KP Magazine Online Edition
We need our Legislative Outreach Coordinator Brian Foy to launch our reunion column:
Our 35th Class Reunion was the best one yet. They just seem to get better with age! It was a blast working with Lisa Fields, Ray Christensen, Al Reeves, Jim Quern, Mickey Cunningahm and of course, our fearless leader Chris Cioni, in planning all the details. It was good to see everyone and catch up. 35 years is a long time…but the friendships we forged while we were at school allow us to pick back up right where we leave off every five years. I hope to stay in contact with many of you (I promise!) and i hope you’ll do the same. Life is moving by way too quickly and our 40th will be here before we know it. Maybe each one of us can reach out to a classmate we haven’t seen or heard from in years and encourage them to come. They won’t regret it!
Congratulations once again to Ray for becoming our inaugural Class of ’83 Acta Non Verba awardee. Well-deserved! Thanks for all you do in keeping our class connected.
Randy Johnson and Chris Thayer received Outstanding Professional Achievement Awards at the Thursday dinner.
Maureen McKeever also helped out during the weekend and writes:
I had a great time at Homecoming seeing everyone and everyone looked great! We are aging well. I was happy to spend time with my former roommate Lisa Fields as well as the other ladies of ’83, including Cathy (Giguere) Coseno & Lynn (Craddock) Melin in photo. I also enjoyed talking to midshipmen around campus. They are worthy of following in our footsteps.
I am still in Pittsburgh, and am now working for Dollar Bank, doing phone customer service for customers with debit/credit card issues. I really enjoy my job especially when I can help someone and leave them happy. Or at least not too upset!
John Carbone chipped in with a great Homecoming shot in the tailgate area, “back where it all began!”
Mike Curtiss also supplied a photo, adding “Hi Ray, great to see you and the rest of the gang at the reunion. Thanks to you for the great work keeping the column going and thanks Chris Cioni and the reunion committee for putting on an awesome event! What a blast to reconnect with everybody!”
A.J. Murphy writes:
It was great to see everyone at the homecoming festivities. Congrats to everyone who helped plan that event and for all who came from the four corners to catch up with our classmates! As we were flying to NY, our delayed second grand child, Adalyn was born and we got the news upon landing at LGA. That made for a good day, despite NY traffic. Was able to enclose a picture of me and my older brother Jim, a class of 1973 grad (see kp83.org). It was our first time in 35 years we were on campus at the same time since graduating – since I did not make the 30th and it was his first one to attend. Also provided a Jim Proce sighting photo as well, since he is so rarely off the island! It was good to catch up and his daughter Nora came and listened to a lot of us tell stories. Was able to head to Big Bend National park the week following the homecoming for some good hiking and fresh air. As we get older, these hiking trips do take a toll. Who would believe there are almost 7000’ mountains in Texas! Another fun time was getting my grandson, Aiden (16 months) underway for his first boat ride on Lake Ponchatrain in New Orleans. It was a nice day and he liked the boat and looking around, but did not like wearing the life jacket. I could sympathize with that. Just back from New Orleans area again for Thanksgiving and was able to have a nice lunch visit with Jim and Anne Quern. Always good to see them while in town. For all of us with loved ones in the service, let’s make sure we keep them in mind, doing jobs that are not always easy. My oldest son Sean, is on a recall to active duty and is in Kabul, Afghanistan until May of 2019. In the picture (at kp83.org), he is on the right, along with a technician and an Afghani soldier on a small mountain top camp. Caught grief from Quern and some others, since I didn’t submit anything last edition, so trying to get back to being a regular provider.
Dan & Carrie Rohde add:
And a good time was had by all.!! Great catching up with some many great people, looking forward to our 40th. Carrie and I took some heat for having some of our CGA Family at the reunion so I enclosed a picture of us up at the CGA sailing building (Jacobs Rock) with “our colors” flying proudly.
Pete Lafontaine writes:
Judi and I will not be able to attend the reunion this year as we will just be returning from a Cape Cod vacation that weekend. It’s been a busy few months with a college graduation and a wedding. Our son youngest Connor graduated from Norwich University and is now an Army Second Lieutenant. (see photo from graduation). His older brother Trevor who is a First Lieutenant administered the oath of office at the commissioning ceremony the next day. Not long after that, Trevor and his new wife Sami were married. (second photo) So Judi and I are now taking a late season vacation to the Cape before things get busy again in October.
Both our sons are continuing their post-college running careers. We’ll be heading to Washington, DC in early October to watch Connor race at the Army 10 Miler where he’ll represent the Army team from Fort Lee, Virginia. Then in late October Trevor will be running the Marine Corps Marathon in DC again – a race that he won in 2015. Trevor recently finished fourth at the Redmond, WA half marathon with a time of 1 hr 9 min. The three guys who beat him – including his training partner who finished third – had all previously met the Olympic Marathon qualifying time.
On a more somber note, Judi and I were sad to hear that Coach Bill Olmeltchenko passed away. He coached Cross Country and Track all four years when I ran at Kings Point and had a distinguished coaching a career that spanned many years. We were also sad to hear of the passing of Peter Rackett ’61 who more recently was very instrumental with the success of the KP Cross Country and Track team. Peter and then head Track coach Greg Lott actively recruited both of our sons to run for KP, but alas Trevor went to West Point and Connor choose the military college at Norwich University.
Bob Bennett provided a few nice Homecoming photos. (including a great retro shot at our website)
Steve Keating writes:
I continue to work in the Office of General Counsel for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency where I work on international maritime law issues such as the South China Sea and the Arctic. My work on the South China Sea was recently published in Volume 9.3 of the Journal of National Security Law and Policy, and I recently participated in an international, multidisciplinary working group to develop policy recommendations for the Arctic. My wife, Cynthia, and I live in Alexandria, Virginia. I enjoy kayaking, sailing, and playing Celtic music.
Joe Bishop writes:
I’m out working on the Great Lakes; sailing 2nd Assistant aboard the Philip R. Clarke, a bulk carrier hauling iron ore, limestone and coal for the steel industry. I’m still regretting missing the reunion this year and I’m doubly determined not to miss the 40th. Here’s a couple of pics. John Diegoli stopped by back in March on his way to Charleston from South Florida and we spent some time catching up and having a few brews at my favorite pub. I think we’ve become the graybeards everyone warned us about. The other is one of my current hobbies: a 2002 Harley Davidson Road King (Police model) that I hope to start restoring and customizing in the upcoming year.
At the reunion, class artist Susan Pawlukiewicz distributed a number of very cool custom sew-on / iron-on patches she created for our class (see photo). She’s offering to mail one or more to anyone who’d like, so email her at .
Thanks everyone for again coming through and giving me plenty of content for this column. Visit our website for full color versions of the photos and to put a smile on your face as necessary.
1984 photo taken at North Whiting Field, Milton, FL.
The Beechcraft T-34C trainers have all been retired by now too and they were new then.
Submitted by Bruce Garrott