Institute Report 12/08

‘Magnificent’ Third Barracks Dedicated in VMI ‘Milestone’

By Sherri Tombarge

VMI Superintendent Gen. J.H. Binford Peay III ’62 recounted the history of VMI’s Barracks in his talk during the Third Barracks dedication ceremony. – VMI Photo by Kevin Remington.

Lippiatt Joins Prestigious

List of Rhodes ScholarsBy Wendy Lovell and

Lt. Col. Stewart MacInnis

Cadet Gregory E. Lippiatt is one of 32 American men and women selected to receive the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship. In the process, the York, Pa., native also became the 11th cadet from Virginia Military Institute to earn the honor since 1921. Gen. J.H. Binford Peay III ’62, superintendent of VMI, noted that Lippiatt is a well-rounded cadet, excelling academically, athletically, and militarily. “We are all very proud of Greg,” Peay said. “In addition to being academically accomplished, he is a battalion commander, which is a senior position in the Corps of Cadets. He is well liked and respected. He will be a splendid Army officer.” A member of the Institute Honors program, Lippiatt ’09 is double majoring in history and English, with a concentration in military history. His scholarly interests are focused on the medieval period, and he intends to pursue a doctorate in medieval studies following his study at Oxford and his service as an Army officer. Lippiatt plays for the VMI rugby club and the College Bowl team; is editor of Sounding Brass, VMI’s literary magazine; has written for a military history journal; and has acted in four college plays. In 2007, Lippiatt studied medieval British history at Oxford University’s Magdalen

VMI marked Founders Day this year with a unique event: the dedication of Third Barracks and posting of the guard marking its occupancy this semester by cadets. The extension of Barracks is,

Cheney Visits

Vice President Cheney meets the Regimental Staff following the review parade. See story on page 5. – VMI Photo by Kevin Remington.

Volume XXXVI, Number 4 December 2008

Please see page 3

Please see page 4

, The InsTITuTe RePoRT, DecembeR 2008

Outland, Minor Receive Distinguished Service AwardBy Scott Belliveau ’83, VMI Foundation

Walter C. Perrin II ’62, president of the VMI Foundation, presented the organization’s highest honor, the Distinguished Service Award, to Grover C. Outland Jr. ’49B and G. Gilmer Minor III ’63 at the Founders Day convocation held Nov. 11 in Cameron Hall. As have been the other 69 recipients of the award, which is given in recognition of exemplary dedication to the Institute and its mission and diligent work on behalf of the VMI Foundation and VMI, both men are exemplars of professional accomplishment and active citizenship. “As the many honors and accolades that both Mr. Outland and Mr. Minor have received attest, throughout their professional lives, these men have offered the purposeful and honorable leadership that is expected of all VMI graduates,” said Perrin. “They also exemplify the active citizenship in their communities and enduring dedication to VMI and its Corps of Cadets that are the hallmarks of VMI alumni.” Outland’s decades of service to VMI and the VMI Alumni Agencies include one term on the VMI Board of Visitors from 1991 to 1995 and a term as the VMI Alumni Association’s president from 1981 to 1983. He also has been a member of the Alumni Association’s Board of Directors since 1965. Matriculating from Norfolk, Outland graduated with a bachelors of arts degree in English in January 1949. As a cadet, he played football for two years, was a member of the Officer of the Guard Association, and sang with the Glee Club for four years. He also is a member of the Kappa Alpha Order. Immediately after graduation, he entered the Washington and Lee University’s School of Law. Graduating in August 1951, he then reported for active duty with the U.S. Army. An artillery officer, he served with the 235th Field Artillery Observation Battalion, first training in Wisconsin and then saw action in Korea from late 1952 to August 1953. For his service in Korea, he received the Bronze Star. He began practicing law in the Tidewater area in October 1953. He ultimately formed the partnership of Outland & Gray, which later became the firm of Outland, Gray, O’Keefe, & Hubbard. Outland retired from the active practice of law on Jan. 1, 2002. Outland has participated extensively in civic affairs in the Norfolk area and has been an active member of the Church of the Good Shepherd. Minor’s service to VMI has been wide-ranging. Besides a term on VMI Keydet Club’s Board of Governors, he was a member of the VMI Foundation’s Board of Trustees 1993 to 2000 and served as its president from 1997 to 2000. In 2000, he became a member of the VMI Board of

Visitors and, from 2005 through 2008, served as the Board’s president. As the chairman of the Fortune 300 medical supply and service company, Owens & Minor Inc., Minor has long been a leader in Virginia business. While a cadet at VMI, he was co-captain of the football team that won the 1962 Southern Conference Championship. He was also co-captain of the baseball team and named All-Southern Conference as a catcher. He joined Owens & Minor in 1963 after receiving a degree in history from VMI. He received a master of business administration degree from the University of Virginia’s Colgate Darden School of Business Administration in 1966. At Owens & Minor, he served in numerous sales, management, and operations roles before becoming its president in 1981, its chief executive officer in 1984, and, in May 1994, chairman of the Board. Five years later, he relinquished the title of president, remaining chairman of the Board and CEO until he became the non-executive chairman of the Board in 2005. Minor has been active in many civic, charitable, and industry organizations including the Virginia Health Care Foundation, the University of Virginia’s School of Nursing, Virginia Commonwealth University’s Massey Cancer Center, and VCU’s School of Business Foundation. He currently is a member of the Virginia Business Higher Education Council and Virginia Business Council. His leadership in business and civic affairs also has earned him wide recognition, including being named Virginia Industrialist of the Year in 2001 and receiving the B’nai B’rith National Healthcare Award in 2004. “I was extremely pleased that VMI Foundation’s Board of Trustees saw fit to honor … [Mr. Outland and Mr. Minor] with the Distinguished Service Award and delighted to present them with the Award on Founders Day,” concluded Perrin.

G. Gilmer Minor III ’63 speaks during Founders Day Convocation after receiving the VMI Foundation’s Distinguished Service Award. – VMI Photo by Kevin Remington.

Grover C. Outland Jr. ’49B (left) receives the VMI Foundation’s Distinguished Service Award from Walter C. Perrin II ’62, Foundation president. – VMI Photo by Kevin Remington.

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Lt. Col. Stewart MacInnisActing Director

Sherri TombargeEditor

Burton FloydPublications Coordinator

Contributors:Bob Holland, Wendy Lovell, Lori Stevens, and Kevin Remington.

Printing – McClung Printing,Waynesboro, Va. Eight issues are printed during the academic year. Inquiries, suggestions, news items, or address changes should be directed to: Editor, The Institute Report, VMI Communications and Marketing, Lexington, Virginia 24450-0304, Telephone 540-464-7207, Fax 540-464-7443

Institute Report

The InsTITuTe RePoRT, DecembeR 2008,

said Gen. J.H. Binford Peay III ’62, VMI superintendent, in remarks during the ceremony, “an extension of the bold dream of our founders.” The 169th anniversary of the founding the Institute was also observed with a parade, which included a 17-gun salute and a Founders Day Convocation in Cameron Hall. Peay noted the contributions to the completion of Third Barracks of many, including those working in and with government and those working in and with the construction project itself. He also traced the history of Barracks, from the initial occupation by 28 cadets and two faculty members of the Lexington Arsenal in 1839 through rebuilding after the Civil War and extensions in the post-World War II era. “Within these new walls, a Spartan environment has been rigorously maintained in keeping with the founders’ ideas of the benefit to young students of ‘plain living,’” said Peay. “Moreover, by keeping these various extensions and additions connected one to the other, the Barracks has been maintained as the ‘heart’ of VMI, the center of life of the cadet, and

Third Barracks DedicationContinued from page 1

Cadet Ben Kimsey, president of the 1st Class, shakes hands with Thomas G. Slater Jr. ‘66, president of the VMI Board of Visitors, after unveiling the cornerstone during the dedication of Third Barracks. – VMI Photo by Kevin Remington.

Cadets Geophery Mills ’11 (left) and Alex Scaperotto ’11 are among a handful of cadets who moved into the new Third Barracks this semester, ahead of most of their peers who will move in for spring semester. – VMI Photo by Kevin Remington.

building includes 123 cadet rooms, which are designed to house 387 cadets. In fact, 490 cadets will be moved into the rooms to allow the phased renovation of rooms in the older portions of the Barracks complex. In addition to cadet rooms, the addition includes support activities in an area designated as Lejeune Hall. This section includes the VMI bookstore and the Cadet Commons, a visitors’ center and snack bar area. The functions in this section mirror those that were housed in the older separate Lejeune Hall building, which was torn down in 2006 to make way for the Third Barracks. Finishing touches will be added to this section of the building in the coming weeks, with the facilities here opening next semester. The renovation of the older portions of the Barracks complex will be accomplished in phases over the next two years. When completed, the cost of the renovations and new construction will result in a $67 million upgrade to the barracks.

