UNC NROTC Alumni Association News Bulletin May 2020

In this edition: Message from the President Unit update from Commanding Officer Captain Andy Hertel Commissioning 2020 Nominations now open for the 2020 Distinguished Alumnus / Alumna Award and the Distinguished Service Award 2nd Lt. Richard S. Johnson, Jr. Award (Correction) 2020 Fall Reunion Call for Membership: Join, Renew, Upgrade; Membership Roster Update Now Hear This: Scuttlebutt Taps

The Board of Directors will meet next month on Saturday, June 6th

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Message from the President       Well, I wish that the way ahead for us, both personally and as a UNC family has become clearer, but as of this printing, there is still much we do not know about our futures. However, thirteen naval service officers have, at least, short term certainty….(now Alumni!) they have received their commissions and are headed for their respective service training schools! Congrats to our seven Marines and six Navy officers as of 9 May 2020!!!!!         As the president and Alumni Association representative, I was honored to be asked to say a few words to our new Navy and Marine Corps officers during the commissioning ceremony. Because of a very generous donor, I announced that our newly commissioned officers have been gifted with five year memberships in the UNC NROTC Alumni Association. Additionally, the academic honor graduate, Ensign Romeo Antolini received a life membership. We are thrilled to have them all aboard and look forward to having them join our members for future events!          Furthermore, due to the cancellation of the Awards Ceremony typically held before the end of classes in April, I was pleased to announce to the commissioning audience the recipient of the Patrick Connor Award. This is an engraved Aviator's watch given to the distinguished Navy option Aviation graduate. The 2020 Patrick Connor Award winner is Ensign Amadeush Skoczek.          Looking toward the immediate future, the board is preparing for our summer Board of Directors meeting to be conducted on 6 June 2020 at my home in Emerald Isle, NC, or via teleconference, for those that cannot attend in person. We will be discussing many topics, including ways to invigorate membership and how to celebrate our 30 th anniversary at our reunion that (we hope) is happening in November 2020 (conditions and laws permitting), as well as some important internal financial management decisions. I wish you all a safe and nostalgic Memorial Day , remembering, honoring, and mourning the military personnel that died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. We have a few of our own TARHEEL family and most likely some in your own families come to mind that may be appropriately memorialized, if not every day, particularly on Monday, 25 May 2020 .   Continued best wishes to each of you during different days, Marianne Waldrop ‘87

Greetings from Chapel Hill! Okay - so maybe I haven’t been in Chapel Hill much the past couple months, but I have been there in spirit. This semester was one for the record books, where we started out (in submarine torpedo terms, at least) ‘hot - straight - and normal’, but ended with our students scattered around the country learning via remote teaching methods. Students left for spring break, and with rare exception, did not return.   Universities across the nation shifted their operations to remote learning, and UNC was no different. However, even though our methods of instruction changed, our mission did not. The NROTC program at UNC still develops leaders of the maritime force and is sending them out to the fleet. In fact, this May we commissioned 13 new Ensigns and 2nd Lieutenants! Thanks to Marianne Waldrop for joining us on the virtual podium during the ceremony to welcome these new graduates to the Alumni Association.   So what does next semester look like? Good question! I am confident the university will reopen, and there will be some operations taking place on campus, but I don’t yet know what that looks like. Certainly some instruction will shift to remote delivery and some will be done in the classroom, but the proportions of each are still being sorted out. One thing is for certain - our mission of sending Tar Heels out to the fleet, ready to lead our Navy and Marine Corps into the future endures.   Thanks for all the continued support from the UNC NROTC Alumni Association!   Sincerely, CAPT Andrew Hertel

