2024 Distinguished Graduate Award Program

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DISTINGUISHED GRADUATE AWARD MEDAL CEREMONY

U.S. NAVAL ACADEMY • ALUMNI HALL • 22 MARCH 2024

A W A R D R E C I P I E N T S 1

The 2024 Distinguished Graduate Award medal ceremony marks the 26th 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 for their demonstrated and unselfish commitment to a lifetime of service, their personal character, the significant contributions they have made to the Navy and Marine Corps, and as leaders in industry and government. They are the embodiment of fulfilling 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.

ADMIRAL DENNIS C. BLAIR ’68, USN (RET.) ADMIRAL SAMUEL J. LOCKLEAR III ’77, USN (RET.) MR. JERROLD L. MILLER ’77 MR. JOHN F. YOUNG ’78

S E L E C T I O N

DISTINGUISHED GRADUATE AWARD SELECTION PANEL CHAIRMAN Admiral Harry B. Harris Jr. ’78, USN (Ret.)

UNITED STATES NAVAL ACADEMY ALUMNI ASSOCIATION AND FOUNDATION PRESIDENT AND CEO Jeff R. Webb ’95

PANEL MEMBERS

Steven S. Reinemund ’70 Captain Kevin F. Stone ’76, USNR (Ret.) Rear Admiral A.B. Cruz III ’80, USN (Ret.) C. Michael Petters ’82 Lieutenant General Lori E. Reynolds ’86, USMC (Ret.) Darryl L. Smith ’88 Vice Admiral Fred Kacher ’90, USN 64th Superintendent Admiral Mark E. Ferguson III ’78, USN (Ret.)*

P A N E L

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*Alumni Association Board of Trustees Chair, non-voting member

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C H A I R ’S M E S S A G E

On behalf of the DGA Selection Panel, heartiest congratulations to the awardees. Thank you for your service. Thank you for your energy, passion, and success in your respective vocations. And thank you for your contributions to the Naval Academy and its mission. You have made a tangible difference.

Your families deserve a special shout-out—we are, indeed, grateful to them for supporting each of you.

Selecting today’s honorees from a field of accomplished alumni was challenging and humbling. The Naval Academy is richly blessed to have so many accomplished graduates. While each journey was different, all of today’s honorees began their careers here at this great institution, which continues to serve as a foundation of service, leadership, and character for our Nation.

My thanks to the selection panel and to the Naval Academy and Alumni Association and Foundation staff for planning and executing today’s ceremony. I especially want to thank Vice Admiral Fred Kacher ’90 who served for this cycle on the panel as Acting Superintendent.

Finally, to the Brigade, our alumni, and guests: Thank you for joining us for this special event as we celebrate the extraordinary lives of our fellow graduates.

Admiral Harry B. Harris Jr. ’78, USN (Ret.) Chair, U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association Distinguished Graduate Award Selection Panel

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P R O G R A M

ARRIVAL OF THE OFFICIAL PARTY PRESENTATION OF COLORS AND NATIONAL ANTHEM INTRODUCTION OF THE 2024 DISTINGUISHED GRADUATES NARRATOR Midshipman Mack Daniels ’24, USN Class President

IN MEMORIAM AND INVOCATION Lieutenant Commander Loren Crone, CHC, USN U.S. Naval Academy Deputy Command Chaplain

WELCOME AND REMARKS Vice Admiral Yvette M. Davids ’89, USN Superintendent, U.S. Naval Academy

PRESENTATION OF DISTINGUISHED GRADUATE AWARD MEDALS Vice Admiral Yvette M. Davids ’89, USN Superintendent, U.S. Naval Academy Admiral Mark E. Ferguson III ’78, USN (Ret.) Chair, U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association Board of Trustees Midshipman Sean Patrick O’Dowd ’24, USN Brigade Commander

REMARKS Distinguished Graduate Award Recipients

“NAVY BLUE AND GOLD”

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ADMIRAL DENNIS C. BLAIR ’68, USN (RET.)

