The Washington Area class luncheon was on Jan 11 th with 43 attendees. Since we voted many years ago to include wives at all luncheons this number includes wives and widows. We were glad to see Rube Prichard 20 th Co. and Bill Bartow 4 th Co. attending their first luncheons since loosing Jeanie and Peggy. Marie and Bill Chipman 2nd Co. were here from Virginia Beach visiting Warren and Nancy.

Our guest speaker was CAPT Tom Logue ’82 who is the Associate Chairperson of the Computer Sciences & Information Technology (CS&IT) Department. He gave us, among other things, a good rundown on what the department does and how they are using the $2M the Class gave them. One example of what they do—CS&IT students took top honors over each of the five U.S. service academies in the 2005 Cyber Defense Exercise (CDX), a one-of-a-kind training event sponsored by the National Security Agency (NSA). The CDX is designed to prepare students to protect and defend the nation’s critical information systems. The exercise serves as a culminating experience of the Information Assurance (IA) curriculum.

This annual exercise challenges each team to design, build, and configure a real-world computer network simulating a deployed joint service command. A network offensive operations team (Red Team), composed of NSA and Department of Defense personnel, identifies the vulnerabilities and attempts intrusions on each network over a four-day period. Teams are evaluated on maintaining services, as well as their efforts at detecting, responding to, and recovering from network security breaches. Students learn IA strategies and risk management techniques. The CDX brings practical experience into the classroom.

I wonder if they still “draw slips and man the boards.” I’ll try to remember to ask Dean Miller when and if he speaks to us at the 60 th.

Luncheon business meeting- we had the required election of officers and once again railroaded the incumbents back into office-Warren Graham 2 nd Co.- president, George Ball 21 st Co.- VP and legal advisor, Bob Ghormley 11 th Co.-treasurer and Dave Carruth 9 th Co.-secretary. Warren suggested that we dedicate a chair to Sumner either at the stadium or in Alumni Hall. A motion was made, seconded and passed. A committee will decide on location and make the arrangements to pay for it. Peter Moore joined us to return the laptop which the Class bought for Sumner to use, precluding his having to move his PC back and forth between Alexandria and RI. Peter said it took him a while to “unMoore” the laptop. All the pictures taken at the luncheon are posted on our home page, but for those of you without computers here are four of them. In order, Rube Prichard and Bob Ghormley; CAPT Tom Logue and Warren Graham; Marie and Bill Chipman and Bob Flood and Nancy Graham.

An email from Henry Wilson 4 th Co. says he attended the Naples-Ft. Myers Chapter luncheon the other day to hear the speaker, CAPT Victor Delano ’41. Victor is a long time friend of Ann and Boyd Sibert 9 th Co. who were also at the luncheon accompanied by Debbie and Don Harvey 5 th Co. Debby and Don from Sarasota were visiting Ann and Boyd. Mary White and Bob Lucy 22 nd Co. were also in attendance. It is good to get inputs on other luncheon activity. Thanks to both Henry and Boyd.

A letter from Rufo Robinson 6 th Co. - “ Florida has been my home base between trips for 14 years. Now I am ready to move close to my family in Southern California to Leasure World in Seal Beach. I have traveled with tour companies to Thailand, Tanzania, and Turkey, and most of the time as an independent in Mexico, Central America and Europe. I will continue to travel half of the time as long as I am in good health. Elizabeth and I will spend four weeks in Torremolinos, Spain before I settle into an apartment in Seal Beach in April or May and she will go to her family in Georgia.”

I invite those of you who have the 50 year book to read Rufo’s biography. Proves you can’t safely predict the future, but perhaps he has always been looking for that place to settle down and plant a garden.

Articles in the Washington Post and the Annapolis Capitol Gazette concerning possible abolition of the Herndon Monument climb has precipitated follow up articles regarding USNA rituals. The last article to which I am privy was in the 17 January Gazette which quoted CDR Ed Austin as saying some version of the climb will take place on May 15 th. Sea Trials, a day of physical and mental exercises designed to test plebes toward the end of their freshman year, will not be open to parents or sponsors this year. Recognition Week for freshmen and their families will be curtailed. Plebe Parents dinner and the welcome parade have been discontinued.

