Shipmate: May/June 2012 28 April 2012

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by Mark Hubbard

There was much excitement in the D.C. area on 17 April when the Space Shuttle Discovery (OV-103) performed a low altitude flyover while riding atop a Boeing 747.  It was on its final flight, departing at sunrise from Kennedy Space Center and landing at Dulles International Airport.  Discovery is now on display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center located just south of Dulles.  I was in my office at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center when we got the word at around 9:35 a.m. to assemble outside in the mall area near Building 8 in anticipation of the flyover.  At around 10:20 a.m. we could see the distinct profile of the piggybacking space shuttle on the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) as it headed in our direction.   There must have been thousands of cameras and cell phone cameras capturing the event (I had both of mine clicking away!).

I have fond memories of Discovery from my days working on all of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) servicing missions.  STS-82 was the HST SM-2 mission where I had the unique opportunity to suit up in clean room garb (“bunny suit”) and climb into Discovery’s flight deck at the launch pad along with Orbital technician, Steve Pataki, to help troubleshoot an issue with one of the CCTV cameras on the Flight Support System.  I was in awe of being inside the orbiter and became busy checking out all of the flight deck switches, displays and gadgets when abruptly astronaut Mark Lee, who demanded my attention to the video display, snapped me back to reality.   Discovery was the orbiter for several HST missions:  the deployment mission in 1990 (STS-31), HST SM-2 (STS-82), HST Orbital Systems Test (HOST) Mission (STS-95), and HST SM-3A (STS-103).   Another payload carrier I managed, the Lightweight MPESS Carrier (LMC), flew on Discovery on the two Return To Flight missions, STS-114 & STS-121, as well as STS-131.

Well, it’s time to get back to things more terrestrial and talk about the news:

 

Peter Varsanyi reports that the 2012 Halfway Dinner was a huge success with around 35 classmates and spouses in attendance.  Special thanks go out to Vanessa and Mike Seifert for once again arranging a wonderful event).

• Long distance travelers were “Doc” Casey and Angela Napora from Chesapeake, VA and Sally and “Mork” Moore from Atlanta, GA although Kathy and Brad Little couldn’t decide if they’re from DC or Idaho! (Brad ‘commutes’ from Coeur d’Alene Idaho to DC).
• Biggest Company representation – 21st Company
• Most nefarious shipmates and inseparable returnees – Mork Moore and JD Engels
• Biggest schmooze was and most coveted sea-stories came from the ever popular Chris Kidd
• Best Trio since Charlie’s Angels: Sally Moore, Barbara Stone and Craven Engels

Our dinner was nicely supplemented by a replay of Navy’s overwhelming win vs. JHU in Men’s Lacrosse.  Note Chuck Bush salivating at the thought of scamming a nice pocketful of change from Tommy Gardner who probably did not know Navy won 8-2 earlier in the day.

The gangster and sub-gangster of love, Peter Varsanyi and Brad Little.

[NOTE:  Pictures are posted at usna76.com]

Ken Crain is running for political office in Texas.  He writes:

 

My campaign for DA here in Williamson County, Texas, is still toodling along.  An innocent man named Michael Morton spent almost 25 years in prison when the previous DA and the county sheriff at the time conspired to railroad him for murdering his wife. Michael Morton was featured in a recent 60 Minutes piece.  It is shocking how something like this could still happen in the United States of America.  The man who really killed Christine Morton got to remain free and killed another innocent woman 17 months later in Austin, Texas.  I would greatly appreciate any campaign contributions to help us clean up the current DA’s office.  My campaign website is kencrain.com.  Many thanks.  I would love to have a class reunion in Georgetown, Texas, as part of my swearing in ceremony next January 1, if we are able to win this election.

Nick Karangelen reports on one of the last remaining active duty Classmates:

Word on the street is that VADM Dick Gallagher, the US MIL REP to NATO, will retire on 5 JULY in Brussels.  Dick is the last man standing on active duty from 14th Company’s long line of overachievers (like Dick) and miscreants (like me).   I believe that is Dick at the end of the table in the enclosed photo of the recent NATO Defense Ministers Conference attended by Panetta and Clinton.  I’ve copied Dick so he can fill in any details (or a better photo of him with the big wigs) and Bill Kneller who always seems to know what’s going on with the guys from 7-4.  [Dick adds:  "That was this a.m. in the "signals check" between SECDEF and NATO SEC GEN before we started the Defense Ministerial.  SEC Clinton arrived later same day today...that made it the 'JUMBO Ministerial' while they were together.]

