USNA 1959 Home Page
'59th Reunion (Informal) Progress Notes

This page houses all known and relevant notes on the status of the 59th Reunion planned for October 2018. All Progress Notes have most recent shown first.

59th Reunion Progress Notes
Date | Source Comments
05/16/2017
Gary Smith
(21st Company)
The 59th Reunion Committee conducted its second meeting on 9 May 2017 at the Naval Academy Club commencing at 1300.

Committee Co-Chairman Gary Smith announced that Chairman Jerry Welsh is undergoing chemotherapy treatments which temporarily limits his active participation.  Gary requested that both he and Jerry be “copied to” on any 59th Reunion related correspondence.  The importance of having backups for committee Chairmen and Company Representatives was stressed.

The major accomplishment since the first meeting was completion of the Class of 1959 Reunion Survey in March 2017.  The results are summarized in Attachment 1 and were discussed. Attachment 2, 59th Reunion Committee, and Attachment 3, Revised Tentative Schedule of Events, reflect the changes described above. 

The next Reunion Committee meeting will be held on 17 October 2017 and Registration for the Reunion is expected to start about February/March 2018.

06/16/2016
Jerry Welsh
(23rd Company)
The kickoff meeting for the 59th Reunion was held on 6/16/2016 at the USNA Club, Leyte Gulf Room, in Annapolis. Several attachments were available (59th Reunion Committee members; A Tentative Schedule of Events for the reunion weekend; and a List of Milestones and Timetable. As chair, Jerry Welsh requested a brief synopsis of the Committee members duties and responsibilities. Significant time and changes were made to the Tentative Schedule. Jerry will distribute a revised schedule once prepared.

The next meeting will be in the August or September 2016 timeframe.

04/26/2016
Pete Stout
(10th Company)
A Special THANK YOU to Dave Norwood, 10th Company, for his extensive and precise research for all 1959 Non-graduates.   Since late 2015, at the Data Administrator's request, Dave has researched all Non-graduates who entered with the Class of '59.   While the USNA Alumnae database had some of these classmates, this source does not include their original or subsequent companies, nor was the USNA data base an exhaustive list.  Dave tediously compared Lucky Bags from 1955 thru 1959 with the USNA Annual Registers of the same years, categorized the source of separation, reason and date of separation, and required detective work to decide among companies having members with the same last name to determine the correct Company.   Due to Dave's efforts, all 349 non-graduates (affectionately termed DNGs) are now identified and loaded into the Class database with, to-date, only 93 not associated with a specific company. 

Dave performed this effort near flawlessly and has now given credit and recognition on the '59 website to those who --while not graduating with the Class of '59-- deserve their place in history as former USNA midshipmen. Those DNGs with full contact information can now be contacted for the '59th Reunion in 2018.
01/04/2016
Walt Szczypinski
(18th Company)
From Walt Szczypinski (Chairman of the Transportation Committee) as he coordinates with Annapolis Bus system personnel:
The USNA Class of 1959 Reunion is scheduled Thursday, October 4 thru Sunday, October 7, 2018. This is a non-football weekend in Annapolis. Our three hotels are in the outer West Street/Riva Road area. Tentative plans at present are to start check-in on Thursday afternoon, golf/tennis and tours on Friday morning and afternoon; parade at Worden Field and the Superintendent's briefing on Friday afternoon, and company parties on Friday evening; tailgate and TV feed of Navy-Air Force Game in the N-Room spaces at Navy-Marine Corps Stadium on Saturday afternoon; also continuing with buffet dinner at the Stadium on Saturday evening; church services at the chapel on Sunday morning followed with brunch at one of our three hotels ; and finally adjournment around noon Sunday. Currently the thought is to have a Memorial Service in the Chapel on Saturday.

Please email the current Data Administrator, Pete Stout, if you have any questions or corrections.