I know some of you are either recovering from weddings or still in the last minute planning before your son or daughter's big day, so take a deep breath and relax a minute...the Court will come to order!

 

As promised in our last session, the attached photo shows the class contingent at the 22nd Annual Crab Pot Tournament hosted by the US Naval Academy.  The gloves and helmets worn by the Academy team were purchased using some of the money raised by the Class of 71.  CHUCK BECK sent in the photo IDing our classmates in the picture; "MAD" JACK ORCHARD, "THADMIRAL" ALLEN, STEVE "TOPPER" CORNELL, RICH "HARDON" HARDING, CHUCK, TJ FLANNIGAN, WAYNE VERRY, AL GRACEWSKI, and CHARLEY "BULLETHEAD" SIBRE (hiding behind AL). But who are those two young guys on the left?  The two youngsters to the left of JACK ORCHARD are his sons Dan (CGA '99) and John (USAF '97?).  Dan has the ball cap on and John has the CGA hockey jersey on.

Our Boston contingent held a solemn Vesper Service as reported by CHUCK BECK.  "The service was held on 18 February in the North End of Boston, MA.  Attendees included MIKE LEONE, CHUCK BECK, STEVE PLOSZAJ, JIM SYLVESTER and PETE BARRETT.  Confession replete with sacramental libations and kibble was conducted at the "Captain's Quarters" from 1830 to 1930.  The main service was held at 5 North Square Restaurant (the location of the photo) from 1930 to 2200. Contemplation was held at Café Victoria over cigars and brandy from 2200 to 2345.  Old times and new lies were flowing as easily as the sacramental wine shown in the photo.  SLY's daughter Erin is getting married this summer.  He brought a copy of the most recent Alumni Bulletin (the one with the picture of PAUL and ANN BARLOW at their daughter's wedding) and conducted a quick poll as to whether a similar picture at Erin's wedding would show Jim with more or less hair than PAUL.  SLY did not like the results of the poll; it was close but unanimous that JIM would lose "by a hair."   The night was a cleansing religious experience but as you can imagine an exhausting ordeal ... and we can't wait to do it all again real soon !  Scheduling of future Vesper Services could be adjusted to accommodate any visiting classmate."

Meanwhile, in sunny Seattle, a similar service was held in conjunction with the 1999 Oil Spill Conference.  The Conference brought into town a number of east coast distinguished dignitaries including THADMIRAL ALLEN, SKIP PREZLOMSKI, JON WALDRON and JOE KUCHIN.  Trying to coordinate dinner with the good Admiral's schedule was difficult...after all, we wanted to get him to spring for the sacramental wine in honor of his second star, official last November...but THADMIRAL, SKIP, DOUG PHILLIPS, AL JOENS, PHIL VOLK, CRAIG EIDE, STAN NORMAN, and yours truly gathered at McCormick and Schmick's for an evening great Pacific Northwest seafood. Fortunately, MARY JANE, ANN VOLK, and LINDA EIDE joined us for the "old times and new lies" Seattle style, enlivening the evening with their grace and charm.  But what happened to JOE & JON?  JON caught an early flight back east, something about billable hours, and JOE was only in town for that night and abandoned his classmates to enjoy an evening with his brother over on Bainbridge Island.  We're thinking of doing it again to commemorate that great day in history...June 9th.  Even as you're reading this there's still time to join us...call your travel agent!

BOB GONOR spent a couple nights at Casa de Swedberg the weekend before THADMIRAL's Wetting Down.  BOB had business meetings in both Tacoma and Seattle, but BOB, MARY JANE and I got to enjoy a great weekend together, with significant stops at Ste. Michelle Winery and the Redhook Brewery...purely architectural studies and to enjoy the scenery!  BOB and CHERI are busy helping Allison plan her summer wedding and spending as much time as possible with grandson Christopher.  BOB promises good photos of the wedding excitement.

 

SEADOG sent in a little more update on their move to Knoxville. "NORM, MELODY and daughter Carrie have made the adjustment from city life to rural life (after living for 20 years in the Los Angeles area), and love it!  Knoxville is a well kept secret, and a wonderful place to live.  National parks, state parks, and many lakes and rivers surround it.  Rolling green hills and hardwood forests cover the landscape.  The University of Tennessee is in Knoxville, and there is even a fine symphony orchestra to augment the usual 2-string banjo music played by the locals on their front porches.  Come and see us!"  That's two invitations in two issues...I think they mean it!

