a publication for the admiral farragut academy community winter 2015 2015-16 Regimental Commander Brooke Liu ‘16 and other members of the Regiment. REVEILLE Winter 2015 a word from development Reveille is designed to give all members of our community a quick glimpse of what Farragut A tradition to be proud of is today, including highlights of students, alumni, faculty and staff, past and upcoming events, After over 30 years of active duty in the Navy and other important initiatives. and 17 years as the Director of Naval Science at Admiral Farragut Academy, I have decided to hang up my uniform, put on a bow tie, and become a Development Officer on the Advancement Team at Editors Farragut. I thoroughly loved my time in the Navy Jeff Ogden ‘00 flying airplanes, driving or captaining ships and travelling all over the world, Jessica Van Curen but the last 17 years working with cadets at Farragut has been equally as rewarding. I have seen over 1,000 cadets graduate and I, along with the rest Senior Writer of the faculty, am proud to have had a part in their success. Chris Girandola This edition of Reveille is devoted to Farragut’s naval tradition. Particularly, we have focused a portion of this issue to an alumni base who has not Contributors received the amount of recognition they rightly deserve -- our female cadets Robert J. Fine, Jr. who have gone on to become officers in the armed forces. When you see CAPT Tom McClelland the accomplishments of our female graduates, I think you will be amazed at Alison Lescarbeau their success. Our very first female cadet -- Megan Malia Leilani McClung Tony Pemble ‘91 -- joined the Marine Corps in May 1995 after graduating from the Naval Academy, eventually becoming a high ranking public affairs officer assigned to the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters at Camp Pendleton. Design After years of providing PA support to a Special Operations Training Group, Angela Gazabon-Serje Megan deployed with the Marine Expeditionary Force in February 2006 for one year in Al Anbar Province in Iraq. Sadly, she was killed when her Humvee Photography struck an improvised explosive device after escorting a FOX News crew to Admiral Farragut Academy the Governance Center, and while bringing two Newsweek reporters to a Energyhill Coalition outpost in the city of Ramadi. Megan was the first female Marine officer to be killed in the Iraq war, as well as the first female graduate of Vernon Photography the United States Naval Academy to be killed in action since women began attending the institution in 1976. Megan’s legacy has been emboldened with Read it? Love it? each Farragut alumna who chooses to carve her path in the military. Tell us your thoughts on this edition of Reveille. Share your Our first female Battalion Commander was Keri Graham in 1996. Since then, stories and pictures with us for we have had seven more females leading our Corps of Cadets, including this year’s Commander, Brooke Liu from Sichuan, China. During my time at the next edition. (We reserve Farragut, out of the 41 Academy Appointments and 101 ROTC Scholarships the right to edit your letters for earned by our cadets, our females have received 14 appointments and 29 length and clarity.) Please email scholarships; 19 of them are currently serving as officers or are in training to [email protected]! become one in the Navy, Coast Guard, Merchant Marines or Army. As decisions regarding the role of women in the military are being made in Congress and at the Pentagon, our female graduates are helping pave the Write to Us way to change while making us proud of their accomplishments. Please enjoy Admiral Farragut Academy reading about their impressive careers and be proud that they represent Reveille Winter 2015 Admiral Farragut Academy around the world. 501 Park St N St. Petersburg, FL 33710 CAPT Tom McClelland, USN (Ret) Development Officer and former Naval Science Director Printed on 10% recycled paper. 1 table of contents FARRAGUT TODAY 3 Progress 7 Leadership 8 Financial Snapshot 12 Around Campus 20 Summer Camps 21 Athletics 23 The Arts 25 Females in the Military Timeline 31 Recognition ALUMNI 32 Happenings FEATURED STORIES 35 Event Recap 36 Honoring our Military 9 FACULTY & STAFF MILITARY TIES 37 Class Notes 15 STUDENT SPOTLIGHT 42 Taps 47 27 A BAND OF SISTERS: A tribute to Farragut Go Social women in the military 48 Farragut Anchor 50 Throwback Reveille printed by George Emmanuel ‘88S farragut today Wallingford and Worthy team up to reshape the Office of the Commandant “The leader can never close the gap between himself and the group. If he does, he is no longer what he must be. He must walk a tightrope between the consent he must win and the control he must exert.” -- Vince Lombardi, the