Commissioning 2020

On May 9th, 2020 the UNC-NROTC, in a most unusual way, held a virtual Commissioning Ceremony for this year's class of 13 graduating Midshipmen. Receiving the Oath-of-Office were: Ens. Romeo Antolini -------------------------Aviation Ens. Margarita Ayala-------------------------Aviation 2nd Lt. Jack Dremann-----------------------Marine Ground 2nd Lt. Matthew Guerrera------------------Marine Ground 2nd Lt. Cameron Gumbel-------------------Marine Aviation 2nd Lt. Madison Hamby---------------------Marine Ground 2nd Lt. Christopher Harris------------------Marine Ground 2nd Lt. Wesely Hughes---------------------Marine Aviation 2nd Lt. Matthew McPhail-------------------Marine Ground Ens. Kimberly O'Connor--------------------Aviation Ens. Amadeush Skoczek-------------------Aviation Ens. William Verwoerdt---------------------Aviation Ens. Sarah Weinstein-----------------------Surface Encouraging words were offered prior to receiving the Oath-of-Office from: Captain Andy Hertel, Commanding Officer, UNC-NROTC; Rear Admiral Jamie Sands, Commander, Naval Service Training Command and Colonel Marianne Waldrop USMC (Ret.), President, UNC-NROTC Alumni Association. Ens. Amadeush Skoczek received the Association's Lt. Patrick K. Connor Award (An Aviator's Watch). Thanks to the generocity of one of our Board of Directors, each of the graduates received a 5yr. membership in the UNC-NROTC Alumni Association, with the top graduate, Ens. Romeo Antolini receiving a Life membership! Each graduate also received letters of encouragement and congratulations from CAPT Hertel and various Board members. CONGRATULATIONS CLASS OF 2020!

Nominations now open for the 2020 Distinguished Alumnus / Alumna and Distinguished Service Award Steve Fish '85, Awards Chair

The Awards Committee is now soliciting nominations for our two awards – the Distinguished Alumnus Award and the Distinguished Service Award . We invite all members to provide nominations to the Awards Committee not later than August 30, 2020 . Please consider your alumni friends and colleagues’ service and careers and nominate them for recognition. As a member, log into the Alumni Association website and use the Awards Nomination Form (click here) to provide your nomination. The Distinguished Alumnus Award is provided to recognize a graduate of the UNC NROTC program who has distinguished himself or herself in contributions to our Nation, the armed services, industry or business, the arts, philanthropy, or other social contributions. This is not a "distinguished member of the military" award, and the individuals need not have been career members of the armed forces. The board will consider the achievements of a non-military professional with an NROTC pedigree on equal footing with a career officer. Please see the website for a list of previous Distinguished Alumni (click here). The Distinguished Service Award is provided to recognize the graduate (or former staff member), usually a Member of the Association who has distinguished himself or herself in contributions to the UNC NROTC Alumni Association. This criteria is intentionally nonspecific, and can include any manner of contributions to the efforts of the NROTC Alumni Association. Current Directors are ineligible for selection.Please see the Association website for a list of previous Distinguished Service recipients (click here).

2nd Lt. Richard S. Johnson, Jr. Award                                                                Steve Fish '85, Awards Chair

In the March 2020 News Bulletin, this award was listed as the Robert S. Johnson Award in error. Our apologies to the Johnson family and ALL past recipients of the 2nd Lt. Richard S. Johnson, Jr. Award . A UNC-NROTC alumnus, Richard S. Johnson, Jr. '66 was killed in action in Vietnam. Please see the following link to our website to read more . The Board of Directors along with the Unit Staff are still seeking history on the 2nd Lt. Richard S. Johnson, Jr. Award , which has historically been given to the top graduating Marine Corps option midshipman at the annual Midshipman Awards Day in the Spring. If you are a past recipient of this award or you know who the recipient was for your graduating class, please contact the Alumni Awards Committee and Captain Shannon Stanich (Unit Marine Officer Instructor). There is a plaque on the drill deck at the Unit with the names of many past winners, but we would appreciate any additional information anyone can provide.

