|
IN MEMORIAM
This month is the anniversary
of these Classmates joining
the Ghostly Assemblage
in the Long Gray Line
|
|
Lester D. Bieri, C-1
3 Aug 1937 - 4 Oct 2005
James I. Crowther Jr., F-1
19 Apr 1940 - 25 Oct 2008
Frederick H. Detjen, H-2
, 4 May 1938 - 4 Oct 1963
Ralph B. Garretson Jr., E-2
6 Dec 1939 - 4 Oct 1987
William L. Heiberg, D-2
29 Jun 1938 - 15 Oct 2002
John J. Nichols, H-1
2 Apr 1938 - 21 Oct 1998
Thomas W. Pusser, B-2
22 Apr 1939 - 22 Oct 1965
William A. Stricklen, III, M-1
15 Mar 1938 - 14 Oct 2010
Henry P. Van Gorder, E-1
31 Jan 1939 - 9 Oct 2002
"Well done; Be thou at peace."
|
|
Click on underlined names
to go their Last Roll Call Tribute.
|
Class Business
Class Leaders
Profiles
Halls of Fame Inductees
Prior Features
55th Reunion
13-18 May 2016
50th Reunion
14-18 May 2011
50 Year Affiliation Program
45th Reunion
28 Sep - 1 Oct 2006
40th Reunion
4 - 7 Oct 2001
10th Reunion
Cadet Days
|
Welcome to the
USMA Class of 1961
Web Site
|
Roy A. Haarman
Company H-2
6 Apr 1938 - 9 Sep 2016
Place of Death: Missoula, MT
Interment: Riverview Cemetery, Hamilton, MT
|
 |
|
 It is with great
regret and sorrow that we must notify you of the death of our classmate, Roy Haarman, on September 9, 2016, in Missoula, MT, after a long and courageous
battle with Alzheimer’s disease.
Roy is survived by his wife,
Kathy; his daughter, April Haarman (Fred) of Pleasanton, CA; his son, Timothy
(Laura) Haarmann of Pagosa Springs, CO; his step-daughter, Janine (Jason)
Kowalski of Florence, MT; his step-son, Paul (Courtney) Kalstad of Rohnert Park,
CA; his grandchildren, Scott (Tara) Bingham; Sean Bingham; Sage, Noah, and
Isabelle Haarmann; Klaja (Nick) Baines; Kurtis Dion; Connor and Megan Kowalski;
and McKenna and Haylie Kalstad; and his great-grandchildren, Kenna, Athan,
Braden, and Cameron Bingham. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Cindy
Haarmann Bingham, and his baby granddaughter, Sienna Haarmann.
Funeral services for Roy were held at Grace Lutheran Church
in Hamilton, MT, on September 16, 2016. Interment followed at Riverview
Cemetery, Hamilton, MT, with military honors.
Condolences may be sent to Kathy
at 100 Cottonwood Ct., Hamilton, MT 59840.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations in
Roy’s memory be sent to Alzheimer's Association, P.O. Box 96011,
Washington, DC 20090-6011.
Well done, Roy. Be thou at peace.
Click here to go to
Roy's Last Roll Call Tribute.
|
Francis G. Sisk
"Frank"
Company B-1
28 Oct 1935 - 14 Aug 2016
Place of Death: Mount Pleasant, SC
Interment: Blackshear Cemetery, Blackshear, GA
|
 |
|
It is with great regret and sorrow that we must notify you
of the death of our classmate, Frank Sisk, on August 14, 2016, in Mount
Pleasant, South Carolina
Frank is survived by his son,
Francis Gordon “Gordy” Sisk II of Atlanta, Georgia; his daughter, Kathleen Sisk
Askins, her husband Colonel Harold William Askins III, and their two children,
Mary Isabelle Askins and Harold William Askins IV of Mount Pleasant, South
Carolina; his brother, David Sisk of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; his
sister-in-law, Joan Baxter Graham of Blackshear, Georgia; his six nieces and
nephew, Debbie McCullars, Terri Hobbs, Pam Popham, Karen Thrift, Erin Drury,
Robin Sisk and David Sisk; many grand-nieces, grand-nephews, cousins, and close
friends. Frank was predeceased by his wife, Joyce, in 1989.
