News & Events

From the USNA Alumni Association and Foundation: The 2021 All Academy Challenge has begun! Despite the challenges of 2020, last year, you all came together for our best year of the All Academy Challenge to date. Nearly 6,000 alumni and several hundred parents and friends showed up for the five day competition bringing in over One Million dollars in support for the Academy. Remember, this challenge is about participation, and beating the other service academies. To make a donation count, follow this link from 16-20 May 2021 https://navy.allacademychallenge.com/pages/usna-home Go Navy! Beat them ALL!

See Brian’s remarks as well, on our class Giving page.

Happy New Year, ’96! Sharing some gouge on a 501(c)(3) established to honor CAPT Teresa Elders called the The Captain Teresa E. Elders Foundation (CTEEF). The first annual CTEEF Fundraiser started in December with a goal of raising $9,600 by 17 January (goal selected to honor of the upcoming Class of 1996 25th reunion). If you would like to donate, use the Facebook group or donate directly via the foundation website. This charity is a non-profit which distributed donations from friends and family to initiatives that Teresa supported. More details from the foundation:

Mission:
We are a not-for-profit established to further the goals and charities that Teresa supported during her life and to honor those who came before by inspiring those who come after. The foundation provides donations aimed at encouraging women from young to old in family, service, and faith, including programming support, scholarships, and angel donating to ensure others have the opportunities and services that Teresa herself benefited from and that she wanted to help others attain.

Programming:
In 2020, CTEEF grant recipients include:
Nine Girls Ask (for a cure for ovarian cancer)
National Ovarian Cancer Coalition
New Jersey Distinguished Young Women (formerly America’s Junior Miss; Teresa was Junior Miss New Jersey in 1992)
First United Methodist Church Chula Vista Children’s Ministry

Alyce Fernebok will be repping ’96 and VVSD in the Marine Corps kayak for VVSD’s first annual 50-mile kayak excursion around Catalina Island 21-23 October. Six kayaks will be paddling – one each from the Marine Corps, Navy, Coast Guard, Army, Air Force, and Space Force. You can join online and support the event as a “virtual racer” by donating to your favorite kayak and paddlers. You can also follow the kayaks on social media (Facebook Veterans Village of San Diego or Twitter @VVSD_Veterans) as they train and when they leave San Pedro on October 21 and paddle to Catalina Island for a total of 50 miles over three days!

From Mike Martin’s FB post: “Classmates…one of our best and finest (Alyce Fernebok) is kicking major ass and kayaking 50 miles over big blue this month to raise awareness and money for the Veterans Village of San Diego. Please support her Marine Corps kayak so we can get our awesome Class of ’96 logo as a sponsor. Hooyah ’96…Hooyah Alyce. Remember to call a squid if you get stranded at sea. :)”

If you’re not familiar with the vision and mission of VVSD, they have for nearly 40 years answered the call to serve America’s heroes by providing programs and services designed to remove barriers to independence and self-sufficiency. This year, in lieu of traditional fundraising efforts, they’ve decided to match our veteran’s determination and hard work. On October 21, 2020 a group of volunteers, veterans, and community supporters will kayak 50 miles from San Pedro to and around Catalina Island to fund programs offered by VVSD including expansion of telehealth to meet the unique challenges created by COVID. With a couple of weeks to go until the event, Alyce’s Marine Corps kayak is absolutely killing the rest of the services in fundraising efforts with over $26K raised. The remaining 5 kayaks have raised a total of $1500 to date. GO, ALYCE!!!

**As of about noon on Thursday, 08 October, our class had raised $3900 towards our goal of sponsoring the kayak with our class logo (which takes $7500 and is needed by Thursday, 15 October). If you are willing and able to donate to this cause, please consider doing so.

 

As many of you know, Wreaths Across America lays memorial wreaths at sites throughout the country, including those at the Naval Academy Cemetery and Columbarium. This foundation relies on monetary donations to fund wreath purchases, and volunteers to lay the wreaths out each year in December. The event at USNA is currently scheduled for Friday, December 11, 2020. I recently received an email from Mrs. Carol Turman, the local USNA Wreaths Across America Coordinator, calling for donations and volunteers. Wreaths cost $15.00 apiece, although if you purchase two, a third is automatically sponsored. You can purchase wreaths or volunteer to lay wreaths online using the USNA WAA page, or you can mail a check for a donation to:

Wreaths Across America
PO Box 249
Columbia Falls, ME 04623

Please mark in memo section of your check “MD0011” (so they will give credit to the USNA cemetery)

You can find more details online or in the entire call for donations letter here. Please donate or volunteer if you are able! If the event is cancelled due to COVID restrictions, all monies donated will be applied to next year (2021).

