank Quisenberry and still remains in contact with Jimmy Gonzales in Kenner, Louisiana. At various times during this note period, I checked in with some of our SRs. Mary Ellen Connolly is doing well and keeping busy. Gloria Cowherd is well. Barbara Ann Guthans is fine and hoping a grandson makes it into VMI. Pat Holloway is well and donated John’s history library of the Napoleonic era to Preston Library. I left messages for Ellen Nelson, Maureen Leck and Jo Jac Lazzell. I failed to reach Tusten Lanning, as her phone is “not in service.” I also get assistance from Marie, who often hears from Pat Holloway, Sally Carstens and other SRs on occasion. Ever since the end of August, I have been trying to reach Jack Nichols in Asheville, North Carolina, to wish him a happy birthday. When Jack did not return my messages, I became concerned, as he is usually very responsive. Jack finally called Sept. 27 and reported that he had just been discharged from a hospital after two heart attacks and a diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease. I received a copy of an email that Win Baber received from Lee Salm, the daughter of Brom Nichol. She reported that Brom has mild dementia and is in an assisted living facility. She requested that Brom be removed from our email list until further notice. Dick Cole sent me an email stating that he and Louise drove 30 miles to see “Field of Lost Shoes.” He gave it a grade of B – pretty good – and noted the shots of VMI were very good. I called Jackson, Mississippi, a day late to wish Jim Enochs a happy birthday. I was surprised when Jean informed me that Jim was available, as I expected to hear he was golfing. Jim reported he is doing well with a new pacemaker. Jean and he took some grandchildren on a western tour, including the Grand Canyon. Jim also went hiking with his two daughters in eastern Canada. He was looking forward to a visit the following week by Bounce Carstens. Roger Little called from St. Louis to thank me for my birthday message. He and Betty are both doing well. I left birthday greetings for Helen Adeeb 60

in Neptune Beach, Florida. I was also unable to reach Dick McFarlin in Lakeland, Florida, but left a birthday message. I visited with Bill Caldwell in Daleville, Virginia, when I wished him a happy birthday. He and Joanne are doing well in their retirement community, although Bill has limited mobility. I had a long visit with Phil Barton, who lives in Garden Grove, California, when I wished him a happy birthday. Phil is doing well and is very active and walking regularly, which he recommends. Phil recounted an encounter he had with Gen. Marshall ’901 at the time of the dedication of Marshall Arch. Phil intends to make our 2016 reunion, continuing his cross country streak for each major reunion. Ever since Sept. 9, I have been trying to reach our senior BR, the Egg, to congratulate him on reaching his 89th. I left repeated messages without a response, although Bill Dawson reported that Jerry was recognized at a VMI game this fall. Therefore, I was much relieved when I reached Jerry in Roanoke, Virginia, where he is staying with one of his daughters while undergoing treatment for bladder cancer. Jerry is very upbeat and was looking forward to the football game against Gardner-Webb University. I wished him the best, and we exchanged Semper Fis. Now I am glad to share some good news. During the past fiscal year, VMI reported that 46 BRs contributed $62,050 to the Institute for a participation rate of 62.16 percent. This was the second highest percentage for our cohort classes (1950A-59), only exceeded by the 50th Reunion Class of 1954. Even more amazing is the fact that 11 of our SRs contributed $31,725 – a truly great achievement. I reached Kay Bennett in Omaha, Nebraska, after some failed attempts to wish her a happy birthday. She sounded great, and she reported that she feels great after knee replacements. Kay occasionally corresponds by phone with Julie Pitot. I failed once again to reach Pete Ames at the number in California that Jake Wamsley provided. However, the good news is that I finally reached Ken Crisp in Huntington, West Virginia. He reported that he is in good health considering his age. Like Winston

Baber, he is still doing his own yard work. Ken said he did not realize we were trying to connect with him. He explained that he travels a lot to visit a son and family in Chicago and a sister in Arkansas. I received an email from Jigger Baxley letting me know that BR Bob Trumbo died Oct. 22. As I recall, he had been ill for some time. On the evening of Oct. 25, James Warrington ’48B called to report that Homer Ambrose was in a Fairfax rehab facility. The next morning, I reached Homer’s wife, Marie, and she confirmed this. In a long call, I learned that Homer had suffered various medical problems over the past few years, resulting in multiple hospital visits for various tests and procedures. When I reached Homer, we had a short visit, as his nurse required his attention. Remember to keep the news coming. Marie and I wish you and yours a happy holiday season. Semper Fi, Jack

’52

James M. Mecredy

Immediately after sending in my class notes for the November issue of Alumni Review, Chris Holland called to tell me that Sally Birge was sending me some pictures. Unfortunately, you will not get to see these until this issue, in February. Chris and Sugar had been to Massachusetts visiting their granddaughter and stopped in Northern Virginia to have lunch with Lou Delisio, Nutz Navas, Sally Birge and Carol Clingempeel. Chris reports that Nutz and Lou both look well, and Lou is back to playing golf after his illness last fall. Chris and Sugar are still doing a lot of traveling. They have a GMC with 265,000 miles that is still running like a top. Army Wellford had some questions about the Brick Program. He and Barbara are both doing well. He said George Hutter is being treated for prostate cancer. I called George to encourage him, because I had the same problem back in 2002, and radiation treatments completely cured me. VMI ALUMNI REVIEW

CLASS NOTES Bob Lambert is much recovered from the difficult time he had a few months ago. It seems that the medicine was causing him more problems than it was helping. He was back playing golf the morning I talked to him in August. Bob tells me he is well enough health wise to play golf one or two times a week. He did not tell me anything about his golf scores, but I join him in being grateful that he is able to play golf. Chuck Haley and I are in the midst of contacting brother rats about the Brick Program that Chuck has initiated. By the time you receive these notes, we should have bricks assigned for all of our deceased brother rats. I just received a note from Norma Robinson at the VMI Foundation that we have volunteers donating bricks to all of the deceased brother rats. Norma has been a tremendous help in completing this project. We truly could not have accomplished it without her help. Any time you are back at the Institute, please thank her for all of us. I recently called Ted Ball, George Becker and George Bookman. Ted and Bookie are both doing well. Bud Becker is under the weather at present. Dick Chamberlain is the only brother rat living here in Augusta, Georgia. I talked to him recently, and his health is stable except for hoarseness in his voice. He is confined to a walker and has had many health problems. Reporting failing

Class of 1952: Class Agent Jim Mecredy said, “Neal Petree looking great at age 85.”

2015-Issue 1

Class of 1952: From left, Chris and Sugar Holland, Lou Delisio, Sally Birge, Al Navas, and Carol Clingempeel met for breakfast in summer 2014.

health and demise of BRs are the only downsides of being class agent. There are fewer and fewer of us claiming good health, and most of us just ignore the minor things. Jay Grumbling is still raising horses in New Hampshire. He has seven horses at present; however, he no longer rides because of hip problems. So far, he would rather hobble around than have a hip replacement. He lives in a 250-year-old house with seven fireplaces – of which he only builds fires in one. Modern central heat does the job now for the most part. I just heard from Andy Dickinson, and he recently had family for company. He got a chance to call me the day they left. He recently gathered with Bill Massie, Bill Ruffin, Zeke Finney, Skip Nay and Mitch Mays. I will have to move to Virginia to see many of you more often. I received a letter from Pearson McWane ’59 reminding me and all class agents about the Memorial Ring Program. I wrote to you about this in the class notes for the Alumni Review that you received in August. This is an excellent use of our rings, so think about willing your ring to VMI to help future classes. I learned that Clarence Brauner died Oct. 6, 2014. Last May, he suddenly came down with neuropathy which mostly paralyzed him. After many tests, the doctors had narrowed the problem down to a couple of vertebra in his neck, which can be relieved by an operation and insertion of a metal support in his neck. Following surgery, he would have had to receive two to three hours of rehab daily, and within four to six months he was to be

back on his feet with full recovery within a year. Unfortunately, there were complications after the surgery which included pneumonia and internal bleeding, which took his life. Clarence sent me a couple of pictures taken last summer, and I have included one with these class notes. Chuck Haley is still enjoying long trips by car. He and Virginia recently returned home from a 3,500 mile trip from their home in Texas up through Virginia via the Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline Drive, then back home through Kentucky and points west. They stopped by the Institute but did not time the visit for a football weekend. I got a note from Neal Petree thanking me for his birthday card, and he enclosed a picture showing how good he looks for age 85 (my words, not his). I recently heard from Jeff Hanna. It seems I had his email address wrong, so he wrote to me to correct it. He wonders how someone who is retired can be so busy. Either the world is moving faster or he is moving slower, or maybe both. I received notification of Frank Butler’s death Aug. 22, 2014. Our brother rat “F.O.” had quite a varied career. I kept in touch with Frank over the years, but he never mentioned the cancer that apparently took his life. One interesting detail of Frank’s VMI experience: Charlie Hogge wrote that he and Frank were in Sam Barnes’ freshman English class. The two of them often would argue over the meaning of a word, and Frank always won the argument. Toward the end of the semester, Sam exclaimed in exasperation, “I only wish I was half as confident of anything 61

CLASS NOTES as you are of your vocabulary!” I received an informative letter from Ann Hutchinson telling me that she is still active with directing a 15 Woman Ensemble Group at her church, and she still is able to drive herself but not at night. She reminded me of the oversight in my September class notes where I missed mentioning Chris and Sugar Holland. I hope you remember seeing them front and center in the picture included in the class notes. I called Yancy Clark about the Brick Program. Yancy has already donated his extra bricks, so I was able to thank him for that. He and Carol are still doing some farming and raising some chickens. He has just finished mowing hay at this time. Both Yancy and Carol are in good health and trying to stay that way. I received a beautiful woodland postcard from Ann Carman, Lee Rogers’ widow. She wrote that she returned from a trip to Alaska on the Norwegian Cruise Line and highly recommends that ship. She wrote to thank me for the birthday card I sent to her. Cecil Welch called to express his sorrow for the death of Clarence Brauner. Both Cecil and I had talked to Clarence a few weeks before his death, and he was very optimistic that the operation would be successful, so his death was a surprise

Class of 1952: Clarence Brauner in summer 2014, who stated, “My new logo, enough said!”

to all who knew him. Cecil also reports that he has seen the movie, “Field of Lost Shoes,” and recommends it highly. I received a change of address from Rem Simpson. He and his wife, Jo Sue, have moved into a retirement community in Easton, Maryland, a town where they have been living. The new address is: 52-B Davis Lane, Easton, MD 21601. Their phone number remains the same: 419-882-0076. Their new email address is: rem@goeaston.net. I received a nice thank you note from Jane Wright. She says she is doing fine for an 83-year-old lady – just plugging along each day. (Don’t we all!) She keeps in touch with Barbara and Cecil Welch. Jane has two great-grandchildren and is expecting a third great-grandchild in the spring. That is all for this time. I will be turning in my notes later today and you will read them in February. May God keep us all in health as long as He wants us to stay in this world! Your brother rat, Jim

’53

William C. Noell Jr.

On Labor Day weekend, Judy and I were in Birmingham, Alabama, for a family surprise birthday gathering. The extra nice thing about the trip was we stayed with Jack Trigg for two nights, and Saturday night we had a great Italian dinner with Jack and Peachy’s cousin, Elizabeth, at Five Points in Birmingham. There has not been much change in Peachy’s condition, but Jack continues to spend a great deal of time with her at the nursing home each week helping take care of her, although, regretfully, she no longer recognizes Jack. For the first home football game here in Lexington, my roommate Bill Atwill and his grandson, Henry ’18, along with his parents, joined us at our pregame tailgate on the Parade Ground. We also saw Mickey Woodward’s grandson, Will, along with his parents at their tailgate tent. At halftime, I visited briefly with Jim Morris and Fluggie Moore at their parking location behind the stadium. Both seem to

be doing well, for us old guys. Two weeks later, after that football game, Henry Atwill ’18; his girlfriend, Chris; and parents, Bennett and Ann, came out to the house for a visit before going to dinner. They also came to church at R.E. Lee Sunday, thus we visited again. Henry is doing very well at the Institute and seems to like it. Judy and I also had a short visit with Jim Morris at that halftime. Betty Woodward was at their tailgate, but we did not catch up to her as she had to go home right after the game with a friend that was driving. Betty had an accident with her car (her new car) in September – someone ran a red light and smacked into her – and has not gotten it back from repair. We have not caught up with Sut and Lucy Sutherland’s grandson, Gabe, yet. Although he is on the football team, he has a hurt shoulder, so he has not had a chance to play so far. After Thanksgiving, I hoped to get the three ’53 grandsons together for a visit and photograph. At another football game, Judy and I visited with Jim Morris and Frank Spencer’s daughter, Sandy Morgan (wife of Patrick Morgan ’75), at halftime at the Keydet Club area. Parker and Anna Cross were up from Sandbridge, Virginia, for the game, with my old Portsmouth friends, John and Betty St. George ’57. We had a nice visit with Betty Woodward before the game at their family’s Parade Ground tailgate. That evening, Henry Atwill and his parents, Bennett and Ann, joined us for dinner at the Lexington Golf and Country Club. Henry’s dyke, Henry Meredith ’15 (Pete Meredith ’50B’s grandson), also joined us. I knew Pete and Susan for years, and they always came to R.E. Lee on their frequent visits to Lexington. Regretfully, they have both died. A recent note from Landora Schermerhorn said that their granddaughter, Brooke, has entered medical school – the same school that their son, Jeff, attended. Brooke told Tom the year before he died that she wanted to be the third generation doctor of the family. In April, Landora took Brooke and daughter Kathy, who was born in Germany, on a Rhine River cruise and said the tour “was truly wonderful.” Landora also noted that she is still doing “snail mail.” Bob Cheatham received a telephone call from Goose McClung in September saying he no longer has email and has reverted VMI ALUMNI REVIEW

CLASS NOTES back to “snail mail.” Goose told Bob that he grandson, Henry, while he is at the Institute. in your honor through giveandsee.org: The had a bad fall on Palm Sunday and broke his Judy and I attended the services for the Bill Noell (1953) Scholarship for Virginia hip and the femur in one leg. Goose had to passing of James Potts Hart III ’55 in Roa- Military Institute.” I sent Webb a thank you go into rehab after the repair operation and is noke, Virginia, along with my oldest son, note for such considerations and Parker also, now home for the first time since his fall in Bill, and his wife, Judy, from Chesapeake. and herewith thank any BR who has particiApril. This fall, he is supposed to have a knee Jim was the father of my granddaughter-in- pated ... It is certainly an honor from all of replacement. It seems Goose has been having law from Virginia Beach. It was like attend- you. The spring 2015 ’53 Richmond and Beyond ing a VMI reunion with so many VMI peoa rough time since the spring. I had a telephone call from Ernie Jones ple, as sons, grandsons and cousins attended lunch gathering will be held in Richmond asking about when the Saturday morning pa- VMI. There was a very interesting display Thursday, April 31, at the Country Club of rades are, as he and Elizabeth want to drive from his two sons, Jim Hart ’81 and Derek Virginia – not in Smithfield, Virginia, as tenup for one from Banner Elk, North Carolina, Hart ’94, outside the services – it was the tatively planned. This is due to conflicts with one Saturday. Ernie has to schedule this in 1931 fire truck originally from Delaware scheduling the Smithfield Station in April. between his chemo maintenance schedule that the sons and their father had beautifully Details will come out by email to the Richmond and Beyond group somefor his leukemia, which runs about time after the first of the year. a month at a time. Institute trivia: In our day, as An email from Walt Sanders said soon as we matriculated, we bethat they were packing up – with came the Class of 1953; thus we difficulty – to move to a retirement home about 60 minutes from were all bonded together as a Athens, Georgia. The problem was specific VMI class group as soon finding out how to divide 50 years as we signed in and walked into of accumulated stuff up for movJackson Arch with all the Old ing into a two bedroom condo, and Corps yelling. The same was true then what will go to the children for all the classes that preceded and what will be sold. They exus. However, the same is not so pected to move sometime between for today’s 4th Class cadets, as Thanksgiving and Christmas. Not they are not designated as a class only are they giving up their home until breakout (usually in January/ of all those years but also a beauti- Class of 1953: After dinner in Knoxville, Tennessee, February). Instead, they are listed before attending the University of Tennessee versus the ful, landscaped, planted with many University of Alabama football game were, from left, Bill as the current 1st Class year plus flower beds, very large yard – which and Judy Noell, Barbara (Bob’s friend) and Bob Cheatham. three years – such as 2015+3 for has, of course, taken them many the 2018 4th Class cadets. That is, hours and years of work. restored. Russ Horne said, “The only thing except in their Institute email address, which Judy and I went to see “Field of Lost about our golden years is the gold we see in does carry the “18” in it. I do not know when Shoes” here in Lexington just after it the bathroom.” Russ has passed the 9-year this started or why this is now the case. I will opened. It was very good, did VMI well mark of cancer remission and does not have have to check, but I think they are missing and the battle scenes were graphic – though to have a CT scan for a year. He still walks some class bonding with such a non-togethI am sure fairly accurate. The movie peo- two miles a day, weather permitting, and has erness designation while going through the ple added a little romance to it, with my a nice shop that keeps him busy on crafts and havoc of the Rat Line. Think if that had haproommate Bill Atwill’s great uncle, Cpl. such. Judy and I had dinner before the Uni- pened to us – we would not have been called Sam Atwill ’866 being given a girlfriend versity of Tennessee versus the University of the Class of ’53 until “Bloody Sunday” just in the movie. Sam was mortally wounded Alabama football game in Knoxville, Ten- a few weeks before June finals. on the battlefield and died May 20. A few nessee, with Bob Cheatham and his friend, locals were in the movie. There is a book Barbara, from Maryville, where Bob worked J.M. Perry Archer called “Put the Boys In” by J.D. Haines, many years ago for Alcoa. Judy and I had M.D., which gives a good short reading of great soft-shells from Chesapeake’s which the Battle of New Market. It is interesting are not normally on the menu – you just have that Cpl. Sam Atwill was confirmed at R.E. to know they have them. Bob said he had a Lee Episcopal Church two weeks before he nice visit with Macon Brown when they met Editor’s Note: Ran Philips, previous was killed in battle. Bill has that confirma- for lunch one day in June in Chattanooga. tion certificate. I guess that most of you reI recently learned that BR Webb Maddux class agent, died Sept. 24, 2014. Perry Armember that Bill had the honor of calling initiated a VMI scholarship in my name for cher will take over as class agent for the off, “Died on the Field of Honor, Sir” each being such a long time class agent. This is Class of 1954. Please submit any future upyear for Cpl. Atwill at the New Market pa- the email that I received: “F. Webb Maddux dates you may have to him using the conrade roll call. Now the honor will go to his and your classmates organized a scholarship tact information in the box above.

’54

2015-Issue 1

CLASS NOTES

’55

Read Hanmer

of the family will spend Christmas here chez Hanmer. A nice note from Don and Harryette Kulp: “We here in Beavercreek, Ohio, are well and looking forward to the reunion. We saw our oldest granddaughter get married (in October). It was a wonderful time! In all, we have seven grandchildren. Two are college graduates, four are in college and one is still in high school. One grandchild is an athletic trainer, another is an architect. Others are preparing for a veterinarian career, studying business and finance, engineering, psychology, coaching. All are National Honor Society members and four are on soccer scholarships. Are we ever proud.” Well done, Don and Harryette! Walter Reed writes: “Hi, guys. Regarding the recent flap over Ebola, our daughter, Patricia Reed (now living in South Africa with her husband and children), has just left Wildlife Conservation Society to be a full-time mommy, but she remembers well checking out suspected Ebola carcasses in her moon suit. She just had a most important paper on locating sites where animals carry the

These notes will necessarily be brief, because I am suffering from “LBRI:” lack of brother rat input. C’mon, guys and gals, I can’t make up items of interest. I know your brother and sister rats would like Class of 1955: Dave and Barbara to hear from you. Items don’t have to be Woolwine with their grandson, earth-shaking, but we all enjoy hearing Aaron. from/about you. Dave Woolwine keeps me up to date on Beach Bash” at their rental on the shore in the football exploits of his grandson, Aaron. Sandbridge, Virginia. Many of the usual Aaron plays for the Ponchatoula (Louisiana) suspects were seen there, and a good time Greenwave and is a very productive kicker. was had by all! As of mid-October 2014, the team continBy the time you receive these notes, we ued undefeated (7-0) and ranked No. 2 in will be on the verge of our 60th Reunion! If Louisiana Class 6-5A. In a game against for some reason you haven’t responded yet, Slidell, Aaron was two for three points after there’s still time to join in the fun. Please touchdowns (one blocked) and had two field contact me at the above addresses. goals. Dave said the team’s offense and deIt seems I always have to end on a sad fense have been so potent that there are minnote. I have been informed that William imum opportunities for the kicking game. Raymond Castner died in August 2013. He Upon hearing of Aaron’s exploits, is buried in Pensacola, Florida. Bob Bancroft commented, “Just Also, Bob Bancroft sent me the imagine [Dave’s] pride. One of the obituary of John Alton Hansen, blessings of being old is that we who died in August 2014. His cannot only look back with joy but obituary contained the following also look forward with pleasure passage: “John will always be and anticipation.” Keep us posted, remembered for his dry sense of Dave. humor, love of traveling, playing Ever the faithful correspondent, chess, listening to John Phillip Mort Bregman writes: “I don’t Souza and classical music, and have much in the way of new completing crossword puzzles. information. Jean and I are conHe loved all sports and had an tinuing to enjoy our stay at the interesting golf game. He adored Army Residence Community in Class of 1956: Fred Farthing and Dick Smith recovering his family, especially his grandSan Antonio. Our entire family is from 27 holes of golf. children.” in the area which makes it douLastly, James “Jim” P. Hart bly nice since we see everyone frequently. virus. (Check out the article “Ebola Gorilla died Sept. 20, 2014. Jim was an ardent supOur two great-grandchildren, ages five and Vaccine Could Prevent Human Outbreaks,” porter of all things “Keydet.” two, are the highlights for us. We see them Scientific American, October 2014).” Walt almost on a daily basis, and I can’t think wishes all the best to all our brother rats. Richard M. Smith of a better way for us to stay young. Our Walt ended his note by observing, “Loli and youngest grandson got married Oct. 11 to I are still struggling with ‘old-timer’s’ health a young lady that we adore and are really issues, but life is still good.” happy to have her join the family.” Lee McKnight is planning to attend the reMort, I’m jealous because my family is union despite the fact that multiple sclerosis spread over the Eastern U.S., which makes has him confined to a wheelchair. Lee says Fred and Mary Jo Farthing joined Honey it hard to visit. However, by the time these his son will accompany him to the reunion. and I for the weekend of my club’s golf notes are published (February 2015), Lois We are all looking forward to seeing you, Lee. member/guest tournament, Sept. 7-9, 2014. and I will have visited with the North CarIn September, Ron and Nita Bryan gath- It was a lot of fun, but playing 27 holes in olina contingent and most of the remainder ered an eclectic group for the annual “Bryan one day is tough on 80-year-olds! We can

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VMI ALUMNI REVIEW

CLASS NOTES Class of 1956: Mini Reunion

From left: Les and Pat Belsha and Jack and Ina Gee Pittman. Class of 1956: At an 80th birthday celebration for Tony Waring ’56 at the Indian Creek Yacht and Country Club in Kilmarnock, Virginia, Oct. 11, 2014, are, from left, Matt Waring ’83, Bill stokes ’56, Tony Waring ’56 and Jim Waring ’81. Stokes, Waring’s BR and VMI roommate, was invited as a surprise.

of our get-togethers in the past. Well, the date of our planned mini reunion arrived, and those three days were, for me, one of the most rewarding experiences since I became class agent. There were 30 combined wives Bernie Bossard and Dave Blair during dinner. and BRs, along with a number of other visitors who shared the event. The Wingate Inn provided us the best facilities and service anyone could desire. The weather was most cooperative and fall was in color throughout the Valley of Virginia. Our hospitality room on the first floor provided us a great gathering place to ‘sip’ and talk. Both Tuesday and Wednesday evenings were active with many stories and From left: Ann Allison, Jim Dillard and Else much laughter. It was nice to Tolley. see those from outside Virginia come back: Blair, Dillard, Allionly say we didn’t come in last in our flight. son, Quinlan and Bozzard. Attendees from While they were here, we called Bob Brick- in-state were: Heslep, Pittman, Gottwald, ner. He is looking forward to one of his Belsha, Farthing, Mann, McCrary, Wingdaughters moving to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to ate, Smith, Weinerth, plus widows Else run one of his condos for him. His health is Tolley and Motsy Foster. A number of other a concern, but he manages to control things. couples signed up but didn’t show up. Most His support for VMI continues strong, and visited sites around Lexington during the day, as well as shopping in the area. Thanks he is always interested in our class BRs. Russ Mathews called to say he and Lula to Greg Cavallaro ’84, Keydet Club chief wouldn’t be able to make it to an upcom- executive officer, four of us got to golf at the ing mini reunion. He had been in the hos- Lexington Golf and Country Club. He also pital with pneumonia recently and was still came to the hospitality room with three caon medication. We missed their smiling dets – all recipients of scholarships provided faces since they have been so supportive by Bernie Bossard – whom they met for the 2015-Issue 1

first time. Bernie was accompanied by two caregivers who attend to his needs since he is not in good health. Also joining us were retired Gen. Tom Tait ’55 and his wife, Margaret, former director of class agent affairs. A wonderful dinner was enjoyed by all at the Sheridan Livery Inn on their enclosed patio area. It was tough saying goodbye after three fun days with good friends. I had another phone conversation with Bob Brickner. Having recently moved to Tulsa, he has learned they have a marathon annually for seniors and is currently training to run again. He also has been in touch with Buddy Bryan ’71 at the VMI Foundation to involve his establishment of a trust fund. I filled him in on those who attended the mini reunion and our activities. His effort to renovate the condo he has continues as he anticipates the arrival of his daughter from California. He communicates frequently with the daughter in Taiwan who is in medicine, as is his former wife. This concludes my report for this quarter. Help me by sending any information you feel is worth including in the next write-up. Yours in the spirit, Dick

’57

Clayton M. Thomas III

Now at the end of October, our class notes are due. By our front door sits a bowl of candy for this evening. We hope for “trickor-treaters,” but only a handful, as there are 65

CLASS NOTES few children here in Plantation Bay. Some years, we have had none or only a single child on Halloween. This is sad, but on the plus side, I get to eat all the leftover candy! I am on our lanai on a clear and warm afternoon with blue sky and puffy white clouds. There is a cold front headed our way, and the temperature should drop 40 degrees! Let us hope the little ghosts and goblins will be safely home with their bags full of goodies before the bad weather hits. Sam and Betsy Barker from Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, wrote last month that Sam is feeling great but tests and doctors indicate otherwise. Sam has a defective heart aorta valve, and he was scheduled for open-heart surgery in early November. We wish him well, and our thoughts and prayers go with him and Betsy. Great news from Ken and Katie Dickinson from Merritt Island, Florida: They arrived safely in Roscoe, South Dakota, after four days of travel. Their two cats, Bear and Puff, traveled well, also. Ken returned from a goose hunting trip on his birthday. Out there, the weather was extremely cold, and Katie and he plan to return to Florida by Christmas and thaw out. Robert and Alice Garrett in Roanoke, Virginia, have good news about their grandson, Reed. They sent a newspaper clipping that Reed was drafted by the Texas Rangers professional baseball team. Reed had just finished his 2nd Class year at VMI. Bob and Alice are quite proud of their talented grandson and enjoyed watching him pitch for the Keydets the past three years. Beth Wharton in Earlysville, Virginia, thanked us for remembering her birthday. She planned to attend a December graduation at VMI. Kemper Wharton’s [’84] son, Conrad (Beth’s grandson), completed his course work by then. She is thrilled. Bob and Dot Wood in John Knox Village in Orange City, Florida, found an unmailed letter and sent it to us. Dot shared with us the difficulty of selling a house and helped calm our jitters. They hope to see us soon. Ed Powell from Burlington, North Carolina, sent us a novel on the Battle of New Market by John Powell ’60, his younger brother. The book is quite accurate and the characters and events are historically factual. “New Market, A Civil War Novel” is an excellent read. We received news that Hope Hennessey 66

retired from the VMI Alumni Review staff to “smell the roses.” She did an outstanding job as editor. We also appreciate the excellent staff she leaves behind. One of my letters to Robert H. Blocker in Markham, Texas, was returned. If anyone knows his location, please let me know or notify the VMI Foundation Annual Giving. Last month, Dawn and I had a nice visit and lunch with John and Loretta Kuchnia from Raleigh, North Carolina. They were in Florida visiting friends that they hadn’t seen in over 40 years. We had lots of catching up to do ourselves, and they looked wonderful.

’58

Lee McCown

Greetings to all. It has been a beautiful fall so far, but by the time you read this, all the leaves will be off the trees, Thanksgiving will be long gone and the birdbath will be frozen over. Growing up in Roanoke, Virginia, I thrived on the Thanksgiving tradition of the football game between VMI and what was then Virginia Polytechnic Institute at Victory Stadium, now demolished. My dad was VMI Class of ’31, so this was part of my youthful brainwashing, but it involved our whole town, regardless of school affiliation. A few years ago, my son Derek McCown ’89 gave me a program from the long remembered and celebrated 1957 game. You can see in the accompanying photograph the level of cover art that was once produced for these programs – Norman Rockwell worthy. Laura has wondered how my mother survived those days, preparing Thanksgiving dinner for a hoard of out-of-towners (including BRs like Jan Woodman, who appreciated her lemon meringue pie), watching the Corps parade through town into the stadium, the antics of the two Corps (who can forget the Hokie we kept in barracks who allegedly liked the food in the mess hall?) and then, of course, the game itself. After all that excitement, she came home to serve the food, wearing a yellow mum corsage as big as her head. Bringing us up to accomplished women of the 21st century, Susie Peters has been

appointed by the governor to the board of Virginia’s Department of Historic Resources. “This is especially nice for her,” John Peters says, “because it is a fitting capstone to a long career in history and preservation. She began working at the Virginia Historic Landmarks Commission (now the Department of Historic Resources) on a part-time basis in 1968 when the agency was in its infancy. She retired after 34 years in 2002 and has been working as a consultant in the field ever since. During her retirement she also wrote ‘Conserving the Commonwealth: The Early Years of the Environmental Movement in Virginia’ (University of Virginia Press, 2008). When Susie began work in 1968, she was paid $2.35 an hour. She has moved up to the point that she is now being paid absolutely nothing.” Congratulations, Susie. The governor could not have found a better steward of our commonwealth’s resources. A group of mostly Richmond-area BRs gathered for a very enjoyable lunch at Extra Billy’s Barbecue in Richmond fairly recently. Jim Poteet was a surprise addition. He was back to check out some of his hometown haunts. Thanks to Moon Menefee for organizing this event, which was attended by Duke Bishop, Dave Camper, Jack Cunningham, Don Cuthrell, Brooke Doggett, Joe Gray, Charlie Hayes, Onza Hyatt, Moon, me, Flip Miller, Frank Norvell, John Peters, Paul Royer, Howard Savage, Roland Tharp, Bill Walker, Stuart Whitehurst and Stirling Williamson. Bill Kump, unfortunately, was in an auto accident on his way to the lunch and was not able to make it. Fortunately, he was not injured. Here are some of the followup comments sent to Moon by those who attended, and thanks to Carol Menefee for her gift, mentioned below: From our class president, Stir: “Moon, thank you very much for organizing the great gathering. It was really good to see everyone still kicking. You would never have known from the looks of the group that, were it not for modern medicine and pharmacology, many of us would not still be on the green side. The only downside was that, because of the gift (shoe shining cloth) from Carol, I will have to start shining my shoes again. However, that will be easy because I have only one pair of shineable (if that is a word) shoes, which I only VMI ALUMNI REVIEW

CLASS NOTES wear to borrow money and go to funerals, storms – albeit with loss of the front yard. ever get married at Christmas!) My best to and my plan is to not borrow money again. In one recent storm, 44 nearby houses were all our BRs, and we wish all a healthy and Please thank her for me.” destroyed. Sounds like Sully’s house could Happy New Year and 2015!” From Charlie: “It was a grand gathering. be given the same name that construction Jan Woodman has moved to an apartment Considering that our combined ages would workers gave the house of another PE friend: a bit outside of historic Lewes, Delaware, total about 25,000 years, I thought that you Steelhenge. and is adjusting to the quiet. His faithful old toads looked remarkably well. Billy Bill Corr reports that he and Anne “are en- companion Chester the terrier made the Walker and I agreed that if it were not joying a better health year thanks to Anne’s move and can ride into town with Jan on for modern medicine, neither of us would very successful spine surgery last year at his electric scooter, VMI pennant proudly have been there. Joan and I will flying to ward off traffic. While be leaving shortly for Baltimore visiting Jan recently, we stayed to see daughter Claire and grandat the Dogfish Inn, newly renoson Oliver Charles Hayes-Davies, vated, very attractive and owned VMI Class of 2036, who arrived by the famous Dogfish Head Craft this morning at 8:14. Based on the Brewery, where they create some adage that the good die young, I of their award winning beer formulas from scrapings at the botplan on attending his graduation. toms of ancient pots. I highly We will be taking a back seat passenger named Ted E. Bear. Moon, recommend the beer and the Inn, it was marvelous, thank you ... a as well as the quaint port town of lot!” Lewes. Speaking of offspring and VMI, Gene Martin’s communication Sam Woolwine describes himself is that he is experiencing some as a proud grandfather since his health difficulties. “The most important news I can provide is that grandson, Alec Rich, is a soccer scholarship athlete at VMI who Class of 1958: Tony Lash fortified himself with wine and Father Time is catching up to me. earned stars in his 4th Class year. chocolate before discussing the VMI versus the U.S. Naval In the past year, between back surgery and a stroke, my time has He is majoring in biology and Academy game with Navy alumni. been spent trying to recover. I had wants to be a dentist. Anyone surprised? one doctor tell me that the main From Texas, Sully Griffin resource of my medical problems members our rat wrestling year can be explained by referring to fondly – as do I – and wishes eveither one of two documents – my eryone well. He reported the foldriver’s license or my birth certifilowing: “I am still alive and still cate – and to focus on the line that working as a consultant. Fran and states date of birth. Thank God I will be going to Cabo, Mexico, in Peggy remains in great health to November for two weeks. We go take care of me. Hope you receive every year and have for the last 15 better news from other brother years. We still live in Surfside, Texrats.” as, on the Gulf of Mexico. I don’t Wes Roberts’ status, provided know how much longer our home by Annemarie, is that he “had a will last, as we are only about 100 rough October, having gone into feet from the water. Hope for no big the hospital the beginning of the storms this year! Do a little fishing month for back pain. The good Class of 1958: Oliver Charles Hayes-Davies, VMI Class of out in front of the house on week- 2036, will soon borrow the shirt of his friend, Ted E. Bear. news is that there were no new ends. The wife has been very sick fractures. Yay! Currently we are this year but is getting better.” Duke. Other than the constantly annoying entertaining a bevy of therapists and nursSully is a professional engineer and has neuropathy in my feet, I am doing very es, and glory be, there is improvement. We worked all over the world with pipeline com- well. We are still enjoying the coast of have another week of home health care and panies, including one he founded. He must be North Carolina very much and occasional then we switch to Plan B. Exactly what that a good consultant if how he does things for trips to the mountains. We’re looking for- is, we don’t know.” Annemarie also reporthimself is any guide. He engineered his house ward to Christmas in Atlanta with our two ed that Wes had recently spoken with Joe to the max (steel pilings 12 feet in the ground daughters and one significant other. They Gray and Ron Swirk. Gene and Wes, we are sorry to hear this and 12 feet above, plus double joists bolted were all here last year to help us celebrate together), and it has survived some very bad our 50th anniversary Dec. 21. (P.S. don’t news. We are all pushing 80, and I guess 2015-Issue 1

CLASS NOTES they are always most courteous and friendly. VMI had a big tent with a lot of alumni there, plus live music. Speaking of our travels, we were in Ireland recently and while in a blustery wet wind at the Cliffs of Moher, I was wearing a red jacket with a very small “Virginia Military Institute” embroidered on the front, no logo. A man approached me and asked, “Do you just like that jacket or did you go to VMI?” It was Tom Ferguson ’70, who spent more years than most of us in Lexington because he went to Washington and Lee University School of Law. He settled in his wife’s home state of Oklahoma, where he is still practicing law. Speaking of W&L, how many of you knew that a great-great (maybe more greats in front) grandfather of Stirling Williamson, Thomas Hoomes Williamson, designed their beautiful Lee Chapel? He attended the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, spent his career teaching at VMI and served as the second commandant of the Institute. He also wrote a textbook for VMI students called “An Elementary Course of Architecture and Civil Engineering” and was Stonewall Jackson’s engineer in the Valley Campaign. According to W&L

of ’78 notes in the Alumni Review 2014-Issue 3 of a New Market Day ceremony at a Mobile, Alabama, cemetery where Jim Poteet was featured. We understand he had a speaking role, and we’re sure he had plenty to say worth listening to. Three cadets who fought in the battle are buried there. Jan Abernathy ’67 has been leading an effort to find the graves of all the cadets who fought in the battle and provide flowers on New Market Day. The movie “The Field of Lost Shoes,” which has brought great attention to the battle, is still playing in Richmond as of this writing. Betty Jean and Hunter Clarke enjoyed a wonderful trip, sponsored by the Alumni Association, to Portsmouth, England and the beaches of Normandy. “We walked Class of 1958: Class Agent Lee Mcevery beach and had a wreath laying cerCown said of this photo, “A Norman emony at each grave of VMI dead using Rockwell-worthy program cover the New Market ‘died on the field of honor’ from the 1957 VMI-VPI Thanksgivceremony. Very sobering. Saw a picture of ing Day game in Roanoke.” Colonel Johns at a museum in St. Lo. We extended the trip and spent three nights in sometimes need to try to recall the days Paris. Louise Payne Hasselman and her when we were young and indestructible. husband, Tom, were on the trip, which Bob Spurrier says he has done a lot of made it more special. The Alumni Assomending since the auto accident that caused ciation did an excellent job with the ara concussion but is still troubled by balance rangements. There were 32 people, which and memory challenges. “Still not back to included spouses and family. No golf but may try it when it gets a brother rats were present.” little cooler. Tim and I are planSandy Yon continues her exning to go to the VMI versus The citing travel adventures with Citadel game [Nov. 22 at VMI]. Mother Nature. “In September, We will be traveling with an old I took a fantastic trip to IndoneArmy buddy who went to The sia, visiting Java, Bali and Flores Citadel.” Island. The highlight of the trip We all celebrate the returning was a visit to Komodo Island health of Joe Parker, who says, and Rinca Island to see the giant “After four plus months in the lizards. These guys were just out hospital for treatment and complithere doing their thing – sleepcations from a ruptured esophaing, walking, guarding their nests, geal diverticulum, I am now etc. Most were about 10 feet long. home and slowly recovering. My wife and I appreciate all the well Class of 1958: Sandy Yon in Komodo, Indonesia, with a There were two rangers with long poles to make sure we were not wishes and calls to my home.” Komodo dragon and her personal bodyguard. attacked. It was an incredible exTony Lash reported that he “went to the local U.S. Naval Academy art history professor Pamela H. Simpson, perience, made more exciting because we alumni supper celebrating the founding of Robert E. Lee thought the building of the have three of these ‘dragons’ at the aquarthe USNA and the U.S. Navy about Oct. chapel was the first necessity for the school ium where I volunteer.” Better not be that 10. In this photo, I am discussing the VMI after the war. Thankfully, a later effort to close to that big boy in the photo when he versus USNA game to be played Saturday, demolish it for a bigger chapel drew fervent wakes up, Sandy! Boeggie Boeggeman took the time Sept. 8 Oct. 11.” Tony obviously had the wisdom opposition. Stir and his family have proto accompany his discussion with wine and vided VMI scholarships in memory of this to wish the Class of 1958 a happy 60th birthchocolate. Not true of Laura or me, who outstanding man, who also designed VMI’s day, marking the day “when we started our ‘march up the hill of science.’” He also wantendured the game at Navy in the Navy sec- Limits Gates. You may have seen the photo in the Class ed to make sure everyone saw the August tion. We tailgate with their Class of ’67, and 68

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CLASS NOTES Money magazine, which he said “examined University, University of Pennsylvania, Rusty Loth, Max Guggeneimer, Eddie approximately 1,500 four-year colleges in University of Kentucky, Wake Forest Uni- Barnes and Leon Elsarelli represented the the U.S. to pick the ‘Best Colleges for Your versity, Maryland, Columbia University and Stonewall Class. Joe Simpson reported the sad news that Money.’ Only 665 were deemed worthy of Vanderbilt University, as well as a host of detailed evaluation. From this, they select- other teams. Oh, well, maybe one day soon Ingrid, his wife of 49 years, died unexpected the top 50 based on quality of education, we can ‘rise again’ and start having winning edly June 1. Joe says that there is no good way to pass, but she went comfortably, fast affordability and outcomes (early earnings, seasons.” In conclusion, be aware that the Alumni and didn’t linger in a nursing home stay; mid-career earnings). One should always look at rating lists with suspicion. But when Review now accepts for the new After which, as an RN, she was very fearful of you come out looking good, you can accept Taps section longer stories about late BRs experiencing. Joe misses her terribly. Our it as being accurate,” Boeggie said. “VMI from classes in the 1930s, 1940s, 1950s prayers go out to the families of Jack and is ranked number 18 in the nation, with and 1960s. These will be printed in the first Joe for their loss. Mike Vargosko writes that he experionly two public universities ahead of us: and third issues of the year. Please feel free University of California at Berkeley (13) to send me your memories of classmates enced an accident right after our 55th Reand UVa (16). Not bad for a little school in whose lives we might not have covered too union. He was cleared to drive locally afthoroughly in class notes. Memories of BRs ter two weeks but could not do anything Lexington.” Gene Grayson sends greetings from from other classes are also welcome, as I strenuous for six weeks. At the end of May, the neurosurgeon cleared him to start back Radford and some interesting VMI history. can forward them to the right class agent. Please try to send photos that are at least slowly beginning with physical therapy on “On the occasion of the 100-year anniverhis back, neck and shoulders. He was alsary in November 1939, the highlight was 1MB in size. Those reproduce the best. lowed to chip and putt starting in late June to be attendance by both the governor of In the spirit, and since then has worked up to playing 18 Virginia and President Franklin Roosevelt. Lee holes without having to rest or skip a few However, as a result of serious war clouds gathering in Europe, the president instead Shep Shepard holes. Happy to see that you are progressing so well, Mike. Keep up the good work. addressed the crowd through speakers arJoe Simpson says he doesn’t care much ranged around the Parade Ground. Among for reunions because they are usually just his closing remarks were: ‘I greet VMI as a bunch of old people, but he did go to his it celebrates the 100th anniversary of its 40th dental class reunion at Creighton Unibeginning. Live up to your great heritage, your noble record and your simple faith I am sorry to report that our BR, Jack versity Dental School in Omaha, Nebraska. throughout the second century that lies be- Barnett, died Thursday, Oct. 23, 2014, at It turned out to be a real pleasure and a fore you.’ Highlighting the Centennial was Westminster Canterbury of Lynchburg. great experience accentuated by classmates the football game between VMI and Duke Jack opened and managed the brokerage with weathered faces, less hair, larger University, which was one of the nation’s office of J.C. Bradford & Co. in Danville, waists, newer wives and taller stories. He top teams and a Rose Bowl selectee fol- Virginia, then acquired and operated the had a great time. I told Joe that Ann and lowing the regular season. The game was textile manufacturer Durham Hosiery I were going to a high school reunion in New Orleans, Louisiana, and he rescheduled for the W&L field responded that his first exposure because of the expected crowd, to “the good life” in New Orleans which was over 11,000. (Duke was when he was a redneck Airwon 20-7 and went on to the Rose man No Class at Summer Camp Bowl, where they lost in the last with the Alabama Air Guard in the seconds of the game.) ’50s. Later, pre-Vietnam Combat “That crowd was the largest ever Crew Training in Louisiana was for a VMI home game, and only followed by Ingrid and Joe having the Navy game back in the late numerous visits there. Eventually 1970s has come close to that atthey purchased a little place in the tendance. The first kickoff on the French Quarter – a “get-away.” newly completed Alumni Memorial Field was Oct. 15, 1921, where Class of 1959: The class held a mini reunion at the Joe was quick to remind me that Keefer’s on the creek. From left were Harlee Pate, Rusty the New Orleans rule of thumb is: 7,000 fans watched the Keydets and Loth, Dick Phillippi, Truman Baxter, Baldy Fall, Lloyd UVa play. We lost 7-14. What was Thacker, Art Brandriff, Billy Kornegay and Verne Keefer. the dumpier it looks, the better it is. interesting to me in looking back Bud and Denyse Kramer rented a log over the schedules from long ago is that we Mills, Inc. for many years. He is survived were competitive against Clemson University, by his only son, John Barnett of Washing- cabin located in the Smokey Mountains Georgia Institute of Technology, the Univer- ton, D.C. A graveside service was held at for the last week in October. It overlooked sity of North Carolina, North Carolina State Highland Burial Park in Danville where a peaceful river, which was exactly what

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CLASS NOTES Bud and Denyse wanted – a peaceful week Life is a little different in the Hill Country Next year, he plans to make a dedication in alone but together. Bud and Denyse still of Texas than it was in Houston, but they memory of Doug Wauchope and Jim Mavolunteer for church activities. Denyse are both adjusting well. Jimmy was made sotti – Vietnam casualties. John knew them works at the parish office, and Bud works an emeritus professor at the University of both: Doug mostly through Lou Gapenski’s as a Minister to Sick at the local hospital. It Texas School of Dentistry. The job comes Marine recruiting talks and Jim as a memkeeps them busy but happy. They both en- with no salary and no responsibilities, ber of his company. The Florida Group asjoyed seeing so many BRs and their ladies which fits well into his retirement plans. sembled in Fernandina Beach, Florida, for at the recent mini reunion in Fernandina Jimmy is looking forward to the release its annual mini reunion, and what a reunion Beach, Florida. Lots of laughs, reminiscing of the movie “Field of Lost Shoes,” since it was – one of our best. Not only was the and fun. Their grandkids are doing great in his great-grandfather (also Jim Sam Gil- location exquisite, but the company was, as school. It seems that most enjoy track, and lespie’s) fought at New Market with the usual, exceptional. Fernandina Beach is a Bud hasn’t a clue as to where they part of Amelia Island, located in got that from – certainly not from northeast Florida on the Georgia Bud’s genes. Bud says he might border – one of the few unspoiled have been able to run the 10 yard barrier islands. Fernandina Beach dash in high school. is a historic town with quaint Jack Angolia just had Volume side streets and unique Victorian II of “Heroes in Our Midst” rehouses and one-of-a-kind shops. leased, and so far it has been very Our accommodations were outstanding. We took over the entire well received. This is a labor of Florida House – the oldest survivlove as the 82nd Airborne Division was Jack’s first assignment ing hotel in the state of Florida – after graduation. Volume III is occupying 15 of the 17 rooms in being assembled by the publishthe hotel. The hotel was built in er, hopefully for release by the the mid-1800s for David Yulee’s end of the year. The five volume Florida Railroad passengers and Class of 1959: Marve and Patty Myers enjoyed their work has the attention of senior has accommodated such greats summer vacation in Glacier National Park, Montana. airborne general officers, as they as Ulysses S. Grant and Cuban recognize when the fifth volume patriot and poet Jose Marti. Add is published it will be the most to that distinguished list representatives of the VMI Stonewall concise history of the World War Class, which included: Ron and II airborne forces ever produced. Mary Alice Marley, Lee and Gen. Lindsay wrote the Forward Nancy Southard, Bill and Conto Volume II, Gen. Kroesen has nie Nebraska, Carl and Phyllis agreed to do Volume III, and Lt. Kasko, Mel and Jean Anderson, Gen. Robert Forman agreed to do Phil and Betty Sellers, Ralph Volume IV. Volume V has not yet and Janice Rae Lawson, Bill and been decided, but Jack will find Yvonne Traylor, Penn and Betty another great airborne general Whitescarver, Bud and Denyse officer, rest assured. Keep it up, Kramer, Tex Carr, Bob Haines, Jack. Your contributions are appreciated. and Ann and me. Most arrived Peggy Smith Colville enjoys Class of 1959: Jim McFalls joined a trio at a lobsterTuesday afternoon, which gave reading the Alumni Review class fest in Maine. us an opportunity to sit on the hotel patio, sip a few cool ones and notes and keeping “in the know.” Peggy and Al will be traveling to Australia 23rd Virginia Battalion alongside the VMI review what we have done since the 55th and New Zealand shortly where they will Corps of Cadets. I hope to see it, too. John Reunion. That evening, we adjourned to a spend five weeks traveling the countries Van Kesteren and his son, Logan, took crab shack and enjoyed the local cuisine. on the downhill bicycle run at Angel Fire, The following day, we boarded a pontoon and enjoying the diverse cultures of each. Noland Pipes attended the VMI versus New Mexico, and made it all the way down boat and took a very informative tour of Samford University game. Although it was without any serious damage to the bikes or the waterways surrounding Amelia Island, a very disappointing game, he did have a themselves. Armor protection is required by where we learned of the exploits of the nice long visit with BR Larry Johnson, law and reminded John of the flak jackets likes of Blackbeard, Capt. Kidd Pierre and he wore in Vietnam years ago. John found a Jean LaFitte, Calico Jack, and others who which made the trip worthwhile. Jimmy and Linda Johnson are enjoy- serene Vietnam Memorial site overlooking used the Fernandina Harbor as safe haven. ing their new home in Georgetown, Texas. a panoramic open space near Angel Fire. We cruised the Amelia River to Cumberland 70

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CLASS NOTES Island, home of the famous wild horses. The island also saw a lot of action during the Civil War and was the vacation spot for the wealthy such as the Rockefellers and the Carnegies. That evening, we all met at a restaurant where we enjoyed a lovely evening on the beach overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Many left the following day but most hung around long enough to take in the trolley tour of the city followed by a farewell luncheon. That evening those of us who remained – Nebraskas, Shepards and Andersons – joined Tex Carr, a Fernandina Beach resident and mini reunion social director, at the Sandy Bottom for drinks and supper. Everybody had a great time and seems to be doing well, health wise. Ron is recovering from a recent knee replacement and a bout with cancer but looked good and handled the stairs like a linebacker. Bud went through some tough medical issues but looked fit and trim – well, maybe not trim. Lee has pretty much recovered from his prostate procedure, and although he gets tired quickly, he is looking and feeling good. Phyllis was suffering with a broken wrist, but she is a tough lady, and we did not hear one complaint from her. Everyone else was feeling fine and asked only, “When will the next mini reunion be?” Bill and Connie Nebraska wasted no time after the Fernandina Beach mini; they immediately boarded an airliner and made their way to Italy. When they returned, Bill and Connie reported that they had a great time touring 10 different ports from Barcelona to Venice. They checked off most of the sites and places they had on their bucket list, with the favorites being Sorrento, Amalfi Coast, Florence, Dubrovnik and Montenegro. Of course, they both ended up with the usual colds. Bill and Connie have concluded that this was their last overseas trip. Traveling overseas is much too strenuous for the old folks. Marve and Patty Myers spent part of their summer vacation visiting the magnificent Glacier National Park in Montana. They were unprepared for the beautiful scenery as they traveled through the park but equally unprepared for the sudden change in the weather. They experienced a blizzard while there, but fortunately the weather was beautiful when they visited Jasper, Lake Louise and Banff in Canada a few days later. On a beautiful fall Saturday at “Keefer’s 2015-Issue 1

on the Creek” near the Rappahannoke River in southeast Virginia, the Virginia Stonewall Class of ’59 celebrated their annual mini reunion. Vern and Brenda Keefer had an open house at their water view home. Vern began construction on this unique and beautiful home in 1996, over 15 years ago. He began by harvesting the trees from the property for the post and beam structure of the main portion of the house and did all the work by his lonesome. The house is beautiful and, when finished, should be featured in Southern Living. Vern is currently installing the pine flooring that was shipped from Maine. This will leave only the minor trimming. Vern said it is coming along but not quite ready to be occupied. When asked, “What if you die before it’s finished?” Verne replied, “When I die, it is finished.” The hard work must be doing him good, because he looks better, healthier and younger than anyone else at the mini. Rusty Loth highly endorses a project like this for all BRs who are still able to swing a hammer. Those at the mini all had a wonderful time thanks to Verne and Brenda. Attending were Harlee and Barbara Pate, Dick and Linda Phillippi, Rusty Loth and Pat Powers, Truman and Jackie Baxter, Baldy and Joanne Fall, Lloyd and Bette Thacker, Art and Ginny Brandriff, Billy Kornegay, and Verne and Brenda Keefer. I got a nice note from Bobby Ross with

updated information on the VMI Keydet Club Class of 1959 Football Scholarship Fund. It looks like we are doing pretty well with a market value of almost $79,000. That’s not to say they could not use some more, so continue to contribute what you can. Bobby and Alice are doing fine. They make it up to VMI occasionally to attend football games and recently went to the Davidson game with the Goodes. It’s always nice to attend a VMI event, especially when it’s with a BR. John and Chris Patane had a very nice visit from the Buzz and Virginia Nowlin in Hot Springs, Virginia, but unfortunately it rained the whole time they were together. They did get in one short boat ride, which was very exciting. The next month, John and Chris visited Ralph and Janice Rae Lawson at their Homestead timeshare. They got in a round of golf, and unfortunately John’s game was a disaster, as usual. John blames Ralph, because he forced John to play from the white tees and the roughs, bunkers and greens were impossible. Charlie and Agnes Inge Carter spent the bulk of the summer right on the Chesapeake Bay and enjoyed many beautiful days and weekend visitors. They did go to the beach a couple of times with family, but nothing noteworthy. Their health is good and that is important. Agnes’ daughter spent a week with Nancy and Sonny Eskridge and reported that they both are

Class of 1959: The Florida group met in Fernandina Beach, Florida, for its annual mini reunion. In attendance, were, from left, seated, Ann Shepard, Betty Sellers, Janice Rae Lawson, Yvonne Traylor and Nancy Southard. Second row: Bob Haines, Mary Alice and Ron Marley, Phyllis Kasko, Betty Whitescarver, Denyse Kramer, Connie Nebraska, Bill Traylor, Ralph Lawson and Phil Sellers. Third row: Jean Anderson, Shep Shepard, Mel Anderson, Carl Kasko, Penn Whitescarver, Bud Kramer, Bill Nebraska, Tex Carr and Lee Southard.

CLASS NOTES getting along amazingly well. Sonny is in our way to Springfield, Missouri, to visit interesting places; the most interesting being charge of grocery shopping and the pantry with our daughter, Colleen, and her hus- The National World War II Museum, where is overflowing. Sonny also does the cook- band, Mike. Because she was about to start we found my father’s brick on the entrance ing. Agnes sends her love to evpath. It should be mandatory that eryone. every teenager in America be Skip and Linda White gathrequired to visit the museum ered their family at Topsail at least once during their teen Beach, North Carolina, for their years. God bless those who 22nd family reunion. All went sacrificed their all. It was great well and everyone is still comto see old high school friends. municating with one another – a More unusual is the fact that we good sign for any reunion. Respent only one year together at member to see the movie “Into Munich American High School the Woods” and catch the perbut have been close friends for formance of Skip and Linda’s the past 60 years. Several of us daughter, Mackenzie Mauzy, served in the military together, who plays the role of Rapunzel. one being the assistant secretary Gordy Keiser and Tommy Klof the Army and another being emenko planned to meet at the a general officer. We also had VMI versus The Citadel game a VMI contingent there with Nov. 22 and hoped to see lots of Bud Mease and Bill Huffcut BRs there. If not, they will still attending. It was good to see have a good time telling old, Bill again. Both he and Betty Class of 1959: High school classmates gathered for a stale tall tales. Munich American High School reunion in New Orleans, are looking fit, although Bill has After undergoing several sur- Louisiana. From left: Bill and Betty Huffcut ’57, Shep and some trouble with his legs, but geries over the past six months, Ann Shepard, and Bud and Susan Mease. he hopes to have those fixed in Jim McFalls has come to the no time. We decided it was far conclusion that it is better to be the “sur- the new school year, we had to get to Mis- too long since we last saw one another and ger” than the “surgee.” While at a hunting souri ASAP. We spent a great week visiting pledged to resolve that. Bill’s wife, Betty, camp on the coast of Maine – a camp that the Wilson Creek Civil War battlefield and is a delight. How Bill ever got such a sweet has been in his daughter-in-law’s family driving to Bentonville, Arkansas, to visit thing is beyond me. Keep those cards, letsince 1920 – he spent an evening attending the Wal-Mart funded Crystal Bridges Mu- ters and emails coming in. a lobster event at a nearby resort. The en- seum of America, a glass and wood structertainment that evening was the trio shown tured museum designed by Moshe Safdie. L. Edward Tolley in a nearby picture. They knew Jud Strunk, Next, we made our way to Utah, where we so Jim and the trio spent the rest of the eve- visited with Bud and Susan Mease. While ning swapping Jud stories. After returning there, we took a trip down to Orem to visit home, Jim ran into one of his new neigh- with Bob and Lois Hobson. Both the Hobbors who had recently moved from Maine. sons and the Meases are doing well. Our It seems they were well aware of the small intention was to come back through New The Arlington National Cemetery burial town near the hunting camp, and Jim was Mexico and Texas to visit with BRs in even more surprised when they knew Jud, those states, but we were exhausted and de- service for Brother Rat Howard W. Roth calling him Jud a “Daisy a Day” Strunk. It’s cided to high tail it right home – four and Jr. was performed Sept. 15, 2014, at the a small world after all. a half 10 hour driving days. It took us a Old Post Chapel, Fort Meyer, Virginia. Ann and I had a busy summer. Shortly af- while to recover, but when we did we trav- Bill Knowles advised that Mike and Alice ter returning from The Seine River Cruise eled to Hilton Head Island, where we spent Shoemaker, Dave and Ethelmary Madwith seven other BRs which I wrote about the week just relaxing, learning how to use dox, and Ed Marquette joined he and Sue in the last issue, we headed out on a road our new laptop (Windows 8 is terrible) and at the service. Brunch was served at the trip to Utah. We first stopped in Atlanta to writing Christmas cards. Two days after re- Spates Community Club following the servisit our son and his family then went on turning from HHI, we drove to Tallahassee, vice. to Fort Campbell, Kentucky, where we vis- Florida, to visit our grandson, Avery, who We lost two more Brother Rats since the ited with the first noncommissioned officer is a freshman at Florida State University. last Review. I met when I reported to the 506th ABG, He is doing so well, and we are so proud of Alan G. “Doc” Ballard died Sept. 5, 101st Airborne Division in June 1959. We him. From there, we drove to New Orleans 2014, at his home in Morehead City, North have kept in contact with one another for the to attend a Munich High School Reunion. Carolina. The service was held at the First past 55 years. Leaving Kentucky, we made We had a great turnout and visited several Baptist Church where he was a deacon and

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VMI ALUMNI REVIEW

CLASS NOTES choir member. Doc served in the U.S. Army like the season was a good one. We had an you through the process. There are several as a field artillery captain. Doc’s wife of 37 extended chat about politics and the state BRs, me included, who have established years, Glenda, passed several years ago. of the nation. Several discouraging words this as their method of donation. Doc, a native of Norfolk, taught in the Nor- were mentioned. Jon Quinn sent in his permanent adfolk Public School System, was a licensed Sam Horner sent a picture of him, Joe dress, phone number and email address. It physician assistant and taught at East Ten- Morabit, Otis Pool and Joe Sisler at their sure is good to have a string tied to him nessee State University. Doc’s hobby was annual golf outing, this time in Point Clear, after years of, “Where’s Jon.” His address is 2908 Summerwood Drive as a collector of old and new firearms. Over the years, he amassed Springfield, Ill., 62712. Jon is still a unique collection of guns and a faithful Vikings fan and follows ammunition. A donation has been them faithfully. made to the First Baptist Church As I write, Hap and Mary Miller of Morehead City in lieu of flowmust be somewhere in Southeast ers. Asia. They scheduled a 41-day tour James A. “Jim” Savage died of many exotic places. I assume Oct. 10, 2014, in Holly Springs, that you received the latest version North Carolina. Jimmy suffered of the Class of ’60 roster from Hap. from pancreatic cancer for the Please check it out and advise of past few months. A service was any corrections or additions. Also, held Nov. 1 at Jimmy’s favorite if you see a name that is absent the golf club, Devil’s Ridge. Bolling current email address, etc., and you Williamson, Barry Worst and happen to have it, please forward it Class of 1960: Otis Pool, Joe Sisler, Joe Morabit and Jimbo Smith were able to visit Sam Horner met for three rounds of golf at the Grand to Hap and me. Jimmy a week or so before his Hotel in Point Clear, Alabama. The date: April 20-21, 2015 – passing. BRs Jack and Anneliese things have taken shape for our Willard, Bob and Lucy Clay, Jimbo and Alabama, for three rounds! Sisler, I’m not 55th Reunion! The skeleton agenda is to Ruth Smith, Henry and Linda Brown, Jack going to disclose the number of strokes giv- have an informal get-together Sunday eveand Nancy Horgan, and Barry and Marty en, but it was a large number. I’m assuming ning for barbecue inside at the Hampton Worst were able to attend the very nice ser- you guys will get with Jimbo Smith and Inn Col Alto – same location of our 50th. vice that was truly a celebration of Jimmy’s Jim O’Dell in organizing the reunion tour- Rooms are already reserved. A hospitality nament, eh? life. room will be open. Monday will include It was good to hear Phil Hamric’s voice an assortment of activities. A golf tourI had a good chat with Mary Ann Murphy, who gave me an update concerning again. He was upbeat concerning his battle nament may be open but not included as Dick Murphy’s status. It was not a report with dementia. He sounded very good, and part of the official agenda or part of the reI wanted, but it was one I expected as the we kicked around a lot of old stories about union participation fee. Jimbo Smith and heavy hand of age adds to the load. You are VMI, the Lexington/Natural Bridge High Jim O’Dell may get the golf tournament together. Stay tuned. The VMI Alumni aware that Dick suffers from Alzheimer’s School rivalries and even some politics. disease along with macular degeneration. Jim Pittman inquired as to scheduled Association will host the Monday night For a happy, fun-loving and genuinely electronic transfer of funds to the VMI dinner in Marshall Hall to be attended by good guy, the combination of both mala- Alumni Association programs, and that all reunion classes. Tuesday’s agenda indies effectively removes him from all the provides me an opportunity to advise you cludes the class picture, memorial service, good things of living. Dick is living with a of the process which is: Write a letter to parade and class dinner. No Wednesday daughter who lives nearby and gets all the Ms. Tracy Akers, VMI Foundation, P.O. breakfast is anticipated but left to indiTLC a loving family can produce. Mary Box 932, Lexington, VA 24450. Tell her viduals. Why is the reunion scheduled for Ann is the same Mary Ann we all have you want EFT (electronic transfer funds) Monday and Tuesday? Historically, post loved over the years. She is very strong taken from your checking account and 50th reunioning classes have fewer attendand loving and keeps on being a wonderful sent to the fund of your choice. (It can ees as health and travel become a larger wife, mother and grandmother who never be any fund in the family of funds within factor. With fewer returnees, it allows the changes. God Bless you, Mary Ann. the VMI Alumni Association/Founda- VMI administration, Corps and staff of the Ed Marquette sent in his new address: tion, such as Friends of Preston Library, Alumni Association more flexibility han102 Sonata Way, Centreville, MD 21617. Eagle Bayliss Fund, any sport, the Key- dling the crowds. More information will He also has a new home phone number but det Club, any department, etc.) Identify be forthcoming from the planning commitmaintains his cell. Our database will in- the frequency of donation. Send a voided tee, G.G. Phillips and Henry Brown. We clude the change. and blank check with the account number hope to see you there. Vaughan Foxwell was all set to gather in and routing number or call Sam Sorrells at Rah Virginia Mil, the soy bean crop when I called. It sounds 800-464-1839, ext. 250, and he will lead Ed 2015-Issue 1

CLASS NOTES

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Sal Vitale Jr.

Our 55th Reunion will take place Monday and Tuesday, April 18-19, 2016. The reunion format will include a Monday night dinner for the class hosted by VMI, and Gen. Peay ’62 will be the speaker. For Tuesday, we need to plan our own activities, and I will be on that real soon. So please mark your calendars that you will be busy from Sunday, April 17, 2016 (for those that want to arrive early and play golf) to breakfast Wednesday, April 20, 2016, or later if you like. It is Oct. 27 as I write these notes, and it still seems like summer. There was very little activity at the beach since my last August report. Bill and Connie Nelms visited Sue and me during their annual September visit to Virginia Beach, and we had a very enjoyable dinner with them. Bill still works part time for his son’s elder care business. They currently have over 200 employees. The Olde Mill golf outing in Laurel Fork, Virginia, was held in early September, and it was a grand success. In attendance were: Walter and Ann Stokes, Bud Alligood and Peggy, Spike and Mary Callander, Rhett and Jan Clarkson, Ken Ayala, Jim and Blair Bickford, Ray and Sally Hanlein, Willard and Pat Hoskins, Jud McLester, John “J.C.” Miller, Dick and Diane Stone, Sue and Sal Vitale, and Jim Miner. Jim Bickford held his painting for dummies class, and we painted a landscape scene. Pat Hoskins, Bud Alligood and Peggy, Sal, Jud McLester, and Jim Miner tried our best to be recognized as the future Picasso. John Miller did a great job in arranging the golf outing, and we hope he will do it again next year. Sue and I had to leave early to help our daughter, Cathy, with her Maryland state delegate primary election against eight candidates for three legislative positions. We were very proud that Cathy out polled everyone. There were a few BRs in attendance at the VMI versus the U.S. Naval Academy football game in Annapolis, Maryland. They were: Larry and Jeri Wetsel, Spike and Mary Callander, Ed Doleman, John Wiggins and his friend Jean, Dave Harbach, and Peggy Sculley ’62. 74

I was not able to attend due to a previous scheduled singing engagement, but Sue was there along with my daughters, Cathy and Barbara, and grandson, John. The next week, Sue and I were at Arlington Cemetery for the internment of my sister, Jean. I was very pleased and humbled that John “J.C.” Tharrington, Dave and Charlotte Harbach, Carl and Becky Hirsch, and Spike and Mary Callander attended the service. My relatives and friends had an opportunity to see brother rat love in action. Sue and I stayed with “J.C.” the night before, and we enjoyed John’s hospitality – especially his hors d’oeuvres. Thanks to all of you who sent condolence cards and emails. It was very much appreciated. In late October, I visited my grandson, Matthew, at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. I was a student there for one year before entering VMI. Like VMI, it has grown both in its physical plant and student enrollment. I attended a calculus class with the grandson, and it was very different from VMI. The lecture hall was large and had stadium type seating with 50 to 70 students in attendance. It was very difficult to hear the professor with the students chatting. I noticed several students were texting and not paying any attention during the class and students came late and left early. If I were a parent, I would be very disappointed;

especially when you consider that each class at RPI costs about $100. I did enjoy my visit to the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity house. I was the 100th initiate of New York Epsilon and I had the opportunity to meet the 1,000th initiate. Battle Haslam has been busy with lots of out of town visits with Elisabeth. At Elisabeth’s annual family reunion in Anderson, South Carolina, 44 relatives were in attendance. Battle thinks he was probably being vetted! (Smile) Did he pass? Stay tuned! Wynn Haslam ’17 is back at the Institute as the regimental S3 corporal. Wynn’s dyke, T.J. Curl ’14, is now an Army second lieutenant on active duty. T.J. gave Wynn his blouse corporal chevrons, and you guessed it, Battle gave Wynn one coatee corporal chevron for Wynn to wear on one side of Wynn’s coatee. Battle is now in his eighth and final year as a trustee on the Foundation, along with two other brother rats, Graham King and John C. Miller. John and Battle serve on the Executive Committee. Bryan Haslam ’90 is now a CRNA (nurse anesthetist), lives in Asheville, drives a Porsche Cayman in his spare time and is taking flying lessons. (I guess there would be no need for DNA to tell whose son he is!) Speaking of VMI sons, back from the War College and in the commandant’s office as the assistant commandant in charge

Class of 1961: Tom Phelgar went sky diving over Las Vegas, Nevada, Oct. 10, 2014.

VMI ALUMNI REVIEW

CLASS NOTES of S3 functions is Bird Col. Mitchell Fridley ’89. You have heard me talk about Gibbings and his beer and cookies on Fridays. Well, Dick and Judy Youngblood made it to one and had a good time. Judy is deep in home rehabilitation again and hopes the kitchen will be done by Thanksgiving. Bill Hala almost walked into a bear at the cottage of his friend, Irene. Bill has some balance issues and walks looking down. Bill was carrying a dish of dog food for his German shepherd dog, Wotan, and never saw the bear. Fortunately for Bill, the arrival of Irene and visitors sent him off. Irene’s visitor from Long Island was impressed that Canadians actually feed wild bears. Irene is a golfer and wants Bill to go down to The Villages, Florida, with her in March. As you know, Dude and Cathy Copenhaver, Stu and Lee Crow, and George and Edna Henning are now living there and having a great time. When Jim Harrison visited Copenhaver, I failed to include the picture of the visit. Sorry, and now you can see how Jim has remained looking so young. Is anyone else planning a relocation to The Villages? I was very concerned when I heard about the Napa, California, earthquake, so I called those who may have been affected. Dunbar Hoskins fared well with only minor breakage of a few glasses and a couple of pictures off the walls and a hard shaking. Dunbar said his friends in Napa said it was the worst they ever experienced, but Dunbar’s Napa condo did well. Archie Ramirez lives in Napa and was not home when the quake happened. He was volunteering in a Veterans Affairs hospital in Little Rock, Arkansas. I talked to Archie, and after he got testy about my call while he was working (smile), he was told that his home only had minor damage. Finally I called Lynn Hartford who lives about an hour or so away, and he felt the shake but again no damage. I was not able to reach Frank Semans by email or phone, so if anyone knows where he is, please let me know. Beverly (Gerry Austin) Hamlin retired from Fork Union Military Academy after 44 years of service. Beverly served as secretary to the treasurer, headmaster and commandant of the middle school; secretary to the upper school; and spent the last 12 years as registrar. Beverly said, “What a 2015-Issue 1

joy those 44 years were. I saw many of our young men matriculate to VMI and then return to FUMA to join our faculty and staff.” Beverly, enjoy your retirement. Doug and Mollie Popp are almost finished settling into their new home. Doug’s businesses and Mollie’s quilting activities are just about back to full speed. Doug suggests that “if you are going to move, hire someone to do it for you and go on vacation while it’s being done!” We all know how difficult it is to move yourself, right, Dude? As for Mollie’s adjusting to the weather and culture changes between here and Corpus Christi, she’s making major strides and converting almost everyone from the “cheese head mentality” to “Texas acceptance.” Quite a lady! David Harbach’s son, David, won the government’s case against former Virginia Gov. McDonnell and his wife. Young David is now in Washington, D.C., as the legal counsel to the director of the FBI. Bob Reitz’s son, Rusty, was hired to edit hunting, fishing and outdoor films for the Global Sportsman’s Network. Rusty designed the Global Sportsman’s Network logo and filmed the Bell Plantation peanut products production (which has nothing to do with GSN). According to Bob, the boss said Rusty would be the “go-to guy” for filming future hunts. He also is finding out what it is to be salaried – working many nights until 2230 hours but loving it. Larry and Jerri Wetsel took the Virginia Historical Society World War II trip starting in Normandy and ending in Germany. It was a wonderful trip. They also saw “Field of Lost Shoes,” and it was great. It has not been shown in Virginia Beach as far as I know. Larry’s daughter’s (Susan, Montana girl) boys, Jarrett and Cache Douma, visited with the Wetsels for a few weeks. They visited colleges and historical places, and of course when at VMI, they rested on the Vitale bench. Irv Wells forwarded to me an interesting story that took place this year during the 4th Class cadets’ New Market event. Rosser Bobbitt ’62 was instrumental in recruiting the son of an FBI agent, Mike Freeman. Mike was at New Market ceremony and saw an older fellow (probably our age!) collapse and in distress. Mike started CPR and saved the gentleman’s life. The gentleman is the grandfather of a

Class of 1961: Larry Wetsel with grandsons Jarrett Douma, left, and Cache Douma, right, on Sal’s Parade Ground bench at VMI, Aug. 14, 2014.