Directed by Col. Thomas Trumps ’79, commandant of cadets, to post the first sentinels for Third Barracks, the officer of the guard gives the order. – VMI Photo by Kevin Remington.

a ‘chemistry lab’ of leadership, where the common experience of cadet life takes place and friends are established for a lifetime.” Calling the dedication of Third Barracks a “milestone” in the path to a “greater” VMI, Peay remarked that the Institute’s founders, would be “astonished by what they would see in these magnificent buildings … befitting of a Corps of 1,500 cadets, young men and women who have proudly and courageously chosen a harder road in their life’s higher education.” Peay’s remarks were followed by the unveiling of the cornerstone dedicating third Barracks by Thomas G. Slater Jr. ’66, president of the VMI Board of Visitors, and Ben Kimsey, president of the 1st Class. Guard sentinels were posted, and visitors who had gathered for the ceremony were invited to tour the building. While a handful of cadets have occupied rooms in the new Third Barracks building, most of the cadets who will be housed there will take up residence in January when they return from the holiday furlough. The


Corps to March in Presidential Inaugural The Presidential Inaugural Committee has selected the VMI Corps of Cadets to march in the Jan. 20 inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th president of the United States, Gen. J.H. Binford Peay III ’62 announced. “It is a high honor for VMI to participate in President Obama’s inauguration,” Peay said. “For these cadets, it will be an exciting and proud day in their time at VMI, and I expect it will be something they will look back on from a historic perspective with fondness and memories.” This will be the 13th inauguration in which VMI cadets have marched. The first was in 1909, when President William Howard Taft was sworn in; the last was four years ago when President Bush started his second term. Special daily practices are scheduled after the cadets return to the Institute from winter furlough on Jan. 11. The cadets will be bused to Washington, D.C., the morning of the parade, and will return to Lexington that evening.

College. He is proficient in French and reads Latin and Middle English, and at Oxford, he plans to use those skills to work on a master of studies degree in Byzantine studies. Elliot F. Gerson, American secretary of the Rhodes Trust, called the Rhodes Scholarships, “the oldest and best known award for international study, and arguably the most famous academic award available to American college graduates.” The scholarship program was created in 1902 by the will of Cecil Rhodes, British philanthropist and African colonial pioneer. The first class of American Rhodes Scholars entered Oxford in 1904. Lippiatt was one of more than 1,500 students to apply for the scholarships. Of those, 769 were endorsed by 207 different colleges and universities. The Rhodes Trust pays all college and university fees, provides a stipend to cover necessary expenses while in residence in Oxford as well as during vacations, and transportation to and from England. Gerson estimates that the total value of the scholarship averages approximately $50,000 per year. “The nation’s best and brightest compete ferociously each year for the

Rhodes Scholarship, and Greg’s selection is an endorsement of the ideals that VMI stands for and the qualities of intellectual engagement that we try to develop through the Institute Honors Program,” said Col. William J. Stockwell, acting deputy superintendent for academics and dean of the faculty. “His success in this most intense of academic competitions is a high compliment to the professors who have taught him and the others who have challenged and tested him in his time here.” In addition to being selected as a Rhodes Scholar, Lippiatt is a finalist for the Marshall Scholarship, a two-year opportunity for study in the United Kingdom, and a nominee for the Gates Cambridge Scholarship, which allows students from outside the United Kingdom to study as graduate students at the University of Cambridge. The last VMI cadet to win a Rhodes Scholarship was Michael Lokale in 2003. He is in his medical residency in Virginia and intends to return to his native Kenya. Other VMI Rhodes Scholars are Samuel W. Washington Jr. ’21, Henry H. Cooke ’21, John W. Pendleton ’28, Robert Q. Marston ’44, William B. Adams ’47, George W. Hardy III ’54, Lee Badgett ’61, Josiah Bunting ’63 and Robert C. Randolph ’67.

Lippiatt Joins List of Rhodes ScholarsContinued from page 1

$1 Million Donors Honored at Stonewall Jackson Statue Since 2002, bricks bearing the names of the alumni and friends who, through a lifetime of generosity, have given at least $1 million to VMI have been situated at the base of the statue of Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson in front of Old Barracks. In early November, four bricks, recognizing new $1 million donors, were added to the 52 already in place. So honored for their dedication to VMI were Mr. and Mrs. J. Clyde Hooker, Class of 1942; Luly and Don Wilkinson, Class of 1961; Samuel B. Witt III, Class of 1958, whose brick is inscribed “To Honor S.B. Witt, Jr. 1918, Given by S.B. Witt III 1958”; and Patricia C. and Stephen J. Sewell Jr., Class of 1960.

“Like the other alumni and friends whose names are on the bricks at the famous Stonewall Jackson statue, these alumni and friends have been extraordinarily generous to the Institute,” said Walter C. Perrin II ’62, VMI Foundation president. “Their donations have done much to build VMI into what it is today – a strong institution, true to its best traditions and highest ideals, prepared to meet any and all challenges in the future. “Just as we recognize other generous alumni and friends with bricks on the sidewalk in front of Barracks, what could be called the heart of the Institute, we honor our most generous alumni at the foot of one of VMI’s most enduring symbols.”

The Corps marches along Pennsylvania Avenue during the 2005 presidential inauguration. – VMI File Photo by Kevin Remington.


Post Observes Military Appreciation DayBy Sherri Tombarge

A vice presidential visit before an estimated 3,000 spectators, a football game that featured a B-2 flyover, and a performance by the U.S. Army Silent Drill Team marked Military Appreciation Day Nov. 8 on Post. Gen. J.H. Binford Peay III ’62, who introduced Vice President Richard B. Cheney, noted that VMI’s annual Military Appreciation Day was particularly “fitting in this time of war” and urged the community to be “mindful” of the more than 1,200 VMI alumni who are or have been deployed in support of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and especially the 11 who have died in the War on Terror. The superintendent also noted that 63 members of the Corps and nine members of the VMI faculty and staff have been deployed. Cheney remarked on the “immense contribution in defense of the nation” of the VMI Corps, calling its tradition of honor “unshakable” and offering “the respect” of fellow Americans as he reiterated America’s commitment to stand firm against “jihadists.” As Cheney joined Peay for lunch at the superintendent’s house and toured the Marshall Museum, crowds gathered for the game against Liberty University gazed in anticipation at the skies above Foster Stadium. Coordinated by Air Force ROTC, the flyover was precisely timed to put the B-2 in the air above Foster Stadium just as the Regimental Band concluded its performance of the national anthem, said Andrew Westhouse, assistant athletic director, who worked with the others to arrange the Military Appreciation Day observance. “We received nothing but positive feedback about the flyover, with many fans indicating that they were in absolute awe of the B-2,” said Westhouse. “To say the least, we were all in such awe of the Air Force’s remarkable ability to coordinate this flyover with such precision and accuracy.” The U.S. Army Silent Drill Team performed to a spellbound audience during halftime. “You could hear a pin drop as all fans were so engaged in the performance,” commented Westhouse. “Fans and athletic staff were struck by the precision and the accuracy of the Army Silent Drill Team.” Maj. Jimmy Kilbourne of VMI’s Army ROTC arranged for the drill team performance as well as the presence of the Army Marksmanship Training Van in the stadium. The van allowed VMI fans to test their marksmanship skill in a virtual firing range.

A B-2 bomber soars over Foster Stadium just as VMI’s Regimental Band finishes the national anthem before the match against Liberty University on Military Appreciation Day. – Photo courtesy of Chuck Steenburgh ’86 for VMI Sports Information.

The U.S. Army Silent Drill Team performs to a silent audience during halftime on Military Appreciation Day. – Photo courtesy of Chuck Steenburgh ’86 for VMI Sports Information.

Vice President Dick Cheney and VMI Superintendent Gen. J.H. Binford Peay III ’62 take review of the Corps following Cheney’s remarks during Military Appreciation Day. – VMI Photo by Kevin Remington.


Historian to Serve as First Gottwald Professor of Leadership

By Wendy Lovell

With the completion of the new Center for Leadership and Ethics at VMI comes its first Floyd D. Gottwald Jr. ’43 Visiting Chair in Leadership and Ethics. Dr. Lewis Sorley, a retired Army officer, historian and former CIA official, will join the faculty for spring term to teach cadets about the ethics of command. “The establishment of the new Center for Leadership and Ethics is an exciting VMI initiative, and I was honored to be invited to be a part of this,” said Sorley. “I hope to get to know many people in the VMI community, not just cadets in the classroom and members of the staff and faculty, but also members of the chain of command, the Honor Court and other cadets. I also look forward to interaction with alumni and members of the Gottwald family and the Albemarle Corporation’s leadership, both of which have valuable experience with the ethical leadership.” No stranger to the classroom, Sorley has taught at the Defense Intelligence College, U.S. Army War College, U.S. Military Academy, Virginia Tech, University of Virginia, George Washington University, and the University of Rhode Island. Most recently he has brought his experience in the Army and at the CIA to bear by serving as a writer, researcher, and policy analyst and authoring books such as A Better War: The Unexamined Victories and Final Tragedy of America’s Last Years in Vietnam; Honorable Warrior: General Harold K. Johnson and the Ethics of Command; and Thunderbolt: General

Creighton Abrams and the Army of His Times. Sorley comes to Post thanks to the generosity of the family of Floyd D. Gottwald Jr. ’43, for whom the endowed visiting professorship is named. Eventually, the center will support four endowed visiting chairs which will be positioned in various disciplines to support the center’s programming efforts and to complement the core course, Leadership in Organizations, that is a graduation requirement for all cadets beginning with the class of 2010. As the Gottwald visiting chair, Sorley will be embedded in the department of psychology and philosophy and will teach

PH 370, which examines the ethics of command from his perspective as a military historian. He will use some of the subjects of his books, including Gen. Harold K. Johnson, a World War II and Korean War veteran who served as Army chief of staff in the 1960s, and Gen. Creighton Abrams, an officer whose career spanned three wars and who also served as Army chief of staff in the 1970s, to help his students increase their appreciation for the privilege and obligations of service and commitment to becoming principled leaders. A third-generation West Point graduate, Sorley holds a doctoral degree in national security policy from Johns Hopkins University. He served in Vietnam as executive officer of a tank battalion and, following his career in the Army, was a senior civilian official at the CIA.

