CLASS NOTES the 150th New Market ceremony, commissioning ceremonies and cadet graduation. Spring is always full of promise at the Institute, and you can see the excitement and promise in the faces of those graduating 1st Class men and women. Good luck to them all! I hope all is well with you and your families and that spring has brought you renewed energy and promise for the year ahead. Thanks to those BRs who sent me notes this quarter. Congratulations are in order for Bill Arnold who has been selected to be the head of the Upper School at Ft. Worth Country Day School in Texas. Pete Tunnard passed along this wonderful news and shared that Bill has earned a reputation as one of the best teachers in Texas. Congratulations to Chris Whittaker on his retirement from the Army in April. I understand Chris gave quite a performance at his Pentagon retirement ceremony, which had people wondering if he would be moving into the world of stand-up comedy in his new life. Glenn Dickenson, Bill Madison, Kenny Robinson and Doug Spitz were all able to make the ceremony. Tom Pugh is on the move, having graduated from the Air War College in May. Tom is headed to Augusta/Fort Gordon, Georgia, to be the commandant for Signal School where he will join Trip Anderson, the current garrison commander for Fort Gordon. Tom’s Air War College classmate, Tim Bosetti, will head to Japan to command a medical brigade. Congratulations to Chris Dixon who recently pinned on the rank of colonel in the Marines. Chris recently completed command of 3d Battalion, 2d Marines, which took him to Afghanistan. He is stationed at the Navy War College in Newport, Rhode Island, for the next year with his next assignment still up in the air. Chris and his wife, Erin, are celebrating their son’s completion of his 4th Class year at VMI and their daughter’s acceptance to VMI. She will matriculate in the fall. Bryan Haslam’s nephew, Wynn Haslam ’17, just finished his 4th Class year, as well. Bryan is able to get to VMI often from his home in Asheville, North Carolina, to check in on Wynn, a fourth generation VMI Haslam. Finally, Terence Kerner filed a report from the VMI Alumni Richmond Club dinner in May. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas was the guest of honor, and the Class of 1990 was well represented by Terence and his wife, Kelly; Barry Johnson; Tony Baker and his wife, Wendy; Rich Duke; and Sam Stocks. As always, folks, it’s great to hear from everyone, and I welcome your cards, letters and emails. Keep them coming, and have a great summer! Rob
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George Petty III
1613 Summit Drive Waynesboro, VA 22980 540/241-1127 george@vmialumni.org
It was nice to hear from so many of you during these past three months. I would like to say up front that when you read this, the class will soon begin planning the 25th Reunion. Please, please email me a current email address if you have not received an email since July. For starters, Rufus Owen and Doug Yeabower ran the Park to Park Half Marathon in Waynesboro, Virginia. Both clocked better than expected times and felt it was a good run that was well organized and worth doing again in the future. They spent most of the post-race day with Lorrain and me at our house, coaxing pizzas out of the wood-fired brick oven. Jack Daniels had planned to run but last minute family matters prevented him. Jack was glad for a scheduled event to prompt him to remain in running shape. The race and the gathering at my house will be annual events held on the last Saturday in April. Plan now to attend in 2015. The VMI Keydets made an unexpected appearance in postseason basketball play this year. CollegeInsider.com sponsors the postseason CollegeInsider.com Tournament. I was able to attend two games at VMI, my first since leaving. What a blast! The semifinal game against Yale University was the most exciting game I have seen at Cameron Hall, other than that multiple-overtime win against East Tennessee State University our 2nd Class year. While at these games, I saw Roger Jarrell, Dave Peters and Bob Cole. Roger, Dave, their significant ones and I met at Macado’s restaurant after one game. Roger has been elected as chairman of the Rockbridge County Republicans. The taller Yale team won, which knocked the
Keydets out of the tournament. If VMI had won, the final game would have been at Cameron Hall. If you have not seen the Keydets play basketball recently, do try if they are playing near you. Eric Burks has retired from the Navy after almost 23 years. He is working for Booz Allen Hamilton in Crystal City, Virginia. At the same office is Dan Kelley. Dan just joined the ranks of O-6 in our class. Pete Dillon reported Dan is now a captain in the U.S. Navy Reserve. Pete also mentioned that Craig Streeter, yet another BR to reach colonel in the Marines, has been named head of the Marine Corps combat art program. This rare posting is special in that an active duty colonel is rarely placed in this billet. We can all expect some totally kick-butt U.S. Marine Corps T-shirts and Zolloman’s posters in the near future. B.Z., Craig! Kai Torkelson had an official meeting in Hawaii and sprung tickets out-of-pocket to take wife Beth and their daughter with him. Stationed in Hawaii are Greg Booth and Don Cribbs. Greg has been enjoying long walks on the beach. Wait. That’s not right. Greg only runs. He has been enjoying many beautiful runs without the threat of frost-bitten ears. Dap Tillery made a family trip to Hawaii in spring 2014. He was able to briefly meet Greg and Don for a too-low-rez-for-print photo opportunity. Don also met with BR Gordon Lee on an off-island excursion. Kai is another captain in the U.S. Navy. His latest bit of excitement will be chronicled in the notes that will appear in November. He and Tom McRary were both in the building during the Washington Navy Yard shooting. Flip Secrist was promoted to colonel March 7, 2014, in a ceremony held at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. Flip and his family (Lavonda, Jackson, Gabriel, Kyler and Julianna) will be heading off to the Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, in summer 2014. VMI will be just a short three-hour drive south on I-81. See you at
Class of 1991: March 7, 2014, Promotion Ceremony for Col. Flip Secrist.
From left, Flip’s parents, Phil and Betty Secrist; children, Kyler, Gabriel, Julianna and Jackson; wife, Lavonda; kneeling, Flip Secrist.
Phil and Betty Secrist; Kyler; Gabriel; Brig. Gen. Funkhouser, commandant of the U.S. Army Engineer School; Flip Secrist; Lavonda; Julianna; Jackson.
VMI ALUMNI REVIEW