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Great Lakes Chapter Newsletter -----August 2001 issue

Our next meeting will be held at the Wilmette Harbor Coast Guard Station, a small boat station just north of downtown Chicago. See the map included for directions.

The agenda will include ratifying our new Constitution and ByLaws document and deciding on our Chapter donation to the Academy for this coming school year. Please come and bring your favorite snack to share. After the meeting, if enough people are interested, we could have a meal together at a local establishment (Dutch treat of course). Please RSVP to Gary and Annie Cox at 317-872-7504 or We look forward to seeing everyone.... have a safe trip!!

If you haven’t yet sent your cadet’s photo to be included in our directory, please do it now! We would like to include as many of "our" kids in the directory and website as possible. Photos WILL be returned! We’d prefer that you send a wallet sized image, but we can work with any size. If you don’t have one of your cadet’s official portraits, we’ll be happy to use any good shap shot of him or her, preferably full face, 3/4 body length maximum. Please send photos with a self addressed, stamped envelope (for return purposes) to: Judith Alberts, 1801 Georgia Ct, #102, Schaumberg, IL 60193.

I had the opportunity to attend this year’s graduation at the Naval Academy. The stadium was practically filled with relatives and friends as the nine hundred plus midshipmen marched onto the field in preparation for their swearing in ceremony. As I sat there and watched and waited for Vanessa to graduate I reflected upon how fortunate our cadets are.
Academic class sizes are probably about the same. The quality of instruction, although debatable, is hopefully comparable. The fact that one has graduated from any of the academies offers the same rewards and privileges both in the military and in society. Yes, there are quite a few similarities.
The one thing that Coast Guard has that none of the other academies, with the possible exception of Merchant Marine, has is the bonding that I believe occurs within each class due to its small size. I have spoken to men and women that graduated from West Point and did not know other folks that were part of their class. At Coast Guard it is my sense that although our "youngsters" may not know every detail about each of their classmates, they do know of them and something about them. It is also my sense that they learn to stand by one another through thick and thin.
This, I believe, results in a wonderful support system within the confines of the academy. I have listened to Mark relate stories about just talking with upper classmen about issues that concern him or tying knots with fellow classmates and just releasing stress through companionship and other cadets. Just like a family.
We have the same opportunities within the chapter. We can share our stories when the brag sessions are conducted, we can lean on each other (and tie knots if you wish to) as our children turn into officers. We can gain from those that have been where we are going and finally we can be there for those that are coming behind us. Just like a family.
A person that I respect very much once told me that as president I was attempting to do a great deal for an organization that meets only four times a year. I have to agree I am and I have tried to get a great deal accomplished because I believe that when it comes to supporting our cadets and each other (when it comes to issues regarding our cadets) we are the best thing that has ever happened to each other. Just like a family.
So far this year we have created a constitution and a set of by-laws that I am certain will be amended, altered, etc, etc through the coming years as the chapter ebbs within its own life. We have also found many people that are willing to assist as committee chairpersons. We now have a marvelous web site and through it a means to contribute to each other, to our cadets and to anyone else that might be interested. We now have a working Buddy System that will support those "young uns" coming up behind us. We have many things to be proud of other than our children. Just like a family.
I would suggest that we also have a lot to do. College fairs are coming up, AIM will be looking for new candidates, meetings and social gatherings will be planned, contribution size/purposes has to be discussed and most importantly the same kind of bonding that our daughters and sons take advantage of is possible within our own organization. We can continue to grow just like a family that never stands still as members come and go and life continues to unveil its wonderful possibilities to us.
Although I have been privileged to be a part of this family for going on three years now I must step aside for awhile due to work commitments and for health reasons that have just become known to me. Just like a family though, I know that Gary and Annie Cox along with the committee chairpersons and each of you will carry on the work that the 11 for 7 began not too many months ago.
I look forward to seeing each of you at Parent's Weekend and at the All Academy Ball.
Take care and thank you for all that each of you has given to me.

