Dear Classmates: Your Class officers and the officers and Board of the Class Foundation have made a diligent effort since our 35th Reunion to keep you informed of matters regarding the Class of 1963 "Living Legacy"fund and to solicit your opinion. The most recent general status report was sent to you in August, 2000. On September 25, 2000, we wrote to you again to describe the partnership agreement between our Class, the Class of 1963 Foundation, and the U.S. Naval Academy Foundation (NAF). We observed then that the new agreement will allow us to maintain the maximum autonomy and independence for our Class to meet the needs of both the Class and the Academy, while allowing us to take full advantage of the fund raising resources and expertise of the NAF. We also described the three separate funds which are now available for your support, including the Class of '63 Foundation Fund (which will be used to continue our "Taking Care of our Own"projects, the first objective of the Class of '63 Foundation), the Naval Academy Foundation Class of '63 Legacy Restricted Fund (which will be our "Living Legacy"fund, used to finance a program needed by the Academy to further its mission, a second objective of the Class of '63 Foundation), and the Naval Academy Foundation Unrestricted Fund (which will be used for special needs of the Academy as determined by the Superintendent and to meet administrative needs of the Alumni Association).

While the negotiations with the NAF were continuing, the Board of Trustees of our Class Foundation were exploring a range of projects which had the potential to generate a level of support from the Class similar to that which has been engendered by our successful scholarship program for the children of deceased classmates. That exploration effort has continued for several months, led principally by Larry Marsh and Jim Ring.

The most recent part of the effort was a day-long meeting with Academy officials on March 16, 2001. Class and Foundation officers and trustees, and other classmates who have been strong supporters of our Foundation over the years, listened to presentations by Admiral Henry G. Chiles, Jr. (Distinguished Chair, Leadership), Captain James A. Campbell (Director, Character Development), Dr. William C. Miller (Academic Dean and Provost), Dr. Albert C. Pierce (Director, Center for the Study of Professional and Military Ethics), Colonel David A. Vetter (Dean of Admissions), Mr. John P. Cummings (Associate Librarian), Mr. Gary LaValley (USNA Archivist), Dr. Jay Scott Harmon (Museum Director), and Mr. Jack R. Lengyel (Director of Athletics). Each presenter described his program in some detail and that program's resource needs, and responded to our questions. It was clear that two specific areas of potential investment would be most appreciated by the majority of our classmates. These are the ethics programs and the U.S. Naval Academy Academic Center. The ethics programs are already the recipients of generous gifts from other classes and from our own classmate, Roger Tetrault. After carefully considering this comprehensive information, therefore, we concluded that the program which could benefit most from our support, and which is most in line with our understanding of the continuing sense of our Class, is the Academic Center.

Our interest in the Academic Center is not new. As early as July, 2000, Larry Marsh had identified the Academic Center as being the right size (approximately $2 million in endowed funds are needed), with a funding start date that would permit our Class to have our 40th Anniversary fund drive developed to a level where we could sustain a grant of that size. At a meeting of your Class officers and Foundation trustees in January, 2001, Larry made a detailed presentation and provided us with the most recent Annual Report of the Academic Center, a brochure prepared by the Academy about the Academic Center, and most impressive of all, a series of letters to the Center from young officers now serving in the Fleet and Marine Corps. Each correspondent described how their respective careers as midshipmen had greatly benefited from the academic assistance which they received at the Center.

The Academic Center was founded in 1989 with the mission to provide academic counseling, improve study skills, and provide tutoring services to midshipmen. The general purpose of the Center is to harvest midshipmen who have academic difficulties and turn them on the road to academic excellence. Dr. Miller related a story about a particular midshipman who had achieved SAT scores of 1520, but who came from a school that did not teach effective study habits. The midshipman in question was barely passing several Plebe Year courses. After receiving assistance from the Academic Center, the young man's grades rose over three semesters from barely passing to solid B-plus work. The letters from the young officers who had benefited from the program were notable for how well and how forcefully each was written. Each of the individual writers had mastered the skills of effective communication and the quality of the writing reflected the confidence of learned professionals.