Company B 4th Class cadet, and he lived due to Mike’s quick action. The day was wonderful and inspiring Mike said, as he watched Zac Freeman ’18 and his brother rats take the oath and run in the charge. As of these notes, Zach is doing well and made the VMI rifle team. Dicky Stone was in touch with Dick Huneycutt and he said his wife, Ms. Rita, is doing well. Rita has had been suffering for several years, and the surgery about three months ago helped her a lot. Huneycutt doesn’t have email now, but Dicky encouraged him to get a smartphone. The Tarralls still spend a lot of time hiking in Utah. Recently, Hony and Marilynne were at the Lower California Creek Falls in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and the Waterpocket Fold, Capitol Reef National Park. They did not go all the way in the Waterpocket Fold because the slot pinched out, and it was just way too tight with no spot to get down. Remember when you do go up, don’t forget that getting back out is at the top of your survival list. Frankie and Jimmie Ring spent several weeks serving on a Faith Alive team at Holy Trinity Church in Nassau, Bahamas. They were with an Anglican Bahamian congregation and lived with them, had small group time and attended Sunday service. It was awesome. There were 21 on the team, and it was just all about Jesus. Jim 75

CLASS NOTES said, “We have never felt so loved.” Don Rishell has been traveling, mostly in Tennessee and Florida. The closer Don’s coal and gem deal gets, the more things turn up that requires Don’s immediate attention. Flying is getting to be a problem. Don is spending so much time in those two states that Ann is thinking of moving there. I asked Troy Jones how he was doing. He responded, “I am sleepy, tired, healthy, ignorant, lazy, stand-offish, busy, sleepy, rushed, sleepy, anxiously awaiting the 2016 VMI Reunion of the Class of 1961, sleepy, ignorant and uncommunicative.” I should live so long! He sounds like so many of you that next time, I will be careful what I ask! I guess Troy and June are OK. Lou and Pris Shuba had a great trip to Germany. Lou said that, thanks to his VMI training and mess hall food, he was able to endure 16 days of German, Belgian and Italian food and drink. However, it is great to be back at the home of the Big Mac! (Really?) In late October, Lou hiked the Grand Canyon north rim to south rim, stayed at Phantom Ranch and had a great time. (Not bad for an old guy). Aldos Italian Restaurant in Virginia Beach hosted roommates and spouses Mike and Jan Bissell, Ashby and Sandra Taylor, John and Linda Moore, and Jim and Blair Bickford for lunch. John and Linda were in

town for Linda’s high school reunion. Don Wilkinson reminded me that next year is the 50th anniversary of Jonathan Myrick Daniels’ death, and many activities will be going on. On Aug. 14, 2014, there was a sermon by The Rev. Gillian R. Barr for the Jonathan Daniels Day Evensong and Commissioning of Jonathan Daniels House Episcopal Service Corps community in Providence, Rhode Island. Harrison and Terry Fridley took a National Geographic tour to France which included going to the caves with the paintings in Bordeaux, France, and lots of other places. The trip was limited to 25 people. The France trip was on Harrison’s bucket list. Ken Ayala has been on the move. Ken had a good time on the Big Muddy on his seven day cruise on the Mississippi, riding in the Queen of the Mississippi from Memphis to St. Louis. Hugh and Nelle Gouldthorpe are fine. Goldie is playing Tennis four times a week and recently played in the state tournament in Florence, South Carolina. Hugh did not mention how he ranked. I finally heard from Len Kasel, who sent me a very brief email. Now you know as much as I do – he is still above the grass. Lee Badgett has been very busy trying to get the vote out for the college logo contest. Lee said since he put out his, “We can do

Class of 1961: The Class of ’61 had a golf outing at the Olde Mill golf resort in Laurel Fork, Virginia, Sept. 4, 2014. From left, seated, were Blair Bickford, Sue Vitale, Ann Stokes, Diane Stone, Peggy (Alligood’s friend), Jan Clarkson, Pat Hoskins and Mary Callander. Standing: Walter Stokes, Ken Ayala, Jim Miner, Jim Bickford, John “J.C.” Miller, Bud Alligood Dick Stone, Jud McLester ,Ray Hanlein, Spike Callander, Rhett Clarkson, Willard Hoskins and Sal Vitale. Sally Hanlein is not pictured.

Class of 1961: From left, Jim Harrison, Kathy Copenhaver and Dude Copenhaver had dinner when Jim visitied the Copenhaver home in The Villages, Florida, July 23, 2014.

this!” email, VMI has gone from behind to ahead, and we did make the final round. We will not know the winner of the sports logo contest until after these notes are due. Clayton Smith decided to sell his house. He has downsized and is renting for the present time until he has time to recover from the loss of his wife and son and then decide on his next steps. Clayton also wants to express his heartfelt thanks for all the support and prayers during the past year and half. Only through his faith in God and all your support has he been able to endure and carry on. Don Kern has finally retired from dentistry. Don has not been feeling as well as he would like but is still moving. Tom Phlegar’s bucket list is getting shorter. Barbara and Tom had a most delightful 10 days of cruising from Vancouver, British Columbia, to Los Angeles, California, with stops in Astoria, Oregon, and Seattle, Washington. After that, they drove to Death Valley, California, where they spent two days hiking and sightseeing. Then it was off to Las Vegas, Nevada, for the usual stuff, (came out even with the money) and finally it was time for the big event, a morning of Tom sky diving from 15,000 feet out of a perfectly good airplane. At 5,000 feet, which only took 40 to 45 seconds at a speed of approximately 150 miles per hour, the cord was pulled and Tom and the instructor moved around for five to VMI ALUMNI REVIEW

CLASS NOTES eight minutes and then did a stand up landIt was good to see Col. John Brodie heart monitor installed, and with his heart ing. Tom would do it again in a heartbeat, (Hon) back on the job. Sue saw him at the valve replacement last year, he has had a assuming Barbara will let him. She wasn’t Navy game, and he is doing outstanding. periodic problem with atrial fibrillation. too keen on Tom doing it the first time and Walter Stokes is almost completely mend- (Many of our BRs are experiencing A-Fib.) really has a thing about him doing it again. ed from his heart surgery and attended Olde Doug said that since he received a cow Roger Suiter had a wonderful idea. Roger Mill Golf but didn’t play. Walt is still walk- valve, he can’t pass either a pasture or a thinks it would be advantageous to VMI ing 4 miles a day. grazing herd thinking that his replacement Mike Bissell seems to be doing OK after wasn’t a pig valve. The thought of lying recruiting for each degree granting department to give recognition to graduates who surgery on his melanomas. Mike and Jan are around in mud puddles no longer suits him. have become citizen soldiers. This can be still roaming from child’s house to house and (Smile.) easily done using an electronic medium. are hoping their new home is ready soon. George Ward doesn’t say much anymore Nominations could come from the departJohn Gangemi’s wife, Irene, is still strug- about his health. George lacks mobility due ment heads and class agents. I know that gling with severe rheumatoid arthritis, and to insanely severe stenosis in four vertebrae we have several in our class that could John is a full time caregiver and cannot leave which limits his ability to walk. George had qualify for recognition of their contribu- Irene alone. We missed him at Olde Mill. a back operation, and it has helped. I have tions to our well-being. Email me and or Ken Patrick is hopping around just like a great empathy for George since I, too, have Roger Suiter at rogersuiter@bellsouth. rabbit should. He is doing OK. been diagnosed with severe back probnet to let us know how you feel about this Charlie Stevens is still above the grass. lems affecting my ability to walk and stand idea. Maybe you could consider straight. I am doing therapy, and contacting your degree departit does provide some relief. ment’s current head to see how Roger Suiter had a light stroke they feel about the idea. affecting part of the cerebellum Larry and Jerri Wetsel hosted which, in turn, has affected his an outreach party for Virginia balance. Then Roger had a high Historical Society. The food was Prostate-Specific Antigen test outstanding, and the guests from which has led to a cancer operation on his prostate. When asked the Virginia Beach area were top how he was recovering from the draw. Those in attendance from surgery, Roger said, “It was not VMI were Sal and Sue Vitale, too bad, but the old rooster does Bill and Joyce Gibbings, Stu and not crow as much as he used to.” Sylvia Woodcock, Charles Fuller, (Again, many of our BRs are also and Fran Wilson with her husband, Ed. experiencing this problem.) The only way I know that nonFrank Deaner is fighting prostate cancer (stage four) and skin communicative BRs are alive is when you send me something to Class of 1961: On Oct. 6, 2014, roommates and spouses cancer. He said his lifeguard got together for lunch at Aldos Italian Restaurant in look at on YouTube. I do appreciate Virginia Beach, Virginia. In attendance were, from left, days at the beach and not wearthe “stuff” sent by Bob Coltrane, Ashby Taylor, Sandra Taylor, John Moore, Linda Moore, ing protection on the golf course Marty Caples, Mike Payne, Dick Blair Bickford, Jim Bickford, Mike Bissell and Jan Bissell. are starting to do their damage. Frank still keeps in touch with Weede, Joe Lisiecki, Carl Hirsch and David McGee. Both Hirsch and Mc- He has been in and out of the hospital, but Alison Drescher by phone. Gee send some very unusual items. Where he bounces back. Maria Anjier has been diagnosed with are the rest of you? Filling my page allotDon Rishell’s son, Len, is still doing home nonhodgkins lymphoma, type B, mantle ment is getting tough. Several events will dialysis and seems to be doing pretty good. cell. Mantle cell lymphoma is a very rare occur after these notes need to be submit- Len is on the transplant list, but who knows lymphoma that was only diagnosed 20 yeted, such as the Huddle and Browning get when he will get a kidney. (Hopefully soon!) ars ago and affects just 6 to 7 percent of together at Natural Bridge and, during the Barry M.B.E. Smith has a clean bill of lymphoma patients. It does not respond same weekend at VMI, the Coach McKenna health from his cancer. My guess is that he well to treatment. Maria is very positive. dinner, showcasing the new McKenna book. can still fit in his cadet uniform and belt out Her blood results are good – white and red In a few weeks, the re-election (I hope) of a few VMI Glee Club tunes. blood cells, etc. – so she is not worrying my daughter, Cathy, to her second term as Bill Hala is dealing with vertigo and is about the cancer possibly being elsewhere a Maryland state delegate, the Institute So- feeling tired all the time, as his brain and in the body. ciety dinner, the VMI versus The Citadel muscles are working overtime to keep him Danya Redd had her second knee refootball game, Thanksgiving, Christmas and upright. He hasn’t fallen yet, but he is a fall placement and is in therapy. Bill says she is coming along quite well. New Year’s. Another year gone! Details will risk. Sue Vitale is still recovering from her appear in the spring issue of the Review. Doug Popp recently had a Reveal LINQ 2015-Issue 1

CLASS NOTES foot operation. When you repair bones in the feet, it takes a long time to get back to normal. Her doctor said that I did a good job changing dressings, etc. Kent Modine underwent heart surgery at Duke University Hospital. His mitral valve has been a problem for years. As of the writing of these notes, Kent spent 10 hours in surgery, and unfortunately a repair was not possible, so the doctors started over and performed a mechanical mitral valve replacement. My guess is that Kent will be back on the golf course in the spring, if not sooner. Bert said thanks for the prayers. Losing three people close to you within the same year is not something I want to see repeated. Losing two roommates a few months apart is even worse. Retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Floyd Nelson Roberts has joined Lou Grazulis (both my roommates for three years) and my sister, Jean, in heaven. Floyd retired after 26 years of Air Force active duty and 16 years as a civil highway engineer for two townships in New Hampshire. When he relocated to Vermont, he was the administrator for the Vermont Agency of Transportation, Maintenance District 2. Floyd was very active with the Boy Scouts (he was an Eagle Scout) and served on many committees for his Town and Church. Floyd had been battling cancer for years, and during the last seven years, Floyd volunteered his body for the use of experimental drugs in hopes of helping others. His wife, Mary Jane, will remain in Vermont, and as with other widows, we all hope she stays in touch. Attending the funeral service in Springfield, Vermont, were Jim and Johanna Needham, Barry M.B.E. Smith, Carl and Becky Hirsch, and Sue and Sal Vitale. Carl Hirsch and I commiserated about being the only two roommates left, and Carl said with a smile he has no plans for leaving this earth any time soon. Neither do I! The Annual Giving for Fiscal Year 2014 ended June 30, 2014, and even when you include reunion classes in the ’60s group, we rank second in percent participation and third in total dollars. In addition, we have four widows who have also made significant contributions to Annual Giving. (They know who they are. Sorry, no names.) I am very proud to report that we have 39 Institute Society members. I understand this is the greatest number of any class. Thanks to all of you for a great year. I guess I cannot say this enough times: 78

Until we meet again, stay well and God bless the class, VMI, the USA and especially our troops – some of whom are our children and grandchildren. Call a brother rat. You will enjoy the experience.

Tony Curtis

’62

Jerry Burnett

On Tony and Judy Curtis’ vacation in August to southern Florida, they stopped by Venice, Florida, BR Gary Kaylor’s beautiful hometown, but alas, he was back in Virginia repairing his rental homes (for the last time). He still managed to be an excellent “host in abstention” by recommending excellent restaurants and sites to see a la cellphone! They moved on to Tampa, Florida, and had a wonderful lunch and afternoon with Cal and Anne Lloyd. Cal reflected on all the men in his family – grandfather, father, uncles and his son – who had served honorably in the Marine Corps. Cal and Anne are continuing their ‘Highland flinging’ but only a small portion of it is their individual show. The rest of it is shared in sets with many others as they move along the East Coast – even up to Canada for Irish/Scottish gatherings. In June, they danced at the Western North Carolina Highlands Festival in Asheville,

Class of 1962: Tony Curtis, center, with Cal and Anne Lloyd.

North Carolina, then went on to Virginia for a visit with Anne’s sister in Waynesboro. They then went to Nashville, Tennessee, for their grandson’s baseball tournament, and finally to Roswell, Georgia, where their daughter lives. They returned to Roswell for two weeks to house and horse sit while Erin vacationed in Switzerland with friends. While there, they were able to spend time with their son, Cal ’90, and family, and they watched another baseball tournament in Chattanooga, Tennessee. In September, they flew back to Waynesboro to attend Anne’s 50th high school reunion. In October, they drove to Charlotte, North Carolina, for a Scottish Country Dance weekend and will do another in Gainesville, Florida. They try to stay fit and enjoy life one dance at a time. John Anthony wrote of his delight to Dr. Bob James, VMI instructor, about the possibility of the Institute sending six cadets to the 23rd Annual Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference in Washington, D.C. John went on to express his disappointment in the Institute’s lack of participation in the last five years of the National Council’s Annual University Student Summer Internship Program. This is one-of-a-kind leadership development and a gateway to the National Council’s study abroad opportunities in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Oman, Morocco and Yemen and the 10-week University Student Summer Internships in Washington, D.C. Ed and Margie Strickler met two other ‘trailer folk,’ Jerry and Carol Connors, whom they hadn’t seen since 2007-08 while they were in Durango, Colorado. They spent Sept. 8-9 eating too much and swapping tales. After leaving Durango, they encountered Jerry and Carol on the road a couple of times. Ed said, “I gave Jerry the ‘high sign’ several times, but he never responded – probably because he couldn’t get his finger over the top of his motor home! We arrived in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and took a trolley tour of the city. I love the southwest! The young lady who was the narrator saw my VMI hat and asked if I had gone there. Yes! She said her husband was James Jeter ’97. He’s a lieutenant colonel stationed at Kirkland Air Force Base. Small world! It got smaller! We had lunch at a restaurant in Old Town Albuquerque and another couple plus a mother-in-law sat next to us. The young lady asked if I had attended VMI. Yes! She was a Hokie and her mother was visiting for the week from VMI ALUMNI REVIEW

CLASS NOTES Virginia Beach. They both had attended Cox High School in Virginia Beach. My father was Frank Cox’s assistant and the mother remembered my father! Be careful where you display the red, white and yellow!” Marcus Muth noticed that, as we grow older and become aware of our security needs, gated communities become more attractive, noting several brother rats have chosen to live in them. His $80 ‘gate’ has a warning sign that simply says, “If you can read this, you’re in range!” John and Joyce Allen wrote of BR Bill Sydnor’s memorial service in Frederick, Maryland. Rob (and Beverly) Evans and Paul (and Debby) Rhodes gave eloquent deliveries which brought tears to the overflowing congregation. Other 62’ers in attendance were: Boles and Patsy Pender, Geoff Mitchell, John and Cynthia Anthony, Lewis Graybill, Columbus Cartwright, John and Linda Carles, Mott and Diane Robertson, and Jerry Wagner. Rosser Bobbitt wrote: “In early September, Kate and I went to Brussels, Belgium, to visit son Max and daughter-in-law Kasia. We had a great time, great food and great beer! At the one year mark, I’ve successfully survived radiation for prostate cancer! I occasionally see Mike Stickler ’68, BR Edmond’s brother who lives right down the street, and Bill Mizell. Bill says he’s doing great. I took the Norfolk FBI Citizens Course last year. I got the course director interested in VMI, and now his son is a rat. Now a neighbor’s daughter wants to go next year. Despite my counseling, the first one went and the second is even more enthusiastic? My bottom line with both

was, despite the complaints and rumors you hear about the Rat Line and life as a cadet, do you want to be part of something bigger and better than yourself? Do you want to be where duty and honor are valued, where the people to your right and left can depend on you and you on them and where friendships are developed that will last a lifetime?” Bill and Madonna Fisher had a quiet summer. They took road trips with one week at each location – Prior Lake, Minnesota; Nags Head, North Carolina; Hilton Head, South Carolina, and New Bern, North Carolina. The Minnesota trip was a celebration of their oldest grandson’s (They have six –all boys!) high school graduation. It must have been too warm to go to VMI, as he is now a pharmacy student at North Dakota State University. Brrrrr! On June 14, Dr. John Duke Anthony was awarded the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee Distinguished Service Award for 2014. This award honors John’s lifelong commitment to serving the Arab and Arab-American communities. Dr. Anthony is the founding president and chief executive officer of the National Council on U.S.-Arab relations. Joe Weakley Sr. updates us with: “I’ve been trying to play a little golf and do stuff around the yard. The biggest news is with my wife’s ‘Patsy’s Big Pans’ group. This is a group mainly of fifth graders with first-sixth, firstseventh, first-eighth and first-ninth graders. This is a steel pan group a la the Caribbean. They have been fortunate to be accepted for a halftime performance at a VMI basketball game Nov. 22, 2014. Basically, I’m kind of

Class of 1962: Ed and Margie Strickler, left, with Jerry and Carol Connors.

2015-Issue 1

Class of 1962: The cover for Cal Seybold’s book, “May You Live In Interesting Times: My 1960s!”

a go-fer and groupie. Needless to say, all are extremely excited and looking forward to this honor.” From Bill Mizell: “I had a pretty uneventful summer overall – nothing worth putting in print. (But we still do!) Mostly home renovation/remodeling projects with a little golf sandwiched in between jobs. I did see the following BRs at a funeral for Dr. Skip Rawls (Hampden-Sydney College alum): George Meredith, Dennis Merklinger, Alex Randy and Rosser Bobbitt. All were in good spirits and in good health. Other VMI alums attending were Bruddy Baillio ’65, Mike Shoemaker ’60, Beau Walker ’63 and Alison Dresher ’61. I may have left out some others, but not intentionally.” Bill Harris wrote: “On Jan. 8, 2015, Christa and I will remove one more thing from her bucket list. We and another couple will fly to Buenos Aires for a couple of days and then board our ship for our sixth cruise. We will head south to the Falkland Islands and then on to Antarctica. After cruising down there, we head back up along the coast of Chile, ending up in Santiago for a couple of days before flying back to St. Louis. Should be fun!” Bill White wrote: “Early this year, I sailed our sailboat, the NANSEA, from Rodney Bay, St. Lucia, to Tortola, meeting Nancy (See boat name!) and my family there, then 79

CLASS NOTES to the Turks and Caicos Islands, Providen- likely should be Division III, at least in foot- by what happened there. We visited all the catiales, again meeting them there, then on to ball. Give up the scholarships, bring back the thedrals, museums, markets, abbeys, etc. on Bimini, crossing over to U.S. waters to Key student athlete and only have the players on the Normandy Peninsula. The gals cooked West. My sail from there with a sailing friend permit during the season and for spring prac- wonderful dinners at night, with John doing to Pensacola, Florida, was through some of tice. Better for the players and certainly better some major league grilling for the group. We the worst weather I’ve ever seen just south for the Corps. Basketball is fine at Division I drank all of the wine within a 100 mile raof Apalachicola. Nancy kept texting me, tell- as long a Coach Baucom is there and recruits dius. I made the bakery run in the morning ing me about the weather and saying to go to good solid players. Probably the only Divi- with my total immersion French from two shore and wait it out. We were off course in 50 sion I teams we should have are baseball, years’ worth at the Institute. I got some really knot winds and 26-foot seas in a 46-foot boat, basketball, track and field, marksmanship, funny looks. I don’t know yet what I brought meaning we were not going to risk a landfall. and maybe lacrosse and water polo. The back, but we ate breakfast with great gusto. So we rode it out, arriving in Pensacola Na- rest should be Division II or lower. What is Mounds of Normandy butter did not hurt. val Air Station Marina somewhere around 2 developing is a culture of losing.” Along the way, we shared some wonderful a.m. the morning after. Sailing in stories. Nancy and Kristine were the Caribbean is off for now, as our really patient with only a minimum daughter, (Chrissy) an avid sailor, is of rolling of the eyes. Such a great having family problems (divorce) experience!” raising three small children with a Walt Perrin: Had a great summer. Lots of travel including seefull-time job, so Nancy and I have ing roommate Armistead at the made a life changing decision. beautiful wedding of his son, Clay, We have purchased acreage and a in Napa, California! Family time home in Waterford, Virginia, for our at the beach is always fun. Just daughter to get out of her Leesburg, returned from 18 days in South Virginia, home. Nancy and I trade Africa! I had a great time seeing off between our Pensacola home wild animals, the beautiful city and our Virginia home. I’m staying at the Virginia home helping of Cape Town and good wine in Chrissy and my grandchildren live a Franschhoek! I forgot how big of country life. For me, it’s not just the a continent Africa is. There are 52 love of being with my grandchilnations there! Will be in Lexington dren but back to raising animals, for Founders Day on our 175th anniversary! Should be fun? Hope evplanting gardens, getting most of Class of 1962: Fred Mangino and Linda at Navy–Marine eryone has a great Thanksgiving!” our food from the friendly farm- Corps Memorial Stadium. ers market and enjoying the Blue Paul Rhodes: “I was listening Ridge countryside.” Ron Hamner: “Some fun Class of ’62 to the VMI football game on the radio last Bob Miller wrote: “It’s hard to believe news. I am just back from two weeks in weekend. Congratulations to the VMI quarour 55th Reunion is coming so quickly France with John and Kristine Candler and terback who threw for six touchdowns. The and even harder to think a lot of our kids are Bob and Nancy Mitchell. We had the best record he broke was set in 1961 by Brother around 50! I went over to the Navy game with time ever. The Candlers and Mitchells are Rat Bobby Mitchell! A special congratulation Charlie Talbott ’63 and our wives. After the longtime travel mates with several trips to Bobby for holding the record for 53 years!” John Anthony: “Here are some brief rethird quarter, it was so depressing that we left to wonderful places in Europe and beyond. and went to Galway Bay Pub and Restaurant They asked me to join them as the washer of marks for your consideration. The ones rein Annapolis, Maryland, for dinner. That was dishes and carrier of suitcases. I was delight- garding Bill’s memorial service are probably great. The second game I’ve been to this year. ed to be included. Nancy, Kristine and Bob redundant to the remarks of others. Among The first was Mercer University at VMI – an- did all of the research in advance with respect the more poignant moments were when other loss. I saw Jerry Wagner and Columbus to all the places we wanted to see and where Paul Rhodes and Robert Evans spoke. Paul Cartwright as we were leaving – again after we would stay. I guess I am fully retired now reminisced about having known Bill since the third quarter, although VMI almost staged as the S-3. We rented a house in Honfleur, the third grade when they were classmates in a comeback. We enjoyed a great dinner, this which we used as a starting point on most elementary school. Robert indicated that Bill time at Edelweiss in Greenville, Virginia, days. The highlight of the trip for me was the was not only his best friend but, paraphrasing just south of Staunton. The primary reason day we spent on the American beaches and a line from one of the track stars in the classic to go to the games is to eat at Edelweiss, as the day we spent on the Allied beaches. Bob film, ‘Chariots of Fire,’ regarded him as the the football has been a disaster for years, had made arrangements for a personal guide closest thing to ‘the complete man’ as anyone particularly the last few years after repeated for the five of us, and the experience was just he has ever known.” John added that among promises that we were getting better. At best, awesome. It is not possible to stand on Oma- other highlights of the past few months was we are a Division II caliber team, and more ha Beach without having your soul touched his being asked to travel to New York City 80

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CLASS NOTES

Class of 1962: George and Maureen Collins.

to ring the opening bell for the Nasdaq stock exchange, musing afterward that perhaps other than George Collins, with respect to whom he was uncertain in this regard, he may have been the only VMI alumnus ever asked to do so. John also delivered the main address at Cambridge University’s fifth Annual Gulf Research Meeting in August on “The U.S. Foreign Policy Shift from Arabia to Asia: Fact or Folly?” Subsequently, he was invited to have his presentation included as a chapter in a book to be published by Gerlach and scheduled to appear in 2015 on changes and constants in America’s relations with its Arab friends, allies and strategic partners. John also spoke at a conference sponsored by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Institute for Diplomatic Studies and the Gulf Research Center in Riyadh in September on “Arabian Gulf and Regional Challenges” and later at a forum in Abu Dhabi in October sponsored by the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research on “Abu Dhabi Strategic Debate.” Present and also speaking at all three of these invitation-only forums and venues were internationally renowned specialists from China, Russia, Europe and Egypt, as well as Jordan, Morocco and Yemen, in addition to the six Gulf Cooperation Council countries: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Cal Seybold has published an e-book (by Bookbaby). The book is called, “May You Live in Interesting Times: My 1960s,” and it covers his time as a second lieutenant of infantry during a tour in South Korea along the demilitarized zone and two tours with the 2015-Issue 1

Army Special Forces in Vietnam – initially as a first lieutenant (1966) and then as a captain (1968-69). The book was initially published by a local printer and given as 2013 Christmas gifts to his immediate family and a few friends. The e-book will be available at the following outlets for downloading in the November 2014 timeframe: iBookstore, Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Baker & Taylor, Copia, Gardners, eSentral, Scribd, Goodreads, Oyster, Flipkart, EBSCO, ePubDirect and Ciando at this time. Cal said the book is more akin to “M.A.S.H.” than any serious military literature. From Freddie Mangino: “My friend, Linda, and I attended the VMI versus the U.S. Naval Academy football game in Annapolis Oct. 11. We were looking forward to the game but also to a cruise on BR George Collins’ 80-foot Chessie yacht. George wisely canceled the cruise because of the poor weather. This was disappointing, as was the final outcome of game. George did treat us to lunch at the Annapolis Yacht Club. George’s beautiful wife, Maureen, was a gracious hostess and made Linda feel right at home. Certainly the game was discouraging, but I was surprised and disappointed to see the VMI cheerleaders were not present. Obviously this wouldn’t have changed the game’s outcome but I didn’t feel the ‘spirit.’ “On July 1, Linda and I attended the VMI northern New Jersey alumni dinner at Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, New Jersey. The guest speaker was the new VMI athletic director. The good news was this was the first chapter meeting I attended. The bad news was I was oldest and shortest alumnus present (ouch)! Baltusrol, the site of numerous U.S. Open Golf Championships, is absolutely beautiful. Food and facility were second only to the fellowship of the alumni present. “In September, I participated in the New Jersey Senior Olympics in the racquetball and bowling tournaments. I won a gold medal in racquetball men’s doubles (70-74 years old) and a bronze medal in men’s bowling doubles. I am qualified now to participate in the National Senior Olympics in July 2015 in Minneapolis and, at this time, plan to make the trip. This will be the eighth National Senior Olympics in which I have participated in both racquetball and bowling.” Don Kane wrote: “Attached is a picture of a family reunion we had at VMI Sept. 6

and 7. Wife, 3 children and spouses and eight grandchildren (total 16). We watched two parades, picnicked on the Parade Ground and went to the football game. I had a great time with family. Not sure if I got any Institute takers. My granddaughter asked, “Why is he yelling at that girl?” I do not think she will be going to VMI. Carolyn Worrell wrote regarding the VMI lacrosse field’s new scoreboard in honor of her husband BR DeWitt: “This past Saturday, Oct. 25, at the 28th Lee-Jackson Classic during halftime, the DeWitt Stewart Worrell ’62 scoreboard was dedicated.” Recipients of the DeWitt Worrell scholarships present were Sean McCoy ’10, Matt Galliene ’00, Rob Worrell ’97 (son of the late De Worrell) and Tony Saraceni ’00. Also at the game was Rob’s BR and De Worrell ’62 Scholarship recipient, Charles Ayers ’97. Carolyn wishes to thank all BRs that attended this ceremony and hopes to see you all again at the 55th Reunion! I hope you all had the happiest and safest holidays! Hope to see you all at our 55th Reunion! In the spirit of ’62, Tony and Jerry

’63

Michael J. Curley

Hello, everyone. I trust you had as beautiful a fall season as we are here in Virginia! Sadly, another Brother Rat, Jerry Bennett, has fallen victim to cancer. Upon receiving an email from Derith Bennett to Jerry’s closest friends, I immediately forwarded it to the Class. Si Bunting was moved to comment, “What a beautiful testimonial to a brave and honorable son of VMI. Derith sounds like a rare and remarkable lady. I will remember him at Mass.” I knew then that the only proper person to render commentary on Jerry’s death was his devoted wife, Derith. Derith wrote, “Hi Mike, I just sent Logan, Leland and Fred an email telling them of Jerry’s death. He was a brave warrior during the last 33 months, and we know God gave him the extra time to experience the moments he held dear – high school graduation of our oldest grands, our 50th anniversary and being a Christian for half of his life. Jerry was much 81

CLASS NOTES loved by many and although not famous, he and I headed to downtown Glenn, Michigan, we promote this film to our brother rats and was a good, honest man who loved Christ for the wedding of her sister, Sally, and we advise you that, even though we all know the with all his heart. Memorial services will be looked forward both to the trip and the fam- heroic story with which we have lived for over the Thanksgiving break.” (mjc: Derith, ily experience with all the three Howard girls well-nigh 55 years, it is still a passionate and may he rest in peace with all his brother rats (Peg, Sally and Beth)! moving tale of great proportions. Guaranteed, Did I mention the bonding experience a it will emote tears! who preceded him. Jerry was a lucky guy to have you, Logan, Leland and Fred loving his bunch of us Richmond rats had recently when Chuck Weddington commented from afar, we gathered here for a showing of “Field of “Man, I miss all the good stuff. Have a great gentle soul for lo’ those many years.) Kent Wilson wrote that he and Mary, as well Lost Shoes” with dinner afterward at Kitchen time, and I’ll see it when the stagecoach gets as Bill and Becky Wells, represented the class 64? Accompanying Mike and Peg Curley the film can into Texas sometime late November or December. Pvt. Blockhead at Joanne Wade’s funeral service ’63 and I will watch ‘Brother Rat’ Sept. 24. Joanne, of course, is survived by her husband, Brother Rat again in the meantime.” Pat Kelly David Wade. added, “Don’t rub it in, BR. Living out here on the frontier is hard News from the homefront: it’s enough as it is, but someone has rare I even report on Peg’s and my to defend you folks in Richmond activities, but we need to raise the against all the wild natives of the spirit here a bit, don’t we? Peg and West so that you can go to your I celebrated the 50th reunion of my posh eatery and watch a moving class of 65-XC Undergraduate Pilot picture show on an indoor screen. Training Class (Laughlin Air Force Probably had chairs in there too, Base in Del Rio, Texas) at Dulles air didn’t ya? Regards, Pat.” From patch here in Virginia just a couple Richard Ballentine: “Have a good of weeks ago, and it was a blast! As night at the movies! If I left here most of you with military experience know from living totally imnow, I would get there in November mersed in a singular program with Class of 1963: From left: Cheryl Jennings, Bunny Reynolds ... for dessert!” (mjc: Aw come on, single purpose, schedule, housing, and Logan Jennings picked, ate and enjoyed Chesapeake guys, you’re just jealous ... come Bay crabs at Bunny and Judy’s home in Connecticut. fears, experiences, etc., a band of on home!) Even Pam Traugott Picture by Judy Reynolds. brothers with a tight lifetime bond (née) Adams wrote to say, “I will emerges – perhaps even stronger in miss your ‘to do’ in Richmond but many ways than the Rat Line expeknow that Jim and I are attending rience, for it was the first time that our opportunity of ‘Field of Lost our lives were actually on the line Shoes’ right here in Lexington. :) every day ... and we were months Love, Pam Traugott Adams.” Can away from becoming Vietnam War you believe this? Richard Warren veterans. A couple of weeks earlier, actually rejected our invitation! I Peg and I took our first glider flights judged his response to be totally at a small glider port near Winunacceptable – you judge, this is his ston-Salem, North Carolina, and I story: “Definite conflict. Jane and I learned exactly what I loved about are going to the Eastern Shore High flying. It is definitely not flying School’s 55th reunion at Jackie without an engine and being towed Parks’ house. We are now having aloft by a butt-ugly slug of a crop them annually, as we do not know Class of 1963: Resting and celebrating after climbing duster! No, sir, my love of aviation Mount Washington in New Hampshire (in a van, they how many more there will be.” He stemmed from having a jet engine, confessed) were, from left, Yvonne and Tommy Myers, continued, “(We) get to eat a lot of a 4-stage afterburner and an ejec- and Betty and Mike Smither. clams, oysters and crabs and drink tion seat ... airplanes were simply and chat with a small group of guys not made to fly without engines. (That’s for were Bob and Bromby Earle, W.O. and Caro- and gals that we grew up with.” (mjc: With the birds, right?) Similarly, you certainly don’t line Jones, Bob and Tina Powell, and Artie that menu, Richard, we would love to have jump out of perfectly good airplanes as some and Ann Phaup. We had a wonderful time. been invited – forget the movie and Kitchen of you crazy people have done. You leave an It was a very different experience than when 64! Hope you and Jane had a ball.) airplane only when it stops flying either at the Peg and I attended the first showing of the film The Richmond rats are initiating a regular airport or, should that occur in mid-flight, you at the Carpenter Center with a mostly VMI bimonthly lunch program here in Richmond take the nylon descent to the ground seated, crowd, a terrible sound system and cramped much like the Tidewater and North Carolina right? Over the Thanksgiving weekend, Peg quarters. Everyone in attendance suggested groups. Our gatherings will be held on the 82

VMI ALUMNI REVIEW

CLASS NOTES brother rats (Wayne Kohwles, Billy Wray and Bo Savage) were in attendance. Adam Volant ’88 from the VMI Alumni Association took this photo of them, so I am getting it to you for your class notes. I will have to go back and look at the register to pull the names up if you don’t recognize them. We had nearly 100 guests come down, as this was the first time that VMI had returned to the Southern Conference in nearly 10 years. We had members come up from Atlanta, Birmingham and the surrounding areas. Lots of fun at the tailgate; not so much fun as we got our butts whipped 55-7, and I think we only scored that last touchdown because UTC had already left the field and were in the showers.” (mjc: Thanks, Will. A nice gesture of cooperation, and I appreciate it! God bless VMI Football...) A wonderful announcement from Denny Marchant: “Good afternoon, dear friends and relatives. I would like to introduce my new Class of 1963: Hobbs Goodwin and sweetheart. She is Mair Gill (pronounced like Hinton Lampley enjoyed a short Meyer, courtesy of Harry Redd.) and lives in cruise on Lake Okeechobee, Florida. Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina. She is a widow of seven years and I, of course, have been second Tuesday of the odd-numbered months a widower for almost two years. Originally at a wonderful little restaurant in Goochland she was from Wales and has lived in the coloCounty near Short Pump Town Center called nies for 50 years. She married an Englishman, The Rumble Seat. Details will be sent by much to her mother’s disgust, and because of email well in advance of each event, so come business they came to the USA. She has two join us, one and all! The first regular lunch will children, girl and boy, and two granddaughbe held Jan. 13, 2015. ters. Mair and I enjoy each other’s comA couple of days ago, W.O. Jones, Artie panionship and much of the same things. Phaup, John Mills, Kent McCraney and We do like to travel and hope to do much I had lunch at The Tavern to reminisce over the years we have left. We both will both about the closing of Phil’s, a popular never forget the joys we had with our West End watering spot, and to entertain spouses and will never compare each Kent who was in Richmond for a mediother with them. This, however, is a new cal checkup. (mjc: Yes, Chuck and Pat, era for both of us, and we hope to enjoy we love living close enough to hang out it together. We would like to have each together with our buds and brother rats!) of your blessings for a new beginning for At lunch, we were treated to Bill Jones’ both of us. Attached is a picture of her story of how he came to acquire a musket taken by me at her house. My daughter, that spent time at VMI and may have actuKristine, told me I had to enter the 21st ally been to the Battle of New Market. In century, thus this picture was taken with an email Bill wrote to me earlier, he said, my iPhone.” (mjc: Good shot, Denny, “I have been over the entire gun now and still too small ... bummer! We all wish though not a ‘gun guy,’ I am convinced it’s you and Mair the very best and are lookthe real thing from A to Z. The ‘pitting’ to ing forward to meeting her. God bless!) me is primarily discoloration from old age Class of 1963: Newlyweds Pam and Jim Adams Mike Smither contributed a couple of and some level of neglect and possibly a ’71 sailed on the Chesapeake Bay aboard Bob interesting tidbits as he regularly does. relatively short time in the Maury River. and Tina Powell’s boat, “The Other Woman.” First, Sept. 9 he noted that “I am moved If it is 3-D so to speak, it’s not discernible by feel or magnifying glass. The barrel tang class agent for ’82, and I hosted an Alumni Tail to remember our matriculation 55 years ago 1851 is definitely there under the pitting/dis- gate picnic at the beginning of October when today, for what it’s worth.” (mjc: And wasn’t coloration, so it has not been added after the VMI came to play the University of Tennessee that a lovely, peaceful and quiet day in the Valfact. More importantly, at least to me as a gun Chattanooga in Chattanooga. Several of your ley, Mike?) He attached a number of items to not-even-novice, is the tang 1851 appears to be the same ‘font’ as the lock plate 1851. In any event am delighted to have another piece of original art, at the worst, a very limited edition that has a great deal of history as well as personal connection to the early cadets. As we discussed, it was for sure in the VMI armory and used by cadets regularly from September1852 through at least 1864, including security at John Brown’s hanging in 1859 and arguably at New Market. Not to mention the Battle of First Manassas when carried by the Rockbridge Grays while the cadets were in Richmond serving as DI’s for Virginia’s volunteer regiments. Just close your eyes and think about it: you can almost be there.” (mjc: Great story and acquisition, Bill.) Bob Powell sent along a picture of newlyweds Pam and Jim Adams ’71 on a short Chesapeake Bay cruise while visiting Bob and Tina recently. He said, “We were sailing on the Chesapeake – Jim’s first sail ever – on my boat ‘The Other Woman.’” (mjc: Bob, Tina’s a very patient woman, isn’t she?) Hobbs Goodwin also contributed a picture of himself and Hinton Lampley during a trip across Lake Okeechobee in Florida aboard Hobbs’ newest vessel, the “Keydet.” As long as we are on the subject of pictures, Will Council ’82 sent a terrific picture along with this message: “Hello, Michael. I am the

2015-Issue 1

CLASS NOTES

Class of 1963: Tailgating at the University of Tenneesee at Chattanooga football game in Chattanooga, Tennessee, were, from left, Wayne Kohwles, Billy Wray, Ray Melton ’66 and Bo Savage. Class Agent Mike Curley said, “Tailgaters won and VMI lost ... hate it when that happens!”

his email; among them, his musings regarding our first day at VMI. “All of us have stories to accompany our time at VMI. The stories get better each year, and it is a treat to hear others’ tales. That first year we were mostly 18, mostly skinny and mostly scared. But we prevailed, we survived and we are the better for it. My parents kept letters I sent home, and I’ve been rereading them from time to time. They sit in a box with other things of mine they kept; it is a treat of sorts to read what I wrote 55 years ago. (I was constantly asking for and thanking Mother for the care packages she’d send.) It was a time of stress heaped upon the normal stresses of being 18 and away from home. My family was hit with tragedy the year before, and I tried to cope with that as best I could – not always successfully, I’m afraid, and for which I apologize. But I joined the rest of the class in prevailing and with good results, no doubt. I’ve often wondered how I, or any of us, would have turned out if we had gone to a civilian college. So, it is with a great sense of nostalgia and longing and not without some sudden gut-wrenching remembrance that I recall our ordeal which began 55 years ago. And while I regret not joining brother rats in Lexington for the Sept. 9, 2009, reunion, I have no regrets whatsoever in matriculating with our BRs Sept. 9. 1959.” (mjc: Beautiful, Mike.) Next is the 1962 Catalog, which outlined the charges, tuition, room and board, etc. FYI, our tuition was a meager $1,560 for in-state cadets 84

and $2,010 for out-of-state cadets – of which $600 was a deposit! (mjc: How times have changed!) Mike also included a September 1959 copy of the VMI Foundation Bulletin, in which he was shown on the front page and acknowledged as the 19,000th cadet to matriculate at VMI. We were 345 strong! Fast forward to 2014: Mike wrote: “Yvonne and Tom Myers paid Betty and me a visit during which we climbed Mount Washington (in a van, thankfully). At 6,288 feet, the temperature and weather change dramatically from base to summit. They drove their fifth wheel RV from North Carolina to D.C. to here. It has all the comforts of home; indeed it is home away from home, very much like Mother I. It was great to see them. We spent hours reminiscing, swatting flies and telling lies, and we both agree that the older we get the harder it was. We also visited the Mount Washington Hotel, a splendid historic hotel where the world’s monetary policy was set in 1944, and the Mount Washington Cog Railway at the base of Mount Washington. Tom and Yvonne also hiked to Diana’s Baths, and the four of us planned to hike Arethusa Falls but had a big lunch instead. They are good company, and we thoroughly enjoyed our time with them.” (mjc: Thanks for all the stuff, Mike.) Charlie Straub wrote that he was pleasantly surprised by the actions of a VMI alumnus. He wrote: “Six of Maggie’s best guy friends asked her to go to the Palms restaurant to celebrate the 21st birthday of one of them. They asked the waitress for the tabs, and they were told that an alum with whom they had been talking had paid it. He is Bill Dyer ’84. We take care of our own!” (mjc: Considering the amount of food Lynn and Charlie have fed the Corps and our brother rats over the last three years during Maggie’s cadetship, turnabout is certainly fair play ... too bad ’63 didn’t think of helping them out. Maybe at the approaching Citadel game?) Think I’m going to have the picture Bunny Reynolds sent blown up and compare it to his formal presence at the upcoming Founders Day banquet just for giggles! Bunny reported: “Not so much news, but it was one of the nicest summers for weather in memory. We were able to enjoy sailing far more than last year when the temperature always seemed to be in the mid-90s with high humidity – much better this year. Highlights included a visit from Logan and Cheryl Jennings who arrived with a very generous load of cooked (but not picked)

crabs. A side benefit – no additional entertainment was needed, since the picking consumed several hours. Great crabmeat – just had a crab and cheese omelet for lunch. We also managed to coax Bob and Nancy Troxler to Southport for an afternoon/dinner visit. While it was a real treat for us, I’m not sure they enjoyed the traffic on I-95. Hoping to see lots of BR faces on Founders Day.” Closing out the notes with a contribution from David Glantz: “Dear Mike, last week my daughter in Tallinn helped handle the presidential visit and had her ‘Kennedy moment’ – that is, a handshake with our ‘dear leader.’ I wanted to give her a picture of a real president to go with her ersatz one (of course, without telling her that). Sadly, my Rose Garden picture is now buried in one of the interminable piles of boxes littering my basement. Do you know how I can come by a copy of that picture from my deep dark past? All the best, Brother Rat David.” Unlike Mike Smither, who has retained copies of everything uttered pertaining to VMI since 1959, I did have copies of both our Rose Garden pictures in my meager collection and was happy to provide them to David. For your information, the VMI Library Archives Online has a collection of documents, books, newspapers, Bombs and even The Cadet newspapers, etc. that far exceeds anything you, Mike and I could dream of. All you have to do is go online to http://www. vmi.edu/Content.aspx?id=312 and follow your mouse to Archives. You might encounter Mike Smither there using the webcams! It’s a fascinating and useful website. Finally, please understand that I always attempt to include all contributions to the class notes if they are submitted on time, although on occasion I may miss someone’s notes. All I ask of you is to be tolerant of my advancing age ... no sympathy there, I suppose! Please remember in your prayers those of our brothers on the gim!

’64

John R. Cavedo

First, please note our permanent change of address above. After over 13 years on Hilton Head Island, we moved south to be closer to at least one of our sons and his family. Holly Hill is a tiny town directly on the Intercostal VMI ALUMNI REVIEW

CLASS NOTES Waterway, squeezed between Daytona Beach the Rappahannock and saw a great number that time in the morning, I tend to be asleep and Ormond Beach. Even though it’s a brand of bald eagles. We’re headed up to the War- in a warm bed with no intentions of getting new condo we’re doing renovations, but it ren home in New Hampshire next month for up just to see a colorful skyline miles outside should be ready for guests shortly after the a long weekend, so it looks like more of the of Fairbanks. While the rest of the world worNew Year. We probably won’t be getting to same shenanigans will be in order. As Bob ries about global warming, Alaskans aren’t Lexington as often since our nine hour ride liked to remind us, ‘it’s great to have such rich worried at all. Alaskans are praying for global warming. We have lots of fresh air has now been increased to 13. anytime of the year. Where else can I hope you’ll forgive me, but in the you get year-round free frostbite five photos published herewith, there and hypothermia? Air conditionare several of us whom you’ve seen ing in Alaska is open a window and plenty of. More photos submitted by turn on a fan.” different brother tats in large enough Bill McVey reported that “Millie format in the future will assure diversity. and I just returned from our annual Ted Gammon sent in: “After sojourn to North Carolina to see our 50th, what can top that? So we our younger daughter, Shelley; her decided to head for the Canadian husband Eric; and their 4 beautiful Rockies for some outdoor fun. We children, ages 13 to five. We timed met up with my son and his wife in the 24-day trip to be able to attend Vancouver (one ex and one retired the four-day mini reunion hosted naval officer) who traveled with us by Marion and Bill Garber. This for about five days. The big surprise was our fourth year being included was that my older daughter and her in this mini, and it was more fun fiancé also met us in VC and decided than ever! Playing golf with these to elope there – a great celebration guys is hilarious, and we spent dinner ensued. Class of 1964: John and Sherrel Cavedo with Lauranne hours playing a new game of domi“We traveled to Banff National and W.J. Kitchen at the Italian Alps in September 2014. noes called Mexican Train. Marion prepared wonderful meal after Park, where we walked on glaciers, wonderful meal ... she did it all went canoeing, horseback riding with such flair and apparent ease, (ouch) and of course hiking (ouch, although we know she had to work again). Next stop was Calgary for the mighty hard. stampede for a day. We have been to “Following this visit, we went to several large and small rodeos and the beach house in Holden Beach, always enjoy them. North Carolina, we have been us“Lastly, Sherrill and I headed back ing for the past five years and had by way of Jasper National Park a wonderful week with Shelley and (more remote) to try for some good family, and also our older daughter, scenic and wildlife pictures with Kellie, who lives near us in San moderate success – great scenery, Antonio, and her 22-year-old son, but moderate on the bears, moose, Coleman, from Galveston. Weathetc. We have visited several national er, beach, surf and food were all parks like Acadia (Maine), Yellowstone and Glacier and always return great. Best of all was the time we feeling relaxed and refreshed.” had with all five of our grandchildren. The most memorable grandBill Crone wrote, “Thought I’d send you a short note and let you Class of 1964: From left, John Cavedo, Bill Taylor, child moment happened while Bob Warren and John Thornton in New Hampshire in playing fish with the five-year-old. know how much fun Dyan and I September 2014. He was having great luck, and I had staying with Ronnie and John Thornton at their ‘Rivah’ home on the North- friends.’ The truth is the richness comes when told him he was the luckiest player I ever saw ern Neck last weekend. Also staying were Bob spending time with brother rats – priceless.” ... to which he nonchalantly replied, ‘I would Michael Degman sent in from Alaska: “I’ve like to agree with you, Grandy, but then we and Cathy Warren, while Walt Sykes hosted Bill and Marion Garber and Hank Cronin at been here four years, and I have yet to see my both would be wrong!’ his home. As usual, the group laughed hard first aurora. They have been plentiful, but they “The other thing to note is that with our and drank hard each evening, much to my occur about 0200 hours and are best seen out 50th wedding anniversary coming up Dec. chagrin each morning (wiped out Thorn- and away from Fairbanks. The city light vol- 21, 2014, our girls had been after us ... could ton’s vodka). We spent two days boating on ume tends to wipe out the auroral display. At they plan a big party, etc. That time of year is 2015-Issue 1

CLASS NOTES terrible for people to have to travel (I’m still of us, including the Taylors, arrived within Warrens visited John and Ronnie Thornamazed that anyone attended our wedding a few hours of each other at Bob and Cathy ton’s cottage in the Northern Neck of VirMonday, Dec. 21, 1964!), so Millie suggested Warren’s beautiful home and acerage. What ginia on their way to the Outer Banks. As Bill we just have a nice party while all of the fam- a wonderful four-day weekend. Lots of great Crone reported earlier in these notes, a bunch ily was together at the beach. They of brother rats and sister rats were did so, presenting us with a beautialso guest at the Thornton cottage. ful cake and a professional photogThe Garbers and Hank Cronin rapher who took lots of photos of stayed at Walt Sykes’ cottage just everyone from which to make an downstream on Totuskey Creek. album for us. I only mention all of Thursday was spent with the this because our Facebook daughguests arriving and settling in. Some ters had the event posted about 20 cruised up the creek in a jon boat in minutes after it all happened, and search of Bald Eagles, ducks and as a result we have had innumerother wildlife. Adult beverages and able congratulations from friends dinner consisting of John’s barbecue ribs and fresh vegetables from all around the world, including the Warren’s garden followed. The many of our brother rats. We were next day, they took two boats and so amazed and humbled by the outpouring (even though it came five cruised from the cottages on Totuskey Creek down the Rappahannock months early!), and would like to River to Urbanna. offer sincere thanks to our classmates via this note!” They stopped along the way for a Class of 1964: At Smith Mountain Lake in May 2014 Bob O’Hara said, “Much the were, from left, Frances and Don Giles, Carol and Gary dip in the “Rivah” and cold beversame here in Emporia, Virginia. Gosnell, Denny and Edna Vaughan, and Betsy and ages, and then docked at a seafood house, which was a little rustic, and Marilyn and I are enjoying semi- Lain O’Farrell. enjoyed soft crabs, crab cakes and retirement. Our daughter, Ginny, fried oysters. The wind came up, is living in Denver, Colorado, and and the water was rougher on the traveling the world for CH2M Hill, return trip, but the condition didn’t a large engineering firm. Our oldest son is with the Federal Reserve stop a race back. The Sykes boat in Richmond. His two sons are our driven by Bill Garber won due to a only grandchildren, thus close by. mutiny on the Thornton boat. The middle child is still trying to Saturday morning, the Warrens find himself. I’m working in the and Crones departed to resume court system two to three days each their journeys. Marion Garber and week. We keep about 30 head of Ronnie Thornton went shopping cattle on our 200 acre farm out near and Hank, Walt and Bill Garber Purdy, Virginia, about 8 miles from played golf with Hank observing. town. I go hunting and fishing every They all had a great time and agreed chance I get. We are just a mile off to try to do it again sometime. I-95 and are certainly ready to serve Class of 1964: From left, Bill Garber, Bob Warren, Walt In August, W.J. and Lauranne as a rest-stop for classmates coming Sykes, Hank Cronin, John Thornton and Bill Crone at Kitchen, Mary Jo Jordan and Bill the river in September 2014. this way.” Bandy, and Tony and Barb Munera Bill and Betsy Taylor took a long participated in a mini reunion in drive north, first stopping in Stursbridge, Con- food, beautiful sights, lies, fables and an oc- Italy. Barb reported, “The trip began in Rome. necticut, to meet friends from Savannah, then casional beverage. We visited the Coliseum, Roman Forum, Pandrove all the way to Bangor, Maine, for a Earlier, John Thornton had flown to Argen- theon, Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps. couple more days. Then to St. Andrews, New tina to shoot poor defensless ducks (Perdix – Tony and Lauranne took every opportunity to Brunswick, Canada, to stay with old high like a quail) and dove. Apparently, there aren’t taste the various flavors of gelato ice cream. school friends in a very rustic cabin. After a enough in Virginia. After being back home for At the Vatican, we saw the Vatican Museum couple of days there, they stayed in Manor six days, John was still complaining about jet and Michelangelo’s paintings in the Sistine House, also in St. Andrews. Finally, it was lag. We pointed out that there is virtually no Chapel. We chuckled as Tony tried to speak jet lag when you change only a one hour time with the Italians in their language. He did beton to Twin Mountain, New Hampshire. In the meantime, John and Ronnie Thor- zone. His response was that it was his story ter when he found out many of them spoke ton on one flight and Sherrel and I on an- and he was sticking with it. Spanish. other, flew/drove to Twin Mountain. All “Next were Tuscany and four nights in Shortly following that long weekend, the 86

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CLASS NOTES Florence, where we saw the statue of David in all his glory. We enjoyed a home-hosted dinner at the home of a vineyard owner. We also visited a 15th century castle, where we enjoyed the various different wines offered. We toured Siena, the home of Catherine of Siena, and the annual Il Palio horse races among the various local communities of Siena. We also listened to the father of our tour guide, who told of his experiences as the American troops pushed the Nazi Germans out of Florence during World War II. “On the way to Santa Margherita on the Italian Riviera, we stopped at Pisa and the leaning tower. It was so white that it looked like it had just been put up. We swam in the Mediterranean Sea and toured various quaint local villages. On the way to Bolzano in Northern Italy, we stopped at Verona, the site of Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet.’ We visited Juliet’s iconic balcony and explored the picturesque main square. In Bolzano, we discovered that their language was German. The area used to belong to Austria and was given to Italy at the end of World War I. We went to Innsbruck, Austria, for a day, where we were entertained by local bands in the main square. “We concluded our trip with three days in Venice. Our hotel was on the Grand Canal. We traveled by water buses throughout the city. We visited Saint Mark’s square, the Murano glass factory and went on a gondola ride while an Italian tenor sang to us. The canals were clean and flowing, and we enjoyed

the city along with the 25 million people that visit each year.” In early September, Sherrel and I flew to Venice, Italy, where we met W.J. and Lauranne Kitchen (fresh from the previously reported trip with the Muneras and Mary Jo Jordan and Bill Bandy, having been in Italy for 16 days already). We four immediately boarded a train east to Verona where Lauranne had pre-booked a hotel. Since it was our first day, we found a deli/supermarket. Dinner was wine, crackers, cheese, salami, juice and a couple of little biscuit “things” for dessert – all in our hotel room. Everyone was asleep by 9:30 p.m. The next day was spent walking what seemed to be the entire city of Verona, exploring every nook and cranny while having a nice restaurant lunch. Supper was again snacks in the hotel room. On our third day, it was another train ride to Brescia where we rented a car for a week. After a three-hour drive north, we arrived at a hotel/ timeshare. For the next six days, we explored a different small alpine village each day. No agenda, just stopped when we felt like it. On our ninth day in country, we drove back to Brescia and boarded a train south to Bari where we picked up another rental car for a drive to the southern tip of the boot of Italy. Again, we spent the next seven days exploring small and large towns in a completely different region of Italy; this more like the Baja Peninsula. Finally, we turned in the rental car for a train

Class of 1964: From left, Bill and Dyan Crone, Bob and Cathy Warren, Ginny Williams, Margaret Carson, Marion Garber, Don Carson and Bill Garber at the New Hampshire train station in October 2014.

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to Rome and a quick overnight before all flying home. A really fun trip getting the “feel” of Italy. The most surprising thing was how few Italians outside of the large tourist cities spoke even a few words of English. We used a lot of hand gestures but managed to survive. Lauranne could read a lot of Italian and that helped with menus in restaurants. Mary Jo Jordan Bandy wrote, “We just returned from Michigan. We had a great time visiting friends and my cousins in Midland, Traverse City and Petoskey on the Lake Michigan side of the state and Harrisville and Alpena (on the Lake Huron side). We had great weather (though cool). Trees still hadn’t started to turn, so that was disappointing. But we didn’t have snow (which could happen), so glad of that. Fun trip. Now on to Spain and Portugal. Wish you were joining us! But one of these times soon, hopefully.” Tom Sebrell reported in that “I just got back from another trip to a ranch 70 miles northwest of Kalispel, Montana. This one was a little different from the last. We spent a lot of time on horsemanship but also moving and sorting cattle for shipment to feed lots. Also looked for cattle that had been moved up to summer grazing in the mountains last spring. As usual, I really enjoyed the work and being on a horse all day in great country.” Bud Duryea sent in the following: “On Oct. 18, 2014, the VMI Keydet Club sponsored the 2014 Scholarship Athletes Recognition Banquet in Crozet Hall. Mary and I, along with John Thornton and Walt Sykes, were privileged to celebrate the inaugural VMI Class of 1964 Athletic Scholarship award to Cadet Shavon Henderson ’18 of the VMI football team. His current position is defensive end. “Cadet Henderson is a very impressive young man. As one of six children, his family resides in Dyersburg, Tennessee. In high school, he was not only a stellar athlete but a leader, as well. He was a three letterman in football as a defensive end and led the team in ‘pass breakups.’ As a leader, he was the team captain and a member of the Isle Of Wight Chamber of Commerce Leadership Institute. When I asked him about his perspective on VMI, his response was that he was ‘determined to achieve the greatest results possible and defeat any challenges that were presented.’ “My initial experience with this project was so favorable that I am committed to grow our ability to continue to support 87

CLASS NOTES scholar/athletes like Cadet Henderson. If you are moved in the same direction, you may want to contact the VMI Foundation directly.” In mid-October, Yvonne and Tom Myers invited a few of us to her brother’s cabin in Lake Toxaway, North Carolina. Enjoying great food, lots of card games and laughter were the Myerses, Sherrel and me, Butch and Joan Nunnally and Bill and Lola Tornabene. Except for the last day the weather was awful, but had no effect on a really fun three-plus days. In early October, Bob and Peggy Neeley ran into our son (Col. John Cavedo Jr.) at the promotion ceremony of the Neeley’s nephew to brigadier general in the U.S. Army. And finally, Denny Vaughan reported, “Immediately after our 50th Reunion, Edna and I attended a mini reunion with Don and Frances Giles, Gary and Carol Gosnell, and Lain and Betsy O’Farrell at the Giles’ house on Smith Mountain Lake. Hope you are enjoying your new home in Florida. I will continue to live in Lynchburg but will be working for a few more years in Charleston.”

’65

Mickey Finn

Happy New Year to all! The notes were collected in fall 2014 while our grass was still green and the leaves were just starting to turn. Janie and I are excited about the upcoming 50th Reunion and look forward to seeing and visiting with you all! A note from the Class of 1965 Reunion Committee chairman, Lou Siegel: “The 50th Reunion Committee has been working to plan a great weekend for you. It will include an activity that can be taken advantage of by those who just are not able to attend personally. Stay tuned, but try your best to get back for the April 24-26 weekend.” A note written Oct. 30, 2014, from the Class of 1965 Reunion Campaign chairman, Harry Bartosik: “I would like to thank the 181 brother rats (74.5 percent of the class) who have made a commitment to the Institute since our 25th Reunion. To those who have made a special gift and/or pledge for our 50th Reunion Campaign, I offer my special thanks. These gifts and 88

commitments total $10.34 million. All of these gifts have been counted toward our overall reunion credit. However, we still have a way to go, as our goals are to exceed 80 percent participation and our gift goal of $12.5 million in support of the Institute. “Please remember this: No matter the amount, what we seek and will value most highly is the fact that you participated with us! Your participation will reflect the highest form of class unity. Please give this request your thoughtful consideration.” Harry continues, “Jim Hogler, Chuck Hough and Harry Bartosik had a mini reunion with Art Storey at an Italian Restaurant in Clifton, Virginia, in October. Harry had not seen Art since his wedding some 43 years ago. A good time was had by all. Bob Wilkinson was invited, but due to his son’s wedding, he unfortunately had to decline (he was put on report). Great Italian food, excellent wine and a scintillating discussion of remembrances and life’s little challenges. Jim and Harry followed up that weekend with a visit with Art at Art’s brother’s home in Manassas for a Redskins game and some Texas style brisket. The game was not all that great, but the brisket was simply superb and worthy of its name. Give us a Skype call from Qatar, Art, during the reunion!” From Bill Murphy: “Bill Murphy had an article published in the September 2014 edition of ‘An Cosantóir’ (the professional journal of the Irish Defence Forces), pp. 2829. The subject was Commodore Thomas Macdonough and the American Victory on Lake Champlain, Sept. 11, 1814 – Winston Churchill in ‘A History of the English Speaking Peoples’ came to the same conclusion as both Alfred Thayer Mahan and Samuel Eliot Morison: that this was the decisive battle of America’s Second War for Independence. Bill credits his friend, Des Gilhawley, for editing his longer submission down to fit into two pages.” Tommy Howard checked in with some “chit-chat,” as he called it, and welcomed input from the readers’ perspective! “Mary and I went to the Gardner-Webb University football game Oct. 18 and happened to be reunited with Columbus Cartwright ’62 (our dyke’s class). Since he is a man of all Tidewater knowledge, I quizzed him if my dyke Bobby Lambert ’62 had disappeared or had fallen off the face of the earth. Apparently,

he’s comfortably in Florida. Enjoyed chatting with Columbus and even found out that there were six of his BRs who joined the Corps from Princess High School.” From Johnny Read, who received a birthday card of reminder responded with, “Excited to turn 71 and be coming to our reunion with Debbie. Got an AFab scare last week and seeing a doc in the morning ... But no one is shooting at me, so my fear will leave. Thanks, Mickey, for being our class agent all these years. Take care!” Charlie Russell asked that we help him find “lost” BRs. “My only ‘note’ would be to ask each BR to reach out to their respective former roommates and others to have them get in touch with me so we can pass along the dates and activities of the 50th. As I work through the list, it seems most BRs who have stayed in touch are typically able to pass along the message.” Charlie’s email is: carussellsr@gmail.com. A note from Bob Morgan is always appreciated and enjoyed. Here is a fresh one! “I’ve only an odd medical note in response to your request. Its utility will decline rapidly as you receive other responses. I’m heading to San Diego, California, for two reunions a week apart – Khé Sanh vets and BOC 5-67. I’ll try to have a flying visit with Johnny Read in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Pete Rondiak in Anthem and reiterate my expectation of seeing them, as promised, in Lexington. The oddity: the surgeon at Jamaica Plain assured me that my September cataract surgery should go well. I said that was wonderful but hoped for no black swans. Fearing embarrassing confusion at his surprise, I explained that I was referring to Dr. Taleb and his book. I was surprised, in turn, when the surgeon told me he was from Dr. Taleb’s village in Lebanon and knew his family. Unfortunately, the lens assembly malfunctioned and damaged my eye. Repair surgery is possible but discouraged. Life’s tough in America, so how tough can it be!? Answer – it ain’t, even if the black swans fly.” Bob, I pray your sight improves in time for the reunion! I hope everyone knew about and participated in the “Coolest NCAA Logo Contest.” What follows is some of the response I received during the contest. Bennie Dyer reports he has been showing his VMI spirit. “I just voted and shall continue. I’m already looking forward to our 50th Reunion. Blessings to all, Bennie.” VMI ALUMNI REVIEW

CLASS NOTES I just loved Tom Lilly’s thought on the coolest logo contest: “Mickey, all of the folks in my office voted. One wondered who wouldn’t vote for people who call themselves rats.” Nola Lee even joined in and sent this wonderful note: “Hi, Mickey, I am doing this through your email and also through John’s (John Lee). I thought it super neat that he is doing this and spreading the request to so many of his contacts. Go VMI! “I am doing well. I am cancer free now and recovering well from the broken hip. I have lost a great deal of weight – which I did want to shed – but don’t recommend this method as a good one. Could have bypassed the broken hip, for sure, but I am well on my way to a complete recovery. You guys have fun at your 50th. I will be having my 50th high school reunion next year also, so won’t make the VMI celebration. Thanks to all of you for including me in invitations and updates. I am so thankful that Bob had you all as his brother rats. As he said, ‘there is nothing quite like it.’ All for now.” In response to Nola’s email, I requested to publish it and she said, “Yes, that will be fine. Again, I am so pleased and proud to know all of you brother rats. Just wish I had known you when at VMI, but I was a lowly high school gal at that time in our lives. So I will just say ’65,’65, ’65. Means two things to me now; both of our years of graduation! Off to a church activity.” Many thanks, Nola. You are an inspiration to us all! I received a nice note from Dave Kiger. “First, let me say I’m glad we beat Washington State University in the logo contest. I have been on a once in a lifetime adventure. Golfing around the world. I was able to keep up with the contest and even vote many times. Anyway, started in Hawaii, golfed in Fiji, Australia, Bali, Dubai, Mauritius, South Africa and ended in Spain. I’m a crappy golfer, but I had fun. Back to reality and the old grind (dentist talking here), in a couple of days. Looking forward to the 50th and hope to see my roommates Dick Waters, Richard Phillips, Lonnie Yonders (Yanda) and the rest of my brother rats!” Jack Wilkerson is “all in” too. “A great day to you, this is the day the Lord hath made, let us rejoice and be glad in it. As you probably already know, lots of people have two different computers/phones and 2015-Issue 1

two or more emails. Might want to remind everybody to send the link to all emails and ‘vote like crazy’ on all the computers. Best to you, Jack.” As you probably know, VMI outvoted Washington State in the Final Four of the “Coolest NCAA Logo Contest” to earn a spot in the National Championship against the Wolf Pack of North Carolina State University. In case you didn’t see it, the final vote totals were: Virginia Military Institute – 186,231 Washington State University – 178,072 As I write these notes with one week to go in the contest, we are ahead of “The Pack.” Virginia Military Institute76.91 percent (60,145 votes) North Carolina State 23.09 percent (18,060 votes) This contest has been a fun thing to do as a group and certainly has awakened the USA to the spirit of VMI! Under the direction of the VMI Keydet Club and Greg Cavallaro ’84, we have victory! An Old Yell is deserved and hereby rendered for the club and its chief executive officer, Greg! These notes are the “Shake-a-Leg” call to register for our 50th Reunion. It will be a great time of fellowship with friends of at least 54 years to enjoy once again. Few in this world are blessed with such long-term relationships and especially a large group of great people that make up the family of the VMI Class of ’65! Join your class with an old yell for ’65!, ’65!, ’65!

’66

Albert Conner

We’ve begun the preliminary steps for our 50th Reunion. If you did not receive my initial email and want to keep up on these developments, it is imperative that you contact me so I can get your current email address. Also, please make sure the VMI Alumni Association has your correct snail-mailing postal address. Currently, we’ve begun assembling groups that will be key to a successful reunion. Woody Sadler is drawing on the ’66 Lexington crowd. They’ll be working on developing a schedule and lining up the places at VMI and in Lexington that we’ll be using. Frank

Class of 1966: Jim Whitehurst and Jim Smith met in Richmond for lunch and a visit. Class Agent Al Conner said, “They are also cousins, possibly explaining why they’re both wearing the uniform of the day.”

Louthan is putting together an outreach group that will try to reach as many BRs as possible to encourage their participation in this – our most important reunion. Ray Saunders and I are working on a video about the class and the reunion. Rich Hines is leading the charge on creating a reunion finance committee that will make sense of the various giving programs and accounting. All of these efforts are important, and we’ll need a high level of class participation and volunteers. These are only the first steps. We’ll also need your input of ideas and commitment. Thanks to those BRs who have already responded to the earlier email and volunteered (Thanks, Nick Hoskot and Ollie Creekmore.) I’d also note that a substantial number of our class joined in with Cliff Martin in the “NCAA Coolest College Logo” contest which, at the time of writing these notes, still has six more days to run before we find out if we’ve won the national championship (yes!) over North Carolina State University. Through my contacts with NSA, I’ve learned that a number of BRs surfaced who were actively engaged in the contest: Snooky Foster, Larry Swann, George Newton, Al Carr, Randolph Williams, Spence Wilkinson, Clark Reifsnider, Wayne Gray, Rich AtLee, Charlie Ramsburg and Rob Ritchie. This list I’m 89

CLASS NOTES looking at has an Al Conner on it, but that their full biographical summaries from my in northern Virginia (where three of their must be an error. book, let me know and I’ll email them to you. four kids reside – the other lives in Pulaski) With regard to Annual Giving to VMI, I’m Paul and Joanne Robblee reported seeing the and now they are living and house-hunting pleased to report that the Class of 1966 once film with Al Carr – I assume in Lexington. in Richmond. John related they had visited again came through for our alma mater with I had a nice email and update from John with Larry Boese in Montgomery, Alabama, high participation and generosity. The report Solomon, who coincidentally had recently a couple of years ago. He planned to take his from the VMI Foundation states that 56.79 seen the same film in Richmond. John re- granddaughter to a VMI Prospect Weekend in percent of the class participated, and we led ported retiring in Panama City, Florida, October. the always impressive Classes of ’60s with from H&R Block, then began the adventure: Ed Guida wrote and said he and Ty Bland the most donors and most gifts, as met for lunch a few weeks earlier well as a substantial amount. I never in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Ty was get tired of saying I’m proud to be a there for an antique car event, and member of this extraordinary class, they had fun bemoaning the highand your generosity and committech world of phones which has ment are another source of endless suddenly surrounded us. They are pride. both looking forward to the 50th Jim Pauls wrote and sent along and the “Wayne Gray Coatee an article from the Daily Press that Challenge.” If I’m not there, guys, featured Buddy and Patricia Green. start without me. Even at my current, trim 200 pounds, the shrunkIt concerned their leadership for the en gray thing looks like something past three years of The Emergency my grandkids would fit into. Food Assistance Program, which Dave Gehr ’68 (BR Bill’s brothprovides monthly food to around Class of 1966: The Class of ’66 placed third in the 200 needy people in York County, George C. Marshall Military Officers Association of er) wrote to let us know that our Virginia, and Poquoson in conjunc- America Chapter golf tournament at the Lexington Golf late BR Jamie Browder was to tion with the Virginia Peninsula and Country Club. The tournament helped raise funds be honored in Richmond Oct. 27 Foodbank. It mentioned in passing for the Wounded Warrior Project. Participants, from left, at the VDOT Central Auditorium were Cliff Martin, Paul Maini, Jim Pauls and Bob Cooper. that Buddy is on the city council. with a resolution by the Virginia Jim also sent along a report that he, General Assembly. I sent out the Cliff Martin, Paul Maini and Bob notice to all on our email network Cooper participated in the MOAA but haven’t heard how the event George C. Marshall Golf Tournawent or who attended. ment. Paul Wagner wrote that he, I heard from Rick Kiernan with a Dave Dunkle and Ray Melton clip from his appearance as a milimet for the VMI versus Samford tary analyst on Channel 10 NBC in University game in Alabama. In Philadelphia in a segment on the spite of the game, they had a nice Veterans Affairs. Rick looked very visit. Paul added that he and Lynn dignified and military. They are livwere looking forward to a Mising in Warminster, Pennsylvania, sissippi River cruise in the fall. and enjoying parenting and grandHe’ll be trying out a new knee, parenting. and they’ll enjoy a respite from his All or part of the ’66 Georgia conwork with the U.S. Army as a contingent (Terry Crump, Spence and Class of 1966: The Class of ’66 BRs who met for the tractor. Dave wrote separately that VMI versus Samford University football game were, Dorcas Wilkinson and Rich Hines, from left, Dave Dunkle, Ray Melton and Paul Wagner. he and Carolyn look forward to at least) weighed-in on seeing “Field visiting with BRs attending events of Lost Shoes” in the local area. I believe it “Elyse and I sold or gave away almost every- with Samford. was at the 150th Annual General William T. thing we owned to include the house and two Howie Lloyd wrote from Fayetteville, Sherman Atlanta Urban Renewal Film Festi- cars. We then purchased and lived aboard a North Carolina, to inform us that he is now val. All were suitably impressed with this ren- 43 foot sailboat for the next three plus years. retired from his second career. His first (26 dition of the VMI Corps does New Market. We traveled up and down the East Coast, years in Uncle Sam’s Army) was followed by The film, which will only probably make it to spending winters cruising the Bahamian Is- his 21-year stint in budget and financial manStafford via Netflix, features two of my favor- lands and the summers in the Chesapeake agement of the Cumberland County Sheriff’s ite Civil War cadets, John Wise ’866 and Mo- Bay. It was incredible!” No doubt, John. He Office (750 deputies and corrections offises Ezekiel ’866 (both of the “other” Class then stated Elyse had some back problems cers). He’s recently discovered that Ginny’s of ’66). Incidentally, if you would like to see and they came ashore. Initially, they stayed “Honey-Do” list has more than one page. 90

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CLASS NOTES They also had a celebratory sailing adventure on the lower Chesapeake in a 31 foot boat. He proudly noted that they didn’t end up on a mud flat and didn’t require Coast Guard assistance. Both of their daughters are expecting in October – one in Baltimore and one in Hawaii – so they should have plenty to do short term. Frank Louthan reported that, once again, our physics majors had assembled in reunion. This time they gathered in Albuquerque, New Mexico, under the auspices of Ray Saunders and had a great time. More details later as they filter in. Jim Whitehurst and Jim Smith had a nice visit in Richmond. The BRs and cousins soon noticed that they were both wearing the same outfits! I’m sure a lot more could be said about that, but suffice it to say for now that they are two great guys. These notes are due Nov. 1, so they will not include descriptions of the 175th Founders Day events. I’ll report on those via email and in my next notes on the fall class agent gettogether and Institute report. The flag is still flying here at Fort Conner. I’m back down to just wrestling with cancer and will be getting chemo until my next PET/ CT scan. The last scan showed lower uptake levels, the first sign of progress with different chemo drugs. Meanwhile, as we now seem to be awash in sailors, I’ll add: “May the wind be always at your backs” and May our Heavenly Father watch over and protect you all.