Save the Date: 2020 Annual Meeting, Reunion and 30th Anniversary Celebration Set for 14 November 2020 UNC v. Pittsburg, UNC Military Appreciation Day Pat Connelly '85, Events Chair

The UNC NROTC Alumni Association has scheduled the Annual Meeting of the Membership, presentation of scholarships and awards and alumni reunion BBQ for Saturday, 14 November 2020 which coincides with the UNC v. Pittsburg football game and UNC Military Appreciation Day. Plans are moving forward in these uncertain times for our Annual Meeting and Reunion. The Association is targeting the weekend of 13/14 November 2020 for the annual Military Appreciation game when our Tarheels host the Pittsburgh Panthers at Kenan Stadium in a late-season ACC matchup with bowl implications. We have partnered with the DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Hotel on Meridian Parkway to serve as our base of operations. There will be 20 (more if demand requires) rooms available at the rate of $109. The Association has an established positive relationship with the DoubleTree (who can forget Hurricane Matthew in October of 2016?) and determined the distance from campus is offset by reasonable ride share options, nightly rate and the availability of an "admin suite" at no additional cost. The positive feedback from our stay at the Sheraton was taken into consideration. Unfortunately, the Sheraton is undergoing further renovation which will not be complete until spring 2021. As always, we invite feedback from the membership regarding hotel and venue selection. With college football season not set in stone, we are asking the hotel for a cancellation policy that allows the hotel to plan for occupancy while protecting our membership. Once those details are hammered out, we encourage you to book early in order to increase the number of rooms in the block at the advantageous rate. Without our Midshipmen planners on campus, some details will be "late-breaking." We ask that you periodically check the website as emerging details will be posted as they become available. We expect to have hotel details complete and open for reservations within the next couple of weeks. Reunion weekend registration and football ticket sales should be available in mid-August. Football tickets sold out relatively quickly last year. We hope to secure a large contiguous block of seats at a rate advantageous to dues-paying members. Last year was a banner year for the Association highlighted by the best-attended reunion weekend in the Association's 30 year history. We would like to continue that momentum. Please make plans to join with your fellow class and ship mates in the fall. Any questions or comments please contact Pat Connelly, '85, directly at flierpat@yahoo.com. If you have ideas or suggestions regarding the event planning, please submit your thoughts to the event committee via e-mail by clicking here

To help with REUNION planning please take a moment to participate in a 3 question SURVEY by clicking HERE

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2020 Membership If you haven't already done so, it is time to join or renew your membership for 2020.

Please become a paid member. We need you! Most Popular option: Life Membership GREAT VALUE: 5 YEAR MEMBERSHIP 5 years of membership for the price of four! Click the green bar below to join, renew or upgrade.

