News From Fort Schuyler

March 3, 2008 - Volume 8, No. 8

BONUSES FOR WW2 MERCHANT MARINE VETERANS - There is a timely heads up in the news section of the Maritime College home page. New York's Governor Spitzer has signed legislation authorizing a one-time $250 bonus payment to merchant mariners who served in WW2 (or to surviving spouses who have not remarried.) The deadline for applications is 18 July, 2008. For more details check the college web page at www.sunymaritime.edu or call the NYS Division of Veterans Affairs at 888-838-7697.

SCHOLARSHIPS FOR TODAY'S CADETS - Did you know that the alumni association is providing $205,000 for 137 Summer Sea Term 2008 scholarships (at $1500 each) for qualified cadet? Application deadline is 16 March. All the information and fine print is at their website www.fsmaa.org/scholarships Great program.

MUSEUM GALA - On Saturday, April 26, 2008 crowds of intelligent, suave, sophisticated, well-dressed Maritime Industry Museum supporters (i.e., us) will join in a fund raising celebration to support the museum's program and participate in the opening of a new exhibition about the Sandy Hook Pilots. For more information about the gala contact check the museum website or email Pat Perez at maritimeindustry@sunymaritime.edu

PLENTY OF PILOTS - Pilots, ones who, though not belonging to a ship's company, are licensed to conduct ships into and out of port or through dangerous waters. Piloting, one of the world's oldest professions, is well represented by Fort Schuyler graduates. According to the 2005 Alumni Association Roster, graduates were guiding ships for such pilot associations as: Biscayne Bay, Brunswick Bar, Charleston, Delaware Bay/River, Hawaii, Hudson River, Interport, Key West Bar, Lake Charles, Lakes, Maryland, Northeast Marine, Palm Beach, Panama Canal, Port Everglades, Puget Sound, Sabine River, San Diego Bay, San Francisco Bar, Sandy Hook, St. Johns Bar, St. Lawrence Seaway, Southwest Alaska, and Tampa Bay. Who have I missed?

MISTER MARITIME - Professor Emeritus HAP PARNHAM, Class of 1948, turned 80 on 19 February. He retired from teaching in the Marine Transportation Department in 1991. This past September Hap was inducted into the college's Heritage Hall of Fame in recognition for his 35 years of service to the college and his leadership at the Maritime Industry Museum where he continues to serve as Treasurer. Hap was Dr. Fred Hess' brother-in-law. He gave the eulogy at Fred's funeral last December, recalling that besides being his in-law, Fred was his friend, colleague and mentor. He wrote that attendees at the funeral from Fort Schuyler included: DR. KAREN MARKOE, ADM. FLOYD H. "Hoss" MILLER, CAPT. JAMES DeSIMONE, JIM McKOY and DR. PAUL LEVY.

SETTING THE STANDARD - The Class of 1947, aka "The Scissorbills", knows how to do reunions - having done them every five years since graduation. BOB BARR reports that for their 60th Reunion last October, they held a 3-day event at the Long Boat Key Club in Sarasota, mustering 27 classmates, plus spouses, friends and special guests. This bunch of Type-A octogenarians golfed, tennised, sightsaw during the day, and partied and reminisced through the evenings. Bob and his wife organized a Photo Suite at the reunion HQ - a display of photos, picture albums, certificates, slides, and other memorabilia culled from some 2,000 items submitted by classmates. The reunion banquet, besides striking eight bells for departed classmates and celebrating the 80th birthdays of the attending Scissorbills, had its unique features. For example "...there was a surprise telephone call to Master of Ceremonies, SY HYMAN, from CAPTAIN JOE GERSON who passed away two years ago. Thanks to modern technology (and a little imagination) we all enjoyed Joe's pithy and humorous comments from his position of authority in the 'The Great Maritime Academy in the Sky.'" BOB PRESTON, PHIL SCHLUSSEL, JACK HAYES and BOB BARR were able humorists and JOE TILEM gave "...a meaningful review of our lives entitled 'From 18 to 80'. The banquet concluded "...with the showing of a brief, but emotional DVD, 'The Making of Men,' followed immediately with all hands singing "The Bells of St. Mary's" led by MARTY ZURN. "When the lights came up there wasn't a dry eye in the room!" Bob notes that 'The Making of Men' was produced from a reunion video made some 30 years ago by classmate GENE STARBECKER.

EBB TIDE - On January 10, 2008, twelve weeks after that 60th reunion, GENE STARBECKER, Class of 1947, died of pancreatic cancer. A long obituary in the Washington Post (www.washingtonpost.com) noted that Gene, a prolific Emmy-award winning film maker, had 970 documentaries and 300 television programs to his credit, including maritime-themed ones such as 'The Men of Annapolis', 'The Silent Service', and 'Sea Hunt'.

It was estimated that over 350 million viewers saw his film about life in Africa, South America and Asia titled "The Images of Life." Gene was most famous, however, for his films on school bus and driver safety. The article noted that "Driver's safety films have become something of a cult item in the past few years, and bloggers have taken notice of Mr. Starbecker's oeuvre." It quotes an Australian blogger who wrote: "Groovy, bass-driven music pounds away as a yellow school bus (surely a genuine icon of America) makes its way home from school with a full complement of rowdy grade school students. As if their behavior isn't enough for the poor female driver, she has to contend with all manner of fire hazards, which this film thoughtfully points out for us and advises of the best way to keep the situation under control..." The obituary also noted that as "...a world-class fencer, he was inducted into the Maritime Academy's Athletic Hall of Fame, but an injury at sea kept him from a berth on the 1948 Olympics team." [Note - The original Washington Post article incorrectly listed Gene's date of death as 1 January. It was later corrected to 10 January.]

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Richard Corson - Forest Hills, NY

Latitude 40.716N Longitude 73.85W

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