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Class Notes from the October 2001
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Did you miss last month's class notes? Visit the Shipmate Archive (on the class Web site) or click the To Alumni Only link if you are a current member. If not a current member, refer to bottom of this page. |
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55
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Annual Membership: 34% Life Membership: 35% |
Pres: LCDR Dennis Sullivan, USN (Ret.)
Sec’y: CAPT Thomas G. Kiefaber, USN (Ret.)
11814 Triple Crown Road, Reston, VA 20191
h: 703-758-1077; e: KIEF55@aol.com
http://www.usna.com/classes/1955
From the "Prez," Denny Sullivan
Classmates recently participated in two Plebe Summer ceremonies to kick off the "Link in the Chain" Program, which will enable interaction between our Class and the Class of 2005. It is a new program, begun initially by the Classes of 1950 and 2000. Over the past few years, it has gained status and cohesion, and this year, VADM John Ryan ’67, the Superintendent, formally asked us to participate. A small group of our Class attended the Induction Day ceremonies on 29 June when the new Plebes took their Oath of Office. The next Plebe Summer event was Reaffirmation Day on 11 August on Worden Field. At this ceremony, which was part of Plebe Parents’ Weekend, the new Plebes repeated their Oath following six weeks of rigorous training, after which they more fully comprehend the Oath taken on Induction Day; and they swore to abide by the Honor Concept and the Honor Treatise of the Brigade of Midshipmen following the moral and character development training that had just taken place during Plebe Summer. Twenty-seven Classmates plus spouses and guests attended this function. Hank Mustin spoke to the Plebe Class about the importance of the principles of the Naval Academy—Honor, Integrity, Loyalty, and Moral Courage. After the ceremony, we adjourned for lunch to the Severn Room in Bancroft Hall where we were joined by the Superintendent, VADM John Ryan ’67, and the President of USNA AA, George Watt ’73, and their wives.
The Link in the Chain Program is just a few years old and the summer ceremonies only mark a beginning for ’55. This fall the Class Executive Committee will meet and lay out a program of interaction and bonding with 2005 that will carry through to their graduation. We need input from Classmates as to what they would like to do and how they want to participate. It is a meaningful and worthwhile program, which we hope, will benefit the Class of 2005 and bring satisfaction to many Classmates.
There is a lot going on in the Class right now. The Link in the Chain Program; the Fund Drive and selection of our Class gift for the 50th; planning for the Mini-Reunion in 2003 in San Diego; and our 50th in 2005; and many other events. We do our best to get the word out via Shipmate and the Internet, but we invariably miss a few Classmates. The best way to get information is by using our Class Internet Server, usna55@ithink.com, and our Class Web site www.usna.com/classes/1955, which are ably organized and administered by Carl Stang and Norm Palladino, respectively. Our Internet communications are usually timely, frank, and succinct. I encourage all who have the capability to get our net and also to use the ’55 Web pages—a service provided by USNA.
A great group of Classmates and loved ones got together at Ann and Wes Saunders’ annual shindig on the Severn in July. Crab, shrimp, and fried chicken were the featured entrees; despite the fact that the price of crab, of the Chesapeake Bay persuasion, has sky rocketed. The weather was so fantastic that no one had to go in the pool to cool off. Attending were John Anderson, George Atkins and his daughter, Martha, Tony Bracken, Betty and Tom Cann, Bumpsy and Ace Davis, Tom Davis (all the way from Atlanta, GA), Patricia and Kent Drummond, Si Fullinwider, Sally and Hartley Holte, Nancy and Don Kellerman, Sabra and Bill Kennington, Ursula and Tom Kiefaber, Dave Koonce, Shirley and Steve Lowe, Dottie and George W. Martin, Joannie and Dick Morgan, Todd Meloy, Anne and Ted Parker, Dick Peterson, Jackie and Mort Rubenstein, Alice and Don Sturtz, Denny Sullivan, Karen and Pat Taylor, Syd and Fred Tolleson, Cal Weaver, Jean and Darrel Westbrook, and Peggy and Otto Zipf.
