November 2003 President's Corner

Chapter President Bill Rentz '55, USNAAA Atlanta Chapter

On the subject of our recent monthly luncheon speakers, I spoke to our August guest speaker, Buzz Patterson, the other day and found that he has resigned his job at Lockheed Martin to devote full time to writing his next book. As you may recall, the subject of this next book is the decline of our military strength during the Clinton administration years. I would also like to thank BGen Joe Frazar ’65, for his interesting talk in September on his Army career and shedding some light on the recent controversy between Secretary Rumsfeld and Generals that Joe served with and knew personally. That was fascinating to an old sailor like me. We all owe Bob Schultz ’71, much gratitude for his enlightening and frightening talk in October and the handouts on his Identity Theft experiences. It was a valuable lesson for us all and a lot of work by Bob on the handouts.

After Navy Coach Paul Johnson addresses the Atlanta Touchdown Club on November 10, our chapter member Ron Terwiliger ’63, CEO of Trammell-Crowe and a Director of the USNA Foundation will receive an award for achievement in Atlanta from the American ORT Society on November 11. Our Friday night social hour and dinner experiment on November 14 at Jocks and Jills will feature a USNA update from your Chapter Officers. And you all know that Capt. Stephen Bruce Latta, USN, USNA Director of Admissions, will address our November luncheon crowd on November 21 about Admissions Status and policy and some do’s and don’t’s about contacting prospective candidates. That all makes for a busy month of November. In December we won’t have a guest speaker so close to Christmas, but I will give an update on recent goings on at USNA and your Atlanta Chapters involvement in them, particularly the USNA Alumni Association and Foundation sponsored Ethics and Leadership Seminar on Monday, October 27, at Annapolis. The Atlanta Chapter was one of six Chapters throughout the country asked to participate for reasons I will explain.

Keep checking our website for details on our chapter events and lunch speakers. Your Chapter Board of Directors is doing a bang up job working on and planning events for you enjoyment and participation. Make sure we are getting your inputs and you are helping us spread the word to some of your classmates, old shipmates, squadron mates, neighbors, etc. that you know are not participating and enjoying our Chapter events. We want them as members of our great Atlanta Chapter.

Also important is that our Founder’s Day/Dark Ages Dinner Dance on Saturday, February 7, 2004, is for members only. We are expecting Alumni Association President George Watt and his wife Peggy to be present and introduce our Guests of Honor Vadm and Mrs. Rodney Rempt, USN, Superintendent of USNA.

Keep checking our Events Calendar for details as they become available.

Bill Rentz '55