Lee Kent
President GLC USCGAPA
Mark Heussner ‘03

What a glorious day! Under sunny and bright blue skies, about 24 members of the chapter welcomed 4 new 2005 cadets and their families. After some free time to mingle and eat lunch, Chapter VP Gary Cox started off the parents’ meeting while 2/c Jon Cox answered swab questions outside. Dave Allen (Ensign Nathan, ‘01) provided the group with lots of great information, including a short video of Reporting In Day. An informal Q&A period ensued with Jon, followed by the traditional brag session. Michigan City station was once again our generous hosts. CO Jeff Bingham spoke to the group, providing his insight and humor, and CPO Griffith provided a group of 12 with an exciting ride on the station 44-footer later in the afternoon, highlight-ing some of the boat’s handling capabilities! Judith Alberts (Ensign Kate, ‘00)kindly took pictures of the new cadets and their families at the CG memorial to commemorate the day. Thanks to all who brought pictures of their cadets and other stuff to share, as well as some really great food! All in all, a good and informative time was had by all! Good luck, Class of 2005!!

The Great Lakes Chapter extends warm and sincere thanks to Stan Kramer of Stanton Kramer Photography for his invaluable help in scanning the portraits of our chapter’s cadets in preparation for the "directory" that was included in the Orientation handbook prepared for the Class of 2005. These images will also be posted to the Chapter’s website. Stanton Kramer Photography is located at 1426 Old Skokie Rd. in Highland Park, Il 60035. The studio phone is 847-831-0338.

Thanks also to Mr. Allen Borack of Rockland Image Center in Nanuet NY for providing release of copyright and givin us permission to scan our cadet portraits for use in our directory and website. We sincerely appreciate Mr. Borack’s cooperation and support of our project!

"What we really need are some other members on the committee and the chapter’s input on how to proceed with public relations" says Tom Karow, who with his wife Terry (Kevin, Alpha ‘03), are the current chairs and members of the Public Relations Committee of the Great Lakes Chapter of the USCGAPA. "It’s fine to send out press releases about local high school students recently inducted as Swabs," says Terry. "But we really need to write some feature-type press releases that help tell the story about Swab Summer and other aspects of cadet life. Last summer Judith Alberts tried to get the 3/c cadets to take photos about Eagle so that we could send these photos to the press. Unfortunately, the cadets were too busy (or tired in their spare time) to be able to do this." The Karows say the main obstacle to getting the word out to the press and the public about the Academy is "time". "The 4/c’ recent trip aboard Eagle to Ireland, Portugal and other exotic locales is a great story, but we need to either interview some of them or have photos of them." If anyone is interested in helping write press releases, or has other ideas for publicity, please contact Tom or Terry Karow at

College Fair Training Offered

The CG Auxiliary runs the Academy Introduction Mission (AIM) and is instrumental in recruiting for the Academy. One of its tasks is to represent the CGA at college fairs, and it WELCOMES the help of Academy parents. Several of us parents have attended college fairs in past years, and it’s a really great feeling to educate young folks and their parents about the CG and CGA.

The Auxiliary District Staff Officer Career Counseling (DSO-CC), Bill Russell (who is also active CG assigned to the MSO Chicago as Investigating Officer), will hold a training session on Saturday, August 18^th for Auxiliary Career Counselors, and warmly invites our chapter membership to attend this full day session.

If you would like to get involved in College Fair representation, but can’t make the Aug. 18^th date, Bill will hold a training session JUST FOR US on the morning of Aug. 25^th, BEFORE our Chapter meeting at CG Station Wilmette. Plan to arrive at the Station for an 8:30 am session start. We’ll have training until noon, and then break for lunch before our 1:00 Chapter meeting. Please contact me at 847-891-6919 or email by Monday, August 20^th. Hope to see you there!

Surprised to see a Constitution and Bylaws included in this issue for approval by our membership? "What?? Didn’t we already have this?" you wonder? Please allow me to explain with a very short narrative of our Chapter history.

