July 2005 President's Corner

Steve Frederick '72, USNAAA Atlanta Chapter President

Having just been elected to serve as the President of one of the most active and respected local chapters of the U.S Naval Academy Alumni Association, I can only say that I am sincerely honored. This is the only local chapter that I have ever been involved with, and it is a great one. There have been several presidents that have served since I became involved in 1992, and they have all done an outstanding job. I can only hope to continue that legacy. I consider myself very fortunate to succeed one of the best in Bill Rentz ’55.

Luckily, Bill will remain very involved with the Chapter as a past president, and even more significantly, as the Eastern Regional Trustee on the Alumni Association Board of Trustees. However, our representation at that level goes beyond Bill. Reflecting Bill’s leadership, Mike Herger ’90 led a membership drive last year that resulted in the Atlanta Chapter growing in size to the sixth largest in the nation, thereby earning the Chapter representation on the Board in the form of a Chapter Trustee. Carl McCallum ’60 now serves in that position and we are very fortunate to have two great representatives at the national level. Bill and Carl are both well known and respected at the national level, and their voices are heard. They will do a great job in Annapolis and in bringing the information back to us so that we can stay informed.

You may have noticed the role change for Mary McElroy ’87 on our newly elected Board of Directors. Mary served as our Chapter Secretary last year and this year will serve as a General Director. Mary wanted to stay involved with the Chapter, but realized that she might need more time to devote to her new position as the Athletic Director at Georgia State University. Mary had been an Assistant AD in the Georgia Tech athletic department, and prior to that had worked in Annapolis with the Naval Academy Athletic Department and Alumni Association. We have always been very impressed with Mary and the job she does, so her selection comes as no surprise. It is an honor well deserved and we wish her the best.

One of the things that I enjoy most about this Chapter is the monthly luncheons with the guest speakers. The July luncheon will be no exception, with author Neal Thompson as our guest speaker. Mr. Thompson has written the highly acclaimed biography of Alan Shepard called “Light This Candle”: The Life & Times of Alan Shepard. I am really looking forward to meeting Mr. Thompson and hearing what he has to say about a great American and fellow Alum.

I look forward to seeing each of you at the luncheons and at our many other events during the year. I am very excited to have such a terrific group of officers serving on the board this year and am looking forward to continuing the great legacy of this chapter. Please feel free to contact me via e-mail, phone or face-to-face at any of our events regarding the Chapter and what we can do to make it even more fun and inclusive. I see my job as reflecting the needs and desires of the membership, so please communicate with me whenever and wherever you can.

Here are the new officers starting their term on the Board of Directors:

President: Steve Frederick ‘72
Vice President: Mitch Rowland ‘71
Treasurer: Eric Busko ’88 (2nd term)
Secretary: Paul Borer ‘70
Director for Membership: Ples Bruce ‘77
Director for Brigade Support: Stew Caldwell ‘65
Director General: Joe Frazar ‘65
Director General: Matt Kirby ‘94
Director General: Terry McElroy ‘86
Director General: Peter Knoetgen ‘77
Director General: Mary McElroy ‘87

BEAT ARMY!

Steve Frederick ’72