At the present time, the Academic Center is being funded from a $500,000 grant from Mr. Bill Marriott, the hotel magnate. With an anticipated annual expenditure of $100,000 however, the Marriott grant will be exhausted within three years. A corpus of $2,000,000 or more is needed to fund a minimum program of $100,000 per year. That amount would maintain a (part-time) staff of six faculty members, including five PhD's and a Navy Lieutenant. The faculty members will tutor approximately 75 midshipmen annually. Currently, the majority of those who receive assistance are Plebes, but the hope is to expand the program to include midshipmen in the upper classes as well.

Some of the subjects which are emphasized at the Center include reading and writing effectiveness, time management, note-taking, test-taking strategies, and stress management. Classes are held in Ward Hall, so funds contributed by the Class of '63 would go directly to academic support. Similar programs have recently been established at other great universities and institutions around the country, including Stanford and the U.S. Military Academy. Support of the Academic Center would also be consistent with our highly successful memorial scholarship program for the sons and daughters of classmates. Most of us remember a classmate who would have made a fine Naval Officer, but who failed to graduate because of poor learning skills. The Center serves as a way to keep such individuals in the Academy. For these reasons, we have selected the Academic Center as the recipient of funds that are contributed to the Naval Academy Foundation Class of '63 Legacy Restricted Fund.

We believe that when you have become fully informed about the Academic Center, you will agree that it is the ideal vehicle with which to implement our "Living Legacy"to the Naval Academy. .

    My wife May and I recently took the Alumni Association's tour of Rome and thought a report of the trip might be of interest to other alumni who might be considering such a tour. Our trip to Italy was a wonderful experience. Although we spent a full week in Rome, we left with the feeling that we had just scratched the surface insofar as things to do and see. The five-star hotel at which we stayed (the Excelsior on the Via Veneto) was beautiful, and the daily tours we took, including excursions to the Forum, the Coliseum, the Sistine Chapel, and a side trip to Florence, were both educational and entertaining.

An incident which occurred on the final day of our stay in Rome may serve as an example of just how well things went. I had recently become active in the L.A./Orange County Chapter of the Alumni Association, the activities of which include the sponsorship of a ship based at NAVSTA San Diego. By a heartwarming coincidence, the ship the Chapter sponsors is FITZGERALD (DDG-62), named for our classmate Bill Fitzgerald. During one of my visits to the ship I was given a ball cap of the type worn by the ship's officers.

Given the makeup of our tour group (mostly middle-aged former or retired naval officers) I decided to wear my cap during the daily guided tours to various sites around the city. I had some misgivings about walking around Rome in a "Fitz" ball cap, as I have always been uncomfortable with the idea of civilians wearing the insignia of an operational naval unit in which they have never served. However, the fact that I was a classmate of the man after whom the ship was named, coupled with the fellowship I have felt with the ship's officers and men as the result of several onboard visits, ultimately convinced me that I would not be considered a usurper by current or former members of the crew.

Happily, the cap turned out to be a very effective "icebreaker" with both tour group members and people on the street, many of whom inquired about FITZGERALD's history and my connection with the vessel. The most rewarding of these encounters took place on the last day of our tour while we were visiting the Borghese Galleries. While walking through the museum I was approached by a middle-aged man in a Navy issue leather jacket who identified himself as Monsignor Fitzgerald of the Baltimore Archdiocese. He asked me about my connection with the Fitzgerald, saying that although he was not related, he had been at the commissioning ceremony for the ship in his prior role as a Navy chaplain. One thing led to another, and we wound up being introduced to three other priests in his group. One of them asked if May and I would be interested in attending an international rosary service at the Vatican that evening with Pope John Paul II. We immediately accepted the invitation, as it would afford us the rare opportunity of seeing Pope John Paul II in person. (Such services are not open to the public; this one was apparently reserved for members of the clergy and their guests)

The Rosary was said in the Vatican's great hall, which is not generally open to the public. The setting was breathtaking, and the atmosphere was almost electric. We had excellent seats in an area apparently reserved for the clergy. We sat with a young Catholic brother who provided commentary based on his experiences in the Vatican City. Given the fact that much of what was said aloud was in rapid fire Italian, this added greatly to our understanding of the proceedings. The service itself turned out to be the highlight of our trip. Afterwards we walked with other attendees in a candlelight procession to the Piazza Navona, where the Cross was carried into the cathedral there. It was an experience neither of us will soon forget.