 

The ever-traveling Gary Greenfield takes time to report in:

As usual, as I write this, I am on a plane traveling – but not as exotic as it might be.  Flying from Las Vegas this time.   And yes, I was there on business.   It is the annual home to the NAB – the National Association of Broadcasters annual show.   Each year the show is held in Las Vegas, where it was clearly bigger this year.  For Avid it is an important show (and I should note Avid is important to NAB) and I spend nearly a week there (we have folks that are there in advance of me and leave after – 225 from the company altogether).    2012 is Avid’s 25th anniversary and just as we transformed the industry many years ago with the popularization of non-linear editing, I believe this year will go down as a seminal year as well, with the ability to do high quality craft editing in a distributed environment (“The Cloud”).   Our R&D team has been extraordinary these past several months, introducing products at a rapid clip and winning much industry accolade and many awards.    The media industry is rapidly changing, as all of you are aware, with the many choices we have and the immersive experience we are looking for in entertainment options.    Avid is lucky to be a part of this exciting time in the industry.  In fact, our editing products are used for the USNA football videos.  My daughter Brittany has started a new job at Kronos, who does workforce management software.  Good chance a lot of you use it.   She is Marketing Manager, Retail and Hospitality Practice Group and really enjoying the role.

 

John Kruse provided a picture of his son’s (John Kruse, III ‘01) recent promotion to LCDR.  Pinned on by his lovely wife, Emily, and mother, Denise Kruse.

Gary Stark sent in an update:

I am still in Hawaii but have changed from working as a contractor supporting the Defense Threat Reduction Agency to working at the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) on Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.  For those who don’t know, JPAC’s mission is the location, recovery and identification of unaccounted for U.S. servicemen from past conflicts.  It’s a humbling mission and one of the most rewarding jobs I’ve ever done.  Both of our daughters, Jessica and Maggie, have graduated from college (one from the University of Hawaii in 2010 and one from James Madison University in 2011) and have now joined the work force and started paying off those student loans (ouch).  My wife Linda volunteers at the American Cancer Society but spends most of her waking hours trying to keep me out of trouble (a more than fulltime job I assure you).  But most importantly, and the main reason I finally got off my duff and wrote a letter to Shipmate, is to give a shout out to our company and classmate and current Commander of U.S. Forces in Afghanistan–General John Allen.  I just saw his interview by Geraldo Rivera this weekend and could not be prouder to be able to say

“I know him, he’s a Company mate and Classmate.”  To say John is an impressive representative of the 34th Company, the Class of ’76, the U.S. Naval Academy, the U.S. Marine Corps, and the U.S. military in general, would be a gross understatement.  We’re proud of you John (and if you still have the time to read Shipmate at your current job, you must be doing something right) and we send our best wishes and prayers for both you and Kat.

 

Here is an update from Chuck Litz:

Enclosed below is a picture of my son Army Captain Alex Litz, in front of his Battery Command at Camp Casey, on the DMZ in S. Korea.  This picture was taken last Christmas.  This was his 4th Christmas away from home.  The first two were in Afghanistan and the next two were in Korea.  Much more difficult than anything I experienced in 26 years in the Navy.  All is well with me.  I am doing business development for a company called Sierra Nevada Corp.  It is a great gig in Wash DC.  I set up a monthly luncheon in Pentagon City and get to see many of our classmates.  It is always the last Thursday of the month.  If anyone is ever in town, please let me know and I will make sure that we have a seat for you.

 

Here’s a tidbit of 26th Company news:  There has been a Tom Abbott sighting in California.   Phil Kumpis met up with Tom in LA and Tom seems to be recovering quite well from his bypass surgery last year.

Luke Memminger reports that his son, Chris Memminger ’11, just finished Primary and got helicopters (his first choice!).

BZ to Rick Pratt who has joined the elite ranks of Battelle Distinguished Inventors.  He is a member of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s Energy and Environment Directorate. The title of Battelle Distinguished Inventor is reserved for staff members who have received 14 or more U.S. patents over the course of their career at Battelle or Battelle-managed laboratories.  He was honored at a banquet held March 22.

Kevin Stone has an announcement:

I know that you’ve just started to think about your summer vacation but don’t forget to save a few days of time off for this year’s Mini-Reunion the weekend of September 29th. We’re just starting to plan it but it’s likely to follow our tried and true formula for success: A crab feast Friday night followed by an over the top tailgate the next day. Two years ago we had nearly 200 people at the tailgate so if you only come to one game, this is the one. We’ll get a block of tickets so you can sit with your classmates during the game. Watch your email inbox for more updates later this summer.

 

On a sad note, Jeff Douglas (18th Company) died Wednesday, March 14, 2012, of heart failure after a long illness.  Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family.

Shipmate: Stewardship 2012 2 March 2012

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by Mark Hubbard

The inurnment ceremony for Tom Davis was held on 24 February at the Naval Academy Columbarium.  Several Classmates were in attendance including fellow 30th Company mates Frank Rennie, Ray Lincoln, Don Parker, Jeff Kalkstein, Elmo Collins, and John Sarao.  Representing the Class officers was Ralph Scherini.   Tom’s wife, Nancy, his sister, Claudia, and his three children, Danielle, Andrew, and Caitlin were present, as well.

