News From Fort Schuyler

March 2, 2009 - Volume 9, No. 10

WHO'S DOING WHAT - April will mark the 5th year that CAPT. JIM DeSIMONE 73 has been Chief Operations Officer of that New York City icon, the Staten Island Ferry. This position was created when a new management structure was created in the wake of a fatal ferry accident in October, 2003. According to an article in the Marine Log the new COO position has a "...key leadership role. The new COO also will lead the effort to implement the first-ever Safety Management System at the Staten Island Ferry."(www.marinelog.com) The city's Department of Transportation press release about his appointment noted that from 1987-1999, "Captain DeSimone was Commandant of Cadets and Master of the Training Ship at our nation's oldest maritime institution, the State University of New York Maritime College at Fort Schuyler, New York, where he was responsible for all college activities external to academic affairs and the operation of the college training ship." (http://www.nyc.gov)

REMEMBERING CHARLIE - A recent contribution to the latest Family Ties update prompted PHIL OHL 56 to recall that his late classmate, CHARLES BALANCIA "...was the spark that fired our class to raise over $600,000 for scholarships for needy cadets. He never forgot his roots and credited his success in life to the skills and principles he received at 'The Fort.' Charlie saw his grandson graduate in May 2006 and lived to see his class celebrate their 50th anniversary in September 2006. He died soon after that event." [At the time of his death on September 25, 2006 Charlie was the Senior Vice President for Engineering at Montefiore Medical Center, and former Mayor of Harrison, NY. The now New York State Attorney General, Andrew Cuomo, recalled that when Cuomo was pursuing an affordable housing project in Harrison "..the project was unpopular...but Balancia stood firm. I have never seen a truer test of leadership than what Charlie Balancia taught me in Harrison. Charlie Balancia stands against the wind."]

SEA TERM SCHOLARSHIPS - Recently newspapers have been running articles on the effect the recession is having on college students and their families. According to a recent mailing to 6,000 alumni from FSMAA President, DICK BRACKEN 56: "These are extraordinary times, and on behalf of the cadets enrolled in the license program at our school, we are making a one-time, extraordinary appeal for financial support." [It seems the purpose of the appeal is to continue to provide a $1,500 scholarship to as many cadets as possible who are participating in the Summer Sea Term by making up the difference in endowment funds shortfall caused by the recession.] "Therefore the Board of Directors has set a goal of $127,500 in cash donations to bring the total 2009 Summer Sea Term scholarship funds available back to the 2008 number, $240,000... This extraordinary appeal ends March 20, the same day on which SST applications from cadets close." For full details (and even to donate online) go to www.fsmaa.org/SSTScholarships A worthy cause, indeed.

TROUBADOUR - During his years at Fort Schuyler, BOB THOMPSON '64 "...picked up a discarded guitar and began to teach himself to play. During his years as a sailing man [3d Mate, 2d mate, Chief Mate, and then Captain from 1977 until retiring in 2002] he continued to play guitar and expand his song list. Bob's favorite family times were when he came home from a trip ...and pots and pans, homemade guitars, harmonicas and kazoos accompanied 'Dad' on the guitar. Shipboard, Bob was being influenced by Texas, Cajun and southern rock music." After his retirement to the St. Petersburg FL area, Bob began performing professionally and now has regular gigs, plus a website which contains about fifteen examples of his music. You can listen at www.captbobthompson.com

WHO'S WHERE - Back in Texas for a couple of weeks after teaching an engineering software program course in Abu Dhabi, LUIS M LUIS 83, wrote that: "I had a chance to spend an evening in Dubai and there is so much construction going on there that in some areas it seems they are building entire satellite cities at once. One remarkable thing in Dubai is the architecture, all the buildings look so futuristic and beautiful. And at this time of year the weather isn't even hot!" Luis is now back in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, tending to his oil platforms.

THAT TUNNEL - About every 10 years an article appears in local papers about the legendary tunnel under the East River between Fort Schuyler and Fort Totten. The most recent one appears in the February 28 issue of the NY Daily News. The illustrated article features the preliminary investigations of Prof. DAVID ALLEN, who teaches history at Fort Schuyler. The Daily News article concludes, "Though he would like to believe the secret passage exists, Allen said there just isn't enough evidence to persuade him. 'There have been people looking for this thing for the last 100 years,' he said. 'Now it's up to us to discover the truth.'" www.nydailynews.com [For those interested in reading first-hand experiences by cadets with the tunnel check out the NFFS archive (www.fsmaa.org/NFFS) and read FORTLORE in the October 29,1998 issue and FSHUNNELING THIS FALL in the November 13, 1998 issue.]

REUNION PLANS - Who is planning a reunion for 2009? The following classes seem to be in line for a get together: 1959-1969-1979-1984-1989-1999. If there is information to share on reunion plans NFFS will be glad to publish it. [BTW - Stan Lloyd Jan 44 writes: "We stopped major reunions @50 but continued minor ones, usually at my home in Florida." [The next mini-reunion at Stan's place would be their 65th.]