Shipmate: April 2017

by Mark Hubbard

This is the Super Bowl LI edition of the Class of ’76 class news. As I write this column, President George H. W. Bush (with Mrs. Bush at the side of his wheelchair) has just tossed the game coin with the Falcons winning the toss, choosing to kickoff to the Patriots to start the game in order to receive the 2nd half kickoff. I don’t have a lot of news from the Class to report (I feel the urge to add a Hubbard Family update…).

As announced to the Class last year, Steve Topscher (14th Company) succumbed to ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease) in March. The interment of his ashes didn’t occur until January of this year at Arlington National Cemetery due to the tremendous backlog in burials. Ray Eckenrode reports:

A large gathering of family, friends, and USNA classmates convened on January 5, 2017 to honor Steve Topscher upon his interment at Arlington National Cemetery. Steve passed away in March 2016 and was placed on the schedule for a resting place in Arlington. The cemetery can only manage six ceremonies per day, so there’s a several-month delay for veterans who are eligible. Steve’s wife, Diane, coordinated with the cemetery to arrive at the January date.

Steve was slated for full military honors. The ceremony began in the cemetery’s administration building. The attending group immediately outgrew the room assigned to us. Among the family attending were Diane, Steve & Diane’s son Bryan and wife Jennifer Topscher with Kids -Tessa and Zachary Topscher; their daughter Melissa Topscher with husband Rohit Eustace and parents Jeff and Tsuneko Eustace. Also, there were Steve’s sister Cathy with husband James Stephens and daughter Shannon, as well as Steve’s brother, Tom Topscher, with wife Stephanie and daughter Aly. Also present were Chris and Dennis Cohen, parents of Jennifer Topscher.

On the Navy side, Steve’s place in the hearts of his classmates was readily apparent from the large USNA turnout. From 14th Company: Ray Eckenrode, Barb & Dave Fischer, Dick Gallagher, Gary Hentz, RADM Martha & Mike Herb, Nick Karangelen, Cindy & Bill Kneller, Peggy Wilckens, Lisa & Eric Youngborg, Mal Brubaker, and former classmate Ted Mundorff. Keith Champion (6th Company) also attended.

Leaving the admin building, we all gathered at a rendezvous point inside the cemetery. At this point, Diane surrendered Steve’s remains to the Navy Honor Guard, and he was transferred to the horse-drawn caisson with great care and respect. We then followed the caisson further into the cemetery to the designated location for the memorial, all to the accompaniment of the Navy honor band.

Our own VADM Dick Gallagher (retired) represented the Navy during the memorial service, which was conducted by Arlington’s Navy Chaplain. Following the Chaplain’s remarks, Steve was honored with a three-gun volley, which was all the more impressive with the Pentagon looming directly behind the gun squad. At this point, the color guard folded Steve’s US flag with military precision and handed it to Dick, who then presented it to Diane with his condolences.

We then walked together to a columbarium about a hundred yards away, where Steve was permanently interred. Although there’s nothing sadder than burying a classmate, there is considerable consolation in seeing him honored in such a spectacular fashion. The Navy provided Steve with a wonderful ceremony, as all of us who attended can attest.

Following the interment, Nick Karangelen and family hosted all of us for dinner and drinks at his house for a final commemoration of Steve. Throughout Steve’s illness, one positive outcome was how close Steve’s USNA family grew to Diane, Tom, Cathy and Steve’s extended family. This gathering was proof of that bond, and it’s very likely that we’ll see Diane and some of the family at our future reunions.

Back row, l to r: RADM Martha Herb, Mike Herb, Dave Fischer, Bill Kneller, Keith Champion, Eric Youngborg, Nick Karangelen, Gary Hentz, Ted Mundorff, Mal Brubaker, Ray Eckenrode Front row, l to r: Cindy Kneller, Peggy Wilckens, Diane Topscher, Barb Fischer, Lisa Youngborg

 

The caisson carries Steve Topscher’s remains to the Arlington National Cemetery Columbarium

 

L to R: Ray Eckenrode, Gary Hentz, Nick Karangelen, Mike Herb, Bill Kneller, Ted Mundorff, Dave Fischer, Dick Gallagher

Hugh Willis, Chris Scoppa, and Tim Farrell were at the West Point Society of Philadelphia lunch on 01FEB making USNA ’76 the most represented class there. The Society is dedicated to “furthering the mission of the United States Military Academy, Our Military and Our Country. We are an inclusive Society; we welcome graduates from all of the Service Academies as well as others in our community who support West Point’s Values of Duty, Honor, and Country, for membership and participation in all activities of the Society”.

Hugh Willis, Chris Scoppa, and Tim Farrell meet for the West Point Society lunch in Philadelphia

Kevin Stone has a couple of announcements:

Well, it’s hard to believe as I write this in February but it is time to order season tickets for the 2018 football season. If you are ordering new tickets, dropping your existing ones or want to move to “better” seats, please contact me ASAP. I’ll be contacting the NAAA in mid-April to move the chess pieces around; if you wait until May you’re going to get the luck of the draw.

Halfway Dinner: Our annual “Halfway Dinner” will be held on April 22nd at Joe Theismann’s in Old Town Alexandria. It will be the same drill as previous years: $35/head + cash bar, starting at 6:30. If you haven’t signed up yet, there may still be time so give me a shout.

Since there is some room left, I will mention this tidbit of Hubbard Family news: Mark Hubbard and his wife, Barb, are proud to announce the arrival of their 7th grandchild, John Allen McCain, who came into this world on Wednesday, November 9, 2016, at 9:45 AM at the Frederick Memorial Hospital in Frederick, Maryland. He weighed in at 8.3 lbs. and was 21 inches long. Proud parents, Sara & John McCain, are thrilled with the arrival of their second child! [Just to clarify, it is purely coincidental that our grandchild’s name might be confused with two famous USNA graduates: The Honorable John McCain ’58 and our own 4-Star Marine Corps General, John Allen.]

John & Sara McCain and children, Madeline & John

John Allen McCain brings luck to the Patriots in Super Bowl LI

That’s it for this special Super Bowl LI edition of the Class News. By the way…the Patriots overcame a 25-point deficit scoring 31 unanswered points to defeat the Falcons in OT, 34-28! Greatest comeback in Super Bowl history – what a game! I guess you can say that was a game to go Gaga over (Lady Gaga performed an elaborate halftime show).