News From Fort Schuyler

January 2, 1998 - Volume 2, No. 1

REMEMBER THOSE HOME PAGES? - This newsletter came about because many of you responded to my e-mailed invitation in August 1997 to provide URLS's for a Homecoming exhibition of alumni home pages. The result was fifty contributions, a successful display in the Luce Library, and a lot of positive feedback which led to the creation of "News from Fort Schuyler." I am pleased to report that links to those alumni home pages can now be accessed from the Luce Library home page. Go visit your classmates by going to http://www.sunymaritime.edu/library/ and clicking on "SUNY Maritime College Alumni Home pages."

ONE MORE THING ABOUT HOME PAGES - If you work in the U.S. merchant marine and want to link your maritime-related home page to a general maritime site, you can join the U.S. Merchant Marine Ring of sites that is maintained at http://www.sea-man.com/ring.html. (Not an endorsement)

SOME WENT ON TO OTHER ENDEAVORS (CONTINUED) - Pete Baci '64 writes: " Your writeup concerning Rev. McKinley [NFFS December 19th] reminds me of Jim Huvane. Jim started out as a "deckie" with the Class of '64 but left after a few years to study to become a Maryknoll missionary. Though he didn't graduate with us, he made several cruises, one as a cadet and one as the cabin boy for Capt. Olivet on the Empire State IV. As you probably know, Capt. Olivet was a strict disciplinarian, but he had a fondness for Jim and kept in touch with him after he left to enter seminary. On the cruise during which he worked for Capt. Olivet, Jim didn't bunk with the crew; rather, he shared a room with three of his old classmates. Of course, he kept the room up to military standards so no one ever knew...or so we thought. During one of his inspections, Capt. Olivet noticed that only three of the four people occupying the room were present and asked where the fourth individual was. We had to 'fess up that it was his cabin boy, but he just grunted and never said another word about it.

Jim was ordained in 1970 and recently celebrated his 27th year as a priest. Much of his time has been spent as a missionary in Hong Kong although he now is assigned to Cleveland, OH." (Thanks Peter, who by the way, reports that he has followed a career path into Federal law enforcement after four years at sea, and is now with the Veteran's Administration's Office of the Inspector General.)

MORE FEEDBACK - John G. Ingram, '64 sent a follow up to the piece on Ed Villella which appeared in the December 10th NFFS. He wrote: "If I recall Edward Villella was inducted in the Maritime College Hall of Fame in the late 70's or 80's for Boxing. I remember him giving a talk to the Cadets and telling them how he used to sneak out of school and take dancing lessons. His father wanted him to box so that he would not be a dancer. He picked up dancing while waiting for his sister to complete her lessons when he was in high school."

THAT DOME SURVEY - Keep those responses coming. The survey contained in the December 26 NFFS has already prompted some excellent answers, with a variety of explanations and theories as to the meaning and derivation of the term "The Dome." We're getting closer to the answer with every response!