Pres: LCDR Dennis Sullivan, USN (Ret.)
Sec’y: CAPT Thomas G. Kiefaber, USN (Ret.)
11814 Triple Crown Road, Reston, VA 20191

   Otto Zipf shares with us his recent experience touring in Norway:

   Peggy and I just recently spent some time in Norway, and had a very unexpected wonderful time. We spent time in both Oslo and Bergen, and 12 days on a Norwegian Coastal Voyage steamer, their coastal express, that travels up the coast of Norway from Bergen to Kirkenes, just a couple of clicks from Russia. We arrived in Oslo on 17 May, when we popped up from an underground train station into the city-center. It is their National Day, the day they celebrate their independence from Sweden, which we were not aware of, and we ended up right in the middle of the capital city celebrations. It was a sight to experience. The stop in Oslo gave us an opportunity to visit several museums, including the Kon Tiki and Framm Museums. We then rode the train across Norway from Oslo to Bergen. It is billed as the most beautiful train ride there is, taking about seven and a half hours. The natural areas, including some glaciers, are spectacular! In Bergen we boarded our coastal steamer NORDKAPP, for a 12 day roundtrip. There is fleet of 11 of these steamers that leave Bergen on almost a daily basis. They carry passengers, tourists, cars, mail, freight, building materials, fire wood, etc. On their roundtrips, they make 66 stops, some as short as 15 minutes, and others for several hours, moving along the coast 24/7. We crossed the Arctic Circle, and being late May, we were then in the land of the midnight sun. The track we were on permitted us clearly to see the sun, on the northern horizon, dip down, and without going below the horizon, start to rise again. This time of the year is 24 hours of daylight, when above the Arctic Circle. The next part of our trip had us rounding the North Cape, which is the most northern inhabited part of Europe. Because of the Gulf Stream, the weather for our entire northern portion of the trip was milder than we had anticipated. At Kirkenes we turned around and retraced our track back down to Bergen. There were several bus excursions through local areas. Some of these trips had us leaving the ship at one port, and then rejoining it at the next port. It was during these walking/bus trips through the local areas that it became evident that about 20-25% of the local residences all had flag poles in their front yards to fly their Norwegian flag. As a nation, their nationalism level is so much higher than what we see here at home, and they are proud of it.

"Taps"

   It is sad to announce the passing on of Harold "Heap" Nelson (16). Harold died on 6 July from complications of brain cancer. His funeral service was held on 20 July in West Lawn, PA. His wife, Helen, can be contacted at 35 Fawn Dr., Reading, PA 19607; 610-775-3967;
haroldwnelson@aol.com.

   Fred Tolleson, our fundraising Czar, reports that:

   Thanks to the extreme generosity of one of our Classmates who desires to remain anonymous, the Class has some challenging goals to meet. $125,000 has been contributed for the Class to match for the Cold War Memorial Battle Arch at NMC Memorial Stadium. Another $250,000 has been contributed for the Class to match for the renovation of the John Paul Jones Crypt and associated artifacts. These gifts are truly important to achieving the Class goals and represent a challenge for the rest of the Class. The process for both gifts has started with the final design contract on the renovation of the Crypt being let as this edition goes to press. The Academy is still formulating all the rules on what the Class can put onto the Memorial Battle Arch. Work on the arches will have to occur after this football season. What does the Class need to do to finish these projects? For the Arch, another $95,000 is needed. For the Crypt, the $250,000 has been matched, but another $500,000 is needed to wrap up the project.

Fall Social Schedule For Mid-Atlantic Region

   Luncheons at Portofino's (Alexandria): 10 September, 8 October, 12 November, and 10 December. Luncheon in Outer Banks: 23 September. Class Golf: 16 September at Annapolis GC; 14 October at Hidden Creek GC (Reston), followed by dinner. Homecoming Party at Alumni House on 25 October.