Lewis Sorley

Cadets Honored with Chemistry Research Award Cadets Julian P. Sculley ’09 and Alexander J. Snyder ’09 were presented with the ninth annual Larry L. Jackson ’62 Undergraduate Research Award in Chemistry during the Oct. 17 meeting of the VMI Research Laboratories Board of Directors. Each received a cash award of $1,250 and a certificate. Both are 1st Class chemistry majors. Sculley has done research under the supervision of Lt. Col. Daren Timmons, associate professor of chemistry, for the past three years. He has synthesized and characterized numerous flavones, investigating them as materials useful in catalyzing chemical reactions and stabilizing prescription drugs within a nutritious matrix. Snyder has spent the last two years working on the synthesis of several chemicals found in arthropods under the direction of Col. Tappey Jones, professor of chemistry. He completed a technically difficult synthesis of Z,3-dodecenolide, a compound found in the female emerald ash borer, an invasive species that is destructive to ash trees in Michigan and surrounding states. The material has been provided to biologists to determine if it really is a pheromone in this insect and if it can be utilized in control or detection. Snyder has also conducted syntheses of other proposed arthropod defensive chemicals. The Jackson Award is meant to encourage research by upper-class chemistry majors, honoring them for past excellent performance and

Shown at a recent meeting of the VMI Research Laboratories Board of Directors are (from left) Lt. Col. Daren Timmons, Cadet Julian Sculley, Jack Jackson, Dr. Richard Jackson, Cadet Alex Snyder, and Col. Tappey Jones. – Photo courtesy of the Department of Chemistry.

encouraging them in current research. The Jackson family was represented at the award ceremony this year by Dr. Richard Jackson and Jack Jackson, brother and father, respectively, of Larry Jackson.


VMI Foundation Hosts Annual Institute Society Dinner By Scott Belliveau ’83, VMI Foundation

On Nov. 10, the VMI Foundation held its annual event thanking the members of The Institute Society for their consistent and generous giving on behalf of VMI and encouraging others to join. “Undoubtedly, this event is one of the high points of the Institute’s calendar,” said the Foundation’s executive vice president, Jim Adams ’71. “Held on or the evening before Founders Day, it provides alumni and friends of VMI with an opportunity to come back to Post for a social occasion of deep appreciation. “It also allows the Foundation to showcase the benefits of belonging to this elite donor society. Many hours are devoted to planning the dinner, to ensuring all of its details – from the decorations to the menu – are correct and to making sure that all of it, including the parking of cars and entertainment by cadets, demonstrates our thanks.” The measure of thanks to members of The Institute Society is at once simple and extraordinary. In 1973, The Institute Society was formed for the purpose of recognizing those alumni and friends who were leaders in support of VMI, particularly those who provided unrestricted funds to VMI’s academic and co-curricular programs through what is now known as the Foundation Fund. “Today’s members of the Society are being thanked for continuing the tradition and example of leadership in support of VMI that the charter members of the Society did 35 years ago,” said Adams. “They also are being thanked for the extraordinary role they play in providing unrestricted funds to VMI.” In fiscal year 2008, the Foundation Fund received a record amount of money, $2,780,321; of that, The Institute Society’s 906 members donated $1,873,554, or more than 67 percent. Moreover, during 2008, members of the Society gave a grand total of almost $17.9 million to VMI. Both VMI’s Superintendent, Gen. J.H. Binford Peay III ’62, and Walter

C. Perrin II ’62, president of the VMI Foundation, addressed the 600 guests – a record number. Peay thanked the Society and reminded all present of the Society’s importance to VMI, or as he put it, “your role in assuring that VMI remains strong, vibrant, and at the forefront of American institutions of higher education.” Going on, he observed, “Just think for a moment where VMI would be today, particularly in this period of economic distress, if wise and forward-looking men and women had not, years ago, created the VMI Foundation and this special association that we call ‘The Institute

Society.’” After thanking the members of The Institute Society for their generosity in 2008, Perrin asked them to continue their leadership throughout fiscal year 2009, saying that the VMI Foundation “will depend in no small part on the example that you, the members of The Institute Society, set in terms of supporting VMI.” He also urged Society members to take an even more active role: “I ask you to make the case to your Brother Rats, other alumni, and VMI’s many friends that VMI needs their support at this critical time in its history. I ask you, in essence, to continue to exercise that trait we most associate with VMI and The Institute Society – principled and purposeful leadership.” “This year’s Institute Society Dinner was a success in many ways,” commented Adams. “Thanks to the hard work of people at the Foundation and on Post, we were able to host a record-setting crowd drawn, in part, to the next day’s dedication of the Third Barracks. “Additionally, the members of the Society, as well as last year’s 50th and 25th reunion classes, were able to hear from General Peay and Mr. Perrin on the importance of generosity to VMI and how much the Institute values their support.”

Walter C. Perrin II ’62, president of the VMI Foundation, addressed a record 600 guests at last month’s Institute Society dinner. – VMI Photo by Kevin Remington.

VMI Alumni Agencies’ Reports Now Available The Report to Investors and the audited Combined Financial Statement of the VMI Alumni Agencies for fiscal year 2008 are now available online at the VMI Alumni Agencies’ Web site, vmialumni.org, under the heading “Supporting VMI.” Both documents are provided in the Adobe PDF format. “The two reports illustrate the financial position of the VMI Foundation, VMI Keydet Club, and the VMI Alumni Association and describe the activities that these VMI Alumni Agencies perform on the behalf of the Institute, especially their successes in raising gifts and

commitments for VMI and in providing the private funds that are utterly critical to ensuring the continued advancement of the Institute,” said Jim Adams ’71, executive vice president of the VMI Foundation. “I hope our alumni and friends take the time to examine these documents closely, for they tell a tale of the hard work and intense dedication to VMI of thousands of people. I hope as well that they spur those who did not participate in supporting VMI in fiscal year 2008 to consider what they can do on behalf of VMI now and in the future.”


Capturing Cool: New VMI Admissions Site Doesn’t Do Ordinary

By Lori Stevens

The VMI admissions Web site has a new look. Maj. Amy Goetz, assistant director of communications and marketing, and Maj. Kate Crossman, Web communications designer/editor, worked at warp speed to get the site up and running to coincide with the release of VMI’s redesigned admissions materials late last month. It all started in earnest last April, when, knowing the project was on the horizon, Goetz and Crossman shot video of many of the 1st Class cadets who were about to graduate. “It was great to interview them and have them look back on their VMI careers,” said Goetz. “Many said, ‘I didn’t always like it, but now I get it.’” In the process of redesigning the admissions materials, the two had looked at literally hundreds of admissions brochures. Most of the publications from ordinary institutions spent many words justifying why prospective students should consider them the best schools. Goetz and Crossman realized that current cadets and alumni do not consider VMI an ordinary school. “We began to wonder if we should explain why VMI might not be the best fit,” said Crossman. “We realize the VMI experience is not for everyone,” added Goetz. “Unless you want this type of extraordinary experience, VMI might not be right for you. We wanted the Web site to reflect this, to be edgy.” Since a key part of the superintendent’s Vision 2039 is to reduce attrition rates, Goetz and Crossman thought it might be better to let future cadets know ahead of time what they would be getting into. Not only was the message being sharpened to more precisely describe the VMI experience, the Web site also had to deliver that message in a new way. The previous Web site and view

book were last redesigned eight years ago. “Information transmission has changed radically since then, particularly online, which has become less text-heavy and more image-driven,” explained Goetz. The view book is the key piece that is mailed to high school juniors and seniors and is meant to direct them toward the Web site. This year VMI is printing 50,000 view books, promoting the new theme, “Don’t do ordinary.” Initially Goetz and Crossman worked for several months developing a Web design that they ended up scrapping. “We had developed the new message – that VMI is not an ordinary college experience – but after we’d worked on the Web page for two months, we realized it was perfectly nice, but perfectly ordinary,” admitted Goetz. “It looked like many other admissions Web sites out there,” added Crossman. “Sometimes you have to travel part way down one path in order to realize that it is not the direction you want to take.” Crossman then hit upon the idea of using a flash-based Web site. The flash environment compresses images and video so the graphical components of the site are delivered in the most efficient manner possible. This allows easier and faster access on different platforms. Said Goetz, “Kate is the genius behind how the

Web page was built.” Crossman said the goal of the Web site was to use the themes and graphical style of the printed pieces from the “Don’t do ordinary” campaign as a stepping off point for a more dynamic Internet experience. “We made it image-driven and somewhat interactive,” explained Crossman. “Kids now largely get their information visually. Rather than reading lots of text, there are photo galleries featuring athletics, academics, military life … all the aspects of cadet life. Viewers can select an image, and when they click on it they will get a statement

about that part of the VMI experience.” Goetz and Crossman hope that even if VMI is not exactly what certain viewers are looking for, the Web site’s “cool factor” will induce them to share it with a friend, who will be interested. One caveat for older visitors to the site – the new Web site is a targeted marketing piece aimed specifically at 14- to 17-year-olds. “We do realize that the new Web site may not resonate with some of our alumni,” admitted Goetz. “They are probably not used to technology they way teenagers are. Older people cannot filter information the way young people who have grown up with it can. The site is meant to be in your face and edgy.” “Usually you spend a year building a Web site,” said Crossman, “but overall the project took us about four months. We were able to do this because we work well as a team. We are lucky to have such a good partnership.” The new admissions campaign also supports the Vision 2039 goal to increase the size of the Corps. “The Third Barracks has been dedicated, and now they are renovating the Old Barracks. Soon we will need to fill all those rooms,” observed Goetz.

VMI’s new, “edgier” admissions Web site came online to coincide with the release of new admissions materials last month.