Chet Moeller participated in the 58th Annual Football Banquet sponsored by the Touchdown Club of Annapolis on Thursday, 16 February.  It was held at the Annapolis DoubleTree Hotel.  Chet had a photo op with Navy Coach Ken Niumatalolo and The Capital sports writer, Bill Wagner.

It’s that time again for the Half Way Dinner.  Here’s the announcement from Mike Seifert:

The dark ages are over and it is time to celebrate.  The annual Half Way Dinner is being held at Joe Theismanns in Alexandria on April 21st.  Reception (cash bar) is at 6:30 and dinner at 7:30.  Cost of dinner (approx $32 per person) will be collected at check in.  This annual event celebrates the half way point between the end of one Navy football season and the start of the next.  It is also a great way to reconnect with classmates you haven’t seen in awhile.  Additional details will be forthcoming via email.  RSVPs are due not later than April 15th and should be made to Mike Seifert at vmlseifert@gmail.com.  Hope to see you there as we get ready for another great Navy football season!

 

Christi and Bruce Hinkley have been vacationing in Italy – here is Bruce recruiting at the Forum and Bruce and Christi enjoying Carnavale in Venice.

Mark Metcalf reports on a 26th Company mini-reunion:

Just a brief note to let you know that Gary Rush, Craig Weber, & I had dinner with Gary and his wife Millie at their Chicago home in early February.  I needed to earn some CEUs to maintain my PMP certification, so I decided to head to Evanston, IL and take a weeklong course on facilitation taught by Gary (http://www.mgrconsulting.com/).  Gary’s built himself a very successful practice and the course was one of the best business courses that I’ve taken.  Craig (semi-retired) and April live about an hour south of Gary’s place.

Dave Winters provided a family update and a recounting of an adventure of his in his annual Winters Tale:

Getting promptly to business;

 

• Son, Ian is in Atlanta wrapping up his PhD in materials engineering.  Next mission: paid employment.  He expects to be “hooded” this summer.

 

• Youngest daughter, Patience is in San Diego marketing peptides (continuing as the only family member with an honest job).  Daddy dealt with tides; Daughter deals with peptides.  Hot chick livin’ by the beach.  Still doing Roller Derby.

 

• Eldest daughter, Charity is in Nashville finishing up her Doctorate in Physical Therapy.  Slim, svelte, and upsetting all the troops sent to the military clinic where she is serving her internship.  She has only a few months between her and graduation.

 

• Debbie is riding herd on Winters Patent Law Office.  She’s also looking toward getting back into executive nursing…and resuming her PhD studies….and…

 

• David continues to scrape a living out of patent law.  Spends (too much) adventurous time flitting about as deputy commander of the local Civil Air Patrol squadron.

 

• Family beagle Matilda observes all this from her seat in the law office with a slightly bemused royal attitude.

 

How’s that for a short and sweet summary?  It is necessarily short, because the story this year is rather long.  Our source of inspiration this year is drawn from the book of Psalms, chapter 73, verse 2, “But, as for me, my feet had almost stumbled, my steps had nearly slipped.”

On Saturday, the 10^th of December this year (2011), David was tapped to represent the Navy in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Kentucky Veterans’ cemetery near Fort Campbell.  This event occurs at many cemeteries, simultaneously nation-wide, deterred by “neither rain, nor sleet, nor gloom of night.”  So, although the appointed morning was bitingly cold, Dave squeezed his ever-increasing girth into a salty old set of dress blues, and trundled across the state line to perform his honored duties.  Promptly on the eleventh chime of the tower clock (six bells for sailors) he and his brothers-in-arms lined up shoulder-to-shoulder, drew themselves to attention, and awaited their cues.

The day was clear and sunny, but a freezing wind stabbed through even the multiple layers of Dave’s winter uniform as he stood rigidly at attention, enduring the rhetoric of orators lined up behind the podium near a line of ceremonial flags.  Though Dave’s damaged old gambs certainly had not the stamina they’d once possessed, he was able to hold his position and balance quite acceptably until he was ultimately called upon.

“Now, lieutenant-commander David Winters, representing the United States Navy, will place a wreath before the Navy flag.”  Finally, he could break free his frozen limbs to move across the plaza.

Or so he thought.

But, the aging warrior’s grouchy old legs were having none of it.  His brain transmitted the orders to step out, smartly, but nothing happened.  For a moment he thought himself frozen to the pavement.  Quickly, however, he realized the problem was not that his propellers were jammed.  The problem was that no signals were reaching the engine room.  The extended period of standing cold and inactive was exacting its price.

Panic moment; On target, on time, that was the tasking.  There was no allowance for gentle finesse.  Something must happen NOW.  In desperation, Dave lifted one hip and, resorting to centripetal force and pendulous motion, swung the associated limb out in front of him.  At the end of its swing, Dave’s heel descended sharply with an uncontrolled and resounding CRACK!  Then, knees locked, he leaned forward on that leg.  The ball of his foot, submitting to no fine muscular control, promptly slapped the cold stone as if spring-loaded, creating a second sharp “crack,” an echo of the initial report.