Some would say that the chance meeting with the priests at the museum and the invitation that led us to the Vatican that evening were all purely serendipitous. I like to think that it was just another example of the many good things that sometimes happen unexpectedly when you have the privilege of associating with good people.

Rich and May Pace in Rome

        Rich also sent a photo of himself and May in Rome with classmate Bill Penn and his friend Linda Thebo, but regrettably it won't reproduce well here.

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        Have you added your current bio information to the Class of 1963 web site? Remember our goal of having updates from at least three-fourths of our classmates on the site before our 40th Reunion. Among those who have recently added their updates are Dave Riley, Luis Adriasola, Tim Cook, John McDermott, John Dohrman, Donn McCrory, Duane Buckingham, Bernie Patterson, Phil Marsden, Spence Johnson, Jim Koehn, Wink Wilkinson, Don Sheaffer, Rich Weidman, Fred Sutherland, Gary Shay, Gaylord Hopkins, Jack McDonald, Mike Mullen, Terence O'Brien, John Kelly, George Candelori, Ken Metviner, Neil Smart, Flack Logan, Clay Dugas, Ed Brady, Mike Lents, Ron Machens, Lew Lewis, John Boley, Lionel Banda, Art Roper, Hoot Gibson, Clyde VanArsdall, Joe Strasser, Bunky Seay, Tom Rossa, Dud Hendrick, Harry Salmon, Neil Smart, Bill Campbell, Dick Elsworth, J.J. Calande, and Bruce Alitt .

Please do as these folks did and take a few minutes to visit the site and provide some info. This can be as brief or as lengthy as you wish, and you can include one or more digitized photos if you choose. Let your browser take you to www.usna63.org. Click on Wardroom / Classmates/ Electronic Lucky Bag, then enter your name and other info. When the Lucky Bag page with your picture comes up, click on your picture. Follow the instructions that appear, and your current info will be added to the site. To submit photos to accompany your text, send the image file to Steve Coester, atsteve.coester@1963.usna.com; he'll do the rest. If you want to revise info that's already there, just send me an e-mail containing your text.

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        Mike Corgan filed this personal account from Iceland, where he's enjoying being a temporary resident.

    My Fulbright lectureship found me teaching courses in foreign policy and international law at the University of Iceland. Students are a bit older than in the U.S. and quite sharp, having been screened through attending the junior colleges first. Besides the course teaching I have given several talks on U.S. politics and electoral processes to various political science groups in the country. The embassy has also put me to work on several fronts; explaining what really went on before the premiere showing of the film Thirteen Days; talking to the pro-NATO society and so on. The big deal we're all involved in on the U.S. side is the 50th anniversary of the 1951 U.S.-Iceland Defense Agreement on 5 May. It's the only bilateral defense treaty the U.S. has in NATO and it's our oldest defense pact with another country. Contrary to a lot of assertions you hear, a majority of Icelanders has always supported NATO and accepted the presence of the base at Keflavik. Neither is even an issue in local politics anymore except that they want us to stay. This treaty and NATO are among Iceland's main connections to Europe. Incidentally, the last '63er to serve here was Tom Hall who was Commander, Iceland Defense Force, in the late '80s.

Mostly what I've got to look forward to now is being a tour guide for family and friends who want to come over. Funny how there weren't so many visiting in January and February. I'm also trying to learn Icelandic but I don't think I have enough decades left for any real success. Still, it's a beautiful place and well worth anyone's visit.