’67

Jan Abernathy

Today is Oct. 31, 2014. Last year, I was in barracks the day after Halloween and saw many rooms with FOOD boxes filled with candy still on the stoops. Cadets now invite local children into barracks for safe trick or treating. There are always plenty of leftovers, and some enterprising cadets were off to Wal-Mart for extra half priced candy Nov. 1. In early October, I once again saw day one of my all-time favorite annual observations: Home Depot put up their Christmas displays, which means that Halloween is getting close. They still have plenty of corn stalks and pumpkins, but the big push is on for Santa Claus. The class has received “thank you” cards 2015-Issue 1

Class of 1967: Phil Gioia and George Schultz at the Presidio on Memorial Day.

from the families of Larry Hardy and Ed Jones for the flowers and remembrances sent on behalf of ’67. Daleen Hardy says that Larry was “always a brother rat.” Ed’s brother, Watt Jones, added that he visits VMI fairly often and “walks those hallowed grounds.” I send thanks to J.B. Farley, John Forsyth and Mike Andrews for their recent checks to help replenish the class fund which sends the flowers to the families of our BRs who leave our ranks all too soon. A request has been made that I set up a second ’67 email list for just “important” messages. Not everyone wants or needs all the forwards we receive, including the ones I send. Now the issue is how to decide what is important: health challenges, death notices, 50th Campaign news ... the list goes on. Your thoughts would be helpful so I can put you in a more favorable contact position. Meanwhile, I will do my best to make the subject line in my emails more specific so you may more easily decide to open them or delete them. Since the email list I use is my own and does not belong to any VMI group, agency or administration office on post, I am open to removing or adding any BR or wife from my list upon request. There are still roughly 80 BRs who are not on my email list. Those BRs miss a lot of class stuff. Joan and I just this morning said goodbye to Ron and Patsy Lowry after they visited us for several days in the north Georgia mountains at Joan’s family’s place on Lake Burton. They were on a sort of “bucket list” tour that included visiting Fort Benning friends and the Infantry Museum,

seeing us, going to the coast to see dental school friends and a couple of other visits, including a week in a friend’s timeshare on Kiowa Island. We wined and dined on some pretty good Italian (my specialty) and Persian (Joan grew up in Iran) dishes with local wines and ate a meal at a local honest to goodness German restaurant with imported Octoberfest draft beer. Ron and I were stationed in Hessen not too long after we graduated. The memories and gemutlichkeit kept us entertained late into that evening. Several years ago, we spent time in Boise, Idaho, with Ron, and he took us rafting with his buddies and treated us like VIPs, so it was our pleasure to return the hospitality. This visit included Patsy, but on our visit to Idaho she left for China to enjoy the Olympics. The leaves in our area were at their peak color, and the weather was sunny and warm. We told our Old Corps stories and tall tales late into the evenings. I wish you could have been with us. The month before, we had a similar visit with Tom and Betty Coughenour. Each year, Tom takes Betty on repeat honeymoon cruises on their original ship and gets the same stateroom. Sadly, with the passing of Joan’s folks, this mountain and lake retreat must be sold to satisfy her father’s wishes to have an equitable distribution of his estate to his daughters. Last November, the first face to face meeting of the ’67 Reunion Campaign Committee

Class of 1967: Bo Traywick and his new bride, Cindy, just before their barbecue reception at their wedding in Bedford, Virginia, Nov. 1, 2014.

CLASS NOTES was held in Lexington. Jim Rogers is to be in Arizona during Christmas week and again Kathleen and I are moving in a few months to applauded for taking on the leadership role in Aviano in late February to celebrate my Asheville, North Carolina. Not retiring but gofor our class. No one from the Richmond grand twins’ birthdays.” Does anyone want to ing to pursue longtime goal of being an artist. Website: http://www.classicwoodcarving. area has sent me a personal update on the know what a Malt Shop Cruise is? Ian Anderson/Jethro Tull event involving Phil Gioia: “‘When the Institute Was Heard com/. We will also continue some real estate work. VMI will be playing Westthe VMI Commanders in a concert for disabled veterans. Did any ern Carolina University nearby, so of you attend? VMI got good press maybe we can throw some afterand a commendation from Virginia game get-togethers. The last one I Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam ’81. You threw in Lexington in 1967 took me will see more on this throughout this a month to get things back to normal.” (Who remembers F.O. ever issue of the Alumni Review. being “normal?”) J.B. Farley: “We had a nice summer with a trip back to Virginia for Bo Traywick (He got married in my niece’s wedding and a lot of November – I asked if they were good times with our grandchildren going to live on a tugboat): “No, we out here in California. Carol and I aren’t going to live on a tugboat. I spent a week in Victoria, British know how those tugboat guys are! Columbia, in September and reBut I’ll keep my license up-to-date. ally enjoyed the city and the island. She said she doesn’t want me to We continue to enjoy being grandgo away for fear I might not come parents. It remains very dry here, Class of 1967: At New Market were, from left, Barrett back, but I expect after a week or and we are all hoping for some Graham, Jan Abernathy, John Lee and Jamie Tate. two she might change her mind wet weather this winter. ‘GI’ style and be glad for a little R&R! We showers are getting old! The water will be living in her mountain chalet in Goodview (Bedford County), shortage has become a very real Virginia. We are just going to elope thing for us. It was good to hear that next Friday to keep it simple but unthe band and pipes will return to the der God’s hand. Then we are going Rose Bowl Parade in 2016. Hope to have a pig pickin’ at the house we can have some kind of activity next day to celebrate. Y’all come!” with them. I hope all is well with everyone and look forward to our next (You will notice Bo managed to not reunion. Regards, J.B.” reveal his bride’s name.) Bo’s next Mike Miley (commenting on book is likely in stores now; “Road their trip to Europe): “Berlin is a Gang: A Memoir of Engineer Service in Vietnam” by H.V. Traywick thriving world capital with appropriate memorials and museums Jr. ’67. He will have a plan for devoted to World War II but few signed copies for BRs soon. “The visible scars. Warsaw has truly publisher, www.dementibooks.com, risen from the rubble, and the beaualso will have signed copies. Miss tiful old city of Krakow was never Class of 1967: Dan and Arlene Wells on a rainy day in Sue at the VMI Bookstore has let touched. There are many memori- Spain as they neared the end of their 500 mile walk on me sign books there in the past, so I als and museums in Poland related the Pilgrim’s Way. plan to come up on some of the upcoming event weekends and have it to the crimes of the Nazis. Sally and I spent a chilling but enlightening day at From’ in World War II; VMI Alumni on the there. She will be kind enough, I’m sure, to Auschwitz. Thanks for all you do to keep us War Department General Staff, 1939-1945’ carry some copies on the bookstore shelf, as in touch.” was published in the Journal of Military His- well. All the best, BR Bo.” Tom Mustard: “Our big news is the Nov. 27 Neil Schlussel: “On the road again. I was in tory. I hope to see it published in the Alumni Italy for two weeks in October visiting my son Review so all VMI alumni can enjoy it. I met celebration of our 50th wedding anniversary. and his family at Aviano Air Base to celebrate George Schultz (a big VMI fan) and had a Wasn’t sure I would make it that long. We will a grandson’s birthday. I had a great time en- photo taken with him. I was really surprised gather with family and a few friends at Lanier joying his three children and doing some lo- the Presidio Trust and the Park Service put my Island Resort for the weekend. Blessings to cal sightseeing. I even ran into someone from uniform in the new visitor center.” you and Joan. Father Tom.” Waynesboro who recognized the VMI spider F.O. Moore: “Thanks for the birthday card. I Pete Wells: “No appropriate photos, but on the hat I was wearing. I will be on a ‘Malt don’t think it’s real. Only two of those soldiers Karen and I did travel to Buffalo, New York, Shop Cruise’ in November. After that, I will be looked old enough to be Civil War veterans. to tour five Frank Lloyd Wright properties 92

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CLASS NOTES and visit the Canadian side of Niagara Falls. Although not everybody likes Frank Lloyd Wright architecture, the Falls are not to be missed. We also spent a week at the beach with the entire family (including the four grandkids). We drove to Pittsburgh to attend the funeral of Jane Taylor’s mother and spent some time with Doug and Jane Taylor. Mary Jane Tannen got back in touch. She is now retired from teaching and still living in South Orange, New Jersey. Karen and I also spent a long weekend at Bethany Beach, Delaware, with friends and had lunch with Jim and Marie Waehler. Both are doing well. I was surprised to learn that Jim is now a fan of Karaoke singing – who knew?” J.I. Orrison: “Won’t have time to get photo to you for this issue but will for the next. My oldest daughter, Caitlin, is marrying Justin Bailey at the Lydia Mountain Resort in Stanardsville, Virginia, Nov. 1. Max and Terriann Toch will be among the guests. I am home and healing. Hope to be released to drive soon. I am focused on getting to Caitlin’s wedding. After that, we will we see how it goes.” Terry Moore: “Nothing out of the ordinary happening with Beth and me. We’re doing a bit of travel. Our daughter and family visited us this summer for a great week; we went to Atlanta to see our son and family and will go again for Thanksgiving and Christmas; a visit to the North Carolina mountains to visit my brother-in-law; and will attend a wedding in Charleston, South Carolina, in early December. I’ve also been active in my wood workshop building a barrister bookcase and then a porch swing with an arbor for my son’s birthday present. We’re hoping to schedule a trip to Scotland and Ireland next summer that will be genealogically oriented. I completed a family book on one of my great-great-grandparents’ descendant line, some 600 kin [and that’s just one ancestral line]. By the end, I thought I must have been a descendant of Sherlock Holmes with all the research that went into it. I found relatives in Australia, Mexico and all throughout the USA. Sure have met a lot of relatives I didn’t know before the book. Beth and I did go to Santa Fe, New Mexico, for a cooking class and sightseeing. We were able to connect with a new found cousin as a part of the trip in Albuquerque.” Mike Hall: “Since I never seem to send any news, I thought I’d send this photo (quality not good) that was unexpectedly sent to me last week by my APC driver (Greg Brown) of 2015-Issue 1

Class of 1967: Ron and Patsy Lowry visited the Abernathys in the north Georgia mountains.

46 years ago, when I was the second platoon leader, D-16th Armor, 173rd Airborne Brigade in the Southeast Asia war games. Ah, youth! Mike.” Mel Wright: “Jan, in the past, male cadets were supposed to tip their caps to women. What is required of female cadets? Has the term dyke become a problem?” Males tip but tell me they have no idea as to female hat tipping. Dyke has not been an issue, though the question comes up often. 4th Class cadets do still get out of the Rat Line with football wins. “Field of Lost Shoes:” Joan and saw it in Atlanta one Sunday afternoon and enjoyed it, but it helped that we had the VMI background, and it really helps if you know something about that Valley Campaign, Breckinridge’s troop dilemma, Siegel’s German bullheadedness, his lack of experience (often giving commands in German when confronted with stress), his political appointment not based on merit or accomplishment and the dynamics between him and Grant. But, I enjoyed it. Terry Moore ordered a DVD copy from Amazon only to find out it was not the current movie. I suspect a true DVD will be available fairly soon. Mike Bagnulo: “We celebrated our 47th wedding anniversary by going to see “Field of Lost Shoes,” and we were not disappointed. I was surprised at the number of big stars in the movie, and it was very well done. It was a little hokey in some spots, but VMI people should really make a special effort to see it. As Marci said, it helps a lot if you went to VMI, and it is actually a pretty good recruiting tool.

By the way, Jim and Barbara Joyner sent a message to us on Facebook. They were married the same day we were and were celebrating with a river cruise in Europe.” Barry Hedquist: “First, I would like to thank you for the birthday card. Time refuses to stop, making each day a bit more precious. Next, your ‘welcome home’ message reminded me of a Doc Carroll story that I did not think of when you were asking for them. As an electrical engineering major, I never took a class with him, but I distinctly recall this event. Upon coming back to the ‘I’ after Christmas break our rat year, I was outside of barracks heading toward the math building when I spotted Doc Carroll coming the other way. I saluted. He asked me if I had good Christmas. I said I had. He said, ‘Welcome home.’ I can’t begin to describe how that made my day. Over the years, that memory has faded, but your message brought it back. Thanks. We are in the midst of getting the house staged for real estate agent showings next week. It’s more work than I ever imagined. If all goes well, we could be in Florida sometime in the 45-60 day time frame.” Ray Irvine: “Please forward to the class this update on the medical situations of Anne and myself. First of all, a big thanks to everyone for their prayers and positive thoughts over the past two years. As you know, Anne was diagnosed with breast cancer last April right after we returned from Hawaii. She subsequently had two surgeries (a lumpectomy and a follow-up to remove more cancer cells). Then she had some 35 radiation treatments. Those ended in August. She is doing very well now; in fact, well enough to personally supervise the remodel of her kitchen. It looks nice; lots more space for pots and pans and that sort of thing now. As for me, I have had several positive MRIs and PET scans since chemo and radiation ended last year for that nasty lymphoma in my sinus. I was surprised at how long it took me to get my energy back. It wasn’t until this past August that I really started feeling ‘normal.’ That is to say, now that the tumor is gone, I once again have plenty of empty space between my ears! In any event, please convey our heartfelt thanks to ’67 for their prayers and support. In the bonds, Ray.” Dave Johnson: “Thanks for the birthday card – I look forward to it every year. You do a good job as class agent. I very much appreciate your efforts. I haven’t mentioned this to you before because it probably won’t do any 93

CLASS NOTES good, but I have thought for years that our sports teams should drop down to Division III. I think the Corps and the alumni would feel better if our teams won once in a while.” Joan and I shared a college night recruiting event in September with a neighbor, U.S. Army Reserve Lt. Col. Patrick Haddock ’00. We had a great time working with the young high school students and meeting the parents trying to encourage their children to go to college. We both observed how young the kids seemed to be. I did not tell Patrick that even though he is married and a new father that he, too, hardly seems out of high school to me and the Army must be promoting children. He is a fine young man and a great example of the young leaders VMI is producing. Bill and Jo Fleshood are now settled in the Atlanta suburb of Dallas, Georgia. Ken Chun sent an old photo of himself with his Ring Figure date and a Citadel friend taken at the Honolulu airport on R&R when “we caught a half-fare hop home to meet my parents. We met at Edwards Air Force Base in 1968, exchanged mugs and have been best buddies ever since. Good times for sure!” Perry Ritenour asked if I knew the date and timing for our 50th, as he and Leigh are planning a 50th wedding anniversary party. I am not certain except it will be in April or May, and I think we graduated in early June, so make your party plans, Perry. Debbie Touchstone announced her marriage to Mr. Rippe. Sorry I cannot find the email with his full name and all of the particulars, but congratulations are in order. I will close these notes with a tribute to all Army Rangers – especially those of ’67. I know there are many ’67 Rangers but not certain who all they are, so this is for you guys with new knees and hips and other repaired ailments from your careless and sometimes misspent youth. I live on a straight shot, by air, between Dobbins Air Force Base and Dahlonega, Georgia ... 20 miles to the air base and 70 to the Ranger School headquarters. This morning, two C-130s (Hercules) passed overhead about two minutes apart. My suspicion is that they were full of “eager” young troops ready to make a jump into the northeast Georgia woods. Based upon my memory of living here 25 years, there will be a similar overhead pass in a day or so in the dark of night full of the same young men. Anyway, not 94

having attended the school, I have no idea as to the schedule of their training, but I think I can hear some groaning now over bruised hips, twisted joints, sprained ankles and another couple of missed meals. I thought you fellows might like a reminder. Thank you all for your often dangerous training and always dangerous combat zone work. Jan

’68

Tom Hickey

I had great fun putting together the email I sent out Sept. 10 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of our matriculation. I had even more fun reading the responses. Excerpts of some that amused or touched me, follow. Dave Wagner (Littleton, Colorado): “I was originally from Cleveland, Ohio. I had arranged to come to VMI by bus, starting in Cleveland at 12:10 a.m. Sept. 10 and arriving in Lexington at 10 a.m. I had a transfer in Wheeling, West Virginia, at 7 a.m. When I arrived in Wheeling, I discovered that the bus had left an hour earlier, and there was no other bus until 6 p.m. Sept. 10. As I write this email, I recall that at this moment 50 years ago, I was stressing out in a big way at the Wheeling Greyhound terminal. At some point in this situation, I made peace with the fact that my life, as well as my VMI career, was over – or so I thought. I eventually arrived in Lexington around sunset, although I do not exactly recall the time. However, I do remember that it was a beautiful sunset as I looked over the Parade Ground with my bags. Mustering all the courage I had available, I reported to the first person I saw who looked like they might be official. And ... the dodo hit the fan. The remainder of the evening was a complete blur. However, I remember the cadre did not know whether to yell at me, laugh at me or lecture me. I think they did all of it at some point. I distinctly remember signing the matriculation book, because they made a big deal of that act. However, it was too late for me to be issued anything except a hayrack and a room in Company A, where I slept alone that first night. The next morning, I went to breakfast in civilian clothes with the class. I spent the next

several days trying to catch up. As you can imagine, I did receive ‘special attention’ from the cadre until classes started to make up for missing the first day.” Slick Wilkinson (Longview, Texas): “My platoon was TDY to the first of the 7th Cavalry for three or four weeks. Why, I asked? Evidently their commanding officer requested the transfer ... Lt. Col. Drudik. You just can’t escape fate! Damn, Damn, Damn! I report and Drudik tells me the story. His battalion’s scout platoon was on TDY for three to four weeks, and he wanted to be at full strength. Not knowing, I asked him who the platoon leader was ... Bobby Crenshaw (Fletcher, North Carolina, who was awarded Silver Star). Drudik later told me that even though our class wasn’t very bright (we sure got a lot of demerits ... imagine that!), he trusted we could follow orders. Actually, he was probably pulling my leg. My platoon and I had a basically uneventful month in his battalion. He was a good commanding officer, as Bobby can also confirm. Moral of the story ... probably none, but for one month in Vietnam, I knew I had a great commanding officer.” Vic Huang (Cupertino, California): “Some of your reflections matched some of my thoughts the first few weeks/months, and I was from the other side of the world! I also remember some of those who walked in the gates with me that first day left within a few weeks/months. But my four BRs who I roomed with my rat year all made it (Walt Jeffress (Fairfax, Virginia), Rick Siegel (Bethesda, Maryland), Paul Hebert (Steamboat Springs, Colorado) and Bob Crenshaw). Phil Lanier (Lakeway, Texas): “I remember, as a rat football player, being briefed and somewhat prepared by the upper class footballers. Charlie Bishop (Staunton, Virginia) and I roomed with Charlie Snead ’65. Interesting times!” John VanLandingham (Eugene, Oregon): “I’m glad I’m not starting out at VMI all over again. Sometimes I have that thought as a nightmare.” Buzz Sprinkle (Greer, South Carolina): “One of my vivid memories – and there are many, of matriculation – was when, while braced in line waiting for the issue of uniforms, Jack Wilkerson ’65, who was on the regimental staff, walked up and asked if I was doing OK. After he walked away, I was VMI ALUMNI REVIEW

CLASS NOTES treated to much additional attention by the cadre! Jack was from Fincastle and was in the same high school class as my sister, and they had actually dated. I guess he thought he was being helpful!” Tom Boyd (Alexandria, Virginia): “I liked your piece about the Class of 1968 – in some ways, it seems like such a long time ago, and in other ways it seems like just a few years ago. Those memories, good and bad, are indelibly inscribed in our brains (as long as we have them) and we’re saddened every time we learn that one of our BRs has passed. I never imagined myself at 68 (though it’s obviously a good year) and I can’t say I’m used to it now, but I’ve been very lucky throughout my life – so far – and, like all of us, I have a lot to be thankful for.” Steve Wilson (Mathews, Virginia): “My first cadre corporal was Fang Woodward ’66 (Scottsdale, Arizona) before we were ‘sized’ and assigned to companies. I had had a small mole removed from my lower back, and the stitches popped open the evening before matriculation. The wound was held together by a butterfly bandage. I reported the wound during matriculation. Fang dropped us for pushups on the first stoop after we had deposited our baggage in our room. About the fifth pushup, I felt the bandage give. When Fang ordered us to recover, I got up too slowly and he ordered me to drop for another 10. I responded I couldn’t, because I was bleeding from the wound. He ordered me to about face, and I proceeded to take out the toe of one of his spit shined shoes (which endeared me to him!). He pulled my shirttail out and the left side was bloody. He turned a whiter shade of pale and escorted me to the guardroom, where I was lambasted for failure to report to the hospital (my name was being broadcast on the turnout). I was placed on the gim and could not do pushups or situps for two weeks, which made me a target for special attention. I became an expert at straining. My rat year roommates were Troll Boyer (Dunkirk, Maryland) and Tucker Watkins. Tucker dropped out after our 3rd Class year. Troll went on to a Ph.D. and a distinguished career as a professor at James Madison University.” I also sent the remembrance to the cadre classes’ class agents. Mickey Finn ’65 responded, “As General Peay ’62 tells me, 2015-Issue 1

‘Finn, you’ll always be a rat to me!’ Some things can never change.” And here are some excerpts from the Al Connor ’66 response: “A couple of memories jump immediately to mind ... one in particular. We (cadre) were told that 15 more rats showed up than were expected in an already huge class. They had to use the GC/EC rooms to bunk down on the first night. As corporals, we took the implied mission of ‘thinning the herd’ as a mission from God, and the reign of terror began. This was worsened by the news that we in F Company were to receive our first night rats last. We had checklists of the things which had to be done that day. The first rats arriving at 0900 had all day, and ours arriving up to 1400 had proportionately less time to do the same things before they had to stand retreat in uniform and march down to SRC. That was nearly impossible. “Well, as we picked up our rats and took them up to Jackson Arch to enter the Rat Line, all of that was swirling through my head. After delivering the basic Rat Line briefing and marching them into the arch, one of the rats, a Mr. Skaggs (location unknown) of Kentucky, stopped in his tracks and informed me that he was a ‘basketball rat’ and therefore not required to participate in this onerous rat stuff. I should have just told him to shut up, but something snapped in me and I turned to dark sarcasm. ‘I’m so sorry, Mr. Skaggs, I didn’t know!’ It just came out. ‘Are there any more basketball rats?’ Two looked like they would bite but thought better of it. ‘Mr. Skaggs,’ I added, ‘please step out and go over and see Mr. Timmons ’65, our basketball star coordinator – he’s that cadet with the six stripes on his blouse – and just tell him you’re here and ready to see your room. His name’s Rick. And please don’t tell him about my mistake.” He promptly went over to the first captain and introduced himself, etc. “I continued on with the rest of the squad to the barber shop. While they were getting shorn, I worked with the rest on the rudiments of drill and lost track of Mr. Skaggs. He came past us duck-walking, so I knew he had indeed met Rick Timmons. I let him go around the courtyard a couple more times before asking, ‘Mr. Skaggs, would like to join your brother rats now?’ He immediately opted for the Rat Line and continuing his short (one month, three days)

cadetship. If the duck-walking didn’t create any lasting damage, he probably went on to a great basketball career elsewhere. The next day, we got our F Company ’68 rats, and they were an exceptionally good lot.” Enough of memory lane. Here’s what’s happening now. Jim Burg (Prescott Valley, Arizona): “In two years, we’ll turn the corner for another decade of life. At our last annual Veterans Affairs awards banquet, I finally turned the corner with over 24,500 hours of volunteer service, putting me in first place among 700 other volunteers. It’s taken 20 years of committed service to a cause I strongly believe in: ‘helping other veterans.’” John VanLandingham: “I continue to work as a lawyer/lobbyist, though my coworkers seem to be getting younger. I took August off and spent a week backpacking in the Wallowa Mountains in northeastern Oregon with my wife and our 30-yearold son and a nephew; then another week in central Oregon, canoeing, hiking and swimming in mountain lakes; and finally Labor Day on Lake Michigan, just north of Muskegon, doing my daily two lap swim in the Big Lake, half a mile north and then half a mile south, aided or abetted by a strong current in the lake this year. I will attend my 50th high school reunion in Petersburg. While there, I’ll play golf with my 91-year-old dad (Class of 1943); brother, Jimbo VanLandingham ’72; and Brother Rat Rick Siegel, who attended Petersburg schools from the seventh grade through the 10th grade. My work sometimes these days takes me to D.C., where our two kids live. Son Johnny V is in astronomy grad school at the University of Maryland and daughter Cassady just finished a master’s degree program at Johns Hopkins University near Dupont Circle and started working for Madeline Albright’s international consulting firm. I keep hoping to see some BRs on one of my D.C. trips, or even Tommy Boyd on Lake Michigan (near Traverse City), but I haven’t pulled that off yet. I did arrange for Jim Polley (Stafford, Virginia) to borrow my dad’s VMI first captain sword via my daughter for Jim’s son’s wedding ceremony in August.” Dave Law (Reston, Virginia): “Dave Law is happy to report that he is still in touch with Brother Rats John English (Richmond, Virginia) and Jack Bagby 95

CLASS NOTES (Norfolk, Virginia), and we have tentative plans to attend the Richmond Folk Festival together. As the Virginia MegaProjects wind down here in northern Virginia, I will have a lot more time to be with my wife, Kate, our three kids and five grandkids. We’re truly enjoying the roll of proud grandpa and grandma. We have purchased a beautiful mountain lot in Deep Creek with a gorgeous view out over the lake and hope brother rats will have time to come out and visit us in western Maryland next summer. My brother, Bob Law ’65, still resides in the Baltimore area and looks forward to a life of leisure and golf in a warmer climate in the near future.” Mike Cogswell (Vienna, Virginia): “I married my Ring Figure date, Kay Fritzinger, in 1969 and we had our lovely daughter, Catherine, in 1982. She went to Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, where she was in the VT Corps and was exec of Hotel Co. and prosecutor of their Executive Court. She recently told us we would become grandparents next March. Kay and I both retired in 2011 and now spend our time traveling, golfing and helping out daughter renovate homes.” Rich Andrassy (Houston, Texas): “I am still working full time as chief of surgery and executive vice dean for clinical affairs at the University of Texas Medical School in Houston. I play a lot of golf when not working and spend a lot of time with my six grandkids. One grandson is on the starting lineup in both football and baseball, so we have to go to a lot of games. I try to catch up with my roommate, Kerr Kump (Elkins, West Virginia), and my oldest daughter’s godparents, Karen and Jim Burns (Henrico, Virginia) whenever possible. I am going to have dinner with two former grads, Joey Dubose ’96 and Bill Turpin ’75, Oct. 3. I would say they are younger, but isn’t everybody now.” Roddy Delk (Smithfield, Virginia): “Just recently returned from a month in Maine and Nova Scotia (only made possible by my retirement at the end of February). Still working as a substitute judge, but Betty and I are making-up for past lost travel opportunities. Retirement is good.” Howard Chapman (Mount Pleasant, South Carolina): “Just returned from the University of South Carolina versus the University of Georgia game, and the 96

Gamecocks prevailed by inches. Weather conditions were not very pretty, but in true VMI tradition, I stuck it out with foul weather gear. I am still on the Mount Pleasant Planning Commission, and we are having fun with growth issues here. Mount Pleasant is now the fourth largest city in South Carolina, behind Columbia, Charleston and North Charleston. Went to West Texas in July to visit my aunt in Lubbock, and while there, followed my greatgrandfather’s trails. Don’t know how they scratched out a living out there, but he did. The town of Cone, Texas, was started by my great-grandfather and it is still on the map! It is now only a crossroads with a general store. After being in West Texas, I drove to San Antonio. I had a nice three-day vacation there on the River Walk. I do get to see Guy Wilson (Charlotte, North Carolina) and his wife, Gloria, on their visits to Mount Pleasant. They split their time between Charlotte and Mount Pleasant.” Larry Stetson (Tacoma, Washington): “I look forward to getting back to the Institute sometime before our 50th, but don’t know when. My 50th high school reunion is in Norfolk in October. That would be the natural time to go, but I’m not sure we’ll make it.” Gil Piddington (Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania): “Tracey and I just moved into a new home in a 55 and over community between Carlisle (the Barracks and War College) and Harrisburg. Selections, construction and moving consumed a lot of time. Now I’m buying appliances, putting in fixtures, hanging mirrors and artwork, and trying to get the garage and attic organized. Can’t wait until we are really settled in. The home, neighbors and entire community are terrific, and we are really happy here. Tracey continues to work at the state capital, and I continue to enjoy retirement. We are both on the go all the time. I play a lot of golf, and my game is still marginal but improved. We do some hiking and bicycling too. We’ve done some vacationing: Ireland; Avalon, New Jersey; Ocracoke, North Carolina; Ocean City, Maryland; Florida; and Tempe, Arizona, for Cactus League baseball. Planning to cruise the Danube early next summer. Life is good. Frank Pinizzotto (Middle River, Maryland), Steve Powers (Malvern, Pennsylvania) and I played golf earlier in the summer, and they are both well. I’ve talked

with John Crim (Dayton, Virginia) recently, too. Looking forward to the ‘Field of Lost Shoes’ next weekend!” Steve Vaughan (Chestertown, Maryland): “Gerry and I recently had our first grandchild. Consequently, we’ve rented an apartment in our daughter’s complex in northern Virginia, which will allow Gerry to care for Craig when my daughter returns to work.” Ned Harris (Ipswich, Masschusetts): “Spoke with Ken Dickinson ’57 yesterday at length and have a planned visit on the way from here at my mom’s hometown in Maddock, North Dakota, to see him in Roscoe, South Dakota, later this month. One of his cousins is a big time farmer there, and he visits every year for pheasant hunting. Apparently he’s got a bunch of friends visiting for bird hunting, so we can’t visit too long but is eager to see me and hear about the class. We’ll have coffee and chew the fat. He sounds great and, as we all he know, loves the Class of ’68 and has lots of fond (and some not-so-fond) memories of us and the ROTC department during his tour. He is full of his usual energy and jokes (‘I’ll do the joking, Mr. O’Conner’). What a great guy, gutsy. He was the 2nd Brigade S-3 in the 101st from ’68-’69, so Joe O. Smith (Annapolis, Maryland) and I just missed him. He did see John Chapla as he was leaving Vietnam. He was shocked on John’s death (as were we all) and bought his book. It’s getting cold here, so I’ll pick up soon for Phoenix. Cornelia’s mother died recently, so there will be a service for her Nov. 2 that I will fly back for. Then we’ll drive (with the two cats) to Phoenix. Lots of road trips! My sister, Ellie, was here for a month as she now lives in Phoenix, too, since leaving her husband in Barcelona. Her kids are both in San Francisco, California, and doing well. Her soon-to-be ex is smoking and drinking in Barcelona, and she simply got sick of it.” I’ll leave you with one more thing. With our 50th coming up, there will be a need for “volunteers” for two committees: the Reunion Committee and the Finance Committee. Since this edition of the notes won’t come out until early 2015, I may have already sent out a request for volunteers for one or both of the committees. Please consider volunteering your time and talents to one of the committees, as they are both great ways to make a difference for VMI in general and VMI ’68 in particular. VMI ALUMNI REVIEW

Class of 1969: Present at the reunion were: O’Conor G. Ashby, James W. Baker, John T. Baker, H. Lee Barnes Jr., Charles P. Becker, Donald C. Bogard, Patteson Branch II, Andrew M. Brantley, Gary J. Braswell, David C. Brothers, Peyton G. Brown, Charles F. Bryan Jr., Thomas R. Buckner, David T. Bush, Edwin G. Caldwell, Charles T. Catlett, James H. Chapman III, Warren M. Childress, Robert D. Clingenpeel Jr., Brant S. Collins, Weldon D. Couch, George R. Crocker Jr., Paul A. Curs, Richard R. Daub, Arden M. Dean, John M. Dick, Frederick M. Downey II, John C. DuBose, Joseph N. Flanz, Harold C. Fleischer III, Kenneth R. Fleming, Robert L. Flint, Robert B. Flowers, James D. Gibson, Robert Green, Bruce M. Gregory, David B. Hagan, Glenn B. Hammond Sr, John S. Hardy, Michael V. Harper, Stephen G. Harrington, Robert A. Heely, Thomas E. Hickman, Don H. Hinshelwood Jr., Jay J. Hoenig, Hugh H. Hopkins, Conway K. Hubard, John C. Ishon, William R. Jeter, Thomas C. Jones, Walter T. Judd, Amo Judd III, William H. Kirkpatrick Jr., Henry C. L’orange, Robert E. Ladd, James W. Long Jr., Joseph G. Lynch, Michael H. Maguigan, Paul D.C. Marks Jr., Paul J. Mascot, Lloyd W. McGrady, Dan S. McMillin Jr., Graham Y. Moore III, Thomas J. Morris, Harold E. Neale, Donald F. Nelson, Frank E. Novakowski, Josiah J. Oliver, Thera O. Palmer III, William A. Paulette, Vance J. Petrella, John T. Pool Jr., Walter I. Priest III, Reed D. Prugh, Timothy J. Rahm, Scott F. Rhodes, John E. Robins Jr., Michael L. Santoro Jr., Wayne H. Scholtes, John Scott IV, John G. Sebrell, Larry R. Seekford, Ruurd C. Segaar, Donald B. Sharp, Robert D. Slay Jr., Valentine W. Southall Jr., Robert R. Sparks Jr., John F. Stann Jr., Charles R. Stead, Robert G. Tanner, Geoffrey R. Taylor, Thomas B. Thompson Jr., James P. Totten, Robert H. Waldo Jr., Ronald R. Wall, Edwin G. White, Dennis N. Witt Jr., Kerry C. Woodroof and Ralph D. Wright. (Editor’s Note: Not all attendees were present for photo.)

CLASS NOTES

45th Reunion – Sept. 13, 2014

Class of 1969

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CLASS NOTES

’69

Walter Judd

Greetings, Brother Rats and friends of the illustrious VMI class of 1969. Highlights of these notes are reunion news and a follow-up from the great time we had as an “almost ruly” mob in Lexington. As you read through the names of the reunion attendees below, please note the many titles now held by the members of the class. I apologize if I messed them up, but I think the emphasis is easy to recognize. Attendees: Dr. Jim and Barbara Baker from Suffolk, Virginia. Lee Barnes from Virginia Beach, Virginia. Dr. Chuck and Beth Becker from Beckley, West Virginia. Don Bogard from Glen Allen, Virginia. Pat and Tricia Branch from Richmond, Virginia. Lt. Col. Drew and Carol Brantley from Williamsburg, Virginia. Lt. Col. Gary and (Col.) Nancy Braswell from Winchester, Virginia. Dr. Chris Brothers from Santa Fe, New Mexico. Peyton and Gail Brown from Lynchburg, Virginia. Dr. Charlie and Cammy Bryan from Richmond. Tom and Karen Buckner from Memphis, Tennessee. David and Gail Bush from Wytheville, Virginia. Lt. Col. Ned Caldwell from Richmond. Tom and Nancy Catlett, who are in the process of moving from Poquoson, Virginia, to Collierstown, Virginia (in the suburbs of Lexington). Jim and Ruth Chapman from Roanoke, Virginia, who spend most winters in High Desert, California. Warren Childress from Amherst, Virginia. Bob Clingenpeel from Glendale, Arizona. Judge Brant and Betsy Collins from Dagsboro, Delaware. Mike Colozzi from Pinehurst, North Carolina, and the Republic of China, regularly. Dr. Dave Couch from Tucson, Arizona. Randy and Pam Crocker of South Hill, Virginia. Col. Paul and Kathy Curs from Canyon Lake, Texas. Richie and Elleanore Daub from Richmond. Mike Dean from Stafford, Virginia. John Dick from Clear Brook, Virginia. Maj. Fred and Claudia Downey from Fairfax, Virginia. Dr. John DuBose from Summerville, South Carolina. Lt. Col. Joe and Michie Flanz of Alexandria, Virginia. Col. Harold and Jane Fleischer from San Antonio, Texas. Ken and Judy Fleming, along with several family members, came from Wichita, Kansas, and were in a transition to the Charlotte, North Carolina, area. Bob and Polly 98

Flint from Lynchburg. Lt. Gen. Bob and Lynda Flowers from Clifton, Virginia. Dan Gibson from Williamsburg. Bruce Gregory from Richmond. David Hagan of the Richmond area. Col. Glenn Hammond of Troutville, Virginia. John and Iona Hardy from Nags Head, North Carolina. Col. Mike and Leigh Harper from Bowling Green, Kentucky. Dr. Steve and Gail Harrington from Bentonville, Arkansas. Bob and Lush Heely from Norfolk, Virginia. Col. Tom Hickman from Taneytown, Maryland. Don and Laura Hinshelwood of Germantown, Tennessee. Jay and Linda Hoenig, who now reside in the Scottsdale, Arizona, area. Hugh and Adrianne Hopkins from Orange Park, Florida. Knox and Shirley Hubard are mostly “at the rivah” in Hartsville, Virginia, and are sometimes in Richmond. John Ishon from Hampton, Virginia. Dr. Dick Jeter from Richmond. Dr. Tom and Elizabeth Jones from Macon, Georgia. Amo and Margi Judd from Cleveland, Ohio. Maj. Walter and Beverly Judd from Yorktown, Virginia. Bill Kirkpatrick of Simpsonville, South Carolina. Bobby Ladd of Rockbridge County, Virginia (newly moved from Staunton, Virginia). Jim and Beth Long from Salem, Virginia. Chris and Cindy L’Orange from Orinda, California. Maj. Gen. Joe and Pat Lynch from the northern Virginia city of Burke. Mike and Debbie Maguigan from Dunwoody, Georgia. Doug Marks from Columbia, South Carolina. Occasional Judge Paul and Becky Mascot from Jacksonville, Texas. Lt. Col. Lloyd and Debbie McGrady now of Navarre, Florida, after a few years in the desert. Scott and Chris McMillin from Lanexa, Kansas. Dr. Gary and Ellen Moore from Chester, Virginia. Dr. Tom and Gail Morris of Williamsburg. Don Nelson of Midlothian, Virginia, and a sailing community in the middle peninsula of Virginia, near the Chesapeake Bay. Dr. Frank Novakowski from Hudsonville, Michigan. Joe and Betty Oliver from Midlothian joined us for the first time since he left the “I” in 1969. A lot of folks were glad to see them! Thera Omar and Saint Arlene Palmer from Nags Head, North Carolina. (If you know T.O., you don’t have to ask about the “saint” part of Arlene’s name!) Bill “Bunny” and Carolyn Paulette from Richmond (and Lexington on most weekends). Dr. V.J. and Margi Petrella of Mount Airy, Maryland. John and Patti Pool from Wilmington, North Carolina. W.I.P. and Barbara Priest from Bena, Virginia. (Just go to Gloucester Point and turn toward the east. It is not far!) Dr. Dave and

Susan Prugh from Chester and “the rivah.” (He will retire from his dental practice at some point and the address will be “the rivah!”) Tim and Rosemary Rahm from West Des Moines. Iowa. Scott and Amy Rhodes from Hickory, North Carolina. John and new wife of several weeks Cindy Robins from Portsmouth, Virginia. Mike and Martha Santoro from Richmond. Lt. Col. Wayne and Linda Scholtes from Spartanburg, South Carolina. John and Nancy Scott from North Redington Beach, Florida. John and Sallie Sebrell from Lexington, who hosted several of us during the many reunion planning meetings, as well as the Bryans and Harringtons during the reunion itself. Larry and Elizabeth Seekford from Lake Frederick, Virginia. Lt. Col. Rudy and Judy Segaar from Woodville, Virginia. Bruce and Nancy Sharp from Suffolk. Drs. Bob and Gayne Slay from Palos Verdes Estates, California. Judge Val and Lorie Southall of Amelia Court House, Virginia. Retired Attorney Bob and Kathleen Sparks of Annapolis, Maryland, and Delray Beach, Florida. Lt. Col. John and Mary Stann (with several sons who are grads) from Myersville, Maryland. Ron and Linda Stead from Ashburn, Virginia. Bob and Susan Tanner from Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. Geoff and Frances Taylor from Richmond. Jamie and Jody Totten from Henderson, Tennessee. Bob and Ruth Waldo of Lake Frederick. Col. Ron and Betsy Wall from Rolesville, North Carolina. Bob Watts from Eastern Shore, Virginia, since his retirement from Episcopal High School last summer. Glenn and Susie White from Yorktown. Art Wilson from Fredericksburg, Virginia. Dennis and Anne Witt from Orange Park. Dr. K.C. and Connie Woodroof from Bedford, Virginia. Ralph and Mary Alice Wright from Lexington. On Thursday, early arrivers and committee members were busy getting set up and seeing old friends. I drove up to the motel soon after 11 a.m. and saw a bright red Toyota Camry with VMI decals and New Mexico plates. It did not take long to figure out Dr. Chris Brothers had arrived from Santa Fe. We both checked into our rooms and made plans to eat dinner later that evening. It was then time for me to hustle to the Lexington Golf and Country Club to meet BR Bob Heely for a round of golf. He and several others had Alumni Association meetings Friday and could not join in the golf arranged by Jim Long at the same facility. After golf, I returned to the hospitality room at our motel just east of Lexington and VMI ALUMNI REVIEW

CLASS NOTES Class of 1969: The informal reunion dinner was held under a tent near the hotel in east Lexington Sept. 12, 2014.

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7 1) Randy Crocker and Doug Marks. 2) Lt. Col. Wayne and Linda Scholtes. 3) David and Gail Bush. 4) Mike Maguigan and David Bush. 5) Ruth and Jim Chapman. 6) Dennis Witt and Jody Totten. 7) Dr. Bob Slay with Col. Mike Harper and Jamie Totten.

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CLASS NOTES found the room was hopping with 30 or more went back to the motel after golf to continue the gift items for the reunion. Dave Prugh BRs and their wives. I also learned my dinner the reunion process. worked with VMI alum and metal artist Danarrangements at a restaurant on Main Street Friday night was designated informal night ny Booton ’73 to design and create the unique had been canceled due to an electrical prob- and the meal was catered by the Southern Inn belt buckles we ordered. Jim Long found the lem at the restaurant, so I agreed to join Bob folks under a tent we had set up in the park- leather straps and took charge in matching belt and Lush Heely at the Palms. Chris Brothers ing lot on the motel grounds. I think we can lengths with each BR. Suffice it to say, we joined us there, and we saw Don and Laura say now conditions were a little tight in the had straps from 34-54 inches to pass out. Tom Hinshelwood at the same place. Jim and Beth tent, but people managed to find a place to sit Morris and I talked about gifts for the ladies Long, Tom and Gail Morris, John and Sal- and talk while we ate. The reunion commit- as we drove to Lexington last fall for a reunion lie Sebrell, Steve and Gail Harrington, and tee looked to John Sebrell and Jim Long for committee meeting. He and Gail came up with Charlie and Cammy Bryan all headed to a leadership in planning the evening’s activities. the idea of a unique scarf and then discovered new tapas place on Main Street and said they Gary Braswell and Bob Waldo, with lots of the New Market tartan plaid – the same plaid enjoyed the meal. As it was a balmy and dry help from others on the committee (Baker, used in the kilt uniforms for the Pipe Band. Just evening, many folks were out walking around White, Prugh, Wall and Becker), kept the in time for the big New Market celebration in after dinner, and the hospitality room crowd hospitality room stocked and worked out the May 2014, the ties and scarves were a big hit. was noisy and fun-filled. details, like obtaining liquor licenses and keep- We have given out or sold all of our initial orders, but the Scotland House, Ltd. Friday morning started as a warm, in Williamsburg can get more if overcast day. The sun took its time the demand is apparent. Thanks in coming out. The golfing crowd Dave, Mav and Tom for all your headed out after breakfast and started work and your perseverance in getting to the golf course around 9 making those ideas a reality. a.m. We played golf in cool but dry Saturday was a blur of events: conditions. There were 29 players – A big crowd of BRs and families three spouses and the rest BRs – who at breakfast, over to the Preston showed up at the LG&CC. We shared Library steps for the class picture the course with members of the class and then waiting in the light drizof 1979, so the course was pretty busy. zle for a parade. We all fell out of Scores ranged from 78 to more than the crowd watching the parade at 100. No more than two putts per hole the correct time and began our part and no greater score than a triple bogey speeded things up a little, but the in the drama. We marched behind round still took more than five hours. Bob Heely, mob commander, and Players included Jim Chapman, Class of 1969: Bill “Bunny” Paulette, Keydet Club Ron Wall, reunion chairman, carBunny Paulette, John Sebrell, Jim president, and Bob Slay at the Saturday evening dinner rying the guidon. We waited paduring the reunion. tiently in the Old Barracks courtand Beth Long, Tom Buckner, Dick Jeter, Tom Jones, Jay Hoenig, Ron and Linda ing enough ice and mixers available. Ron and yard for two other classes to give Old Yells as Stead, Jamie and Jody Totten, Larry Seek- Betsy Wall, Dave and Susan Prugh, Chuck the sun broke through and smiled on the proford, Ken Fleming, Bob Waldo, Pat Branch, and Beth Becker, and Tom and Gail Morris ceedings. When it was our turn, Bob asked DaTom Morris, Walt Judd, Glenn White, Jim worked the registration table and delivered vid Bush and me to climb with him to the top Baker, Ned Caldwell, Doug Marks, Peyton agendas, gift items and name tags to BRs as of the sentinel box. We got into place and DaBrown, Tommy Catlett, Dan Gibson, Bob they arrived. After the meal was finished, the vid, with a little help from Bob, led Old Yells Clingenpeel, Dennis Witt and Mike Santoro. disc jockey set up his equipment, and around for ’66, ’72 and ’69. The class sounded good Winners included: low gross, Weasel Chap- 8:30 p.m. the music began. Some BRs elected and strong, and the three climbers returned man 78; second low gross, Fatback Jeter 83; to move out of the tent or to the hospitality safely to earth. After the parade, people scatFirst net, Bobby Clingenpeel 61; second net, room for more conversation. Others enjoyed tered for lunch and other activities before the Danny Gibson 66; third net, Tom Morris 68; the music and dancing in a small space cleared football game. My wife and I decided to take a fourth net, Skinny Baker 69. Also low gross in the tent. I was fortunate to sit with Scott and walk and wandered around the downtown area ladies, Beth Long 83; low net, Jody Totten Amy Rhodes as we were regaled by stand-up for an hour or so. Many others went directly 80. And a beautiful closest to the eighth hole comedian Bob Sparks. The laughter helped to the football game against Davidson College at 4 feet 11 inches, Walt Judd. Wonders never transition from meal to entertainment and was and still others shopped the many shops along cease... Our BRs used to the dry conditions in a lot of fun. Bob Ladd brought his white road- Main Street of Lexington. I got to the game at the American west were a little amazed at the ster decked out in VMI regalia to the parking halftime and welcomed a good score for the lush, thick, green grass on the course. Jay Hoe- lot near the tent and had a good time telling car home team. VMI won the game and made a nig asked – after watching his ball barely move buffs about his latest toy. lot of fans happy. At the game, I sat with Drew after a healthy swing – “What kind of grass is I stop now to pay respects to the efforts of Brantley and enjoyed getting caught up on my that?!” A good time was had by all. We then three BRs who worked tirelessly to develop former military contractor life. I rode back to 100

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CLASS NOTES the hotel with Drew and Carole and exited post via the North Post route. Next on the agenda was a coat-and-tie cocktail party and dinner at the Center for Leadership and Ethics on post. Saturday night I had the honor of “herding the cats” and keeping the program moving. Thanks for the opportunity to excel, Ronnie! During the social hour, we ran photos taken by Don Mercer on a large screen and ran songs recorded by Dick Camp on the speakers. Both were well received. Scott Rhodes helped us get the event started correctly by offering a simple blessing before our meal. I then presented a few opening remarks to the BRs at the Marshall Hall CLE. I stressed the fact VMI had a slogan a few years ago telling people VMI guys and gals “don’t do ordinary.” Our grads frequently strive for excellence and take the road less traveled. I presented a few slides on people and facts about our class then and show them again now so all can have the info. Matriculants – Sept. 9, 1965 – 382 began that fateful day – 261 received their degrees from VMI; 68.3 percent – Seven stayed nine days or less – 56 stayed one month to one year – 31 more had left by end of two years – 23 more stayed two to four years with out degree – 15 loyal BRs came back for extra time! Education* for ’69 matriculants (Includes one M.D. with no undergraduate degree!) – 19 M.D.s, 2 D.O.s, 1 O.D. – Michigan physician Jack O’Donnell headed to the University of Virginia after three years and never did pick up a Bachelor of Science degree! – 8 Dentists – 34 Lawyers – 26 Ph.D.s – At least 146 master-level degrees *Info compiled by L.R. Williams and Tim Rahm initially; updated by Walt Judd. Deceased brother rats: We have info on 39 deaths to date. Four BRs died in the Republic of Vietnam; one other soon after return. Since the last reunion: G.W. Updike, Bill Blandford, George Harrel, Joe Spicer, Fred Smith, George Farr, Wynne Browning, Deaton Smith, Henry Van Maeger and Mike Engle. We also learned much after the fact that Geddes MacLaren died in 1991 of problems likely picked up in the Republic of Vietnam. Non-graduate interesting factoids: Mike McCrary still plays in a band presenting 2015-Issue 1

Hawaiian music and participated recently in senior Olympic Games in discus and javelin. Rebel Good is a senior tennis official and just finished working the U.S. Open championships. He wrote the rule book the pros use! Pete Kranske played football at UCLA and runs the company which provides usher service at most professional sports venues. Dr. Sandy Murphree just retired from years of service to University of Calgary and started a new high-tech firm in Calgary. Fred Ford is a juggler with professional name “Jade.” Interesting tidbits about our “guys:” Knox Hubard was Virginia’s Business Ambassador to Europe. John Mitchell is prepping for the senior PGA Tour. Jess Powell has run a shelter for homeless men for years. Webb Hatch has been a college head basketball coach for years. Jerry Fresia is a professional painter of impressionistic art in Italy; Paul Curs, Tony Gentile and Wayne Keesee are all retired airline pilots. Bob Tanner, Wayne Keesee, Don Mercer, Larry Lenz and Charlie Bryan are all published authors. (Are there others?) Lew Henderson and Rick Snow grow grapes and make wine. Rick also is a pyrotechnics expert. (He knows how to blow stuff up!) Bob Slay writes and acts in TV shows about the emergency room. He also co-authored a healthy diet book with his wife, Gayne. Tom Jones runs a summer camp for diabetic children in Georgia. Tom Reynolds planned the first nights of Desert Storm bombing campaign. Tommy “Bomber” Hudson is an accomplished painter – mostly outdoor

scenes. Tom Hickman brings war criminal cases to World Court in The Hague. Amo Judd is cleaning up his Cleveland neighborhood one bag of trash at a time. John Edenfield runs a leadership program in Christian education in northern California. Gary Mackey, George Budd, Art Bushey and Bobby Watts know Virginia’s Eastern Shore. Don Mercer is a much traveled photo journalist who is now giving tips in photographic magazines. Val Southall, Brant Collins, Glenn Hammond, Lee Stillwell, Paul Mascot and Marty Parks have all been called “judge” in official settings. Mike Collozzi and Jay Hoenig both worked in China for extended periods of time. Frank Easterly helped build the Great Gorge Dam. Ward Carr in Germany, Courtney Apperson in the U.K. and Joe Flanz in Japan are all travel pros with recent long stays abroad. I reminded the assembled BRs to see the Hall of Valor in the Marshall Hall galleries. Our class members used to complete the array on the upstairs wall but are now split between the upstairs and downstairs galleries. Paul Curs, Don Mercer and I all talked with the hall administrators about the presentation and the fact our class is currently separated with no signage saying that. We hope the display in the future will be a little bit clearer. I also asked BRs to visit the Preston Library Class of 1969 Memorial Room to see the pictures of our four BRs killed on active duty in the Republic of Vietnam. Jim Long and I recently had the dates on the brass card below Jack Kennedy’s picture updated to reflect his killed in action date.

Class of 1969: At the 45th Reunion Sept. 13, 2014, were, from left, Bob Tanner, Glenn White, Knox Hubard, Dennis Witt, John Pool, Jamie Totten, Mike Santoro, Jim Long and Bob Flowers.

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CLASS NOTES

Class of 1969: K.C. Woodroof and Knox Hubard look to the sentinel box in the Old Barracks courtyard before giving Old Yells for 1969.

For a long time the card had only his missing in action dates, but now it reflects the truth as we know it now. We were lucky to have three speakers that night and all were “friends of the family.” Even though we invited Brig. Gen. Bob Green ’67 to be our main invited speaker, we also recognized the efforts of BRs Bunny Paulette and Bob Heely in significant leadership roles at VMI. Here is a short synopsis of Bunny’s leadership roles. Bunny became “Bill” somewhere along the line. He began working with Keydet Club Board of Governors in early ’80s and continued through mid-’90s. He served as secretary/treasurer and began trek up the ranks in mid-’90s. He resigned from the Keydet Club in 2002 to serve two terms on the VMI Board of Visitors, and then in 2010, he returned to the Keydet Club Executive Committee and was named president in 2011. He is now serving in fourth year as president of the group. We applaud his sterling record of service and success! Following a short but passionate pep talk by Bunny, I introduced Bob Heely for a few remarks about the VMI Alumni Association. Here is a rundown of his volunteer work with the VMIAA: Bob first worked on Alumni Association Board of Directors in 2004 as the chairman of the New Cadet Recruiting Committee. He moved up the Executive Committee chain in various vice president levels or positions for several years, and then served as president of the VMI Alumni Association 2012-14. He is now on the board as president emeritus. Enthusiasm and strong leadership guided the Alumni Association in its close partnership with the VMI Foundation and Institute administration during Bob’s tenure. 102

I must say thank you to Bob and many of you for what happened next. He presented me a beautiful brass and wood plaque naming me “Best Class Agent Ever.” It serves as a daily reminder of my commitment to you to pass the words about your good works as often as I can. Brig. Gen. Robert “Bob” Green ’67, deputy superintendent for finance, administration and support, spoke to us about the changes to the Institute since we left in the spring of 1969. And there have been many! New buildings, new ball fields, development of North Post, new places for FTX, new associations with other colleges and universities for academic pursuits, and on and on. Bob did a fine job of telling us where we have been and what will be coming in the future. At the conclusion of Bob’s remarks, Ron Wall presented him with one of his beautiful handmade jewelry boxes with inlaid VMI insignia on top. As Bob’s wife, Carole, was also our liaison with the VMIAA for business activities associated with the reunion, Ron also made her a neat folding box for small items. The gifts, the givers and the recipients all looked great that night. I later checked with Glenn Hammond, as I missed him Friday. He told me he enjoyed the dinner Friday but had gotten sick later that night and could not return for the Saturday dinner. In August, he welcomed a new granddaughter to go along with his twoyear-old grandson. His son, Barry, is an active duty officer and works for an agency in northern Virginia. After the reunion, I also checked with Win Winfree and learned he is dealing with “a serious case of depression, which kept me from coming to the reunion which (in my case) happened simply because I had a genetic predisposition for a disease, just like others have predispositions for diabetes, heart disease or high blood pressure; which people do openly speak about and for which they regularly get treatment. I feel by openly talking about my type of disease – a type of mental illness – people who are suffering from one form of mental illness or another will be much more willing to go to their doctors and get some treatments ... from a doctor called, aptly, a psycho pharmacologist. Help, other than just working verbally with a psychotherapist, is available. While the array of psychotropic medicines are still relatively few, there is a great deal of

research being done in this area.” Keep taking your meds, Winnie! T.C. Jones, Oct. 2, 2014: “Thank you and the others for a grand reunion. I am so sorry others did not attend. Sunday was a glorious day in Chattanooga. I finished my last Ironman. I came in second in age group, losing to a 65-year-old who is retired and trains all the time. He only beat me by eight minutes. He will go to the World Championship in Kona, but I am content to keep on doctoring.” At his annual Oct. 17 Two Bellies Golf Tournament in Petersburg, Virginia, Tommy Thompson welcomed a good crowd of BRs and dykes from ’72. Tommy also managed to slip into the money with a one-stroke victory over the youngsters on a beautiful fall day. Teammates Peyton Brown, Tom Catlett and Doug Marks contributed to the winning score. Also participating this year were Dick Jeter, T.C. Jones, Jim Chapman, Larry Seekford, Bob Waldo, Tom Morris, Ned Caldwell, Pat Branch, Bruce Gregory, Lee Barnes, Gary Mackey, Jim Baker, Bob Heely, Mike Santoro and Walt Judd. T.O. Palmer and Chalk Hardy, the Outer Banks guys, drove a would-be beer cart but ended up drinking up most of their refreshments before doing any delivering! Bruce Gregory had a broken finger in a cast, so he contributed by helping each team with an extra putt on the ninth hole. The reigning champs from ’72 came close to repeating but had to give up a few strokes (per the tournament director’s edict) and came in second. Chris Foster, Lindley Vaughan, Jim Van Landingham and Bill Irby made up the ’72 team. Jim Long gave me a quick report on the Gardner-Webb University football game Oct. 18. A missed extra point early in the game made the difference, as the game was tied at the end of regular time. VMI lost in the second overtime. Jim Long, John Sebrell, Ron Wall, Jim Chapman and Mike Hanna saw the game and many stayed for a preview of the basketball team later that afternoon. Wow, that went fast! I hope you got a taste of the 45th Reunion in Lexington and are making plans to attend our 50th in five short years. We will be honored in a springtime setting, so start planning now for April 2019. Stay healthy, BRs. In the spirit, Walt VMI ALUMNI REVIEW

CLASS NOTES

’70

Warren Grasty

As I write this drivel, VMI is in the finals of the Coolest NCAA Logo Competition (sponsored by WTHN-TV in Connecticut) having just thumped Washington State University 186,231 to 178,072 in the semi-finals. This was a truly amazing response from the cadets, alumni, family and many friends of VMI. The final opponent is North Carolina State University, whose wolf logo appears, to me at least, increasingly mangy. I haven’t seen this kind of response from our brother rats since the “Dec. 17” near riots in barracks our 4th Class year. Jesse Glidewell emailed from Rome that he was voting three times a day in between the wine, biera and grappa. At some time during the previous round, Bill Heflin found a way around the one-vote-per-hour restriction and is now reportedly suffering from carpel tunnel syndrome. Wilder Wadford is rumored to have had an IV installed for around-the-clock infusions of Starbucks coffee. Several people from competing schools posted messages on Class the competition website opining that the only way a small school like VMI could post such eye-popping numbers was by using bots to automatically generate votes rather than posting votes by individuals. They just don’t understand the fact that, while their logos primarily represent their athletic teams, the VMI spider represents the Institute. I am happy to report that Carolyn (aka Good Bones and Teeth) McLemore is making slow but steady progress in recovering from a stroke in early September. Her rehab includes four different therapy sessions to improve her control over her eyes and her vision. Hang in there, Carolyn. Meanwhile, Smack, as he is wont to do, provided some additional tidbits: “During the past weekend General Excitement (aka Ed Trinkle) and his faithful sidekick Captain Adventure (aka Smack) attempted to be first in line for the grand opening of the Atlanta Cabela’s Sporting Goods Store: 100,000 square feet under one roof, stuffed with everything the modern day AARP card-carrying explorer could possibly need. We were informed by the rent-a-cop at the front door that we were almost exactly six days too early. We could see employees rushing around the store stocking shelves. ‘Could we just go pretend to be customers at the electronics and optics counter?’ the general inquired. ‘We

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phenomenon, Tom Morehouse wrote that he attended a baseball game at Yankee Stadium this summer to see Derek Jeter before he retired, and he found himself sitting next to Chelsea Kosecki ’09. (See picture in the Class of 2009 section of class notes.) George Ritko checked in to say that he and Lisa just returned from a 21-day, 3,000-mile sojourn through New England that took them to 12 states and into Canada. Not to be outdone, Ned Haley and Fricka headed out from Richmond in August on a 43-day tour of the Pacific Northwest, logging more than 9,600 miles and covering 17 states and two Canadian provinces. Most nights were spent with members of their travel club. They are planning a similar jaunt through the southwestern U.S. next fall and a trek to Nova Scotia in 2016. It sounds like it’s time to invest in a Winnebago, Ned. Staying in the Pacific Northwest, Joe Girlando wrote in to say that he and Patricia are back in Bainbridge, Washington. The contract he was working on supporting NATO in Brussels recently expired, so he has halfheartedly restarted his Defense Consultant LLC as a semi-retiree. Joe says they look forward to our 45th Reunion and extend an invitation to any BRs traveling to the Seattle area. Also getting the heck out of Richof 1970: Don McQueen with his bucket list. mond this summer were Gary and Lynn animal reportedly weighed 1,700 pounds and Weishaar, who made numerous trips to Myrtle had to be ported over 50 miles by canoe to their Beach, South Carolina, including one to attend the fly-in base. Somewhat eerily, the guide for this Society of Stranders’ fall extravaganza, which is excursion was Pierre, a 1979 graduate of Wash- billed as the biggest party on the East Coast, barely ington and Lee University. Small world. Due to edging out Stix Chandler’s annual oyster roast. space limitations and a sense of decency, I will This is just one more indication that Weeshew has spare you the rest of the gory details and simply always been a closet Tweet. Speaking of music, Artie Pates and I have traded thank Don for getting these two geezers off the emails over the past few months about an upcomstreets. In another instance of the “It’s a small world” ing BR road trip to Memphis, Tennessee, in April to are thinking about buying a spotting scope and a GPS with special maps of Mobile, Alabama, and the Caribbean Islands, plus Cuba.’ We were refused. I offered to dress up in camouflage gear and test the other members of the security team who undoubtedly would not be able to see me. ‘No,’ I was told. We took a photo, did an Old Yell for L.L. Bean and left.” You simply can’t make this stuff up. But wait. There’s more! While in Atlanta, Smack and Ed were invited to a cookout at Don and Tucker McQueen’s home in Marietta, Georgia. The featured entrée was filet of moose, which Don brought back from his 2013 hunting trip in the Yukon. The unlucky

Class of 1970: At the VMI versus University of Tennessee game, were, from left, Ed Trinkle, Phil and Carolyn Anderson, Dave and Priscilla Price, Dave and Pam Lawrence, Dave and Jo Trenholm, and Don and Tucker McQueen.

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CLASS NOTES Surprisingly, the only other surgery news I check out the music and barbecue scenes, for which Artie has graciously offered to be tour guide. have to report is that Tom Halliday had a hip Pondering the blues and rhythm and blues mu- replaced Oct. 3. It seems that 12 years of playsic venues gave rise to memories of the groups ing football – including four as defensive tackle that played at VMI during our time in barracks – at VMI where he was outweighed by 40-plus Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs, Little Anthony pounds each game – has taken its toll. For you & The Imperials, Percy Sledge, The Kingsmen, surgery nerds, his surgeon at New England Baptist The Box Tops, The Soul Survivors and the Isley Hospital in Boston used a minimally invasive, anBrothers. This list would have included Martha terior technique that should have Tom fully recov& the Vandellas, had their bus not taken them ered before the snows melt – at least down here. to Blacksburg, Virginia, by mistake – which, I imagine, was even more disappointing for them than it was for us. Artie also reported that he did a European train tour in July that included the U.K., France, Switzerland, Italy and the Principality of Liechtenstein, which, as you most surely know, is the only country to be located completely in the Alps. Also visiting France this summer were Bobby and Betty Brown, who took their youngest daughter, Meg, to see the Tour de France. Kent and Judy Schlussel have also been doing some traveling. After Kent finished teaching at Piedmont Virginia Community College in May, they went to Costa Rica and spent several nights back in the rural part of the country in lodges with, horror of horrors, no air conditioning. Then in July, they took their annual trip to the Outer Banks, followed by a visit with friends in Seattle and a cruise to Alaska – their second time there. There, they hiked and did some open water kayaking, which partially Class of 1970: John McLemore, Don burned off the excess food and alcohol. Then McQueen and Ed Trinkle at Don’s home Oct. 1, Judy broke her wrist and was operated in Marietta, Georgia, September 2014. on five days later. With 12 screws in her arm/ wrist, she is now in physical therapy. ApparentDuring the summer, Doc Carroll’s grandson, ly, Kent is doing a substandard job of laundry, Robert Carroll III, sent around a request for stocooking and cleaning, so don’t be surprised if I ries about his grandfather, and Jon Vordermark have to report in the next issue that Judy has bro- provided a couple of remembrances. As a seken her other wrist whacking Kent on the head. nior in high school, Jon visited VMI and had

Class of 1970: From left, Brett Prillaman ’02, Buddy Mawyer ’69, Taylor Mawyer ’01, Mark Hypes, Peyton Mawyer Hypes, Jim Mawyer, Warren Grasty and Gray Chandler at Mark and Peyton’s wedding in Richmond, Virginia, Oct. 18, 2014.

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the opportunity to talk to Doc Carroll. Jon asked him if VMI required any special entrance exams. He said, “Yes. What is your favorite color: red or blue?” Confused and taken off guard, Jon answered, “Red.” “You’ll do,” Carroll replied. Several years later, in a course on Latin and Greek derivatives, Jon remembers Doc Carroll walking to the window, opening it and spitting a plug of chew out the window. He then turned to the class and pronounced, “People are no damn good.” Jon considers this is one of the best pieces of advice he has ever been given – present company excluded, of course. Bill Powell related another Doc Carroll story also involving the spewing of tobacco at the last class he taught, which was in summer school. This time, the wad unfortunately landed on the desk of a young woman who sat by the window and splattered all over her. She was not amused. J.C. Watson passed along one of his favorite Doc-isms, in which he described VMI as “built on a bluff and run on the same principle.” Ned Snead recalled being whacked on the back of his head by Doc Carroll’s good hand as he dozed in anthropology class our 4th Class year. The constant theme through all of these correspondences was how much Doc Carroll did to help cadets deal with life in barracks and beyond and the help he graciously provided even after graduation – particularly to cadets who wanted to go to medical school. In September, the other Snead, i.e., Mike, welcomed grandchild number seven, Matthew George Snead, born to son Christian and his wife, Amy. He and Suzanne await number eight, who is due around Thanksgiving (to another daughter-in-law, one hopes), further closing the gap with Howie and Barbara DeWolf, who attended the Davidson College football game Sept. 13 in Lexington, along with their son and his six children. It was a great game and one that I was relegated to watching via the Internet. Also in September, A.C. and Beth Arnn’s son, Patrick, married Jessica Schwartz in Portland, Oregon. Joining in the festivities were John and June Bailey and Gray and Nancy Chandler. Jessica and Patrick will make their home in Alaska, where Patrick is stationed with the 18th Aggressor Squadron at Ellison Air Force Base. Jessica is a registered nurse with MedAlaska’s medevac service. At some stage late this summer, Jim Mawyer made the trek to Blythewood, South Carolina, to engage A.C. in a few rounds of golf and get him in shape for the next GOMBACS event. Wedding bells rang out again in mid-October – this time in Richmond – where Jim and Judy Mawyer’s daughter, Peyton, married Mark Hipes. Joining Liz and me in the celebration were Gray and Nancy Chandler and Margaret Walker. Also in attendance were Judy’s sister,

VMI ALUMNI REVIEW

CLASS NOTES what is supposed to be a cold winter. As I wrap up this tome, I am amid Brother Rats John Bailey, Jim Mawyer, Mike Snead, Charlie Walker and Gary Weishaar at Charlie’s house on the Outer Banks for the annual weekend of golf, food and football. Life couldn’t be much better – at least until you start factoring in that red Ferrari and the dream home at Pebble Beach that have yet to materialize. Oh, well. That’s pretty much it. Be sure to check out our Facebook page (VMI’70) for pictures that either exceeded my five-picture limit or were not of high enough resolution to include, as well as pictures and comments posted by other BRs. I look forward to seeing many of you during the basketball season. In the spirit!

