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John Scanlan Luncheon

John Scanlan '83, Takes Us Back to Plebe Year at Chapter May Luncheon

John gave an entertaining look back at being a Plebe at USNA to those in attendance at the Chapter May luncheon. His recently published book titled “Dink–GaDink” is not coincidentally about this very subject.

He started his presentation by donning a Dixie Cup (you know, the round thing with the blue ring around the top that was part of the uniform) and saying “Isn’t this the stupidest hat you’ve ever seen??!”

Next he donned a pair of standard issue USNA eyeglasses ( the ones with the thick black "Blues Brothers" frames), and said “Then they top it off with a set of these BCGs for a really great look!” (By the way BCGs = birth control glasses in John’s vocabulary, which is why he said no one in that outfit ever got a girl!)

Once the room quieted down form the laughter of memories years past that the sight of John in that getup recalled, he told us of the idea of this book.

First off, the name “Dink–GaDink” comes from the sound that the clock on the walls of Bancroft Hall made when they clicked over to each subsequent minute. Every Plebe, he said, learned that sound when they stood beneath said clocks, and spouted the menu for the meal soon to be served in the mess hall as the minutes to meal formation were counted down.

John postulated that, since every minute of your day was planned in advance, the entire Naval Academy was therefore run by the “Dink–GaDink” sound made by those clocks. He’s probably right.

He said his book is written from the perspective of several Midshipmen during Homecoming week. Each of these Midshipmen represented a Mid “type” that every alumnus could relate to. These included the following:

The “Shit Screen” Mid – who could never do anything right and, as such, kept much of the trouble off of those around him.
The “Prior Enlisted Sailor” Mid – who came from the enlisted ranks through NAPS.
The “Loveable Nerd” Mid – who was all brain and nothing else.
The “Senator’s Son” Mid – who got in for obvious reasons.
The “Walk-on Football Player” Mid – who was just trying to get in on a chance with his athletic abilities.
The “Underachiever/Loner” Mid – who just tried to stay out of the way and go unnoticed.
The “Average” Mid – the backbone of the Brigade all of whom were just slugging it out and trying to make it through, day-by-day.

The book follows the adventures of these seven main characters through Plebe life during Homecoming week, day-by-day, one “Dink-GaDink” at a time.

It was a very entertaining trip back in time, and many stayed around and shared old Plebe year stories from their days after the presentation.

Many thanks to John for visiting with us and taking us back!

PS) John’s book was self-published (i.e. he used $25K of his money to get it published). You may not find it on the shelf, but it can be ordered through bookstores such as Barnes and Noble.

Click on a thumbnail image to see a full-sized picture.

John Scanlan in Dixie Cup!

John in Dixie Cup and BCGs. (Birth Control Glasses)