45th Reunion <<<====>>> 55th Reunion

50th Reunion

May 16-20, 2012

The Class of '62 is now officially part of the "Old Guard".

Our 50th Reunion was certainly one for the record books. Of our 151 "net living and contactable" classmates, 76! returned. That's an all-time record in terms of absolute number returning for a 50th! And our 50+% attendance is the first time in the past five years that over half of a Golden Reunion class has returned. While there are no records to state this is an all-time record, it certain is a statistic to be proud of.

Here is the official list of attendees. The "(S)" indicates the classmate attended with their spouse or significant other.

(D) = Deceased as of 7/1/2022

Of the attendees, everyone is in the Class picture below except Al Brightman, Jerry Marsh, and Malcolm MacQuillan. Having trouble recognizing someone? Put your cursor over the person's face, and you should see a "flyout" with the person's name.

On the steps of the Legion Memorial Building (the old library)
(Click here for a PDF of the photo with a bit higher resolution.)

A total of 42 of the returning classmates brought their spouse or significant other with them. A little over half are included in the picture below. Again, put your cursor of the face of a person, and you should see a "flyout" with the person's name.

One of the more humorously unnerving statements during the Reunion came from John Buxton during our Class Meeting with some of the Class of 2012 present. It went something like this:

"When the Class of 2012 looks at the Golden Reunion class, they are looking at you.
When you were graduating and looking at the Golden Reunion class, you were looking at the Class of 1912."

Considering the weekend following our reunion had temperatures in the 90s, the weather while we were at Culver was ideal. Thanks to the Academy for including that very nice umbrella in our Registration "goody bag". It was totally effective in keeping the rain away.

Kudos to Our Leadership

The "Greatest 50th Reunion Ever" that we experienced did not just magically happen. It was the result of a tremendous amount of very hard work by the Academy's Alumni Office (Alan Loehr and Amy Davis in particular) and number of your classmates. At the top of the pyramid of classmates has been Craig Duchossois (our Class President) and Joe Schluchter (Reunion Chair). Their contributions were immeasurable. Other key contributors over the past five years of planning have included

• Howard Bridges (Mini-Reunion Chair ... and Trivia Quiz Producer)

• Ken Calhoun and John Davis (Co-Webmasters)

• Greg Gazda (Newsletter)

• Jay Owen (Gift Chair and Student Enrichment Fund Chair)

Also the Reunion Committee expresses its profound appreciation to Brad Laycock for organizing and leading the Memorial Ceremony for those classmates no longer with us and to Frank and Marian Johns for being such great hosts to all the classmates wandering in and out of the Dicke House at all hours. The "unit reps" who helped so much in rattling the cages of the classmates within their organization are listed on this page.

Last, but not least, Bob Sindelar and Cheryl Ryan (Mike's wife) are working with the Academy to produce a DVD capturing the highlights of our Reunion (the "Golden Roll Call" DVD). Currently planned content includes the following:

• A 10-15 minute highlight overview, including some interviews of classmates

• A fast-paced slide show of the Reunion

• Doug Neumann's video from the Thursday Dinner

• The contents of this web site (as of the date the DVD is created)

• Additional interviews of some classmates

Expect to see your copy of the DVD in your snail-mailbox in the September time frame.


During the Reunion, we were certainly treated like royalty (or was it General Officers?), starting with being given the well-stocked Dicke House to use as our Hospitality House from our Wednesday arrival to the Sunday morning breakfast. The plethora of camaraderie, food, drink, and events certainly filled virtually every waking moment during our stay 'round Aubbeenaubbee Bay.

During the Reunion, over 2,000 images were taken by classmates and their significant others. The following images are intended to archive at least one picture of every classmate who was at the Reunion. Some of you were more camera-shy than others, and others seemed to appear in almost every other picture gathered up on Sunday morning. Apologies to those who feel they are under (or over) represented in what follows. The intent in creating this page has been to focus on people, not the Culver landscape. The Academy's web page provides many links to how gorgeous the campus looks.

The images presented below are in approximate, but not exact, chronological order. If you have any corrections, please send them to John Davis.

In addition to all the classmate-provided pictures on this web page, Culver hired professional photographers to archive the entire Reunion Weekend (our class and others). Those pictures can be seen ... and copies purchased ... on this web site (CGM Photo) for all key events.

Be sure to scroll all the way to the bottom of this page to see the "Class of '62 50th Reunion Trivia Quiz", courtesy of Howard Bridges.


Before launching into the plethora of visual images from our Reunion, consider the lyrical mental images conjured up by the following poem. Of course, one does have to substitute the image of Lake Maxinkuckee for the Adirondacks.

