Ace correspondent Brian Foy gets us underway with a picture of ‘83 classmates on March 12 from the Hard Rock Cafe in Las Vegas. Joe Walsh, George Toma, Tom Heberle, Steve Dear ‘85 (started in ’83), and Brian.

In our last column, Ronda Cobb was headed for a KP Women’s BB playoff game near her home in Ohio. She shares “The women lost their game, but it was a good game and they played strong.  The host college was really nice and they did a pretty good job. I’m not an expert at BB, in any way, but it seemed like the referees were very friendly with the opposing team.  Maybe that just comes from me being super-observant. Here’s the post game picture of all who were there with the team.  What a pleasure to meet the young women!”

Scott Metheny sent this photo of his family the day after Jake (middle) got married November 22nd.

Brian Foy “Just had lunch with Joe Bishop in Merritt Island, FL, on my way to Ft. Lauderdale. ‘Salty Joe’ is the salt of the earth.” Brian gets around and later attended a Puget Sound USMMA-AAF Chapter dinner in Seattle along with John Kimmerlein and Mark Allen. Mark reports that he is in regular contact with the elusive Chris O’Connor!

Phil Mueller notes:
Becky and I met up with Young and David Heinbockel in Key West, FL on a quest to visit the Dry Tortugas National Park.  Unfortunately the weather was not cooperative with 30 KT winds and 8-10 foot seas which caused the Muellers to chicken out.  David and Young braved the elements and have checked off that National Park on their list.  We did meet up for a great evening and dinner.

Jon Kjaerulff gathered some good tidbits:
I’ve been lurking for a while depending on other people to occasionally send in pictures of me.  Here’s some random shots from the past year of me and some of my favorite classmates!

1. April of last year, Chris Hart, Bill Sliker and me in Gruene, Texas getting ready for the eclipse.

2. June of last year, Bill Sliker helping me move four storage lockers worth of stuff into our new storage building. You never know how much stuff you have until you go to move it! You know how good friends help you move, but great friends help you move bodies…  What Bill didn’t know was…..well let’s just say he’s a great friend.

3. August of last year, with Joe Walsh and Phil Lempriere ’84 at an open house celebrating Joe’s law firm’s new offices in Seattle’s Smith Tower. A very memorable bash! I try to avoid getting sued, but if I am, I’m pretty sure I want Joe and Phil on my defense team.

4. Maritime Day 2025 with Willie Barrere at the Maritime Day Propeller Club reception in Washington, DC. I hadn’t seen Willie since graduation, then was part of a panel discussion with him one day and saw him at a party the next. Amazing how neither one of us seems to have aged over the years.

John Prien reports:
Here are some pictures of Leslie and Bill Higgins as well as Cindy and I at the top of the Zugspitze in Bavaria, Germany back in April and May as well as Bill and I raising some 1 liter glasses of excellent German beer! We had a great time on our trip with them to Germany, Austria and Italy. Cindy and I even visited the lake resort of “Prien Am Cheimsee.”

Steve Keating contributes:

It was great to see the posts in the Spring 2025 Kings Pointer for the class of 1983.  So good to see fellow mariners, Art Burns, Paul Zubaly, Rex Gundle, Rhonda Whittaker, Mark Smith, Kirk Barrett, Scott Bruggeman, A.J. Murphy, Jim Quern, Yvette Pigott, Larry Migliozzi, and others. Really enjoyed the images Mark Smith provided of that awesome cruise from Ushuaia (Tierra del Fuego) to Antarctica!

Post retirement has provided me with a bit of a reality check that time marches on: I needed to get hearing aids (years of exposure to shipboard machinery) and needed two surgeries.  Thankfully, I am on the mend and will get back to tennis, table tennis, and fly fishing soon.

In May 2025, I was invited by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to receive an Intelligence Community (IC) Lifetime Achievement Award for more than 21 years supporting the IC in areas of international law, the law of the sea, and marine safety of navigation.  It was an honor and a privilege to provide legal support to the IC at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, a place where many Kings Pointers have and continue to serve with distinction.  NGA General Counsel, Allison Stevens, and Deputy General Counsel, Paul Holden, kindly gave me an honorary Ping Pong Paddle, knowing how I love the sport.  Attached is an image from the event.