Funeral services for Frank will be held Wednesday, August 17,
2016, at 3:00 PM from the Pearson-Dial Chapel, 659 Main Street, Blackshear, GA
31516. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service at the funeral
home. Interment will follow in the Blackshear Cemetery with full military
honors.
Condolences may be sent to Kathleen Askins at 14 Prescient
Street, Mount Pleasant, SC 29464-2663
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations in Frank’s
memory be sent to the charity of your choice
Click here to go to Frank's Last Roll Call Tribute.
|
Andersons Continue Giving Back By
Update to Arvin Annex and Endowing Men’s Basketball & Women’s Rugby Coaching
 Army
West Point Athletics has received another extraordinary commitment from
Lee and Penny Anderson that will enhance the cadet-athlete experience in
multiple sports and further advance the mission of the Academy. The Anderson’s
contribution will catapult a transformation of the Arvin Annex that will house a
new state-of-the-art weight room and locker room facilities for multiple
athletic and club programs. In addition to this facility upgrade, the Andersons
will endow the head men’s basketball and women’s rugby coaching positions.
|
|
First Day of August 1959 at Fort Campbell
Some nostalgia from Jim Oaks that might interest you. Your challenge is to
identify everyone! (Click on picture to see larger size.)
|
|
Second Charleston Mini-Reunion at the Homewood
Suites by Hilton, 19-24 Mar 2017
 In response to popular
demand.
The Fishburnes have
organized a second Charleston Mini Reunion, March 19-24, 2017.
Accommodations will be at the Homewood Suites by Hilton Charleston - Mount Pleasant.
This is at the height
of the Low Country's Garden season.
More details...
|
|
September 2018
Mini Reunion Cruise Jewels of
Spain, Portugal & the Douro River
Queen isabel
116 passengers/staff 33
56 staterooms
2
suites
Uniworld Queen isabel boutique river cruise includes: three nights in Madrid with breakfast-Westin
Palace; two nights in Lisbon with breakfast-Intercontinental Hotel.
7 day cruise on Douro river includes:
-
All meals onboard
-
All gratuities
-
Airport transfers
-
Onboard entertainment
-
Signature lectures
-
Unlimited beverages onboard
(wine, beer, champagne, beer, premium spirits, coffee, tea, soft drinks, water)
-
Ship-wide wi-fi access
-
Onboard fitness center
-
Sun deck with small swimming pool
The 2018 schedule has not been announced but this is a small ship, so we are
collecting names of those interested in booking when scheduled is announced.
This small ship for this popular cruise will book quickly.
Please email Lois Bradfield
lois.lbtours@comcast.net
or
lois@lb-tours.com Phone: 425-961-0583 and cell: 206-295-2311.
Questions: Connie Budge--843-815-3563 or
clb615@aol.com
Flyer attached!
|
Ronald B. Neutzling
"Ron"
Company C-1
5 Dec 1938 - 4 Jun 2016
Place of Death: San Antonio, TX
Interment: Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery,
San Antonio, TX |
 |
|
It is with great regret and sorrow that we must notify you
of the death of our Classmate, Ron Neutzling, on June 4,
2016, in San Antonio, TX, of an acute pulmonary condition.
Ron is survived by his wife,
Kathryn; his daughter, Laura Neutzling
and son-in-law, Daniel Eby; his son Daniel Neutzling and daughter-in-law Alecia
Neutzling; grandson Gregory DiMario; grandsons Matthew Neutzling, Austin
Neutzling, and Zachary Neutzling. He was predeceased
by his daughter, Karen Neutzling DiMario.
A Funeral Mass will be held at 11:30 AM on
Wednesday, June 15, 2016, at St. Thomas More Catholic Church, 4411 Moana Drive,
San Antonio, TX 78218. Interment will follow at 1:15 PM at Fort Sam Houston
National Cemetery, 1520 Harry Wurzbach Road, San Antonio, TX 78209.
