CLASS NOTES and returned with all safe. Jay bought wife Debbie a new car. She was thrilled. Jay told Debbie she will only have to wait 15 years for the next one! Good luck with that line of logic, BR! Jay and Debbie celebrate 30 years of marriage on 1 Sept. Doug Doerr and Corinne also are celebrating 30 years of marriage! Congratulations to both couples. A wonderful accomplishment in this day and age. Jeff Curtis writes that he has survived the first months as the new VMI chief of staff. Jeff lets on that there is definitely a lot of stuff that goes on at VMI we had no clue about as cadets. He and Betsy are moved in to 408 VMI Parade, right next to Tom and Nancy Trumps. Betsy won’t be in Virginia until October, so he is “bach’ing” it, he says. So, ’79 now has TWO places to crash when we all visit! How convenient! From “El Commandante” (know he just loves to be called that!), Tom Trumps: “VMI is returning the largest Old Corps and matriculating the largest Rat class in its history this fall. So, here at the ‘I,’ we’re all pretty excited about what is happening here … young men and women really want the challenge that this place provides. We still have another year of construction, with Old Barracks renovations the focus for the entire calendar year. By graduation in May, we should be done, and all three Barracks will be online and in great shape. Unfortunately, could not come up with the money to replace the windows in Old and NB, so from the outside, will still look a bit rough. With Jeff Curtis and me living next door to each other, football weekends and tailgating should be a lot of fun for our classmates, if they position themselves tactically on the parade field. Looks like a great year a coming, high adventure for all. Again, all are welcome to stop by the house when in town.” You heard the man … door is wide open for visitors! Poor Nancy. Poor Betsy. Bring flowers … or something potent to drink, as an offering when you stop by. Brian McKeever writes from New Mexico: “I retired from the Navy in 2001 and served most of my time on ships out of San Diego and Long Beach. WESTPAC sailor! After retiring, I became a high school teacher in Arizona, and last year, we moved to Albuquerque, NM, where I teach high school civics/economics part-time. Try to play as much golf as I can the other time. Along the way, I got married, and we have one son who is about ready to begin his third year at West Point. Don’t know where I went wrong. We are a real Navy-Army family.” WEST POINT! You do mean the VMI of the North, as my mother was fond of calling it? Brian Lettieri, who left VMI in our second year because of a medical condition which made him fall behind academically, sends in a long overdue update. Since leaving VMI, he
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has been married to the same wonderful wife, Doreen, for more than 30 years (another 30 year marriage!). They have a wonderful son, Brian, and are living in sunny Southern California. Brian has two jobs: one as a video editor for Fox Sports and the second as a deputy sheriff for the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. (That knowledge could come in handy BRs!) So, needless to say, his life is very busy and demanding. Brian just recently added to the class e-mail list and was very happy that he remembers most of the names of his BRs. Glad to have you back in touch, Brian! Another BR who I have not heard from in “like forever” is Butch Manning. He turned up at a VMI lunch at Norfolk’s Town Point Club where a few VMI grads meet up every now and again. Not to make us feel any older, but Butch became a grandfather a few months ago. The young lad (VMI class of 2028) is doing really well. Butch reports that “grandma and granddaddy look forward to spoiling the young man.” Speaking of lunch at the TPC … Pete Underwood and Tom Herbert were also there. Missing in action were usual attendees Asa Page and John Arthur. Good time was had by all and fun catching up with everyone. ’79 led the list of attendees with four. My goal is to get Jim Blank and a few other local BRs to attend next time. Are you guys reading this? Parke Smith and wife are in the midst of a move from Houston to Denver ... something they have been trying to do for years. Both hope this will be their last move (although they’ve said THAT before, as have many of us!). Parke will still be with Parsons, so this isn’t a career change. Although he really misses Virginia, they both positively love the mountains, and Denver puts them much closer to family. Parke is looking forward to connecting with the VMI community there. Frank Jester went to Boy Scout summer camp for 48 hours. (Yes, he fooled them into thinking he was mature enough to be counted as an adult leader, HaHa.) Frank wrote, “What memories were brought back by sleeping in an army cot with thin saggy mattress, marginal food, complete with peanut butter and jelly with all meals, just like the Mother I, and waking up to ‘Reveille’ and going to sleep to ‘Taps.’ Man, was I glad I only went for the 48 hours; don’t think could have stood the whole week. When my son got home from a week of it, he smelled the way I think we did after cadre, or was it breakout?” Frank hurt his knee a couple months ago. That has cured fine. However, he blacked out driving in Norfolk in July and totaled his car. (Did I mention that Frank works for AFLAC!) Fortunately, it was only a single car accident and no injuries (except for the bark coming off the tree). He has no idea what hap-
pened. He has had every test they can run on his head and all the tests for the heart. The doctor doesn’t know what may have happened. Other than that, Frank and family are fine. Larry Adams and some BRs met at Clyde’s Restaurant at Willow Creek, Broadlands, VA (otherwise known as Leesburg - I think!) back in July. Larry was staying with John Poffenbarger to attend his uncle’s (Lt. Col. Richard E Adams, Ret., USMA 1956) and his wife’s internment into Arlington National Cemetery. Larry’s uncle died shortly after BR Higginbotham and was cremated, as was his aunt, a couple of years ago. Larry went up early to visit with John for a few days and was hoping to see Brian Tollie and a few others. Turns out John and Brian got everyone together: Ed Johnson, Rich McGruder, Tom Manley, Randy Hawkins, Phil Southers, Doug Doerr and Mike Staso. The visit with John and the dinner with the BRs was great. John and Larry also toured the Air and Space Museum’s Dulles facility and enjoyed that, as well. Ed Johnson chimes in with ... “Not much is going on; same old stuff. Judy recovered from partial knee replacement in February and was given the thumbs-up by Ray Duffett at the reunion. She is still working part time at the library in Old Town Alexandria. Kate just completed her first year in her Ph.D. program at Michigan State and is working on assembling her committee. I am just beginning my fourth year as a federal civilian as the branch head for Manpower and Training for the Submarine Warfare Division on the Navy Staff. All is going well and looking forward to our next reunion.” Ed and I cross paths professionally a few times a year. Always great to see him. We have YET to figure a way to get out on the golf course together. Need to fix that. Meade Spotts writes in his usual prose with news about this summer’s VMI Richmond picnic that included Bill Albro, Noel Harris, Jim Leavitt, Asa Page, Mike Thomas and Brian Tollie. “BRs and fellow Squids Leavitt, Page and Thomas spent most of the day Bogarting the kegs, while Albro and Harris took enjoyment out of the scenery along the river ... Albro did bring a couple dozen 5-lb. chocolate éclairs from the Wigwam Bakery in Waldorf, so many were glad to see him. Only Leavitt and Harris were (brave/foolish – pick one) enough to bring members of their families, but everyone seemed to survive, though much disappointment was noted, in that it really was a VMI Family Picnic and not [another kind of party], as erroneously advertized by earlier e-mails. Harris and family have relocated to Richmond, and local authorities have been notified. Tollie made the trek from Occupied Virginia and tried to bring along BR Alvarez, but he ‘spooked’ out on him at the
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