Touring the School at our Fiftieth Reunion
..... by Elizabeth Raby

Amazed by the splendid view of the lake
through every west-facing window---
white sails before a fresh breeze, the ferry
pulling away from the dock, pine-bristled
islands, the Adirondacks' blue humped backs
---fifty years ago none of us had noticed,
immersed in the self-centered drama
of adolescence, our fraught relations
to each other, our place in the social mix.

Now, huffing from the stairs, softened
and fuzzed by so many years, we
are finally fully kind to each other
and to the memory of those
flawed and fragile emerging selves.
Too late now to worry about ambitions
mislaid or achieved, we are grateful
for this moment, grieve for those
who did not live to see this view.

So much thanks to Jane Benson for providing the poem.

Wednesday Evening -- Cocktails & Kickoff Reception

Eppley Auditorium Portico & Lobby
Hosted by Company B Alumni, Spouses, and Guests

Our reunion began with a reception on the portico of Eppley Auditorium and was followed by dinner in the Auditorium's Lobby. Thanks to Joe Schluchter for organizing his Company B classmates to assist him in hosting this kickoff event.

 Thursday Morning

Culver in the Flicks: A Presentation by Culver Historian Bob Hartman
Eppley Auditorium

Bob's presentation was most impressive in all ways, but mostly in terms of the number of movies which are connected with Culver in one way or the other. They included Prep and Pep (1928), Tom Brown of Culver (1932), Spirit of Culver (1939), Brother Rat (1938), The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), Shores of Tripoli (1942), Treasure of Sierra Madre (1948), Paths of Glory (1957), Kings Go Forth (1958), The Great Escape (1963), The Glass Bottom Boat (1967), Patton (1970), and Nashville (1975).

One of the funnier anecdotes concerned The Glass Bottom Boat. It was screened in Culver in the fall of 1967 and starred Doris Day, Rod Taylor, and Edward Andrews playing the part of an Army general. In the film, Day was a femme fatale, and supposedly, an enemy spy. The film was being screened at the El Rancho Theater before a packed house of cadets on a Saturday afternoon in 1967. Andrews prepares to dance with Day at a formal function and opens with the line: "I haven't had so much fun since Culver Military Academy." No one was aware of Andrew's upcoming line, and entire audience exploded in an uproar. Everett Hoesel, the theater manager, was forced to stop the show for about half an hour until the cadets quieted down.

 Thursday Lunch

Classmates Luncheon
Homestead House

The highlight of our first lunch together was Col. Kelly Jordan, Commandant of Cadets, filling us in on how the military tradition and leadership training has continued and been re-invigorated at the Academy ... and adapted to the young women in the Girls Academy.

 Thursday Lunch

Spouses and Guests Luncheon
Dicke House
Hosted by Janet Duchossois, Judy Calhoun, and Betsy Davis

Attendees of the luncheon included forty spouses and significant others ... plus Jane Benson. They were joined by Pam Buxton (wife of the Culver Head of Schools), Laura Weaser (Dean of the Girls Academy), Cathy Zurbrugg (Senior Development Officer), and two students from the Girls Academy (Kim Asenbeck '12 from Snohomish, WA and Phoebe Hall '12 from Deer Park, WI).

Following the meal, Dean Weaser introduced the two Culver students, who talked about their experiences at the Academy, their astonishing volunteer activities, and their plans for the future. The attendees were truly impressed by the students' poise and leadership experiences beyond their years.

Spending time in the company of other females during the reunion was a welcome respite from the "guy-focus" of so many of the other events.

The bonding from the luncheon was so strong that nine of the women got together for lunch the next day in Downtown Culver.

 Thursday Afternoon

The non-stop action continued with an afternoon of activities.

Golf

[Editor's Note: The golfers had to rush away from their respective luncheons to make their tee times, and apparently in the rush, everyone forgot their cameras. So we don't have any photographic evidence to support their wildly boastful claims about all the great shots that were made. We will just have to take their word for it.]

It was a beautiful sunny day for the Culver Class of '62 50th Reunion Golf Classic at Mystic Hills Golf Club. Sixteen classmates and spouses participated on the following teams:

he winning team using a scramble format was the team of Greg Gazda, Joe Schluchter, Rocky Wayburn, and Ken Calhoun. They were 7 under par after having birdied the first three holes. It should be duly noted that they were defending champions having also won at the 45th Reunion so long ago.

The second place team at 1 under par was Jay Owen, Lou Desenberg Dan Baker, and Robert Wood who birdied the first two holes.