Wishing you and our Kings Point family a wonderful Summer. May all those who continue to sail in our merchant marine or serve in uniform at sea return safely from their voyages to their loved ones.  ANV, Steve

Bumper Kunkle checks in:
Maria and I have started out slow this summer, but our travel plans pick up in the middle of June.  We visited Burgess Falls State Park in May.  It’s 30 minutes from our house so it’s a nice place to go for a hike and enjoy the scenery.  We went to Boston a week later to catch a couple of games at Fenway with my son Jimmy.  The Mets were in town, so it was a perfect time to go.  Fenway is a must see if you’re a baseball fan.  We also did a little sightseeing and enjoyed some good food.

Maria and I met up with Sue and Tom Bodman in Chattanooga in early June.  The Bodmans are making their way to Montanna for the summer and decided to send a few days in Chattanooga.  We went to tour of the Raccoon Mountain Caverns and had lunch before Maria and I headed back home.

Thanks to all for the news! Stay cool through the warm season and enjoy additional photos at KP83.org

Joe Ertolacci is trying to help me track down lost classmates:
Ray, I have tried numerous times to contact Roger Foster as he was my roommate at the academy with no success.  I know he works at BIW, Bath Iron Works, in Maine but that’s it. 

Art Burns sent a couple photos. One is with Paul Zubaly taken in December 2024 in the Philippines. The other is with Rex Gundle at my home in Wisconsin February 2025. Paul lives in the PI and I was spending some time at the “Winter Home” my wife built there.
Rex and his wife were traveling between North Carolina and Minneapolis. We live about 15 miles off their route so they dropped in to watch the Super Bowl!

Ronda Cobb says hello:
Once again I made it out into the frozen tundra to do Wreaths Across America.  Look at the last person in the line-up of older folks laying the wreaths – with the white hat & scarf – you know, shorter than the rest of the people. This is my last year laying the Merchant Marine wreath as I sort of froze to the pavement and almost fell on my nose!  Funny, not really … But, all for a good cause.

Now, I’m dashing out the door to the NCAA Div III Women’s BB tourney at Baldwin-Wallace here in Ohio. It’ll be nice to support some of the current Midshipmen. I hope this finds everyone well. 

Mark Smith enjoyed some travel:
We took a wonderful trip to South America -10 day guided tour with Gate 1 in Rio de Janeiro, Iguazu Falls, Buenos Aires.  I was last in Rio in November of 1980 as a cadet on the Mormac Glen. We got to spend several days at each stop in South America and experience the sights.  We got see Iguazu Falls from both Brazilian and Argentinian sides, absolutely spectacular.

We then flew to Ushuaia (Tierra del Fuego) for an 18 day cruise to Antarctica, South Georgia and the Falklands.  We sailed with Atlas Ocean Voyages on their World Voyager “yacht”.  It was 126m LOA, we had 159 passengers on this trip.  Had a bumpy 2 day ride across the Drake Passage – 20’ swells.  With the smaller size of this ship we were able to make zodiac landings and tours in Antarctica and South Georgia.  They take bio-security VERY seriously.  All our outer clothes had to be inspected before we went ashore.  Also, the boats they loaned us had to be scrubbed before we got back on the zodiacs and then we walked through a boot washer as we got back on the ship.   Picture of me on the continent representing the class.  Got to see literally a million penguins, along with several varieties of seals and whales.  The crew and the expedition team were outstanding.  They provided daily lectures on penguins, whales, birds, geology, etc.
We actually did a polar plunge in Antarctica – the water was 28 degrees.

Sitting at lunch the first day I hear someone at the next table talking about being a Merchant Mariner.  It was Kirk Barrett ‘87 (see pic).  We chatted quite a bit during the trip, he is a pilot in Mobile.  They let all the passengers on the bridge at various times during the trip.  Very nice.  Couldn’t get into the engine room, apparently company policy.  The Captain was Norwegian and very interesting to talk to.  After his routine announcements during the trip his closing was always “buckle up and enjoy the ride.”  😊

We did get a quick glimpse of the worlds largest iceberg (A23A) (30 miles x 40 miles).  The visibility then dropped and we couldn’t get any closer.  It broke off the continent in 1986.  It had been caught in a circular current in the South Atlantic, but recently broke out and is headed towards South Georgia.

My wife Andi grew up near Niagara Falls and loves the falls, so after seeing Iguazu and talking to other folks on our trip, it looks like our next trip will probably be to Victoria Falls.  It was an incredible trip.  I can highly both Gate 1 and Atlas Ocean Voyages.

In other news, I am still actively umpiring both Little League baseball/softball and High School Softball.  I got to work the plate for the Virginia HS Class 4 semi-final last year.  I also worked the LL Senior (15-16yr old girls) Softball Championship in August.  This year I will be umpiring LL Senior (15-16yr old boys) Baseball Tournament in August.