B L A I R

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Admiral Blair served in the Pacific for most of his 34-year Navy career. Several of his assignments took him outside the Navy—to the White House, the Central Intelligence Agency, the Joint Staff, a White House Fellowship, and a Rhodes Scholarship. His final assignment was commander-in-chief, U.S. Pacific Command. Following retirement in 2002 he was the president of the Institute for Defense Analyses, then returned to government service as the third director of National Intelligence. In recent years he has played leadership roles in nonprofit organizations to address longstanding national security challenges—energy and manufacturing supply chain security, China’s rise, ratification of the Law of the Sea Treaty, and polarized American politics. He has returned to the Naval Academy often since graduation to lecture and lead advisory groups for the Superintendent.

Admiral Blair resides in Durham, NC.

ADMIRAL SAMUEL J. LOCKLEAR III ’77, USN (RET.)

L O C K L E A R

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Admiral Locklear served 38 years as a commissioned nuclear qualified surface warrior. Leading at the highest levels he served as commander U.S. Pacific Command, commander U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa, commander NATO Allied Joint Forces Command, and commander Multinational Task Force Odyssey Dawn/NATO Operation Unified Protector in Libya. He commanded the Nimitz Strike Group during Operation Iraqi Freedom, Destroyer Squadron Two, and LEFTWICH (DD 984). Throughout nearly five decades he has steadfastly supported and championed the USNA mission. He served with distinction as the 1977 honor set Brigade Commander, the 19th Color Company Officer, and the 78th Commandant of Midshipmen. Following his retirement from active duty he served as a USNA Athletic & Scholarship Programs Trustee and as the chair, USNA Alumni Association Board of Trustees. Admiral Locklear resides in Milton, GA.

JERROLD L. MILLER ’77

M I L L E R

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Jerry Miller served seven years as a surface warfare officer. Although he left active duty in 1985, he has continuously served the Navy as an entrepreneur in the maritime industries and the Naval Academy as a philanthropist. Miller co-founded a ship repair company with an Academy classmate, bought that company early on, and sold it 25 years later after it became a leading U.S. Navy ship repair organization. He then founded Fairlead Integrated, a company dedicated to the current revitalization of our shipbuilding industrial base and a critical supplier for aircraft carrier and submarine construction programs.

As philanthropists, Miller and his wife, Laura, were instrumental in the establishment, funding, and construction of the Uriah P. Levy Center and Jewish Chapel more than 20 years ago, and they have continued to be leaders in the development and growth of the Academy’s Margin of Excellence.

He has been a member of the Naval Academy Foundation Board of Directors since 2006 and currently serves as its Vice Chair. Miller resides in Virginia Beach, VA.

JOHN F. YOUNG ’78

Y O U N G

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John Young began his naval career as a surface warfare officer, winning the Atlantic Fleet Shiphandler of the Year award twice, on two different ship classes. He has been a leader in the power generation and utilities industry for more than 40 years.

More importantly, he has been an advocate of programs to promote science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) for underprivileged children of all ages throughout the country.

His contributions have led those students to appointments at the Naval Academy and other outstanding universities, where he has continued to support their education. Young is a member of the Board of Directors of the Naval Academy Foundation, a trustee of the Naval Academy Foundation Athletic & Scholarship Programs, chairman of the board of Exelon Corporation, and a member of the board of USAA. Young resides in Dallas, TX.

