FMSAA
News From Fort Schuyler
April 9, 2000 - Volume 4, No. 12
GATHERING OF THE CLAN - Big crowd, camaraderie, lots of alumni, staff, and cadets, dignitaries galore, snappy Honor Guard, good food, anchored by Father MICHAEL MOYNIHAN'S always personal and meaningful words, best describe the 125th Anniversary Ball which took place at the Hilton on April 8. Besides the honoree, CLYDE J. HART, JR., Administrator of the Maritime Administration, the undoubted star of the night was SCOTT J. KELLY, Class of 1987, who was awarded the Order of the USS ST. MARY'S Medal. Scott gave a heartfelt speech about the role that the Fort Schuyler experience has played in his career as Navy fighter pilot and space shuttle pilot, noting that he was the first merchant mariner to drive a ship in space. A memorable evening - and the surprise Spring snowstorm even held off until the last of the dancers had found their way home.
A.K.A ADMIRAL'S BALL - With the successful Ball behind us, JACK HAYES, Class of 1947, is: "Glad to hear everyone agrees the Admiral's Ball is the best fund-raiser we have. I'll bet no one remembers that it began as the offshoot of the Museum presenting to the First Marine Division an oil painting of the Marine General [BARNETT] for which TSES V was originally named. JEFF MONROE called it a 'Celebration of Sea Lift' and we had the Marine Band and 500 guests in the Mess Deck. The next year, HOSS MILLER [Class of 1956 and the President of the College at that time] agreed to run an Admiral's Ball, but he wouldn't let us charge more than $25 a ticket - then he bitched that it didn't raise money." (Editor - A lesson was obviously learned. This year tickets were priced at $200 per person.)
NEW NAME - NEW OPTIONS -NEW VENUE - The graduate program has undergone a major overhaul. Its name is now the SUNY Maritime College Graduate School of International Transportation Management ("international" is new.) There is a new 33-credit program, Master of Science Degree in International Transportation Management (the older 39-credit program will be phased out.) The thesis requirement is now optional for both old and new programs, students can opt instead to take a "capstone" course for either. Finally, the Manhattan classroom site for weekday courses has been relocated to the SUNY School of Optometry campus at 100 E. 24th Street.
AND - THE GRADUATE PROGRAM IS GOING TO SEA - The Summer 2000 schedule features a new graduate course, Shipboard Operations. According to the program announcement, "The first part of the course will be held onboard the Maritime College's Training Vessel EMPIRE STATE VI from July 3 through July 8. Three of the days will be at sea while the vessel is underway from New York to Norfolk, Virginia. The second part of the course will be held the following weekend at Maritime College's Bronx campus." A perquisite of this 3-credit course is that the graduate students who take it will be on board to observe the OPSAIL2000 event in New York Harbor on July 4.
SCHUYLER GREEN - The fort was invaded by landscapers on April 3. Trees and shrubs were planted around the campus in an enhancement project funded with special funds provided by Albany. It is too soon to tell if these plantings will be revenue enhancers that will bear fruit for the college Mess Deck.
THIRTY-FIVE YEARS OUT - The Class of 1965 will hold their 35th Reunion on Saturday evening, September 16. Make sure now that ALAN ROWEN has your email address by contacting him at: rowenalan@aol.com
PLAY BALL! The Yankee home opener on Tuesday April 11 will again feature the Honor Guard from the Maritime College in the pre-game ceremonies. Game time is 1:00 PM.
HE SAID, SHE SAID - Apologies to LEIGH MITCHELL O'DONNELL, Class of 1990, for calling her him instead of her in last week's Tenth Reunion reminder. At least her contact address was correct: AcadGrads@aol.com
SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER - "I don't understand how JERRY NOLAN [Class of 1958] could refer to those of us who graduated from Fort Schuyler during and after WW2 as day students," writes STAN JUNEMANN, October 1944. "If any group was a captive audience, it was they." At about the same time Stan sent that message, JERRY wrote: "Mea maxima culpa. I was referring to those that came back for their degrees - guys like HAP PARNHAM." These were the students who came back for a post-graduate year of study to qualify for the baccalaureate. The college had proposed a 4-year degree program in 1937. A 3-year class had entered in 1940, but during WW II the program was truncated so that students could graduate in 18 months. All this according to a brief history of the college, "Starting in 1874", which appeared in the college's 1974 centennial publication. [BTW - The author of that centennial history was none other than Captain GERARD J. NOLAN]
TRAGEDY COMPOUNDED - The March 23 New York Times contained an article headlined "Stepfather Kills Self After Son is Found Dead." It turns out that the father's stepson was STEEN FENRICH, who attended Maritime for one semester (Fall 1998) to pursue the Associate degree in Small Vessel Operations. Steen's remains had been discovered in a park in Queens only hours before his stepfather's suicide. Condolences to Steen's mother Wanda and her surviving son on this terrible inexplicable double tragedy.