WELCOME
I know I am late with the notes this time, but your whole Board of Governors has been very busy organizing and preparing for the 65th Reunion. The DC bus leaves at 0930 tomorrow to join with the others at Wood Cliff Hilton and a busy three days.
REMEMBERING CHARLIE
I recently got an email from John Wickham which brings back the fine relationship that developed between John and Charlie Gabriel, when they were each the Chiefs of Staff of their respective services. Here is what John wrote, somewhat edited:
“Years ago when Charlie Gabriel and I were service chiefs, the arose about working more closely between our services. The idea probably was Charlie's. We formed small groups of bright, dedicated officers from both services to study policies and programs between our services. They came up with a list of 40 or so initiatives. Four of them alone would lead eventually to cost avoidance of over $1 billion. For example both services were contracting with the same company for same air defense radars and Air Force was planning to form multiple defense platoons with armored vehicles for air base defense. We cancelled one of the air defense radar procurements and Army rightfully assumed the role for air base defense.
“We also approved having a brigadier general from Air Force attend all Army budget meetings, and Air Force did the same. Charlie and I approved all the initiatives including formation of doctrine study groups to develop joint air space and war fighting doctrines which were used successfully in the First Gulf War and subsequent wars. Army adopted extensive family programs which the Air Force also adopted and even improved!
“Incidentally every time I hear an aircraft overhead when I ride my daily bike, I say “hello and thanks” to Charlie above! “
ON TO NEPAL
When I asked Dave Hughes about his views on Nepal and its earthquakes, he sent an interesting email:
“The Sherpa communities of Namche and Thame, up to 15,000 feet on the trekking route to Everest base camp, is where I installed, in 2004, and educated Sherpas how to operate and maintain, wireless Internet connections. Both communities have been seriously damaged by the quake. I had installed solar-powered (with Chinese car-sized 12 volt batteries carried down from Tibet), radios out of Singapore, using what was brand new then -Skype - to connect school-age children to a Sherpa expatriate with some tech abilities over two satellites and one undersea cable hop to Pittsburgh PA who knew Nepalese and English and tutored them in oral English over the net. Unless those kids learned oral English they would be doomed to spend the rest of their lives carrying heavy loads for Westerners for $5 a day. If they learned oral English they could become guides, afford to get down to Kathmandu, get a better education, and pursue other dreams.
“I learned from BBC radio (comments by the son of Tenzing Norgay who climbed Everest with Hillary) that all the Sherpa homes and buildings in his home of Thame, where the school and kids’ homes were, destroyed. I have wondered what happened to the Buddhist Monastery, whose cheerful Monks permitted me to attach a set of reflecting antennas on the walls of their ancient monastery which is built into a sheer vertical rock face, high enough so my signal could bounce 5 miles from Namche to Thame and the Monastery thence down to the school, with a computer and speaker phones.
AND TO CHINA
Jim Wallace’s widow Bobbie usually published children’s books, but here she has done something different.
“After I lost Jim, I published my memoir myself, SMALL FOOTSTEPS IN THE LAND OF THE DRAGON, GROWING UP IN CHINA.
“Best thing, though, is that it's now being published by a bona fide publisher, who says all who have read it have been "swept away." I'm, needless to say, pretty thrilled that this has happened. If anyone wants to take the trouble to do it, do take a look at the nice 5-star reader reviews on Amazon. This book is, of course, of interest to anyone who has an interest in pre-Communist China, and of course seen through an American child's eyes, who lived there until her high school years. The book even tells of her and her sister's escape from China on an American destroyer sans parents! The book is both for adults and young people probably from ten or eleven on up.”
Of interest her best known book, PEPPERMINTS IN THE PARLOR, has now been in print and still selling after 35 years. If anyone is interested in contacting Bobbie, she now lives in Alexandria.
WINE TASTING IN CA
It seems that Sandy & Ruth Sanderson meet several times a year with Vin & Joanne Hirsch at some interesting place about midway between their homes. This time it was at the Wente Winery in Livermore, CA. They certainly look relaxed. The Sandersons are on the flanks with the Hirsches in the middle.
SOME INTERESTING LITTLE TIDBITS
Marge Ritter Hopkins will miss the reunion. She will be in Baltimore, MD for the wedding of her only granddaughter.
Pat Zabel’s daughter Sarah has been promoted to MG in the USAF. She will be in Cyberspace Strategy & Policy in the Pentagon.
Frank Borman made the cover of the magazine Military for February 2015. There also was a nice article on his being flown from Viet Nam to the carrier Constellation in the Tonkin Gulf about 1969.
And in the March 2015 edition of Military Officer, Art & Barbara Blair grace the ad for Fleet Landing, the retirement community where they live in Atlantic Beach, FL.
LAST ROLL CALL
Sam Lockerman died 17 December 2014 in Mathews, NC.
CC Cunningham died 23 December 2014 in Fairfax, VA. He is survived by his widow Song, who lives in Annandale, VA.
Tom McBride died 27 December2014 in Tucker, GA. He is survived by his widow Kay, who lives in Tucker, GA.
Carolyn McDaniel, Paul’s widow, died 5 January 2015 at Moscow, ID.
Marv Rees died 21 January 2015 in Burke, VA. He is survived by his widow June, who lives in Burke, VA.
Vern Kinner died 20 February 2015 at Traverse City, MI. He is survived by his wife Holli, who lives in Traverse City, MI.
“Clancy” Melton died 14 March 2015 at Gaithersburg, MD. She is survived by her husband Eddie, who lives in Gaithersburg, MD.
Sally Scott, Skip’s wife, died 25 March 2015 at Colorado Springs, CO. She is survived by Skip, who lives in Colorado Springs, CO.
Marilyn Kubby, Bob’s widow, died 22 April 2015 at home in Iowa City, IA.
Mary Ann Read, Bill’s widow, died 30 April 2015 in Morgantown, NC.
Jeanne Wood, Archie’s wife, died 4 May 2015 in Prescott, AZ. She is survived by Archie, who lives in Prescott, AZ.
We all send our sympathies to these families.
We are looking forward to the Reunion. Wish all of you could be there.