The 2020 All Academy Challenge kicks off on Sunday, 16 Aug and continues for 5 days. Navy is facing off against Army, Air Force, Coast Guard, and Merchant Marines – and the service academy with the highest percentage of alumni making a gift in support of their alma mater takes home bragging rights. Naval Academy alumni have consistently taken the top spot in terms of dollars raised – but this contest is all about participation and not total dollars raised.

The Naval Academy Foundation has made it possible for classes on active class legacy gift projects to make All Academy Challenge gifts directly in support of those projects. This year our class is choosing to support the Project Based Learning (PBL) component of our class project during the 5 day challenge. To support this fund, choose “Class of 1996 Project” in the Gift Designation block. If you don’t want to support that fund, you can always direct your gift to the general Naval Academy Fund and it will still count in our class totals.

If you’ve already made a gift in support of the Academy this year, thank you, and please consider making another small gift to help us ensure our victory – every gift counts towards our participation!

“SIR, YOU NOW HAVE 3 DAYS, 9 HOURS, AND 59 MINUTES UNTIL THE ALL-ACADEMY CHALLENGE BEGINS ONLINE, SIR!”

Dear ’96 Classmates:

I hope this message finds you and your loved ones happy, HEALTHY and coping during these unprecedented times.

The 2019 All Academy Challenge was a huge success bringing in over one million dollars for the Naval Academy from nearly 4,000 donors. Thank you for your past support!

The 2020 All Academy Challenge kicks off on Sunday, 16 Aug and continues for 5 days. Navy is facing off against Army, Air Force, Coast Guard and Merchant Marine—with the service academy with the highest percentage of alumni making a gift in support of their alma mater taking home bragging rights. Naval Academy alumni have consistently taken the top spot in terms of dollars raised—but this contest is all about participation and not total dollars raised.

In 2020, with your help, we plan on taking the participation prize! You should have received, or will receive very soon, a sticker from the Naval Academy Foundation with more information, but we really want our class to come together to show our support especially in these trying times. Visit https://navy.allacademychallenge.com starting 16 August and make your gift—then use your personal networks to ask your classmates and other alumni to do the same. This year’s All Academy Challenge site features a Class Participation Leaderboard as well as buttons to make social media sharing—and getting your friends and classmates involved—even easier.

Also, the Naval Academy Foundation has made it possible for classes on active class legacy gift projects to make All Academy Challenge gifts directly in support of those projects. This year our class is choosing to support the Project Based Learning (PBL) component of our class project during the 5 day challenge. If you don’t want to support that fund, you can always direct your gift to the Naval Academy Fund and that will still count in our class totals. You can direct any questions to Clay Evans, class giving coordinator at the Naval Academy Foundation, at clay.evans@usna.com or 410-295-4117.

If you’ve already made a gift in support of the Academy this year, thank you, and please consider making another small gift to help us ensure our victory – every gift counts towards our participation!

Thanks,

Brian
e: Brian.Reardon@1996.usna.com

p.s. If filling out the physical mailer sent by the Foundation, just hand write “Class of 1996 Project” in the Gift Designation block. Your donation will be allocated to our Project Based Learing goal.

Maybe it’s all the Tweets (and other social media posts) about Malcom Perry being drafted by Miami, and maybe it’s also being cooped up in my apartment missing all my peeps, but I’m ready for August – and some Navy football! So far, the season opener (Navy v. Notre Dame in Dublin) as well as the entire season are scheduled to occur as planned. In the spirit of optimism – and having something to look forward to – here are some football-related notes and reminders. Can’t wait to tailgate with many of you under the class tent this fall! Don’t forget Nagel is still collecting command coins for our bar top, so please reach out to him if you have one of yours to contribute. And bonus points to whoever comes up with a class tailgater facemask with a straw hole (or some other mechanism to drink through) – Brian Reardon, I’m looking at you!