 

Received a quick note from TOM GEMMELL forwarding BRAD TROTH's new E-mail address...it's updated on our Classmates page...passing along that BRAD was up in Anchorage taking his 6-pak license exam.  Wonder if he passed?

 

BO JOSEPHSON sent it an updated E-mail address with the following brief note: "I made the break from Premier, Inc. last fall and am now doing contract web development.  My goal is to never work that long for a single company again!"  Too brief...I'm waiting for answers to questions like "What's a Premier...how long were you there...where is there...who (names, ages, schools, etc.) is there with you...what kind of web development?"  Stay tuned!

 

At the same time Boston Verpers were being held, another group was meeting in DC.  For the second consecutive year STAN NORMAN and JON WALDRON participated in a marine safety conference called "Safe Passage, Safe Harbour."  STAN sent in a photo showing our classmates hard at work. "DAVE EDWARDS and AL GRACEWSKI stopped by for dinner and drinks and to make sure we didn't have too much fun in the big city.  AL gave us a report on the Crabpot Hockey tournament and DAVEY brought us up to speed on doin's at CGHQ."

CHUCK BECK passes on more updates..."Entertained two Boston visitors the last two weeks.  STEVE (aka TOPPER, aka CHIEF) CORNELL was in Boston the week of 8 March.  JIM SYLVESTER and I were able to get together with him for some pizza and beer at Regina's Pizza.  TOPPER is doing well.  He and MARY live in Williamsburg, VA where MARY has recently taken a position with historic Williamsburg doing historic interpretations.  STEVE works for a Washington DC beltway bandit and stays with his brother Tom in Annapolis during the work week.  Their oldest daughter Sara is about to graduate from Lehigh as an electrical engineer with a Spanish minor and is at the top of her class.  She is being courted by no less than three companies; Raytheon, Lucen Tech and IBM.  Cate, the youngest Cornell daughter is a freshman at Bucknell.  All are doing well.

 

The following week of 15 March, DENNIS (PANCHO) CLEVELAND was in Boston on business.  MIKE LEONE, JIM SYLVESTER and I hooked up with PANCHO over some libations at Coogan's Bluff on the 18th of March. As I remember, PANCHO is an investment banker in Omaha and he an MARY live on a "rural estate" just outside of town. DENNIS had pictures of the family including his two tractors.  He also had pictures of the CLEVELANDS and the CALLISONS celebrating their 25th wedding anniversaries together in Bermuda last summer.  [PANCHO or KELLY...send me a copy!] The CLEVELANDS have three daughters.  As I set the fog navigation detail, I believe Ann the oldest has graduated from college, the number two is in college and the number three is about to enter college.  Keeping in mind that we met the day after St Patrick's Day and that I had attended a "Professional Development Session" most of the late afternoon and night of the 17th at the very same Coogan's Bluff, I strongly suggest you contact PANCHO to confirm and or fill in the details of his family."  By the way, CHUCK has a great little video segment of his performance at that "Professional Development Session"...he'll be happy to E-mail it to you!

 

KELLY CALLISON checked in with an update, but no anniversary photo? "I am still at Battelle - going on 8 years.  Doing lots of information technology work for the Food and Drug Administration.  Very interesting and exciting place to work.  We are doing more and more web based development so I especially appreciate your efforts on our Class page.  Traded e-mails with two classmates who left before graduation - DAVE LOHMAN and BRUCE SCHOOLING.  DAVE left at the end of third class year.  He is a university professor.  BRUCE was my swab summer roommate.  Not sure when he left.  I think he is currently a church pastor."

 

As I noted in our last session, we've got 90 Classmates on-line, hot linked at Classmates on our Web Page.  But that leaves 48 (or is it 50?) unaccounted for...and all of "those who have gone before." KELLY just came through with a couple of the latter.  Got E-mail or snail mail contact with a classmate not listed?  Approach the bench and mark it as an exhibit.  We're adjourned!