FROM THE TOP




                                                                     ALL 49   16 August 2022

An ALL49 of 2 February 2021 advised that the Naval Academy Alumni Association had committed to recognize the Class of 1949 in the new Alumni Association and Foundation Center. The Center is scheduled for completion in early 2023. This commitment is made to honor our class because of the sale of 49 House which served as the Association and Foundation staff offices for more than 20 years. 49 House was our 50th anniversary class gift for which we collected donations from the class of over $600,000 for its renovation and long-term maintenance.

The Association agreed to honor us by providing permanent displays at the flagpole area at the main entrance to the Center and in a prominent location adjacent to the receptionist desk in the main lobby of the Center. With advice from our executive committee and other classmates we reached agreement with the Association on the details of these two displays. 

For the information of our living classmates, widows and family members, following are the inscriptions on the plaques at both locations. Each display will have the image of our class crest, and the lobby will have a bas relief in cast bronze of 49 House. The flagpole plaque will also be in cast bronze affixed to a precast concrete base. The class crest and lettering will be raised in satin bronze on the flagpole plaque and engraved in gold on the lobby plaque. The caption under the bas relief of 49 House reads “49 House Lives on Here”.



Flagpole Display:

                                               CLASS OF 1949
                       IN HONOR OF OUR CLASS FOR ITS LEGACY GIFT
                                                   49 HOUSE
                                  SERVING THE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
                                                    1999-2022

Lobby Display:


                                          CLASS OF 1949
                                             CLASS LEGACY GIFT – 49 HOUSE
                                             SERVING THE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
                                                               1999-2022
                      The 50th anniversary class gift to the Alumni Association was the 
                       renovation of a three-story, brick-and-frame Queen-Anne-style building 
                      on College Avenue which became known as 49 House. This structure 
                      served as Alumni Association and Foundation staff offices for more 
                       than two decades. This was achieved under the leadership of our class
                      president, Ace Boughton, and the expertise of civil engineer classmate, 
                      John Dobson, who directed the total renovation.


                                                        ALL 49 16 Dec 2022

I am forwarding these notes from a representative of the classes of the 40’s and 50’s. (this may be a second transmission.) I did not attend the meeting of the Council of Class Presidents in Annapolis earlier this month. 
I have a second separate message: There have been a number of obituaries of several classmates and widows. You can review these by going to usna.com and find our class

Dear fellow 40s and 50s Class Presidents,
I have, as usual prepared my notes from the meeting to send to my classmates. I am forwarding them to you to use as you see fit. If you want to send them to your classmates they will need some touching up.
Gordo
 
