55th Reunion <<<====

 60th Reunion

May 19-22, 2022

It was a fourth consecutive record-breaking reunion by the Class of ‘62. We set classmate attendance records at our 45th, 50th*, 55th, and now 60th Reunions. See the statistics below “Who Attended?”.

* The attendance record at the 50th has since been eclipsed, but it was a record at the time.

Who Attended?

60th Reunion Statistics

• 37 Classmates attended (including Judy Calhoun as an honorary classmate); also 24 “Ladies of ‘62” (plus Judy)

  • Previous record for a 60th Reunion: 30 classmates by the Class of ‘50

• Average Distance Traveled to Get to Culver: ~770 miles/classmate; over 27,000 miles total

Registration

Arriving classmates registered at the Henderson Multipurpose Building, where they were given a Culver bag containing a name tag, the program for the entire weekend, a one-pager describing the key ‘62-only events (and the Class Uniform), a map of locations for these key events, and a spreadsheet of info for each ‘62 attendee (name, cell phone, name of guest [if any], lodging location, and arrival/departure info), plus a white Culver baseball cap commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Culver Girls Academy.

In addition, each classmate was given a Gift Bag with items provided by members of the Reunion Committee:

• A key chain: The fob had the Culver logo and “1962” on one side with our 1962 (!!!) Roll Call picture on the other side (courtesy of Doug Neumann)

  • For those you who did not attend the Reunion, you should be receiving yours in snail mail …along with a gentle jab from Doug about how much you missed by not joining us at the Reunion.

• A money clip: Engraved with “Culver Class of ‘62, 60th Reunion” (courtesy of Phil Wright)

• An eagle ornament (courtesy of Carol Wright)

Thursday, May 19, 2022

Welcome Gathering at

Our Reunion began with a Welcome Gathering at The Lodge, Craig Duchossois’ property located about a mile “inland” from the southwest corner of Lake Maxinkuckee. For the Gathering, Craig had set up a tent with seating and a dinner buffet.

In addition to The Lodge building itself, the property includes a 3-Hole, Par-3 golf course, complete with 3 tee locations for each hole and 9 pin locations on each green. The bunkers, traps, and water hazard add to the beauty (and challenge) of the course.

Several people tried out a hole or two on the course, but no one sunk a hole-in-one. However, Rene Murai came kind of close on his first shot!

For more pictures of some classmates and wives in action, click on the “A Gallery of Golf” button.

However, before leaving the topic of golf, two related items need to be noted:

First, to celebrate our class descending on the course at The Lodge, Doug Neumann took the initiative to commemorate the event by commissioning the creation of a very special golf towel. 

The concept was that one had to make some semblance of playing at least one hole to be allowed to take home one of these limited-edition towels. Not saying that “rule” was followed, but that was the concept.

Second, there are other golf courses in the area, and the classmates below took advantage of Culver’s own recently upgraded course.

OK … enough about golf.

As we arrived at the Welcome Gathering, some of the couples were captured in images by the photographer (see “Photo Credits”) whom Craig had brought in to cover all 3 of our dinner events.

Also a number of posed pictures with bunches of guys were taken.

Not a posed picture, but a group of major contributors to the success of the weekend.

After we had all arrived, visited the bar, and chatted for awhile, we gathered under the tent for a “baseball park” style buffet (thanks, Craig!) of hot dogs, hamburgers, corn on the cob, and plenty of other food that many of us probably shouldn’t be eating, but did anyway.

For many more images of the evening at The Lodge, click on this button.

Oh … but before we leave The Lodge, just 2 more pictures … featuring Mona Owen.

Here is Mona’s backstory to the pictures:

“Jay and I took an afternoon drive over to The Lodge, and Jay wanted to hit a couple golf balls so Michael was very gracious and showed me around The Lodge and pointed out the fishing rods. Well, that took me back to my days of fishing in the lakes and streams of the Pacific Northwest so when Michael offered, I grabbed one of rods, and he showed me where to cast a line. My first try ended in the reeds on the shoreline and, poor guy, Michael had to go all the way around and across the bridge to retrieve it. (It had a beautiful lure that I would have felt terrible if I had lost.)

