West Point Magazine Spring 2019

Dear Fellow Graduates:

The mission of West Point magazine is to tell the West Point story and strengthen the grip of the Long Gray Line.

PUBLISHER

West Point Association of Graduates

Todd A. Browne ’85, President & CEO

EDITOR IN CHIEF

Elizabeth A. Barrett

editor@wpaog.org

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Keith J. Hamel

EDITORIAL ADVISORY GROUP

Kim McDermott ’87

Terence Sinkfield ’99

Patrick Ortland ’82 Samantha Soper

ADVERTISING

Jess Scheuler

845.446.1577 | ads@wpaog.org

ADDRESS UPDATES

Tammy Talmadge

West Point Association of Graduates

698 Mills Road, West Point, NY 10996-1607 845.446.1642 | address@wpaog.org

MEMORIAL ARTICLE MANAGER

Marilee Meyer

845.446.1545 | memorials@wpaog.org

CONTENT

Anthony DiNoto Kim McDermott ’87

Keith Hamel Guest Contributors

DESIGN

Marguerite Smith

Opinions expressed in this magazine are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions, policy, or attitude of the U.S. Army, United States Military Academy, West Point Association of Graduates, its officers, or the editorial staff. The appearance of advertisements in this publication does not necessarily constitute an endorsement by the U.S. Army, United States Military Academy, West Point Association of Graduates, its officers, or the editorial staff for the products or services advertised.

POSTMASTER

WestPointis published quarterly in Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall by the West Point Association of Graduates, 698 Mills Road, West Point, NY 10996-1607

WestPointis printed by Sheridan NH.

SUBSCRIPTIONS

Subscriptions may be ordered for $25 (domestic mail) online at WestPointAOG.org; by calling 800.BE.A.GRAD; or by sending a check to WPAOG, WestPointmagazine, 698 Mills Road, West Point, NY 10996-1607. (International shipping incurs additional fees: please inquire.)

ON THE COVER: Donated class rings worn by West Point graduates are melted into the gold of the rings of a new graduating class at WPAOG’s annual “Ring Melt” or Ring Memorial Program. Photo: Brandon O’Connor/USMA PAO

It was great to see many of you at the various Founders Day celebrations I attended in March. As you know, 2019 is the sesquicentennial of the West Point Association of Graduates, and we are working to make sure every graduate knows about it. Thank you to all the West Point Societies who incorporated WPAOG 150th Anniversary themed decorations into your Founders Day celebrations. While I made the rounds on Founders Day, many of you commented to me that you are enjoying the “On This Day” series of WPAOG and Long Gray Line history prepared by Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Jennifer Voigtschild Minus ’93, and I have received several emails containing positive feedback on the winter issue of the magazine, which introduced our theme for WPAOG’s 150th celebration: “Honor the Past. Prepare for the Future.” Get ready for more 150th Anniversary commemorations in this issue of West Point magazine, and don’t pack away your party attire from Founders Day yet; we have a virtual WPAOG birthday toast coming on May 22! Check out WestPointAOG.org/150thParticipate for more information, and we are counting on you to participate in the festivities. We cannot be the most highly connected alumni body in the world without your participation.

One way you can participate is by including “Flat Cullum” (found inside this issue) whenever you gather with fellow grads or West Point friends, and sharing pictures of these gatherings with WPAOG (via email or social media). One of the events at which Flat Cullum is sure to make an appearance is the 2019 Distinguished Graduate Awards on May 21. This year we honor the character and distinguished service of five stellar graduates: David A. Bramlett ’64, Victor F. Garcia ’68, Robert L. VanAntwerp ’72, Walter L. Sharp ’74, and Robert L. Caslen ’75. Please join me in congratulating them all for their well-deserved commendations. I expect Flat Cullum will also make an appearance at Graduation on May 25 when we welcome the Class of 2019 to the Long Gray Line, bringing our ranks to more than 53,000 members.

Speaking of Graduation, one of the concerns of most college graduates after graduation is finding a job. Commissioned as second lieutenants in the Profession of Arms upon graduation, our graduates do not have to worry about this concern. But at some point— whether that is transitioning from the military, switching jobs mid-career, or re-entering the workplace after a life event—our graduates are going to need a job, and that is where WPAOG’s new, enhanced Career Services program comes in. Launched last December, the program offers exclusive career counseling tools to all West Point graduates, and its team members stand ready to assist in planning any job search. In this issue, you can read about three success stories WPAOG’s Career Services program has already had thus far.

Another story you should read covers this year’s Ring Melt. For the first time in the 19-year history of WPAOG’s Class Ring Memorial Program, the Ring Melt for was held at West Point, in Eisenhower Hall’s Crest Hall. Everyone, from Academy representatives to next of kin, agreed that this was a perfect venue to continue the tradition of strengthening the grip of the Long Gray Line by melting gold from donated class rings to incorporate into the rings of the Class of 2020. For me, as these tangible links to the Ghostly Assemblage receive new life in our soon-to-be members, the connections of our alumni body reach new heights in the Ring Melt tradition.

Our organization has so much to celebrate, and the party is just getting started. Join us! Serving West Point and the Long Gray Line, Todd

Todd A. Browne ’85 President and CEO

West Point Association of

Graduates

ADVERTISERS

IN THIS ISSUE |

5 Celebrate with Us!

2019 RING MEMORIAL PROGRAM WPAOG 150TH ANNIVERSARY

Throughout 2019, WPAOG will be celebrating its 150th Anniversary. Here’s how you can be a part of the celebration!

6 From Association of Graduates to Alumni Foundation: The Second Stage of AOG History (1901-45)

Our series on WPAOG’s 150 year history continues: The Association of Graduates’ second stage of evolution (1901-45), saw changes to AOG’s mission, governance, and operations as it moved to become a ‘modern’ alumni association.

14 COVER STORY | Ring Melt 2019: A Great Tradition Gets Even Better

This year, for the first time in its 19-year history, WPAOG’s Annual Ring Memorial Program came home to West Point.

20 One Organ, 176 Class Windows, and a Set of Chimes: AOG Donors’ Gifts to the Cadet Chapel

24 GRIT: The Science of Success

DEPARTMENTS

2 From the President

4 From the Superintendent

Spring on

your

your photos on social

From Your West Point Association of Graduates

How Psychologist Angela Duckworth Uncovered the Secret of Achievement Through a 12-Year Study of West Point Cadets

30 We’re All Connected: Gripping Hands From the Shadows

34 With You Every Step of the Way: WPAOG’s Enhanced Career Services

36 The Register of Graduates: A Labor of Love Begun by George W. Cullum (1833)

38 Army West Point Water Polo: Working Hard = Playing Hard

42 Grads Unite! Alumni Day, Founders Day, Any Day!

43 Join Us for WPAOG’s “Happy Birthday” Virtual Toast

44 WPAOG Staff and Services: Societies and Memorial Services

48 Announcing WPAOG’s New Military Retiree Recognition Program

Send your thoughts about West Point magazine to editor@wpaog.org or @WPAOG on Twitter. View the online version of this magazine at WestPointAOG.org/wpmag

George W. Cullum (1833) left an indelible legacy to West Point and the Long Gray Line. Honor his contributions by including him in

travels and events in 2019. Share

media using #FlatCullum and #WPAOG150.

To the Long Gray Line:

It’s been a pleasure connecting with many of you these past several weeks at various Founders Day events around the country. Founders Day is a wonderful time to celebrate the Academy and its role in our national defense through you, the men and women of the Long Gray Line. Thank you to all the West Point Societies for organizing these celebrations. Supporting the Army’s current and future readiness, our mission focuses on developing leaders of character who are ready to lead in the crucible of ground combat and who know what it takes to fight and win. We are focusing on five lines of effort as part of our overall strategy. One of those lines of effort is modernization, security and reform— ensuring we have the modern, high-quality facilities and a secure environment in which to develop the highest-quality leaders for the Army and nation.

Since 1902, USMA has seen three major renovation periods, each about 30 years apart, with the most recent one occurring in the 1960s. Based on this historical trend, we are about 20 years overdue for a major modernization effort. The modernization wave is upon us once again. But while past efforts focused on physical expansion, this new effort—USMA 2035—focuses on expanding capabilities, bringing West Point firmly into the 21st century, with an eye on the 22nd. It is holistic and encompasses all aspects of our leader development mission: military, academic, physical and character development.

This effort began in 2013 with the Cadet Barracks Upgrade Program, which will continue through FY 2023 and included the construction of Davis Barracks. In FY 2020, we will begin the Academic Building Upgrade Program (ABUP), a 15-year effort that will modernize our academic infrastructure and provide new and innovative ways to facilitate intellectual development at levels on par with, or ahead of, peer institutions with whom we compete for talent.

Kicking off the ABUP is the construction of the new Cyber and Engineering Academic Center, located on the old site of Central Apartments. This facility will expand and modernize engineering lab and research capabilities, while providing the necessary space to execute ABUP with minimal disruption and cost.

The USMA 2035 vision includes a revitalization of Trophy Point, one of the most visited places on West Point and a portal in our relationship with the American people. This effort begins with a new statue honoring General and President Ulysses S. Grant (Class of 1843), which we will dedicate on April 25. The broader revitalization will also include the west end and concert area, as well as the construction of a donor-funded facility that we’re calling “The Link,” which will be home to the West Point Humanities Center. Just steps away from the Great Chain, whose links once stretched across the Hudson, this strategically located

hub will highlight West Point’s critical strategic role in producing graduates of character for the Army and nation. It is dedicated to the principle that the human dimension lies at the core of the Army’s identity and war itself. It will link visitors to our strategic past, demonstrate our strategic importance today, and emphasize why we must remain strategically important in our nation’s future.

We also have plans to renovate Michie Stadium, another portal to our relationship with America. This donor-funded effort will focus on the east stands and include office areas for the Directorate of Intercollegiate Athletics, suite and box seating, dining and retail capabilities, and a memorial park along Lusk Reservoir to commemorate West Point’s strategic contributions to our nation since 1775, and the critical role our graduates have played in making those contributions.

Another significant piece of USMA 2035 is the West Point Military Complex (WPMC), consisting of Camps Buckner and Natural Bridge, our training areas and ranges, and its hub at Washington Hall. Built in 1942 by, and for, prisoners of war, the facilities at both camps are in poor or failing condition. Additionally, Army warfighting doctrine and training models have evolved over the years, and it is increasingly difficult to simply modify existing facilities to support modern military training. The WPMC will provide modernized and adaptable capabilities that enhance our ability to educate, train and inspire cadets and for our faculty to innovate, lead and succeed in tomorrow’s increasingly complex multi-domain operating environment.

Weaving all of this together is an advanced information technology strategy that moves us to cloud-based operations and enables greater connectivity and collaboration with the Army, academia, our alumni, and the American people. This IT modernization includes the recent launch of our redesigned website (www.westpoint.edu), which helps us to tell the West Point story and attract quality candidates more effectively.

Coupled with this modernization effort will be an upgrading of our energy and utilities infrastructure (parts of which are more than a century old) and an enhancement of our force protection capabilities in a way that will balance our accessibility to the public as a National Historical Landmark while at the same time protecting the West Point team.

Both the Army and our graduates have made significant investments in this modernization effort, and we are grateful for the support. These investments will enhance the quality of our leader development program, posture us to serve the needs of the Army and strengthen our competitiveness in a quickly evolving higher education environment.

As always, thank you for all you do for West Point and the Long Gray Line. Your support helps us support Army readiness by preparing our graduates to lead in the 21st century.

Beat Navy!

Darryl Williams ’83 Lieutenant General, U.S. Army 60th Superintendent, U.S. Military Academy

“It’s been a pleasure connecting with many of you these past several weeks at various Founders Day events around the country. ”

Celebrate with Us!

150 Years | 1869 – 2019 HonorthePast.PreparefortheFuture.

Throughout 2019, the West Point Association of Graduates is celebrating its 150th Anniversary. Here’s how you can be a part of the occasion!

Learn and Inspire: Discover Our History

Our website, WestPointAOG.org/150th is a communications hub for our celebration, containing a wealth of information on WPAOG history and events.

“On This Day”: Throughout 2019, WPAOG is sharing “On this Day” facts highlighting historic events or achievements of West Point graduates each day of the year. These facts can be found on a timeline on our website at WestPointAOG.org/150thOnThisDay and we are also sharing them on our social media platforms, so be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. WPAOG gratefully acknowledges the detailed historical research for “On This Day” done by Lieutenant Colonel Jennifer Voigtschild Minus ’93 (Retired). For more than a year, Minus combed through West Point and WPAOG history to collect 365 facts, one for each day of the year.

West Point magazine is featuring articles in each issue of 2019 on WPAOG’s history and the WPAOG of today, and how we continue to serve West Point and the Long Gray Line.

Our First Call enewsletter and all WPAOG social media platforms are sharing 150th stories throughout the year.

Participate: Celebrate with fellow graduates and share your stories and images

• Share your 150th celebrations on social media using #WPAOG150. Follow WPAOG on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for more information.

• Founders Day: West Point Societies all over the world celebrated WPAOG’s 150th during Founders Day events during March and April 2019.

• A special 150th video was shared at Founders Days and may viewed at Vimeo.com/ WPAOG.

• Flat Cullum: George W. Cullum (1833), one of West Point’s most notable graduates, will be seen everywhere in 2019! This issue of West Point magazine includes a “Flat Cullum” cutout to incorporate in your photos and share with us. Flat Cullum is also available to download online at WestPointAOG.org/150thParticipate

• Virtual Toast: On WPAOG’s “Birthday,” May 22, 2019, graduates around the world will offer a virtual “Happy Birthday” toast. Details on how your group can send a message may be found online at WestPointAOG.org/150th-Virtual-Toast

• WPAOG’s Leaders Conference in August 2019 will feature a special 150th celebration. Details online at WestPointAOG. org/WPAOGLeadersConference

Commemorate 150 Years with Exclusive Memorabilia

• Founders Day–WPAOG provided free 150th celebration packets to all West Point Societies for Founders Day events.

• A selection of exclusive 150th-themed memorabilia is available to order online at WPAOGGiftShop.com or by phone at 800.426.4725

• WPAOG will offer exclusive 150th banners to Societies and will proudly display a 150th logo, flag and building decorations throughout the year.

More information: Need more information or have a fact you want to share? Contact us at 150@wpaog.org

LTC(R) Deirdre Dixon ’84, Ph.D. Chair, 150th Anniversary Planning Committee, WPAOG Board of Directors

“As the excitement for our 150th Anniversary celebration continues to build, I want to thank fellow members of the Long Gray Line for your outstanding participation. I invite all graduates to continue connecting with each other and with WPAOG to help spread the word and join us in sharing your West Point pride. My thanks to the 150th Planning Committee for their great work in developing fun and inspiring ways for graduates to come together to commemorate this milestone.”