Council of Class Presidents Meeting
Friday 2 December
Dear Classmates,
I had hoped to get this done and delivered before the football game. But I didn’t make it. So I will not comment on the sad results. I will start with the Supe’s report on the annual pre-game pranks between USNA and USMA…
Army struck first when the Supe discovered that the Herndon monument had been greased and an army parade cap placed on top. Navy’s response was three Cessna aircraft piloted by mids with fighter jocks co-piloting. They flew over WP at 400 feet altitude dropping several thousand ping-pong balls and slips of paper marked “Go Navy Beat Army”. Bill the goat was protected for the past month or so by being in a locked facility and never getting outdoors.
More straight reports – This past summer was the first “normal” one for mids in the past three due to covid. He was happy to see them spread over the globe on various projects.
McDonough Hall is being thoroughly overhauled. That’s the one that had most gymnastics stuff in it. Is now down to the outside stones and will be completely rebuilt internally. Done in 2025. All of the usual activities have been moved primarily to the Halsey Field House but will be returned to McDonough.
Navy’s graduation rate remains at 91%, the highest of the service academies. WP is 84% and USAFA 82.1%.
Admissions were severely hurt during the years when visitors could not be accommodated. No visitors meant much less interest. Admissions are now back to previous levels of interest.
He mentioned the Class of ‘26’s Plebe Summer. Their physical fitness was not good. 50% failed the strength test the first time it was administered but after a summer of training it went up to over 90%. I don’t have details on what is involved/measured.
Financially USNA is doing much better with government providing both needed maintenance and overhaul $$$. In addition to McDonough Hall, the entire seawall between the sailing center and the landward end is being replaced and raised as part of the solution to the flooding problem.
I think that this has been mentioned before but I will repeat the “Naming Problem.” Adm Buck wants you to know that he has nothing to do with the names to be removed and the selection of replacement names (which will be announced later this month). In case you missed it there are only three at USNA that have been designated to be changed, all because the people whose names were used became Confederate officers. They are Buchanan – whose name tags both the Supe’s house and the street it is on and Maury for whom Maury Hall was named.
I think we have covered the Tecumseh vs. Tamanend naming of the figurehead bronze statue at the end of Stribling Walk. It is now properly named and will never again be painted. A wooden frame has been created that fits below the figurehead and supports the design efforts of the 9th company which seems to have inherited the privilege.
Recent media reports which had to do with graduating mids not receiving commissions if they were not vaccinated…This is over in several ways. First off, it was never true for USNA. Secondly it had applied to Army by their own choice. The latest congressional bill seems to have made that go away anyway. Just for the record, USNA has 18 such mids, 2 firsties, mostly 3/c. No plebes because it is now an admission requirement.
The Columbarium problem has been thoroughly studied with a final report due out soon. I am as anxious as you are to see what is decided. I will report pronto.
Finally, the Supreme Court is currently looking at the use of racial identity in the admissions process for colleges. That will get finalized next spring. Racial data is collected as part of the admissions process at USNA but not used for anything but identification.
That wrapped up the Supe’s always interesting presentation. We have already ensured that he will be a speaker at our reunion in April (he gets replaced this coming summer).
Our next speaker was General Allen ’76. Among other starring roles he is a former Commandant of Midshipman. He gave very long and interesting presentation on the world today; where things stand and what is likely to happen. All was his personal opinions. I am hoping that a summary of his talk is provided. It was very good but just too long to try to summarize here.
Ron Terwilliger ’63, Chairman of the Foundation Board spoke next. As you know the Foundation is the part of the triumvirate that makes up what was once the Alumni Association, that concerns itself with fund-raising. It consists of 45 Board members who are there by choice and do a LOT of philanthropy. He discussed the third Campaign which is about to start, and the need for philanthropy. He is, of course, an excellent example. Yes, that is why it is called Terwilliger Hall. He mentioned the need for an Endowment. Just to clarify for you, an endowment which most major universities already use, is a fundamental financial structure that, by definition, can not be touched. Only its dividends can be used. We do need one.
Admiral Ferguson ’78, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Alumni Association (AA) spoke next. He spoke briefly about changes to the DGA selection process (now includes background checks), additional shared interest groups (SIGs), and membership ethical behavior.
He introduced Capt. Don Hughes ’82 VP of Athletics and Scholarship. Hughes mentioned that Tom Lynch’64 is retiring as Pres. of A and S and their area in the new Alumni Center will be named for him.
Jeff Webb ’95, the new President and CEO of the entire threesome then mostly introduced his senior staff people who addressed their areas.
Bob Gast ’81 is the CFO. He explained that we are doing well financially and have never been stronger. He also got into the need for an endowment.
Wes Huey ’87 (remember he is our class’s son-in-law) has several roles in the administration of AA. Primarily he is the Executive Director of Strategic Communications. That means, among other things, he owns Shipmate.
Sofi Loomis ’99 Senior Director for Alumni Engagement
Bill O’Connor EVP of Foundation He will run the next campaign. He addressed the last campaign and explained the different amounts of money and when they actually appear. The $541 M was the total identified but not all is available. $341 has been identified and assigned. Some of the pledged funds do not arrive for many years and are therefore not really available.
Chet Gladchuk, the Athletic Director, appeared in a brief film. He had the honor of being part of the committee that selected which schools would be where in the NCAA Football National Championship events.
USNA currently has 35 varsity teams with the addition of men’s and women’s rugby. Incidentally the women won their first crack at national champions. Men will compete for theirs later. He hopes to add triathlon and squash which would make us #1 in varsity sports with 37.
He would like to see us add another golf course on Greenbury Point. This is a controversial proposal with many locals quite loudly opposed.
A plan is underway to construct a major Lacrosse facility next to the soccer complex.
In the stadium (NMCMS) he sees an expansion and enclosure of the Supe’s tent.
I will not get into the subsequent firing of Coach Ken. Many opinions are flying about, so you don’t need mine.
Gordo
 