• SEASON TICKETS – – – Get ready for game day and get those home game tickets here!
• PARKING – – – Don’t forget, if you purchase a parking pass and you’d like to secure a parking space next to our tent, please let Nagel know!
• DONATIONS – – – The tailgate is self-funded, and operating costs are much higher than they used to be. Contact Nikki Battaglia if you’d like to make a donation toward the cause. You can use paypal to usna1996tailgater@gmail.com, Zelle to Nikki at (904)535-5810, or contact Nikki for other mechanisms. Your support is appreciated by many!
• SWAG – – – The Midstore might be closed, but some of you have  likely seen the Go Navy sweat tees that a few of our classmates have ordered and posted about on Facebook. It’s not just another t-shirt… it’s a sweat-activated one! There’s a static N* on the front, but “Go Navy” shows up as you sweat. The more you sweat, the more you see – including a resounding BEAT ARMY on the back. They’re grey shirts that come in a men’s version, a women’s version, and a women’s tank. Order them here!

Related articles – – –

4/25/20 – Malcom Perry Highlight Reel from the 2019 season (navysports.com via YouTube)

4/25/20 – ‘Malcom Perry, the quarterback at Army’: ESPN host Trey Wingo gaffe draws strong reactions from Navy fans (Capital Gazette)

4/25/20 – Navy football standout Malcom Perry selected by Miami Dolphins in 7th round of NFL Draft (Capital Gazette)

4/25/20 – Malcom Perry Drafted in the Seventh Round by the Miami Dolphins (navysports.com)

4/23/20 – Malcom Perry and Keenan Reynolds to appear on WMAR-TV Draft Show (navysports.com)

4/22/20 – Ireland’s ban on large gatherings does not impact Navy-Notre Dame football game, Navy AD says (Capital Gazette)

Email sent via Classmail 4/24/20

Greeting ’96 Classmates.

I’m writing today to summarize today’s Council of Class Presidents (COCP) meeting.  It was held on-line for the first time ever.  And if you can imagine what it might like to have ~80 people on a VTC with Presidents 70-80-90 years old…it was probably worse.  But also pretty comical at the same time.  We had briefs from various people to include the Commandant of Midshipman.

USNA STATUS DURING COVID

• USNA opted to allow Midn to reside elsewhere.  That was in some part due to the 2 x suicides of Firsties at USAF Academy.  They were in some part attributed to their very strict isolation policies (they have since been relaxed).
• Most events are postponed or cancelled.  Meetings, Commissioning Week, Dedications, Ceremonies, All Academy Challenge, etc…
• They have NOT determined how I-Day or plebe summer will be run yet.  They are evaluating numerous options.
• Midn are continuing their education via on-line methods.  They are also doing virtual clubs and physical fitness challenges.
• They gave restrictees the option to stay at USNA to work off their time or postpone their time and stay somewhere else.  There are about 40-50 Midn currently in Bancroft Hall.  A handful of Midn have been ordered to return to USNA due to liberty incidents.  The group in Bancroft is basically the work detail to keep basic functions and maintenance going.
• They have stepped up rodent / pest control while Bancroft and King Hall are virtually empty.
• Many have asked why USNA is doing things differently than USMA and USAF Academies for graduation.  The Dant said “each Academy has their own set of facts, assumptions, and variables” and therefore they may or may not follow suit with other Service Academies.
• They have NOT decided exactly how the virtual graduation will be held on 22 May.  They are capturing lessons learned from USAF graduation.
• For now, the Navy / ND game is still on for Ireland but they are evaluating options.
• They are still trying to figure out next year’s plebe appointments with potential candidates that have not taken the ACT / SAT.
• The Class of 2020
  • Of course everyone wants to “help” the Class of 2020 with their graduation.  Based on USAFA graduation, they ask that classes not get out in front of USNA activities.  Apparently, there was a lot of confusion and stepping on each other. As a class we do not have anything planned.
  • They are also asking for any digital media (videos, pictures, memes, etc…).  If you want to tag any, use #usna2020.
  • Ultimately, the message from the Dant regarding graduation was to the effect of “it sucks but we are in the war fighting business and we are going to miss a lot of things in our career.  Get used to it.”
  • Orders to their first duty stations start getting cut next week.

NEW ALUMNI CENTER

The Mail Center and HAZMIN building / move has begun.  This is a predecessor to the new Center construction.

• ~$22M building.  ECD July 2022.
• Will have 2 event decks and can host a 240-person event.

