"I continue to paint and have joined the Ocean County Art Guild, where I paint weekly in an open session. Our Adult Community also has an Art Club that offers courses. My painting activities have led me to give a talk before the Art Club entitled: 'The Art of Observation: Guideline Components for Viewing and Critiquing Paintings.' I use my own paintings and a few professional artists' paintings to illustrate the observation components. It has been a great learning experience for me."

Joe, who is always researching something, concludes: "The Ocean County Library branch in Manchester is well-stocked, has weekly cultural activities, interlibrary loans, excellent computers, and a large staff...with the main branch in Toms River for research."

'TIS THE SEASON - A timely query from FRANK CRITELLI, Class of 1963, led to the news that the Friends of the Luce Library has a new twist, it is now called the Stephen B. Luce Library Circle of Friends. The Circle has the same purpose, i.e., to improve the programs and collections of "one of the oldest and most specialized Nautical Merchant Marine Libraries in the Nation." The Luce Library invites all supporters of the library to join its Circle of Friends Campaign. There are many levels of support possible, and they are all spelled out at: http://www.sunymaritime.edu/library/friends . The Luce Library and the cadets who use its resources need and deserve your support. Information costs money to acquire, organize, preserve and synthesize. Please help.

FORTY YEARS ON - Sixteen members of the Class of 1962 held a get-together at the Army-Navy Club in Washington, DC. on 7 December. ROY SOLURI sent NFFS a group photo showing a very distinguished group of alumni, including: RICK BAGSHAW, JOHN BALDWIN, ART BJORKNER, VINCE BRADLEY, ROSS CARMARDELLA, DON FROST, HARRY HIGGINS, CHRIS KRUSA, TOM SCANNELL, ROY SOLURI, DICK STENSON, JERRY SULLIVAN, TOM SULLIVAN, GARY TOBER, WALLY VOHS, and JIM WHALEN. Roy writes that this 40th reunion gala, organized by Tom Scannell: "...was a nostalgic evening with lots of sea stories of our memories at 'The Fort,' and Jerry Sullivan ran a 12-minute video of our summer cruises on the EMPIRE STATE IV." He continues, "Plans are underway for another get-together in 2003 or 2004. We do not have a complete e-mail listing for all the members of the class. If any of our are classmates out there want to receive an invite, please send your address to either Roy Soluri at royal63@aol.com or Tom Scannell at tscannell@adelphia.net "

YOU CAN BET ON IT - The Houston Chapter of the Alumni Association will repair to the Houston Race Track for their 10 January meeting. According to an announcement at the Alumni website: "Basically, we have our own room where we can socialize and watch the races. Hopefully we'll win a little cash. It's a nice way of combining a night out with making contacts with people in your field or former field of employment. The cost is $35. It covers free admission, admission to a private luxury suite with 40-person capacity, buffet dinner, ...wagering assistant on hand to help place bets, access to (cash) bar, and a welcome message on field screen." All Houston area alumni are welcome (even if you haven't paid your dues yet.) For the full details go to http://www.fsmaa.org or contact Houston Chapter Vice President, MARK PATRICOLA, Class of 1996, at Mark152093@aol.com

ANOTHER GOOD BET - The Suncoast Hotel in the gambling mecca of Las Vegas, will be the venue for an extended 45th Reunion celebration by the Class of 1958 - May 4 through 9th, 2003. For details, contact GERRY FELDMAN, Class of 1958 - jerry9236@aol.com

CRUISE CREDIT RULE OF THUMB - Here's the word from our man in MARAD, ROD McFADDEN, Class of 1975, regarding counting cruise credit toward retirement by naval reservists: "General rule of thumb: you need to have 50 or more 'points' for a total of 20 years as a reservist. If you had USNR status at Schuyler, that probably gave you four, and maybe five years. If you participated in voluntary drills, correspondence courses, and all the other things that USNR has available for the following fifteen years, then you're qualified."

"The short answer within the Navy: Commanding Officer, Naval Reserve Personnel Center - ATT: Retired Affairs - 4400 Dauphine Street - New Orleans, LA 70146."

"Depending on when you left the Navy, your files might have been forwarded to the DOD archives in Saint Louis, MO."

EBB TIDE - News of the death of ALFRED JOHN SAMUELSEN, Class of 1960, has been received from his classmate, JOHN ZERBO: "I am extremely sorry to report that Alfred Samuelsen, our dear friend, passed away on Thanksgiving Day, November 28, 2002 (age 64) at his home in Williamsburg, Virginia, after a short illness. Three months prior to his passing, Al attended the wedding of FRED LONGO's daughter in New Mexico with other Fort Schuyler classmates: JACK ANGEL, RON D'ARCY, TED PULLEN, and JOHN ZERBO. The six alumni and their wives traveled together on several mini-reunion trips to Europe and various US cities." Several years ago, John noted: "We all get together at least once a year to re-listen to our old jokes and stories from college. Old friends come and go, but Fort Schuyler friends have a special relationship which is fantastic and everlasting....We may not be Ivy League, but we have something that other big names colleges can't duplicate."

Al, who attended New York City's SS JOHN W. BROWN Nautical High School before coming to Fort Schuyler, "...earned his BMarEng in 1960. He was a former, very successful, executive of numerous high technology manufacturing firms" [including Simmonds Precision, FINCOR Electronics, Marathon Power Technologies, and Vutek Inc. - from which he retired in 2000]

"He is survived by his wife of 42 years, Jeanne Murphy Samuelsen, two sons (BRUCE SAMUELSEN, Class of 1984, is a Fort Schuyler alumnus), a daughter, three brothers and eight grandchildren." According to an obituary in the Hampton Roads Daily News, a funeral mass for Al was conducted at St. Bede Catholic Church in Williamsburg on December 2. Memorial donations may be made to the American Lung Association.