Steve Keating shares:
Greetings from Alexandria, Virginia.  On 11 January 2025, I retired from the Office of General Counsel of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) after nearly 22 years of federal civil service. I was blessed to have my wife, Cynthia, my daughter Kate, and my brother Anthony, my sister-in-law Barbara, brother-in-law Mark, and over 100 friends attend.

At NGA, I was privileged to work with a number of Kings Pointers, many of who led and supported NGA’s Maritime Safety Office producing international charts and safety of navigation publications for the Navy, Merchant Marine, and Mariners generally. Kings Point provided a great education to prepare me to represent the Maritime Safety Office at NGA, and NGA at the International Hydrographic Organization.  Attached are some photographs from the retirement ceremony.

Steve’s travel’s sometimes involved meeting other Kings Pointers in airports.  In 2024, Steve bumped into Del Lewis at Denver International Airport.

Overall, it’s been a great 42 years of sailing in the Merchant Marine, working as a Defense Contractor, serving in the Navy Reserve, and working as an international law counsel for DoD.  Kings Pointers have made great shipmates and work colleagues along the way.  In a year or so, my wife and I will plan on relocating to Burlington, North Carolina.  There, we plan to enjoy family, walking, fly fishing, sailing, hiking, pickle ball, and tennis.

Ray, thank you for keeping us all in touch with each other and with Kings Point over the years.
Acta Non Verba 

Erin Gantt is “laying low at NAVSEA trying to avoid the reaper”, but alerted me that Willie Barrere is now the AMO Pres.  AMO press release excerpt:

“The National Executive Board of American Maritime Officers has elected Willie Barrere to serve as the union’s national president in accordance with Article VIII, Section 1 (l) of the AMO National Constitution. He will complete the term of former AMO National President Paul Doell, who retired from AMO. Barrere was elected AMO national executive vice president in 2022.”

As noted in Alumni Assn Scuttlebutt email, Scott Brueggeman joined Core Scientific as Chief Marketing Officer to drive market expansion as well as visibility. “With over 20 years of experience in digital infrastructure and technology businesses, Brueggeman will play a pivotal role in strengthening the company’s brand presence, driving growth, and expanding market opportunities.”

We can always count on A.J. Murphy to bring us some colorful news:
Happy Mardi Gras from New Orleans!
So much good food and drinking going on here, plus it was great to meet up with classmates as well.  Was able to catch up with Yvette (Smith) Pigott just before her Krewe of Iris parade.  She loves riding in the parade and it was a beautiful day as well.

Anne, Tommy and Jim Quern also arrived for our parade party.  Jim was “in character” and some of the younger kids were impressed!  They now kow that you know who is truly watching all year. The last shot is Gretchen and I watching the parade pass.

Yvette Pigott adds:
I retired from teaching high school science three years ago and have been enjoying traveling with my husband Don. This year we will celebrate 38 years of marriage. Here we are enjoying a toga party on a recent cruise.  I’ve taken up art and paint daily along with drinking more coffee. If anyone is interested, you can find my art on Instagram yknot_art
I was just in my hometown of New Orleans to ride in the Krewe of Iris for Mardi Gras. I was lucky to meet up with AJ Murphy and his wife Gretchen. That’s not much to say but I’m on the road visiting my daughters.

Finally, I needed to grab this Facebook photo by Dave Ferchau of Larry Migliozzi allegedly singing “Mustang Sally” for anyone who missed it online. Maybe he’ll sing at our next reunion?

After a pretty cold Winter here in Delaware and all over, I look forward to Spring more than usual. As always, see this and all past columns at KP83.org.
Peace!

Scott Metheny leads off:
Been a long time. Sorry to hear about Jim Wei – great guy. Well, I retired from the Navy as CDR a long time ago after 22 years. I recently retired from working full time. The hassle just wasn’t worth it anymore. Spent some time with the Cunningham crew in Jupiter. Coons, Ratighan, et al. Great seeing you all and catching up. When I worked in NOLA a while back caught up with Quern, McAloon, Liantonio, and others. Good time. On to the family. Wife still as beautiful as ever. Oldest Jake is an ICU nurse at Tampa General and will be starting CRNA school in January, then possibly Air Force. Nick is a Navy doctor and just shipped out to Yokosuka, Japan for two years. He speaks Japanese! Katie is an L2 law student at University of Virginia. She’s made the dean’s list and is crushing it, but doesn’t want military, despite being JROTC cadet of the year (she had more ribbons than Patton). Guess they get their smarts from their mother (also a nurse). She should write a book. Anyway, that’s what’s keeping me busy. All for now. Big hello to all my classmates!

