ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP : 2% Thanksgiving. Thankfully their son and some 150 youthful celebrants at the very 60 LIFE MEMBERSHIP : 67% his family were there. Their daughter lively Irish party afterward. It was a fitting PRES: John J. Michalski came out soon after and they had a start for Gillian and Shaun (a Notre Dame 2039 Homewood Rd., Annapolis, MD 20409 memorial service for her. Jan Shaw spoke footballer in the 1980s), whom Gillian P: 410-757-6429; E: [email protected] to Charlie last week and they also plan introduced to us when we attended the SEC’Y: Bill Lewis another memorial service in San 50th USNA reunion in Annapolis. 14312 Cove Ridge Pl., Midlothian, VA 23112-4337 Francisco in Feb., will get details for you. Finally, we are always ready for a party P: 804-744-8808; E: [email protected] ― WEBSITE: http://www.usna60.com/ Ed, hope that you are mending and that and we trust the Annapolis - D.C. you all are enjoying this holy season. contingent will soon be gearing up for From Duane Beck (3 ): Bo Moran I the 55th. We have not missed a single I “My wife, Sally, and I recently returned From The Karen & Grant Plummer (6 ): every-five-year USNA reunion, and we from a two week cruise out of Los don’t intend to be slackers in 2015. Angeles to Hawaii and back. A couple I “Bob Rohr (22 ) wrote (facebook): Best regards, Al.” I from our neighborhood (very good “Difficult Xmas this year. While we were friends) here in Loudon, TN. accompa- on cruise, our oldest daughter Cindy nied us on the trip. During the cruise our passed away in her sleep apparently from neighbors were joined at lunch by several cardiac arrest brought on by her diabetes. people including a couple from So, we’ve been busy. Corkey, our youngest California. Sally and I were not there. came down with the grandkiddos During conversation they discovered that Michael and Jennifer so we had a good one of the gentlemen was a USNA grad time together. Corkey put up the tree and and classmate of mine, Richard Harper Cindy spent Xmas with us under the tree (7 ). Later that day they informed me of but at peace with the Lord. We’re hoping for a great New Year and wish you and the meeting and asked if I knew Richard. Al Holden What a surprise, since Richard and I had Grant all the best.” exchanged probably hundreds of e-mails From Al Holden (18 ): From Rod Friedmann (5 ): as part of the editing team working on I I our 50 Year Anniversary Yearbook. Having “Bill, seasonal greetings for 2013 from “Bill, thirteen classmates braved the obtained his stateroom number, I called NYC as Laurie and I begin our 45th year sunny, almost 60 deg weather to gather for him and we met. We continued to visit of “brownstoning” in the Prospect Park our Jan. luncheon. The luncheon was held with each other off and on during the environs of Brooklyn. We continue to take on Jan 8th, at Burton’s Grill (one of our remainder of the trip. I don’t know how advantage of the short subway commute favorite luncheon restaurants), in Virginia to explain it, but I had such a good feeling into Manhattan for regular trips to the Beach. It was good to get together after when talking to Richard and his friend, theater, restaurants, and museums. the holidays and not surprisingly the talk Brook. This Classmate bond I felt is an We celebrated our 52nd anniversary was about health issues, vice great Naval unexplainable phenomenon to most on an academic research trip to London battles, wine, women or song. Everyone people but very real to me and I believe last spring, but another exciting event in had a story to tell about a major operation to all my classmates. Attached is a picture 2012 was my giving away Gillian Lotz on or two. We almost renamed the group the of Richard, Brook, Sally and me taken July 28th on Kent Island (MD). Her “Zipper Club” because of the number of during dinner one evening on the ship. deceased parents had been our great open heart surgeries. Ed Clexton (10 ) Duane Beck I friends ever since Laurie and Calvin Lotz was able to attend after his very recent started their careers teaching history at heart surgery and Rod Friedmann (5) University of Baltimore in 1966. As the made it in after his Christmas back photos suggests, I won plaudits for surgery. On the lighter side, Paul Cooper walking Gillian down the aisle and then (5 ) took over for me and organized an for assuring Laurie and I kept up with excellent luncheon. It was a real treat to

Duane Beck

From Bo Moran via Ed Clexton (10 ): I “Charlie Fischer (1 ) lost his wife, Mieke on November 23, the Friday after

