News From Fort Schuyler

May 11, 2009 - Volume 9, No. 21

REMARKABLE GRADUATION - A large contingent of students were awarded degrees and licenses at the graduation ceremony held on Friday, 8 May. The graduation speaker was Rear Admiral LEENDERT HERING '77, the Commander of Navy Region Southwest. NFFS doesn't have final figures for the graduating class, but DICK BURKE '72, Chairman of the Engineering Department, writes that: "I called the names of 72 engineers at graduation yesterday. I don't know if that is a record, but I found it remarkable. Not so many years ago, that would have been nearly the entire graduating class. The Class of 2009 should go far." [Well done.]

HIGH ACHIEVER - In addition to diplomas for students, this is also the time of year when faculty and staff are recognized. For example, the prestigious Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Librarianship was awarded to SHAFEEK FAZAL, the Stephen B. Luce Library's Assistant Director and Head of Reference and Access Services, at the graduation ceremony by SUNY Vice-Chancellor, JOHN O'CONNOR. The Library Director, CONSTANTIA CONTSTANTINOU, notes that the award "...recognizes Shafeek's contributions to his profession and his extraordinary accomplishments to our campus and our community." He continues a tradition of excellence of Luce Library faculty who have also received this award, including former librarians JOHN LEE and JANE B. FITZPATRICK. SUMMER SEA TERM - 2009 ports for EMPIRE STATE VI will be: Ponta Delgada on the Portuguese island of Sao Miguel, Azores - Gibraltar - Reykjavik, Iceland - Kiel, Germany.

"There will be over 600 cadets on SST 2009 - largest SST ever," writes Dr. JOE HOFFMAN '75, Provost/VPAA at the college. "This is in addition to the nearly 100 Second Class cadets who are sailing Cadet Observer on commercial vessels this summer." [Mind boggling numbers, those.]

DICK BRACKEN '56, Alumni Association President, reports that: "During April, the Fort Schuyler Maritime Alumni Association, continuing a thirty+ year tradition, awarded 112 scholarships of $1,500 each to cadets embarking on the EMPIRE STATE for the 2009 Summer Sea Term. Recipients were selected through a computerized competitive process which compared grades, regimental standing and financial need. Finally, the cadets were required to submit an essay summarizing their needs. The $168,000 total came from 2008 earnings of the Association's scholarship endowment, supplemented by an urgent, special appeal to the membership for cash donations. Over $60,000 of the total was raised through this appeal during February and March." [Impressive figures from a generous, supportive membership, especially in this turbulent economy.]

CHANCE ENCOUNTER - Back in 1957 EMPIRE STATE III visited the port of Genoa, Italy. Also making a port call there was the aircraft carrier USS RANDOLPH (CVA-15). Recently NFFS received a letter from "Vic" Vicarelli, a member of the RANDOLPH's crew: "We had pulled in the port...and were anchored out, coming in by liberty launch. A storm had kicked up during the afternoon, and by nightfall all of us fellows on the beach were told that the launch was not running...and to chow down on a destroyer in port, the USS ENGLISH. It was obvious there was not enough room to sleep on the ENGLISH, so we were directed to go aboard another ship in port called the EMPIRE STATE.

I went aboard looking for a bunk and ran across an old buddy of mine from College Point, CHARLES SEIBOLD '58. He was a cadet on a training cruise from Fort Schuyler. The next morning I said 'so long' to him and never saw him ........" until a brief minutes-long encounter thirty-three years later. Vic concludes: "I have often wondered how his career had gone. Did he go into the merchant marine, Navy or whatever?"

ONWARD AND UPWARD - Promoted to Executive Vice-President of The International Shipholding Corporation (which includes Waterman Steamship, Forest Lines and CG Railway) is PETER M. JOHNSTON '77.According to a Journal of Commerce article "he is a veteran of the offshore industry and rose to the rank of port captain for American Overseas Marine. Johnson joined International Shipholding in 1991 as director of operations with responsibility for the Waterman's Defense Department Contracting Program. He was promoted to vice president in 1995, assuming responsibility for all vessels owned or operated by International Shipholding Corporation."

SALLYPORT SAYING - "Stonewall Jackson did not say it, COL. G.F.R. Henderson did in 'Stonewall Jackson and the American Civil War'" writes TOM CONNORS '67. He continues, "I'd bet that the Sallyport saying came with the fort from when it was an Army base." R.L. BRANNIGAN '53, recalls that: "Back in the recesses of the bastion in the old 'A' Deck Library, I chanced upon a copy of Henderson's biography of Stonewall Jackson. Skimming through it, I found that our predecessors had made a slight emendation. After the first six words, he added the parenthesis (For officers as well as men must obey). I trust the then management wanted to keep the firm 'I am the law' hold as later practiced by CAPT OLIVET and JOE SAUVE." [Here is the quote in question from a copy of the book found in Google Books: "But men and officers - for discipline presses as hard on the officers as on the men - must obey, no matter at what cost to their feelings, for obedience to orders, instant and unhesitating, is not only the life-blood of armies, but the security of States..." (G.F.R. Henderson, 'Stonewall Jackson and the American Civil War', p.614)]

EBB TIDE - The death of JAMES E CONSADENE '54 on 17 June, 2008 was reported in the Journal Register's CountyPressOnline website. Mr. Consadene sailed for Export Lines after graduation, served in the U.S. Army, and then spent 32 years in various engineering capacities at Scott Paper in Pennsylvania, retiring as the Co-Generation Facility Manager. He was also a graduate of the Calvary Bible Institute and was a leader at the Maran-Atha Tabernacle in Darby throughout his adult life. The obituary noted that one of his interests, in addition to American History and model railroading, was the H.M.S.BOUNTY. He is survived by his wife, two sons and four grandchildren.