The
Skirmisher
BORDENTOWN
MILITARY INSTITUTE
"Rather
Be Than Seem"
BMI Alumni
Association, P. O. Box 91, Bordentown, NJ 08505
Web site: bmicadets.org
E-Mail: bmicadets@hotmail.com
Tersina DiPietro, Editor
SPRING 2005
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
It has been just over six months since our
"Brothers Reunited – 2004" reunion and I've
already begun to devote my time and attention toward our next reunion. "Brothers Reunited – 2006" will be
a particularly significant milestone for my classmates and me, since it will
mark the 50th anniversary of our graduation from BMI.
Currently, I am in the process of trying to track down
all of my classmates by telephone, e-mail or whatever means available, in the
hopes of making this coming reunion a BIG BASH for the Class of 1956. By the way, since the 50th
anniversary of the Class of 1955 is this year, I challenge those current alumni
members to join me in trying to locate their classmates to make it a SUPER
BASH!
And while I am at it, need I remind everyone that other
classes have milestone anniversaries this year and next:
1935
– 70 years; 1936 – 70 years; 1940 – 65 years; 1941 – 65 years; 1945 – 60 years;
1946 - 60 years; 1950 – 55 years; 1951 – 55 years; 1955 – 50 years; 1956 – 50
years; 1960 – 45 years; 1961 – 45 years; 1965 – 40 years; 1966 – 40 years; 1970
– 35 years; 1971 – 35 years.
If any current alumnus is interested in tracking down
his classmates, let us know. The
Executive Board can provide you with a list of your classmates who are
currently alumni association members.
With your help in finding other BMI cadets, we could end up with a standing-room-only reunion next year. That would be GREAT!
Semper
Fidelis,
Angelo V. Candelori
Angelo
V. Candelori '56
President
CLASS NOTES
'48 We heard from The Bapper – EDWARD J.
BAPTISTE. Ed lives in Pittsfield, MA, and he sends warmest
regards to all.
'49 Last
winter brought plenty of snow to many parts of the
country and Connecticut was no exception. PAUL EDMAN wrote, "We had about 12 inches of snow right
here at the shore. I remember one
Washington's Birthday at BMI when there was a good snowstorm. A city plow came and plowed out the front
campus. Old Mr. Griscom did all of the
sidewalks with the tractor."
'51 BARRETT
LUCAS sent
a section of the newspaper, "The Hartford Courant," that includes an
interesting article concerning Syracuse University and the No. 44 worn by
famous football players including our own FLOYD LITTLE '63. Also in that article,
another BMI alumnus
is mentioned, Syracuse Coach PAUL PASQUALONI '68. Watch for the next issue of THE SKIRMISHER
for details on the article, "Joining Orange No Small Decision for
Little."
'52 When HUMBERTO LARACH wrote to inform us of the
passing of HECTOR KATTAN '44, he also mentioned other alumni who live in
the Honduras area: PABLO LARACH '47, JUAN
KATTAN '43, CONSTANTINO BARLETTA '48, WADY FARACH (?), ELIAS SALEM '47, and
EMILIO LARACH '48. Unfortunately,
we do not have addresses for any of the above-mentioned alumni.
'54 WALT GODWIN '44 found DAVID
HERZOG for our e-mail list.
NICK
KRAWCIW continues to generate a great deal of interest among our alumni. This time, HERB CAHN '43 and ROGER
MARKS '59 discovered a write-up about Nick on the Internet. Since the July 2001 issue of THE
SKIRMISHER included this information, we are suggesting that alumni with
computer capability visit the following site:
www.aog.usma.edu/PUBS/ASSEMBLY/010506/010506.htm, click on Search and
type in Nicholas Krawciw. Click on his
picture and that will take you to the Interview. For alumni who do not have computers, let us
know if you would like a copy of the Interview.
'55 JIM CUSACK was found by WALT GODWIN '44. (Thankfully, Walt never stops searching
for "lost" alumni.)
Jim lives in Scarborough, ME.
