The Class has fifty two birthdays in the months of November and December.  16 of us reach 88; 19 of us reach 89; 13 reach 90 and 4 cross the line to 91.  Time marches on and I wish each of us a HAPPY BIRTHDAY.  Speaking for myself, I never gave it any thought, but had someone asked me how long I thought I would live I don’t think I would have replied 90 plus years.  As some astute individual has said, “Birthdays are wonderful.  The more you have the longer you live.”

Betty’s birthday was the sixth of Sept. and her family managed to make the celebration last a whole week.  Our daughter drove us over to West Virginia to see the fifteen acres she and her husband just bought and plan to build on in the next two years.  It is on top of a heavily wooded ridge with a jaw dropping view.  It is also within about a twenty-minute walk through the woods to our son’s West Virginia home.   We stayed there for two nights and saw the work he and his wife are doing to expand that dwelling to which they intend to move from Charleston, SC sometime in the next two years.  When that work is completed their home will have more living space than we currently have.  While there we had a party for Betty.  After we returned to Washington I gave Betty a brunch with our daughter and her husband and we then attended the Cirque du Soleil performance of Ama Luna, which both Betty and Sharon say is the best they have seen.  We’ve seen every performance of the Cirque here in the Washington area.  Betty says it was one of the best weeks of her life.

You will recall that when the Class gave a two million dollar endowment to the Academy for Information Technology (IT) the money went to the Alumni Association then to the Foundation (for management).  Part of that money was to support an award each year to the midshipman with the highest grades in IT.  In 2013 it was decided that what we were giving needed to be increased to $1000 and it was done for that year.  For the 2014 award the Foundation told us that by their rules we couldn’t make the award.  We solved that problem by taking the money out of our “flower/memorial” fund.  That got Warren Graham 2nd Co. scrambling to get our agreement changed to cover this award.  Excerpts from the new agreement are as follows:

The ENDOWMENT FUND will henceforth be known as “The Class of 1948 Endowment for Information Operations,” and shall continue to carry account number 824800.

The CLASS intends that the purposes of the ENDOWMENT FUND be now broadened to include support for a range of Information Operations and associated technology programs at the Naval Academy, including but not limited to the study of the field of Information Operations, the CLASS recognizes and agrees that the Naval Academy’s needs in this field will evolve in the coming years.

The ENDOWMENT FUND shall support, for a minimum period of 10 years, an annual “Class of 1948 Award in Information Technology.”  This shall be a cash award, in the amount of $1,000, given to the graduating Naval Academy midshipman majoring in Information Technology with the highest overall academic average (Cumulative QPR).  In consultation with the Naval Academy and the FOUNDATION, the CLASS may increase the amount of the award to account for inflation at a future date.

Scribe’s note:  There are five pages to this new agreement.  If any of you wish to read the whole thing let me know and I will send you a copy.  It has resolved, among other things, the problem with our annual award.  Well-done Warren.

Finally, the latest financial information I have for our fund covers 7/1/12-6/30/13 and shows a market value of $2,003,433 and that support to USNA in FY 13
was $72,994.

While we are on the subject of money, Charlie Mertz  13th Co. reported at the last luncheon that the “memorial” fund as of 9/12/14 has a balance of $5,070.44 and he may soon have to ask for contributions.

Bob McClinton 11th Co. proudly reports that his boat INTREPID as of 9/18/14 has donated $8,080.00 to Hospice this racing season.  BRAVO ZULU to Bob and his crew.  The boat is, in my opinion, doing wonderful things for Bob’s continued good health.  We should all be so fortunate.

In the last column I commented on our intention to decide on future Washington-Annapolis luncheons timing and location.  Thirty-four of us, including Ann and Boyd Sibert 9th Co. from Naples, FL, gathered on 12 Sept.  It was a great get together but we reached no decision.  My impression was that those attending would really like to see things continue as before but they also recognize that attendance is dropping off.  I was impressed by the number from Annapolis, but still believe the 50 plus miles is a long drive in our local traffic for people in their nineties.  Anyway, I believe we will drop back to two planned luncheons a year, one here at Army-Navy in Sept. and one at Pirate’s Cove in April.  Since those both entail “long” drives, we’ll see?

A note from Angus McDonald 7th Co. on Aug. 3rd:

I have just returned from a family reunion at Kossow Lodge, a lakeside resort in Raymond, Maine.  Eighteen of us showed up for the occasion.  One of the events was day trip to Monhegan Island off the Maine coast.  While there most of us visited the art museum at the top of the hill where one could view works of the American masters of the early 1900s.  It was well worth the steep climb.

  Scribe’s note: At least some of us are still travelling and are able to make a climb.  Of course you’ll remember that Angus just did a parachute jump.  Keep active folks.