Physical Plant Secures Post for Vice President’s VisitBy Lori Stevens

The fatigue was evident in Lt. Col. Jay William’s voice, and a persistent cough punctuated his statements. “I just can’t seem to shake this cold,” he admitted, which isn’t surprising when one considers the non-stop schedule he has maintained since the beginning of November. On Oct. 28, the press release went out to the Corps confirming that Vice President Dick Cheney would visit Post on Nov. 8 for Military Appreciation Day and to review the Corps of Cadets. “We met with Colonel [Walt] Chalkley the following day as things locked into place. The Physical Plant is in charge of large event parking, and we were asked how we were going to deal with this,” said Williams. Of course, the additional requirements of the vice president complicated game day logistics. “We had to restrict areas that are normally open for parking on game day. Where would these displaced vehicles go? Many factors had to be considered as we put this event together,” Williams continued. The vice president’s security team made it clear there could be no parking on or near the Parade Ground. “We had to sanitize the area,” Williams explained. “Although we were allowed to use the Woods Creek and Marshall parking lots, we realized that our regular overflow parking lot at [the former] Kmart would not be enough.” Williams obtained additional parking from Lowe’s. The Physical Plant team also had to

empty the Woods Creek lot by moving all the 1st Class cadet vehicles to the Rockbridge County High School lot. “In addition to our regular shuttle service from Kmart, we also had to establish shuttle service from the Woods Creek lot and from Lowe’s,” continued Williams. “We needed extra buses from Rockbridge.” The vice president’s security team arrived Nov. 3. “We had locked down our final plan by Nov. 5,” said Williams. “We had only 48 hours to procure the necessary resources and reconfigure the Parade Ground. We kicked into high gear in order to build the layout the security team wanted for Saturday.” Physical Plant staff procured 1,200 linear feet of snow fence with posts to establish cordoned-off areas on the Parade Ground. They also procured and set up tents to house magnetometer sites – security check points like those used at courthouses and airports – as well as the support tables for these check points. “We also needed three tents for the review in case of inclement weather and another tent as the staging area for the vice president for the review of the Corps,” continued Williams. The Physical Plant team worked until 11:30 the night before the visit. “We needed to know that when the sun came up by 0600 everything would be complete for the security sweep,” said Williams. They were back on Post at 5 the next morning doing final set up before the U.S. Secret Service took over.

“Things went smoothly between 6 and 10 a.m. We did a good job of planning and execution,” admitted Williams, who manned a control center during the visit while Maj. Paul Ackerman and Capt. Todd Pegg were his eyes and ears on the ground. The orchestration of the vice president’s visit was complicated by other regularly scheduled events being held in tandem. “We had the admissions open house followed by Military Appreciation Day at the football game, which includes flyovers and necessitates additional support in the stadium. Then we had to break down the admissions open house and set up for the Institute Society Dinner for over 600 people in Cocke Hall,” said Williams. After the vice president left, the 5 a.m. crews took down the tents, removed signage, and recovered various event support items that had been used. “Even when a particular event is over, the Physical Plant’s work continues,” explained Williams. On Sunday the team did follow up work on Post, checking over the Parade Ground, Jackson Memorial Hall, and Letcher Avenue for detritus. “Our crew, especially those who coordinated the different teams, including Marvin Clark, Nicole McClure, Tracy Gordon and Sherri Rowe, is tired right now,” admitted Williams. That is no wonder, considering that approximately 275 support hours were dedicated to the vice president’s visit alone, and over 450 hours to all the weekend’s events together.

Cadets Pitch in to Make Busy Week Go SmoothlyBy Bob Holland

Busy autumn weekends are not uncommon in a college town, especially one such as Lexington, with two major institutions of higher learning located side by side; however, the convergence of events on Nov. 8 and the week following at VMI clearly was something out of the ordinary. When VMI learned a few weeks ahead of time that it would have the honor of a Nov. 8 visit from Vice President Richard Cheney to mark Military Appreciation Day with a parade review of the Corps of Cadets, the potential existed for “a perfect storm of traffic tangles or security snafus,” as the Lexington News-Gazette put it. A well-attended admissions open house was continuing that Saturday from the night before; in addition, a men’s soccer game started at 1 and a football game against Liberty University at 1:30, with a flyover of a B-2 bomber just before kickoff. That week would also feature the dedication of Third Barracks, the Institute Society dinner, and Founder’s Day

A cadet usher answers questions during the dedication of the Third Barracks. – VMI Photo by Kevin Remington.

Please see page 10


convocation. The story, and justifiable point of pride, is that cadets and staff worked hard to bring everything off without a glitch. Cadet Holly Ann Giacolone ’09, who had major public-event responsibilities as S-5 captain, called it “one of the most demanding weekends I have experienced” during her three years on the S-5 public-relations staff. “The additional events taking place on Post compounded the demand for efficiency, effectiveness, and professionalism from the S-5 staff and from the Corps,” Giacolone commented. “I am proud to say that everyone who participated in making the events successful were able to meet, and exceed, those high expectations. “As a cadet I was honored to be able to share in such a momentous event with the VMI community and Lexington, and I appreciate that VMI is able to present cadets with such a rare experience, unknown by most regular college students.” The S-5s’ weekend began Friday with more than 160 prospective cadets staying in barracks and their parents visiting Post. “The Corps rose to the challenge by many helping to volunteer for the event, hosting the prospective cadets, and S-4 [cadet supply staff] helping to set up projectors, screens, and other necessities,” Giacolone noted.

Cadet Matthew Graham ’10, an S-5 sergeant, had major coordinating responsibilities. For the vice president’s visit, the S-5 staff worked directly with Lt. Col. Stewart MacInnis of Communications & Marketing in assisting newscasters, video crews, and print media. The cadets also helped the U.S. Secret Service with monitoring spectators, controlling crowds, and giving directions to open house visitors. In addition, S-3 [operations cadet staff], led by Cadet Andrew Krumm ’09, the S-3 captain, played a major role in coordinating the movement of the Corps, making inclement-weather contingency plans, and working with the Secret Service to keep the Corps informed of unfolding events. The following week, 55 cadet ushers organized by the S-5 helped with the Third Barracks dedication and the Founders Day parade, with 13 of the ushers having been provided extra training to inform visitors of project details and to answer their questions. At the Founders Day convocation, which was attended by the entire Corps and guests, the cadet ushers managed to seat 1,360 persons within 15 minutes. Second class cadets ushered the Institute Society dinner, while the Glee Club and Herald’s Trumpets performed.

Cadets Pitch in to Make Busy Week Go SmoothlyContinued from page 9

Lab Mechanic Serves Engineering Division WellBy Wendy Lovell

According to Col. Tim Hodges, head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, lab mechanic Ron Chandler is to the Engineering Division what a good sergeant is to any platoon. In short, Chandler impacts the division greatly and helps accomplish its mission of educating future engineers. Since he joined the Institute staff four years ago, Chandler has brought a 30-year career as a state-certified maintenance machinist to bear on a number of engineering projects, and he has helped many cadets and professors bring their project designs to life. “I enjoy the laid-back atmosphere of working with the cadets in the lab,” said Chandler. “Many of these students don’t have machining knowledge, so it’s my job to teach them how to use the equipment. Most of them really enjoy the work they do in the lab and learning by trial and error.” After time spent with Chandler in the lab, many cadets become proficient in using metal lathes, milling machines, welders, drill presses, and hand saws. In addition to the fundamentals of machining, Chandler also teaches woodworking. Ensuring the cadets use the lab tools safely also is an important part of his job. “I don’t see how you can become an engineer and design something unless you know the machines and their capacities,” said Chandler. “Most of the materials we use in the lab aren’t commercially available, so I teach the cadets how to combine different materials to make them work for their projects.”

Chandler also enjoys collaborating with engineering professors, and he’s found that the projects being completed in Nichols Hall since he arrived on Post have increased in depth and complexity. For the past few years, he’s been working with Lt. Col. Jay Sullivan and Col. Jim Squire and their students on the extremely low-frequency seismic detector, an underground transmitter and portable topside receiver that would allow trapped miners to communicate with authorities above ground. The device has attracted the attention of the mine safety community and might one day be produced commercially. During spring semester, Chandler will help the project team determine how to make the device lighter

and more compact. “This project has great potential to really go somewhere,” said Chandler. “When I’m not working on that, I’m helping the EE cadets work on robots, the mechanical engineering students create a mini-Baja car, and another group of students build a steel bridge to assemble in an upcoming competition. It’s neat stuff.” While the lab offers the cadets the opportunity to have a little bit of fun, the work they do there is an important part of their grade. Chandler estimates that 50 to 60 percent of the work cadets do on projects like the mini-Baja car is done in the lab. As the “engineering sergeant,” Chandler said he is pleased when he can help cadets develop skills they can use not only in future careers but throughout their lives.

Lab Mechanic Ron Chandler (right) discusses fabricating a project with cadets. – VMI Photo by Kevin Remington.


Keydet Club Marks 75th Year with Anniversary Challenge Lots of excitement is being generated by the VMI Keydet Club’s 75th Anniversary Challenge. A group of passionate and supportive alumni have joined together on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the VMI Keydet Club to “challenge” the VMI family to support the Institute’s Division I athletic program. It is hoped that many more alumni, parents, and friends of VMI will participate and show their support. Currently, 1,826 of 12,803 VMI alumni – 14.26 percent – on the active rolls support the Keydets through gifts to the athletic scholarship or athletic operations funds. A total of 4,569, or 35.69 percent, support VMI financially in some way. Support from all those who love VMI and who want to see and experience the pride of winning, successful athletics would ensure that the necessary resources are in place to give our coaches and cadet-athletes all they need to compete, win, and graduate. That support could also rank VMI No. 1 in the country for alumni support – an important barometer used in gauging institutions of higher learning. Every gift of $75 from a new Keydet Club member, or increase of $75 from a current member, will result in a $75 match from the Challenge donors. The result could be huge if several thousand alumni, parents, and friends participate. “If 5,000 alumni [who are currently not giving to VMI] donated just $75, our percentage of alumni participation would soar to 75 percent, ranking VMI No. 1 among all colleges and universities in America,” noted Greg Cavallaro ’84, the Keydet Club’s executive vice president. “There is strength in numbers – every new or increased gift of just $75 will be matched, so everyone’s support will make a significant difference.”