'56 STAN
SETO sent his
annual Holiday letter packed full of all kinds of
information about him and his family. He
wrote, "Norma and I continue to live the Retiree's Dream." They traveled to Springfield, Ohio, to participate in the Triumph Register
of America National Meet. Later, they
drove the TR3 up to Kingston, Ontario, for the Canadian Classic Car Meet and
took second place in their class. Stan
still works for the Belcan Company. He
traveled to Toulouse, France, twice during 2004 to talk to Airbus
Industries.
'57 GEORGE ODELL wrote when he got back from a trip to Europe.
He said, "We had a great time." All is well with him and his family and he
wishes everyone a great 2005.
PHIL ROWLEY sent a note in March stating,
"Weather here, as usual, is great...with daytime temps in the mid 60s to
low 70s. Redbud trees are just losing
their flowers; daffodils are in full bloom as are the forsythia. Now I know why I moved to the Pacific Northwest."
'58 DICK
BOULTER
says, "It's hard to believe that almost 47 years have passed since I was a
student at BMI of which I have many fond memories...and some not so fond (PT's is a
good example). A year ago, I was in New Jersey and drove to Bordentown to
look over the area. I knew that Old Main
had been torn down but it was nice to know that the
infirmary was still standing as was the White House and some of the other
buildings. The statue of the BMI cadet was really something
to see. It looked like one of the cadets
that was a couple of years behind me, ROBERT
HUESTIS '61,
a dear friend of mine for many years. I
found a framed watercolor of Old Main with the statue as an insert and it now hangs in my
room. I am now retired but worked for
many years with Kraft Foods and in recent times, I was on the Bishop’s Staff
for the Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Michigan. I am now a consultant with the Diocese and I also do 'supply' preaching on Sundays for parishes within
the Diocese that do not have regular clergy.
I had planned to attend the reunion but a health problem did not allow
me to do so. I hope that I can make the
next one as BMI has a warm place in my heart."
'61 STEVE
HAMMOND writes, "We are up and
running with our log cabin in the woods of Maine. If anyone
would like to spend some quiet time on a lake in Maine for a week or more, be sure to e-mail us at Mainedogg@aol.com "
'63 TOM ASHLEY wrote,
"I read with great interest the account of the reunion this year. Two years ago, I promised myself that I wouldn't miss the 2004 reunion, but a family wedding again
prevented me from attending. As a member
of the class of '63, I was happy to hear they shared the honor of having the
most attendees. I hope that we can
continue that record in 2006. I enjoyed
seeing FLOYD LITTLE’s comments. I
roomed across the hall from Floyd in the White House and more than once he used me as a barbell and easily lifted me to the
ceiling. I certainly have great memories
of my years at BMI. I have worked
as a chemist in the Environmental and Nuclear Power Industry for the past 35
years. I have one daughter who is a
second-year resident at Boston Children’s Hospital. My dad passed away a few weeks ago and a week
or so before he passed, he asked me if he did the right thing sending me to BMI. I responded that
it was probably one of the most positive experiences I ever had. It gave me the foundation to become a 'good'
person and a positive contributor to society.
I continue to tell BMI stories that I feel have helped me through life. I also made reference
to my BMI experiences in the eulogy I gave at my dad's
funeral. To all I wish the best in 2005
and hope to see you in 2006."
COLIN GOLLIS would have been
in the Class of 1963 if he had continued at BMI. He graduated from the Junior School in 1959. He
writes, "I often dream of my days at BMI. I later served in the Marine
Corps during the Vietnam era and then went on to the Massachusetts State
Police. I returned to active duty as an
officer in the Navy, serving during the Persian Gulf War. Went to law school, became a criminal defense
attorney, and now do combat in the courtroom.'" Colin lives in North Easton, MA.
MARTY KAPLAN found
us on the Web quite by accident. He
said, "I have read every copy of the online Skirmisher. This turned into an incredible nostalgia
journey. It was, to say the least, a
heartwarming find. I look back at my
time at BMI, relatively short as it was, as offering some of the
best memories in my life."
