|
THE UNITED
STATES NAVAL ACADEMY
CLASS OF 1955 CLASS
CORRESPONDENCE
Updated 2/5/09 OUR CLASS HAS THE LISTSERVE AND THE MESSAGE BOARD BUT NOW WE ARE ADDING THIS SECTION FOR CLASS CORRESPONDENCE THAT JUST DOESN'T SEEM TO FIT ANYWHERE. IT WILL BE ON A TRIAL BASIS SO YOU ARE ENCOURAGED TO COMMENT TO ANY OF THE CLASS OFFICERS OR YOUR WEBMASTER. NORM PALLADINO |
| Published in the Dallas Morning News on
9/26/2008:
Paul Raymond Manikowski, 75, of Dallas, TX, passed away on September 20 at his home after a lengthy and hard fought battle with cancer. Paul was born on June 10, 1933 in Corning, NY, the son of the late Matthew Manikowski and Dagmar Shield Manikowski. He graduated from The Naval Academy in 1955, served four years in the Navy after graduation, and worked at IBM for 25 years. Paul has been active in Alcoholics Anonymous since 1994 and has touched many people through sponsorship and service work. He was an avid Navy, Green Bay Packers and Dallas Stars fan. Paul is survived by his wife Paulla of Dallas; four sons, Ray Manikowski of NYC and Michael, Eric and Chris Manikowski of Atlanta; two daughters, Paula and Kathleen Manikowski of NYC; and his loyal and loving Westie, Sam. The Celebration of Life service will be held in the chapel at Fellowship Bible Church of Dallas, Park Lane and 75, on Saturday, September 27, at 2:00 p.m. The family requests that no flowers or plants be sent. Memorial contributions in Paul's name can be made to Vitas Hospice Charitable Fund, 8585 N. Stemmons, Suite 700 South, Dallas, TX 75247. Subject: Shipmate Input Date: Fri, 19 Sep 2008 07:20:04 EDT From: Snydergl55@aol.com To: 4dbfield@cyberwind.net Gary L Snyder 188 Rainbow Drive, #8823 Livingston, Texas 77399 Email snydergl55@aol.com Tel 610-360-6745 Tel 610-653-2957 We are just finishing the first three months of living in our apartment in the Willow Valley Retirement Communities in Lancaster, PA. WVRC is a Life Care Facility, also known as a Total Care Facility. That means that even though your health degrades to the point where you require skilled nursing, your monthly maintenance fee does not increase. We actually took possession of the apartment on November 30, 2007. We moved our furniture and oriental rugs into the apartment, locked the door and headed south in our RV for six months. We started living here on June 14, 2008. The address is 400 Willow Valley Square, Apt GA 201, Lancaster, PA 17602. Our official address is still Texas, however. We looked into numerous such facilities before deciding on Willow Valley. In fact we had been on the waiting list of one for several years. Getting set up in such a facility became a higher priority starting in June 2007 when Margo fell and broke her wrist. The prestigious Hershey Medical Center did not properly care for her and we went to The University of Pennsylvania for repair of the original beak and the subsequent damage to her wrist. She now has a metal plate and nine screws in the left wrist. I wonder if the metal detectors at the airport will detect it. There is little doubt in our minds that WVRC is the best of the Total Care Facilities which we studied. Interestingly, it is also the most inexpensive for comparable units. The variety of units here is extensive. They range from one bedroom apartments to 3600 square foot homes. The infrastructure is also extensive, the physical facility is elaborate and grand, and the educational and social programs available to you extend into nearly every facet of your life If anyone is considering such a move, we think WVRC should be among those which you consider. There are numerous USNA grads living here, including three fifty-fivers; George McMurtry, Bob McDaniel, and me. Another grad I know personally is Jack Brons ’59. My son, Glenn ’82, married Jack’s daughter, Betsy. There are nine grads from the Class of 1952. I do not know how to identify others but it likely there are quite a few. I had back surgery on June 18. It was hoped that the pain I had been experiencing (extreme at times) would be eliminated. Indeed, for several weeks there was no pain. It has returned, however, and the situation is worse because I used to get relief almost instantly by sitting or lying down. Now I have nearly constant pain. It does diminish somewhat at times. Lots of testing was performed this past week. My spine was examined with numerous x-rays, a CT scan, and an MRI. I see the surgeon again, soon, at The University