Our boy was mortified.  Clearly, his would be no neatly executed journey of somber silence.  Yet, there was no choice but to soldier on.  His steps remained unavoidably slow and pronounced as our deliveryman carried out his duty with the perambulatory grace of Herman Munster. 

CRACK, crack……………….CRACK, crack ……………..CRACK, crack……….

Twenty-one slow, deliberate steps that sounded like twenty-one slow, deliberate, echoing rifle-shots.  Finally, arriving at his destination, this sailor hoisted his sacred, but ungainly, cargo to its place pier-side, and took one step back.

The remaining ministrations were much more easily accomplished.  He delivered a measured salute (three seconds up, three seconds down) and, then unburdened of his overbalancing load, managed to return to his place in formation with improved alacrity and a minimum of fuss.  But, David’s embarrassment was complete.  Had not the icy wind mercifully reddened all faces, noses and ears, his crimson blush would have stood out like a starboard channel beacon.

Three more wreathes were similarly delivered “with all deliberate speed,” for Dave was by no means the oldest or slowest of the warriors tasked.  But the follow-on speeches were blessedly brief.  So, in a matter of minutes, the designated squad leader (a marine gunnery sergeant, naturally) had dismissed the detail and Dave was independently steaming outward bound, in pursuit of a few solitary moments, distancing himself from his own circumstances of embarrassment, to focus, instead, on remembering our real heroes who had gone before.

His solitude was not to be.

Instead, Dave was intercepted by a couple of glowing witnesses.  “HOW did you DO that?!”  They enthused unabashed admiration.  “How did you make every step crack so sharply?”  They had never seen such a performance.  And, of course, neither had Dave.  Not even the Royal Guard at Buckingham Palace ever executed so exaggerated a delivery.  Our warrior was not mentally nimble enough to feign intent with forethought.  Grateful to be relieved of his shame, he simply admitted that his somewhat goose-stepped gait and the accompanying loud reports of his foot-falls were entirely the result of the fact that he was forced to substitute general laws of physics for fine musculature control.

But, what a reprieve!  In spite of his malady, Dave had not made a comedy of the event, after all.  He had, in fact, enhanced the solemnity (though certainly through no merit of his own).  That was sufficient.  Those remembered deserved better, and better is what they got.  (Relieved sigh.)  “So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall?  By no means!”  (Romans 11:11.)

 “And that,” (quoting Forest Gump), “is all I’ve got to say about that,” the Winters Tale for 2011.  Another year.  Time, time, time.  Things keep ridiculously changing.  We are certain that it has something to do with the clock and the calendar.  The folks in the mirrors are not us.  That is clear even without the eye-specs that, now, seem unavoidable.  However, I do seem to recognize familiar voices coming out of these unfamiliar faces.  How can this be?  Time, time, time.

And that, my fine Classmates, is the end of the news.

Shipmate: March/April 2012 4 February 2012

Posted by USNA Class of 1976 in Shipmate.
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by Mark Hubbard

As I write my opening remarks to this column, I know these things: the groundhog did see his shadow and the Patriots are facing the Giants in a Super Bowl rematch. So six more weeks of what has been, so far, a very mild winter and by the time you read this, we’ll all know the outcome of Super Bowl XLVII and be suffering from the throes of football withdrawal. With that being said, let’s move on to the news.

Fred Yarger writes:

The “Hobbs, NM, Chapter” of the Naval Academy Alumni Association held its “annual” meeting 10 December 2011 at the home of Fred Yarger. All chapter members were present and accounted for – Dr. Paul “Spook” Elliott ’45 and Dr. Fred Yarger. As the enclosed photo shows, a good time was had by all watching Navy salvage its 2011 season with its 10th straight win over Army.

I regret that I was unable to attend our reunion this fall. I was with you “in spirit.” Two of my “excuses”, my twin daughters, Bethany and Mary, are here with me in the picture. With no family in the area, travel is a bit problematic. Also, Kathy’s father, Burwell Salmond, had been ill with cancer and passed away 27 December in Atlanta, GA. Take note of the poster – our BEAT ARMY poster first class year. Dr. Elliott and I shared many sea stories during the game. Knowing that many of our fathers were his Classmates at the Academy makes me feel very much at home around him – his also having a Ph.D. in physics (Texas A&M) doesn’t hurt either. We met a couple years ago in the parking lot of the Post Office when he leaned out the window of his truck and asked me whether or not the sticker (USNA) in my car window was true. To our knowledge, we are the only USNA graduates living in Hobbs, NM. Despite some physical issues, Dr. Elliott still flies a sailplane and maintains an FAA sailplane instructor license (having earned his Navy gold wings shortly after WWII).