Class of 1970: From left, John and June Bailey, Patrick and Jessica Arnn, Nancy and Gray Chandler, and Beth and A.C. Arnn at Patrick and Jessica’s wedding in Portland, Oregon, September 2014. Linda, and her hubby, Ed Morris ’66; Jim’s brother, Buddy Mawyer ’69; and Jim’s son, Taylor Mawyer ’01 with wife Laura; and Brett Prillaman ’02. The football game in Chattanooga, Tennessee, against University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in October saw the reunion of Dave and Pam Lawrence, Dave and Priscilla Price, and Dave and Jo Trenholm for the first time in 40 years. Unfortunately, the fourth Dave, Dave Miller, could not make it. Sitting nearby in the nonDave section were Phil and Carolyn Anderson, Don and Tucker McQueen and Ed Trinkle, who had made the trek up from North Georgia. The Gardner-Webb University football game in Lexington Oct. 18 was very well attended. Brother rats sighted included: Tom Campbell, Ralph Costen, Steve Craddock, Don Crawford, Mike Iwanik, Russ Marshall, Bill O’Connor, Lew Reynolds, Steve Talley, Gary Weishaar, Gordon Williams and Chuck Wills. At the Keydet Club Scholarship Awards Banquet that evening, Bill sat with the Class of 1970 Scholarship cadet, Dane Forlines ’17, who is just the type of young man VMI athletics is all about. Also at the banquet, Gordon had the pleasure of meeting the first recipient of the Williams Track Award, Skyler Toney ’17, a pole-vaulter (as was Gordon) and another fine student athlete. The previous day, Gordon and Darrin Webb, VMI track coach, took on Donnie Ross ’75 and Rick Wolffe ’78 in a golf match. After falling back early in the round, they vaulted into the lead, so to speak, and won by a hair. In more golf news, the much-anticipated inaugural version of the North/South Golf Challenge was held in early October at Mattaponi

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Springs Golf Course north of Richmond. The contesters were John Bailey, Glenn Kuntz and yours truly representing the North, and Herb Braun, Jim Mawyer, Neil Steverson and Gary Weishaar representing the South. As there was no clear consensus on the rules, each team declared themselves the winner. John, Herb, Jimi and Gary also played a round (versus played around) in late September and afterward attended the national release of “Field of Lost Shoes” in Richmond. As hinted at in the last class notes, Phil Jornlin has indeed failed miserably at the retirement thing and is in fact back in the Middle East – Beirut, to be specific. However, he says that this is just a three month assignment and that he will return by Christmas. Hey! Was that a pig I just saw flying by my window? In any case, he reports that he has been dutifully voting in the Coolest Logo competition. And these other schools wonder how we can come up with the votes that we do. And from way out in left field, Bob Hawthorne sent an eBay link to a DVD from the Warner Brothers Archive Collection of the 1940 movie, “Brother Rat and a Baby,” starring Ronald Reagan and Jane Whyman. In color, no less. You know, Hayroll, there are some things that people just really don’t need to know. As of late October, Steve and Emily Talley are within days of launching their sailboat, Flicka, on a six month cruise from the Chesapeake Bay to and from the Bahamas via the Intracoastal Waterway. Buck has created a blog for anyone interested in following their progress at http:// flickavoyages.blogspot.com/. They also offer up berth space to any BRs who need a break from

’71

James Kelly

These notes cover the period between Aug. 15, 2014, and Nov. 1, 2014. It hardly seems possible that the summer of 2014 is history, but the piles of leaves in the yard and the frost on the pumpkin as I write these notes are quite real. Like many of you, Kathryn and I did manage to get away for a couple of short trips. We were able to go down to Hilton Head, South Carolina, Duck, North Carolina, on the Outer Banks, as well as to Richmond to see grandchildren Lauren ’26 and Ryan ’27 play softball and football. My Facebook page is pretty full, with lots of very good pictures of travels, weddings, grandchildren, etc. from quite a few brother rats. Showing up this quarter were Dudley, Clary, Gearhart, Caul, Carver, Aldous, Patterson, Jolissaint, Gutherie, Kirby, Pearmanb, Ashman, Kreamer, Hanke, GroomebBiggs, Brumback, Ginder, Caulfield, Kelly, Murray, Mikula, Padgett, Bryan, Billings, Staley, Bisaillon, Rose, Martenstein, Price and Coleman. I hope that everyone had a great holiday season and that 2015 will be happy and prosperous. We are well into basketball season, and we all wish the Keydets another successful year. As you all know by now, our return to the Southern Conference turned out to be quite a challenge for our football team. We did have a great win over Davidson College, and we lost a few heartbreakers during the season that could have gone either way. As of this deadline for notes, we have three games remaining on the schedule ... two at home (Furman University and The Citadel) and one on the road at Western Carolina University. In spite of our Ws and Ls, our young men have taken the field each week with their heads held high and

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CLASS NOTES email detailing the event. It is good to a “never say die” attitude, and we can Class of 1971: Mini reunion at the Metzger Lodge. know that some elements of the Old be proud of their character, sportsmanCorps are alive and well. ship and work ethic. Playing football at One never knows when a brother VMI has never been easy. rat will appear out of nowhere. I was On Nov. 11, 2014, VMI celebrated its recently at the Roanoke/Blacksburg 175th anniversary. Kathryn and I hoped Regional Airport to get my dad off to be in Lexington for the Founders to Florida. As I was going down the Day parade and whatever ceremonies escalator, I spotted Jerry Acuff on go along with that. Some other brother his way up on the other side. The rats were on hand, and I hope to have a “Cuffer” rode back down, and we picture or two of the event. Many were got to visit for a few minutes. Jerry also at VMI for the annual Institute Sowas on his way to a speaking engageciety Dinner. I checked with the Keydet Bookstore in October to inquire about ment in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. special memorabilia for the 175th, but He also shared with me that he now there did not seem to be a definite plan considers Lexington his home base at that time. I recall that for the 150th, but still owns a few other properties there were special coins cast and other scattered about the country. collectibles, so, if interested, you may The following week, I saw Jerry Host John Metzger and Rick Littleton. want to check with the VMI Museum. again in the same place at about the The Lynchburg Academy of Medisame time, but bad weather changed both of our plans. My dad ended up cine recently recognized Dr. Robert in West Virginia grounded until the Lockridge as the winner of the Wilnext day, and Jerry did not get to go liam H. Barney Distinguished Service anywhere. He was scheduled to fly to Award. Bob is medical director of the Chicago, Illinois, but ended up havUniversity of Virginia home dialysis program and a nephrologist at Lynching to cancel a speaking engagement for the first time in the years that he burg Nephrology. Bob developed the has been traveling and delivering mofirst Nocturnal Home Hemodialysis Program in the country (beginning tivational speeches. in 1997) which allows patients with A mini reunion (which has become end stage renal disease to get dialysis an annual event) was hosted by John treatments in the comfort of their own and Laura Metzger at their home in homes. As a result of this procedure, Vesuvius, Virginia, during the weekpatients experience fewer hospitalizaend of Oct. 24-26, 2014. Plans for the weekend were hashed out by a tions as well as lower morbidity and mortality rates. Dr. Lockridge (aka BRs and guests gathered in the new pavilion at the Metzger group of brother rats over the Labor Day weekend at The Lodge. Par“Duty Bob”) is reportedly semi-retired Lodge in October. Photo courtesy of Kathryn Kelly. but still makes a number of presentaticipants began arriving Friday the tions each year and is regarded as an interna- the Mosby Heritage Area Association was held 24th, and many were on hand for all three days. tional expert in his field. Congratulations to Bob in the village of Aldie (on Route 50 east of Mid- Friday night featured dinner at the Southern Inn on his award and his contributions to the medical dleburg) that featured some VMI connections. Restaurant attended by about 40 brother rats and community. The main speaker was Maj. Troy Marshall, who guests. Daytime activities included some hikKeith Simmons emailed back in September to heads up the New Market Battlefield Museum ing up House Mountain, sporting clay shooting, let us know that he retired in May and had re- for VMI. Two Loudon County historians also shooting of all manner of legal firearms on-site cently celebrated his 42nd wedding anniversary talked about two members of the Berkeley family at Metzger’s, a great deal of visiting and telling with Debbie. Debbie continues to be involved (Louden County) that were VMI graduates and of war stories. Saturday was a picture perfect fall with event planning for U.S. Navy surface ships. veterans of the Civil War. One was a New Market day that featured a barbecue meal supplemented In their spare time, the couple now has 10 grand- cadet and subsequently one of Mosby’s Rangers by a lot of other dishes and desserts prepared by children to keep them busy. and the other was a colonel of the 8th Virginia. several different members of the group. About The 139 crew held a “Big Chill” weekend at Steve Price planned to be on hand and invited 60 brother rats and guests were present for the Wintergreen Resort (West Virginia) at the bebrother rats within driving distance to attend the feast, which was held in the new “pavilion” on the Metzger compound. Before the meal, Steve ginning of October. John and Ollie Wall, Bev event. and Rick Littleton, T.S. and Lanny Gault, and I suppose there is no shortage of memories (or Fogleman conducted a reading of the names of Maureen and Bob Lockridge enjoyed watch- greatly embellished stories) of Zollman’s Pavil- our 29 deceased brother rats, gone but not forgoting football, eating, drinking and telling stories. ion. Ken Coleman dropped in on an event out ten, followed by an emotional moment of silence The group also reflected on their “missing man,” there during the 10th Reunion weekend of the which served to remind us all of how fortunate J.D Morefield, and how much the bond of be- Class of 2004 and caught up with Bill Ginder’s we have been and the friendship we have shared. ing brother rats has meant, not only to this group son, John Ginder ’04. They exchanged Old On hand for one or more of the weekend activities of roomies but also throughout the Class of ’71. Yells for ’71 and ’04 and reportedly some other (many with wives and significant others) were In October, an historical program sponsored by “spirits.” Ken sent out a photo along with an Metzger, Dunlap, Barkley, Kennedy, Adams,

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VMI ALUMNI REVIEW

CLASS NOTES Littleton, Garrett, Clary, Dudley, Guffey, Kir- steel-gray but fall-spangled weekend high atop that offer most – but not all – of their degrees in by, Jolissaint, Brumback, Kelly, Honeywell, beautiful downtown Bethesda, Maryland. Hot liberal arts), identified VMI as No. 4, just after Fogleman, Ronayne, Noon, Baya, Piernick, chocolates at the ready, girlfriend Marie and I Amherst College and ahead of Washington and Biersack, Bryan, Lewis, Paton, Acuff, Hanke, sit at our respective laptops – she report-carding Lee University, Bowdoin College and others Padgett, Whitley, Doug Jones ’74 (Fogie’s and your humble scribe sharing tidings from our (Harvey Mudd College and Williams College were ranked No. 1 and No. 2). All the schools dyke) and Henry Moncure ’74 (Lindsey’s dyke). dispersed throng. First, random observations – I’m continu- on the list measured the estimated cost of a deI received the Fiscal Year 2014 Annual Giving report from VMI, which contained some encour- ally moved by the acts of care and compassion gree against average early-career earnings. The aging news for the Class of 1971. We had 106 among ourselves and for others. We’re a modest survey’s methodology also considered qualdonors, giving us an alumni participation rate of lot (who knew?) so I’ll not elaborate, but in just ity of education and how well the schools help 43.44 percent. The average percentage of alumni the past week, I’ve come to know the actions of students get internships, as this can double the donors for our decade was 35.92 percent. Once two of our BRs that warrant them a special place chances of a graduate receiving a job offer at again, we are head to head with the Class of 1970, in heaven – it’s “what you give away” and it’s graduation. The fact that VMI’s cost of a degree which had a 43.64 percent alumni participation what we do. is approximately $60-70,000 less than the othThrough the past year, I’ve had the opportunity ers in the survey speaks volumes and would be rate ... so, an Old Yell for both classes. Those are some great numbers, and I sincerely appreciate to set some affairs in order and to see firsthand worth your passing along. each of you who gave something back to Jim Vanlandingham sent a VMI in the past year. great note. Rather than pick and For the first quarter of Fiscal Year 2015, choose tidbits, here it is: we have a total of 22 donors (ahead of ’70 “My son and I attended the PGA at this point), putting us solidly in the lead. Championship in Louisville in Unfortunately, the giving totals for virtuAugust, and I tracked down BR Rick Bolus through the Internet. ally all of the classes following ’70 and His name had come up a number ’71 for FY14 are not in the same ball park. of times over the years, so I took I hope that our class will continue to step a shot at finding out. I got him on up and lead the way for our fellow alumni, the phone and had a good catch and I am hopeful that we will get several up talk with him. He is very innew donors this year. I understand many circumstances exist that have impeded the terested in attending our next reability of some to become financial supunion, so I told him I would pass porters of VMI in the past. Maybe this will his information on to you. His be the year that you will be able to take that mailing address is P.O. Box 155 Shepherdsville, KY 40165. His step. Also, when you attend alumni chapter phone number is 502-543-7308 events or informal gatherings of alumni, and his cellphone number is 502don’t be shy in speaking up. Heck, brag a 594-3975. He has a website that little about the absolutely critical need for is very interesting called ‘Rick alumni support of VMI. Things are not im- Class of 1971: At a book signing for “Best Regrets” by Bolus’ ‘Blue-Chip’ Camps.’ He’s proving at the state level for sure, and there Roland Lazenby ’74 were, from left, Sam Kirby, Lazenby still very much in the basketball is work to be done. Enough said ... I know and E.J. Patrick. world. He was a scoring machine you get the point. Enjoy yourselves this winter, and be safe out the effects of good – and bad – planning for the our rat year at the Institute. I know there are a lot there. Let me hear from you, and be sure to keep future. For me and others of you, this has been a of guys that would love to see him. He roomed everyone up to date with your address changes, perfect time to consider the Institute in our plans with Coby Fitzhugh, Drake Slay, Jim Pagones new email contacts and that sort of information. for giving. The “Donate Online Now” link on the and Dick Pittman his rat and only year. “Our BR golf team captained by Lindley Having reached the “golden years,” several of home page (www.vmialumni.org) allows you to you have been on the move and settling in to designate a specific organization or activity, or, Vaughan will be back defending our title (gross some new places. My next deadline for class you can make an unrestricted gift to the Founda- error by Tommy Thompson ’69) Oct. 17 in the notes will be Feb. 15, 2015. tion. No donation ever will be applied anywhere Two Bellies Invitational in Petersburg, Virginia, In the bonds, other than its specific designee; however, unre- sponsored by Tommy and the Class of ’69. Jim stricted gifts provide the Foundation with the They’ve let us play the past few years representing their dyke Class of ’72. Tommy actually let highest degree of flexibility in application. At the end of the first quarter of Fiscal Year us play under the same rules as them last year for Larry Houseworth 2015, ’72’s giving participation rate was 15 per- the first time, and we won it. That will not be the cent higher than the overall average for the Insti- case this year! tute. We are, indeed, a generous lot. Personally “Lindley, Coby and I played golf and bid farespeaking, I think we’re reflecting on the values well to BR Wayne Harrell a few weeks ago. of our VMI experience as we set things in order He is now officially retired and has moved to for the future. Thank you, BRs. Houston, Texas, to be close to family.” Thanks Greetings and salutations, Onward. John Pittenger forwarded Money so much, Jim. These brief notes cover August through Hal- magazine’s August issue. An article discussing Bob MacMeccan sent one of those jealousyloween 2014 – from late summer to a raw, the nation’s best value liberal-arts schools (those prompting emails of his and Glenda’s entry

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CLASS NOTES into retirement. Here it is so that you, too, can be happy for them (and, like I, grind your teeth from envy): “After retiring from Dominion Virginia Power with 28 years of service in 2010, I worked at St. Lucie Nuclear Power Station in Florida for 21 months on their Extended Power Uprate Project, leaving the site in December 2012 and working part time from home to close out some contracts until June 2013, when I retired for good. Glenda retired early in 2012, so we decided to live in England for six months this year as a retirement gift to ourselves. “In mid-April, we rented a flat in London for three months. London is a fabulous city, and it took three months to see everything we wanted to see. I was able to attend day three of Wimbledon and saw the Tour de France ride into London in July. We did have a scare while in London. I have been blind in my left eye the last nine years due to a torn and detached retina that wouldn’t stay attached after four surgeries in 10 months. A fifth surgery filled my eye with oil to stabilize the retina, but I do not see any objects out of the eye, just light. Our second weekend in London, the retina in my right eye tore, but did not detach. Fortunately, the best eye hospital in the world is in London, and I received excellent treatment. “After London, we took a train to Liverpool for all four days of the Open Championship at Royal Liverpool in July. Glenda went with me Thursday and Sunday and my son, Robert, joined me Friday and Saturday. The atmosphere was absolutely electric as Rory McIlroy held off his challengers to win the Claret Jug. We spent Sunday in the bleachers at the 18th green and watched every group finish. There was a BBC cameraman on the stairs adjacent to my seat the last hour. Just before the trophy presentation, as he was panning the crowd, he filmed Glenda, who was seen on television by a friend in northern Virginia. “After Liverpool, we rented a car and spent a week in each part of Wales and England. Highlights of the adventure included visiting the castles in northern Wales, Dartmoor National Park in Devon, over a dozen cathedrals throughout England, Highclere Castle where ‘Downton Abbey’ is filmed, Stonehenge, Dover, the Imperial War Museum at Duxford and the Lake District. I drove almost 7,200 miles around Wales and England in 11 weeks. We ended our journey back in London, where we saw the amazing ‘Blood Swept Land and Seas of Red’ at the Tower of London before flying home. This memorial commemorates the British and Commonwealth servicemen who died in World War I by ‘planting’ 888,246 red ceramic poppies in the moat of the Tower of London. The installation began after we left London in July and is expected to complete Nov. 11, Armistice Day. It is an amazing memorial. “The six month adventure was a wonderful

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experience, filled with memories. We highly recommend retirement!” I’m sold, BR. Thank you. Chris Jones sent a quick note with this: “Larry, wanted to suggest that we put in the class notes info on the book ‘The Hard Corps, 21st Century Leadership Development’ by long time faculty member and now fellow at the Institute, Stewart Husted, who is also the father of a graduate from the Class of 1996. It is a great read. It touches on our class and classes familiar to us, but it mainly focuses on the Institute today. It details lots of changes, most of them improvements, on the VMI systems and attributes. It is available on Amazon.” Thanks, and done, BR. Tom Moncure wrote to Jim Barnes and your scribe of hosting his dyke, Frank Novakowski ’69, and his wife for ’69’s 45th Reunion. Many Old Corps stories, memories and excellent ideas for our 45th (sooner than you think, BRs). When commenting on Jim’s Facebook news of fishing trips, combat-veteran Tom, in his inimitable selfdeprecating style, said that, while he can relate to wedding pictures, “...fishing, not so much. Air Force Survival School built in me an aversion to anything involving bugs, water, nature, weather and dirt. I do my fishing at the local Kroger grocery and the fish just lie there on the ice for me to ‘catch.’” Too modest to a fault, BR. That’s it for now, all. Be safe, watch over you and yours, and Rah Virginia Mil! Larry

’73

Mike Kelly

I hope all of you are doing well! It is almost Halloween as I write these notes. I’m sitting in Tampa, Florida, at a retirement center where I’ve just moved my dad. It is 86 degrees and a cloudless day here in the bay area. They have had some really nice weather this week. I haven’t seen Roland Tiso so far this trip. Jim Heine sent me a note informing me he lives in the Clearwater area just across the bay. Both Roland and Jim offered to help get Dad moved in; however my brother, Rick, and brother-inlaw, Jeff Tewksbury, were here to help. This is a major change for Dad, especially after living in the mountains of southwest Virginia for over 55 years! So far he is being a real trooper, and I think he will adapt well – especially since my sister is here and my mother has been staying with her this year. And, as it turns out, my son, Derek, is being transferred to Orlando, Florida. He is on his way South, and I will meet him later this week. Hopefully we can get him settled in by Halloween, at which point I will head back home to

Raleigh. I’ve been gone for nearly three months and need to get back before Pat changes the locks on me! Derek will be working on a new construction project at Universal Studios. Roland and I thought that perhaps we might get his daughter, Allie, and Derek together! Both are good looking youngsters with a lot going for them – who knows. Allie is still with the Pittsburgh Ballet but has been asked to come to Tampa in December to be the professional performer (Sugar Plum Fairy) in the Nutcracker at the studio where she used to work. What an honor! Congratulations, Allie. Maybe we can all work it out to come down. C.J., his other daughter, will be getting married in April. Roland was in Pittsburgh the end of August for the North American Championships and did very well, then came home and won the Hurricane Bay Bodybuilding Championship’s Master 60 Class. The old boy loves it! Pat and I had a wonderful visit with Roland and Judie in August, and Roland and I got to spend some quality time in his “trophy room.” We look forward to many get-togethers soon. I had a note in mid-September from Bill Stephens. He and Tom Napier had been to Lexington for a ballgame, and after returning home, Tom became very ill and was in the hospital several days. He was extremely weak, passed out and fell, which ruptured his spleen and broke some ribs. Fortunately, after a few rough days, he was better and able to go home. Glad you healed up quickly, Tom! Bill Stephens informed me in September that Webb Tyler’s sister had died. I was in Virginia at the time and never received additional details. Please keep Webb and his family in your thoughts and prayers during this time of reflection. Dale Kitchen said he had seen Tom and Bill at the game, and they were doing fine. Dale said Tom was telling everyone about the 20-plus day bike ride he and Rich Lykins did over the summer – a coast to coast adventure. Hope you got to see some of their pictures – what a wonderful trip! Dale also visited with G.G. and Ann Gray and Mark Weiss at the game. I still have hopes to make a game before the end of the season! Dale said his daughter, Kaitlin, is still working with the environmental company Booz Allen Hamilton and started in the master’s program at George Washington University this fall. His son, Cody, started his senior year at Princeton University. As I mentioned earlier, Tom Napier and Rich Lykins completed their coast-to-coast motorcycle trip in 25 days – 19 states and 8,000 miles. They had a wonderful time. (However, Tom said something about a sore butt? Imagine that!) Both were very grateful to their wives for supporting them in this “bucket list” adventure,

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CLASS NOTES and they reiterated what a beautiful country this really is and encouraged everyone to get out and see it. In the last Review issue, I detailed Mac Kirkpatrick’s trip out West, where he covered 8,600 miles and 22 states. He and his wife, Melanie, are currently doing a similar trip with their 1986 Toyota Land Cruiser, which is modified for off-road travel and camping. I have not heard much back from him yet about this trip, but he said they had stayed one night at Fort Leonard Wood and noted that when they checked into the post hotel, there was a picture of Maj. Gen. Dillard ’42 hanging on the wall, along with a 1942 Bomb and a story about him and his family. Apparently he was killed in a helicopter crash in Vietnam. Mac said it was really neat to read up on a famous alumnus, and the building was actually named after him. Mac said their daughter, Julia, is in her second year at Temple University, and their son, Clark, is in his 1st Class year at VMI. Keep us posted on your travels, Mac, and please be careful. Bob Poynor is changing his motorcycle routine and traded in his BMW for a new bright yellow Can-Am Spyder. (Sorry, Mac, but he did ride BMWs for more than 30 years!) Bob said the new bike is a 3-wheeler so he doesn’t have to put his feet down at stop lights anymore. In the last edition of the Review, I mentioned that Bob’s wife, Sandy, had been diagnosed with cancer. Bob said Sandy has recently undergone chemotherapy. So far the news is good, and the treatments have been successful. He anticipates that she will undergo some surgery in the near future and continues to remain positive. Please keep Sandy and Bob in your

thoughts and prayers. I had a note from Scott Lingamfelter, who said he has now completed 10 years “cancer free” after having prostate surgery. He reminded all of us that we need to have regular exams and to be very health conscious. Scott and Shelley just celebrated their 35th anniversary June 7. Their son John ’08 is a U.S. Air Force captain and his U.S. Air Force captain wife, Erika (U.S. Air Force Academy ’09), are having their first son (Scott’s first grandchild) in February. Their daughter, Amy (James Madison University ’05), and her husband, Nick, will have their first child in April. Scott and Shelley are pretty excited to have two grandchildren coming in the New Year. Their other son, Paul ’12, is in Falls Church, Virginia, works for a major wine distribution firm in Virginia and is quite the expert when it comes to choosing a wine. Bill Spencer confirmed that he was going to retire Dec. 12, although he wasn’t sure exactly what he would do in the future but has offered to put anyone up if they come to Florida. (I just came through Jacksonville last Friday pulling a big trailer with my dad’s furniture in it! Will they ever finish those roads?) Bill and Linda planned to be in Lexington for Founders Day and our 175th anniversary! Ed Hall said he has been pretty busy lately working on some new contracts for his company and traveling to Calgary for meetings. He was recently re-elected commander for the local American Legion Post and president of his gun club, and he serves on Maryland’s Board for Rifle and Pistol. Ed has also been busy with the VMI fall college fair season and went to New Market Sept. 7 to witness the new cadet

Class of 1973: Rick Gribling’s daughter, Rachel Gribling, married James Moreland in Edinburgh, Scotland, in August 2014. From left: Ronnie Moreland and Judith Moreland, parents of the groom; James Moreland, the groom; Rachel Gribling, the bride; and Rebekah and Rick Gribling.

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oath, charge and parade. Three new cadets from his area were participating. Thanks to you and all our brother rats for your work in recruiting efforts in the Maryland area and other places around the country. I had notes from a couple BRs who said hello. Larry and Laurel Cerruti are doing well and sent their regards. John Semmel, who attended the Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Sciences in York, Pennsylvania, has been working at Semmel Funeral Home and Crematorium. However, John said he is now spending more time as a mortuary officer for the Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team. Hugh Long sent a note asking everyone to participate in the college logo contest. Great hearing from you guys. Rick Gribling sent a note to say that his daughter’s wedding went really well in Edinburgh, Scotland. Check out the wedding party’s picture in this issue of the Review. John Sterrett sent a note to say that he has two children, now ages 7 and 5, so he is still doing Disney and Lego’s on a regular basis – many of us are doing that with grandkids! John has visited Lexington several times and really thinks the changes being made are great, and he hopes to get his kids up there in the spring. Tom and Bonnie Clark have not been traveling as much this fall. However, they did trade in their pop-up camper for a travel trailer. They are really excited about that and ready to get out camping again. Tom said they participated in a rat send-off in August with the Rocky Mountain Chapter, and he represented VMI at a college fair in October. I mentioned earlier that I had a nice note from Jim Heine. Jim lives in Clearwater, Florida, which is west of Tampa across the bay. He said he is now the proud grandpa of Daniel Grant Knuth, who was born Sept. 23 to his daughter, Meg. Meg lives next door, so Jim is getting plenty of grandpa time and is thoroughly enjoying it. His son, David, is also a neighbor and does some night work as a stand-up comic in the Tampa area. Brent Shumate also lives in the Tampa area, so we should plan a get-together soon with Roland, Jim, Brent and me on a trip to Tampa. Stuart Seaton sent me a couple notes wishing me well and also sent a picture of the class “hunting club” members out on their first fall hunt. Unfortunately, we did not have a clear enough copy to get into the Review, but I can assure you that if that group didn’t scare up some wild game, I don’t know what could! Stuart, Darrell Rickmond, John Pinner, Danny Williamson and Mark Weiss were certainly a motley looking crew. They had fun, but I did not see any big game in the picture. Buck Harrison and several other BRs sent notes about the experiences they have had with

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CLASS NOTES taking care of parents. With people living longer now, this is apparently a fairly common thing, so it would certainly be of benefit to our children for all of us to begin planning now for our future long-term care needs. Buck said he was doing well and sent his best regards to everyone. Tom and Lois Jennings spent part of their summer dealing with his mother, who was in the hospital for a couple of months before passing away. Our thoughts and prayers go out to you all, Tom! Lois also ended up in the hospital during the summer for a hip replacement. Once they managed to heal over their loss and surgery, Tom suggested they spend his birthday together at Harpers Ferry, one of their favorite places to visit. Tom said there were very few people around and the view was spectacular. Lois has a bookkeeping business which continues to do well, and Tom still works with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, although he is thinking about retiring sometime in the near future. Neil Carlson wrote to say that they enjoyed a really nice summer in Louisiana. The days were warm and nights cool with no humidity. (Are you sure you’re still in Louisiana, Neil?) Neil said that he and his wife, Jennie, planned to stay around home during the holidays, but they were going to New Orleans in January for their 20th wedding anniversary and the 200th anniversary celebration of the Battle of New Orleans. In the spring, they will pick up their camping adventures. I mentioned in the last issue of the Review that George Tisdale moved to California. On his way out during the summer, he also stopped in to visit with Mike and Mary Burke and enjoyed many of the St. Louis sites, as well as the Burke’s pool. Mike said it was great to catch up on some things, as they had not spent any time together in the past few years. George left and stayed some with Dave Northcraft and Tom Clark as he moved across country. Mike said that perhaps we needed to open a hotel chain of BRs and call it Motel 73. Our motto could be, “We’ll leave a beer out for you!” Mike and Mary are both still working. Mike teaches at the community college, and Mary is working with the American Dental Association. P.X. English attended the VMI versus the U.S. Naval Academy game in the fall and said he saw Corey Regelin and John and Patti DiGiovanni from a distance. I heard from several more of you that had planned to go, but I have not gotten any further reports. (I don’t think it turned out to be much of a game.) P.X. has been busy with new cadet recruiting, along with Ed Hall. They reported that they have 17 Marylander’s in the current rat class. He and John DiGiovanni also manned the VMI table at a college fair in Columbia, Maryland, in October. This issue’s “Lost BR Award” goes to E.D.

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(Rusty) Woomer. I can’t remember whether I have ever had a note from E.D., although he said it had been a long time since he had written, but he said he was still around and kicking. He sent me a new email address, so hopefully we can stay in touch. E.D. retired from the pipeline industry after 41 years. He and his wife, Janet, plan to do some traveling and then relocate to Asheville, North Carolina, sometime in the next year. He said he had had it with the Houston, Texas, heat, humidity, traffic and other stuff. He was looking forward to the mountains, four distinct seasons, colored fall foliage and even some snow. Asheville is beautiful, E.D., so come on over to the North Carolina mountains. Well, that is about all for now. When you read these notes we will be in mid-winter. I’m sure that the weather will be quite different from how it is now here in sunny Florida; Pat just told me it is supposed to be rainy and cold this weekend in Raleigh as I head home. Derek checked on the weather in Boone, North Carolina, where he attended Appalachian State University, and they are expecting 4-8 inches of snow this weekend with 12-plus inches at higher elevations. I expect we’ll be wishing for an early spring. I hope that all of you had a great holiday season and a happy New Year. Stay in touch. In the bonds, Mike

’74

Snookie Parker

Greetings Brother Rats, family and friends! Nov. 1, 2014 – Well, it has been an eventful couple of months and a particularly stellar weekend. After experiencing a significant drop in temperature from a high in the mid-80s to a low in the mid-30s in less than 24 hours (looks like we may go straight to winter from summer this year), we have recovered from a chilly but fun Halloween night of cute little ghouls and goblins gracing our porch. Highlights for this weekend: The VMI Logo Final Four victory over Washington State University is history – VMI is in the finals up against North Carolina State University ... and the experts are saying if NC State were to win, it would be a bigger upset than NC State beating Houston in 1983 NCAA Basketball finals; VMI beat Furman University in football; the Gators upset Georgia in the Gator Bowl; and I had an afternoon visit to the Wilson, North Carolina, Whirl-i-Gig Festival, which included some pretty darn good Beatles and Eagles Legacy Tribute Bands. I also received notice and that it was official – Gary Trinkle retired as of Nov. 1, 2014. I thought that bit of news would have

been the lead story on CNN, but alas, the election has taken priority. I hope Alison is ready for Gary’s retirement. All kidding aside, congrats, Gary. Time to relax a little ... you have certainly earned it. I have an anomaly to report. Last week I lost two coin challenges – one to Pat Flynn and one to Pete Shelley – almost back-to-back. Background on the first coin challenge: Marla and I met Pat and Sue Flynn in Las Vegas, Nevada, for a long weekend of fun. We stayed at the Hilton Grand on the north end of strip. The real purpose of the trip was to see John Fogerty (of Credence Clearwater Revival fame) in concert (he was fabulous – high energy and onstage for two hours straight). We did see Shania Twain at the Wednesday night – another great concert. Pat and Sue toured the Hoover Damn Thursday while Marla and I walked the strip and shopped, stopping at Paris, Paris’ Mon Ami for lunch and the famous fountain show at the Bellagio. As a side note, I have to admit I took small pleasures walking into several very high end shops with my Marshall’s bag. We saw the Love/Beatlesthemed Circe de Soleil at the Mirage. Pat and I did do some teleconference work each morning before the ladies awoke, taking full advantage the Pacific time zone environment. We saw John Fogerty Friday night at The Palms. Normally, I carry a coin or two with me in case I run into a BR in need. This particular night, my coins were left in the room. At dinner before the concert, out comes Pat’s coin. Boom! Caught without coin! The second coin challenge – The next morning, Marla and I took an early flight to make Taryn Shelley’s wedding (Pete and Susan Shelley’s daughter) in Raleigh, North Carolina. It was tight timing, but we hustled from the airport in time to see the bride enter the church. It was a wonderful ceremony followed by a fabulous reception – kudos to Susan ... and Pete. It was the same venue as the reception of Chris Forbes ’11 (Rich and Ann’s son), a couple of month ago. As Yogi Berra might say, déjà vu all over again. They had a great dance band from Richmond. In an impromptu moment, Zach Murray, the groom and a drummer, took the stage with his old college band to play a few songs. Sometime during the evening, Pete coined me. In my haste to make the wedding, I did not have coins on me. I told Pete, I’ll buy you a drink, but I’m not paying for the reception! An Old Yell was provided by the alumni in attendance: Pete Shelley, Drew Turner ’72 (Laura), Bob Campbell ’68 (Lisa), Will Bynam ’77 (Tricia) and myself ... and including Susan Shelley and twin sister Sarah Patterson, who were representing Bill Smithey ’39, their father (deceased), in this Old Yell. In mid-August, David and Susan Sheppard visited Wilson, North Carolina, on a house hunting trip. David mentioned he is on the verge of

VMI ALUMNI REVIEW

CLASS NOTES retiring. They are empty nesting, and the Tidewater area where they live has gotten too crowded. Their dilemma was deciding whether to sell now or wait until spring. Actually, their first dilemma is deciding whether they really want to move at all. We gave them some insights on neighborhoods in Wilson, drove them around a bit and recommended a local agent. We did dine in the Beastmaster, a local “guy owned and run” steak place – always a unique adventure. As of this writing, David and Susan are still contemplating. Col. Roy Samuel Ratcliffe, director of Career Services at VMI, was ranked fifth among leaders in the field of career services, according to a national survey that include responses from more than 750 career service professionals from 520 institutions which asked to name the most visionary and forward thinking leaders in the career services field. Sammy has over 30 years of experience in the field of career services and is president of the National Association of Colleges and Employers, an organization that tracks employment statistics regarding college graduates. Well done, Sammy! Billy Haught spent a week with Pat and Sue Flynn in St. Augustine Beach, Florida. I think more than a few beers were quaffed that week as they toured St. Augustine. Pat suggested that they had attended the topless volleyball tournament on the beach, and I suggest that if it were true, it was probably an all-male event. Kent Wheeles maintains a key leadership role in the Central North Carolina/Raleigh Alumni Chapter. The leadership team is on a mission to revitalize the chapter. Kudos to Kent! I saw the video of Phil and Randi Parker’s ALS ice-bucket challenge – chilling! Stu Ashton reported on a recent visit by Bob Braren – first time in 40 years. I’m sure Bob finds it hard to leave the pristine living on Marco Island, Florida. Stu and Bob toured the Richmond area battlefields of 1862, 1864 and 1865. Stu noted no change in results. Bob also traveled to the Tidewater area to visit Paul Van Doren. I understand that there is good news on Lisa Braren’s cancer diagnosis. It was caught early and treated with a good result. I was looking for a “SITREP” on the VMI versus the U.S. Naval Academy football game. Marla and I were disappointed that we could not attend. We’ve established a quasi-tradition of a weekend in Annapolis, Maryland, highlighted by the VMI versus Navy game. I understand Jim Cottrell (and his girlfriend), John and Mary Ann Valenstein, Jim Huddle, and Debbie and Charley Banning attended, along with Donnie Ross. There may have been other BRs there who have gone unreported. Pat Flynn and I struck up a business partnership with Mike Cole helping a CA information technology software company with efforts to

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penetrate the government market space with an IT app solution for government clients. We are also working on a parallel effort for rapid deployable mobile isolation chambers to support in the Ebola crisis in West Africa. We have really enjoyed working with Mike – if you can call it work. Too much fun! Kudos to Mark Shively. His work, “CAPTURED, A Showing of Photography,” was featured in the Centre Gallery East at ArtWorks Studios and Galleries in Richmond, Virginia. Roland Lazenby’s book, “Michael Jordan, the Life,” is getting rave reviews and doing quite well. Glenn Greene’s wife (and Gene Rice’s sister), Grace, has just published her sixth book, “Beach Christmas, a Novella,” and includes the short story, “Beach Towel” – stories that take place in Emerald Island, North Carolina. Kudos to all! Charlie Gardner circulated a 1940 jazzy rendition of the “VMI Spirit” by Bob Cosby’s Bobcats (on an old 45 record). A nice bit of musical history; no doubt rivaled by Jethro Tull and the VMI Commander’s Jazz Band in Richmond in early October 2014. Now, I would like to have been there to witness that. I did not receive a lot of detail on the annual “He Comes the Judge” gathering of the Tidewater Breakfast Club in October ... at a beer garden, no less. This is that quasi-business trip to the beach Judge Bill Minor makes annually with his colleagues and fits in a visit with our Tidewater BRs. I’m sure it was a nice event, and no one got arrested. Of course, if they did, they might know a judge or two that could help! I do have some sad news to report. William “June Bug” Allison died Feb. 4, 2014. My contact information for June Bug has not been current for some time. I had heard a rumor of his passing through the grapevine late in the summer but had a very difficult time confirming, so I have hesitated reporting. Charley Banning and I scoured the net to find any information on June Bug. What little information we found was not official. However, it appears that William did die in Texas Feb. 4, 2014. I understand William had kidney problems and was on a donor list. He was in California for a long time and then Oregon for a short period of time. He moved to Texas to improve his standing on a kidney donor list and to be close to his sister, who was a nurse. While in Texas, he took a fall, and his kidneys swelled and subsequently failed, causing his death. I believe June Bug’s roommates were Paul Holleyfield and Doug Workman, and I understand that June Bug kept in contact with Donnie Cumberland. More to follow on William. Keep his family in your prayers! Class agent plea! Don’t be caught without your class coin. If you need one, send $10 (cost of coin and postage). Please forward any news regarding

births, deaths, illnesses, marriages and other significant events concerning your family and/or careers. Brother rats are interested and do care. I know email addresses have a half-life of about six months. Keep us current. Send your updated email address to me snookieparker1974@earthlink.net, Charley Banning cbanning@cox.net or Kevin Nettrour (our webmaster) nettrour@ accessus.net. Check out the website. Send me a note. Yada, Yada, Yada and Yaba Daba Dooooo! Warm regards, Snookie

’75

Art Nunn III

As I begin to prepare these notes, it a beautiful fall day, the leaves are changing, the Keydet football team is struggling and the Keydet basketball team is in preseason practice. By the time you read this, it will be the middle of winter, the snow will be flying and we will be looking forward to spring, and our 40th Reunion. I hope all of you have had a great 2014 and that all of you will be attending our reunion in April. In recent months, I was very disappointed that life intervened, and I was not able to attend a roommate reunion with Dave Schuyler, Randy Frank and Mike Fleenor. The terrifying threesome gathered Chez Schuyler Friday night, then journeyed to Lexington Saturday where they attended the VMI versus Mercer University football game and engaged is various forms of frivolity. Following the game, the trio returned to Roanoke to Chez Schuyler, where memories were rehashed, lies were told and a great time was had by all. I really wish I could have been there. Uncle Dave Schuyler is enjoying retirement, rudely interrupted from time to time with substitute teaching. Col. Randy Frank is also semi-retired, though I am not sure what that means. His sojourn to the East Coast lasted several weeks, so I am not too sure how much actual work is still involved in his daily life. Mike Fleenor, on the other hand, continues to work hard as an orthopedic surgeon in Bristol, Virginia. Mike apparently still loves the practice of medicine, but does not love his management position on the board of his medical practice. Who can blame him for that? Several weeks after the Room 37 crew gathered together, Judy and I were fortunate enough to make a gathering of stalwart individuals, including Allen and Sandy Morgan, Bonnie and Oliver Way, Judy and Tom Baur, Shelly and Kimo Wong, and Anne and Ben Vanderberry. We were joined for golf Friday afternoon by

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CLASS NOTES Stewart Fleming and Tom Mason. Stewart was also able to join us for dinner that evening. We all had a great time, though it was difficult to use the term “golf” for what Allen, Ben and I played. That night at dinner, the Lexington Golf and Country Club had the great foresight to put all of us in a private room. Given our behavior in prior years, that was a very good idea – although everybody exhibited very good conduct that night. Saturday morning, we all gathered for tailgate fun at the tents offered by Anne and Ben Vanderberry, as well as the tent offered by Lee and Billy Hunter. I guess the proper way to put it is that we freeloaded off the hospitality of the Vanderberrys and the Hunters. Anyway, we then attended the heartbreaker of the VMI versus Gardner-Webb University football game, and then we gathered at Sandy and Allen Morgan’s house in Fairfield for dinner, drinks and generally civilized activities. Sunday morning brought goodbyes as we all returned to our homes. One important side note associated with these activities is the Anne and Ben Vanderberry’s son, Ben, is a cadet captain and is company commander of Company G. Talk about the apple falling very far from the tree! Well, young Ben himself approached me Saturday evening and asked me to pass along that he fully expects to be harassed “significantly” by members of the Class of ’75 as he passes in review during the reunion parade during our 40th. Also, young Ben was just notified that he has received a flight school slot in the U.S. Navy. That is highly competitive, and he should be congratulated. I can tell you that Mom and Dad Vanderberry are two very proud parents! Now, on to other news. Everett, alias Easy Ryder, checked in for the first time in quite a few years. He and his wife, Katie, headed back to Lexington recently for the Ride to the I. Easy says that he is happy to have survived life’s trials and tribulations, and he wonders how he ever got to where he is, but he credits his time at VMI with helping him become who he is. Easy has five children, 10 grandchildren and one great-granddaughter. He was fortunately able to retire from the Department of Navy after 35 years as a nuclear manager. He has traveled the world at the government’s expense and has been to places few can claim. Since retirement, Everett found a business as a dealer for pedal karts (Easy Ryder Pedal Karts) and brought them to Virginia Beach in hopes they will be the next fad. Models range from bikes with no pedals to the Ferrari with seven gears and top speed of 35 miles an hour for the man who has everything. It is a good feeling to bring something new to the Virginia Beach area. Easy’s son has been in the Army for a little over 12 years and just returned from Germany with his family after two tours.

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He is now stationed at Fort Drum in New York. Bernie Cobb had open heart surgery Sept. 4. The surgery went well. His rehab involves a lot of eating and sleeping sandwiched between a few walks. Bernie reports that he is milking the gim for all it’s worth. By now, Bernie should be back to abnormal. Richard McFarland is trying to reconnect with his roommate Mike Woodward. I sent along his contact information as it appears on the VMI Alumni website. This makes for a good reminder that everybody can look up old BRs and other friends by going to https://www.vmialumni.org/page.aspx?pid=1416 and clicking on “Directories.” If you are not registered, you will have to do so, but that is quick and easy. Rich and Beth Mines are finally empty-nesters! They dropped off their youngest, Daniel, at Georgia State University Aug. 21. He is studying sociology. Their eldest, Andrew, will complete his Bachelor of Arts degree in music (classical guitar) at the University of Georgia in May. Beth and Rich took advantage as empty-nesters for a short get away to Jekyll Island, Georgia, over Labor Day weekend. On Oct. 15, they all met in Atlanta to be treated to a 3-hour concert by Sir Paul McCartney at Philips arena. He still has good pipes for a 72-year-old rocker! Chuck Wohlrab is still enjoying the good life in Abu Dhabi. He has been there for two years. Chuck writes that there is a guy on the contract from the Class of ’85, Mike Gonsalves. Rumor has it another guy will be showing up as well, so perhaps they’ll have enough folks to have a mini Founders Day! On the homefront, Deb and the kids are still in New Zealand. They made a conscious decision to not have the family relocate due to the high cost of schooling and the fact that the kids would have a fit leaving their respective high schools. Their older son, Philip, is now working for the Virginia Army National Guard surgeon general’s office full time at beautiful Fort Pickett. Daughter Kirkland has left the Sigma Nu home office and now works for a software company in Durham, North Carolina. Harley Myler shared an interesting – if not a little bit embarrassing – story. He received a text message from his daughter Krifka: “Did you ever eat at the Southern Inn in Lexington?” Harley replied, “Of course, but mainly I got dancing on the tables drunk there.” Harley’s thought was that since his daughter is something of a foodie, she may have read something in a magazine about it. The next text contained a photo of the Southern Inn with a young child standing in front of it. Harley said to his wife Nancy, who had many dinners there with him but few drunkfests, “Why did Krifka send a picture of the SI with some little kid in it?” To which she replied in wife-of-40-years fashion, “That’s Grant, you idiot!” Grant is their grandson, and no, he was

not named for our BR Grant Scott. So, it turns out that their daughter and her husband decided to take a road trip from Philly to his parents’ place in Atlanta and elected to stop in Lexington for a quick tour of the “I” and dinner at the Southern Inn. Grant (the grandson, not the BR) was shown VMI and was quite interested in the whole uniforms, marching, living in a barracks thing and the fact that his grandpa went there. Maybe these things skip a generation. Harley is considering getting him a provisional appointment, but his other grandpa and dad are going to be pushing Wake Forest University – where’s the fun in that? Bo Temple is still fighting the “big C” while he and Nancy settle in their new home in Richmond. He does some consulting and sits on four corporate boards. They enjoyed a busy summer (their daughter and son-in-law bought a café in Richmond, and their son is working on his Doctor of Philosophy degree at Virginia Commonwealth University). Also, the American Society of Civil Engineers just conveyed the John I. Parcel-Leif J. Sverdrup Civil Engineering Management Award for engineering leadership to Bo. The award was quite a surprise and was very humbling. Meanwhile, Bill Overton reported that his youngest son and his wife had a baby boy, Benjamin, July 23, and his oldest son and his wife had a baby girl, Caroline, Sept. 18. They now have three grandkids and just love being grandparents. Bill is still a sitting judge in Florida but is looking forward to retirement in less than two years. Lenny Riedel reported that Todd Sain’s update continues to be encouraging. It is a hard road to hoe but with faith and determination, they are doing all that man can do. After a great Old Guys Weekend in Las Vegas, Nevada, with Jim McCriskin, John Greene and Phil Brozowski ’76, they are looking forward to an expanded get-together in 2015 after the reunion. Anyone interested in joining them sometime in June or so should let Lenny know. It was good and clean and fun – and Crisco and Bozo had hot dice that paid for practically all their meals. They also went to the shop on Pawn Stars. A Catholic Church service ended a first class event. Lenny is looking forward to the 40th. He did a program with the Blue & Gray Education Society on Hunter in the Valley. Attendees were entranced by the barracks tour, the VMI Museum and the Marshall Museum. I saw Lowrie Tucker at the Gardner-Webb football game. He and Kathy are proud to announce that their grandson, Oscar Giuseppe Addotta, was born Sept. 28. He arrived almost a month early but is healthy and strong. Their daughter, Kassie, and Rich are very happy parents, although they are suffering from lack of

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CLASS NOTES sleep. Lowrie and Kathy made a very quick trip to Boston to be there when the baby arrived. Lowrie is now soliciting donations of frequent flyer miles to give to Kathy to keep them from going bankrupt. Tad MacGowan had a busy summer, including several trips with family and several opportunities to do some sailing. He is continuing to love life in the Annapolis, Maryland, area with Bev, as well as frequent visits from family. Tad also reported that his brother, Tim, is a big Washington Nationals fan, and in August, they went to a game together. As they were walking toward the stadium, three men in business suits and Nats caps walked out of their office building just in front of them. As they passed them, Tad took a side glance and said to himself, “That looks like Dan Schultz.” It was Dan, and they had a nice mini reunion right there on the streets of Washington, D.C. In the same general geographic area, Dan and Vickie Darnell are doing well. Their youngest just moved his family to northern Virginia (assigned to the Pentagon), so Vickie and Dan are very happy to have all seven grandchildren within a couple of hours. Barb and Scott Risser continue to serve as needed in the Lexington/Rockbridge County area. Barb serves a volunteer docent at the Stonewall Jackson House and volunteers several hours each week helping the VMI Museum professionally catalog their reference collection on several thousand books and items. Scott serves as a volunteer docent at the Stonewall Jackson House; as president of the Lexington Rotary club; and as a member of the boards of directors of the local Military Officers Association of America, the local alumni association chapter and the Rockbridge Area Relief Association. Barb and Scott also serve on the building committee for their congregation in Waynesboro, Virginia. In addition, they host three cadets – one each from the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Classes. They had two cadet families stay with them recently – five guests in all. Scott is so impressed by the caliber of the young people who comprise the Corps these days. Scott also sees Stewart Fleming almost weekly since they are both in the same Rotary Club. Salvo Lape has been a tad bit busy as well. Karen retired from the classroom after 25 years of teaching and is adjusting nicely to life after full-time employment. Dave Jr. remains stationed at Fort Belvoir and is busy doing sergeant stuff with the Army. Stephanie finished medical school in May. She and husband J.J. are in Grand Junction, Colorado, for the next three years while she completes her residency. Who knows where they’ll head after that? Finally, Salvo and Karen moved to San Antonio, Texas, in August, for milder weather and a slower pace than that

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afforded by northern Virginia. They are enjoying it immensely, and they are hoping that Greg and Ann Stultz will join them there since they seemed to like it when they were in town some months back. As Greg put it – describing San Antonio and Texas in general – “There’s guns, margaritas, republicans and no snow plows. What’s not to like?” You just have to love that man’s literary genius. Jay Jones wrote that he had a great summer! The highlight was taking the kids and grandkids camping and whitewater rafting in West Virginia. Jay is still employed – at least through December when the contract expires. He is working for Whitney, Bradley & Brown, Inc. on an analysis of alternatives contract supporting Headquarters Air Combat Command. After December ... who knows? Well, Dawn knows. She says Jay can’t retire yet, because she doesn’t want him sitting around. Ann and Bill Turpin went to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point versus Rice University football game Oct. 10 and had a great visit with Charlie Kaune at West Point. Charlie and Lynn will try to come to our April reunion. His hair was never this short at VMI (he shaved it). He probably scares the crap out of some young West Point cadets! Dean Armstrong spent a weekend with Doug Conte in Chicago, Illinois, where Doug enters miniature soldiers that he paints into shows. He hasn’t entered anything in a while, but he won a bronze medal for his entry this year. He’s rather good at it. Dean has been flying a lot during the summer – mostly international. He spent a week in Normandy in September with members of the Niland family (Saving Private Ryan was loosely based on the family of four brothers who served and two who were killed during the Normandy campaign). Quite an interesting trip. Finola Kavanaugh sent a note, because she always tries to get Kevin to write something, but he never does. As a result, she has sent correspondence as his official “representative.” Their son Daniel is a sophomore at Virginia Tech and Kevin can’t resist pit stopping at VMI on the way to Blacksburg. He is always reminiscing about his time at the Institute! Some of it might even be true! Lastly, I received an actual, hand-written note from Glenn Garland. I wasn’t sure what to do with it. I tried cutting and pasting, but it just made my screen sticky. Man, I really respect my predecessors as class agent! Anyway, Glenn is still hanging in there with the Medical Department of the North Carolina National Guard and teaching at the University of North Carolina. He went on a train/hiking/biking tour across central Germany this past spring and is hoping to do more of that in the future. Glenn is soliciting any interested BRs to join him.

Well, my brothers, that is about it for this issue. As always, thanks so very much for your support. Please keep your changing email addresses updated so we can keep you informed with respect to our upcoming 40th Reunion. I have no doubt that a great time will be had by all. In the spirit, Artie

’76

William Bhatta

These notes were written Nov. 1. For your information: Typically, I send class notes to the Alumni Review on the 15th day of February, May and August to be published later. Nov. 1 is the exception. Mike Stauffer sent a quick note. He lives in Las Vegas, Nevada, and has been working at the McCarran International Airport the past 18 years. Mike and his wife, Priscilla, are the guardians for their 8- and 9-year-old grandsons, so you can imagine they are very busy! Mike said he has not been back to VMI since 1976 but plans to attend the 40th Reunion in 2016. I also heard from Mark Moncure. He has lived in Poquoson, Virginia, for the past 20 years. Mark completed his Air Force career at Langley Air Force Base in 1994 and started a contracting job with General Dynamics at U.S. Joint Forces Command in Suffolk, Virginia. In 2009, he started working at Training and Doctrine Command in Fort Monroe, Virginia, until the post closed and TRADOC relocated to Fort Eustis, Virginia. Mark said Fort Eustis is not as picturesque as Fort Monroe – I agree. In 2010, he transitioned from contractor to government service employment and has been working at the Army Capabilities Integration Center for the past six years. Mark said it was, “Kind of weird [working there] after 20 years of Air Force service ...” He said Maj. Gen. Cedric Wins ’85 is the director of capabilities developments at TRADOC. “Now doesn’t that make you feel old? Today’s general officers are now members of classes 10 years younger than us!” Rick Biram retired from Honeywell International last June after 36 years of service. Repairs on his home and traveling are his new priorities. Rick and Cecilia celebrated their 38th wedding anniversary last July. They have three children. Curtis is a software engineer, Jessica is a graphics designer and Angela is a chef. Rick said, “All are actively looking for opportunities to improve themselves, so if there’s anyone out there who needs [their] expertise, let me know.” Mark Sculley checked-in. Bernadette and their two sons are doing well in Belgium. Christian is

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CLASS NOTES 18 and will graduate from high school in June. stop by the Center for Leadership and Ethics, Daniel is 14 and still aiming to attend VMI. Ber- Marshall Hall, where Tom Zeugner is recognadette doesn’t want him to go into the Army, nized in the Hall of Valor. because she thinks it’s too dangerous, so Daniel Last but not least: Have you ever wondered said he will join the Marines! Both boys are still what kind of gift to send your class agent? Well, competing on their wrestling team. Mark said, I need any old VMI T-shirts or polo shirts you “Should make Billy Karnes proud.” The Scul- want to get rid of. Send them to me – I need them leys considered returning to the U.S. to help for the 40th Reunion. Christian get started in junior college. Now it I hope to hear from you soon. Until next time, looks like the University of Maryland, Stuttgart keep the VMI spirit alive! campus will be the best alternative. In July, the Sculleys will move to Stuttgart, Germany, where Steve Neas Mark will be the foreign disclosure officer for U.S. European Command. Mark said, “Suits us fine. I know what the job entails, so it shouldn’t be too bad as my final assignment before retiring.” Mark saw his oldest son, Julian ’06, and Brother Rats, his daughter ,Virginia, last Labor Day in VirI hope this message finds all well and happy. I ginia Beach, Virginia. She is working for Stihl and Julian is working for Booz Allen Hamilton assume all are eating their Wheaties, exercising daily and maintaining a healthy attitude. in Washington, D.C. I have enjoyed arranging for the mini reunion. Now that Jeff Wall has retired, he is spending much of his time at the rifle range. At the time of I plan to offer this event each year until I am rethis note, he was scheduled to train a local police lieved of command. As J.J. Marshall told me, department SWAT team, developing a load for a even if one person attends, it is still a worthy client’s rifle to help spot the round on a known event ... and J.J. knows. distance range (500 yards) after it is fired and I have heard from only a few of you – a very considering other marksmanship training oppor- few, despite my pleas. I assume you all have tunities with several private companies. In your retirement years, you evidently get nominated for lots of things. Jeff said, “Last night, I was drafted into helping set up the decorations for a bridal shower for the young lady who is marrying our pastor’s son. Since they like to backpack, the theme for the shower is camping, and a lot of our gear is now decorating the sanctuary of our church – complete with bear box and a large stuffed bear in climbing harness and helmet trying to get to it.” And now the BR minute: Jeff Wall might be the last BR to retire from the military. His closest competition is Maj. Gen. Razz Waff (had a mandatory retirement date in December 2015). Anyone else still in the competition? Michelle and I sat two rows behind Rocky Glass (and his family), Doug Hines and John Swain (with his wife) at the VMI versus the U.S. Naval Academy game last October. Jim Delisio (and his wife) joined us at halftime. I think we terrified two 4th Class cadet’s parents who were waiting to meet their son and sitting in the row between us. To help “soften the blow,” I told the cadet’s mom only 50 percent of the Old Corps Rat Line terror stories narrated by Rocky, Doug, John Class of 1977: Mike Smith and Mike Parish and Jim were true. in Lincoln, Nebraska. The next time you are at VMI, please

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conspired to maintain the cone of silence in an effort to stretch me. I thank those who have communicated and hope the words below are adequate. Steve Kelly continues to maintain residence east of the Blue Ridge in Lynchburg, Virginia. Steve is an assistant professor of counseling at Liberty University. He teaches online and in the classroom. We all know “Woodtick” Kelly is a fine person, grounded in principal and Christian values – fertile ground for counseling. Please keep Steve and his wife, Debbie, in your prayers. Debbie is ill. Hopefully, by the time this reaches you, the worst has passed. Mark and Mary Lou Hunt are quite visible on Facebook. Most recently, Mark and Mary Lou traveled to my hometown, Greensboro, North Carolina, to attend the Paul McCartney concert. I heard from several friends in Greensboro that even at 72, Sir Paul can still put on a show, playing music and keeping the sellout crowd on the edge of their seat for three hours. Mark reported that he and Mary Lou recently visited the VMI of the North on the banks of the Hudson. In Mark’s words, “While the architecture is impressive, we were surprised by the un-uniformness of the cadet uniforms. Strack doesn’t appear to be part of their vernacular.” Mark lives in Williamsburg, Virginia, and has seven grandchildren. My guess is that may put him on the class’top 10 granddad list. (Please send me your numbers, and we can have a contest). Mike Parish reported in. Mike is living in Lincoln, Nebraska, right down the street from Mike Smith. Mike P. is working at the Catholic Health Initiates in Lincoln. I received a photo of Mike and Mike tells it all – Mike Smith is doing the work, and Mike Parish is providing encouragement and advice. Some things never change. Further undated on “traveling” is Max Floyd. Max still regrets his part as bartending in the Nichols Engineering Building radio room. Check out your’77 Bomb. Editor Mick Lafferty memorialized the event by including the Special Report announcing punishment for the offenders. Though Max suffered the wrath of Col. Buchanan ’50B and Lt. Gen. Irby ’39, he is now living and enjoying the climate of Bahrain on the western coast of the Persian Gulf. Mark Bryant endured the couple of hurricanes that blew through Hawaii this fall. Lava flows now follow on the Big Island, and Mark suffers on. He plans to move back to Rockbridge met County, having bought a house. Mark and I had lunch when he was in town for

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CLASS NOTES the closing. Mark caught me up on his activities. Mark reported that Lt. Gen J.D. Johnson visited U.S. Pacific Command in early October. Mark and J.D. had a chance to meet for coffee. Due to obvious circumstance, no photos to memorialize the meeting were allowed. Thankfully, Kip Hamilton responded to my request for information. Kip works for PSI Pumping Solution in Hanover, Pennsylvania. PSI Pumping builds water treatment facilities here in the U.S. and uses the profits from the company to provide clean drinking water for those less fortunate around the world. The company also supports a couple of orphanages in Central America. Kip’s father was a Marine on board the USS Santa Fe during World War II. The Santa Fe was a Cleveland Class cruiser and served in the Pacific. Her history contains names such as Tarawa, Wake, Marshall Islands and the Philippines. Mark and Beth attended the 68th annual crew reunion with Kip’s dad. At 87, Kip’s dad was the youngest. Imagine the stories told that night. Class of ’77 roving reporter J.J. Marshall reported on the annual VMI ’77 Mensa Club’s Las Vegas trip: “In early October, the fifth edition of ‘Super 77 Does Vegas’ was kicked off by early arrivers BuzzMax Northen, TruckerBoy Hupp, John E. Buck and everyone’s favorite canine, James Scott Redlands MadDog Bentley – who, anticipating a glorious trip out west, had actually departed Annapolis 30 days earlier in a driving venture along the No. 1 G.I. Trail, which literally ends right at the main entrance to Mandalay Bay, of all places. Having arrived first, former cadet Bentley, J.S. commenced the foolishness by embarking on yet another doomed attempt to turn his misfortunes into good fortune. (As an aside, it sorta reminds me of his philosophy as a cadet ... the odds on being caught were always overshadowed by the joy of the shenanigans ... because you always got to the have the latter first! Here, you get to have the joy of placing the bet, seeing the chips on the table and envisioning your post-roll-of-the-dice-rock-star-life before you suffer the agony of watching the house sweep your chips away!) By the time the other three had arrived, he had successfully snatched ample cash losses out of the jaws of victory – proving once again that in order to maximize your fun in Vegas, you must insure that at least half the crowd arrives the second day with loads of fresh cash to support the continued fun! That second wave of participants included Tomcat Underdrawers, Hobiecat Andrews, Joe daWop and, bringing up the rear, BustaChop Pace, who breezed through on his way from Moscow to Korea. (No kidding!) With all parties present and accounted for, the quest for the Holy Grail was underway ... but Tomcat came up short again, having lost to Maximillion in the pursuit for the No. 1 G.I. Championship and having teamed with Johnny OnePutt to come up short

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of the Max-Wop duo in the highly coveted Super 77 Championship. The other four guys were little more than an asterisk on the equation, as they appeared to this observer to be doing way more Shankapottamussing around in the desert than playing golf. However, when darkness fell, they emerged and joined us real golfers at the official Super 77 banquet – held again at The Palm – with J.R., Myrtle and Yo Daddy providing the finest in kitchen and wait staff services! A toast to all BRs – present, not present and those unaccounted for – was given, and the imprint of the spirit of Super 77 was once again left upon the face of Vegas. (And more than a few Super 77 dollars were also left out there in Vegas ... but fear not, the sixth edition is less than a year away now, and we will be back with fresh cash to double down!)” Just like the meeting between Mark Bryant and J.D. Johnson, photos were not allowed – but for an entirely different reason! I received several communications from both Buster Pace and Bob Hartzell. Buster and Bob are arranging for the “mother of all tailgates” for our mini reunion Nov. 11. They put together a five paragraph operating plan. Special teams include: Bill Cross – Chili special team. Steve Billingsly – Tent set up and beans. Paul Farrell –Safety and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Bob Hartzell – Commanding general and head cadet waiter. Buster Pace – Free safety. I look forward to this great event and greatly appreciate their efforts. Mike Meise reported his activities. Mike lives in Roanoke, Virginia, and is assistant director of the Roanoke County Public Library. Mike stays in contact with Bob Atkinson. Mike lives on Smith Mountain Lake and provides dockage for Bob’s boat. Bob repays Mike by weekend outings on the boat, cursing and water skiing. Mike’s oldest son is a senior at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University majoring in biochemistry. Mike’s middle son matriculated to VMI this August. Mike reported that David’s meet and greet with the Rat Disciplinary Committee was very similar to our day with plenty of theater – lights out, spotlight on the RDC president, then a nice relaxing workout. A new tradition at VMI these days at New Market is for the 4th Class cadets to take an oath as a VMI cadet then charge up the hill through the Field of Lost Shoes. Last, but in no way the least, Brother Rat Steve Billingsly reported in. Steve works at the Pentagon. He frequently meets with Kerry Mullins for biking or fishing. Steve reports the Moon is doing well, both personally and professionally. Steve stays in touch with Tommy Cole. Ranger Cole is retired from the Army and is living at and working in Columbus, Georgia. Tommy’s house is on a golf course. Tommy keeps a golf cart in the garages with a bag loaded ready for a quick nine in the evening.

Steve coordinates a VMI ’77 lunch at the Pentagon on the last Thursday of each month. J.D. Johnson, Rich Howell, Billy Anderson, Mike Dick, Dale Schrader, Bob Houser and Kerry Mullin are usual attendees. Steve extends an invitation to any BR that is in the area on that day. If you are interested, please contact Steve beforehand so he can get you into the building. Steve’s email is sbillings77@comcast.net. Dale Carr, Mike Davis is trying to contact you. Please email me your address at SNeas@ecslimited.com so I can put you two together. I hope all are well. I pray for your good health. Receiving your emails and you filling me in on your activities is one of my great joys – please keep them coming. Steve

’78

Tom Brown

Greetings to all and a happy 2015. Now for the latest news from around the class. Bob Magnan checked in just after he had a double bypass. Bob had gone in for some other issues, but he said he had a “twinge.” Just his luck: the “twinge” was a block in a place the doctor couldn’t work on and in a vessel that fed a lot of healthy tissue. Bob got scheduled and cracked within 24 hours. After five days in, he was sent home. He says his insurance company must love him this year. Bob was also our point man on the Coolest NCAA College Logo contest. He kept everyone updated. Although at the time of this writing the poles have not closed, we are a sure victor. Thanks, Bob, for keeping us updated and voting. We are also very glad you are doing well. Mike Wright sent a short update. Mike completed moving from Maryland to Hollywood, Florida, and was waiting to close on a house. He is still working for the Department of the Interior – but now all from home! Mike still loves the job, so he says he will just continue working until he can’t. He is also glad to never see winter again, too. Mike McCarthy reports his temporary life at Maxwell Air Force Base is going well. When he arrived there, he was put into an advanced group of 12 students who get a more academic course than the rest of the class. Mike says they are the “special ed” group, known around here as the Grand Strategy Seminar. They get a bit more reading (about 300 pages per day) and have more writing requirements. Mike said it was good to have been an English major. He will be there until the end of May, so if anyone is in the neighborhood, please give him a call. John Forsyth checked in from Europe. John

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CLASS NOTES says he is still goofing with the Special Opera- that weekend some. It was great seeing every- and staff was superb. But I digress. Friday’s dinner was a blast, estions Command Europe as the deputy commu- one who was able to attend, and we hope all had nications director. He has two kids still in col- a good time. Renee and I certainly did! We both pecially for our special guests, John and Teri lege and states the bills require that he stay at it. appreciate all the thanks and kind words. Coleman ’76. I can tell you they both were abJohn hopes to move back to the U.S. in about two First of all thanks are in order for Jeff and solutely thrilled to be invited and had an absoyears and finally see a VMI football game. He said Betty Curtis who hosted an early arrival party lutely great time. J.C. gave a great speech, and maybe his return will inspire them to win for once. at their “new” place in Lexington. We had a having him and Teri there made the evening that Jay Hutt reported year seven of three generations great showing and wonderful weather Thursday much more special. The hit of the evening was of Hutt boys’ baseball trips is in the books. Jay took night, and Jeff and Betsy put out a grand spread! our guest speaker, Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Smith ’79, his dad and two sons to Atlanta, Georgia, for a cou- Everyone had a super time and I think we may VMI dean of the faculty and deputy superintendent for academics. Jeff’s talent for speaking ple of Atlanta Braves games and played a couple of have started a tradition! The weather held off Friday morning to allow and storytelling is truly unmatched. All who rounds of golf, as well. They now have been to 10 major league parks together – terrific fun and won- us to get the alumni golf outing in at the Lexing- were there can tell you that Jeff had everyone’s derful memories. Jay is getting close to wrapping ton Golf and Country Club. There was a shot- rapt attention, and I can say with every confiup his deck renovation project – it’s only taken a gun start with foursomes from ’69, ’79 and ’89 dence that no one wanted Jeff to stop. His talk year and a half. He say he will be glad to get that all playing at once. Both ’79 and ’89 had less was funny, touching, inspirational, sad, nosmonkey off his back, but it seems there is always than 20 participants each, while ’79 led the way talgic and intellectual (yeah, he made us think some other honey-do to take its place. Jay thinks with 40! I suppose the Friday golf was a good some) all wrapped up in one terrific talk. I can maybe his son who rents an apartment give away that his speech was, for the has the right idea after all! most part, supposed to be “prepared;” Alec Earle is staying busy in Texas. but in fact, he only used a portion of his After their Alaska adventure, they took planned notes, just letting his thoughts a fall foliage cruise from New York and the weaving of his story take over City to Montreal. It was beautiful, alinstead. If anyone filmed or recorded his talk, please let us know! though they were a little early for the Thanks again this reunion to Ben changing of the leaves. From there, Bauman who led the memorial service Alec and Shelia took their motor coach Saturday morning in the Memorial to Albuquerque, New Mexico, and atGardens. It was touching and pointed; tended the annual balloon fiesta. He full of grace and memories. Fine job, said for those who have never been, Ben. Thank you. it is a fantastic experience. Alec was So, I suppose this is the best time to just selected to for the VMI Foundatalk about “the shirts.” For starters, Jeff tion Board of Directors and is now Curtis suggested early on that we do starting a four year term. He said he Class of 1979: Showing off their shirts for the 35th Reshirts for the reunion, as they seem to is honored to serve and help advance union in Old Barracks following the class Old Yell were, be what is catching on lately with rethe Institute’s goals and objectives into from left, Jeryl Salmond, Greg Weaver, Tim Bridges, Carl the future. He is looking forward to the Jackson and Tony Hamilton. union classes. I agreed with the caveat experience. that I thought Hawaiian shirts were betRob Parker sent a quick hello. He said all is well idea! New LG&CC resident Eddie Semler was ter (at our expanding age and waistlines) vice the our “captain” and was the main thrust in herding standard, boring polo shirts. (Kinda like what in Philly. I made it to the VMI versus Garner-Webb Univer- everyone that morning. A round of “golf claps” ’89 had on that weekend! Shhhh.) So, we had a volunteer. Uncle Stosh! (Don’t say it, just don’t sity football game and saw several BRs. The game for Eddie, please! For those that have not heard, we now have say it!) So Stosh, aided by his design commitwas a real heartbreaker, and we lost in overtime. Rick Wolfe, Danny Thorton and Ned Reister were our plaque in (that is correct, “in” not “on”) the tee of Jos “Chuck” Biviano and George Eliades, there, as always. While watching the game, we ran sentinel box! Thank you to all that contributed came up with three designs for my thoughts and into Wads Bugg and Glen Jones. All looked great and to Jeff Curtis and Pete Underwood for consideration. I asked where option four was. I and were having a great time. I hope to see more seeing the plaque to its final completion. It is was rebuked. Rebuked, I tell you! A “modified” BRs over the winter so we can hear about your hap- awesome beyond words to have that plaque in version of one of the designs was decided upon penings. Please remember as you read this it is time barracks with ’79 so prominently mentioned. I and then the ordering, reordering and waiting to send more news. Remember to join us on the do not think there is any other such plaque in all began. On Thursday (the day of the early arrival of barracks, so stand proud, ’79! party) at 3:30 p.m. just before folks started to arclass Facebook page, VMI78. In the spirit. Friday night’s dinner at the Natural Bridge rive, the shirts were delivered to the Curtis’ via Hotel was a success. In fact, the entire weekend FEDEX in a beat up box with what I swear was Michael Ogden at the hotel went very well, with the staff es- Chinese writing all over it. I ripped open the box sentially turning the hotel over to ’79. Banners, (Renee and I were stuffing “goodie bags” for the decorations and flowers – all red, white and yel- early arrivals, and that included the shirts) and low – were everywhere. Everything from the Oh. My. *#^@&#%@%! My goodness, they lobby, to the rooms, the Jefferson Ballroom, were – well – bright! Sigh. And, as it turns out, I hope this finds everyone well and the holi- the Red Foxx Tavern and the Colonial Dining quite unique. The idea that the shirts were going to be somedays were good to you and yours. These are our Room was excellent. Food, service and just the post-reunion notes, so forgive me if I focus on overall eagerness to please by the entire hotel thing special started when the class was returning

’79

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Class of 1979: Present at the reunion were: Howard and Marcie Adams, Larry and Ellen Adams, John Airis, Bill Albro, Pete and Charlotte Alvarez, Grady Anrews and Diana Leighty, John and Jessica Arthur, Jim and Robin Atkins, Tom and Karen Baltazar, Rick and Sue Bates, Ben Bauman and Tracy Carmichael, Joe and Susan Benda, Bill Bersson, Larry and Susan Betz, Bob and Rae Bookmiller, Pirooz Borojerdi-Haeidar and Soheila Amiri, Tim Bridges, Tom and Katie Bright, Kevin and Cynthia Brown, JEB and Betsy Burton, Jane Burton, Mark and Rhonda Byrd, Travis and Terri Callaway, Nick and Joan Collins, John and Teresa Colonna, Tim and Terri Cordle, Bart and Susan Cramer, Dave and Sheila Crawford, David Crim, Jeff and Betsy Curtis, Mac and Cindy Curtis, Doug and Corinne Doerr, Ray Duffett, George Eliades, Ali Erfani, Grey and Heather Farthing, Tim and Mary Fitch, Freddy and Stephanie Floyd, Dan and Patrice Foster, Jay Gede and Sharon Bailey, Jose Gomez, Tony and Cassandra Hamilton, Bill and Colleen Hamlin, Jim and Sarah Harrington, John and Liz Hash, Steve and Beth Heatwole, Tom and Donna Herbert, Jim and Phyllis Higginbotham, Glenn, Susan and Cassidy Higgins, Wilton and Heather Holmes, Dave and Treva Houser, Chip and Maria Humphrey, Carl and Roxie Jackson, Frank and Becky Jester, Dave and Cindy Jeter, Ed and Judy Johnson, Brad and Marie Jones, Dan Kornacki and Lee A. Holdsworth, Jim LaRose, Jim and Rhonda Leavitt, Patti Lumpkin, Tom Manley, George and Kelly Marentic, Doug Mauck, Rob and Debbie Maxey, Carter McCrowell, Rich and Debbie McDonough, Rich and Dawn McGruder, Massie Meredith, Jeff Minnix and Linda Nash, Lee Moise, Bob and Kim Morris, Andy Neff, Ed and Kathy Negro, Harlan Niehaus, Mike and Kathryn Oden, Mike Ogden and Renee Rice, Dale Ogg, Jim and Sherry Owens, Sam and Marion Pace, Asa and Karen Page, Anthony Pais, Robbie and Stephanie Patterson, Bruce and Joni Pearson, Jim Pigg, John and Beth Poffenbarger, Rick and Lisa Pugh, Dave and Marie Riedel, Tim Ritzert, Charlie Sachs and Jackie Purdy, Jim and Linda Sadler, Roy and Janice Sadler, Jerry Salmond, Bill and June Sarvay, Steve Scaglione, Eric and Becky Schwarz, Eddie Semler, Dan Sheahan, Ken and Cynthia Shelton, Bob and Angela Sievert, Chuck and Roberta Smith, Dean Smith, Jeff and Deborah Smith, Al and Lisa Soltis, Phil Southers, Dennis Staples, Don and Carole Starbuck, John Stevenson, Gleb Taran and Elena Anderson, Dave and Carrie Taylor, Brian Tollie, Phil and Carolyn Truitt, Tom and Nancy Trumps, Pete Underwood, David Van Wagner, Sal and Deborah Vitiello, Greg Weaver, Steve and Jennifer White, Tom and Susan White, Ray and Debbie Whitner, Tom Willard, Mory and Christin Wood, Randy and Debbie Young, Russell and Heidi Zech, and John and Teri Coleman ’76. (Editor’s Note: Names provided by class agent.)

