I hope you’re having a wonderful fall and enjoyed our fantastic 35th reunion. If you were sadly unable to join us, please know that you were sorely missed, and I certainly hope you can attend the 40th.
Before I share an update from Karen (Somsel) Quilty, our amazing reunion chair, I’d like to let you know about another fun fall/winter event — the Go Navy, Beat Army Pep Rally on 9 December at 1900 at USNA. More information coming as I have it … but please mark your calendar!
Now’s the Time, 89!
Warmly, Denise
Hello Class of ‘89!
Can you believe it’s already been six weeks since our incredible reunion? I hope this email finds you well and thriving. We’ve been meaning to reach out sooner, but life had other plans for Chris and me—we were right in the path of not one, but two hurricanes here in St. Petersburg, Florida. It’s been a whirlwind of repairs and recovery, but we’re grateful that our 114-year-old home is still standing, and we’re counting our blessings. Please keep the communities in West Florida, including several of our classmates, in your thoughts and prayers as they continue to recover.
We’re thrilled so many of you joined us for what truly was an EPIC reunion! We couldn’t have asked for better weather (though we did worry for a minute there), and it was wonderful to see old friends and company-mates reconnect, while new friendships were sparked across our awesome Class of 1989. For those who couldn’t be there—YOU WERE MISSED! We hope to see you at the 40th, if not sooner!
We finally had a chance to hold our reunion follow-up meeting last week, and it was such fun for the committee to reflect on the highlights. Please thank your committee members for their hard work and dedication to making this a great weekend for all of us. Also, thank you to our company reps who rallied their troops and helped us get such great attendance numbers!
Reunion Round Up:
Thursday Night at Latitude 38 was a casual and perfect kickoff, and Friday was jam-packed with meaningful moments, starting with a moving Memorial Service in the Chapel. At the class meeting, it was powerful to hear from Admiral Konetzni and to get the sad update on RADM Hill. How we missed the Hills. We were able to recognize classmates who’ve made such an impact on our class and we’d like to thank Clint Carroll and Paul Dabbar for their enlightening conversation on how each of us can give back to USNA.
How about that Superintendent’s Brief? It was so inspiring to see one of our own leading the Academy with such positive energy! And our Friday night gathering at Fluegel Alumni Center was the biggest turnout yet. We were supposed to wrap up by 10 PM, but the last person didn’t leave the building until midnight! What a night!
Saturday was another high point with Navy’s thrilling win and a fabulous tailgate attended by nearly 1,000 people! We capped it all off with a lovely Supe’s Garden Party Brunch on Sunday—how many classes get to do that?
Photos: We hired several photographers over the weekend; click here to access the photos! You are welcome to download, print, or post these great pictures!
Hearing from so many of you about how much you enjoyed the weekend has been incredibly rewarding (because, really, that’s what it’s all about, right?). We’ve also made note of things we can improve for next time, and we’ll be sending out a questionnaire in the coming months to gather your feedback on what you loved and what you’d like to see for the 40th!
Personally, I feel like this reunion created a new sense of closeness among classmates, and I hope we can keep this momentum going. Thank you all for being part of it!
