News From Fort Schuyler
January 28, 2001 - Volume 5, No. 03
WAXING SEALS - The number of SEALS hailing from Fort Schuyler increased
following last weeks's note about Midshipman Cadet KENNETH CHENG's selection
to train for that elite group. According to JOHN W.O'SULLIVAN, Jr., Class
of 1984; "I checked the Alumni Roster and JARED TUXILL '93 is in SEAL Team 8
and CARL TISKA '86 is the Executive Officer of SEAL Team 4." Additional
information is provided by BRIAN McCLINTOCK, Class of 1993, who notes that
"Jared was not in ROTC and as a result had to enlist in the Navy to become a
SEAL." BETTY TISKA writes "... LCDR Carl Tiska ... graduated from BUDS
(Class #141) in 1986 and has been proudly wearing the SEAL Trident (aka "The
Budweiser") for 14 years. If I recall correctly, Carl's Maritime College
NROTC Instructor, CDR RICHARD HYDE, attended his BUDS graduation in
Coronado, California." DAVID J. DEVINNEY, Class of 1986, wrote: "Not to
diminish Mr. Cheng's great accomplishment of being selected for training as
a Navy SEAL, but a classmate of mine, Carl Tiska, was selected for SEAL
training, became a SEAL and I believe is still a SEAL. If I'm not mistaken,
an XO of a SEAL Team. I haven't seen Carl since graduation, but my source of
information, the alumni "grapevine" is usually very reliable. Carl was also
a member of the NROTC unit at Maritime." Then there is the SEAL who grew up
at Fort Schuyler, but graduated from Annapolis, son of former Engineering
Department Chairman JOSE FEMENIA, Class of 1964, and Director of Alumni
Programs, EILEEN FEMENIA. Eileen writes: "My son, LTJG JOSEPH FEMENIA (USNA
'98) just came back from a 6-month deployment. He worked for and reported
directly to LCDR Carl Tiska." Cadet Cheng will be joining a distinguished
group of Fort Schuyler denizens.
PR KING - According to the "On the Waterfront" columnist in Wooden Boat
Magazine (Jan/Feb 2001) GARY JOBSON, Class of 1973, is "..the person who has
done the most to convince the world that to watch a sailboat race is not to
watch the grass grow." Columnist Peter Spectre writes: "And speaking of
publicity, one of the kings at the game has to be Gary Jobson, who has
managed to use it (publicity) to convince the media that sailing, especially
in its racing manifestation, is a spectator sport. Or perhaps I have that
backwards. Could it be that the media, desperate for more sports to promote,
has convinced Jobson to convince us that watching two guys on the foredeck
bagging a spinnaker is a more compelling entertainment than 'Wheel of
Fortune '?" Gary has certainly brought awareness of competitive sailing into
millions of homes with his ESPN commentaries, video productions, and books
since graduating from Schuyler. Gary, a long-time friend of the Stephen B.
Luce Library, recently made a significant donation to its Year 2000 Gift
Fund.
6 SCISSORBILLS + 1 SAVVY MUG - Members of the Class of 1947 ["6 attended
this year, down from 28 a few years ago"] recently got together for yet
another of their annual ski reunions at Breckenridge, Colorado. BOB PRESTON
even e-mailed an almost alphabetical order port-to-starboard photo of the
attendees: Bob, DENNIS COUGHLIN, GIL KATZ, DICK LUND, PHIL SCHLUSSEL and
MARTIN ZURN. Also included, a separate photo of "MARTIN SILVER, Class of
1948, who joins us each year to keep up the old traditions of Personal
Servitude and Physical Hazing. .. A SAVVY MUG !!!" Pictures from the slopes
were promised.
HOME AGAIN - Saxophonist and survey ship Master, KIRBY STROSS, Class of
1977, reports that his "last shipboard tour ended in December 2000 aboard
USNS LITTLEHALES. 2/m LISA SMITH [Class of 1996] and 2AE CHARLES STRAHLEY
[Class of 1998] were aboard."
CROSSING THE BAR - The death on January 25, 2001 of MICHAEL G. BROWN, Class
of 1967, was reported to NFFS by his classmate, Captain TOM MALANCHUK. Mike
was Manager and Director of Texaco Marine Services in Port Arthur, Texas.
Tom writes: "Mike was with Texaco since graduation, and passed away after a
bout with cancer. I had a nice dinner and reunion with him several months
ago when my ship, the KEYSTONE TEXAS, was in Port Arthur. I called him 2
days ago, spoke with his wife and daughter and found he was in the hospital,
and today he is gone. He will be sorely missed." Mike is survived by his
wife, Elaine and daughter, Kathy. A memorial service was held on January 27.
CLOSING THE BOOK - In June, your NFFS editor will retire from SUNY Maritime
College's Stephen B. Luce Library after 39 years at Fort Schuyler, 31 of
them as Head Librarian. I plan to continue "News from Fort Schuyler" without
interruption, assuming the availability of e-mail connections and the
durability of my laptop computer during the travels my wife, Connie, and I
are planning. In common with many other Schuyler retirees, I expect to offer
my services as a volunteer after retirement, perhaps to initiate a digital
imaging project for the archives at the Fort.
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