2011 Distinguished Graduate Award Program

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“Today you join the ranks of men and women who have selflessly contributed to our alma mater and the nation.

You serve as an inspiration to your shipmates and to the Brigade of Midshipmen who have gathered with you today to recognize your accomplishments.”

CHAIRMAN

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WELCOME

t is my honor and privilege to welcome you to the 13th annual U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association Distinguished Graduate Awards Ceremony. Unfortunately, I am unable to personally welcome our 2011 Distinguished Graduate Award recipients into the elite group of alumni who have served the Naval Academy and the nation with distinction.

I would like to congratulate each of this year’s award recipients. Today you become part of a proud tradition of honoring alumni who exemplify the values and missions of the Naval Academy. Today you join the ranks of men and women who have selflessly contributed to our alma mater and the nation.You serve as an inspiration to your shipmates and to the Brigade of Midshipmen who have gathered with you today to recognize your accomplishments.

While there are many people involved in making the Distinguished Graduate Award Medal Ceremony a signature event at the Naval Academy, my sincere gratitude is extended to the Selection Committee. This group tackles the enviable and arduous task of selecting distinguished graduates among fierce competition and many deserving alumni. I am proud to chair the committee, and continue to be impressed with the level of dedication from its members.

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The 2009 Distinguished Graduate Award Medal Ceremony.

Please enjoy today’s ceremony, celebrating the life and accomplishments of these remarkable alumni. Congratulations again and thank you for all you’ve done—and continue to do— for the Naval Academy, the Navy and Marine Corps and our country.

Admiral Ed Giambastiani ’70, USN (Ret.) Chairman, U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association Distinguished Graduate Award Selection Committee

2011 U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association Distinguished Graduate Award Selection Committee Colonel Arthur Athens ’78, USMCR (Ret.) Captain Maureen Cragin ’85, USNR (Ret.) Mr. Byron Marchant ’78 Rear Admiral John B. Padgett ’69, USN (Ret.) Admiral Joseph Prueher ’64, USN (Ret.) Vice Admiral John Scott Redd ’66, USN (Ret.) Mr. Roger Staubach ’65 Major General Leo Williams ’70, USMCR (Ret.)

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Midshipmen gather in Alumni Hall prior to the 12th U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association Distinguished Graduate Award Medal Ceremony.

2011

DISTINGUISHED GRADUATE AWARD

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he 2011 Distinguished Graduate Award Medal Ceremony marks the 13th year of honoring and celebrating the lives of alumni through the U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association Distinguished Graduate Award program.

Each year, distinguished graduates are honored because of their demonstrated and unselfish commitment to a lifetime of service, their personal character and the significant contributions they have made to the Navy and Marine Corps or as leaders in industry or government. They are the living embodiment of the Academy’s mission to develop leaders to “assume the highest responsibilities of command, citizenship and government.”

We honor these four individuals for the principles they stand for—today and always.

2011 Distinguished Graduate Award Recipients: Rear Admiral Robert Shumaker ’56, USN (Ret.) Dr. Bradford Parkinson ’57 Lieutenant General Matthew Cooper ’58, USMC (Ret.) Mr. Corbin McNeill, Jr. ’62

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In his last official event as Commandant of Midshipmen, Captain Matt Klunder ’82, USN, introduces the 2010 Distinguished Graduate Award recipients at a panel discussion in Mitscher auditorium the Saturday following the 2010 ceremony.

25 MARCH 2011

PROGRAM MEDAL PRESENTATION 4:30 p.m.

INTRODUCTION OF DISTINGUISHED GRADUATES FOR 2011 INVOCATION

Captain Michael Parisi, USN

THE NATIONAL ANTHEM WELCOME AND REMARKS

Vice Admiral Michael H. Miller ’74, USN Superintendent, U.S. Naval Academy

PRESENTATION OF DISTINGUISHED GRADUATE AWARD MEDALS

Admiral Steve Abbot ’66, USN (Ret.) Chairman of the Board, U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association and Midshipman Sean Fitzmaurice ’11 Brigade Commander

REMARKS

Distinguished Graduate Recipients of 2011

NAVY BLUE & GOLD DEPARTURE OF THE OFFICIAL PARTY

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“The main role of this Academy is to develop graduates who will lead our nation to greater prosperity, security and happiness. I would hope that this Distinguished Graduate Award recognition inspires them to succeed in their future endeavors.”

REAR ADMIRAL

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ROBERT SHUMAKER ’56, USN (RET.)

orn in 1933 in New Castle, PA, Rear Admiral Robert Shumaker ’56, USN (Ret.), grew up attending local public schools and spent a year at Northwestern University before entering the Naval Academy. Following graduation, he completed flight training and flew the F-8 Crusader with fighter squadron VF-32.