 
 







Dear fellow 40s and 50s Class Presidents,
I have, as usual prepared my notes from the meeting to send to my classmates. I am forwarding them to you to use as you see fit. If you want to send them to your classmates they will need some touching up.
Gordo
 
Council of Class Presidents Meeting
Friday 2 December
Dear Classmates,
I had hoped to get this done and delivered before the football game. But I didn’t make it. So I will not comment on the sad results. I will start with the Supe’s report on the annual pre-game pranks between USNA and USMA…
Army struck first when the Supe discovered that the Herndon monument had been greased and an army parade cap placed on top. Navy’s response was three Cessna aircraft piloted by mids with fighter jocks co-piloting. They flew over WP at 400 feet altitude dropping several thousand ping-pong balls and slips of paper marked “Go Navy Beat Army”. Bill the goat was protected for the past month or so by being in a locked facility and never getting outdoors.
More straight reports – This past summer was the first “normal” one for mids in the past three due to covid. He was happy to see them spread over the globe on various projects.
McDonough Hall is being thoroughly overhauled. That’s the one that had most gymnastics stuff in it. Is now down to the outside stones and will be completely rebuilt internally. Done in 2025. All of the usual activities have been moved primarily to the Halsey Field House but will be returned to McDonough.
Navy’s graduation rate remains at 91%, the highest of the service academies. WP is 84% and USAFA 82.1%.
Admissions were severely hurt during the years when visitors could not be accommodated. No visitors meant much less interest. Admissions are now back to previous levels of interest.
He mentioned the Class of ‘26’s Plebe Summer. Their physical fitness was not good. 50% failed the strength test the first time it was administered but after a summer of training it went up to over 90%. I don’t have details on what is involved/measured.
Financially USNA is doing much better with government providing both needed maintenance and overhaul $$$. In addition to McDonough Hall, the entire seawall between the sailing center and the landward end is being replaced and raised as part of the solution to the flooding problem.
I think that this has been mentioned before but I will repeat the “Naming Problem.” Adm Buck wants you to know that he has nothing to do with the names to be removed and the selection of replacement names (which will be announced later this month). In case you missed it there are only three at USNA that have been designated to be changed, all because the people whose names were used became Confederate officers. They are Buchanan – whose name tags both the Supe’s house and the street it is on and Maury for whom Maury Hall was named.
I think we have covered the Tecumseh vs. Tamanend naming of the figurehead bronze statue at the end of Stribling Walk. It is now properly named and will never again be painted. A wooden frame has been created that fits below the figurehead and supports the design efforts of the 9th company which seems to have inherited the privilege.
Recent media reports which had to do with graduating mids not receiving commissions if they were not vaccinated…This is over in several ways. First off, it was never true for USNA. Secondly it had applied to Army by their own choice. The latest congressional bill seems to have made that go away anyway. Just for the record, USNA has 18 such mids, 2 firsties, mostly 3/c. No plebes because it is now an admission requirement.
The Columbarium problem has been thoroughly studied with a final report due out soon. I am as anxious as you are to see what is decided. I will report pronto.
Finally, the Supreme Court is currently looking at the use of racial identity in the admissions process for colleges. That will get finalized next spring. Racial data is collected as part of the admissions process at USNA but not used for anything but identification.
That wrapped up the Supe’s always interesting presentation. We have already ensured that he will be a speaker at our reunion in April (he gets replaced this coming summer).