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        We thank hard-working Assistant U.S. Attorney Jim Metcalfe for filing this report about his attendance at an important event in Norfolk.

    On March 10th the Navy commissioned the newest Arleigh Burke class destroyer at Norfolk, the WINSTON S. CHURCHILL (DDG-81). Steve Duncan drove down from Alexandria to join me at the ceremony. Steve is a member of the International Churchill Society and has had a number of opportunities to visit Chartwell and meet Churchill's biographer and some of his family and colleagues so the commissioning was a very special event for him. The ship was commissioned at the Town Point dock in the heart of Norfolk and in the shadow of the World Trade Center where I work. Nearby loomed the mighty 16-inch guns of the mothballed battleship WISCONSIN which will soon be open to the public through Nauticus, the Norfolk nautical center which also includes the Navy's Hampton Roads museum (the latter a free gem). The "new" (1986) HMS SHEFFIELD was at the Nauticus dock for the ceremonies. Her namesake was sunk in the Falklands. Acting SECNAV Robin Pirie, USNA '55, gave some introductory remarks for the British ambassador. Churchill's daughter Mary Soames was one of the two sponsors. The son of the First Sea Lord (UK's CNO) is the ship's navigator and received the long glass from his father to set the first watch. Our CNO plus CINCLANTFLT Adm. Robert Natter '67 were also present. Steve also managed to make a major contribution to the ship's MWR fund by buying enough trinkets to purchase Manhattan. He had ball caps, mugs, and a handsome jacket, all sporting the CHURCHILL's crest. It was a great day for both navies. .

Steve Duncan at USS CHURCHILL Commissioning

Jim Metcalfe at the Helm

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        Jim had a busy week. Only a few days later he had one of those "chance encounters" with Tom Selden.

    Tom hailed me in the Norfolk Navy Base Exchange parking lot. He had seen my USNA-63 Virginia tags. Tom said he owes Shipmate an update but I told him I would pass along whatever he had to offer. After graduation, Tom served as a surface warrior. (We called 'em black shoes, but my Porkchop son calls 'em SWO-Dogs today.) He served on ALBANY (CG 10), O'HAIR (DD 889), STANDLEY (CG 32), and COGSWELL (DD 651), the last off Vietnam in 1968. Later he served in the Naval Reserve and then switched to the Air Force Reserve (where his experience with foreign military sales paid off), from which he retired. His "day job" is with the Defense Institute of Security Assistance Management at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. He was in Norfolk on his way to teach at the Yorktown Coast Guard Training Center. He teaches there quarterly at the course for International Maritime Officers. He tells them how to buy from the U.S. while abiding by our rules, regulations, and red tape. He lives in Cedarville, Ohio and has three daughters, ages 32, 30, and 13.

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        Tom Miller in Hawaii recently sent the following item to the 14th Company Net. He enthusiastically agreed that I could also share it with readers of our Shipmate column. (Thanks to D.B.A. Moore for bringing it to my attention.).

    We all have or had one. A prostate. In late 1998, I found that mine had cancer. It was detected solely by my PSA blood work; no other symptom. Ultimately, I was to understand that had I gone another year without action, dealing with it would have been difficult. I had a prostatectomy, and I have been cancer free for 2 years 5 months.

My prospects are good. My purpose in this is not to give some biographical information, but to encourage you religiously to get an annual check, both a rectal exam and a PSA test (the combination is the best). Encourage your guy friends too. The disease is common, and our age is of considerable vulnerability. It can be masked by prostatitis (infected prostate) or normal benign swelling common for our age. There are treatment options other than taking it out.

My advice is, too, to hook up with a urologist now for an annual visit. They deal with prostates every day. Know the subtleties of examining them, which is not usually the case with your internist. It can make a difference in diagnosis, and I have a number of case histories that I personally know to support that. If you want to know something more about any of this, please contact me. At this point, I feel like I've done a lot of study and am an "informed consumer."

