Class Notes and the same with me. I’m still driving for Estes. Still listening to audiobooks. Still have 1-year-old Eva 100 percent on the two days a week I am home. She is such a treasure! She’s good-hearted, intelligent, inquisitive, cheerful, playful and assertive. She is a good walker now. She lifts spirits everywhere she goes. It is her forte.” Jim Mackin: “I moved to a new job, back in the Pentagon, supporting the undersecretary of the Air Force for Space. Heading down to Virginia Beach this to celebrate Tim Berkhimer’s wedding to Debbie Hall. They dated our 1st Class year.” Bob Vidrick: “I’ve certainly been remiss these many years in posting updates on what’s going on with me and family. I never really had much to write about. So, let me bring our BRs up to speed. I’ve been married to the same woman for more than 31 years (and to think she still puts up with me). We are on our third ‘child.’ I’ve been with the Federal Reserve Bank in Richmond for the last 18 of my 27 years in the information technology field and provide Windows and Unix admin server support at the national level. There are over 20 VMI alumni at this location, with me representing the oldest class (go figure). The Institute is definitely heard from each day at the Fed! I see some of our BRs have already retired. My wife plans to retire in about two years, but I expect to be slogging it out for another 6-7 years. Someone has to pay the bills!” Don Hogge: “I am living in Maryland and working as a contractor supporting the Army Research Lab.” Terry McKnight: “I have been retired from the
Navy for seven years (would go back in a second), and I am still working in the defense world. I am waiting for all of my BRs to buy a copy of my book, ‘Pirate Alley: Commanding Task Force 151 Off Somalia,’ so I can retire for good and play golf everyday like Ronnie Milligan and Bill Hardy. I stay in contact with Harry ‘H-Bo’ Siegfried all the time, and he is a proud grandfather. He said his grandson will someday be the regimental commander. I also see Wads and Wendy Bugg on occasion, and they have a wonderful river home and are looking to invite the class down for a mini reunion in the future.” Jim Simons: “I am taking some time off to play catch-up on chores around the house, but heaven knows if I’ll accomplish all that I’ve set out to do. With deer season right around the corner, it’s time to refurbish the deer stands, plan the menu and lay in the groceries. I’ve been emailing back and forth with Tom Sliwoski about getting together for some fly fishing, but our schedules have always upset our plans in the past, so only time will tell if this, too, comes to pass. As for my continued support of the cadet fishing club, back in September, I took the club out on its annual canoe trip on the James River. All went well, and at the end of the day, I delivered the cadet contingent back to barracks exhausted but intact. The cadet fishing club is now a participant in the Virginia Department of Transportation’s Adopt a Highway program, so we’ll soon be undertaking two annual cleanups along a three-mile stretch of VA-646 on the western side of Rockbridge County. Although the primary objective of the project is to keep
Class of 1978: Class agent Steve Neas said of this photo, “Cool evening at the Crazy Crab with the VMI room 161+1 reunion.” 104
a scenic section of local roadside free from litter, the underlying objective is to shield Colliers Creek, a local stream that parallels the road, now being monitored by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality as a possible ‘impaired’ water. The Washington and Lee Flyfishers have adopted a connecting three-mile stretch of the same road, so between the two colleges, we will effectively shield the full-length of the six-mile length of Colliers Creek from its headwaters to its confluence with Buffalo Creek. The fact that I happen to live on this particular road may, at first glance, seem a bit self-serving, but it will make the project so much easier to manage and allow me to throw a post-event barbecue for the cadets with no need for a lot of unnecessary driving.” Steve Craig: “I retired from Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in January 2015. I was accepted into a Ph.D. program in the History of Medicine at University of Glasgow. Spent most of the last year in Edinburgh, where my primary research material is but returned in June because our house here in Gaithersburg did not sell (surprise, surprise, in this economy). Carolyn and I were tired of being apart. I am continuing to work on my dissertation and hope to re-enroll in the coming year.” Dick Powell: “I’ve retired to Arizona. They tell me you don’t have to shovel sunshine. I won’t miss winters in Ohio. Working on my golf game and adjusting to being able to enjoy life while I still enjoy good health. Interesting factoid: We live in the shadow of Pichaco Peak, which was the western-most battle of the Civil War – a reminder of our legacy. All secure in Arizona.” Alec Earle: “I just arrived back on our California farm after an eight-month sojourn in our motor home. It feels good to be in one place for a while. Our almond trees are growing rapidly and doing great.” Chops Parker: “I am still hanging in Taichung, Taiwan, building a massive data center for Google. Life is simple here; great food, good people and interesting culture. I am heading home for Thanksgiving holiday. My granddaughter, Vivienne, turned 1. All else is well.” Jimmy Leech: “I actually have a little news this time. I finally spoke with Chris Brock, whom I last saw in 1988, if I remember right. Along with Billy Young, he was my roommate from the first day of cadre until graduation. Chris is retired from the Virginia Department of Transportation and works as a consultant with an engineering firm
VMI Alumni Review