“Fortunately, it was intact and I tried again, landing a nice bass!  It was so much fun to catch, and Michael, again graciously, unhooked it from the lure and threw it back, hopefully to grow bigger for the next lucky guest! 

“We had a fun afternoon out there. Jay played golf with a few guys, and I wasn’t expecting to catch a fish, but it made for a lot of fun.”

Out of curiosity, your webmaster asked Craig if that body of water had any name other than “water hazard”. He said “Nope”. I suggested “Lake Mini” (since it is near “Lake Max”). He didn’t bite. Then I thought of “Lake NoName” (kind of like the 1971 song by the band America … “A Horse with No Name”). You can send your own suggestions directly to Craig.

Retreat Ceremony

While the Thursday evening lakeside Retreat Ceremony on campus was not a ‘62-only event, it had a strong connection to our class and much Culver history. Read about Mike Hood and the ceremony on this separate webpage.

Friday, May 20, 2022

Breakfast under “The Tent”

Craig had a large tent set up on the basketball court across the road from his lakeside cottage. “The Tent” was the site of class breakfasts on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday mornings, as well as our Saturday night Celebration Dinner. Unfortunately, no one was awake enough on any of the mornings to snap any pix of the truly great spread (featuring custom-made omelettes).

Reunion 2022 Kickoff Luncheon

Honoring the Golden Anniversary Class of 1972 and the Old Guard Classes of 1967, 1962, 1957, 1952, 1947, 1942, and 1937

This kickoff event was held in the Steinbrenner Recreation Center (the indoor track portion of what we knew as the “Big Gym”), with most of our classmates attending.

Following the buffet lunch, Dr. Doug Bird (Head of Schools) spoke briefly in glowing terms about the state of Culver. That was followed by Jeff Kenney presenting a film of a collection of images of Academy staff from our era. (For the source of many of the images with narration, you can view this "Portraits of Personalities" video.)

Ladies’ Luncheon

Past reunions have included some ad hoc and some scheduled events specifically aimed at the classmates’ ladies attending. The opportunity for them to get away from their guys and do a little female bonding had always been a highlight for our ladies. This year, Carol Wright and Betsy Davis took the lead to organize a Ladies’ Luncheon, held at the Lakehouse Grille in the town of Culver.

The event brought together 18 spouses and guests of the Culver ’62 men.  In addition, Jessica DeNapoli, one of the Culver science instructors, who also works with the CGA members of “Women in STEM” (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) attended — along with five CGA student leaders.

The students each provided a bit of background on their activities at Culver as well as their future ambitions and plans.  During lunch, the CGA students were seated among the guests so they could answer additional questions. It was interesting to hear where the students were from and how they came to select Culver as their high school. They also provided insight into a typical day in the life of a CGA student. The students, as well as Jessica DeNapoli, were very impressive and led many of us to express how hopeful these young women made us feel about the future of our country.

As a memento of the event, Carol gave one of several styles of beaded stretch bracelets to each attendee.

In addition to the discussions with the students, there was no lack of spirited conversations among all the other guests.  It was a great addition to the other Reunion activities.

Class Reception and Dinner in the Legion Memorial Building

The evening began around 5:30 PM with a gathering in the “basement” (er … lower level) of Craig’s cottage on the lake.

Starting at our 50th Reunion, we have been holding our most “formal” Class Dinner in the Legion Memorial Building (known as “The Library” back in our days at Culver). And this year, we continued that tradition. As 7 PM approached, we departed Craig’s to caravan over to campus to assemble in the Alumni Lounge in the Legion Memorial Building for the Evening Reception.

Breaking up the conversations in the Lounge to get people across the foyer into the Heritage Room for dinner was the proverbial exercise in herding cats, but it was ultimately accomplished.

With everyone seated, the formalities of the evening began with Class President John Davis thanking all those who had contributed to organizing this record-breaking Reunion: Doug Neumann, Dan Baker, and Phil Wright (Reunion Co-Chairs), Carol Wright and Betsy Davis (Ladies’ Luncheon organizers), the Alumni Office (in particular: Alan Loehr, Amber Payne, and Amy Johnson), and the Development Office (Becca Pazin).

