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ASSEMBLY,
JULY-SEPTEMBER 2010
1954
CLASS NOTES
ROBERT J. ELLIS
177 Depew Drive
Loudon, Tenn. 37774
865-657-9828
rellis@usma1954.org
Subscribers:
311
San
Antonio Reunion: 28 April through 1 May 2011.
Planning continues on the class reunion in San
Antonio. More than 130 classmates and widows have
responded that they “will attend” or “probably will
attend” the reunion. This means we could have
200–260 members of the class family in San Antonio.
Because of the large response from the class, we
have ceased calling the San Antonio gathering, a
“mini-reunion.” It is a full scale reunion.
We are
very fortunate to have reservations at the Historic
Menger Hotel with a rate of $120.00 a day plus
taxes. The Menger is located across the street from
the Alamo and a block and a half from River Walk.
Hotel reservation information will be mailed
to all members of the class family the end of April.
Details about the reunion and the schedule of events
can be found at the class website at
<http://www.usma1954.org/Reunion/2011Reunon.htm>.
The Reunion Planning Committee consists of: Jack
Charles, Frank Hart, Eddice Jessee, John Lohman, Joe
Peisinger, Craig Spence and Mary Jean Spence.
Reunion registration information will be mailed the
first of January 2011. Mark your calendars for this
event. See your friends and enjoy historic San
Antonio.
Ed
Aguanno’s grandson will graduate from West Point
May 2010—wow, time flies. He and his wife plan to be
there, and he plans to pin on his 2LT shoulder
boards. President Obama is scheduled to address the
class at the Graduation ceremony—he feels that it
will be a total mob scene. Another grandson (in-law)
was in class 2000—whose graduation was addressed by
Gore—he reports that he was there and that pitch was
not at all appropriate.
Bob
Badger recently met some classmates in Florida.
The first is our classmate Woody Potter. He
was Bob’s immediate boss in Naples, Italy.
Bob Badger and Woody Potter.
Bruce
Richardson is the second photo. He was Bob’s
roommate for one-and-a-half years until he left in
his Yearling year. He is a retired lawyer and built
his own home there in Naples.
.jpg)
Bob Badger and Bruce
Richardson.
Jay
Edwards attended the Founders Day Dinner at Ft.
Sill and was the “Oldest Grad” speaker. He, and the
youngest, cut the cake with a cadet saber, during
which he had recurring thoughts of the days Plebes
cut desserts. He remembers that we were never given
enough time to get the Boston Cream pie cut evenly;
hence the Firsties always got the big pieces as the
first to take desert. Our principal speaker was the
Dean of the Academic Board, BG Finnegan ‘71. He
spoke well and long about the current academic
program. The cadets now have 42 academic majors to
choose from. He mentioned lots of other changes. Our
class had only a choice of language as part of our
fixed curriculum. The attendance was good with over
a hundred in Army Blues. Jay was able to fit into
his Air Force Mess Dress—a small wonder. The younger
grads were confused about the presence of an Air
Force guy among so many grunts. It won’t be long
before the Air Force grads from USMA have faded away
as McArthur was fond of saying. The event began with
the Cadet Prayer and ended with the singing the
“Alma Mater.” He enjoyed the Benny Havens hour and
all the rest. The troops at Sill put on a good show.
Bob
Ellis reports that he & Nancy are enjoying
retired life in Tellico Village, TN. Nancy is Chair
of the Membership Committee of the New Villagers
Club, and Bob is the Principal Greeter. Bob plays
golf a couple of times a week (weather permitting)
and pitches for the Hawks softball team in the
community league. They frequently travel back to
Connecticut, where Nancy still owns a home. They
will be traveling to Massachusetts in May to attend
his granddaughter’s graduation from U of
Massachusetts and to New Hampshire to attend Nancy’s
grandson’s birthday.
Betty
&Frank Hart returned to San Antonio in
mid-January for what they thought would be their
three- to four-month winter stay. Their plans
changed. Three weeks ago, Betty’s right knee
collapsed. Consultation with a surgeon indicated
that she really needed knee replacement surgery. She
will have the right knee done on 20 April and the
other sometime in late summer. They were fortunate
to be in San Antonio, because they found a great
surgeon recommended by class members. Further, they
live only three blocks from the hospital where the
replacement will take place. With the two knee
replacements and the recovery time, it will be
almost winter before Betty can travel easily. Who
returns to the DC area in the winter?—he doesn’t
know. Hence, they will stay in San Antonio from now
through the end of the reunion next May.
Howard
& Andrea Gabbert currently are on their annual
jaunt to the Three Rivers, CA, “Jazzaffair,” and
Andrea’s sister Maiya is with them. They have made
this trip with her for the past 12 years at least.
It is a small trad jazz festival in Three Rivers,
the gateway to Sequoia National Park, and home of
the High Sierra Jazz Band—the host band, and one of
their favorites. Corky reports that it has been a
good winter, with lots of snow up in the mountains,
and that bodes well for the drought conditions in
the west. He took this self portrait a couple of
months ago, all dressed up for a black tie dinner.
He did it in the bathroom mirror and then flipped
the image. Note the black, gold, and gray tie. Today
they will hit another party and spend the afternoon
listening to some good, traditional jazz. They hope
to visit their grandkids in August in San Jose, CA.
.jpg)
Howard Gabbert in formal attire.
Edward
& Rebecca McNair spent a week touring Joshua
Tree National Park, the Mojave Desert, and Death
Valley. They had excellent weather and the scenery
was gorgeous. In May, they will cruise the Dalmation
Coast; Ephesus, Turkey; and two Greek Islands, but
be back in time to attend the graduation of their
grandson, Christopher Carillo, from the Air Force
Academy. His degree will be “Bachelor of Science in
Geospatial Science.” Our degrees were “Bachelor of
Science in Nothing in Particular.” How times have
changed. While attending the graduation, several of
their family will be the house guests of Don & Marie
Panzer, and Gus & June Fryer. After the
graduation, Rebecca & he will travel to Golden to
visit Dick & Ginny Sugg for the Memorial Day
Weekend.
Jack
Miller reported the passing of a good friend of
our class. LTC (Ret.) Mary B. Connell, U.S. Army
Nurse Corps, died on 6 Apr 10 after a long illness.
She was 99 years old and would have been 100 in
November. Mary was the head nurse at the West Point
Army Hospital when we were cadets. She resided in
the Washington, DC, area and regularly attended the
local class functions. She had many stories to tell
of her time with us at the Academy and over the
years and she supported our class gifts to West Point. She
was loved and looked after by Rose Mologne
and earlier by Lew. There will be a memorial
service for Mary at the Old Chapel at Ft. Myer at 9
a.m., Wednesday, 21 July, followed by interment in
the Arlington National Cemetery and a reception at
the Ft. Myer club.
A class
luncheon was held on 24 March at the Ft. Myer O Club
with 43 attendees from the Washington, DC, area.
Future events planned include a dinner on 19 June at
Knollwood, formerly known as the Army Distaff Hall;
another Ft. Myer luncheon on 17 September; and a
class lunch and rally at the annual Army–Navy
pre-game get-together in December. It was suggested
that members of the class have informal
get-togethers for lunch at Ft. Myer on the third
Thursday of each month, beginning in April.
Jack
reminds classmates to go to the class website,
<www.usma1954.org>, to get information on events,
class pictures, status of memorial articles as well
as the articles themselves and a host of other
information.
—Bob
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