Around this time, Shumaker was considered for astronaut training by NASA, but unfortunately his selection was blocked due to a short-term physical ailment.

In February 1965, while serving with VF-154 in Vietnam, his plane was shot down on a mission over North Vietnam.

For the next eight years, Shumaker was a Prisoner of War (POW) in Hanoi, Vietnam. During his imprisonment, he was respected by hundreds of his fellow POWs, including Vice Admiral James Stockdale ’47, USN (Ret.), who continually selected him for special assignments in the camp and was recognized as a Distinguished Graduate in 2001. Due to his resistance efforts, he and the rest of the POW leaders, known as the “Alcatraz Eleven,” spent three of those years in solitary confinement and in leg irons, where he endured inhumane treatment and torture at the hands of his North Vietnamese captors. Following his release in 1973, he was awarded the Navy Distinguished Service Medal with

Combat “V” and two Silver Stars for his brave leadership as a POW. His other military decorations include four Legions of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross, a Bronze Star and two Purple Hearts.

After earning his doctorate in electrical engineering, Shumaker was a major project manager for precisionguided munitions, at Naval Air Systems Command for six years, where he helped develop the High Speed Anti-Radiation Missile (HARM), Hellfire and the MAVERICK air to ground weapon.

After promotion to flag officer, he was the superintendent of the Naval Postgraduate School, followed by a tour at the Pentagon where he coordinated the research efforts for the Navy’s air, surface, electronics and space activities.

After retiring from the Navy as a rear admiral in 1989, he served as assistant dean at George Washington University and later was associate dean at the University of North Dakota’s Center for Aerospace Studies. A long-time supporter of the Naval Academy Brigade of Midshipmen via the Naval Academy Foundation, Shumaker is a President’s Circle donor and a lifetime member of the Naval Academy Alumni Association.

Shumaker and his wife of 47 years, Lorraine, live in Fairfax Station,VA, and have one son, Grant.

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“I feel very fortunate that the foundation for my run through life was the Naval Academy. Most important, it established a set of personal values. Receiving this award makes me all the more aware of the great debt I owe to the Naval Academy, my classmates and to the Navy, so I want to thank them all.”

DR.

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BRADFORD PARKINSON ’57

rowing up in Minnesota, Dr. Bradford Parkinson ’57 was very active in the Boy Scouts, achieving the rank of Eagle Scout. He entered the Naval Academy with the Class of 1957, and upon graduating he accepted a commission as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force. In 1961 he earned a master of science in aeronautics and astronautics at MIT, followed by a doctorate in aeronautics and astronautics at Stanford in 1966. In 1972, he became a distinguished graduate of the U.S. Naval War College.

Throughout two decades of service in the Air Force, Parkinson held a variety of positions, including U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School academic instructor and chief of the simulation division; was on the team of developers for the modern AC-130 Gunship and later was one of the first to deploy with the new aircraft.

His military decorations include the Bronze Star, Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medals and a Presidential Unit Citation.

In his final assignment in the Air Force, Parkinson directed the effort to develop the Global Positioning System (GPS), a worldwide satellite-based navigation system. He not only designed the system but also led the fight to gain Department of Defense approval. His program went above and beyond proving

the accuracy and capabilities of GPS and for this Parkinson was awarded the Defense Department Superior Performance Award as the best program director in the Air Force. Parkinson continues his pioneering work with GPS, which is now implemented by more than one billion users.

Upon retiring from the Air Force as a colonel in 1978, Parkinson held several positions in academia at Colorado State University and Stanford University, as well as multiple president and CEO positions in the private sector, including PlantStar and Trimble Navigation.

An appointed member of the Presidential Commission on Air Safety and Security by President Bill Clinton, he is a fellow of multiple societies and institutions and his work has also earned him numerous awards and commendations, including the Draper Prize of the NAE, sometimes called the Engineer’s Nobel.

The Naval Academy midshipmen-built satellite, ParkinsonSat, is named in his honor. He is also a member of the Naval Academy Foundation’s Robert Means Thompson Society and the Superintendent’s Society, as well as a lifetime member of the Naval Academy Alumni Association.

He and his wife,Virginia, live in San Luis Obispo, CA. Nearby in California are their six children: Leslie, Bradford II, Eric, Ian, Bruce and Jared.

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“My hope is that midshipmen will recognize the Distinguished Graduate Award for its true goal of inspiring Naval Academy graduates to give something back to the Academy, the Naval Service and our nation.”

