The docket is
full...please take a comfortable seat...and the Court will come to order!
MARIO WENDETTI sent in this teaser CC’d on a note to RICK SASSE on his
daughter Heidi’s water polo
tournament at Conn College: “My wife NANCY suggested (mandated?) that,
while in New London, we take the team out to lunch after their second game.
The "Dock" is long defunct, so there was only one choice.
There's always only be one choice - Hughie's. Had a nice chat with
him and we talked about how much the CGA connection has meant to him.
(Or, he's just a good business person.) Anyway, thought it would
make a nice addition to our column. Will send digitals along with a short
(something less than the "complete SITREP") article.”
STAN NORMAN sent in a SitRep just after the Court adjourned for the June
edition. “Attached is a picture of the Norman clan at church on
April 14, 2002. The lovely lady on the left is our daughter-in-law Carrie.
Next to her is Derek. Derek is our oldest son, he is an ET2
in the Navy. Derek and Carrie are expecting our first grandchild in
November 2002. In the center are SUE and I. On the right are
Patrick, our youngest son, and his fiancée Cristy Koski.” A
great picture, but a little short on detail...but with a little prodding, STAN
beefed up the SitRep. “Derek and Carrie are living in San Diego where
Derek is stationed. Derek is an instructor at the fleet training center. As
a combat systems computer specialist, he teaches classes in aircraft carrier
combat support systems. He finished back-to-back sea tours on the USS
INDEPENDENCE, forward deployed in Japan, and the USS CONSTELLATION, in San
Diego. He's pulled two tours in the Persian Gulf, one on each carrier.
Derek's enlistment is up in two years so he and Carrie are struggling
with the question of getting out or staying in. With his training and
experience, he's a cinch to end up back on a carrier if he reenlists. The
difference will be that he has a family now. Patrick and Cristy have not
set a date for their wedding. They are both in college and working at
restaurants to help cover college costs. Both are hoping to attend the U
Dub for their Bachelor Degrees. Sue is in her 12th year managing a busy
doctor's office. We are both looking forward to a small, country parish,
God willing! It would be nice to get out of the city. Back to Greek
and Hebrew!”
BEV SILVA reports that she and RON are knee deep in boxes, that she finally
joined RON for good in D9’s beautiful Flag quarters looking out over Lake
Erie moving into quarters on the 11th of June. RON adds “BEV and I
are doing fine and are now in Cleveland. The movers delivered our HHG a
week ago and we've been very busy unpacking. I've been out of the office
for 4 weeks with 2 weeks of TAD and 2 weeks to do moving. We are really
enjoying the area and are looking forward to getting busy in the job.
I've got to get back to over a months worth of e-mail!” RON
had the District photojournalist take a Classmates photo at his
CofC...attending were GREG COPE, LARRY HOWELL, and THADMIRAL. RON and BEV
are really excited about this assignment. They are going to Detroit next
week for three days, during which they’ll watch the Canadian 4th of July
fireworks. Wait until they experience the Coast Guard Festival fireworks
and musical fountain in Grand Haven!
J. B. owes us an update. “I got back from Yemen OK -- it was the
adventure of a lifetime. I'll get some notes together eventually.
But the reason I came back (I was offered an extension in Yemen by both
US Ambassador Hull and Gen Franks personally) was to join TSA Training
organization. I haven't 'landed' my final position yet, and I thought I'd
wait until that is settled before sending in an update. I'm likely to be
either the Director, Leadership and Development Institute or the Director,
Office of Quality Performance. Both are nice jobs and a good fit, but my
boss, the Associate Undersecretary for Training and Quality Performance has reserved
the right to put me in whichever box she feels like.” J. B.,
remember to think outside the box, whichever box you end up in...and send in
that complete update on Yemen toot sweet.
JIM RIESZ’s old address wasn’t working, so I sent an E-mail to the
Federal Reserve. JIM’s response: “I was finally able to get
broadband in my area and switched. As for an update, there is not much to
tell. I continue to work at the Federal Reserve as an automation manager
with most of my work being in the PeopleSoft and Oracle Financials area.
I cannot believe it's been almost 11 years, and I still have the same job
and live in the same geographic area!” Check out his new address at
our Classmates page <http://www.oocities.org/CollegePark/Campus/7184/classmates.html>
and send him a note telling him we need a more complete update...and any old
bills he can find just laying around!
Speaking of old bills, thanks to your purchases at Amazon.com I sent in a
referral fee check of $36.78 to our Class Fund. BTW, have you designated
your current donation to the Alumni Association to the Class of 1971 Fund?