One should know that the Duchossois team in a magnificent show of courtesy ( bravado?) decided to play individual scores and take the best individual score on each hole (which made it a whole lot harder to score well). This resulted in a fourth place finish. Had they played the traditional scramble format it would have been a lot closer.

Individual honors were won by the flowing golfers:

• Rene Murai -- Closest to the pin (Hole #12)

• Dan Baker -- Closest to the pin (Hole #3)

• Dan Baker -- Longest drive (Men) (Hole #2 ... but, Peggy Schluchter's drive on that same hole was 10 yards longer!!!)

• Debbie Ewing -- Longest drive (Women) on hole #15

• Lou Desenberg -- Longest putt on any hole

A great time was had by all!!!

Crew

The next most popular activity was rowing in a crew shell on beautiful Lake Maxinkuckee. The spark plug behind this event was Judy Calhoun, Ken's wife. (Ken claims rowing was one of the things on Judy's bucket list.)

Horsemanship: Trail Ride

The riders included Howie, Rowan Hollitz, Penn Williamson, and Phil Wright. Like the golfers, they also neglected to obtain any photographic evidence of their exploits. The picture above was not even taken by one of them.

Anyway, here is Howie's report of the afternoon action:

"Rarely does one actually have the opportunity to relive those "thrilling days of yesteryear." And, that serendipitous moment when the time arrives is most enjoyable. Besides myself, I would like to believe that perhaps Penn Williamson, Phil Wright and Rowan Hollitz also had this feeling.

"We were the Four Horsemen of '62 who used the 'Activity Time' to mount up and have a Trail Ride through the 'BIRD'.

"The ride was led by Mark Waller, Director of Instruction for the Culver B.H.T. and formerly with the London Metropolitan Police Mounted Branch ... a most engaging chap -- he is British after all. He was primarily there to ensure our safety, I'm sure, but also to keep us on a correct trail and kept us from actually doing something we might have attempted 50 years ago ... like 'jumping the creek', 'racing through the forest', or 'going down a 30 foot slide with a 45 degree slope'.

"On the one hand, it all looked the same and very familiar. Weather permitting; we had trail rides during equitation class anyway. (A side-bar: NO whining memories allowed from you Ground Pounders or Truck Riders about us coming directly from the stable to class!!!! That odor is 'nectar to the Gods'.)

"On the other hand, for the summer campers, the Native American Ceremony Facility is still there, but, the Climbing Wall and Zip Line are certainly new additions. The Tennis Courts are now located adjacent to that area and were in full use that afternoon.

"Phil (Captain) and Penn were on the Culver Jumping Team, with Rowan and I just Troopers. I think they still ride. My occasion is every 5 years, thank you Culver.

"So, while others were golfing, rowing, shooting or "resting," for a brief time we found and relived our niche. Thank you Penn, Phil and Rowan for sharing the time."

And the only other words offered up were by Rowan who wrote, "... I will say I was awed that Howie had his Troop boots and jodpurs on." "Jodpurs"??? Look that up in your Funk and Wagnalls, all you Ground Pounders and Truck Riders!

Shooting: Trap and Skeet

Last but not least, we were offered the opportunity to do some trap and skeet shooting. The participants ranged from "never held a shotgun in my life" to some true experts (i.e., 25 out of 25 hits). However, again a real lack of photographic documentation. The following will have to do.

Thursday Evening

Reception and Dinner
Orthwein Family Dining Hall, Woodcraft Camp
Hosted by Doug Neumann and members of Company C

Who is lecturing whom?

And down below the screen, it’s Craig Duchossois (look to the center ... and low) and Doug Neumann (look to the far right ... right??? ... far??? ... NEVER!!!)

Or is it the screen talking back to Doug?

What’s the conversation all about??? You can watch the video of this most unique event at this link!
… or click on the above picture captioned “Look! Up on the screen. It's Doug Neumann!!!”

"Aw shucks, guys, it would have been even better with Andy Malcolm here."

Our Cheerleaders from 1962

Then Now

 Friday Morning (Early)

Breakfast at Cafe Max in Downtown Culver
Hosted by Bill and Vicki Boies

In light of the bounteous quantities of food and conversation, there very few pictures taken during this event. And, most regrettably, only a "back of the head" picture of Bill, and none of Vicki.