Cavallaro noted that in these tough economic times, the club had to evaluate its strategy. “For the Keydet Club, we realized that the paradigm has shifted. No longer can we expect to get 90 percent of our annual budget [$3.55 million this fiscal year] from 10 percent of the donors. We need to reach out to everyone and get more people involved with our efforts on behalf of VMI and its athletic program,” he said And so far the 75th Anniversary Challenge initiative has been met with very encouraging results from Challenge donors and new donors alike. “I was more than happy to be associated with this effort” remarked Gil Minor ’63, one of the Challenge donors. “I love VMI and am proud of all that is being accomplished today. The recent excitement and success of our athletic teams necessitates that we do all we can to keep the positive momentum going.” A letter to all alumni from VMI head coaches and the athletic director has elicited a first – 10-day return of nearly 500 gifts. “The feedback the Keydet Club has received indicates we are onto something that everyone can take pride in because anyone who cares about VMI – alumni, parents, and friends – can join in with a gift of $75. We’re not asking for $750 or $7,500 or multiyear pledges – just $75 for the 75th anniversary in support of VMI athletics,” said Cavallaro. “We sure have come a long way since 1934 when the Alumni Educational Fund was created to begin awarding the first football scholarships. Today, the Keydet Club is proud to fund scholarship and operation support for 14 men’s and women’s programs and hopes we can do so for at least another 75 years.” To make a gift and join the Keydet Club, call (800) 444-1839 or mail credit card information or checks to the Keydet Club at P.O. Box 932, Lexington, Va. 24450.

Support for Deployed CadetsVMI staff members (from left) associate registrar Lt. Col. Gary Bissell ’89, associate director of financial aid Capt. Brian Quisenberry ’81 and Joan Rogers, administrative assistant in the registrar’s office, sign VMI flags to be sent to four cadets deployed or deploying to Iraq, Emily Fritts, Lawrence Berman, John Crowder, and Brendan Walmsley. “I started this project a year ago, and I’ve deployed too, so I’ve experienced it,” commented Bissell on the project, which also sends care packages and The Cadet newspaper to deployed cadets. Bissell asks cadets, faculty, and staff to sign the flags, which the deployed cadets can hang in their rooms or tents as reminders that the entire VMI community is thinking of them and supporting them. The flags are donated by the VMI bookstore, and anyone in the community may donate items or money for care packages. For information, contact Bissell at [email protected]. – VMI Photo by Ryan Buell.


Institute Implements New VFT StandardsBy Wendy Lovell

For the first time since VMI admitted women in 1997, the VMI Fitness Test – the VFT – has been revised to consider the physiological differences between men and women with regard to strength, power, and aerobic capacity. While assessment of the testing in November is not complete, Col. James Coale, head of the department of physical education, anticipates the pass rate will increase for both men and women. VMI fitness data collected since women were assimilated into the Corps of Cadets is consistent with the scientific literature related to the physiological differences between men and women. In the past 10 years, approximately 20 percent of women have passed the VFT compared with approximately 80 percent of men. “I’m pleased that we’ve adopted a gender-appropriate VFT, and ultimately we would like the failure rate for women to be the same as the failure rate for men,” said Coale. “When you have 80 percent of men and only 20 percent of women passing the test, that’s a strong indication that this isn’t a valid test for determining fitness across the board. “Besides, if there weren’t a strong case for it, the academies wouldn’t have gone to gender-appropriate testing, and the Olympics wouldn’t have separate competitions for men and women.” The VFT includes pull-ups, sit-ups, and a 1.5-mile run that measure strength and power, muscular endurance and aerobic capacity. The previous standards were a minimum of 5 and maximum of 20 pull-ups, a minimum of 60 and maximum of 92 sit-ups, and a minimum time of 12 minutes and maximum of 8 for the run. The men’s standard for the run has been amended to a minimum of 12 minutes and 30 seconds and a maximum of 8 minutes and 30 seconds. The women now have to complete a minimum of 1 and maximum of 8 pull-ups and run a minimum of 14 minutes and 20 seconds and a maximum of 9 minutes and 46 seconds. The sit-up standard did not change, as performance for men and women at VMI has been consistently equivalent. Scientific literature used to develop the new VFT standards indicates that the average upper-body strength of women ranges from 25 to 55 percent of the upper-body strength

of men. The average aerobic capacity of women ranges from 73 to 87 percent of the capacity of men. “I noticed a different feeling of women coming off the pull-up bar because they were able to do 2 or 3 and not the former minimum of 5,” said Coale of testing in November. “There were some females who were opposed to changing the standards, but there were many others who were happy because the new standards better represent their abilities.” Currently the VFT represents 25 percent of a cadet’s grade, and it affects their rank status in the Corps. The VFT grade is determined by the total number of points achieved on the three events as a percentage of 300 possible points. Failure to meet the minimum standard for any of the three testing events results in a zero for that event. Coale said the Physical Programs Committee has proposed a revision to the

grading system so that even if a cadet fails a testing event, he or she would get some credit for his or her performance, regardless of failure to pass the test. “Even if a cadet fails the VFT, earning some credit for achievement below the minimum standard will encourage him or her to perform to the best of his or her ability,” he added. “Some cadets won’t even try a portion of the test they don’t think they can pass, and we think this is a way to support them in giving their all.” In addition to implementing the new VFT standards, the department of physical education has established a Remedial Fitness Program for cadets who do not pass the VFT. Cadets in the program will undergo training that specifically addresses their deficiencies in the VFT, and it will take place during physical training time on Mondays and Fridays and military duty on Wednesdays. Periodically they will be offered opportunities to take the VFT and test out of the remedial program. “I’m encouraged by the initial round of testing with the new standards,” said Coale. “We will continue to evaluate the performance of both men and women relative to the revised standards and adjust them as deemed appropriate.”

The Physical Education Department lists the top performers from the last group of cadets to take the old version of the VFT. The names of top performers for the new version will be posted next semester. – VMI Photo by Kevin Remington.

Institute Report Available Electronically Readers of the Institute Report can sign up for a free electronic subscription to the publication. The subscription provides a worldwide E-mail notification of the availability of the publication when it is posted on the VMI Web site. In the notification is a link to the latest issue of the Institute Report

usually available well before the print version is mailed. The Institute Report will be available as a PDF file. The file can easily be printed on a home or office printer for a hard copy. To enroll, fill out the brief subscription form (www.vmi.edu/subscribe/) on the VMI web site.


Teach For America Increases Presence on PostBy Wendy Lovell

Teach for America was founded nearly 20 years ago by a Princeton University alumna who proposed the idea in an undergraduate thesis. Today it is one of the biggest players in educational reform, attracting more than 24,000 applicants for 3,700 positions in 2008. When journalist Donna Foote read that 12 percent of the graduating class at Yale applied for the program in 2005, she knew she had a great story. That story has been realized in her new book, Relentless Pursuit: A Year in the Trenches with Teach For America, which chronicles the first-year struggles of four TFA teachers in a South Central Los Angeles high school. She and two former cadets who have been in the program recently visited Post to share their thoughts on TFA with the Institute community. “I discovered in writing this book that things are worse than I thought,” said Foote, a freelance journalist and former Newsweek correspondent. “The education system is totally broken. The quality of teaching is the most impactful thing about student success, and we as a nation haven’t really figured out how to attract, train, and retain the very best teachers that we possibly can.” While Teach For America was not designed to fix all that ails the education system in America, it does aim to do its part to help eliminate educational inequity by enlisting promising future leaders of all majors and career interests to commit two years to teach in the nation’s poorest urban and rural

schools. The short-term goal for TFA teachers is to make an impact in the neediest classrooms. The hope is that whether or not they remain in education, they will help effect great change in the education system in the long term. Foote was joined by Lawton Way ’05, who taught 10th- and 11th-grade English in Indianola, Miss., from 2005 to 2007, and Rich Meredith ’07, who is in his second year of teaching 7th-grade pre-algebra and math in Greenville, Miss. For both Way and Meredith, the TFA experience has had a strong impact on their lives. Way is now a second-year law student at the College of William and Mary and plans to pursue a career in public service. Meredith ultimately hopes to earn an MBA or law degree, but he is exploring the possibility of remaining in the Delta region for another year, perhaps working for a nonprofit organization that provides business loans to those who don’t have access to credit or teaching business classes at a charter school. Both Meredith and Way said their experiences as cadets have been beneficial in their roles as teachers. “VMI provides everyone with leadership opportunities, so like it or not, at some point you are in charge of a group,” said Way. “These previous opportunities to lead and manage people truly helped me as a teacher. Also, I felt that I was better at managing stress then many of my fellow TFA teachers. While they saw this experience as the most stressful they had ever encountered, it seemed somewhat

routine after the rigors of VMI.” Meredith appreciates his Inst i tute background, as well. “Unlike my TFA colleagues from Harvard, Stanford and U. Penn, I have been able to use skills I learned at VMI to make me more successful in the classroom,” said Meredith. “I have drawn on the use of the chain of command, performing under pressure in a stressful environment, and the general management of people. At VMI, I was on the General Committee, served as a cadet captain, and was a platoon leader for Rat Challenge – all of these experiences have helped me as a teacher in the Delta.” According to Foote, both former cadets will likely benefit from their involvement with TFA, too. In fact, BusinessWeek magazine ranked TFA 11th out of 119 employers that are best for entry-level workers in its 2008 Best Places to Launch a Career survey. “The success of TFA is attaching status to this program; it’s really selective because it’s a privilege to teach and help others achieve,” she said. “TFA has made strong partnerships with post-college destinations who recruit TFA alumni. Companies like Google and Goldman Sachs are hiring alumni, and many graduate schools consider applicants with TFA experience to have already been vetted.” The remaining deadlines to apply for Teach For America in 2009 are Jan. 7 and Feb. 13, 2009. For more information, call Col. Rob McDonald, associate dean of the faculty, at 464-7212.