We heard from STEVE McNAMARA who
wrote to say, "I really regret not being able to attend this year's
reunion. I would have liked to have met with the others of the Class of 1963 but duty
called. I am still a full-time person in
an Army Reserve unit, and the recent deployments of reserve and National Guard
forces to far away places have kept everyone's plate rather full. The Army has evidently recognized the
excellent military training I received at BMI, via CPT Semerjian and SFC Stewart M. L. Pollard, and promoted me to Lieutenant Colonel. SFC Pollard used to tell us that his initials indicated his sizes (Small,
Medium, Large, and Plump)." Steve lives in Western PA and would welcome contact from any
former cadets, especially day students. "I was an investigator for
the Burlington County (NJ) Sheriff’s Department for two years," wrote
Steve, "but I don't get back to 'Joisey' very much anymore. While I was in Vietnam, FLOYD LITTLE '63 would contact my father
whenever he came to Philadelphia with the Broncos to play the Eagles. That meant a lot to me and to my
father."
EUGENE REID would like to
hear from alumni from the classes of 1963, 1964 and 1965. He can be reached
via e-mail at reidgene@earthlink.net
'64 "Sorry I could not make the reunion," writes MIKE MADDEN. He goes on to say, "I enjoyed reading
the latest edition of the Skirmisher. I
left BMI after a PG year in 1964. We were the team that Al Verdel said he’d always remember since we lost our first game to Manlius
Prep and Al had not lost in 5 years! I
went on to play QB/DB at William and Mary under Marv Levy. Bobby Ross was our QB coach. I am now practicing law (trial work) all over
the State. My wife and I have 5 children (4 married), 2 grandchildren, and one on the
way. I'll try to
make the next reunion and will try to locate some classmates. I did hear from TOMMY LEE '65 who
lives in MD. 'Crazy' BOB GAMBELL '64 is
an attorney in South Jersey."
BOB STEWART sent an e-mail
expressing his sorrow in learning of the recent passing of KENNETH (TERRY) WADE '63. Bob remembers being a very lonely cadet when
he first arrived at BMI. The first
cadet he (Bob) met when he came to BMI was Terry Wade who had been at BMI since his junior school days.
Bob writes, "I can still remember him showing me the Y-Hut and
telling me not to mess with Mr. Borst.
We became good friends during my stay at BMI. Years later, I bumped into him
waiting outside a movie theater to see the same movie. He hadn't changed a
bit. He was an excellent cadet and he is
missed."
'65 We heard a very interesting
account from ANTONIO COSTAS-ELENA. He
wrote, "A distant relative of mine mentioned he had been talking to a
former high school friend of mine.
Before he could say anything more, I interjected, 'That must be Stanley
Winowicz.' My relative was taken aback by the quickness and accurateness of my
response. After all, I had not had the
pleasure of talking with Stanley J. since 1965.
However, that does not mean BMI had been out of my
mind. On the contrary, the most
cherished memories of my youth are from there.
That same evening I made a guess-who-this-is call to Stanley and we were on the phone
for almost an hour. I was sorry that I
could not attend Reunion 2004 but I already had tickets for Argentina. 2006 is on my agenda
as top priority. By the way, I am sort
of a 'pack rat.' I still have my full
Class A uniform. (No, of course it does
not fit! I was 112 lbs. then and now I'm 195 lbs. at 5'11"!)
Currently I am an ER physician…married…two kids ages 24 and 25…into
sailing and scuba. If any BMI'er is listening…they should
have a home in Puerto Rico."
STEVE SETO is trying to locate ANDY SMULIAN who was a day student at BMI. Steve writes, "My family are
progressing…my daughter has just started high school and my son started middle
school this year. I actually had it in
my mind to try to make it back this year but between work-related travel, the kids and things constantly going wrong with the
house, it wasn't a good October. But
I'll keep trying!"
'69 "Would it ever be possible to reopen BMI utilizing a great deal of energy and government subsidies, possibly using a military base as a new home
for BMI?" writes JOHN F. KELLY." (I don't
think so, John. Too much
work for not-so-young alumni.)
'72 JOHN
HORTON sent
an e-mail stating, "It is always sad to see a list of names of people I
knew so well in the 'In Memoriam' column of the Skirmisher. Conversely, it is uplifting to see some
familiar 'older' names still very involved with BMI. Your dedication to the school is to be
commended!" John says he still
misses his old friend, JAY ROOT, who passed away in 1997. He adds, "We worked together for 5 years
and even shared an apartment for a couple of years until he got married. We were best men at each other's
weddings. Jay died 5 weeks after being
diagnosed with cancer and I missed seeing him by several hours (from flying
back to Trenton from Denver)."