From Association of Graduates to Alumni Foundation

The Second Stage of AOG History (1901-45)

By Keith J. Hamel, WPAOG staff

At the turn of the 20th century, the Association of Graduates of the United States Military Academy had been in existence for more than three decades. It began on May 22, 1869, when 15 graduates, acting upon an idea from Robert Anderson, Class of 1825, met in the office of Dr. Horace Webster, Class of 1818, and adopted articles and bylaws for the new organization. Article II of the Association’s Constitution stated: “The object of this Association shall be to cherish the memories of the Military Academy at West Point, and to promote the social intercourse and fraternal fellowship of its graduates.” According to Charles P. Echols, Class of 1891, the early years of the Association were dedicated to “little more than holding an annual meeting at West Point, collecting dues, and publishing an annual bulletin.” Echols was generalizing, of course—in its early years, the Association moved Sylvanus Thayer’s remains to the West Point Cemetery and memorialized him with a statue, and it built a memorial hall at

West Point with funds left by George Cullum in his will—but in the first stage of its existence, the Association was hardly recognizable as the organization it would later become. That began to change during the Association of Graduates’ second stage of evolution (1901-45), as changes to AOG’s mission, governance, and operations signaled its desire to become more like a “modern” alumni association.

One year into that second stage, the membership of the Association was celebrated by President Theodore Roosevelt, who attended West Point’s Centennial Exercises and said during his June 11, 1902 speech, “During [its first 100 years] no other educational institution in the land has contributed so many names as West Point has contributed to the honor roll of the nation’s greatest citizens…The average graduate of West Point during these hundred years has given a greater sum of service to the country through his life than has the average graduate of any other institution in this broad land.” A year

earlier, almost as if in anticipation of Roosevelt’s remarks, the Association’s 1901 Annual Reunion included an “Index to Obituaries (1870-1900),” which contained 953 names of the president’s “honor roll” and information on how to find biographies detailing each’s “sum of service to the country.” Also, with 1902 being the Centennial of West Point, some 350 members of the Long Gray Line were present to personally hear Roosevelt’s tribute, more than triple the attendance of the previous highest annual meeting attendance (109 in 1883). During the Centennial Exercises, they also witnessed Lieutenant General John M. Schofield, Class of 1853 (Retired) and President of the Association, unveil a tablet commemorating the Academy’s first century of existence. “Let us all pledge ourselves to our country, that the best efforts of our lives shall be to make the record of the second century even more memorable than that of the first,” Schofield said in his brief remarks.

Despite the excitement and vigor inspired by West Point’s Centennial Exercises, the Association of Graduates returned to a more typical level of attendance in 1903, with only 20 graduates attending the annual meeting. Lack of participation became one of two main concerns of the Association in the new century. During the 1905 annual meeting, Alexander Webb, Class of 1855, proposed a resolution to form a committee to study the attendance issue and to offer a solution. Webb’s classmate Charles Larned was appointed chairman. He reportedly addressed the matter at the 1906 meeting, but no records of his report exist. A few years later, however, Robert Howze, Class of 1888, who was a member of Larned’s “Committee on Entertainment,” suggested that interest could be added to the annual meeting if the Superintendent would designate one day during the graduating week as “Graduates’ Day,” and that “some specially interesting features be added to this day’s exercises.” Howze’s idea was enthusiastically received and unanimously adopted, but it took 15 years before it came to fruition, the start of a tradition that continues to this day. The second main concern of the Association centered on a gift that graduates could present to the Academy. In 1907, John

Carson, Class of 1855, suggested the Association raise funds for an organ for the new Cadet Chapel, for which the Academy had just broken ground a year earlier. At the same annual meeting, a proposal was made to purchase bronze doors for Thayer Hall (then the name of the ballroom in Cullum Hall), but it was rejected given that plans were already underway to change the room, making such doors obsolete. The gift matter went to committee, and the following year its members recommended a memorial window for the new Cadet Chapel to be built over the altar. By 1909, one year before the Cadet Chapel was completed, the Association had raised $1,564 for the “Memorial Window Fund.” Eight glass companies submitted competitive designs for the project, and on October 17, 1909, a jury of committee and advisory members settled on two designs to move on to a second competition in February 1910. The contract for the memorial window, at an amount of $8,000, was ultimately awarded to the Willett Stained Glass and Decorating Company of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Soon after, Bertram Goodhue, the architect of the Cadet Chapel, wrote a letter to the Association stating, “I think there is no doubt but that you will have…the most wonderful window of modern times and one of the finest in the world.” At the conclusion of the 1911 annual meeting, which was held in the new Cadet Chapel, Horace Porter, Class of 1860, presented the memorial window to the Academy on behalf of the living alumni, approximately 140 of whom were present to see Major General Thomas Barry, Class of 1877, the 27th Superintendent of USMA, accept the Association’s gift.

In addition to noting the increased number of graduates attending the 42nd annual meeting, the 1911 Annual Reunion was the first to highlight classes holding their own reunions at West Point, citing those of the classes of 1886, 1891, 1896, and 1901. Two years later, all five living members of the Class of 1863 returned to their Rockbound Highland Home to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their graduation. According to the 1913 Annual Reunion , “Everything possible was done to make it pleasant for the visiting graduates by the Superintendent, the Quartermaster and the officers detailed to

Previous page: The Class of 1925 poses on the original steps of Washington Hall for their 25th Reunion photo (left). Members of the Long Gray Line gather on the Plain for a picture after the 2018 Alumni Review (right). Above: Setting the corner stone of the Cadet Chapel on April 5, 1909 (left). In 1911, the AOG presented the Cadet Chapel’s Sanctuary Window on behalf of all living alumni as a memorial to those graduates who came before them .

meet the trains and have charge of rooms in Cullum and Cadet Barracks.” In a letter submitted to the 1913 Executive Committee, Francis Hills, Class of 1866, went even further, extending his personal appreciation to Colonel Clarence Townsley, Class of 1881, the 28th Superintendent of USMA, for making all graduates “feel that they are warmly welcomed to their old home.”

In the wake of these warm sentiments, Gustav Fiebeger, Class of 1879 and a member of the Executive Committee, announced a plan at the 1915 annual meeting for classes to purchase one panel each for the remaining windows of the new Cadet Chapel. According to George Pappas, Class of 1944, the next morning, representatives from the Class of 1875 presented the Association with a check for $250, making it the first class to place a window in the Chapel. Within two years, more than 20 classes sponsored windows. “The Stained Glass Window”

project became the forerunner of Class Giving at the Association of Graduates, with each graduating class, 1802 through 1976, purchasing a panel and filling all the available space (windows in memory of earlier classes were sponsored by classes graduating 100 years later). The new Cadet Chapel inspired even more giving: Arthur Gerhard donated a baptismal font in memory of his father, William Gerhard, Class of 1869; and the Class of 1885 initiated an effort to purchase a full set of chimes on behalf of the Association. Furthermore, the enthusiasm for the Academy at this time could not be contained to just the annual meeting at West Point. In 1915, more than 100 graduates dined together in Honolulu, Hawaii, sending “felicitations to those gathered at West Point”; and, in 1916, graduates held large dinners in Boston, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Honolulu, and Manila to celebrate the anniversary of the Academy’s founding. Unfortunately, World War I put a halt on the momentum that had been building for the Association and Long Gray Line during this time. There was no annual meeting in 1917, and the next major milestone of AOG history did not occur until 1922, despite the Association celebrating its 50th anniversary in 1919 (although it did present the chimes to the Cadet Chapel at its annual meeting that year).

At the 1922 meeting, William Dykman, Class of 1875, who was elected President of the Association in 1920, introduced several amendments to AOG’s Constitution. First, he proposed “to amplify the statement of the object of the Association.” This amendment added the phrase “to promote its [the Military Academy at West Point] welfare and that of its graduates” to Article II of the Constitution, which is the predecessor of the West Point Association of Graduate’s current mission: “To serve West Point and the Long Gray Line.” Dykman also suggested revisions to AOG’s

BG(R) Morris Schaff, Class of 1862, addresses the alumni and the Corps of Cadets in front of Thayer Statue on the first Alumni Day in 1923 (left). COL (R) Kermit Dyke ’40 honors Thayer during the 2018 alumni exercises (right).

Detail from the Sanctuary window, the first window to be installed in the Cadet Chapel. It represents the “Genius and Spirit of West Point” and its motto, “Duty, Honor, Country,” as symbolized by the heroes of the Old and New Testaments.

governance: recommending a Vice President, increasing the Executive Committee from 10 to 30 members (to be appointed by the President), and transferring the appointment of AOG Secretary and Treasurer from the presiding officer at the annual meeting to the President. Dykman’s amendments were universally adopted, putting AOG on the path to developing the Board of Trustees governing model that would it later employ throughout the remainder of the century.

Dykman’s arguably finest contribution to the Association occurred two years earlier, although it took some time to become manifest. In 1920, after he had been elected President, Dykman sought to influence members of graduating classes to join the Association, and introduced the idea of associate membership to AOG. In the 1921 Annual Report , Dykman reported that all 17 members of the Class of 1921 (the “Orioles”) became members. The same was true for the Class of 1922, “nearly all as life members,” and more than 80 percent of graduates from successive classes throughout the 1920s joined. According to Dykman’s obituary in the 1938 Annual Report , “This infusion of younger members into the Association of Graduates, for which he was largely responsible, gave the Association new life and new objectives.”

One of those new objectives was “Alumni Day” (modeled on “Graduates’ Day,” proposed 15 years earlier), which was first held on June 11, 1923 and included a wreath-laying ceremony at Thayer Statue, a tradition that continues to this day. From 1925 to 1928, Dykman served as AOG Vice President (the post he recommended three years prior) and then as Chairman of the Board of Trustees until 1935. In 1926, his idea for associate membership was finally approved, allowing those who completed initial summer training and stayed at the Academy long enough to take their first semester’s exams to join the AOG. This expansion of membership provided a temporary spike in the Association’s revenue (a nearly 45 percent increase in membership fees and annual dues), but a 1927 report by the Finance Committee (of which Dykman was a senior member) showed the need to establish an income stream beyond dues to support the Association. As a result, provisions were made for

the establishment of an Endowment Fund, the annual income from which would provide necessary operating funds for the Association in perpetuity. Statements in the report such as, “If this Association is to fulfill its natural and proper mission and give that measure of support and assistance to the Military Academy which other Colleges and Universities receive from their graduates, it must have an assured income,” seem to come straight from Dykman, who

was a respected New York City lawyer and director of four powerful companies of the day. Returning to his obituary, “[His]great contribution to the Military Academy and to the Association of Graduates was giving to it a re-birth of interest and imbuing its members with a feeling of respect for the power of the Association in doing many things for West Point which the Academy and the War Department authorities could not well do.”

During its “re-birth,” the Association of Graduates gave life to new projects and grew in its duties. The “Forward” to the 1929 Annual Report called attention to some of these changes. It stated, “This issue…represents the beginning of an effort upon the part of your Officers and Trustees to present it in a somewhat improved and more attractive form. …new matter has been introduced, and the long lists containing names and addresses of members have been omitted. …the work of the Association is an

Just as they did in 1940 (left), West Point graduates get a “front row” view of the Corps of Cadets as they march by during the annual Alumni Review (right).

“This infusion of younger members into the Association of Graduates, for which he [William Dykman, Class of 1875] was largely responsible, gave the Association new life and new objectives.”

– AOG Annual Report, 1938

event of the first importance, and promises much towards the increased usefulness of the Association in the future.” The Association was moving toward what Alexander Piper, Class of 1889 and AOG President (1934-36), later called, “…more life and less morgue.” There was even discussion during this time to “kill” publication of graduates’ obituaries in the annual report, which still comprised approximately 75 percent of each issue, but members ultimately felt this would violate the original mission of the Association: “…to cherish the memories of our Alma Mater,” particularly through its graduates.

In 1930, the Association renewed the publication of the AOG Bulletin , a “mid-year pamphlet” designed to keep members “informed of current matters of interest during the long interval between the publication of [AOG’s] annual reports.” There were four Bulletins issued between December 1900 and April 1905, but then publication mysteriously ceased. One plausible reason is that the earlier Bulletin was published by “U.S.M.A. Press, West Point, N.Y.” AOG balance sheets of this period only show expenses for publishing the annual report, which used Seemann & Peters, Printers and Binders of Saginaw, Michigan. AOG was able to revive Bulletin thanks to the support it received from the June 1929 establishment of an Association office at the Academy, manned by an active duty officer who served “in the capacity of Secretary and Treasurer of the Association of Graduates and as the Officer in Charge of Cullum’s Register.” AOG published four Bulletins between 1930 and 1934. As before, the reason why publication stopped remains a mystery, although its design seemed to influence the annual report, which started publishing reunion summaries in 1935.

The Bulletin reappeared one more time in 1941, brought back to inform “Association members of matters of current West Point interest, particularly since the Military Academy curriculum, always in step with the times, so well meets the demands of the present national emergency.” The format of this last issue had radically changed from its predecessors. Instead of long treatises regarding “The Indebtedness of the United States to the Military Academy” or “Arthur Sherburne Hardy’s Opinion of the West Point Educational System,” Bulletin No. 9

was written in news sheet style and contained brief reports about current happenings at the Academy (e.g., “First Class Attends Maneuvers,” “Branch Instruction,” “Skeet Club,” reports from academic departments, etc.). A year later in 1942, AOG’s Bulletin and the annual report, which had existed for 72 years, merged to form the first issue of ASSEMBLY magazine, the periodical publication that would inform graduates for the next 70 years.

Innovations to keep AOG relevant to graduates were not only confined to its communication efforts. The final part of the Association’s re-birth involved changes to its governance, which were done to make the organization more transparent and accountable to its membership. After accepting Dykman’s proposed changes in the early 1920s, AOG elected a President and Vice-President at each annual meeting. The President then appointed an Executive Committee of 30 members, as well as an additional member to serve as Chairman. The Executive Committee made all preparations for the annual meeting, including nominating candidates for the President and Vice President positions, and audited the accounts of the Treasurer. Starting in 1929, the number of Vice Presidents of AOG was increased to five and the Executive Committee became known as the Board of Trustees. Furthermore, the Trustees appointed for that year were equally divided into three classes: one appointed for one year, one appointed for two years, and one appointed for three years. In each successive year, another group of 10 grads were appointed to the Board of Trustees to serve for a term of three years.

Then, in 1935, Piper, President at that time, proposed the formation of another body labeled the “Executive Committee.” This committee, which consisted of the President and four Trustees (chosen by ballot of the Board), would “possess and exercise by a majority of its members all the powers and duties of the Board of Trustees,” when it was not in session. Unfortunately, a year later, Piper learned the election of this Executive Committee was illegitimate, as it was voted on by proxy, which was a practice prohibited by New York State according to the Association’s certificate of incorporation. In

Then-BG Jay Benedict, Class of 1904, 37th Superintendent; MG(R) Charles J. Bailey, Class of 1869, oldest living graduate present; and MG (R) Dennis E.Nolan, Class of 1896, 33nd AOG President at the June 10, 1940 Alumni Review (left). The 2018 alumni exercises, featuring LTG Robert Caslen ’75, 59th Superintendent, and COL (R) Kermit Dyke ’40 (right).

