W. Spencer Johnson
President, USNA Class of 1963
1604 Trawler Lane
Annapolis, Maryland, 21409
410-626-7934
Reunion Planning
Dear Classmates,
All the planning pieces for our forty-fifth reunion are now in place and we are ready for your arrival and check in at what promises to be a great reunion. Have a safe trip to Annapolis and a great time while you are here.
Thursday
afternoon features a three hour Chesapeake Bay cruise aboard the Catherine
Marie departing from the Annapolis Dock area downtown. A cheese and fruit spread will be set up onboard
along with cash bars for drinks as desired. Remember to bring cash
for the drinks since they are not accepting credit cards on board.
Also Thursday afternoon there will be a class golf tournament at the Naval Academy Golf Course at the Naval Station across the Severn River. The cost of play includes green fees, a golf cart, prizes and refreshments. A bus will depart the country Inns and Suites for the golf course at 1100 and return at 1800.
On
Friday morning at 1000 we will hold our memorial service in the main Chapel,
followed by a class meeting at 1330 in the Mahan Hall auditorium and an address
by the current Superintendent. At 1600 the Brigade takes the parade ground for
a dress parade.
Our
Friday night soiree will be held in the beautiful N Star rooms at the Navy-Marine
corps Stadium from 1900-2300. This will
feature food stations from "the Seven Seas", beer and wine included,
and a cash bar. The Baltimore catering firm of BoBrooks will present a superb
selection of offerings from around the world that more than symbolizes our
having been "scattered far and wide" since graduation. The facilities
allow us to wander around during the course of the evening rather than being
anchored in one spot so that we can greet and see as many classmates as
possible during the evening. Beer, soft drinks and wine included. Cash
bar for other beverages. Please bring cash as
needed. Dress is business
casual: slacks, jacket, tie if desired but not required: ladies pants outfits
or dresses as desired.
On Saturday we will attend a class tailgate and the Navy-Holy Cross baseball game, a double header, the first game beginning at noon, using the new facilities at Bishop Stadium and Terwilliger Field. We will work on reconstituting the 1963 baseball team and afford them pre-game recognition. The theme for the tailgate will be "Take Me out to the Ballgame".
Our
reunion schedule stands as follows:
Thursday
24 April
1000 Check-in commences
Country Inn and Suites Annapolis,
2600 Housley Road
Annapolis, Md.
410-571-6700
Reunion Headquarters
1200 Class Golf Tournament USNA Golf
Course
Bus departs from Country Inns and Suites at 1100
Returning at 1800
1400-1700
Chesapeake Bay Cruise aboard the Catherine Marie
Departs City Dock,
Annapolis
Vegetable, Cheese, Fruit, Crackers
Cash Bar
1830-2130 Dinner Cruise for Sixth Battalion
aboard
the Catherine Marie
Evening Free for
Company Arranged Events
Friday
25 April
0800 Registration
Continues at Alumni Hall USNA
1000 Class
Memorial Service
USNA Chapel
1100-1330 Tour of
Center of Academic Excellence Center
Nimitz Hall (library) lower level
1330 Class Meeting
Mahan Hall Auditorium
Address by the Superintendent
1600 Dress Parade
Worden Field
1900 Jewish
Worship Services
Levy Center
1900-2300 Class
Soiree
N Star Rooms
Navy-Marine Corps Stadium
Food from the Seven Seas
Cash Bar
Saturday
26 April
1100-1600 "Take
Me Out to the Ball Game"
Tailgate
Bishop Stadium
Terwilliger
Brothers Field
1200 Navy-Holy
Cross Baseball Game
1600 Second Game of the Navy-Holy Cross Double Header
1800 Evening Free for Company Planned Events
Sunday
17 April
Chapel Services as Desired
0900 Catholic Mass
1130 in St AndrewÕs Chapel
1100 Protestant
Services
0830 in St AndrewÕs Chapel
(Communion Service)
Brunch as arranged by individuals
1200 Forty-fifth Reunion Adjourns
Notes
Access to the Naval
Academy. Parking on the Yard is extremely limited. Cars
with DOD decals are admitted through the gates (Gate 1 or gate 8 only). Cars
with handicap licenses or markers are also admitted. Only a few parking passes
will be issued by the authorities for use by reunion attendees. Plan to use the
bus transportation that will be provided. Please remember that all persons
entering the Naval Academy grounds must have a photo ID (DoD ID card, driver's
license, passport, etc) to present to the sentries, even if on the buses.
Failure to present a photo ID may result in not being allowed to access the
grounds. Ensure that you have one in your pocket or purse.
Stuff After conferring with a number of wives and classmates, their strong opinion was that we don't need more mementos or stuff to commemorate the reunionÑnot even a bag. With this in mind, you will find bags, clothing, hats, and everything else you may want on a reunion website at wwwUSNA.com/shop or www.navyalumnistore.com. Additionally, there will be a link posted on the registration web page when it is put up. If you do not see something there, check out the wider range of merchandise available at the Alumni Store link. If that does not meet your needs, let me know what you are looking for and we will try to find a purveyor for it. You can have any item embroidered with the class crest in blue, gold or multi-colored thread, and add any names, monograms, etc that you may want. Any item purchased through the Alumni Association results in a ten percent contribution of the purchase price to our class fund. Additionally, a purveyor will be at our headquarters site to sell items that you may not have ordered in advance and would like to have. A local outfitter will be on-site at registration for last minute items that may catch your eye of fill a need.
Two items will be received by all attendees. The first is a handsome nametag and lanyard for wear. The second is a bronze coin issued to each classmate that will have our class crest prominently displayed on one side and the Naval Academy seal on the other. This is the same coin that our class will present to the newly inducted members of the class of 2013 as their "honor" coin during their plebe summer as part of our "Link in the Chain" responsibilities for the class that follows us by fifty years. It is intended that on graduation day for the class of 2013, in addition to presenting the newly commissioned officers with their gold bars of rank, we will give them another coin that is identical except for their class crest replacing ours, symbolizing the passing of the torch from our class to theirs
Midshipman's Store Hours are limited. The Midshipman's Store is open from 0730-1630 on
weekdays and closed on Saturday and Sunday. Many of the Academy specific items
that can be found in the MidshipmanÕs Store can also be found on-line at the
Alumni Store and at the VisitorÕs Center in the Harmel-Leftwich building
adjacent to the field house. The Visitors center is open on Saturday and Sunday
as well as during the week and also offers guided walking tours of the Yard.
Presentation of an Alumni Association or Naval Academy Athletic Association membership
card at the Visitors Center at time of purchase will give you an additional 10%
discount. All proceeds benefit the Brigade of Midshipmen