Washington Area Lunch - May 13, 2016

        Yesterday (5/13/2016) ten of us drove through the rain (it has been raining now for 17 consecutive days and I just came in from doing yard work because it has started raining).  Fortunately Bob and Helga Smith drove over from Severna Park and Helga took the pictures attached with her cell phone.  I had left my trusty Canon in the car and didn’t want to go back out in the rain to get it, but I think Helga’s pictures are as good as I would have taken.  Thank’s Helga.
         The ten attendees were Charlie and Jean Mertz, Grace Harkins, Bob and Helga Smith, Warren and Nancy Graham, Jim Beggs, and Dave and Betty Carruth.  We had a table for ten in the big dining room where we have in years past had four or five tables of eight.  Time marches on.   Regardless, as you can see we don’t look our age, at least not to each other.  I do note that I seem to get treated with some deference by our fellow shoppers at the Exchange and Commissary but can say that this is only true on the base.
         Our meal was nothing to write home about, though the soup was very good,  but provided adequate sustenance to get us back home.        
         There was lively conversation as we caught up on what each of us has been doing and we were all glad to see each other.  Of course the small attendance made us discuss the question of whether we should continue with luncheons and the strong conclusion was “YES”.   Jim Beggs had with him a book which he was recommending titled Dark Territory, The Secret History of Cyber Warfare by Fred Kaplan.  I just ordered it from Amazon.  Jim also had a clipping regarding the USNA cyber program.  Our team, in competition with 40 other teams from 28 colleges and universities took took top honors in the annual Atlantic Council Cyber 9/12.  Jim says that the Class gift has given the Academy a strong leg up in the development of the Cyber program.  At his, and Burt Edelson’s strong recommendation our committee earmarked our gift for the Information Technology (IT) program.   Computer Science,  IT and Cyber will eventually be melded into a single major and all midshipmen are even now being required to take portions thereof.   The Class can take great pride for having helped the Academy get in on the ground floor.  

                                         cc006                                                               Helga Smith, Bob Smith