USNA63 Shipmate Column: May 2000

Shipmate Column
May 2000

CLASS OF 1963
Pres: Stephen M. Duncan
Sec'y: Michael H. Shelley
25 Sweetwater Lane, Pisgah Forest, NC 28768
h: 828-862-4245 e: Class.Secretary@USNA63.org
Web site: www.USNA63.org

I'm glad to be able to present such a full and interesting collection of news about our classmates and their families this month. What you are about to read in our news exchange was made possible by your classmates. You can express your appreciation by making a contribution of your own, and by doing it this month. You've been procrastinating for long enough. Whether you prefer e-mail, snail mail, or telephone, the address you'll need is just above this paragraph.

Continuing his excellent work on behalf of the Class of 1963 Foundation to maintain close contact with the families of our deceased classmates, Frank Hilton recently corresponded with John Dohrman's widow, Mary. Her response testifies to the importance of the Foundation to those families. Here are excerpts from Mary's letter:

     I was touched and inspired by your letter. Through the Foundation you men of the Class of 1963 have really benefited my children. Please accept my gratitude for assisting my children so graciously as you have.
    Jesse Anne Dorhman Kennard lives at 9045 St. Anthony's Road, King George, VA 22485. She has a daughter, Harmony, who is 13. Malia lives here in Hawaii. She and her husband Michael Busekrus have four children, ages five years down to four months. Their address is 908 Alahaki St., Kailua, Hawaii 96734. Summer is married to a Marine helicopter pilot, Major Phil Grathwol, and they live at 1530 Corte Roberto, Oceanside, CA. 92056. Summer was only three when her dad died. His loss left a huge hole in her life since she had no recollection of him at all. I think all of the girls would value an opportunity to correspond with someone who knew him. John's roommate, Dick Bryant, was killed in a tragic accident right before graduation, and I've lost touch with George Grider, his other roommate. (Secy's note: We have put Mary in contact with George.)
    Please convey my gratitude to all of your classmates for their dedication and commitment. Words fail to communicate how much respect I have for your class and this testimony of love and concern in which you hold your deceased members and their families.    Warmest aloha, Mary Dohrman

Another person wishing to learn more about her father is Rick Trani's daughter Cathy, who can be contacted by e-mail at rcmsarmstrong@erols.com. Please be in touch with her if you can share any remembrances about Rick.

Tom O'Brien may be retired in Northern Virginia but he hasn't slowed down at all. Among his recent travels was a swing through the Pacific Northwest.

Over Christmas week we visited with our son, John O'Brien, '89, in the vicinity of Seattle. While we were there, we also spent some time with Lu Anne and Denny Vaughan.
Since the time was pretty limited, we decided on a lunch outing that started over coffee at the Vaughan's beautiful home in Shoreline, Washington, overlooking Puget Sound, and ended up at a very nice, nearby grille. Although the winter fog had descended upon Seattle before our flight arrived on the 22nd , the sun actually came out for a while and the fog magically lifted in time for a picture-snapping occasion on the wrap-around deck of their home. You might be able to make out a tanker on the horizon between Ann and me at a range of 8,150 yards (using my good periscope eye). That's about the best visibility we had all week. But -- nary a drop of rain during our entire week, which MUST be some kind of record for Seattle in December! Our lunch was animated and stretched over a couple of hours while reminiscing, and it was great to see both of them again. Denny has started his own company and is traveling back to DC periodically, doing important consulting work. When I let slip that that day was Ann's and my 36th Anniversary, he adamantly refused to even let me split the bill for lunch! It was great to see them both again, following their departure from Washington, DC, last June, and we hope they'll give us a chance to repay their gracious hospitality during one of their eastern business trips.

O’Briens and Vaughans

Bill Hahn and I had a brief exchange of e-mails in February. He said that things are going well and that he and Barbara are well settled into their final home near Subase Bangor, his last duty station. They love the Pacific Northwest. Bill is still working for a Public Utility District there.

