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USCGA
Parents Association
Great Lakes Chapter Meetings
In attendance: Wayne
& Marilyn Greenwood (Jeremy 04), Dave & Jeannie Allen (Nathan 01), Alan
Blount (Trevor 04), Russ & Linda DeVries (Todd 04), Bill & Sara Snyder
(Jessica 05), Jim & Renee Jasnoch (Chris 05), Marv & Jane Ratner (David
05), Ed & Marge Sloan (Amy 97), Sharon Zolnierek (Matthew 05), Jim &
Glenda Gibson (James 03), Chuck & Debbie Novak (Charles 03), Jack & Pat
Grant (Christiane 04), Gary & Beth Stein (Kent 04), Gary & Annie Cox
(Jonathan 03), Scott & Deb Bates (Brad Winans 04)
The meeting was called to order at approximately 1:00
p.m. by Co-Presidents Gary & Annie Cox.
Gary welcomed everyone and asked that introductions be postponed until
later since special guests – Admiral Loy, Admiral Hull and their respective
staffs - would be arriving a bit later.
Jim Jasnoch moved to accept the minutes as posted in the
March newsletter and was seconded by Scott Bates. After the Treasurer’s Report was distributed, Chuck Novak
reported a total balance of $5,463.67. There
was a brief discussion of how to gain matching funds from corporations for
donations made to special funds. Jim Gibson moved to accept the Treasurer’s Report, and
Scott Bates seconded.
Annie Cox reported that there are 29 new candidates
within our Chapter, five of which have accepted their appointments thus far.
Picnic plans continue along with updating the Orientation Book.
Annie asked 05 parents to offer suggestions for any additions or
improvements to the Orientation Book. The
Picnic is planned for June 15 at the Michigan City Coast Guard Station. Annie also asked parents with cadets home on leave at that
time to encourage them to attend the picnic.
There was no report from the Support Committee other than
graduation gifts were being selected for this year’s graduates.
Annie Cox shared that Judith Alberts, who was attending a
recruiting fair and thus could not be at the meeting, had been working on some
Promotion ideas in the Chicago area. There
was a brief discussion of the number of Academy applications this year, lack of
available Coast Guard recruiters, and the Coast Guard’s lack of visibility
especially in the news.
Russ & Linda DeVries reported that the Chapter now
has 72 active members.
Since the Lynch’s were on a cruise, Gary Cox reported
that as of March 21st, donations totaled $3710.00.
Everyone agreed that this was much better than selling items to raise
money for the Chapter. The sale of the scrapbooks/photo albums will continue
however. A list of donors thus far,
a thank you from 1C Neal Armstrong and a letter from John Maxham, Vice-President
for Development from the USCGA Alumni Association were passed around for the
membership to read.
There was some discussion of what should be done with
letters, notes, and etc. that are received by the Chapter.
Chuck Novak agreed to archive the materials until a decision could be
made as to what should be kept and where. Judith
Alberts currently has the Chapter Scrapbook.
Public Relations Committee remains an unfilled position.
Alan Blount reported that he is adding links to the
website, especially the Coast Guard Auxiliary.
He asked that people submit photos and biographical updates of their
cadets and added that suggestions for the website are always welcome.
Alan also reported that we would not be selling our website to the Great
Lakes Planetarium Association. Everyone
applauded Alan for his efforts in making our website such a success!
Beth Stein was introduced as the new editor for the
newsletter, and she handed out cards with their new address, phone, and email
address.
Annie Cox reported on the National Meeting, which took
place near the end of February. Only
2 of the 8 Liberty Vans were running at the time and the maintenance budget for
the vans is approximately $7000.00 short. The
National Organization authorized $2000.00 to go immediately to the Van
Maintenance Fund and will be looking at options for van replacement, including
possibly a smaller sedan. The Great
Lakes Chapter has had $450 in donations designated for the Liberty Vans.
It was decided to discuss the possibility of increasing this amount later
in the meeting during Donation Allocations.
Some discussion followed concerning the actual purpose and use of the
Liberty Vans as well as the how van maintenance was actually handled.
Donation Allocations were then discussed.
The cadets would like to have the Day Rooms be refurbished during the
summer months at a cost of $2200 per room for furniture.
The Library Reading Room is also still in need of funds.
Chuck Novak reported that our Chapter has a total of $3500.00 that could
be donated now. Donations thus far
have been designated as follows: $450
for Liberty Vans, $125 for the Library, $100 to the Crew Team. Chuck made a motion that Chapter donations be distributed as
follows: $2200 to Day Rooms, $1000
to Vans, $200 to Library, and $100 to Crew.