Our next speaker was General Allen ’76. Among other starring roles he is a former Commandant of Midshipman. He gave very long and interesting presentation on the world today; where things stand and what is likely to happen. All was his personal opinions. I am hoping that a summary of his talk is provided. It was very good but just too long to try to summarize here.
Ron Terwilliger ’63, Chairman of the Foundation Board spoke next. As you know the Foundation is the part of the triumvirate that makes up what was once the Alumni Association, that concerns itself with fund-raising. It consists of 45 Board members who are there by choice and do a LOT of philanthropy. He discussed the third Campaign which is about to start, and the need for philanthropy. He is, of course, an excellent example. Yes, that is why it is called Terwilliger Hall. He mentioned the need for an Endowment. Just to clarify for you, an endowment which most major universities already use, is a fundamental financial structure that, by definition, can not be touched. Only its dividends can be used. We do need one.
Admiral Ferguson ’78, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Alumni Association (AA) spoke next. He spoke briefly about changes to the DGA selection process (now includes background checks), additional shared interest groups (SIGs), and membership ethical behavior.
He introduced Capt. Don Hughes ’82 VP of Athletics and Scholarship. Hughes mentioned that Tom Lynch’64 is retiring as Pres. of A and S and their area in the new Alumni Center will be named for him.
Jeff Webb ’95, the new President and CEO of the entire threesome then mostly introduced his senior staff people who addressed their areas.
Bob Gast ’81 is the CFO. He explained that we are doing well financially and have never been stronger. He also got into the need for an endowment.
Wes Huey ’87 (remember he is our class’s son-in-law) has several roles in the administration of AA. Primarily he is the Executive Director of Strategic Communications. That means, among other things, he owns Shipmate.
Sofi Loomis ’99 Senior Director for Alumni Engagement
Bill O’Connor EVP of Foundation He will run the next campaign. He addressed the last campaign and explained the different amounts of money and when they actually appear. The $541 M was the total identified but not all is available. $341 has been identified and assigned. Some of the pledged funds do not arrive for many years and are therefore not really available.
Chet Gladchuk, the Athletic Director, appeared in a brief film. He had the honor of being part of the committee that selected which schools would be where in the NCAA Football National Championship events.
USNA currently has 35 varsity teams with the addition of men’s and women’s rugby. Incidentally the women won their first crack at national champions. Men will compete for theirs later. He hopes to add triathlon and squash which would make us #1 in varsity sports with 37.
He would like to see us add another golf course on Greenbury Point. This is a controversial proposal with many locals quite loudly opposed.
A plan is underway to construct a major Lacrosse facility next to the soccer complex.
In the stadium (NMCMS) he sees an expansion and enclosure of the Supe’s tent.
I will not get into the subsequent firing of Coach Ken. Many opinions are flying about, so you don’t need mine.
Gordo
 
 
 


                                      ALL49 Recognition of our Class   Sept 22, 2023  


Letter from the President

The Fluegel Alumni Center was dedicated and formally opened on September 8, 2023 with the Secretary of the Navy present. I am pleased to report that the Class of 1949 received special recognition by permanent displays in the new Center in two prominent locations. This is to recognize our class gift to the Alumni Association of 49 House which was sold in conjunction with advent of the new Center.



The first location honoring our class is the display at the Flagpoles at the Center’s entrance shown in the following Attchment #1; the Flagpole display is a granite base with aluminum attached plaque.





The second location honoring our class is the display in the Center’s lobby adjacent to the receptionist’s desk as shown in the following Attachments #2 and #3; the lobby display is Leguna Corian with polished gold/brass letters with image of 49 House in cast bronze.




                            Attachment #1
Attachments #2 and #3