A SSOCIATION A FFAIRS
Minding the Helm by CAPT Andrea Marcille (Ret), ’89, President
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hat a challenging year this has been. I hope you and your family members are healthy and have found ways to persevere and make the most of this time during the pandemic. As we are approaching 2021, one word continues to resonate with me: hope. We can get through anything if we have hope. It comforts, inspires, supports, and motivates. I have had a few leaders inform me in the past that “hope is not a strategy.” I agree; it is a state of mind. I have hope that we will all be stronger and more connected at home, at work and with our alumni community. I have very much enjoyed connecting with many of you on one of our virtual sessions. I think Captain Jeffrey Hartman ’63 has the record for participating in the most sessions. Thank you, Jeffrey! I have hope that we can continue to bring CGA to those of you near and far. We have learned so much about how we can connect with you and appreciate all the feedback we received that will inform our programming in the future. If you missed some or have not yet tuned in to our Lunch and Learn series or All Present Impact series you can find recordings of all our sessions at www.cgaalumni.org/ lunchandlearn. I have hope that we will have two amazing Homecoming weekends in 2021, September 17-19 for the 0 and 5 classes, and October 1-3 for the 1 and 6
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classes. Unfortunately, the pandemic has impacted the football schedule so the date for the 0 and 5 classes has been moved. We so very much appreciate everyone’s patience and understanding and look forward to working with class homecoming coordinators in January to optimize the planning. I have hope that we will finish 2020 stronger than it started. The article by the Board’s Investment Committee, “Tracklines and Waypoints” on page 22, highlights how the management of the endowment has matured and grown. Jennifer Yount ’81 shares some data from our recent equity survey and how that informs the work of the Association as we strive to become a more equitable organization in “On a Path of Learning, Increased Awareness, and Action” on page 30. Tim Tilghman’s (’75) article on his CGA experience as the 19th African American graduate of the Academy is a powerful read on page 56, along with Kathy Hamblett’s “Old Traditions, New Horizons” on page 36 that reflects on 40 years of women at the Academy. Thank you to all the contributors to the Bulletin this year, and to the amazing and talented communications team here who make this magazine what it is a great read! And finally, I have hope that there is a calm in our country and we can feel at peace with one another. Best wishes from the entire Alumni Association team for a happy and healthy holiday season and start to the new year.
December 2020/January 2021
