Items of Interest

Class Annual Report (sent as Distro54 e-mail January 8, 2010)

Classmates, Widows and Friends of the Class of 1954:

As we begin the year 2010 it is appropriate (and required by our class constitution) that I provide you with a report on the activities and events that marked 2009, our 55^th year since graduating from the Military Academy.

The most notable event for the class was our 55^th Reunion held at West Point on April 23-25, 2009. Using data from the Alumni Affairs Office we estimated that if we could reserve the entire Thayer Hotel we could accommodate classmates and guests in their 150 rooms. As it turned out we filled the Thayer and overflowed into 20 rooms at the Holiday Inn in Fort Montgomery. In order to obtain the entire Thayer Hotel, we chose reunion dates when we would be the only class coming back and when a cadet parade was scheduled. This best-laid plan was upset when the academy changed its training schedule and cancelled the parade well after most of the class had booked rooms at the Thayer and made airline reservations. As a class we soldiered on, modifying our scheduled events to include a tour of the cadet barracks and a chance to observe the cadet parachute team making practice jumps on the Plain (perhaps a better use of the Plain than parading). Other activities included tours of the new library that now houses our 40^th Reunion gift, the High Technology Classroom, which is the centerpiece of the academy’s Center for Teaching Excellence. For many in the class it was also the first time to visit the Lucas Military Heritage Center that the class presented to the academy in 2006 as its 50^th Reunion Gift. We were privileged to have the new football coach Rich Ellerson speak at one of our dinners and to receive an excellent update on our alma mater given by the Superintendent, LTG Buster Hagenbeck. The class presented General Hagenbeck with our 55^th Reunion gift, an endowment of $200,000.00 to assist in the maintenance and upgrade of the Lucas Center. It was noted that in round numbers the Class of 1954 has made reunion gifts to the academy totaling three million dollars, and nearly six million dollars in overall giving. 

As part of the reunion we held a memorial service in the Cadet Chapel. Frank Meador provided a moving homily and was assisted by Roger Browne and Howard Hunter who gave scripture readings. The names of the 51 classmates who had died since the 50^th Reunion were read. As of December 2009 a total of 246 classmates have died. Eleven died in the year 2009. 

Class officers were elected during the reunion. The following were made members of the class Executive Committee: Bill Almon, Jim Dalton, Chuck Debelius, Bob Ellis, Bill Epling, Corky Gabbert, Frank Hart, Dion Johnson, Jack Miller, Rose Mologne, Warren Palmer, Jack Porter, Doug Stuart, Dale Vesser and Dick Youngflesh. Subsequently, the following assignments were made: President, Miller; Vice President, Hart; Secretary, Johnson; Treasurer, Stuart; Scribe, Ellis; Memorial Articles Project Officer, Porter; Information Technology Officer, Epling. 

The class has funds that are held in two accounts. In a Class of 1954 Account maintained by Doug Stuart there are investments and cash totaling $31,534.28. In an administrative account maintained by the Association of Graduates for the class’s use there is $14,123.27. The total of these two accounts is $45,657.55. These figures are as of September 30, 2009. Our 55^th Reunion gift of $200,000.00 to the academy closed out our class Gift Fund that was maintained by the Association of Graduates. 

The Association of Graduates reported as follows on the class’s endowment to the Advanced Technology Classroom (ATC): The endowment balance as of December 31, 2008 was $166,772.24. In the academic year 08-09, $9,161.58 was distributed for support of the ATC. Because of the economic downturn, only $5,272.24 will be made available for 09-10. The report noted that the Center for Teaching Excellence uses the ATC to promote teaching with technology through seminars for staff and faculty and class exercises for cadets. In the new classroom, cadets can work in small groups and present their work on individual plasma screens to the instructor and the rest of the class. Dr. Mark Evans, the Director for the Center, thanked the class for its support.

A major undertaking by the class since the 50^th reunion has been the preparation of memorial articles for deceased classmates. Jack Porter has been the lead man in this effort. Because of the work done by Jack and the company Memorial Article Liaisons, significant progress has been made over the past five years. However, much more needs to be done. If you go to the class web site and click on “Memorial Articles” and then on “Cadet Company Pages” you can see how your company and other companies are doing. There are two measures of how much work has been done. For those who have died, are their memorial articles done? Is someone assigned to help get them done? And for those still living, have those individuals recorded and submitted their own material? Take a look at several companies and you will find some (G-2, M-2) that are completely or nearly finished. Unfortunately there are many others that require work. If you are in a company missing memorial articles, contact your company liaison and volunteer to help. The liaison or Jack Porter can steer you toward data and people to help you. Finally, take a few minutes to submit your own data. This is so easy even a cave man could do it; and it makes the writing of a future memorial article a lot less work. The format for entering this data is also in the “Memorial Articles section on the class web site under the “How to Proceed” button. Do it now before you …………forget!

I strongly urge everyone to visit the class web site, www.usma1954.org, for current information on class activities and projects. In the near future there will be information on the planned 2011 Reunion in San Antonio.

Here is a final reminder. Although we have closed out our Class Gift Fund and plan no more class gifts, the Academy and the Association still need our individual support. Please plan on making annual gifts. Also consider a planned gift of an annuity or bequest.

Jack Miller, President, Class of 1954

Paid-up Survivor Benefit Plan