********************
I REMEMBER…
I read the story about the guys
going down the fire escape and running into the custodian. (SKIRMISHER – February
2001 issue). His name was
George and rumor had it that before WWII, he had been a concert pianist in Europe…and
that his hands had been badly damaged during the war. I liked to play at that old grand piano that
sat in the corner of the study hall in Old Main, and I would frequently find
him in there lovingly dusting the keys.
He didn't speak much…can't even say if he knew
much English…but he was always very kind to me.
Another distinctive character was Sam who used to run the Y-Hut. I learned to be a pretty
good pinball player while attending BMI. I remember those pieces of
cardboard he used to keep behind the counter where he kept track of how much
was on the bill. And
how, when he knew you'd come back from a leave, he would demand payment. Whatever it was about those days, they have
remained some pretty strong
Memories.....GARY ROY '70
********************
I WAS JUST THINKING…
The BMI legacy for
me that stands out is simple: RATHER BE
THAN SEEM. It took me a number of years
after graduation to fully know what the school motto
really meant. I have attempted to pass
on to my four children what it means to BE something rather than
to SEEM TO BE what you are not.
In my failure at things…I was; in my success…I
was. And both
still attend me. I suppose the common
phrase, "It is what it is," means "Rather be
than seem." The Dean, Marv Borst,
Mr. Hartpence, Mr. Fullington, Mr. Morris Smith, Col. Benz, Col. Bradman, Al
Verdel, Boody Gaudette, Doc Hoehn all stand out in my mind and in some crazy
way still guide some of my thinking.
Yes, there were others. The four
men who are with me on a daily basis and ones who offered so much in some of my
worst times were David Jetmore, Leslie Pokorny, Bruce Lytle, and last but not
least, a truly man's man, Sgt. Richard T. Allen. God bless them all. Each of us was fortunate to have been there! Semper Fi…..TIM PENNYPACKER '64
The legacy of BMI is a strong one, one that anyone who was a BMI cadet will never forget. We were marked by BMI and as Dr. Smith once said, "From now on you will be marked as
'Bordentown Men.' How well you meet the
challenges of the future will bring credit upon your school and reflect the
traditions established by the many cadets who have preceded you." BMI has marked me so deeply that I remember receiving a phone call from MIKE HURKA '68
who asked me how did I get my daughter to answer the
phone at home with such courtesy at her young age. The answer was simple – the BMI legacy. I cannot tell you how
many teachers and school principals asked to meet me so I could give them the
secret of what I had done to raise my daughters with such high principles. The answer again is our legacy from BMI. I will never be able to thank
my parents enough for sending me there…..BERNARD SANSARICQ '63
********************
N.
B. Again, I ask that you include your class year
whenever you write us, send dues, etc.
Your cooperation in this regard would be deeply
appreciated by your Editor. Also,
when sending e-mail messages, please be sure to include a Subject that clearly
indicates that you are a BMI alumnus. If
your name is not part of your e-mail address, we hesitate to open your e-mail
because Hotmail receives junk mail (some of it porno). If you can identify yourself in the Subject
line of the e-mail, that would help immensely.
Of course, if your name is part of your e-mail address, this is not
necessary. Thanks.
**************
IN MEMORIAM
The officers and members of the Executive Board
join with the entire membership of the BMI
ALUMNI ASSOCIATION in extending sincerest sympathy to the families of:
Dunn,
George T. '42
Golden,
Newell H., Jr. '49
Harris,
Carlyle (Chris) Smith '51
Kattan, Hector '44
Larach, Salomon '50
McIntyre, Charles A. '72
Pingitore, Joseph '56
Wilson, John A., Jr. '48
We receive names of deceased members from time
to time. We list them in this column
regardless of the date of death.
**************
COMPANY
STORE
Grey
Sweatshirt w/BMI
logo - $20 New
Maroon Sweatshirt w/embroidered BMI
logo - $25
(Sizes Large and XX-Large only) (Sizes Large, X-Large, XX-Large)
Baseball
Caps w/BMI
letters - $10 Medallion
w/Stand - $10
Old Main
Lithograph - $5 BMI
Decals (2) - $1
Note Paper -
$8
The above prices
include postage. To order, send check or
money order (payable to BMI Alumni Association)
to: BMI
Alumni Association, P. O. Box 91,
Bordentown,
NJ 08505. Be sure to designate size when ordering
sweatshirts.