ASSOCIATION OF GRADUATES OF THE U.S. MILITARY ACADEMY

1902

At West Point’s Centennial Exercises, President Theodore Roosevelt lauds the accomplishments of West Point graduates during the 19th century, saying, “No other educational institution in the land has contributed so many names as West Point has contributed to the honor roll of the nation’s greatest citizens.”

1917

Due to World War I, AOG cancels its annual meeting for the first time.

1911

Horace Porter, Class of 1860, presents the Sanctuary Window of the new Cadet Chapel to the Academy on behalf of all living alumni.

1920

1923

The Academy holds its first “Alumni Day,” during which approximately 250 graduates from 51 USMA classes march in formation from Cullum Hall to Thayer Monument to place a wreath at its base.

1929

Major General William Smith, Class of 1892, successfully petitions the Chief of Staff of the Army to assign an active duty officer to West Point to serve as officer in charge of the Cullum Biographical Register.

1935

For the first time, the annual report of the Association includes a series of short essays describing activities and history of the various reunion classes, a feature that eventually becomes “Class Notes.”

1945

The West Point Alumni Foundation, Inc., established as a Maryland corporation for the purpose, among others, of publishing “books and magazines which may contain advertising.”

William Dykman, Class of 1875, elected President of the Association. During his tenure, AOG sees significant changes to its Constitution, membership, and governance model.

1927

At the annual meeting, AOG members vote to raise the cost of a lifetime membership from $10 to $25, while also allowing members of the graduating class to join the Association at a reduced rate of $15, if they join prior to July 1st of their graduation year.

1932

The Association’s Endowment Fund, established in 1929, shrinks from $61K to $44K due to the Depression.

1942

Inaugural issue of ASSEMBLY magazine published.

correcting this oversight, the Board agreed to sweeping changes in AOG’s Constitution and governance. First, Article III, paragraph 2, was amended so that Association members now directly elected Board of Trustee members instead of the President appointing them. Then, paragraph 5 of that Article eliminated the Chairman of the Board position, stating, “He is not necessary and seldom has any knowledge of the operating affairs of the Association.” Finally, the By-Laws were amended to eliminate excess Trustees (i.e., the President, the five Vice Presidents, and the USMA Superintendent) and prescribe the duties of the Board, Treasurer, and Secretary. This governance model continued, with some minor tweaks (e.g., increase the size of the Board in 1956 and adding an Executive Vice President in 1972), for the next six decades.

After addressing its governance issues, AOG turned its attention to the recurring question of how to fund its operations. While the Endowment Fund started out strong— Bulletin No. 5 (1930) reported cash and pledge contributions amounting to nearly $55,500 of its $100,000 goal—the Great Depression obviously took its toll. By the mid-1930s, the Association was still approximately $25,000 short of the goal, and the fund’s $2,700 yearly interest was not enough to cover AOG’s annual expenses ($5,600-$6,000). Although roughly 70 graduates a year were being dropped from the Association’s member roll during the height of the Depression for nonpayment of annual dues, the Army Athletic Association, which also accepted support from graduates, was able to remain on solid financial footing. Piper was dismayed by this situation, and other AOG leaders called on younger graduates for support (contributions generally came from classes prior to 1930). It took a few more years, but in 1941, Frank McCoy, Class of 1897 and AOG President, reported, “Our funds have now reached

sound, healthy proportions,” with income exceeding expenditures the preceding year by nearly $8,000.

The Association of Graduates entered the World War II era beginning to look like the organization with which many are familiar today. It had started to financially support the Academy, first with the windows in the Cadet Chapel and then in 1939 with furniture for Quarters 100 (the “Superintendent’s Quarters Fund”); it had an effective governance model in which all operational decisions were made by the President and the Executive Committee, who were accountable to the membership, and then carried out by a small staff; and it had replaced the 350-plus-page Annual Report with the more engaging, less than 50-page ASSEMBLY magazine, published quarterly. The state of the Association was strong enough that in 1942 the Board debated the idea of lowering or eliminating dues. The proposal failed, but it signaled AOG leadership’s desire to remove the burden of operating support coming primarily from membership dues.

Looking to find a new income stream, the West Point Alumni Foundation was established on December 26, 1945 to solicit advertising for ASSEMBLY and an annual (instead of decennial) Register of Graduates. The foundation’s incorporation marks the transition from AOG’s second stage of history to its third phase of “Foundation and Fundraising” (1946-94), where the Association’s fundraising efforts for the Academy increased in importance, and its growth culminated with the opening of its new home, the Herbert Alumni Center. This phase in AOG history will be covered in the summer issue of West Point magazine. 

The masthead of AOG Bulletin No. 5 (1930), one of several “mid-year pamphlets” AOG sporadically published between 1900 and 1934 to keep graduates informed during the interval between annual reports (left), and the first cover of ASSEMBLY magazine (April 1942), which contained an article written by CDT Thomas Farnsworth ’43JAN about The Pointer’s new mission as the Corps’ cadet publication (right).

FlatCullum washere!

SHARE YOUR ADVENTURES WITH

Flat Cullum!

George W. Cullum (1833) left an indelible legacy to West Point and the Long Gray Line. Honor his contributions by including him in your travels and events in 2019. Bring Flat Cullum along on your vacations, tailgates, and especially at gatherings with fellow grads and West Point friends. Snap a photo and share your adventures on social media using #FlatCullum and #WPAOG150.

Need extras?

Download copies from our website!

In the Fall 2019 issue of West Point magazine, we’ll feature some of Cullum’s favorite memories from his travels during this 150th celebration year.

Learn more about Cullum at bit.ly/AboutCullum and in the Winter 2019 issue of West Point magazine.

FOLLOW CULLUM’S JOURNEYS AROUND THE GLOBE!

Facebook.com/WestPointAOG

Twitter.com/WPAOG

Instagram.com/WPAOG

http://bit.ly/FlatCullum

Email your photos to 150@wpaog.org so we can include them in our online photo album!

SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED

Cut out Flat Cullum and take him along on your adventures! Attach a paint stirrer or other stick to help him “photobomb” your pictures and social media posts.

If your Flat Cullum starts to show his age (he is 210 years old, after all), you can download and print a new one from our website at WestPointAOG.org/150thParticipate

Ring Melt 2019: A Great Tradition Gets Even Better

In the May/June 1999 edition of ASSEMBLY magazine, Ron Turner ’58 imagined a new tradition for the West Point Association of Graduates, “…a program whereby graduates may bequeath (or graduates’ descendants may donate) West Point class rings for the specific purpose of incorporating the gold into the class rings of future graduates.” On November 20, 2000, at a foundry in Providence, Rhode Island, Turner’s idea became a reality as 29 rings and portions of two others were melted to begin the WPAOG Class Ring Memorial Program, or what has become known as the “Ring Melt” tradition.

Photos: Brandon O’Connor/USMA PAO; Anthony DiNoto/WPAOG

For 18 years, WPAOG continued the tradition by returning annually to Rhode Island to melt a new batch of donated rings, always incorporating a sample of gold from previous Ring Melts, so that the gold could be placed in the rings for cadets of the following year’s firstie class. Then, this year, on January 25, 2019, WPAOG did what few thought possible: it improved on the tradition. For the first time in the history of the program, the “Ring Melt,” was held at West Point. Twenty-six donor families, more than a dozen cadets, and representatives from the Academy and WPAOG gathered in Eisenhower Hall’s Crest Hall for the 2019 Ring Melt for the Class of 2020.

“There’s no more fitting place for this ceremony,” said Colonel Jason Halloren, Deputy Commandant of Cadets. “It is absolutely great for tying the old with the new, history with the future.” Cadet Matthew Arnold ’20, the Ring and Crest Chairman for the Class of 2020, also spoke of mixing the past, present, and future when he addressed the legacy of class crests on the walls encircling the audience, noting how the bald eagle for 2020’s crest (“with its dominating figure and pronounced talons”) was meant to evoke the national symbol seen in the crest for the Class of 1970, their 50-Year Affiliate Class. “Soon, we will have another very tangible symbol of this relationship—our rings,” Arnold said. “Every time we look at our crest on our ring, we will be reminded that while our vision must be for the future, we cannot forget the storied past of the Long Gray Line.”

Fifty-five rings, the second largest number ever donated in a single year, were placed in the crucible for the Class of 2020, each with its own “storied past.” Before placing Lieutenant General (Retired) Jack Norton ’41’s ring in the crucible, his son, Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) John Norton Jr. ’70, said, “He made all four of his combat jumps with the 82nd Airborne in World War II wearing this ring.”

Below: Darrell Painter, hands the ring of her father, BG (R) David Hiester ’36, to her daughter, LTC (R) Deirdre Dixon ’84, while Dixon’s daughter, CDT Caneel Dixon ’20, and husband, Paul, look on. Above, right: After placing the ring of Richard Holleman ’60 into the crucible, Ken Mack ’92, a major gift officer for WPAOG, offers a salute.

Top: Next of kin and cadets admire the rings and note the names of graduates whose class rings were donated to the 2019 Ring Melt.

Trish Johnson ’85, the Class President, who placed Lieutenant Colonel (USAF, Retired) Harley E. Jeans ’51’s ring in the crucible on behalf of his family, told the cadets present that Jeans flew 225 night missions in Vietnam. Two of the rings belonged to graduates who died while on active duty, and one of them was worn by a POW. Ten of the rings were donated by the Class of 1970, the most rings ever donated by a 50-Year Affiliate Class in one year.

“Just to think we had a small part to play in the Class of 2020’s success, molding them for the future, means a lot to my class,” said Terry Young ’70, the 50-Year Affiliate Point-of-Contact. Counting the Legacy Gold, the sample extracted each year from the ingot of melted rings that is added to the melt the following year to ensure that gold from all Ring Melts is included in the manufacture of rings for the upcoming class, a total of 575 rings will be represented in those for the Class of 2020.

“When I don my ring in August, I’ll be thinking of all the donor families that I encountered today, and the tremendous support they showed for our class,” said Cadet Joshua Phillips ’20, the Class President, “and I’m going to be thinking about how I have a full generation of West Point graduates behind me who are hoping for my success.” Upon receiving the gold bar made from

the melted rings (melted at USMA’s own Bartlett Hall) and handing it off to a representative from Balfour, the company that will make 2020’s class rings, Phillips told those gathered for the Ring Melt luncheon, “We gladly bear the weight of Duty, Honor, and Country that our rings will represent, as they push us to be the best leaders we can be, and not only have pride in ourselves, but to have pride in maintaining everything that those before us worked so hard to establish.”

“This was an emotional and beautiful ceremony,” said Darlene Wilson ’85, widow of Captain Robert Wilson II ’85, whose classmate and best friend’s son is in the Class of 2020. “I know he was here today, and I know he’d approve of donating his ring.” Captain (USN, Retired) Sara Marks and Chief Warrant Officer 4 (Retired) Fred Marks agree that their father, Mr. Simon S. Marks ’44, who died in 1986, well before the advent of the Ring Melt tradition, would have also approved of donating his ring.

“Every one of my father’s eight kids agreed that this is what dad would have wanted,” said Marks. “He would approve of any tradition that perpetuates and strengthens the Long Gray Line.”

View the 2019 Ring Melt video at Vimeo.com/WPAOG.

Photos: Michelle Eberhart, Brandon O’Connor/USMA PAO

Above, clockwise from top left: A representative from Jostens places rings from the 2019 Ring Melt into a kiln, melts the rings, pours the liquid metal into a mold, and wipes the resulting gold bar.

GOAR MY! BEAT NAVY! BEAT ’EM ALL!

5 Teams. 5 Days. 1 Mission.

Mark your calendar, May 30 – June 3!

Although last year we nished a close second to Merchant Marine, not only did we Beat Navy, but we achieved our highest alumni participation yet! We also raised more money than all the academies! We look forward to the West Point community coming together again this year so that we can decisively Beat ’Em All!

It’s all about participation. Donations of any size, to any fund, count!

Your donation during the All Academy Challenge helps our alumni participation rate. This number is a critical indicator in determining a university’s annual national ranking and helps increase the prestige of West Point while enhancing the development of future leaders.

For more information, call 845.446.1657 or email allacademychallenge@wpaog.org | #AllAcademyChallenge

WPAOG RING MELT By The Numbers

575

Total rings donated and melted since program’s inception

10 Rings donated by Affiliate Class of 1970

CLASS of 1916

Oldest Ring Donated for 2019 Melt (1896 – oldest ring donated to date)

29 Rings at the first Ring Melt

26 Donor Families In Attendance At Class of 2020 Ring Melt

55 Rings donated to Class of 2020 Ring Melt

2002

First USMA Class to have donated Rings Melted

19 Years the Ring Melt has Been in existence

CLASS of 1997

Newest Ring Donated

Photo: Anthony DiNoto/WPAOG

Cadets from the Class of 2020 pose on the steps of Crest Hall in Eisenhower Hall along with a representative of each donor family present at the 2019 Ring Melt and with representatives from WPAOG.

One Organ, 176 Class Windows, and a Set of Chimes: AOG

Donors’ Gifts to the Cadet Chapel

By Keith J. Hamel, WPAOG staff

Photo: SSG Torin Olsen

Even before construction of the Cadet Chapel was complete (1910), AOG was considering how it could contribute to this landmark structure. At its June 13, 1907 annual meeting, Major John Carson, Class of 1885, suggested that AOG present an organ, at a cost of $10,000, to the new chapel as a memorial from all living graduates to their predecessors. The matter was referred to the Executive Committee, chaired by Colonel Charles Larned, Class of 1870, who reported on the proposition at the 1908 annual meeting by suggesting a memorial stained-glass window instead, which became the Cadet Chapel’s great Sanctuary Window. After considerable discussion, those gathered for the meeting appointed a committee of three to investigate the matter and procure designs and estimates. In 1909, a deposit for the memorial window was first seen on AOG’s balance sheet ($1,564) and a circular was mailed from “the Committee on Memorial Window” asking graduates for “subscriptions.” The names of Lieutenants Henry Arnold, Class of 1907, and George Patton Jr., Class of 1909, appear on the list of those who donated to this gift. Between June 1909 and June 1910, more than $5,000 was raised, and on March 17, 1910 AOG made its first payment on the window ($1,200 out of a contracted $8,000) to the Willet Stained Glass and Decorating Company. The window was completed and accepted in March 1911 at a final cost of $7,795.40, which left a surplus of $858.24 in the Memorial Window Fund. After expenditures for two side windows, that amount dropped to $224.07.