John then introduced the entertainment for the evening: The Aaron Day Jazz Quartet featuring vocals by Morgan Pirtle (in an encore performance from our 55th Reunion). (If you are looking for some quality entertainment for an event in the Chicagoland area, you can contact Aaron at this email.)

We had the honor of Dr. Doug Bird (the Head of Schools) and his wife Cheryl (both Class of ‘90) joining us for dinner. After being introduced, Dr. Bird spoke to the class and then took questions from the attendees (as John fidgeted, worrying about the food getting cold).

Next, John reviewed the schedule for the next day followed by asking for everyone to send pictures from the weekend to him for inclusion on this webpage. (Another exercise in herding cats to get people’s response.)

He followed those remarks with a request for a moment of silence for those classmates who have passed away, recognizing the the ‘62-Only Memorial Service the next day would pay fuller homage to those we have lost.

John then invited Class President Emeritus (and host for just about all class events except this dinner) Craig Duchossois to say a few words.

He was followed by Dan Baker, who recommended a trip down memory lane by visiting the cemetery at the bend in Shore Drive south of downtown Culver, where many of the faculty, staff, and Academy benefactors from our days were laid to rest.

He then provided a blessing for our meal, and (a table at a time) we all headed to the buffet set up in the foyer … while continuing to listen to Aaron, Morgan, and the group entertain us during the meal.

For a gallery of more pictures from the evening, click the button.

Saturday, May 21, 2022

Breakfast under “The Tent”

More custom-made omelets with sides of fruits, morning meats, and other vittles gave us a great kick start for the day. No pix.

Class Picture

We were scheduled to assemble at 11:45 AM on the steps of the Memorial Chapel for our Class Picture. However, due to very unsettled weather, we got last minute re-direction to go to the Fleet Gymnasium (the “Little Gym” from our days at Culver) for the picture taking. And as the video shows, assembling for the picture was not done with much military precision.

In any case, here are a pair of pictures showing how well most classmates followed instructions regarding wearing the “Class Uniform”**.

** Class Uniform

• Dark blue blazer

• Light blue chambray shirt

• Khaki pants

• Class necktie:  If you have it.  Otherwise,

  • A solid maroon tie

  • Open collar … as a last resort

• Battalion-colored pocket square in breast pocket of blazer
  (if you have it; otherwise, skip it; not critical)

• Class badge from 50th Reunion (in breast pocket of blazer)

• For Parade: Add class baseball cap (to be provided at Registration)

Class Meeting

The Class Meeting scheduled for 1:15 PM in the Auditorium of the Roberts Hall of Science was preceded with a slide show of memories of past ‘62 events and Mini Reunions.

The slides that guided the actual meeting (updated with final attendance numbers) are available by clicking on the title slide below to download a PDF of the charts.

Alternatively, click on the “Meeting Charts” button for a gallery view of the charts.

Among the topics presented were the success of Mini Reunions and our Student Enrichment Fund.

However, the highlight of the meeting was Craig moderating a discussion with two of his Duchossois Scholars: Cellestine Harig (CGA Council Chair) and Sam Tullis (Regimental Commander) followed by questions to the students from the audience.

Class-Only Memorial Service

As the Reunion Committee looked back at the years since our graduation, we were saddened by the passing of many classmates (graduates and non-graduates) and felt that we wanted to remember and honor all of them. The first of two ways we planned to do so was to hold a ‘62-Only Memorial Service in the Chapel. The service was organized and led by Doug Neumann, somewhat reprising his 1962 role.

Doug began with these words:

Greetings, classmates of Culver, class of 1962! I’ll bet you never thought you’d see me in the pulpit again!

60 years since the first time I was up here! Don’t worry, I’ll return for our 75th, but more about that in a minute.

We’re here today to honor those of our classmates who are no longer with us. Please stand while Dan Baker reads the names of our deceased classmates.

Following the reading of the names, Doug continued:

We won’t honor those who chose not to be here today, they have their reasons, but those who could not be here because they could NOT be here. First of all, I must say, HOW RUDE! It’s not like they’re somewhere doing something else. They’re not busy with the family, or playing golf ... These guys aren’t doing anything! They should be here with us helping us celebrate our history. I’d admonish them individually, not that THAT would do any good, but there are, sadly, too many. We can only rue the fact that they are gone. Taken too soon. I frankly don’t know who to blame, them or something else, but clearly something is not right here. Oh, before I forget, if you’d like your name added to the sign for our 75th reunion, give me a $50 bill with your name on it at dinner tonight, and I’ll make sure that that happens. 