As for myself, since my position with NM Tech went away, I’ve been doing some consulting for energy-related companies (most recently, an algae biofuel company) and teaching as an adjunct online professor for the NM Junior College’s Energy Technology program (designed to train radiological control technicians). I am, though, seeking full-time employment as a program manager/director in either an advanced technology or energy-related company or a government position. I had been considered at one point for a cabinet position in administration of the new NM Governor, but did not get the appointment. I’m looking in NM and the southeastern US (centered on Atlanta); so, if any classmate has a lead, let me know (fdyarger@hotmail.com). I’m just not ready to fully “retire.”

Best to all of you and I hope I’ll be able to get together in the future. Also, if you’re ever in west TX or southeast NM, let me know.

Peter Varsanyi reports that the 2012 Kickoff of the Class Monthly Luncheons was held Thursday, 26 JAN, at Champps Restaurant in Arlington VA. A nice turnout started this first in a series of monthly luncheons held on the last Thursday of each month, unless otherwise posted. Good times and good conversation had by all. All looking forward to new FB season, Half-Way Dinner, Army-Navy in Philly 8 DEC and of course potential win versus ND in Dublin, Ireland, 1 SEP.

Best dressed: Brad Little who wore a rather striking (shocking to many) pink shirt, although Brad called it light red.

In attendance were:
Mike Cregge – 12th Co
Stu Funk – 24th Co
Ken Beeks – 24th Co
Tommy Gardner – 32nd Co
Brad Little – 36th Co
Chuck Litz – (Organizer) – 9th Co
Bruce Pettit – 18th Co
Ray Putt – 8th Co
Kevin Stone – 34th Co
Peter Varsanyi – 31St. Co
Lee Meeks – 20th Co
Scott Pugh – 33rd Co

Speaking of Brad Little, he provided an update:

Many Classmates, Shipmates, and other friends know my son, Sean, from his competitions at the Navy Open, presence at a variety of Academy events and attendance at NAPS (for about 10 minutes!). Recently he was invited to attend the closed tryouts for the US Men’s National Water Polo team. This is the highest level of amateur competition in the country and provides the team for this summer’s Olympics. We were extremely proud of Sean’s invite, particularly when we found out he was one of only 2 Juniors and the only D-III player to get an invite. What an honor – not a chance in hell he could make the cut! Well he proved his dummy of a father wrong again. Not only did he make it all the way through to the final 5, he was told he had a spot on the team–with one big caveat. All of the final five were told that because this is an Olympic Year all the slots for this year’s team are taken with long term team members so they will have to wait until after the Olympics. I understand the average age of the team is 26 (the prime age for Water Polo players), with most of the team playing professionally in Europe. In the end, the final five included a couple Seniors, a couple of post grads and our son. Wow, I still have trouble believing it. For the record, it all started at Mike Schofield’s Navy Water Polo summer camp way back in the mid ’90′s! And here is a little tidbit that you might not know; the Naval Special Warfare Command is a sponsor of the US Men’s Water Polo team.

Payne Kilbourn writes that he has published a Kindle non-fiction book that he hopes may make a positive contribution to help everyone understand why “Washington is broken” today. Coming at things with a neutral viewpoint (politically), it tries to explain how the federal government has reached its current state of affairs, and how we might be able to restore effective governance. It’s available at the Amazon Kindle store under his pen name, Payne Edwards (long story about the pen name thing). Title is “Ending Federal Gridlock and Restoring Constitutional Progressive Governance.” He writes that ‘progressive’ isn’t in terms of the label as it is applied today, but governance that effectively promotes what most Americans expect their federal and state governments to do.

Tom Bakke is a new grandfather! He writes:

Attached is a picture of Diana and me holding our first grandchild Thomas Archer – they are calling him Archer. He is the son of our daughter, Alexandra, and her husband, Cy Kouhestani. They live in Arlington, VA. Skip Zobel thinks he looks like him!! As many of our classmates have said – being grandparents is the best!!

Gary Greenfield writes of an encounter with New England Patriots quarterback, Tom Brady:

I believe I commented in an earlier note to you about how Donna and I became involved in Best Buddies which is an organization dedicated to establishing a global volunteer movement that creates opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment and leadership development for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. It is an amazing group, who we became involved with Best Buddies when Donna met Eunice Shriver, whose son, Anthony, founded Best Buddies in 1989. It became an interest for us personally and when Avid was looking for that our employees could be passionate about supporting and we started with the Best Buddies Challenge in the spring of 2010. In fact, we have hired a couple of Buddies, who provide us inspiration every day.

Tom Brady is global ambassador and sponsors a challenge each spring here in Boston. And it is not just some must-do for him – he takes a very personal interest. In fact tonight (10 days before the Super Bowl) he took his time out to spend an hour with supporters and Buddies to make sure we are ready for the June Challenge (for all of those in New England, let me know how you can be part of the Challenge or Team Avid). I can assure you his humbleness is not an act – I have met him on multiple occasions and he is the kind of leader we can all appreciate. My assistant Susan, who said not that long ago what is special about a football game, until I introduced her to A Game of Honor, even noted to me – what is Tom spending time with you when he has a game he needs to prepare for!

