Class of 1994 Back, Back...To Culver Days November 2019
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Class of 1994 Back, Back...to Culver Days November 2019 Culver Academies Class of 1994 25th Reunion ~Thanks to all those who attended reunion~ Dee Adams Angela Crawford Jackson Sarah Dodge Rich Fernando Arias Steve Jackson Tom Ruane John Aylesworth Ingrid Jacobson Ted Rumpf Anastasia Medard Beeson Todd Jakel Lindsay Sammann Nathan Brown Scott Johnson Coe Schlicher Susannah Cooper Chierek Justin Kearns Juan Seldner Brian Claassen Anne Schneider Kelley Amit Sharma Heather Daigle Sumeet Kumar Jon Shine Rebecca Sturm Danehy Liz Morgan Lamoreux Trish Slemmons Mong Rich Desich Ben Lower Sarah Swanger Damian Dollard Isa Gallwas Magsamen Ray Thompson Nancy Doris Amy Browne Mason Katie Hutchinson Turner Scott Evans Ryan Mayfield Rafael Valdez Mingramm Quin Cheatham Frieder Shannon Mosley Danielle Danko Wemyss Becky Van Ostrand Gaines Meghan Myers Heather Wilson Casey Harris Virginia Hiler Napoli Chris Marschel Win Beth Chube Hawkins Charlie Norton Chris Wright Mitch Henderson Jennifer Dicke Prewitt Brent Wunder Megan Shepard Hinton Brian Ray Kevin Young With Gratitude Thank you to our reunion committee: Brian Claassen, Rebecca Sturm Danehy, Damian Dollard, Scott Evans, Quindaro Cheatham Frieder, Anne Schneider Kelley, Liz Morgan Lamoreux, Trisha Slemmons Mong, Virginia Hiler Napoli And a big thanks to: Tom Ruane for hosting our Thursday dinner and providing our Reunion HQ. Danny Cowell for key noting our Saturday evening program. Kevin Young for hosting Saturday evening's program. Lindsay Sammann and Peepers for donating sunglasses for parade. Justin Kearns and Ryan Mayfield for organizing our golf outing. PAGE 2 A Note from the Class President... Dear Class of 94 friends, I hope this newsletter finds you enjoying autumn in your corner of the world. Inside these pages you'll find photos from our 25th reunion along with some updates and news from our class- mates. Reunion was such a great weekend, and Ryan Mayfield has captured pieces of why in his article. A big thank you to Tom Ruane for hosting us at the Vonnegut House and to Sarah Dodge and others for the photos shared from our many adventures that weekend. Also, thank you to Scott Evans for his leadership as our Class President these past ten years. I'm excited to be taking over as we work to continue to keep the momentum and connec- tion going that so many of us experienced in Culver in May. While the photos show the fun we had, as I said in our class meeting that weekend, I want to honor that high school was full of good times and some not-so-great times. And over the past 25 years, we've all experienced highs and lows. It became clear at reunion that we want to know more about who we each are now. My hope is that the connections formed and reformed at reun- ion will spread and that those of you who couldn't attend or decided not to will also feel the recon- nection growing. We're working on some mini-reunion ideas and looking at a few projects that we can come together to do as a class. More on those soon. Plus, we will continue the brainstorming we began during our class meeting to create a project with a focus on sustainability and good stewardship where we can use our combined expertise, networks, and resources. And on a more personal note: After reunion, I spent some time with my dad and step mom in South Bend, and I remember standing outside alone in his backyard thinking about how my heart was so full of the joy that comes from being in a room with people and watching them laugh and connect and reminisce and tell stories and make new memories and look one another in the eyes with gratitude and love. Because that weekend all came down to being brave, open, and vulnerable, and that’s what I witnessed again and again. People who may have never really talked 25 years ago including one another, embracing, sharing memories, reaching across all the gaps and disconnects and saying, “I’m so glad you’re here.” I’m not saying it was perfect, but it was a beautiful gift to be part of, which is a pretty amazing thing when you think about how we all met in high school. Culver is a unique place. It's not perfect. And as I listened to so many of your stories that weekend, I began to think about how perhaps only at a school that exists on a gorgeous lake in the middle of cornfields in Indiana that is part military academy and part Harry Potter and part college prep could people from so many different experiences, with varying beliefs and thoughts about the world, come together with such deep