LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT
HONORING EXCELLENCE PHOTO BY LAURA HATCHER, WWW.LAURAHATCHERPHOTOGRAPHY.COM
By Byron F. Marchant ’78
Superintendent VADM Sean S. Buck ’83, USN; VADM Derwood C. Curtis ’76, USN (Ret.); General John R. Allen ’76, USMC (Ret.) and U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association and Foundation President and CEO Byron F. Marchant ’78 join more than 250 family members representing 30 Naval Academy—and one Air Force Academy—alumni killed in action and operational losses at the 11 September Honor Our Fallen Heroes event.
O
n 2 September, at long last, the U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association and Foundation had the great privilege of honoring the 2020 Distinguished Graduate Award medal recipients. Vice Admiral Edward M. Straw ’61, SC, USN (Ret.); Colonel Robert D. Cabana Jr. ’71, USMC (Ret.); Admiral Kirkland H. Donald ’75, USN (Ret.); and The Honorable Sean. J. Stackley ’79 and their families, friends and classmates returned to the Academy to participate in a medal ceremony and celebration delayed for a year-and-a-half by COVID-19. The Distinguished Graduate Award program is central to our mission, and one of our most rewarding activities. It is always inspiring to hear our most exceptional graduates take the time to pass on lessons and advice to the Brigade, and this year was no exception. The festivities continued with a return to fans in the stands at Navy football.
6 SHIPMATE • OCTOBER 2021
Look for in-depth profiles of the 2020 honorees on page 12. We are equally pleased to announce our 2021 Distinguished Graduate Award recipients: Kevin W. Sharer ’70; General John R. Allen ’76, USMC (Ret.); Vice Admiral Derwood C. Curtis ’76, USN (Ret.); Janie Mines ’80; and Lieutenant Bradley W. Snyder ’06, USN (Ret.)— who just brought home a gold medal in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics paratriathlon on 28 August. These individuals, like those who have gone before them, represent the very highest ideals of the Academy. They are compelling examples of the power of service of all kinds, not just to the Brigade of Midshipmen, but to the members of the global Naval Academy alumni community they represent. We look forward to honoring these Distinguished Graduates in March 2022. Nominations for the 2022 Distinguished
Graduate Awards open soon and will continue through February 2022. In other exciting news, construction on the future Alumni Association and Foundation Center begins this fall and in 2023 we’ll be celebrating reunions, weddings, retirements and countless other meaningful moments for our alumni community in our new home. As we continue to observe our Year of Gratitude, I extend my personal thanks to the volunteer leaders, Yard and other Navy partners, generous donors and enterprise staff who are making this exciting endeavor possible. You can find an update on the project and the support it has generated on page 26. Finally, we once again welcomed family and other loved ones of fallen alumni back to Annapolis and to Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium on 11 September as part of our Honor Our Fallen Heroes events. This year’s event was especially poignant, coinciding with the 20th anniversary of 9/11. While I fervently wish such a program was not necessary, each and every Naval Academy graduate, and our families, understand that our commitment to naval service carries with it the inherent risk of ultimate sacrifice. These families are forever a part of the Naval Academy community, and it is our honor to stand by them. I’m also grateful to our 2021 Distinguished Graduate Award recipients and 1976 classmates General Allen and Vice Admiral Curtis for participating in the day’s events, as well as The Honorable Carlos DelToro ’83, USN, 78th Secretary of the Navy. While we continue to monitor state, local and national trends and guidelines related to COVID-19, I also hope, as I know we all do, that circumstances allow us to carry our renewed opportunities to connect in Annapolis and at chapter events nationwide throughout the fall and beyond. a
