2019 Leaders Conference
Classmates, et al,
Last week I attended the 2019 AOG Leaders Conference and
the Class of 2023 Acceptance Parade at West Point.
The overarching theme of the conference was a celebration
of 150 years since the AOG was founded in 1869 and anticipating many more years
of serving both West Point and its graduates in the future.
Joe DeFrancisco ‘65 (Chairman, Board of Directors), Todd
Browne ’85 (President & CEO) and Diedre Dixon ’84 (Conference Chair, Chair of
the Alumni Support Committee and Chair of the 150th Anniversary
Planning Committee) discussed the evolution of AOG and its unique relationship
with West Point.
The Superintendent (LTG Darryl Williams ’83) and his
leadership team, the new Commandant (COL Curtis Buzzard ‘92), the Dean (BG Cindy
Jebb ‘82) and new Athletic Director (Mike Buddie) brought us up to date on the
Corps of Cadets and their commitment to continue producing leaders of character
for our Army.
Distinguished Society Awards and Parents Club Awards were
presented. This was the first year
that West Point Parents Clubs had participated in the conference (a good idea in
my opinion – they bring a lot to the table and are a great resource for
identifying future candidates and promoting the image of our alma mater).
An inspirational speech, “Thomas Jefferson and the United
States Military Academy”, was presented by BG (Ret) John Brown, former Chief of
Military History, US Army Center of Military History. His speech, as well as an
excellent video and other resources can be accessed at
(This link only works if you are logged in to the AOG web
site – www.westpointaog.org – using
your Cullum number and password.
For more help, go to
https://www.westpointaog.org/loginhelp)
Other topics presented by members of the AOG addressed:
The Present & Future of
Fundraising – the Academy’s 2035 master plan and an overview on the future
campaign for West Point.
Events, Gift Shop and Programs –
Event Enhanced Support packages, WPAOG Gift Shop memorabilia, the 50 Year
Affiliation Program and the Class Ring Memorial Program.
An informal evening event at Herbert Hall gave us the
opportunity to interact with the Academy staff, other class, society and parents
club leaders and several cadets.
One of the mornings began with
a Cadet Panel – five cadets who
discussed their “Margin of Excellence” experiences – opportunities that would
never have been possible in our day.
Cadet MaryClare Cassidy ’20
(Major – Electrical Engineering), at her own initiative, requested and received
Academic Individual Advanced Development funding to travel and intern at Los
Alamos National Laboratory where she continued her research into quantum physics
using their very expensive test equipment and facilities that will most likely
never be available at West Point.
Cadet Li Hoa Tan ’20 (Major –
Applied Psychology & International Relations) – an International cadet from
Vietnam – was able to travel and interact with Ann Mills-Griffith, Chairman of
the Board of Directors of the National League of POW/MIA Families
in DC, Vietnam Veterans in California, the US Chamber of Commerce and the
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency in Vietnam.
Cadet Grayson Seidel ’21 (Major –
Life Science) conducted malaria research at the Australian Defense Force Malaria
Institute in Brisbane, Australia.
Cadet Lauren Boos ’21 (Major –
Portuguese and Engineering Psychology) spent a semester abroad in Brazil
attending the Brazilian Army Engineering Institute.
Cadet Jason Agsalud `20 (Major -
Operations Research) attended Marion Military Institute in Alabama as part of
the West Point Preparatory Scholarship program.
I had the opportunity to meet with other “older” class
leaders to discuss issues such as reunions, mini-reunions, communications and
special needs. My biggest takeaway
was the need to improve communication between members of our class and the
Association of Graduates.
Unfortunately, some older grads apparently see the AOG as little more than a
fundraising organization and, because of that perception, choose not to maintain
their contact information at AOG for fear of inviting solicitations.
The AOG database contains information on each graduate,
ex-cadet, widow and other NOK. For
the past few years, using that database as a resource, Carol and I have been
able to both donate to our class gift fund, while also memorializing each
deceased classmate. Because AOG
automatically sends a personalized note to each widow or NOK when a donation is
made in their loved one’s memory, we’ve been able to touch the lives of many
classmates’ widows and NOK. The
note from AOG mentions that a donation was made but doesn’t mention the amount.
As a result, we’ve received dozens of touching notes thanking us for
remembering their loved ones. Of
course, the only ones we heard from were those whose contact information was
current in the AOG database.
I had several opportunities to interact with and observe
these four members of the Class of 2020 who lead today’s Corps of Cadets.
They are (left to right)
Joshua Phillips, Class President, from Chicago, IL; Kevin Shinnick,
Brigade Command Sergeant Major, from
Milford, MA; Daine Van DeWall, First Captain/Brigade Commander, from
West Friendship, MD; and Michael Worth, the Deputy Brigade Commander,
from
Rochester, NY. Each was very outgoing, respectful, and articulate.
They’re, of course, the cream of the crop, but I was still most impressed
with their maturity and their commitment.
As a tribute to a product of their leadership, I observed
the new cadets (Class of 2023) march on to the parade field at Camp Buckner for
their Cadet Basic Training Awards Ceremony and found that they appeared to be
motivated, disciplined and, believe it or not, looked like real soldiers, much
more so than those I’d seen in years past.
As an endnote, I’d like to encourage each of you set aside
some time to peruse the public persona of our alma mater:
https://www.facebook.com/WestPointUSMA
https://www.facebook.com/WestPointAOG/
I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised and impressed
I look forward to seeing you at our 60th
reunion.
Please feel free to give me a call if you have any
questions.
GO LIKE 60!
Bob Totten
Vice President, Class of 1960
610-737-1640