’60: Tidewater group

Stewardship, Spring 2013 67 60•61 CLASS NEWS

Christmas Party

’60: Christmas Party ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP : 3% 61 LIFE MEMBERSHIP : 68% get out on a nice day and share in the As I and my two look-outs, pumped camaraderie. In attendance were: Ed for battle, manned the Bridge for the PRES: RADM Jerome F. Smith Jr., USN (Ret.) CORR. SEC’Y: CAPT Bob Denis, USN (Ret.) Clexton (10), Jim Eilertsen (21), Bob mid-watch, heading North at full speed 3124 Windy Branch Dr., Toano, VA 23168 Ianucci (16), George VanHouten (24), ahead, we noted the full moon and that P: 757-250-3115 Torry Rogers (3), Paul Cooper (5), the ocean water was quite florescent. E: [email protected] or Henry vonKolnitz (22), Bert Johnson Soon thereafter - “holy _ _ _ _”, dead [email protected] WEBMASTER: Howard Winfree (3), Jack Greenhalgh (9), Bill Kee (9), abeam, port and starboard, two torpedoes, E: [email protected] Frank Kay (8), Bob Powers (8), Bob each heading toward our midship! Now WEBSITE: www.USNA61.org Osmon (17) and Rod Friedmann (5). what? Sound the Collision alarm and turn Since the weather was nice, we were fast left or right 90 degrees .... or sound Ahoy, classmates and welcome to the able to get a group photo outside of the the Diving alarm, to go under surface to Stewardship addition of this column. Not restaurant. Rod I fight the bad guy? a lot of news this time compared to last month’s outpouring, but still we have a From Gary Chew (22 ): As I grabbed the Collision alarm, both the torpedoes turned 90 degrees toward number of items to address. I “Bill. This is weird, but true. My first our bow. [I froze]. Then they leaped out of The class extends its deepest sympathy - USS Picuda, out of the water, through our wake, and then to Bill Rakow (19) on the passing of his in 1962 - was a participant along with disappeared. We unclenched our chests, wife, Lani on February 1st after a long two DDs and a CG in the 2nd annual and watched the porpoise’s activity and valiant struggle with illness. To quote UNITAS ASW cruise around South continue for about ½-to-1 hour. I don’t a part of her obituary: “Lani was a 1963 America, performing joint ASW exercises remember how or when the show ended, graduate of Mary Washington College in with most of the South American navies: or if my watch relief team experienced Fredericksburg, VA, and upon graduation down the Atlantic, through the Straits of this, or if I described it to anyone the next married Bill and began her 27-year career Magellan, up the Pacific to Panama and day. I think I would have. If any of you as a military wife. In addition to running through its canal, then northeast to home. readers remember any parts of this story, the home and raising her children from The Cuban Missile Crises was approach- please contact me. places such as Camp Lejeune, Kansas City, ing its conclusion [Kennedy’s blockade] The remainder of our activities - and Kaneohe Bay, she took on the addi- which was peaking as we approached the through the canal and on to Key West - tional duties of elementary school teacher, right-hand turn into Valparaiso, . The were of less interest - something like: bank teller, dental assistant, cat tamer, dog cruise commander immediately released “Picuda, stay on the surface, proceed supervisor, horticulturist extraordinaire, Picuda [a too slow three engine sub] and directly to Key West and stay there until teaching substitute, and later in “retire- made the beat toward and further notice.” That’s explainable ... for ment” in Ocean Pines as office manager east to the Atlantic action. As we left another day. Gary Chew I for Rakow Homes, Ltd, among other Valparaiso the next day, our skipper miscellaneous activities. Oh, and also local executed Picuda’s ‘Rig-for-War Bill’. [He Included herein are several pictures from humorist for the various groups she was was always at war, which is why Picuda the tidewater Christmas party. able to surround herself with in the many was, for years, the ‘E’ sub in Key West.] locations she blessed.” Lani will be remembered in a memorial service on 29 April at 1000 in St. Andrews Chapel at the Naval Academy with inurnment immediately following the service in the U.S. Naval Academy Columbarium. Some of you know that I often nag you guys to send me “stuff” you’re doing and are involved in to put in our Shipmate Christmas Party class column. Not just to fill the white space, but because I truly believe other folks will find it interesting. Here’s a recent email exchange between Tim de Gavre (11) and Alan Greer

68 SHIPMATE—75TH ANNIVERSARY