Again this year, Bob Harper served as the nucleus of the Class of 1963 "Terry's Team" of bike riders who honor our classmate Terry Abell by participating in the annual Northern Virginia road tour to benefit Multiple Sclerosis research.  This year's riders included Bob, Roger Glaes, Roger's wife Sami, Dick Williams, Jay Gowens, Tom Morgan, Brev Moore, Mike Cronin, Dave Robinson, Pete Browne, Satch Baumgart, and Jim Carter.   They raised contributions of more than $4,200.

        Bob has provided an account of the event, held the first weekend of June, and Jim submitted a dozen digitized photos of the riders.  The photos couldn't be reproduced in the hard-copy Shipmate but are included in the Shipmate section of the Class of 1963 web site.  Take a look!   Seeing your classmates clad in colorful Lycra and other miracle stretch fabrics is an experience not to be missed!  Now, here is Bob's description of the event:

As Jim Carter's photos show, we mustered a hearty (as evidenced by their girth) crew.   Roger Glaes lent a real touch of class to the Class on two counts.  First, he alone was eloquent enough to convince his bride to accompany him (and us) and secondly he alone was cerebral enough to pilot a recumbent bike, equipped with an aerodynamic windscreen.

     With such an illustrious cast of over-achievers, considerable pre-planning had, of course, been executed.  The collective decision was to assemble and start early such that the potential heat load of a June day would be reduced by logging some early-hour miles.  Accordingly, we had arranged for a 0730 assembly, ready to ride. Even I could sense that a 0730 start time from Manassas would impose a very challenging departure time if I had to travel from my house in Crabtown.  Accordingly, I arranged to impose on my co-worker, Charlie Minter, and his bride Carol at their home in Reston.

On Saturday morning, with the team assembled, we posed for the obligatory pre-start pictures and started sometime before 0830.   Jim Ring had braved the early reveille and was there to help get pictures of all the combatants; maybe we can return the favor for his MS Walkathon next year.

     The weather was nearly perfect and the route level enough that spacing the rest stops at nine or ten mile intervals worked tolerably well. Jim Carter had Navy League decals and Navy recruiting stickers to add to our distinguished group of senior citizens. Navy jerseys on myself, Jay Gowens, and Tom Morgan added emphasis to our mission.  Suffice it to say that a lot of people found out just how serious USNA '63 is in support of Terry Abell.  This year everyone had trained into good condition and nobody suffered any serious physical or equipment mishap.

That's not to say that good judgement accompanied good conditioning, however.   At one point where the route provided a serious downhill (with the inherent promise of the immediately ensuing uphill) Jay Gowens reported that his speedometer read 42 mph as I passed him. It had become obvious that we were in for a hard uphill and I determined to catch all the momentum possible. It must have worked (in addition to a revised and kinder route), since this year I managed to stay on the bike without walking any of the hills. I don't even want to think of what a flat tire would have done on that downhill, however.      I was able to verify that Roger's aerodynamic windscreen was most effective. While riding with the various team members, I had the chance to ride behind Roger for a while. The reduced wind drag was remarkable (and appreciated). I was able to stay close enough to chat with everyone at various times, although youngsters like Pete Browne certainly lowered our average team age.

It was really superb having such a good sized (no pun intended) team this year. We hope that next year will find even more of us there. Compared with previous years, the revised route between Manassas and Fredericksburg was MUCH more user-friendly to old legs. I missed the Sunday portion of the ride this year as our family got on a plane Sunday for two weeks in Poland and the Czech Republic.

 
        Another take on the MS bike ride came from Jay Gowens, who echoed Bob's approval of the kinder, gentler route:

     The route was terrific. Not too hilly, not too flat. The rolling terrain made the entire tour very pleasant. I really enjoyed it. The food was fantastic. Then a free beer or two to top it off. How could we go wrong? I think I was the only one silly enough to sleep in the common tent, rather than a motel bed. I think next year I will get smart. It only takes twice for me to learn a motel bed is better than the ground. Not to mention the opportunity to take a nice hot shower. BUT the pleasant feeling lying under the stars with a full belly and good music from a live band made the common tent worth it.

        Here's the Quote of the Month, which I found in an e-mail from one of our classmates: "I'm a lawyer, and I agree with (classmate). Guess that means I'm a lousy lawyer, which is probably why I'm retired."

        Thanks to Tom Robertson for sending this illustrated report:

     The last time you heard from me, Julie and I were moving to Amelia Island, Florida, and there we remain loafing at the beach. Linda and Jack Reed moved in as our neighbors and we frequently enjoy classmates drifting through. In a previous Shipmate there was a great note from Jack Fischer reporting his visit to Bob Tieslau in California. Bob and I lived together in 1963-64, self proclaimed as the most eligible Ensigns in Northern California. My past attempts to track him down in the mountains were unsuccessful so Jack's work gave me new inspiration.

