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IN MEMORIAM This month is the anniversary of these Classmates joining the Ghostly Assemblage in the Long Gray Line |
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Click on underlined names
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Memorial Room Thumb
By Company
Recollections from the ladies 60th Reunion Part I
55th Reunion
of the Class of 1961
27 Jan - 1 Feb 2022
60th Reunion Part II
19 Jan - 23 Jan 2023
13-1
50th Reunion
14-18 May 2011
Class of 2011 Affiliation
Program
45th Reunion
28 Sep - 1 Oct 2006
40th Reunion
4 - 7 Oct 2001
Cadet Days
Welcome to the
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Click here for Latest Class Notes |
Upcoming Class ActivitiesFor more information or to add an event, contact Ed Brown or Sam Weiss |
Access to Dropbox Files
What is Dropbox?
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 Last Roll Call Home Page
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John E. Jones
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It is with great regret and
sorrow that we must notify you of the death of our classmate, Ed Jones, on July
11, 2026, in Reno, NV. Ed is survived by his wife,
Jerry; their daughter, Courtney Jones Hrycay, and her husband, Bill; and their
grandsons, Daniel and James. Funeral services and
inurnment will be at West Point on a date to be determined. Condolences may be sent to
Jerry at 2317 Blushing Rock Drive, Reno, NV 89521-4474. In lieu of flowers, the
family has requested that donations in Ed's memory be sent to Veterans Guest
House, Attn: Patrice Klaich, 880 Locust Street, Reno, NV 89502 Well done, Ed. Be
thou at peace. Click here to go to Ed's Last Roll Call Tribute. |
Walter E. Stanley
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It is with great regret and
sorrow that we must notify you of the death of our classmate, Ted Stanley, on
June 11, 2026, in Thousand Oaks, CA. Ted is survived by his
wife, Carol; their son, David, and his wife, Claudine; their son, Thomas, and
his wife, Lisa; their son, Timothy, and his wife, Rachel; their son,
Christopher, and his wife, Lisa; and their grandchildren, Kevin, Ryan, Jack,
Olivia, Keira, Chloe, Katelyn, and Layla. He was predeceased by their son,
Brian. Funeral services were held
at St. Paschal Baylon Church, Thousand Oaks, CA. Burial was at Pierce
Brothers Valley Oaks Memorial Park, Westlake Village, CA. Condolences may be sent to
Carol at 3370 Streamside Lane, Apt. 213, Thousand Oaks, CA 91360-8469. The family has requested
that donations in Ted's memory be sent to the Alzheimer's Association, P.O. Box
96011, Washington, DC 20090-6011 or the Elizabeth Dole Foundation, 1625
Eye Street NW, Suite 725, Washington, DC 20006. Well done, Ted. Be
thou at peace. Click here to go to Ted's Last Roll Call Tribute. |
Cyrus N. Shearer, III
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Cy is survived by his wife,
Nancy; their son, Robert (USMA ’90) and his wife, Luisa; their daughter, Susan
Beckworth and her husband, Andy; and their grandchildren, William Shearer,
Christopher Beckworth, and Lauren Beckworth. Funeral services at
Arlington National Cemetery will be on a date to be determined. Condolences may be sent to
Nancy at 13976 Real Quite Court, Gainesville, VA 20155-3148. In lieu of flowers, the
family has requested that donations in Cy’s memory be sent to The Lamb Center,
P.O. Box 1385, Fairfax, VA 22038-1385. Well done, Cy. Be
thou at peace. Click here to go to Cy's Last Roll Call Tribute. |
It is with great regret and
sorrow that We must notify you of the death of our classmate, Cy Shearer, on July
5, 2026, in Gainesville, VA, from cancer.
