Atlanta

The Dog Days of Summer are upon us here in Georgia. However, that only means we’re just 10 short weeks away from the 2010 Season start of Navy Football. And we’re getting ready for another great year! First a recap of June events:
JUNE EVENTS
June’s luncheon is always our annual Chapter Meeting and election of new officers for our next term. The unanimously elected Slate of Officers and BOD for the 2010-2011 Term are as follows:
PRESIDENT – Ples Bruce ‘77
VICE PRESIDENT – Ed Brownlee ‘81
TREASURER – Pete Knoetgen ‘77
SECRETARY – Jim Slemenda ‘66
GENERAL DIRECTORS – Stew Caldwell ’65, Jon Barton ’66, Brian Jackson ’81, Dan Branch ’96, Scott Evans ’88, Karlton Holston ‘01
Congrats to the newly elected officers and BOD members. We appreciate your willingness to serve and help make this a better Chapter through your participation.
We have 2 great speakers scheduled for our July and August luncheons and we’ll kick-off the season with Navy vs Maryland on Labor Day.
Until next month, fair winds and smooth seas and I look forward to seeing all of you at this month’s events.
GO NAVY!
Ples Bruce ’77
Chapter President

Here in Georgia, the beginning of June is traditionally the start of summer although for everyone else it’s June 21^st. With graduations, weddings, vacations and increased travel, there are all types of activities to keep us busy.
We will continue our monthly luncheons, the 3^rd Friday of the month, throughout the summer. The August luncheon will have a special speaker to get us ready for the fall football season and we’ll also unveil a number of new Chapter benefits to enhance the value of an Atlanta membership. So enjoy your summer, check our site throughout and plug in where you can.
MAY/ JUNE EVENTS
2010 International Chapter Officer Forum (ICOF):
The 2010 ICOF was held in Annapolis May5-7. There were 57 Chapter officers or representatives from 53 different Chapters and Class years ranged from 1946 to 2002. We were able to hear from and speak with numerous speakers throughout the event, including:
Byron Marchant ’78, President-USNAAA & President/CEO-USNA Foundation
Dave Church ’67, Director of Alumni Services and Career Programs
Andrew Phillips, Academic Dean and Provost
CAPT Brian O’Donnell ’88, Deputy Commandant of Midshipmen
Panel of 5 graduating First Class Midshipmen
It was great event and the interaction between the Chapters, large and small, is priceless. I look forward to next year’s.
Annual Army/Navy Golf Tournament:                  The 14^th Annual Army/Navy Golf Tourney was held at FT.McPherson and again Navy was victorious in head to head competition with Army. As a matter of fact, Navy has won 11 of the 14 outings and we plan to continue our string new year. I think Army will be brining some ringers, so all local ex-Navy Golf Team members are encouraged to participate in 2011.
Byron Marchant, President & CEO of the USNAAA and Foundation was on hand to do his part to contribute to the Navy win and be available to discussion the state of affairs at the Association and Foundation level. He commented later that he truly enjoyed his time with Chapter members and sees Atlanta as a strategic partner in future goals and activities for both Alumni and Foundation objectives.
Annual Lobsterfest:
The 36^th Annual Lobsterfest was held June 5^th at LakeAllatoona and by the time we ended the day there wasn’t a frown or empty belly in the entire place.  BZ to Stew Caldwell and his entire team for the continued success of this event. Their hard work, endless dedication and tireless energy, throughout the day, made for a great outing that everyone will remember. Mark your calendar now for 2011, there’s only 364 days to go.
I also want to thank Mike Adams and his company Ideal Identity for their sponsorship and participation at the annual Lobsterfest. Mike’s company provide branded specialty apparel, such as caps, shirts, jackets, bag and golf towels for Atlanta Alumni Chapter members. He has been with us a number of years and everyone appreciates has products for their quality and value.
Until July, fair winds and I look forward to seeing all of you at this month’s events
GO NAVY!
Ples Bruce ’77
Chapter President

May is shaping up to be a busy month for your Atlanta Chapter and we welcome participation by all members and soon to be members in the area.