P A S T

1999 Admiral Thomas H. Moorer ’33, USN (Ret.) (1912-2004)

2000 Dr. John J. McMullen ’40 (1918-2005)

Admiral James L. Holloway III ’43, USN (Ret.) (1922-2019)

R E C I P I E N T S

Vice Admiral William P. Lawrence ’51, USN (Ret.) (1930-2005)

Major General William A. Anders ’55, USAFR (Ret.) Roger T. Staubach ’65

2001 Captain John W. Crawford Jr. ’42, USN (Ret.) (1919-2022)

Admiral William J. Crowe Jr. ’47, USN (Ret.) (1925-2007)

Vice Admiral James B. Stockdale ’47, USN (Ret.) (1923-2005)

Admiral James D. Watkins ’49, USN (Ret.) (1927-2012)

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

2002 Vice Admiral Charles S. Minter Jr. ’37, USN (Ret.) (1915-2008)

President James E. Carter Jr. ’47 Admiral Carlisle A.H. Trost ’53, USN (Ret.) (1930-2020)

Colonel John W. Ripley ’62, USMC (Ret.) (1939-2008)

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P A S T

2003

R E C I P I E N T S

2004

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Ambassador William H.G. FitzGerald ’31 (1909-2006)

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

Rear Admiral Robert W. McNitt ’38, USN (Ret.) (1915-2012)

Vice Admiral William D. Houser ’42, USN (Ret.) (1921-2012)

Lieutenant General Victor H. Krulak ’34, USMC (Ret.) (1913-2008)

Vice Admiral Gerald E. Miller ’42, USN (Ret.) (1919-2014)

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)

2005 Captain Slade D. Cutter ’35, USN (Ret.) (1911-2005)

Rear Admiral Robert H. Wertheim ’46, USN (Ret.) (1922-2020)

Admiral Ronald J. Hays ’50, USN (Ret.) (1928-2021)

H. Ross Perot ’53 (1930-2019)

P A S T

2006

R E C I P I E N T S

2007

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Captain Thomas J. Hudner ’47, USN (Ret.) (1924-2017)

Admiral Kinnaird R. McKee ’51, USN (Ret.) (1929-2013)

General Robert T. Herres ’54, USAF (Ret.) (1932-2008)

Admiral Charles R. Larson ’58, USN (Ret.) (1936-2014)

Rear Admiral Maurice H. Rindskopf ’38, USN (Ret.) (1917-2011)

Admiral Thomas B. Hayward ’48, USN (Ret.) (1924-2022)

Ralph W. Hooper ’51 (1928-2020)

Admiral Leighton W. Smith Jr. ’62, USN (Ret.) (1939-2023)

2008 James W. Kinnear III ’50 Admiral Frank B. Kelso II ’56, USN (Ret.) (1933-2013)

Rear Admiral Benjamin F. Montoya ’58, CEC, USN (Ret.) (1935-2015)

Lieutenant General William M. Keys ’60, USMC (Ret.) Admiral Henry G. Chiles Jr. ’60, USN (Ret.)

P A S T R E C I P I E N T S

2009 John E. Nolan ’50 (1927-2017)

Admiral Bruce DeMars ’57, USN (Ret.) (1935-2024)

J. Ronald Terwilliger ’63 Admiral Joseph W. Prueher ’64, USN (Ret.) General Peter Pace ’67, USMC (Ret.)

2010 David J. Dunn ’55 (1930-2021)

Admiral Leon A. Edney ’57, 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.)

2011 Rear Admiral Robert H. Shumaker ’56, USN (Ret.) Dr. Bradford N. Parkinson ’57 Lieutenant General Matthew T. Cooper ’58, USMC (Ret.) Corbin A. McNeill Jr. ’62

2012 Admiral Sylvester R. Foley Jr. ’50, USN (Ret.) (1928-2019)

The Honorable Daniel L. Cooper ’57 Captain Bruce McCandless II ’58, USN (Ret.) (1937-2017)

Vice Admiral John R. Ryan ’67, USN (Ret.) Daniel F. Akerson ’70 12

P A S T

2013 Roger E. Tetrault ’63 (1941-2020)

The Honorable John Scott Redd ’66 Ambassador Richard L. Armitage ’67 Admiral Thomas B. Fargo ’70, USN (Ret.)