Wayne D. PlogerCompany K-1 15 Jan 1935 - 13 Jun 2026Place of Death: Woodbridge, VAInterment: TBD |
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Wayne is survived by his
wife, Judie; their son, David and his wife Kim; their son, Bruce; their five
grandchildren, Elizabethany and husband Justin, Michael and wife Maddy, Joe and
wife Kristi, Jeff, and Kyle and wife Tara; and their four great-grandchildren,
Owen, Eevee, Cade, and Dexon. Funeral services are
pending. Condolences may be sent to
Judie at 14080 Central Loop, #3118, Woodbridge, VA 22193. To honor Wayne, the family
requests you take a quiet moment on the water, listen to a good song, or pick up
a tool and start something new. Well done, Wayne. Be
thou at peace. Click here to go to Wayne's Last Roll Call Tribute. |
It is with great regret and
sorrow that We must notify you of the death of our Classmate, Wayne Ploger, on
June 13, 2026, in Woodbridge, VA,
Bob Glass Receiving a Gift from the Class for His 25 Yars of Service as Class Preident
President Emeritus Bob Glass Presented a Gift |
Martell D, Fritz
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It is with great regret and sorrow that I must notify you of the death of our classmates, Bud Fritz, on May 18, 2026, in Tulsa, OK. Bud is survived by his wife, Sheryl; their daughter, Kelley Baughman and her husband, Jim; their daughter, Nancy Vance and her husband, Scott; and their grandchildren, Hannah Vance, Maya Vance, Nina Vance, Nash Baughman, Evan Baughman, and Kate Baughman. Visitation will be from 5 PM to 7 PM, June 4, 2026, at Hayhurst Funeral Home, 1660 South Elm Place, Broken Arrow, OK 74012. Funeral services will be at 10:30 AM, June 5, 2026, at the Anglican Church of the Holy Spirit, 12121 E 41st Street, Tulsa, OK 74146. A reception will follow in the Parish Hall. Burial will be at 2:30 PM, June 5, 2026, at Fort Gibson National Cemetery, 1423 Cemetery Road, Fort Gibson, OK 74434. Condolences may be sent to Sheryl at 10210 South Fulton Avenue, Tulsa, OK 74137-6048. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that donations in Bud’s memory be sent to the Anglican Church of the Holy Spirit, 12121 E 41st Street, Tulsa, OK 74146. Well done, Bud. Be thou at peace. Click here to go to Bud's Last Roll Call Tribute. |
Neil Grig is Colorado State University’s River Master Professor of Civil and
Environmental Engineering
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Francis C. Egan
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It is with great regret and
sorrow that I must notify you of the death of our classmate, Frank Egan, on
April 16, 2026, in Atlanta, GA. Frank is survived by his
son, Eric (USMA ’90), and his wife, Michelle; his son, Scott, and his wife,
Becky; his daughter, Kristin Domescik, and her husband, Kirk; and his
grandchildren, Benjamin Egan, Davis Domescik, Caroline Domescik, and Gregory
Egan. Frank was predeceased by his wife, Betty. Funeral services will be at
2 PM, April 23, 2026, at St. Ann Catholic Church, 4905 Roswell Road, Marietta,
GA 30062 with a reception immediately following at Indian Hills Country
Club, 4001 Clubland Drive, Marietta, GA 30068. Burial will be at a later
date at Georgia National Cemetery in Canton, GA 30114. Condolences may be sent to
Eric Egan, 320 Kelson Drive, Atlanta, GA 30327. In lieu of flowers, the
family has requested that donations in Frank's memory be sent to Visiting Nurse
Health Systems, 1 Ravinia Drive, NE, Suite 1430, Atlanta, GA 30346,
designated to support underserved patients cared for by Hospice Atlanta. Well done, Frank. Be thou at peace. Click here to go to Frank's Last Roll Call Tribute. |
56 Men Who Risked It All Life, Family, Fortune, Health, FutureOur Classmate Bob Hampton, to help celebrate and honor the 250th anniversary of the founding of our country. has put together a new document and website - DeclarationofIndependenceSigners.com. Check it out. |
George M. Cherry, Jr.
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It is with great regret and
sorrow that we must notify you of the death of our classmate, George Cherry, on
March 10, 2026, in Tampa, FL. George is survived by his
wife, Phyllis; his son, Ken and his wife, Mindi; his granddaughter, Rachael
Langley and her husband, Lewis; his grandchildren, Ryli, Maxx, and Grace Cherry;
and his great grandchildren, Lawson and Luca Langley. At George’s request, there
will be no funeral. He will be cremated and his ashes scattered. Condolences may be sent to
Phyllis at 2413 Bayshore Boulevard, #1403, Tampa, FL 33629-7391. In lieu of flowers, the
family requests that donations in George's memory be sent to a charity of your
choice. Well done, George. Be thou at peace. Click here to go to George's Last Roll Call Tribute. |
Courtney M. Rittgers
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It is with great
regret and sorrow that we must notify you of the death of our classmate,
Courtney (Corkie) Rittgers, on February 22, 2026, in El Paso, TX. He is survived
by his son, Trenton and his wife, Janay; his daughter, Rana Rittgers-Simonds her
husband, Patrick; his brother, Colonel Forest S. Rittgers Jr.; his
grandchildren, Mairin Mateele Simonds, Maeve Marie Simonds, and Rowan Patrick
Simonds; Janay’s children, Christopher Bohn and Andrea Crabb and her husband,
Benjamin; and Janay's grandchildren, Madison Bohn, Allison Bohn, Asher Crabb,
Mathis Crabb, and Selah Crabb. Courtney was preceded in death by his
parents, his wife of 50 years, Mateele, and an infant son. A memorial
service will be held at 11 AM, on Saturday, June 13, 2026, at All Saints
Episcopal Church, 3500 McRae Boulevard, El Paso, TX 79925. Courtney's
cremated remains will be interred in Arlington National Cemetery on a date to be
determined. Condolences may be sent to Trent Rittgers and Rana Rittgers-Simonds at 10105
Monaco Drive, El Paco
trent31764@yahoo.com
and
ranasimonds@gmail.com. In lieu of
flowers, the family requests that donations in Courtney's memory be sent to one
of the following: Emory Transplant
Center, Mason Guest House, 1555 Shoup Court, Decatur, GA 30033. All Saints
Episcopal Church, 3500 McRae Boulevard, El Paso, TX 79925. Emory Healthcare, Center for Transplantation, Office of Gift Accounting, Emory
University,1762 Clifton Road, Suite 2400, Atlanta, GA 30322 or online at Well done, Courtney. Be thou at peace. Click here to go to Corkie's Last Roll Call Tribute. |
Lyman G. White, Jr.
