News From Fort Schuyler

February 11, 2000 - Volume 4, No. 4

NEW PRESIDENT - Good news from ALAN ROWEN, Class of 1965, who reports that his classmate, MIKE TONER, was recently named President of the Electric Boat Corporation, a unit of General Dynamics based in Groton, CT. According to Hoover's Online (http://www.hoovers.com), Mike spent his entire career at EB. Starting as a test engineer in 1965, he went on to earn a MS in Engineering and an MBA. He managed nuclear reactor services and Trident submarine construction and was named Senior Vice President of Electric Boat in 1998. According to Hoovers, "Mike has spent his whole career at Electric Boat, and he knows that business inside and out. He'll do a fine job steering through the challenges and opportunities ahead."

THE CHECK IS IN THE MAIL - The Daily News headline tells it all: "Dorms due 2M rehab at Maritime." The Board of Trustees have approved $2 million in residence halls improvement at Fort Schuyler such as Internet wiring, remodeled bathrooms and student lounges, and even the modernization and repainting of the Ship's Store. No word on when this work begins. (Sources: NY Daily News, January 27 2000; Plan of the Week, January 31-February 6; SUNY News for January 25: http://www.suny.edu/SUNY_News/suny_news.html )

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE RENDITION ? There are many recorded versions of the college alma mater, The Bells of St. Mary's, instrumental and vocal. The Educational Communication Center would like to assemble a collection of these for the Luce Library College Archives. (BTW- We already have the Andy Williams rendition.) If you have a favorite version please send us a copy, or loan us the original so that we can record it and preserve it. Contact the Librarian for more information: rhcorson@sunymaritime.edu

NEW CAMPUS PROGRAM - The Graduate Department initiated a "Lunchtime Continuing Education Program" for its faculty and that of the Marine Transportation Department on February 10 with a talk featuring a 1992 graduate of the MS program in Transportation Management, MILIND V. TRILOKEKAR of Trans Sea Transport Services. He discussed recent trends in dry cargo markets and evolving market/communication technologies.

LOOKING UP - If you walk through the Maritime Industry Museum in the fort, you will notice that major progress has been made in upgrading the display lighting. New bright, compact, energy-efficient fixtures have been installed throughout the facility, giving a whole new perspective to many of the exhibits.

CALLING ALL MARITIME HISTORY BUFFS - One of the featured speakers at the modestly named World Marine Millennial Conference will be SAL MERCOGLIANO, Class of 1989, who will be speaking about "Mariners, Sailors, and Civilians: American Civilian Navy, 1949 - 1999." This four-day conference, which has a solid agenda, is cosponsored by the National Maritime Historical Society. It will be held at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, MA from March 29 - April 1. For more information go to http://www.seahistory.org

WHAT WAS THAT ? "I was at Throgs Neck Tech long after George Riser," writes BOB WHITE, Class of 1966, "but the 'forward..aft' comment [see 4:3] brought an incident to mind. One time on board the TSES IV, when all officers were ashore, a clear voice came over the Public Address system for all on board to hear, 'All those forward - move aft; all those aft - move forward; all those amidships - direct traffic.'" And then there was that inimitable Master of Arms, JOE SAUVE.. According to CRAIG SMITH, Class of 1954, Joe had been "...a Warrant Officer in Dewey's Navy in the early fifties." LEN SUTTER, Class of 1953, "..can still remember him lining us up 'alphabetically by height.'"

WEDDING BELLS - Check out the Style Section in the New York Times this coming Sunday for the announcement of the wedding of Humanities Department faculty member, Dr. JULIE WOSK, to Bill Williams. Congratulations to both. On the following day, Valentine's Day, in the Metropolitan Diary column in the Times, you can read Professor Wosk's description of an unusual bus ride she recently experienced in New York..

REPORT OF A MAIDEN VOYAGE - A report on the January 17 sea trials of the sailboat, LONO KAI, comes from JACK HAYES, Class of 1947, as he leads the rapid deployment of a BSA Sea Cadet program in South Carolina. Jack puts us right on board the LONO KAI: " A slight chop on the Beaufort River and brisk breeze advertised an exciting morning - and LONO KAI did not let us down. The temporary throttle line was re-rigged and after some extended cranking the engine turned over and caught, its soft rumble providing the first signs of life to the vessel. The dingy was shifted to the pier, and the mainsail was uncovered and unlimbered. Lines were singled up and...we backed into the stream and turned south toward Parris Island."

"The jib was set and after turning into the wind, the mainsail was raised and set. We were sailing on a reach and, after one jibe where the book swung fully athwartships, we settled down to watch the telltales with a great respect for the power of the wind. The engine was stopped and the quiet burble of the wake was the only sound attesting to our movement."

On January 31, a "First Nighter" was held at Beaufort HS to bring together interested scouts and volunteers for the first time. If you live in that area it is not too late to get involved. Contact Jack at: jackhayes@islc.net