Checking in with a family update and some more recent photos is Tom Mawhinney! Tom begins with some blatant suck up:
"I love the home page. I hadn't checked it since the early days. I love it. So much so, I have decided to contribute. I just completed my fifth year as the principal of Rhinebeck High School. Every year has gotten better. Graduation was Saturday. I have a small school, 400 kids, and it is like a family - the way high school should be. My daughter will be a senior next year. She has become a full time job. She is bright, but has the Ophelia syndrome and prefers to be social rather than an academic. Since I am around her everyday, she can not escape. She did well on her SATs, but CGA is out of the question. She would rather continue to work in the bagel shop after high school. Over my dead body!!! I have enclosed a prom picture of her. [Hey Mooners...who's the guy? Holding Kate a little too close isn't he?]
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T. R. Wilson just checked in from the St. Louis area. What's he been up to?
"Post Coast Guard life has been wonderful and
exciting. I went back to school at Webster University in St. Louis and
will have a masters in computers by the end of July this year. It has
been fun being the oldest guy in class. I am not sure what the
education will do for me, but at least I can thoroughly understand why I
keep crashing my computer. The next goal in the journey is to become a
Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer. [Another soul lost to the Dark Side!] Golf remains a lifelong passion.
Strategically planned "environmental surveys" at the local golf course
serve as a tonic for the soul.
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Doug Kroll couldn't find that retirement picture he was looking for...but he sent in one even better! Recognize that guy standing next to him? My guess is the Magnificent Seven will never forget! Doug's last assignment as a Naval Reserve Chaplain was to the Naval Submarine Base in San Diego. Just a few months before his retirement in '96 he and CAPT Kelly, who lives near San Diego, had lunch together. Wonder if the good Captain ever figured out who threw those M-80s?
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Recognize these three guys?
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Stan Norman, Jon Waldron, and Gordy Marsh were speakers at a conference called Safe Passage/Safe Harbor. I think it was held last fall back in Georgetown. Stan passes along the following information: "It was sponsored by Marine Log Magazine and BIMCO, the world's largest association of shipowners, based in Denmark. The conference was all about marine safety, port infrastructure, etc. I was there to present a paper on pilotage (Believe it or not, I'm a Washington State Pilotage Commissioner.). Gordy was there to scare the hell outta them from the COTP perspective. Jon was there to do the same thing from the legal perspective."
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Doug Kroll reports around with the following update. He retired from
the Naval Reserve in November of 1996 as a Commander in the Chaplain
Corps. [He's looking around for a photo which will pass our judges'
"scare factor" criteria!] He's still serving as the pastor of a
relatively small Lutheran congregation, St. Paul's Lutheran Church in
Pomona, CA. Doug's preparing for another career change...he wants to go
into full time college/university teaching. He's been going part time
to graduate school and is finishing up his course work for a Ph. D. in
history at the Claremont Graduate University in Claremont, CA where he
and Lana have been living for the past dozen years or so. Claremont? Maybe 'bout 8 miles west of Rancho Cucamonga! Doug continues, "I have also done some part time teaching as an "adjunct" (part-time, low pay). Last spring a taught a class on WWII at a nearby college and I guess I emphasized the Coast Guard's role enough because before they started the final exam, one of my students played "Semper Paratus" on a boom box. My heart is still in the Coast Guard. I just finished a major research paper on the Coast Guard Port Security Program during the Korean War/McCarthyism that I hope to rewrite for publication." While he thinks it's too long for our Professional Opinion page, Doug hopes "Naval History" magazine will publish it. Doug and Lana's two sons are commuting to two different colleges - but still living at home, enjoying that "free" room and board! Twenty year old Tim attends Cal State University at Fullerton and 19 year old Matthew is attending Mt. San Antonio Community College in Walnut, CA.
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Plenty of news from Barney Turlo. Barney writes, "Linda and I sold our house in Rhode Island (finally) and bought a
home in Benton, Maine in November which is right in the middle of family
--- her Mom, my Mom, my 3 brothers and 3 sisters; her brother and 2
sisters. Is that good or bad (I keep asking myself)? Best part of retired/Maine life: our 20-month old grand-daughter Leah is in Nashua, NH only a couple hours away. Visits and phone calls are through the roof. My current job: cutting up tree branches that fell off during the Ice Storm of '98 in our back yard; and making the occasional batch of home brew (beer). Other than that, I've been on vacation for several months now. It's even better than I thought it would be!!!" Barney sent along a few pictures from his Change of Command. [Hey, posting almost a year later ain't bad...as NBC says, "If you didn't see it the first time, it's new to you!"] Barney says, "The flowers were one of the gifts to my better half for putting up with 26 years of me. All who know "us" KNOW she deserves a hell of a lot more for her BURDEN, i.e., me." The retirement hat is a present from the Narragansett Bay Propeller Club. Barney says, "I told 'em I might wear it at my CofC/retirement. So at the end of my ceremony, right before colors were retired, I proceeded, with great ceremony, to don the hat in front of audience, admiral and God. Fun stuff!" And who was in the audience? Recognize 'em? One retired and one recently un-retired. Barney made a comment on the unretirement during his CofC remarks and asked the un-retiree whether he intended to return his retirement gifts? Guess the answer!