Are you making a donation? Designate by contacting John Maxhan at
(860) 701-6771 or via e-mail at jmaxham@ctol.net
and register and start a donation on-line at <https://www.pay.onlinecommunity.com/uscga/contribute_unregistered.htm>.
In the meantime, don’t forget to use our on-line link to Amazon.com
via our home page <http://www.oocities.org/CollegePark/Campus/7184/index.html>
when buying books, CDs, DVDs, electronics, and those other items on your
advance Christmas shopping list. Remember, $36.78 here and there and
pretty soon we’ll be talking real money!
So how was the new Hughie’s? MARIO provided a little more detail:
“In late April, the WENDETTIS fed the Brown University Women's Water Polo
Team on break from the Northern Championships hosted by Conn College.
They asked me for recommendation on lunch. There was only one
choice ... there's always only been one choice. And Hughie was a gracious
host, not only providing good food but also giving us an update on his move,
recollections of Mom and Pop, and agreeing to let us bring in a picture of the
Schmeague for lunch. He posed first with the whole team and then with
daughter Heidi (soon to be junior), NANCY, and me. We later went to visit
the Eagle while it was moored at Fort Trumbull. Many recollections, real
and exaggerated, were told to the youth present. The tournament?
Ouch! Came in second (out of 12). But beat Harvard, so some
enjoyment. Love salad was great, great, great!!! The rest of the
menu? Let's just say it was more nostalgia than food I suppose.
Brought back lots of good memories, some fueled by Hughie himself.
If we don't meet there for the 35th, we don't have a hair on our
ass.”
Hope to have another Hughie’s review in the next edition. As I
type, PHIL and ANNE VOLK are driving back to New London, beginning a self
imposed PCS move back to the New England environs. Anne's sister has
bought a small, old home near Mitchell College as an investment and will rent
to them while they look at buying or building. CHUCK BECK reported that
he’d been “swaboed by PHIL to find him a home and a job before he
and ANNE move to CT from Port Angeles. Once a wife always a wife! I
am relishing PHIL’s return to CT because I think we have just determined
who our 35th Reunion project manager will be.” Sounds like a
plan...and PHIL can follow up on MARIO’s challenge!
Complying with the Court order from the June docket, MO SHERWIN provides a
synopsis of their last 30 years. WALT is doing well after his hip
replacement in March and returned to school the first week in May.
“Well, the SHERWINS have returned to Connecticut. After 26
years of varied civilian "duty stations" from CT to DE to VA, we
returned to CT in 1997 to raise our now 9 year old son Reid. We bought
MO’s family home and renovated it and will begin "Phase II - the
FInal Renovations" this Spring. When WALT graduated from the Academy
and was medically discharged and looking for a job, he was asked, "What
would you really like to do?" Of course, football was his first love
(after MO, of course) and he wanted to coach. He got a job at St. Thomas
More Prep School in Colchester as a math teacher and assistant football coach,
and over the next five years moved up to Assistant Headmaster and Head Football
Coach. He then attended Trinity College in Hartford to obtain his public
school teaching certification and moved on to Killingly High School in
Danielson, CT for two years. WALT then felt it was time to return home to
Delaware to be near his aging parents. We were in Delaware at Smyrna High
School from 1978-1983. It was a wise move because his mom passed away in
1983. We then moved on to the beautiful Shenandoah Valley of Virginia for
fourteen years where WALT coached at Buffalo Gap High School in Swoope and then
at Robert E. Lee High School in Staunton. MO moved from job to job as
WALT did and then finally bought her own business - Honeysuckle Hill - a small
gift and antique shop in downtown Staunton (birthplace of Woodrow Wilson and
home of the Statler Brothers). After 20 years of marriage with no
children, in 1992 we had a beautiful baby girl (Rachel Anne) placed with us for
adoption - but sadly after four and a half months we were forced to return her
to her birth mother. It was a devastating time for us, but the sun soon
shone again and we received a 4 day old son who we named Reid Bennett. He
is the best part of our lives. Unfortunately, WALT‘s dad died shortly
before Reid was born and never knew his grandson. Although we loved
Virginia, we wanted Reid to grow up near family - and MO has a huge family.
In 1997, WALT applied for and was offered an algebra and head football
coaching job at Montville High School in CT. Last year he was promoted
to Athletic Director (still teaching half time, too). He has had a
successful coaching career including coaching in the Delaware Blue and Gold All
Star Game and being named Coach of the Year for the Skyline District in
Virginia in 1984, as well as Associated Press AA Coach of the Year for the
State of Virginia in 1990. He was selected as 1999/2000 National Football
Foundation, Hall of Fame High School Coach for SE Connecticut. It's good
to be home and near friends and family (including our brother-in-law and
classmate BOB ALLING).”