So, this concept of death we are obliged to accept is seriously flawed. Not one of us would consider it just or adequate, and none of us had a voice in its design. Talk about rude! Now…don’t be afraid, but I’ve given this some thought, and I’ll share my idea with you now: It seems to me that the only recourse we have with death is to fly in its face while living. And we can do that by keeping the memories alive of those who have been chosen so rudely to leave this world before us. Let’s steal death’s thunder! Let’s be proactive! When we were here in school, there was a thing called, ‘flipping the bird,’ and another called ‘giving the Wong.’  If the person next to you doesn’t understand these terms, whisper their meaning, but not too loudly, Indiana is known for lightning strikes, and so is the church. So even though we can’t avoid death, we can still blaspheme.  We can flip the bird or give the Wong to death by keeping those taken from us surrounded by our loving memories after they’re gone. Consider it…. It’s a powerful thing. 

Our late classmate, Bud Goodheart, wrote a poem, not necessarily about dying, but about leaving. And about transition. It speaks to our past…and to the present. Howie Bridges will read it for us now.

Here is the poem:

FAREWELL

 I'm leaving now so long it's been
good to know you, see you
around somewhere sometime.

 I'm leaving all the tightness and
the earliness and
I'm going to put on all my summer's
old clothes and find my valleys
my hills, my oceans before it's
too late.

 Showing up years afterward with patches on
and no letters from home to
dye my pocket in the rain and a
little older and a hell of a lot
sadder and wiser and still looking
for what was left and walking among
the charred remains of my childhood
wondering whatever happened.

 Yes, I'm leaving.
I'm journeying into the mountains in
the west in search of the sun and I
know it's there so don't tell me it isn't.

 I am on the brink of my discoveries and
nothing will prevent my plunge
into the very quick of life, touching
as I go.

Returning not wanting the bottom of the
well anymore and seeing for
the first time the mountains in
my own yard and actually believing
in something for a change but sobbing
all the same, very quietly, as I watch
the sinking sunset of a dying hemisphere,
and the June dawn of a world.

— Harry “Bud” Goodheart, 1962

Doug then continued:

Thanks, Howie.

So, we can conquer death by celebrating life. I’m not the first one to say that, of course. We all have family and friends who left us too soon. Yet, as gone as they are, they can remain with us. We can remember their friendship, their love, their uniqueness and whatever experiences we either shared or observed with them and with each other. We all remain together this way, united in our history and in our future. We are so sorry they are gone, but I am happy and proud and celebrate that each of these classmates and each of you have been part of my life, at Culver and beyond. My memories of you all will remain in my heart. Forever. Well, except for Malcolm.

Let’s join in a silent moment to consider what we have lost and give thanks what we have gained during the 60 years we have known each other. As our numbers diminish, may our hearts grow stronger.

And finally, please join me in a moment of reflection. 

May God, however perceived, be in our consciousness here and now. In the face of turmoil and distress, and even death, there exists an unmistakable and unfailing joy in the world. May we celebrate it and share it in loving kindness with those whose life path intersects our own, and may we wish it for everyone else. And may this joyous consciousness and sharing arouse in us spiritual and physical peace and comfort, and bring us to be grateful for life’s abundance.  

Amen.

And thus endth the service.

All-Class Memorial Service

In addition to our Class-Only Memorial Service, several classmates attended the All-Class Memorial Service honoring those who had passed in the last 5 years from classes ending in “2” or “7”. Dan Baker read the list of names from our class who had died since our 55th Reunion.

Alumni and Garrison Parade

Based on weather forecasts, most of us never expected the weather deities to clear the rain clouds sufficiently for the parade to happen on the Parade Field as scheduled … but IT DID … and under bright sunshine!

As we approached the Reviewing Party section in the middle of the Reviewing Line, the Parade Announcer announced our arrival with these words:

“The Class of 1962, celebrating their 60th reunion; they have set a new attendance record for a 60th reunion.”

