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News & Events

2020 Class President’s Report

Posted: 2/14/2021

Classmates:

        Greetings to all. It is my privilege to provide this first annual report as your Class President. I am honored to be entrusted with this responsibility and will do my best to fill the shoes of those who have gone before. On that note and on behalf of the entire class, a resounding Bravo Zulu to John Michalski for his superb leadership as our President for the past ten years. Thank you, John! Your contributions in so many different areas will be lasting and not forgotten.

        This past year was a challenging time for the country and for the class, with COVID-related cancellations of our reunion and most other opportunities to come together in any sizable numbers. But there was good news as well. On that front, I am pleased to report that the duties of our Class Chair in National Security Studies were carried out in superb fashion as Bill Ostendorff, the current Chair holder, persevered on in-person and virtual formats in training Mids in the strategic aspects of defense policy. He did so not only from a U.S. point of view but from the perspectives of other stakeholders as well, including prospective opponents such as China, Iran, and Russia.

        A few months ago, Hank Chiles, Doug Johnston, and I had lunch with Bill and caught up on all he has been doing to implement the spirit of the DVP (Distinguished Visiting Professor) position. The three of us later sat in on several sessions of his Grand Strategy course and were duly impressed.

Because of the COVID virus, the Academy was forced to forego last summer’s program associated with the Chair in which two outstanding Mids are selected to spend part of their summer attending an international course on National Security issues at Cambridge University in England. Hopefully, circumstances will permit the renewal of this opportunity in the coming summer.

Happy Anniversary

        Again, on the good news front, and as another way of celebrating the 60th anniversary of Super ‘60, we honored classmates who have been married that long by presenting 65 couples and 3 widows (who would have otherwise qualified) with a wonderful certificate celebrating that fact.  I am told that a number of these are now hanging in places of honor in the homes of grateful recipients. Theirs is an amazing accomplishment, and it has been an honor for the Class Officers to make these presentations. The complete list of all those who qualified for this recognition is listed on the Class of 1960 Website.

        Here, it is appropriate to express our collective thanks to Bob Osmon who authored the concept and played the principal role in carrying it out. FYI, at the end of this letter is an example of the certificate. It was developed by classmate Justin Wickens, whom all of us remember well for his “Salty Sam” cartoons in The Log and Splinter publications, way back then.

 Bravo Zulu as well to Richard Harper, our Webmaster, for the terrific job he has done in constructing a very classy website and is doing to facilitate our internal communications. As you probably know, Richard has been made a class officer in recognition of the vital role he is playing. If you haven’t had a chance to visit the site (1960.usnaclasses.net), I highly encourage you to do so. You will be impressed.

In Remembrance

       On the not-so-good news front, as best we can tell, we lost a total of 33 classmates this past year, including two who were non-grads. Of the 798 of us who graduated, we have at this point lost 334 or 42%, a total that includes four who have passed in 2021. Although we don’t have complete information on everyone who graduated and it’s even sketchier on those who didn’t, we also know of 77 non-grads who are no long with us. In the “Last Call” listing in the latest Shipmate, which includes the names of those whom the magazine has learned about since its previous edition, we were tied with the Class of ’57 for having the most names (eleven each). While we can’t help but mourn their loss, we also celebrate their memory and the degree to which they enriched our own lives.

        Hopefully, we will soon be back in full swing with our monthly luncheons as vaccinations permit. Some classmates have expressed doubts about attending future reunions on a class-wide basis as we have in the past, so I would appreciate hearing what any of you would like to see in the way of future gatherings.

        Because of our restricted mobility over the past year, our finances have essentially remained constant, with about $50,000 in the bank. This topic provides a perfect opportunity to thank Ed Mangan for his yeoman service as Class Treasurer and for co-chairing the reunion that never was. We are also grateful to George Dowell for stepping up to take over Ed’s responsibilities as Treasurer.

          My thanks to VP Doug Johnston for compiling and drafting this report. Well Done, Doug!

        Thank you again for the privilege of serving you, and please stay safe until we’re out of the woods without a virus.

My best to all,

Pete

60 Years of Marriage Certificate


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