Condolences may be sent to Kathryn
at 15826 Eagle Cliff Street, San Antonio,
TX 78232-3425.
In lieu of flowers, the family
asks that donations in Ron’s memory be sent to The
Journey Home Project, PO Box 1893, Mt. Juliet,
TN 37121 or on-line at
http://www.thejourneyhomeproject.org. When making your donation, please
indicate it is in honor of Ronald Neutzling.
Well done,
Ron. Be thou at peace.
>Click here to go to
Ron's Last Roll Call Tribute.
|
|
2017 Colors of Canada Cruise 30 Sep - 10 Oct on MS Zuiderdam Now Offered
NOTES AND DETAILS The 2017 Colors of Canada
Cruise for the West Point Class of 1961
Purpose.
This summary augments our Flyer,
“Come Cruise With Us on the MS Zuiderdam,” briefed and distributed during the
Business Meeting at our 55th Reunion. The Flyer and these Notes and
Details were thereafter emailed to our class roster.
Ahoy 1961 Classmates.
This is Update # 1
Although still 13 months until we sail, there is a roster of attendees (30) who have
booked the cruise and paid the deposit, fully refundable until final payment
date, 1 July 2017.
Click here for roster and full detail about Cruise and
Insurance.
|
George Kopcsak Travels 6,000 Miles for Veterans
in 2016 Run for the Wall
FRONT ROYAL – A Warren County man honored his fellow military veterans with a
motorcycle ride that ended in Washington, D.C., over the weekend.
Retired U.S. Army Col. George Kopcsak, of Bentonville, and hundreds of other
motorcyclists participated in the Run for the Wall – an annual trek from
California to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington.
The group, traveling from the South, stopped in Front Royal on Friday.
Read full story.
|
|
Air Force Academy Selects USMA '61 Kenneth Siegenthaler Heiser Award
Winner
 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- Kenneth Siegenthaler
from the Department of Astronautics and Col. Neal Rappaport from the Department
of Economics and Geosciences won the Academy's 2010 Heiser Awards May 6.
First-class cadets selected the two instructors from more
than 160 eligible senior professors based on contributions to cadets' personal
and intellectual development and their demonstration of the Air Force core
values of integrity first, service before self and excellence in all we do.
Senior cadets lauded Dr. Siegenthaler for placing his
students first and imparting life lessons that transcend the daunting and
complex course material and added that he consistently teaches with a smile. Dr Siegenthaler earned a doctorate in laser physics from the Air Force Institute of
Technology. His research interests include lasers, remote sensing and small
satellites.
The Heiser Award, named after Professor Emeritus Dr. William
H. Heiser, is the only award selected by the graduating class. Dr. Heiser was
recently elected as a 2010 honorary fellow for the American Institute of
Aeronautics and Astronautics alongside former
|
|
Mike
Eggleston's New Book Is Now Available
 Mike Eggleston's newest book about Dak To is now available from the publisher, McFarland, for
preorder, but it won't be delivered for several months. Mike is indebted to
members of the 173rd Airborne Brigade who included their recollections. Two of
these received the Distinguished Service Cross for their valor.
|
|
This Year's Golfing Grads Good Time and Looking Forward to Next
Year's Outing
What a great time!
Beautiful weather, gorgeous golf courses, and especially being able to play from
the more forward tees. Regardless of handicap, I think we all had fun playing
golf. The Robert Trent Jones venues are hard to beat. As always, the outing was
more about camaraderie, war stories, and shared memorable moments while chasing
the little white ball.
Worthy of mention is
that one Classmate, contrary to instructions, drove his golf cart into a marsh.
Reports are that the cart was mired up to the hubs requiring a massive recovery
operation by the staff. I have heard that this Classmate is banned from driving
a cart in the future on a RTJ golf course. This story has legs, and the
Classmate will remain anonymous until we can properly embellish the story for
future telling.