APRIL EVENTS
April Luncheon:
Our guest speaker was Terry Henry, Executive Director for Paws4Vets, a non-profit organization that provides assist dogs for vets with special needs, his daughter Kyria, who started the business at age 12, and her Golden Retriever Carina – about to be assigned to a Veteran and Kris Ulven, Atlanta rep for Paws4Vets. A great event, which was not only quite informative, but also enlightening about the work being done by this organization and others like it, to assist veterans in need. We will be posting photos and additional information about Paws4Vets on our website.
Attendees: Jim Hatch ’47(SOPA), Walt Sheffield ’51, Jerry and Connie MacKey ’54, Candler Crim ’55, Bill Rentz ’55, Carl McCallum ’60, Ed Hux ’61, Paul Hurst ’62, Bill Baker ’64, Stew Caldwell ’65, Jim Slemenda ’66, Jeff Johnson ’67, Ed Sundberg ’68, Jim Ellis ’69, George Hutcherson ’70, Bob Schultz ’71, Rick Jacobs ’72, Steve Frederick ’72, Rick Haley ’72, Jeff Jones ’77,Lee Gard ’78, Tom Hamilton ’78, Brian Jackson ’81, Rob Pintaro ’87, Paul Qualoy ’88, Keith Bruley ’91
MAY SCHEDULED EVENTS
2010 International Chapter Officer Forum (ICOF):I will be attending the annual USNAAA Chapter and Class Presidents Meeting in Annapolis May5-7. This meeting runs concurrently with the Spring USNAAA Trustee and Foundation Meeting, also held in Annapolis. This is always a great opportunity for the Alumni Association to interact with Chapter/Class officers, with a good dose of Q&A, Chapter info exchange and ways to enhance the value of your Alumni membership.
If you have anything you’d like for me or our Chapter Trustee to share or research, please contact us via E-mail
Ples Bruce, Chapter President
plesbruce@gmail.com
Steve Frederick, Chapter Trustee
Steve.Frederick@EdwardJones.com
May Monthly Luncheon:
In lieu of our Luncheon this month, we are asking everyone to participate in the Annual Army/Navy Golf Tourney at FT.McPherson. Byron Marchant, President & CEO of the USNAAA and Foundation will be special guest and throughout the day you will have an opportunity in interact with Byron and give Army another chance to experience disappoint at the hands of Navy. A good time is always had by all, so go to our website to get full details and sign up your foursome.
You may join us for dinner only (immediately following the golf tournament) at The Commons, the same venue as the Dark Ages Party
JUNE SCHEDULED EVENTS
Annual Lobsterfest:
June 5^th at LakeAllatoona Pavillion. We still need volunteers for this year’s event. Please contact Stew Caldwell, stewcaldwl@aol.com, as soon as possible to plug yourself in and help out.  It’s always a great time so go the website now and make your reservations.
June Monthly Luncheon:
June’s luncheon is always our annual Chapter Meeting. We will be reporting on the “State of the Chapter”, Trustees Report and Election of 2010-2011 Officers. No scheduled speaker, just each other. Everyone is encouraged to attend as we kick-off another hot summer in Hotlanta!
Until June, fair winds and I look forward to seeing all of you at this month’s events.
GO NAVY!
Ples Bruce ’77
Chapter President

There are a number of activities planned over the next few months, so please go to our website, atlanta.usnaaasiteadmin.net, to keep up on all Chapter news and events.
MARCH EVENTS
March Luncheon was well attended and our guest speaker did not disappoint expectations. Bob Bush ’65 and his wife have been sailing around the world since 2004 and he shared details of his adventure with us. Bob came with a slideshow and chart in hand and everyone seem to enjoy his candid recall of the joys and challenges of his travels. There should be copies of his slides/pictures on the website soon, so check back frequently. In attendance: Tom Hamilton ’78, Bill Rentz ’55, Bob Bush ’65, John Stark ’51, Jim Todd ’55, Bob Groce ’65, Ed Hux ’61, Rick Jacobs ’72, Steve Chestnut ’74, Steve Frederick ’72, Mitch Rowland ’71, Jim Hatch ’47, Dave Thomas ’02, Jerry Mackey ’54, Stewart Caldwell ’65, Alan Miller ’61, Bob Schultz ’71, Jon Barton ’66, Kenn Bruley ’91, Lee Whitfield ’71, Michael Lores ’74, Pete Knoetgen ’77, Mike Miller ’56, Walt Sheffield ’51, Tom Judd ’72, Ed Brownlee ’81.
