On February 3rd, a group of classmates gathered at the Washington Omni Shoreham to attend the 101st Carabao Wallow.  In attendance were: Robin Pirie (Acting SECNAV) at the head table, Dan Peckham, Bill Smith, Ted Parker, Bob Fountain and Denny Sullivan.  It was an evening of good food, drink, camaraderie, comedy, patriotism, and all-around good time.  It is a special event - the next Wallow will be held on February 2nd, 2002. (PHOTO #1, “’55 Wallowers”)

Gary Snyder did a super job of picture-taking during the 45th Reunion.  He arranged for the official photographer, took pictures himself, and conscientiously prodded us to gather for group photos.  As a consequence, we have some memorable moments captured on film.  I will include as many as possible with the column in the months ahead. (PHOTO #2,“Soccer Jocks at 45th”; PHOTO #3,“1st Co. at 45th”; PHOTO #4,“2nd Co. at 45th”; PHOTO #5,“3rd Co. at 45th”;PHOTO #6, “Jerry & Ann Nay”; PHOTO #7, “Tom & Julia Lapham”; PHOTO #8,“JD & Fran Everett”; PHOTO #9,“Don & Ginny Conner; PHOTO #10,“Ace & Bumpsy Davis”; PHOTO #11,“Ted & Anne Parker”)

FOR ALL 13th COMPANY BEAVERS:  There is going to be a 13th Co. Reunion next Fall for all the Classes of the 50’s – from 1951 to 1959 (and any other years that want to attend).  It will be on October 13th, Homecoming Weekend, and a party is planned after the football game with Rice.  Other gatherings may be scheduled as well. Vince Manara ’52, Denny Sullivan ’55, and Dave Cooper ’57 are the points of contact.  More information will be disseminated on the’55 Listserv and in this column when plans are firm.

Fred Tolleson writes:

Enclosed is a picture of Nancy & Don Kellerman, Cyd & Fred Tolleson at theTexas State Society Black Tie and Boots Inaugural Ball for President George W.Bush.  We didn’t see any other classmates but we did have a chance to chat with Ann & Ted Parker’s lovely daughter, Emily.  It was quite a “hoe-down”.  I guess only Texans could bring a longhorn steer and brahma bull into a hotel ballroom! (PHOTO #12, “ At Inaugural Ball”)

Ann & Ted Parker held their Annual Potluck Dinner after the Navy-Colgate basketball game on 27 January at their lovely home in Annapolis.  The usual Washington/Annapolis group attended, including: Margot & Gary Snyder with trailer in tow (enroute to a Florida vacation); Alice & Don Sturtz down from their home in Lewes, DE; Patricia & Kent Drummond, transplanted Texans, living in Gaithersburg, MD, and Stewart White, the artist who did our “Cold War” mural. (PHOTO #13, “Patricia & Kent Drummond”)

Lynne & Ned Floyd passed through Ventura County, Calif. on their return trip from the San Francisco bay area to their home in San Diego, and they stopped to have an Italian Dinner with '55ers in the Channel Islands area. Attendees included:Celina & Ed McHale, Ray Medeiros & Barbara Obinger, Irene & Burt Munger, and Pinky & Norm Palladino. (PHOTO #14,“Pinky & Norm Palladino, Irene & Burt Munger”; PHOTO #15, “Celina & Ed McHale, Lynne Floyd”; PHOTO #16, “Ned Floyd, Ray Medeiros & friend”)

HEARD IT ON THE GRAPEVINE (’55 Listserv).  Tom State has started another memory jogging exercise about long-ago incidents, ala laundry numbers, juice lab power outages, class statistics, major screw-ups, etc.  “At the reunion, fellow 8th Co. mate Buddy Parker presented me with the long-lost door nameplates for two of my roommates. Apparently they had exited Mother B in haste after graduation, and Buddy salvaged the plates before he left.  Dutifully, I forwarded said nameplates on to their owners and forgot about it.  Then, last week or so, a news clip about telephones being installed in midshipman rooms triggered the memory of a related incident. Remember the phone booths in the 3rd wing just down the hall from the Main Office? And how us Mids queued up at 2150 each night waiting to call home after study hour? Well, one night the line was forming, but in the room across the hall a mild dispute was abuilding. Push literally came to shove and one guy put his shoulder down and drove the other guy through the glass pane in the door.  Fortunately, sort of, there was wire mesh embedded in the glass. Nonetheless the glass exploded into the hallway in a million pieces, and the wire mesh was molded into the contours of the rear end of the party of the second part.  The Mids in the line were stunned to speechlessness (literally) by this sudden outburst.  In total silence the door slowly opened and one occupant came out, checked around and, seeing neither a deck MOD nor any movement out of the Main Office, calmly turned around and changed the "In Charge of Room" tag from his name to that of another roommate.  At this point the Mids in the phone line cracked up.”  Larry Frost reported that on September 7 and 8, the USNA Class of '26 will celebrate their seventy-fifth anniversary, and Ward LeHardy (USMA'56) has encouraged those of us whose fathers graduated with that class to attend along with whoever of the remaining 16 graduates will be able to be there.  “I expect to attend, and I was wondering if other Class of '26 juniors plan to do so also. There are a good many of you out there, and I would appreciate it if you would please let me know your intentions.I will share the results of my survey with you.”  Larry can be contacted at (804) 589-5750 or LWFrost@aol.com.

TAPS.  It is with great sadness that I inform about the death of two of our classmates. Peet Odgers reported that Wayne K. Shanahan, LtCol, USAF (Ret), 13th Company, passed away on 27 January as a result of complications following exploratory colon surgery.  Shanny completed twenty years of honorable service in the USAF as a pilot, engineer and Program Manager. His two children were at his side at the time of his death. Peet joined his family in bidding him farewell with full military honors at the Veterans Cemetery, Cave Creek, AZ on Friday, 2 February.  Francis (Frank) J. Farino, Captain, USN (Ret), passed away peacefully January 22, 2001, surrounded by his family and friends following a courageous battle with cancer.  A Mass of the Resurrection was held at St. Nicholas Catholic Church in Virginia Beach on Thursday, January 25th. In addition, a chapel service was conducted on February 7th at Fort Myers Chapel at Arlington National Cemetery followed by burial with full military honors and a gathering afterwards at the Fort Myers Officers’ Club. Many classmates and friends attended both services.  Frank is survived by his wife of 45 years, Gwen Preston Farino, two daughters, three sons, eleven grandchildren, two sisters, one brother, as well as a host of other family members and special friends.

Class Membership in Alumni Association: Annual - 34%, Life - 35%.
 
 

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