2014 Lieutenant General Thomas P. Stafford ’52, USAF (Ret.)

R E C I P I E N T S

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(1930-2024)

Rear Admiral William C. Miller ’62, USN (Ret.) Admiral Steve Abbot ’66, USN (Ret.) Admiral Michael G. Mullen ’68, USN (Ret.) Admiral Edmund P. Giambastiani Jr. ’70, USN (Ret.)

2015 Admiral Henry H. Mauz Jr. ’59, USN (Ret.) Admiral Richard W. Mies ’67, USN (Ret.) Admiral James O. Ellis Jr. ’69, USN (Ret.) David M. Robinson ’87

2016 Vice Admiral Robert F. Dunn ’51, USN (Ret.) The Honorable John H. Dalton ’64 Captain Carl H. June ’75, MC, USN (Ret.)

P A S T

2017 Admiral Harry D. Train II ’49, USN (Ret.) Milledge A. Hart III ’56 Vice Admiral Cutler Dawson Jr. ’70, USN (Ret.) Admiral Eric T. Olson ’73, USN (Ret.)

2018 Rear Admiral Lawrence C. Chambers ’52, USN (Ret.)

R E C I P I E N T S

Admiral James R. Hogg ’56, USN (Ret.) Senator John S. McCain III ’58 (1936-2018)

Major General Charles F. Bolden Jr. ’68, USMC (Ret.) Steven S. Reinemund ’70 Admiral Timothy J. Keating ’71, USN (Ret.)

2019 Dr. J. Phillip London ’59 (1937-2021)

Admiral Robert J. Natter ’67, USN (Ret.) Colonel Walter P. Havenstein ’71, USMCR (Ret.) Admiral Robert F. Willard ’73, USN (Ret.) Captain Wendy B. Lawrence ’81, USN (Ret.)

2020 Vice Admiral Edward M. Straw ’61, SC, USN (Ret.) Colonel Robert D. Cabana ’71, USMC (Ret.) Admiral Kirkland H. Donald ’75, USN (Ret.) The Honorable Sean J. Stackley ’79

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P A S T

2021 Kevin W. Sharer ’70 General John R. Allen ’76, USMC (Ret.) Vice Admiral Derwood Curtis ’76, USN (Ret.) Janie L. Mines ’80 Lieutenant Bradley W. Snyder ’06, USN (Ret.)

2022

R E C I P I E N T S

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Peter F. de Vos ’71 Vice Admiral William D. Crowder ’74, USN (Ret.) J. Michael Yeager ’76 Vice Admiral Walter E. Carter ’81, USN (Ret.) Rear Admiral Margaret D. Klein ’81, USN (Ret.)

2023 Major General Leo V. Williams III ’70, USMCR (Ret.) Ronald L. Nicol ’75 Admiral James G. Stavridis ’76, USN (Ret.) Rear Admiral Julius S. Caesar ’77, USNR (Ret.) Admiral Cecil D. Haney ’78, USN (Ret.)

A L M A

NAVY BLUE AND GOLD

M A T E R

So hoist our colors, hoist them high, And vow allegiance true, So long as sunset gilds the sky Above the ocean blue, Unlowered shall those colors be Whatever fate they meet, So glorious in victory, Triumphant in defeat.

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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.

Four years together by the Bay, Where Severn joins the tide, Then by the service called away, We’re scattered far and wide; But still when two or three shall meet, And old tales be retold, From low to highest in the fleet, We’ll pledge the Blue and Gold.

M I S S I O N S

UNITED STATES NAVAL ACADEMY MISSION To develop midshipmen morally, mentally and physically and to imbue them with the highest ideals of duty, honor and loyalty in order to graduate leaders who are dedicated to a career of naval service and have potential for future development in mind and character to assume the highest responsibilities of command, citizenship and government.

UNITED STATES NAVAL ACADEMY ALUMNI ASSOCIATION MISSION We strengthen our MEMBERS’ BONDS to the Academy and to each other, to help them THRIVE AS LEADERS in and out of uniform, and reach their FULL POTENTIAL.