     In July we were in San Francisco for other business and got Bob's phone number through the magic of the internet. We hadn't been in contact since we both got married 35 years ago, but we reconnected like it had been just a few months. So Julie and I went to "the mountain" and spent several wonderful days at the farm, 40 acres of beauty in Amador County east of Sacramento. Bob and Marjun have created a self-sustaining life with productive gardens, livestock and prize winning red wines from their 5 acres of vines. While becoming, of necessity, a master builder and mechanic, Bob has taught calculus and algebra to three decades of high school students at Sutter Creek High. It was obvious that he is revered as a teacher and coach in the same manner that he and Marjun are admired for community leadership. The weather was stunning and Bob put me to work feeding the sheep and chickens in compensation for the prodigious amounts of prize wines we consumed.

Tieslau and Robertson flexing at Lake Tahoe

Bob and Marjun's three children all live around Lake Tahoe so we spent a few more days up at the lake bicycling, swimming, and casino-ing. Bob was concerned that the picture of him and Jack Fischer in the previous Shipmate caught him unprepared between flexes, so we got a more generous shot of the two of us at the very same spot on the south shore of the lake. Bob put me to work again helping him finish a deck at their Tahoe place and then it was time for us to leave with lots of great laughs and memories. It turns out his mother still lives near us in Jacksonville and we took forward to a reciprocal visit not too far in the future. Besides, I've got a few projects of my own that could use some advice from the master builder.

        In the September Shipmate, I published Jim Ring's claim that Gonzaga High School had more of its graduates in the USNA Class of 1963 than any other school did. Seeing this when the column first appeared on our web site in July, John Kelly offered this quick response:

     Not to take anything away from Jim Ring, but shortly after I reported in for Plebe Summer I was visited by Malcolm Schantz, whom I hadn't seen since we were in elementary school at Pearl Harbor Elementary for about four years, and he let me know that Charlie Minter, another long-time hut mate was in '63 too. Tommy Murray, another hut mate showed up with the class of '64. I don't know how many of our classmates were our schoolmates at PH Elementary, I just know that four of us from the same quonset hut were at USNA at the same time.

        Here are some excerpts from an article in the 7 July Norfolk Virginian-Pilot describing a sail excursion in which our classmate Tom Dade played a major part. From 1 July through 5 August, Norfolk area Sea Scouts and Boy Scouts participated in the cruise, which was a part of the OpSail 2000 and TallShips 2000 programs.

     The scouts were to sail ''Chessie,'' a 54-foot Irwin ketch from Poquoson, Virginia, to New York City to take part in the 4 July OpSail 2000 celebration. The voyage was to continue to Boston for the TallShips 2000 Parade of Sail. After that, the young crew would race to Halifax, Nova Scotia, against TallShip cadet crews from around the world . About 30 Scouts trained for this adventure for 18 months. Coast Guard licensed Capt. Tom Dade handled the shipboard training, while another leader did the shore-based training. Two-thirds of the Scouts had never been on a boat before. Chessie went out every weekend, including overnight sails.

     The Scouts were not alone on the high seas. Chessie's skipper, Dade, and his ''mate'' Andy Ling, also a certified captain, were along for the ride with a few other adult helpers. In 1986, to support area Sea Scouts, Dade founded Seaway Inc., a nonprofit organization providing Scouts with boats and equipment. Seaway owns Chessie. Dade lives in Poqouson and was a Sea Scout as a boy, when the Scouts were referred to as ''Sea Explorers.'' He credits the experience with helping him get into the U.S. Naval Academy. After working on Navy submarines for 20 years, Dade is the manager of advanced technology at Newport News Shipbuilding. Scouting is a good way to teach boating safety and help develop leadership and good citizenship, he said. ''It helped me, so I thought I'd help other kids,'' said Dade.

     Thanks to Will Settle for bringing to our attention an article in the 18 June Baltimore Sun about Lowe Enterprises, the international real estate development company in which Jim DeFrancia has been a principal executive and shareholder for many years. Of special interest to many of us is the fact that Lowe has begun development of the old Bainbridge property in Cecil County, Maryland, where many of our classmates attended NAPS.