legendary Green Bay Packers coach who led the Packers to two Super Bowl trophies and is widely recognized as one of the greatest coaches – and teachers – of all time. hen reading a quote about Wleadership from Vince Lombardi, it is easy to understand why Admiral Farragut Academy’s Commandant, Todd Wallingford, lists the Packers as one of his favorite sports teams. “Admiral Farragut Academy is a unique place,” said Wallingford, who joined Farragut at the beginning of the 2014- 15 school year after being in a similar CDR Todd Wallingford role at Culver Military Academy in ” Indiana for 16 years. “We recognize the importance of the balance between Quote here “We recognize the importance of the balance between military structure and college preparedness. This is not a boot camp. This is a place to prepare kids for college and ultimately for life.” - CDR Todd Wallingford, Commandant ” 3 progress military structure and college look at the tradition and preparedness. This is not a boot they have a sense of pride camp. This is a place to prepare with regard to Farragut’s kids for college and ultimately for foundation. The feedback life.” I’ve received has been incredibly positive.” Yet, Wallingford and the two other men hired to re-invigorate Since joining Farragut the Office of the Commandant last year, Commandant – United States Marine Corps Wallingford and 1st Sgt. 1st Sgt. David Worthy, who Worthy have had a major began last year with Wallingford, impact on the school. In and the Senior Naval Science a short amount of time, Commander Rick Schock, who they have consolidated started at the beginning of the departments, assembled 2015-16 year – respect the fact a new staff, instilled a that Farragut was built on a new sense of pride in the military structure and the people cadets, established a new within it have thrived because of discipline system, played 1st Sgt. Worthy such structure. a large role in updating Corps for 20 years – and they the dorms from a tangible bring a certain type of leadership “Everyone involved has a vision and cultural standpoint, and that is similar in origin with both to return Farragut in some implemented new policies and men being positively affected way to its roots in regard to a procedures. by mentors who demonstrated military structure and attitude,” effective guidance. said Wallingford, whose office “We knew as soon as we met is responsible for naval science, each other we’d be on the same As Worthy puts it, that residential life, security and page,” Wallingford said. Both leadership style equates to safety, student discipline, men served in the military – being “firm, but fair with the operations, and the well-being of Wallingford in the Navy for 10 proper amount of dignity and the corps of cadets. “The alumni years and Worthy in the Marine compassion.” Photo caption CDR Wallingford with Ethan Lipsky ‘18 (L) and Michael Cooney ‘16 (R) during the Alumni Homecoming Dinner this ” past October 2015. 4 farragut today who we originally thought was going to be the “If you don’t understand that, then you don’t same type. He wasn’t. The first thing he told us was understand people well enough,” said Worthy, who if we do our best and we help him by working hard, served as a drill instructor for seven-plus years for he would help us. ‘Respect me and I’ll respect you the Marines at Parris Island, South Carolina and as back’ is what he told us. He made an impact on me a Naval Science Instructor at a public high school to treat people the right way.” in North Carolina before joining Farragut. “We have a different type of community here. You have to Under the guidance of Wallingford and Worthy, understand the people if you’re going to lead them Farragut’s Regimental Officers reported to school correctly.” a week early and went through rigorous and comprehensive training. The emphasis of their Both men left stable careers where they were training was on “Servant Leadership,” focusing on well-established because they saw an opportunity the operational aspects of the regiment and the to impact people in much the same way they were dorms. impacted early on in life. For Worthy, it started with influence from a Marine Corps Master Sergeant “They are front and center and proactive in when Worthy was in the Junior Reserve Officer interacting with our cadets in every facet of their Training Corps. academy life,” Wallingford said. “The Regimental Staff meets at least weekly with Naval Science “This guy literally pulled me into his classroom one to debrief and to be briefed. Their leadership day and told me I was headed down the wrong path educational process is ongoing. Our cadet and that I had more to give to life than that,” said Worthy, who is originally from Charlotte, North Carolina.