News From Fort Schuyler

October 5, 2009 - Volume 9, No. 36

PASS IT ON - Gremlins invaded my computer during vacation and destroyed the hard drive, so this issue of NFFS is going out to a VERY old, years out-of-date, address list. There will be many errors which I plan to correct over time. Please forward this NFFS to your classmates and ask them to get back to me at rcorson@nyc.rr.com with their name, e-mail address and class year, if they wish to receive future newsletters.

WIN ONE, LOSE ONE ? The football team seems to be headed for at least a .500 season. They won some important ones, Massachusetts Maritime (31-14) and Kings Point (28-21 in overtime) and beat Anna Maria College this weekend in a 61-21 'laffer', but lost to Wagner College and Husson College in September. The next game, with Castleton State College of Vermont as the opponent, will take place on Homecoming Day, October 10th at 1:30 PM at Reinhart Field. (All the details are at www.sunymaritime.edu)

NEITHER WAS ROME - It's been under construction for eleven years already, but that Nicklaus-designed golf course at Ferry Point, Bronx, near the Whitestone Bridge, may actually be completed before 2012. According to an article in the Oct 3-4, 2009 issue of The Wall Street Journal: "Ferry Point will be a nearly treeless, Irish links-style course, featuring tall, blowing native grasses and dunes with teeing grounds that rise as high as 60 feet above grade and provide splendid views of the East River [and Fort Schuyler?] and, eight miles away, the Manhattan skyline. Mr. Nicklaus specifically intends the course, at 7,300 yards or so from the back tees, par71, to be worthy of PGA tour events and possibly major championships." [Just the spot for a future Fort Schuyler Maritime Alumni Association Annual Golf Classic.]

FALL OPEN HOUSE DATES - There are still plenty of opportunities for your son, daughter, niece, nephew, grandchild, neighbor kid, friend, etc. to visit Fort Schuyler, talk to cadets, and check out the educational opportunities available at SUNY Maritime College. Dates are Saturday, Oct 24th (10:00 - 15:00) and Sunday, Nov. 22 (10:00 - 15:00). On Thursday, Dec. 3 there will be a Transfer and Graduate Program Open House. To register for any of these go to www.sunymaritime.edu

IAMU CONFERENCE - SUNY Maritime College had student, faculty and administration representation at the International Association of Maritime Universities held at the Admiral Marakov Sate Maritime Academy in St. Petersburg, Russia from September 17-21. The Fort Schuyler delegation was led by college president ADM. JOHN W. CRAINE, Jr.USN (Ret.) Cadet DANIEL VORSKY 1/C, presented a paper at the student conference entitled, "In Search of the Lost Life Boats", while Luce Library Director CONSTANTIA CONSTANTINOU and Head of Reference, SHAFEEK FAZAL presented a paper entitled "Library Afloat: Educating Maritime Students at Sea Through Library Services" [www.sunymaritime.edu/StephenBLuceLibrary/conferences.htm]

CROSSING THE BAR - There have been a number of deaths during the past month. Two are noted here. The others, listed below, will be detailed in forthcoming issues of NFFS.

The most unexpected death was that of retired CMDR MARK MAZII '88, age 42, who died on August 25, 2009 in a plane crash. As his friend, PROF. ANTHONY MANZI '89 noted: "He fought in Desert Storm and Iraq and died in an ultralight crash, go figure. Very sad." According to an article in the Greene County Daily World (Indiana), Mark, an experienced naval helicopter pilot, "...was the rear passenger in the two-seat craft' which crashed in a soybean field. Both he and the pilot wore belts and helmets but did not survive the crash. CHARLES HARRINGTON '90 wrote in an e-mail that, "Mark was one of my Indoctrination Officers at Maritime, and as such, was a major influence on my life as a cadet. Not only did he start my Maritime life off right, but he inspired me to become an Indoctrination Officer myself. Mark had a distinguished career as a Navy helo pilot after graduating from Maritime."

There were numerous entries in Mark's online Legacy Guest Book. A former colleague, ADM. ROBERT COX, USN (Ret.) wrote "I worked with Mark for about 2 years while stationed in the Pentagon. In truth, I had the great fortune of Mark working for me in N81. Mark was one of those unique individuals who no matter what the situation, he emphasized the bright side, and the positive.....Mark made everyone around him want to do better and to make a difference." Another Maritime College graduate, KEITH BARBER, wrote: "He was a man of his word, a patriot, a superb naval officer, and I loved him like a brother. The day I met Mark changed my life. When we found out that we were both 'Domers' we became fast friends and we were engaged in each other's lives from that point on." Mark, who worked for the defense contractor Scientific Applications International Corp., was a resident of Bloomington, IN. He is survived by his wife, Michelle, and two daughters.

Less than a month later, on September 18, another totally unexpected death occurred, this time on campus. Student-athlete BENJAMIN BRAGG, 2/C, was crushed to death when his jack failed while he was changing the oil in his car. Benjamin, who came from Mandeville, LA, was a member of the Maritime College rugby team. He was remembered in ceremonies before and after the rugby match with Drew University on September 20. According to the college website (www.sunymaritime.edu) "Ben Bragg's family and teammates shared time in remembrance of Ben and dedicated themselves to Ben's spirit and his enthusiasm for the game." [BTW - Maritime won the match 58-5.] http://www.sunymaritime.edu

Other recent deaths include:
LEONARD L SUTTER '53, age 79, Alexandria, VA (9/21/2009)
VERNER B UNGER '61, age 72, Amityville, NY (8/28/2009)
JOSEPH S ORLANDO Oct '44, Elmont, NY (8/16/2009)
ROBERT H JAHN Oct '44, age 85, Demarest, NJ .(8/11/2009)
WILLIAM E RYAN '45, formerly Rockville Centre, NY, (May 27, 2009)
ERIC H SVAIGSEN Oct '44, age 83, Astoria, NY (3/24/2009)