September 2004 President's Corner

Bill Rentz '55, USNAAA Atlanta Chapter President

My Corner starts with some sad news, which has been reported to you by other means. On September 13^th, we lost our Chapter’s honored senior member, CAPT William B. Wideman, USN (Ret.) ’35. Bill and his classmate, CAPT George A. O’Connell, Jr., USN (Ret.) ’35, were inducted as our first Honorary Atlanta Chapter Life Members in 2003. To George and the Wideman family, we share your sorrow and we will miss our shipmate. He honored us with his presence for many years and was the standard bearer for Alumni spirit.

We owe thanks to the manager of Jocks and Jill’s, Brookhaven, Craig Martin, for hooking up to HDNet TV to give over twenty of us Navy fans an exciting evening of Navy-Duke football on September 4th. Ples Bruce ’77 worked and negotiated with Mr. Martin and the result was a schedule of three games not on network TV in the Atlanta area. Besides the Duke game, HDNet will broadcast Navy-Vanderbilt and Navy-Rice, which we will be able to see at Jocks and Jill’s. In addition, of course, Navy games against Air Force, Notre Dame, and Army will be on network TV. Check our events schedule for times, dates, and plans for all of those games.

And remember, these things don’t happen by themselves. They happen because members of your Board of Directors make them happen.

We need you all to support these efforts by encouraging your classmates, old shipmates, squadron mates, and neighbors to join us for our monthly luncheon meetings and other events found on our website. Spread the word.

Support and pray for our troops. They are doing a much better job than our media wants us to think.

Beat Army! Bill Rentz ’55