 Friday Morning (Late)

Class Meeting, Heritage Room of the Legion Memorial

 Friday After Lunch

Class of '62 Student Enrichment Series: Charlie Phelps '08 CMA, '12 USMA
Eppley Auditorium

Charlie graduated from CMA in 2008 as the Regimental Commander and from the United States Military Academy in 2012 as the First Captain of the cadet corp. His address to the students, faculty, staff, and alumni of Culver Academies at the All School Meeting, Friday, May 18th, 2012 over the Reunion Weekend can be viewed at this web site.

Friday Afternoon

Iron Gate Ceremony for the Class of '62 and Old Guard Classes
Eppley Auditorium Lawn

The pictures below focus on us forming up for the Iron Gate Ceremony. As mentioned at the beginning of this page, the video of parts of the ceremony will be included in the "Golden Roll Call" DVD that is being prepared.

Panoramic picture courtesy of Skip Culver
(Click on image to download a higher resolution PDF file of the picture)

Friday Evening

Class of '62 Reception and Dinner
Homestead House
Our Guest of Honor: Charlie Phelps '08 CMA, USMA '12

Saturday Early Afternoon

The Wedding of Lloyd Huth and Luree Ford
Memorial Chapel

One of the more unique events to be added to our Reunion was the wedding of Lloyd Huth and his long time lady, Luree Ford. In Lloyd's own words, here is the background when he was asked if his wedding could be included on this web page as one of the highlights of our 50th Reunion:

"We would be honored to be considered one of the highlights of a wonderful 50th Reunion.

"Luree and I have been together for 7 years, but had not really ever considered marriage. While attending our reunion at such a beautiful location, I thought, what a wonderful time and place to tie the knot. Since I spent 5 years of my early life at Culver, I really consider our class my Culver family. What a wonderful thing to have this family and friends together at such a significant time in our lives. Luree luckily agreed.

Once Duch got wind of our plans there was no turning back. He was kind enough to pull some strings ( I think he must have some pull around Culver) and get the chapel for the occasion."

Our congratulations to the newlyweds. We know where they need to come to celebrate each fifth anniversary!

Saturday Mid Afternoon

Class of '62 Memorial Ceremony
Memorial Chapel

From the joys of a wedding, we transitioned to the somberness and reflections of a Memorial Ceremony for those classmates who have left us. The Reverend Brad Laycock led a beautiful service which included readings by Dee Gleason Stinson, Ken Calhoun, and Howard Bridges. Following a meditation, a member of each organization (along with the guidon from that organization) stood up and read the names of the departed.

The pictures below only represent a small portion of the ceremony. As mentioned at the beginning of this page, the video of the full ceremony will be included in the "Golden Roll Call" DVD that is being prepared.

While not part of the Memorial Ceremony or on the formal program, several classmates gathered at the First Class Ring to remember Dick Studier of Company C, who passed away on December 23, 2011. He had planned to join us at our Reunion. Sadly, he was able to do it in spirit only.

Saturday Late Afternoon

Alumni Parade
James A. Henderson Parade Field

Saturday Evening

Golden Anniversary Reception and Dinner
Heritage Room of the Legion Memorial Building
Hosted by Janet & Craig Duchossois / Linnea & George Roberts

 Sunday Morning

Farewell Breakfast, Dicke House

How disappointing! No one snapped any pictures of the farewell morning feast downstairs at the Dicke House. But the food was great and the farewell heartfelt.

50th Reunion Trivia Quiz

Courtesy of Howard Bridges

"What was the total number of "COEDS" the 1961/62 year?" ... "Who was Col. Stephenson's secretary?" ... "Who were the FALCONS?"

Find the answers to these questions ... plus many, many more Questions and Answers ... in the Class_of_62_Trivia_Quiz

Our thanks to Howie Bridges for scouring our Class of '62 Roll Call, his own memory banks, plus the recollection of others to compile this Quiz of our days at Culver, including: General Stuff, Administration, Military, Sports, and Class Award Winners. Thanks, Howie!

Acknowledgements

Thanks to all of you who attended. We hope you enjoyed it as much as your Reunion Committee and the Staff at the Academy enjoyed bringing to you. We would like to again express our special thanks to Alan Loehr (Director of Alumni Relations) and Amy Davis Johnson (Administrative Assistant) as well as the entire administrative staff at the Academy for their monumental contributions to our Reunion.

While the creator of this web page wanted very much to give individual credit for each individual picture used, it quickly became too labor and memory intensive to do so. Sorry. Instead, here is the list of those who did contribute pictures. Your efforts are so very much appreciated.

Mark your calendar now: Our 55th Reunion will be in May 2017!!!

Last Update: Aug 27, 2012 (Ported to SquareSpace July 12, 2022)

 45th Reunion <<<====>>> 55th Reunion