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Minutes The meeting commenced by
teleconference at 1000 EST. Present were Schwehm, Bill Ray, Hocker,
Rabe, Kovel, Sadler, Gadd, Golden, Schorr and Fred Smith. Absent were
Karsian and Ramsden. Former AOG Advisor Voorhees also attended.
1. Schwehm reported for Rabe that the sole expenditure from the administrative account was $147, the annual cost for maintenance of the Class web site. He reminded that the Board had approved the purchase of a Class flag to be displayed in Herbert Hall and used in classmate funerals at West Point. The proposed design did not meet with approval when presented to the Board via email. Greater favor was shown to a flag seen in Herbert Hall with a gold crest. Additionally, a black field for our flag was suggested. Our request for a unique design, gold crest on a black field (flags for new classes are uniform), was met with initial resistance, but our persistence has resulted in further consideration, although that process is unaccountably stalled. Schwehm will contact the responsible AOG Vice- President to further press our case. 2. Ray reported progress in the contracting for repairs to the Honor Plaza. The Superintendent has approved the Board’s expression of willingness to fund repairs . The Class has voted, at a ratio of 35 to 1, favoring the expenditure of up to $12,000 from the Class gift fund. The AOG has selected the Culbertson Company of New York to perform the restoration. The company has done considerable monument work at West Point, most recently in the cemetery, and is highly regarded by the Academy for the quality of their work and their integrity, hence their selection on a sole source basis. At a contracted cost of $9,500, they will remove and reset numerous granite pavers and a massive granite slab under the plaque at the center of the monument. They will remove and replace failed caulking as necessary, and will install backing rod and sealant at vertical and horizontal wall transitions. The blocks on the walking surface will be cleaned, with failed joints removed and re-mortared. Ray reviewed the rationale for our decision to commit Class gift funds for the restoration. The Plaza was given to the Academy, and accepted by the Superintendent and the Secretary of the Army. Our long term position, therefore, is that major repairs should be paid for by the Army. We have been informed that because of sequestration and budgetary restraints the Army cannot take on any major repairs that may be necessary, so we have accepted the responsibility for funding immediate repairs to the visible failures. The root cause of the failures is not known, and contractor liability has long expired. An earlier proposal was received to drill four bore holes to analyze the Plaza area and the foundation. The cost was significant, and conceivably could reveal defects well beyond the Plaza area. The test and any resultant extensive repair expense would be well beyond our capability, or interest, in taking on. Our name is on the Plaza, however, and its current appearance is unacceptable. We are in a position to make repairs of a partly cosmetic nature, which will restore the monument to presentable condition for some years, at least. Classmates will recall that we have provided an endowment for future repairs to our gifts. That endowment, as is common, provides that only gains from investment, and not principal, may be withdrawn. Unfortunately, our fund is too new to have accumulated gains. 3. Schwehm proposed that the Board, led by Kovel, attempt to resuscitate the Class Notes program, which was such a popular part of the defunct Assembly publication. Kovel described the system he has been using recently. It is primarily a newsletter distribution, by email to his list of willing participants, of the type of inputs that were previously sent to Assembly. With other material of Class interest, he uses the Class net or the Forum. Schwehm reiterated the past popularity of Class Notes and observed that there were impediments to their revitalization, notably a lack of input related to a certain lack of enthusiasm for internet reading, but also a past shortfall in promotion. The AOG’s replacement for Class Notes is in its website; each class has a window. With a password, any graduate or other AOG member can access any classes’ notes. Schwehm believes that this particular feature is valuable, just as in the print version. Some readers enjoy the notes of other classes with which they are familiar. A fault in the program, he thinks, is that entries are published as they are received. He believes materials should be published on a quarterly basis, as was the print case, for greater impact. The Board approved a motion that Class Notes be submitted to the AOG on a quarterly basis, similar to what was done when the Assembly was being published. This would be in lieu of sending input to the AOG as it is received by the Scribe. However, death notices and obituaries will be provided to the Class net and the AOG immediately following receipt by the Scribe. The quarterly column (April-June, etc.) will be a summary of the input collected by the Scribe during the period, some of which may have been disseminated directly to the Class when it was received. Considerable publicity and motivational efforts will be necessary. We will communicate with the Class in all ways, on a recurring basis, to solicit contributions. It will be necessary to provide detailed instruction on accessing the AOG website. Our Class Notes may also be added to the Class website or sent to all by email in the future. 