          A note from Helen Orr on 17 Sept:

We are currently vacationing at my youngest daughter’s condo at the foot of Mt. Hood.  Great weather here at the time—they need rain especially to help with the wild fire just south of us sending a bit of smoke in our direction.  Ralph (Alzheimer’s) and I will be here another week before we drive home, a 3-day sojourn of a little over 1400 miles.  Think Arizona is getting a bit more rain while we are gone-good for Scottsdale, but not the communities just south and west of us in the Valley.  August was wedding fun for us—Montana for Ralph’s grandson and North San Diego County for my middle daughter’s eldest son.  Flew to MT but drove to CA—prefer driving when we can work within the time limits given us.

If you look at the luncheon pictures on our home page you will see that Bob Flood 18th Co. is wearing a sling.  That’s because he had just had surgery to replace his pacemaker.  All seemed to be well and we were glad to see both he and Judy.

Since the last column I have learned of the passing of four Classmates and five wives.
          Classmates:
          23rd Co.  Benton, J.H.                          9/4/14  *
           4th   Co.  Conable, J.H.                        9/23/14 *
           2nd  Co. Gleason, L.E.                         8/2/14
          11th Co.  Stickel, R.H.                          8/4/14
                   * Bio in 50 Yr. book
          Wives:
          Benton, Marjorie  1/18/13
         “Em” graduated from USC and was a member of Alpha Delta Pi sorority. She was a member of the The Junior League of Baton Rouge, Questors Book Club, Rebels Dance Club and Ramblers Dance Club, and she played bridge with the same ladies for 50 years.  She also played tennis weekly with her lady friends into her 80s.  She loved reading, cooking, entertaining and growing roses.  Joe and Em raised four children.

          Clegg, Pauline   9/5/13 wife of Bill Clegg 17th Co. 
          Pauline was a Navy lieutenant and nurse who in civilian life taught prospective nurses proper patient care.  She retired from the Toledo Public Schools after a decade teaching in the practical nursing program, which she eventually led.  For more than 20 years, she taught critical-care skills to student nurses at the St. Vincent School of Nursing.  She earned two degrees, a master of education, and an education specialist.  Bill and Polly raised a son and a daughter both of whom are medical doctors.

          McDowell, Mimi 7/14/14  wife of Dave McDowell (deceased) 4th Co.
          Mimi was a very active volunteer in Plattsburg serving on several charitable boards including Women’s Auxiliary, Planned Parenthood, the Kent Delord House Garden Club and helped form the local league of women voters.  Dave and Mimi raised four children, 3 boys and a girl.
          Oliver, Mary Jane 9/7/14 wife of Jim Oliver 16th Co.
          Mary Jane was an elementary school teacher.  She raised goats and was well known for the cheese she made from their milk.  She was certified in Chinese cooking and was an Annapolis Tour Guide.  Jim and Mary raised three children, two boys and a girl.

          Rogers, Patsy  9/22/14 wife of Phil Rogers 9th Co.
          Patsy’s life was one of devotion to her family and service to her community.  During her life in Annapolis, beginning in 1972, she was head of the Hammond Harwood House Auxiliary for 11 years, a member of Hammond Harwood House Board of Trustees, and was elected an honorary member in 1996.  She was a member of the Managers of the Christ Child Society of Annapolis and served in the Anne Arundel Medical Center Auxiliary for 36 years, accumulating over 6500 hours of service.  Phil and Patsy raised four children, three boys and a girl.

We will miss each of these friends and Classmates.

Bill (William F.) Jones 11th Co. sent me an email, actually it was sent to me by his daughter Bonnie, to bring us up to date on his life:

After graduation from the Naval Academy in ’47, I served on the final ESSEX class carrier built.  We made countless Caribbean cruises, always stopping in Guantanamo, and two six-month deployments to the Med. – visiting many ports and seeing almost all ports of interest.  We were almost always on alert for an attack by the Soviet Union, but it was peaceful.

In 1950 we moved to San Diego just in time for the Korean War and were in action after picking up planes in Hawaii including the first Navy jets to see action in a war.  In December I received orders to proceed to Washington to learn the Russian language.  I completed the course, qualified as an interpreter of Russian and spent 3 years at NSA where I met my future wife.  She was born in PA but spent 15 years in Eastern Canada.  We were married in 1953 and had a very happy life until she passed – 50 years together.  We had two daughters, both are married with Sally living in Plano, Texas and Bonnie in Rochester.  I have one grandson, Jeffrey, a Lieutenant in the Navy and a Submarine Officer currently completing a duty assignment in Bahrain.

I continue to live in Rochester at River Edge Manor where I have lived for the past 8 years.  I have a very nice apartment and have enjoyed the other residents and activities here over the years.

Scribe’s note:  I have said before that I view my job with this column to be assembly of information you send me to tell your Classmates how things are going in your life.  If you don’t send me anything it is a very difficult job and I wold prefer not to produce a column with my personal experiences.  One thing you could do, “selfies” seem to be the coolest thing folks can do now, so pick up your cell phone, take a selfie (or a regular camera picture if you prefer) and send it to me.  I can make a column of lots of pictures and a little verbiage.  Anyway,  HELP.  Dave