connection and openness. Because at Culver, we helped one another grow up, and it connects us always. I'm so glad you are all in my life. I'd love to hear from you with any ideas, questions, or news you might have. Please feel free to email me at [email protected]. And if you're visiting in the Seattle/Tacoma area, I want to see you! Please be in touch. With gratitude, PAGE 3 A Walk Down Reunion 2019 Memory Lane... PAGE 4 A Walk Down Reunion 2019 Memory Lane... PAGE 5 A Walk Down Reunion 2019 Memory Lane... PAGE 6 A Walk Down Reunion 2019 Memory Lane... PAGE 7 A Walk Down Reunion 2019 Memory Lane... PAGE 8 My story. Our story By Ryan Mayfield Ryan, Mandy, Stella (5), Ruby (3) and Miles (1) recently moved to Richmond Hill, GA where Ryan will serve in the 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, GA. Culver will always be my home. So needless to say, I never doubted I was going to attend our 25th reunion. However, I wrestled with how to articulate to others that our reunion would be a truly valuable and worthwhile experience. As Liz, Quin, Virginia, Rebecca, and others led the planning, they thought about how to ensure a special class connection — for all to feel included not only as a former CMA/CGA student, but as a 1994 classmate who could reconnect and feel welcomed and known as a friend. During our Saturday dinner, a few classmates shared memories and a little about what Culver means to them. Combined with the keynote address from Danny Cowell, the result was a special capstone event for our class highlighting what was al- ready an outstanding weekend. Although I shared a few words, I did not share the follow- ing story of one of the reasons why Culver is special to me. I recall a fall evening senior year when I was ready go to the Dining Hall. I remem- ber feeling lost with no one to accompany me to dinner. Although I'd been eating in the Dining Hall throughout my life, I was still intimidated to walk up the steep concrete steps, push open the heavy doors, and enter into the vastness when not marching or en- tering with a group of friends. I looked for my usual Band Company counterparts or even other unit acquaintances so I would not be seen eating alone. However, with seemingly everyone involved in activities, sports or other plans, I was forced to face my high school insecurities or not eat. When I was a freshman, upperclassmen seemed so grown up and impressively cool. But now I was the upperclassman, and I realized it was not what I envisioned as an un- derclassman. While innocuous, this memory stands out because surviving eating that meal alone was a moment of growth for me. As Danny Cowell reminded us about the pro- gression from Culver freshman to senior, conquering the Culver Dining Hall is not the on- ly obstacle in becoming a graduate ready for the next life phase. Our shared memories over reunion weekend reminded us all of our struggles and our growth as the result of our Culver experience. After our amazing reunion weekend, my mom and dad drove me back to O’Hare. I’ve always been proud of my dad’s Culver history, commitment, and career, and during our drive, he shared a story of his own cadet struggles I had not heard. He almost did not progress to his sophomore year because he failed his geometry final exam. In 1962, if a CMA student failed a final exam, he failed the entire semester term, leading to expulsion. He was afforded one chance to retake the exam in the fall to pass the class and remain at Culver. This forced a summer of intense weekly geometry tutoring in Indianapolis driven to from Kokomo by his father. While not what my dad planned, not only did he pass the exam re-take, he remembers the time gained with his father and the relationship with his geometry tutor as blessings and foundational life markers. Continued on next page... PAGE 9 My story. Our story, continued Throughout our reunion, we shared stories of successes and struggles and recon- nected easily even with those who were not necessarily close friends as students and class- mates. However, it was during Saturday night’s class dinner, where Becky, Nate, Megan, John, Casey, and Steve courageously and humorously shared their own Culver memories and circumstances that I realized how to articulate why this specific Silver reunion is so valuable and worthwhile: it offers a connection or reconnection to our story — a shared story that shaped us individually as well as collectively. Culver Fund Thank you to the 35 classmates (exceeding our goal of 33 classmates), who supported Culver between July 1, 2018 and June 30, 2019 by making a Culver Fund gift.