Athletic Events Converge for ‘Winter Blitz’ On Saturday, Feb. 7, VMI athletics will take part in its busiest day of the 2008-09 year, the VMI Sports “Winter Blitz.” The full day of Keydet sports action will begin early, as VMI track and field hosts the annual VMI Winter Relays at Cormack Field House. The meet is scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m., with the men’s weight throw. From there, Coach John Trudgeon’s wrestling team will host the prestigious All-Academy Championships at Cocke Hall. The meet will bring together teams from the service academies, with the opening match set to begin at 9:30 a.m. Action will continue all day on the Thunderdome mats. Then, at 1 p.m., the Runnin’ Roos of VMI Basketball will take

on Big South newcomer Gardner-Webb at Cameron Hall. The matchup brings together two teams linked by a common factor: Gardner-Webb knocked off the Kentucky Wildcats at Rupp Arena last season, and the Keydets beat UK on Nov. 14 of this year. Other events will take place on post that Saturday, including an admissions open house. Information about the open house is available by calling (800) 767-4207 or by e-mail to [email protected]. For tickets to the athletic events, please call the VMI ticket office at (540) 464-7266. Tickets for basketball may also be purchased online via VMIKeydets.com.


New Trustees Join VMI FoundationBy Scott Belliveau ’83, VMI Alumni Association

When the VMI Foundation’s Board of Trustees convened its fall meeting Nov. 9, four new trustees, all of whom joined the Board on July 1, were attending their first meeting. T. Bryan Barton ’68 is a vice president and partner with IBM Corp.’s Global Business Services organization with responsibility for application software development, consulting and systems integration services for federal, state, and provincial governments. His special areas of focus are customs and border management with clients in major countries around the world. With the exception of service as an armored cavalry officer in the U.S. Army from 1969 to 1971, he has been with IBM his entire professional career. During this time, he has held a variety of management positions in sales, marketing, product development, consulting, and professional services. He assumed his current position in 2000 and is based in IBM’s Fairfax, Va., headquarters for government operations. As a cadet, Barton majored in biology and was a member of The Virginia Academy of Science. He was a cadet captain and company commander during his 1st Class year. Barton was also a Distinguished Military Student and Distinguished Military Graduate. During his Rat year, he was a member of the swimming team, and he was a charter member of the Soccer Club his 1st Class year. He participated in a variety of intramural sports and was a member of his class’s Ring Committee. Barton was a member of Mary Baldwin College’s Advisory Board of Visitors and in 2007 was elected to the college’s Board of Trustees.

His other civic activities include working with Volunteer Fairfax and Fairfax County’s Emergency Medical Response program and serving as mentor to the Student Government Association at James Madison High School in Vienna, Va. He and his wife, Mary Ann, are the parents of three grown children and live in Oakton, Va. Kim-Ying “Danny” Chu ’83 graduated from VMI with a bachelor of science degree in physics. As a cadet, he was a four-year member of the Karate Club, and he served as its president during his 1st Class year. Chu’s entire professional life has been spent in the information technology sector, starting as a junior programmer with JWK International Corp. in Annandale, Va., in 1984. Until 1996, he worked for numerous companies, such as NEC Technologies Inc. and Hughes Information Technology Corp., specializing in technical project management experience in computer programming, system design, database management, user training, and documentation. In 1996, Chu founded his own IT company, LEX, which focused on technical expertise in the area of fingerprint matching and other biometrics technologies for customers in the field of law enforcement, healthcare, and biometrics. By the time he sold his interest in this company in 2001, it employed more than 90 people, had annual revenues of more than $13 million, and had merged with Keyware Solutions Inc. In 2001, Chu founded two businesses. One, Digipixart, deve lops and opera tes an online photo viewing, sharing, and purchas ing sys tem to meet the growing needs of the

professional photographers and any organization that has a need to display digital images for revenue-generating purposes. The second, XEL Solutions, based in Falls Church, Va., provides consulting services in areas of information security, system design, and biometrics technology planning and implementation. Its customers include the U.S. Census Bureau and NASA. He also serves as an expert witness in legal matters involving biometrics technologies. Chu and his wife, Lois Ann Bumgarner, live in Haymarket, Va. In September 2005, John P. Jumper ’66 retired as the 17th chief of staff of the U.S. Air Force, the first VMI alumnus to be a chief of service since Randolph M. Pate served as commandant of the Marine Corps from 1956 to 1959. Jumper’s service as Air Force chief of staff capped an extraordinary military career during which he served as commander, Air Combat Command, and commander of U.S. Air Forces Europe and Allied Air Forces Central Europe. A fighter pilot for decades, Jumper also commanded two fighter wings and an F-16 fighter squadron. During his career, he accumulated 5,000 flying hours and more than 1,400 combat hours. Jumper holds a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering from VMI and a master of business administration degree from Golden Gate University. During his cadetship, he achieved the rank of lieutenant and participated in activities including the Newman Club, intramural basketball, and the VMI Firefighters. He was a Distinguished Aerospace Student and received the Air Force Vice

Commandant’s Award as a 1st Class cadet. He currently serves as director of many publicly traded companies include Goodrich Corp. and SAIC and is a strategic consultant and public speaker. He also is a trustee of the Air Force Association, the George C. Marshall Foundation, and the Air Force Village Charitable Foundation. Jumper and his wife, Ellen, live in Burke, Va. John C. Miller II ’61 actually is returning to the Board of Trustees, having served previously from 1991 to 1999. Miller is the son of the late Hugh L. Miller ’23 and the brother of Hugh L. Miller Jr. ’59. Miller graduated with a degree in history and served two years with the U.S. Army in a cavalry unit in Germany during the Berlin Crisis. After service he began his career in the insurance business with the Aetna Insurance Co., rising to regional manager by 1970. He returned to his native Saint Louis in 1971 and, after four years with a national insurance brokerage firm, formed C.J. Thomas Co. Inc., which today is one of the largest and most respected regional insurance brokerage firms in the Midwest, with offices in Saint Louis and Richmond, Va. Today, he serves the firm as director and chairman emeritus. In 1986, he founded Rural Housing Reinsurance Co. Ltd. of Hamilton, Bermuda; he serves as that company’s president. Miller married his ring figure date, Bette, and they live in Saint Louis. They have two children, Dr. Elizabeth Miller Buchan, a urologist in Seattle, and David Miller, a real estate developer in New Orleans.


Cadet-led public tours of Post will be taking place at a new time beginning spring semester. One tour will be held daily at 12:15, instead of one each in the morning and afternoon. “There were two driving forces behind the scheduling change,” said Col. Keith Gibson, VMI Museum executive director. “As we reviewed our program, we found that the afternoon tours always had a much larger turn out than the morning tours.” The new time will capture peak visitor traffic and will have less impact on the cadets’ academic schedules. “Visitors are concerned and do not want cadets to be missing class in order to give a tour,” said Gibson. “Cadets will be able to eat lunch before or after leading a tour.” Cadet tour guides will be getting a raise as well so that their wage is commensurate with those of other public programs on Post. “However, cadets who lead Post tours really do it because they enjoy sharing their knowledge and interest in VMI with the public,” said Gibson. Cadet Becky Harris, the cadet in charge of the program, could not agree more: “It’s a great way to give back to the community. Thanks to the Post tour program, we can educate people ranging from 5 years old to 50 years old and show them the deeply rooted heritage and history at VMI.” Gibson points out that while tours generally last about 50 minutes, they can be extended if the audience is particularly interested and engaged or contains a prospective cadet. Cadet tour guides are flexible and respond to the varying needs of different groups. “These tours are incredibly popular with the public. When they fill out the survey forms there are always glowing remarks about the cadet tour guides,” said Gibson. Feedback Harris received from one couple supports this conclusion.

Post Tours Move to Noon Hour

VMI Makes Headway in Energy ConservationBy Lori Stevens

VMI has been making strides to comply with Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine’s Executive Order No. 48, which mandates that all state agencies comply with certain environmental initiatives in order to conserve energy and protect natural resources. At VMI, yearly utility costs run to over $2.5 million. “Primarily, we have been working on infrastructure, particularly the boilers,” said Capt. Todd Pegg, energy manager and staff engineer, who is spearheading VMI’s efforts. “We spend $1 million on gas, so even 1 or 2 percent amounts to significant improvement in efficiency.” Pegg constantly assesses the big picture. “Many variables can influence energy consumption,” he explained. “For instance, I have to even keep track of the weather from year to year. If we have a warm winter, it may appear that our energy costs have decreased. Then we may appear to experience a dramatic increase in costs if the following winter is significantly colder.” Pegg also must take into account the impact of construction and renovation on Post. “We have added a lot of square footage to Post, as well as updated many

of the older buildings,” he continued. “The addition of central air conditioning to one building can increase electricity costs overall.” To help keep the long-term picture in mind, the Physical Plant has become more involved in the construction process from the outset. “In the past, there were two separate processes with separate budgets. Construction made their own decisions and then those who would be operating and maintaining the structures took over when they were finished,” explained Pegg. “Now we are at the same table. Keeping long-term users and operators involved is a big improvement.”