Things are achangin’

DOES ANYONE OUT THERE REMEMBER WHO REACHED THE TOP OF THE HERNDON MONUMENT IN 1945?

Ben Moore 10 th Co. left us on 4 January ’08 and the following is from the Annapolis Capitol of 6 January ’08-The loss of one of Annapolis’s most dedicated athletes means that the streets will be a little quieter, missing the familiar pitter-patter of his running shoes smacking the pavement.

Ben Moore, Annapolis’ godfather of running, died Thursday. He was 82. He was a Naval Academy graduate, retired Marine colonel, founding father of the Annapolis Striders, namesake of Moore’s Marines, and competitor in approximately 65 marathons. Friends, colleagues and athletes he coached describe him as a man whose love for running was infectious.

He will be missed by many. Our condolences to Betty and family.

Hugh Rardin 22 nd Co. funeral service on January 10 th in the Academy Chapel was well attended by the Class and very well done. The highlight of the service was in my opinion Carolyn’s eulogy to Hugh on the back of the bulletin which I share.

“Though he left active duty after only twelve years of fairly constant sea duty, he never left the Navy in his heart. He went on to retirement in the Reserve and loved every minute of his service. At the beginning of his civilian career, he would set the alarm for 4:00 a.m. and try to tell himself that not having to stand a deck watch made it all worthwhile. He loved his sea stories, his classmates, the midshipmen we sponsored, the reunions, those great old Homecoming parties in Dahlgren Hall, and all the memories, good and bad.

His poker buddies called him “The Quiet Man,” and he was. A very private man. Fifty years of togetherness never really let me into his heart of hearts. I once asked him why he never told me he loved me. He replied, “I told you I loved you when I asked you to marry me, If there are any changes, I’ll let you know.” But he was my “true north” and though now I’m rudderless, he did everything he could to make sure I wouldn’t run aground.

All the bad things disappeared with his last breath. He was one special guy, and he made me special by wanting me for his own. He reveled in always being right, and while I hated to admit it, he was.

He didn’t want to go. The morning of his death he said, “Not yet.” But God had made his plan and carried it out.

So many of his classmates, and friends left this year. I like to think he’s enjoying his celestial tailgate…and saving a parking place for me.”

Absolutely beautiful Carolyn!

I’ve found it interesting to read through the notes many of you sent in with your responses to the registration for the 60 th. Quite-a-few were comments on why the writer would not be attending but Laurens Dorsey 22 nd Co. is, like many of you, interested in genealogy and wrote about his family. Around 1621-1700 they began to settle in Virginia, Maryland and Massachusetts. Dorsey sold land and Dorsey Creek to the U.S. Government for purposes of building a “ Naval School” circa 1845. The Dorsey family founded much of Annapolis and its institutions including the layout of Annapolis, the Church, St John’s College, Maryland House of Burgesses, and the jail. We are all aware of the Dorsey on the Tripolitan Monument.

Laurens has a much tighter connection to the Academy than just being a graduate.

Nostalgia- I have acquired from somewhere and just found again a document titled “BUDGET and ADMINISTRATION OF MIDSHIPMEN’S PAY for Fiscal Year 1947. I’m going to start it this time and will continue in the next column. I think you will find it most interesting.

The midshipmen’s pay is used to provide the necessary articles of uniform, textbooks and equipment, essential personal service, personal items of recreation, and officer’s uniforms and equipment when commissioned. As a midshipman is, in a qualified sense, an officer in the Navy none of the above mentioned items is furnished by the government. It thus becomes the duty of those in authority to administer a midshipman’s pay in such a manner that all midshipmen are uniformly equipped and have an equal opportunity to exercise individual discretion over certain personal expenditures within the limits prescribed.

This gets better so stay tuned.