I have received very full and interesting communications from two classmates, Alex Daunis and John Newton, who have followed unusual career paths and overcome some major personal challenges. After reading their stories, I hope you will take some time to send me your own so that I can share them with our classmates. This is Alex's account:

      After seven years of active duty as an ASW helo pilot in the North Atlantic, serving with HS-11 and at NAS Quonset Point, I transferred to the Naval Air Reserve. Then served with HS-74 and other aviation units, based at NAS South Weymouth. For my last four years in the Naval Reserve I served as an umpire in the Naval War College's War Gaming Department. In 1985, after 22 years of active and reserve service, I retired with the rank of Commander. As an HS-11 aircraft commander and flight leader, I served as a "Cold Warrior" in the North Atlantic, keeping track of the "Red October" submarines. During the Gemini Program, I participated in four spacecraft and astronaut recoveries in the mid 1960s. After Aviation Safety Officer School at NPGS Monterey, I served a tour as Aviation Safety Officer at NAS Quonset Point.
    After active duty, I worked as a staff accountant for Arthur Young & Co., Arthur Andersen & Co., and graduated from Harvard Business School before joining Jewel Case Corporation, a Providence-based consumer packaging manufacturing company, in 1973. Served as controller, then treasurer, before completing a full buyout in 1979. Over the next ten years, while I served as president, the Jewel Case Company doubled in size, through internal growth and five product line acquisitions. In 1990, I left to become a manufacturer's sales representative, covering the northeastern region, for Jewel Case and other packaging manufacturers. This change allowed more time to travel internationally, and in the early 1990s I completed six business development trips to Russia and Kazakhstan.
    The sales rep. business grew until April 1995, when I was rear-ended by a bus on the Massachusetts Turnpike. Over three years of physical therapy were needed to get me back on the road; I basically had to start the sales rep. business over again. But, things are getting better. The children are healthy and happy. Oldest daughter, Sarah, graduated from Mt. Holyoke College in 1995, is now enrolled at Teacher's College of Columbia University for an MAT. Sarah lives in Brooklyn with second daughter, Julia, a 1999 Smith College graduate. Julia works as a photographer's assistant in NYC. Youngest daughter, Amanda, just started at Skidmore College, Class of 2003.
    In addition, numerous civic volunteer board assignments, maintenance work on some summer cottages on Nantucket, and an increasing interest in film and stage acting account for most of my after-work activities. A member of the Screen Actors Guild since 1994, I have worked on close to 40 feature films as a Background Actor or Stand-In. For the past two years, preparation for my acting class has become an important part of my weekly schedule.

John Newton’s letter tells a very personal story, which he allowed me to share with you.

      My dear Classmates, the last few years have been challenging for my family and me. I battled a relatively rare form of Bone Cancer called Multiple Myeloma from June of 1992 through July 1993. My battle involved my seeking out specialists who were aggressive and could help me meet my objectives which were to get at least 10 more years of live out of this body and to see my family reasonably secure. I underwent a double, autologeous (my own) bone marrow and blood stem cell transplant at the University of Arkansas in Little Rock in February and July of 1993. Fortunately for me, I achieved a remission that has lasted up to now (1/31/00). There is no cure at this time for this form of cancer, just treatment.
    With all the stress and challenges posed by my treatment, my wife, "P.Q.," developed small cell lung cancer for which she was diagnosed in May of 1995. She put up a heroic battle undergoing the rather traditional chemotherapy and radiation treatments, but she eventually died from it on September 22, 1996. As you can surmise, our children have been through the wars and know now that life does not offer any guarantees. They are stronger for their experiences and our little family is closer. Our daughter, Leigh (age 23), graduated from CU Boulder in 1999 and is now a counselor in training for an "at-risk, youth program" at the Charter Hospital in Lewisville, CO. Our son, Craig (age 21), is in college at Pima Community College in Tucson, AZ, studying to get into the University of Arizona in the fall of 2000.
Along the way, I have had to learn some skills at parenting that I had never really attempted: nurturing, refining listening skills geared to young minds and hearts, and becoming an expressive, loving parent to my children. This has been a major challenge for a former Marine. Life is not as cut-and-dry as I used to view it.
    As to work, I was heavily involved in assistive technologies targeted toward the hearing impaired. However, after some 10 years of product development, enhancements, installations and service, the market segment that we were addressing matured to a point where the profit potential was nominal and I decided to withdraw from it. My risks of going forward outweighed the financial rewards. Along the way, I had also invested in a startup Flight Simulator Company that eventually went Chapter 7. The technology at the time was quite advanced, but the capitalization was grossly insufficient. In addition, the principals in the startup, while technologically accomplished, eventually showed that they lacked character and integrity. The outcome was the demise of a small promising business.
    Now, I am the Chairman of a Distance Learning Company named Learnability, Inc., which I was instrumental in founding. We use the Internet as a communications channel for delivery of our training products and services. We operate here in the US, in China, Malaysia, and Singapore; we have plans to go to Taiwan, Thailand, India and Australia in 2000. Our approach is relatively simple; we partner with local businesses to deliver training to their employees and customers using our technology and methodologies. You can find us on the Internet by going to our URL at www.learnability.com. I can be reached at my email address of jln@learnability.com or you can call me at work at 925-631-7600. We are always looking for good people with whom we can work.
    I am currently seeing a lady with whom both my wife and I had worked some years ago. Dating at my age is a different experience. I can only take my life a day at a time and that has taught me to savor every experience. It pays to laugh on occasion, to cry when necessary, to pray periodically and to sip a little red wine every now and then.
    As an empty nester, I have plenty of room for visitors (3 days max, house rule, but negotiable). My home is 18 miles East of San Francisco in Orinda, CA; my address is 32 Vista Del Mar and my home phone number is 925-253-0827.