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Gary McCaffrey checked in as the SEVENTY FIRST classmate on our
on-line register. Gary relates that he got out of the Guard in February,
1981, as a frustrated aviator (no wars left and they only wanted politicians in
New York) and went to work in some of the garden spots of the time
such as Beirut, Afghanistan, and Africa for a bit. Then stints at
PeoplExpress (737's) American International (DC-9 Capt) in Atlantic
City, Continental (DC-9's), and finally United, where he's on a
B-747-400, flying to mostly Hong Kong and Sydney out of LAX. He
currently prefers to be a First Officer (that's co-pilot to the
uninitiated) on the "Jumbos" even though he could be a Captain on a
B-767 out of NY/IAD/SFO/LAX...just likes the airplane and the flying
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More importantly, his new wife, Charadporn, lives in Hong Kong as one of United's flight attendants. [CONGRATULATIONS...a December 3rd wedding!] She's the smart one in the family, speaking 7 languages,
understanding 2 more, and has a Master's Degree in Biology from the
University of Texas. Gary lives in Las Vegas because he had a
landlord in California tell him back in '89 that ..."he couldn't afford to live
there..." so he journeyed northeast, all the way to Vegas and settled
in. Gary and Tutu (Charadporn's family nickname!) live on opposite ends of the globe, but what's
7,268 NM one way, when you're happy? Luckily, it is non-stop, they often
work together on the trips, and actually get 15-18 days a month together
under the same roof, although a real hardship [tongue firmly in
cheek!] when that roof's in Hong Kong.
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Tony Bordieri is the latest reporting around. What's he doing? Read on....:
"The last time I talked with anyone from 71 was at our 20th reunion. Nice going on the Home Page! I picked up the address from the Alumni Bulletin and thought it was about time to say hello to all. Reading the Bulletin keeps me in touch with what is generally going on and its good to hear that the Class has done well. From your Bulletin comments, it sounds like the Seattle view is not half bad from the corner office.
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The Ol' Seadog checks in with the following:
Out here in the Corporate world, companies continue to acquire and merge.
The company that I work for, Northrop Grumman, has been acquired by Lockheed Martin. I was presented with a choice: Remain with the new entity and move to Denver, or take a "Bronze Handshake" (I don't qualify for the gold one) and move on. I have boldly or foolishly (probably both) selected the second alternative. I plan to move my family (Melody and daughter Carrie) to Knoxville, Tennessee mid-year and start a management and environmental consulting business. I'll keep you and '71 posted on progress.
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Thad Allen recently made a quick fact finding (some would spell that b-o-o-n-d-o-g-g-l-e) trip through the Seattle area and we had the chance to squeeze an evening into the busy Admiral's schedule for a lasagna dinner at Casa de Swedberg. Mary Jane and I were pleased that Al Joens, Stan and Sue Norman, and Doug and Andrea Phillips could join us and give the good Admiral a warm '71 Welcome to the Great Pacific Northwest. Before joining us for dinner, Thad enjoyed a CGAUX flight out to Air Station Port Angeles where Phil gave him the CO's Quarter Tour, trying to get the Coast Guard's Resource Director to come up with just a few extra dollars for a much needed hangar renovation. Phil even resorted to blatant sign board suck up...I'm sure the check's in the mail!
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Thad recently spoke with Jim Sylvester who is now doing business at Wing Net, Inc. You can reach him at 400 West Cummings Park, Suite 2350, Woburn, MA 01801 (617-932-8500). Jim is working with Pete Barrett to develop web-based training programs, including some work with the Coast Guard.
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Sutter Fox is the Coast Guard rep at the Naval War College and recently passed along this sighting. "Rick Sasse stopped by to see me yesterday in my office at the Naval War College. I last saw him in Hawaii in early 1982...he was stationed there and I was heading home from Antarctica aboard USCGC POLAR SEA (WAGB 11). He still looks the same...lives in Providence, has an office at the Sub Base in Groton, and oversees projects in CT and RI. Said he'll be in Newport a couple times a week and promised to stop by for more than 10 minutes next time."
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