Alumni and Friends of VMI:
Cyber Corps Numbers: 567
VMI Wrestlers: I was checking out the sports
page today and ran across some wrestling results for this
weekend's NCAA Championships. Seems VMI Heavyweight Leslie Apedoe
had a great run. He got to the Semifinals before losing to
Minnesota's Brock Lesnar.
VMI's 197 pounder Isaac Moore lost in the second round
consolation to Bob Greenleaf of Cornell.
Congratulations to these guys and the entire team for an
extraordinary season.
Breakout: For those wishing to peruse some
photos and a description of this year's breakout, go to the
following website: http://www.vmi.edu/~pr/breakout99.html
It contains some pretty interesting stuff.
Honors for Dr. Mitchell - Class of '40:
I wanted to pass on this impressive honor bestowed upon a well
respected VMI alum from the late '40s, Dr. Jere Mitchell. Dr.
Mitchell is a cardiologist and chairs heart research at the
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. The
week of March 8, 1999, the American College of Cardiologist
awarded him the college's highest award. I don't know if folks in
Lexington are aware of this.
The Dallas Morning News article states... (March 8, 1999)
"It (the award) goes to a fellow of the college "whose
major contribution has been to the advancement of scientific
knowledge in the field of cardiovascular disease." The
recipient represents "the best of the best." "Most
of his peers and friends knew he was a "comer" 38 years
ago when Dr. Mitchell received the American College of
Cardiology's first Young Investigator Award." "One of
his most important discoveries came in 1965 when he, in lay
terms, told heart patient, "Get your body out of bed,
because laying around will make an invalid out of you."
"In other words, prolonged bed rest for heart patients was
counterproductive. This changed rehabilitation of heart patients
from weeks of enforced bed rest to rapid mobilization, said UT
Southwestern's Dr. R. Sanders Williams, director of the Frank M.
Ryburn Jr. Cardiac Center and UT Southwestern chief of
cardiology, who nominated Dr. Mitchell." Dr. Mitchell's work
was also pivotal in establishing scientific thinking concerning
exercise physiology, including both short-term and long-term
consequences of different types of physical activity."
.......
"He was a Brother Rat (having graduated from the Virginia
Military Institute when it was an all-male school), but he's one
of the most ardent advocates of equal rights for women."
"He is the principal investigator for the National Heart,
Lung and Blood Institutes long-running program project grant, is
director of UT Southwestern's Harry S. Moss Heart Center and of
the Pauline and Adolph Weinberger Laboratory for Cardiopulmonary
Research, and holds the Frank M. Ryburn Jr. Chair in Heart
Research and a chair given to honor him: the Carolyn P. and S.
Roger Horchow Chair in Cardiac Research in Honor of Jere H.
Mitchell M.D."
....
s/Keith Byron, VMI '86
Death in the VMi Family:
Published Monday, March 15, 1999, in the Miami Herald
Ex-UF president Robert Marston
Special to The Herald
Dr. Robert Quarles Marston, former director of the National Institutes of Health and the seventh president of the University of Florida, died of cancer Sunday at Hospice of North Central Florida in Gainesville. He was 76.
``Bob Marston served the University of Florida during a critical decade in its history,'' said UF President John Lombardi. ``During those years, under his inspired guidance, the university committed itself to participating in the national conversation of major universities.'' Marston was NIH director from 1968 to 1973 and UF president from 1974 to 1984.
Born in Toano, Va., Marston earned his bachelor's degree from Virginia Military Institute in 1943. After receiving his doctor of medicine degree from the Medical College of Virginia in 1947, he attended Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar.
After a medical internship at Johns Hopkins Hospital and a year's residency at Vanderbilt University Hospital, Marston was stationed at NIH from 1951 to 1953 as a member of the Armed Forces Special Weapons Project, conducting research on the role of infection after whole body irradiation. He completed his residency at the Medical College of Virginia the following year.
In 1961, Marston became director of the University of Mississippi Medical Center and dean of the School of Medicine in Jackson, Miss., and was appointed vice chancellor there in 1965. Under his leadership, the first blacks were admitted to Mississippi's medical college, and new national standards were set for the peaceful integration of academic health centers. In 1966, Marston went to the NIH as an associate director and director of the newly created Division of Regional Medical Programs. He became director of NIH on Sept. 1, 1968.