APRIL LUNCHEON DATE CHANGE!!!
April Luncheon will be a week later this month, due to a scheduling conflict at the Sheraton Suites. We will meet on the 4^th Friday this month, April 23^rd, and NOT on April 16^th.
UPCOMING EVENTS
May Luncheon will be combined with our annual Army/Navy Golf Tournament on May 21^st at FT. McPherson. Our special guest is Byron Marchant, President of USNA Alumni Association and Foundation. We are excited about Byron visiting our Chapter and I highly encourage all area grads to attend. Even if you don’t play golf, we still have an option for you to attend and spend the afternoon with us. Navy has won the last 2 events and I’ve heard Army may be trying to stack the deck. However, I know there must be ex-golfing team members that need to dust off their clubs and join us. We don’t want Army to get accustomed to beating us in anything. I’m looking forward to seeing as many of you as possible at this event. Details are on the website.
Annual Lobsterfest this year is on June 5^th at the Pavilion at Lake Allatoona. This is our 32^nd anniversary year and it gets better every year. Volunteers are needed to assist with setup and cleanup. Please contact Stew Caldwell ’65, to sign up to help. Check the website for details and reservation instructions.
The Annual Chapter Meeting will be held at the June Luncheon on June 18^th. All area grads, members and non-members are encouraged to attend.
GO NAVY!
Ples Bruce ’77
Chapter President

Spring is just around the corner and here in Atlanta it gets a little warmer before most of the country. That’s why we live here. However, this year we’re starting a little late. It seems Mother Nature is still hibernating.
Back in November we had Bill Saling as our luncheon speaker and he shared with us his organization’s work with disabled veterans. Based on his appeal for any labor or monetary assistance, luncheon attendees plus many others agreed that his cause and work was worthy of our support. Please refer to our website for more details. To date we have participated in both efforts and on behalf of the local chapter Board, I want to thank everyone who has decided to make a contribution. However through February, we have fallen very short of our financial commitment as an organization to support Bill’s group. There is obviously still time to make a difference in support of this project, so please find a way to volunteer some time or money or both to this program. For everyone who has made a contribution in either time or money, please contact me with details of your participation. I just want to make sure Bill’s group has properly documented our Chapter’s level of participation.
In an effort to build our Chapter membership numbers for the year-end report to national, your Board is asking all present members to reach out and encourage alumni who are not chapter members to join. We know that group, organization and affiliation has to demonstrate increasing value to their members to keep them interested in remaining members and for non-members to be excited about becoming new members. This is ever more apparent in our present economic climate. To that end, we will be launching several new programs to highlight membership advantages.
FEBRUARY HIGHLIGHTS
2010 Dark Ages Dinner/Dance
Great program, and a good time was had by all. Our guest speaker, Capt. Pierre Thuot, was not only informative but engaging and insightful on the Life of a Space Shuttle Astronaut. If you missed it, you missed a good one. We will do it again next year, so start making plans now to attend. (See photos on the website.)
Chapter News
I was remiss in not mentioning in January that Dan Branch ’96 and his wife Caroline celebrated the birth of their first child John Ratcliffe in January. Congratulations to the Branch family and potentially a Class of 2031 member.
Eddie Meyers ’80 is the proud father of an Olympic Medal Winner. At the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver, his daughter Elana Meyers won a Bronze Medal in the Women’s Bobsled competition. This was the third Olympics in a row that a U.S. Women’s Team finished with a medal. BZ to daughter and dad.
Anyone wishing to pass on any professional or personal chapter news, please send a brief note to myself or Jim Slemenda, our secretary.
GO NAVY!
Ples Bruce ’77
Chapter President

WELCOME TO WINTER:
This is usually the time of the year when Atlanta and most of North Georgia gets its winter blasts and this year is no different. All we can look forward to is that spring is not that far away and the South always gets it first.