     As you've read here before, one of the most notable -- and certainly unique) -- features of the Class of 1963 web site is the Electronic Lucky Bag (ELB). The ELB contains all of the portrait photos and biographical notes as they appeared in our yearbook. "Site Hostmaster" Bill Kennedy applied his amazing digital manipulation skills to make it possible for each of us to add current information to the ELB. So far, more than 100 of our classmates have submitted updated information about their careers, families, and personal interests. Some have also supplied recent photographs. Current information is now available for the following men:

Terry Abell, Bruce Alitt, Clint Alley, Ross Anderson, Gary Baldwin, Mike Blackledge, Mike Bonsignore, Dave Byrnes, J.J. Calande, Chuck Calvano, Jerry Carpenter, Pete Carrothers, Wayne Clarke, Steve Coester, Mike Corgan, Lanny Cox, Steve Curtice, Eli Dabich, Alex Daunis, Ted DelGaizo, Tony DeSantis, Pete Deutermann, Chuck DiBari, Duffy Doherty, John Dolby, Jack Donegan, Steve Duncan, David Durfee, Bill Earner, George Emery, Jack Fischer, Don Freese, Bernie Grabowski, Mike Harman, Charlie Helsper, Frank Hilton, Harry Hirsch, Frank Holmes, Bill Howard, Dave Hull , Paul Jara, Joel Jaudon, Dick Kell, Bernie Kelley, Bill Kennedy, Ed Kolbe, Eric Krieger, Bob LaGassa, Cole Lindell, Phil Marsden, Jerry Mazetis, Alan McAnally, Thom McNulty, Charlie Minter, Dave Moore, John Morgan, Chris Munger, Charlie Newkirk, Jim Oakes, Jerry Olendzenski, Win Orgera, Rich Pace, Jud Pearson, Pete Peroni, Bob Polich, Pete Quinton, Rusty Rank, Dave Reif, Max Ricketts, Jim Ring, Arne Roe, Richard Rogers, Jerry Saber, Hugh Schall, Malcolm Schantz, Ron Schowalter, Austin Seay, Will Settle, Norm Shackelton, Joe Sharpe, Mike Shelley, Dave Shute, Gary Smith, Paul Sutton, Alan Taylor, Roger Tetrault, Ray Theep, Jim Thornton, Craig Thrasher, Paul Tobin, Denny Tomlin, Vern Von Sydow, Roy Warren, Joel Warshaw, Pat Waugh, Dick Whalen, Don White, Dick Williams, Tom Williams, Frank Wroblewski, Sherwood Zimmerman

     To view someone's portrait, biographical note, and current information go to the "Classmates" section of the web site, select the ELB, and do a name search. To add information about yourself ( PLEASE do so! ), simply click on your own portrait and complete the pop-up form that will appear.

     Bill Kennedy, who hosts our web site at his home in central Texas, has upgraded his phone service to a T-1 line, increasing the communications speed from 128K bps to 1.55M bps. Those of us who have cable modems or DSL service will enjoy remarkable response times when visiting the site. Quality '63!

     One more tech item for this issue: Pat Waugh has assembled a very impressive personal web site ( www.digitaldune.net/~patois) which is worth a visit. Among the features of his site is a map and photo gallery including many of the USNA alumni who participate in the SNOOPY e-mail discussion group. SNOOPY provides an Internet home for discussions on topics of interest to alumni. It is a private list to promote frank and open communications among its members. For further information, contact me at Class.Secretary@USNA63.org.

     Jerry Carpenter slowed down long enough to prepare this report of his recent travels:

     I visited with Frank Pinney in late June and finally called a halt to the evening after a six hour trip to the past and present for each of us. I hadn't touched bases with Frank since 1971. He is the owner of a thriving construction business south of Carmel in Big Sur and is definitely one of the town fathers, having been there since the early 70's and contributing much time and fund raising to the betterment of the community. I am sure he would like hear from some of his classmates.

     I will soon be heading back to the CIS with another computer consulting job, this time in Uzbekistan and a follow on project in Turkmenistan. This is a six-week project, delivering management and web revenue generation training to local internet service and support companies in each country. My fluency in Russian allows for getting results quickly in those countries. Although as a plebe I never made it to Russia, I have more than made up for that as I spent more time in the CIS republics in the 90's than in the USA.

     The North Carolina mountains continue to exert a magnetic pull on some of our classmates. In June, Lou and I visited Liz and Bob Polich at their beautiful new home in Hendersonville, 18 miles east of us. The Polich's are also maintaining a residence in the Chicago area: does that make them semi-bicoastal? Since neither Chicago nor our mountains are anywhere near a coast, maybe they're just semi-coastal. Whatever. In early August, Sarah and Malcolm Schantz were in town from the Northern Neck of Virginia for a family visit and spent a pleasant, laid-back afternoon at our home. A few days later, Annapolitans Virginia and Brev Moore paid us a visit. Brev grew up in Saluda, North Carolina, and has kept the family home there. It was great to spend time with these classmates and their wives, and we look forward to seeing many more of you here in the Land of Waterfalls.