``His five-year tenure was marked by the bitter political battle over the location and direction of the federally legislated War on Cancer, with the possible destruction of the organizational and leadership integrity of the NIH,'' said John F. Sherman, former deputy director of NIH. ``Despite changing and conflicting instructions from within the executive branch, Marston held firmly to the position that the removal of the National Cancer Institute from the NIH would cause serious harm not only to the long-term productivity of research on cancer, but would be greatly detrimental to the nation's biomedical research.''
Marston left NIH in April 1973 to become a scholar-in-residence at the University of Virginia. He also was named the first distinguished fellow of the Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Science.
The following year, he was named president of the University of Florida. During his 10 years at the helm, UF became one of the nation's 10 largest universities and one of the three most comprehensive in academic programs, with significant growth in academic quality, research activity and reputation. Marston's many accomplishments included the establishment of a nonprofit corporation for Shands Hospital at UF, helping establish the state's Eminent Scholars Program, dramatically increasing the university's private support, developing programs to attract National Merit and Achievement Scholars and laying the groundwork for the university's membership in the Association of American Universities.
After stepping down as president in 1984, Marston became an eminent scholar at Virginia Military Institute, where he later served on the governing board. After a year, he returned to the UF faculty and worked with graduate students, conducted research and presented papers for the departments of medicine and fisheries and aquaculture. Adding to his more than 50 other scholarly publications, he co-edited the book Medical Effects of Nuclear War for the National Academy of Sciences and chaired the Safety Advisory Committee for the Clean-up of Three Mile Island.
He chaired the Florida Marine Fishery Commission, which regulates and protects the state marine resources. Among his many honors was the state Legislature's naming of the University of Florida's science library in his honor. Marston lived on a farm in Alachua. His wife, Ann, died last July. He is survived by his children, Ann Wright Peace of Tappahannock, Va.; the Rev. Dr. Robert D. Marston of Newport News, Va.; and W. Wesley Marston of Gainesville; and six grandchildren.
Private burial will be in Tappahannock, and a memorial is being planned at the University of Florida in April. The family has requested that in lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Ann Carter Garnett Marston Visiting Lectureship in Fine Arts or theMarston Science Library at the University of Florida.
No Resumes This Week, But...: I received the
following from Bill Jennings '82. Seems he and another engineer
have started their own compnay in Lynchburg. Those needing this
sort of service should keep Bill and company in mind.
I have started into business with a fellow engineer, David
Kincaid (who is unfortunately not a VMI grad). We are doing
mechanical and electrical consulting engineering. As we are just
starting out, we are looking for opportunities to help people
with there professional engineering needs. If you have a need,
please contact me at the following address:
Kincaid - Jennings, PC
Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 3476
Lynchburg, VA 24503
Street Address:
725 Church Street
16th Floor
Lynchburg, VA 24504
Business: (804) 846-6510
Business Fax: (804) 846-0005
William R. Jennings Jr., PE
Kincaid· Jennings
Consulting Engineers
bjennings@kincaidpe.com
Speaking of Resumes: VMI Placement Officer Adam
Volant '88 and I traded a couple e-mails last week. He welcomes
resumes from alumni. Resumes can be mailed to him at: VMI Alumni
Association
Attn: Adam Volant
P.O. Box 932
Lexington, VA 24450
I Wonder if We'll See This On "Cops":
Natural Bridge Man Pulls Gun On Cadet; 8 Charges
Ensue Including DUI
By David Grimes
A 33 year-old Natural Bridge man is facing eight charges as a
result of an incident last Wednesday night which occurred outside
of the Palms Restaurant in Lexington.
John P. O'Brian of 84 Channing Lane, Natural Bridge was charged with carrying a conceal weapon, brandishing a firearm, DUI, driving with no headlights at night, going the wrong way on a one-way street, attempting to elude police, reckless driving and speeding.
According to the Lexington Police Department, a call was about 7:30 p.m. involving a fight outside the Palms Restaurant between O'Brian and a group of VMI cadets.
It was reported that O'Brian was upset over the fact that another group of cadets had bought a female friend of his a drink prior to his arrival. O'Brian then started harassing a group of cadets that were inside the Palms. The argument then continued out onto the sidewalk in front of the restaurant.
O'Brian then apparently pulled a gun out of his pocket and pointed it in the face of Andrew Kratt, a VMI cadet, prior to the arrival of the police.