LIEUTENANT GENERAL

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MATTHEW COOPER ’58, USMC (RET.)

orn and raised in Lexington, NC, Lieutenant General Matthew T. Cooper ’58, USMC (Ret.), attended the University of North Carolina prior to entering the Naval Academy. Upon graduation, he was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps.

During his 35-year career in the Marine Corps, Cooper served more than 20 years in command billets which included command of two Marine Divisions and a Marine Corps Base. He also served as Deputy Commander of U.S. Forces, Japan. He served two combat tours in Vietnam and commanded the Marine Corps Ground Reserve during Operation Desert Shield/Storm.

Cooper’s final years on active duty were spent as Deputy Chief of Staff for Manpower and Reserve Affairs at Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps.

Cooper, a lifetime member of the Naval Academy Alumni Association, served as a national trustee of the U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association Board of Trustees,Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Naval Mutual Aid Association and a director of Marine Toys for Tots Foundation. Following his retirement from the Marine Corps, Cooper served for 15 years as the president and CEO of Marine Toys for Tots Foundation, a non-profit charity dedicated to bringing the joy of Christmas to underprivileged

children throughout America. Under his leadership, this once struggling organization was transformed into one of the nation’s premier charities with annual revenue of more than $200 million.

In addition to the Distinguished Graduate Award, Cooper’s other decorations include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star Medal with Combat “V” and one star, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Joint Service Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster, the Navy Commendation Medal, the Combat Action Ribbon, the Presidential Unit Citation, the Navy Unit Commendation and the Meritorious Unit Commendation along with a number of campaign medals and foreign decorations.

Cooper is also the recipient of the Navy Distinguished Public Service Award and the Boy Scouts of America “Distinguished Eagle Scout” award.

Cooper is an honor graduate of the Marine Corps Basic School, an honor graduate of the Marine Corps Command & Staff College and a distinguished graduate of the U.S. Naval War College. He earned a masters degree from George Washington University and completed a Senior Executive Program at Harvard University.

Cooper and his wife, Bettie, have been married nearly 50 years and are the proud parents of Hudson, David and Caroline.

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“The Distinguished Graduate Award is a very treasured recognition. I consider it to be the ultimate professional career recognition,” said McNeill. “Its purpose is to acknowledge long-term service to our nation, to the Navy and to public service. It means a great deal at this stage of my life to be so recognized. I am profoundly honored.”

MR.

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CORBIN McNEILL, JR. ’62

orn in Santa Fe, NM, the oldest of ten children, and raised principally in the mid-west, Mr. Corbin McNeill, Jr. ’62 attended the Naval Academy Prep School prior to his four years at the Naval Academy. Following graduation, he served for 20 years as a submariner in the Navy. He retired as a commander in 1981 after having served as commanding officer of TAUTOG and commanding officer of the Naval Nuclear Power School.

In 1981, McNeill launched his civilian career with the New York Power Authority, as the resident manager of the James A. Fitzpatrick Nuclear Power Plant, and later served in senior executive positions at the Power Authority and Public Service Electric & Gas Co. McNeill joined PECO Energy in 1988, where he progressed to ultimately become chairman and CEO. While serving as CEO, PECO Energy was recognized as “Utility of the Year” by the Edison Electric Institute. During this time frame, McNeill also led PECO in a merger with Unicom Corporation, forming Exelon Corporation, of which he was chairman and co-CEO until retirement.

Along with his Bachelor of Science degree from the Naval Academy, McNeill completed graduate courses at both the University of California (Berkeley) and

Syracuse University and is a graduate of Stanford University’s executive management program. He was also awarded an honorary doctorate of science from Drexel University. He has received awards from the World Nuclear Association, the American Society of Mechanical Engineering, the American Nuclear Society and the Nuclear Energy Institute.

A lifetime member of the Naval Academy Alumni Association, for 12 years McNeill served as the vice chairman on the Alumni Association’s Board of Trustees and currently serves on the Naval Academy Foundation’s Board of Directors. He has also served as a trustee of Drexel University and the Valley Forge Military Academy and was formerly chairman of Leadership Inc. of Philadelphia. McNeill is currently a member of the board of directors of Associated Electric and Gas Insurance Services Limited, Ontario Power Generation, Silver Spring Networks, O-I Corporation and Portland General Electric where he is chairman.

McNeill and his wife, Dorice, who were married shortly after graduation, live in Jackson, WY. They are the proud parents of five children: Michele, Corbin, Kevin, Alicia and Timothy and have been blessed with eleven grandchildren.

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Each Distinguished Graduate receives a medal to commemorate the award.