As we arrived at the Reviewing Party, the commands of “Class, Halt!” and “Right Face!” were given. The Parade Announcer then spoke these words:

“Ladies and gentlemen, this year the slow-stepping, but fast-paced Class of 1962 has once again set a record for reunion attendance.”

The command was then issued to Present Arms!, to which we each responded by removing our cap, placing it over our heart, and bowing our head. The Announcer then continued:

“They have dedicated this 60th reunion to their deceased classmates, including three gold star men killed in action in Vietnam, and their families. As our number diminishes, may our gratitude and memories persist.”

The commands of Order Arms!, Left Face!, and Forward March! were then issued, and we marched to our place on the Reviewing Line. Below the next picture is a link to a video of the event.

[Credit to Doug Neumann for creating this tribute to our classmates who have gone before us.]

Thanks to Cusi and Rene Murai for recording the event and providing the video.

This may be a bit too self-congratulatory, but our class has to be quite proud when reading this quote from an after-reunion email received from Josh Pretzer (Dean of Faculty):

"I hope this finds each of you doing well and enjoying the beginning of another summer. I’m sorry to not see you all at your Reunion Weekend and trust you had a good visit with each other and Culver. You were once again the most impressive class at parade – even my 5th grade son noticed and mentioned it as we watched."

Thanks, Dean Pretzer … and to your son!

Separately, Dan Baker provided this statement:

“Nobody else came close [to us being the best looking, most impressive, best received class that passed in review], as was reported to us by strangers we did not even bribe.”

OK, OK, OK … that’s enough patting ourselves on the back. On to the next event.

Class Celebration Dinner under “The Tent”

Following the Parade, we all headed back to “The Tent” for our close-out celebration dinner: A fantastic Italian buffet.

For a gallery of more pictures from the evening, click the button.

Sunday, May 21, 2022

Farewell Brunch under “The Tent”

The fantastic menu from previous mornings was enhanced with a few eye-opening adult beverages. No pictures … just fabulous memories.

Happy Trails to All.
Hoping to see you at our 65th Reunion in May 2027

Notes from Your Class President and Webmaster

Events like this reunion do not just magically happen. It takes a lot of work by a lot of people. I want to explicitly express my appreciation to classmates Doug Neumann (Reunion Chair), Dan Baker (Reunion Co-Chair), and Phil Wright (Reunion Co-Chair), plus the others who endured the series of ever more frequent conference calls leading up to the Reunion.

Of course, words fail me when trying to come up with new and unique superlatives to pile on Craig Duchossois (President Emeritus and Godfather to us all) for all the food, drink, lodging, and logistics that he provided for our 60th.

On the Academy side, I give my unbounded gratitude to the Alumni Office ... in particular to Alan Loehr, Amy Davis-Johnson, and Amber Payne. Thanks to all!

Photo Credits

Your Webmaster would like to thank the following classmates for contributing the impressive images that enhanced all the dull words he wrote to describe our fantastic reunion:

Rick Carpenter, John & Betsy Davis, Lou Desenberg, Mike Hood, Doug Laipple, Andy Malcolm, Rene & Cusi Murai, Edie Wittekindt, Jay Owen, Ed Roessler, Mike Ryan, Joe Schlucter, Stu Schram, Bob Sindelar, Barry Spitz, and Phil & Carol Wright

And then there was Grant Munroe (CMA ‘87) whom Craig brought in to be at each of our dinner events. Grant took the bulk of the pictures that I have incorporated into this webpage. I give him particular credit for capturing couples as they arrived at the Thursday Welcome Gathering and cajoling us into forming up for pictures at the Friday and Saturday night dinner tables. You can follow these instructions to view all the pictures he took and order prints of any that are particularly appealing to you.

Apologies to any classmates ... and their mates ... who feel they were "under represented" in the posted pictures. But I could only work with the images available; can’t help it if you were camera shy!

In any case, I hope this web page brings back wonderful memories to those who attended ... and makes you "non-attendees" wish you had been there.

55th Reunion <<<====

For a classic memory from our 50th Reunion, check out this video of Doug Neumann’s presentation during the dinner in the Woodcraft camp.