CLASS NOTES

35th Reunion – Sept. 13, 2014

Class of 1979

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CLASS NOTES from Memorial Gardens to Preston Library for our class picture. It was a wave of color never before witnessed on Letcher Avenue. Heads turned, eyes were shaded, children screamed and women fainted! It was “totally awesome!” And then all that mass of color grouped in one place for a picture! What could top that? Well, put ’em in formation and march ’em into the barracks! It was reported by numerous witnesses that the superintendent had a small grin on his face as we marched by! The Corps went nuts! Quite the spectacle! Stosh ran up to me and said other classes were asking for information on how they could get shirts made, too! (The 2nd Class president wanted to get class shirts made in time for Ring Figure!) “We could make so much money!” gushed Stosh. “No, no, no, no ... we are not going to make money off other classes!” I replied. “Please just give the info.” Sigh. So, anyway, the shirts were a hit. A big hit. This is gonna hurt ... “Thank you, Stosh.” There, I said it! The shirts and ’79 were the talk of the Institute that weekend! (OK, so the football team won big, too!) It was not difficult to find groups of ’79 anywhere that day ... just look for the shirts! At the football game, tailgating, strolling around town... Now where was I? Oh, everyone got a kick out of seeing our plaque in the sentinel box following the class Old Yell. Thanks and a shoutout to Jeff and Deb Smith who hosted an open house (in Trumps’ old place!) during the afternoon. It was a great, relaxing place to spend the afternoon or just stop by for a chat. All of that was followed by a casual dinner back at the “Bridge” (with special attendees Patti Lumpkin and Jane Burton!) and a class breakfast the next morning as everyone packed up, promising to do a better job of keeping in touch and going their separate

ways. A note: This forum is a great way to do that! Keeping up, that is... Renee and I want to thank everyone who helped with the 35th Reunion. There are too many to name, but please know we are grateful for all your contributions. That includes those we turned away (Pages, Arthurs...), as our goal was to minimize BR involvement during the reunion (unless, ya know, we were, like, using your house or something) so everyone could just enjoy! Jim Elliott’s brother, Hunter Elliott ’85, has a son, Cole, that’s a 4th Class cadet this year. In addition to being Jim’s nephew, he’s also his godson. Jim’s son, Sam Elliott ’14, arranged for Sam Trumps ’15 to be his dyke. Jim also ran into Rob Patterson, who was tailgating next to “next door.” Rob’s son, Buck, is also a 4th Class cadet and is doing great! Lee Moise is currently the county attorney for Buchanan County, Virginia. He has been working for Buchanan County for the last 8-plus years. Lee wrote: “Tammy and I still have three children at home – ages 13, 18 and 20 – all pursuing various forms of schooling. I am looking forward to another exciting season of Keydet basketball. We are trying to get a group together for the Citadel game Saturday, Jan. 24, 2015, in Lexington ... the more the merrier!” Thanks, Lee. Great to hear from you. (Tammy usually writes!) Albro wrote in (Yes, again this quarter! He has become quite the chatter box!): “It’s pretty quiet here in Waldorf – we have been taking care of family and the yard work in several yards. It has been very busy these last few weeks. It was great seeing everyone at the reunion – the reunions just keep getting better and better. It was also great seeing everyone at the Ian Anderson concert a few weeks ago. Stosh did a great job of herding the cats on that one. I spent some time last

weekend with Doug Mauck down on the farm – it’s relaxing being in the great outdoors and working projects. It’s kind of hard to write about much – it’s been a short time since the reunion. I will keep bringing my shirt for the ‘shirt shots’ (pictures) where I can.” Thanks, Bro! Renee and I also enjoyed spending time with Bro and wife Barbara at dinner in Onancock two weeks following the reunion. Great time with great folks! Speaking of meeting up with BRs, Renee and I also had breakfast with Jim and Sarah Hamilton and Jeff Minnix and his lady, Linda, the Saturday after dinner with the “Bros.” They were staying at a local bed-and-breakfast for a wedding, and the Sunday after that, we had dinner with Bob and Angela Sievert while they were at a local campground! The Tull concert with numerous other BRs was mixed in there somewhere as well. It has been a ’79 ’79 ’79 fall for Renee and I! Surapong Suwana-Adth wrote that the Thailand Chapter is planning a celebration for the Institute’s 175th birthday Saturday, Nov. 15, in Bangkok. He ordered ball caps and coins from the reunion. How “kewl” is that? Hopefully we will have pictures for the next Review! Tom Wilson said he and Jan are doing well in the Russian River Valley in Sonoma County. He just started a new job at Ports America as the manager, Cranes for the Ports America Oakland Outer Harbor. This is the largest container terminal in Oakland. He wrote that he has a long commute but great people. Tom and Dale Drury have talked several times, and Tom says Dale and family are also doing well. Eddie Semler wrote: “My oldest son, Cogan, and his wife, Meghan, had a little boy Oct. 9. His name is Callahan Thomas Semler. He is the male heir to the Semler fortune. It is their second, as

Class of 1979: Alumni regional directors Mike Ogden ’79 (Hampton Roads) and Bret Wilkinson III ’94 (Central Virginia) joined Jeff Smith ’79, VMI dean of the faculty and deputy superintendent for academics, and other alumni from 19742014 alongside pop rock legend Ian Anderson in support of active duty service members, veterans and first responders at the Best of Jethro Tull: Helping the Heroes event in Richmond, Virginia, Oct. 5, 2014.

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CLASS NOTES they have a little girl named Joey, age 3. This is my fourth grandchild. I thought I was perhaps in the lead with the Class of ’79 for grandchildren until I saw Jerryl Salmond at the reunion!” Larry Adams checked in. “BR Mark Day and I went to the VMI football game at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Oct. 4. As I was signing in at the VMI tent, someone tapped me on the shoulder. When I turned around, there was a BR and VMI roommate that I had searched for on and off for 35 years but never found him or heard anything about him – Masoud Bajestani! We had an awesome time catching up! He lives in the Chattanooga area, an hour and a half away from me (outside of Atlanta). He’s been out of the country quite a bit and has never made a reunion (like Mark Day). Both said they will try really hard to make the next reunion. Two kids and a lovely wife were with him, also. Thirtyfive years, and I knew him right away!” That is an awesome coincidence and great news, Larry! Finally, from Stosh ... heavily edited, “’cause there just weren’t ’nuf room” ... that’s my story. “Well, after years of effort and at the cost of many millions of innocent brain cells; sacrifices of numerous vestal virgins (none of which were from ‘Southern Sem,’ I understand), and copious amounts of prayer, fasting and ‘hair shirt penance,’ BRs and the alumni came through to make the Ian Anderson and the Best of Jethro Tull Helping the Heroes events in Richmond Oct. 5 and 6 a success! Mostly in spite of my participation. Bottom line: It was an Ian Anderson and the Best of Jethro Tull concert ... What are your questions? “For those of you who saw it, the epic concert poster was made most special because Chuck Biviano donated use of one of his famous flag paintings for the background, resulting in the poster becoming more popular than the cause, and we reaped a whole lot of publicity because everyone wanted to display the poster. I’m still jealous that there is an ‘Ogden flag’ and not a ‘Stosh flag,’ but accepting the fact that any such named flag would inevitably need to be flown upside down, it’s probably for the best. “Many of our other BRs were heroes, as well. After nearly killing me over design and execution of ‘the shirt,’ Mike Ogden joined with fellow regional director Bret Wilkinson III ’94 in reaching out through coded transmissions in a clandestine operation with class agents from 19402014 who mobilized VMI alumni. Responding to the call, they donated for veterans to attend or helped sponsor the show itself. Jeff Smith flew significant ‘top cover’ at the VMI mothership, and his help to the VMI band made that once in a lifetime experience for those cadets possible. In case you don’t already know, Jeff is Ian’s social commentary subject matter expert on ‘The Walking Dead,’ in which Ian’s son-in-law is the star.

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“After all was said and done, there was flood of positive comments from the public attending the concert on how it significantly raised their opinion of VMI and its contributions to our country, veterans and Virginia. “As events progressed, ’79 came out in force to once again save me from myself. In addition to Chuck, John Arthur proved himself to once again be a great American. Not only did John help sponsor the show itself, but after meeting a wounded veteran on an airplane traveling back to the mother Virginia, John bought tickets to the event for the young hero and his girlfriend. John also helped pick up some other costs to help make this possible – as well as setting the example by not complaining at all about the price of show tickets! Brian Tollie came in for the Dinner in the Dark Oct. 4 and stayed for the concert, where he seamlessly integrated himself into Ian Anderson’s road crew and was quickly adopted. There was one slight ‘cold sweat moment’ when Brian almost inadvertently broke Ian’s wrist, but that, fortunately, turned out to be a false alarm and card to the RDC and associated sweat party in the back of the band’s bus was avoided. “Meade Spotts finally came out of office towering above the minions in Richmond (hey ... literally ... his name is on the building) to bring Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam ’81 to the pre-show VIP reception and the concert. The masses were completely impressed not only that Spotts was on time and stayed for the entire show but that he actually turned off his damned cellphone. “Rumor has it that we owe that miracle to Bill Albro, who was continually at the ready with beer in hand to ‘snatch and dunk’ it. Of course, it did not go unnoticed that, despite being unable to initially gain access to the building owing to a brilliant show of intelligence by theater security and having a couple extra tickets, Spotts neglected to bring his lovely wife ... ‘A’ for initiative, ‘F’ for judgment. We were all hoping to see Pete Alvarez come out of the witness protection program for the event, but he could not get a kitchen pass on his anniversary. Obviously the ‘agency’ brainwashing purged the significance of taking your wife to a rock concert and hanging out with Ian Anderson for your anniversary as opposed to a dinner at Pizza Hut ... (even with candlelight). Biviano maintained his hero status by arriving early to help save me from myself and spent the evening mentoring our Army veteran artist recovering from PTSD through our art therapy program. “For those who missed it, the evening got more epic when the VMI Commander’s Jazz Band opened the show. The jazz band whipped the crowd into a frenzy. When Ian Anderson strode out onstage to join them in Van Morrison’s ‘Moondance,’ reports have it that Bob Sievert actually levitated. Also worthy of note for those BRs who donated to the cause is that we launched an Olympic dream for a war-blinded

Iraq veteran when we presented him a specialized audio rifle system so he can compete for a slot on the 2018 U.S. Paralympic Team. “Following the show, we cleared the rif-raff from the room, and Ian came out for a special photo with all the VMI alumni attending that Mike Ogden swore to all (and Ian) would make the cover of this Alumni Review (did not). Special lighting had to be arranged so the non-Class of ’79 folks did not have their retinas damaged by the reflection of the flash off the class shirts that I’m informed even the blind veterans at the show could see. Yep, professional photographer, professional backdrop, legendary rock star and Ogden had to put on his ‘Popeye’ face for the picture. Fortunately, there is Photoshop, so he now looks like the most handsome lad in the picture. Other than that, I’ve not seen many of our BRs with the exception of Phil Southers who showed up at Tollie’s recent St. Crispin’s Day where we had to put down all the rest of you as AWOL. For the record, we are not buying Pedro’s excuse of the need to do an ‘anniversary do-over,’ and the rest of the no shows just left us feeling a bit like the French at the Battle of Agincourt.” Whew. That’s it. Could have written a book about the reunion! Stay well! –M

’80

John Gibney Jr.

Hello Brother Rats, These notes cover the period Aug. 16, 2014, through Nov. 1, 2014. We are now less than a year away from convening to celebrate the 35th anniversary of our graduation. A save-the-date magnet was mailed in October. The period began with an email message from Phil Munisteri. Phil wrote that his daughter, Meghan, was commissioned in the Army and will attend medical school on a full scholarship. His son, Connor, is a sophomore at Assumption College and a starter on their lacrosse team. Phil and Kathy continue to support the Suffolk County, New York, school system, with Phil in the classroom and Kathy in administration. Andy Ludlum sent an email and a photo taken while he was in Canton-Akron, Ohio. Andy is a pilot for Southwest, and he ran into Bruno Loefstedt who was coincidently there on business. Bruno also sent a message explaining that he met Andy at a bar in Ohio. Mike Lunning sent an email announcing the details of an annual gathering of a number of our BRs in Lexington. This year, the group chose Parents Weekend in October for their

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Class of 1980: Don Bradshaw atop the Verrazano Bridge in New York City, New York, October 2014.

Class of 1980: Phil Munisteri with his daughter, Meghan, at her U.S. Army swearing-in ceremony June 2014.

Class of 1980: Andy Ludlum and Bruno Loefstedt at a chance meeting in Ohio August 2014.

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get-together. Our BRs who indicated in August that they would attend were Don Bradshaw, George Condyles, Pat Griffin, Larry Hupertz, Jay McConnell, Ali Mahan, Rob Quarles, Dan Sweeney, Dixon Tucker and Preston Vock. V. Dunn sent his regrets. Pat Griffin and Hal Snyder were also expected to attend, as they each have a son in the Corps of Cadets. The weekend plans included dinner, golf, attending the football game with a tailgate on the lawn in front of Gary Levenson’s quarters on post, a nap and a dinner at Gary’s house following the game. On Aug. 18, Pat Griffin sent an email noting the 38th anniversary of our matriculation. Pat also wrote that Phil and Kathy Munisteri visited at Pat’s beach house in Rhode Island and that the New England chapter of the Alumni Association hosted a rat send-off for the nine 4th Class cadets they sent to the “I” in August. Dennis Maguire and Doug Reddington attended the rat send-off. Pat is the chapter president. Hal Snyder sent an email noting that he and Kathy were headed to VMI where their youngest child, Connor, was to matriculate with his rat class. Hal also wanted to connect with John and Anne Alerding, as Anne is a professor in the biology department at VMI and Connor plans to major in biology. Hal also reached out to Tim Hodges who heads the physics department at VMI. August closed with a message from Jack Keane regarding his annual trip to Old Lyme, Connecticut, in September. Our BRs who were expected to join Jack are Peyton Campbell, Rick Fowler, Pat Griffin, Bruno Loefstedt and Phil Munisteri. September began with Patti and me joining Matthew and Tanya Keys for dinner in lower Manhattan to celebrate Matthew’s birthday. We agreed to attend a Halloween party together in the city. Tom Gelles sent an email containing another installment of his “Mr. Bold” video clips – this one featuring Darth Vader. Tom also called, primarily in response to receiving his birthday card. He noted that his daughter, Lindsey, received her undergraduate degree from Utica College and is now enrolled in their Doctor of Philosophy program. His son, Nick, moved from Connecticut to Norfolk where he works for General Dynamics. The September issue of the Institute Report contained an article featuring John Alerding’s wife, Anne, and her work in the biology department at VMI. Steve Andrews sent an email with a photo (not for publication) taken in Annapolis, Maryland, where he and Cathy were on an emptynesters road trip. I exchanged email messages with Rob Quarles. I replied that Patti and I could not visit VMI

in October due to prior commitments. Then, we wrote on his birthday, a date that coincided with Rob and Elizabeth’s 25th wedding anniversary. Ed Baker sent an email with a new address in the booming metropolis of Kenansville, North Carolina, population 3,500. Ed and Dianna left Lumberton, North Carolina, after more than 20 years there and Ed, an OB-GYN surgeon, left private practice and now works for the East Carolina Medical System. In addition, the move puts them closer to their home in the Outer Banks. Lastly, Elliott and Amy Wolffe have relocated from New Orleans to New Jersey in connection with Elliott accepting a position with a north Jersey firm. October began with a blast email from Dixon Tucker containing an invitation to, “slide down a rope” on the Blue Ridge Parkway near Afton Mountain. Don Bradshaw sent an email with photos taken atop the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, the span connecting the NYC boroughs of Brooklyn and Staten Island. Don works at Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn and was on the Brooklyn tower as part of a security inspection. He claimed the tower in the name of our class. Walt Wood sent an email from Peru after he and Mary Lynne returned home from an 80+2 (my edit, Walt gave an exact number) day trip to the U.S., including spending the month of August in Alaska. Their return trip took them through Maryland – where they saw Pat and Roni McCarthy and Nicki (sans Andy) Ludlum – and through Virginia – first to Lexington then to Lynchburg and Richmond. In Lexington, they stayed with John and Anne Alerding. In Lynchburg, they stayed with Dan and Cindy Sweeney. In Richmond they viewed “Field of Lost Shoes.” Gary Levenson called throughout the period, the last time during the Parents Weekend gathering of our BRs. Gary also attended the VMI football game at the U.S. Naval Academy with his grandson, Tyler. Ted Helmick sent an email from his home in Panama City Beach, Florida, to get clarification on the dates of our 35th Reunion. Finally, in connection with attending the Keys wedding, I sent an email to Jack Keane noting that Patti and I will be staying overnight in Washington, D.C., before heading to the University of Mary Washington for the ceremony. Jack has arranged for several of our D.C. BRs to gather in northern Virginia for dinner with us. At press time, attendees are Jack, Joe Belkoski, Mike Knapp, Walt Kreitler, Tuck Masker and Tracy Wilson. Sending regrets due to prior commitments were Dan Conn, Mike Harper and Tom (Gunny) Kelly. In closing, our 35th Reunion has been scheduled

VMI ALUMNI REVIEW

CLASS NOTES Class of 1981: Members of the class attended a mini reunion at the VMI versus the U.S. Naval Academy football pregame in Annapolis, Maryland, Oct. 11, 2014.

From left: Mark Brumenschenkel, Jim Hart, Dave Openshaw, Dave Loduca and Trip Lloyd. Class of 1980: Tuck Masker at VMI following a ride along the Blue Ridge Parkway July 2014. for Sept. 11-13, 2015. The dates are chosen in connection with VMI’s football schedule. Pat Griffin will again be our coordinator. Thank you for your support. Please keep in touch, and please save the dates of our 35th Reunion.

’81

Trip Lloyd

Dear Brother Rats and Families, We are in the grip of winter. A group of us visited Gordy and Nancy Ivascu at his Anthony’s Pizza restaurant in late August. Ann and Greg Wolven, George Depaoli, Mark Olsen, Jerry Manley and Trip Lloyd made the trek. Gordy was doing well. Bob Cody shared that he retired in August from the Connecticut National Guard after 32-and-a-half years – 21 full time. He enlisted after graduation, going from a first class private to a private first class. His last position was chief of staff of the Joint Staff. Upon retirement, he was promoted to brigadier general in the Connecticut State Guard – which he downplays as “really an honorary promotion and means I have to get a new set of dress blues for the annual dining ins.” He interviewed for a position with Federal Emergency Management Agency in New York City and had lunch with Bob Munno while he was there. The gathering of ’81 coordinated by Mike

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From left: Glenn Zaramba, Jim Hart, Dave Loduca, Grover Outland and Mike Shupp.

Rob Costello, left, and Jerry Manley.

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CLASS NOTES John Dixon is still serving as a faculty officer at attending the games and tailgate get-togethers Shupp, Dave Openshaw and Grover Outland at the VMI versus the U.S. Naval Academy football Carson Long Military Academy, the oldest all-boys’ that have left many of us with envy of the fesgame was a great success. Our class was repre- boarding school in the country still offering military tivities on the Parade Ground. You should know sented by Brother Rats Mark Brumenschenkel, training. He is now the chairman of the Science De- by now that VMI returned to the Southern ConRob Costello, Mike Denton, Jim Frishkorn, Jim partment, teaches high school chemistry and phys- ference this year. This was exciting news for my Hart, Ken Herbert, Trip Lloyd, Dave Loduca, ics, and serves as a dormitory supervisor, or “build- household, as it means VMI would get to play Jerry Manley, Bob Munno and Glenn Zaramba, ing officer.” He is also helping coach Carson’s the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in varsity football team as the defensive coordinator, football again. Both of my kids currently attend along with their families and friends. Dave Loduca wrote that he and his wife, Linda, and he is enjoying every minute of it. John’s wife, UTC and have been waiting to abuse me and my had a fabulous time at the VMI versus “alma mata.” Not a hard thing to do, Navy football weekend. The golf was since UTC has finished in the top of good, and he kept my lost balls below the conference and, well, VMI hasn’t. a dozen and didn’t have to use any of It’s been over 10 years since I got to his honor court all-rights. Dave was not host a tailgate party for the alumni, entirely happy that someone told Linda and I was looking forward to doing it about the Annapolis Mall, but at least she again. Working together with Jackie limited the haul to three pairs of shoes. Flint, Alumni Association executive He shared that the after-game gatherassistant; Adam Volant ’88, Alumni Association executive vice president ing at the Roadhouse restaurant was and chief operational officer; and fun. He reported that the VMI versus Donnie Ross ’74, Keydet Club vice Navy game was a bit painful to watch, president, we were able to pull the but the barbecue at the Alumni Associaevent together. If you have not tried tion tent hit the spot, and he had a flask out the alumni tracker app “VMI of Catholic pain medication imported Alumni Mobile” on smartphones, you from Ireland to soften the blows Navy Class of 1981: A gathering at Anthony’s Pizza included, should. The Chattanooga area has imparted on our Keydets. The next-day from left, Trip Lloyd, George Depaoli, Gordy Ivascu, nearly 30 members, and I was also rendezvous at Cantler’s restaurant was Mark Olsen, Jerry Manley and Greg Wolven. hoping to reach out to the surrounding fabulous, and Dave sends many thanks to John’s wife for the crab lessons. While John was Patti, is enjoying her work with PNC Bank, and area chapters in Atlanta, Birmingham, Knoxville a close second, the highest casualties were in front they try to get home to Gwynn’s Island, Virginia, as and Nashville. The turnout surprised everyone! of Grover Outland. Dave thanks everyone for all often as their schedules will allow. Just as soon as When I started contacting caterers, I told them to of the pieces-parts of the whole extended weekend. football season is over, he will be helping his good plan on between 25-50 people showing up. We Quoting Dave, “It’s not easy getting away for all friend and fellow faculty officer from Norwich got a lot of interest from the UTC alumni office functions, but it’s nice when the lull between re- University coach basketball, and they are looking as word got around about our tailgate turnout. We eventually settled on preparing for 100! No, forward to a very competitive season this year. unions is punctuated with a little excitement.” The Lloyd family has been out skiing several I will not list everyone by name here. Do any of Jeff Adler organized a Class of ’81 brunch at the Chantilly, Virginia, International House of Pancakes times during the season. Over the summer, we again these name sound familiar? Masoud Bajestani Nov. 9. Bob Munno sent a note saying, “Nice that participated as players in the Virginia Renaissance ’79, Larry Adams ’79 and Lt. Col. Mark Day you all are meeting to celebrate my birthday. I’ll be Faire, painted “masterpieces” in the Fredericksburg ’79 got back together for the first time since they 55 Nov. 9! Unfortunately, I can’t make it, as I will Via Colori street art festival, put on a Halloween graduated. Masoud and Larry were roommates be diving in the Caribbean. Have fun and thanks for Haunted House at my son’s middle school and did and seriously had not seen or heard from each the annual Fredericksburg zombie walk. My Glee other since they left VMI. The senior most memthe consideration.” Jim Waring had hoped to join the Class of ‘81 Club days are paying off, as I’m singing with my ber was Dr. Walter Smartt ’44, who happens to contingent in Annapolis for the VMI versus Navy church’s choir. My greatest concern right now is my live just a few miles down the road in Georgia. football game weekend, but he had another VMI high school freshman daughter has said she wants I felt honored to meet this older gentleman and related event he had to attend the weekend of Oct. to go to college in Australia! Research has con- was excited to have offered him the chance to 11. His family held an 80th birthday celebration firmed that (including air travel), Harvard Uni- hang out with other alumni. for his father, M.L. Waring Jr. ’56, at the Indian versity would be less expensive. Thanksgiving I think it was a three-way tie between ’50B, Creek Yacht and Country Club in Kilmarnock, and Christmas are done, and I hope everyone ’63 and ’79, with each having three members Virginia. The family surprised his father (which is had a great holiday season. in attendance. Bill Jennings and Cindy made no easy task) by inviting his VMI roommate and a long trip on their Harley Davidson through Will Council Brother Rat Bill Stokes ’56 to attend. Col. Stokes South Carolina to eventually arrive in time for very graciously made the drive from Lynchburg, the tailgate. Bill could not pack his camera, so I Virginia, for the weekend and joined the famdid not get the use of his photographic skills as I had wanted. The only downside from this event ily in celebrating the 80th birthday. It had been was we got to enjoy the overly loud music from many years since Jim’s father and Col. Stokes had a UTC fraternity that had set up right next to us. last seen each other, and it made for a wonderful weekend with lots of great VMI stories from their Fall has been a most enjoyable season, and the Correction, the VMI football team did not fair time as cadets and later as TAC Officers at VMI. leaves are in mid-color change at my house as too well on the field, as we lost 55-7. I think we Jim’s brother, Matt Waring ’83, also attended, I write these notes. This also means that it is finally scored after UTC left the field and was in along with much of the Waring family. football season, and many of you have been the showers. It got pretty annoying hearing the

’82

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CLASS NOTES and Wayne Kohlwes ’63. This was my first and probably the only time I will get to eat there, but I thoroughly enjoyed the evening spent telling stories about VMI and life in general. The highlight was giving more details about the “Great Mule Theft” from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point by our class. Bill had actually been at that game and recalled hearing some of the exploits. As you know, our VMI community is a small world as my family keeps finding out. After sending out an email broadcast to the local alumni, I got a call back from a Dr. Ed Anderson ’77. While talking with Ed, I learned that he has an OB-GYN practice here in the area that sounded pretty familiar to me. Turns out he is in partnership with another doctor who happens to be the father of my newest Eagle Scout! Ed was there for the Eagle ceremony Class of 1982: Will Council, who hosted a and remembered that I embarrassed tailgate before the VMI versus University of myself by getting all choked-up when Tennessee at Chattanooga football game, one of the boys (we had four Eagles that day!) honored me with a Mentorholding the banner down from the wind. Dad pin. OK, last story regarding the tailgate event. While using the Alumni Tracker App, I noticed one member from the 1970s who did not have an email nor phone listing, but his address showed him in the area. I performed a Google search, and the first thing that came up was an obituary from the previous day! He had been a very prominent dental surgeon and had just died that week. Eek! Can you all imagine if I had gotten his phone number and called his house to invite him?! That was too freaky. I passed along his obit to the Alumni Association and his class agent who said they had lost contact with him a few years ago. Back in August, I had the opportunity to visit with Michael and Kimbel Class of 1982: William Jennings made the Burk while passing through New trip to attend the VMI versus University of Orleans. I missed them the previous Tennessee at Chattanooga tailgate picnic. year, as it was too short notice from me and they had plans already. Both are doing well. Kimbel is involved in dang train whistle blow every time they scored. The good news is that this is leading up to estab- teaching at a charter school, and Michael has lishing an Alumni Chapter here in Chattanooga! been self-employed and working. They were Next up was the coming to town of both the bas- generous in giving me helpful hints in returnketball and wrestling teams in January. ing to the workforce, too. This time, however, I should also mention that I got wined and I gave them plenty of lead time, and we had a dined by Donnie Ross ’74 the Friday evening great evening together in the French Quarter. before the tailgate at Ruth’s Chris Steak House! Even got to see Archie Manning, in real life, at I was invited to come along with Bill Wray ’63 the Manning Bar and Restaurant!

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I have a correction to make from the last notes. Probably from the last several years of notes. The correct way to spell the last name of our very own Google Glasses BR is Mecredy. As in Ron Mecredy. No lowercase first “c.” No uppercase “C.” OK, got that? So do I still have to buy a top shelf vodka martini, or can we settle on just any ol’ adult beverage? Thanks, though, for the correction. That is order number one on the class notes doctrine: make sure you spell their names correctly. J.J. and Dawn Nau recently celebrated their 30th anniversary, and they took John Meadows with them to Disneyland! They toured the Hearst Castle and San Francisco while they were at it. (Don’t know if John was with them for all that or not.) J.J. said he is in the process of mandatory retirement from the air traffic controller life. They are still trying to figure out what comes next. Sounds like the perfect plan. Congrats to you two, and happy trails on the next step. Mike and Tierney Ewing also celebrated an anniversary, but only half as long as J.J. and Dawn. I guess that means they did not invite Meadows along. Everything else is going fine. Thanks for the update, Mike. Ed Howland is on our VMI ’82 Facebook page and responded to my begging for class news. (Thank you, Ed!) He says he left VMI and worked for CSX railroad for about five years and went back to school for a year taking surveying classes. He got his North Carolina Survey license (PLS) in 1991 and the Virginia Survey license (LS) in 1995. He moved to Virginia in 1986, married the former Cathy Clayton from Richmond, eventually settled in Powhatan and had two daughters – Lindsay, 25 (a licensed veterinary technician), and Emily, 21 (who will graduate from Radford University in May as an RN). He worked for two survey/engineering firms in the Richmond area for 20 years (the last 10 years managing the survey department as a licensed surveyor), and then took a job with the Powhatan County Planning Department in 2005. He is currently the planning manager of the planning department and GIS. OK, here is the good part: Ed also has a catering service (Hog Wild Catering) specializing in pig picking, smoked meats, Brunswick Stews and custom sauces. Ed says he enjoys camping, canoeing, trout fishing and four wheeling, but his favorite hobby has been pheasant hunting with his Chesapeake Bay Retrievers for the past 20 years. He still keeps in touch with many VMI friends and would love to hear from many more BRs who he does not have contact info for. You can find him at: hogwildbbq@live.com. I think we have found our next party caterer! Joe Bouchelle got a promotion! He is now the dean of students at Southern Virginia University in Buena Vista, Virginia. Joe has been there

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CLASS NOTES for 18 years, and it sounds like he really likes it there. He sent me pictures of his oldest son’s wedding this past August in Utah. Bob and Kathy Louthan have been to VMI six times this fall since their youngest son, Mason (2015+3) is a 4th Class cadet. If I could count right, that would be like every other weekend since school started! They will be back for the Furman University and The Citadel football games. Bob reports seeing Bill Jennings, Keith “Cookie” Jarvis, Scott Crumpler, Emmett and Lynn Heltzel, Dave Kohler, Gordy Hammock, Jack Wainwright and Shep Jordan. Mike Eden was at the VMI versus the U.S. Naval Academy game and also has a son at VMI now. Being the worldwide traveler, Mike is working stateside in New York City now. D. Shannon was reportedly at Parents Weekend, as his adoptive daughter is a 4th Class cadet this year, as well. Someone posted a great news article about how she arrived in D.’s household and is now at VMI. You can also find it on our Facebook page. On a sad note, D. is suffering from Parkinson’s disease, so everyone please keep the family in your prayers. Bob recently launched a new venture called VeteranCrowd focused on veteran led companies. Sounds pretty cool, especially since Jim Hickey is on the advisory board. By the way, Jim Hickey was back in Afghanistan and missed his last birthday. Wonder if he can use that excuse to miss a board meeting? If you are interested in more details check out: www.VeteranCrowd. com. Last, Bob says that Kathy still tolerates him after 28 years. You are a very lucky man! Speaking of the Navy game, I know Neal Rogers was a halfway happy father, as he went up to visit his son in his first year at the academy. So

he split the cheering between Canoe U and VMI. Joe Poteralski says it has been 12 years since his last update, so he figured we are due. A few years ago, his wife was diagnosed with cancer. She had surgery and is doing all right, and she now has a new outlook on life. Their daughter is graduating from the University of Albany a year early and is planning on attending law school. Joe was to bring her to Lexington to visit Washington and Lee University. He was supposed to catch up with Bill Jennings, but I never got word on that. Joe’s son is a high school junior and is hoping to break into the varsity bowling team after having a 203 average on the junior varsity team. That must be pretty good, since I can hardly break 100 with the bumpers up. Employment-wise, Joe left the banking world and has seen a change in a career path as New York state hired him as a political appointee to scrutinize the invoices regarding Superstorm Sandy. I thought I had it difficult trying to support VMI in Chattanooga, but Joe does us all proud by attending the lacrosse team and women’s water polo matches at nearby Siena College. The girls and coaches went over to speak with him, and – get this – he brought them homemade cookies! The lacrosse parents put on a heck of a tailgate party, but it looks like they have switched conferences, and he will not be able to drop in on the parties anymore. And finally, Joe included some photos of a quilt his wife made for him with patches he has worn or collected. It even has his VMI fatigue name tape on it. Cool. Thanks, Joe. Don’t wait another 12 years to follow up. Scott Crumpler sent a brief note that since his son Robert ’14 graduated this past spring from VMI, he has only been to one football game this

year. And we won! Scott played some golf with Dan Clymore, Todd Minnix and Nic Roper. Scott did get to see the Nationals no-hitter on the last day of the season. Now that is almost as rare as a VMI football victory. I posted on the class Facebook page that VMI is looking for any of our classmates who have been awarded a military Medal for Valor. They are remodeling the Hall of Valor and have new space available to display the awards. If you think you qualify, please contact the Alumni Association or track backward on our page for the details. Tom O’Sullivan is in there for his service in Bosnia and Jim Hickey has submitted his recently. Please don’t miss out on the opportunity. OK, this is terrible. It was approaching midnight as I was sitting at the computer with these notes being due in the morning, and I received a message from Major Gen. Darren McDew wanting to speak with me. I told him to call me right then. Darren had just gotten the news that Darryl Horne had been released from the hospital and was being cared for by Hospice. Darryl was diagnosed in June with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. We knew nothing of this beforehand. Darren gave me a number to call, and I spoke with Darryl’s wife, Charlene. She informed me that they just need our prayers at this time. Darryl is not able to communicate, so they are only taking family visitation. I have alerted you all on Facebook, the Alumni Association and the Keydet Club. Darren told me that he was actually in Nashville for a conference for the weekend. I was hoping to drive up to see him (and maybe Charlie Sanger, too) Sunday before he flies out. Look for those notes in the next issue of the Alumni Review. Thank you all who sent me notices. Keep them coming! Wives, please note that these BRs are pretty tight-lipped and may have forgotten to inform me of some special events in your families. Please take this as an open invitation to brag about your children, grandkids and maybe even that husband. Hope I didn’t bore you all. It’s been fun! Sincerely, Will Council

’83 Class of 1982: Joseph Bouchelle, son of Joe Bouchelle ’82, married Marisa this past summer. Pictured, from left, were Joe Bouchelle’s daughter, Kathryn; wife, Sharlet; Joe; son, Joseph, and his new wife, Marisa; son, Granger; and daughter, Elizabeth.

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Hugh Daughtry

Brother Rats, Greetings from Charlotte, North Carolina. I hope these notes find all doing well. I am carrying a very light mailbag this time – not a lot of updates from the field, and I have not been able to get to the “I” to catch up with you at games. Our class was well represented at the Wofford

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CLASS NOTES College football game in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Jim and Cheryl Henry led the effort with another great tailgate. Also there were Richard Hewitt, Ivan Marcotte, Bill Cornett, Dan Martin and Keith Sawyer. Jim and Cheryl had recently traveled to Chicago, Illinois, with Scott and Pam Horan. This is an annual athletic-themed destination weekend. They were able to take in a Chicago Cubs and a Chicago Bears game. Jim and Cheryl are still living just outside Columbia, South Carolina, in Lexington. Keith Sawyer made the short trip up from Greenville, South Carolina, for the game. Keith spent a year in Afghanistan as a contractor and is catching up on a long list of home projects. Dan Martin continues in the environmental industry just outside Columbia in Gilbert, South Carolina. With three teenage girls, Dan was able to escape for a few hours to spend the day with us. Bunny Hewitt does not miss a game in South Carolina. His girlfriend, Libby, is a native, so I’ve been able to see him at tailgates at The Citadel, Presbyterian College and now Wofford. He continues to represent us with the Keydet Club and travel to any and all Keydet athletic events. We are lucky to have someone that committed to our school. Ivan Marcotte, Bill Cornett and I made a boys weekend out of it traveling down from Ivan’s mountain cabin for the day. Ivan and Donna have two at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. Anson is in a master’s program at the KenanFlagler Business School and hopes to be in Washington, D.C., when she finishes. Bennett is a sophomore. Bill and Stephanie are fast approaching the empty nest. Their oldest, Bryant, is a junior at Clemson University; William is a 3rd Class cadet; and the youngest, James, is a high school junior. James was at the Wofford tailgate and was very humble about his touchdown reception for East Mecklenburg High School the night before. It was sad to learn of the passing of Bob Sacra. He attended VMI for one year and was in Band Company. He graduated from Pennsylvania State University after studying engineering. Bob was a favorite of the cadre – not exactly cut out for the military life and took a lot of heat. Those of you on the Yahoo Group saw Duane Padrick’s email that really captured the memories we had of Bob. Duane was one of Bob’s roommates. “Before sweat parties, upper classmen in the court yard chanting ‘Sacra, Sacra, Sacra’ – we knew it was going to be a good day! Setting the clock for infamous 3-minute naps (I think the record was a 30-second nap). Putting his hat on backward coming out of the mess hall – he was politely asked if he was in the Japanese Navy. Putting Brasso on his hat brass and showing up in formation with it still on went over very well. I was thankful he was in my squad (he was taller and the corporals had a hard time getting past him during formations). All kidding aside, he was a good man to the core – always smiling and

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willing to help. (He even had upperclassmen coming to the room asking for help on calculus, and he obliged). He put up with more grief than most of us (combined) and continued on through it all. And we, Class of ’83, got him through the first year despite the best efforts of the cadre, et al.” I received a nice note from his father who was a member of the Class of ’50B. Bob was in York, Pennsylvania, at the time of his death and is survived by his parents and three sisters. I saw a note from Breck Gorman about Cabell’s new art gallery on Washington Street in Lexington. It features work by the region’s best artists and is conveniently located next door to Haywood’s, the bar at Teddy and Ann Parker Gottwald’s The George’s Inn. No doubt many a husband will find time to enjoy a libation as his wife shops next door. If you have not joined our Yahoo Group, drop me a line with your preferred email address, and I will add you. There is a lot of great chatter and entertaining stories. There were several in the past couple of weeks about Brother Rat Melvin Rucker. Steve Umberger, Mark Benvenuto and Barry Smith shared several stories about “Mellow Mel” that brought back great memories. Todd Tudor, Jay Williams and Will Creekmur, among others, have kept us up to date as VMI marches through the field of 64 in pursuit of the Coolest NCAA College Logo contest. At press time, the Keydets were leading the North Carolina State University Wolfpack by over 45,000 votes! And, of course, what home game in Lexington would be complete without a Cal Murray warning order. Weird Harold and Buzzy would be proud! Take a minute to drop me a note with an update. If you have not been back to Lexington recently, you need to visit. There are a lot of great things going on there. Please remember the Institute in your financial contributions, as well. That is all.

’84

Andy Protogyrou

Editor’s Note: We did not receive notes from the Class of 1984.

’85

Matt Daniel

Oct. 31, 2014: As what seems like an appropriate run up to the celebration of our 30th anniversary of being sprung from the Rockbridge-Maury Detention Facility located on the hill in Lexington, Virginia, I offer the following Facebook exchange on

the “VMI 85” users’ group. This is pushing the limit of conventional form, fit and function (and good taste), as usual. It reads like a Tom Clancy novel; one of the ones he decided to never publish. This is what happens when you neglect to send me data! The Facebook thread sort of went something like this: Me (class agent): “Hey! Our class notes are due in to the Alumni Review in four days and I have not received a single gosh darn entry! You want some love in this quarterly rag? Send me some data!” (Agent note: except I did not say “gosh darn.”) Pete Mangerian: “Cedric Wins pinned on a second star in August.” Me: “In regard to Ced – yep, I believe that was covered last quarter. Awesome though, ain’t it?” David Twillie: “I haven’t seen anybody or been to anything, but I love you, brother rats! How about that!?” Pat Donahue: “Hey, Dave, we love you, too.” Mark Bornhorst: Aww. I heart that. David Twillie: “Oh, and Davis Estes is out there somewhere.” Marc Boswell: “I saw a squirrel.” Me: Profound, “Boz. Dave Twillie, how’s he doing?” David Twillie: “I don’t know – just wanted to say his name. He always made me laugh. I am sure he’s stirring it up, though.” Mark Williams: “Funny dude.” Richard Mustakos ’82: “Here’s your news – ’82 rules!” Rich Williams: “Saw Orms two weeks ago. I shook his hand. BRs for life.” (Agent note: Rich is talking about Terry Ormsby, who left us for greener pastures.) Mark Jackson: “What about DellaRocco? See him, too?” (Agent note: Mark Dellarocco. He left us for reasons unknown.) Dan Murphy: “Hey Actio – what’s up with Marsenison, Medeiros and Springer?” (Paul Marsenison, Steve Medeiros and Jud Springer.) Mark Jackson: “Medeiros is out of the Marines and working in Quantico. He grew a ponytail and a Fu Manchu. Marsenison moved back to Florida, cut his ponytail and has a PS mustache (this is a family publication). Jud is MIA but could never grow a ponytail or a mustache.” Kerry Kirk: “I like turtles.” Steve Hagan: “I live in Tucson.” Neil Lowenstein: “Slurpees are better than ICEEs.” Rob Gardner: “Ditto.” Gen. Darren McDew ’82: “Settle down rats, have some self-respect and dignity.” (Agent note: “General Darren McDew ’82” – Hey, that rhymes!) Mike Adkins: “Sorry. We have none.”

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CLASS NOTES David Ames: “News flash! Matt Hadley went to the Blue Mountain Brewery. Again.” Craig Dezern: “Again?!” Russ Stewart ’82: “Get back in, rats.” Tom Greenspon: “Scram, Stewart.” Rob McIntire: “Marc Boswell got defriended a few times on Facebook.” Gary Klein: “I defriended him.” Me: “Me, too.” Vic Bernet: “In all seriousness, Matt, I wonder if through our ‘real-time’ connection through social media, there is less impetus to communicate through dated class notes?” Me: “Good point. It’s gotta be something!” Vic Bernet: “Plus, we all get to see Matt Hadley’s pictures at the Blue Mountain Brewery.” Hunter Elliot: “My oldest son is currently in the rat mass.” Jeff Young: “Hope you are still speaking.” Me: “Hunter E. – cruel and unusual.” Greg Enterline: “The colors of the company I work for are green and gold, and our logo is ‘WM’ – and it ain’t William and Mary!” Jesse Waltz: “Anybody heard BR Henry Murphy’s music? It’s solid.” Me: “True that, Jesse. I listened to one of his CDs. The dude has serious talent!” Rich Williams: “Jack ‘Siler City’ Emerson needs some work on his wildlife recognition skills. Probably can’t distinguish a HMMWV from a BMP.” Mike Herndon: “Rich – wildlife?” Daryoush Ziai: What’s a HMMWV? Jack Emerson: “Z – Humvee. Matt, disregard Rich. He’s talking out of his head. Here’s my good news for you: While viewing the movie ‘St. Vincent’ this past weekend, I couldn’t help but notice that the local movie theater in Christiansburg, Virginia, served the biggest and juiciest ICEEs you have ever seen. So please use our class notes to pass the good word to our BRs (take that, Neil Lowenstein!)” Greg Williams: “Glad to hear you have motion pictures in that part of the commonwealth, Jack.” Steve Green: “Has anybody seen Adam Babcock or Norb Jocz?” Jack Emerson: “Greg – yes, all the modern conveniences. You’ll have to excuse me, I have to run; it’s time for the Jack Benny show on the wireless.” Me: “OK, I guess I have my notes now. Thanks for nothin.’” And so it went ... some or all of this may have really happened. Sadly, I must pass along the news of the passing of Dr. John Stevenson ’54. Dr. Stevenson was a civil engineering professor to many of us in the class, and he was Mark Bornhorst’s father in-law – father to his wife, Ann. He was a beloved instructor and mentor and a friend to many

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in the class. Dr. Stevenson died Oct. 30, 2014. Time spent in Dr. Stevenson’s classes conjure up vivid and good memories. Looking forward to see you in the spring, brother rats! Semper Fi, Rah Virginia Mil and keep the faith.

’86

Clint Hubbard

Editor’s Note: We did not receive notes from the Class of 1986.

’87

Gerry Tertychny

Brother Rats, First, thanks to your generosity, the awards of our brother rats who have received medals for valor are now displayed in the Hall of Valor in Marshall Hall. In fact, the response was so great that we now have a surplus, which I’m keeping with the museum in the event we have any more classmates who qualify to have their medals displayed. Until then, the Hall of Valor is displaying the awards of Chip Bierman, Dave Furness, Drew Campi, James Bright and Macon Snowden. Please stop by to see their awards the next time you’re in Lexington. Remember, if you have been awarded at least one medal

for valor, you qualify to have your awards displayed. If you have any questions concerning eligibility, please contact me. Mark Bartholf recently took command of the 1st Brigade, 91st Division, which is a U.S. Army Reserve unit that trains observer/controllers for duty at training posts such as the National Training Center and the Joint Readiness Training Center. Mark spends a lot of time on the road or up in the air, as he and his family live in Richmond and his subordinate units are out west. Jim Bean, who retired from the U.S. Army a few months ago, is now working for Allied Associates International, a small company based in northern Virginia. Though he still lives in Florida, Jim contributes to his company’s efforts in support of space and missile defense, interagency coordination and the special operations community. Steve Cade checked in from Kuwait. Steve expects to return to the U.S. next year – possibly to the Washington, D.C., area. Steve’s presence in Kuwait is a good reminder to the rest of us that we still have people overseas and in the Middle East. Macon Snowden sent me a great photo of a mini reunion at VMI where a few guys got together to help Bill Wanovich break in his new office in the barracks. Bill is doing great work at VMI, where he took over as commandant this past summer; though I imagine it’s pretty tough trying to stay one step ahead of 1,600 cadets. Kevin Barker, who is still serving in the U.S. Air Force, moved back to Colorado Springs and is working at Schriever Air Force Base. Kevin still lives in his motor coach, as he has been doing

Class of 1987: Celebrating in the new office of Col. Bill Wanovich, VMI commandant.

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Class of 1987: Col. Mark C. Bartholf. for the past six years, and is looking to retire in the summer of 2016. Being totally mobile and self-contained, Kevin plans to fully retire, travel the continent in his motorhome and explore the world. Tim Guck checked in from Germany where he is the chief, Joint Mortuary Affairs Office, Joint Logistics Operations Center at U.S. Africa Command. Tim and his colleagues are pretty busy these days coordinating the logistical support necessary to ensure the success of ongoing operations in West Africa. Last, Kurt Hauk recently left his job as city engineer for the city of Watertown, New York, and took an engineering position at nearby Fort Drum, where he will be in charge of the engineering division for public works. Kurt and his wife, Carol, also had an opportunity to visit Fredericksburg, Virginia, back in July, where they were able to spend a couple of days with John and Cheryl Eubank taking in the sights and enjoying a few evenings strolling down memory lane. In the spirit, Gerry

’88

Sam Tate

Brother Rats, I hope this finds you doing well and, by the time this is published, enjoying the New Year. I know everyone had a very busy fall, as noted in this edition of the class notes. We were able to induct our first six Brother Rats into the VMI Hall of Valor this past August. The next time you are in Lexington please stop by and see our display that so far includes a tribute to

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Class of 1988: At a recent northern Virginia Class of ’88 luncheon were, from left, Jim Florio, Kirk Dewyea, Mike Owen, Mike McGraw, Scott Stachelek and Ed Wetherell. service to our country rendered by Terry Plunk, Kris Beck, Hugh McGloin, Chris Starling and John Wanat. Speaking of history ... Don Calder led a World War II battlefield tour group to Normandy, France, for the 70th anniversary of the D-Day invasion this past summer. The group was composed of researchers with a shared interest in German paratroopers and their role in military history. Don has become an expert on this subject through his hobby interests and, in fact, has been a guest of the German Paratrooper Veteran’s Association during previous visits to Normandy and other World War II battlefields such as Crete, the Ardennes Forest and the Belgian Fort Eben Emael. Don spent the seven day visit taking the group to several museums, American and German cemeteries, and key battlefield sites. Through his many past interviews with the actual veterans who fought at these sites, Don was able to provide the tour group blow-by-blow accounts of details that simply aren’t in the history books. His 13-year-old son, Donald Calder III (hopefully VMI class of 2023!), accompanied the tour group, as well, which allowed for a wonderful father-son bonding opportunity over their shared interest in World War II history. Matt Martin checked in with a note about the work he and his coworkers are performing on the new P-8A Poseidon Multi-Mission Maritime Aircraft in Patuxent River Naval Air Station, Maryland. “We all worked near each other, and it wasn’t until we started to see the VMI paraphernalia at each other’s work stations that we realized we were all VMI alumni. We decided to get together and shoot a quick ‘happy snap’ to let our BRs know we are still alive and well. We have another coworker whose son is a rat this year, and we have had a great time regaling each other with old Rat Disciplinary Committee fish stories and tales of the ‘Old Corps.’

I found it funny that, no matter who I run into, the one name alumni cannot forget is the name of the RDC president during their rat year.” Matt noted that Dan Riley and Pete Heisey also work nearby. Another brother rat continuing to serve – but in a different capacity – is John Gillespie. Oct. 17 marked John’s three year anniversary in South Sudan in support of the United Nations mission. An excerpt from his note follows: “Monitoring the cessation of hostilities has gone on for nearly a year with little progress and is going to go on for months, if not years, to come. No doubt that will morph at some point into transitional government monitoring and vote monitoring, and I could be in South Sudan for years to come if I chose to be there. Rainy season will end in the coming months (December), and the war machine will most likely kick into high gear. Neither side has sufficient control of all its associated units and militias, etc. I guess what I’m

Class of 1988: Mike Wood and John Parrott enjoyed a mini reunion in Williamsburg, Virginia.

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CLASS NOTES

Class of 1988: At the retirement ceremony honoring Col. Chris Starling were, from left, John Keppeler, Mike McGraw, Ed Wetherell, Dan Shrimpton, Andy Tate ’92, John Williams, Sam Tate, Mike Starling ’92, Steve Neary, Chris Starling, Phil Starling ’95, Dave Sullivan and Rob Starling ’17.

Class of 1988: At the change of command ceremony in honor of Col. Adam Volant were, from left, Mike McGraw, Mike Coleman, Ed Wetherell, Sam Tate, Adam Volant, John Keppeler, Todd Friewald and Jim Florio.

Class of 1988: John Williams hosted several BRs on a boat ride to the VMI versus U.S. Naval Academy football game. From left: Hugh Brien, Charlie Cayce, Bill Burns, Scott Stachelek and John “A.J.” Williams.

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saying is that neither side has actually ceased hostilities, and it is hard to be a cease-fire monitor when there is no peace, let alone a formal ceasefire agreement. “In August, one of our choppers was captured and one of our teammates died of natural causes. (You know, when you run through swamps and bush all day and night with rebels shooting AKs behind your head to encourage you to keep pace – heart attack). Not counting our bird, the next day, someone shot down a second U.N. Mi-8, killing three of four crewmembers. The Russians are not happy about this! On top of that, United National Mission in South Sudan has camps of internally displaced persons by the hundreds of thousands across the country. There was a significant cholera outbreak in the capital. I am amazed that it wasn’t worse or more widespread, considering no sewage system and camps with 10,000 people living on top of each other inside the wire. There is a new U.N. mission for Ebola next door in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Marberg (which is basically Ebola by another name) in Uganda, and that monster Ebola outbreak in West Africa. Life is cheap and goes fast over here. Getting someone to think and plan for the future simply isn’t in their culture; they will live today without a thought for tomorrow, as tomorrow they could be dead. Needless to say, with so many day-in/day-out good news stories, my family has had enough, so for our third wedding anniversary, Oct. 13, I resigned effective 2015. I don’t have any plans per say, but I am looking forward to being around to see Bailey graduate from high school and head off to college. Maybe see some BRs at some of these events you keep posting on the VMI 88 Facebook. While I’m home for the next month, we are off to Jamaica and taking in a couple weddings. Then it should be back to South Sudan for a month to transition in a new guy. I should be home for Christmas!” Several brother rats recently spent time at the VMI versus the U.S. Naval Academy mini reunion tailgate. Attendees included: Hugh Brien, Mike McGraw, Bill Burns (coaxed out of early retirement), Andy Gillespie, Tom Knox, Ted Cusick, Charlie Cayce, Ed Wetherell, Mike Coleman, Mike Bryant, Scott Stachelek, John Reimann (who made the trip from Colorado), Ed Page, Todd Friewald, Steve Neary, Rich Stone, Mike Wood and Sean Cantrell. (I apologize if I missed anyone.) Many of their spouses and family members attended, as well. John (A.J.) Williams also attended the tailgate and hosted Charlie Cayce, Scott Stachelek, Hugh Brien and Bill Burns (in from Boston!) at his house and took his boat to the game. Amphibious assault! The same crew came back afterward to enjoy a bonfire and a great time. Hugh Brien broke out the guitar, and when he was tired of playing, Bill Burns played disc jockey and brought back all of the songs from the ’80s. A.J. looks forward to

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CLASS NOTES doing this type of event again soon. Unfortunately, Hugh and Regina McGloin could not join, but they were enjoying their high school reunion in New York that same weekend. Hugh recently took one of his sons to the VMI recruiting weekend. Hugh is still in shock. In the transitions department, we had two major ones in summer and fall 2014. Col. Adam Volant took command of the Virginia National Guard Cyber Battalion at Fort Belvoir in late August. Mike McGraw, Mike Coleman, Ed Wetherell, Sam Tate, John Keppeler, Todd Friewald, Dan Shrimpton and Jim Florio were on hand for the ceremony. Col. Chris Starling retired after 26 years of service in the U.S. Marine Corps at a ceremony hosted at Marine Corps Barracks, Washington, D.C. Mike McGraw, John Keppeler, Ed Wetherell, Sam Tate, Dan Shrimpton, Steve Neary, Dave Sullivan, Andy Tate ’92, and John Williams were in attendance. Chris was also joined by his brothers, Mike Starling ’92 and Phil Starling ’95 and his son, Rob Starling ’17. I had the pleasure over the past few months to touch base with the following BRs on the phone, via email or in person: Vic Sredl, the self-acclaimed Luddite, is considering joining the rest of us on Facebook sometime in this century. (Ironically, he emailed to let me know this.) As I write this, Mack Carr is recovering from heart ablation surgery. By the time you read this, we know he will be back to his usual self. Mike Wood and John Parrott were able to conduct their own mini reunion in Williamsburg recently. Brother rats, I hope you enjoy reading these notes as much as I enjoyed participating in the interactions they represent in keeping us all in touch. As always, you can reach me at the following: VMI 88 Facebook page (join 232 BRs and family) 571-659-0904 (home) 703-772-0854 (cell) samtate88va@gmail.com

Steve Chiles

’89

David A. Martin

Welcome to the first class notes under the guidance (misguidance?) of Dave Martin and Steve Chiles. We are very excited about the opportunity to serve as conduits between VMI and our class, but most importantly, we are here to serve

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the Class of 1989. On behalf of the entire class, we would like to thank Nat Cross for his tireless commitment as class agent for the last several years. It will definitely take the two of us to fill his shoes. Nat, we would also like to express our heartfelt condolences to you, Lori and the rest of your family for the loss of your mother. It was a blessing to be able to see you at the reunion in light of the events unfolding with your mother at the time. Congratulations to the Class of 1989 for making it 25 years in the real world! We had a terrific turnout at the reunion in September, filled with good wine, questionable golf games, respectable football by the Keydets and an occasional field sobriety test demo by our law enforcement officer in residence, Tom Spivey. Most of us would agree the casual atmosphere of the hospitality room at the hotel proved to be just the ticket for lots of laughter and reminiscing, all while being serenaded by Matt St. Clair and his “bag of pipes.” We had just over 100 BRs attend; most with their far-better halves in tow. Needless to say, space limitations prevent us from providing a comprehensive update from everyone who attended, but without exception, everyone seemed to be doing very well. Ashley Fairchild is deserving of a big thank you for carrying the unenviable Alumni Giving torch, raising funds for our class gift to the Institute to properly mark our reunion. Ashley also did a spectacular job presenting the check to Gen. Peay ’62 at the Saturday morning parade in the class’ honor. Ashley also herded the cats of the Reunion Gift-Giving Committee, whose members should also be thanked for their efforts to reach out to everyone in the class for our giving campaign. Members included: Charlie Anderson, Raph Barsamian, Steve Breheny, Eric Buchanan, Harlan Carvey, Steve Chiles, Ned Cox, Nat Cross, Neal Heimer, Tom Inge, Kevin Jones, Coleman Lawrence, Jay Lawson, Marty Malloy, Steve Stafford, Allan Stoneman and Keith Sykes. Thank you, gentlemen. Our class gift could not have been possible without all of your hard work. Ask yourselves if you could have pictured yourselves in the role of Gift Giving Committee member 25 years ago? Didn’t think so! The entire reunion weekend could not have been possible without the Reunion Committee’s extensive planning and commitment. Lead by Nat, the rest of the team was comprised of David Royer, Quinn Donovan, Wuzzer Rader, Tom Spivey, Gary Bissell, Mitch Fridley and Ashley Fairchild. A special shoutout to Quinn for literally shipping cases of his own expertly crafted grapes to Lexington for the weekend. Your wine was a huge hit! It was very generous of you and Tracy – thank you. The reunion was a great time, and from the

amount of email traffic that came in from BRs who could not attend, it is clear we were all there in spirit. The 30th Reunion is but five short years away. Just think, most of us will not even be in our mid-50s yet – still young – so we expect a great turnout! Mark your calendars now! In other news from some folks who could not attend, Ike Matenopoulus writes that he and his wife, Tina, will celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary in June. Congrats, Ike and Tina! Ike is working for Bausch and Lomb providing “oversight” for eye operations, so to speak. He wrote that he really likes his job – which is always good to hear, as it can be a rarity these days. His two kids keep him busy while he is not “overseeing eye operations” for Bausch and Lomb in the Virginia Beach area. Ike’s a big fan of the Virginia Beach area and has been there since 1989+1. On a more somber note, Ike mourned the passing of his father recently due to a battle with ALS. Since his dad’s passing, Ike has been working hard to “make people more aware of this terrible disease that has no cure,” in Ike’s words. Ike supported the nationwide ALS challenge and encourages donations in the name of Nick Matenopolous at ALS.org. This is a great cause – do what you can. That said, we are exploring the possibility of establishing a cup and flower fund on behalf of the Class of 1989 to properly remember and support BRs who have experienced a loss or a significant positive event, like birth. Perhaps we could all donate $5 each year and come up with some type of means to mark, remember and support by sending red and yellow flowers on behalf of ’89. If anyone has any thoughts or would like to take on this additional duty, please let us know. We have immediate openings and selection will be tight! Do not hesitate to volunteer! On a lighter note, it seems there are quite a few of us floating around the Pentagon. Some folks just can’t get enough of the place. Al Versoza writes that he works in the Joint Staff as the deputy inspector general and runs into John Piedmont, John Giltz, Winton Smith, Steve Warren, Brent Selnau and a few other BRs as he makes the rounds of his E-ring realm. Some BRs have their favorite areas in the Pentagon (gym, courtyard, library, etc.), but Al sees John Piedmont practically every morning during daily coffee runs to Starbucks. But Al, if John is going to Starbucks and you see him, doesn’t that mean you are headed there, too? Seriously, John works in Headquarters Marine Corps, which is down the corridor from Al. Winton Smith works as an EA to the N4. Not sure what that means in Navy speak, but that sounds like the executive assistant to the Chief for Navy logistics. According to Al, Brent Selnau was promoted to colonel in the Army Reserve in late September. Congrats, Brent. Colonel in the reserve is not

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Class of 1989: Present at the reunion were: John J. Adametz, Robert W. Alder, Erick E. Ames, Charles Anderson Jr., Matthew J. Ans, George T. Armbruster Jr., Michael H. Banigan, Patrick J. Becker, Lloyd N. Bell, William T. Bersing, Michael R. Biliunas, Gary A. Bissel, Angelo J. Biviano Jr., James H. Black, George E. Bouchard, George H. Bowles, Robert W. Bradford, Harrison P. Bresee III, David C. Brown, Eric L. Buchanan, Francis J. Campion, Peter R. Catalano Jr., Stephen M. Chiles, David D. Clement Jr., Kenneth H. Cobb, Jose L. Corpuz, Edwin C. Cox, William H. Crone V, Nathaniel L. Cross, Gerald N. Damron, Robert W. Davis, Pedro De Jesus III, Kent L. Doane, Quinn P. Donovan, Sean J. Dooley, Brian P. Duffy, Ashley A. Fairchild, John R. Fisher, Mitchell H. Fridley, Robert C. Gates, John R. Glitz, John C. Glover, Jason V. Gray, John C. Gregory, Thomas N. Hamner, Derek W. Harris, Neal A. Heimer, George T. Henning, Thomas L. Hernandez, Joseph L. Hurley Jr., Jon M. Jacobs, Raymond T. Jernigan Jr., Stephen M. Joern, Ronald K. Jones, Robert W. Jones, Michael A. Lake, Peter R. Lampman Jr., Joseph C. Lawrence, Joseph S. Lawson III, Scott D. Leonard, Clyde K. Littlefield, Robert B. Lucas III, Martin L. Malloy, James J. Masella, Kevin C. McAllister, Derek R. McCown, Dan E. McGrew, Anthony Q. McIntosh, Patrick D. McMahan, Neil E. McSweeney, Michael D. Mezzacca, William E. Miller III, Lennon Mings Jr., Christopher D. Mitchell, Michael J. Monfalcone, Michael G. Murray II, Ronald W. Nelson Jr., Steven H. Nezas, Gary G. Nowlin, Robert R. O’Ferrall Jr., Christopher W. Ogden, John H. Osborn, Paul H. Pardew, Jonathan A. Paul, Stephen R. Peyton, John P. Piedmont, Duncan C. Porter, Sean W. Raborn, William M. Rader III, Kramer W. Reeves, Edward J. Rodriguez, Andrew L. Rose, David M. Royer, Thomas W. Shadle, Gary A. Sibayan, Fred W. Smith Jr., Timothy L. Spence, Robert A. Spieldenner, Thomas N. Spivey, Matthew G. St. Clair, Bruce S. Stables, Steven W. Stafford, Allan R. Stoneman, Keith E. Sykes, Matthew A. Tederick, Tracy S. Toye, William V. Trumpore, Andrew J. Tunnard, Alfredo M. Versoza, Steven H. Warren, Mark A. Whisenant, Thomas J. Williams and Lowell D. Wilson Jr.

CLASS NOTES

25th Reunion – Sept. 13, 2014

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Class of 1989: Reunion photos 1) Rooting for Big Red at the football game Sept. 13, 2014, were, from left, Eric Buchanan, Bob Bradford, Nat Cross, Marty Malloy, George Bouchard and Al Versoza. 2) The Class of ’89 presented their reunion check to Gen. J.H. Binford Peay III ’62, VMI superintendent, and E.J. Turner Perrow Jr. ’96, Alumni Association president. 3) Roommates during 4th Class year, above, and together again at the reunion, below. From left: Patrick Becker, Ashley Fairchild, Jon Jacobs and Frank Campion. The top photo was taken 4th Class year in room 428 March 3, 1986. The bottom photo was taken at the 25th Reunion, Sept. 12, 2014. 4) After the parade, the class marched to Old Barracks for Old Yells.

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CLASS NOTES The fall also brings out a number of mini reeasy. You owe the entire class a drink now! Al is a useful tool for those of us in transition or also said that Rob Kolb is in the Mark Center “ETSing” from military service. If anyone has unions and tailgates. I thank all of those BRs working for Cost Analysis Program Evaluation any thoughts about balancing social media and who have checked in with notes. Tim Bosetti has been on the move with the as a contractor. John Corley, Mike Masley and keeping up with the class in personal or profesAl went out for dinner last summer when Al was sional spheres, send us a note. Army, attending a variety of training courses in Korea. John is the director for transformation We look forward to your thoughts. Please and running into a few BRs and VMI men along and relocation in Special Operations Command, keep in touch, and we wish everyone all the best the way. Tim recently took command of Public Korea. Mike was, at that time, the garrison in 2015! Health Command Region Pacific, which is locommander for Yongsan Army Garrison but has Steve Chiles and David A. Martin cated at Camp Zama, Japan. Col. Brent Hashisince moved on to Department of the Army G-1 1989VMI@gmail.com moto ’88 is also stationed at Camp Zama as the Headquarters. Al didn’t say if there was a soju U.S. Army Japan G-5. kettle experience at Polly’s Soju Kettle House in At the time of this writing, Tim was “TDY” Robert Clark attending the Senior Officer Leader Orientation Itaewon, but given Mike’s duties, we doubt it. Al also saw Chris Crawford in Hawaii, where Course at The Judge Advocate General’s Legal they did indeed have a few drinks with HawaiCenter and School at the University of Virginia. Glen Dickenson is attending the course, as well. ian umbrellas in them. Chris works in U.S. Glen will take command of the U.S. Army GarArmy Pacific. A final note from Al – he ran into Greetings BRs, Steve Frankel in Georgetown. Steve is self-emrison at Stuttgart, Germany, in spring 2015. I hope you and your families had a great fall! ployed and living in Wilmington, Delware, and Before taking his command, Tim also attendThis is a busy time for the Class of 1990. Our ed the Brigade Commander’s Pre-Command doing very well with his family. Great inputs, 25th Reunion date has now been set, so mark Course at Fort Leavenworth and ran into Col. Al. Thanks a lot! Pedro DeJesus dropped a line that, as of this your calendars for Sept. 11-12, 2015. Our Re- Steve Cade ’87. And, earlier in 2014, Tim was writing in late October, he is five months into union Committee is up and running, and we are at the Air War College Regional Cultural Studhis new job at CH2M Hill. He worked for them making great plans for the weekend. Hunter ies Program and ran into the well-known VMI before, but took a three-and-a-half year sabbati- Trumbo is heading up our Finance Committee, alumni contingent in the Taiwan Armed Forces. It’s always fascinating how many VMI sightcal. Pedro ran into Quinn Donavan’s rat, Larry and we have a great group of guys who have Nevel ’92, at a George Mason University par- signed up to drive our efforts. There is no doubt ings people have as they travel around the world! ent’s weekend. Both Quinn and Pedro’s kids go this will be a great reunion! Maria Dufford, wife of Jim Dufto GMU. Dave Martin ran into Mitch Fridford, passed along a recent chance encounter meeting, as well. ley in beautiful Fort Dix, New Jersey, Jim was sitting outside at a Starlast summer. Nat Cross was the conbucks in Crystal City, Virginia, over nective tissue to facilitate the link up, the summer and looked up to see and it turned out Mitch was staying in the same building as Dave. Dave Todd Blekicki walking in. They sat urged Mitch to do something about and chatted over coffee. Jim is an the unit policy on General Order account manager with Xcelerate SoNumber One regarding summertime lutions – a small, rapidly growing refreshments during non-duty days at federal government contractor – and annual training. Todd is in the federal government As for us, David Martin got a working in the area. Master of Business Administration The VMI versus the U.S. Naval degree, is working on a doctoral Academy game served as a great opdegree in education at the George portunity for a mini class reunion, Washington University and is an inand our class was well represented. structor in the Army Reserve. Steve Sean Carty reported in on a number and his family look like they will be of our BRs who connected there. Sean is traveling a ton for his job relocating to Austin in early 2015 Class of 1990: Members of the class reconnected at as regional sales director for North and will be looking for members of the VMI versus the U.S. Naval Academy football game. American Military and still covers the the VMI family to help them get to know the area. Dan Fitzgerald, this means you. It’s called a “reunion” for a reason – we want South Korea Military account. He’s fortunate That’s it for the notes. We are kicking around to reconnect and rekindle the great spirit and to do business with Doug Henderson, whose a few ideas on how to better communicate and camaraderie we all know and love as a class. company often partners with Sean’s company. It was great to hear from Chris Pratt, who I balance social media with our Review require- So first and foremost, please be there – we want have not heard from in a while. Chris retired ments. Be sure to check out the 89 Facebook every BR to attend! Second, we will be making a strong class ef- from the Navy and just finished his first year as page, and if you haven’t done so already, consider joining. Some of us were “off the grid” for fort to financially support the Institute, and we a government civilian working as an information a long time and, after checking in on Facebook, ask that every BR consider a financial contribu- technology specialist with the Department of the found it very rewarding. Resistance is futile – tion – no matter the size. Our committee will be Navy chief information officer at the Pentagon. Chris and his wife, Michelle, recently celebratjoin the collective. On the professional side of reaching out to everyone over the coming weeks the house, many of us are on LinkedIn – this to answer any questions you may have. ed their 21st anniversary. His oldest daughter,

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CLASS NOTES BRs – I always appreciate your notes and updates, so keep them coming. Please be on the lookout for correspondence on the reunion over the coming weeks and months, and stay tuned for a call from our Reunion Committee. We look forward to seeing you and your families for our 25th Reunion, Sept. 11-12, 2015, in Lexington.

’91 Class of 1990: Col. Tim Bosetti, left, and Col. Glen Dickinson recently met up at the Senior Officer Leader Orientation Course at the University of Virginia U.S. Army Judge Advocate Center and School.

Class of 1990: On Sept. 20, 2014, a few members of the class got together to remember their late BR, Mark Eyre, who was killed in service to his country in February 1997 and to dedicate his brick in front of barracks. Emily, is a freshman at the College of William & Mary and is studying neuroscience. His middle daughter, Elizabeth, is a high school senior who plays the flute at the Governor’s School for the Arts, and his youngest daughter is a high school freshman who also attends GSA, where she plays the oboe. Chris recently had lunch with Andy Schaaf in Crystal City, Virginia. The conversation topic: “Is itpossible that 25 years have passed since we graduated?” Terence Kerner and Paul Holland both checked in with their reports on another recent mini reunion. Terence, Paul, Tony Zang and Rob Uhorchuk were all able to make it to the VMI versus University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football game in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Apparently the game stunk, but somebody ran into a flask or something and everything turned out all right ... my notes are a little sketchy on that point ... but it sounds like they had a great time. Terence also ran into John Draper and Mike Kemp and was able to catch up with them for a couple of beers in Roanoke.

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George Petty III

Col. Chris Eubank relinquished command of Area Support Group Kuwait to Col. Steve Cade ’87 at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, Aug. 4, 2014. Chris will be the G-6 of U.S. Army Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Flip Secrist is now in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, for the Army War College and hoped to make some VMI tailgates this fall. Tom Heffern had the unexpected surprise of seeing Mike Naifeh in church one October morning. Not that it is a surprise either of them were in church, but rather, Mike has been unheard from in a good long while. Mike and his bride, Victoria, chatted with Tom for a spell after church, exchanged numbers and promised to get together in the future. Mike is stationed at the Pentagon where he serves still in the Army.

Class of 1991: Col. Philip “Flip” Secrist, chief of staff U.S. Army Engineer School, teamed up with retired Lt. Gen. Robert B. Flowers ’69, former chief of engineers, and retired Maj. Gen. Meredith “Bo” Temple ’75, former deputy chief of engineers, to show their spirit for the Institute during the 2014 U.S. Army Engineer Regimental Ball at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri.