The Class of 1963 web site has facilitated another reconnection. Surfing on the internet, our non-grad classmate Jerry Carpenter found the site and filed this report with me soon thereafter:

I completed plebe year in 1960 with the 16th Company. There were four of us together in room 4451 and we got along great all year! I was one of the ones chosen for the special cruise taking Eisenhower to the Soviet Union until Francis Gary Powers was discovered and the invitation by Krushchev was withdrawn. I have some great stories of life on the top floor of the 4th wing overlooking the roof of the squash courts, especially as the year came to a close. I was the unlucky recipient of a medical discharge at the end of the year due to a birth defect. I only had one kidney, a problem discovered during a physical! I would have opted for Sub School had I graduated, as my family had a history of submarine service.
I graduated from the University of New Hampshire BSEE, and the University of Toledo MSEE, and have had a varied career in both Navy civilian life (Portsmouth, NH Nuke Engineer), and computer technology with Sun Microsystems and Hewlett Packard and now with my own consulting business: CCS -- Continental Consulting Strategies. I would like to link up with Academy classmates, especially Dick Andrews, Tony Breard, and Frank Pinney if possible. I reside in Bonney Lake, Washington. My phone is 253-891-3090; e-mail jcarp@ccstrat.com.

Bill Sheehan has checked in from Waterford, CT, to provide us with this summary of his recent activities:

I am in my twelfth year at Ortronics, Inc., still as Director, MIS. Ortronics is no longer a private company. It is now owned by the Legrand Corporation of Lemoges, France, through Pass & Seymour Legrand of Syracuse, NY. I am in my second year as Moderator of the Waterford Representative Town Meeting (RTM). The RTM is the legislative body for the town and the Moderator presides at the bi-monthly meetings. I am also using my nuclear training as a member of the State of Connecticut's Nuclear Energy Advisory Council (NEAC). NEAC was formed when the local commercial nuclear power plants got into regulatory trouble. I have been visiting the Millstone Power Plants biweekly for over two years and providing reports to the council of my visits. I am also the second vice chairman of SeCTer (Southeastern CT Enterprise Region), a public/private organization that supports economic growth in southeastern CT. The Executive Director of SeCTer is John Markowitz ‘65.

Here's evidence that Jim Oakes is discovering the joys – and pride – of grandparenting the latest generation:

This is a picture of me with my step- granddaughter, Cassidy Kuhle, born 7 November 1999. Her mother, Shelley Kuhle, is the daughter of Arlene Inch, my OAO for the last 19 years. Cassidy's great-grandfather is Art Giesser (USNA '35). Please take note of the 'NAVY' baseball cap resting on my lap. We’ve got to start early to get these young-uns interested in attending the Academy. How does the Class of 2023 sound?

