A Challenge Worth Taking

As a young man growing up in northern Louisiana, John Wroten ’65 had no idea what he wanted to do in life. “My father had been an enlisted man in the Navy,” Wroten described. “He had a ‘Bluejacket’s Manual’ that enlisted men had, and I used to read that on occasion. There was also a TV show in the 50s which I watched called ‘Men of Annapolis’ that featured the U.S. Naval Academy.” A few subtle introductions were all it took to give Wroten not only a sense of direction on where he wanted to get his degree – “the Academy seemed to be a challenge worth taking on” – but a lifetime of opportunities and meaningful connections.

Wroten initially received an alternate appointment to the Naval Academy out of high school and attended college for a year elsewhere. However, he did not let that deter him from wanting to take on the challenge of the Academy. “I got the opportunity to reapply after that first year, which I did, and I was able to come into the Naval Academy after one year of college.”

For Wroten, that opportunity has paid dividends well beyond his years at the Academy and as a Marine officer. “The Academy exposed me to the world outside of north Louisiana,” Wroten explained. “It provided me with leadership opportunities I’m not sure I would have gotten elsewhere.”

“I surely learned time management and organizational skills through my four years there which obviously have helped me later in life in whatever endeavor I have entered into. All of that, plus exposure to people from all parts of the world, those opportunities are things that I would have not gotten elsewhere.”

Because of those valuable lessons and the lifetime of opportunities that the Academy provided, Wroten has continued to remain actively involved in supporting the Academy. He has been a consistent philanthropic supporter of the Academy for more than two decades and feels a strong responsibility to contribute to the places that he has benefitted so much from. “Growing up, my parents were both very involved in the community that I grew up in, initially as volunteers in addition to their work,” Wroten said. “I guess that instilled in me a desire to give back to those communities that have helped me through the years.”

“One of my classmates, Chip Seymour, was one of the ones who started the President’s Circle program years ago during the first capital campaign. That was what kind of got me involved specifically at the Naval Academy.”

“I obviously also had a classmate who was very successful in football and later life (Roger Staubach), and he was one of the co-chairs of the first capital campaign and inspired me to make contributions to that campaign.”

Wroten’s connectedness with the Academy and passion to support its mission only grew from there. “The result of all of that initial connection was that I wound up taking a lifetime membership in President’s Circle and the Alumni Association, and then I also became very active in the local chapter here in north Texas.”

Wroten is also heavily involved in supporting the Academy in another unique way. “I’ve also chaired the congressional nomination committee for 30-something years in Texas congressional district three,” Wroten explained. “It’s very interesting – you get exposed to some pretty outstanding individuals.”

“If you’re just reading the local news today, you get a pretty jaundiced opinion of the youth today,” Wroten continued. “But being involved as a Blue and Gold officer and then going through the candidates that apply for nominations, you find out that there really are some outstanding young men and women in this world. You get an opportunity to see them when they go into the Academy and then get to see the product come out at the end…it’s a very inspiring opportunity.”

When asked what advice he would give to fellow alumni who might want to know how they can best support the Academy through the Foundation, Wroten had several key thoughts. “The best advice I can give is that our alumni need to stay informed. I run into too many alums who pick up the first rumor on social media about the Academy and run with it without making sure they seek out and understand the facts,” he said. “I encourage all alumni to make sure they understand the facts before they spread rumors. Be an informed graduate!”

“And then, participate in your local chapter any way you can,” Wroten continued. “Participate locally in encouraging candidates to apply to the Academy too. And finally, gravitate into the national arena and seek out your time and your fortunes, and then share those if you can.”