MARY CORNELL came through with a Classmates photo from THADMIRAL’s Change
of Command as LANTAREA. Recognize everyone in the photo? Mary adds:
“Things here are fine, but busy. Cate just graduated from Bucknell so
it's been packing her out and then moving some stuff to Boston where in the
fall she will be a graduate student in Biology at NorthEastern . Luckily her
sister Sarah has a house just south of Boston and is willing to store stuff.
We have been there a couple of time to help with her house renovations.
Since it was built in 1814 it has been a challenge but fun and is an ongoing
project. We saw THAD when he was here in Willimsburg for the Flag conference,
but didn't catch up with the other admirals since we were busy their one free
night.” Oh yeah, the photo... JAY TAYLOR, CHARLIE WURSTER, RON
SILVA, PAT WIESE, TOM RUMMELL, THADMIRAL, DAVEY EDWARDS, JOHN WALTERS, STEVE
CORNELL, and RICH HARDING.
Speaking of RICH, he sent in another Classmate photo, this one from THADMIRAL’s
Change of Watch as Coast Guard Chief of Stuf...Staff. RICH provides a few
more details: “RON SILVA attended but had to leave early and though I saw
BERT KINGHORN, neither he nor DENNY CLEAVELAND made the photo.” So
RICH, who’s that on the far right...and PANCHO? “DENNY
CLEVELAND came not only for THAD but he was good friends with Tim Josiah.
As an aside, I grew up and lived a few blocks from Tim Josiah. My brother
in law lived right next door to him and was obviously good friends. As a
further aside, Bob Rzemieniewski also lived within blocks of the two of us.
All three went to the same HS - classes of ‘65, ‘67 and
‘69 so like CGA (’69, ‘71, ‘73) there never was time
when all three were in the same school together at the same time. With
Bob Rz still on active duty and Tim and me as a civilian, we had 37, 35 and 33
CG years - 105 total - from our one small town - Levittown NY!” Now
pay attention, from right to left...KEN MASS, RICH COX, RON FRAZIER, THADMIRAL,
RICH HARDING, AL GRACEWSKI, JON WALDRON, CHARLIE WURSTER, and KELLY CALLISON.
After avoiding service of process on a couple of subpoenas, TONY HART finally
reported around as our 123rd on-line classmate. “I have been
terribly remiss in not establishing contact. I have meant to write on a number
of occasions, but then something would pop up and the next thing it would be
weeks later. I guess if the road to hell was paved with good intentions,
I would be there and already in residence. JUDY keeps telling me that I
have no life but work, and that I should relax more - guess she is right.
Let me fill you in on what we've been doing since retirement, way back in
1991. After retiring in Miami, we moved back to Knoxville and built a
house on some property we had purchased from my parents. Although only a
few miles from Knoxville, we are out in the country surrounded by woods and
small farms. We are at the end of a small dead-end road with few near-by
neighbors and on one of the TVA lakes. I installed a small boat dock soon
after we moved here, but then sold my sail boat. Sailing is terrible on
the lake we are on, so I have been looking for a powerboat but just cannot
decide on the one to buy. We have 8 dogs (Pembroke Welsh Corgis), 3 cats,
and the occasional deer or raccoon that wanders through. I worked for
Martin Marietta (later Lockheed Martin) at one of the Department of Energy Oak
Ridge nuclear plants from 1991 until 1998. Lockheed Martin had the
operating contract for the three DOE facilities in Oak Ridge. In 1998,
Bechtel Jacobs Company won the contract and I now work for them as the
Emergency Management Program Manager. In a nutshell, Bechtel Jacobs
Company has the contract to conduct environmental remediation and waste
management at the 3 Oak Ridge sites and the plants at Paducah, KY and
Portsmouth, OH. It is truly amazing what the government was able to
develop and construct in the early 1940's in developing the atomic bomb.
I doubt if we could do the same thing in today's world. We probably
could not get beyond the permit stage. Judy is still in the CG Reserves
as a Special Agent. In fact, she is in New Orleans now on 2 weeks active duty.
When she is not on some CG business, the dogs, or dog-shows, keep her
busy.”
When you read the June docket, did you catch the announcement that AL and LORI
SGANGA are grandparents by now? So where is the photo? While we
wait on our Classmate, we’re adjourned!