I joined our Chapter in 1996 when Kate entered with the Class of 2000. Given the fact that the Chapter had a very small active membership at the time, and the fact that I tend to be the sort who can’t keep my mouth shut, I became President in 1998. As I went through the files I inherited, I looked for Chapter by-laws and a Mission statement. There weren’t any. I looked for something to help guide the Chapter; there was very little except the "traditions" passed from one person to the next. I admit, I’d been bitten by the Coast Guard bug. Learning how much the CG does, and watching the fantastic experiences Kate was having at the Academy, I began to envision how our Chapter could play a greater role in supporting our Cadets and Families. But we had very few active members, and we had no long-range goals or methods to make things happen. Rather, we spent our time at meetings "re-inventing the wheel", and had no structure to carry out the ideas that eventually came out of the meetings.

Under the leadership of Dave and Jeannie Allen, we began to form committees with specific tasks. Thanks to Lee Kent, our current President, a group of committed parents gathered this past May for a weekend retreat to define a structure to help us to really get things done. Chuck Novak did yeoman’s work in drafting the bylaws, and the retreat members refined them to result in the document you see. Granted, it follows the National Parents Association’s ByLaws, but we now have guidelines for Chapter officers and members, both present and future. We have a road map that will help us navigate the course, now that we know that the course is! Bravo Zulu!!

I hope that each Chapter member will vote for approval of this document. I believe that it’s a major step forward for our Chapter.

I urge each of us to get involved with a committee. I know how hard this is....we only meet four times a year as a Chapter. We are ALL busy, and we are scattered over a huge geographic area. But realize that every bit of help YOU can give the Chapter benefits your own child at the Academy, and benefits every member of our Family.

And that IS what we are. Part of the Coast Guard Family!

With the advent of digital technology, and the ability to copy photographic images on home scanners and Copy Stations, many people are unaware that it is ILLEGAL to copy any image created by a professional photographer. United States copyright laws protect such images, and violations are subject to prosecution for copyright infringement and loss of income. Please understand why: professionally created portraits and photographic images represent more than square inches of photo paper. Professional photographers protect their work via copyright because their images are the sum of their professional education, training, artistic skills, and experience, and represent their livelihoods. Just as it is copyright violation to scan professionally produced photographs from a wedding or studio portrait session, or to download professional images when posted on the photographic websites that are now popular, it is copyright violation to scan your cadet’s portrait.

Please resist the urge to scan those portraits. It is stealing. Pure and simple. Our cadets are expected to live by and with Honor. It is no less important that we do the same and observe copyright law.

If you want additional prints of your cadet’s portrait, please contact Rockland Image Center/Academy Photo at 106 Airport Executive Park, Nanuet NY 10954, phone (845) 352-0700.

Parents Weekend is just around the corner! Well, almost! It’s hard to believe that our swabs are more than halfway through their summer, and that classes will begin in just a couple of weeks. We are all eagerly awaiting the chance to see our cadet in their Academy environment, meet their friends and roommates, visit their classes, and just generally have a great time! The Schedule of Events is not yet available, however the 2000 schedule is on the National Website if you are curious about how the weekend goes. The official schedule will be mailed out to you from the Academy sometime in early September.

If you haven’t already made your lodging reservations, DO SO TODAY!! Rooms fill up fast in the area. In fact, Conn College and Mitchell College are also holding their Parents Weekends that very same weekend, so rooms will be at a premium. A listing of hotels is in the back of your orientation handbook, as well as on the National Website, in the Commencement Information section.

The Chapter will once again hold its "social" , tentatively scheduled for Saturday evening at SpringHill Suites in New London. (Please check at the Chapter table in Leamy hall for definitive place). Hours will be from 8:30pm -11:00pm. This gives everyone a chance to have a nice dinner with their cadet before coming to the social. What a wonderful chance for ALL our area families, especially those from the outer areas of our district, to meet in a relaxed atmosphere with our cadets and each other. Please plan to join us!!

