Those folks in Hawaii know how to do it in style. The Change of Command for CEU Honolulu was held on the deck of the USS Missouri where Bert DiehlMatt Cutts. While Bert will be heading up all the Hawaiian construction projects, Matt will return to the East coast and be based out of Boston. Best wishes to both and their families as they call a new location home.
A nice note came in from Kirk Hiles in DC. He continues to be involved with the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and likes the DC area.
Also from the Mid-Atlantic came a birthday greeting from Tom Vitullo, "I wish you a happy 23rd birthday of our reporting to the quaint New England College on the banks of the Thames River." Wow, that was a long time ago. I haven't taken the time to look up the details (the officer register I have on my bookshelf is dated 1999 so even that is old) but I know we'd all be curious to know the number of people that are still on active duty. Anyone care to do the research and report back for next issue?
I had a nice visit with Rick Berard in Boston earlier this month. Rickwww.psoriasissupport.com. Great work, Rick --we're all proud of you.
John Odell's departure from the Academy was marked by a nice going-away luncheon, formal awards ceremony, and a final "tales on the trail run with 83" at the end of June. John served the Academy and the Coast Guard admirably during his assignment as the Academy Legal Officer. I and many others benefited from John's guidance and counsel. He will be missed locally and I'm sure will be appreciated greatly as the XO of ISC Seattle. Best wishes to John, Cher and the boys as they make the Pacific Northwest their new home. relieved continues to guide the Internet awareness aspect of the pharmaceutical company Biogen. He started this segment for the company a few years back and is quite active with U.S. and international projects. To see an example of his work, you can look at
Charlie Jager continues to remain active keeping the class connected. In addition to the class web page, Charlie has established a web discussion forum for the class at www15.brinkster.com/cga83/forum. Web forums are a nice way for folks to discuss topics and Charlie has us started with a segment on the Reunion. Once people read this set of notes, they can register on the page and create a discussion on the topic.
It is time to start making homecoming plans. A local group is beginning to think about the details and we'll use Charlie's discussion forum as a means of keeping informed/connected. The dates of homecoming are October 3-5, 2003, and right now the class is trying to secure a block of rooms in the area. We're going for quality with the reserve since it is the 20th reunion. Ed Seebald is in charge of getting us a good deal, so we should be all set. If you have suggestions or comments on what and when to do homecoming activities, log on to the class discussion forum and make a post about your ideas.
For some of us, one more year left before collecting retirement or working for half-pay. It should be an interesting year. '83 - leaders for change.