NEXT BEST THING - Too long in the tooth for another Summer Sea Term ? There is still travel by freighter - even in the 21st century. Even though the Freighter Travel Club has called it a day (it has merged with Maris Freighter Cruises) you can find see what's sailing where at http://www.freightertravel.info [Thanks to Jane B. Fitzpatrick, Associate Librarian at the Luce Library, for this link.]

GRADUATION - The 147th (according to the program) graduation was held Sunday, 11 May. This year's recipient of the college's honorary Doctorate of Letters was Dr. KENNETH T. JACKSON, noted historian, President of the New York Historical Society, and a long-time friend of Fort Schuyler. There was a bumper crop of new alumni - 36 received master's degrees and 112 were awarded their baccalaureates. Well done!

WELCOME ABOARD - The newest addition to the Fort Schuyler community-at-large was announced by ANDRE E. SLINTAK, Class of 1994: "My wife Stacey and I are proud to announce the arrival of a new crew member on board. His name is Alexander Jaxon Slintak and he was born April 8, 2003. Weighing in at a hair under 8 pounds, he measured 19.5 inches. A few of his snapshots may be viewed at http://briefcase.yahoo.com/grrams0 (Then click on Alexander.)"

BOOKMARK THIS - There is something new at the Alumni Association website, according to CHARLES HUDSON, Class of 1990: "The Alumni Association is pleased to announce the launching of the Products and Services Program." Charlie, who is the Product and Services Coordinator for the association, suggests that you surf on over to visit at http://www.fsmaa.org/members/productsservices "The program currently consists of travel programs, links to Maritime College related items, links to nautical items and a section of on-line buying where a portion of the sale goes to the association." For example, if you are planning to buy a book, video, or DVD at Amazon.com, order it through the Alumni Association link and up to 15% of its purchase price will go to the association - and it doesn't cost you a penny more! This program is a work in progress. Look and send Charlie your comments at products@fsmaa.org

TALKING HISTORY - An update from CAPT FRANK SHELLENBARGER, former President of the Marine Society: "My oral history with the US Naval Institute is due to be published this year. Have sent the final editing to Paul Stillwell....I think that at one time he said I was the first merchant marine officer that he had ever done. Actually got started due to my enlisted service, in 1941, as a member of Admiral D.M. LeBreton's staff on the Neutrality Patrol. Was a Signal/Quartermaster. Not many people remember the USS REUBEN JAMES or the USS KEARNEY."

Maybe not so, Captain. The 'Sinking of the REUBEN JAMES' was memorialized by merchant mariner, Woody Guthrie, in his famous ballad about the loss of this destroyer, which was torpedoed off Iceland by the Nazis on Halloween, 1941, with heavy loss of life - months before the U.S. declared war on Germany. ["Have your heard of the ship called the good REUBEN JAMES?/ Filled with hard fighting men, of honor and of fame/ She flew the stars and stripes of the land of the free/Now she's in her grave at the bottom of the sea. //Tell me what were their names, tell me what were their names?/Did you have a friend on the good REUBEN JAMES?] - see http://history.acusd.edu/gen/WW2Timeline/reubenjames.html