Malcolm sent this e-mail note a few days after his visit:

     Early this summer, I found a note on the windshield of my pickup (which sports USNA "63 AYE" Virginia tags). It was from classmate Neil Smart who spotted my snazzy plates while shopping in Kilmarnock, Virginia. We subsequently talked by phone, and agreed to get together in the near future. Neil retired from the United States Army as bird Colonel, and now lives in his retirement house in Mollusk, Virginia, only 25 or so miles from me in White Stone. Neil has carried on the strong interest and talent in music that he was known for at USNA, and is an active member of the Rappahannock Chamber Soloists, a network of musicians sharing chamber music.

     John Kallestad wrote in July to bring us up to date about some of his activities since graduation.

     Jim DeFrancia organized a 22nd Company dinner a while back after the 35th Reunion. I was able to attend the inspiring event briefly with my wife, Kate, and my two young sons, Knute (5) and Lee (3). After 35 years Dick Miehle, Dave Thornhill, Dave Ebert, Tom Taylor, Rich Omohundro, and Jim had hardly changed. It was like being at an old 22nd Company meeting again. I had to wonder how everyone else in the Company had fared? Now more time has passed.

     Currently we live north of Minneapolis and I work part-time as required while executing my main duties as a househusband. Kate works full time and writes books of modern fiction . We like our sports and outdoor activities. (Oops, literature too.) Most of my work life after the surface navy was spent in the construction industry.

     I've had a lot of luck over the years, mostly good. Tried a lot of things as I had during my Navy days. Way back, it didn't take too many months of being moored to a buoy in San Diego harbor on my first ship, PORTERFIELD (DD682), before I requested conventional subs. Nope! I advanced in spite of myself to Dept. Head. While moving ahead I thought: UDT, Coronado. Request submitted and accepted. Then came the Fleetwide request for volunteers for Vietnam, Swiftboats, river and coastal patrol, JG and above. O.K! We had a number of classmates in the program (None of us knew what a Swiftboat looked like, how it was armed or what it could do.): Joe Bustamante, Jim Thorell, Pete Deutermann, Harry Ball, et. al.

     My volunteering for Vietnam duty wasn't over, though. In 1972, having a ton of minesweeper experience while living in Florida, I requested to be activated for the clearing of mines from the Haiphong approaches and harbor. Nope! ( They took three Ensigns from my class instead.) That was my Navy finale, around twelve years after taking our of the Oath on Tecumseh Court.

John Kallestad and sons at the Washington Navy Yard in 1998

In San Diego in October there is to be a reunion of Swiftboat veterans where one of the last two remaining patrol boats is to be enshrined. The other Swift is mounted on concrete pillars at the Washington, D.C., Navy Yard dedicated some five years ago. Funny, aside from family, it's those Navy memories, so vivid and lasting, of the struggles, losses, and victories that remain at the fore for me. The rest, when compared, are as so many paper clips in a drawer. My best to you all!

     We'll close this report with a true sea story from our Midshipman cruise in the Old Navy, submitted by Pete Deutermann.

     I was supposed to be aboard NORTHAMPTON for Youngster Cruise. Because my dad was ComSecondFleet and NORTHAMPTON was the official second fleet flagship, I asked the cruise coordinator to assign me somewhere else. For once, they listened and actually obliged, and sent me to SARATOGA. I spent the first couple of weeks doing normal mid-coolie scut work in the bowels of the carrier. Then she went out on FleetEx.

     Unbeknownst to me, since a fleet visit to the Soviet Union had been cancelled, ComSecondFlt decided to ride Sara for the FleetEx. Some truly distressed-looking aide appeared in the number two firehouse one morning, trying hard to keep his whites white, and asked for Midshipman Deutermann. The chief BT snipe (really big guy) brought me to him, holding me by the scruff of my neck, as I recall. I'd been cleaning burner assemblies in the idle boiler. The JG said that my father wanted to see me, but that I needed to clean up - a lot - before I went up to flag level (the O-99 level, measured from the fire room). The chief boiler-tender asked, as politely as he could, who the blank is this blank's blanking father, if I may blanking ask, cause he's got three more blanking burner assemblies to work? The aide blanched, looked at me (my eyes, anyway - the rest of me was pretty much black) told me to just get up there. Then he fled.

     Naturally, I looked to the chief for direction, explaining that my old man was the fleet commander. Sure he was. He dropped me through the grating to the lower level and I went back to burners. It took the chief engineer to convince the chief BT that, yes, I had been legitimately summoned, and would the chief like to come up with the Mid to meet the Admiral? The chief would not, thank you very blanking much, but tell this snot-nosed kid to get his butt back down here when he's done because he has one more blanking burner assembly to do. I did.

     This was another good compilation of news from all over. Now it's time to send your contribution to our news exchange. My addresses are at the top of this report. Use them, please!
 
 

This page is  Shipmate:     October 2000   posted on:  15 August 2000

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