USNA Class of 1961
Class Project Status 2007
History of Class Giving
Through the years, the Class of 1961 has been prominent among USNA classes,
donating time, energy and funding to support worthwhile projects beneficial
to the Navy, the U.S. Naval Academy, the Brigade of Midshipmen, the U.S.
Naval Academy Foundation (USNAF), the U. S. Naval Academy Alumni Association
(USNAAA) and Class of 1961 members. Our initial project raised money for
the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium seats in memory of members of the
Class killed in action and missing in action from Vietnam. The Class also
funded and supplied two handicapped shelters and a gate at the Navy-Marine
Corps Memorial Stadium. During the Alumni Association's first Capital
Campaign the Class donated three paintings now hanging in the main entrance
of Alumni Hall. Additional funds endowed a post-graduate scholarship in
a professional subject. The Class of 1961 also sponsors and supports the
Brigade's 21st Company Wardroom and annually sponsors The Class of 1961
Prize: a dress sword presented at the USNA Prizes and Awards Ceremony
to the First Class Midshipman who finishes first scholastically in professional
subjects.
The Class also continued to honor Class members by sponsoring the Joe
Bellino Trophy Case in Ricketts Hall and the Thresher/Scorpion Memorial
in the Nimitz Library. In 1996 the Class sponsored the formation and outfitting
of the “Pipes and Drums of the Brigade,” a musical organization
now operating as a Brigade Support Activity.
Fortieth Reunion Campaign and Current Status
In conjunction with the Class' 40th reunion in September 2001 and the
Naval Academy's $175 million Capital Campaign, the Class developed a legacy
program intended to support the Naval Academy as long as the Class exists.
The initial goal for the 40th reunion was to raise $2 million to endow
the Class of 1961 Leadership Education Chair. As reported at the 45th
Reunion, more than $2 million was pledged for this project and the Chair
was established on January 1, 2002. The current incumbent of the Class
of 1961 Leadership Education Chair is Dr. Donnie Horner. He provides the
experience and guidance of a professional educator to the military officers
who are assigned as instructors of naval leadership. Dr. Horner is a USMA
graduate who served on the faculty at West Point and at Penn State. He
has a son who is a member of the USNA Class of 2008. Dr. Horner has been
given additional responsibilities as the Director of the LEAD Program,
which provides graduate education in leadership and a master’s degree
to officers ordered in to duty as Company Officers at the Naval Academy.
Future Class Project Needs
The Executive Committee is currently discussing what should be the objectives
of an updated Class Project leading up to our 50th Reunion. Back when
we undertook the campaign to establish the Class of 1961 Leadership Education
Chair, we were advised that $2 million would be a suitable endowment for
the Chair. We set that as our goal and more than succeeded, raising at
this point over $2.5 million in payments and pledges. We have had two
outstanding incumbents of the Chair, both well recognized in leadership
development education and popular as professors.
Several factors have required us to raise the target for our endowment
from the original $2 million to $3.5 million. First, the recession in
the early part of this decade caused the Foundation to apply more conservative
rules to how much money may be taken annually from the endowment. Second,
we authorized the Naval Academy to establish the Chair and to search for
and hire a suitable faculty member while we were conducting our campaign,
thus starting the expenditures in 2002 before the endowment was fully
funded. Finally, faculty salaries have increased faster than inflation
and the Naval Academy is a very competitive institution. Furthermore,
USNA has increased Dr. Horner’s contract from ten months to twelve
months annually to support his additional responsibilities as Director
of the LEAD Program. We should be extremely proud that our gift has supported
the Superintendent’s top educational priority and enabled the Naval
Academy to meet a great need. The holder of our Chair is well-esteemed
and obviously key to the success of the development of leadership in midshipmen,
both in their life in the Brigade and in the classroom. We need to continue
our class project to fully fund the Class of 1961 Leadership Education
Chair with an endowment at the new target of $3.5 million, which will
require us to raise another $1 million in the next few years.
There are other objectives we need to consider including in our current
Class Project. One is additional support for the Pipes and Drums of the
Brigade. As described above, we provided funding for their initial outfitting
with uniforms and instruments. With their energetic operations, increased
visibility and designation as an official Brigade Support Activity, more
midshipmen want to be part of the Pipes and Drums. They urgently need
new funding for more uniforms and more instruments to support their growth.
This group reflects great credit on the Naval Academy and proudly proclaims
their sponsorship by the Class of 1961. They merit our continued support.
Another objective is to fund our responsibilities as the sponsoring class
for the entering Class of 2011, our fiftieth year successors. This Alumni
Association program is called “Another Link in the Chain”
and Jim Luper is our Class Coordinator. As 2011 progresses through their
four years at the Naval Academy there will be opportunities for us to
interact with them and to provide funding for some of their major events.
Our predecessor classes have found participation in “Another Link
in the Chain” to be most rewarding. We estimate that about $15,000
will be plenty to meet our responsibilities over the next four years.
Summary and Conclusion
The Class of 1961 has been generous in its support of the Naval Academy
and had great impact in its selection of projects. We have an opportunity
to put the “Class of 1961 Leadership Education Chair” on solid
financial footing by adding an additional $1 million to the Endowment.
We also have other priorities we need to consider as we define our 50th
Reunion project and conduct a fund-raising campaign. Your inputs are always
welcome as your Executive Committee defines the class project and initiates
the campaign. Mike Roth, our Vice President for Development, provides
the leadership in this effort.
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