News From Fort Schuyler

April 29, 1999 - Volume 3, No. 21

GRADUATION SPEAKER - The featured speaker at our 143rd graduation ceremony on May 8 will be SEN. CHARLES SCHUMER (D-NY). In announcing this to the campus community, President DAVID C. BROWN wrote: "We are honored that he has selected Maritime to give his first college commencement address as a United States Senator." (Source: Memo dated 4/13/99)

QUICK RECOVERY - This good news from MEL SIEGEL, Class of 1944: "I am delighted to report that STAN LLOYD, Class of 1944, is recovering well from a back operation and is planning to attend the Florida Centennial Chapter this month. The meeting will be at the Renaissance Orlando Hotel on Friday April 30th and Saturday May1st.DON BRENNAN, Class of 1961, will speak at the membership meeting, and JOSEPH DELAI of NASA will be the banquet speaker."

WHAT'S NEW AT THE LIBRARY? - An electronic version of New Accessions, the Luce Library's listing of the latest titles that have been added to the collection is now featured on the Maritime College Parents' Association web page ! Thank you, parents! To see the list go to: http://www.sunymaritime.org/library.htm

WHAT'S NEW IN THE PUBLISHING WORLD? Answer: 'THE FORT SCHUYLER PRESS.' A search by publisher on Amazon.com will show that this new imprint already has two titles available: 'Reading the Sea: Essays on Sea Literature' (ed. by Kevin Boon) and 'Absolute Zero', a novel by Kevin, which is described as "a black comedy ripe with puns." Dr. Boon, a member of the Humanities Department, has his own web site at: http://www.kevin.boon.net

THINGS MISSED - Who would have thought it ? There are too many campus activities going on for NFFS to report in a timely manner. In the early days of NFFS, your editor wondered if there would be enough to report after the first few issues (like the young groom in "Our Town" who worried about running out of conversation with his bride after the first few weeks of marriage).

For example, harking back to another generation of cadets, on April 19 there was a "teach-in" about the situation in the Balkans. The event, coordinated by PROF. SHARON DECKER of the Humanities Department, featured cadet and faculty speakers, followed by on open discussion.

Only days later, on April 21, the Luce Library AV Room was the site for a live satellite broadcast of a Foreign Policy Association event in which two representatives from SUNY Maritime participated, CADET LINDSAY GAMBEE, Class of 1999, and DR. KAREN MARKOE, Chairman, Humanities Department. This program was broadcast around the globe from a live feed at an FPA luncheon in New York City, using the SUNYSAT television network facility.

[BTW - In the future, we expect the college web site will remedy this problem of 'timeliness' with a daily/weekly calendar of campus events. Stay tuned]

SOMETHING NOT TO BE MISSED - According to the Plan of the Week for April 19-26: "Maritime College will be hosting a free concert, 'Beatlemania,' on Thursday, July 29, 1999 at 7:30 PM, compliments of Senator Guy Velella and the North Bronx/Westchester Neighborhood Restoration Association, Inc. This will be an outdoor concert so bring your own blanket and beach chairs for an enjoyable evening. Details on campus location will follow." You read it first in NFFS.

RESEARCH VESSEL MASTER - In January, ROGER L. PARSONS, Class of 1975, took command of the NOAA research vessel, RONALD H. BROWN, for a two year tour. Full particulars about the ship and its oceanographic and atmospheric survey role are at: http://www.pmc.noaa.gov/rb/

TUNED INTO TURBINES - In a response to the April 15 NFFS item on gas turbines, TOM GALLAGHER, Class of 1984, writes: "As senior Program Engineer for the Combatant Homeport Engineering Team in Norfolk VA, we support all 40 Navy surface combatants here in Virginia (all powered by GE LM2500's !)"

SEA TERM NOTES - Expanding its non-license academic offerings on board the EMPIRE STATE VI, the Humanities Department is offering a journalism elective during SST 1999 to "highly motivated students in good academic standing." (POW April 19-26.) The course will be taught by Chicago Sun-Times columnist and humorist, NEIL STEINBERG. Although a son of the Midwest, Neil nevertheless has a unique link to the Maritime College. His father, Robert, a recently retired nuclear physicist, was Junior Radio Officer aboard the EMPIRE STATE for four cruises in the early 1950's. (You can read his columns at http://www.suntimes.com/index/steinberg.html )

BIG U FROM A DISTANCE - According to JOHN McLEAN, Class of 1965, the SS UNITED STATES (See NFFS for April 15) "...is quite visible to those crossing the Walt Whitman Bridge, going between Philadelphia and NJ. It is tied up just north of the bridge and is a very sad sight to see."

FREQUENT FLIERS TAKE NOTE - Everyone is invited to the west coast for Maritime Day (which is being celebrated this year on Friday, May 21) by CAPT. ED DANGLER, Class of 1949, who writes: "Ahoy all NYSMA, NYSMC, SUNY Maritime, USS Newport, even USS ST. MARY's alumni - we have a very serious wager ongoing with the Kings Pointless Alumni Association of Southern California as to who will have a greater attendance at Maritime Day in San Diego. If they outnumber us, Ed Dangler pays for all their drinks .... so everyone send in your checks to: Propeller Club of San Diego, PO Box 131544, San Diego, CA 92170. $30 American money, time is 11:30, place is Holiday Inn by the Bay, Embarcadero, San Diego (opposite the sailing vessel STAR OF INDIA.) Do it now. Write 'Seat me with Maritime Academy Alumni tables' and I will take care of the rest. They might whip our ass at basketball, but when it comes to serious athletics, like free drinks, we shall overcome. Loyalty and Valor, Captain Mole aka Ed Dangler."