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It is with great regret and sorrow that we must notify you of the death of our classmate, Jerry White, on March
7, 2026, in Niceville, FL. Jerry is survived by his wife, Cathy; their daughter, Martha Keeler, and her husband, Brian; their son, John, and his wife, Pam; and their grandchildren, Catherine White, Sean Keeler, Scott White, and Caroline Keeler and her husband, Mike Locascio. A memorial service will be at 11 AM, on Saturday, March 28, 2026, at St. Jude’s Episcopal Church, 200 Partin Drive N, Niceville, FL 32578. Jerry White's funeral is
scheduled at 1:30 PM, September 25, 2026, at the West Point Cemetery.
Those attending should meet NLT 1:00 PM at the Visitors Control Center located
in the West Point Visitors Center in Highland Falls. There will be a reception following Jerry's funeral in the Great Hall of Herbert Hall, the AOG building. If you plan to attend, please let Ed Brown know by
e-mail NLT 11 September. Condolences may be sent to Cathy at 4241 Bobcat Cove, Niceville, FL 32578-8771. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations in Jerry’s memory be sent to St. Jude’s Episcopal Church, 200 Partin Drive N, Niceville, FL 32578. Well done, Jerry. Be thou at peace. Click here to go to Jerry's Last Roll Call Tribute. |
Richard C. Boys
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It is with great regret and sorrow that we must notify you of the death of our classmate, Joe Boys, on March 6, 2026, in Beacon, NY. Joe lived a life of service and died sprinting to the finish. Joe is survived by his wife, Sandy; daughters Kelly Jane Gutensohn (Peter) and Kathy Cook (Ken); sons Richard (Kip) C. Boys III and Robert Boys; as well as numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren. Funeral services and burial arrangements are pending. Condolences may be sent to Sandy at 30 Beekman Street, Unit 204, Beacon, NY 12508-2545. Well done, Joe. Be thou at peace. Click here to go to Joe's Last Roll Call Tribute. |
Attending Heritage Hunt VA Founders Day Dinner 1 March 2026On 1 March 2026, 24 classmates, spouses, and offspring attended the Founder’s Day commemmorating the 224th birthday of West Point at Heritage Hunt in Gainesville, VA. Aside from the general conviviality and an update on West Point today, the evening was highlighted by a stellar performance by the West Point Alumni Glee Club. Thanks to ’58 and ’59, we were not the oldest grads in attendance.
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Joseph G. Adams
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It is with great regret and
sorrow that I must notify of the death of our classmate, Glen Adams, on January
5, 2026, in Austin, TX. Glen is survived by his
daughter, Kimberly Sandman, and her husband, Chris; his daughter, Kathryn
Vaughn, and her husband, Earl; his daughter, Melissa Adams; his grandchildren,
Joseph Grant Sandman, and his wife, Elizabeth; Emma Vaughn; Adam Vaughn; and
Jeremy Sandman; and his great grandson, Theodore Sandman. Glen was
preceded in death by his wife, Carole; his wife, Ellen; his wife, Jeri; and his
stepchildren, Todd Allen and Connie Allen. Service details are not
available at this time. Condolences may be sent to
Kimberly Sandman at 500 Boulder Creek Drive, Marble Falls, TX, 78654. In lieu of flowers, the
family requests that donations in Glen’s memory be sent to Gift Operations, West
Point Association of Graduates, 698 Mills Road, West Point, New York 10996.
Make checks payable to the West Point Association of Graduates and designate the
Army Football Team Fund in the memo section of the check. Donations can be
made online at https://alumni.westpointaog.org/sports?giveto=armyfootball. Well done, Glen. Be
thou at peace. Click here to go to Glens Last Roll Call Tribute. |
Class of '61 Participating In 2026 Ring Melt
Gene Witherspoon decided to donate his ring in person this year and Trish Buckner, Barbara Gibson and Janis McBee are there to donate the rings of Dick, Frank and Don. Others attending, according to Gene, included the Eilands, Rod Grannemann, the Grisonis and Leigh and Ted Major as well as other family members. |
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Our Class of 1961 is represented today from north to south, as several are at
West Point for the Ring Melt and George and Michele Kopcsak are in Antarctica.
