I must presume that the election and pressures of the upcoming holiday season have kept you from corresponding because I have nothing in my files from which to assemble a column.  This will be a short one.

One item I can report, Phil Rogers 9th Co. has been working for some time on a plaque proposed for Hopper Hall.  In the process he has been consulting with Tom Hayward 21st Co. and together they have submitted the plaque to the Superintendent asking that it be considered for installation in that building.  This is the second effort on Phil’s part to leave a visible footprint of the Class of ’48 in the Yard.  The plaque is 24” x 18” with the ’48 Class crest at the top, followed by the following:

The U.S. Naval Academy takes pleasure in recognizing the vision of the Class of 1948 and its creation of an Information Technology endowment that provided for the development of the Information Technology curriculum and the academic degree.

In addition, the core subjects of the IT curriculum were used to develop a new course of study and a degree in Cyber Operations to which this building is dedicated.

Scribe’s note:  Hopper Hall construction is scheduled for completion in the fall of 2019 but many of us will not have the pleasure of seeing the plaque even if it’s installation is approved so I thought you should be aware of what has been proposed.  Thanks Phil and Tom.

Except for obits, that uses up what I have for the column so now I’m going to give you Class news from your scribe.  Our son and his wife, Steve and Ricki, have finally made the long anticipated move from Charleston SC to West Virginia near Snowshoe to the “cabin” they’ve been building for about 10 years.  I put “cabin” in quotes because it now has more living area than my house.  Steve is an Eagle Scout and we teased him for years about wanting his own scout camp.  He got it when he bought fifty plus acres in WV.  Both he and Ricki fell in love with WV while he was earning his masters at WVU in Morgantown.  What follows though is something all hands should consider if planning a move to an off the beaten path such as the backwoods of WV.  At Thanksgiving the family was skiing at Snowshoe when a snowboarder ran over Ricki.  The accident really did a number on one of her knees.  They went to an orthopedist; the closest one was 3 ½ hours from their house.  He did what he could but said he needed a CAT scan and an MRI.  That required approval of their insurance (ACA) so they went home, buying a wheel chair on the way.   Approval took a week plus.   They went back to the orthopedist, spent the night, and the next day the decision was made for surgery.  Home again then to the surgeon in Morgantown, 2 ½ hours away.  Another RON then home.  Ricki goes back this week to have stitches etc removed and get a reading on how good the surgery was or wasn’t.  Presuming “good” she now faces 10 to 12 weeks before she can ski again, which she says she will do as soon as cleared by her surgeon.  By the time you read this we hope she is on the slopes.  Just to keep Ricki busy in the meantime she is helping her daughter plan a wedding for June or July.  Life is not boring for the WV Carruths.  Oh yes, our daughter and her husband have bought land in WV and are designing and building a house within walking distance of Steve’s place.

          Time to note the passing of Classmates and wives.
          Classmates:
          5th Co.  Arnold, W.S.M.          12/10/16 *
          20th Co. DeAndrade, W.H.      10/19/16
          1st Co.   Small, W.N.               12/9/16 *
          2nd Co.  Hanlon, Kevin            12/25/16 # *

• bio in 30 year book,  # in 50 year book

Wife:
Rees, Nancy 9/21/15, Wife of Walt Rees (Deceased 5th Co).  Nancy graduated from Cornell where she belonged to the Kappa Delta Sorority.  She was very active in the First United Methodist Church, belonged to United Methodist Women and the Lilac Garden Club.  She enjoyed her faith, travel, bird watching and gardening.  (Note that Nancy passed away in 2015).

I made a final check to see if I had overlooked any input from you but to no avail.  My next deadlines are 30 Jan. and 27 Feb. both of which will have come and gone by the time you read this.  I hope to have some input in time for either of these.