In 1915, Colonel Gustav Fiebeger, Class of 1879, USMA Professor of Civil and Military Engineering, who was representing the Academy in the matter, announced at the AOG’s annual meeting that classes could purchase their own stained-glass windows in the Chapel’s numerous “bays” along the sides of the nave. While this seemed like news to most graduates, this plan dated from the time when Cram, Goodhue, and Ferguson won the 1903 design competition to redesign West Point’s landscape. In a folio they submitted as part of the competition, they wrote, “The style we have chosen for all the buildings would particularly lend itself to memorials of various kinds in the Chapel; and particularly windows of stained glass, each window being given in memory of one of the different graduating classes at the Academy.” Each panel cost $250, and the morning after Fiebeger’s announcement the Class of 1875 reported that it would be the first to purchase a window. In the Secretary’s report of the 1915 Annual Reunion , Charles Braden, Class of 1869, wrote, “It is hoped that every class that now has living representatives will insert a panel.”

Previous

page: Over 100 years old, the Cadet Chapel’s Sanctuary Window, gifted by AOG as a memorial from all living West Point graduates to their predecessors, depicts the theme of victory over sin and self, best evidenced in the central five bottom lancets which symbolize “The Genius of West Point” and its motto: “Duty, Honor, Country.”

Above: The Class of 1941, like several others, purchased two stained-glass windows for the nave of the Cadet Chapel: one for itself (right), depicting a scene from Acts 9: 8-9 (one of 38 windows focused on “the parables, teachings, and miracles of Jesus”), and one for the Class of 1841, its centennial class, depicting Solomon holding a model of the temple planned by David (one of 40 windows portraying “patriarchs and prophets of the Old Testament”).

In July 1929, President of the Association of Graduates Avery Andrews, Class of 1886, wrote an address to graduates titled “Giving to Our Alma Mater,” which provided an overview of all the gifts members of the Long Gray Line had presented to the Academy over the course of some three decades. “Of all the gifts to West Point,” Andrews wrote, “perhaps those to the Cadet Chapel are the best known and appreciated.”

The classes of 1860 and 1862 and every class from 1865 to 1976 purchased a panel. Furthermore, at the AOG’s 1920 annual meeting, the membership adopted a resolution that some classes would purchase two windows, one for their own class and one for the class that had graduated 100 years earlier, if it didn’t have living members to purchase its own window. As a result, the clerestory and nave windows of the Cadet Chapel now represent every West Point class from 1802 through 1976.

In 1916, the Class of 1885 reported that it had funds left over from the money it raised for its class window and moved that the credit be placed in a general (not class) fund for a set of chimes for the Chapel. After the resolution was accepted, F.H. Peterson, an ex-cadet from the Class of 1885, donated $1,000 to the Chimes Fund. Between 1917 and 1919, approximately $400 was collected from various classes toward the chimes, but the chimes ended up being purchased by Mrs. James M. Lawton, the daughter of Robert Anderson, Class of 1825, who is recognized as being the originator of the idea that became the Association of Graduates. At the 1919 AOG annual meeting Colonel Cornelis Willcox, Class of 1885, argued that the funds raised for Chimes Fund should be moved to an “organ fund”; but, according to meeting notes in the 1919 Annual Report , “The matter was thought not to come within the province of the Association of Graduates.” What happened to the money remains unclear.

It is likely that some of the funds went toward the construction of the stained-glass window over the north entrance to the Cadet Chapel. The “Society of Cincinnati” had first contracted to purchase this window space, but it had to relinquish its claim to it in 1921. Willcox then moved that AOG take up the matter for $15,000. The motion was seconded by Superintendent Brigadier

General Douglas MacArthur, Class of 1903, and unanimously carried. What became known as the World War I Memorial Window was dedicated on June 10, 1923. During the dedication, AOG President William Dykman, Class of 1875, said, “Our prayer is that, through centuries to come, generations of cadets may be inspired by the lives of those we commemorate, to live as worthy as they lived and, if duty demands it, to die as bravely.”

The next day, at AOG’s annual meeting, Charles Echols, Class of 1891, the Treasurer of the Association, recommended that the small balance left over from this new window be turned over to AOG’s general fund. Interestingly, at the same meeting, John Johnston, Class of 1879, stated that a harmonic section was needed for the Chapel’s organ (at a cost of $12,000) and recommended that AOG undertake raising the funds, which would have poetically returned what started out as the Chimes Fund to Willcox’s proposed “organ fund.” But this didn’t happen. Instead, Edward Burr, Class of 1882, moved that the mater be referred to AOG’s Executive Committee.

AOG’s last major upgrade to the Cadet Chapel, the harmonic division to the Chapel’s organ, took eight years to come to fruition. Before any work could be done, a committee needed to investigate whether the proposed enlargements would involve structural changes to the Chapel itself. Finding that the work could proceed, AOG formed an Organ Committee in 1925 to raise funds for that harmonic division (now at a cost of $15,000). Coincidentally, the committee had to start from scratch, as the funds left over from the World War I Memorial Window were voted to be used in connection with the installation, repair, and upkeep of the memorial windows in the Chapel. The committee mailed circulars to 1,200 graduates and received $4,500 by May

Above: In 1930 the AOG contributed the Harmonic Division of the organ. A partial view of the organ pipes is shown above.

1926. They felt confident as to the final results but acknowledged that the fundraising effort would take time. In the 1927 “Report of the Organ Committee,” the committee reported receiving 669 donations the previous year. AOG’s balance sheet showed $15,283.39 received for the project by June 12, 1927. Work on the harmonic division commenced in April 1928 and was 70 percent complete by AOG’s 1929 annual meeting. A year later, the Association formally presented the division, which George Pappas ’44 called “the most complete of its kind in existence” (70 ranks containing 4,245 individual speaking pipes), to the Cadet Chapel. From then on, dedications of class memorial windows were typically preceded and followed by organ recitals. Referring to one of those dedications in its “45th Reunion Report” the Class of 1895 reflected on the meaning of its class memorial window, saying, “And finally to the Cadet Chapel, where the beautiful Class Window, facing the setting sun, becomes more and more impressive as the day shortens for Ninety-Five and the time comes to lower the shade.” Regarding

all the gifts graduates gave to AOG for the benefit of the Cadet Chapel, perhaps the words of President Calvin Coolidge seem most appropriate, which were quoted by Andrews in his 1929 address: “To place your name, by gift or bequest, in the keeping of an active University is to be sure that the name and the project with which it is associated will continue down the centuries to quicken the minds and hearts of youth, and thus make a permanent contribution to the welfare of humanity.”

The Cadet Chapel Organ fills a prominent role in West Point's culture, providing recitals, services, and ceremonies that are enjoyed by cadets, graduates, families, surrounding communities, and visiting dignitaries. After a century of heavy use, the organ is in need of substantial repairs, and the Superintendent has designated the Cadet Chapel Organ Restoration as a Margin of Excellence fundraising need. If you would like to learn more about how to support the restoration, please contact Dov Berkman at Dov.Berkman@wpaog.org or 845.446.1639.

Cadets marching to services at the Cadet Chapel. Prior to 1972, all cadets were required to attend the chapel of their choice.

“To place your name, by gift or bequest, in the keeping of an active University is to be sure that the name and the project with which it is associated will continue down the centuries to quicken the minds and hearts of youth, and thus make a permanent contribution to the welfare of humanity.”

– President Calvin Coolidge

GRIT The Science of Success

How Psychologist Angela Duckworth Uncovered the Secret of Achievement Through a 12-Year Study of West Point Cadets

By Anthony DiNoto, WPAOG staff

In the famous 1969 film True Grit, a rough-and-tough U.S. Marshall serves as the courageous protagonist hellbent on seeking justice for a teenage girl. But contrary to popular belief, it wasn’t so much “Rooster ” Cogburn’s hard-nosed approach that gives the film its title, but rather young Mattie Ross’ resolve and determination that ultimately lead to the man who killed her father. At least that’s what Angela Duckworth, Ph.D., contends.

Photo: Michael Lopez/USMA PAO

Duckworth anecdotally referenced the John Wayne classic during her keynote address at the 2018 West Point Class of 1970 National Conference on Ethics in America (NCEA) last Fall. Through powerful presentations and in-depth data, Duckworth shed light on her groundbreaking hypothesis that contradicts previous norms about the contributors of success.

In her recently published bestseller GRIT: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, Duckworth maintains that success is determined not only by natural talent or IQ, but also a combination of passion and perseverance—in a word, grit. “When you look at people who are dramatically successful or resilient, what is it that person has that others don’t?” asks Duckworth. From years of research, Duckworth hypothesized that people who are successful, no matter the field, have both a passion for what they are doing and a fervent desire to never stop improving. They possess the ability to strive for success and persevere through obstacles in the face of adversity. They are gritty. Duckworth’s findings were derived from a sample of military leaders, Green Berets and West Point cadets at Beast Barracks over the course of 12 years. Notably, it is the latter who contributed most to her research, which aimed to answer a question asked more than half a century earlier.

In 1955, a psychologist named Jerry Kagan was drafted into the Army, then ordered to West Point to test cadet “dropout” factors. Kagan was the first psychologist to study attrition at West Point and, coincidentally, was the first psychologist who Duckworth met in college. Duckworth’s connection to West Point essentially begins here with a shared interest in identifying human factors that lead to enhanced performance and character development. Kagan’s efforts, which he described to Duckworth as extremely unsuccessful, involved showing cadets pictures and asking them to make up associated stories. Those who visualized nobility and courage were said to be the ones who would graduate from West Point.

While the experiment seemed good in theory, the cadet stories had nothing to do with the decisions they later made in their cadet lives. When Duckworth began her own study nearly 50 years later, she learned that one in five West Point cadets still drop out before graduation, but with a substantial fraction dropping out during Beast Barracks. It was this early dropout rate that interested Duckworth and served as the catalyst for her study, which posed one fundamental question: Why are students who were so carefully selected to attend one of the most prestigious military institutions in the world dropping out during the very first phase of training? In 2004, she set out to answer that question.

“I wanted to study the psychology of dropping out early on, and what it takes not to quit in the face of extreme physical, mental, social, and emotional adversity that cadets experience during Beast,” she says. This burning desire to know why promising cadet candidates quit Beast Barracks led her to the office of Mike Matthews, Ph.D., military psychologist and longtime West Point faculty member in the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership. Matthews explained to Duckworth the admissions process by which cadets are selected based on the Whole Candidate Score, and from there the two became research partners and tackled the topic of West Point attrition.

Matthews explained that for decades, the West Point admissions process has identified those who had the potential to thrive throughout USMA’s rigorous four-year program through a measure called the Whole Candidate Score—a weighted average of SAT or ACT exam scores, high school rank, performance on objective measures of physical fitness and an Admissions staff calculated score that estimates military leadership potential. However, when Matthews and Duckworth analyzed the data, the Whole Candidate Score didn’t reliably predict who would make it through Beast. This was surprising and intriguing to Duckworth, considering the Whole Candidate Score served as the single most important factor in West Point admissions. “So, the question then became: how do you measure something so intangible? Something that Kagan and decades of other military psychologists hadn’t been able to quantify?” asks Duckworth. She quickly got to work reviewing interview notes, and then formulated questions about passion and perseverance, and soon the Grit Scale was born. Comprised of questions about overcoming setbacks, lasting interests, and goal commitment, the Grit Scale measures the extent to which a person approaches life with grit. When answered honestly, it serves as an indicator of how gritty—or not—an individual is. Duckworth took the Grit Scale to task and set out to test her hypothesis.

Photo: Bryan Ilyankoff/USMA PAO

“

Grit is about working on something you care about so much that you’re willing to stay loyal to it. Not just falling in love—staying in love.”

– Angela Duckworth

USMA Cadets participating in the NCEA Conference discuss their own “Grit Scale” scores.

In July 2004, on the second day of Beast, 1,218 cadets sat down and took the Grit Scale test to help answer Duckworth’s initial question. Subsequently, what Duckworth found was that cadets’ Grit Scores had no relationship to their Whole Candidate Scores, which had been carefully calculated throughout the Admissions process. In fact, cadets with the highest candidate scores were just as likely to drop out as those with the lowest. According to Duckworth’s findings, how talented a cadet was indicated nothing about their grit, and vice versa.

So, does that mean that all cadets who made it through Beast “loved” the 17-hour days of grueling military instruction, intense weapons training, mandatory athletics, and nonstop marching in formation? Perhaps. Or perhaps they fell in love with the journey while maintaining a “never give up” attitude. Because being gritty requires an understanding that the journey to success is just as important as the endgame. That, more than their talent, is what allowed them to persevere through one of most intensive military training programs in the country. “When you look at people who really accomplished something in the world, who can point to concrete achievements that made this world a better place, it is not just that they have skill. They took that skill and applied effort a second time while persevering through adverse situations,” says Duckworth.

While the distinction is made between talent and grit, Duckworth also points out that when talented people endure through Beast, the Whole Candidate Score is then a great predictor of academic grades, physical fitness, and four-year graduation. But it still does not determine who will make it through Beast. That takes grit. Duckworth also emphasizes that the less gritty aren’t counted out. She is firm on the brain being malleable and believes that if one can develop a “growth mindset,” then grit can certainly be developed over time. “You can reverse engineer success. You can even reverse engineer extraordinary success. You can understand it, you can learn it and you can practice it,” says Duckworth. “Grit is about working on something you care about so much that you’re willing to stay loyal to it. Not just falling in love—staying in love.”

After her keynote address at the NCEA, Duckworth encouraged cadets, staff, and faculty in attendance to engage in roundtable discussions on how they can measure and develop grit in their own lives through tools such as goal pyramids and the Grit Scale. The exercises contributed to the overall goal of the conference, which was building character by developing grit. And while grit isn’t the only quality of character, it is a very good one to have as a USMA cadet. “West Point and Mike Matthews were the best research partners I’ve ever had because they care so much about honesty and integrity. They provided me with all the data I’ve ever requested to help answer this decades-old question. And for that, I’m forever grateful.”

Angela Duckworth, Ph.D. is the Founder and CEO of Character Lab, a nonprofit whose mission is to advance the science and practice of character development in children. In 2013, she became a professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania and was named a MacArthur “Genius” Fellow. An expert in non-I.Q. competencies, she has advised the White House, the World Bank, NBA and NFL teams, and Fortune 500 CEOs.

Photo: Bryan Ilyankoff/USMA PAO

“You can reverse engineer success. You can even reverse engineer extraordinary success. You can understand it, you can learn it and you can practice it.”

– Angela Duckworth

More than 200 students from across the country, including USMA and ROTC cadets, along with civilian students, participated in the October 2018 Class of 1970 NCEA Conference on “Grit” at West Point.

“Spring work is going on with joyful enthusiasm.”