Click Here to Join, Renew or Upgrade your Membership

What do my dues pay for? Your dues contribution pays for our website, database software, financial management software and the Distinguished Alumnus /Alumna and Distinguished Service Awards; these funds enable us to communicate with the graduates so we can host and organize alumni events to support our NROTC Unit and Midshipmen. The Scholarships, Dawson Library and Connor Awards are funded separately through charitable contributions. Events (Annual Meeting & Reunions) are funded on a pay-as-you go basis by event participants. Thanks to the following alumni (in addition to our 203 living (Life Members)) who have made the commitment of ongoing support to our Association. Life members are listed in order of life membership here ; Current paid members listed by both class year and alphabetically by last name here . Newest Life members for 2020 : 3 #230 Carolyn Anne Ellison '04 #231 Samuel H. Bauckham '14 #232 Romeo W. Antolini '20 Five Year Members for 2020: 69 Donald R. Ledford - Staff Alumnus Kevin L. Martin - Staff Alumnus Stephen Matts - Staff Alumnus A. Earle Garrett, III '56 George Moseley '61 H. Robert Jones '53 Christopher Crowson '56 F. Norman Christopher '65 Alan V. Monette '65 Charles J. Wolfe '65 Chester Wilkinson '61 Harbaugh Moore III '66 Robert Young '67 Ronald B. Bobo '68 Bryant Byrd '68 Irvin W Hankins, III '68 Ronald N. McManus '68 Robert Shade '68 Andrew J. Arnold '69 William O. Leonard, III '69 Charles Gore '69 David A. Fish '70 James Hardee '70 James Zumwalt '70 Robert N. Swacker '71 James Day '73 William Gerichten '74 Nick Pulignano, Jr. '74 Michael Clark '75 Clifton W. Moore, Jr. '76 Michael Wellman '77 Steven Briganti '78 Anthony P. Donaldson '83 Thomas Brantley Burgiss '84 Michael J. Dodick '90 Kent Oglesby '90 Robert G. "Butch" Bracknell '93 James W. Hendley '94 Michael Carreiro '96 Bogomir Glavan '97 Kerry Hicks '02 Esther Kangas '14 Sarah E. Eason '18 Tatihana V. Moreno '18 Samir D. Patel '18 Thomas J. Singley '18 Alexander H. Stephenson '18 Bryan M. Towers '18 Carlos A. Urquilla '18 Mick Carreiro '19 Charles Neely '65 Clarence Smith, Jr. '57 Doug Montgomery '86 Tim Hastings '88 Silas Coley, Jr. '56 Margie Jackey '75 Bernard David Cole '65 Margarita Ayala '20 Jack Dremann '20 Matthew Guerrera '20 Cameron Gumbel '20 Madison Hamby '20 Christopher Harris '20 Wesley Hughes '20 Matthew McPhail '20 Kimberly O'Connor '20 Amadeush Skoczek '20 William Verwoerdt '20 Sarah Weinstein '20 2020 Annual Members : 14 . Capt. Andy Hertel (PNS) Alec Decker '61 Richard Greenamyer '66 Wesley Morgan, Jr. '70 Joseph Woods '67 James Sturgis '67 Ralph Wiggins, Jr. '55 Robert Rivers '73 Philip Tate '72 Mark Smith '86 James Gray '68 Maurice Glatzer '58 James Alfred Thompson '64 William Morrow Zachman, Jr. '90 Classes with the most number of Life members: 1985(13); 1986(11); 1959(8); 1987(8) Classes with most number of total members:1985 (15); 1986(12); 1959 (10), 1970, 1987 and Staff Alumni (8 each); Classes with no current members: 1962,1976, 1999, 2006-2008, 2010, 2013, 2015-2016. 

Now Hear This: Scuttlebutt!

No new information this issue The next News Bulletin expected to publish on Sunday, 28 June 2020. Deadline for input is Friday, 26 June 2020.

Taps:

It is with deep sadness that the Association reports the passing of our member: Captain Thomas Hugh Upton, USN (Retired) '58 View Obituary

It is with deep sadness that the Association reports the passing of UNC Basketball and NROTC Alumnus: E. Gerald Tuttle '69 View Obituary

It is with deep sadness that the Association reports the passing of UNC NROTC Alumnus: Frank Arthur Ewbank '67 View Obituary

In a recent major database refresh from the University, the Association has updated its master database of NROTC alumni. In doing so we learned that 236 alumni have passed over the past ten years. 571 NROTC alumni are recorded as deceased out of over 2060 total recorded graduates. As a service to our members, we have created a new feature on the website available for paid members entitled Deceased Alumni . The feature may be found on the Alumni Service and Information Resource tabs of the website. Please notify the Secretary if you know of errors or additional alumni who should be listed here.

If you know of a UNC NROTC Alumnus who has passed away, let us know so that this information may be reported in the News Bulletin under "Taps". Please send your announcements to secretary@uncnrotcaa.org . 

Visit our Website: www.uncnrotcaa.org

UNC NROTC Alumni Association| Email: secretary@uncnrotcaa.org | Website: www.uncnrotcaa.org

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