DGA

PAST RECIPIENTS 1999-2010

1999

2002

Admiral Thomas H. Moorer ’33, USN (Ret.)

Vice Admiral Charles S. Minter, Jr. ’37, USN (Ret.)

(1912-2004)

(1915-2008)

The Honorable James E. Carter, Jr. ’47

2000

Admiral Carlisle A.H. Trost ’53, USN (Ret.)

Dr. John J. McMullen ’40

Colonel John W. Ripley ’62, USMC (Ret.)

(1918-2005)

(1939-2008)

Admiral James L. Holloway III ’43, USN (Ret.) Vice Admiral William P. Lawrence ’51, USN (Ret.) (1930-2005)

2003 Ambassador William H.G. FitzGerald ’31

Major General William A. Anders ’55, USAFR (Ret.)

(1909-2006)

Mr. Roger T. Staubach ’65

Rear Admiral Eugene B. Fluckey ’35, USN (Ret.) (1913-2007)

2001

Rear Admiral Robert W. McNitt ’38, USN (Ret.) Vice Admiral William D. Houser ’42, USN (Ret.)

Captain John W. Crawford, Jr. ’42, USN (Ret.) Admiral William J. Crowe, Jr. ’47, USN (Ret.) (1925-2007)

2004

Vice Admiral James B. Stockdale ’47, USN (Ret.)

Lieutenant General Victor H. Krulak ’34, USMC (Ret.)

(1923-2005)

(1913-2008)

Admiral James D. Watkins ’49, USN (Ret.)

Vice Admiral Gerald E. Miller ’42, USN (Ret.)

Captain James A. Lovell ’52, USN (Ret.)

Vice Admiral James F. Calvert ’43, USN (Ret.) (1920-2009)

Lieutenant General Charles G. Cooper ’50, USMC (Ret.) (1927-2009)

Rear Admiral Ronald F. Marryott ’57, USN (Ret.) (1934-2005)

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A midshipmen presents a past Distinguished Graduate with his medal.

2005

2008

Captain Slade D. Cutter ’35, USN (Ret.)

Mr. James W. Kinnear III ’50

(1911-2005)

Admiral Frank B. Kelso II ’56, USN (Ret.) Rear Admiral Robert H. Wertheim ’46, USN (Ret.) Rear Admiral Benjamin F. Montoya ’58, CEC, USN (Ret.) Admiral Ronald J. Hays ’50, USN (Ret.) Lieutenant General William M. Keys ’60, USMC (Ret.) Mr. H. Ross Perot ’53 Admiral Henry G. Chiles, Jr. ’60, USN (Ret.)

2006 Captain Thomas J. Hudner ’47, USN (Ret.) Admiral Kinnaird R. McKee ’51, USN (Ret.) General Robert T. Herres ’54, USAF (Ret.)

2009 Mr. John E. Nolan ’50 Admiral Bruce DeMars ’57, USN (Ret.)

(1932-2008)

Mr. J. Ronald Terwilliger ’63

Admiral Charles R. Larson ’58, USN (Ret.)

Admiral Joseph W. Prueher ’64, USN (Ret.) General Peter Pace ’67, USMC (Ret.)

2007 Rear Admiral Maurice H. Rindskopf ’38, USN (Ret.)

2010

Admiral Thomas B. Hayward ’48, USN (Ret.)

Mr. David J. Dunn ’55

Mr. Ralph W. Hooper ’51

Admiral Leon A. Edney ’57, USN (Ret.)

Admiral Leighton W. Smith, Jr. ’62, USN (Ret.)

Rear Admiral Thomas C. Lynch ’64, USN (Ret.) Admiral Joseph Paul Reason ’65, USN (Ret.) General Carlton W. Fulford, Jr. ’66, USMC (Ret.)

For more information on the U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association’s Distinguished Graduate Award program and recipients, visit www.usna.com/dga.

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USNA ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

MISSION

To serve and support the United States, the Naval Service, the Naval Academy and its Alumni; By furthering the highest standards at the Naval Academy; By seeking out, informing, encouraging and assisting outstanding, qualified young men and women to pursue careers as officers in the Navy and Marine Corps through the Naval Academy; and, By initiating and sponsoring activities which will perpetuate the history, traditions, memories and growth of the Naval Academy and bind Alumni together in support of the highest ideals of command, citizenship and government.

Serving the Alma Mater and its Alumni since 1886

NAVY

BLUE & GOLD

Now colleges from sea to sea, may sing of colors true, But who has better right than we, to hoist a symbol hue?

For Sailors brave in battle fair, since fighting days of old Have proved the Sailor’s right to wear, the Navy Blue and Gold.