–

John Muir

Photo: AnthonyDiNoto/WPAOG

We’re All Connected: Gripping Hands From the Shadows

By Kim McDermott

Photos: Jackie Brandtner; Bill Taylor ’70

Top: The medallion of Bob Kenevan ’70 rests on a 1970 Howitzer. Bottom: A group shot of the attendees at the 2017 mini-reunion of the Class of 1970 “Alphagators” with DJ and Judi Brown (far left) and Ingrid and Kent Troy (in black shirts near right).

’87, WPAOG staff

The story begins in early March of 2016 when the Troys made a visit to Tacoma Trophy, a store located in Lakewood, Washington (near Joint Base Lewis-McChord) to place an order for a class project. The shop owner, DJ Brown—a retired Navy Chief Petty Officer — recognized that the class crest for their order resembled one he had seen before and asked if they happened to know a West Point graduate named Dr. Bob Kenevan. They did not. Brown showed them 29 engraved medallions which Kenevan ’70 had ordered and paid for in November of 2014. He wanted to present them as a surprise to his companymates (the A-4 “Alphagators”) at their 45th Class Reunion the following October. But Kenevan never returned to pick the medallions up, and all efforts by Brown and his wife Judi to reach him were unsuccessful. Nonetheless, Brown kept them in the shop. He knew how important they were to Kenevan, and he also still had Kenevan’s 1970 Howitzer, which Brown had used as a reference to customize the medallions. The Troys offered to assist Brown in his quest to get the medallions to the Alphagators.

When they returned home that day, the Troys visited the West Point Association of Graduates (WPAOG) website. Their first thought was to try to locate Kenevan. They quickly discovered that he had passed away in August of 2015, and immediately called Brown to let him know. The Troys returned to the shop in July of 2016 and Brown told them he still had the items. On a visit to the shop in March of 2017, Ingrid was disappointed to learn that the medallions had never been picked up. She promised the Browns that she and Kent would attempt to contact the classmates and help fulfill Kenevan’s wishes. DJ sent the medallions home with Ingrid so she and Kent could do some research, but he held on to the Howitzer.

The Troys got to work tracking down the classmates, again using the WPAOG website. They discovered that a few of the companies listed online did not line up with what was on the medallions. They went back to Tacoma Trophy to look at the Howitzer, which just complicated it further. The yearbook showed all of them in an A-4 First Class group photo, but three of the individual photos listed the pictured cadet’s company as D-4: Tom Brandtner, “Mac” Love, and Ron Rold. They sent messages to those three to tell them the story and ask for clarification.

Brandtner was the first to respond, calling the Troys in less than 30 minutes. He cleared up the confusion it had to do with how cadets were moved around during an expansion of the Corps. But he indicated they did all return to, and graduate from, A-4. He told Ingrid that he and his wife, Jackie, would be in touch very soon, and that it would be an honor to help distribute the medallions. By

coincidence, the Troys had found the right man. Brandtner and Kenevan were not only roommates at West Point (plebe and firstie years), they both branched Armor and served their first duty assignments in Augsburg, Germany together. They had been the best of friends. Rold and Love also responded that same day.

The very next day, Ingrid went to Tacoma Trophy to catch Brown up on the progress the Troys had made. She let him know that all three of the contacts pointed out that Alphagators was spelled incorrectly on the medallions. Brown retrieved his paperwork and, under review, Kenevan’s handwriting did appear to say “Alphogators.” Knowing how much this meant to Kenevan, Brown—at his own expense—re-created the medallions with the proper spelling and company. He wanted them to be right. Brown then released the medallions but stood firm on keeping the Howitzer as it belonged to the family. (It was later returned to Kenevan’s sister.)

The medallions were shipped to the Brandtners, who were stunned when they saw them. They sent an email to their A-4 classmates advising everyone to attend the company mini-reunion that fall, as they had received a “very remarkable, if not almost miraculous message from Bob Kenevan.” Brandtner, Rold and Love swore each other to secrecy until the mini-reunion. The Brandtners also invited the Troys and the Browns to attend as they had played such an important role in delivering this message.

In the planning leading up to the mini-reunion, Jackie Brandtner shared a story with Ingrid Troy about the first A-4 mini-reunion, which she and Tom hosted at their home in 2006, and which

Photo: Kim McDermott ’87

I often say, “We’re all connected.” And almost every day I hear a story that supports this theory. On January 17, 2018 this was the story I heard about the connection of the Long Gray Line. Sent to us from Kent Troy ’81, it is a remarkable story of how he and his wife, Ingrid, became connected to a company from the Class of 1970—all because they happened to stop by a local trophy shop. It is a story of the powerful bonds between classmates. And it is the story of how total strangers joined forces to deliver a message of brotherhood and love from one classmate to some others, one he could not deliver himself.

Tacoma Trophy, the shop where Bob Kenevan ’70 ordered a set of medallions for his “Alphagator” classmates, is in Lakewood, WA.

Kenevan initially declined to attend. Jackie wrote him a long letter to express her disappointment after all they had been through together over the years. Kenevan changed course and he and his wife, Flavia, attended. During the weekend, Flavia mentioned that she rarely heard a positive thing about West Point or the Army. She was very surprised to see the joyful camaraderie between Bob and his classmates, commenting on how she had never seen him as happy as he was around his old friends. It was the last time the “Alphagators” saw Kenevan. On Friday, September 15, 2017—nearly three years after Kenevan had brought his Howitzer to Tacoma Trophy—the Troys and Browns got to meet some of the “Alphagators,” the old friends who Kenevan loved so much. Ingrid says, “There were so many tears flowing.” Brown says, “In this line of work, I don’t always get to see my products reach their final destination.” He had difficulty finding the right words to describe what it was like being able to witness the presentation of Kenevan’s medallions. He said, “It was just…the pinnacle.”

What if Kenevan had lived to pick up those medallions, attend the reunion, and present them himself? Surely, the medallions would have been a great surprise. Perhaps there would have been good-natured ribbing about the incorrect spelling. The Troys might just be regular customers in Brown’s shop. And the “Alphagators” would continue having their mini-reunions each year, though they may not hold the same significance as they do since the one in 2017. That would be a pretty good ending to a story, but not as good as the actual ending to this one.

In the Long Gray Line, as in life, we are all connected—because of our shared stories. Our stories abound, and many times go beyond that coincidental, “small world” category. They often reveal something deeper that we may not realize until the story happens. Long story short: the Troys and the Browns and the “Alphagators” are no longer total strangers. Because they share a story, they are all connected. Kenevan made sure of it. And, “gripping hands from the shadows,” he made sure that his classmates now feel more connected than ever. 

STAY CONNECTED!

This story shows the importance of keeping your contact information current, especially as WPAOG’s vision is to be the most highly connected alumni body in the world. This vision can only approach reality when graduates participate actively in keeping their WPAOG records up-to-date.

Information that is good to keep current on your record includes:

• Rank/Title – let us know about promotions/ retirements

• Name Changes

• Address (home, business, seasonal)

• Email address

• Phone number (home, business, cell)

• Names of Spouse, Children

• Career History Information (for Register of Graduates biography)

How To Update Your Contact Information

1. ONLINE: Login to WestPointAOG.org and update your profile

2. EMAIL: Send a message to address@wpaog.org

3. CALL: 845.446.1644

Photos: Kim McDermott ’87; Bill Taylor ’70

Left: Tacoma Trophy show owner, DJ Brown with Ingrid and Kent Troy ’81 pose in Brown’s shop with plaques given to them by the “Alphagators” in appreciation for their support.

Right: Jackie and Tom Brandtner ’70.

INDEPENDENT RETIREMENT LIVING

EXTRAORDINARY STORIES BEYOND THE FRONT LINE

Norma Lasher found her love for art overseas during one of her more than 35 family moves while her husband, Wendall Lasher was serving in the United States Air Force. Those journeys inspire much of the beautiful artwork that fills her apartment and now graces our halls. Hers is but one chapter in our amazing collection of patriots and heroes.

We invite you to experience a connection that can be found through the common bond of service to country.

To learn more about this extraordinary story visit falconslanding.org/artist.

FALCONSLANDING.ORG – 20522 FALCONS LANDING CIRCLE, POTOMAC FALLS, VA 20165 – (703) 436-9238

With You Every Step of the Way: WPAOG’s Enhanced Career Services

Asall soldiers know, one does not undertake a mission without an operations order, nor does one go into battle without a partner by his or her side. The same is true for those transitioning from the military to the civilian job market, switching jobs mid-career, or reentering the job market at a different stage of life. That’s where the West Point Association of Graduates’ enhanced Career Services program comes in. “Our enhanced program guides grads through the key steps in the process to become successful job seekers and helps them gain access to opportunities within our network with companies we know well,” says Miguel Gutierrez ’80, WPAOG’s Director of Career Services. “And the best part is that a member of WPAOG’s Career Services team will stay with the grad every step along the way.”

WPAOG Career Services Team members Gutierrez, Scott Leishman ’77, and Julia Ruddock ’07 are here to help West Point graduates through all career transitions. The team takes candidates through an extensive intake interview at the beginning of the process to shape their search plan. Then, through partnership with a top global executive search firm, Korn Ferry, graduates enter a professional career training program called Korn Ferry Advance (KFAdvance). This program gives grads access to tools designed to help them navigate towards a new job, promotion, or new industry.

It also utilizes a portfolio of customized services, including selfassessment (psychometric analysis), resume preparation, personal coaching, interview preparation, and compensation counseling. Once complete, the team partners with each grad to create a “plan of attack” for one’s job search, leveraging the initial consultation, the KFAdvance analysis, and a robust list of employers seeking to hire

USMA grads. “We are with our grads every step of the way,” says Gutierrez. “We get them past company recruiters and directly connected to the decision-makers so that they will get a call back.” Not only can WPAOG’s Career Service connect candidates to employers, it also connects them to other graduates within a career field through an Industry Network. The team also uses a Geographic Network (aided by West Point Societies) to support grads with a specific location preference. In this way, WPAOG serves as the hub of an ever-growing network, forging connection between job seekers, employers, grad mentors, and more. “Our long-term strategic goal is to establish pipelines that aid our graduates in any number of ways,” says Gutierrez. “For example, if you are a member of the Long Gray Line who is looking for a graduate program that offers programs for veterans, we now have a network connection to Vanderbilt.”

The Career Services team’s successful placement of Lieutenant General Gary Cheek ’80, Retired, at Vanderbilt University demonstrates the excellence of this new program. Last September, an advisor to philanthropist and businessman Lee Bass approached WPAOG about Vanderbilt’s national search to find a director for its new Bass Military Scholars Program, which provides financial aid and programming support for military veterans in the five Vanderbilt graduate schools. Gutierrez quickly began working with members of Vanderbilt’s search committee. After receiving the candidate profile sought by the committee, Gutierrez scanned the WPAOG network for matching candidates and contacted Cheek, who had just retired from the Army as Director of the Army Staff. Gutierrez explained why he thought the general would be an

Photo: Shutterstock

excellent candidate to lead the Bass Military Scholars Program. Once Cheek made the decision to pursue the opportunity at Vanderbilt, Gutierrez developed a detailed plan for him to follow, knowing that he was going up against a nationwide pool of elite candidates. “It was my good fortune that WPAOG’s Career Services program contacted me about a new position that seemed a good fit for my future,” says Cheek, “but what really impressed me is that they took things further—connecting me with the employer, monitoring my progress, and providing me advice on my resume, interviews, and salary negotiations—I could not be more appreciative of their support and personal interest.”

In the fall of 2018, Adam Ramos ’08 became another graduate to experience the benefits of WPAOG’s new Career Services program. Ramos had recently been laid off from his position as a General Manager with Love’s Truck Stop. He felt he needed to switch careers and decided to attend the San Antonio Service Academy Career Conference (SACC). While there he met Gutierrez and learned about the resources and assistance that WPAOG’s Career Services could provide to him in his new job search. Leishman was then assigned to be Ramos career counselor and, after performing an intake interview, he worked closely with Ramos on his mission to find a new career. Leishman analyzed Ramos’s resume, defined the type of position he was seeking, and, most important, discussed in detail how to effectively leverage networking strategies via WPAOG’s GradLink. Ramos utilized this training and immediately began conducting informational interviews via GradLink with alumni willing to assist him. Out of this effort came job leads that led to interviews and, finally, multiple offers. Ramos accepted an offer from engineering firm Lockwood, Andrews, and Newnman as an Engineer Level II. “The preparation, resources such as the GradLink, training in networking, and networking through social media have led me not only to a career path that I am truly enjoying, but also my family and I are in the location we have always wanted to be in,” Ramos says. “My family and I are truly grateful for the WPAOG Career Services team, and we look forward to our continued relationship with the team to help our future transitioning brothers and sisters in arms.”

Yet a third success story involves Captain Derek Williams ’12, whom the WPAOG Career Services team assisted as he transitioned from active duty service to a civilian career, while he was stationed overseas! “Despite a nine-hour time difference, Miguel and his team were always there to help me out,” Williams says, “Their knowledge about networking and the best industries that matched my desires really gave me peace of mind, as well as the assurance that I was not alone in this journey.” With WPAOG Career Services’ assistance, Williams secured a position with Amazon as an area manager, based in Las Vegas, Nevada. “The first step every graduate needs to take when contemplating a transition from active duty or just seeking a civilian career change is to contact the WPAOG Career Services team,” says Williams. “I’m so grateful that I was able to work with them and would recommend their services without hesitation.”

“Regardless of who they are or where they are in their career, grads can expect the same detailed involvement that Cheek, Ramos, and Williams received from Career Services,” says Gutierrez. That’s the power of having WPAOG’s Career Services as your partner. For more information, and to learn how we can help you, please contact us at careers@wpaog.org. 

WPAOG’s new enhanced Career Services have been made possible through the generous support of Roland Smith ’78, Robb E. Turner ’84, Ken Hicks ’74, Darcy G. Anderson ’78 and Michael Franzino ’71. A special thanks to Korn Ferry for its support of the program.

For more information on this program, please contact a member of WPAOG’s Career Services team at careers@wpaog.org

Photo: Anthony DiNoto/WPAOG

“Their [WPAOG’s] knowledge about networking and the best industries that matched my desires really gave me peace of mind, as well as the assurance that I was not alone in this journey.”

– CPT Derek Williams ’12

WPAOG Career Services Team L to R: Scott Leishman ’77, Julia Ruddock ’07, and Director Miguel Gutierrez ’80.

The Register of Graduates: A Labor of Love Begun by George

W.

Cullum (1833)

TheAssociation of Graduate’s longest running publication, first known as Cullum’s Biographical Register of Officers and Graduates of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and later as the Register of Graduates and Former Cadets, has always been a labor of love literally. The originator of the project, Brevet Major General George W. Cullum, Class of 1833, said as much when he opened the preface to his first edition (1868) with the phrase, “After many years of persevering toil….” Later, in the preface to his third edition (1891), he described the preparation and publication of his Register as a “herculean task.”

