It seems like yesterday that USNAOut and Navy Spectrum were gathered in Ogle Hall, the home of USNA’s Alumni Association, for our annual Alumni and Midshipmen Dinner. This has always been my favorite USNAOut event, as it gathers alumni together to reconnect with each other, congratulate our midshipmen on completing another year, and welcome the fleet’s newest Navy and Marine Corps officers to our ranks. It’s been a pleasure to this event grow each year from the small, private meeting into the gathering of 70+ midshipmen, alumni, and guests. Last year we’ve seen the numbers of midshipmen attendees continue to grow to the point they outnumber the alumni!
We also had the honor of presenting ten Ensigns, and three Second Lieutenants their first sets of shoulder boards and insignia, which they wore with pride at their commissioning. And 2ndLt Chris Goodale (’17) also introduced an Spectrum sponsored initiative to build a mentorship program that promises to connect alumni of all ages and phases of their military and civilian careers and personal lives. And, as usual, some key members stepped up to make the event happen. I’d like to extend a long overdue “BZ” to Steve Hall (’75), Kristen “Rosie” Barnes (’92), Jeff Morrison (’04), Chip Hall (USCGA ’12), Dave Wolynski (’97), and Chris Goodale (’17).
Fast forward 10 months, it is already time to prepare for this year’s dinner. I hope you’ll mark your calendars to join us on 6 May at Ogle Hall to congratulate all the Spectrum Mids on another year done and welcome the class of 2018 to our ranks. Please keep an eye out for the registration link and let us know you are coming. We look forward to seeing you!