Brittany, my daughter, who many of you have met, and I had a chance for a photo op – so we took advantage. I am sure the professional pics will make me look like class of ’86, but wanted to get this to you in real time. For those of you reading on the web, you will see it prior to the Patriots victory. For those of you reading after, start reading Shipmate on www.usna76.com <http://www.usna76.com>.

Here’s our Class President, Kevin Stone, with a few items of note:

Classmates, I have several items to present to you. First, the annual “Halfway Dinner” will be held on Saturday, April 21st at Joe Theissman’s in Alexandria, VA. Watch your email for more details. If you are not on the Alumni Association list, i.e. you don’t get emails from me to the class, then please contact me and I’ll get you the gouge.

Next, I know it’s hard to believe but it’s time to start buying/renewing your season tickets for Navy football in 2012. If you are buying tickets for the first time, or if you have tickets already and want to change your seats or are changing the number of your seats, please email me and let me know. I’ll meet with the NAAA in April and “negotiate” with them to get you in the class section or accommodate your change. No guarantees, but we try!

Finally, as we discussed at the Class Meeting at the 35th Reunion last fall, a committee of your classmates have met to recommend what project(s) our class should support over the next five years. The committee, ably lead by Jeff Neufeld, was comprised of Mark Moore, Dave Papak, and Gary Greenfield. Their recommendations, endorsed by your class officers, are to raise at least $800,000 to support a new Cyber Warfare Lab (~$300K), Athletic Excellence (~$300K) and an Unrestricted Gift of about $200K. I am pleased to accept that recommendation and hope that you will enthusiastically support this important goal. You will be receiving more information from the Alumni Association in the near future. Our contributions will make the difference between “adequate” and “excellent” in the development of the next generation of midshipmen so please consider this request carefully.

On a sad note, I regret to inform you that Tom Davis, 30th Company, passed away on January 29th after a long and valiant battle with a genetic liver disorder. Services will be held at the Naval Academy Columbarium on Friday, February 24th at 1100. More information will be promulgated later. Please join me in keeping Nancy and their three children in your prayers.

Our prayers also go out to Jerry Willett and his family. His father, Charles D. Willett, Sr., died Thursday January 26, 2012. Mr. Willett, one of nine children born to Lambert and Mary Catherine Willett, was a life-long resident of Bardstown, KY. He was married for 62 years to the former Mary Carlile Barber and was the father of eight. Charles worked for a short time in the farming business but soon became a wholesale liquor dealer and established Kentucky Liquor and Wine Co. One of the main products he distributed was “Old Bardstown”, the bourbon produced by his brothers and father at the Willett Distilling Company.

Shipmate: January/Feburary 2012 11 December 2011

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by Mark Hubbard

As I write this column, the Army-Navy game is a week away and with that, the regular college football season will be over as well as Navy’s season (no bowl game this year…bummer). A disappointing season for Navy but with a victory over Army, the team can head into the off-season on a positive note. In spite of the losses on the gridiron, the Class tailgaters were always a winner! Many thanks to all those involved in making the tailgaters and the 35th reunion such a tremendous success. Beat Army!

As part of my work at NASA I am a member of the Goddard Veterans Advisory Committee (VAC), which was formed early in 2011. I was asked to find a keynote speaker for the Veterans Day event held on 7 November and was very fortunate to acquire the services of Frank Culbertson ’71. I’ve known Frank since I was in junior high school and he and my brother, John Hubbard ’71, were 15th/35th Company mates. Frank is a former astronaut who flew on three shuttle missions and had command of the International Space Station for 117 days in 2001. He is now the Senior Vice President and Deputy General Manager of Orbital’s Advanced Programs Group. Frank gave a tremendous speech and presentation for the Veterans Day event. His son, Frank, a student at Capitol College, joined him for the day with the hope of making inroads for possible future employment at NASA.

There are plenty of USNA connections at San Diego’s Qualcomm Stadium this football season. Dave Fleischman serves as a member of the Chargers chain crew and met Mike Priefer ’89, special teams coach for the Minnesota Vikings, on Opening Day. Mike’s kickoff return team immediately silenced 68,000 assembled Chargers fanatics by running the opening kickoff back for a TD. Dave reports that Mike is a heck of a nice guy with an incredible coaching resume. Three weeks later, Miami visited the Chargers and Dave spoke with Dolphins rookie tight end Will Yeatman, a San Diego native and son of Dennis Yeatman ’83. Will looks bigger and stronger than ever, and hopefully will earn more playing time as he gains experience. Finally, over on the home team sideline, veteran Chargers offensive line coach Hal Hunter is the dad of current Navy linebacker Hal Hunter Jr. ’12.

Ken Crain writes from Texas:

Mark, I have some news that I would like to share with the class. I am running for District Attorney here in Williamson County, Texas. This is a county with a population of around 430,000 people, which is located about 30 miles north of Austin in the middle of the state. The DA here prosecutes adult felonies. I am running against a ten-year incumbent who has been running a tough on crime but light on justice DA’s office.