Jim Oakes the babysitter

Thanks to frequent contributor Jim Metcalfe for this report about Navy wrestling during the Dark Ages this winter:

     In February, three rasslers from '63 attended the Army-Navy match and wrestling team reunion at Annapolis: Ron Tebben and Sharon, Steve Duncan, and yours truly with Lisa. Carol and Bob Harper were also in attendance. I gave Lisa the choice between the service academies' Classes of '63 Valentine's Day dance at the Army-Navy Country Club or the wrestling meet. She chose the wrestling (honest). Steve Duncan swore we could all still make weight and several times suggested we should go down on the mat and show 'em how to rassle. Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed. Ron Tebben probably could have shown 'em how. He has remained active in wrestling as a coach and still looks to be at his fighting weight. The rest of us just look like we're fighting weight.
    We missed Mike Harman, Clay Morse, and Gary Thomas, all of whom were at the last wrestling reunion in '98. I know Carla and Jeff Miles went to the dance instead of the meet. Jeff probably made the call instead of Carla. The reunions are every two years when Army meets Navy at Annapolis, so all you rasslers mark your calendars for 2002!
     Seeing Ron Tebben reminded me of the summer after graduation. Ron, Hugh Schall, Bob Harrison, Miles Schmidt, and I rented my future in-laws’ house in Annapolis while they were away. Lisa had to stay at my house with my mother. Meanwhile, back at the bachelor pad (a.k.a. the Madisons' house), the ensigns were learning the mysteries of house keeping. One day someone put laundry detergent, and lots of it, in the dishwasher. As we all sat in the living room watching the TV and eating our TV dinners, we became aware of a huge and ever growing avalanche of suds coming out of the kitchen and filling the hallway. It took a long time to clean that one up!     We also had instructions to feed the Madison's white cat. We prided ourselves on feeding that cat very well. After we moved out, the Madisons asked us where the "other" white cat came from. Apparently we had been feeding two white cats all summer, but only one belonged to the Madisons. There were other stories from that summer but they'll have to wait. I'm not sure what statute of limitations applies.

Bruce Alitt has surfaced, sending this update from his home in Nevada:

I am here in Las Vegas working for the state as a fraud/compliance investigator in the Real Estate Division of the Department of Business and Industry. Don't ask how I got from nuclear engineer to where I am as it is a long story. My wife of almost 20 years, Peg, and I live in Sun City Sumerlin, which is in the city of Las Vegas. It is in the hills about 12 miles and 1,100 feet above the "strip." When we moved here about three years ago we made a decision to retire here eventually. Actually, it is a great place to live. No state income tax, low property taxes, great weather most of the year and more to do then you can imagine. The facilities here include three golf courses and four recreation centers, each with pool and spa, as well as every conceivable activity. Unfortunately, we cannot take full advantage yet, but hope to in a few years.
I would love to hear from any of our company mates when they visit Las Vegas, as almost every one does at one time or another. My address and phone are: 10504 Sea Palms Ave., Las Vegas, NV 89134; phone (702) 255-4105; e-mail seawolf663@aol.com

Here's some news from George Singer:

As of this week (mid-February), I have a new job and we will be moving from Seattle to Orange County, CA. I am now the COO of a fairly new telecom & utility company – it's a real live startup and sweat equity is a very true term to be used here -- located in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA (southeast of Los Angeles in the foothills -- weather is great and it is relatively pretty). This is a very welcome change from the past couple of years.

If you’ve read our monthly report all the way to here, I hope you’ll permit me a brief display of family pride. On 25 February, Lou and I were at NAS Whiting near Pensacola for the winging of our son, USMC 1LT Aaron Shelley ’97. The guest speaker for the ceremony was Lou’s brother, CAPT Ray Alcorn, USN (Ret.), an attack pilot who spent seven years as a POW, including time with our classmates Mike Cronin and Denver Key. Although a Penn State graduate, Ray gave an excellent speech to the new naval aviators and their families. After completing the CH-53E RAG in New River, NC, Aaron will be joining a squadron at NAS Miramar. Here’s a photo of the new helicopter pilot and his parents.

Aaron Shelley '97 gets his wings

While at Whiting, I enjoyed a beer and a long conversation with LT Dan Deutermann, USN, son of Sue and Pete Deutermann. Dan's an instructor in HT-8, and a very impressive guy. I had a terrific three days among the latest generation of warriors, soaking up some of their energy and pride. It was a not-so-unconscious reliving of my own youth in uniform (at my age, the mid-twenties are youth indeed), and I loved every minute of it.

Don't miss our next issue, which will include an account of Brev Moore's railroad journey across Canada. Have any of you good folks taken a memorable trip by rail on the Orient Express, the trans-Siberian railroad, one of Amtrak's routes, or the Long Island Railroad? If so, how about sending me your story to share with our readers?

See you next month!

QUALITY - '63

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Shipmate:
May 2000

posted on:
02 March 2000

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