Reconciliation Plaza UpdateMichael Eiland on 28 May 2025 checked out
our Reconciliation Plaze. With landscaping completed and context
marker installed he thinks it looks good. Will look better when touch-up of the
old markers is completed.
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AOG Has Established a Full-time Staff Position to Assist Grads & Family in Getting Benefits From Dept of Veterans Affairs (VA)Jim Nicholson has sent us this important information. Thanks to the good leadership of the AOG, they have been successful in establishing a full-time staff position there whose only responsibility is to assist graduates and their family survivors in understanding and obtaining benefits that may be due to them from the Dept of Veterans Affairs (VA). The current occupant of this job is Sue Irons (Class of 89). Sue has a strong background in VA benefits, and possesses a great attitude about helping people navigate the sometimes complex VA benefits system. Additionally, Sue has agreed to schedule a zoom call with members of our class, if desired, to enhance their awareness of possible VA benefits. Sue is also available to assist people on an individual basis. Her telephone number is: 845-446-1623. Her email is: sue.irons@wpaog.org. This is a very good move on the part of the AOG, and it will prove to be very helpful. |
New Recollections from the Ladies of the Class of 1961 Feature HereLadies and Gentlemen of the Class of 1961: What you may how read in our Class
Website are
responses to a pursuit in the making over the past few years. Aided by several
of our �mates and Ladies, we now will include the
Recollections from the Ladies or click
on the Recollections from the Ladies of the Class of 1961 |
Memorial & Family Planning DocumentsThe Class of 1961 Memorial Article Project has now made the appropriate AOG Forms available for your use. Click here to go to the Class Website article that explains what is available and has links to the documents. |
AOG Announces The Rockbound Highland Home Program Welcoming Grads Home
Most alumni love to visit their alma maters, and West Point graduates are certainly no exception. However, because the Academy is on an active-duty Army post, gaining access and touring West Point present unique challenges. To enhance services for the Long Gray Line, the West Point Association of Graduates has launched The Rockbound Highland Home Program, a new program ensuring that every graduate coming back home to the Academy is welcomed in the special way that family should be. The Rockbound Highland Home Program was created exclusively for USMA graduates and is designed to assist you in navigating post security procedures, offer special access to select MWR (Morale, Welfare, and Recreation) facilities and services, and provide �insider� tours for you and your guests. For information on how to support the Rockbound Highland Home Program and other WPAOG initiatives, click here.
For more information on each aspect of this program, please
click below or contact: |
Who
says you can�t go home again? For 47 months, West Point was
your home�through Beast Barracks, Mess Hall meals, clubs and team experiences,
competitions on the fields of friendly strife, the Indoor Obstacle Course,
graduation, and even the gloom period.
Should You Be Enrolled Into The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor - Consider
The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor, located in New
Windsor NY, commemorates Purple Heart recipients through its Roll of Honor, a
database of Purple Heart recipients representing all wars for which the award
has been available. All enrollments are done voluntarily The Roll of Honor is viewable both in the Hall of Honor and on-line. The version that is viewable in the Hall allows for a total of six screens per recipient. Profiles can contain pictures as well as written narratives of the experience of the recipient. The on-line version is an abbreviated, single page commemoration for each recipient and can be viewed from any computer via the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor website, www.thepurpleheart.com According to information gathered from the 2010 Register of Graduates and the 50th Anniversary Yearbook questionnaires, at least 50 classmates have received 64 awards of the Purple Heart. I have compared this information with that on the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor website and believe that only 5 classmates are included in the current Roll of Honor. If you are a Purple Heart recipient, I encourage you to complete and submit the necessary enrollment information that can be found at www.thepurpleheart.com/enrollment. |
50th Reunion Class Gift Presentation Given to the Center for Oral History
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. |
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.
40th Reunion Class Gift of Reconciliation Plaza at West Point Described on Web Site
Click here for pictures of Reconciliation Plaza. |
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:
June Week 1961 and Related Activities from July 1961 Assembly Now Available Online
ASSEMBLYY 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. |
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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). 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 your profile is already online, check to make sure it is up-to-date and send us any changes or additions.
Material Contributions If you have any announcements of interest to other Classmates, comments, questions, or suggestions, please
e-mail them to Sam Weiss.
| 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. |
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WEST POINT Long ago when this Country was new
We must find a place where young men can be
West Point was chosen as the place
They were taught to serve, and only then
Duty, Honor, Country for all time
By Joan Seibert
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Counters reset 30 June 2025 |
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