I have to say the final straw that made me decide to run was when an innocent 57-year old man (Michael Morton) was released on October 4 after serving almost 25 years in prison after being falsely convicted of murdering his wife. The current DA stonewalled in the Texas courts and made him spend an additional six years in prison after he requested modern DNA testing on some evidence that was from the 1987 jury trial. When an appeals court finally allowed full modern DNA testing on all the requested evidence, it showed that DNA belonging to a convicted California felon appeared on a bandana that had the dead woman’s blood on it. There was no innocent explanation for why this felon’s DNA would be on this evidence. To top it off, the same felon’s DNA also appeared at a cold case murder crime scene that was 12 miles away from the first crime scene; the second murder happened 17 months later (after the first man was already in prison which makes for a great alibi). If the original prosecutors had properly done their jobs, the second murder would not have occurred.

My campaign website is kencrain.com. It is a work in progress. I welcome any financial contributions that any classmates are willing to send to me. The Texas primaries are on March 6 and the general election is in November 2012.

I also met with fellow 10th Co. Classmate Joe Sheppard on 9/11/11. We were roommates for a good bit while we were in the federal prison in Annapolis together. Joe and I met at a sandwich shop here in Georgetown on the tenth anniversary of 9/11 for an hour or so to solve all of the problems of the world. Joe is an attorney in Burleson, TX, just south of Fort Worth. He drives through here on a regular basis on trips to and from his hometown of Cuero, TX, to visit his mother and other family members there. They had a U.S. flag in the parking lot to commemorate 9/11 and we had to include it in the picture. Joe is the good-looking guy in the straw hat and I am the guy who looks like he just ate too many sandwiches. My wife, Micki, who has put up with me since we got married ten days after graduation, took the picture.

Steve Clark reports that he was reassigned by the Archbishop of New York as the Pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Church, Mount Kisco, NY, for another 6-year term. After that he can be moved anywhere within the confines of the Archdiocese of New York, i.e. Staten Island, The Bronx, Manhattan, and seven counties north and west (3 to the north and 4 to the west of Westchester County where he is now assigned). Steve recently spoke to George Hicks, his old roommate, and reports that George is busy traveling to Asia and back on business. George lives in Cleveland. Please keep Steve in your prayers as he is going in for heart valve surgery on Dec. 8 and will be recuperating for 4 to 5 weeks afterward.

Here’s an update from Mike Seifert:

On 7 November, Chris Kidd, Tommy Gardner, my wife, Vanessa, and I attended the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs (JINSA) annual awards dinner during which ADM James Stavridis received the 2011 Henry M. Jackson Distinguished Service Award. Past recipients include Secretaries of Defense Gates and Cheney, Chairmen of the Joints Chiefs Mullen, Pace, and Crowe as well as several noted Senators and Congressmen. Since Jim was unable to attend our 35th reunion (some lame excuse about a war in Afghanistan and Jim being Supreme Allied Commander Europe) I presented him with a reunion ball cap on behalf of the class.

Milt Mays published another short story, “Thanksgiving with Riley”, which is now available for Kindle. All proceeds go to veterans. See the cover and story line on his website www.miltmays.com. Also, starting 1 Dec, for every Dan’s War book sold, $1 will go to veterans.

Hugh Neighbour (2nd Co.) reports that his big news is his only daughter got married in a storybook wedding out in Bluemont, VA, to her longtime sweetheart. He is a newly commissioned 2nd Lieutenant in the USAF undergoing training at NAS Pensacola. Hugh’s oldest son is quite enthusiastic about ROTC and is now committed. His youngest son has grown to 6’4″ and looks forward to basketball in McLean this winter. Meanwhile, Hugh worked over the summer for the U.S. government in seven countries of the Caribbean. Joined by his wife Inger, the photo shows them with their kids when they all rendezvoused in Barbados. Hugh is now working for a strategy and technology consulting company, Booz Allen Hamilton.

Rick DaPrato reports that his son, LTJG RJ DaPrato (Ohio State) was assigned to the Naval Academy as a Seamanship and Navigation Instructor this past April. The attached picture is proud Dad/Mom (Rick/Jena) with RJ’s niece, Miss Emory Claire, his older sister’s (Cate’s) daughter.

On a sad note, I received news that Jeff Jenkins passed away on 16 November at his home in Foley, AL. On behalf of the Class of ’76, I extend our sincere condolences to Jeff’s family.

Shipmate: November/December 2011 10 October 2011

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by Mark Hubbard

The 35th reunion is behind us but the memory lingers on! I wanted to take this moment to thank all those involved in the planning and execution of the reunion weekend, which was a smashing success. BZ to Vanessa and Mike Seifert, Barbara and Kevin Stone, Lisa and Chris Alberg, Keith Champion, Rick Hamme, Kate and Dave Papak, Carol and Bruce Petit. Also, many thanks to those who participated in the various events and activities throughout the weekend.

