News From Fort Schuyler

VOYAGE FOR THE BACK-OFFICE GANG - While the TSES VI was visiting ports in Europe, staff back at Fort Schuyler were able to accumulate sea-time in July on an enjoyable, educational day trip to the Upper Bay of New York harbor on the college tug, the GENERAL PHILIP SCHUYLER. Many staff, for the first time, were able to experience first-hand the training environment which this floating lab provides to cadets during their shore-side semesters. Captained by CMDR. Bill Lindman, Class of 1973, the GENERAL SCHUYLER has a capacity of 45 passengers.

UPWARD AND ONWARD AT DNV - News has come that BLAINE COLLINS, Class of 1986, assumes the title of Head of Maritime North America and Regional Manager at Det Norske Veritas on August 1. Blaine will be responsible for all DNV maritime activities in the US, Canada and Central America. BTW - DNV awards its new scholarship to a naval architecture student this September.

FLOATING LIBRARY - For eight weeks this summer an important part of the Luce Library's activity took place on the Training Ship EMPIRE STATE VI in support of the Summer Sea Term. When the Training Ship was underway cadets had seven-day library service available, something which many public libraries don't equal. Not only were there books and magazines on board, but there were also videos, audio-books, and CD-ROMS. Usually open 10 hours per day, the Ships' Library had over 1,500 users and reported the highest borrowing from the fiction collection. The Ship's Library was staffed for SST1998 by Jennara "Books" Wenk, assisted by Cadet Library aides Matthew Bonvento, Jane Klaben, Mark Sorochinskj, and Shawn Thorsson. Thanks to all for a job well done.

SALTY BOOKS FROM AN OLD SALT - Among the most popular collections of books on board the ship this summer was a selection of maritime-related works selected and donated to the Ship's Library by JOE R. GERSON, Class of 1947. They ranged from books written by graduates of the college (Banana Shooter by RICHARD DE BOLD, '47, A Sailor's Odyssey by ALVIN P. CHESTER, 35); to NYC maritime history (The Burning of the General Slocum by Claude Rust), to World War II (The Fighting Liberty Ships by A.A. Hoehling); to current maritime-related works (The Captain's a Woman by Deborah Dempsey.) These books were a wonderful supplement to the Robert Gove Memorial Collection, our shore-side collection of "salty books" which is brought aboard from the Luce Library for shipboard use each year.

"AND NOW LET'S GO TO THE VIDEOTAPES!" - The Parents' Association for many years has played a big role in preparing the Ship's Library for its summer of glory by supporting the purchase of new feature films on video. This year, twenty-eight titles were purchased just prior to the cruise with a Parents' Association Ship's Library Video Program grant. Selected from a list of suggestions provided by a special Student Government committee were such titles as: Jerry Maguire, One Fine Day, The English Patient, Liar Liar, Air Force One, Alien 3, Romeo and Juliet, The Rock, Men in Black, and The Fifth Element. These videos were shown as part of the evening recreational program while the ship was underway.

WEB-BASED CATALOG - Beta tests are underway for Internet access to the Luce Library's online card catalog. The final version only will require a single click and will feature a nice graphic of Fort Schuyler. This Beta version works quite well once you get there, however, so take a look.