News From Fort Schuyler

March 17, 2001 - Volume 5, No. 10

YOU ARE GETTING SLEEPY - Take a break from Starbucks at 2000 on 20 March and join the audience at the S&E Lecture Hall for a presentation on hypnotism sponsored by the Regimental Office and the Luce Library Lecture Series. "'Hypnosis, an Old Tool for a New Age,' will be presented by Ms Pat Levin, educator, writer, renowned hypnotist, and certified neurolinguistic therapist. Hypnosis in no longer considered magic or manipulation. According to Ms. Levin, hypnosis is a quick, inexpensive, safe and painless alternative to many medications and costly treatments."

FORTY-FIVE YEARS BACK - According to the ship's log, when news of the ANDREA DORIA sinking was received by Captain ALFRED O. OLIVET, Class of 1921, the EMPIRE STATE III was approaching Copenhagen after a transit from Goteborg. LEN SUTTER, Class of 1953, writes: "I vividly recall that it was daylight, must have been in the morning because as Third I was on the bridge, and someone came out and told us the DORIA went down. Captain Olivet was completely focused on either arriving somewhere or getting underway, never changed expression or said a word about it, but I can still recall him drumming his fingers on the bridge rail. He was upset like the rest of us. Captain Olivet was one tough professional, but I respected him immensely, and actually got to like him on the cruise."

MARYLAND ! MY MARYLAND ! - The Admissions Office needs alumni volunteers for college recruitment on Monday, March 26 for college fairs in Wheaton (12:30 - 3:00, 6:00 - 8:00) and Kirksville (9:30 to 12:30). Contact the Regional Recruiter, DAVID M. DeLUCIA, Assistant Director of Admissions, at 718-409-7220. "Come, with thy panoplied array......Come ! for thy dalliance does thee wrong..." (http://www.americancitiestour.com/Maryland.htm )

PICTURE THAT - Classmates report that the Maritime College cadets featured in the April 2001 issue of "Seventeen" are MATTHEW C. ARNAO, Class of 2001, and JAMES M. RUPPERT, Class of 2002.

SUPPORT INVITED - As a result of the recent NFFS item about the Black History Month Dinner, STAN MELASKY, the Director of the Maritime College at Fort Schuyler Foundation, sent some additional information about the Organization of Black Maritime Graduates (OBMG), which was founded by the late CARL BURNETT, Class of 1950. Stan writes that OBMG is "..a separate alumni group that funds and distributes its own scholarship awards under the leadership of Captains ROBERT COOK, Class of 1980, and HOWARD WYCHE, Class of 1979." For those wishing to donate to this fund, " ... if the check is made out to the OBMG or to the foundation (MCFSF) with an indication of who it is for, we will deposit it in their account." He states that 100% of every donation, plus accrued interest, will be there .."when the organization determines who to award the funds to and how much to award." Donations to college scholarship funds are always welcome.

MERITORIOUS ACTION - The Spring Blood Drive takes place on Wednesday, March 28 from 10:00 - 20:00. A flier to the campus community states that: "In recent years, our College has had the highest rate of participation among the other colleges in the Bronx." The flier also invites first-time donors to step up to the gurney, noting that "one pint of blood can help save the lives of up to five people." Who could say no ? Faculty, staff and cadets do step forward in goodly number twice a year. It is also possible that a delinquent cadet or two will read the current Plan of the Week and discover that "3ED credits (15 demerits) = 1 pint of blood." Anyone in the area is welcome to help out - even if they have no demerits. Just give the College Nurse, MICHAEL BRADY, a call in advance at: 718-409-7347. [Sorry, one pint limit per person.]

NEW JERSEY W/O RUST - Here is an added incentive to visit Camden to help restore the Battleship NEW JERSEY. ROD McFADDEN, Class of 1975, writes: "And, since you asked, Naval Reserve Officers of the MMR may earn (non-pay) retirement credit helping with the restoration." Almost as good as giving blood.

ST. PATRICK'S DAY SPECIAL - Many alumni who shipped in the years after World War II came across a unique mariner, not a graduate of Fort Schuyler, remembered here by OTTO LIEPIN, Class of October 1946.

"PADDY BRENNAN was a 'Paul Bunyan' type of maritime character employed by US Lines. He was as Irish as could be with a brogue - approximately 6'4" tall. He worked himself through the 'hawse pipe' and became chief engineer of US Lines' largest post-war passenger liners. Into the late 1940's US Lines may have had over 40 ships in their operation, and Paddy, or Patrick, was known by most every engineer in their fleet. He would make his presence known in the engine room with his tall stature and bellowing. He accepted the 'academy boys' good-naturedly and, being 6'4', was able to communicated with them at eye level."

"I know that several authors have mentioned Paddy in their books. 'It Didn't Happen On My Watch' by GEORGE E. MURPHY, is a book by an author who sailed on many of the US Lines ships in the 40's and 50's. He gives an accurate description of Paddy and some of the other colorful engineering types of that era. George is a Massachusetts Maritime Academy graduate... my buddy, HAROLD MACKEY, Class of January 1946, sailed with George on one of the US Lines Pioneer runs to Australia and he remembers George well."

[Editor's note- According to Murphy, due to the exigencies of war, in order to get their sea time when he was a cadet: "The entire student body of Massachusetts Maritime Academy was then bused to Fort Schuyler to board the New York State Maritime Academy training ship, EMPIRE STATE, renamed AMERICAN PILOT, a World War I Hog Island Class of cargo vessel. Upon boarding, we found we were to share the ship, not only with New York cadets, but with cadets from Maine Maritime Academy as well." (p.17)]