News From Fort Schuyler

October 4, 1999 - Volume 3, No. 46

SOME WENT ON TO OTHER ENDEAVORS - Time to note the continuing involvement and interest in the college of another former cadet who attended Maritime, but did not complete the program, HORACE KREITZMAN, ex-Class of 1952. He writes that he has been reunited with his former classmates since their 45th reunion in 1997 and is "on our class reunion committee planning for a reunion in the new century, to be held in September here in Washington, DC, where as part of the program we will start planning for our 50th."

NOT THIRSTY IF THURSDAY - A notice to his DC cohorts from CHRIS AVERSANO, Class of 1994, that the LAST Thursday in every month has been chosen for Maritime Night get-togethers. These are informal gatherings "where graduates of all the Maritime schools can get together and trade sea stories and other tales of woe. For those new to this, the idea is to have a meeting of all schools all over the US, so that you can go to, let's say, NYC, find the location of the meeting though the [Alumni Association] home page and attend." The group in the Washington, DC area meets at Murphy's in Old Town Alexandria. Alumni nationwide should mark their calendars and check the Alumni Association homepage for dates, times and venues in their area.

PERSONAL TOUCH -The "Near Closure of the NROTC Unit" is recalled by CMDR. DEE FITCH, USN (ret) who first came to Schuyler to head the Naval Science Department. After his Navy retirement he chaired Marine Transportation and directed Continuing Education - logging a total of 17 years at Schuyler. He writes:
"All Maritime Colleges, I believe, have had Naval Science Departments, probably since before WWII. Maine and SUNY are the only two schools to have NROTC units. I don't know the particulars as to how Maine's was established but SUNY's was established in the early 1970's shortly after ADM. KINNEY became president. The Staff of Navy's Chief of Education and Training Command (CNET) was opposed to the creation of a Unit at Maritime and had strongly recommended against it. However, they were overruled at the Washington level."

"Sometime in the 1975/1976 time-frame a decision was made to reduce the number of NROTC units nationwide as a cost saving measure. The Staff at CNET saw this as a golden opportunity to reverse the decision on which they had been previously been overruled. The College was never officially informed that the Unit was to be closed but all incoming Freshmen with scholarships were advised that their scholarship would not be valid at Maritime. This word got back to Adm. Kinney only by way of rumors and he was very disturbed. He did his best to find out officially what was happening to the Unit but could gain no meaningful information. CNET's plan was to drop the closure bombshell on Maritime when they had all their ducks lined up and there could be no way to reverse the decision. At this point the unique good fortune and the considerable political clout of Adm. Kinney came into play."

"It just so happened that the newly appointed Secretary of Navy, GRAHAM CLAYTOR, paid an unofficial visit to the College in May of 1976 to attend a meeting of ‘DE Skippers of World War Two.' Both Adm. Kinney and Secretary Claytor had commanded Destroyer Escorts in WWII and were members of this exceedingly small, but very elite group. The ‘Organization' met every two or three years and at their previous gathering in 1973, Adm. Kinney had offered to host the 1976 meeting at Maritime. When Secretary Claytor arrived at the College the NROTC unit put on a full blown show. Honor Guard, Pass in Review, the whole nine yards. This may have been the first time the Secretary had received such honors as he seemed to be very impressed. During the two day affair the Claytors stayed in the President's Quarters with Adm. Kinney and his wife. This gave Adm. Kinney a unique opportunity to lobby for the continuance of the Unit at Maritime. I am certain he was most persuasive. The bottom line is that when Secretary Claytor returned to Washington one of his very first edicts as Secretary was: ‘Do NOT close the NROTC Unit at SUNY Maritime.' The staff at CNET were very upset but there was nothing they could do. Adm. Kinney had appealed to a higher authority."

PAST TIMES OF THE RICH AND FAMOUS - The founding director of the Maritime Industry Museum, JEFF MONROE, lived aboard the TSES during his teaching years at Maritime. He recalls that after the filming of the Moonlight Lady music video in 1985, "Julio, his gal and I watched Johnny Carson in my room on the ship that night."

HINDSIGHT - In response to a posting by ERIK JOHNSON, Class of 1985, about Friday inspections in the September 13 NFFS, PAUL LOBO, Class of 1969, writes: "What a laugh ! When I think back on staying until noon every Saturday for muster, inspection or parade, I agree with TERRI [THOMPSON, Class of 1965] that if it wasn't for all the discipline and ‘no gangway', I might not have made it through either. Everything was a piece of cake after four years at the Fort. I didn't like going there, but I am sure glad I did, and proud of it. Every time I drive up to my country club in my big, black Mercedes, I thank Fort Schuyler for giving me the basics to get where I got today. I just thank God that I didn't have to live on the ship for two years or in the Old Dorms. Compared to that era I had it easy."