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        Cheryl L.Smelley Garrett, daughter of our late classmate Alan Smelley, is seeking information about her father, who died when she was very young. If you can provide any recollections about him, however brief, please contact her. She is especially interested in learning about his service in Vietnam. Her e-mail address is edgewateravsbabe@avalanchefan.com. Thanks!.

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        Now here's a nifty account from J.J. Calande (usn21@earthlink.net) about his recent marriage:.

    Trying to find somebody to marry two divorced Catholics isn't easy. The first time that I married Kathy (my post-stroke rehab nurse) was in 1993. She wanted a church wedding so I searched for a minister who would marry us even though he didn't know us. I failed to find one, so I turned to the Navy again and talked to the chaplain at NAS Willow Grove in Horsham, PA. He told me about a United Methodist minister named Bob Ralph who was a reserve Navy chaplain who drilled at Willow Grove. I contacted Bob and he was happy to marry us at the Willow Grove chapel as a favor to a fellow naval officer.(the camaraderie never ends). It was a beautiful ceremony and reception at the Officer's club that still existed back then.

This time, Kathy wanted a church wedding again. so it was back to the search. I got turned down by everybody, which inspired me to find Bob to see if he would marry us again. I found him through my Internet search via his bishop's office and learned that he was now Pastor of the Kemble Memorial UMC in Woodbury, NJ. Bob was very supportive. Instead of any kind of refusals, his attitude was that he preferred to see people together rather than apart. We set the wedding for 18 May at his church. After the wedding, I will go to New Mexico with Kathy to start our new life again at her house in Las Lunas near Albuquerque. If anybody's interested in a real nice, remodeled, furnished, waterfront home on a big (350 acre) country lake in Eastern Connecticut, give me a call at 860-887-1922. Bring your good fishing pole because a couple of years ago somebody took an eight pound bass from the lake.

    At graduation I took my commission in the Air Force, ended up in Greenland, California, and Vietnam in Explosive Ordnance Disposal. Got out in the fall of '67, went to grad school at Dartmouth, became a coach, left Dartmouth in '82 to become a restaurateur and innkeeper in Maine and recently sold that enterprise to a USNA-type, class of '71! My wife, Jean, and I (no children) are loving' life on Deer Isle, ME.

In January of 1998, I was invited by World T.E.A.M. (The Exceptional Athlete Matters) Sports to direct the volunteer staff that led the Vietnam Challenge. World T.E.A.M. Sports is a non-profit dedicated to bringing together disabled and able-bodied athletes to participate in rather remarkable events around the world. The Vietnam Challenge was a bicycle ride from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City. My teammates were veterans from both sides of the war, most of whom had been physically or emotionally traumatized. An award-winning documentary, "Vietnam, Long Time Coming,"traced our emotional journey. As you would imagine, this was a powerful and compelling experience.

Last year, I was invited to participate in another WTS event, the Face of America. As the Director of Operations of the east team, I led a group of about 50 riders-- American Indians, Asian-Americans, Hispanics, African-Americans and others, most of whom were disabled -- as we biked from Boston to St. Louis. Our counterparts, a similar team that had biked from San Francisco, met us under the Gateway Arch in a grand celebration of diversity in America. It has been an incredible privilege to work with this organization and its representatives. I have now created the World T.E.A.M. Sports Speakers Bureau which represents about 50 of these people who have so enriched my life. They include: Erik Weihenmayer, the blind mountaineer who just recently climbed Everest; a double-leg amputee who lost his legs in a sky-diving accident yet still jumps; a leading model who is a cancer survivor and marathoner; a Vietnam war hero who battles MS; a former Navy Seal who was shot in Panama and is now paralyzed from the waist down yet is a two time Hawaii Iron-man (Disabled Category) champion; and many others, each of whom have a story of uncommon courage that is instructive for us all. Their messages are about perseverance, about overcoming challenges, and ultimately about triumph.