Please consider donating a couple of hours of your time on Friday or Saturday morning to help out at the Chapter table in Leamy Hall. Hours will be Friday 0800-1700 and Saturday 0730-0930. Please call Gary or Annie Cox (317-872-7504) or email to sign up for a time at the table. There is always a LOT going on that weekend, so if you have a little time to spare, consider spending it at the Chapter table.

Once again, the Coast Guard Officers Spouses Association (CGOSA) has a new Cake Lady. Her name is Erika Lund, and she can be reached at 21 Meadowlark Drive, Westerly, RI, 02891. This is the lady who so graciously donates her time to coordinate a very small "army" of bakers to provide homemade cakes to our cadets, and making sure they get delivered on time for that special occasion, or for just an any time treat!

Cakes are available in chocolate or vanilla flavors, with chocolate or vanilla icing. Orders will be mail order only this year, and the fee is $15. First delivery will be after September 1^st, and orders are due in by the 15^th of the month preceding the delivery month. So if you need a cake delivered anytime in September, the order needs to be received by Erika by August 15^th. Printable order forms are available on the National Website in the Cadet Support section. ‘05 parents can find an order form in their orientation handbook.

It’s that time of year again! Time to renew your membership to the chapter. Our chapter dues are still only $15 per year, and you do receive several benefits.

Your first benefit comes the very first year when you receive the orientation handbook that is chock full of helpful tidbits of information. In addition, a congratulatory treat is sent to each member swab that completes swab summer, you have a voice in Chapter matters, and you are part of a GREAT support group!

Dues need to be paid by September 1. After that date, we’ll be reviewing our records and amending our mailing list. You may mail in your dues to Chuck Novak, Treausurer, USCGAPA-GLC, 889 Chancel circle, Glen Ellyn, IL 60137, or pay at the Aug. 25 meeting. For those of you who have already paid, THANK YOU. A number of the 2005 parents have already paid their dues and we appreciate their quick response and confidence in our group. Those of you who have not yet renewed, you need to do so. We are a great support organization with a common interest, our cadet at the Coast Guard Academy! We would love to have you join us!

Reporting In Day

What a difference from 2 years ago. Gary and I had Jon to the arches bright and early , as Yankee 3 was one of the first platoons to report that year. The temperature was already over 90F with about 100% humidity. Those of us from this area, and from CT, realize that such numbers and sunshine really are compatible! What a scorcher it turned out to be! It was so hot, that in the middle of the meeting with the Academy leadership, the power went out. Not only did the power go out at the Academy, but the entire New London grid experienced a power outage that lasted for the rest of the day! We had to go OUTSIDE to find relief from the heat! ! What a day!

By contrast, this day dawned clear, and cool. Some people even had sweaters on! It was great to see so many faces we knew from our area, and to meet so many new ones. Gary and I made a lot of new friends that day!

Emotions ran high, as they always do. Jim Jasnoch (Chris, ‘05) reflects many other’s thoughts in his following message: "Reporting In Day was fabulous! Renee and I were so proud of our son and the other cadets. The parent chapters and their fundraising tables helped get our minds off the anxiety of the day. Everyone was so supportive and understanding of how we felt. It was a bittersweet day! The Swearing In ceremony was spectacular! I was really impressed by the way the cadre handled themselves and the new cadets. They looked great on the parade ground with less than one day to prepare! Renee and I are lucky to have 2 great sons. Jason (our oldest) was so proud of his brother, he wants to come back Parents Weekend if he can get off work."

We wish the Class of 2005 well, as we continue to wish the Classes of 2002, 2003, and 2004. Our kids are so very special!!

Two events are coming up in Michigan that our membership might want to attend. The first is the Coast Guard Festival in Grand Haven, July 27th-Aug.5th. Festival info can be had by calling 1-999-207-2434. Plenty to do and see every day!! There will also be World’s Tall Ships arriving in Muskegon Aug. 8th-9th. If you didn’t have the chance to see them last summer at OpSail, this is a don’t miss event!!