They are still negotiating with Annapolis in parking and gate entryways.

SERVICE ACADEMY CAREER CONFERENCE (SACC)

They just hosted the first of the series online (Jacksonville) and was a success.

• Washington DC SACC is still planned June 11-12
• San Diego SACC is planned August 20-21
• Dallas SACC is planned October 29-30

CHAPEL DOME

Most of the copper from the dome has been removed.  They have started making items for sale through a contracted company. (See https://usnachapeldome.com/)  They will continue making items until the copper is gone.  We could do a group-buy of custom ’96 copper challenge coins with a price point $120-125 per coin.  If anyone thinks they can get a group buy together and would like to run that, let me know.

NEW ALUMNI-OWNED BUSINESS PAGE

If you would like to register your alumni-owned business with the Naval Academy Alumni Association & Foundation, you can go to their new page located here https://www.usna.com/alumni-businesses. They are making an effort to help others find and connect to alumni-owned businesses.

25 YEAR REUNION

Don’t forgot to mark your calendars for our 25 Year Reunion 01-03 Oct 2021.  Expect everything to go “live” (Westin room blocks, registration, etc…) ~ Feb 2021.

CLASS GIFT

Although times might be tough right now, don’t forget that you can still donate to the Class Gift.  If you are on a monthly auto-donation, you can always increase your value just a little…maybe an extra $5/month.

FOOTBALL SEASON

As of now, it is still planned. Let me know if you have season tickets and want your parking spot at our tailgate.

• If you’d like to help out with the operating costs, feel free to contact Nikki Battaglia.  You can send her donations via Zelle (use her phone number (904) 535-5810).  We also accept paypal at usna1996tailgater@gmail.  Contact her for other methods of payment.
• As a reminder, the tailgate is a completely separate account and self-funded through donations and we use no class funds to pay for anything.

 

With that, I’m signing off. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns and I’ll do my best to find an answer.

Nagel Sullivan

301-904-1526

Email sent via Classmail 12/10/19

Greeting ’96 Classmates.

It’s time for an annual update.  In no particular order…

PENSACOLA SHOOTING

First, a moment to recognize our classmate (CAPT Tim Kinsella) for the incredible leadership during the horrible events this last week in Pensacola.  Let’s also remember ENS Joshua Watson, a recent USNA graduate that helped save peoples’ lives after being shot 5 times.  A true hero.

COUNCIL OF CLASS PRESIDENTS

I attended the COCP on 6 Dec and captured some of the highlights:

From the Alumni Association (full brief):

• They are looking to fill an open position for their V.P. of Finance.  If you have a CPA/MBA/accounting background and are interested, they would love to have you.
• Ground breaking for the new Alumni building in ~1 year.
• They will sell the old building that we know outside gate 3 (Ogle Hall).
• Next week, they will begin dismantling the chapel dome.  90 years of neglect took a toll on the dome and it will be completely replaced.  Once replaced, it will be a bright copper for ~7 days, then for ~25 years, it will be brown until the patina chemical reaction occurs.
• They will recover all of the copper and make a variety of keepsakes to sell.

From the Supe (full brief):

• ADM Buck hasn’t made any drastic changes since CoC on 26 July 2019.
• They have introduced numerous outdoor small-team leadership programs in austere environments to force people outside of their comfort zone (e.g., not just leadership in a company or sport team).  Similar to YP training but with a variety of options.
• USNA Grounds are in bad shape.  The yard is underfunded.
• Flooding is a huge issue.  Affects Hampton Roads and downtown Annapolis too.
• Sleep deprivation is a big issue.
• Addressed recent Satanic Cult rumors.  At no point has USNA ever (or will ever) allow a Satanic Cult to worship as an official club/activity.  If they choose to meet on their own time, they have the freedom to assemble.
• King Hall is in bad shape.  There are issues with quality and quantity.
• 96% of Firsties got their 1^st or 2^nd Choice at Service Assignment night.  2020 is a very small class so there are minimal people that selected Restricted Line.

CLASS GIFT UPDATE

30 Year Class Gift.  We are currently just over $200k pledged/donated toward our class gift (with 190 classmates participating.  About 30/190 is on recurring monthly pledges).

Help up improve midshipman development and the Yard: Consider pledging ~$1 a day.  You can set up the $30/month to be charged straight to your credit card.