We have speakers for every size group or organization. Some are very high-profile speakers, while others are not so well-established yet deliver important messages. We're looking for audiences in the corporate world, in universities, health clinics, youth camps and leagues, veterans groups, and service organizations. In other words, everywhere. I'm hopeful that our classmates might consider the World T.E.A.M. Sports Speakers Bureau when next they are in the market for an inspirational speaker. I can be contacted by e-mail at dhendrick@worldteamsports.org Finally, now that we have sold our inn we have time and appetite for non-paying guests. It gets lonely up here in Maine. Our phone number is 207-348-2511

    During February I led a group of 50 hardy souls from the Pentagon Ski Club and other DC area clubs on a ski trip to Davos and Klosters, Switzerland. We arrived the week after the World Economic Conference and were rewarded by a quieter week and terrific skiing. This photo was taken at the Hotel Cresta Sun bar. The happy faces are Bruce Webb (there with his wife Larissa who is not in the photo), Dawn Hillman '89, Ellen Gardner '89, myself and Eve Gardner (She was secretary and registrar for our 30th Reunion.).

My next trip begins on 1 August when I depart with a group of 35 skiers to New Zealand for skiing and tanning followed by four days in Sydney. Next February I will be leading a trip to St. Moritz, followed by four nights in Florence. Anyone interested can contact me at 703-430-1177 or see our web site at www.pentagonskiclub.org. The club is open to all, despite its name.

Apres-ski in Switzerland

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        Another frequent traveler is Jim DeFrancia, who submitted this account of events in Shanghai and Atlanta:.

    It's amazing how small the world can be at times. I was getting on a bus for a day tour of the city in Shanghai, China, when an attractive woman noticed my ring and asked if it was from one of the Academies. I confirmed that it was, indeed, from Navy. She inquired about my Class, and when I replied "63, she startled me by identifying herself as Pam Pfieffer, wife of classmate John Pfeiffer! Turns out that Pam is a flight attendant with United and was on a layover during a San Francisco-Shanghai run. She and John live in Monterrey, and he is the IT/computer honcho there for the city. Their oldest son is also USNA, and is flying off a carrier. They have two other boys, as well, but younger and not in uniform.

I was in Shanghai as I have just taken on a project there. It is a large-scale planned community, including a Jack Nicklaus golf course, which hit some difficulties in its early stages. My company has been brought in by Deutsche Bank and H&Q Asia Fund to get it back on track and build it out over the next five years. So, I will be spending a lot of time in China for the foreseeable future, and am likely to see Pam again on one of those flights! I also spent some time with Ron Terwilliger in April. We were together at a meeting of the Urban Land Institute in Minneapolis. Ron has been serving a Chairman, and I served the last two years as his Vice Chairman. The Trustees held a dinner to honor Ron for his term as Chair, as it is ending in June, and we presented him with a genuine 1943 USN brass binnacle. I was in charge of the gift, and tracked it down in California! It was a big hit and will grace his new lake house in Georgia. Ron's wife, Trish, was clear, however, that she was not going to take on the Brasso responsibilities!

I was at Ron's 60th birthday party in February. He had a terrific celebration at the Cherokee Country Club in Atlanta. It was a '50's theme, and appropriate attire was encouraged. Ron had provided for an Elvis imitator, a Buddy Holly rock band, and other stuff appropriate to the era. I must admit that it took us all back to high school for an evening! One of the most interesting things was the invitation. It was a custom-made Wheatie's cereal box with the old "breakfast of champions" on the front and a picture of our birthday boy in his Navy basketball uniform!

        Jim sent his "invitation"to me so that it could be shared with all of you..

Breakfast of Champions

Fine dining in Aspen

Ready to hit the slopes

   Can you believe that 38 years ago we completed our education at one of America's top educational institutions coupled with a fervent desire to serve our country, and we still feel the same way? It's a good world and we made a difference.

       Yes, and we continue to do so..

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This page is  Shipmate:     July/August 2001  posted on:  9 June 2001

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