of Pennsylvania. More surgery is just over the horizon, I expect. Assuming that I regain the ability to walk pain free, in December we plan to go south until it becomes warm here in the north, probably in June. We are able to store our RV just about a mile away which is very convenient. The USNAAA Recreational Chapter has numerous gatherings (called Comearounds) throughout the year and we try to attend many of them. Mostly they are in the east because most chapter members are from the eastern part of the country. Each year is started with a week-long Comearound in Key West in early February. Our first significant stop when we travel south is Jekyll Island, GA, for the month of January. Sometimes we spend two months there. Margo and I encourage anyone passing through Lancaster to give us a call. Number 610-360-6745 works well. Classmates and SOCAL friends of USNA '55, October 14, 2008 Relayed with pleasure for Roger & Jo Coffey <rcoffey21@cox.net> by Ned Floyd. My SOCAL email directory is dated and has not been exercised recently. Please cut me some slack and bring me up to speed on correct email addresses where needed. GO NAVY, Ned Floyd
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Jo and I are good for hosting the next three Navy games on the CBS College Sports (CBSC) network, October 18 and 25 and November 1. Pittsburg, SMU and Temple. They are all listed as 12:30 PDT starts. Forward this to your list please. The address is 3340 Del Sol Blvd, Space 231 in the San Diego South Bay. If you haven't been here before, access is easy via either 5 or 805 to 905. Exit 905 to the north on Beyer Blvd, then right on Del Sol. We are in Ocean Bluffs. The gate code is 1379, the four corners. Enter, take the first left, second right to 231and park on the sidewalk side of the street.  We would appreciate an RSVP to 619-428-5120 or <rcoffey21@cox.net> for games 1,2, 3, any or all, but if you decide late that you and spouse, or friend, are in the area and want to drop in, come on by and join the fun. Beat Army, (and Pitt, SMU, and Temple) Roger and Jo Coffey The following email exchange between Fred McLaren and the Military History folks will be most interesting to classmates especially those of us following our intrepid Ocean Explorer's possible forthcoming full involvement in locating the Bonhomme Richard off Flamborough Head on the Northern U.K. coast. Dan Butterfield Thanks, I spoke with Stephen Harden today and I’m sending him a review copy by UPS today. Take Care. Shana Subject: Fwd: Query From Military History Magazine For information! Needless to say, I agreed! Fred McLaren Subj: Query From Military History Magazine Dr. McLaren: I'm a senior editor at Military History magazine, and I'd like to invite you to be the subject of a Q&A interview in our January-February 2009 issue. The interview would cover several topics, including your experiences in the Navy, your work as an explorer, and your views on the military importance of the Arctic, among others. We would also highlight your book "Unknown Waters." If you agree to the interview, I would submit to you ‹ in advance ‹ a list of 20-25 questions. We would then conduct the interview by telephone. Military History is one of 11 titles published by the Leesburg, Virginia-based Weider History Group, the United States' largest publisher of history magazines. In addition to being an editor at WHG, I am also a writer specializing in maritime topics. My most recent book is "Great Liners at War" (www.amazon.com/Great-Liners-War-Stephen-Harding/dp/0752442317). I hope you will consider working with us, and I look forward to hearing from you. Steve Harding Senior Editor Military History (703) 779-8312 I think we'll be hearing a lot more on Fred's involvement in finding the Bonhomme Richard. Dan Not quite there yet with regard to just where and when we will join in. But will do all that you advise once we become solidly involved. Will be starting with Clive Cussler first, because he is a good friend and he knows we have much to bring to the table. Best regards, Fred Now that's beyond terrific, Fred. Fred, would you do me (and the Class) a big favor and start chronicling every communication, photo, trip, meeting, etc. so that when you have finally accomplished the Bohomme Richard Project (a la Bob Ballard's Titanic) then it can all from beginning ... which is NOW... to end be turned into a documentary, book, and eventually movie for which we all can be very proud! Besides that you will be able to send me on a regular basis little anecdotal clips which I'll insert into an on-going Shipmate feature and '55 website "progress" report. Wow! What an opportunity. 