alumninews
From the Alumni President THIS JUNE, I had the opportunity to travel to Honolulu to meet the TS Golden Bear as she completed her first cruise and prepared to depart on her second voyage of the summer. While there, I was able to meet with many cadets, local alumni, and some very excited and supportive parents. Even though it has been many years since I made my own training cruises (on TSGB I!), what became clear during my conversations with the current cadets and the visiting alumni was that we all share that special bond of having sailed on our training ship, whether it was one of the Golden Ken Passe with Errol Rains (‘70) onboard the Golden Bear during this summer’s Bears or the California State/Golden Captain’s Reception in San Diego. Rains, who lives in Australia, was in State. It is that bond that enables San Diego for his high school reunion, which coincided with the ship’s visit. connections from year to year and generation to generation. One of the Alumni Association’s goals for the coming year is to strengthen the link between alumni and the current cadets. After all, the cadets are simply “alumni in training” and will soon be a part of that small family that is our Alumni Association. I would urge all alumni to participate and support this goal through any of the following opportunities: n Mentor Program – Share your life and career experiences with a cadet. Offer guidance and be a role model. n Cadet/Alumni Barbecue – Enjoy our annual informal BBQ with the cadets. n Orientation/Open House – Participate in the Orientation Week or Open House programs during the year, to answer questions for cadets and parents alike. n Homecoming – Homecoming is “our” weekend. Come back to the campus, see all the new facilities and meet with the current cadets. n Business Connections – Can you offer a learning experience for one or more cadets by conducting a “job shadow” event or offering a facility tour? Think about what would have been valuable to you, when you were a cadet, and what you can do about that, today! To learn about the ways you can support today’s cadets, visit the alumni website at www.alumni.csum.edu, become a fan of the Alumni Association on Facebook page (www.facebook.com/CalMaritimeAlumni) and/or contact the Alumni Office at (707) 654-1299. Whatever method you choose to follow, whether that is participation in the Mentor Program, in one of the campus events, an offer of a facility tour, or a donation to support cadets through the CMA Foundation, you can be proud to say that “I support Cal Maritime!” If you have any comments or ideas concerning the Alumni Association’s plans or activities, please feel free to contact me at kpasse@csum.edu.
Ken Passé, 1969-E President, CMA Alumni Association
Cal Maritime
Is your class missing a scribe? Help your classmates stay connected by volunteering for this fun position. Here’s why others do: “There are two reasons I volunteered to be our class scribe. The first is that it allows me to keep track of my classmates and what they are up to. The second is that I get updates from the alumni office about what’s happening at CMA that I can share with my classmates.” — Bob Piazza, Class of 1965 Scribe “I enjoy being a scribe because it’s nice to stay in touch with everyone. I enjoyed being involved in CMA while I was at school and continue to enjoy it now. It’s great to get to know people and it also gives me a good reason to get to know the people I didn’t get a chance to know while I was at school.” — Holly Van Gundy, Class of 2006 Scribe “I agreed to be our scribe because the class of June 1943 has always shared a special bond in that we were the first class to enter after WWII began. We were a small group and we became good friends as well as shipmates. That bond is still strong even though our number has diminished over time. I felt that serving as class scribe would help us to continue to stay the course and keep those bonds alive – and it has!” — Ed Johannessen, Class of June 1943 Scribe To volunteer to serve as your class scribe, contact the CMA Alumni Office at alumni@csum.edu or (707) 654-1299.
Best regards,
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Get Connected
FALL 2011