Brian Foy reports:

Greetings, Shipmate! All is well down here in the Nation’s Oldest City – St. Augustine. It has been a fairly quiet few months of late; but that all changed with the Election. I will be gearing up for a very busy 2025 in Washington, DC and on Capitol Hill representing the USMMA Alumni Association & Foundation (AAF), as well as the interests of the USMMA. New Congressional faces, committee assignments, and staff changes should keep me quite busy as I reinforce the importance of USMMA and the vital role our graduates play in both economic and national security.

Include are a few photos of me with ‘83 classmates at various events. At the National Maritime Strategy Workshop in DC in October, I got to catch up with John Rhatigan and Willie Barrere. John is President of the Marine Machinery Association and Willie is President of the American Maritime Officers (AMO) Union. Willie has settled in the Space Coast area of Florida but you are more likely to catch him on the road than at home.

The other two pictures are from the AAF Golf Outing in New Orleans on November 11 – Veterans Day. The Class of ‘83 dominated the volunteers for the Outing. It was great to see Frank Liantonio, Jim Quern, Skip McAloon and Rick Boudiette. Needless to say, there were a lot of laughs. Quern’s socks stole the show. It always amazes me how we can all just pick up where we left off, whether it’s been a few years or thirty years!

On the home front, Karen and I celebrated our 34th Anniversary in August. While my daughter Melissa, son-in-law and granddaughter (who is now a junior in college) still live in OKC, my three boys all live nearby. James and his fiancee are both JAX police officers and my youngest, Connor, is in the Florida National Guard. My oldest son, Vincent works in JAX and spends most of his time hanging out at EverBank Field mingling with the Jaguars’ players.

Matthew Bucherati weathers the storm, sharing his account of Hurricane Helene:
“Greetings from the Blue Ridge Mountains.  Hurricane Helene really took its toll on the mountain communities of North Carolina.  We retired full time two years ago and moved to our mountain second home in Ashe County, NC.  We have owned and loved it for 17 years but have really cherished living here full time.  Helene brought the worst flooding in the mountains in over 100 years.  First, let me say that the Bucherati home was blessed despite 70+ MPH winds and 26”of rain.  We only lost one tree and our home, which is situated on the crest of a mountain at 3,500 feet, was safe.  Many other homes and properties on our mountain were, unfortunately, not so blessed.  Four power poles and at least 100+ trees came down on our mountain alone.  It took 13 days to fully restore power in our community.  I had a whole house generator installed about seven years ago and I supplemented it with a large battery back up system two years ago.  Both performed flawlessly and we sort of became the Cool Ade house for our neighbors offering hot showers, hot coffee and hot meals to all who needed.  My neighbor, who is a retired Marine and I spent almost three weeks behind our chainsaws and wood splitter helping our neighbors recover.  It was inspiring to see how those in our community pulled together to help each other out.

In balance, we were still fortunate compared to many areas of the mountains around us.  Our County of Ashe, population of 24,000, lost 700+ power poles and 30 bridges were washed away.  The New River, which runs through the middle of our county, overflowed its banks by 22 feet causing tremendous damage to low lying homes.  Parts of our county near the towns of Lansing and Creston, were absolutely devastated.  Our neighboring county of Watauga, which is home to the town of Boone, was also hit very hard.  King street, which runs through the middle of Boone and Appalachian State University, was turned into a river.

Even now, two months later, there are signs of the devastation evident everywhere.  You may have watched on the news that the FEMA response up here was very poor and the stories are sadly true.  If there is one shining hero through this disaster, it is Samaritan’s Purse Ministries, headed by Franklin Graham.  They have a long history of responding to natural disasters all over the U.S. and the world.  This disaster happened in their own backyard and they came out in force.  They mobilized thousands of volunteers including coordinating the efforts of countless church communities.  They were everywhere on the ground with relief crews, food, water shelter and more.  From our church property, I was able to personally watch them deliver emergency supplies by helicopter to many cut off homes.  For those interested, their disaster relief and donation page is https://samaritanspurse.org.

It will likely take a few years for all of the communities to recover and the remaining damage to be cleared.  Sara and I thank God for protecting us and our home.  The Blue Ridge Mountains are a beautiful place to live and we cherish every day we have here.”

Bravo Zulu to my KP roommate Mathew for helping his community! It always warms my heart to hear that my classmates are people of action, trying to make the world a better place. Email me a note and photo of your news for the next column, especially if classmates are involved. Peace!