'the best, Dan Dear Dan, I just received word from Dr. Jim Delgado, president of the Institute of Nautical Archaeology at Texas A&M (founded by Dr. George Bass, the "Father of Marine Archaeology") that I have been unanimously elected to their Board of Directors. This is a "biggy" in my field! For your information, we at Sub Aviator Systems LLC (www.subaviators.com) have begun talking with a number of those involved/previously involved in the search for the Bonhomme Richard to see where we might best assist. Will keep you informed! Best regards, Fred Alfred S. McLaren Captain, USN (Ret.), Ph.D. Director and Senior Pilot Sub Aviator Systems LLC (www.subaviators.com) PO Box 3120 Nederland, Colorado 80466-3120 (303) 447-0608/(646) 352-2614 alfredsmclaren@aol.com To all, Wouldn't it be terrific if our own undersea explorer, Fred McLaren, could get involved and locate the Bonhomme Richard. Wow! 'the best, Dan Subject: Explorers Club dinner to honor Jim Fowler and
Fred McLaren Saturday February 21, 2009
To all '55 Classmates,
If any USNA classmates are in the Naples, Florida,
area, they would be most welcome to attend subject dinner.
Jim Fowler, formerly of Martin Perkin's "Wild Kingdom"
is an internationally known conservationist and former Honorary President of The
Explorers Club (www.explorers.org, of which I was president from 1996 to 2000. Colonel Gerry Bass
USAF (Ret.) heads the South West Florida Chapter of The Explorers Club and was a
former test pilot.
I will also be the featured speaker at the MOTE Marine
Lab's "Monday at MOTE" (Sarasota, Florida) the evening of Monday, 23
February 2009.
Finally, I will be speaking to the Fort Lauderdale,
Florida Navy League the evening of 12 November 2008 (next
month).
My book, Unknown Waters, will be
available for purchase and signing/inscription at all three
events.
Any classmates that will/might be in the area would be
most welcome to attend any of these events. They would just need to contact me
directly at: alfredsmclaren@aol.com or (303) 447-0608.
Best regards,
Fred
McLaren The text below is a newspaper article sent to Dan Butterfield by the USNAAA Communications Director. Like Father, Like Son For Former Navy Stars - Joseph A. Gattuso '55 and Joseph A. Gattuso '78 8 Dec 08 - Joe Gattuso Sr. has fond memories of his days on the football team at the U.S. Naval Academy. Gattuso, a Paulsboro High School graduate, played for the Midshipmen in the 1950s and was the team's leading rusher for two seasons. He even led them to an upset win over Mississippi in the 1955 Sugar Bowl. While that win was one of the many highlights of his football career, the one game his team got up for each and every season was Army. The Army-Navy game, one of the biggest rivalry games in all of sports, is the one both sides can't wait for all season long. The 109th edition of the Army-Navy game will take place at noon Saturday in Philadelphia at Lincoln Financial Field and Gattuso knows the excitement that is in the air right now. "We grew up in that area," said Gattuso, 75, in a telephone interview from his Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., home. "We've always looked at the Army-Navy game as the big highlight of the football season. To be able to play in it was very exciting. And especially having your son (Joe Gattuso Jr.) play in it was twice as exciting." His son, who graduated from Kingsway High School, also had a standout career for the Midshipmen as a running back, so the two can reminisce about their playing days, particularly those Army-Navy games. "It's different than any other game," Gattuso Jr. said. "This game, whether you're playing it on the Navy side or the Army side, everybody on that field has committed a certain portion of their lives to serve their country. That's not the same thing as every other game. You step on that field with those guys and there's a brotherhood that you don't have at any other time." Back in 1954, Gattuso Sr.'s Navy team upset Army 27-20, winning for the fourth time in five years. Later on that same season, Gattuso led his team to a 21-0 win over Southeastern Conference champion Mississippi in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1, 1955, when he rushed for 