Of course, this can present some challenges. “There are initial costs associated with some of the things we may want, like better insulation. Construction has their own fiscal constraints, so we are not always in perfect agreement,” admitted Pegg. However, everyone is doing their best to respond to the governor’s executive order. Without even factoring in the impact of the new roof on Kilbourne Hall, Pegg said, VMI saved $100,000 last year, despite the rising costs of electricity and natural gas.

By Lori Stevens

Capt. Todd Pegg (left) consults with Nathan Pooley and Robbie Branch on the operation of equipment in the heat plant. – VMI Photo by Kevin Remington.

“The woman said this was her first visit to VMI, so I assumed this applied to both of them. I described intimately the history of VMI and broke down in detail how VMI works. During the tour the man seemed to be analyzing every word I said. “At the end he told me, ‘Well, young lady, in that 40-minute tour you taught me more about the history and workings of VMI than I learned during the four years I spent inside those walls.’” The visitor turned out to have been a member of the class of 1963. Those who wish to bone up on their VMI history and learn about the workings of Post from a cadet’s insider perspective should go to the museum at noon. Tours depart at 12:15 and last about an hour beginning in January.

Cadet-led tours are popular with visitors.– VMI Photo by Kevin Remington.


Inventive Cadets Do Well in National Competition

When it comes to undergraduate research, the Virginia Military Institute can compete with the best of them, and two VMI cadets did just that at the recent ASME Innovation Showcase – IShow – in Boston. Cadets Bradley Simpson ’09, an economics and business major, and Mario Capuozzo ’09, an electrical and computer engineering major, teamed up to compete for seed money to commercialize the extremely low-frequency seismic detector, or ELF-SD, an underground-to-surface communication device that would improve mining safety. The project is a collaboration between the engineering and economics and business departments. The competition was tough – nine other teams hailed from Massachusetts Institute of Technology; the University of California, Berkley and San Francisco; Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; and Johns Hopkins, Pennsylvania State, and Baylor universities – but the stakes were high. While demonstrating their technological creativity and business acumen, the competitors had to show the commercial feasibility of their products to a panel of judges comprised of successful innovators, industry experts, venture capitalists, and intellectual property specialists. The reward was industry recognition and access to more than $20,000 in seed money. “I’m so proud of what our students have accomplished with this project,” said Maj. Elizabeth Baker, assistant dean for academic administration and planning and assistant professor of economics and business. “We were up against an initial field of 32 teams, and we placed fourth among the 10 finalists. MIT received first place; the team from the University of California, San Francisco placed second; and one of the teams from Johns Hopkins came in third.” While the IShow prize money was beyond the cadets’ reach, Baker said they made a strong showing among an impressive group of universities that specialize in undergraduate research and an influential crowd of potential investors and intellectual property specialists. In addition, their success

strengthened the case for more opportunities to integrate research into the classroom at VMI. The acting dean of the faculty agreed. “This interdisciplinary endeavor between cadets and faculty from our engineering and economics and business departments is a superb example of many academic enrichment opportunities that have become such an integral part of our academic program,” said Col. William J. Stockwell. “These efforts contribute so effectively to cadets’ preparation for life after VMI, too.” For Simpson, placing ahead of well-known research schools was reward in and of itself. “It was nice to see that a small school that doesn’t have a graduate program can compete against MIT, Johns Hopkins, and many more and place fourth,” he said. “I feel as though through this project I have learned more about the engineering side of things. Also, it has been nice to actually see this project mature from the beginning stages to what it has become. I have done things that most undergrads would never do, and for that I am grateful.” Baker and her colleagues in engineering are excited about the potential to bring more cadets together to experience projects from concept development and design to marketing and licensing. Most projects will not be as successful as the ELF-SD has been, but all will enhance the academic experience for VMI cadets, she said. “This type of work is strictly in the realm of the graduate student, but thanks to the collaboration of our faculty, the support of the Undergraduate Research Initiative, the VMI Foundation, and some of our alumni in these fields, it is happening here at VMI,” said Baker. Faculty, she said could work on these projects on their own. “But we want to give these opportunities to our students. They are innovation internships, so to speak, and they allow our students to experience the process from start to finish.”

Cadets Mario Capuozzo (right) and Bradley Simpson make their presentation at the recent IShow in Boston. – Photo courtesy of Maj. Elizabeth Baker.

By Wendy Lovell


Positive Attitude Fuels Cadet on 50-Mile RunBy Bob Holland

During the past quarter-century, the 50-mile Mountain Masochist Trail Run through the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia has acquired a reputation as a formidable obstacle for runners wanting to test their endurance in an ultra-marathon. On Nov. 1, Cadet Andrew Craig ’09 rose to the challenge by running the 26th annual Mountain Masochist and finishing it in a time of 11:36 – that’s 11 hours and 36 minutes. Although Craig had run a couple of marathons and has been a dedicated member of the VMI triathlon team, a club sport, since his 4th Class year, he found the 50-miler to be a mind-over-matter experience like no other. From the predawn start until late in the day, it always felt later in the day than it actually was, Craig recalled, musing that “maybe [that was] because I was wishing the day away, but it was good because I needed that [extra mental] time to finish. “You go through some really emotional highs and some real lows. You’ve just got to try and smooth it out and keep a positive attitude.” Craig used a psychological tactic common to many elite athletes, visualizing a positive outcome – in this case, running under the finish-line banner. While covering the final 10 miles, he also thought a lot about receiving one of the coveted finisher’s T-shirts. Of the 258 runners who started the race, 71 did not finish. The point-to-point course was over challenging terrain, beginning at the James River Visitor Center at mile 63.6 of the Blue Ridge Parkway and ending at Montebello. “Much of the course was on access roads where the trail was washed out and there were a lot of big rocks,” Craig noted. “Good trail shoes are a must for this race. “I spent the first 15 miles with several local runners who had run this course before. That helped put my mind at ease. “My quads were completely destroyed by the end so even though the end of the race was downhill, it hurt a ton with each step I took. The best advice I got for doing an ultra was ‘Just keep moving,’ and that was what I kept telling myself all day.” In preparing for the race for more than five months, Craig found the triathlon team and its coach, Maj. Dave Cotting, assistant professor of psychology and philosophy, to be “a huge help.” The training regimen included back-to-back long runs on weekends in

Post Briefs Cadets Compete in College BowlOn Nov. 9, five teams of four cadets competed in the fifth annual VMI College Bowl tournament. The first place team was composed of Institute Honors cadets Bob Fendley, Patrick Leugers, Will Shannon and Chris Tosetti. The highest individual scorer was Tosetti, who averaged 56 points per game, followed by Cadet Greg Lippiatt, who averaged 40 points per game. A team of four cadets will compete in the Big South Tournament at Gardner-Webb University in Boiling Springs, N.C., on Feb.7, 2009.

VMI Timber Framers to Support Colonial Williamsburg ProjectOn Dec. 20, the VMI Timber Framers will become a part of history at Colonial Williamsburg by helping assemble Richard Charlton’s Coffeehouse on Duke of Gloucester Street. The project is the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation’s first complete reconstruction in 50 years and will recreate the coffeehouse that played an important role in the social and political life of Williamsburg in the period preceding the American Revolution. Col.

Grigg Mullen Jr. and several cadets will provide assistance in raising the structure, which will be reconstructed on the original foundation of the coffeehouse, as well as guidance on how to operate the oxen-powered rigging that will raise the 36-foot-long beams weighing 1,500 pounds to the second floor of the building.

McDonald Publishes Photographic Study of Southern Writer Birth Place, a photographic study by Col. Rob McDonald, associate dean of the faculty, has been published by Nazraeli Press. A scholar of writer Erskine Caldwell, McDonald has blended his knowledge of the author with his interest in photography to examine the home in Moreland, Ga., where Caldwell was born in 1903. Birth Place joins Reading Erskine Caldwell, a collection of Caldwell’s letters and two essay collections by McDonald that was published in 2006. Birth Place demonstrates photographically McDonald’s interest in how place shapes identity and inspires a worldview.

Cadet Andrew Craig ’09 (in foreground) stops at the Long Mountain Wayside aid station, 26.9 miles into the 50-mile Mountain Masochist race he completed last month. – Photo courtesy of Cadet Andrew Craig.

order to grow accustomed to running with the stress and fatigue of an ultra. On weekdays, Pilates and yoga supplemented medium-distance runs. Craig and his father Bill Craig, who ran the first half of the Mountain Masochist with him, had trained together during the summer with the Birmingham Track Club. Unlike some other competitors, Craig didn’t find it necessary to have a support crew for the 50-miler, noting that the race itself provided enormous support at aid stations every three to five miles. “They had everything: peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, baked potatoes, and a salt tray that you could dip the potatoes in to get enough salt so your legs didn’t cramp and all kinds of candy and pretzels – anything you wanted.” In addition, volunteers filled his water bottle with a sports hydration drink while he ate. Although Craig “hit a wall” and had to slow to a walk several times, he ultimately experienced the runner’s high: “There was a huge sense of accomplishment. ... After that, you feel like you can do anything.”


