The Class of 1963 Beat Army pep rally was held at Terry Abell's Manor Care residence in Fairfax, Virginia. Spirits were sky high. The pizza and soft drinks, courtesy of Terry and Sue, added to the festive mood and everyone present thought Navy would do it again this year. However, the Navy fight songs we sang in the residence lobby (Jim Ring brought his Plebe Year-issue songbook for the words, thankfully) evidently couldn't carry across the miles to Annapolis and Philadelphia. Thanks to the efforts of chief organizer Bob Forster, some 18 classmates and four wives (Sue Abell, Ellen Sherman, Fran Reemelin, and Andrea Johnson) were at the rally.

Beat Army pep rally in Fairfax, Virginia	Singing Navy fight songs

Shipmates stand together

Our indefatigable west coast reporter, Phil Marsden, sent this account of the '63 gathering near San Diego:

    June and Chuck Stone again hosted the local '63ers for the annual Army-Navy game festivities. These photos show some of the spirited group, undeterred by the game's outcome from renewing old acquaintances and comparing waistlines. Shown in the kitchen are Chuck Stone, Donna Kaup, June Stone, Jim Thornton, and Steve Hoy. Showing off their Navy Blue and Gold clothing in the next snapshot are Win Orgera, Chuck Stone, Vern VonSydow, Ted Krohne (letter sweater), and David Leake. The mellow fellows in the third picture are Jay Roberts, Charlie Helsper, Grant Telfer, yours truly, and Chuck Stone. (Secy's note: You may not be able to see it, but the stocking hung with care above Chuck's head is emblazoned with an embroidered 1963 Class Crest blazer patch. Nice touch.) Other attendees not pictured here included Bob Easton, Pat and Jim Fontana, Nancy Helsper, Karen Hoy, Charlotte and Don Jacobs, Kay Krohne, Lynn Leake, Sally Orgera, and Sandy Thornton.

Dishing out the vittles	Beat Army

Not victorious, but very mellow

        My companymate Charlie Minter made a visit to San Diego the week following the Army game. Vern , Ron Wills, and I met him for dinner and got caught up on all the DC- area gossip.

San Diego dining group

    Marti and I are both fine. Oddly enough, we are both retired in Florida, and about to move to Pennsylvania (the Pocono Mountains) next spring. Her family and my mother (all that's left of my family) are all up there. We plan to try to get back to Florida for January through March each year for obvious reasons. Our three offspring are all doing fine. Our oldest, Air Force Maj. Thomas Kenlin Livingston, is a navigator on an MC130H Combat Talon II. He is now temporarily assigned to Turkey, flying who knows where. The younger two, Maria and James, are both living in London.

        The Class extends its sympathy to the family of Raymond Grehawick, who passed away on 9 December 2001. After leaving the Academy in 1962, he received his bachelor's degree from the University of Delaware and had retired from General Electric in 1987 after 22 years of service.

        A citizen's letter published in the Orlando Sentinel in December lauded the performance of Judge Jerry Lockett, who recently retired from the bench.

    The retirement of Circuit Judge Jerry T. Lockett has left Lake County with a tremendous void. A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and a former law professor, Judge Lockett was appointed by the governor not once, but twice, to be a circuit judge. He possessed a keen intellect and maintained firm control of his courtroom. Judge Lockett was well respected by lawyers and courthouse personnel alike.

During the past 15 years, I believe that Jerry Lockett matured into a good and caring judge. He cared deeply for children, children's issues and the people who provided for children. A patient listener, he always did what he thought best. In my opinion, Judge Lockett was in his prime. He will not be easily replaced. Indeed, he may be irreplaceable. Be assured, however, that he has made a difference in the lives of many families and children, as well as the criminals he has imprisoned. Lake County owes him a debt of gratitude.

    I've just been elected to a new position that you couldn't imagine in your wildest dreams. I am now President of The National Needlework Association. It's the primary U.S. trade association for all manufacturers, publishers, distributors and importers in the Knitting, Crochet, Needlepoint, Cross Stitch and associated Accessories Industry. After retiring from managing some of AT&T's high tech Bell Laboratories products, I joined my wife full time in our tiny family business which designs, manufactures, imports and distributes these products to stores, catalogs and inter net companies. Next thing you know, here I am. It's only a one year term and my vow is to retire from that job after that and concentrate on our business. TNNA's next trade show will be in January in San Diego. It will be our largest trade show since at least 1988. Quite a way to start off my tenure.

    COURAGE AND GRACE. I take exception to your description of students at New Haven and Cambridge as "The Best and the Brightest" in your Oct. 1 editorial. The best and the brightest in the U.S. have always been students and graduates of USNA (Annapolis), USMA (West Point) and USAFA (Colorado Springs). These schools are as elite as those mentioned in your editorial but require the additional commitment to go in harm's way should the necessity arise. They have always served with courage and grace.

    Please be advised that the letter to the editor published in the Wall Street Journal and reprinted in the USNA 63 Shipmate column was written by my spouse of 42 years, Joan Schaefer Hernon, who felt she had to respond to the WSJ with a pithy message. I think she learned the "action response mode" during our 20 years of active duty with four kids and many moves.

    Doris and I just visited and joined this club in San Francisco. When in town, former Marines should definitely visit the lobby and library and worship at the displays, photos, and documents there. The "club" is a hotel with good to excellent rooms and a very nice bar and restaurant located in the heart of town near Union Square. It is a superb value and membership dues are tax deductible. Membership is open to active duty personnel and retired and former members of all armed services. It includes reciprocal privileges at some 30 clubs around the globe including DC, Paris, London, Scotland, Australia, Hong Kong, and Egypt, to name a few. Check out the web site at www.marineclub.com.

        The "bonus" material with the web site version of this column consists of two photos that I received in holiday letters from classmates and scanned to share with you. The first was in the letter from Jan and Phil Rooney. It shows Steve Longo, Matt Small, and Phil during a fishing trip to the Snake River in Idaho last September. The second is a nifty family photo of Ellen and Al Sherman flanking their children Jeff, Jenny, and Mike. And as a special Sitemaster bonus there is a photo of the Tom Reemelin family.

Longo, Small and Rooney	The Shermans

The Reemelins

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Perry Miles has set down a challenge that should stimulate your brain cells to remember some things from long ago.

    I lay claim to having the longest in-service item of USNA gear: a shoe horn. Not sure if it was original issue, but I'm sure it was in use prior to graduation. I also have some spiffies that may be from USNA, but may have been added to the kit later; in any event they are not in use at present. Lock boxes don't count unless they have been in continuous use and still have the original hasp and post. Let the games begin!

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This page is  Shipmate:     March 2002  posted on:  10 January 2002

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