Thursday, January 30, 2014

Annual Giving Office at the West Point Association of Graduates (WPAOG)

Dear Dr. David Brown, Greetings from West Point and Happy New Year! The purpose of this letter is to inform you of the various ways that the Annual Giving Office at the West Point Association of Graduates (WPAOG) will reach out to graduates and friends of the Academy for annual support in 2014. As you know, the Academy and WPAOG have critical annual fund needs that must be met in order to achieve their budget requirements * Superintendent’s Annual Fund - This annual appeal’s mailing will begin in February. Signed by the 11th Dean of the Academic Board of USMA, BG (R) Daniel J. Kaufman ’68, the appeal will ask graduates, parents, and friends of the Academy for unrestricted support. Unrestricted gifts are arguably the most important gifts the Academy receives because they provide the Superintendent with maximum flexibility to direct funds where they are most needed. In addition to receiving the appeal, some of your classmates will receive a follow-up phone call from our calling program vendor, Advantage Consulting. As you may know, WPAOG is prohibited by law from utilizing cadets to solicit private donations—a best practice at most institutions of higher education. As such, we employ and train an experienced third party to make phone calls on the Academy’s behalf. * A Club - This year the solicitation will be mailed on a staggered schedule, beginning in February. Graduates will be given an opportunity to make unrestricted gifts to Army Athletics, which qualify for A Club priority points and benefits. In addition, team-specific appeals, known as “Friends of” letters, may be sent via e-mail throughout the year. These funds do not qualify for benefits and directly support the athletic teams. * Long Gray Line Fund - This solicitation letter will be mailed out to all graduates and friends in August. Our alumni organization requires private support to operate in lieu of dues and magazine subscription fees. The Long Gray Line Fund helps fund the operations of WPAOG on an annual basis. Please share this information with your classmates. As we receive many questions regarding the various annual appeals, we strive to provide additional information to graduates about their purpose and impact. If you have any questions regarding the Annual Giving program, please contact Lisa Benitez ’88, Senior Director of Annual Giving, at lisa.benitez@wpaog.org. As always, Thank You for all that you do for your Class, West Point, and WPAOG! Sincerely, Elena I. Meskill ’99 Director, Class Giving

Saturday, January 11, 2014

Dr. Mearsheimer's Debate in China

From John Mearsheimer - Folks, In early November (2013), I was in Beijing, where I debated Yan Xuetong, China's leading international relations theorist, on the question of whether China can rise peacefully. The debate has just appeared in a YouTube version. At the risk of overloading your inbox with too much John, I thought I would you send the link for the debate in case someone is interested. Best. John http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBrA2TDcNto

Sunday, January 5, 2014

America Unhinged

John J. Mearsheimer is Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago (and the R. Wendell Harrison Distinguished Service Professor since 1996). He is also a classmate USMA 1970. Shared with permission: "Happy New Year to everyone. I just had a lengthy piece published in the National Interest that I thought might interest you. It is entitled "America Unhinged," and is a hard hitting critique of US foreign policy. I have attached a copy below. Best. John”

Monday, December 16, 2013

RIP, Kurt Rorick, I2

Kurt W. Rorick, 65, Crawfordsville, died Friday, Nov. 29, 2013, at his residence. Funeral services will be in conjunction with the Monday, Dec. 9, Mt. Pleasant Kiwanis Club meeting at noon at the Pizza Hut in Mt. Pleasant. Online condolences may be sent for the family at www.jonesfh.com. He was born Dec. 12, 1947, in Binghamton, N.Y., and was the son of Kermit and Ruth (Weinreber) Rorick. He graduated from Binghamton Central High School and graduated from West Point Military Academy in 1970. On Nov. 11, 1973, he married Janice Mayfield. He had resided in Crawfordsville since 2004. He worked in the steel-building industry, and was most recently employed by Ceco in Mt. Pleasant. He was a member of the Mt. Pleasant Kiwanis Club. He loved fishing and hunting, and was an amateur photographer. He is survived by his wife; daughter, Suzanne Rorick of Stevenson Ranch, Calif.; one grandson; and brother, Les (Linda) Rorick of Pasadena, Texas. He was preceded in death by his parents.

Monday, November 18, 2013

RIP, Daniel W. Reyen, F-1

Dear Members of the Class of 1970, The West Point Association of Graduates regrets to inform you of the death of the following Graduate: MAJ Daniel W. Reyen, USMA Retired, USMA 1970, Cullum #29210, passed on November 16, 2013, in Hartwell, GA. To be interred in Nancy Hart Memorial Park, Hartwell, GA. No known next of kin. If you have information related to this notification, please inform marilee.meyer@wpaog.org Personal testimonials may be posted at the link below. https://apps.westpointaog.org/Memorials/Article/29210 http://www.stricklandfh.com/obituaries/Dan-Reyen/#!/Obituary http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/independentmail/obituary-print.aspx?n=dan-reyen&pid=168022337
Prepared by: Marilee Meyer, Memorial/Archives Administrator Validated by: Kim McDermott ’87, Director of Communications Please note: This notice reflects historical and current information as it was reported to WPAOG.

Saturday, November 16, 2013

Ireland Reunions Tours

From Classmate John Dobiac - dobiac@att.net Fellow West Point Grad - Ireland Reunions Tours is beginning to fill up our available 2014 and 2015 Ireland Reunions tour weeks listed on the front page of www.IrelandReunions.com. Please contact Mike@IrelandReunions.com for additional information and to answer any questions. Thank you. Go Army! Mike Michael D. Healy, USMA 1969 Certificate of Irish Heritage Affiliated Genealogist Author/Photographer of "Irish Genealogy Tips, Techniques and Tales" , "Ireland Mosaic: A Photo Journey", and "Pubs of Ireland" series eBooks in the following online bookstores www.amazon.com | www.bn.com | www.ebookstore.sony.com and the Apple iBookstore. Search Keyword: M.D. Healy. Toll Free 877-224-5535 Mobile 571-385-6970

Sunday, November 10, 2013

The Tombs

From classmate Perry Casto - Recently our classmate, Terry Nyhous, was doing some sightseeing with his daughter in DC and stumbled on this sign. He was so amazed that it still exists he had his picture made by it. Request that you send it out to the class, while it may not mean much to most of our classmates, it is a landmark of gargantuan importance to those of us who attended the USMA Prep. Some may not remember it, Jim Mowery and Dave Dawson come to mind. But that only proves David Crosby was right when he said, “If you remember the sixties you weren’t there.”