Dave Allen then suggested waiting for more information concerning the
vans before allocating a larger amount of funds. Much discussion ensued concerning the Liberty Vans, their
maintenance, and the needs of the Library.
At approximately 2:00 p.m. Admiral Loy and Admiral Hull
arrived. Chapter business was
set-aside until the Admirals’ visit concluded.
(See addendum for Admiral Loy’s comments.)
The business meeting resumed at approximately 2:30 p.m.,
and following the passing of the hat for the Grand Haven Morale Fund, a total of
$111.00 was collected.
Chuck Novak revised his previous motion concerning
donation allocations to read as follows: $2200
for Day Rooms, $450 for Liberty Vans, $250 for Library, $100 for Crew.
Dave Allen seconded the motion. The
motion passed.
Annie Cox presented more details concerning the Welcome
Aboard Picnic. It was decided to
continue to meet at the Michigan City Coast Guard Station if it is available.
Invitations will be issued as soon as the list of incoming cadets is
available. It was suggested that
the Chapter consider doing something for Judith Alberts since she is so gracious
to capture each incoming cadet on film. Annie
reminded everyone to bring side dishes or desserts to the picnic and the Chapter
will provide cold cuts, soda and water.
Graduation gifts for the Chapter’s seven graduates were
discussed. Suggestions included a
cake, a gift certificate to a mall, or a key chain engraved with the class
crest. It was agreed that, if
available, the key chain would be the first choice.
It was announced that the USCGA Women’s Crew Team might
be participating in the Division III National Championships at Eagle Creek in
Indianapolis, May 30 through June 1. The
Great Lakes Chapter may need to serve as hosts for some of these young women.
Gary reminded everyone that Parents Weekend is scheduled
for September 13 – 15 and that reservations should be made now.
The meeting adjourned at 3:00 p.m. for a tour of the
facilities and the traditional brag session.
Respectfully submitted,
Beth Stein (acting for Secretary Faye Lynch)
ADDENDUM
Chief Alberts introduced Admiral Loy, Admiral Hull, and
their respective staff members. In
turn, each Chapter member introduced him or herself and named their cadet or
officer. During introductions,
Admiral Loy shared some personal comments concerning any of the cadets he had
met. He also encouraged everyone to
attend the Coast Guard Festival in Grand Haven in August.
The Admiral then reported on the Academy in general, the
Diversity Summit, and many of the new things happening in the Coast Guard.
Admiral Loy feels that the post 9-11 environment has made the Coast Guard
more “understandable” to the public – its flexibility and multi-mission
character. He pointed out that,
unlike the other branches of service, the men and women of the Coast Guard go to
work on a daily basis, performing the duties for which they have been trained.
The Coast Guard will play an integral role in building a “maritime
security plan”. Since 95% of US
trade is via shipping, this plan is of the utmost importance.
Admiral Loy announced that the Academy had recently
received a 10-year accreditation from the New England Schools – an honor
rarely given to any institution.
Parents were then given an opportunity to pose questions
for the Admiral. One question
concerned the Northern Command to which Admiral Loy replied that the Coast Guard
would serve as the core and work with the Northern Command and thus the entire
North American continent. The
Admiral was asked whether the Coast Guard would remain in the Department of
Transportation. He responded that
it probably would and that the focus on port security has risen 55% since 9-11.
He referred to the saying “if it’s wet and it’s hard – give it to
the Coast Guard.” Another question was raised about container inspections.
Admiral Loy said that 200,000 mariners come to the US each year along
with 6 million containers per week, which makes inspection a very complicated
process. He feels that information
is the key to better security.
In closing, Admiral Loy asked that we encourage our
cadets to look forward with positive anticipation.
The Coast Guard has had to face tough budgets in the past, but new
projects are on the horizon and their generation will have the time of their
lives! He also advised that it
would be prudent for our cadets to stay abreast of opportunities as they
develop, stay focused, and aggressively (within the bounds) pursue their goals.
Since one half of the officer corps comes from Academy graduates, Admiral
Loy feels it is important for each cadet to invest their time at the Academy in
moving the service forward – through projects, research, etc.
Admiral Loy then thanked the parents and the Parents
Association for the many things they do for the Academy and the lives of the
cadets.
Photos followed on the front steps of the Grand Haven Coast Guard Station.