Just as officers arrived in the area, O'Brian got into his jeep and left the scene. Police officers pursued him west on Nelson Street, then east onto Washington Street. O'Brian was stopped after he turned the wrong way (south) onto Main Street in front of Grand Piano.
O'Brian was arrested and the gun was found hidden behind the passenger seat.
Officer Fred Smith was the arresting officer. Officer Keith Haraway and Sgt. E. W. Straub assisted from Lexington. The Rockbridge County Sheriff's office and Virginia State Police also assisted.
The Great Snowball Fight: This comes to us
from one of the cadets involved in a recent "battle" on
the parade ground. What? No cavalry?...Wimps.
Now that the Rat Line is over many people are thinking "No
more fun." WRONG!!! Yesterday we awoke to find that the big
snow storm that has been hitting the Northern part of the US
recently was now hitting VMI. And when there's snow there is
always, you guessed it, a snow ball fight. But this isn't
friendly siblings, sibling or friend vs. friend snow ball fight,
this a snow ball fight VMI style. And anything that is VMI style
is definitely going to be hardcore. The official snow ball fight,
which was scheduled at 1600 for military duty, unofficially
started at lunch in both new and old barracks. I was in New
Barracks and it was a snowball fight with the Firsts and Fourths
(on the first and fourth stoops) against the thirds and seconds
(on their stoops). Mini forts made of bed racks were constructed
to shield us from the snowballs that were hurled at tremendous
speeds. Over in Old Barracks, the First and Fourths formed in the
middle of the courtyard while the seconds and thirds stayed on
their stoops. While a fourth was using a bed rack as a shield,
several Firsts were using lacrosse sticks to hurl the snowballs
at the thirds and seconds. One Third was using his lacrosse stick
to catch the oncoming snowballs and send them back. All of this
was just a warm up for the main event that was coming up at mil.
duty.
As the Fourths from Golf Co. prepared for the battle that lied ahead, one of my BR's played from the Star Wars sound track the Empire's theme music. Golf Co. dressed in BDU bottoms and sweat top. Everyone else dressed up in either full BDU's, sweat top and bottom, sweat top and BDU bottom, or (and this is insane) sweat top with gym shorts. Our battle ground was the parade field. A giant snowman that was built earlier in the day was now being used as ammo. Two little snow forts were built but they never served as HQ for both sides. In fact there seemed to be two little wars going on the side while the big one was fought in the middle of the parade field. The forces consisted of Golf co with a few stragglers against...well...everyone else. Golf co quickly took the fort that laid in the middle of the field. We held it for some time but the numbers were too great and we fell back and the other side took the fort. The rest of the time was now spent with Golf Co. trying to retake the fort. We try to charge but every time we stop midway and fall back. Finally, after what seemed like an hour of us trying to charge the fort, we finally made it to the fort.
Men went flying over the fort grappling the opposing players, wrestling them down to the snow while others hurled snowballs at each other. It was crazy. Some men attacked their own men, by accident of course, but it was almost impossible to tell who was on who's side. After this, the mini war finally was called to an end and then it was the corps against the townies (people who live in Lexington) who came to join the snowball fight. This lasted until 1700 when retreat was sounded. Everyone stopped what they were doing and went to attention. The only sound that could be heard was the bugle. When the last note was sounded, snowballs went flying. This lasted for about half and hour and then everyone had to get back into barracks to prepare for supper.
I am intentionally leaving out the gory details. I mean guys were literally dropping to the ground because they were hit by the snowballs. How can snowballs hurt that much you may ask? Well, these weren't all snow really. These were a combination of snow, water, and slush. And when the entire body is a target (face, back, chest, legs, gut, and...you get the idea) things can get a bit dirty. I'm still hurting from yesterday.
Hair Raising (Growing?) Experience: I hear that consideration is being given to begin allowing upper class co-eds to wear their hair at "service style" length. From what I understand, this means the hair can be basically any length but it must be worn off the collar. I reiterate that this is only being considered, but I did get this verified by at least three folks at the Institute. More later.
Next Meeting of Alumni Association: The next
meeting of the Board of Directors of the Alumni Association will
take place in Moody Hall , Saturday, April 10 at 8:30 AM. If you
would like to attend, please notify Louella Allen by April 1 at
The VMI Alumni Association, PO Box 932, Lexington, VA 24450. I
assume you can also call at 1-800-444-1839.
Hey, that's it for this week.
Yours in the Spirit,
RB Lane '75
Last Updated: October 11, 2009
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