**************
WE HAVE NO HOME ADDRESSES FOR THE ALUMNI LISTED
BELOW. CAN YOU HELP US?
|
*CALLIGAN, GENE
*HALL, T.
*HEWETT, J. B. JR.
*HOLLER, MARK D.
WALKER, REX (FAC.)
CLASS OF 1946
DESIDERIO, FRANK
CLASS OF 1947
TOMALONIS, WILLIAM
CLASS OF 1948
DULMAGE, DONALD
CLASS OF 1949
ROGERS, ROBERT
CLASS OF 1950
CROKE, EDWARD
CLASS OF 1952
SCHWARZKOPF, NORMAN
STOTE, ROBERT
VALDES, RICHARD
CLASS OF 1953
TOWBIN, ROBERT
CLASS OF 1955
HAGEN, CRAIG
NERONI, ALBERT JR.
CLASS OF 1956
BAXTER, JAMES
DOEBLER, C. MICHAEL
VERNON, RONALD
CLASS OF 1957
DALLAS, ROBERT
|
CLASS OF 1958
GASSERT, RONALD
HASSEN, EUGENE
CLASS OF 1961
BECKETT, DAVID
LANE, HARRISON
MEHOK, JOHN
REALE, THOMAS
TUBINIS, JERRY
CLASS OF 1962
BECK, JOHN VANN
BOND, PETER
DUNBAR, RICHARD
HAHN, JOHN III
KEANE, MICHAEL
NEWMAN, ROBERT
REYNAUD, JOHN
SHERIDAN, PHIL
WAREING, W. THEODORE
CLASS OF 1963
HURWIT, JAMES
HURWIT, ROBERT
MALATESTA, JOE JR.
CLASS OF 1964
CASTELLANO, GENE
TOME, MAURY
CLASS OF 1965
BURRELL, DONALD
DORLON, THOMAS
CLASS OF 1966
HERRMAN, BENJAMIN
KING, GORDON
MORTELARO, RODNEY
TRAPASSO, JAYE
WHYNO, MIKE
YORK, THOMAS
|
CLASS OF 1967
HARKINS, JACK
JAMES, JOHN
MADRAZO, ARTHUR
SENSI, JOHN
WALTERS, STAN
CLASS OF 1968
WOOD, GARY
CLASS OF 1969
PENHALLOW, J. ROBERT
CLASS OF 1970
BOODLEY, JOSEPH
DIPIRRO, PAUL
KAMER, CARL
LA FERRARA, FRANK
METSCH, KEVIN
MUENTEVER, RAYMOND
THIGPEN, WILFRED
WARDELL, HARVEY JR.
CLASS OF 1971
GILARDI, RUSSELL
HELLE, TOM
LIPMAN, JAY
PASCH, DAVID
PISANO, EDWARD
VAHLSING, FRED
ZITO, ANTHONY
CLASS OF 1972
FRIEDLAND, EUGENE
HENRY, WILLIAM
CLASS OF 1973
QUALEY, CHRISTIAN
|
*Indicates
no class year available.
In some instances, the class year
is the year the cadet would have graduated had he remained at BMI.
**************
BORDENTOWN MILITARY
INSTITUTE
ALUMNI
ASSOCIATION
P. O. BOX 91
BORDENTOWN,
NEW JERSEY 08505
DUES STATEMENT – 2005
(If
you have already paid dues for 2005, no further payment is necessary.)
Alumni Association
Dues…………………… $10.00
Please
Note:
Your dues support the cost of postage,
printing, and other materials needed for your SKIRMISHER, maintaining the
Statue site, and financing biennial Reunions.
Please complete the bottom section of
this statement, enclose it together with your check or money order (payable to BMI ALUMNI ASSOCIATION) and mail to the above
address.
We thank you for your continued support.
(Please enclose this portion with your payment.)
___________________________ ____________
Name Class Year
E-mail
address __________________________