News From Fort Schuyler

May 20, 1999 - Volume 3, No. 26

SST 1999 UNDERWAY - May 15 was a beautiful picture-postcard New York day for the departure of the EMPIRE STATE, bound for Charleston, the Caribbean, Italy and Wales. A MUG parent, STEVE CERNIK, Class of 1971, digitized the send-off for NFFS readers. If you want jpegs of any of the images described below, contact: rcorson@sunymaritime.edu 1) shoreside well-wishers as seen from ship ("a familiar view for alumni"); 2) the crowd on the pier; 3) upper class cadets view departure; 4) McAllister tug; 5) TSES passing under Throgs Neck Bridge; 6) View of TSES bow; 7) TSES in Huntington Bay after disembarking college counselors and other passengers; 8) college tug, MAJ. GEN. PHILLIP J. SCHUYLER, heads back to the Fort. Thanks Steve.

MATTER OF TIMING - A sharp-eyed reader of the May 2nd NFFS, FERGUSON BYARS, noted that IAN McCUNN, Class of 1944, said he had entered Maritime in July 1942, and wrote:"I thought the class of '39 was the last one to have a two year term and all the following terms were four years?"

According to NORMAN BROUWER's "History of SUNY Maritime College - 1874-1974,"..the expansion of the academic program to its present four year length took nearly 20 years to implement. In the early 1930's, the Superintendent of the school, CAPTAIN JAMES HARVEY TOMB began to lobby for an expansion of the program to three years. It wasn't until 1940, however, that the three-year course was implemented. "Unfortunately, before the first three year class could graduate, the country was again involved in a World War. Immediately after the U.S. entry into the War the course was reduced to 16 months. On June 11, 1942 it was increased to 18." (p. 103)

"The course of instruction was again increased to 24 months in 1945, and to three years in 1946. On April 6, 1946, Governor Thomas E. Dewey signed a bill authorizing the Academy to grant a Degree of Bachelor of Maritime Science to graduates of the three year curriculum.....Further expansion of the curriculum over the next two years led in September 1948 to adoption of a four year course." (pp. 106-107)

SOME WENT ON TO OTHER ENDEAVORS - Attrition at Maritime has always been significant. Records dating back more than 100 years to the days of the New York Nautical School, show that 30% - 40% attrition was not unusual. People leave for many reasons - change of career goals, financial, health, academics, family concerns, the regimental system - to name but a few.

One such recent visitor to Fort Schuyler was ALEXANDER T. WELLS, who entered with the Class of 1958. Dr. Wells finished his undergraduate work at Hunter College and has spent his career in the aviation industry, initially in insurance and as an economic analyst for United Airlines. Alex began teaching after graduate studies in Chicago, as a part-timer, and then full-time at the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach. In the late 1970's he became the head of the aviation department at Broward Community College. He retired from Broward in 1998 and returned to teach and do research at Riddle. Alex is the author of a number of aviation books, including one that SUNY Maritime adopted as a textbook a few years ago for one of its courses, "Air Transportation: A Management Perspective." Alex and his wife, Mary, travel extensively. The next trip will be in June to the Paris Air Show. Classmates can contact him at: awells416@aol.com

CHALLENGE ACCEPTED - This from JIM WILLIS, Class of 1963: "I must beg-to-differ' with JOHN INGRAM, Class of 1964" [who in NFFS May 6, claimed that the Class of 1964 'lived aboard the training ship longer than any other class in the history of the school.'] "Our class boarded the EMPIRE STATE IV for our mug cruise in 1960 and did not leave our floating home until graduation. Therefore, we were on the ship just as long as the Class of 1964. It was during our mug year that the EMPIRE STATE IV replaced the III. A lot of work was needed to get the new training ship ready for her first cruise, as such, the majority of us mugs spent 80% of our weekends working off our demerits on the ship, giving us maximum time onboard our whole mug year as well. Sorry, but at best we were tied at spending the most time onboard ship of any other class." [Ed. Get the ref!]

RADIO TIMES - "Your note concerning a pirate radio station at SUNYMC" writes GARY RAFFAELE, Class of 1960, referring to NFFS May 6, "is off by 30 plus years. As I recall, some members of the class of 1960 had one going for a few Sunday evenings until the police honed in on them and shut it down. I can't recall exactly who were the Sunday evening broadcasters, we need to ask around to the Class of 1960. Apparently they took an old Radio Shack kit and hooked it up to the radiators (which turned the entire dorm into an antenna) so they had a pretty good range. I remember hearing it while crossing the Throggs Neck Bridge. Content? Let's just call it 'early shock jock.'"

APRIL WAS NOT SO CRUEL, AFTER ALL - The wedding note in the May 6 NFFS, led CHRIS ADAMS, Class of 1992, to write: "This reminded me that another Maritime alumnus was married on 24 APR. BRIAN KRUPIEN, Class of 1989 was married to Eileen in Charlottesville, VA with a few other alumni attending. ROB MICHAELSON 89, NEIL KING 92, JOE FINN 91, and I were there to help Brian and Eileen celebrate their day."