Minutes
In Attendance:
Dave & Jean Allen (Nathan-01); Craig & Linda Sherman (Brooke-01);
Jan Jandrisits (Justin-04); Randy & Carol Niemann (Keidi-04); Tom &
Terry Karow (Kevin-03); Chuck & Debbie Novak (Chuck-03); Pat and Jack Grant
(Christiane-04); Ed & Marge Sloan (Amy-97); John Ryan (Megan-03); Gary &
Beth Stein (Kent-04); Alan Blount (Trevor-04); Scott & Debbie Bates (Brad
Winans-04); Greg & Nancy Schmidt (Brian-03); Mary & Brad Glass
(Zach-00); Lee Kent (Mark Heussner-03); Judith Alberts (Kate-00)
The meeting was called to order at 1:15
p.m. by Dave Allen. The minutes
were read by Terry Karow. Craig
Sherman moved to approve the minutes and the seconding motion was made by John
Ryan. Craig Sherman gave the
Treasurer’s Report and asked that $750 be given from the operating fund as a
gift to the Cadet Support Fund. The
motion was made by Ed Sloan to accept $750 to the operating account (to be able
to donate the money properly). John
Ryan moved that a voice vote be made; ayes carried.
Dave thanked everyone for their support
over the last year, and turned over the meeting to the newly-elected President
Lee Kent and Gary & Annie Cox, vice-president; Chuck Novak, treasurer; and
Terry Karow, secretary.
John Ryan moved to authorize payment for
cakes to be sent to all graduating “Firsties” from the Great Lakes Chapter.
The motion was seconded by Ed Sloan and carried in a voice vote.
Archival scrapbooks were passed out and
paid for by the people ordering from the previous January 21 meeting. A sheet for those who wanted to order scrapbooks was passed
around. (If five people signed up,
scrapbooks could be ordered right away.)
Alan Blount presented an update about the chapter’s website and said that he, Lee Kent and Petty Officer Hogan met at the MSO earlier and from their research of other chapters’websites, decided to take the best features from those and include them in the Great Lake’s website. He said he will use Microsoft Frontpage 2000 for designing the web page. Alan gave us some background on the history of the chapter’s web page, stating that the site has not been updated for two years. He reported that the MSO has offered its server to host our page at no cost to the chapter. This will open up more memory and ability to link to each other. There will be a Great Lakes Home Page with a menu bar on all pages with six major sub topics: 1) Links; 2) Our Cadets; 3) Events;
4)Photos; 5) Selected Correspondence; and
Other Links.
Standing Committees made their reports. Dave Allen reported that the Orientation Committee was waiting for the list of cadets that had been accepted to the Academy for the Great Lakes area and then invitations for the Welcoming Picnic in June would be sent. Public Relations Committee chair Tom Karow asked for information about cadets, such as summer assignments, special honors, etc., and to see him after the meeting so that the committee could send press releases to the cadet’s hometown/area newspapers. Support Committee Chair John Ryan reported that his committee sent Valentine’s Day
Cards to Great Lakes cadets. The former
Fundraising Committee Chairs Greg and Nancy Schmidt passed out letters and
announced they are stepping down as chairs, but will continue to advise the
committee. Lee asked for volunteers
to chair the Fundraising Committee. Lee
Kent reported that the Recruiting Committee now has Judith Alberts as the
liaison between the U.S. Coast Guard Auxillary and the Chapter.
Lee reported that he attended the College Fair at the College of Lake
County and that there were six students who expressed serious interest in the
Academy. He said that the MSO,
Auxillary and the Chapter all want a sustained and focused effort to get out the
word about the Academy.
Lee suspended the regular meeting for a 15-
minute break and refreshments.
When the meeting started again, Lee
proposed having a retreat for officers and committee chairs to discuss a
two-year plan to “nail down” the year.
Then Lee broke up the room into two groups to have a brainstorming
session to review the past year and discuss what people wanted to “add, keep,
modify, or do away with.”
Regarding the Welcoming Picnic, some of the comments were: need more “senior” members of chapter there to advise incoming cadets; new swabs loved ride on cutter; location of Michigan City good for all; preparation for the 4/c was rated excellent; assign buddies to new parents; establish local contacts for those who can’t come to picnic, etc.
Other topics discussed in break out groups: need for more parent ‘activism’ with legislatures; possibility of a group attending the Grand Haven Coast Guard Festival in August; more recruiting at college fairs; need for a by-laws committee; more social events for chapter; more time for “Brag Sessions”; more than one chair for committees or parents from more than one class on committees; events coordinator person.
Lee proposed having a Review The Year Retreat on May 11 and 12 in Merrillville, Indiana.
Judith Alberts made a motion to adjourn the meeting with a seconding motion from Ed Sloan. The meeting was adjourned and “Brag Session” began.
Respectfully submitted by
Terry Karow