Class of 1991: Former baseball teammates Mike Jannusch, Seth Judd, Brent Wertz, Barry Johnson ’90, Trey Rhodes ’90, and Ley Havird ’90 got together during Parents Weekend 2014.

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CLASS NOTES One of my rats, Mike Eason ’94, was in Norfolk, Virginia, in late October for a joint tactical planning board force strategic committee PowerPoint conference. He works for BR Col. John Hale down in Texas. It sure was good seeing Mike again. Do any of you keep in touch with your dykes? Wacky Davis sure tried to have a gathering in Richmond this summer, but with so many BRs having children in high school sports and just beginning college, it did not take flight. Keep trying to get together so the memories and laughter will not fade. Of course, please send a picture when you do get together. I need to see if you have more gray hair than I do. Class of 1991: Col. Chris Eubank and Col. (Pictures must be .jpg and 1MB in Cade at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, Aug. 4, 2014. relieved Eubanks. size.) There has been an APB posted for Al Schmidt. Al, there are several BRs looking Alabama, and they enjoyed reminiscing about for you (in a good way), so please send me an our simple lives back in the day while at VMI. email or call so I can get you in touch with them. Anthony is still in Huntsville, Alabama, and has managed to put in five years with Dynetics. Recently, he was fortunate to help in the develWilliam Woodward opment of Missile Defense Agency propulsion systems on several target programs. He subsequently switched over to support Boeing and NASA on the Space Launch System, analyzing the hydraulic systems for the booster main enAndy Tate gines. In parallel, he and a couple of engineers are attempting to start a medical devices company. His family is doing well, and they find themselves overextended with their son’s sports, coaching and school, as well as with his wife’s growing human resources company. Anthony is looking BRs, Here are the latest updates from our class- forward to the next reunion and is always eager to meet up with BRs visiting the Huntsville area. mates who provided input. Paul Gettle reported that, after four years of Anthony Brinkley reported that he recently met up with Keith Peloquin in Birmingham, service, he and his family have transitioned

’92

Class of 1992: Andy Krug, Ty Krug ’18, Will Woodward ’18 and Woody Woodward on the Parade Ground.

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out of mission work, and he has moved back into the aerospace industry working as a product engineer in Bridgewater, Virginia. Paul also mentioned that Tom Timmes was promoted to O-6 this summer and is stationed at Fort Detrick in Maryland. Keith “Monkey” Frantz reported that Chris Phelps retired from the Marine Corps Aug. 15. Mike Starling posted the same on the class Facebook site and included a great picture of Todd Radford ’93, Mike, Chris, Neil Hennigan and Jay Frey, who were all in attendance to celebrate Chris’ career in the Marine Corps. Monkey went on to say, “ApSteve parently no one got arrested at the reCade ception, primarily due to the fact that I couldn’t attend and that Neil is in the Secret Service.” I got a great update from Dave Massie, which included the following information. A mini ’92 reunion was held outside of Richmond Sept. 13 at the Dominion Golf Club. Mark Loving coordinated the golf outing, and the following BRs were present: Scott Council, Billy Waters, Dave, Mark, Taylor Holt, Whiting Chisman, Jerry Allen, Rob Mizzelle, Mike Dalton and Tim Jordan. Also present were Chad Smith ’93 and Drew Dunnington ’95. A good time was had by all, and the winning foursome was Council, Waters, Chad Smith and Drew Dunnington. Dave also took his 14-year-old son, Jimmie, to play in a junior golf tournament in late September at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Porch room 212 roommate Taylor Holt hosted Dave and his son over the weekend, and they had a great time catching up.

Class of 1992: At a mini reunion in Richmond, Virginia, were, from left, Chad Smith ’93, Scott Council, Drew Dunnington ’95, Billy Waters, Dave Massie, Mark Loving, Taylor Holt, Whiting Chisman, Jerry Allen, Rob Mizzelle, and Mike Dalton. Not pictured: Tim Jordan.

VMI ALUMNI REVIEW

CLASS NOTES

Class of 1992: Larry Nevel at the Acropolis in Athens, Greece.

Class of 1993: Ben Lilly in Petra at the High Place of Sacrifice.

Larry Nevel sent me an e-mail detailing a great trip he and his wife, Anne, took to Greece. He got to display the VMI spider on the Greek island of Santorini and at the Acropolis in Athens. Right after the picture was taken in front of the Acropolis, Larry actually got into trouble with Greek authorities, who said they couldn’t take photos there with any type of flag. Larry will just have to place himself on report next time he is up at the “I.” I have run into Larry a few times at the Pentagon’ where he is working as a contractor for the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations staff doing cyber and electronic warfare following a 20 year career in the U.S. Navy. I have run into Col. Doug Vincent on multiple occasions over the last few months. For those who did not know, Doug is now the commanding officer of the Army ROTC unit at VMI. He just moved back to Virginia last summer and took over as the professor of military science in August, where I ran into him while my son was matriculating into the Army ROTC program at VMI. Doug and his family are settling in well and have just moved into their house in Staunton, Virginia. He really enjoys his new position and looks forward to catching up with any BRs that make it back to VMI over the next few years. I know Andy Krug and I are extremely appreciative of him looking after our sons in the Army ROTC program. Thanks, Doug! Speaking of Andy, I saw him multiple times during the fall at various VMI events, including the New Cadet Initiation Ceremony at New Market and Parents Weekend. It has been great catching up with him and his family, including his brother, Pat Krug ’91. I have included a picture from our most recent meeting at Parents Weekend taken on the Parade Ground with our 4th Class cadet sons, Ty and Will (2015+3). Please continue to send me any updates and pictures for inclusion in future class notes. Additionally, please let me know of any major life events such as marriages, births, deaths and advanced degrees so that I can inform the Alumni Review. If you have a change of address, let the Alumni Association and me know so that we can continue to make sure you get all VMI and class correspondence. Best regards, Woody

’93 Class of 1993: Bryan Van Deun and his son, Barrett, at a tailgate.

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Jim Sharp

Gents, I hope everyone’s fall went well. We had a lot of email traffic regarding the VMI versus the U.S. Naval Academy game. I hope all had a good time and the emails were helpful. I write this before the VMI versus The Citadel game,

which I hope to get some pictures from. I am in the middle of moving houses, and to the angst of my wife, the move included my hay. I don’t feel guilty, because when I stayed at Ed Kerns’ recently, I noticed his hay in his guest room closet. Speaking of Ed, I crashed at his place in Atlanta, Georgia. We were able to grab beers over dinner. Ed is doing well in his individual financial advisory practice. I received a note from Ben Lilly with a picture of him and Jon Gray ’96 in Jordan. They both do work for the State Department, and the picture was of them in Petra at the High Place of Sacrifice. In general, I try to stay away from places of sacrifice, but this place looks pretty cool. Thanks for forwarding. I also received a note from John Timmons. John changed jobs in March 2014, and he moved from Owensboro, Kentucky, to Bristol, Virginia, back in July. Unfortunately, they still own the house in Owensboro at this point, but if anyone is interested in a vacation home in western Kentucky, let him know. Their older daughter, Kendall, is a freshman at Mary Baldwin College (talk about feeling old), and their younger daughter, Alexis, is a junior at Virginia High School. It has been a year of changes and challenges, but Gerri and John are weathering the storm. Bryan Van Deun sent in a picture of him and his son at a tailgate. He just moved back to the Washington, D.C., area in late August, rejoining his family. He said they are happy to be together after his two years in Montana. Steve Grim sent in an email. He and his family have been in the U.K. for the past two years working with the U.S. Embassy. He encourages anyone traveling through London to look him up, but you better hurry. They are moving back to the states in mid-2015 to teach their kids proper English. Jim Richards and Ayen Torchik are a couple of the guys who have been able to catch up with the Reaper in London. I continue to get late night selfies from the likes of Sean Farley. The latest one was one of him and Pat Foley on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, Louisiana. Usually, it is Dave Youngclaus in the picture. Short notes this quarter, but there will be more soon. Jim

’94

Clay Campbell

Attention in barracks: Brothers, Let me apologize in advance that this edition will be a bit shorter than previous editions. It is

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CLASS NOTES that glorious time of year, the most wonderful time of year (also called hunting season), and the time seemed to slip past me. I need to take a minute on a personal note and announce that my beautiful partner in crime who has been by my side for the past six-plus years, said yes, and we were married in August. She just could not resist my manly charms and thinks my beard is sexy; plus, her parents offered me a dowry of two goats and a pig so I said win, win. I know this will upset many of you ladies reading this, and you, too, Jason Nichols, but, as Toby said, “I ain’t as good as I once was.” Chris and Penny Gros, Hernan Barrero, and Easy and Candice Rider all came to the Palace de Pig (my house) for a cookout to help celebrate the marriage. I also need to report that Chris Gros talked me into continuing my higher education; I took a class for motorcycle education and passed. I can say that thankfully there are no existing pictures of me riding that tiny little bike. I heard from our West Virginia Ph.D., H Wayne Lambert, that he and Chris Lagerholm met up at VMI in August. As Wayne stated, “Chris was in the states for only a few days, so my son, Greer, and I drove down and back from Morgantown to hang out for a few hours. We played soccer on the Parade Ground, ate lunch, went to the VMI Museum and Memorial Gardens, and checked out the post improvements.” Wayne is still teaching medical and dental students at West Virginia University, where he was promoted to a full professor in July 2012. He reports that his wife is a local pediatrician, and they have three kids (Emma, Greer and Lucy). Wayne also gave me an update on Robert “Ro” Browning, who is expecting his third child (all girls) in December. Merce Brooke responded to my call for address and status updates. He is an associate professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at VMI, so if you are around post, look him up. Sean Harrington got in touch with me to pass on much information. He recently retired from the Air Force and had Fred Barber at his side to do the honors. Also in attendance were his roommates, Ray James and Chris Passarge. Sean and his wife are living

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Class of 1994: Dave Underwood with Stevie Nicks.

Class of 1994: Justin Sapp and Vince Porter.

Class of 1994: H. Wayne Lambert and Chris Lagerholm got together at the Institute when Chris came back to the U.S. for a few days.

in Fredericksburg, Virginia, where he is now teaching at King George High School as a business teacher. He is also coaching soccer and field hockey. Sean got to take a few weeks this summer and spend time with Ray James in Charlotte, North Carolina, where Ray is a senior project manager for Comcast, and a week with Chris Passarge outside Cincinnati, Ohio, where Chris is the chief operations officer for the Lakota School District. Fred Barber is once again in Korea with the Army on a short assignment. Lastly, Sean informed me that he delivered his son into the caring arms of the Mother I as a member of the class of 1994+24. I spoke with Joey Davis who is in Lexington, Kentucky. He wrote to inform me that his wife was featured in Paula Dean’s magazine as one of the top six cooking schools in the south. They have a place called Wild Thyme Cooking, and I understand they have had a few celebrities come by to sample the cuisine – Louis B. Louis and Pete Major to drop just a few names. Please check them out at www.wildthymecooking.com. I heard through Facebook that Matt MacNeilly has made his way back to Virginia, and I believe he and his family are stationed near Virginia Beach. Tim Bailey recently traded in his Harley on a new minivan and says he can’t believe he has gone all these years without one. He is the founding and only member of the newly formed Myrtle Beach Minivan Club. He is working with a producer to try and do a spinoff of the hit series, “Sons of Anarchy,” but with a van and car seat. Vince Porter ran into Justin Sapp at the annual meeting of the AUSA, and he said it was good to see one of his rat roommates after all these years. Dan Price escorted his wife, Melanie, to northern Virginia where she ran the Marine Corps Marathon. Great job, Melanie. Dave Underwood shared a story via Facebook that is worth sharing again. Dave was recovering at Walter Reed Hospital from wounds suffered in 2008 when he received a special guest. Stevie Nicks came to visit and spent some time with Dave. As he states she sat and spoke with him, read him a poem called, “A Soldier’s Angel,” gave him an iPod and took

VMI ALUMNI REVIEW

CLASS NOTES some pictures with him. Fast forward to today: There is a documentary on Netflix called “Stevie Nicks: In Your Dreams,” and Dave is in the show at the one hour, 21 minute mark. Dave, I had to also hijack your photo. Thanks for your service. Stoop poop: I’m still waiting on brother rats to reach out to me and let me know what is going on with you and your families. I am still trying to get updated addresses and phone numbers, as well. This section in the Alumni Review is for you, and I happen to be your mouthpiece for this forum. On that note, if I don’t receive any feedback, I have nothing to write about, so please help me out with a quick email from time to time. You can send it to classagentvmi94@ gmail.com or call me anytime at (703) 5079109. I do not mind writing about myself – it is my favorite subject – or I can continue the chronicles of Rusty Stein, traveling unicycle sock puppet extraordinaire. Always, Pig

Thomas A. Brashears

’95

Dan Williams

Brother Rats, Another three months has passed, and here we are with another batch of class notes. As I write this version, Founders Day is right around the corner and our beloved Institute will be celebrating its 175th birthday. Many great activities are planned, so I’m hoping some BRs will make their way here to Lexington to help in the celebration. I haven’t heard from too many folks lately – just the regulars. I talk to Matt Reiner quite often. He and Vicky love their new little “farm.” I think they are the only family who may have more animals than we do. Speaking of which – if you’re ever in Lexington, you have to stop by our place. We now have five miniature donkeys, two horses, our four dogs and a ‘barn’ cat who runs the place. I’m thinking about starting a petting zoo on the side. I did get to see Joe Doyle not long ago. He decided on a whim to bring the kids up to Lexington one day, just for a visit. Hard to believe his little boy is already a year old. I traded some emails and spoke to Rod Thompson not long ago. One of his coworkers was bringing his son

2015-Issue 1

As always, please continue to stay in touch, shoot me an email, call on the phone, or feel free to stop by the office or house here in town. ’95, ’95, ’95!

’96 Class of 1995: Jerzy Mikulski with his son, Milan, born in April 2014. down to VMI for a visit, and Rod was trying to help him out a bit. I also spoke to Brian Kellner not long ago. He and his family are up in the Chicago, Illinois, area now and looking forward to hanging it up soon and moving back to Virginia. Also, I did get an email from Drew Warren. He is in fact retiring from the U.S. Marine Corp in the summer of 2015 and will be looking for opportunities. Drew and his wife planned to be here for Founders Day so I looked forward to catching up. I also understand that Drew Bissell has retired. I see his brother, Gary, often, as he works in Smith Hall, and Drew’s nephew is a 4th Class cadet this year. Jerzy Mikulski sent me an email and even included a picture of him with his son, Milan. Despite being two weeks early, Milan weighed in at 9 pounds and was 21-and-a-half inches long! Congrats to Jerzy and his beautiful bride, Marina. Jerzy is still working out of Atlanta, Georgia, but deploys every so often. I’m also hoping that Dan Williams can get down here soon with his family. Dan and Jodie have three beautiful children and are enjoying life north of Baltimore, Maryland. Also, I was able to catch up with Dave Fleck recently as he ventured up this way for our football game against Gardner-Webb University. It was good to see Dave, as always. Jamie Joyner left Target and is now the branch manager of the largest Bank of America branch in Roanoke, Virginia. I guess we all know where to go now if we need money! All kidding aside, Jamie and his family are doing well, and I get to see him and his dad quite often at various VMI events. That’s about it for now, I guess. Keep an eye out for information about our reunion, and make sure you get registered on time. By the time you read these notes, the reunion will only be a couple of short months away.

Peter Segersten

Brother Rats, Good evening! I hope you, your family and your loved ones are doing well. On a short vacation in Hot Springs, Virginia, I ran into Karl Renne and Matt “Dutch” Holland. It’s a small world. Matt had been hiking around the area with family for the weekend and discovered I was in the area. I ran into Karl and his wife by chance. We all agreed to meet up the next day and had a great time catching up over a few. Kevin Boteler is doing pretty well, also. I ran into him at a work event and got to chat with him for a bit. Kevin is busy with work and his lovely family. It was great to see him. Mark Simonds chimed in the other day to give us an update. He has transitioned to pastoring part time and is now apprenticing as a carpenter in Pennsylvania. He says the VMI experience has definitely helped him get through the apprenticeship process. Chris Noe checked in from Korea. While in Korea, he ran into Ricky Mattoso. They caught up over dinner in Daegu, South Korea. Curt Bourn sent me a few notes from his travels. He is doing well in both the U.S. Navy and as a Delta pilot. He recently teamed up with Dan Kornaki ’79 on a flight from Syracuse, New York, to Charleston, South Carolina. They ended up hanging out for some beverages on King Street in Charleston. Curt was recently on vacation with his wife in Hawaii and, without a doubt, visited his favorite establishment, Duke’s. I spoke with Eli Wahesh on the phone the other day. He is doing quite well down in Savannah, Georgia. Eli has been quite busy with his ever growing and successful company. Mike Ohleger was at it again with the Marine Corps Marathon. Not only that, but his son also ran the marathon! Congratulations to both Mike and his son on completing the marathon! Mike Waltz has been busy with the ancillaries of releasing his book. He recently attended the Green Beret Foundation fundraiser and rubbed shoulders with members of the Fox News staff such as Kimberly Guilfoyle and Bret Baier. The event raised over $1 million for the foundation. Check out Mike’s book, “Warrior Diplomat,” on Amazon and other book outlets.

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CLASS NOTES

Class of 1996: Delta pilots Curt Bourn and Dan Kornacki ’79 en route to Charleston. Rusty McGuire is busy down in Louisa County, Virginia, as the commonwealth’s attorney for the county. In the tragic event of the missing/ murdered girl from the University of Virginia, he volunteered the bloodhound dogs of his county to search for her. Well, that is it for the class notes. Thanks to everyone who contributed. Cheers, Pete Segersten

’97

David Zirkle

Editor’s Note: We did not receive notes from the Class of 1997.

John A. Strock

’98

Hamel Reinmiller

Chad Novacek is enjoying a sustained period of “gazelle intense” Spartan sacrifice and is finally in a position to pay that ever-patient and persistent student loan piper for a near-decadent

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decade and a half of academic and personal exploration. Although Chad’s new job enabled him to euthanize one $22,000 parasitic student loan within the first several months, he laments the remaining two albatrosses resisting stubbornly behind their six-plus figure interest redoubt. Chad remains steadfast against the storm of debt slavery and relishes the day when he will finally break the yoke of indentured servitude. Stay tuned... (Help received on literary flair: Novacek, C.A.) I heard from Jason Duffy – of 4th Class year Call to Quarters Release in Barracks rock n’ roll fame – I can hear the feedback pouring out of Company H’s corner in New Barracks like it was yesterday. Jason and his wife, Lisa, have three kids (Dylan 14, Natalie 4, Thomas 3). He left a high school teaching position two years ago after completing his Ph.D. in counseling psychology and is now working as an assistant professor at Syracuse University. He still plays guitar and took up drums a year ago. Life is good. My wife, Betsy, and I spent a lovely Monday night in our nation’s capital with Daniel Smith and his wife, Anna, Oct. 6. The fearsome foursome was at FedEx Field to “enjoy” a Seattle Seahawks victory over the Washington Redskins. Aside from the Hawks victory, the most entertaining aspect of the night was postgame when Smith was smart enough to let his battery die in his personally owned vehicle. Luckily there were plenty of good Samaritans to assist with a friendly jump in the parking lot at 12:30 a.m. The first person I asked was a fine Prince George’s County sheriff. At one point, I found

myself behind the wheel of the cruiser attempting to pump life into the battery. Yes, the officer asked the all-day tailgater to get behind the wheel of his squad car. All those Field Training Exercises paid off. Smith also recently ran into Avi Hopkins and Al Lester at the kick off reception for TEAM EXCEL. The trio mentors in TEAM EXCEL. TEAM EXCEL is a “reverse” fantasy football concept, where students become the fantasy athletes, and professional athletes and community mentors serve as team coaches. Each week, students receive individual and team scores based on their grades, attendance and community service. Teams compete for weekly prizes based on their team averages, with grand prizes awarded at the end of marking periods and the end of the year, or “season.” Individual prizes are also awarded to students that excel throughout the year. Michael Robison (retired Super Bowl champion with the Seattle Seahawks) started this program through his foundation. The program is managed by Johnathan Mayo ’95 through his management and marketing company, Avail. Andre Thornton (Mad Dog Delta) is the chairman of the board of TEAM EXCEL. Ernesto Sampson and Tommy Haskins ’97 are also mentors in the program. VMI ’98 is well represented in the Richmond community making a difference. Mike Lorence and his family are doing very well. Wife Erica finished her first Half Ironman triathlon. The event was held in Oak City, North Carolina, and they made a family vacation out of it. She finished in a little over seven hours and placed well in her age group. All four of the Lorence girls are doing well – ages 11, eight, four and the caboose is two. The oldest

Class of 1998: Gardner and Stinson Mundy gave birth to their second child, Elinor Crawford Mundy, Sept. 16, 2014. She weighed 6 lbs., 13 oz.

VMI ALUMNI REVIEW

CLASS NOTES Unit. Sophie and Jason welcomed a two are competitive swimmers and are new boy, Joseph Bradford Berg, into the really enjoying it. Erica is the assistant world Aug. 11. Congrats, Jason! coach for the local club team, Sunkist Randy Eads is still practicing law in Swimming. Mike resigned from his Abingdon, Virginia, and his business job running a $25 million/year remanhas him traveling from Roanoke, Virufacturing business. He has moved into investment banking, spending sigginia, to Knoxville, Tennessee, on a nificant time on the road all over North somewhat regular basis. The majority of America. Basically, he works with his practice is federal criminal defense, but he is also involved in many civil ischief executive officers who own comsues, as well. panies doing $1-75 million/year who Jake Britt sent me the following want to sell the firm. Mike graduated email: “We are currently in Belgium from his Doctor of Philosophy program back in May. The terminal degree visiting family. We plan to hit the Nethis in business with a dissertation topic erlands, Paris and Brussels this week. I Class of 1998: Class Agent John Strock said of this related to how to find, vet and hire ulreally enjoyed seeing everyone, brother, photo, “Daniel and Anna Smith playing nice with John tra-high performers and manage them and I can’t wait to do it again! The only and Betsy Strock at the Redskins versus Seahawks to peak performance. The dissertation thing I would really like to make sure Monday night game.” gets in the class notes this time is our is picking up a fair amount of attention in the academic community, as this was the first months). Joey is still with Harris Teeter and is class’ initiative to fully fund Cliff’s scholarship time anyone ever did a dissertation on this topic. the director of private brands, while Tori left by our 25th Reunion. It is my opinion that our For those of you who know of Topgrading, that wine sales to stay home. He has not spoken to class needs to make this a priority. If each of us system formed the foundation of this research, anyone recently but vows to correct that by the gives $25 a month until our 25th Reunion, this which has been an elusive topic for CEOs since next edition. He reported that he recently bought initiative will be a success. (Bill’s note: more to the beginning of the industrial revolution. three postcards on eBay with Dale Paxton follow on this...) Thanks for planning our 15th! Sean Williams was promoted to sergeant first marching the 4th Class cadets at New Market You did a great job! To all of my brother rats, I really enjoyed seeing you and hanging out! I class (E-7) March 21, 2014, and, along with during our 1st Class year. Small world! being operations sergeant for Forward Support Last, but not least, my former VMI hockey wish all of you the best, and I look forward to Company 276th Engineer Battalion, he was teammate, Henry Ergot, and his wife are still seeing you all again!” Pat Geoghegan sent me this: “It was great “awarded” with the distribution platoon ser- living in Georgetown, Colorado, and are expectseeing you and getting in some good conversageant duties, as well. At age 38, he purchased ing their first child in April 2015! his first house Sept. 18, 2014. He lives with his Thanks to all who submitted notes this round. tion over golf, as well as seeing so many other girlfriend, Kathryn Sheppard, in Midlothian, It’s always great to hear what everyone is up to, brother rats and being able to catch up. Life reVirginia. Sean, congrats on the house and pro- and VMI ’98 continues to impress! ally is going by fast – hard to believe it’s been motion, and thanks for your service! 15 years. Well, since alumni weekend, Virginia Neil Holloran sends his best from Frederand I closed on the house here in Roanoke and William Steinbach moved in the following weekend. We love it and icksburg, Virginia. He’s holding it down workare getting settled in. Then yesterday, we made ing for Uncle Sam, surrounded by a small cadre a trip down to Tazewell, Virginia, to a breeder of VMI alum all the way from ’78 to our very and brought home a five-and-a-half-month-old own Tim Berry. Neil has three children – two chocolate lab we’ve named Ranger. He is a super girls and a boy, ages nine, seven and four – and well-mannered dog and was already well underwill be adding a second boy to the brood in April Brother Rats, 2015. Neil said, “A decade of having children It was great seeing everyone at our reunion. way with his training.” is enough; time to start raising them.” If anyone Special thanks go out to Dallas Clark, who was Mike Condon and his wife, Soraya, welcomed needs a spot to stay in between now and April our “boots on the ground” helping out with lo- the birth of their first child April 14. His name when the guest room becomes a nursery, hit him gistical planning leading up to the weekend. A is Ian Michael Condon. Mike says everyone up on Facebook. round of thanks also go to Josh Frank, Matt is doing great! The three of them also enjoyed Joe Seiler, after serving active Army for 10 Franks and their wives for helping with regis- catching up with everyone at the 15th Reunion, years, transferred to the Army Reserve two years tration at the hotel. While he was unable to play including Steve Lucas, Matt Kuhr, Jordan ago. He recently was promoted to the rank of due to a last minute scheduling conflict, thank Brandon, Dale Durlach, Jason Tomlinson, Ben lieutenant colonel. He and his wife are resid- you to Chuck Reinhold for heading up the golf Rowe and Kris Turpin, to name a few. That about wraps it up for this go around. ing in Buckingham County, Virginia, and are in outing that Friday. Matt Hart, thanks for putting private dental practice together at Buckingham together and leading the memorial service on the Many of you have asked how to contribute to Cliff Flournoy’s scholarship fund. Here are the Family Dentistry, which is located in Dillwyn, Saturday of the reunion. Virginia. Look him up at www.BuckinghamWoody Cromley is out at Fort McCoy in Wis- detailed instructions for contributing online: Go to the following link that will take you to FamilyDentistry.com. consin. He said he had a blast at the reunion and Joey Bates checked in from Charlotte and is that it was way too short. He said he cannot re- the VMI Foundation Giving Page: https://www. vmialumni.org/sslpage.aspx?pid=1293 still upset about having to miss the 15th Reunion member the last time he laughed so hard. Once there, type in the gift amount and choose event. He and Tori are moving just south to Fort Jason Berg has just returned from Afghanistan Mill, South Carolina, for the school system with and extended at Camp Pendleton. He is now the “Other” from the drop down menu under “DesCole (two-and-a-half years) and Morgan (11 logistics officer for the 13th Marine Expeditionary ignation.” When you select “Other,” a box will

’99

2015-Issue 1

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Class of 1999: Present at the reunion were: Jason M. Abney, Brian A. Arnold II, Sidney J. Brandon III, Joel J. Britt, Douglas V. Carson Jr., Jason C. Crigler II, Ralph W. Cromley Jr., John A. Deem, Justin W. Douglas, Dale C. Durlach, Chin-Chia S. Fan, Andrew D. Fox, Joshua B. Frank, Matthew M. Franks, Andrew D. Fuller, Charles P. Gallion, Patrick Geoghegan, Jeffrey T. Golden, Leslie R. Gould, Aaron M. Hamilton, Burr P. Harrison IV, Matthew P. Hart, Roger O. Hart Jr., John P. Henderson, Jeffrey M. Holder, Matthew A. Kuhr, Eric Marshall, Matthew C. Matheny, Gregory G. McDearmon, Jennings W. McGraw, Jonathan P. McMahon, James F. Meyer, Nathan P. Meyer, Ali E. Morales, Jeffrey B. Morrison, Travis L. Quesenberry, Charles E. Reinhold, Rene A. Rodriguez, Brian P. Ross, Jason L. Smith, Jeffrey T. Sprague, Anthony M. Stafford, William F. Steinbach II, Matthew K. Stephens, Shane G. Stille, Cameron K. Tabor II, Jason B. Tomlinson, Carl S. Trask, Daniel C. Wilbun, John M. Wilcox, Bradford A. Wineman, John A. Witt and John W. Wright II.

CLASS NOTES

15th Reunion â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Sept. 27, 2014

Class of 1999

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VMI ALUMNI REVIEW

CLASS NOTES

’02 Class of 1999: Mike Condon holding his baby son, Ian. appear. Enter the word “Flournoy.” (There is only one “Flournoy” scholarship, and our gift processor stated that the entire scholarship name – “The R. Clifton ‘Cliff’ Flournoy Class of 1999 Scholarship” – is not needed to process correctly.) Click on the “Add Donation” box. *Please note that you may change this gift amount on the following page if needed, and you will have the opportunity to choose the amount entered as a one-time gift, reoccurring gift or a pledge payment with installment options. The second page is pretty self-explanatory – enter your information and click “Donate Now.” A confirmation receipt will populate to your email account. If you have any questions please feel free to call Jacki Berkshire at the VMI Foundation (540) 464-7287 ext. 253. In the bonds, Bill

’00

Matthew McComas

Editor’s Note: We did not receive notes from the Class of 2000.

’01

Brandon Farris

Brother Rats, I hope everyone is well and enjoyed the holidays. Ben Norris was in Lexington in October for Parents Weekend visiting his brother Jake Norris ’16. Surprisingly, it was actually a good weekend for VMI football, as the team narrowly lost in a double overtime nail-biter. Ben was also able to spend a few minutes catching up with Mike Andriliunas and Jeff Akers and

2015-Issue 1

Class of 2001: Rich Groen and his wife, the former Desiree Asher. their families at the game. Rich Groen recently graduated from the British Advanced Command and Staff Course and finished his second master’s degree with King’s College of London. Rich got married Aug. 2 to the former Desiree Asher of Leavenworth, Kansas, and is now a battalion executive officer out of Fort Bliss. Adam Stanley-Smith is currently living the good life in Munich, Germany, working as the regional director Europe, the Middle East and Africa for the Ackerman Group LLC. Adam moved to Munich in January after five years in Paris (working and earning a Master of Business Administration degree). Seth Ford and his wife, Sarah, were expecting their third child (their third girl) Molly Katherine Ford, to be born in October. Seth’s practice is thriving, and he was slated to take over as president of the Tennessee Academy of Ophthalmology in January 2015. Seth said he hopes to represent VMI and ’01 well. Sam Fishburne is in Hawaii now – still with the Army. Shane Vinalles is also there, and they both work for U.S. Army Pacific. Sam and Shane ran into each other at a random meeting. Shane now has a second baby, a little girl named Savannah, who is 11 months. Sam’s wife is pregnant with their third child. Number three is a boy, and is as of yet unnamed. By the time the next Review comes out, he may have arrived. Sam is about to have back surgery for an L5/S1 herniated disk. Unfortunately for Sam, it’s hard to walk or sit due to pain. Hopefully this surgery will correct the issue, and he’ll be back at work and play. Thanks again to everyone who sent in notes. Please shoot me an email if you aren’t on my distribution list. Happy New Year! Brandon

Salmaan Khawaja

Brother Rats, I hope that this edition of the Review finds you and yours well. The seasons are changing (but we’re no longer 4th Class cadets) as I write these notes, and I wish you all a very happy holiday season and New Year. Time is flying by! I have a few notes to pass along this edition, with more to follow in the next. Please feel free to send me updates and pictures of what life in our 30s has been like so far. Matt and Kelli Hylton welcomed their second child, Zoey, in to the world Sept. 9, 2014. Zoey is healthy and happy baby and is well-loved by her older brother, Zack. (And her parents, of course!) The Hylton family currently resides in Alabama.

Class of 2002: Timothy Donovan with wife Ashley and baby Timothy “Little T” soon after his birth. Award winning chef Tim Donovan and wife Ashley had their first son, Timothy Edward (aka “Little T”) May 2, 2014. The Donovan family is doing well, and Little T is growing up fast! Tim is working hard as a chef in Texas, keeping that Marine Corps ethos of working hard, kicking butt and taking names. Corey Stavinoha and wife Laura were blessed with the birth of their firstborn daughter, McKenzie Gloria. She was born Oct. 30 at 8:12 a.m., weighed 6 pounds, 9 ounces and was 19-and-ahalf inches long. Both were still in the hospital

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CLASS NOTES at the time these notes were written, but Corey noted, “Both mama and baby are doing awesome.” Nicholas Barcheski is working as a special education teacher in New Jersey, where he teaches history to students with special needs. More importantly, he got married June 7, 2014, to Sally Morcos, Psy.D. Devon Miller was Nick’s best man, and Nick’s rat, Lael Bellotti ’05, was a groomsman. Also in attendance were Joe Williams and Steve Ward. Nick wrote that “Joe has been working hard at the Department of Homeland Security and has a third child on the way. As for Steve, he is still in the Army and was just relocated to Fort Bliss, Texas, for the next few years.” ’02! ’02! ’02! In the spirit, Salmaan

William Talley V

’03

Nichole Kramer

Editor’s Note: We did not receive notes from the Class of 2003.

Scott E. Campbell

’04

C. Justin Roberts

As I write, the sun has not yet risen on the morning of Nov. 1. In spite of living in the Tuckahoe neighborhood of Henrico, Virginia, for three Halloweens, I was regrettably unaware of the volume of alcohol involved in trick or treating! Anthony Peters emailed me two weeks ago to say that he and his wife were expecting baby No. 3 any day! Pictures of Stella Lavinia Peters showed up on Facebook Oct. 20. Mrs. Peters has received an assignment as the Air Force assistant attaché to Hungary. The family will be moving to northern Virginia for a little over a year for language/embassy training and moving to

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Class of 2004: On their way into the 10th Reunion were, from left, Misia Zygolewski, Scott Campbell, Jeanette Diehl, Noah Diehl, Tara Brinkmoeller and Jason Brinkmoeller. Budapest, Hungary, by 2016. Anthony is looking forward to spouse’s etiquette, entertaining and self-defense courses. In anticipation of etiquette school, he’s looking forward to the company of brother rats to help him practice. Matt Sharpe welcomed his daughter, Myla Bailey Sharpe, to the world Aug. 21. She’s awesome, and everyone is doing great. Matt wrote in anticipation of Ryan Consaul’s wedding ,“Should prove to be ... ‘eventful.’” Ryan Consaul married Erica Paulson Oct. 25 at Belmont Estate in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Alex Nicoloff was the best man. BRs Matt Sharpe and Russell Gochenour, as well as Devon Miller ’02 and Magnus Nordenman ’02, were in attendance. Ryan and Erica honeymooned in Italy following the wedding. They will live on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. Sean McElroy missed out on the reunion to become a father. Degan David McElroy was born Oct. 2 at 11:56, weighing 9 pounds, 9 ounces, and was 21-and-a-quarter inches long. Sean has been assigned to Fort Polk since 2005 and doesn’t have any chance of escape in the near future. He was paroled for the Career Course and a deployment from January- October 2013. While in Afghanistan, he was a part of a Security Force Advisory and Assistance Team assigned to Cop McClain. “An awesome experience.” On his return, he became an instructor for future SFAATs. Currently, McElroy is assigned to the Contracting Management Office. Maj. Jason Quash and his wife, Jill, were expecting their third son, Nathan Josiah Quash, in December. Their two older sons, Joel and Gabriel, are doing great. The family is enjoying their tour in South Korea. Jason is currently the Battalion executive officer for 532nd Military Intelligence Battalion and has been able to visit

Class of 2004: Dan Hall and his wife, Shannon, became parents for the first time July 16, 2014. They welcomed the birth of Teagan Mary Hall.

Class of 2004: Libby Olson in Spain along the Camino de Santiago in October 2014.

VMI ALUMNI REVIEW

Class of 2004: Present at the reunion were: Joel W. Andrus, Sarah E. Bartholomew, Tamara R. Bean, Daniel J. Belzer, Peter G. Bennett, Hamilton L. Bice, Brandon S. Boor, Adam M. Brankamp, Marion P. Brawley IV, Frank J. Brinkmoeller, Jarett R. Brown, Scott E. Campbell, Graham T. Carssow, John P. Casper, David E. Casteel Jr., Maja Cavlovic, Edward Chen, Michael B. Coakley, David A. Coleman, Erica L. Comparin, Edward P. Cooper, Michael W. Corso, Daniel J. Cragg, Andrew J. Cunningham, George H. Cushman V, Gary R. Cutler Jr., Brock P. Daniel, Thomas C. DeShazor, Noah W. Diehl, Joseph H. Doane, Bryan D. Faison, Ross A. Garnett, Nathan L. Gilbert, John C. Ginder, Hrvoje S. Glasnovic, Douglas B. Goodall, Robert H. Gregory II, Michael H. Gregory, Bree A. Guiterman, Jonathan E. Hadra, Brian E. Hall, Craig S. Hamilton, James A. Hardin, Winston W. Harrell, David W. Harris, Andrew N. Harris, John B. Haywood, Eric N. Hepfer, Johnathan P.T. Hicks, Keith L. Holman, Brian V. Hudak, Harley P. Jennings, Christopher B. Johnson, Ryan E. Koniak, Ryan J. Koziol, Vincent Laorenza, Conley C. Laster IV, Jonathan J. Lessen, Matthew K. Liffick, Stephen R. Linkous, Richard K. Little, Jaden L. Lowry, Matthew T. Mikula, Rory M. Miller, Kent B. Monas, Joseph D. Montagna, Joshua P. Mulford, Sean A. O’Donnell, Samuel G. Orr, Joshua A. Owens, Anthony R. Peters, Amanda L. Phelps, David M. Poldiak, John B. Puvogel, Derek J. Raymond, James H. Reisch, Michael E. Roscoe, J.B. Rosson, Stacy J. Rostorfer, Jesse D. Seguin, Michael R. Shealy, Adam W. Sheldon, Radee M. Skipworth, Brandon M. Smith, Brice L. Strickland, Kenneth G. Sydnor, Brian C. Trueblood, Jeffrey B. Van Cleave, Matthew S. Vogel, James P. Volosin, Ryan T. Walker, Glenn R. Walton, Thomas H. Walton Jr., Eric D. Waters, Derek W. Wiley, Robert L. Wilson III, Joshua L. Wright and Adam E. Zimmerman.

CLASS NOTES

10th Reunion – Sept. 27, 2014

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CLASS NOTES Brother Rats, his dyke, Elijah Ward ’01, and his wife, Jenn, who helped to make it so! Plans are already in the I hope this note finds you all doing well and works for our 15th Reunion, so if you have ideas or as they also prepare for the birth of their son. Libby Olson bailed on the reunion to walk the you want to help out with planning, speak up now! that you are having a prosperous and wonderTake care. Be safe, and keep in touch! Camino de Santiago, a pilgrimage across Spain. She ful 2015. As I write this set of notes, the newest Scott Campbell finished and is backpacking around Europe before release by Sons of Bill, “Lost in the Cosmos,” heading to Istanbul to teach. plays in the background and the refrain, “DanDavid Yaman said his wife, Jessica, and gerous and desperate and young / Fixing your 10-month-old daughter, Ayla, are doing well. The Timothy Johnson eyes on the distant horizon and waiting for dawn family moved to northern Virginia in July 2014. / for the sun to shine on,” rings in my head, cataDavid started a second graduate degree, a Master of pulting me back into cadet gray, standing bleary Business Administration, at American University. eyed and freezing cold as I stood inspection with He’s taking classes part time. you all in February 2005. (Or to the front porch Lt. Cmdr. Bree Adams Guiterman is currently a of a sorority house at the University of Virginia William Ray that I got locked out of and had to spend the student at the Marine Corps University Command & Staff College in Quantico, Virginia, for in-residence night on the porch furniture freezing to death ... Joint Professional Military Education and a master’s but this is a family publication, so I can’t menin military science. She, along with her husband, tion anything further.) While the sun eventually Justin, and son, Ike, all live in Alexandria, Virginia. did appear and the snows melted away the gray Gary Cutler has been “repatriating” himself back of the hardened old girl, it’s hard to believe it in the U.S. since the reunion – mainly has been 10 years since we entered catching up on college football. Gary our final semester at the Institute. In and his wife are waiting on their second my travels that last few months, it’s daughter, who is due at the end of Janubeen surreal to the see the changes, as so many members of our class have ary or early February. Once he’s up on gone from new jobs to marriages to football, the family is heading to Wieschildren. I certainly hope I have done baden, Germany, where Gary will be some good for you in chronicling working for the U.S. Army Europe G2. these momentous changes in our life Dan Hall and his wife, Shannon, beas a class. I always take great joy in came parents for the first time July 16. hearing and sharing the wonderful They welcomed the birth of Teagan events in your lives through the class Mary Hall. Dan is still in the Air Force notes. And, without further delay, the and assigned to the National Reconnaislatest edition of the class notes. sance Office in Chantilly, Virginia. He Brian Bowman had the opportuwill be pinning on major in the coming months. I ran into Dan on the way to a nity to go backpacking in Yosemite Washington Nationals game in 2014. National Park, California, in AuHopefully we can catch another game gust 2014. He and a few coworkers this coming season! Class of 2005: Paul Welsh ’06, Alex Boykin and Clark started out from the valley floor and My wife, Misia Zygolewski, and I Moncure ’06 met up between deployments at Cannon spent three days in the back-country, welcomed our son, Kellan Zygolewski Air Force Base, New Mexico, where the three are pilots. eventually summiting Half Dome. He Campbell, March 25. Our daughter, added about the trip, “We were lucky Anya, will turn three in December. She to make it out just a few days before is still excited about being a big sister. the spread of some serious wildI spent the last two years on a stateside fires which prompted evacuations mobilization working for U.S. Army Cythroughout the park. Before flying ber as the officer-in-charge for the Army back to Virginia, we found some time Web Risk Assessment Cell. From there, to spend in Los Angeles and Venice Beach and found them to be equally, I have been working for the Virginia if not more wild, than anything we Guard as the cyber operations planner saw in Yosemite. It was a great trip, assigned to the J3. As of this morning, and I highly recommend it be added I am back to working for the Richmond to everyone’s bucket list.” Police Department on the civilian side of Dan Spanu commissioned with the life. The guard has me assigned to HeadMarine Corps in August 2013. He quarters and Headquarters Company 2nd is now in the Communications OfBattalion 224th Aviation as the S-1. It’s ficer’s Course at Twentynine Palms. been a wild ride for the past three years. This past September, he visited John I’m looking forward to some time at home and catching up with the class as I Sakaleros in Greece. Dan sends Class of 2005: Alex Boykin with his team outside of the word that his wife is expected to give pick up my role as your class agent. Combined Joint Special Operations Command – AfghaniThe reunion was a success from birth to a baby girl in late January or stan headquarters in June 2014. where I stood. Thank you to everyone early February. In a strange instance

’05

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Class of 2005: In August 2014, Brian Bowman planted the VMI flag at the summit of Half Dome in Yosemite National Park, California, left. He surveyed the park from the summit of Half Dome, right. of coincidence, Sakaleros and his wife also are expecting a son during the same time frame. Both he and I are having a kid late January or early February. Dan also ran into Felix Guerra in Twentynine Palms – Felix, wife, and baby Guerra are doing well. Alex Boykin is still stationed in Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico. He just returned from another deployment to Afghanistan and got a picture with two ’06 guys, Paul Welsh ’06 and Clark Moncure ’06. Paul is a U-28 pilot while Clark is an AC-130W pilot. Alex is an MC-130J pilot. At the time of class notes submission, Alex was getting married in Mobile, Alabama. Plan on an update in the second edition of the 2015 Alumni Review. He sent in a picture of his deployed crew before a mission July 4. He was the aircraft commander. As for me, I was able to get together with Sean Moore, Titus Green, Matt Kurz, Ian Dunlap and Andrew Troy at the VMI versus the U.S. Naval Academy game in Annapolis, Maryland, Oct. 11, 2014. Despite the poor weather and bad outcome of the game, it was good to catch up with the guys and spend a few hours having some beers and touring scenic Annapolis. Titus works for AdvoCare in Maryland near D.C. Matt lives in D.C., where he works as an attorney.

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He is engaged to Miss Anne Battle of Atlanta, Georgia. Sean is working as a firefighter in Maryland. He and Danielle are expecting a baby girl in February. Andrew continues to work in the Baltimore area for Booz Allen Hamilton. This fall,

he entered the Master of Business Administration program at the University of Maryland-College Park. Ian is stationed at Quantico Marine Base in Virginia, where he is on temporary assignment in order to complete a leadership training course.

Class of 2005: John Sakaleros and Dan Spanu visited the Acropolis in Athens, Greece, during Dan’s visit in September 2014.

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CLASS NOTES In the next few months, he will return to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Unfortunately, these are all the notes for now. With a changed deadline for submitting updates, I did not receive many responses. However, I hope the next edition of the notes will prove different. If you have not sent in updates in a while (or ever), please send a quick note about what you are doing. The class would love to hear what you are up to. In fact, many brother rats I run into tell me how they look forward to receiving the Alumni Review every quarter. In the same vein, our 10th Reunion is scheduled for Oct. 9-10, 2015, in beautiful Lexington, Virginia. You should have received a reminder magnet in the mail recently. I do hope you plan to attend. Also, please plan on making a gift, pledge or donation to the Institute, as this is one of the reunions where we give the Mother I a check during parade. As more details become concrete, I will keep you abreast of the schedule of events and how to purchase tickets for the weekend. That’s it for now. Remember, we’re all in this together. Until next time... In the bonds, Tim Johnson

’06

Shawn Driver

Class of 2006: Shawn Driver with his wife, Jamie, and daughter, Averie.

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Class of 2006: From left, Greg Stronko, Andrew Dernovsek, Brent Timmer, Miguel Cervoni and Doug Zeigenfuss got together for a cookout at Chris Petree’s house in July.

Brother Rats, Before I start the notes, I’d like to announce that I have taken over duties as class agent from Clark Dudley. Please use the same account, VMI2006ClassAgent@gmail.com to send your updates. We’ve got a few updates this time, and I’m happy to be able to share them with you. My wife, Jamie, gave birth to our daughter, Averie Lee, last January. She’s our first child and probably the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. We recently moved to Savannah, Georgia, after spending a few great Class of 2006: Will Collier with his son, Will. years at Ft. Campbell, Kentucky, where I flew the MH-60L DAP with 1st Battalion, 160th (SOAR). As of March last year, Will Collier was still on active duty stationed at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, as a contract specialist in the Acquisition Corps. He and his wife, Karen Collier, had their first son, William O’Donnell Collier. Baby William was born Feb. 19, 2014, in Baltimore, Maryland. He is projected to be VMI Class of 2036, so his rats would be the 200-year class. Will runs into Lee Cook regularly, who works in Washington, D.C., and lives in Centerville, Maryland, with his wife, Margo, and son, Levi. Nick Mazzenga and his wife, Margaret Ann, have been keeping busy and doing great things across the ocean. He wrote that he and Margaret Ann split their time between Arlington, Virginia, and Pretoria, South Africa. As of June, he was working as an adviser to the South African equivalent of the Department of TransClass of 2006: Will Collier with his portation. Margaret Ann was volunteer teaching wife, Karen, and son, Will. with a settlement school there. It is an amazing

VMI ALUMNI REVIEW

CLASS NOTES try, and they have been taking advantage of be- Please make sure your address and contact info PFLAG event in September in Richmond, Viring there by traveling somewhere different ev- is up-to-date with the Alumni Association, as I ginia. Deuntay works for the Stafford County Poery weekend. Nick, did you guys ever go great gather most of my contact info from them. If lice Department and gave a speech white cage diving in Cape Town? He about being an openly gay graduate and Margaret Ann will be living there of VMI as well as a police officer for for the next year and they’d love to have visitors! On his last visit home he Stafford County. was able to connect with some ArlingDanny Plitnik is currently deployed on the USS Carl Vinson in ton area folks like his dental adviser the Persian Gulf. He works in the Graham Forbes ’07, DDS, and his South African security advisory, Rich medical department. Meredith ’07 and Cory Houck ’08. Kathleen Sain (Resetar) just reGreg Stronko said he, Andrew cently graduated from the George Dernovsek, Brent Timmer, Miguel Washington University’s post master’s Cervoni and Doug Zeigenfuss got toeducational leadership program. She was promoted to assistant principal gether for a cookout at Chris Petree’s for an elementary school in Fairfax house in July 2014. Greg said everyCounty. Her husband, Brian Sain ’08, one seemed to be doing great. is finishing his Master of Business AdThat’s all I’ve got from the class. It was great to read what everyone’s ministration degree at Johns Hopkins been up to. We cover a lot of ground Class of 2006: Nick Mazzenga and his wife, Margaret Ann. University. for such a small school. I hope you’re Rhett and Stephanie Hutaff welall well. Take care, send me your updates and they have it incorrect, I have it incorrect. Keep comed their daughter, Charlotte, into the world feel free to visit us in sunny Savannah, Georgia! in mind that I can also help you with updating Sept. 9. Soon after her birth, Rhett finished up it, but only if I know about the change. I have a company command at Fort Riley, Kansas. They Shawn Driver hard time tracking everyone down, and I always “PCSed” to Fort Benning, Georgia, where he Sally Bushore get a good amount of “return to sender” let- will start a new job as a small group leader at ters and holiday cards after the holiday season. the Maneuver Captains Career Course. Dustin Schultz and his wife, Sarah, welcomed Make sure you have my email saved; it won’t be changing anytime soon. You can always shoot their third child, Dylan Roy Schultz, Sept. 27, me an email with questions or updates at any 2013. They are now expecting their fourth child time, not just at the notes submission deadline. I in April, which is also when they are planning on Brother Rats, always send out a reminder, but you don’t have “PCSing” from Naval Postgraduate School MonWell, word on the street is our dykes just had to wait until then to drop me a line. Anyway, terey. Dustin will attend the Department Head their 10th Reunion in the fall. I guess that means you guys have heard it all before, so I’ll stop School and then return to the fleet soon after. it’s getting to be about time for us to start think- whining. Dustin writes that Manuel (Cabby) Caballero left My old roomie Vanessa Berrios is engaged! the Navy this summer and started a new job in ing ahead to ours. If anyone has any suggestions for our 10 year (in a few short years from now), She still works for East Carolina University Baltimore, Maryland, with Domino Sugar as an please email me your thoughts. It’s never too Family Medicine as a physician assistant, and in engineer. He says Cabby loves his new job. Cabearly to prepare. We are also supposed to pres- September, she traveled to the Dominican Re- by’s wife, Erica, also left the Navy recently, and ent a check to the Institute for our 10 year, so public for a week on a medical mission trip with the whole family, including daughter Isabella, has Solid Rock International. that’s something for everyone to consider. been reunited near Baltimore. Dustin also includHere is my PSA for this edition of the notes. Deuntay Diggs was a guest speaker at a ed an update on Rob Russman who is working

’07

Class of 2007: Wes Thomas and Zac Crush recently enjoyed some microbrews together.

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Class of 2007: Stephanie and Rhett Hutaff with daughter Charlotte.

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’08

Class of 2007: Wes and Karen Thomas attended the annual Pacific Northwest Chapter picnic in Seattle, Washington, in July.

Class of 2007: From left, Wes Thomas, Constance Riedel, David Riedel and Karen Thomas at David and Constance’s wedding.

Class of 2007: Deuntay Diggs, Stafford County police officer.

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as a civil engineer for the Department of State which has enabled him to travel quite a bit. Scott Lutterbie and his wife recently had a daughter Sept. 8. Her name is Amelia Grace Lutterbie, and Scott says the whole family is doing great. Karen Thomas wrote that Zac and Carrie Crush visited her and Wes in Portland, Oregon, and they were able to catch up. Also, David Riedel married Constance Magnuson in Alexandria, Virginia, Sept. 20, 2014. Wes Thomas was the best man. Karen and Wes also attended the annual Pacific Northwest Chapter picnic in Seattle in July. I hope everyone stays safe and has a wonderful holiday season. In the bonds, Sally

Robert Hill

Dear Brother Rats and Families, I hope you all had a happy holiday season. As I write these notes, I’m sitting on the edge of my chair as the Pittsburg Steelers battle the Baltimore Ravens in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I appreciate the responses I’ve received, even hearing from people submitting notes for the very first time. I thank you, as it only takes a minute to provide an update, which is quicker than complaining to me in an email that I didn’t give you more than a weeks’ notice. Enough said. Feel free to submit notes at any time of year, as I turn them into VMI Feb. 15, May 15, Aug. 15 and Nov. 1. I believe several congratulations are in order. John Sollock proposed to his girlfriend, Ms. Nikki Held, on Halloween and she said yes. Congrats to John and Nikki. Andrew Czaplacki and wife Nikki welcomed Zane Joseph Oct. 24, 2014, at 8:19 a.m. At three weeks early, Zane weighed 7 pounds, 6 ounces. Dawson Boyer and wife Corey also added to the family with Amelia Claire joining them June 6, 2014. Amelia weighed in at 6 pounds, 8 ounces and was 20 inches long. Congrats to both families! Dawson also mentioned that he and Corey were able to visit Barcelona on a work trip and spent some time with Wes Foster ’56, president of Long and Foster, by whom Dawson is employed. While the Boyers were in Spain, Caleb Boyer ’11 got engaged stateside to his girlfriend, Michele. Dawson and Mike Wilson were planning to head to Fairhope, Alabama, to attend the wedding of their dyke, Alex Boykin ’05. Jonathan Ostermann recently got engaged. He proposed to Rebecca Belcher in September and they are set to wed in July 2015. Currently, Jonathan is stationed at the Naval Submarine Base in New London, Connecticut. Congrats to Jonathan and Rebecca! Branden DeLong and family recently moved from Italy to Ramstein, Germany. Branden will be working as staff in the headquarters of U.S. Air Forces in Europe. Branden’s assignment will last three years, and he would like to extend a welcome to anyone passing through. Dustin McCabe, Tyler Anthony and Tommy Cunningham had a good time as a few legendary WWE wrestlers at Fantasy Fest in Key West, Florida. Dustin is living in Key Largo and fishing full time, as well as loving life. Robert Kelly was kind enough to check in from Fort Drum. Rob is currently serving as the

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Class of 2008: Dawson Boyer and his wife, Corey, in Barcelona during a recent work trip in October 2014.

Class of 2008: Jonathan Osterman and his fiancée, Rebecca, sailing in the Long Island Sound.

Class of 2008: Dawson Boyer and his daughter, Amelia, at a VMI function in Richmond, Virginia. Amelia was born June 6, 2014.

Class of 2008: Rosly Pettengill on the Parade Ground in front of Old Barracks during a recent tailgate.

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assistant S3 at the 2-15 Field Artillery until he takes command of A Battery in the beginning of 2015. He’ll be taking the position from a fellow Company G member, Glenn Walton ’04. Rob will likely be deploying to Southern Afghanistan in spring 2015. Before leaving, though, he and Amanda Moore ’09 will be married in Lexington with a reception at Moody Hall. Rob also mentioned that he briefly spoke with Zach West, still at Fort Gordon, for a short period of time before he headed to Africa to either fight Ebola or train local forces to fight Ebola. Paul Childrey is still working in Lynchburg for Areva. He also mentioned Stan Cheng deployed in early October to the Middle East to drop a few bombs from his F-15. He also talked to Dan Boyd, who recently exited the Army, moved to Tampa, Florida, and is looking to start medical school before long. Thanks for the updates, Rob, and congrats on the upcoming wedding! Nohelia Martin is teaching life science in middle school. While her brother, Philip Martin ’15, is enjoying his 1st Class year, she’s been tailgating at all of the football games. On Nov. 1, she was joined at the tailgate by Jason Pettengill, along with his wife, Sarah, and daughter, Rosly; Philip Jones and his wife, Christine; and Alex Lamb with his wife, Amber. Jason, Alex and Phil are all still serving on active duty. As for Lauren and I, we continue to work on the house. The new flooring is complete on the first floor, along with a few scratches from the pup digging his claws in as he slides along the hardwood floor in excitement. We planned to attend the Philadelphia Eagles versus Washington Redskins game in December with Matt Mitchell, after he returns from his deployment. I’ll probably end up in the dog house rooting for

the ’Skins while my wife cheers for the Eagles. Until next time...

’09

Bradley Simpson

Brother Rats, I hope this edition this of the Review finds you and your families well. I just sat down to write this after coming home from our 5th Reunion. I know this is delayed with The Review release dates, but what a great weekend we had at the Institute. It was so nice to catch up with everyone and see where everyone’s lives are five years out from VMI. For those who weren’t there, we surly missed you and hope you will be able to make the 10th Reunion. There has been a lot of news going on with the class since the reunion. Mark Gliebe got married to DayNa Gliebe the same weekend as the reunion. The wedding was well attended by numerous brother rats. Joe Taylor was Mark’s best man, and Derrick Leland, Edwin Cruz, Jose Andueza, and Dennis Dunaway were all groomsmen. Others that were there for the special day were Barrett Luxhoj, Graham Stolle, Nick Campbell, Pete Saragnese, Kurt Seidl, Alex Doseff, Seth Berkowitz ’08, Drew Luxhoj ’11, Josh Taylor ’06 and Mark’s rat, Dallas Disbro ’12. Chris Johnston tied the knot Oct. 11, 2014, on post at VMI. Chris married JoBeth Agnor, and their wedding was also attended well by our class. Also tying the knot around the time of the reunion was Nathan Warner. Nathan was married

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Class of 2009: From left, row 1: Josh Gerardo, Jarrett Bennett, Finney Kimsey, Kyle Johnson, Bradley Simpson, Roxanne Hyatt, Chris Ford, Justin Tammelin, Chase Nelson, Chris Somma, Jed Miller, Michelle DeLeon, Holly Giacolone, David Stabb, Daniel Stanislawski and Ben Kyler. Row 2: Justin Smith, Josh Byerly, Christina Stalnaker, Ashley McCabe, Jake Riggs, Thelmar Rosarda, Ian Costello, Zach Tharp, Andrew Morse, Nick Biggert, Ronald McManus, Amanda Moore, Chelsie Kosecki, Matt Edwards and Nate Salatin. Row 3: Michael Vaughn, Doug Trask, Rammy Barbari, Daniel Johnson, James Leenhouts, Andrew Aloisio, John Saunders, Ross Ramsey, Kip Joerdens, Richard Pfrogner, Jonathan Kim, Stefan Mello, Chris Johnston, Nathan Warner and Alexa Tarbona. Row 4: Daniel Von Schuch, Andrew Rice, Robert Appel, Randy Cunningham, Tory Hoyt, Gordon Holloway, Michael Harvey, Austin Keller, Sean Peterson, Alexander Kelley, Nick Kriz and Ryan McCormick. (Editor’s Note: Names provided by class agent.)

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5th Reunion – Sept. 27, 2014

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Class of 2009: Barrett Luxhoj and his new fiancĂŠe, Caroline Brooke.

Class of 2009: Enjoying the cocktail hour at the class dinner during their five year reunion were, from left, Bradley and Ashley Simpson, Roxanne Hyatt, Jake Riggs, Chris and Claudia Ford, Michael and Erin Harvey, and Kyle Johnson with girlfriend Courtney Blowers.

Class of 2009: Two VMI alumni, Chelsea Kosecki and Tom Morehouse â&#x20AC;&#x2122;70, found themselves sitting side by side at the New York Yankees versus Boston Red Socks game at Yankee Stadium Sept. 3, 2014.

Class of 2009: Jake Riggs flying low level training missions at a height of 200 feet and at a speed of 550 knots.

Class of 2009: Nathan Warner and his wife, Alexa, walked down the aisle after their wedding in early September. to Alexa in early September, and the event was well attended by our brother rats. Mark, Chris and Nathan, I speak for the class in congratulating all of you on your recent marriages. Here is to many years of a happy marriage. Alex Brush also was married in late October to Rebecca Shapiro. Some more congrats are in order for Barrett Luxhoj. He recently proposed to his girlfriend, Caroline Brooke. They will now start the fun of wedding planning in the upcoming months. They have not set a date yet, but I am sure it will be soon.

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CLASS NOTES Chelsea Kosecki ran in to Tom Morehouse ’70 at Yankee Stadium Sept. 3, as they just happened to be seated next to each other to witness one of Derek Jeter’s last games in Yankee Stadium. As Chelsea got up to get a beer, she noticed Tom’s VMI sticker on his scorebook, and the rest was history. Tom commented what the odds were of having two Keydets sit next to each other in all of Yankee Stadium. A good time was had by both at the game, as the Yankees beat the Red Sox 5-1. Jackie Morton Satchell and her husband, Terence, welcomed a new baby into their family Sept. 14. Marilyn Kay Satchell is doing well, as is Jackie. Well, aside from all the weddings and births of new family members, that’s all the notes I have received for this installment. Again, I just want to let you know it was Class of 2010: Marcus Sutter ’13, Cody Hennelly great getting to see everyone again at the and Hayward Hood ’13 at brunch in Junction reunion. As always, you stay classy, 2009. City, Kansas.

’10

Cody Hennelly

Let me first start off by saying happy anniversary ... to myself!! I have been so honored to be your class agent for one year. The life events, emotions, heartaches and joyful moments have made this last year more than I could have ever asked for. I am truly blessed to be able to call each one of you my friend and, most importantly, my brother rat!

Class of 2010: Adam Hedio ’13 and Cody Hennelly had dinner in Denver, Colorado, in October. Adam is a Marine Corps second lieutenant and was Cody’s rat.

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All right, let’s get to the important stuff – all of you! I have been in Colorado Springs, Colorado, for the last couple of months cross training with the Air Force, and you wouldn’t believe who I ran into – the one and only Even Rogers. He is a second lieutenant stationed at Schriever Air Force Base. He works in the space community and really enjoys it. As you can imagine, we have dabbled in the exotic night life of Colorado Springs quite a bit ... I will leave it there. Also stationed out here is Mike Casper. He is an Infantry platoon leader in 4th Infantry Division at Fort Carson. He and his wife love it out here, because they get up to see the Broncos games often. C.J. Knight also graced us with his presence in Colorado during a weekend in October, but unfortunately I wasn’t able to catch up with him in person. He is doing well for himself; he just returned from a deployment and is enjoying being back in Florida. And none other than Rachel McElligott is also in the Springs area. I plan on seeing her soon. She and Casey moved out here in December 2013 and seem very happy with the decision the Army made for them! So, the young lady I am dating, Jessica, is stationed at Fort Riley with ... wait for it ... Capt. Hunter Cantrell. They are in the same brigade and all. Hunter, Tiffany and their little guy just got moved out there, and they aren’t quite settled yet but are looking forward to finding a house. I also ran into two of my rats – Marcus Sutter ’13 and Hayward Hood ’13. Marcus is an infantry platoon leader and Hayward is an armor platoon leader. They get together quite a bit, which always makes me happy. On to some more exciting news, Charlie Barnett recently married his long time love, Jamie, in a beautiful ceremony in Virginia.

I also got a chance to catch up with Paul Devalk recently. He has been crushing it the last few years. Recently he just finished 81/572 in the BeachBattleship Ironman. He wrote: “These six months of training made for an amazing experience. Sappy, post-race comment: It’s during that beautiful exchange where faith moves beyond fear that we find what we’re always searching for.” Absolutely amazing job, Paul! Another wild soul I got a chance to speak with is Kyle Nickmard. He wrote that he got engaged this past summer. Congrats, dude! He also said he is still grinding it out in this oil and gas industry in Texas. He and his fiancée just got back from Washington, D.C. They ran the Marine Corps Marathon and said it was an awesome event. I can’t wait for the wedding invite, my friend, Keep up the great work, as well! Along my travels, I got a chance to chat with Chris Martin. He is doing well for himself up in the D.C. Metro area. He graduated last year from American University with a Master of Journalism degree. He did a stint at The Washington Post (not too shabby, my friend) but is now holding it down as an editor for the American Public Transportation Association. Sounds pretty sweet to me, dude! Keep up the great work! I hit up Capt. Jon Buckland after seeing a picture of him and Shia Lebouf at the premiere of “Fury.” He is in the Old Guard as a regimental liaison officer. He basically runs around D.C. rubbing elbows with important and celebrity status people! Haha. Jon keep crushing. You are doing great things, my friend. Another rascal I caught up with via Facebook

Class of 2010: Cody Hennelly and Even Rogers met up at Red Led Brewery in Colorado Springs in September 2014. is Hugo Bustamante. Hugo is up in North Dakota as an Air Force captain flying around in B52s. Pretty legit! He has been deployed since graduation but actually enjoys being in North Dakota ... He might be the only one to ever say that. Hugo, let me know when I can get a ride

VMI ALUMNI REVIEW

CLASS NOTES on one of those bad boys! Owen Thulin and his wife, Shayna, just had a beautiful baby girl named Kendall Avery. She was born Sept. 9, 2014. She weighed 8 pounds, 7 ounces and was 19 inches long. Owen is working for Atlantic Geotechnical Services in Richmond, Virginia. They are all doing well and are very happy. Congrats, brother! Justin Minter just celebrated his engagement to a wonderful young lady named Amanda Aug. 31. Justin is working in the firearms industry and just accepted a position as a gunsmith/armorer for the FBI in Quantico, Virginia. Amanda is a police officer in Henrico County, Virginia. One last cat I got to catch up with after about six years was Scott Sanders ’08. He was my Ring Dyke, so I had to give him a shoutout. Scott is stationed with Marine Special Operations Command out of Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. We didn’t get much time to talk, but he is doing well and likes his job quite a bit! Well, that does it for this round. Stay classy my friends! And always remember if you need anything at all, do not hesitate to contact me! Also, look out for reunion info in the near future! Proudly serving the VMI Class of 2010, Cody

’11

Allen McCown

I write this on the tail end of a great weekend with brother rats, catching up after not seeing them for many years. Wherever you may be reading this, there is a VMI Alumni Association Chapter within driving distance. I highly encourage you to become involved or go to a happy hour. You’ll be surprised how quickly the stories being to flow, and you’ll be looking forward to a reunion. We had a small mini reunion at VMI for the VMI versus Furman University football game this past fall. The Keydets beat Furman on a blisteringly cold, windy, fall afternoon. A number of brother rats made the trek to VMI, and watching parade from in front of Moody Hall was much more comfortable than marching one. Patrick Leugers drove down from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for the day. Patrick is working in Philly and looking forward to beginning law school at the University of Virginia in the fall. Sharif Gray, a recent UVa law graduate, has passed the bar and is scheduled to go to JAG school in Charlottesville this winter. Alex Crow, along with some other BRs, made the trip from the Hampton Roads area. Alex is doing well in the Navy and at printing will be underway out of Norfolk, Virginia. Fredy Jurkowitsch is

2015-Issue 1

now stationed in Norfolk, as well; he and his wife missed the Florida weather when the wind kicked up at the football game! After being stationed in New Mexico, Dan Williams is now stationed in the Washington, D.C., area and living in Alexandria, Virginia. Coincidentally, the ’11 tailgate was next to one of our dyke’s get-togethers, as Jason Pettengill ’08 and Phil Jones ’08 were tailgating next door. Tom Louderback was also in attendance. Tom now works for a construction equipment company in Maryland. Scott McFather also drove from the Virginia Beach area for the tailgate. Scott is working for Hewlett-Packard. He also had the pleasure of showing his wife around post for the first time. We had a small world moment at the tailgate when Dylan Knehr realized that he recognized Scott’s wife, Rosie. He asked where she worked, and it turns out she was a nurse in the delivery room when Dylan’s son was born this past September. Dylan and his wife, Brooke, are doing well as new parents. Congratulations to the Knehr’s! The heroes of the tailgate were Matt Radi and Tyler Pumphrey. They were the first ones there to save our spots and kept us warm with hot cider. Those two know how to put on a tailgate. Jeremy Lucier made the trip from northern Virginia and was excited to tell us about his trip to Yosemite with his girlfriend, Madison. Jeremy said he made a rookie move and packed for October in Virginia and was slightly cold in the national parks in October. Tom Hamlin and his wife, Jackie, made the trip down, as well. The two are living in Leesburg, Virginia, and see Josh Kinder frequently. Tom made our class proud when he led the charge to Macados the afternoon of the game, as it was slightly warmer inside the bar. I am delighted to announce that Keith O’Donnell got married this past October in Chantilly, Virginia. He and his wife, Carolyn, are living in St. Louis, Missouri, and enjoy the nightlife and having a variety of things to do in the city. Keith is stationed at Scott Air Force Base. Denis O’Reilly was also married in October to the former Jill Tuscano. Denis also let me know that she was his Ring Figure date. Trent Gordon told me that he and his girlfriend got engaged this past fall. Matt Deacon is also now engaged to Danielle Fraizer. Congratulations to the happy couples! Lane Pratt dropped me a note and was happy to tell me that he and his wife recently moved to Columbus, Georgia. I’m sure he is looking forward to more motorcycle friendly weather this winter in Georgia after spending the winter in Fort Drum, New York. Lane will be at Fort Benning for the Captains Career Course. Lane’s wife, Molly, gave birth to their daughter Eleanor Sept. 17. Eleanor was slightly early, but Lane reported she was in good health and growing bigger and stronger every day.

Nick Chang is doing well at Fort Bragg and just returned from Joint Readiness Training Center. Although he’s enjoyed his time in the Army and will look back fondly at it, he has decided to get back to the “real world” after finishing his obligation. He commented that he has met incredible guys in the Army and will always remember it with a smile. Nick was selected for captain, but he is already looking into business opportunities after he gets out. Best of luck, Nick! Richard Crozier didn’t have too much to update but said he is working a lot and recently moved to Gainesville, Virginia. He commutes to D.C. for work at Norfolk Southern. I didn’t believe it when I read it, but Hunter Davis, despite the accident in his most recently jump, is planning to skydive again. He has been checked out in a wind tunnel and while on deployment in the Middle East is preparing to jump again when he returns. Even not being cleared to skydive would not keep Hunter out of the air, however, as he has recently purchased a “P2” paraglider. As if he wasn’t busy enough, he is also working on his civilian instrument certification. As he put it, “Making the best of my exile in New Mexico.” Best of luck when you get back, Hunter. We’re all pulling for your next successful jump! Also deployed in the Air Force is Justin Simmons. While deployed, he ran into Woody Hall. He said they are doing well. Shane Wilkinson was pleased to report he recently graduated from Basic Reconnaissance Course. Graduating was not enough, however – Shane also received the “Gung-Ho” and “Ironman” awards from his class.

Class of 2011: Shane Wilkinson at the Marine Corps Basic Reconnaissance Course.

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CLASS NOTES Aaron Castro wrote me, and his update I would also like to mention that is as follows: “Just got back from wild Vinny Jarrells and his wife, Lacey Jarrells, arrived safely in Hawaii. The two Tularosa Basin – took my reconnaissance will remain in Hawaii while Vinny is platoon on some wild adventures. Glad to have a Micheal Spickard ’13 as troop fire stationed there with the Marines. I hope support officer for a second rotation in a you both are enjoying your new home. row. Also saw Sean Alexander ’12 out in Thanks again for those of you who the box when it was time to get fuel. It’s a sent in updates. I appreciate all the funny thing, having three VMI guys in the information that is sent my way. If same Cavalry Squadron.” there’s anything you would like to This past October, Matt Talbott matricinclude in the next edition, please feel free to email me or contact the Faceulated at Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine. His uncle, David Sheckells book group. I look forward to hearing from all you soon. ’86, was at his white coat ceremony. Matt Class of 2011: The Class of 2011 on the Parade Ground is doing well and, as expected, study- during fall 2014. Until next time, ing a lot. Keep up the good work, Matt! Bruce I hope everyone read this and has enjoyed Brother Rats, a delightful Christmas and New Year. Please don’t Charles P. Jones hesitate to reach out and send me an update – big I hope everyone has enjoyed the holiday season. or small. As class agent, I have the unique posi- First, I would like to congratulate Josh Visconti tion to be a part of so many of your lives and hear on his new position with Wells Fargo Advisors in from everyone on a regular basis. I am incred- Richmond, Virginia – best of luck with this new opibly grateful for this, and I am a better person for portunity. Also, congratulations to the entire Visconti it. Thank you all for being part of such a great family, as he and his wife, Katie, are expecting their Editor’s Note: We did not receive notes from the Class of 2013. class. When you read this, we will begin plan- third child. ning for our 5th Reunion. If you have any ideas, Congratulations to Robert Main and his wife, Samuel Guidry don’t hesitate to send those along, as well. It is Katherine Webb, on their wedding. The two were never too late, and as you know, you’re never too married Oct. 4, 2014, in Lexington. Several of our far away. Stay safe. I can’t wait to hear from you. BRs were able to attend the wedding, and it looks Rah Virginia Mil, like all of you had a great time. Thanks again for the Allen update, Robert, and I wish you both the best. Taylor Floyd Drew Leonard also got married in the fall. Drew Bruce Howard married Laura Vawter Oct. 11, 2014, in Maryland. As usual, the Class of 2012 made their presence known with several members being able to attend. Congratulations, Drew and Laura. Thanks to Joe Editor’s Note: We did not receive notes from the Class of 2014. Munno for the update!