After Cullum’s death in 1892, a group of five trustees (the USMA Superintendent and four academic professors) took up the project, using funds left in Cullum’s will for further decennial publications of the Register. However, as noted in the preface to the 1920-1930 edition, “Because of the growing expense as well as the unwieldiness of the book, Volume IV [the 1890-1900 edition], contained only the extensions of those records that had been previously published and added the records of those who had graduated since the publication of the preceding volume.” This “growing expense” was obviously a concern for the 1920-1930 edition as well, given that AOG Trustees voted to extend temporary financial assistance in order to publish that edition because the interest from Cullum’s original trust was no longer adequate to fully finance the project.

AOG Bulletin No. 5 (1930) addressed this matter stating, “The Trustees have initiated the work, understanding that its publication will involve a financial loss.” In the 1935 Annual Report , AOG President Alexander Piper, Class of 1889, offered his take on this labor of love, saying that work on the Register is “an arduous and thankless job” and noting that it “wrecked [the] health” of Colonel Wirt Robinson, Class of 1887, editor of the 1910-1920 edition, and left “Lieutenants Echols, Mattice and Bell becoming emaciated.” Piper also grumbled that “letters to Graduates asking for information are not replied to,” and how “five and six letters have to be written to get a reply,” but he wasn’t reporting anything new.

Back in 1891, Cullum himself stated, “Over two thousand letters and circulars have been sent to graduates and others for information to which I have received replies from less than one tenth, and most of these giving such vague and uncertain answers as to be of little use in compiling an accurate record.”

So, given the expense and the expanse of the project, when publishing it likely means a monetary loss for the Association and a dead-end data trail for those editing it, why has the Association of Graduates continued to publish what became the Register of Graduates and Former Cadets in 1946 through 66 editions? The answer goes back to Cullum and his original Biographical Register. As he wrote back in 1868, defending against accusations that the Academy was a “nursery of treason” leading up to the recently concluded Civil War, his Register was intended to be “a catalogue of services of the élèves of the Military Academy,” which would show that “this great national Academy is worthy of the country’s confidence…and for [a] pittance in the yearly budget…has supplied the nation with over 2,200 accomplished officers, of whom any army might be proud.” Upon publication of the first edition Register the New York Times noted, “We know of no single contribution to the military history of the nation so rich in invaluable data and so essential to the future historian or student of American history as the volumes with the above title.” One hundred and fifty years later, the Register is still recording all that the members of the Long Gray Line have done for the Army, for civil society, and for America. As stated by Colonel Robert McClure ’76 (Retired), then WPAOG President and CEO, in his preface to the 2015 print edition of the Register : “Our collective story as graduates deserves to be widely shared, and in much the same vein that kiosks on Ellis Island inform the public about 19th Century immigration to America, future versions of the Register of Graduates will continue to prove the usefulness of our alma mater.” And WPAOG loves telling that story, no matter how much labor is involved. 

By Keith J. Hamel, WPAOG staff

Register of Graduates | BY THE NUMBERS

1868

First publication of Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. covering Cullum numbers 1-2218 (class years 1808-1867).

2,375

Number of pages of the third edition of Cullum’s Biographical Register, comprised of three large octavo volumes, including a 207-page “Early History of the United States Military Academy.”

Cullum Number 180

The first graduate (Richard Delafield) to be assigned a Cullum number according to class rank (1-179 are arranged in the order of the dates of their first commission).

$20,000

The amount of money Cullum left in his will to be used as a perpetual fund for the decennial updating and publication of his Register.

Volume IX

The last “supplement” to Cullum’s original decennial Biographical Register (1940-1950), which actually was not published until 1955, nine years after the West Point Alumni Foundation (WPAF) began publishing the Register of Graduates and Former Cadets.

$2.50

The subscription price for AOG members to purchase the Register of Graduates and Former Cadets in 1947 (the first volume was distributed free of charge to graduates).

100-plus

The number of advertisers appearing in the 1946 Register, everything from full-page spreads by Curtiss-Wright Corporation and Coca-Cola to eighth-page, classified-type ads by Mall Portable Power Tools and The Loesch & Green Construction Company. What’s more, in the “Acknowledgement” section of this inaugural Register, the officers and directors of WPAF recognized, “with grateful appreciation,” all the advertisers who purchased ad space and “urge[d] their patronage upon our subscribers.”

1960

The Register begins its decennial tradition of publishing a “Genealogical Succession,” marking entries of graduates with descendants and/or ancestors in the Long Gray Line.

“Every 1-2 years”

The interval at which graduates should inform WPAOG of their military and civilian records, according to Dr. Edward S. Holden, Class of 1870, the editor of Volume IV (1890-1900 edition), the first supplement published after Cullum’s death.

Nineteen

The number of reference sections (beyond graduate index, genealogical succession, and capsule biographies) appearing in the 2015 edition of the Register ; that is, sections providing information regarding West Point Societies, WPAOG’s annual awards, and lists detailing the Academy’s distinguished scholars, international graduates, past leadership, and more.

Army West Point Water Polo

WORKING HARD =

By Kim McDermott ’87, WPAOG staff

The Army Water Polo Team grew out of West Point’s first swim team, which formed in the 1920-21 academic year. The new swim team had a perfect record in its first season—defeating “four of the strongest swimming teams in the East.” A civilian coach, Mr. Alexander Meffert, was reputed to be “the best swimming coach in the country,” and the team lauded the “untiring work of Capt. Pendleton.” Captain Alan Pendleton (University of Pennsylvania, Class of 1916) was an instructor in the Department of Law.

The following year, the Swim Team article in the 1922 Howitzer included a report on a newly formed Water Polo team, also coached by Meffert and Pendleton.

“When the call for water polo candidates was issued at the beginning of the season, it was evident that the building of a team must begin at rock bottom. A few men had seen the game played, and two or three had even participated. But the men were willing to drown learning if need be, the swimming squad itself contributed a number of men, and within a short time Capt. Pendleton and Coach Meffert were busy whipping the water polo squad into shape and forming the nucleus of a team. Submerging was made a painless process, and long before the first outside game was scheduled teams were selected and had mastered the fundamentals of the game.”

The very first game was played against the “veteran team” of the New York Athletic Club (NYAC), and the sport remains one of the longest-running competitive sports clubs at West Point. In the 1975-76 academic year the program became a Division I “corps squad” varsity sport, concluding its first season with a 13-5 record. In the 1994-95 year the program returned to club status.

Colonel Michael Benson ’94 is currently the team’s Officer in Charge (OIC). He is a former player who joined the team at Army when it was still a varsity program in the fall of 1992. He was recruited for wrestling and competed for two years before switching to water polo. Benson says, “I played just two years, but the impact was so moving in my experience, that when I returned in 2003 as a faculty member, I sponsored several players and became the OIC for two years. When I returned for my second tour at USMA in 2011, I again picked up the reins to guide the team, where I have been since.”

As Benson is currently on sabbatical, Major Sam Greulich ’07 is acting as the team OIC. He was one of the cadets that Benson sponsored during his first assignment at the Academy. Greulich has swum since he was in second grade, but only started to play water polo as a freshman in high school. In comparison, he says,

Photo:Anthony DiNoto/WPAOG

The game of water polo is thought to have originated in England, over half a century before West Point’s program started.

PLAYING HARD

“Now we have cadets on the team who have played since fifth or sixth grade.” Greulich was All-Conference his last two years and All-American his firstie year.

When Greulich played, there was no formal coach, so the team employed player coaches. One player coach was (now Major) Brian Chen ’05. Chen grew up in Southern California and played water polo in high school. He had no intention of playing at West Point, but after hearing about the team from a friend, he tried out and walked on in his plebe year. He made All-Conference all four years and was named an All-American his cow year. Even with such talent on the team, the program eventually returned to a model of having a coach for the team. The current coach, Chris Judge, says, “When I started slowing down I wanted to give back, so I started coaching. The opportunity at Army was perfect.” Judge, from the Hudson Valley, has a long pedigree in the sport. His father, Francis X. Judge, was a standout at Fordham University and played in the 1952 Olympics. The younger Judge was the subject of a June 2018 Wall Street Journal article which makes it clear that he, too, is a fixture in the sport, with five decades of experience. He also played four years—and later coached—at Fordham University. He played on the U.S. National Team, was an alternate for the 1984 Olympics, and was inducted into Fordham’s Hall of Fame in 1996. Today he still plays the game, chairs the water polo program at NYAC, coaches at West Point and maintains his “day job” as a Certified Financial Planner.

Water polo is an intensely physical game Judge describes as “swimming and wrestling in a pool.” Players tread water in eightfoot-deep water the entire time and (except for the goalie) may only touch the ball with one hand. Simultaneously, players are trying to swim with someone trying to defend against them. Team Captain Cadet Jeffrey Stark ’19 says, “What I like most about water polo is the strategy behind the game. To most observers, it seems like a brutal sport, especially because of how physical it is.” Yet he sees the game as an art form. “Great water polo is hard to come by,” he says. “But when you see it, there’s not much else that comes close.”

Stark says that the culture of the Army team is all about hard work. Being a club program, there are many players that are new to the game. No prior experience is required to try out. He says, “Often, through sheer determination and hard work, our team out-swims and out-works other teams. We may never be the best team in the pool, but we are by far the most hardworking.” Judge concurs, “The cadets work very hard. Water polo is a very demanding sport; you can’t even practice without being in good shape. The game changes when fatigue sets in. That’s where our cadets have the advantage, being in superior shape.”

Although hard-working, the team does have a lighter side. Consider the awarding of “The Shoe Award.” It is based on the story of one team member who literally lost a shoe, and the trophy is the remaining shoe. Greulich tells the backstory: the team was on a trip section in California and went to the ocean.

Army Water Polo competes in the 2019 Memorial Tournament at West Point. This annual event, typically occurring on the first weekend of March, originated in memory of a former Team Captain – CPT John L. Hallett III ’01 (KIA, Afghanistan ’09).

One player was so excited, he ran into the water with his shoes on; one fell off and was carried out to sea. So each year players can nominate a teammate for something(s) done during the year, in the vein of losing a shoe in the ocean. The team gets to vote, and the winner gets to hold on to an old shoe for a year.

tryout. Part of the tryouts is a board with the firsties on the team. This is designed for the team leaders to assess whether potential teammates will be a good fit as the players are very close outside of the sport. Stark says that, in his overall cadet experience, the team has been his favorite part of West Point. “I honestly cannot imagine my time here without my teammates,” he says. “They are some of my best friends and, typically, water polo practice is the highlight of my day.” Benson believes the challenge of the sport naturally draws the cadet athletes into close relationships.

The program draws out the best in the cadets while they grow as leaders. The players’ academic, physical and military grades are all above average. Greulich calls them a “solid” group of cadets. Benson says, “Playing on the team requires a work ethic for success, making it an excellent team sport for the Academy.”

Army is a member of the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) which has about 15 divisions around the United States. West Point is a front-runner in the New York Division and, hovering at second or third place, has been the most consistent team in the division. Judge has led the team to win the New York Division and compete at Nationals each of his three years with West Point.

Cadets need to try out and make the team two times; after that they may remain on the team without going through another

Stark says his experience as the Team Captain has allowed him to develop his overall personal leadership style as well as his peer leadership. Chen claims his time on the team made him more self-aware as a leader. He says, “It gave me opportunities to see where I was lacking, both interpersonally and as a leader, which helped me later when I became a chief resident and now as a staff attending surgeon.”

The 1922 Howitzer report, in an account of the very first match played at West Point, said, “The enthusiasm of the spectators left no doubt but what [sic ] water polo had come to stay.” This should hold true as the sport of water polo remains popular around the world. Plus, Benson—who may be partial—says, “It is always fun to watch Army compete in water polo.” 

Photo:Anthony DiNoto/WPAOG

“Often, through sheer determination and hard work, our team out-swims and out-works other teams. We may never be the best team in the pool, but we are by far the most hardworking.”

– CDT Jeff Stark ’19

Coach Chris Judge and the Army team on the pool deck during a match at Crandall Pool.

Happy 104th birthday COL Sterling Johnson, USA (Ret).

Second-oldest living USMA graduate (class of ‘39) and resident of the Army Residence Community since 2005.

Army Residence

Consistency

- noun

Conformity in the application of something, typically that which is necessary for the sake of logic, accuracy, or fairness:

Synonyms: steadiness, reliability

Antonym: Fickleness (found often in weather and financial markets)

Photo Credit Gregory D. Gadson

Photo by D. Clarke Evans from Before They’re Gone: Portraits & Stories of World War II Veterans

Grads Unite! Alumni Day, Founders Day, Any Day!

By Keith J. Hamel, WPAOG staff

On June 11, 1923, the United States Military Academy at West Point held its first official Alumni Day. Graduates had long been visiting the Academy during June Week to witness exhibition drills and exercises by cadets, but on that date Brigadier General Frank Sladen, Class of 1890 and the 32nd Superintendent, instituted a special series of events especially for alumni into the program. According to Roger Alexander, Class of 1907, writing a report of the event in the 1923 Annual Report, Alumni Day “marked a new note in the outward expression of that sentiment which binds all [graduates] of the Academy to their Alma Mater.”

On May 22, 2019, to mark the 150 years since graduates gathered in the office of Dr. Horace Webster, Class of 1818, President of the College of the City of New York, to form an “Association of the Graduates of the U.S. Military Academy,” West Point graduates around the world are being encouraged to gather to offer a virtual toast, through various social media channels, to celebrate the West Point Association of Graduate’s sesquicentennial. Similar to what Alexander said about the significance of Alumni Day, it is hoped that the virtual toast will bind all graduates to WPAOG and enhance its efforts to make the Long Gray Line the most highly connected alumni body in the world.

The first Alumni Day set a precedent that is still going strong nearly 100 years later. At 10:45am on that day, approximately 250 graduates, comprised of 51 USMA classes (from the Class of 1862 to the “Orioles” Class of 1922), assembled in front of Cullum Hall and the Officers Mess and, preceded by the USMA Band, marched in columns of four (with the senior class at the head) by the road in front of the Library to Thayer Monument. At the foot of the monument, Morris Schaff, Class of 1862, placed a wreath of flowers with an invocation that partly stated, “In the name of every cadet that has walked the Plain, in the name of every officer who has gained fame on the field…we lay this wreath…as a token of our appreciation and gratitude for what by your leadership and inspiring purpose you have done for each of us as individuals.” After the wreath-laying, 135 members of the Cadet Choir sang “The Corps.” Then, in a line “almost as long as the cadets facing it,” according to Alexander, the graduates reviewed the Corps of Cadets, who “never looked or marched better, and the presence of the Alumni seemed to inspire the cadets with a desire to show that the younger generation is fully the equal of the older.”

“Words are utterly inadequate to express the perfect beauty of that scene or the emotions that stirred in the hearts of all present,” said Alexander. “Not a cadet or graduate present but felt a pride in being [an alum] of West Point and a determination to be faithful to her high ideals.”

