As I sit here at The Fairfax three inches of snow has just fallen to cover the countryside with a blanket of white. Still when you get this, it will be Spring, and you all should have received the annual class letter. Please be sure to send Win or me any updates or changes. Also check the roster for changes of your friends. There were a lot of moves and emails redone.

2007 - Another year in which to excel! They do fly by. However, a couple of items from the past take us back. First is the article onJohn Trent is The Graybeards , the magazine of the Korean Veterans. The article was a nice mix of his great Army football career and of his death in Korea less than six months after graduation.

The holiday season is fast upon us, so to all of you HAPPY HOLIDAYS and a great 2007!

2006 continues to be Dick Trefry's year. In addition to the Distinguished Graduate Award from AOG and the Castle Award from the West Point Society of DC, he now has received the Creighton W. Abrams Medal from AUSA for "exceptional service to the United States Army."

Hope you looked at the heading, for it is the new address for Robin and me. It appeared in the last column, but then I did not have the chance to point it out. We will be at The Fairfax, the Army retirement community near Ft. Belvoir. We join Ray & Peggy Singer and Marie Kaseman there, but we hope to see lots more of you around before too long.

The month of May will be memorable for the Class. Sunday about 40 of us will board the paddlewheeler Empress of the North for the Class Mini up the Columbia and Snake Rivers. Later in the month classmates will gather at West Point to see Dick Trefry receive the AOG Distinguished Graduate Award.

This is a tough column to start. As most of you know Laura Walker'03 was killed in Afghanistan on 18 August. She was the granddaughter of Volney & Janice Warner and the daughter of Valerie & Keith Walker '76. She is the first class grandchild to die in the Middle East war.

She was a Lt. Of Engrs., helping build a 75 mile highway fromKandahar to Tarin Kot, a job she was so proud of, when an Improvised Explosive Device went off, killing her and another soldier. Her roommate was Jennifer Austin, Tom Austin'sgranddaughter, and she was with her at the time. After services in the Cadet Chapel, she was buried at West Point on 25 August. Her parents, Col.& Mrs. Keith Walker, live at 2788 Thaxton Ln.,Oakton, VA 22124

It was a wonderful reunion. We had 160 classmates (including some who showed up only for the company parties), 13 widows, and 166 wives, children, grandchildren and friends. We added an extra day this time, but it still was a busy time. The picture shows the men in their hats and blazers during the Alumni Parade.

While the BOG is still madly finalizing arrangements for the 55th Reunion in May, by the time you get this it will be just memories.

Meanwhile there is still news to pass on, like Uzal Ent still playing soldier, as you can see in this picture of him as a Civil War colonel. He was chosen to speak to the 28th ID Assn. At the Indiantown Gap Military Cemetery. The 28th is the oldest division in the Armed Forces, being formed in March 1879.

As you read this, the 55th Reunion will be just days away. We will have a great group there. As most of you know, John Wickham is our latest classmate to be selected as a Distinguished Graduate. He will receive the award at the Alumni Parade on Tuesday and join us for lunch in Washington Hall.

As I got out my notes for this column, I found stuck away in the back of the cubbyhole a Jan 04 note from Dick Newton with a lovely picture taken at a gathering for the 03 Army/Navy game. While it is a little late, the picture was too good to pass up, so here are Dick & Ruth Newton, Bill & Lois Slavins, and Rowland & Emmett Lee. With all those smiles, it must have been taken before the game.

Planning for the 55th is going well. We should have a nice group and lots to do. If you have not yet made your reservations, time is growing very short, since this column should arrive only a few weeks before the reunion. Contact Win Skelton NOW. 

For Veterans’ Day the Dillon, SC paper ran an interesting article on three generations of soldiers, starting with a Confederate Cavalryman, then his nephew from WWII, whose son was Joe Griffin. Nice pictures of all three. Joe, by the way, reports that he is slowing down but still very busy, mostly taking pills.