FMSAA
News From Fort Schuyler
December 10, 1999 - Volume 3, No. 57
BANNER DAYS AT SCHUYLER - Now there is external evidence that the Maritime College has entered its 125th year of operation. Lamp-posts throughout the campus sport handsome banners proclaiming the fact.
CADETS LEAD IN MARKING AN OCCASION - At 0720 this morning (Friday) in the College Quadrangle in front of the Mess Deck, a special formation will be held to honor the 125th anniversary of the Maritime College. All early birds are welcome to attend. If you wait around until noon you can then go into the cadet Mess Deck to partake of a slice of celebratory cake following the ceremonial cutting of the 125th anniversary cake.
SCRIBBLE, SCRIBBLE - There were lines of people in the Reading Room for the Clive Cussler Friends of Luce Library book-signing on December 7. Dirk Pitt fans from all over combined into a really good-sized crowd to meet Clive: cadets, alumni, staff, neighbors, and first time-visitors who heard about the event. Over two hundred books were signed by Mr. Cussler during his all too brief stop at the library. The man worked his fingers to the nub to make sure every book was signed before he dashed off to Newark airport ! (It's like doing holiday cards, only more and in a shorter time.) By any measure, the Friends got off to a flying start. BTW - A few extra signed copies of Atlantis Found are left and available for purchase on a first-come, first-serve basis.
AUTHORITY FIGURES ALL - The library has received an important donation to its reference collection, the first two volumes of the authoritative " Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives" containing biographies of notable Americans who died between 1981 and 1990. The inscription on the title page, "To the students, faculty, and staff of SUNY Maritime College," is signed by the General Editor of this prestigious publication, KAREN MARKOE, Chair of the Humanities Department. Biographical articles for this important reference work were contributed by a veritable bevy of Fort Schuyler denizens, past, present and future. All are members of the Humanities Department faculty, unless noted otherwise: David Andrews - Kevin Boon - Sharon Decker - Jim Fetzer - Jane B. Fitzpatrick (Associate Librarian) - Mike Haines (Former Director of Administration) - Richard Harris (now at Webb Institute) - (Sheila McCurdy (sailing writer, wife of Admiral Brown) - the late Ernest McKay (retired from Humanities several years ago) - John Rocco (who wrote his article before joining the Humanities Department in September 1999) - Roman Rome - Hartley Spatt - Ed Tassinara.
EARLY LINE ON SST 2000 - At the December 6 staff meeting, CAPT. JOE AHLSTROM, Class of 1982, reported that the tentative ports for the summer sea term are Rota, Spain - London, England - NYC Harbor for the July 2th OP SAIL 2000 - and another port on the Middle Atlantic seaboard, possibly Norfolk.
DID YOU KNOW ? According to Engineering Department Chairman, CHARLIE MUNSCH, Class of 1973, SUNY Maritime College, small as it is, currently produce 5% of all engineering graduates from ABET accredited programs in New York State.
ENGINEERING AND DECK JOBS AT SEA - According to CAPT. BOB LUCAS, Class of 1957, "Jobs at sea are going begging, especially for 3d asst. engineers....Maersk Line, Limited needs third assistant engineers NOW and in the foreseeable future, also third mates. In addition AMO Vice-President, Tom Kelly, advises that the union books are open to any graduate that desires to go to sea. To me, the advantage of going to sea, besides the pay, was the long vacation period, with pay, of up to 4- 6 months in which I could pursue graduate work or travel. As I got older and had a family, I arranged it so that my vacation coincided with my children's summer vacation and we could take the opportunity to travel."
NAME CALLING - Additional imaginative names for sibling maritime-related institutions have been received since ED DANGLER's, Class of 1949, invitation for the West Coast joint academy luncheon in NFFS No. 54. For example, ROD McFADDEN, Class of 1975, writes "Ed needs to be careful. I included the 'Severn River Maritime Academy' in the list for the last joint academy luncheon in Washington, and it took the Naval Academy graduates two days to figure out I meant them !" In a follow-up email, Rod recalls some other nicknames: "My Dad graduated from the Naval Academy. You've heard of HAP PARNHAM's [Class of 1948, long-time member of the Maritime Transportation Department faculty] construction of TNT (Throgs Neck Tech), no ? Well, I tried Tidewater Tech on Dad. 'Twas an inspired choice of a19-year old. Dad's blood pressure nearly sprayed out of his ears !"
CALLING MODELERS ONE AND ALL - The Mariners' Museum has announced a "Scale Ship Model Competition 2000" open to completed models built to scale by individual modelers, professional or amateur, of all ages. For more information go to http://www.mariner.org/exhibits/ssmc2000/index.html
LIBRARY HOURS CURTAILED DURING WINTER LEAVE PERIOD - The college will continue the practice of shutting down most offices during the winter break in order to save money on heat and salaries. The Luce Library Reading Room, therefore, will be closed from Sunday, December 19 through Sunday, January 2.