Dark Ages Party Was a Success

2024 DARK AGES PARTY —Was held FEBRUARY 10th at “57th Fighter Group”

Attendance was good and the party was consistent with our tradition of recent years.

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We are sad to report the deaths of two of our members.

Douglas Cutter, ’64, died on 29 December 2023.
Doug was a member of USNAAAA before his move to Florida a few years ago. Doug served two tours of duty aboard the USS Kitty Hawk flying the A4 Skyhawk with the VA-144 Roadrunner squadron for 201 missions.  Doug was a pilot and a flight instructor for Delta Airlines for many years.
A memorial service for Doug will be held on Saturday, February 3. 2024, 11;00 am Johnson Ferry Baptist Church Chapel.   955 Johnson Ferry Road, Marietta, Georgia.


Will Wood, ’66 died on 15 January 2024.  Will had an outstanding 25-year Navy career, serving on four nuclear submarines.  He commanded USS Silversides for four years.  Will was Secretary of USNAAAA shortly after his move to Atlanta in 1995.  A memorial service was held for Will at Dunwoody Baptist Church on 19 January.  Military honors were rendered, followed by inurnment in the church Columbarium.

 

Those of us who knew these two outstanding alumni are proud to have served with them.

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The October luncheon was at the Hobnob Restaurant (1221 Ashford Crossing, Dunwoody, GA  30346) near the Perimeter on Friday, October 20th.

We have vacant board positions.   Does not require a lot of time, and you make new friends.  Any member interested, please contact dba@usnaaaa.com

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The May 5th Chapter Luncheon was at a new location: HOBNOB Neighborhood Tavern Dunwoody/Perimeter

Bill Donges gave the Atlanta alumni group a presentation about his recent visit to the yard in March 2023. Bill took 16 members of the Innovation Academy fencing team to Navy to receive lessons from Hall of Fame fencer Ed Donofrio 73 and to scrimmage the Navy men’s and women’s team. It was truly a wonderful experience for his team. At Navy the team received a presentation and discussion with 2nd classmen in the cyber security program, an admissions presentation, a yard tour and ate in King Hall one night with the Navy team. None of the team knew about the military before the team except Bill’s granddaughter, Anna. After the 3 day visit 2 men and 1 woman expressed an interest in Navy and are planning to sign up for next year’s summer camp. The team walked the streets in Annapolis and ate breakfast downtown. The team fenced in Dahlgren Hall on Saturday and the Alumni team fenced the Navy team on Sunday.

Bill mentioned that all the mids that met with his team were outstanding people. Very polite and intelligent. He was very impressed with the caliber of midshipmen there today. He pointed out a few differences…in King Hall there is a “grab and go” food service where you can pick up your food and eat in the Hall or take it back to your room. There are noon formations and march ins to eat but breakfasts and dinners seem to be optional…no formations and marching to the mess hall. There is also a nice coffee shop in the yard “1845 Coffee” were the officers and mids can get a latte before class. He also pointed out that dating other mids is allowed.

The mids Bill spoke with seemed very focused on their academics and quite mature about their service. It was a very eye opening visit for Bill’s fencing team. Innovation Academy is a new STEM high school in Alpharetta, GA just north of Atlanta. His team has 77 members and is unofficially the largest fencing team in the US.

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The February Luncheon was a good start to the new year.  Woodie Vaughan, ’64 gave a very interesting presentation about his two expeditions to Mt. Everest, and some other exciting climbs, including one in Antarctica.  He brought two of the climbing boots he used.
Go Navy! Beat Army!
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2023 DARK AGES PARTY — FEBRUARY 11th at “57th Fighter Group” was a huge success.  Pictures:

A good time was had by all.  President DJ introduced our new VP, Mike Leigh, ’79 and our new Secretary John “Wiz” Withers, ’79.  The ladies were given Valentine roses.  Pete Knoetgen worked hard to make it all happen.  Thanks, Pete.
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From the Atlanta Journal Constitution

Ken Niumatalolo set the bar high for what a military academy could still accomplish in major college football.

The past three seasons at Navy weren’t up to that standard.

Niumatalolo is out after 15 seasons at the helm. The academy announced Sunday that he would not return — a day after the Midshipmen lost to Army in double overtime and finished 4-8 for the second straight year. Niumatalolo is the winningest coach in school history at 109-83, but after going 11-2 in 2019, Navy hasn’t finished above .500 since.

“Our sincerest gratitude to Coach Ken for what has been a distinguished and impactful legacy at the Naval Academy,” athletic director Chet Gladchuk said in a statement.