What will graduates say and what will they feel upon the virtual toast to WPAOG’s efforts and accomplishments over the last 150 years? What’s more, what precedents might it establish? WPAOG has never initiated a virtual toast before, but a similar concept occurred 83 years ago, and it was quite a success. In 1936, the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) supplied the Association of Graduates with world-wide radio “hook-up” so that graduates “might get together in far off army posts” for the Annual West Point Dinner (now known the Founders Day celebration). According to the 1936 Annual Report, the broadcast included talks by the Superintendent, Chief of Staff, General Pershing, and greetings from senior graduates from all over the world (including short-wave transmission to graduates in Hawaii, Panama, and the Philippines). With the technology available today, when every graduate has the opportunity to operate a smartphone with more transmitting power than NBC’s entire 1936 radio network (think video selfies), how much more potent and poignant a world-wide hook-up like WPAOG’s virtual toast can be. “Tune in” to WPAOG’s social media starting May 22 to find out. 

In 2019, the West Point Association of Graduates will turn 150 years old! In celebration of this milestone event, WPAOG will be conducting a “virtual birthday toast” via Facebook on May 22, the anniversary of our founding date in 1869.

All alumni and members of the West Point community are encouraged to record live videos of themselves toasting and wishing “Happy Birthday” to WPAOG and upload them to the exclusive event page. To coincide with the virtual toast on May 22, we will also be collecting videos received in advance to be featured in a WPAOG-produced video which will be released on the day of the event. If you wish to be featured in the video, please submit your clip by following the guidelines below.

Guidelines for pre-recorded videos:

 Cell phone videos are fine, but please do not use filters

 Shoot videos horizontally, not upright/vertically

 Videos must be no longer than 30-60 seconds in length

 Pick a creative background

 Pick a quiet setting so that your voice can be heard clearly

 Pick a well-lit area. Morning or afternoon sun is best

 If shooting “selfie” style, keep your phone stable by using both hands and locking elbows

 Be close to the camera so your face appears in 1/3 of the screen

 Show us your passion for WPAOG!

By submitting a video, you agree to allow WPAOG to use and edit your video in materials and social media as they relate to the organization’s mission.

Email submissions to anthony.dinoto@wpaog.org using WeTransfer.com .

Virtual Toast

Guidelines for live Facebook videos on May 22:

 Record a video following the guidelines at left

 Visit event page at Facebook.com/events/273452153296175

 Click on “discussion” then post in the event comments

 Click “add Photo/Video”

 Select your video or record live and click “done” then “post”

 Follow the comments to see others toasting WPAOG!

 Guidelines posted at WestPointAOG.org/150th-Virtual-Toast

WPAOG Staff and Services: Societies and Memorial Services

Throughout 2019, West Point magazine will feature members of the WPAOG Staff who work behind the scenes to help each and every member of the Long Gray Line. This issue highlights members of the Memorial Services team and Societies team. From contacting the next of kin for death notifications to assisting families during the funeral services for a Graduate at the West Point cemetery, the Memorial Services team supports families of deceased loved ones in a multitude of ways. In addition, WPAOG offers proprietary software, new programs, and face-to-face engagements for West Point Societies across the globe.

Amy Hagan Director of Alumni Services

Oversees communications and support for 140 West Point Societies, five Special Interest Groups (SIGS), and hundreds of leaders. Alumni Programs include WPAOG Travel, Memorial Brick & Paver and Great Hall rentals.

How long have you been at WPAOG?

I started at WPAOG in July 2013 and have been in this position since March of 2015.

How has your role changed / developed over the years?

My role has evolved to include new departments such as Careers (2013-2016) and the business operations of Great Hall, Brick & Paver, and Travel Program (2013-present). In 2017, we took over the home Open Houses during football season, in 2018 we formally took over the SIGs, and in 2019 we took over Herbert Alumni Center graduation activities. Since I have been here, we also started the new WPAOG Volunteer Program and Gripping Hands Program.

How has the advancement of technology helped you in your role?

We understand that our alumni volunteers are very busy, so we strive to help make things easy for them. One new system for this, Sallyport— a digital platform that will give alumni the ability to run their own groups with communications channels, event registration, reporting, and membership collection—is currently in its early stages. We’ve been searching for a system for quite some time that would help our Societies with their administration and believe this is the right fit. We also launched a GIS Mapping program in conjunction with LTC Ware from GENE so people can locate where their legacy bricks and pavers are located at Herbert Alumni Center.

What are some of the challenges of your position?

We are a productive department with a lot of competing, independent activities. That, coupled with over 140 Societies,

5 SIGs, and hundreds of leaders supported by three full time staff can get tricky. But we make it work!

How are you working on celebrating WPAOG’s 150th birthday? Societies will be part of the Virtual Toast, happening on May 22. They are receiving push packets for their Founders Days (decorations and wine glasses to raffle), and videos are being shared. Cups with the 150th logo are being used at all Society away tailgates and at the home open houses in Herbert Hall, and “Flat Cullum” will be going on the WPAOG Travel Program trips throughout 2019!

What are some memorable moments of your work at WPAOG?

I love meeting with the families of graduates and hearing how much they feel connected to West Point. By far, my favorite memory is when I had the opportunity to escort LTG William Ely ’33 in 2017. He returned as the oldest graduate to lay the wreath at Thayer Statue at 105 years old. It was so wonderful hearing the stories he and his sons shared about their time at the Academy. LTG Ely passed away later that year and I was honored to represent WPAOG at his funeral. His family was so appreciative of the support they received from WPAOG and it was wonderful having the opportunity to meet with them. In my position, I also have the opportunity to travel and to meet with Societies. I have been all over the world, including a trip to Singapore to meet with our Asia Society Leaders, and down to Arkansas where I received an Arkansas Traveler Award from the Governor of Arkansas. I also loved the launch of Gripping Hands as a platform to help connect graduates in times of need. Seeing how connected the Long Gray Line is and how strangers offered their homes to fellow graduates during Hurricane Harvey in 2017 was very uplifting.

What are your favorite things about working at WPAOG?

I love working with the graduates and their families. We particularly enjoy connecting classmates who haven’t been in contact with each other in a long time and meeting with our constituents to hear their memories about USMA.

Photo: Anthony DiNoto/WPAOG

Marilee Meyer Memorials & Archives Manager

Responsibilities include creating and verifying approximately 600 daily death notifications per year sent to class and society leaders, sending condolence letters, administrative intake of more than 200 Memorial articles per year from authors and next of kin, setting up Memorial web pages for “Be Thou At Peace” website section, assisting with Cullum file research requests.

How long have you been at WPAOG?

I’ve been in Archives & Research for 17 years and Memorials Manager for the past eight years.

How has your role changed / developed over the years? Cullum files had always been done through “snail mail” and put on a microfiche. Now everything is done through email. With the advent of email, we transferred the microfiche files online, and transferred approximately 60,000 information files.

Since 2007, we have been moving away from paper files. WPAOG now scans and files digitized items into the Cullum File. My role changed again when I started working as the Memorial Article Manager—we went from the ASSEMBLY obituaries to the TAPS magazine memorial article format, and I played a significant role in launching TAPS. I am the primary contact person with whom article writers deal from time of death until a memorial article is published. I serve as the voice for families of the deceased graduate who wish to have an article edited and published the way they intended.

How has the advancement of technology helped you in your role?

The advancement of email as mentioned above has helped me tremendously. Also, our new CRM software and digital memorial pages enable me to more easily send death notices to class members. Social media has certainly helped as well, with all death notices being posted on Twitter daily.

What are some of the challenges of your position?

Dealing with family members/classmates at a time of death is a sensitive process and can be challenging. Also, conveying the importance of Cullum Files is very challenging.

What are some memorable moments of your work at WPAOG?

In the summer of 2018, the Class of 1956 bestowed upon me the honor of naming me an Honorary Class Member as a thank you for the assistance I’ve provided them over the years. For the most part, I’ve been doing the same job for 17 years and still get gratification from what I do. Having a class donate in my honor was also another memorable moment.

What are your favorite elements regarding the work you do for WPAOG?

Knowing that I have helped a graduate to the best of my ability by guiding him or her in the right direction.

Laura McKenna ’01 Outreach Coordinator

Provides WPAOG’s on-site support and escort to families of graduates conducting approximately 150 burials each year at West Point Cemetery. How long have you been at WPAOG? Since April 2018 .

How has your role changed / developed over the years?

Since the inception of the Dettre Memorial Services Assistance Program in 2007, the support that WPAOG provides to Long Gray Line families has grown considerably, from simply providing information to providing not just information, but day-of-burial logistical support and escort. What are some memorable moments of your work at AOG? Every funeral is so moving and memorable for different reasons, but there are several stand-out moments, such as the funeral service for Captain Ellen McDonald ’84. I had the privilege to assist Tim McDonald ’83, Ellen’s husband, and their two daughters. At the funeral there was a huge thunderstorm, which Tim attributed to Ellen being present there with us in spirit. I also had the privilege of assisting the Woods family while they were here to lay Robert Woods ’45 and his wife Gerry to rest. Robert Woods was my grandfather’s First Captain, so to me it was so amazing getting to escort the family who is sort of like my Mom’s Long-Gray-Line-Siblings. Robert Woods’ story is unique he is the only player in the history of the Army-Navy Football Game to have played on both teams. He first played at Navy as a plebe before seeing the light and coming to West Point, where he also played football, and where I got to show his family his plaque in the Kenna Army Sports Hall of Fame.

What are your favorite things about working at WPAOG?

This program is so incredibly meaningful, and it is an absolute honor to get to support the families of the Long Gray Line during a very difficult time. It is such a privilege to get to be a compassionate point of contact to act as a liaison between the family and on-post agencies, provide assistance with access and escort on the day of the funeral, and provide much-needed logistical information. It’s so fulfilling when a family member shares with me that they were stressed about all the details, but now they feel relieved and peaceful because they have everything they need. That’s my favorite part to interact with our West Point families, and to get to ease someone’s mind and help them with the details so that they can focus on simply remembering and honoring their loved one. 

“On This Day”: Celebrate WPAOG’s 150th Anniversary and Discover Long Gray Line History

To celebrate WPAOG’s 150th Anniversary in 2019, we are sharing fascinating “On This Day” historical facts every day on our social media feeds and website. For more than a year, LTC(R) Jenn Voigtschild Minus ’93 combed through USMA and WPAOG history to collect more than 365 facts, one for each day of the year. See them all on our website at: WestPointAOG.org/150thOnThisDay or check out #WPAOG150 on social media.

WPAOG Hosts Cadet Luncheon for USMA Classes of 2019 and 2020

On February 4, the West Point Association of Graduates hosted more than 60 cadet leaders from the Classes of 2019 and 2020. These firsties and cows heard from WPAOG’s CEO, Todd Browne ’85, regarding the work being done to support the Long Gray Line and the Academy. Cadets provided valuable feedback and insight into their experiences and we are thankful for their time and participation.

Grads at Facebook and Google Welcome WPAOG Board

On February 22, the WPAOG Board of Directors held its quarterly meeting in Palo Alto, CA. While there, the Board had the opportunity to visit the headquarters of Facebook and Google to connect with West Point alumni who work at each company and to gain insights into grads’ experience in the technology industry. Fourteen West Point grads from the classes of 1997 through 2012 who work at Facebook hosted

the Board at their Menlo Park Headquarters, and nine grad “Googlers” from the classes of 1986 to 2012 met with the Board at Google offices in Mountain View. Thank you to our West Point grad hosts—Gene Page '07 at Facebook and Carolyn Lewis '86 at Google—and to the graduate panels for sharing your insights into your work and your organizations’ work with Veterans!

Photos: Anthony DiNoto/WPAOG; submitted

2019 WPAOG Election—Call for Nominations for Board and Advisory Council

All USMA graduates may apply for election to the WPAOG Board of Directors and/or for election to the WPAOG Advisory Council. In 2019, the WPAOG Nominating Committee will nominate graduates for Chair, Vice-Chair, five Director positions and six Advisor-at-Large positions. To apply, please see the instructions posted at WestPointAOG.org/NominationPolicy. The deadline for graduates to submit their completed applications (to include a

nomination letter from another graduate) is July 1, 2019. The 2019 nomination and election process will conclude on November 19, 2019 at 5pm EST, when the Annual Meeting of the Association of Graduates will take place at the Herbert Alumni Center. Please send applications for nomination to WPAOG, Attn: Laurie Fontana at Laurie.Fontana@wpaog.org or call 845-446-1523

Grip Hands! Popular Grad Link Network Continues to Grow

Since the launch of our newest initiative, Grad Link, we have received tremendously positive feedback on this personal networking tool exclusively for West Point grads, which now boasts over 8,640 users! Check out our FAQs, and access this

Class of 1993 Wins “Most Connected Class” in Grad Link Membership Madness Contest

Membership Madness is over, and the Class of 1993 is officially the “Most Connected West Point Alumni Class” via Grad Link! CONGRATULATIONS, ’93! The Class of 1993 has led the competition since day one in the number of people who have downloaded the Grad Link app.

Along with bragging rights of being the “Most Connected West Point Alumni Class,” all Grad Link users from the Class of 1993 will receive a 18.69% discount certificate for use at the WPAOG Gift Shop in honor of our Sesquicentennial Celebration!

The final Membership Madness top ten classes are: 1993, 1994, 1996, 1990, 2009, 1985, 2007, 2010, 2008, and 2012.

Membership Madness may be over, but don’t let that stop you from connecting with your classmates and other West Point alums on Grad Link. Download the app today and help make WPAOG the most highly connected alumni body in the world!

For information on downloading Grad Link, visit WestPointAOG.org/GradLink

secure platform today through the Google Play Store, Apple App Store or with your web browser. Grad Link is your gateway to networking with fellow graduates! Join us!

2019 TAPS

TAPS, the official memorial magazine of the Long Gray Line, contains the fascinating and inspiring life stories of West Point graduates. Advance orders for the 2019 edition may now be placed online. Guidance on submitting 2020 articles may be found online or by calling 845.446.1647.

Announcing

WPAOG’s New Military Retiree Recognition Program

The West Point Association of Graduates (WPAOG) is proud to introduce the new WPAOG Military Retiree Recognition Program, which honors our military retirees for their service and sacrifice.

If you retired on or after October 1, 2017, you are eligible for a free Grad Insider Tour for you and three guests, as well as a free night at The Hotel Thayer, subject to restrictions. We will also publish your name in a future issue of West Point magazine, with your permission.

The staff has sent out an email to those graduates who we know have retired this past fiscal year. We have not reached every retiree, including those who retired for medical reasons and some of those who served in the National Guard. If you retired on or after October 1, 2017 and have not received an email from us, please contact retiree@wpaog.org with your name and class year, and we will send you a link to register.

The following graduates retired from active, reserve, or National Guard duty during the last fiscal year. We thank them for serving this great nation, and the Association looks forward to serving you any way we can.

Photo: Shutterstock

STARTtheDAYS!

