Several other alumni will be recognized at this dinner. The Outstanding Service Awards will go to ED SHEPHERD, Class of 1957 "for his efforts in organizing and implementing the Cadet Mentoring Program, and to JAMES McGOVERN, Class of 1957, "for his outstanding efforts in organizing monthly Life Experience Forums for the Cadets."

The Association will also be presenting Outstanding Recognition Awards to several state legislators, Senators KEN LAVALLE and GUY VELELLA, and Assemblymen ED SULLIVAN and STEVE KAUFMAN. They are long-time supporters of the college and recently played key roles in the enactment of the Cadet Appointments Program.

For more information and to register, run, don't walk, to http://www.fsmaa.org

COLD ENOUGH ? New York City is experiencing one of its colder winters. There has even been a bit of ice on the Sound. TOM CERNY, former Director of Admissions (he was at Fort Schuyler from 1973-1987) recalls an even colder one: "...one year, maybe 1977, [the] Long Island Sound froze over completely. BOB McALLISTER [Director of Physical Plant] and I went up in his plane from MacArthur Field. The Sound was completely white from CT to LI from the Fort just about to Orient Point. I also remember chasing a few adventurous cadets off the ice between the bridge and the dorms."

FORMER PROFESSOR RETURNS - The Humanities Department and the Stephen B. Luce Library Lecture Series have teamed up to bring LOUIS PHILLIPS back to campus. Readers of NFFS are invited to attend a "Reading in the Reading Room" on Monday, 3 March, at 19:30. Prof. Phillips taught English literature, composition, and drama at the Fort from the late 1960's to 1975. He has written over thirty-five books, including fiction, drama, children's books, poetry, and non-fiction. He will be reading from his most recent publication, "The Bus to the Moon and Other Stories," published by the Fort Schuyler Press. And yes, after the reading there will be a book signing for those who want to purchase copies at $20 each.

CONGRESSMAN ON CAMPUS - According to the college website, Congressman ROBERT MENENDEZ, the third ranking Democrat in the House of Representatives and a member of the Water Resources and Transportation Subcommittee, visited Fort Schuyler on 24 February where he was the featured speaker at the Propeller Club of New York-New Jersey's monthly luncheon. "As a senior member of the House Transportation Committee, Rep. Menendez has been one of the leading congressional advocates for investing in our transportation hubs, infrastructure, and ports .....[and] widely credited with keeping shipping business in the United States at a time of increased competition from Canadian ports." The full story is at the college website: http://www.sunymaritime.edu .

SCHUYLER AS FILM SET - Tom Cerny adds to the campus filmography, recalling a commercial that was shot on the pier ".. for Big Red chewing gum with a sailor being welcomed home by his girlfriend. " In addition, "Big Bird .... came to the fort and used the little tug for a segment of the Sesame Street show that is still used. My kids each got a feather from his costume which was quite a thrill for them." Tom also confirms that the filming of Julio Iglesia's music video was a big event at Schuyler. "He spent the better part of the day on campus. I recall how thrilled EILEEN FEMENIA [Director of Alumni Programs] was to have him over in their quarters for coffee during a break. He had been her favorite singer for many years."

NOTE FROM AN ERSTWHILE INVENTOR - The inventor of the Electricity Producing Condensing Furnace, FRANK WICKS, Class of 1961, sent a nice appreciation to NFFS, writing: "With each edition I get to recall some of the best days of anyone's life. To be a Fort Schuyler cadet was a great and life-defining experience, although I did not always appreciate it enough at the time." Franks also provided an update on his writing. "While I usually write about earlier engineers, inventors and technology, I did write a more modern article, 'Where on Earth?' about the modern marvels of the Global Positioning System. This was the cover story of the June, 2002 issue of Mechanical Engineering."