“Navy football flourished for many years under his leadership.

He will forever be remembered for the influence he has had on the lives of those who played for him.”

Defensive coordinator Brian Newberry was named interim coach.



Marilyn McCallum   1938-2022

We are very sad to report that Marilyn McCallum (widow of Carl McCallum, ’60) passed away peacefully in her home on Sunday, November 6th.  Carl was the instigator of the original Lobsterfest, and Marilyn was totally involved in that function for many years.  She was the mother of four sons each a year apart.  We are very grateful for all that Marilyn and Carl did for USNAAAA.

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The Lobsterfest has been our most popular event for decades, and we look forward to being able to resume.  Also, it is not too early to volunteer.

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Former Chapter President Ed Brownlee and his family relocated to Jacksonville, FL

Ed tirelessly devoted himself to the USNAAA Atlanta Chapter as Chapter President and Board Member for over 15 years. I want to personally thank Ed for his selfless dedication, helping me and the many countless hours he spent ensuring the success of this chapter. For the past three years (even when he was not serving as President) he ran our Facebook site and always kept the chapter informed.  We will sorely miss Ed and look forward to him coming back visiting us on occasion.

Prior to the pandemic:

The 2020 Dark Ages Party was an enjoyable success on February 8th at the 57th Fighter Group Restaurant.

Several Atlanta Chapter Officer positions are in need of volunteers.  If you are interested, please email us:  dba@usnaaaa.com

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Recap of Chapter Luncheon August 2019

The Atlanta Chapter luncheon at the Golden Corral was an excellent event, with presentations on the Veterans Empowerment Organization (VEO) and the upcoming Navy football season.

Debbie McKinley, ’95 gave an impressive rundown on the history and success of the VEO, of which she is Board Chair.  She told a touching story of VEO’s origin, sparked by the discovery that two employees of her company were actually homeless veterans.   A comment on the VEO history from its website states, “Since 2008, Veterans Empowerment Organization (VEO) has provided Housing, Supportive Services, Job Training and Placement to over 5,000 homeless veterans and their families.”  Functions of the organization include providing meals and shelter, getting veterans connected with the VA, and helping them get reconnected with their families and friends.  Debbie is very proud of the fact that they have an 87 per cent success rate.  Please look at https://www.veohero.org/p/mission.html


A preview of the upcoming Navy football season was presented by Steve Peters, ’84 and Tom Tarquinio, ’83.  Both Steve and Tom were Navy football players.  They gave us some insight into coaching changes, profiles of key players, and some new strategies for this year.  https://navysports.com/

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Navy Football Assistant Coach At Our July Luncheon

Atlanta Chapter’s Monthly luncheon was held on Friday, July 19th at the Golden Corral.
The guest speaker was  Navy Football Defense Coach and USNA alum R.B. Green. He gave a presentation on the upcoming Navy Football Season and update on the team.
  Go Navy! Beat Army!

https://navysports.com/coaches.aspx?rc=629&path=football

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March Monthly Luncheon Sea Stories

The luncheon at the Golden Corral was held Friday, March 15.  President DJ told the first story, about a drug bust in the Pacific.  Several other members followed, with topics including an aircraft carrier with a runaway rudder, intricate submarine mishaps, and a narrow escape involving Admiral Zumwalt.  The concept was quite successful and will probably be used again in the future.  It gave us all some insight into each other’s careers, and it was a lot of fun.  The Golden Corral continues to be a good venue with high quality food at low cost.

Do you know if your dues are up to date?  If not, please email:     treasurer@usnaaaa.com

 

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Dark Ages Party A Big Success

Our annual Dark Ages Party at the 57th Fighter Group Restaurant, February 9th was well attended.  The restaurant did a superb job, and everyone had a good time.  A large crowd of civilian types even younger than us were on the dance floor, and we joined them.  Pete Knoetgen, ’77 has our thanks, again, for his superb planning and execution.

 

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Recap of the Atlanta June Luncheon – June 22nd 2018

Atlanta Chapter’s Monthly luncheon was held on Friday, June 22nd at the Golden Corral (2211 Cobb Pkwy in Marietta),  close to the Battery.
Mr. Samuel Franklin who is the Operations Manager of Homeland Security and Immigration Service gave an interesting talk about immigration and border security and answered numerous questions.   Attendance, including some spouses was good, especially for a summer month.  Paul “perfect-pitch” Hurst, ’62 led the singing of Navy Blue and Gold.  We were fortunate to have a private room with excellent acoustics.
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Cancellation of The 2018 Lobsterfest

The Board has reluctantly decided to cancel this year’s Lobesterfest, based on website difficulties, a lack of volunteers for the event, and the concern that it would not measure up to the high standards of previous years.  We will still be having the Lobsterfest in 2019, and we plan on its being a great event (with the proper planning and website support).

