FMSAA
News From Fort Schuyler
January 7, 2000 - Volume 4, No. 1
HELLO FROM OUT THERE - According to the December 30 Bronx Press Review, Pilot Astronaut, SCOTT KELLY, Class of 1987, e-mailed the college from space in connection with our 125th Anniversary on December 10. Scott is quoted as writing:" Maritime College gave me a great educational foundation for my career as an astronaut. As I write this message from Earth orbit aboard the Space Shuttle DISCOVERY, I reflect upon how the college helped me greatly in going far in life, and no matter how far I travel, the college remains a part of my life." Scott brought some college history into space, the pennant that ROSS G. MARVIN, Class of 1902, carried on Robert E. Peary's expedition to the North Pole in 1909. Two explorers from New York Maritime - one to the ends of the earth, the other out of this world.
MORE ON MARVIN - According to a profile that appeared in a 1967 Bulletin of the Alumni Association (13:1) Ross G. Marvin transferred to the New York Nautical School from Cornell University in 1901. He graduated from NYNS in 1902 and shipped aboard the ST MARY'S from 1903 to 1904. He returned to Cornell to complete his degree in civil engineering in 1905, then accompanied Commander Robert E. Peary on his1905-06 expedition to the Arctic Ocean. During the expeditions, Marvin was responsible for tidal and meteorological observations and assisted in solving problems of march formation, supply logistics and arrangements for support parties. Peary called Marvin "...my right-hand man." Marvin returned to Cornell to teach civil engineering from 1906 to 1908. He then joined Peary's famous 1908-1909 "Dash to the Pole Expedition, " and was the only casualty of the voyage, drowning in the Arctic Ocean off Cape Columbia in April 1909 at the age of 29. Peary erected a monument in Ross Marvin's honor at Cape Sheridan overlooking the Central Polar Sea
CAPTAIN AND MASTER - News that LISA OVERBY, Class of 1987, is now Master of the Marine Transport Corporation vessel, CAPE DECISION, was reported in a recent MTC publication. The CAPE DECISION, a 681' RO-R0, is in the Ready Reserve Fleet and home-ported in Charleston, SC. MTC, the oldest U.S. shipping company in continuous service, can trace its lineage back to 1816 when the Mallory Line was founded. (Thanks to AUSTIN DOOLEY, Class of 1968, for this news item.)
RALLY HO - Graduates in the New York City area might want to mark their calendars for Wednesday, February 2, so they can attend the Alumni Association "College Support Rally" dinner at the New York Athletic Club in Manhattan. Even if you can't attend yourself, you can sponsor a cadet to attend this event. For reservations and more details about the program go to http://www.fsmaa.org
RUN IT UP THE FLAGPOLE - Several respondents to the signal flag query in NFFS 3:60 suggested that it was the international flag for: "SCUBA diver in the water, " while another suggested it was the extra naval flag that stands for: "PR - Preparatory." In a followup note about his query, JOE McNEILL, Class of 1949, wrote: "The reason for my request is that I painted the Barnegat Lighthouse and placed a flag on the top mast that was red/white on diagonals. Seems the person who now has this painting wanted to know what it meant. I made up a story, but for posterity, I needed the answer." (Thanks to ALVIN GOLDEN, Class of 1947, FRED ELSNER, Class of 1955, and KEVIN TOKARSKI, Class of 1984 for their speedy, erudite responses.)
THE WAY WE WERE - Here are two more excerpts from a posting about life at Fort Schuyler in the 1960's written by TERRI THOMPSON, Class of 1965, in response to an observation by a 1985 graduate that the Friday afternoon inspections of his era put a crimp into the weekend plans of many cadets.
5. "No cadet could have any civilian clothes on campus, so upstate cadets like BRIAN SKEELS and I had to wear uniforms on weekends or rent a locker outside of the campus. We couldn't afford that so we risked hiding dark colored civilian civvies to wear under our cravanettes (we called them bear coats), that we shucked like Superman when we climbed through to hole in the fence when we were First Class."
6. "No TV's, microwaves, or anything on the walls were allowed in dorm rooms. Especially no girls (big demerits or expulsion.) In fact, we had one weekend staff duty officer, a retired Coast Guard Commander, who took the 1-inch thick 'rules book' literally on the 'weekend' as well, which said no TV's turned on in the dormitory recreation rooms after 7PM at night. He was not too popular and some cadets got back at him by sending a hearse to his house to pick up his body, sent flowers in his name to someone other than his wife, and sent in subscriptions in his name to skin magazines." Terri observes: "Our class had to stick together if we were going to make it through four years."
WHAT MAKES US UNIQUE - In a similar vein, ED DANGLER, Class of 1949, wryly contends that: "What makes us so unique is not the license training per se, but the 'closeness.' For example, on all of my 3 summer cruises aboard EMPIRE STATE, I slept in a compartment with 65 other cadets, in bunks 4 or 5 high, and used communal heads without stalls. Talk about closeness ! That is probably why we still know all each others's secrets after fifty years."
BTB TRUMPED -The use of the acronym BTB (Before the Bridge) to designate those who graduated from Fort Schuyler before the opening of the Throgs Neck Bridge, prompted this from JERE AUSTIN, Class of 1939: "The Classes of '39 and '40 were the first occupants of the Fort as a maritime training school and at that time the Whitestone Bridge was not yet operational. In the late afternoon, while we were being schooled by GEORGE RISER in the niceties of military formation, we witnessed the gradual extension of the roadways out from the two towers until they connected over the middle of the East River."
BIRTHDAY GREETINGS - California Maritime recently marked the 70th anniversary of its founding as the California Nautical School at the Navy fuel depot in Tiburon. (Thanks to ED DANGLER for the citation and to Cal Maritime Librarian, CARL PHILLIP, for the Pacific Maritime article about the event in its December issue)
HARDLY A THANKLESS TASK - As NFFS begins its 4th volume, the editor wishes to express his thanks for the suggestions, contributions, comments, and words of encouragement which got us this far thus far.