"There is an All You Can Eat BBQ (complete with salads and corn on the cob.) There will be live entertainment, a DJ, Emcee, Contests and Games. A Cash Bar and Drink Specials will be available all day. All guests will receive a limited edition NJ Chapter Plastic Beer Mug. The cost for All the Fun You Can Handle is $5.00 per person. For more information contact JAMIE McNAMARA, Class of 1994, at 732-452-5430, or visit Bar Anticipation on the web at http://www.bar-a.com

SILVER LINING - The British shipping magazine, Fairplay Shipping Weekly, marked its 120th Anniversary with a special supplement listing their readers' choice of their top twenty shipping heroes over the period. The list includes the likes of Malcom McLean, Aristotle Onassis, Rudolf Diesel, Ferdinand de-Lessups, Guglielmo Marconi and, in 10th place - CAPT. JOSEPH HAZELWOOD, Class of 1968. The article describing his place in shipping history, 'Trouble on Oiled Waters', notes in part that: "When Capt Joseph Hazelwood took his ship, EXXON VALDEZ, into Prince William Sound, Alaska, on March 24, 1989, he could not have known that he would change tanker design, construction and operation for ever."

"If the captain is on the bridge when something goes wrong, then it's his fault. And if he's not on the bridge, then he should have been. So it's his fault. This is the Catch 22 logic that Capt Hazelwood could not beat. He had instructed the third mate to make a starboard turn to avoid Bligh reef and went below to complete some paperwork, but the manoeuvre was not made and the ship hit the reef, spilling 37,000 tonnes of oil."

"For the cost and the consequences of that missed manoeuvre in March 1989, Capt Hazelwood has surely earned the votes he attracted in our poll." [Thanks to FRANK DUFFY, Fairplay Special Correspondent and Executive VP of the Maritime Industry Museum at Fort Schuyler, for the heads up and printout of the article.]

IRON MEN - The Class of October 1946 is going strong 57 years after graduation. According to OTTO LIEPIN, his class is "planning a Florida mini-reunion in Tampa on Sunday Jan. 25 and Monday 26. The AMERICAN VICTORY will have a special activity planned for SUNY-MC alumni on Monday and CAPT. LONSCHEIN will be organizing the program. We will announce the details and Florida "snow birds" may want to participate. Will let NFS readers know as we get closer to the December deadline. Stay tuned". [BTW - it won't conflict with Super Bowl Sunday - which is February 1.]

AMAZING AMAZON - "Had to chuckle at your last NFFS (July 26th) about the boxed sets of DVD's and some of the titles (Planet of the Apes and Sex in the City.) I guess the Alumni Association is really getting a cut of orders made at Amazon.com. Good thing Amazon doesn't carry raunchy movie titles or I might have been too embarrassed to come forward," writes SEAN McCARTHY, Class of 1999. "I ordered several hundred dollars in DVD's for use aboard the Military Sealift Command ships I sail on. It greatly improves the quality of life for the crew. I can usually pick up some overtime for this service and I turn around and buy more DVD's. I was actually planning to put another order in again in August. I often wondered if Amazon.com was honest about giving groups their commissions on sales, and I guess it's true by your feedback."

"You see I'm actually helping two colleges out when I place the orders. I have a degree from Grand Valley State University and the alumni association there offered me a credit card with the college's logo on it. Then the college gets a cut of my purchases made with the card. Then I saw your note about Charlie Hudson saying Maritime Alumni Association would get a cut of purchases made at Amazon.com. I figured this is great! I log onto Amazon.com through the Maritime Alumni site then pay for my purchase with my credit card from my other college. Kind of like getting two birds with one stone."

"Just a side note that Amazon is great at handling internet orders if you have access to the web aboard whatever ship you're sailing on. When you spend a lot of time at sea it's kind of like being able to order your own care package. Amazon does a great job at packaging items that spend a lot of time bouncing around overseas prior to delivery."

TSES IV THE BEST - The request for memorabilia from the USNS HENRY GIBBINS' years as the Training Ship EMPIRE STATE IV brought this from NICK DYEVICH, Class of 1944: "Just a reminder that in the early 60's the entire Cadet Corps lived aboard the E.S.IV for 3 years because the old dorms were torn down before the new ones were built. Included in those years would be the great JOSE FEMENIA [Class of 1964] - now the head of the Engineering Department at Kings Point. Many of us felt the E.S.IV was the best ship the school ever had." [Nick sailed as Senior Ship's Engineer and Relieving Chief Engineer on Training Ships EMPIRE STATE IV and V from 1960 to 1980.]