4. The Board discussed the 60th reunion contract proposed by the Thayer. Of interest were provisions regarding the number of rooms we will be using. It is the hotel’s policy to require reunion classes to initially book the entire hotel of 151 rooms, with an option to later (180 days prior to the reunion), reduce the number by 25%. In our case, were we to take the option, we would be committed to 113 rooms. This would seem to be a satisfactory commitment, since the current AOG estimate of our participation is 116 graduates. The AOG keeps extensive historical data, with which to enable realistic estimates. Various negotiating opportunities for the AOG staffer who will be planning and executing our reunion were discussed, including the hotel’s anticipated nightly room rates. The hotel requires our guarantee of a minimum set dollar amount for food and beverage, and the amount proposed appears quite satisfactory. Numerous other provisions were discussed and left for future action. No complementary rooms for the Class Aides or the AOG staff were mentioned. Hospitality arrangements are unaddressed. The provision addressing nonperformance in the event of national emergencies and other dire events protects the hotel, but not the Class. The check-in time is not compatible with anticipated reunion registration plans. In general, things look good. We are not alone in our decision to avoid the traditional Spring reunion week period, for the benefits of meeting at The Thayer: the ambiance of the hotel, more time at the Academy, and elimination the long bus rides. ‘52 did not avoid reunion week, but a portion of the Class stayed at The Thayer, and events were held there. They were quite satisfied. ‘53 used it last year in April, successfully. ‘54 will be there this April, and will use the AOG’s services. They are pleased with both the hotel and the AOG, at this point. ‘59 is also using both The Thayer and the AOG this year, at the height of the hotel’s Autumn season, but on a non-football weekend. Schwehm addressed the Board on the 60th Reunion in general. “A 60th is a very, very special one, in many ways more meaningful than a 50th. This will be our last hurrah, the last viable one, anyway. Reunions of the ‘65th, ‘70th, and ‘75th, who traditionally get automatic access to The Thayer, are for the very hardy and the very few. This will be the only chance to use the hotel for so very many of us. The Class voted strongly for a Spring reunion but did not show an especial interest in graduation week. Hence, the Board consequently felt that a late April weekend with a scheduled parade, and The Thayer opportunity, was the best choice. We did right. Now it’s our job to make it memorable. We have the tools. Many of us worked the 50th and 55th, and some have earlier experience. We have a wealth of information available in after-action reports. We will be into details in future meetings, and we have the AOG at our back (in the lead, actually), and they are accumulating much experience while running many reunions each year. “It is true, for sure, that this reunion will be more costly that any of the previous. The Thayer is a seasonal, destination, resort-like hotel, learning to take full business advantage of its unique location. Our April 27 rendezvous coincides with the start of their peak Spring tourist get-away season. My advice is: Gentlemen, put a ten dollar bill under your mattress every week. That $1560 will be a valuable investment for your visit to West Point in April of 2017.” 5. In our continuing effort to maintain a high rate of article production, Smith (Memorial Article Coordinator) presented a list, by cadet company, of deceased classmates on whom memorial articles have not been prepared. Four companies lacked only one (exceptional CQ leadership with outstanding support, or good genes, or both), while another four lagged with nine. The Board identified those individuals who appeared to be, for a variety of reasons, better candidates for the production of articles. Smith will bring them, in particular, to the attention of their respective cadet company CQs. He will remind CQs that, although most articles are of full page length, half page articles are permissible. The shorter articles are very much easier to produce. Classes have done that in the past, usually in obvious “catch up” efforts. Additionally, although next-of-kin approval of articles is generally required, the rule can be relaxed if none is locatable, which can often be the case when the death was well into the past. Smith reiterated the importance, and the benefit, of filing data on oneself with the AOG, and even preparing a self-written article. 6. No date was established for a subsequent meeting. 7. The meeting adjourned at 1138 EST. Respectfully submitted, Paul J. Schwehm Class President
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