Scott O'Connor's letter to classmates

Class of 1983 25th Anniversary Class Gift Campaign January 2008 Dear Member of the USMMA Class of 1983, Hello from Jacksonville and from over the years! I don’t intend to be long-winded; maybe grab your favorite beverage before you read on. There are a few things I want to mention as we go into 2008, the year of our 25th graduation reunion year from Kings Point. The bottom line is a combined class gift that we will present to the Alumni Foundation during Homecoming 2008. Chris Thayer and Mike Donnelly are coordinating our Reunion-related activities and will be contacting you in the near future about those. Here is my short update. Glenda and I have been doing well, living here for 16 years, raising our two children Kyle and Katie. Kyle is a 3rd classman at KP and Katie is a junior in high school. I am piloting on the St. Johns River and Glenda is in graduate school. We’ve been active with the North Carolina and Jacksonville Alumni Chapters over the last 20 years. This is partly why I’ve been asked to act as chairman of our Reunion gift drive. Thinking back, I have sometimes wondered where other paths without a college education at KP might have taken me. I haven’t been able to imagine one of those paths with a ‘Regret’ sign post marking it. Of course, after 25 years the obvious strikes me - Wow, we were young at KP. We must be old now -- NOT! We are in the thick of what life has to offer us. I hope you are able to look back peaceably on the road you’ve taken since our graduation. I would have a hard time believing that graduating from KP has been to anyone’s complete detriment. I have recently dusted off our yearbook and read through it. For most of our 238, I do not know who’s gone on to do what. I’m looking forward to this opportunity of finding out and bringing our record up to date. We have lost class members on their paths after KP – Joe Gallagher, Russ Meehan, Milt Moore, Mark Paradiso and George Whittaker. Their memories will continue for who they were when we knew them and for the contributions of time, talent and treasure that they made to others in their lives. It strikes me that we are all beholding to varying numbers of our class in varying degrees for having gotten through our four years at KP and beyond. Reading the yearbook I was struck by two other thoughts. One was the wide range of locations we came from reflected in how geographically diverse we are now. The other is the wide diversity of athletic programs, clubs and activities at the Academy. No one could be in every club or sport but I regret not finding the time to participate in more of them. Why wasn’t I skiing, sailing or rowing? Let me change gears. In contrast to today’s optimistic outlook for the US maritime and opportunities within, we were leaving the Academy when sailing and shore side job opportunities in the maritime were thin. At that time maritime policies had been put into place that had us heading out into a depressed industry. We have all chosen paths that allowed us to meet that challenge, going off in a wide range of jobs, activities and paths of development. Now, the maritime opportunities and the Maritime Administration’s affirmative stance for meeting the graduation requirements are greater. There is an impending shortage in maritime manpower. The maritime schools are being tasked with delivering a highly and technologically trained graduate that can meet the changing nature of the maritime industry.

Scott O'Connor, son Kyle, Kyle's Grandpop (2/07)   Scott's son Kyle and daughter Kate (3/07)   Glenda O. as hostess for USMMA Crew Team Spring Training party (3/07)

Midshipmen continue to need Alumni support. At Kings Point, budget stresses continue as the Academy tries to funnel more dollars into the requisite technology and training to meet the demands of the industry. The Alumni Foundation is set up to help provide support for the Academy’s primary mission as well as many extra-curricular programs. The number and the diversity of that list has grown over the years. The Alumni Foundation support, through contributions from alumni and others, needs to grow with it.

The financial funding provided by the federal government is only enough to cover the basic operations of the Academy. Virtually all co-curricular activities exist through the generosity of our alumni, parents and friends. Areas where the Academy depends on private support include; Classroom and Laboratory Modernization, Athletics, Regimental Band, Waterfront Facilities, Leadership Development through the Lanier Lecture Series, and creation of an Ethics Center, just to name a few. The Foundation continues to fund its Career Services for Midshipmen and alumni, Midshipman Internship Assistance, Midshipman/Alumni functions, Homecoming, the Kings Pointer, and more.

