Calling All Cadets: Army ROTC Plans Homecoming
Festivities
It is 6:45 a.m. on a Monday. The sky above the Homewood campus
is dark. Faculty and staff are still at home, waiting for the
coffee maker to kick in. Most students are fast asleep in the
dorms. But out on the lacrosse field, 90 undergraduates lie
face-down on the dew-damp astroturf. "Up, down..." calls a
third-year cadet leading the corps in its morning push ups. As
the sky lightens at the edge of the horizon, the cadets set off
for their three-mile run. Although they might not be thinking
about history, these students stand in a long line of cadets that
stretches back almost to Johns Hopkins' beginnings.
Founded in 1916, the Hopkins ROTC program has sent more than
3,000 men and women to the Army. Of that number, only 741 are
accounted for in the ROTC Alumni Association data base. While
membership in the JHU Alumni Association automatically enrolls
former corps members into the ROTC Alumni Association, first the
members must identify themselves as former cadets.
|
Cadets in a huddle, 1940. |
"We would like to make this the year that Hopkins' Army ROTC
re-establishes itself as a contributing member of the Alumni
Association," says Lt.Col. Charles Roller, director of military
science. "We want the ROTC Alumni Association to fufill its
potential as a great network, providing mentors, guest speakers,
and becoming an advocate for Hopkins."
Renewed interest in promoting the Alumni Association coincides
with the corps' unprecedented national rankings. In 1999, the
program was ranked third of 270. It also earned the Commanding
General's Award for Excellence in Training, an honor bestowed on
only a handful of schools, including MIT, Princeton, and Duke.
Hopkins' high rankings, Roller insists, are due to the quality of
its students. Take, for instance, Joshua Mitchell, Engr 2000, a
biomedical engineering major. This year, he was selected as the
top cadet in the nation to be commissioned into the Army's Field
Artillery branch.
As part of ROTC's master plan to attract graduates to its Alumni
Association, during Homecoming weekend it will host an open house
on Saturday, April 29; offer rappel and Pershing Rifle Drill Team
demonstrations; and host a Cadet/Alumni Mixer directly following
the lacrosse game, where gray-haired retired colonels will swap
stories with fresh-faced cadets. The mixer will feature
announcement of the recipients of Distinguished Military Alumni
Awards and their induction onto the Wall of Fame, as well as
exhibition of a photo album of the corps' history at Hopkins, to
be titled "Hopkins ROTC: A Tradition of Leadership Excellence."
Because the ROTC cadre hopes to add new names to the Wall of Fame
each year at Homecoming, nominations will be accepted year-round.
The Wall of Fame, which celebrates particularly accomplished ROTC
alumni, now features Maj. Gen. Albert H. Smith, A&S '40, and
Brig. Gen. James Shufelt, A&S '55. General Smith fought eight
campaigns during WWII, including the invasions of North Africa
and Normandy, and served in three combat campaigns during the
Vietnam War. General Shufelt served in the Air Defense Artillery
and likewise served combat tours in Vietnam.
Of the Wall of Fame, Lt. Col. Roller says, "We're not limiting
this honor to ROTC alumni who have made the military their
career. Many cadets," he explains, "stay in the army for just a
few years, honing valuable leadership skills, and go on to put
their military leadership experience to good use in business,
medicine, and law. We want to honor their achievements as
well."
Fall In!
ROTC Homecoming Highlights
Open house, noon to 8 p.m.
Pershing Rifle drill team demonstration, half-time of the
lacrosse game
Rappel demonstrations, during open house
Cadet/Alumni Mixer, immediately following the lacrosse game,
at
Drill Hall. Food, drink, and good company. All alumni and family
invited to attend. ROTC graduates encouraged to bring ROTC
memorabilia!
Induction of Distinguished Military Alumni onto
Wall of Fame, during Cadet/Alumni Mixer
|
Don't Miss Reunion, Homecoming
Festivities!
In April, the year 2000 reunion classes from the Schools of Arts
and Sciences and Engineering (class years ending in 5 and 0) will
celebrate their reunions during Homecoming weekend. Peabody, the
School of Nursing, the School of Professional Studies in Business
and Education, and the Bologna Center will also have homecoming
or reunion events, and departmental reunions are being held at
the School of Public Health.
|
Meeting at Steinwald Alumni House to
discuss plans for their 40th class reunion are members of
Homewood's Class of 1960. Standing, from left, are Wally
Orlinsky, Jim Plowden, Larry Becker, and Bill Sweeney. Seated,
from left, are Bob Brannan, Bob Hillman, and Mace Miyasaki. |
Arts and Sciences and Engineering
April 27-30
(410-516-5185)
Bologna Center
May 12-14
(011-39-51-232185)
Nursing
June 9-10
(410-955-4285)
Peabody
May 5-7
(410-659-8176)
Public Health
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology,
April 28-29
(410-955-5194)
SPSBE
April 27-30
(410-516-7188)
Travel Program Offers Variety
For more information on any of the
following, call 1-800-548-5481 or 410-516-0363 or e-mail
travel@jhu.edu.
Village Life in Dordogne, France, with history
professor Orest Ranum
May 27 - June 4
Alumni College in Sorrento, Italy, June 5 - 13
(Sold
out)
Alumni College in Provence, France, June 13 - 21
(Sold
out)
China and the Yangtse River, with political
science professor and associate dean Stephen David
June 17 - July 4
Alumni College in Evora, Portugal
July 3 - 11
Alaska Family Program
July 14 - 23
Exploring Siam, Java, Bali, and Spice Islands
July 23 -
Aug. 9
Alumni College in Kinsale, Ireland
July 30 - Aug. 7
Round the World by Private Luxury Jet (Kona, Kyoto,
Xian, Beijing, Delhi, Kenya, Istanbul, London)
Sept. 16 - Oct.
8
Great Pacific Northwest
Sept. 25 - Oct. 3
Egypt and Jordan by Private Plane, with Near Eastern
studies professor Betsy Bryan
Oct. 3 - 17
RETURN TO
APRIL 2000 TABLE OF CONTENTS.