’13

’14

’12

Class of 2012: At the wedding of Drew Leonard and Laura Vawter were, from left, Joe Munno, Chris Kitchen, Drew Leonard and Colin Bosse.

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Class of 2012: At the wedding of Robert Main and Katherine Webb, were, from left, James Poettker, Ben Denton, Lindsey Parkman, A.J. Trujillo, Robert Main, David Stabb ’09 and Bob Flaherty.

VMI ALUMNI REVIEW

CLASS NOTES

BIRTHS

MUNDY – A daughter, Elinor Crawford, to Gardner A. Mundy II ’98 and Stinson Mundy, Sept. 16, 2014.

CZAPLICKI – A son, Zane Joseph, to Andrew J. Czaplicki ’08 and Nikki Czaplicki, Oct. 24, 2014.

DONOVAN – A son, Timothy Edward, to Timothy W. Donovan ’02 and Ashley Donovan, May 2, 2014.

THULIN – A daughter, Kendall Avery, to Owen C. Thulin ’10 and Shayna Thulin, Sept. 9, 2014.

HYLTON – A daughter, Zoey Lucille, to Matthew L. Hylton ’02 and Kelli Hylton, Sept. 9, 2014.

MARRIAGES

STAVINOHA – A daughter, McKenzie Gloria, to Corey J. Stavinoha ’02 and Laura Stavinoha, Oct. 30, 2014. WOODY – A daughter, Addison Brielle, to David C. Woody ’03 and Denise Woody, Oct. 27, 2014. CAMPBELL –A son, Kellan Zygolewski, to Scott E. Campbell ’04 and Misia Zygolewski, March 25, 2014. MCELROY – A son, Degan David, to Sean P. McElroy ’04 and Dana McElroy, Oct. 2, 2014. PETERS – A daughter, Stella Lavinina, to Anthony R. Peters ’04 and Manuela Peters, Oct. 20, 2014. SHARPE – A daughter, Myla Bailey, to Matthew D. Sharpe ’04 and Alexis Sharpe, Aug. 21, 2014. DRIVER – A daughter, Averie Lee, to Shawn L. Driver ’06 and Jamie Driver, Jan. 28, 2014. BOYER – A daughter, Amelia Claire, to J.E. Dawson Boyer ’08 and Corey Boyer, June 6, 2014.

BARCHESKI – Dr. Sally Morcos to Nicholas W. Barcheski ’02, June 7, 2014. CONSAUL – Erica Paulson to Ryan D. Consaul ’04, Oct. 25, 2014. LEONARD – Laura Vawter to Drew B. Leonard ’12, Oct. 11, 2014. MAIN – Katherine Webb to Robert L. Main III ’12, Oct. 4, 2014.

DEGREES Victoria Joanna Mary Marshall ’05 Nursing The Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing Baltimore, Maryland 2014

BSN

VMI’s 25 Most Senior Alumni According to the records of the VMI Alumni Association, the people listed below constitute the 25 senior alumni of the Institute. Please contact the Alumni Review staff if any errors are noted.

William E. Cantrell ’26 Richard D. Schmitz ’31 Ernest C. Johnson ’29 Thomas M. Zeledon ’30 Howard J. Bell ’33 William R. Landrum ’34 E. Lane Whitley ’34 Emmett J. Heerdt ’34 Richard H. McCormick ’34 James E. Kirk ’36 Edwin T. Arnold ’35 James C. Sherman ’35 Gardner F. Goodwyn ’36 2015-Issue 1

Oct. 17, 1905 Feb. 24, 1908 May 19, 1908 Dec. 21, 1908 Nov. 25, 1910 Dec. 3, 1910 April 1, 1911 Feb. 27, 1912 Dec. 4, 1912 Oct. 25, 1913 Feb. 7, 1914 March 31, 1914 April 27, 1914

J. Randolph Tucker Jr. ’37

June 29, 1914

John A. Gialanella ’36

Aug. 28, 1914

John H. Divine III ’36

Nov. 13, 1914

W. Barton Baldwin ’37

July 26, 1915

Henry B. Johnson ’38

Aug. 9, 1915

Floyd S. Smith ’41

Sept. 7, 1916

Raymond W. Parks ’37 James M. Whitt ’39 Glenn T. Foust Jr. ’38 Ira N. Saxe ’39 James L. Lennox ’40 David R. Gaitskill ’40

Oct. 6, 1916 Dec. 23, 1916 May 18, 1917 Sept. 18, 1917 March 23, 1918 April 9, 1918 155

PROVISIONAL APPOINTMENTS APPOINTEE’S NAME

ALUMNUS-CLASS

RELATIONSHIP

2019 Nicholas H. Steimling

David E. Pierce ’62 Robert E. Nay ’44 Howard R. Nay ’52

Stepgrandfather Step-cousin Step-cousin

2020 Benjamin W. Berejka

William R. Soldow

Great-greatgrandfather William W. Edmunds ’922 Greatgrandfather William W. Edmunds Jr. ’66 Grandfather James E. Edmunds III ’59 Great-uncle Great-uncle Leigh S. Edmunds ’68 Great-uncle Paul C. Edmunds ’70 William W. Edmunds III ’97 Uncle Father David S. Soldow ’92 James E. Edmunds ’880

C. Frederick Minnigerode ’90 Godfather

Joseph S. Straub ’65 David S. Soldow ’92

Grandfather Father

William O. Nelson Jr. ’56

Grandfather

2027 Rebecca E. Soldow

David S. Soldow ’92

Father

2028 Kaley M. Cock

Bella A. Love

Raymond G. Best ’03 Hugh H. Hopkins ’69 Leonard L. Lewane ’50B

Kellen J. Matson

Taylor A. Slate ’75

Father Grandfather Greatgrandfather Grandfather

2032 Raymond G. Best

2033

Douglas K. Goodall ’67 Douglas B. Goodall ’04

Grandfather Uncle Greatgrandfather Great-uncle Cousin

Raymond G. Best ’03 Hugh H. Hopkins ’69 Klaus J. Worrell ’73 Harold H. Worrell ’81

Father Grandfather Grandfather Great-uncle

Brooks L. Brome

David S. Clarke ’83 Benjamin R. Clarke ’15 Leonard L. Lewane ’50B

Gavin N. Jackson Conner S. Wiseman

Frank L. Jackson III ’00 Forrest E. Wiseman ’65

Grandfather Uncle Greatgrandfather Father Grandfather

Zachary F. Gray

Beau H. Hopkins

Glendel W. Cock ’54 Leon J. Cock ’55

Grandfather Great-uncle

Curtis R. Lucado ’55

Greatgrandfather

2036 Cecilia R. Bishop Jude H. Boyer Lydia M. Bryan

2029 Jack T. Brown 2030 Katelynn A. Cole

Grace V. Cheshire Stuart K. Cole ’80

Father

2031 Frank L. Jackson IV Brendan O’Boyle William O’Boyle

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Richard L. Goodall ’66 Richard T. Goodall ’03 Richard B. Goodall ’931

2035 Lila I. Adams

2025 William C. Polson

RELATIONSHIP Father

Patrick J.K. Pega

2022 Liam A. DeOliveira Benjamin W. Soldow

ALUMNUS-CLASS D. Scott Southall ’95

2034

2021 Jonathan Argaman

APPOINTEE’S NAME Henry S. Southall

Frank L. Jackson III ’00 Timothy M. O’Boyle ’94 Timothy M. O’Boyle ’94

Father Father Father

Michael J. Smith ’77 Wayland D. Jones ’70 Paul T. Bryan ’05 Warren J. Bryan ’71 Ronald M. Bryan ’55 Kramer W. Reeves ’89 Colin K. Boynton ’96 Leonard L. Lewane ’50B

Thomas D. Gottwald Jr. Thomas D. Gottwald ’09 Thomas E. Gottwald ’83 William H. Clarke ’859

F.D. Gottwald ’43

Grandfather Grandfather Father Grandfather Great-greatuncle Uncle Uncle Greatgrandfather Father Grandfather Great-greatgreat-greatgreat-great uncle

Great-greatuncle

VMI ALUMNI REVIEW

PROVISIONAL APPOINTMENTS APPOINTEE’S NAME

ALUMNUS-CLASS

Thomas D. Gottwald Jr. B.C. Gottwald ’54 (continued) W.D. Gottwald ’56 T.E. Hays Jr. ’57 B.C. Gottwald Jr. ’81 T.E. Gottwald ’83 W.D. Gottwald III ’84 J.P. Gottwald ’90 E.P. Gottwald ’14 E.C. Addison ’59 Hudson S. Hall Jackson C. Heely Mark E. Holt V

W.C. Hyman Jr. ’14 David D. Nuckols ’70 Thomas R. Nuckols ’68 Conor L. Heely ’05 Robert A. Heely ’69 Robert A. Heely Jr. ’98 Mark E. Holt Jr. ’43

RELATIONSHIP

APPOINTEE’S NAME

Greatgrandfather Cousin Great-greatuncle Great-uncle Grandfather Cousin Cousin Uncle Great-greatuncle Cousin Grandfather Great-uncle Father Cousin Cousin Greatgrandfather

Mark E. Holt V (continued) Michael W. Huggins III Amelia G. Lutterbie Graycen Baskervill Pe

Audrey R. Peay

Gabriel R. Weber

ALUMNUS-CLASS

RELATIONSHIP

George H. Roberts Jr. ’68

Great-uncle

Michael W. Huggins Jr. ’07 Daniel S. Lutterbie ’07 William H. Talley IV ’77 Melvin W. Talley ’82 William H. Talley V ’03 Amie-Anne E. Talley ’05 James H.B. Peay IV ’98 Ryan N. Peay ’02 J.H. Binford Peay III ’62 James H.B. Peay Jr. ’929 Jared P. Weber ’08

Father Father Grandfather Great-uncle Uncle Aunt Father Uncle Grandfather Great-grandfather Father

James R. Spacek ’70 Edward A. Griffith ’08 Greg M. Griffith ’72 James G. Griffith ’10

Grandfather Father Grandfather Uncle

2037 Alfred F. Barnes Carter H. Griffith

Proudly Serving You! The Alumni Association staff, from left: Matt Schwarzmann ’90, information officer; Nichole Kramer ’03, New Cadet Recruiting; Eric Hunter ’08, placement officer; Elaine Wood, editorial assistant; Jackie Flint, administrative assistant; Jordan Moore, managing editor; Lisla Cowles, director of alumni activities; Cheryl Cathcart, alumni services coordinator; and Adam Volant ’88, executive vice president and chief operating officer.

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157

TAPS TAPS William P. Boyer ’38

William Preston Boyer ’38 of Virginia Beach, Virginia, died Aug. 22, 2014. He was 96. Boyer matriculated from Orange, Virginia, and earned his Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from VMI. He earned his Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of Virginia. Boyer is survived by his son, William P. Boyer Jr.; daughter, Ashley Boyer Robinson; seven grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife, Norma Secrest Boyer and daughter, Nancy Boyer Craigie.

George L. Fosque Jr. ’38

George Lee Fosque Jr. ’38 of Onancock, Virginia, died Aug. 15, 2014. He was 96. His obituary appears in the front section of this Alumni Review issue.

Robert N. Mathews ’38

Robert Norvell Mathews ’38 of Southern Pines, North Carolina, died Sept. 23, 2014. He was 98. Mathews matriculated from Charleston, West Virginia. He attended VMI for three years and earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from West Virginia University. He is survived by his son, Robert C. Mathews ’63, and daughter, Rev. Keith Elizabeth Mathews. He was preceded in death by his wife, Elizabeth Jane McWhorter and brother, James Malcolm Mathews ’34, who died Dec. 16, 1996.

Carl G. Wettersten ’40

Carl Graves Wettersten ’40 of Atlanta, Georgia, died Oct. 18, 2014. He was 95. Wettersten matriculated from Washington, D.C., and attended VMI for four years. He is survived by his daughters, Cindy Percival (Jim) and Linda Laird (Cody); grandchildren, John David Percival, Melinda Day (Clint), Richard Smith (Alison) and Tammy Shassberger (Rob); and eight great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife, Marie, and brothers, Jim and Phil Wettersten.

Carter W. Beamer ’41

Carter Wilson Beamer ’41 of Wytheville, 158

Virginia, died Aug. 30, 2014. He was 95. Beamer matriculated from Hillsville, Virginia, and earned his Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from VMI. He is survived by his daughter, Beryl Scott (Timothy Rankin); son, Dr. Wilson Carter Beamer (Lynn); grandchildren, Shane Patrick Rankin (Amanda), Zachary Gardner and Spencer Wilson Beamer; and sisters-in-law, Charlotte C. Beamer, Alice Fleshman and June Kiser Pyrah. He was preceded in death by his wife, Madeline Fleshman Beamer; brothers, Clayton, Raymond and Rufus; and sisters, Gladys Wright, Aylene Hoffer, Hazel Browder and Edith Jones.

Frank L. Kirby ’41

Frank Langley Kirby ’41 of Norfolk, Virginia, died Aug. 1, 2014. He was 94. His obituary appears in the front section of this Alumni Review issue.

Brian H.M. Bowen Sr. ’43

Brian Howard Mason Bowen Sr. ’43 of Lynchburg, Virginia, died Oct. 16, 2014. He was 92. Bowen matriculated from Lynchburg and graduated with distinction from VMI, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering. He is survived by his son, Brian Howard Mason Bowen Jr.; daughters, Lee Patterson Bowen Kelleher (Brian James) and Lou Hoffman Bowen Berquam (Theodore David); and grandchildren, Mason Barringer Bowen, Margaret Bowen Kelleher, Carter Donavan Bowen and Elizabeth Burke Kelleher. He was preceded in death by his sister, Anne Marie Bowen Schwartz, and brother, Dr. Lawrence Hoffman Bowen.

Joseph R. Jones Jr. ’44

Daniel Geyer (Stephanie), Mark Geyer, Phillip Geyer (Courtney), Jennilyn Keinsley (Andrew), Kelly Scibona (Gregory), Collin Andrews (Amy), Meredith Edwards (Scott) and Joseph E. Jones; and three great-grandchildren. Jones was preceded in death by his wife, Janet Jones; sister, Mary Eleanor Smith; and granddaughter, Gretchen Lynn Geyer.

Walter W. Weber Jr. ’45

Walter Winfield Weber Jr. ’45 of Catskill, New York, died Oct. 2, 2014. He was 90. Weber matriculated from Ramsey, New Jersey, and graduated with distinction from VMI, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering. He earned his Bachelor of Laws degree from Columbia University Law School. He is survived by his wife, Barbara; daughters, Ellen Stevens and Anne Weber Schure; sons-in-law, David Schure and Calvin Rees; grandson, James Schure; and stepchildren, Geoffrey Newcombe, Pam Abele and Stephanie Walsh. He was preceded in death by his sister, Margaret Burr.

Joseph L. Smith ’47

Joseph Lansing “Lance” Smith ’47 of Wilmington, North Carolina, died Oct. 3, 2014. He was 88. Smith matriculated from Wilmington and attended VMI for one year. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is survived by his wife, Margret E. Smith; former wife, Virginia G. Smith; sister, Nancy Smith Rose; sons, Joseph L. Smith Jr. (Gale), Burrows G. Smith (Pam) and Andrew Fleming Smith (Jennifer); and grandchildren, Wyatt L. and Claire L. Smith.

Robert D. Duke ’48B

Joseph Redfern Jones Jr. ’44 of Robert Dominick Duke ’48B of Lewis Center, Ohio, died July 27, Redding, Connecticut, died Oct. 2014. He was 92. 3, 2014. He was 86. Jones matriculated from CoDuke matriculated from lumbus, Ohio, and earned his Walden, New York, and graduBachelor of Science degree in ated with distinction from VMI, civil engineering from VMI. earning a Bachelor of Arts deHe is survived by daughters gree in English. He earned his Stephanie Geyer (Joseph) and Duke ’48B Bachelor of Laws degree from Julia Andrews (Scott); son, AnYale University and his Master drew Jones (Barbara); grandchildren, of Business Administration degree from VMI ALUMNI REVIEW

TAPS the University of Pennsylvania. He is survived by his wife, Jeannette Parham; sons, Robert and Ben; daughter, Lois; and grandchildren, Will and Peter. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Kate.

(Jeff); sons, Brooke Robertson and Peyton Robertson (Melissa); grandchildren, Nevada Tinsman, Sylvia Laytin, Ian Robertson and Emma Robertson; sister, Anne Butter; and sisters-in-law, Nancy Robertson, Ann Robertson, Mary Brooke and Ann Brooke. Charles J. Schaefer He was preceded in death by ’48B Robertson ’50B his sister, Phyllis Murdock; and Retired U.S. Army National Guard Col. Charles Joseph Schaefer ’48B brothers, Rolfe Robertson, Bolling Robof Annandale, Virginia, died Aug. 7, 2014. ertson and Bruce Robertson. He was 86. Schaefer matriculated from Richmond, Robert H. Trumbo ’51 Virginia, and attended VMI for two years. Robert Holder Trumbo ’51 of Marshall, He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree and Virginia, died Oct. 22, 2014. He was 84. Master of Arts degree from the University Trumbo matriculated from Richmond, of Virginia. Virginia, and attended VMI for one year. He is survived by his wife, Arleen ReynHe is survived by his wife, Evelyn Danolds Schaefer; daughters, Margaret S. Sto- iel; and children, Robert Holder Trumbo ken, Jessie S. Jenne and Helen S. Magee; Jr., John, Sherry, Rick and Adrienne. sons, Kirk and Warren Schaefer; seven grandchildren; and one great-grandchild. Clarence J. Brauner Jr. ’52 Retired U.S. Army Col. Clarence Joseph Brauner Jr. ’52 of Brandon, Florida, died Axel Bolvig Jr. ’49B Oct. 6, 2014. He was 83. Axel Bolvig Jr. ’49B of BirBrauner matriculated from New mingham, Alabama, died Aug. Orleans, Louisiana, and earned 13, 2014. He was 86. his Bachelor of Arts degree in Bolvig matriculated from history from VMI. He earned an Birmingham and earned his Associate of Science degree from Bachelor of Science degree in Marion Institute and a Bachelor civil engineering from VMI. He of Computer Science degree earned his Master of Business from Tulane University. From Administration degree from Loyola University-New Orleans, Harvard University. He is survived by his wife, Bolvig ’49B Brauner earned both a Bachelor of Specialized Studies degree Lynne Y. Bolvig; son, Axel Bolvig III (Dr. Lori L. Davis); daughters, and a Master of Business Administration Lauren Fowler (Ted) and Kristin Fudalla degree. He is survived by his wife, Dorothy (Ian); and grandchildren, Sydney Fowler, Crowell; daughter, Randee Rathbone; Michael Fowler and Emily L. Bolvig. sons, Eric and Philip Brauner; stepdaughJohn W.P. Robertson ’50B ters, Paula Parkerson and Mary Murray; Retired U.S. Marine Corps Col. John nine grandchildren; 14 great-grandchilWilliam Peyton Robertson ’50B of Nor- dren; and three great-great grandchildren. folk, Virginia, died Sept. 10, 2014. He was 87. Frank O. Butler II ’52 Robertson matriculated from WarrenFrank Osgood Butler II ’52 of Palm ton, Virginia, and earned his Bachelor of Beach, Florida, died Aug. 22, 2014. He Science degree in civil engineering from was 86. Butler matriculated from New York, New VMI. He earned his Master of Education degree and Doctor of Education degree York, and attended VMI for two years. He is survived by his sister, Jorie Butler from the University of Virginia. He is survived by his wife, Edie Robert- Kent; brother, Michael Butler; and halfson; daughter, Elizabeth Robertson Laytin sister, Gwendolyn Dunaway McGonagle. 2015-Issue 1

Ran L. Phillips II ’54

Ran Lorenzo Phillips II ’54, M.D., of Monroe, Louisiana, died Sept. 24, 2014. He was 81. Phillips matriculated from Sterlington, Louisiana, and earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in biology from VMI. He received his Doctor of Medicine degree from Duke University. He was serving as the class agent for the Class of 1954. He is survived by his wife, Janice Phillips. He was preceded in death by his son, John McCarthy Phillips, and sister, Teresa Phillips.

William O. Turner Jr. ’54

William Oliver “Bill” Turner Jr. ’54, Ph.D., of Midlothian, Virginia, died Oct. 1, 2014. He was 82. Turner matriculated from Newport News, Virginia, and earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in English from VMI. Turner earned his Master of Arts degree and Doctor of Philosophy degree from George Washington University. He is survived by his second wife, Sonja LaBarber; son, William O. “Jack” Turner (Colette); daughter, Erin M. Turner-Bird (Fred); grandson, Andrew M. Turner; brother-in-law, Raymond Dudeck; and brother and sister-in-law, Ernest and Ginny Milbredt. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Betty McKay, and sister, Deloris Markey.

William R. Castner ’55

William Raymond “Ray” Castner ’55 of Pensacola, Florida, died Aug. 21, 2013. He was 80. Castner matriculated from Dahlgren, Virginia, and earned his Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from VMI. He earned his Master of Science degree from the University of South Carolina. (Editor’s Note: We have no further information about Mr. Castner.)

John A. Hansen ’55

John Alton Hansen ’55 of Fitchburg, Wisconsin, died Aug. 15, 2014. He was 81. Hansen matriculated from Peoria, Illinois, and attended VMI for two years. He earned his Bachelor of Laws degree from Marquette University. He is survived by his wife, Nancy 159

TAPS Hansen; children, James P. Hansen, Julie Magers (Michael), Kathryn Baker (Matt) and Steven J. Hansen; sisters, Lenore Jorgenson and Bev Merrill; and his grandchildren; step-grandchildren; and stepgreat-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife, Mary Hansen.

Abell; son, Dr. Creed W. Abell IV (Catherine); daughter, Janice Abell Kinnear (James); and grandchildren, Creed W. Abell V and Lynn Abell Guerrieri (Riccardo).

John P. Barnett ’59

John Pruitt Barnett ’59 of Hansen ’55 Lynchburg, Virginia, died Oct. 23, 2014. He was 77. Barnett matriculated from Danville, VirJames P. Hart III ’55 James Potts “Jim” Hart III ’55 of Good- ginia, and earned his Bachelor of Science view, Virginia, died Sept. 20, 2014. He degree in civil engineering from VMI. He earned his Bachelor of Laws degree and was 81. Hart matriculated from Roanoke, Vir- his Master of Business Administration ginia, and graduated with distinction degree from the University of Virginia. He is survived by his son, John Anderson from VMI, earning a Bachelor of Science Barnett. degree in electrical engineering. He was preceded in death by his brother, He is survived by his wife, Phyllis Y. Hart; children, Sheila H. Norfleet, James E.P. Barnett Jr. A. Hart, Derek J. Hart, Darcy L. Parker, Daniel F. Starkey II, Catherine G. HarAlan G. Ballard ’60 rington and Cynthia S. Waters; stepmother, Alan Gardner “Doc” Ballard ’60 of Patricia Quillen; brother, Ross Hart; and Morehead City, North Carolina, died Sept. 14 grandchildren. 5, 2014. He was 79. He matriculated from Norfolk, Virginia, and earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Jones W. Roach ’55 Jones Williamson “Joe” Roach ’55 of biology from VMI. He earned his Master Houston, Texas, died Aug. 3, 2014. He of Science degree from the University of Tennessee. was 81. He is survived by his brother, Bruce W. Roach matriculated from Richmond, Virginia, and earned his Bachelor of Sci- Ballard ’62, and sister-in-law, Cynthia K. ence degree in electrical engineering from Ballard. He was preceded in death by his wife, VMI. He earned his Master of Arts degree Glenda Day French Ballard. from the University of Houston. He is survived by his wife, Sherry Roach; daughter, Martha Moore (Gary); daughterJames A. Savage Jr. ’60 in-law, Becky Roach; sister, Jackie HoffJames Aubrey Savage Jr. ’60 of Holly man (Marshall); and grandchildren, Ross Springs, North Carolina, died Oct. 11, Roach, Sherry Roach, Will Roach, Sarah 2014. He was 76. Savage matriculated from Portsmouth, Moore and Carolyn Moore. He was preceded in death by his son, Virginia, and earned his Bachelor of Arts Joe Roach, and grandsons, Jessen and degree in English. He earned his Master of Education degree from the University Thomas Roach. of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. (Editor’s Note: We have no further inCreed W. Abell III ’56 Creed Wills Abell III ’56, Ph.D., of Aus- formation about Mr. Savage.) tin, Texas, died Sept. 9, 2014. He was 80. Abell matriculated from Staunton, VirFloyd N. Roberts ’61 ginia, and earned his Bachelor of Science Floyd Nelson Roberts ’61 of Springfield, degree in chemistry from VMI. He earned Vermont, died Sept. 7, 2014. He was 75. a Master of Science degree at Perdue Roberts matriculated from Dunedin, University and his Doctor of Philosophy Florida, and earned his Bachelor of Scidegree from the University of Wisconsin. ence degree in civil engineering from He is survived by his wife, Marjorie L. VMI. He earned his Master of Business 160

Administration degree from Western New England College. He is survived by his wife, Mary-Jane Roberts; daughter, Amy Holbert (J.D.); stepsons, Stephen and Matthew Burlew (Jessica); grandchildren, Christopher Roberts, Kristin and Nicholas Burlew; brother, Glynn Roberts (Carol); former wife, Patricia Roberts; and former daughter-in-law, Patricia Burlew. He was preceded in death by his son, Kenneth Roberts and sister, Gwenyth Padow.

William C. Sydnor Sr. ’62

William Carrington “Bill” Sydnor Sr. ’62 of Rocky Ridge, Maryland, died Sept. 2, 2014. He was 74. Sydnor matriculated from Winchester, Virginia, and earned his Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from VMI. He received his Master of Arts degree from George Washington University. He is survived by his wife, Nancy Bonner Wilson Sydnor; sons, William Carrington Sydnor Jr. and James Pinnell Sydnor (Brooke); grandchildren, Ryden, June and Oliver Sydnor; and brother, G. Granville Sydnor III. Sydnor was preceded in death by his sister, Mary Louise White, and brotherin-law, Robert A. Wilson III.

Jerry C. Bennett ’63

Jerry Clinton Bennett ’63 of Lakeland, Florida, died Oct. 10, 2014. He was 73. Bennett matriculated from Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina, and earned his Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from VMI. He is survived by his wife, Derith Morris Bennett; daughters, Lori Bennett Beauparlant (Tejay) and Katrina Bennett Lynn (Marlon); grandchildren, Kathryn and Kaitlyn Davidson, Chloe, Amelia and Mitchell Lynn; and sister, Judy Bennett Morris (Dewey).

John D. Marshall ’64

John Devereux Marshall ’64 of Johns Creek, Georgia, died July 24, 2014. He was 71. He matriculated from Hagerstown, Maryland, and earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in math from VMI. He earned his Juris Doctor degree from West Virginia University College of Law. VMI ALUMNI REVIEW

TAPS Marshall is survived by his fiancée, Paula Rayl; children, Bruce Marshall and Beth Dorian; daughter-in-law, Maria Marshall; son-in-law, David Dorian; former wife, Cheryl Ryans; grandchildren, Amanda Marshall, Thomas Marshall, Ella Marshall and Bryce Dorian; and sisters, Nancy Marshall, Mary Jane Ewing, Patricia Nothstein and Carol Ann Marshall.

William M. Kearney ’65

William Michael Kearney ’65 of Saint Charles, Missouri, died July 22, 2014. He was 71. Kearney matriculated from Yorktown, Virginia, and earned his Bachelor of Science degree in physics from VMI. He is survived by his wife, Marilyn Holt Kearney; children, Deirdre Segarra (Armando), Kevin (Martha), Brendon, Tammy Hance and Clelle Shores; siblings, Peggy, Tom (Barbara), Cynthia Potter (Thomas), Paul (Carol); and grandchildren, Jessica and Christopher. He was preceded in death by his parents, William H. and Totsy Kearney, and brother, Robert Patrick Kearney.

Thomas L. Whately Jr. ’65

Thomas Lee Whately Jr. ’65 of Imperial, Missouri, died Oct. 5, 2012. He was 70. Whately matriculated from Roanoke,

Virginia, and earned his Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from VMI. He earned his Master in Business Administration from the University of Arkansas. (Editor’s Note: We have no further information about Mr. Whately.)

Stephen K. Valadez ’72

Dr. Stephen Kent Valadez ’72 of Signal Mountain, Tennessee, died Sept. 20, 2014. He was 64. Valadez matriculated from Chattanooga, Tennessee, and attended VMI for one year. He is survived by his wife, Karla McKamey-Valadez; two sons, Stephen and William; mother, Fran; and siblings, Alex and Candace.

William E. Allison ’74

William Eugene Allison ’74 of Temecula, California, died Feb. 4, 2014. He was 61. Allison matriculated from Indianapolis, Indiana, and earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in English from VMI. He earned his Master of Science degree from Virginia Commonwealth University. He is survived by his spouse, Stacie Allison; daughter, Sara Allison; and sister.

Robert A. Sacra ’83

Robert Alan Sacra ’83 of York, Pennsylvania, died Oct. 6, 2014. He was 53. Sacra matriculated from York and attended VMI for one year. Sacra is survived by his parents, William E. Sacra Jr. and Nancy McNelis Sacra; stepmother, Helen Sacra; and sisters, Cheryl Sacra Paden (Charles) and Barbara J.S. Burnett (Joel).

Willie H. Barnes Jr. ’93

Willie Henderson Barnes Jr. ’93 of Suffolk, Virginia, died Oct. 10, 2014. He was 43. Barnes matriculated from Suffolk and attended VMI for three years. He is survived by his mother, Betty Rea Barnes; sister, Denise B. Byrum (Randy); and brother, Michael Riddick. He was preceded in death by his father, Willie Henderson Barnes Sr.

Jeffrey J. Soderberg ’95 Jeffrey John Soderberg ’95 of San Antonio, Texas, died Aug. 14, 2011. He was 39. Soderberg matriculated from Jaffrey, New Hampshire, and attended VMI for less than one year. He is survived by his parents, Lloyd and Beverly Soderberg.

Deaths in the VMI Family William L. Anderson

Bobby L. Arehart

George L. Roth

Retired U.S. Air Force Col. William Lee Anderson of Charlottesville, Virginia, died Oct. 11, 2014. He was 82. Anderson was a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and earned his Law Degree from the University of Virginia. He was a professor of aerospace science at VMI, where he concluded his active duty military career. He is survived by his wife, Anita Anderson; daughter, Amy Elizabeth Anderson; granddaughters, Paula Elizabeth Young and Katherine Lindsey Young; and sister, Elizabeth Anderson Crumbliss.

Bobby L. Arehart of Fairfield, Virginia, died Oct. 8, 2014. He was 68. Arehart was a computer network support technician in the Department of Information Technology at VMI, where he retired after 40 years of service. He is survived by his wife, Brenda Arehart; daughter, Kristen Staton (Mike); son, Michael Rea Arehart and fiancée, Heather Dean; sister-in-law, Martha Raye McClure (Tom); and special cousin, John P. Arehart (Karleen). He was preceded in death by his sister, Jean Arehart Patterson.

Col. George Leith Roth, professor emeritus of English, of Lexington, Virginia, died Sept. 13, 2014. He was 62. Roth, a graduate of Franklin & Marshall College and Princeton University, retired in 1988 after 37 years of teaching at VMI. He served as chair of the English department. He is survived by his wife, Ruth Brooks Roth; daughters Katherine Roth Riley and Jane Roth Baugh; sons-inlaw, Alan Riley and Thomas Baugh; grandchildren, Margaret and Michael Riley; brother-in-law, Robert Roth; and sister-in-law, Nancy Roth.

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AFTER TAPS AFTER TAPS 1950s Retired U.S. Army Reserve Brig. Gen. Edwin Cox III ’53 by retired U.S. Air Force Reserve Col. William C. Noell Jr. ’53 Pete Cox was my roommate for four years, a fellow chemistry major, Company B captain, editor of The Cadet, my best man and a great friend. Pete was one of those friends that if you hadn’t caught up with in six months or even a year, it was like you saw and talked to him just yesterday when you finally did. All these years since he departed this world and I still miss him and his humor and wit. He still crosses my mind periodically. I can tell many tales about Pete, both at the Institute and afterward, and will record a few here that you might find of some humor or interest. I will leave Pete’s more serious accomplishments for someone else to tell. I did not know Pete before we matriculated at the Institute Sept. 12, 1949, with him being from outside of Richmond, Virginia, and me being from Alexandria, Virginia. However, it is interesting that there were days in the winter while he attended Episcopal High School in Alexandria when I was outside ice skating on the pond on the EHS grounds as a townie, since I lived only a few blocks from there. We matriculated into the Institute as No. 243 and 245 and wound up in room 401. Despite original plans for makeovers, we stayed roommates for four years and great friends through life. Pete was my best man in my first wedding. Thanks to him, I had to drive through a car wash before leaving town so I could see. Pete’s favorite song was “Buckling on my boots and spurs and going to VMI,” which he loved to sing. He passed out the lyrics so his roommates could join in, and I think I still have a copy in my VMI scrapbook. Pete left this world in 1998 after a long bout with cancer, but he was always upbeat. At the last reunion he attended, he came with oxygen and a wheelchair and was in great spirits to be there. His wife, Sally, pushed him around to whatever 162

event he wanted to attend. Pete now rests in Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond. Sally died unusually soon after Pete, due to problems with what was supposed to be a routine operation. I recall one evening (April 15, 1998) while I was still consulting at the RAD plants in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, I received a telephone call from Pete. He asked me if I would come to Richmond and close his Environmental Consulting Lab on Church Hill. He said he had reached the point where he could no longer work. I suggested that there were plenty of people in his area who were fully qualified in hazardous materials and could do the job. However, he wanted me to do it. He knew I would do it right, and he would not have to worry – nice praise from my roommate. Of course, I took on the task of sorting all those chemicals – some very old – for proper disposal under the DOT hazardous material regulations. Pete sent in his oldest son, Ned Cox ’89, to do some of the lifting and leg work. After the task was completed, I joined Pete and Sally for a nice social hour at their home, along with the normal stories about VMI and the military, before returning to Tennessee. On the night of that telephone call, Pete told me he “had a good ride,” but it was still hard for me to take. As noted earlier, we roomed in room 401 our 4th Class year – a tower room – which had a lot of depth. Pete’s and my desks were in the back toward the window. Many times when I came into the room, I would find Pete slumped over my desk as if taking a nap ... except he was listening to the radio I had hidden in back of the drawer with a small hearing aid earphone of the day. He always said he was catching up on the news. We were lucky we never got caught with the radio. During our 3rd Class summer, I spent the weekend with Pete at his home, Holly Hill – a few miles west of Richmond. I do not remember who else was there, but I think it was Bill Atwill and someone else. We decided that we all should go to the Warsaw County Fair. We piled in Pete’s father’s black Cadillac and were off to the fair some 30 or so miles away. Before we got to the fairgrounds and the parking lot entrance gate, Pete pulled over and told us to get into the trunk – thank goodness it

was large. This way, as we all had limited funds, there was only one admission fee. After we got inside the gate, he let us out, and we enjoyed the fair. Our other roommate, Bill Atwill, was from the small town of Kinsale, Virginia, on the northern neck. Bill received the weekly Kinsale News from his mother. Almost as soon as Bill arrived back to the room with his mail and the newspaper, Pete would grab the newspaper and start reading the news of the day aloud to us – who visited who, who went where and all that small town stuff. In his readings, he had to correct the grammar. Needless to say, Bill was not too happy about all this, and would try to retrieve the paper while Pete continued to laugh. Bill was a good sport about all this, and I guess it continued through our rooms of 401 and 301. With Pete being Company B captain, we roomed in 123 our 1st Class year – right next to the guard room. Because of this, we could enter through our windows safely. We even went to ranks at the last minute through the windows many times. One hop weekend, Pete brought my ring figure date in through the window, dressed her in a VMI uniform (I believe it was Wayne’s that fit her) and assembled her in the ranks. She marched off to breakfast roll call in Company B, with many comments made about someone being out of step. Her major comment was she did not care for the green egg and would never care to visit the mess hall again for a meal. Pete and I periodically crossed paths. One such time was at the Andrews Air Force Base Officer’s Club one night. Sitting at the bar, he recited his story of that day. It seems our C-130s were supposed to drop his troops down at A.P. Hill for training and such. However, for some reason which I do not recall, the mission had to be aborted after takeoff and they had to come back to Andrews. According to Pete, he almost had a riot on his hands. He said he had trained his troops that it was safe to take off in an Air Force plane but very unsafe to be on one when it lands, as it is sort of a controlled crash, and anything could happen. Needless to say, his troops did not want to land back at Andrews thanks to Pete’s brainwashing. In 1988, Pete wrote a play about VMI titled, “A Brave Experiment.” It was VMI ALUMNI REVIEW

AFTER TAPS dedicated to his father, Edwin Cox ’920. The play “lightly describes incidents surrounding the founding and early years at VMI.” It contains 15 scenes on 22 pages, with the final line said by a corporal: “That is our heritage.” I have no idea who else obtained a copy from Pete. After that, I heard no more about it. I contribute my longevity as class agent – 27-plus years – partly to Pete. Years ago, when Pete was still with us, I tried to give up the job, but Pete convinced me I should keep it. He said fundraising was not the most important thing, as I had said I was not that good at this task, and thus the class needed someone else. Back in February 1992, Pete hosted 15 BRs and their wives at Holly Hill for a great lunch at the Cox country place. On one of my stays at Holly Hill, Pete and I joined his parents for a visit at U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Chesty Puller’s home in the Fan District, where I was privileged to meet the great Marine Corps commandant. It was an honor to know Pete all those years and to be his roommate at the Institute. I also enjoyed knowing Pete’s father and mother while we were at VMI and well past graduation. Pete’s father had a booming voice, so you never missed his presence. Pete has a daughter, Virginia Meade Cox Evans, by his first marriage and three VMI sons with Sally: Ned ’89, Jimmy ’90 and Billy ’93. Judy and I see and hear from Billy periodically. Richard O. Culver ’58 by Bolling Williamson ’60 Richard O. Culver ’58 spent his U.S. Marine Corps career almost entirely in infantry, reconnaissance and marksmanship training units. He served two tours in Vietnam and was awarded the Purple Heart and a Silver Star – the latter earned while commanding a rifle company that came under intense fire from a well-entrenched North Vietnamese unit while participating in a Special Landing Force operation. The citation noted that one platoon was separated from the company and pinned down, adding: “Exhibiting an extensive knowledge of tactics, Culver quickly consolidated his position, established a base of fire to cover the evacuation of the wounded and maneuvered the search platoon back to the perimeter.” After calling in fixed wing and

2015-Issue 1

gunship support, he directed their strikes and called in artillery fire. Culver then set up a night defensive perimeter which also provided security for a number of Vietnamese refugees. The next morning, he led a two-platoon attack against the enemy positions. Culver developed a reputation for his knowledge of small arms after designing a number of performance-improving modifications for sniper rifles, which led to assignments with various marksmanship training units and a spot on the Marine Corps Pistol Team. He was one of the founders of the Marine Corps Sniper School at Quantico. After his retirement, he authored a number of articles on weapons and marksmanship.

1960s Robert Stanley “Bob” Thomas ’66 by Al Conner ’66 Bob was born in New Bern, North Carolina, and entered VMI from Fredericksburg, Virginia. At VMI, Bob was a State Cadet in Company D and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in mathematics. He took Air Force ROTC classes, worked as a cadet waiter, played on the golf team and was in the Newman Club. A four-year cadet private, Bob participated in the flight instruction program and was active in five intramural sports. After graduation, he served in the U.S. Army from 1967-69 as a SPC5 in the Army Corps of Engineers and worked in what became his permanent home in Chesapeake, Virginia. There, he had several careers: an account executive with Dean Witter; founder and chief executive officer of NuOncology Laboratories; and a realtor with Century 21 Nachman Realty. Bob was a member of the Aldersgate United Methodist Church. In a completely different context, his 1966 Bomb entry ends with something appropriate: “Known by the Class of ’66 as a true brother rat, it is now our turn to feel the personal loss. You know and I know that Bob Thomas is the type of man that may be whatever he resolves to be.” Cadet memories are a peculiar mixture of trivial and monumental. My first VMI

memory of Bob was from Bob Broom ’66, his VMI roommate and also my roommate from Columbian Prep School in Washington, D.C. After meeting Bob Thomas for the first time, I mentioned to Bob Broom that he seemed pretty intense. Aside, he told me that Bob Thomas’ first full sentence to his roommates was, “Don’t expect me to break the Honor Code for any of you!” After that, he amused them all by spit-shining his shoes with a washcloth. Farewell, brother rat. We will remember you in your heavenly dwelling at our memorial service during the 50th Reunion in 2016, among a list grown far too long in war and peace. Eleven Brother Rats of the Class of 1966 Who Died on the Field of Honor by Al Conner ’66 On my bookshelf is a photo of a plaque in VMI’s Memorial Gardens which reads: “CLASS OF 1966 ... In memory of our brother rats who gave their lives in the service of their country.” It is followed by a quote from Douglas MacArthur. Then the names are listed in order of their deaths in and around Vietnam: 1. Allan Lee Diedrickson (July 2, 1967) U.S. Marine Corps 2. Daniel Lee Mullins (Aug. 31, 1967) U.S. Army 3. William Demarest Huyler Jr. (Sept. 14, 1967) U.S. Army 4. John Henry Lattin Jr. (Dec. 15, 1967) U.S. Army 5. Douglas Barton Green III (Jan. 11, 1968) U.S. Army 6. Mark Crosby Whittier (March 6, 1968) U.S. Marine Corps 7. Donald James Mattaro Jr. (May 7, 1968) U.S. Army 8. Harry Bulkey Hambleton III (Sept. 15, 1968) U.S. Army 9. Vincent Calvin Scott Jr. (April 22, 1969) U.S. Air Force 10. Jefferson Scott Dotson (Aug. 8, 1969) U.S. Air Force 11. Rodney Harrold Stone (May 2, 1970) U.S. Air Force. The plaque ends with: “They gave their lives in Southeast Asia, believing in the right of all men to live in freedom and in peace.” I’m told that this is the largest class sacrifice in the Vietnam War. I realize

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AFTER TAPS a substantial number of World War II classes gave more, and I presume Korea and World War I classes (all smaller) may have also given larger numbers. But I was particularly struck, as we commemorated the 150th anniversary of the Battle of New Market (and have honored that corps in essentially the same manner since 1878) my single class – during years of combat – had given more than the four classes engaged at New Market in a week’s service and one day of combat. That is not to denigrate the New Market Corps in any way; it is rather to assert that my brother rats and all the other alumni who died in the service of our nation deserve an equally elegant and moving ceremony or recognition, if only in our hearts. In 2016, the Class of ’66 will celebrate its 50th Reunion. At our memorial service, we will not forget those 11 or the other 38 or more brother rats who have died since 1962.

one week before her 88th birthday. Her father was Col. R.C. “Buck” Weaver ’921. Gertie was born and raised in Lexington, where her father taught physics at VMI for 47 years. He was also assistant commandant of VMI for many years. At the time, that meant their home was the “Old Library,” which was located right beside the VMI barracks with the library downstairs and living quarters upstairs. Gertie grew up known to legions of VMI cadets as “Bucket” – father “Buck,” daughter “Bucket.” As she literally grew up within yards of VMI, she may have, in fact, been the first female to unofficially “attend” VMI. Her picture would often appear in The Bomb as she posed with various groups, com-

panies, etc. when they were having their pictures taken. She graduated from Lexington High School and attended Madison College in Harrisonburg, Virginia. She was married to Ronald Gault ’49B, and her son, Lanny, is a member of the Class of ’71. She had a VMI room in her home. Among items there were her father’s 1921 VMI diploma; a football signed by the entire 1959 Southern Conference Football Championship team and its coaches, including John McKenna; a VMI sabre; a shako; and many pictures, including older ones showing the “Old Library” as it stood beside barracks. Her passion for VMI never wavered over the years – no one loved VMI more.

1980s Class of 1988: Brian Keith, Terry Plunk, John Boniface and Scott McCumber by Chris Clark ’88 and Sam Tate ’88 I can still remember the all-nighters in the Bomb room with Brian Keith and Scott McCumber. It is hard to believe they are both gone. It is important that we continue to reach out and support the widows and families of our brother rats to show our love and support. It was very humbling to speak with Terry’s mom, Doris, and our sisters, Romelia Keith, Tammy Boniface and Erin McCumber. Each one of them expressed their thanks for our continued support and shared a little piece of their memories of their loved ones.

VMI Family Gertrude Weaver by Lanny Gault ’71 Mrs. Gertrude (Gertie) W. Gault of Richmond, Virginia, died Oct. 22, 2014, exactly 164

VMI ALUMNI REVIEW

THE VMI ALUMNI ASSOCIATION DIRECTORY The VMI Alumni Association, Inc. President

Edgar J.T. Perrow Jr. ’96 P.O. Box 3133 Lynchburg, VA 24503-0133 tperrow@wwassociates.net

First Vice President

Robert P. Louthan ’82 809 Lindsay Ct. Richmond, VA 23229-6823 rlouthan1@gmail.com

Second Vice President

Asa H. Page III ’79 5321 N. Point Ct. Virginia Beach, VA 23455-6827 vmi79@verizon.net

The VMI Foundation, Inc.

Executive Vice President

President

Hugh M. Fain III ’80

Adam C. Volant ’88 P.O. Box 932 Lexington, VA 24450 avolant@vmiaa.org

Brian S. Crockett

The VMI Keydet Club, Inc. President

William A. Paulette ’69

Historian

Thomas W. Davis ’64 davistw@vmi.edu

Directors at Large

Immediate Past President

Robert A. Heely ’69 507 Westover Ave. Norfolk, VA 23507 bobheely@yahoo.com

Chief Executive Officer

Chief Executive Officer Gregory M. Cavallaro ’84

Terms Expire June 30, 2016 Joel W. Andrus ’04 jandrus@kemperconsult.com A. Damon Williams ’90 damonwilliams@msn.com

Terms Expire June 30, 2017 Terms Expire June 30, 2015 Jessica J. Schmaus ’04 jessica.schmaus@gmail.com Anthony U. Moore ’78 amor_78@comcast.net Matthew Hemenez ’90 mhemenez@surefire.com E. Sean Lanier ’94 av8sean06@hotmail.com

Region/ Director

Chapter Name

Alaska Arizona Matthew Hemenez ’90 Greater Los Angeles Hawaii mhemenez Inland Empire Chapter @surefire.com Las Vegas Northern California Pacific Northwest Pikes Peak Rocky Mountain San Diego

Region I Far West

Region II Midwest

Jim Dittrich ’76 jfdinarkansas @aol.com

Region III Northeast

Felix Wolkowitz ’75 fwolkowitz@ wolkowbraker.com

Arkansas Bluegrass Centex Chicago Cleveland/Northern Ohio Detroit Kansas City, Missouri North TX - Dallas Oklahoma Rio Grande San Antonio SE TX - Houston Southwest Ohio St. Louis Third Coast (Corpus Christi) Greater Rhode Island New England NY City - Long Island North Jersey

Region IV Mid Atlantic

Baltimore Peter Charrington ’66 Central Keystone Delaware Valley pcharrin@ Western PA - Pittsburgh comcast.net

Region V Southeast

C. Patrick Haddock ’00 vmitranspo@ hotmail.com

2015-Issue 1

Augusta Appalachian Atlanta Coastal GA - South Carolina East TN - Knoxville Middle TN - Nashville Midsouth

Chapter President

President’s E-mail

Chapter Representative

Trent L. Boggs ’83 Kevin Black ’99 Brian K. Andrew ’03 Russell Shun Takata ’74 Andre J. Gibson ’78 Kenneth S. Krynski ’89 Todd E. Arris ’87 James R. Farmer ’68 Thomas R. Clark III ’73 William V. Trumpore ’89 Micah T. Wei ’99

tboggs@gci.com kblack@executive-command.com brian.k.andrew@gmail.com russell.takata@yahoo.com andrejg@aol.com krynskiks@pendleton.usmc.mil tearris@gmail.com seattlefarmer@comcast.net vmiman@comcast.net vailkeydet@gmail.com mwei100@yahoo.com

Trent L. Boggs ’83 Joseph S. Howard III ’97 Matthew R. Hemenez ’90 Russell Shun Takata ’74

James F. Dittrich ’76 Gregory G. McDearmon ’99 Stephen J. Barcik III ’85 Daniel C. Young ’88 & Molly. M. Hastings ’13 Brian D. Skusa ’00 David C. Hagemann ’80 Jeffrey D. Vordermark ’79 R. Conor Evans ’02 Hamel B. Reinmiller ’98

jfdinarkansas@aol.com ggmcd34@earthlink.net steve.barcik@htds2.com dan.young@wfadvisors.com hastingsmm@mail.vmi.edu BSkusa@kforce.com dhag80@aol.com vordermark@juno.com conorevans@hotmail.com HBRvmi98@vmialumni.org

Daniel J. Fitzgerald ’89 Steven P. Weiss ’86 J. Micah North ’00 David P. Loduca ’81 Walter J. Kleine ’63

Daniel.Fitzgerald@hdrinc.com Steve.Weiss@LibertyIU.com j.micah.north@gmail.com loduca@pbworld.com WKleine@STX.RR.com

Thomas R. Shaw ’78 Steven P. Weiss ’86 J. Micah North ’00 Robert C. Polk ’61 M. Douglass Payne ’73

Patrick L. McGuire ’85 Patrick J. Griffin ’80 George T. Mosby ’97 Richard C. Wolffe Jr. ’78

magsvmi@email.com anchors80@comcast.net gmosby@liquidnet.com RWolffe@tspcapitalmgt.com

Patrick L. McGuire ’85 John W. Wainwright III ’82 John R. Gibney Jr. ’80 Kevin P. Sincavage ’87

Thomas M. Wirth ’98 Robert P. Hill ’08 Frederick J. Killmeyer IV ’95 Allan R. Berenbrok ’80

twirth@mragta.com rphill48@gmail.com rkillmeyer@mcintyre-group.com allan.berenbrok@tetratech.com

Thomas J. Hickey Jr. ’68 Lester C. Martin ’68 John T. Pace IV ’77

Terence L. Bowers ’68 Thomas N. Daniel Jr. ’60 David R. Nagel ’01 Mark P. Parton ’08 Christopher R. Jones ’96 William E. Kirby III ’96 Robert P. Quarles III ’80

terrybowers@vmialumni.org tomdaniel60@charter.net nageldr78@hotmail.com partonmp@gmail.com crj2112@gmail.com ktkirby@comcast.net rpquarles@buckman.com

Raymond R. Lawson ’81 Campbell C. Hyatt III ’65 Charles C. Schoen IV ’86

John D. Christie ’59 Todd E. Arris ’87 James R. Farmer ’68 Katrina D. Powell ’06 William V. Trumpore ’89

Hugh R. Hill ’85 J. Andrew Hardin ’04 Donald A. Noschese Jr. ’92 Stephen M. Chiles ’89 Mark A. Benvenuto ’83 Todd J. Jacobs ’90 Garry C. Varney ’76

Kevin L. Snell ’82 Charles S. Sanger ’82 Philip J. Altizer Jr. ’80

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THE VMI ALUMNI ASSOCIATION DIRECTORY Region/ Director

Chapter Name

Chapter President

President’s E-mail

Chapter Representative

Camp Lejeune/Crystal Coast Cape Fear Central NC - Raleigh Charles L. Ramsburg ’66 Charlotte clramsburg@gmail.com Club of the Triad Coastal Carolina, SC Palmetto, South Carolina Wilmington, NC

John A. Moder ’98 Charles L. Toomey ’74 Laurence B. Wilson ’62 Michael S. Anderson ’88 Terrin R. Tucker ’95 N. Aric Southworth ’94 Carl B. Hammond ’00 John P. Gangemi ’61

john.moder@gmail.com toomeyl@pinehurst.net lbebwilson@aol.com mike.anderson@allentate.com tuckertr@hotmail.com aric.southworth@yahoo.com hammondcb@yahoo.com jgangemi@ec.rr.com

Birmingham Central Florida Greater New Orleans Mississippi Mobile NE Florida - Jacksonville Southern Florida Southwest Florida-Fort Meyer Tennessee Valley The Villages - Florida Treasure Coast West Coast FL - Tampa

William H. Cather Jr. ’65 J.C. Nagle IV ’87 Rhys D. Williams ’07

billcather@bellsouth.net jay.nagle@parsons.com rhys.david.williams@gmail.com

William H. Cather Jr. ’65 John Nagle ’87

Charles M. Rogers IV ’83 Jason M. Goldstein ’02 Scott A. Houser ’98 Bradford T. Herrell ’01 Herbert U. Fluhler ’77 Don L. Holmes ’66 Donald D. Carson ’64 Robert M. Bailey ’72

max.rogers@mobileinfirmary.org jmgoldstein@mactec.com housersa@yahoo.com vmigrad1@hotmail.com huf2000@aol.com donlholmes@aol.com dcarson678@bellsouth.net bobngracebailey@tampabay.rr.com

John H. Friend III ’82 Grafton D. Addison III ’82

New River Valley Lynchburg Roanoke

Charles R. Schindler Jr. ’91 Alan G. Soltis ’79

vmimwc@comcast.net al@lanfordbros.com

Christopher M. Boswell ’00 J. Patrick Henderson ’99

Allegheny Highlands Blue Ridge Charlottesville N. Shenandoah Valley Chapter Rockbridge County Stonewall Jackson

T. Troy Barbour ’89 G. Wayne Eastham ’76 James E. Duncan ’98 W. Douglas Thomas ’65 T. Keith Jarvis ’82 Jason K. Gruse ’97

troy.barbour@hcahealthcare.com weastham@carrhyde.com jim@realcentralva.com wdtllt@comcast.net jarvistk@vmi.edu jasongruse@hotmail.com

Harrison L. Fridley Jr. ’61 R. Edward Duncan ’60 Mark H. Bryant ’77 Kevin J. Callanan ’78 Lewis V. Graybill ’62 Roger A. Jarrell II ’91

Eastern Shore

Michael S. Ogden ’79 David G. Tyler IV ’86 Joshua P. Priest ’80 Edward M. Plucinski ’86 Gary J. Haste ’77 John L. Rowe Jr. ’66

vmi79classagent@aol.com dtyler4@cox.net joshua.p.priest@navy.mil ed.plucinski@hanson.com ghaste@associatedcontracting.com jrowe66@cox.net

Thomas F. Wilson ’80

John D. Kearney Jr. ’00 Christopher L. Haney ’00

Stephen Traina ’03 Kearney.jay@gmail.com christopher.haney@duffandphelps.com Henry J. Foresman Jr. ’76

Richmond Tri Cities

Wadsworth Bugg IV ’07 Samuel L. Mattocks ’74

worthbugg@gmail.com samuelmattocks762@gmail.com

Samuel N. Stocks ’90 Augustus Robbins III ’47

Rappahannock Richard A. Duke ’90

Carl J. DeBernard Jr. ’94 Stephen E. Wilson ’68 George D. Dyer ’66 John E. Karafa ’84

carl.debernard@dhs.gov sewilson68@verizon.net spookfive@aol.com john.karafa@leebcorservices.com

R.C. Thompson III ’74 William F. Brent ’67

rduke517@gmail.com

Fredericksburg - Quantico Rappahannock Southside Williamsburg

Region XIV Pacific Rim

Taiwan Thailand

Ching-Pu Chen ’85 Vaipot Srinual ’72

chingpu@saturn.yzu.edu.tw

Ching-Pu Chen ’85 Vaipot Srinual ’72

Region VI Carolinas

Region VII Deep South

Walter L. Chalkley ’72

waltchalkley@aol.com

Region VIII Southwest VA Bland Massie ’77

Charles L. Toomey ’74 Jonathan D. Atkins ’98 James A. Sharp ’93 Charles H. Alligood ’61 Steve E. Hively ’72 Henry Brown ’60

Brett R. Martin ’00 Raymond J. Pietruszka ’77 Don Holmes ’66 Robert M. Bailey ’72

super77@vmialumni.org

Region IX Shenandoah Valley

Thomas K. Jarvis ’82 jarvistk@vmi.edu

Region X Hampton Roads Michael S. Ogden ’79 VMI79ClassAgent@aol.com Sean P. Hingley ’07 sean.p.hingley@ wfadvisors.com

Norfolk Peninsula Virginia Beach Western Tidewater

James A. Parsons ’80 David J. Trenholm ’70 H. Ali Mahan ’80 Oliver D. Creekmore ’66

Region XI Metro D.C.

Douglas B. Warner ’03

douglas.warner1 George C. Marshall @vmialumni.org Potomac River G. Anthony Esteve ’00 anthonyesteve@gmail.com

Region XII Central VA

Hilbert S. Wilkinson III ’94 bretwilkinson@gmail.com

Samuel N. Stocks ’90 sstocks@kbsgc.com

Region XIII

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ALUMNI NEWS ALUMNI NEWS The Civil Air Patrol National Headquarters, Florida Wing and Marco Island Senior Squadron honored Lt. Col. Richard C. Niess ’44 for 50 years of membership. Niess has been an active member of the Marco Squadron since his relocation to Florida in 2005. He was first assigned as the recruiting and retention officer before accepting the position of public affairs officer in 2006. In 2011, at the age of 90, he was recognized as the Marco Island Civil Air Patrol Member of the Year. Niess’ CAP career started when he joined the Augusta Squadron of Staunton, Virginia, in 1964. He subsequently served in five different wings, three regions and on the staff of five cadet encampments from 1966-72. Along with his wife, Niess completed the National Staff College at Maxwell Air Force Base in 1971, and he was a participant in the International Air Cadet Exchange. His other qualifications include being a mission pilot, mission observer, mission radio operator, incident commander and senior pilot. Niess’ achievements include two meritorious awards: commander’s commendation award; two unit citations; The Gill Robb Wilson Award, the CAP’s highest award for professional development; two master and technician ratings; five encampment awards; a command service award; two search and find awards; and a squadron certificate of appreciation. Family involvement has been significant in Niess’ CAP experience. His wife, Lt. Col. Ann Niess, will be recognized for 50 years of membership in October 2015, and their children Linda, Buz and Bob have been active cadet members. Niess matriculated from East Rockaway, New York. He was a distinguished graduate of VMI, earning his Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering.

have focused on discovering treatment options as well as technology and tools that are informative for patients when choosing their health care. Williams matriculated from Carmel, California, and was a distinguished graduate of VMI, earning his Bachelor of Science degree in physics.

his Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Virginia.

Thomas G. Slater Jr. ’66 was appointed by Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe to the board of trustees of the Virginia Outdoors Foundation. He was sworn in to begin his four-year term July 1, 2014. Slater is a competition lawyer and was selected by The Roanoke Bar Association his peers for inclusion in the 21st in Roanoke, Virginia, presented Best Lawyers in America. Slater’s G. Marshall Mundy ’56 with the practice focuses on complex litigaFrank W. “Bo” Rogers Jr. Lifetime tion matters with an emphasis on Achievement Award May 1, 2014. antitrust and intellectual property. As their highest award, this recogSlater ’66 Slater matriculated from Richnizes Mundy as a lawyer who personifies the highest standard of personal and mond, Virginia, and earned his Bachelor of professional excellence, therefore enhancing Arts degree in history from VMI. He earned the overall image and reverence of attorneys his Bachelor of Laws degree from the Uniin the Southwest Virginia region. Mundy is versity of Virginia. AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbel and listed Christopher M. Stone ’78, P.E., has been by Best Lawyers in America, Virginia Super appointed by Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe Lawyers and Virginia’s Legal Elite. Mundy served as member of the board to serve a four-year term for the Architects, of directors of the Roanoke Bar Associa- Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, tion from 1986-91 and as the association’s Certified Interior Designers and Landscape president from 1990-91. During his 52 years Architects beginning July 18, 2014. Stone of practice, he has also served on the board will join McAuliffe’s administration, focusing on the growth of Virginia’s of governors of the Virginia State economy and creating jobs across Bar’s Senior Law Section, the the Commonwealth with bipartisan board of governors of the Virginia support. The APELSCIDLA board State Bar Criminal Law Section, examines, licenses and regulates and the board of governors of 35,000 individuals and related the Virginia State Bar Litigation business entities in Virginia as part Section. of the Department of Professional Mundy also served VMI as a & Occupation Regulation. former member of the VMI Alumni Stone is president of Clark NexAssociation Board of Directors, the Stone ’78 sen, an international architecture Keydet Club Board of Governors and as former president of the Roanoke and engineering firm with headquarters in Chapter of the VMI Alumni Association. Virginia Beach, Virginia. He has over 30 He completed an eight-year term years of experience as a strong advocate for as a member of VMI’s Board of the engineering profession on the local, state and national level. Visitors in 2012. Stone served as president of the National In memory of his father and Dr. Charles Murray Williams brother, who were also VMI alum- Society of Professional Engineers and was ’53 was featured in Piedmont ni, Mundy created the Mundy president of both the Virginia Society of Healthcare’s August 2014 article, Family Scholarship at VMI for a Professional Engineers and the Tidewater “Living Better.” In the article, Wildeserving cadet. Mundy and his Chapter of VSPE. He is a member of the liams discussed his determination wife also created a fund with the American Society of Civil Engineers and to help other older adults realize Foundation for Roanoke Valley the Society of American Military Engineers, it isn’t too late to start exercising. Williams ’53 to provide grants to worthy orga- and he has been named a Fellow with the He also discusses his own journey, American Society of Civil Engineers and the beginning in his 50s, to fight his cholesterol nizations. Mundy matriculated from Roanoke, National Society of Professional Engineers. problems by taking up running. Piedmont Stone matriculated from Waynesboro, Healthcare stated on their website that they Virginia, and earned his Bachelor of Arts have served nearly two million patients and degree in English from VMI. He earned Virginia, and graduated with distinction 2015-Issue 1

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Baltusrol Golf Club was recognized as the top contributing club to the New Jersey State Golf Association Caddie Scholarship Foundation June 19, 2014, at the annual Caddie Scholarship Foundation Trustees dinner at the Essex Fells Country Club. Rick Wolffe ’78 attended as the representative for Baltusrol, along with former NJSGA president Tom Paluck. The foundation received over $867,000 in donations, allowing 206 scholarships to be awarded. More than 40 scholarship winners received a minimum of $6,000. Wolffe accepted a flag of recognition on behalf of Baltusrol.

from VMI, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering. He earned his Master of Science in civil engineering from the University of Virginia.

Association. Cosby has held leadership within the Bar Association of the City of Richmond, the John Marshall American Inn of Court and the Greater Richmond Chamber. Cosby matriculated from Richmond and earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from VMI. He graduated with his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Richmond.

The Richmond Fisher House Foundation, an extended stay facility for families of veterans at the McGuire Veterans Affairs hospital, recently selected James C. Cosby ’82 to its board of directors. The fully handDaryl L. Deke ’82, chief executive oficap-accessible facility contains 21 family suites with private bath and dining areas and ficer of New Market Wealth Management, provides recreation and entertainment at no recently announced a new U.S. headquarters in Orange County, California, for cost to the families of veterans at his firm. Deke founded New Marthe hospital. The Richmond Fisher ket Wealth Management, which House averages 92-94 percent ocprovides wealthy clients with the cupancy, with an average length of sophisticated investment solutions stay being 12-14 days. Over 2,000 they require, as well as a level of families have stayed at the Fisher engagement, client education and House for its significant benefits service not available at large firms. and advantages to patient treatDeke’s wife, Sherry, is managing ment, rehabilitation and recovery. partner. Sam Elliott ’13 recently Cosby is a partner with VandeDeke ’82 joined the firm, as well. venter Black LLP, a law firm with Deke has spent over 28 years offices in Virginia, North Carolina, California and Germany. Cosby is the man- in the investment management business, aging partner of the Richmond, Virginia, providing advice to some of the wealthiest office. He was an officer in the U.S. Army families, largest corporations, endowments Reserve and has served as an adjunct profes- and foundations in America. Deke previously held senior positions with sor of law and on the board of directors for the University of Richmond Law School a number of investment firms, including 168

Northern Trust, where he was a managing partner specializing in alternative investment strategies; Neuberger Berman, where he worked with wealthy families and large institutions as senior vice president; and Alliance Bernstein, as a partner and managing director, where Deke developed and ran the private client practices in Texas and Los Angeles, California. Deke is the chairman of VMI Holdings, LLC, the investment committee for the VMI Endowment. He is also a member of the VMI Foundation Executive Committee. Deke matriculated from Miami, Florida. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from VMI and a Master of Science degree in operations management from the University of Arkansas. John R. Timmons ’93 was recently hired by Microporous as the vice president of technology. Microporous, maker of lead-acid battery separators, was re-established as an independent company in December 2013 after having previously partnered with one of its competitors. Timmons has more than 18 years of experience with the lead acid battery industry. Timmons matriculated from La Verne, California, and earned his Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from VMI. He holds a Master of Chemical Engineering degree from the University of Virginia. U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Gregory Moseley ’98 is serving as the commander of the U.S. Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron, more commonly known as the Thunderbirds. The 120 member squadron was created May 25, 1953, at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, and was originally designated the 3600th Air Demonstration Unit. It consisted of only seven officers and 22 enlisted members. Since its creation, the Thunderbirds have been recognized for their formation aerobatics. In 1997, the Thunderbirds performed 57 demonstrations for the Air Force’s 50th anniversary with a crowd of 12 million in attendance. Moseley joined the Thunderbirds after being a student at Command General Staff College in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. He has logged more than 2,800 flight hours in the F-15C and F-22 and has more than 50 hours of combat pilot experience in the F-15C. He is currently in his third season with the team. Moseley matriculated from Niceville, VMI ALUMNI REVIEW

ALUMNI NEWS Florida, and received his Bachelor of Arts degree in history from VMI. CARE Pharmacies Cooperative Inc. was named to the “Hot 100” retailers list by the National Retail Federation in August 2014 for the second time in three years. Michael Wysong ’93 is the chief executive officer of CARE Pharmacies, which ranked 49 on the list. The National Retail Federation is the world’s largest retail trade association representing discount and department stores, home goods and specialty stores, main street merchants, grocers, wholesales, chain restaurants, and Internet retailers from the U.S. and over 45 other countries. Rankings were determined by increases in domestic sales during 2012-13 among companies with sales in excess of $300 million. CARE Pharmacies is a growing independent retail chain with headquarters in Linthicum, Maryland. It combines the quality of a local trusted pharmacy with the stability of a national organization. There are over 85 pharmacies nationwide and growing. Wysong matriculated from Midlothian, Virginia, and earned his Bachelor of Science degree in biology from VMI. Maxwell P. Chance ’99, P.E., was promoted by Dewberry to senior associate of the Richmond, Virginia, office. Dewberry is a privately owned professional services firm that provides architecture, engineering, and management and consulting services to Chance ’99 public and private sector clients. The firm has over 40 locations nationwide and is headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia. Chance has over 15 years of engineering and project management experience in water/ wastewater projects as well as site/civil design projects for energy infrastructure clients. He is a member of the Virginia Water Environment Association and is affiliated with the Society of American Military Engineers in both the Hampton Roads and Virginia Peninsula posts. Chance matriculated from Richmond and earned his Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from VMI. 2015-Issue 1

Morris ’79 Recognized by Gov. McAuliff support programs such as veteran job Ret. U.S. Army Col. Bob Morris ’79 training and certification, Baskis’ Olymreceived a certificate of recognition for pic effort, and a protocol for schools his work combatting the global threat with IEDs connected to school violence. from improvised explosive devices Helping the Heroes also garnered from Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliff. the praise of Virginia Lt. Gov. Ralph Morris’ work includes preventing Northam ’81, who attended the event. school violence from IEDs, helping “I was honored to attend this tribute military veterans and supporting the to our active duty, veteran and first nation’s first responders. responder heroes,” said Northam. McAuliff’s recognition stemmed “Colonel Bob Morris, his Partners Infrom Helping the Heroes, an event ternational Foundation and its Global sponsored by Morris’ 501(c)(3) nonCampaign Against IEDs are to be comprofit, Partners International Foundamended for raising awareness and suption, and one of its projects, Global port for those injured or killed by IEDs. Campaign Against Improvised ExploVirginia is home to one of the largest sive Devices. military populations in the world, and Through the campaign, Morris’ work honoring and supporting those who involves global humanitarian efforts have risked their lives to protect our in some of the most unstable environCommonwealth and our country is one ments around the world, including of our most sacred responsibilities.” reintegration efforts with Nigeria’s More information about these efforts Niger Delta militants. Morris’ current can be found and support can be given focus is on the global IED threat and at www.Partners-International.org or the challenges facing veterans and by contacting Morris. first responders. Partners International Foundation is 100 percent allvolunteer with no paid staff. Helping the Heroes grew from the generosity of Ian Anderson, legendary progressive rock musician and founder of the band Jethro Tull. Anderson donated his time to perform the show at the National Theater in Richmond, Virginia, and Morris put up a portion of his military retirement and disability to initially fund the events. On Oct. 5, 2014, The VMI Commander’s Jazz Band opened the show and brought the crowd to its feet when Anderson joined them in Van Morrison’s “Moondance.” Later in the show, Anderson and Morris presented blind war veteran Steve Baskis a specially designed audio rifle so he can pursue his dream to compete at the 2018 Paralympic Bob Morris ‘79, left, with war-blinded veteran Steve Baskis at the Oct. 5, 2014, Games in the biathlon. Helping the Heroes event in Richmond, One hundred percent of the Virginia. proceeds from the event went to 169

ALUMNI NEWS Baldwin ’06: “Serving Those Who Serve” Todd Baldwin ’06, president and founder his idea to fruition. Big banks were not owned businesses in Colorado Springs, of Red Leg Brewing Company in Colo- interested, so he had to take a more ag- started a nonprofit veteran mentoring prorado Springs, Colorado, is serving beer gressive route in order to finance the gram called Rising Veteran Professionals. and helping veterans through his business, business – including turning to some of “The amount of young veterans reaching the patrons. He decided to reach out to out wanting information on how to open a which opened its doors July 4, 2013. Baldwin, a U.S. Army artillery officer in regulars who enjoyed the beer to see if business or get started after their military the 101st Airborne Division from 2006- they wanted to help. “Quite a bit of money career was surprising and unexpected, but 09, realized working in a cubicle was not came from locals who wanted to support it is something I have definitely stepped going to be satisfying after his time in the business,” he explained. “It was great up to help tackle,” Baldwin said. The the Army. He began to envision opening to have that kind of support that quickly. It program pairs veterans with a local busia brewery. “I wanted to work for myself felt like we were taking more risk, because ness owner who mentors and helps them and have the freedom to see my dreams now there was a loyal following out there from a networking standpoint, including giving tips on writing an effective résumé. for our beer.” come true,” he said. To learn more about this effort, In 2010, Baldwin started creatvisit www.risingveteranprofesing a business plan for opening sionals.org. a brewery and began to impleIn the beginning, Red Leg was ment it in 2012. At the time, producing 30 gallons of beer per he was living in Little Rock, day. As of October 2014, proArkansas, but he knew there was duction has increased to 3,000 a large beer scene in Colorado. gallons per week. Within the He thought if he could sucfirst seven months of business, ceed there, he could potentially Devil Dog Stout won the bronze expand the business into other medal at the 2014 World Beer states, as well. “To take someCup in the Foreign Style Stout thing from paper and actually category. “That really opened put it into [action] in real life us up to the beer community was really interesting, and it was and helped put us on the map,” something I always wanted to Todd Baldwin ’06 standing behind the bar at Red Leg he explained. “[The business] do,” he said. Baldwin completed Brewing Company. Photos by Matthew Schniper. has really taken off, which is in-depth research beforehand reBaldwin also wanted to use his busi- a real testament to what we’re trying to garding where the craft beer industry was headed. He wanted to ensure there was a ness to reach other veterans, embodying do.” Baldwin hopes the distribution of niche he could cover, and he wondered the brewery’s slogan: “Serving Those Red Leg’s beer, currently only available if he would be good enough to keep up Who Serve.” Colorado Springs, bordered in Colorado Springs, will spread throughwith the other breweries in the industry. on three sides by military bases, has a out Colorado by mid-2015. After that, he To better guarantee his success, Baldwin significant amount of military affiliated hopes to tackle other states – including knew he needed someone with experi- residents – including young veterans. Red Virginia. Baldwin credits part of his success to the ence on his team. Through a brewers-only Leg’s “flagship six” beers all have names networking website, he found and hired anyone familiar with the various branches core values emphasized at VMI. “It’s not a professional brewer, Jeff Lockhart, to of the military will recognize: Blue Nose about me. It truly is all about the patrons serve as Red Leg’s brewmaster. Lockhart, Brown, Cutter Wit, Devil Dog Stout, and my employees and what is best for who also formerly served in the 101st Doolittle IPA, Howitzer Amber and Sgt. them. I need to be accountable to them and Airborne Division, previously worked for Pils. But that is not where the connection to myself,” he said. “At VMI, the focus is SweetWater Brewing Company, one of the to the armed services ends. Something on being an honorable person and a citizenbiggest brewers in the southeastern United Baldwin did not expect when first opening soldier; that perspective is there all the time. States. “He made great beer, so it was a his business was getting the opportunity You could cut corners if you wanted, but it’s to help young veterans transition into just not honorable. I hold those traditions no-brainer,” Baldwin said. According to Baldwin, financing was the the workforce after their military career. and values near and dear and try to instill most difficult step involved with bringing Baldwin, along with a few other locally them in my business, as well.”