Our class night out
was highlighted by Carmen and Joyce Cavezza joining us. Carmen, Citadel 61', is
a distinguished soldier who served with many of us during his illustrious
career. Fun night.
Next year Golfing Grads will be held at the World Golf Village near St.
Augustine on 3-5 April 2017. The dates do not conflict with Easter or the Masters. Get them on your
calendar now. World Golf Village will be a great venue. It is located just off
of I 95 south of Jacksonville, FL and near St. Augustine. A great hotel,
excellent golf courses, plus the Golf History Museum, and a huge golf store-all
on site. It may be more attractive to the ladies as St. Augustine and the I 95
corridor have much to offer. More to come on this
Hats off to John
Rocco 73' for pulling this year's outing together. Thanks to Dan Baker 73' for
all his hard work with scheduling and scoring. Thanks to our own Dick Clarke for
helping with the contracting of this year's and future venues. A special thanks
to Gary Hyde who really is the one that puts everything together and has
infinite patience in dealing with multiple classes. We wish him a speedy
recovery and hope that he can rejoin the team next year.
Will Conley and Bill
Williamson's sons added to our class fun, and I believe they really enjoyed. We
could use more sons, and golfing daughters in the future to help carry the 61'
team.
Many who participate
for the first time have a great experience and complain that they had not heard
of Golfing Grads. Collectively, we will do a better job next year getting the
word out.
|
Robert R. Protzman
"Bob"
Company A-2
29 Aug 1939 - 16 Mar 2016
Place of Death:
Ft. Worth, TX
Interment:
Greenwood Cemetery, Fort Worth, TX
|
 |
|
 It is with great regret and sorrow that we must notify you of the death of our
Classmate, Bob Protzman, on March 16, 2016, in Ft. Worth, TX, after a short but
courageous battle with pancreatic cancer.
Bob was predeceased by his wife, Loree. He is survived by his
daughter, Paige Elphingstone and her husband, Scott; his son, Scott Protzman and
his wife, Tresa; and grandchildren, Will Elphingstone, Reed Elphingstone,
Cameron Protzman, and Cole Protzman.
A
Memorial Service will be held at 1 PM on Saturday, April 2, 2016 at the 1st
United Methodist Church of Ft. Worth, 800 W. 5th Street, Ft. Worth, TX 76102.
Burial is private at Greenwood Cemetery in Fort Worth.
Condolences may be sent to Paige Elphingstone at
2833 Rosedale
Avenue,
Dallas, TX 75205-1530.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations in Bob's memory be sent to
the John Peter Smith Foundation, 1223 South Main Street, Fort Worth, TX 76104
Well done,
Bob. Be thou at peace.
Click here to go to
Bob's Last Roll Call Tribute.
|
|
Founders Day
Celebration - 11 March 2016 Well Attended by Class of 1961
Founders Day celebration at Heritage Hunt Golf and Country Club,
in Gainesville, Virginia was well attended by Class of 1961 as seen by photo
provided by Dick Buckner.
Classmates L-R: Dick Buckner, Jack Zimmerman,
Todd Counts, Mike Eiland, Bob Glass, Pat Hillier, Bill Mackie, Cy Shearer, Gene
Goodell, Joe Fishburne, George Kopcsak, Barnie Legge, John Solomon
Our ‘61 Guiding Lights L-R: Trish Buckner, Judy
Kremer, Millie Counts, Chan Eiland, Dawn Glass, Jan Hillier, Okja Mackie, Nancy
Shearer, Sharon Goodell, Ginna Fishburne, Michele Kopcsak, Denise Legge, Mary
Jane Solomon
|
|
Donations Requested to Name Defenders Lodge Room
in Honor of Class of 1961
Frank Gibson is
asking for donations to raise $50,000 to name a guest room at the Lee and Penny
Anderson Defenders Lodge, Palo Alto, CA, in honor of the West Point Class of
1961.