MEMBERSHIP:
We are into our 2^nd month of our 2010 membership drive. If you are receiving this newsletter, that means you were at least a member in 2009. Maybe you’ve already signed on for 2010 and if you have that’s great. If you haven’t renewed your membership yet, today’s not a bad time to do so. As a matter of fact, I will be talking about membership, and more importantly the need to increase our numbers over 2009, for most of this year. That’s because this is the year when our numbers really matters.
To cut to the chase, every three years the Alumni Associations has every Chapter give a count of their membership. The year-end count is used to rank the Chapters to determine which ones will have an automatic Trustee position on the Foundation Board. As long as I can remember, we have been able to have such a position. This has afforded us the opportunity to have direct input to decisions on policy, direction, processes, priorities and overall SOP for the Foundation.
Our Chapter BODs believe that in order to maintain our position we will need to greatly increase our ranks over the previous count. We also know the best way to grow is to have members reach out to non-members and share the benefits of joining. Over the next few months we will establish a number of programs designed to clearly communicate membership benefits and support members bringing new members. Stay tuned.
JANUARY SPOTLIGHT EVENTS:
USNA Gospel Choir visit was a great success, with 3 excellent performances and 3 great opportunities to showcase America’s finest. If you didn’t get a chance to attend a performance, help us ensure they’re here next year, so you can.
RADM Jim McGarrah ’73, gave us an excellent insight into the entire ongoing Guantanamo Bay discussions and debates and the legal and political challenges confronting our country on the issue. We had a great group of attendees and I believe Jim could still be answering, if allowed, all of the questions and interest generated.
JANUARY LUNCHEON ATTENDEES:
Lee Whitfield ’71, Lee Gard ’78, George Hutcherson ’70, John Stark ’51, Bill Rentz ’55, Debbie Baus ’89, Paul Qualey ’88, Jim McGarrah ’73, Paul Borer ’70, Buzz Galbraith ’61, Mitch Rowland ’71, Jerry Mackey  ’54, Ed Hux ’61, Tom Galloway ’71, Ples Bruce ’77, Tom Hamilton ’78, C.Y. Smith ’77, Brian Jackson ’81, Reggie Vaohon ’58, Ron Taylor ’81, Bill Holmes ’64, Jon Barton ’66, Pete Knoetgen ’77, John Coty ’73, Steve Frederick ’72, Walt Sheffield ’51, John Andrews ’64.
FEBRUARY SPOTLIGHT EVENTS:
Dark Ages Dinner/Dance, Saturday the 20^th. You should have received your invite in the mail and there are also details on the website. If you have not already done so, please RSVP as soon as possible.
USNA Ruby Team visits GA Tech February 12-15. About 40 midshipmen are with the team and we do need families to volunteer to house them. More information is coming shortly.
NO LUNCHEON THIS MONTH. We want to focus all of our efforts and emphasis on the Dark Ages Dinner/Dance, so the Luncheon will return in March.
GO NAVY!
Ples Bruce ’77
Chapter President

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Time flies when youÂ’re having fun. And
for our Chapter, this part of the year is a busy time. First, a quick
review of December 2009:
The Chapter Holiday Party was a great
event and everyone has reported they enjoyed themselves and had a lot of
fun and merriment to kick off the season.
We had a Canned Goods Drive and we were able to collect and take to
the Atlanta Community Food Bank over 220 lbs of food. Great work!
The annual Army/Navy Game viewing party
was a big success. We had over 270 attendees this year, with the breakdown
going about 53/47 Navy/Army. Again for Army, thereÂ’s always next year.
Cindy Miller Â’90, our Area Blue &
Gold Coordinator, was the December Luncheon speaker, and itÂ’s good to
know that Navy is still getting the best and brightest young people who
want to become midshipmen. Cindy says we will get about 17,000
applications, when itÂ’s all said and done for the class of 2014. And
with the cost of a four-year education at the Academy hitting somewhere
close to $400,000, itÂ’s understandable why the competition is so high.