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ALUMNI NEWS ... Book Announcements ... Book Announcements ... Book Announcements ... Book Announcements ... Book Announcements ... Book Announcements ... Book Announcements ... Jacob and Esau Burkholder by William G. Crisp ’63. Dorrance Publishing Co. September 2014. ISBN: 978-14809-1029-4. Available via bookstores, Dorrancepublishing.com or Amazon.com “Jacob and Esau Burkholder” is an adaptation of the great biblical story of the twins Jacob and Esau, with deceit and its consequences along with looming fratricide set in the contemporary Allegheny Highlands of Virginia and Polk County, Tennessee. The story tells of Jacob’s tricky acquisition of Esau’s birthright; his fraudulent masquerade to obtain father Isaac’s final blessing, much to Esau’s fury; the flight to refuge with Uncle Laban to Virginia from Tennessee; an encounter with a whiteclad figure atop a deer stand ladder in the Virginia Blue Ridge; instant attraction to Laban’s younger daughter, Rachel; the pact made with Laban in Gilead, Virginia; and his return to face Esau, sending Rachel ahead to plead his case. Bracing for this encounter are Polk County residents led by Sheriff Danny Botkin, arming himself with An AR-15 sniper rifle; former intelligence officer Jack Weston, acting as spotter for the sheriff; Jack’s girlfriend, Sarah Siron, fresh from a decision to become a minister and just returned from theological seminary, determined to constrain the enraged Esau. About the Author: William G. Crisp matriculated from Staunton, Virginia, and was a distinguished graduate of VMI, earning his Bachelor of Arts degree in history. Crisp served as a rifle platoon leader with the First Cavalry Division (Airmobile) in Vietnam and subsequently as a 2015-Issue 1

U.S. Foreign Service officer in Zagreb, Yugoslavia. He worked for 25 years as an East European business specialist with the Economist Intelligence Unit in Vienna, Austria. Four of his suspense novels have been published, along with his most recent nonfiction, “Air Assault Sharing Military Experience.” He apportions his time with his wife and daughters between homes in Staunton and the village of McDowell, Highland County, Virginia. PV-11 et sequitur by William A. Keefe ’58. Brighton Publishing LLC. 2013. ISBN: 978-162183-178-5. Available at www.BrightonPublishing. com If you have ever watched “Star Wars” and wondered how you can hear an explosion in the near-vacuum of outer space, this book is for you. It is something rare – science fiction with real science in it. “PV-11 et sequitur” is a fun and thought-provoking read. The heroine, Peggy Varner, starts out as the software that operates the spacecraft of the hero, Lt. Pat Callan. She uploads herself into an android and becomes as good of an executive officer as any human, if not better. Together, they take their stealthy patrol vessel, PV-11, through a series of missions involving reconnaissance, combat and diplomacy. When Peggy’s personality begins to grow, change and show hints of emotions unknown to automated first officers, Pat becomes

intrigued. The situation grows even more complicated when Peggy’s intelligence is placed inside a body that morphs into the shape of a human – the woman of Pat’s dreams. Pat and Peggy must put their personal feelings aside to complete their assignments, especially when they are sent on their most dangerous mission yet to a forbidden planet. Why “et sequitur?” Because PV-11 is just the beginning, and much more follows. About the Author: William A. “Bill” Keefe matriculated from Virginia Beach, Virginia, and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in physics from VMI. He taught rat math and biological drawing at the Institute for a year before he went on active duty in the Army in 1959. Keefe retired from the Army after 20 years of service, primarily in missile systems and logistics. From 1959-2003, he worked in computer systems engineering, operations research/systems analysis, computer simulation modeling, and software engineering and development. He became a resident of Saint Augustine, Florida, after retiring for the second time and began his work in earnest as a fiction author. After the passing of his wife of 49 years, Caroline, Keefe lives close to his remaining family. He is one of only two National Skeet Shooting Association Level 3 instructors in Florida and enjoys rifle and shotgun shooting. Saint Paul, the Right Man at the Right Time by Irving. L. Brittle Jr. ’72. Westbow Press, a Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan. August 2014. ISBN: 978-4908-4451-0. Available via www. westbowpress.com, Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com and Christian bookstores. In all historical eras, certain personages stand out as having a worldwide impact 171

ALUMNI NEWS on their own and future generations. Saint Paul of Tarsus was such a man living in the first century of Christianity. Paul stamped a new religion we now call Christianity into the minds of both Jews and Gentiles throughout much of the Roman Empire and Asia Minor. God chose Paul to spread this new gospel. “Saint Paul, the Right Man at the Right Time” is a work written from a biographical and historical perspective with touches of St. Paul’s theology. From all researched accounts, Paul was a brilliant man with high intellect and stamina who, from his youth, showed an inquisitive mind and ability to far exceed his contemporaries in his knowledge of the Torah and the Greek Bible. Paul’s fluency in Greek was critical, because it was the most widely written and spoken language during the first century. This book takes you through the journey of Paul’s life from his youth and years as a Pharisee, his direct encounter with Jesus Christ on the Damascus road, his three missions around the Roman Empire to spread the gospel, and on his final trip to Rome – the crossroads of the world in that era. St. Paul was responsible for 13 of the books in the New Testament and can arguably be considered the second most important and historical figure of it. The story of Paul and his theology is still the mainstay in Protestant and Catholic churches. About the Author: Irving L. “Sonny” Brittle Jr. matriculated from Richmond, Virginia, and earned his Bachelor of Science degree in biology from VMI. He received his Master of Business Administration degree from Averett College. His goal was to ‘Go Army’ as his career, but this was sidetracked due to too many kidney stones. He turned to flying and became a commercial pilot. Brittle taught school for one year while trying to find out what he could do best. He turned to sales, which caused him to travel throughout Virginia. His expertise turned to industrial lubricants and oils with an emphasis on 172

automotive, trucking, heavy duty equipment and mining. Brittle officially retired in June 2013. He resides in Richmond with his wife of 27 years, Sue. He plans to move to the West Coast of Florida in the next two years so that he can live closer to his daughter, Ashton, and her husband, Ricky, and his grandson, Ryder Luke Freeman. A Troublesome Affair by Preston W. Holtry ’63. Moonshine Cove Publishing, LLC. Sep. 2014. ISBN:978-1-937327-514. Available via Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com and www.moonshinecovepublishing.com. Against the historic backdrop of the United States’ punitive expedition into Mexico in 1916, “A Troublesome Affair” is a mystery with intricately connected characters who are caught up in a turbulent current of racial and military conflict. Reuben LeCroix, a highly decorated black sergeant, is accused of raping and attempting to murder a white officer’s wife. Morgan Westphal, a civilian private investigator, is surprised when he is asked by the regimental commander to investigate the crime. As a civilian, Morgan at first has no wish to become involved in what he believes is a purely military matter with unwelcome racial overtones. He changes his mind after being told LeCroix is the man who saved his life 18 years prior in Cuba during the Spanish American War. Feeling morally obligated to help LeCroix, Morgan puts aside his intense dislike of the sergeant, overcomes his latent racial prejudice and ignores his doubt that the accused is not as innocent as he claims. Morgan’s investigation barely starts when the regiment is suddenly deployed to Mexico as part of the punitive expedition in pursuit of Pancho Villa. By the time Morgan is able to identify Sophia Parmenter’s

assailant, he will make a long, solitary and dangerous horseback ride deep into a turbulent Mexico, risk his life during a deadly encounter with Mexican bandits and re-examine his feelings concerning racial equality. About the Author: Retired U.S. Army Col. Preston W. Holtry matriculated from Columbus, Ohio, and earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in English from VMI. He earned his Master of Education degree from Boston University. Preston is an avid traveler, alpine skier, Veterans Affairs hospital volunteer and novelist. He served twice in Vietnam, in addition to other infantry and intelligence-related assignments in Germany, England and the U.S. He lives with his wife, Judith, in Oro Valley, Arizona. Leadership in Agriculture: Case Studies for a New Generation (Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Service Series) by Kelly C. Jordan ’87, Gale Buchanan, Neville Clarke and John P. Jordan. Texas A&M University Press. April 18, 2013. ISBN: 978-1603449410. Available via Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com and Texas A&M University Press. “Leadership in Agriculture: Case Studies for a New Generation” focuses on key characteristics and elements of leadership. Using case studies from research, industry, education, administration and extension services, the authors present real-world circumstances ranging from natural disasters to major restructuring that demanded problem-solving, new initiatives, consensus and organizational commitment. Drawing on their own experiences and covering topics as diverse as closing facilities, mounting a national research initiative, reinventing a major corporation and dealing with invasive termites, the studies contain examples of both good and bad outcomes and tie back to leadership principles and character attributes. Providing accessible and intriguing situations for consideration, the leadership analyses of VMI ALUMNI REVIEW

ALUMNI NEWS these situations are provocative and effective at addressing the salient leadership points that will likely be of significant interest to VMI graduates, steeped in the ways of leadership and the value of character in the type of varied scenarios presented in the book. Formation in Formation: Military Schools’ Distinct Advantage in Forming Young Male Leaders of Character (an Association of Military Colleges and Schools in the United States Educational Practices Paper) by Kelly C. Jordan ’87. The Association of Military Colleges and Schools in the United States, January 2014. Available free from www.researchgate.net. Adolescence is a period of identity and conscience formation, character development and human capital acquisition that occurs differently in boys and girls. Human capital is based primarily upon the poetic knowledge of observation, imitation and experience and is best acquired via inductive reasoning in informal and non-formal learning environments. Military schools create and sustain developmentally advantageous environments for adolescent boys. They are remarkably effective at facilitating the ideal pairings of “best” educational principles with “best” educational practices and messages for adolescent boys, as well as connecting them with the formation and development of specific moral elements through action. Military schools are thus exceptionally effective in the formation of the identity, conscience and development of character in adolescent boys – the formation of leaders of character – because they provide young men with precisely the right types of atmospheres and experiences that further their moral formation in ways that are perceived to be safe, supportive and conducive by adolescent boys. Making purposeful use of the moral formation model of development allows military schools to focus intentionally on developing identity, conscience, character and leadership in 2015-Issue 1

students by relying on inductive reasoning and making use of poetic knowledge, both of which are ideally suited to the learning styles of adolescent males. Creating environments and using approaches particularly conducive to educating young men allows military schools to enjoy a significant educational advantage in forming male leaders of character in the contemporary educational environment. About the Author: Retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Kelly C. Jordan matriculated from Fort Collins, Colorado, and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from VMI. He earned his Master of Arts degree in military history in 1996 and his Doctor of Philosophy degree in military history in 1999 from the Ohio State University. He served in the Army as an infantry officer from 1986-2007, teaching at West Point and leading the Army ROTC program at the University of Notre Dame. After teaching for the U.S. Naval War College, he served as the commandant of cadets for five years at Culver Military Academy. He is currently serving as the vice president of student affairs and dean of students at Holy Cross College in Notre Dame, Indiana, where he lives with his wife, Roberta; son, Bill; and daughter, Annie. Road Gang: A Memoir of Engineer Service in Vietnam by H.V. Traywick Jr. ’67. Foreword by Phil Gioia ’67. Dementi Milestone Publishing, Inc., October 2014. ISBN: 978-0-9903687-8-6. Available via Dementi Milestone Publishing, Inc., 1530 Oak Grove Drive, Manakin-Sabot, VA, 23103 or www.dementibooks.com. Also available in softcover or e-book from Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble and other selected bookstores. In the summer of 1969, young American men were being sent to Vietnam to fight

in a war many felt had lost its meaning. The “Vietnamization” of the war had just begun, and U.S. troop units were being withdrawn and replaced by units of the army of the Republic of Vietnam. The author of “Road Gang” was one of those arriving in country to serve a year’s tour of duty during this period of transition. The heart of his narrative is an account of his service as the commander of an Army engineer company engaged in the construction of a section of the main supply route to the 1st Air Cavalry Division. Other experiences are touched on as well, such as his service with the 82nd Airborne Division at Phu Loi and duty as an engineer reconnaissance officer on the Cambodian border. This work offers a glimpse of the Army engineers and some of the work they did during the Vietnam conflict. The focus is on the officers and men of the “Road Gang” – D Company, 34th Engineer Battalion and 20th Engineer Brigade – and the road they built. This straightforward narrative transcends the simple memoir, and behind it lays a portrait of the poisoned political atmosphere of the times, the mortality of an army and the end of an era. About the Author: H.V. Traywick Jr. matriculated from Lynchburg, Virginia, and earned his Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from VMI. He received a regular commission in the Army Corps of Engineers in 1967. His service included command of an Army engineer company in Vietnam 1969-70, where he was awarded the Bronze Star. Upon his return to civilian life, he made a career as a tugboat captain and later earned a Master of Liberal Arts degree from the University of Richmond with a focus on war and cultural revolution. He also served a term on the VMI Board of Visitors. His other published works include “Empire of the Owls: Reflections on the North’s War against Southern Secession.” He is semiretired, lives in Bedford County, Virginia, and occasionally commutes to Norfolk, Virginia, to serve as a tugboat pilot. 173

INSTITUTE INSTITUTE Davis ’64 and the VMI Bonds by Margaret Weimer, Contributing Writer

Col. Thomas W. Davis ’64 has served in many roles at the Institute, building lasting relationships that have transcended Limits Gates for more than 40 years. Davis, the current VMI Alumni Association historian, served as a longtime faculty member, teaching courses in British history, western civilizations, VMI history and even introduced world history at the Institute. “I knew all my cadets by name,” Davis said. “The most important thing to me was having small classes and learning their names, which enabled me to amplify and expound.” Born in Richmond, Virginia, Davis is the son of a VMI graduate, William W. Davis ’34, who was a career Army officer. Davis grew up experiencing life abroad, including spending time in postwar Japan. “It was 1952, and all the women still wore kimonos,” Davis said. “I remember walking outside Mount Fuji at 10 years old, and it was incredible. I had never been in a foreign culture before.” After graduating from VMI with a degree in history, Davis earned a Master of Arts degree in British history from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He commissioned in the U.S. Army and served in the 2nd Armored Division as a field artillery lieutenant. “I chose the citizen-soldier route, and I’m pleased I served two years of active duty,” Davis said. “I was on orders to go to Vietnam but then became a general’s aide-de-camp at Fort Hood, Texas.” After the Army, Davis returned to UNC to pursue his doctorate degree in British history. It was during that time he met his future wife, Helen, after she returned from working in Africa with the Peace Corps. In 1970, Davis left the U.S. to study in England for one year as part of his doctoral research. “I became infatuated with England,” Davis said. “So much history came alive that had previously only existed in textbooks.” When he returned from England, Davis accepted a faculty position at the Institute, where he published one book on British history and two on VMI history. During his 35-year teaching career, which included service as associate dean of faculty and acting dean of faculty, Davis received two Distinguished Teaching Awards and one Distinguished Service Award. 174

At the Institute, Davis served as chairman of the Athletic Council, president of the Southern Conference (1996-97) and chairman of the Foreign Study Committee and Virginia Program at Oxford. “The finest thing that ever happened to me was receiving the Distinguished Teaching Award twice,” Davis said. “It meant a great

Col. Tom Davis as a cadet.

Davis serving as acting dean of the faculty.

deal to me, because the students make those nominations.” Davis and his wife lived on post at 303 Letcher Avenue during his tenure at VMI. It wasn’t uncommon for Davis to come home to find a cadet asleep on his couch, because cadets did not have to obtain permits to visit. “We frequently had students over at our house – our door was always open,” Davis said. “Both my wife and I had a real interest

in the advancement of cadets, and we’ve kept in contact with a lot of them.” Chris Manno ’77 is one of those former cadets. In May 2013, Manno completed his Doctor of Philosophy degree in English from Texas Christian University. “Tom demonstrated what dedication to students, classes and subjects could be on both sides of the lectern,” said Manno, who recently dedicated his doctoral dissertation to Davis. “He’d lived our barracks life, knew the stress and assured us through his success – as well as through daily reminders – that it could be our success.” Davis was involved with Manno in the process from the beginning, including the design of Manno’s research project and his defense, which highlights the type of bond faculty members such as Davis develop during their time at the Institute. “I believe VMI faculty [members] demonstrate a personal commitment beyond what is typical and acceptable at other universities ... due to the rigid ways of the Institute, as well as due to the unique Corps environment,” Manno said. “This seems even more intense in professors like Tom. It’s like having a friend – a mentor – in the brotherhood/sisterhood cadets are struggling to be worthy of and to attain full member status in. So, afterward, the bonds remain and grow: We still care about one another like family, and there are many who share this bond with Tom and Helen and so many other VMI faculty members for that reason.” In the years since his retirement in 2007, Davis has remained active at the Institute as a member of the Alumni Association board of directors. He is active in many community organizations that include the Electoral board, the United Way board, the English Speaking Union, the Lexington School Board, the Rockbridge Historical Society and the Stonewall Jackson Society. “Colonel Davis offers so much in his role as historian for the Association,” said Adam Volant ’88, executive vice president and chief operating officer, VMI Alumni Association, Inc. “His passion, his unmatchable knowledge of the Institute and his strong desire to serve are all unwavering. We have benefited greatly from his wisdom, his thoughtful reflections and certainly admire his love of VMI.” VMI ALUMNI REVIEW

INSTITUTE Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam ’81 Continues to Serve Virginia by Rich Griset, Contributing Writer

From left, Virginia Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam ’81; George P. “Pete” Ramsey III ’72, president of the Board of Visitors; and Gen. J.H. Binford Peay III ’62, VMI superintendent at convocation Sept. 8, 2014.

Though he serves in the second-highest position of Virginia’s executive branch, Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam ’81 disclosed he was never really interested in politics. “It was the furthest thing from my mind,” he said, seated in the Green Room of the VMI Center for Leadership and Ethics after speaking at convocation Sept. 8, 2014. A practicing pediatric neurologist, Northam stated he was inspired to get into politics after lamenting to a colleague about the influence health insurance companies have over medical care. “He basically looked at me and said, ‘Well, why don’t you do something about it?’” said Northam. “I never walk away from a challenge, and I thought: I can either sit on the sidelines and keep complaining, or I can do something about it.” For Northam, doing something meant running for office in Virginia’s 6th Senate district, which he first won in 2007. He was reelected in 2011, and then defeated Republican opponent E.W. Jackson in 2013 to become Virginia’s lieutenant governor. After graduating with distinction from VMI with a Bachelor of Science degree in biology, Northam obtained his Doctor of Medicine degree from Eastern Virginia Medical School, and then spent eight years in the U.S. Army. In Operation Desert Storm, he treated evacuated casualties at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany. Northam was discharged from the Army as a major in 1992 and began practicing pediatric neurology at Children’s Hospital of King’s Daughters in Norfolk. He also served for 16 years as the volunteer medical director for

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Edmarc Hospice for Children, a nonprofit organization serving children that are not expected to live into adulthood. According to Northam, none of his success would have been possible without attending VMI. “As I go further into my life, the more I realize that having served in the military and taken care of sick children were the best things that could have happened to me,” he stated. “I don’t know where I would be if I hadn’t had the VMI experience. “Part of the VMI experience is teaching you to deal with adversity. When you get out into the real world, there are some things that a lot of people sweat over which VMI grads just let roll off our backs. That kind of responsibility – that kind of discipline – at VMI meant a lot in preparing me for life’s journey.” Northam also credits VMI for creating an unbreakable connection between its cadets. “The most important things from my experience at VMI are the friendships and bonds [I made],” Northam said, adding that he speaks to his former roommate at least once every other day. “The friendships you form at VMI are everlasting.” Another way VMI continues to stand out is how seriously the Honor Code is taken. A former Honor Court president, Northam related a story about working to create a code of ethics at EVMS. When his colleagues wanted to create a system that would reprimand students based on each infraction, he didn’t see the point. “I told them right up front, either you’re honest, or you’re not,” he affirmed. “It’s not a gray

issue: You don’t lie, you don’t cheat, you don’t steal and you don’t tolerate those who do.” In his current position, he relishes presiding over the Senate, as well as heading the Governor’s Task Force on Improving Mental Health Services and Crisis Response and the Commonwealth Council on Childhood Success that McAuliffe appointed him to lead. “I am passionate about ensuring every child has access to quality healthcare and a world class education, so they can thrive and succeed. I’m glad that the governor has allowed me to be the chair for that Task Force and the Council,” he said. Of governing the Senate, Northam enjoys its traditions, history and language. “It’s fun presiding over the Senate, and whether a Democrat or a Republican, the men and women serving in the Senate are good people, and I consider them my friends.” Moving forward, Northam encourages his brother rats to dedicate themselves to helping others. “Whether it is in the military, volunteering in a church or coaching little league, I think it is incumbent on us to serve the public – especially those who are less fortunate than we are,” he said. It is this commitment to service that drives Northam as a public official. “I want to be remembered as a public servant and someone who serves the best interest of the Commonwealth of Virginia,” Northam said. “I don’t really like being called a politician. I’m there to make changes ... that will make Virginia better for our children and for their children. That’s my main goal.”

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INSTITUTE Leadership Conference 2015 Honor in Service: Leaders Responding to the Needs of Our Time March 10-11, 2015 The 2015 Virginia Military Institute Leadership Conference will bring together scholars, practitioners and students passionate about humanitarian public service. It will provide a forum for sharing servicerelated knowledge and ideas in order to prepare participants to more effectively respond to the needs of our time, including but not limited to global health, poverty and human rights. This conference is held in honor of the 50th anniversary of the martyrdom of Jonathan Daniels, a 1961 graduate of VMI and civil rights activist. Speakers, plenary sessions and presentations will cover all aspects of service from research and theory to practice. Invited speakers include keynote speaker Cathy Tisdale, president and chief executive officer of Camp Fire, and Dr. E. Scott Geller, professor of psychology at Virginia Tech. Tisdale’s national leadership roles include

National Association of Women Professionals 2011 “Woman of the Year” and leadership roles with organizations such as the Girl Scouts and the American Red Cross. She was recently named to the Board of Governors for the Academy of Education Arts & Sciences. Geller will open the conference with his talk, “Seven Life Lessons from Psychological Science: How to bring out the best in yourself and others.” He is the author of more than 350 research articles and over 75 books or chapters addressing the development and evaluation of behaviorchange interventions to improve quality of life, including “Actively Caring for People.” Additionally, student work with nonprofit organizations will be highlighted as part of the program. During the conference, the VMI community and distinguished guests will confer

the Jonathan Daniels ’61 Humanitarian Award, as commemoration, to Rep. John Lewis of Georgia’s 5th District. This award honors Lewis’ own considerable work during the Civil Rights Movement. Anyone interested in leadership as expressed through service should plan to attend. Registration offerings include a reduced rate for high school students, a separate reduced rate for undergraduate students, as well as an option for participants to attend only the Keynote Dinner with Tisdale as the speaker. Full conference registration includes select meals and beverage service, including attendance to all speaker and plenary sessions and the Keynote Dinner. For more information, please visit: http://www.vmi.edu/Leadership2015. (Editor’s Note: Article submitted by the Center for Leadership and Ethics.)

Retiring Professor Gordon Ball to Speak About Cold War Literature Col. Gordon Ball, VMI English professor, is retiring at the end of the 2014-15 academic year after more than 25 years of service to the Institute. To celebrate his contributions to VMI, the John A. Adams ’71 Center for Military History and Strategic Analysis is organizing a lecture by Ball to be held in March 2015. Ball will speak about the Beat Generation and its impact on the cultural landscape of the Cold War. Cadets, faculty and guests, including former students of Ball, are invited to attend what promises to be a fascinating presentation. The Beat Generation revolutionized American literature and culture in the post-World War II era, gaining widespread popularity in the 1950s and leaving a lasting mark on American culture. Ball was a close friend of Allen Ginsberg, one of the leading figures of Beat literature, and is an internationally recognized authority on the poetry of Ginsberg and the literature of the Beat Generation. Ball has edited two volumes of Ginsberg’s journals, including “Journals: Early Fifties, Early Sixties” (Grove Press, 1977) and his book “Allen Verbatim: Lectures on Poetry, Politics, Consciousness” (McGraw-Hill, 1974) was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. Ball authored “East Hill Farm: Seasons with Allen Ginsberg” (Counterpoint, 2011), “Dark Music” (Cityful Press, 2006) and “’66 Frames: A Memoir” (Coffee House Press, 1999). He is also an award-winning filmmaker and a widely exhibited and published photographer. Col. Ball The Adams Center is proud to sponsor this event and seeks to reach out to alumni who would like to attend in support of their former professor. Please contact Salena C. Chiep ’16 at chiepsc16@mail.vmi.edu if you are interested in attending this event. (Editor’s Note: Article submitted by the Adams Center.)

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VMI ALUMNI REVIEW

INSTITUTE Cadet Investment Group Launches Blog by Elaine Wood, Editorial Assistant

Sam Trumps ’15, left, and Chap Michie ’15 delivered the opening presentation at the first Cadet Investment Group meeting of the year Oct. 21, 2014.

The Institute has given the Cadet Investment Group the opportunity to invest real money in the stock market each academic year since its founding in 1986. In comparison to its original grant of $200,000, the CIG has grown substantially, starting the 2014-15 AY with $315,000 to utilize. Members Cadet Drew Craighead ’15 and Cadet Clark Chen ’15 realized this progression and decided to launch an online blog. The blog gives other members the ability to post helpful and interesting information in a collective pool while simultaneously allowing alumni a look into their current investments. Although the blog is a progressive push for the CIG, Craighead and Chen consciously provided alumni with access to the process every step of the way. In particular, Craighead created a LinkedIn page for former and current members of the CIG, bridging the gap between the blog and alumni. They also received alumni encouragement for the blog’s creation. “We want to stick to the roots and the foundation that [alumni] laid in 1986,” said Craighead, “but we want [alumni] and other cadets to know our plans for CIG as well.” Current students interested in joining 2015-Issue 1

the group must be at least a 3rd Class cadet and must complete a competitive testing and interview process. Despite its challenging nature, the CIG cannot be considered entirely exclusive, because it allows for cadets of any major to participate. “I’m a history major,” stated Craighead, “And I’m an economics major with a minor in Japanese,” included Chen. This year, the group will maintain about 40 members, an increase from its previous average of 30. Despite its rising size, the group remains team oriented instead of individualized. “There are a lot of checks and balances,” stated Craighead. Chen added, “We’re all cadets, and it’s kind of informal. We learn a lot just from talking to each other, because not just one person knows everything; everybody brings something to the table.” The CIG is divided into three groups. Group A is the large-cap group that researches companies with a market capitalization of $10 billion and higher. Group B is the mid-cap group that researches companies with market capitalization of $1-10 billion. Group C, the small-cap group that Chen is president of, researches companies with market capitalization of less than $1 billion. Chen explained that the process isn’t a “trial-by-fire.” Returning members act as managing directors, giving guidance to

those newest to the group. In this position, they also gather and present information compiled by three to four of the group’s analysts. “We look at two ratios before we invest: return on equity and price earnings growth. We look for the ROE to be anything over 15 percent and the PEG ratio to be under 1 percent, because that ensures we’re not going to make a rash decision on anything volatile,” said Craighead. These presentations are available on the CIG blog and replicate research packets that professionals on Wall Street create. Selected members are also given the chance to network among well-recognized companies during the CIG’s annual trip to New York City. During the trip Nov. 8, 2014, members met with J.P. Morgan, TM Capital, Bloomberg LP and Wilkinson O’Grady & Col, Inc. One idea behind the blog is that it can be used for promotion, giving potential future employers evidence of the work that members of the CIG have produced, should a cadet in the CIG wish to pursue a career in investment. The Cadet Investment Group blog can be viewed at http://investingkeydets. wordpress.com/, and the LinkedIn page can be found at http://www.linkedin.com/ groups/Cadet-Investment-Group-AlumniCurrent-8126702/about.

Members of the CIG filled a classroom in Scott Shipp Hall and listened intently to the opening remarks by Michie and Trumps.

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INSTITUTE VMI Hosts Conference on the Enduring Legacy of the Reagan Presidency On Nov. 3-4, 2014, scholars from around the world gathered at VMI to discuss leadership and national security affairs during the Ronald Reagan presidency. The event was organized by the John A. Adams ’71 Center for Military History and Strategic Analysis and the Center for Leadership and Ethics at VMI. The George C. Marshall Foundation, the Wheatley Institution at Brigham Young University and the John C. Biggs ’30 Cincinnati Chair in Military History also supported the conference. Establishing close partnerships with complementary organizations across the nation is important for the Adams Center. “Ultimately, my vision for the Adams Center is that it becomes a platform for collaboration, not only across disciplines and departments here at VMI, but also across the academic and national security community more broadly,” said Lt. Col. Bradley Coleman ’95, Adams Center director. The conference brought together scholars and national security professionals to discuss strategy, policy and leadership during the Reagan administration, with an eye on

how the Reagan era defined contemporary national security challenges. The event featured a presentation by former NATO commander and retired U.S. Navy Adm. James Stavridis, who delivered a broad ranging keynote address that laid out the evolving security challenges of the 21st century. Jack F. Matlock Jr., former U.S. ambassador to the Soviet Union, spoke during the Nov. 3 dinner, echoing one of the main insights of the conference. “The Cold War ended not in victory by one side or the other; it ended in negotiation to the advantage of everyone.” The seven additional panels of historians and former Reagan administration officials examined various aspects of the Reagan presidency, as well as the connections between the Cold War and contemporary national security affairs. Panel topics included the leadership of Ronald Reagan, the organization and function of the national security establishment and the Soviet Union and the United States, as well as three breakout sessions on Reagan and the world: the Americas, the Middle East and Africa and the Great Powers, and finally, the conclud-

Retired U.S. Navy Adm. James Stavridis delivered the keynote address at “The Enduring Legacy: Leadership and National Security Affairs during the Ronald Reagan Era” conference, hosted by the Adams Center.

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ing panel on the Reagan legacy. Including the 27 panelists or speakers, approximately 230 scholars attended the conference. The Gillis Theatre of the Center for Leadership and Ethics, which seats over 300 on the lower level, was packed throughout both days of the conference as VMI cadets, scholars and students from nearby universities converged at VMI. Established in 2002, the John A. Adams ’71 Center for Military History and Strategic Analysis is a specialized element of VMI focused on the connection between the Cold War and contemporary national security affairs, as well as military history of the Cold War. Its mission is to produce, preserve and perpetuate knowledge related to Cold War military history and strategic analysis. Promoting innovative scholarship on Cold War topics, enhancing awareness of the utility of Cold War history among current and future national security professionals, and increasing visibility and prestige of the Adams Center and VMI were goals of the conference. “The Reagan period is so important,” said Coleman, noting that the center’s focus is on “how the Cold War shapes the challenges and opportunities we face today.” The Reagan Conference showcased panelists and their presentations, including two VMI professors of international studies, Brig. Gen. Charles Brower IV and Col. James Hentz. However, VMI cadets and students from other nearby academic institutions benefited most from participation in the conference, as it was planned with students in mind. Cadets had the opportunity to directly engage and interact with visiting scholars at both the luncheon and dinner sessions Nov. 3. Nearly half of the VMI Corps of Cadets participated in the conference. By doing so, they were exposed to ideas that often challenged prevailing notions about the Reagan presidency. Serving the VMI community – specifically the development of VMI cadets – is an important part of the Adams Center’s mission and a top priority for the Center of Leadership and Ethics. (Editor’s Note: Article submitted by the Adams Center.) VMI ALUMNI REVIEW

INSTITUTE Old Building Moves to New Home to Make Way for Corps Physical Training Facility The old gray building that sat at the foot of Diamond Hill, empty for so long and so out of place adjacent to the VMI post, is gone – but it is not forgotten. Thanks to the efforts of Whiting-Turner Construction, Ace House Movers and VMI, the Knights of Pythias building, which was erected in the mid-1920s and carries a historical significance for so many in the Lexington community, has found a new home. On Oct. 9, 2014, the building was moved about 100 yards south during a Herculean relocation effort that involved a massive amount of manpower and heavy equipment and attracted a throng of interested spectators who watched with anticipation as the building inched its way up Main Street. “It’s a very detailed process that involved The Knights of Pythias building slowly moving down Main Street. a lot of different folks – from our engineers and our architects to the contractors and the decision-makers here at VMI – to ensure was concern about moving a building that But once the building is on its new that the project is exactly what we want it size down Main Street, even if the move foundation, the work will not stop there. to be and that the structure gets moved to was only 100 yards. Government regulations require VMI to the right location,” said Col. Keith Jarvis The professional movers jacked up the “mothball” the house, or “stabilize the ’82, deputy director of construction at VMI. building and set it on a series of wheeled structure in accordance with the standards The move was made to make room for trailers. Each of those wheels was con- that are specified by the [U.S.] Department the Indoor Training Facility, of the Interior,” said Jarvis. which will house a state-of-the-art VMI will replace the entire NCAA track and other “obstacle roof, which was damaged some venues,” as Jarvis called them, years ago. The construction dethat will benefit the entire Corps partment will also insert louvers of Cadets. Construction of the in the new foundation to allow air Indoor Training Facility is part to circulate to ensure no further of the first phase of $122 mildamage will occur. lion two-phase Corps Physical “Essentially, what we have is Training Facility project that also what we call a dark, cold buildincludes renovation of Cormack ing,” said Jarvis. “It will stay Hall and Cocke Hall. that way until VMI, which owns “The [Knights of Pythias] the building, decides [what to do building sat literally in the footwith it] in the future. Sometime print of the Corps Physical Train- The building leaving the spot where it stood for more within the next month the building Facility,” Jarvis explained. than 80 years. ing will be in its new location, “The building had to be moved fully stabilized.” in order for the new structure to fit within nected to a diesel engine and was operated The entire process, including the move that space.” remotely as the building eased its way to and stabilization, cost approximately Moving the building was not easy. The its new home. $800,000. old building is 4,000 square feet and, acPreliminary work for the new Corps “[The operator] can articulate and move cording to estimates, weighs in at 350 tons. each of the wheels individually as he needs Physical Training Facility began Oct. 13. Though engineers assured those planning to in order to keep the building as stable (Editor’s Note: This article first appeared the move of the structure’s stability, there as possible,” Jarvis said. in the November 2014 Institute Report.) 2015-Issue 1

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ATHLETICS ATHLETICS Ikenberry Resigns as VMI Baseball Coach, Hadra Named New Head Coach Marlin Ikenberry ’95, VMI head baseball coach, stepped aside to pursue an opportunity in private business, according to information released Nov. 3 by Dr. Dave Diles, VMI director of intercollegiate athletics. The move became effective at the end of November 2014, and Ikenberry was succeeded by Jonathan Hadra ’04, longtime assistant and associate head coach. Ikenberry leaves VMI as the Institute’s all-time leader in wins, having won 282 games in 11 years as head coach. He also stands as VMI’s longest tenured baseball coach. Ikenberry was instrumental in a program turnaround that led to the first two national rankings in program history – 2007 and 2010 – as well as new school records for victories on multiple occasions and a substantial improvement in facilities, including the building of Gray-Minor Stadium. “It has been an honor to have been a coach, mentor and friend to some of the finest people I have ever met here at my alma mater, and I am grateful to General Peay [’62], Donny White [’65] and Dr. Diles for

Marlin Ikenberry ’95 coaching during a game against Presbyterian College.

the opportunity to lead this program,” stated Ikenberry. “I have been repeatedly inspired by the young men and coaches I have had the privilege to lead. I am excited to open a new chapter in my life in private business with ARMS Software and to be doing so with a company that will keep me in athletics and will allow me to continue to work with the type of quality people that I have come to appreciate here at VMI. I am proud of what we have been able to accomplish as a program here at the Institute. I will cherish the time I spent at VMI. Shannon and I are ecstatic about this new opportunity that we have been given. There will always be a special place in my heart for the success of VMI baseball.” “I am deeply appreciative of Marlin’s guidance of our baseball program,” said Diles. “He is an outstanding mentor and coach of cadets, and he embodies all that is Jonathan Hadra ’04 at bat during his good in college athletics. While I cadetship. am sad to see this chapter in his

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professional life come to a close, I understand that he has a tremendous opportunity, and I wish him only the very best. I’m certain that our friendship will remain and that VMI baseball will remain one of the most important parts of his life. I have unquestioned confidence in Coach Hadra and know that he will do an exceptional job as our newest head coach. Jonathan has consistently impressed me with his knowledge, skills and, most importantly, the depth of his caring for our cadet-athletes.” The VMI alumnus saw 16 of his players drafted by Major League Baseball organizations during his time as the Keydets’ head coach, including a run of eight straight years that saw players selected (2005-12). Sixteen additional players signed free agent contracts with professional teams under Ikenberry’s tutelage. He was responsible for the signing of three Louisville Slugger Freshman All-Americans, a Southern Conference Freshman of the Year, five Big South First-Team All-Conference selections, the 2010 Big South Freshman of the Year and a 2003 All-SoCon Tournament player. VMI ALUMNI REVIEW

ATHLETICS Pryor Named Women’s Water Polo Coach

Ikenberry catching for the Keydets during his cadetship.

Ikenberry also coached a Brooks Wallace Award semifinalist and VMI’s all-time hits leader (Sam Roberts ’11), a Johnny Bench Award semifinalist (Matt Winn ’15), VMI’s first conference Player of the Year (Rob Dickinson ’13) and also spearheaded two of the biggest wins in recent Institute athletic history – victories over topranked University of Virginia April 14, 2010, and Feb. 25, 2014. In addition to his time as VMI’s head Hadra ‘04 man, Ikenberry spent three years as a Keydet assistant (2001-03) after beginning his coaching career with three seasons at the College of William & Mary. Ikenberry spent four years as the VMI baseball team’s starting catcher during his cadetship, including the 1993 season where the Keydets advanced to the SoCon Finals. Editor’s Note: Unless stated otherwise, the articles and photos in the Athletics section of the Alumni Review are provided by the VMI Sports Information Office.

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In a Sept. 16, 2014, press release, Dr. Dave Diles, VMI director of intercollegiate athletics, announced Ryan Pryor as the second head coach for the Institute’s women’s water polo program. Pryor comes to the Institute after a brief stop in Providence, Rhode Island, at Brown University. Before his time with Brown’s program, he served as the acting head coach for men’s and women’s water polo at Connecticut College, stepping in midway through the 2014 season. During his tenure as the interim coach, the women’s program captured the Collegiate Water Polo Association’s Division III championship. “Ryan Pryor quickly emerged as the perfect choice to provide leadership for the women’s water polo program,” said Diles of the hire. “He has been at outstanding educational institutions throughout his career, and his expressed vision for the growth and advancement of our program made a great impression on everyone during his visit to post. I’m very pleased to welcome him to the VMI family.” “I would like to thank Dr. Diles and the search committee for giving me the opportunity to lead the water polo program at VMI,” said Pryor of his new position. “VMI provides its cadets with an incredible educational opportunity, and I am honored to be joining such a prestigious institution. I am excited to work with a group of exceptional cadet-athletes and will look to continue the growth of the young program.” From July 2011-April 2014, Pryor was the assistant coach for the men’s and women’s programs in New London, Connecticut. In addition to organizing practices and designing the offensive and defensive structures for both programs, Pryor served as the primary recruiter –including initial contact, evaluation and arrangement of campus visits. He was an integral part of the programs extending from 35 percent recruited student-athletes to over 82 percent, in addition to carrying the largest rosters in program history. While at Connecticut College, Pryor saw both programs achieve a high level

of success – both in the pool and out. Under his guidance, the men’s program finished third in the CWPA Division III Championships in 2012 and earned the program’s first-ever rankings, No. 10 in 2012 and No. 12 in 2013. The men’s team was also ranked in the top 10 for team GPA all three seasons, including fifth in 2013. On the women’s side, the Camels won back-to-back conference championships in 2013 and 2014 while becoming the only Division III team to reach the CWPA Eastern Championships, finishing ninth in 2013 and eighth in 2014. The Camels had a potent offense under Pryor, leading Division III in scoring during those same seasons, earning Connecticut College its first rankings on the women’s side, eighth in 2013 and ninth in 2014. The women’s team was also ranked third in team GPA in 2012 and held the top spot in 2013. Before Connecticut College, Pryor was the head coach for the University of Michigan women’s club water polo team. His duties included organizing and distributing practice plans, running drills and other tasks to ensure the efficiency and effectiveness of practice. The squad went 27-1 during his tenure as the club coach, claiming the Big Ten championship and finishing third in the country among club teams. A standout in his own right, Pryor was a four-time All-Big Ten selection in 2005, 2007, 2008 and 2009, while earning CWPA All-America honors in his final season. Pryor has four years of coaching experience at the high school level as well, leading those teams to program records for wins in each season. Pryor has earned three degrees from the University of Michigan: a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications studies, both earned in 2007, and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Michigan Law School received in May 2010. Pryor takes over the program, which will begin its fourth season of competition in February, from Anna Phelps, who stepped down in August after three competitive seasons on post and one recruiting year. 181

ATHLETICS Keydets Excel at Cross-Country Championships At the 2014 Southern Conference Championships Oct. 31at Ivey M. Redmon Sports Complex in Kernersville, North Carolina, Avery Martin ’16 finished 10th overall, earning Second Team All-Conference honors and leading the VMI men’s cross-country team to a third-place finish. It was the first career all-conference honor in cross-country for Martin, and he became the first VMI athlete to earn All-SoCon honors in any sport since the Keydets returned to the league before this academic year. Martin paced the Keydets, and came in eighth – the top finisher not running for Furman University, who secured the top seven times – as he crossed the line in 24:41.83. Daniel DeNijs ’16 was VMI’s second runner, placing 17th with an effort of 25:12.31 over the 5K course, and Sean Helmke ’16 finished 19th in 25:15.96. The trio started conservatively on the quick course, but they were able to parlay that into an aggressive second half of the race and the three top-20 finishes. The Keydets placed third in the team standings with 92 points, finishing 16 markers ahead of Samford University and posting the squad’s best conference finish since a

Women’s Soccer Recap The VMI women’s soccer season ended Oct. 29, 2014, with a 3-0 conference tournament loss to The Citadel at Patchin Field. It was the first conference tournament soccer game ever, men’s or women’s, contested at VMI’s home field and was the first appearance for the Keydets in a conference tournament since 2010. VMI’s season ended with a 3-15-1 record and 2-7 Southern Conference mark. In other women’s soccer news, the team based a fundraising effort around their Oct. 24 game against Wofford College and raised over $2,300 for the American Cancer Society. Kirsten Hancock ’15 was honored before the contest to recognize her efforts in her battle against thyroid cancer.

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third-place effort in the Big South in 2011. Furman captured the top nine finishing positions, including individual champion Tripp Hurt, en route to the team title over secondplace East Tennessee State University’s 71 markers. The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga was fifth (148), with Western Carolina University (156), University of North Carolina at Greensboro (196), Mercer University (212), Wofford College (234) and The Citadel (283) rounding out the team standings. VMI’s other finishers included Hartnel Paultre ’15 (26th) and Patrick Spahn ’16 (30th), who finished in 25:39.24 and 25:53.29 respectively. Spahn did so despite missing nearly a week of training immediately before the race due to an ankle injury incurred while conducting a long-run in preparation for the championship. Brandon White ’17 placed 32nd in 25:59.52, with Tyler Richards ’18 just behind him in 35th place (26:13.27). Richards earned All-Freshman team honors for his exploits, an honor given to the top-seven freshman finishers in each race. In addition, Zach Chase ’17 finished 37th, crossing the line in 26:15.75, while Philip

Harpen was 52nd overall in 26:50. On the women’s side, the Keydets finished eighth, led by the 28th-place finish of Hannah Dickinson ’15, crossing the line in 18:27.98 – more than 30 seconds under her personal best on this course, set just over a month prior. In the team standings, the Keydets finished eighth overall, amassing 208 points. VMI bested The Citadel (239) and Wofford (247), while placing one spot behind a tie for sixth between Mercer and Western Carolina, who each finished with 175 markers. Furman and overall champion Allie Buchalski won the team title with 22 points, pacing Chattanooga (71), Samford (90), East Tennessee State (104) and UNCG (161) in the top five. VMI’s other finishers included Kelly Russell ’17, who set a new personal best with a 19:03.61 effort over the 5K course to finish 42nd. Michelle Church ’15 was just one spot behind in 43rd, crossing the stripe in 19:12.73, while Bethany King ’18 finished 46th in 19:15.14. Kennedy Flynn’18 (19:34.17/57th), Mia Castelveter ’18 (19:36.65/59th) and Christina Hill ’18 (20.47.99/75th) completed the Keydet results, and each set new personal bests in the process.

Men’s Soccer Season Recap The VMI men’s soccer season concluded Nov. 8, 2014, in the first round of the Southern Conference Men’s Soccer Championship Tournament, as the Keydets fell to perennial power Furman University 1-0. Despite the team’s overall record, VMI stayed within striking distance of its opponents, with 10 of the games decided by two goals or less. The Keydets played in their first conference tournament since the 2010 season and made their first appearance in the SoCon tournament since 2002, while also playing their first games in the

SoCon since that same season. VMI loses three 1st Class cadets – Blake McCauley, Taylor Rafaly and Brandon Hartman – to graduation and will retain 100 percent of its goal scorers for next season. The Institute also loses two point scorers, McCauley and Hartman, both of whom had assists in the tournament. VMI had two 2nd Class cadets rotate in goal as Alex Guerra made 96 saves and Zach Kaplan stopped 34, while battling injury.The 2015 men’s soccer schedule will be announced on VMIKeydets. com over the summer.

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FOUNDATION, INC.INC. VMIVMI FOUNDATION, Message from the VMI Foundation CEO by Brian Scott Crockett

In November 2014, the Institute kicked off its latest fundraising campaign, An Uncommon Purpose: A Glorious Past, A Brilliant Future: The Campaign for VMI. As you have seen elsewhere in this issue, the campaign received a memorable start at the Institute Society Dinner. In his speech at the dinner, Gen. J.H. Binford Peay III ’62, VMI superintendent, described how VMI stands on the 175th anniversary of its founding year in a way that certainly has made its great founding triumvirate – Preston, Crozet and Smith – proud of the school they established. Donald M. Wilkinson ’61, campaign chairman, laid out the goals of the campaign and the overall purpose behind it. Then, a video was premiered, which powerfully described the special meaning of VMI and its mission and the role that private money plays in its support. For most members of the VMI family that event represented the beginning of this new campaign. However, for many alumni and friends, it was – to borrow a phrase from Winston Churchill – “The end of the beginning.” Like any other campaign, An Uncommon Purpose began with a “quiet phase” in which the Institute’s leaders assessed its needs and a dedicated cadre of leaders began to organize the campaign. These leaders set the campaign’s goals and made the plans to achieve them. Most important, however, during this time the campaign’s leaders and staff met with dozens of potential donors, and many of these men and women made their decisions about supporting the Institute. As I look back at the quiet phase, I am impressed and inspired by the immense enthusiasm these members of the VMI family had for the Institute and their intense loyalty to it. Even more impressive and inspiring was their generosity in its support. Many of them made great sacrifices to support the Institute, and many

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more showed what might best be described as truly visionary philanthropy. I was also struck by the dedication of the leaders of this campaign – especially the members of the Campaign Cabinet. These men, all of whom have served the Institute in many capacities in the past, threw themselves into this effort, giving it countless hours of service and displaying an energy and excitement that was contagious. The months since the launch of the public phase have been equally exciting and active as the years leading up to it. In that time, many of the people I have spoken with on behalf of this effort have commented on the campaign’s goal of $225 million. Almost uniformly, they have characterized it as ambitious. But, it’s not just its financial goal that is ambitious. So, too, is its overall goal. The goal is nothing short of ensuring every aspect of the Institute’s extraordinary education is maintained and improved, that financial considerations never come between prospective cadets and a VMI education’s many benefits, and that the Institute preserves and promotes its proud heritage. Beyond that, there is another ambition: that the Institute continues to graduate the well-educated, purposeful and honorable men and women who have gone on to be leaders in a wide variety of professions and in their communities and the country. The contributions of these alumni to the country have been truly magnificent, and they have given the Institute a national and international reputation that, considering its relatively small student body, is truly outsized. Yet, this ambition shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to the VMI family, because as we know, the Institute was meant to introduce a new type of college to the United States. It drew upon the examples of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and France’s L’Ecole Polytechnique, as well as the classical and

American traditions of the citizen-soldier. It set out to instill a desire in each cadet to always place personal honor and the public good over personal gain and to pursue the harder right rather than the easier wrong. Its military system was meant to acquaint cadets with the responsibilities and rewards of leadership. It was meant to produce graduates who would take a place in the front rank of leadership in Virginia and throughout the country. Thus, as the campaign’s name suggests, VMI set out to have “uncommon purpose.” The Institute’s ambition has always been large – for itself and its cadets – and it always will be. Fulfilling that ambition has never been easy. However, that fact has always been accepted by the VMI family, and since before the Civil War, its members have come forward with the resources necessary to help the Institute do it. During this campaign, I hope you will follow the example that has been established by the campaign’s leaders and those who already have come forward with a gift or commitment and help the Institute fulfill its uncommon purpose.

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VMI FOUNDATION, INC. Scholarships: Providing Opportunity Early in its history – before the Civil War, in fact – the Institute’s alumni set a bold goal to ensure that, regardless of their financial circumstances, deserving young people could attend VMI. Meeting this goal has become one of the Institute’s most cherished traditions and a focus of giving by alumni and friends. Now, however, scholarships do more than ensure a lack of money never prevents a deserving man or woman from seizing the opportunity to attend VMI. They help the Institute attract the best candidates for admission, and they provide a way to reward cadets who achieve success within its rigorous academic program. They also offer young athletes the opportunity to compete at the highest level of intercollegiate athletics as they earn the coveted VMI diploma. Therefore, one of the most important aims of An Uncommon Purpose: A Glorious Past, A Brilliant Future: The Campaign for VMI is to bolster VMI’s scholarship program.

Need Scholarships: The Institute is dedicated to ensuring that, regardless of their financial standing, qualified young men and women can attend VMI. As at most other U.S. colleges and universities, at VMI, scholarship aid often cannot make up the difference between the resources available to cadets and their families and the cost of a VMI education. Furthermore, the Institute must charge out-of-state cadets much higher tuition than it does Virginian cadets, which increases the “need” for many cadets. Since most gaps between scholarship aid and the cost of a VMI education are filled by loans, many cadets graduate with a substantial burden of debt. Scholarships help alleviate that burden, which can be in the thousands of dollars over many years. In the last academic year, 404 cadets received more than $2 million in need-based aid, and a number of cadets received money from other scholarships on the basis of need.

Resolution Honors Class of 1964

At the VMI Foundation Board of Trustees semi-annual meeting Nov. 11, 2014, the trustees approved a resolution honoring the Class of 1964 for its successful 50th Reunion Campaign. Two of the trustees – George M. Rapport, left, and William E. Welsh, right – who are members of the class and played leadership roles in the effort received the resolution on behalf of their brother rats. Photo by Scott Belliveau ’83.

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Merit Scholarships: Drawing young people who have the demonstrated potential for excellence in the classroom to VMI elevates the entire academic program. These cadets also encourage their fellow cadets to greater achievement in the classroom. The ability to reward cadets who thrive within VMI’s demanding academics provides them an incentive to work hard. Last year, 85 cadets received merit based aid totaling more than $850,000. VMI seeks to recruit, reward and retain even greater numbers of academic pacesetters by increasing its merit scholarship funds. Athletic Scholarships: The Institute’s cadet-athletes are an extraordinary group of young people. On top of taking on the demands common to all cadets in the classroom and the Barracks, they take on those related to representing VMI at the highest level of college sports: the NCAA’s Division I. Athletic scholarships give the Institute the means to attract and reward the young men and women who compete on the Institute’s behalf as they work toward the goal of receiving a VMI diploma. An increase in the number and size of endowments that provide athletic scholarship aid also helps sharpen the competitive edge of VMI’s 18 teams. Last year, 234 cadet-athletes on all of VMI’s NCAA sports teams received athletic grant-in-aid support of more than $3.7 million. Increasing NCAA full-scholarship equivalencies, therefore, is a focus of this campaign. The importance of supporting scholarships at the Institute is reflected in one statistic: Were it not for the financial aid already available, 30 percent of the Corps of Cadets would be unable to attend VMI. By meeting the scholarship goals of An Uncommon Purpose, the VMI family will ensure those suited for a VMI education will have the means to attend, the Institute can attract and reward cadets who succeed academically and the Institute can recruit and reward the cadet-athletes who take on so much in order to perpetuate VMI’s proud athletic tradition.

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VMI FOUNDATION, INC. Endowments: The Foundation for the Future in any other way. The latter provide money that the Institute can use as it needs. Whether restricted or unrestricted, endowments support almost every aspect of education and life at VMI. They generate the funds that help academic departments ensure they are on the cutting edge of their respective fields, and therefore, provide cadets the best possible academic preparation. They support the Institute professorships and professorial chairs that reward faculty members for their performance as teachers and researchers as well as for their service to their colleagues and cadets. Endowments support intercollegiate and club sports, helping expand the athletic opportunities the Institute can offer. They support Preston Library and the VMI Museum System. Endowments also annually provide millions of dollars in unrestricted aid the Institute uses to address its most pressing needs, to reinforce its successes and to take advantage of new opportunities to improve. Perhaps the best known endowments are the ones that support financial assistance to cadets through need-based, merit and athletic scholarships. In any academic year, the majority of money that is generated by restricted endowments is used to provide scholarship aid to cadets. The pervasive nature of the support that comes from endowments means that donors who donate to or establish endowments, whether they are restricted or unrestricted, are providing VMI the funds it needs to continue to fulfilling its uncommon purpose of educating cadets according to its own time-tested way. It also means that they will be helping VMI meet every goal of this campaign and maintaining the gains the Institute will reap when these goals are met.

VMI photo by Kevin Remington.

The overall goal of An Uncommon Purpose: A Glorious Past, A Brilliant Future: The Campaign for VMI is to provide the Institute the resources it needs to bring to fruition its ambitious plans to enhance the academic, co-curricular and athletic programs that make up VMI’s extraordinary education; to maintain and improve its physical facilities; and preserve and promote its heritage. While every gift in support of VMI is appreciated – whatever its direction – one of the goals of this campaign is to establish new endowments and attract new support for already existing endowments. Endowments are important for many reasons. Once established, an endowment provides an ever-growing source of revenue for the purpose which it was established. For example, if a donor establishes an endowment to support an academic department, over time, the endowment will generate more and more money for the department, and it will do so in perpetuity. Endowments also provide VMI a measure of long-term financial stability, especially in financially and fiscally uncertain times. If, for example, public funding for VMI was cut in the future, the Institute wouldn’t face the need to make draconian cuts, because it could count on revenues from endowments. Finally, endowments provide a way for individuals or groups, like classes, to leave a lasting legacy and honor friends and relatives at the Institute. Knowing that gifts made in the present will have an increasingly positive effect on the Institute and its cadets in the future are an important reason why alumni and friends establish endowments. Endowments come in two forms: restricted and unrestricted. The former are dedicated by donors to a single purpose or set of purposes, and the income they generate cannot be used

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VMI FOUNDATION, INC. 25th and 10th Reunion Classes Present Gifts In fall 2014, the Class of 1989, celebrating their 25th Reunion, and the Class of 2004, celebrating their 10th Reunion, presented the Institute with the initial proceeds of the Reunion Campaigns each class conducted in the months before their reunions. Both campaigns will continue to accept gifts and commitments until Dec. 31, 2014, and the final results will be reported in the 2015 edition of the VMI Alumni Agencies Annual Report. Also, most of the money raised will be credited to the overall goal of VMI’s new campaign, An Uncommon Purpose. On Sept. 13, 2014, the Class of 1989 presented the initial proceeds of its reunion campaign: $1,729,389.89. On Sept. 27, 2014, the Class of 2004 presented the traditional gift to the Institute made by classes celebrating their 10th Reunion. Their gift at that time totaled $201,020.04. Gen. J.H. Binford Peay III ’62, VMI superintendent, right, offered his thanks to the two Class of 1989 members who made the presentation: Ashley A. Fairchild, the chairman of the 25th Reunion Campaign Committee, left, and Stephen M. Chiles, class agent, center. Photo by H. Lockwood McLaughlin.

Members of the Class of 2004 presenting their check were, from left, Sean O’Donnell, the class’ Fundraising Committee chairman, and two committee members, Joe Montagna and Andy Harris. Accepting the gift on behalf of the VMI Alumni Agencies and VMI, respectively, were Turner Perrow ’96, president of the VMI Alumni Association, and Peay. Photo by H. Lockwood McLaughlin.

Editor’s Note: Unless stated otherwise, the articles and photos in the Foundation section of the Alumni Review are provided by the Foundation.

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VMI ALUMNI REVIEW

KEYDET CLUB KEYDET CLUB Keydet Club Hosts 2014 Scholarship Awards Banquet

Water Polo 1st Class cadets recognized at the banquet were, from left, Heather Magill ’15, Celine Lazzaro ’15 and Mackenzie Perkins ’15.

The VMI Keydet Club hosted another large crowd in Crozet Hall for the Scholarship Awards Banquet Oct. 18, 2014, with more than 615 of VMI’s cadet-athletes, parents, endowed scholarship donors, annual full scholarship donors, fund representatives, coaches and VMI administrators in attendance. The event began with a greeting and dinner blessing led by David Geary ’16. Keydet Club staff members Robert Crumpler ’07, Donnie Ross ’74 and Andrew Deal ’12 recognized all of the scholarship donors and/or fund representatives who were in attendance that evening by name. “The Parents Weekend scholarship banquet is by far the most important annual event for the Keydet Club. Bringing together all of our scholarship cadet-athletes and many of the generous donors and fund representatives who make their educations

possible reinforces the essence of all the Keydet Club stands for in support of VMI athletics,” said Greg Cavallaro ’84, Keydet Club chief executive officer. “Allowing our cadet-athletes an opportunity to interact with VMI benefactors and to be inspired, challenged and motivated by outstanding guest speakers gives them a glimpse of what their futures could hold.” Following the recognition of the scholarship donors and fund representatives, the Keydet Club then awarded the prestigious Three-Legged Stool Award, given to the scholarship-athlete who best exemplifies the three legs of the VMI proverbial stool: highest in academics, leadership and athletics. The idea of the VMI threelegged stool was coined by the late Giles Miller ’924, one of VMI’s most legendary alumni, in describing VMI’s well-rounded educational mission. The 2014 award went to Tyler Prasnicki ’15, who currently serves as 1st Battalion executive officer and captain of the VMI lacrosse team. Prasnicki became the first lacrosse player to receive the award. (Editor’s Note: See accompanying article on page 188 about Prasnicki.) The evening’s guest speaker, Maj. Gen. Cedric Wins ’85, was introduced by Gen. J.H. Binford Peay III ’62, VMI superintendent. Peay recognized Wins’ service to his country and experiences as a cadet-athlete on the VMI basketball team. Wins shared with the audience the need for honorable men and women in society

Alex Keys ’16, recipient of the Jill and Richard Woolwine ’82 Football Scholarship, and his family.

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Maj. Gen. Cedric Wins ’85, special guest speaker.

and for service to our country via civilian or military service. He told the cadet-athletes, “Successful people fail, but great people learn from their failures.” He expanded on his time in the military and told the cadet-athletes that he learned, “Sometimes great leadership requires the ability to be a dedicated and devoted follower, as well.” For more information on the 2015 banquet or how to join in on the effort to support VMI’s cadet-athletes, please contact the Keydet Club at 800-444-1839 or visit the Keydet Club’s website at www. vmikeydetclub.com.

Steve Hupp ’84 with Sam Patterson ’16, recipient of the Hupp Family Scholarship.

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KEYDET CLUB Tyler Prasnicki ’15 Awarded Keydet Club’s Three-Legged Stool Cadet Tyler Prasnicki ’15 was presented with the VMI Keydet Club’s ThreeLegged Stool Award at its 2014 Scholarship Athletes Recognition Banquet Oct. 18, 2014. The award recognizes a 1st Class scholarship athlete who has the highest achievements in academics, leadership and athletics. Prasnicki, who is the 14th recipient of the award, is an economics and business major with a minor in psychology. He has been named to the dean’s list numerous times and wore academic stars his 3rd Class year. In barracks, he presently serves as 1st Battalion executive officer after having served as a company corporal his 3rd Class year and a company platoon sergeant his 2nd Class year. In spring 2015, he will complete his final year on the lacrosse field as a two-time

Prasnicki delivering his acceptance remarks at the Scholarship Athletes Recognition Banquet.

Three-Legged Stool Award Winner Tyler Prasnicki ’15 with his parents, David Prasnicki and Debbie Arthur, and Gen. J.H. Binford Peay ’62, VMI superintendent.

team captain and four-year starter. Prasnicki was named to the 2014 Atlantic Sun First Team All-Conference, and for the last two years, he has ranked in the top five nationally in all of Division I in turnovers caused. Prasnicki matriculated from Rockbridge County High School in Lexington, Virginia. His father, David, has served for 28 years as the chief financial officer of the VMI Alumni Agencies. In his acceptance remarks, Prasnicki noted the support he received from his family – including his role model, brother Chase Prasnicki, who

was killed in action in 2012 while serving his country in Afghanistan. Bill Paulette ’69, Keydet Club Board of Governors president, said of Prasnicki’s achievements, “Tyler Prasnicki will be a shining example of the VMI citizensoldier. His academic success, leadership in barracks and accomplishments on the lacrosse field are exactly what we want from our cadet-athletes. Tyler represents everything the Keydet Club hopes for in a Three-Legged Stool Award winner, and we wish him the best of luck and success as he serves his country in the U.S. Army.”

Past Three-Legged Stool Recipients Cadet Recipients John D. Simmons ’02 – Soccer (2001) Michael N. Lokale ’03 – Track (2002) Matthew D. Sharpe ’04 – Football (2003) Ty E. Denby ’05 – Track (2004) Christopher J. Brandriff ’06 – Track (2005) Michael D. Lloyd ’07 – Soccer (2006) Thomas E. Cunningham ’08 – Wrestling (2007) K. Barrett Luxhoj ’09 – Soccer (2008)

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Audrey E. Falconi ’10 – Women’s Soccer (2009) Hannah E. Granger ’11 – Women’s Track (2010) Matthew R. Brock ’12 – Wrestling (2011) Joseph I. Munno ’12 – Wrestling (2011) Jenna K. Moye ’13 – Women’s Track (2012) Stanley O. Okoye ’13 – Basketball (2012) Edward P. Gottwald ’14 – Wrestling (2013)

Alumni Recipients Giles H. Miller Jr. ’924 (2001) G. Gilmer Minor III ’63 (2006) Elmon T. Gray ’46 (2007)

VMI ALUMNI REVIEW

KEYDET CLUB VMI Hosts McKenna-era Lettermen to Honor Release of New McKenna Book

On Oct. 31, 2014, VMI welcomed back over 110 VMI football lettermen and guests who played under legendary football coach John McKenna. The special reception was held to honor the release of “Best Regrets: VMI’s John McKenna and the Lost Age of College Football” by Roland Lazenby ’74 and Mike Ashley. The event was held in Marshall Hall in the Hall of Valor. The evening was highlighted by remarks from Gen. J.H. Binford Peay III ’62, VMI superintendent; Lazenby; legendary college and NFL coach Bobby Ross ’59; and Greg Cavallaro ’84, Keydet Club chief executive officer. Ross, who wrote the foreward to the book,

Author of “Best Regrets,” Roland Lazenby ’74.

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commented on the large number of attendees as a “true measure of the impact Coach McKenna had on our lives.” Lazenby added that McKenna had the unique distinction of being a great coach and “also being loved by sports writers.” Lazenby emphasized the uniqueness of VMI in his remarks. He mentioned VMI’s victory of keeping the student on the same level as the athlete, whereas most other schools have not. Cavallaro highlighted the significance and greatness of the McKenna teams and players in the history of VMI. He encouraged continued financial support for the Coach John McKenna Memorial Football Scholarship to ensure it remains the largest scholarship

endowment in the Keydet Club. On Nov. 1, the Keydet Club hosted a luncheon for all attendees. The weekend ended with the victory of the VMI football team over Furman University with a score of 3115 – the team’s first Southern Conference win of the season. Donnie Ross ’74, vice president of the Keydet Club, said, “It was a special weekend for all on post, and it was a great weekend to honor Coach McKenna and his teams for the decades of impact they’ve had on VMI.” “Best Regrets” can be purchased through the VMI Bookstore and Marshall Museum, as well as through the Keydet Club by calling 800-444-1839.

Dr. Truman Baxter ’58, Vel and John Engels ’58, Coach Bobby Ross ’59, Tom Daniel ’61, and Greg Cavallaro ’84.

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KEYDET CLUB DeWitt S. Worrell ’62 Scoreboard Dedicated VMI honored and dedicated the new DeWitt S. Worrell ’62 Memorial Scoreboard at Drill Field #2 at halftime of the 2014 Lee-Jackson Classic Oct. 25, 2014. Brother rats and friends of De and Carolyn Worrell present at the dedication were, from left, Spencer Elmore ’62, Ran Hamner ’62, Lewis Graybill ’62, Ware Smith ’62, Rhett Clarkson ’61, Carolyn Worrell, VMI Superintendent Gen. J.H. Binford Peay III ’62 and Doug Marechal ’62. Present but not pictured: Dave Wagner ’62.

On the field for the presentation of the dedication were, from left, Peay; Dr. Dave Diles, VMI Athletic Director; Carolyn Worrell; Mindy Worrell Spiller; Rob Worrell ’97; Coach Doug Bartlett, Keydet Club vice president; and Brian Anken, VMI head lacrosse coach.

Birzenieks ’64 Establishes New Athletic Scholarship Endowment

Jane and Buzz Birzenieks ’64.

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The Keydet Club is proud to announce the establishment of the Jane and Buzz Birzenieks ’64 Athletic Scholarship. This scholarship was created in fall 2014 through gifts from the Birzenieks in honor of Richie Rose, VMI head soccer coach, in appreciation for Rose’s commitment and dedication to VMI and its cadetathletes. The scholarship endowment will help support a scholarship athlete who is a member of any Division I athletic team at VMI, with preference given to a member of the VMI soccer team or a scholarship athlete from North Carolina. Jane is a native of Richmond, Virginia, and graduated from James Madison University in 1964 with a Bachelor of Science degree in elementary education. Buzz matriculated at VMI from Brooklyn, New York, with the Class of 1964 and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in biology. He was Company A sergeant, VMI ALUMNI REVIEW

KEYDET CLUB participated in cross-country and was the manager for the 1964 Southern Conference Championship basketball team. Following his cadetship, Buzz served in the U.S. Army for two years, followed by four years in the Army Reserve. In 1970, he earned his Master of Hospital Administration degree from the Medical College of Virginia. Buzz spent his entire career at the New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington, North Carolina, where he served for more than 25 years before retiring as the executive vice president. While in Wilmington, Buzz was a member of the University of North Carolina - Wilmington Seahawk Club Board from 1983-2003 and served two terms as its president. He was also appointed by the chancellor to the UNCW Board of Visitors and served as the 50th president of the North Carolina Azalea Festival. Buzz has been a longtime leadership member of the Keydet Club and has served on the Keydet Club Board of Governors since 2003. He will serve as president of the board beginning in 2016. Jane and Buzz have been married for 49 years and currently reside in Lexington, Virginia. Together they have three married daughters and nine grandchildren, all of whom have provisional appointments to attend VMI. “The Keydet Club is delighted that Jane and Buzz have honored the hard work and commitment of VMI soccer coach Ritchie Rose in this meaningful way,” noted Greg Cavallaro ’84, Keydet Club chief executive officer. “Their passion for VMI, its coaches and cadet-athletes is well recognized, and it is only fitting that they have created a scholarship that will remain for perpetuity as a sign of their love and support for VMI athletics.”

Williams ’70 Track and Field Scholarship Created In summer 2014, the Keydet Club was excited to announce the creation of a new track and field scholarship, the Williams ’70 Track and Field Scholarship, in support of VMI. This scholarship was created through the generosity of Gordon E. Williams ’70. Williams graduated from VMI in 1970 with a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry. He graduated as a first class private. While at VMI, Williams had a distinguished career as a pole-vaulter, consistently scoring points against other major competitors (University of Virginia, Virginia Tech, etc.) and became the Southern Conference champion his 2nd Class year while also setting the pole vault record at 15 feet, zero inches. He also excelled in other field events – including javelin, high jump and long jump – and was a routine contributor on the 400-meter

Maass ’88 Lacrosse Scholarship Established The Keydet Club is pleased to recognize the newest VMI lacrosse scholarship, the Harlan R. Maass ’88 Lacrosse Scholarship. This scholarship was created in summer 2014 through the generosity of Ron Maass ’88, a former VMI lacrosse walk-on, to help provide grant-in-aid support for the VMI lacrosse program. Maass matriculated from Claremont, California. He was an economics and business major, and he graduated from VMI with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1988.

VMI Keydet Club Mission Statement: To contribute to the SPIRIT and development of a successful Division I athletic program that benefits the whole of VMI.

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relay. He was selected as a co-captain of the team his 1st Class year and was named to Who’s Who Among College Athletes in 1970. After VMI, Williams obtained a Master of Science degree in organic chemistry from the University of Tennessee in 1972, while also taking several graduate level classes in business at UT. He entered Artillery School with the U.S. Army in Fort Sill, Oklahoma, in 1973. He finished his Army Reserve duty in 1978. Williams began his professional career with Monsanto Company in St. Louis, Missouri, and Chicago, Illinois. He is the founder and current leader of Elam Company in the Chicago area, an engineering sales business that specializes in the marketing of process equipment to industries such as steel, chemical, petro-chemical, power, grain processing and pharmaceutical.

As a cadet, Maass was a three-year member of the VMI lacrosse team. He had never heard of or played lacrosse before matriculation. He was encouraged by team members to try out for the team during his 3rd Class year and was awarded a varsity letter for his 2nd and 1st Class years. Following graduation, Maass went on to coach the University of CaliforniaRiverside lacrosse team for four seasons – the first as defensive coordinator and the final three years as head coach.

Editor’s Note: Unless stated otherwise, the articles and photos in the Keydet Club section of the Alumni Review are provided by the Keydet Club.

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Alumni Review 2015 Issue 1

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Alumni Review 2015 Issue 1