Side Note: You could be on recurring pledges but they *may* not be going to the CLASS GIFT (so ’96 gets credit for your donation but it isn’t going towards our $600k goal).  The only way to know is by calling USNA or contacting Brian Reardon at Brian.Reardon@1996.usna.com.

Give here and make sure you choose “other donation options” then “support my class project” then select “pledge”.  Or call 410-295-4115 to donate.

ARMY-NAVY GAME

If you are in Philly for the game, we will have a no-host social at Tir na Nog Saturday morning about 10:00.  Show up and order what you want.  If you prefer tailgating at the stadium, Johnny Harnett will be there in the parking lot.  Contact him for details (john_a_harnett@yahoo.com).

NAVY-NOTRE DAME GAME

Don’t forget to plan for the trip to Ireland to watch Navy/Notre Dame 29 Aug 2020.  People are planning to meet up with friends and classmates.  Last time was a blast!

YOUR USNA.COM PROFILE

A message from Shane Macdonald to remember to update your profiles with the Alumni Association.  We spent time collecting a lot of updated details on people, however, USNA has now changed their policy and we can no longer make changes for people.  You are responsible for yourself now.

’96 WEB PAGE

As a reminder, for those that don’t have Facebook (or can’t stand going on it any more), Cara Albright maintains our class web page that repeats much of the same information from our class Facebook page.

ACTIVE DUTY RETIREMENT

As a wave of or classmates approach their retirement, don’t forget to reach out to your class for questions, recommendations, help, etc.  Other resources include:

• Jenn Campbell runs The New ’96 Hour. An opportunity to hear about various topics monthly. UPCOMING EVENTS: Rhoan Boucher is booked 24 Jan 2020 spot, TBD on the 21 Feb 2020 spot.
• Our LinkedIn page
• Service Academy Career Conference (SACC)
• Benefit Finder

SUICIDE AWARENESS

The class of ’96+2 is still pushing suicide awareness very hard after their string of incidents. Please consider downloading the app OBJECTIVE ZERO and becoming an ambassador today.  You just need to be ready to answer the phone if someone needs you.

ALUMNI WATCH BUY

The class of ’96-7 has organized a group Bremont USNA watch-buy.  Cost is $3k (retails for $6k).  Details here.

SINGING AT GAMES

There were questions about why some teams sing their alma mater after home & away games and others don’t.  The Academy coordinates with each team a couple of months before the game and asks if they would like to sing their alma mater after the game.  Some schools agree and some don’t care.  It is up to the individual school.

BLUE AND GOLD OFFICERS

USNA is looking for more people to be B&G officers.  We have several in our class so if you have questions about what it entails and job satisfaction, please reach out to Sharon (Eliassen) Barbins.

25 YEAR REUNION

Most of our large muscle movements are done and we eagerly await our 25^th Reunion.  It is scheduled for 1-3 Oct, 2021 (USAF Game) and our home base hotel will be the Westin.  We are working on some alternatives for other hotel blocks to give people options.  Put it on your calendars now and start saving!

25 YEAR CRUISE

Cruise Planners has put together a cruise trip that will provide a great opportunity to share in our 25th and ’96-5’s 30th anniversary of being commissioned. The 25th anniversary commissioning cruise that we have put together is a 9-night Norwegian Cruise Line cruise aboard the Norwegian Escape from May 28th, 2021 through June 6th, 2021 (second option is July 3rd –  12th, 2021). The cruise sails from Copenhagen, Denmark and sails to Warnemunde (Berlin), Germany; Tallin, Estonia; Overnights in St Petersburg, Russian Federation; Helsinki, Finland; and Nynashamn (Stockholm), Sweden before returning to Copenhagen. The current pricing has a 30% discount promotion running through December 16th, 2019. There may be other sales, and while our group pricing is better than “regular” prices, this promotional pricing should be the lowest we can get. Deposits are only $50 per person and refundable, so if you are interested, please contact Dan so he can give you more information as well as reserve a cabin for you. He can be reached at: 844-GoNavy-1 (844-466-2891); via email at Dan@GoNavyTravel.com. (price is ~$5k/couple)

Dan will be on this cruise with members of his class on the May/June cruise as well and he looks forward to sailing with you for your 25th anniversary of commissioning.

 

With that, I sign off.  Please feel to reach out with any questions or comments.

Nagel Sullivan

301-904-1526

• USNA Website
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Class of 1996