There were 42 luncheon attendees: Jerry
Mackey Â’54, Shawn Ikpa Â’05, Ed Hux Â’61, Jim McGarrah Â’73, Brian
OÂ’Malley Â’86, Shelley OÂ’Malley Â’87, Jan Milligan Â’71, Reggie
Vacheon Â’58, George Hutcherson Â’70, Scott Evans Â’88, Art Crowe
Â’88, Ronald Taylor Â’81, Alan Miller Â’61, Neil Block Â’61, Buzz
Galbraith Â’61, Tom Hamilton Â’78, Robb Wetzel Â’89, Walt Sheffield
Â’51, Paul Hurst Â’62, Jon Barton Â’66, Brian Jackson Â’81, Bill
Holmes Â’64, Matt Kirby Â’94, Mike Miller Â’56, Bob Ferrante Â’90, Jim
Slemenda Â’66, Pete Knoetgen Â’77, Bill Rentz Â’55, Marc Manzelli
Â’83,Dan Branch Â’96, John Morrow Â’84, Mario Maddox Â’85, Rick Haley
Â’72, John Fry Â’80, Ned Hunter Â’81, Harvey Cybul Â’62.
The Naval Academy Gospel Choir will once
again visit Atlanta on January 16^th and 17^th.
Details are on the Events Calendar page.
Mark your calendars now for the 2010
Dark Ages Party, February 20^th at Fort MacPherson. This
Dinner/Dance is our only event of the year thatÂ’s exclusively for
Chapter members. ItÂ’s semi-formal, with a band, and we make it a special
night out for all attendees. If you know any area alumni who are not yet
Chapter members, thereÂ’s still time for them to join and have the
opportunity to attend. However, time is running out. You will receive all
of the details soon in a formal invitation.
There are plenty of activities these next 2 months, so
find a way to join in and enjoy. Until next month,
GO NAVY!  BEAT ARMY!
Ples Bruce Â’77
Chapter President

December is busy month for all of us. Time with family activities, company or business year-end projects, travel and the prospect of the New Year right around the corner, gives us all plenty to do.
Your local Alumni Chapter is also busy. We have 3 events this month, to close out our year. Go to the Events Calendar page for all the details.
November’s Luncheon was a different type of event for us. First, we had retired Army officers speaking to us, which isn’t typical, yet the message was one that we don’t heard about enough and that was very informative. Bob Saling works with a group, ‘Vets Helping Vets’ and the work this group is doing, in conjunction with other area organizations like Shepherd Center, to support our returning troops is nothing short of phenomenal. There is information on our site on this program and how we can support the efforts of this worthy group of dedicated veterans.
Luncheon attendees included: Bill Rentz ’55, Clint Johnson ’60, Jerry Mackey ’54, Bob Schultz ’71, Steve Dmetrok ’71, Paul Borer ’70, Ted Webster ’68, Jeff Jones ’77, Teb Bowman ’63, Karl Schwelm ’71, Jim Todd ’55, Debbie Baus ’89, Paul Quavy ’88, Steve Frederick ’72, Paul Hurst ’62, Jon Barton ’66, Tom Judd ’72, Mitch Rowland ’71, Carl McCallum ’60, Ronald Taylor ’81, Mario Maddox ’85.
For December, we have our own, Cindy Miller ’89, who is the Regional Blue & Gold Director, as our speaker. Cindy has agreed to share with the latest on the ‘State Of’ our local B&G program and how we can participate and make a contribution and difference. You want to mark your calendar for December 18^th and not miss this luncheon.
Of course, I couldn’t write a December message without talking about Army/Navy. All of the details for watching the Game with us at Fox Sports Grill are on the website. Yet the biggest news is that Army, with a record of 5W-6L record, actually has something to play for this year. Army knows that this is their chance in this decade to be eligible for a Bowl Game, if they get to a 6W-6L record. That means they must beat us on the 12^th. The local Army faithful believe Navy is ripe for the upset and they plan to turn-out in force for the gathering at Fox Sports.
We know differently, yet we don’t want to let Army dominate the space. So I highly encourage every Navy Sports fan not attending the game in Philly, to join us at Fox Sports Grill. I think it will be priceless to see the disappointment on the Army faces in person.
In closing, join us for this month’s events to connect with classmates, friends and fellow alumni. We are here to help you meet these objectives in a warm and inviting environment, so plug-in and stay connected.
On behalf of your local Chapter Officers, Board Members and Trustees, we want to wish everyone a Merry and Safe Holiday Season and a Happy and abundant New Year.
GO NAVY!  BEAT ARMY!
Ples Bruce ’77
Chapter President