I will start with a few updates from Classmates and finish with a few photos from the 35th reunion weekend.

Steve Wiley writes:

Hello, ‘mates! I’m sorry to have missed the reunion, but Mary and I had a plane to catch. We departed that weekend to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. The trip was the most difficult vacation I’ve ever taken, but it was also, without a doubt, the most memorable. The scenery was spectacular, the guides and crew were amazing, and the altitude was breathtaking (literally). We had prepared as much as one possibly can living in northern Virginia. Training included lots of time on an inclined treadmill, elliptical, and StairMaster, plus hiking in the nearby parts of the Appalachians on the weekends. We both felt that we were in pretty good shape, but the big question mark in our minds was how our bodies would handle the altitude. The trip was designed to maximize our chance of success by taking eight days to reach the summit. There are shorter climbs available but their success rate is lower. On summit day, we left our camp at 15,000 ft early in the morning and climbed for about seven hours before reaching the summit at 19,340 ft. Standing at the top, I felt pretty good physically, with only a dull headache. Even though my blood oxygen saturation level was down to 72% when the guides checked it, I felt that my mental alertness was still solid. Evidently, the guides agreed, because they didn’t offer me any supplemental oxygen. We spent about 30 minutes at the top, taking pictures and basking in the elation of accomplishing our goal, then began the 2.5 hour, 4,000 ft descent back to camp. Two more days descending brought us to the end of our adventure, and the long-awaited hot shower. After the climb, we tacked on a three-day safari, venturing to Lake Manyara National Park and the Ngorongoro Crater. Seeing the animals up close in their natural habitat beats seeing them in the zoo, hands down. The zoo, however, is more convenient and MUCH cheaper! Still, I would love to go back to Africa again. Maybe next time we’ll be able to catch up with my fellow 8th Company mate, Bob Guild. From his Facebook updates, it’s clear that Bob is really enjoying his missionary work in South Africa. If anyone is contemplating climbing Kili, you’re welcome to contact me with any questions: snwiley@yahoo.com In writing this, I recalled Mark Metcalf’s submission last spring that he and his wife had camped for two nights at the Mt. Everest base camp (18,192 ft). I bow to Mark’s superior camping elevation, but claim the Class record for altitude without being in an aircraft. Any challengers? [Class Secretary note: Craig Weber, 26th Co., reached the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro on 23JUL08 - therefore, it's a tie!]

Mike Herb reports on the reunion weekend:

14th Company had a phenomenal turnout for our 35th Reunion with 21 prior residents of 7-4. With the addition of wives and a few kids, close to 40 descended on the Herb Annapolis household for 2 straight nights of rousing Gemutlichkeit (you can Google it) and super tailgate and big win over Delaware. Attending were Mal Brubaker, Tom Thorington, Gary Hentz, Don Keene, Mike West, Frank Drennan, Dave Fisher, Sam Nichols, John Stahura, John Wilckens, Mike Herb, Brian Devane, Nick Karangelen, Ted Mundorff, Dick Gallagher, Bill Kneller, Darryl Leopold, Steve Topscher, Eric Youngborg and Jeff Tomlin (Steve Nichols missed the picture). Also is a picture with families and the other picture is our 14th CO Flag Officers – Dick Gallagher, Frank Drennan and Martha Herb (Mike’s junior no longer). It was a great weekend.

Here with a few final words is our Class President, Kevin Stone:

For those of you who missed the reunion I can only say that you missed a heck of a weekend. It was described by one and all as the best reunion to date. Every aspect of the weekend went off without a hitch and the weather was cooperative as we slipped into a great sunny and pleasant window between Hurricane/Tropical Storms Irene and Lee. The tailgate in the N* Room was new this year and will absolutely be brought back for the 40th. In fact we’ll start planning for the 40th this spring. We have plenty of extra ball caps and canvas bags from the reunion … they are still available for sale so give me a shout if you want one (or two, three or four…). Every classmate needs a grease 76 ball cap!

We held elections for the class officers at our class meeting over the reunion weekend. By a unanimous voice vote Kevin Stone, Peter Varsanyi and Mark Hubbard were reelected as President, Vice President and Secretary, respectively. Ralph Scherini was elected as Treasurer to replace the retiring Scott Jenkins.

You should all have been getting emails from me (Kevin) over the fall about Class committees, tailgates and the like. If you are “in the dark” and have not you must go to www.usna.comto update your profile. We cannot do it for you as those pesky privacy rules get in the way. You snooze – you lose. Don’t miss out on staying connected.

Speaking of “connected” – by the time you read this the revised Class website and new Facebook site will be up and running. Gary Greenfield, and more specifically his daughter Brittany, has put a lot of effort into this. Hopefully the new sites will bring us all together even more. Thanks Gary and Brittany!

Shipmate: September/October 2011 9 August 2011

Posted by USNA Class of 1976 in Shipmate.
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