Tom Bodman, Rich Boudiette, Mickey Cunningham, Brian Foy, Randy Johnson, Al “Bumper” Kunkle, Frank Liantonio, Dan and Carrie Rohde, Bill Sliker and George Toma and have graciously agreed to help with this project. You should expect to hear further from one of us. We have two simple goals 1) 100% participation of our class for the 25th Reunion Gift and 2) an amount of $110,000. The amount is based on our class’s average giving over the past five years. We are suggesting “25 for 25” as an amount to donate -- $25 per year for the past 25 years. If you haven’t sent a dollar or pledged anything to the Foundation in the past, consider doing so this next year of our 25th graduation anniversary and Homecoming. Then look ahead and think about doing it at least one more time when our 50th rolls around! If the Midshipmen have been recipients of your generosity in the past consider making a pledge and donation again. All your pledges and donations will be totaled and presented during Homecoming 2008. The total will include all donations that you might be inclined to make from December 1, 2007 through December 31, 2008 (13 months). It will include any restricted or unrestricted donations that you make. Unrestricted ones allow the Foundation to use and manage those funds as it best sees fit and restricted funds go to any particular fund that you may designate.

Our committee looks forward to rounding up your tax-deductible pledges and donations for the Alumni Foundation throughout 2008, on behalf of the Class of 1983. These donations may be eligible for matching funds from the company that you work for with a minimum amount of effort on your part. Please pursue that match if you can. We hope you can take some time for reflection and give generously. We will keep you posted of our progress with this endeavor on Ray Christensen’s website, www.StillConnected.com/kp83 .

Thank you in advance and drop a line. If you don’t want to hear from us simply fill out the enclosed form, write a check and send it to the Alumni Foundation!

We look forward to getting in touch, either again or for the first time since graduation. Either way, that’s great! I know I’ve been lax in this arena, although Glenda accuses me of making time to talk to anyone under the sun. I’m taking the time off for our 25th Reunion and heading to New York next September 25th. I look forward to seeing many, many of you in New York at that time. Thanks again.
Sincerely,
Scott W. O’Connor ‘83
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Fundraising Status - July 2008

Classmates,
By now you should have been contacted by one of our Homecoming Gift Committee members, one way or another. Thank you for your thoughtful consideration of our alma mater that sent each of us on our way.

From my limited perspective I can say that our campaign has been buffeted by winds of change at the Alumni Foundation and the Academy. In the long run all these changes are meant to better support the Regiment of Midshipmen in a myriad of activities that your gifts support. That is key.

In an atmosphere of uncertainty a natural reaction is to hold back, in this case to hold back with an uncertainty of whether our gifts are well received and used. I would venture to guarantee that that is so and will be even more so as the Foundation moves on. One of the fallouts of recent streamlining has been a reduction in gift giving from major private and corporate donors. Seeking their support and confidence in giving is the Alumni Foundation's stated major objective at this time. I believe that a strong showing from groups of alumni donors like the Class of '83, exuding our confidence with our giving, will go a long way to help with the Foundation's current major task. At the same time Academy M/N's will continue to benefit, as will you and I with other Foundation programs.

Our goal is $110,000 in gifts by the end of this calendar year. This year, through June, our class has contributed $31,582 and pledged an additional $18,893. The total represents 46% of our goal with contributions from at least 57 members of our class.

The recent "perfect storm" has past with the same M/N support programs needing your support. If you are waiting until you travel to New York for Homecoming this Fall, please consider sending your pledge or gift sooner so that it can be properly accounted for prior to. If you have not had the opportunity to consider making a gift or pledge, please do so and do the best you can. If you have made a gift or pledge, you might consider doing so again - that would be SUPER!

If you want a reminder of where the money goes or want a good chuckle, page through some of the current Indoc photos at www.usmma.edu/parents and click on any of the days/companies. (I believe Jackie '83 Nielsen's son is somewhere in those photos)

Again, thank you to each of you for your consideration.

Glenda and I look forward to a great time with all of you when we gather at KP in September. Dave & Buster's, 1700 - ? Friday night, first night. See ya'.

Best Regards,
Scott O'Connor     Class of '83 25th Gift Chairman
Jacksonville, FL
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