Please stay tuned as we plan to have another event (besides football viewing parties) for our alumni in the fall.

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Recap of The Chapter Luncheon – Friday, May 18, 2018 @ Taco Mac – Prado

USNAAAA LuncheonAtlanta Chapter’s Monthly luncheon was held on Friday, May 18th at Taco Mac (The Prado at Sandy Springs – 5600 Roswell Rd Ste M003, Sandy Springs GA 30342Approximately 40 members and wives attended.

Registration and pre-lunch social began at 11:30 am and lunch was served at 11:45 a.m.

Doug Norton, ’65, was the guest speaker.  Doug gave a fascinating and informative talk about his two books, Code Word: Paternity, and Code Word: Pandora.

Please like us on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/USNAAtlanta/

 

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2018 Navy Football Schedule

Schedule

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NHL ready to put Navy – Marine Corps Memorial Stadium on Ice

Preparations are underway for the hockey game between the Washington Capitals and Toronto Maple Leafs on March 3 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.

The league will play its 25th outdoor game March 3 in Annapolis when the Washington Capitals play the Toronto Maple Leafs at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
The matchup will be just the third played in March and is part of the Coors Light NHL Stadium Series.
Workers began arriving in Annapolis over the weekend to transform the field into a hockey rink in time for the faceoff at 8 p.m.
“Right now we’re on schedule to be making ice Thursday evening,” Derek King, NHL senior manager of facilities operations said Tuesday at a news conference in Annapolis. “We’ll get to where we want to be on game day, which is about 2 inches thick of ice. We’ll be ready for practices on the 2nd.”

Instead of just taking a garden hose into a backyard and flooding an area and waiting for the temperature to fall, the National Hockey League uses a special technology to create an ice rink fit for the best hockey players in the world.
The process takes about seven days and will begin once the foundation of the rink is down.
“Every game that we get to do in different cities is really exciting, especially being here at the Naval Academy is pretty cool,” said King, who’s participated in roughly 15 of the outdoor games. “We have the equipment to manipulate whatever we need to, so we’ll be in good shape.”
As the members of the media gathered at the stadium Tuesday under sunny skies with temperatures approaching 70 degrees, the big question was if the weather will be an issue.
“If we had a day like this on game day, I’d have no concerns,” King said. “We’ll have the ice covered throughout the day, and then when the sun leaves the field we’ll uncover.”
To accommodate its outdoor games, the NHL created a one-of-a-kind mobile refrigeration unit and rink system. The 53-foot-, 300-ton-capacity unit make a solid sheet of ice while removing heat from the surface and then stabilizing the temperature.
Once the ideal surface temperature is reached, the actual process of building the ice begins. Typical thickness of ice inside an NHL arena is approximately 1 to 1.25 inches. The outdoor rink requires up to 2 inches to help withstand the more extreme elements. There is no special water used to make the ice, either. King says the water used is the same tap water used in a home.
“It’s a basic refrigeration unit, no different than what you’d see in an NHL arena, except we’ve put it inside a 53-foot trailer,” King said. “We’re using ammonia for our refrigerant along with glycol. The pipes are connected and are running down to the field and we’ll start making the ice Thursday evening.”
Once the ice is down, monitoring the status of the ice is a 24-hour job. A high-tech system called Eye on the Ice is embedded in the surface and helps to provide updates on the temperature at different areas of the ice and will signal an alert if more glycol is needed or if the heating system needs to engage if the weather gets too cold.
Along with a few former Washington Capitals players, Annapolis Mayor Gavin Buckley and Naval Academy Superintendent Vice Adm. Walter E. “Ted” Carter attended the press conference Tuesday. While Naval-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium has a smaller capacity, average attendance for outdoor games is 53,504 per game.
By the numbers
A look at what goes into an outdoor NHL game like the one set for March 3 at Navy Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
34.9: Average temperature for the previous 24 outdoor NHL games.
200: Workers will spend one week building everything needed for the game.
300: Ton capacity of refrigeration trailer that will keep the ice cool.
3,000: Gallons of glycol coolant used to freeze the rink.
20,000: Gallons of water needed to create a two-inch ice surface.
96,500: Pounds of the refrigeration unit that travels to the NHL outdoor games.

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