111 yards on 16 carries and scored two touchdowns in front of 83,000 people in New Orleans. Gattuso received the Warren Miller Trophy as the game's MVP. Asked if that game topped the Army games in terms of memories, Gattuso said no way. "Army was in a class all by itself," he said with a chuckle. "We just dreamed of playing in that game. Nothing challenged that as an athletic thrill." The elder Gattuso graduated from the academy in 1955. He and his wife of 54 years, Gilda, also a Paulsboro grad, retired to Florida in 1996. They have three children, Joe, Kimberly and Doug. Joe Gattuso, Sr., who is in the Gloucester County Hall of Fame, led Navy in rushing in 1953 (412 yards) and 1954 (636 yards), while his son led the team in rushing in 1976 (591 yards) and 1977 (1,292 yards). Entering this season, Gattuso Jr. was ninth on Navy's all-time career rushing chart. He rushed for 1,890 yards from 1975 to 1977. It took more than 30 years, but just this season, Navy's slot back Shun White and fullback Eric Kettani passed him, dropping Gattuso Jr. out of the top 10. Both Gattusos were awarded the prestigious Thompson Trophy during their time at Navy, which is bestowed on the best athlete in the class. Gattuso, Sr., who also was a two-time bronze medalist in the NCAA Wrestling Tournament in 1954 and 1955, won the trophy in 1955, while his son received the honor in 1978. "It was especially meaningful for me to do what I did and then to have my son do almost the same kind of thing," Gattuso Sr. said. Gattuso Jr. remembers seeing his father's trophies when he was 4 years old. To be able to follow in his footsteps and play football at Navy was a dream come true. "To have been able to play there was the fulfillment of a major dream," said Gattuso, Jr., a married father of three children who resides in Moyock, N.C. "Life doesn't get any better after that. What else can you do? It does draw a bond between father and son." Records: Navy (7-4); Army (3-8) Series: Navy leads 52-49-7 and has won the last six meetings. Last year: Navy won 38-3. THE BELLINGHAM HERALD. POSTED: Saturday, Jan. 17, 2009 After a six-month hiatus, Bellingham's Heritage Flight Museum reopened Saturday, Jan. 17 in its brand-new building on the 4100 block of Mitchell Way at the Bellingham International Airport with its collection of historic fighter planes, pilot memorabilia and a visit from the museum's founder - a walking piece of history himself. Bill Anders, who founded the museum in 1996, was one of the first people to orbit the moon as one of three astronauts who flew on the Apollo 8 mission in 1968. Now retired and living on Orcas Island, Anders donated most of the planes featured in the museum, said Hal Beatty, a mechanic with the museum. After a small ceremony to designate the museum's opening, Anders boarded a T-6 Texan "Hog Wild Gunner" with his son Greg, a retired pilot for the Idaho Air National Guard, in the pilot's seat and flew back to Orcas Island. "For me, it's awe-inspiring," Beatty said. "The guy in the back seat went around the moon." The new location will provide the museum with new opportunities for its future, program director Kate Simmons said. The group had lost its lease at its former site. Currently, the museum is only open on the third Saturday of every month, but its staff and volunteers are considering opening more frequently if they can attract the foot traffic to justify the longer hours, Simmons said. Being on the main road in and out of the airport should help that, Simmons said. "This is kind of a soft opening so people know where we are," Simmons said. "We want to get a read on when people are coming. (The museum) certainly hasn't been tapped into its full potential." For now, the staff and volunteers that operate the museum will be adjusting to life in the new facility, Simmons said. She said she expects the will be a grander celebration when everything's settled, possibly by this spring. Until then, Whatcom County residents will have the opportunity - albeit a limited one - to enjoy the museum's collections, soak in a small slice of American aviation history and enjoy demonstrations of pilots taking off and landing in the historic planes, Simmons said. "It's unusual to have a flying collection that's regularly flown," Simmons said. "I can't wait. It's going to be a real museum" PS...check out the http://www.heritageflight.org/ web site for some of the museum's flying aircraft. |