Cadet Karsten Bloomstrom ’10 was selected in August to compete for a slot in the Combat Rescue Officer program, the U.S. Air Force’s most elite and arduous program, and in October, upon completion of Phase II selection, he was awarded the status of a CRO Select. VMI has produced eight officers in the 80-member program, putting Bloomstrom on track to become number nine at the completion of his training. The formation of CRO in 2002 allowed for commissioned officers to participate directly in the combat rescue mission for the first time. This rigorous program is designed to produce officers who are capable of completing extremely dangerous rescue missions in the recovery of the U.S. service members in war zones. The first phase of the CRO selection program consists of an application package ensuring applicants are physically qualified for the demands of Phase II. Phase II is a week of intense physical trials at Air Force Survival School at Fairchild Air Force Base near Spokane, Wash. “It was like a week-long sweat party,” said Bloomstrom.

One part of the program, which is considered to be one of the most challenging, is the water confidence exercises. During these pool sessions, applicants had to endure the harassment of the cadre while dealing with frigid temperatures and being sprayed with a fire hose. What made the whole process even more difficult was the lack of sleep each night. “Dealing with no sleep was probably one of the hardest parts of the training,” commented Bloomstrom. Bloomstrom started off as a member of a team of 30, which dwindled over the week to 10, out of which only six were actually selected. Bloomstrom was up against every rank from active duty captains to cadets. Being from VMI, said Bloomstrom, “I didn’t shy away from working with officers and it gave me more confidence; it also

set the standard with the cadre because they’d trained VMI people before.” The week was “the hardest but most rewarding” of Bloomstrom’s life. “The only thing that got me through,” he said, “was faith that CRO is God’s plan for my life and relying on Him and all the support from friends and family.”

Bloomstrom Selected For Elite ProgramBy Cadet Christine Beach ’10

Karsten Bloomstrom ’10

Rugby Team Grabs Spot in RegionalsBy Bob Holland

The night before the Virginia Rugby Union’s Division II college championship game, Coach Wayne Howe gathered his undefeated VMI club and, in keeping with tradition, handed out jerseys to the starting 22 players. He then told them, as he later recounted in his e-mail report to rugby supporters, “they truly could hold themselves up as one of the finest teams to pass through the Institute so far.” The prospects had not looked especially good for VMI Rugby heading into the fall 2008 season. The club had graduated 12 players, most of them outstanding starters. Also, the returning VMI ruggers had been shaken by the death of Todd Miller, a Longwood Rugby player, as a result of an injury sustained in a match against them last spring. It looked very much like a rebuilding year in which VMI would not be much of a threat. Yet here was VMI in the state championship match in Richmond the first weekend of November. The outcome that day was heartbreaking – a double-overtime loss, in sudden death, to No. 1-seeded Mary Washington. It was not, however, spirit-breaking. Coach Howe would again tell his ruggers how proud he was of them. Moreover, as the state runner-up, VMI qualified for the Mid-Atlantic Rugby Football Union regionals, with the opening match set March 21 versus St. Joseph’s in Philadelphia. With a good showing, VMI could advance to playoffs for the national championship. In the Virginia semi-finals, VMI had thumped James Madison 38-24. Thus, the team’s fall record ended at 7-1-1, easily one of the best ever for VMI rugby. Howe and his assistant coaches have worked hard on teaching both

“A” and “B” squads the fundamentals of the sport. But they credit cadet leadership with molding what Howe terms “one of the tightest teams I’ve coached at VMI.” Morale is sky-high, the chemistry is near-perfect, and “this team has been gelling really well.” The coaching staff credits two cadets in particular – the cadet it charge, “Tammy” Tammelin ’09, who handles many of the organizational duties, and the team captain, Alex Doseff ’09, who has played an inspirational role in rallying the team to practice long and hard and to overcome the psychological shock of last spring’s tragedy. Doseff said the bonding “came about through an enormous amount of work and sacrifice as well as a renewed desire to take it more seriously and see how far we could go.” “During season play, the players basically give up their free time and outside lives to play,” he said. “We practice at least three times a week for about two hours a practice – which, at VMI, amounts to a lot of time, as well as traveling to play the matches on weekends. “A lot of credit needs to be given to our coaches who give up their own time to work and travel with us. It is often more difficult for them than it is for us to find the time, and I know that my teammates and myself feel that we couldn’t do it without them.” Howe, a stellar player in his native New Zealand as well as a championship player/coach in the USA, took over as coach of VMI rugby in 2005. Interest in the sport is soaring. Counting 4th Class cadets who have indicated interest in signing on, Howe figures there could be as many as 80 VMI ruggers on the practice field this spring.


Naval ROTC celebrates 233rd Marine Corps BirthdayBy Gunnery Sgt. Bradley Driver, Naval ROTC

On Nov. 14 the VMI Naval ROTC unit celebrated the 233rd Marine Corps birthday at Evans Hall on the campus of Washington and Lee University. The program featured a uniform pageant in which Naval ROTC cadets, under the direction of Gunnery Sgt. Bradley Driver, showcased the uniforms Marines have worn throughout Marine Corps history. As an account of the Corps’ proud fighting history was read by a narrator, cadets marched out in the historical Marine Corps uniforms accompanied by musical pieces played by Col. John Brodie and VMI band members, which dated from that specific time period. Following the pageant, the annual birthday message from the commandant of the Marine Corps was shown via video on a large-screen. The message highlighted the commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the bombings of the Marine barracks in Beirut and the sacrifice and

stoic resolve of Marines around the globe to continue the fight against terrorism. Guest of honor Brig. Gen. Greg Sturdevant made remarks stressing the importance of military service and expressed his thanks and gratitude for those who have served and are still serving today. Sturdevant is director of public affairs at Marine Corps Headquarters. The celebration also observed Marine Corps traditions, including the cutting and sharing of the birthday cake by the oldest and youngest Marines present, representing the passing of the history and traditions from the oldest to the newest members, and the reading of Gen. John A. LeJeune’s birthday message. The message, originally written in 1921, is read each year at Marine birthday celebrations around the globe, commemorating the words of the 13th commandant.

Army 1st Class Cadets Receive Branching ResultsBy 2nd Lt. Jonathan Roland ’08, Army ROTC

Several weeks ago Military Science IV cadets received their branching results. After waiting the better part of their cadetships, these 1st Class cadets, soon to be second lieutenants in the Army, finally know what they will be doing after graduating from VMI. Ranging from infantry and armor to ordnance and Signal Corps, the branching results not only reflect the needs of the Army, but also these cadets’ talents and interests. “The MS IV cadets were able to achieve an 89 percent ‘branch satisfaction’ rate, meaning close to 90 percent of our cadets received one of their top three branch choices,” commented Maj. David Martin, the Military Science IV instructor. The success of this year’s branching results is rivaled only by the success

of the Class of 2009 as a whole. In fact, 16 Army cadets were awarded the distinction of being Distinguished Military Graduates, implying that they were within the top 20 percent of the National Order Merit List. And of those 16, seven were part of the top 10 percent, including Christina Stalnaker ’09, who ranked 18th in the country. These results again show the dominance of VMI’s performance among other ROTC programs in the country. Yet, without several key administrators, branching could have been significantly different. “VMI always does very well because the instructors and administrators really try to teach everything that goes into the [Order of Merit list], which really encompasses a whole person concept,” said Kathy Ruffin, one of VMI Army ROTC’s ComTek contractors and the director of accessions.

Naval ROTC cadets showcased Marine Corps period uniforms during apageant at the Marine Corps birthday celebration. – Photo courtesy of Naval ROTC.


VMI Basketball Shocks Kentucky in Season Opener VMI Sports Information

Behind a career-best 30-point performance by senior guard Travis Holmes, VMI scored its first win over an SEC program in 32 years, stunning Kentucky 111-103 in front of 22,579 fans at Rupp Arena in the Keydets’ season opener on Nov. 14. The win was VMI’s first against an SEC program since defeating Tennessee 81-75 in the NCAA East Regionals on March 13, 1976. It is also the Keydets’ first victory in the series against Kentucky since 1922, when the Keydets scored a 37-32 decision. The Keydets matched a facility record with 14 three-pointers, including five by sophomore gunner Austin Kenon, while Kentucky got a valiant effort from junior Jodie Meeks, who poured in a career-best 39 points in leading a massive second-half comeback. After holding a 57-47 advantage at halftime, VMI extended the lead to 23 points on a three-pointer by freshman Keith Gabriel with 14:10 remaining. After the teams traded buckets to make it 85-62, Meeks led a 35-10 run over the next ten minutes, giving Kentucky their first lead of the game at 97-95 with 4:52 remaining. It would be the Wildcats’ only lead of the night, as the Keydets answered

quickly with a jumper by senior Willie Bell, knotting the score at 97. Kenon then knocked in his fifth three-pointer of the night, a dagger from the right corner, to give VMI the lead for good. “I told people today that is my favorite team that I’ve had since I’ve been here because they are so together, and they fight through adversity,” said VMI head coach Duggar Baucom. “We had four rough days of practice during the week for various reasons, so it’s pretty amazing how resilient these kids are.” The Keydets had six players in double figures for the night, with Travis Holmes and Gabriel leading the way. Senior Willie Bell

had 12 points and eight rebounds in the win, while senior Chavis Holmes contributed 16 points, two rebounds and six assists. Many interesting stats came out of the VMI win, including the fact that the last time Kentucky scored over 100 points and lost was a 104-103 overtime loss to Duke on March 28, 1992, in the NCAA Regional finals. At press time, VMI stood at 6-2 on the season, its best start since 2004-05.

Senior forward Travis Holmes moves up court during VMI’s upset season-opening win at Rupp Arena. Holmes scored a career high 30 points.– Photo courtesy of Chuck Steenburgh ’86 for VMI Sports Information.

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Institute Report 12/08

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