Otto Zipf and his bride were back in town just long enough to file this travel report:
| During June, Peggy and I took a car trip along the Atlantic coastline of the Carolinas. The trip was anchored in the north by our stay at the Sanderling Inn and Spa, located on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. What a great place to relax, and to enjoy the surf and sand. The south end of our journey was Charleston, SC. Our reason to travel to Charleston at this time of the year was to attend the annual Spoleto Festival USA. This was the 25th anniversary of this performing arts festival, which is an import/spin-off from the original (and still active) Spoleto Festival in Spoleto, Italy. The available menu of types of performing arts provides something for everybody. We selected four different types of performances and thoroughly enjoyed each one. Between these north and south points, we hit the beach in Wrightsville Beach, NC. While there we paid a visit to NORTH CAROLINA (BB-55), which is berthed right across the river from Wilmington, NC (with a hull number like that, we just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to visit). The picture taken on the fantail |
| obviously shows an OS2U Kingfisher, a standard World War II shipborne Observation Scout, single float plane made by Chance Vought. |
| The second photo (see next page) shows the Leaning Tower of Pisa, with a great group of travelers from ’55 in the foreground. These travelers are (l to r): Jean and Jim Thompson, Peggy and Otto Zipf, and Mona and Ted Schultz ’56. We were all on a USNA AA Campus Abroad trip to the Tuscany region of Italy for a very busy one-week of chianti, feasting, hiking, touring, lectures, and more chianti. The group of 47 just had a ball. We visited towns/cities such as Marciolla (our home base), Certaldo, San Gimignano, Pisa, Lucca, Florence, Siena, and a memorable trip to chianti winery for education on medicinal (wine tasting) purposes. Even though all of the engineering work to take several degrees of lean off the tower in Pisa, and necessary stabilizing work has been completed, public access to the tower has not yet been permitted. |
| Footnote: Ted Schultz never graduated with our Class. He entered with our Class, and sometime well after we completed our Plebe Year, he left. Then he re-entered as a Plebe member of ’57. When the administration realized that he had already had a full and complete Plebe Year, he was moved up into the Class of ’56 with whom he graduated. Jim and I were proud to include him as a member of ’55. |
An invitation from S&T Travel (Sandy and Ted Hyman) to USNA ’55 and friends. Join up for a Renaissance Cruise to 11 ports in ten European countries. Dover to Stockholm—departs 28 May 2002 (15 Days). The ports: Dover—embark; LeHavre—Paris or Normandy; Zeebrugge—Bruges; Antwerp; Amsterdam; Oslo; Copenhagen—two days; Tallinn; St. Petersburg—two days; Helsinki; and Stockholm—debark. Call Ted or Sandy at 301-260-9100 or 800-823-1355.
The Floyd’s put together a great trip and he told us about it on the Listserv. Here it is:
| Lynne and I are back online after returning to Coronado from a two-month trek about the country putting 12,000 miles on the car. We have been flying to the East Coast twice a year and decided that driving allowed us to fill in the gaps. Lynne and I visited many friends and families. We enjoyed visits with a few Classmates, all of whom were my USNA roommates. We visited Charlie Edson in Bay St. Louis, MS. Charlie enjoys retirement and plays lots of tennis. In Naples, FL, we enjoyed the warm hospitality of Lou and Mary Deprisco. Mary is John McDonnell’s widow, also Charlie Edison’s sister, and now married to Lou. Lou is a retired engineer who still builds luxury homes around Naples to keep busy. In Miami, FL, we saw Tom Drake. While Tom is retired from Ford, he hasn’t let any grass grow under his feet. Tom is now a professor in the University of Miami Business School. In Washington, we had lunch with Denny Sullivan who needs no update for this audience. We also spent a couple of delightful days with Bill Kennington (You are right! Not a USNA roommate, but still my Sub School roommate) and Sabra, who also need no updates. Norm Palladino has posted pictures of Charlie, Mary, and Tom with us on our Web site: www.usna.com/classes/1955. Also visited one grad-school roommate and one prep-school roommate. Visited seven brother/brothers-in-law/sister-in-law, one daughter, and assorted nieces and cousins. We always limited our stays by observing the fish rule, "After three days, fish and guests stink." We also attended a family wedding and went to my 50th prep-school reunion. We still had time to poke around by ourselves; we did a bayou tour in Louisiana and on the way home across the continent, we did a National Park tour through the Bible belt. During the course of our trek, we also visited seven military museums; the best was TEXAS; the most colorful, Confederate submarine HUNLEY; the most interesting, the Nimitz Museum in Fredericksburg, TX; the most remote, Ft. Jefferson in Dry Tortugas (we saw a manatee there); the most complete, Naval Action Museum, Pensacola; the most crowded, San Jacinto (we happened to be there on San Jacinto Day); and the most disappointing, the Atomic Bomb Museum in Los Alamos. It’s a great country. |
Gary Snyder suffered a stroke in July from which he is slowly recovering. He has kept us advised of his treatment and progress on the Listserv. We’re rooting for him to get completely well soon. I’ve been informed by Shipmate that John Wildman (18) passed away on 11 February 2001 (reported to them by his wife, Sarah).
Enclosed are several photos taken recently at DC area gatherings (see below) and the accompanying group pictures from our 45th Reunion (see this page and previous page).
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