SUN SHINES ON SAILORS - "The Class of '53 held their 50th reunion in Williamsburg, VA, in mid-June" reports STUART FITZ "[and] we had the only 4-day run of good weather on the East coast for weeks. About 55 classmates and their ladies attended. Despite the occasional cane and limp, a grand time was had by all. Some of us hadn't seen each other in the 50 years since graduation. Considering that we graduated about 105 in 1953, and that the ship's bell has tolled for 20, and that illness and other infirmities accounted for another 10, our attendance was commendable. We look forward to Homecoming in September - FLOYD "HOSS" MILLER, BOB FEY, STU FITZ - Reunion Committee." [GERRY ALBIN, Class of 1950, also forwarded this note, along with photos of a July 3rd Navy League event in Maine which honored Maritime College President, ADM. JOHN RYAN. The event was also attended by Gerry's classmate, DAVE PUNZELT]

TIMING IS EVERYTHING - "I had not been back in Fort Schuyler since 1983 or 1984," writes LUIS LUIS, Class of 1983."I went by there June 14th or so (it was a Friday), to get a college transcript directly from the Registrar's office. (That building used to be my dorm). Upon entry I was very surprised and disappointed at the general condition of the campus compared to what I remembered back from 1979 through 1983. Everything seemed so run down and decrepit. The buildings are old and dirty. The parking lots are cracked and full of weeds, even the concrete around the flag pedestal in the center of the Fort's grounds is all cracked, and uneven!"

"I hope this will be a good incentive to many of the Alumni to provide much needed support to improve things a bit! Although, I am unemployed at the present time, I have tried to keep my membership dues up to date. How many other Alumni are up to date in their dues?"

NFFS checked this out with its "man on campus", Librarian JOHN LEE who responded that:" Luis came to the college at a down time. Sorry that Luis was ... disappointed at the condition of the college. I believe it was a beginning of the construction for the new dormitory which is under construction targeting for completion next fall. If Luis is at the college now, he will be pleased to see signs of change: whole campus is being renovated and repaired. All the parking lots are re-sealed, sidewalks refurbished, and a new dormitory is being built on the old tennis court (I miss the court). Over 320 new freshpersons are scheduled to start this fall. This is the historic record figure of large enrollment that I ever recall since the 1980s."

UPDATE FROM THE CAPTAIN - Recently retired President of The Marine Society of the City of New York, FRANK SHELLENBARGER, writes that he is now less fully retired since, "due to medical problems with our office secretary, I am having to resume the newsletter. The [society's] 'Captains Quarters' will be out about 6 weeks late, but hope to get the next one out on time."

The Captain also reported that the transcript of his oral history interview about his maritime career is now listed on the website of the United States Naval Institute (http://www.usni.org) and that Paul Stillwell has devoted a full page about his career in the August 2003 issue of 'Naval History Magazine.' "He was always fascinated about how I met my wife. We celebrated fifty years in January. Not bad considering it is a second marriage for each of us."

MORE ALUMNI AUTHORS SOUGHT - "Read any good books lately?" asks Charlie Hudson. "Numerous alumni of Maritime College have authored and edited books on a wide range of topics. The list of books can be found at http://www.fsmaa.org/Members/ProductsServices/programs/books

Also included are books written by faculty, honorary alumni and others relating to the college. To have a book added, contact Charlie Hudson at products@SunyMaritimeAlumni.org And who is the most published alumnus? It's ALVIN Z. RUBENSTEIN '47 with 26 books written. Who is the most published class? It's 1947 with 38 books, with the addition of 12 books from STANLEY A. WOLPERT '47. All books listed can be purchased from Amazon with a portion of the sale going to the alumni association. What scholarly journal supported almost all of the research for this book project? The News From Fort Schuyler!

FINAL PLUG - Charlie Hudson writes: "I know the editor of the NFFS has finished his summer traveling, but others can visit the Alumni Association Products and Services Program Web Site ... for links to travel related services that can save you money and/or support the association. The association is actively seeking more services to add to the program - http://www.fsmaa.org/Members/ProductsServices/