May 2006 President's Corner

Steve Frederick '72, USNAAA Atlanta Chapter President

I waited until the last minute this month to get my submission for the newsletter to our trusty scribe, Paul Borer ’70. (Actually, I do that every month, but this month I actually had a reason.) I have just returned from my first International Chapter Officer’s Forum in Annapolis at Alumni Hall, and I wanted to share my impressions with you.

There were 87 representatives from 85 chapters at the get together. (The following day, the Board of Trustees of the Alumni Association approved the addition of three new chapters to add to the existing list of 97, bringing the total number of official chapters to an even 100.) The theme of the forum this year was “Informed Advocates for Today’s Brigade”.

The meeting itself consisted of a series of presentations from a very impressive cast. George Watt ’73, President and CEO of the Alumni Association, and ADM Carlisle Trost USN (Ret) ’53, Chairman of the Board, USNA Alumni Association, both presented remarks about the Association and then entertained questions from the floor. Dean William C. Miller ’62, the Academic Dean and Provost brought us up to speed on academic changes (things are really getting sophisticated on the Severn) and CAPT Bruce Latta USN ’78 briefed us on the admissions process. Several Alumni Association staff members briefed us on improved capabilities at Alumni House, and then the Commandant, CAPT Bruce Grooms USN ’80 (and RADM selectee we found out later) chaired a question and answer panel of four mids – the Brigade Commander, a Rhodes Scholar, a Company Commander and a USA Today Scholar Athlete. Unbelievably impressive. We ate lunch in the mess hall (King Hall to those of you who missed Plebe year) where the mids enjoyed “rolling trays” during finals, meaning they could come to the mess hall, make a sandwich, and go back to their room to study. After lunch we got a tour of the Uriah P. Levy Center and then returned to Alumni Hall for the Supe’s briefing. There was a great deal of information provided throughout the day, and from my perspective, the place has come a long way since 1972. The staff, the curriculum, but most of all, the mids, have all increased in sophistication, maturity and professionalism.

The following day the Chapter Officers were invited to observe the meeting of the Board of Trustees of the USNA Alumni Association. It was an impressive gathering of some very capable gentlemen, most notably, our own Carl McCallum ’60 and Bill Rentz ’55. I had known previously from correspondence with the staff at Alumni House that Carl and Bill represented us capably and effectively, but I got to see it first hand that day. We are very fortunate to have those two as our reps on the Board of Trustees. I will leave it to Bill and Carl to bring you up to speed on the proceedings of that day, but suffice it to say, our Board of Trustees is a capable and professional group – our Alumni Association is in very good hands.

During the month of April our Chapter had our usual monthly luncheon on the third Friday, and the speaker was Ed Sundberg ’68. Ed shared with us the particulars of his heart attack last summer, from onset, to diagnosis, to surgery and recovery. It was very informative and eye opening to many of us. Many thanks to Ed, and to Hal Morrison ’61 who added his experience of the same type of event. Both emphasized acting decisively if you suspect a heart attack – don’t be shy or reluctant to act when you have any symptoms. Attendees at the luncheon included: Bill Rentz ’55, Mike Miller ’56, Ed Hux ’61, Hal Morrison ’61, Harvey Cybul ’62, Paul Hurst ’62, Tony Womble ’63, Bill Holmes ’64, Dick Boroweic ’68, Gary Grant ’68, Ed Sundberg ’68, Mitch Rowland ’71, Bob Schulz ’71, Lee Whitfield ’71, Steve Frederick ’72, Kent Thomas ’73 and his wife Sharon, Ples Bruce ’77, Ed Brownlee ’81, Paul Lutz ’94, Tony Yannone ’98 and his wife Vilma.

On 19 May plan to join us at our next monthly luncheon, to see old shipmates and to do some networking. Also at that luncheon, plan to get the latest info on two of our major annual events – the Army Navy Golf Classic (22 May – see the website) and the Lobster Fest (3 June – see the website). Both events have been a great deal of fun for years and are well worth the effort to attend. If you join us at the luncheon you will get the latest gouge on the events. If you can’t make it to the luncheon, go to our website and sign up for both of the events. They are each worth the time and the trip. I hope to see each of you at all of our upcoming events.

BEAT ARMY!

Steve Frederick ’72
Chapter President