News From Fort Schuyler

April 29, 2001 - Volume 5, No. 16

2001 MONOMOY TEAMS - Eight Fort Schuyler clubs participated in the inaugural HAP Parnham Cup Monomoy Race on April 20 which was won by the Eagle Scouts. The competitors, with faculty advisors serving as coxswains, included: Student Propeller Club (CAPT. E. JOHANSSON), Phi Rho Pi Fraternity (Prof. C. STEHN, '79), Hellenic Society (Prof. J. HOFFMAN, '75), Eagle Scout Fraternity (CDR J. YESKO), Maritime College Swim Club (Prof. P. VECCHIO, '92), Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (Prof. W. CALIENDO, '91), Maritime College Student Government (CAPT R. Smith, '81), and the ROTC (CDR A. STUBBLEFIELD).

UPWARD TREND - The final Open House of the academic year for prospective students and their parents takes place May 6. According to a "Maritime Watch" article (click NEWS at www.sunymaritime.edu) "Maritime College looks forward to increased enrollment for Fall 2001 as this season's recruitment cycle draws to a close. The Office of Admissions reports a successful recruitment year during which College inquiries have increased by 16% and applications by 21%. As a result of more timely admissions decisions and greater campus participation in College recruitment efforts, the number of deposited students [don't you love this admissions jargon ?] has nearly doubled when compared to this time last year." Hats off to the many alumni, cadets, faculty, staff, and friends of the college who, with the leadership and coordination of our hardworking Office of Admissions, have helped make these preliminary recruiting results so positive.

STATUS QUO PRO BELLUM - A vote to retain the current wording for the college alma mater, "The Bells of St. Mary's," comes from DANIEL LEVIN, Class of 1975. "To paraphrase MARIBEL SOSA [Class of 1991], I never felt offended or excluded either, even though St. Mary's was not part of MY Sunday school curriculum. Actions are much more important than words, and the fraternity (ooops, there we go again) of Fort Schuyler for its 125 plus years, and its graduates, transcends boundaries of sex, religion, race, national origin or anything else that incorrectly keeps people apart. Let's leave this tradition alone."

SAGE ADVICE ON THE BELL - "My 83-year-old eyes tell me," writes FERGUSON BYARS, Class of 1939, "that when you use an apostrophe it pushes two letters apar't. Therefore, whether or not it's still visible, if the measured distance between the 'y' and the 's' is larger than the distance between other characters on the bell, then an apostrophe was allowed for. If some people need to be assured that those things happen, let them talk to anyone who had the spelling of their named changed at Ellis Island."

Others have gone to contemporary documents to argue their case for the punctuation of ST. MARY'S. For example, MARIO POLIZZOTTI, Class of 1954, notes that "...in 1850, John Smith Sewall, a recent graduate from Maine's Bowdoin College, and later noted scholar, writer, and theologian, enlisted in the Navy in order to earn funds with which to pay off his college debts. Because of this education, he was assigned as captain's clerk on the sloop-of-war USS SARATOGA. SARATOGA was assigned to Perry's squadron which was destined to open the door to Japan and the Far East. This four year expedition was meticulously recorded in a series of diary notes which he later compiled into the 'The Logbook of the Captain's Clerk.' He records as follows:'We got underway from Hampton Roads in September 1850, bound for the underside of the world. We were to relieve the ST. MARY'S (note the apostrophe) or some other...' Again later he wrote, 'The sloop-of-war ST. MARY'S, which we had come to China to relieve, had sailed...' It would appear that the apostrophe belongs."

Another authoritative source is cited by DICK GARDNER, Class of 1959. "I do not hold the launch documents for ST. MARY'S, but do have a 1900 Navy Register of the Commissioned and Warrant Officers....[which] also lists all ships of the U.S. Navy [including] six sailing ships listed by name, displacement, tonnage, hull, propulsion, guns and station. All are wooden hull with sail propulsion [including] 'ST. MARY'S -- 1,025 tons - Public Marine School, New York.' The apostrophe is used in the register. I think Barry Marsh has better eyesight than us old mugs."

Then there is the theory that cadets aboard the ST MARY'S should know her spelling. ANDY SULLIVAN, Class of 1974, writes: "I was given an oil painting of the USS ST. MARY'S by .. a descendant of WILLIAM R. GREGORY, Class of 1897. The painting I have was painted for Gregory by LOUIS WEICKUM, Class of 1903.

The painting was done in 1945.... The information written on the back of the painting has the life of the ST. MARY'S from 1844 to 1907, and serving as the training ship for Maritime from 1875 to 1907. As you can see, I have spelled the ship's name with an apostrophe because in all the references to the ship's name on the painting that is how it is spelled. Since both of these men would have sailed on this ship, I think they probably know how its name was spelled." [Yes, but then there is the fact that the original name of the EMPIRE STATE IV, HENRY GIBBINS, is frequently spelled as "HENRY GIBBONS" by cadets who sailed on her during her training ship days. Not quite the same, but still....]

CROSSING THE BAR - News of the death on April 24 of TOM MERGENTHALER, Class of 1986, comes from classmate, BOB BLOCHLINGER. Bob writes that Tom's death came "...after battling cancer for almost six years. Tom, after being diagnosed with melanoma, never gave up the fight against it. I can only wish that I would be able to muster up half the courage and optimism that Mergs displayed. A couple of months ago, at the Atlantic City Boat Show, even after the cancer had traveled to his brain, he was looking at boats for when he got better. Sadly that day will never come to pass. Tom is survived by his wife Mary Ann and their two sons Thomas (8) and Matthew (3). He will be missed." An obituary appears in the April 27th Asbury Park Press. Go to http://www.injersey.com/obits/