Placing our Class
of 1961 on a Defenders Lodge guest room will contribute to eliminating the
mortgage on the building that offers a free safe haven for Veterans and their
Caregivers while they undergo medical treatment at the Palo Alto VA.
The details for
donating are in the
attachment here.
|
|
50th Reunion Class Gift Presentation Given to
the Center for Oral History
The West Point Center for Oral History is dedicated to
archiving the story of the American soldier, in both war and peace. It will
record the professional experiences of West Point graduates and other
accomplished soldiers, along with others who have had a prominent role in
shaping history, such as former Secretaries of Defense and State, Congressmen,
and Senators.
>Established in Spring 2005 and supported by leadership
funding from the Francis Sehn Family and the Class of 1961 and Class of 1967.
During the Class of 1961 50th Reunion in 2011 the Center for Oral History was
presented a gift of $1,000,000.
Visit the COH website to watch
some remarkable videos.
|
|
40th Reunion Class Gift of Reconciliation Plaza
at West Point Described on Web Site
 The Historical Marker Database is a web site
providing information about many national monuments. Reconciliation
Plaza, our Class Gift to West Point, is described in great detail. The
web site is well worth viewing at:www.hmdb.org/marker.asp marker=35359
Click here for pictures of Reconciliation
Plaza.
|
June Week 1961 and Related Activities from July
1961 Assembly Now Available Online
The USMA Library Archives office is putting ASSEMBLY Magazine and
various other historical reports on a web site that allows you to access and download articles and information. Copies of
ASSEMBLY from 1942-1993 are currently available.
Click here for the archived issues of
Assembly .
Click here for the Summer 1961 issue. You will find it very interesting. There may be a problem for some as the huge file is 72MB.
|
|
Memorial & Family Planning
Documents
The Class of 1961 Memorial Article Project has now made the appropriate AOG Forms available for your use.
Click here to go to the Class Web Site article that explains what is available and has links to the documents.
|
|
In Remembrance:
Classmates can send their remembrances, comments, pictures to Sam Weiss
and they will be edited for inclusion
with the Last Roll Call Tribute for that person.
Current Profiles
In order to create a “Current Profile”
for every member of the class, graduates and former members of 1961, we
need your input. If you are interested in participating, email your
“vita” information to Sam Weiss
with photos in "jpg" format, if you can. If that is not possible,
then send actual photo to: John Neiger at 4011 Lakeview Parkway, Lake of the
Woods, VA 22408. All photos will be returned after we scan
them into cyberspace.
If your profile is already online,
check to make sure it is up-to-date and send us any changes or additions.
Prior Features
In order to keep this page more current with items
of interest to the Class, after a reasonable length of time items will be moved to the
PRIOR FEATURES Page (click here to go to them).
Panoramic Photo of USMA
The panoramic photo of the
Plain and surrounding buildings of West Point at the top of this page
was created by G. W. 'Casey' Kenaston, USNA '56. To view the panoramic
photo in full size with more detail,
please click here. To
further increase the size of that picture, please do a mouse button click
on the picture to get the picture enlarge icon. Arrangements
are being made for individuals to purchase copies. Detail will be
published as soon as available.
|
|
If you have any announcements of interest to other Classmates, comments, questions, or suggestions, please
e-mail them to Sam Weiss.
Number of times this page has been accessed since counter added on 4 April 2008
DISCLAIMER: This
private organization is a non-Federal entity organized by graduates of the
United States Military Academy. Non-Federal entities may not be endorsed by
the United States Army or the Department of Defense. As such, the views of
this private organization are not to be considered as the official views of
the United States Military Academy.
|
|
|
WEST POINT
Long
ago when this Country was new
Our forefathers said here’s what we must do.
We must
find a place where young men can be
Trained to serve this great country.
West
Point was chosen as the place
Where they learned to serve with honor and grace.
They
were taught to serve, and only then
Were they sent to become leaders of men.
Duty,
Honor, Country for all time
The world is encircled by The Long Gray Line.
By Joan
Seibert
in honor of the Class of 1961 50th Reunion
|
|