Upcoming events suggested by West Point staff & faculty. Events for Aug 2019 Oct 2019 should be sent to editor@wpaog.org by May 15, 2019

For the entire calendar, go to WestPointAOG.org/calendar

Parents Corner

Plebe-Parent Weekend Welcomes

USMA 2022 Families

From March 7-10, families of the Class of 2022 had an opportunity to experience West Point with their cadets. WPAOG kicked off the weekend, hosting nearly 700 cadet family members at our annual PlebeParent Breakfast on Friday, March 8 at Herbert Alumni Center. Families enjoyed a complimentary breakfast and were able to meet WPAOG leadership and staff, learn about the ways WPAOG enhances cadets’ experience at the Academy and beyond. The weekend continued with tours, presentations, a parade, and a banquet in the cadet mess, before cadets departed for spring break.

West Point Parents Fund Has Lasting Impact—Thank You for Your Generous Support!

West Point and WPAOG appreciate the commitment and generosity of all our parent donors. Your support makes a tremendous impact on the Corps of Cadets—the future leaders of our Army and nation—and strengthens every aspect of the Margin of Excellence. Your gifts to the West Point Parents Fund support the following types of activities:

• 150 cadets studying abroad each year (average): 33 institutions, 20 countries

• 1,052 AIADs summer 2018: 679 domestic, 373 international

• 62 academic clubs and forums, conferences, guest speakers, and trip sections

Thank you again for your support! Watch our ‘Thank You’ video at vimeo.com/wpaog to see highlights from the past year at West Point!

Stay in Touch With Cadet News

Have you looked at WPAOG’s Cadet News page lately? These are stories we receive daily about cadet clubs and activities, academic achievements, athletic achievements and more. Your cadets are phenomenally successful, and this is our way of showing them off to the world! If you want, you can subscribe to have all the news delivered right to your email inbox. Just look for the link at the top of the page at WestPointAOG.org/CadetNews and you can also follow WPAOG social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Gripping Hands

2019 Distinguished Graduate Award Recipients

WPAOG’s annual Distinguished Graduate Award is bestowed upon those West Point graduates whose character, distinguished service and stature draw wholesome comparison to the qualities for which West Point strives, in keeping with its motto: “Duty, Honor, Country.” Please join us in congratulating the 2019 Distinguished Graduate Award Recipients:

David A. Bramlett ’64

Victor F. Garcia ’68

Robert L. VanAntwerp ’72

Walter L. Sharp ’74

Robert L. Caslen Jr. ’75

The awards will be presented in a ceremony at West Point on May 21, 2019, with further coverage in the Summer issue of West Point magazine. Visit WestPointAOG.org to learn more about the Distinguished Graduate Award and the recipients.

General Officer Announcements

The Chief of Staff of the Army announces the following officer assignments:

Major General Frank W. Tate ’88 to Commanding General, First Army Division West, Fort Hood, TX

Major General Richard M. Toy ’87 to Commanding General, Mississippi Valley Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Vicksburg, MS

Major General Daniel R. Walrath ’88 to Commanding General, U.S. Army South, Joint Base San Antonio, TX

Brigadier General Robert F. Whittle Jr. ’90 to Commanding General, Great Lakes and Ohio River Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Cincinnati, OH

Colonel (Promotable) Mark C. Quander ’95 to Commandant, U.S. Army Engineer School, U.S. Army Maneuver Support Center of Excellence, Fort Leonard Wood, MO

The following officers were confirmed by the Senate:

Colonel Joseph F. Dziezynski ’91, USAR, for promotion to the rank of brigadier general and assignment as Deputy Commanding General (Individual Mobilization Augmentee), U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command, Fort Belvoir, VA

“Grip hands—though it be from the shadows—while we swear as you did of yore, or living or dying, to honor the Corps, and the Corps, and the Corps.” —Bishop Shipman, 1902

We regret that because of limited space, we cannot publish all letters received. Letters may be edited and shortened for space. Submit comments or questions to Editor@wpaog.org, or chat with us on one of our WPAOG social media channels.

FROM: Theresa Tittle

We enjoyed the 2018 fall edition of West Point magazine, especially its Past in Review article, “100 Years Ago: West Point’s World War I Classes.” We always knew my husband’s grandfather (Thomas R. Aaron) graduated in that period, but we did not know the exact year. My mother-in-law, Aaron’s daughter, had a pair of earrings in her jewelry box adorned with the West Point crest and Athena Helmet shield, but we never understood the “NOV.18” engraving. Now we think he may have been a member of the class that graduated in November 1918, described in the article. We do know that his first infantry assignment was to Siberia with American Expeditionary Forces Siberia.

RESPONSE:

Thomas Roswell Aaron, Cullum number 6254, was indeed in the Class of November 1918, which entered West Point astheClassof1920butgraduatedmorethanayearearly asa“WarEmergencyCourseClass.”Itisinterestingthat whoever designed those earnings used the Athena Helmet shieldandnottheclasscrest,butperhapsthatisjustas well.EventhoughtheygraduatedinNovember1918,that class decided to retain their 1920 crest as its official identifier.Imagineseeing“1920”and“NOV.18”onthe samepairofearrings?Thatwouldhavebeenreally confusing!Bytheway,eventhoughThomasAaronstarted hismilitarycareerinSiberia,hefinisheditinHawaii.Talk aboutgoingfromoneextremetotheother,right? 

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To register for any SACC as an attendee or exhibitor, go to sacc-jobfair.com.

Be Thou at Peace

Lt Col Curtis F. Betts USAF, Retired 1941

COL John W. Heard USA, Retired 1942

Mr. Walter G. Mitchell 1943 JUN

LTC John G. Cleveland USA, Retired 1944

Col Paul J. Hamm USAF, Retired 1944

Mr. Leverett N. Jenks 1944

MG George M. Bush USA, Retired 1945

Dr. Harry G. Walker Jr. 1945

COL Harold D. Wolaver USA, Retired 1945

LTC David T. Baker USA, Retired 1946

Brig Gen John C. Bartholf USAF, Retired 1946

LTC James E. Carter USA, Retired 1946

COL Frederic A. Frech USA, Retired 1946

Mr. Everitt F. Hardin 1946

Mr. Norman E. Weiss 1946

LTC John W. Wiss USA, Retired 1946

COL Jean P. Burner USA, Retired 1947

Lt Col Young A. Tucker USAF, Retired 1947

COL James G. McCray USA, Retired 1948

COL Arthur L. Whitley USA, Retired 1948

Lt Col Richard E. Toth USAF, Retired 1949

COL Herschel E. Chapman USA, Retired 1950

COL John E. Hurst Jr. USA, Retired 1950

COL Roy E. Lounsbury USA, Retired 1950

COL William Mastoris Jr. USA, Retired 1950

LTC Morton Ray USA, Retired 1950

COL Myron D. Snoke USA, Retired 1950

COL William L. Depew USA, Retired

Mr.

LTC

Mr. Raymond F. Sargent Jr.

LTC

MG

Col

Mr. Karl A. Woltersdorf Jr.

Mr. Charles J. Cheves Jr.

LTC William D. Jones USA,

Brig Gen Robert C. Karns USAF, Retired

COL Herbert R. Schmidt USA, Retired 1953

LTC Oliver B. Combs Jr. USA, Retired

Col Derrol L. Dennis USAF, Retired

Mr. Gerald A. Lodge

Mr. George W. Riess

MAJ Leo R. St. Amour Jr. USA, Retired

LTC Robert L. Wheaton USA, Retired

COL Edward J. Zaborowski USA, Retired

LTC Robert A. Flory USA, Retired

Mr. Gerald R. A. Thompson

BG Arvid E. West Jr. USA, Retired

MAJ James H. Britton USA,

LTC Howard E. Webster Jr. USA,

Mr. Brian L. Koster

Mr. Robert S. Miser Jr.

Mr.

LTC

Mr.

Mr.

Mr.

Mr.

Deaths reported from December 17, 2018 — March 14, 2019 In

Cadet Peter L. Zhu

Class of 2019

E Company, First Regiment June 20, 1997 – February 27, 2019

Be Thou At Peace

Past in Review Leaders of the Long Gray Line: A Look at the Oldest Living Graduates

By Keith J. Hamel, WPAOG Staff

Everyline needs a leader. Traditionally, the leader of the Long Gray Line is the Oldest Living Graduate, and for the last 210 years the most senior graduate, determined by birthday, has earned the title upon the passing of the graduate before him in age. It didn’t start out this way, however. The first Oldest Living Graduate was also the first officer promoted from the United States Military Academy, Joseph G. Swift, Class of 1802, born December 31, 1783. Given the haphazard appointment methods in place during the Academy’s early years, particularly pertaining to age requirements, Swift only held the title of Oldest Living Graduate for two years and eight months. He was “forced” to relinquish it when George Bomford, Class of 1805, graduated. Bomford was born November 14, 1780, making him three years older than Swift. Records from this era are spotty at best, and it is likely that subsequent graduates were

born before Bomford and thus held the position as senior member of the Long Gray Line. One possible candidate is John Anderson, Class of 1807, who was born sometime in 1780. The confusion surrounding the Oldest Living Graduate subsided after Herman Fay, Class of 1808, assumed the role. Fay was born January 12, 1779 and was over 25 years old when he was appointed. Since no graduate who followed Fay was born before him, he held the title of Oldest Living Graduate until his death at age 86 on August 20, 1865; a total of 57 years, two months, and seven days; which is a record that is not likely to be broken. Samuel Noah, Class of 1807, took over as Oldest Living Graduate when Fay passed. Given that cadets could enter the Academy at varying ages, which were set by regulation between 15 and 20 in 1810 and revised to between 14 and 21 in 1812 (and finally settled to be between 17 and 22), it was not

unusual for a succeeding Oldest Living Graduate to be from an earlier graduating class than his predecessor. Other than Noah, eight graduates have assumed the Oldest Living Graduate mantle from someone from an academic year actually after their own. One of these was Major General Henry C. Hodges (Retired), Class of 1881, who took over for Colonel Clarence E. Dentler (Retired), Class of 1884, and who supported General Ulysses S. Grant, Class of 1843, during the U.S. Civil War as a quartermaster in various roles. Within the Class of 1905, there is even an instance when a graduate with a lower Cullum number followed a graduate with a higher Cullum number as Oldest Living Graduate: Major General Walter E. Prosser (Retired), Cullum number 4402, was followed by Brigadier General Arthur W. Lane (Retired), Cullum number 4401, the closest Oldest Living Graduates by Cullum

Above left: BG (R) Louis Nuttman, Class of 1895, who holds the record for retaining the title of Oldest Living Graduate the longest (8 years, 10 months, 16 days), celebrated his 100th birthday in January 1974. Above right: LTG (R) William Ely ’33 shakes the hand of then WPAOG Chairman LTG (R) Larry Jordan ’68 after the 2017 alumni procession.

numbers in the history of the Long Gray Line (although Brigadier General Robert C. Tripp (Retired), Cullum number 9601, and Lieutenant General William Ely (Retired), Cullum number 9603, both from the Class of 1933, came close).

Looking over the list of the more than five dozen graduates who have led the Long Gray Line, more interesting facts emerge. Aside from the 1802-08 grads who occupied the role before it was appropriately established, the youngest Oldest Living Graduate was Simon Willard, Class of 1815, who became such at age 77. The oldest Oldest Living Graduate was the aforementioned Ely, who was 105 years, eight months, and 22 days old when he passed (and this is not the last time his name will be mentioned). After Fay’s extended run as Oldest Living Graduate, given his advantage through circumstance, Brigadier General Louis M. Nuttman (Retired), Class of 1895, held the position second longest:

eight years, 10 months, and 16 days. The shortest duration as Oldest Living Graduate goes to Dentler, mentioned prior: three months and one day. Ten other graduates passed on before celebrating their first anniversary as Oldest Living Graduate. The highest-ranking graduate to occupy the Oldest Living Graduate position was General John L. Hines (Retired), Class of 1891, who served as Chief of Staff of the United States Army from 1924 to 1926. In total, 27 general officers appear on the Oldest Living Graduate list. Perhaps the most recognizable name on the list is Brevet Brigadier General Sylvanus Thayer (Retired), Class of 1808 and the 5th Superintendent of the U.S. Military Academy, who carried the distinction of Oldest Living Graduate from March 10, 1871 to September 7, 1872 (Swift and Brigadier General Samuel E. Tillman [Retired], Class of 1869, are the others on the list of Oldest Living Graduates to serve as Superintendent). Finally, the class that

had the most members as Oldest Living Graduates is the Class of 1933: Colonel Paul R. Walters (Retired), Tripp, and Ely. Currently, the leader of the Long Gray Line is Colonel Kermit R. Dyke ’40 (USAF, Retired), who at 104 years old is one of 23 centenarians to hold the Oldest Living Graduate post. In fact, since Colonel Guy W. Chipman (Retired), Class of 1910, became the Oldest Living Graduate on September 17, 1985, every subsequent graduate to reach the front of the line has lived to be 100 years old. When Dyke was born, Woodrow Wilson was president, World War I had just started, and the number of members in the Long Gray Line was just seven percent of what it is today. Although he graduated 435 out of 449 in his class, Dyke is now the leader of the 75,400-plus-member line. If every second were a heartbeat, from the time he entered the Academy on July 1, 1936, his heart has beat more than 2,610,000,000 times and counting for Duty, Honor, Country. ★

Photo: Anthony Di Noto/WPAOG

Col (USAF, R) Kermit Dyke ’40, USMA’s current Oldest Living Graduate, places a wreath at the base of Thayer Statue during the 2018 alumni procession.

BG (R) Samuel Tillman, Class of 1869 (middle), one of three Superintendents to hold the title of Oldest Living Graduate, appears with Superintendent BG Jay Benedict, Class of 1904, and AOG President Robert Davis, Class of 1898 at the 1938 Alumni Review (NOTE: at the time Tillman was the oldest graduate present at the exercise, but BG (R) William Ennis, Class of 1864, was the Oldest Living Graduate of the Long Gray Line).

OLDEST LIVING GRADUATES: “ Leaders of the Long Gray Line” 1802-present*

Name Start Term

9/20/2001 5m,21d

William F. Steer (1925) 3/13/2002 3y,11m,22d

Michael Buckly Jr. (1923) 3/7/2006 5m10d

Benjamin Whitehouse (1927) 8/17/2006 1y,5m,27d

Maury S. Cralle (1928) 2/13/2008 1y,10m,1d

Thomas J. Wells (1928) 12/14/2009 10m,9d

Paul R. Walters (1933) 10/23/2010 4m,1d

Benjamin W. Heckemeyer (1935) 2/24/2011 2y,6m,24d

Robert C. Tripp (1933) 9/17/2013 1y,2m,15d

William J. Ely (1933) 12/2/2014 2y,9m,18d

Kermit R. Dyke (1940) 9/20/2017 1y,6m +counting

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