45th Class Reunion Update

Posted byMatthew Elias

Classmates,

Our 45th Class Reunion is only a few short months away! Your Reunion Committee has been working hard to put together a great weekend of events, and below you will find information from our 45th Class Reunion Committee Chair, John Cooke, on the key elements of our reunion and a few reminders on how to prepare to attend.

We hope to see you all at the Reunion in October.

Beat Air Force!

Fair winds…

Glen

Glen Woods

President, USNA Class of 1978

USNA CLASS OF 1978 45TH REUNION

Dates: Oct 19-22, 2023 (Air Force game)

Key events:

  • Thursday, 19 Oct:  Golf Tournament, Registration at Westin, evening Welcome Reception in Akerson Towers at the Stadium
  • Friday, 20 Oct:  Registration at Westin, late morning Chapel Memorial Service, afternoon P-rade, evening/night open for company or small gatherings
  • Saturday, 21 Oct: early morning Prayer Breakfast followed by Class Meeting, afternoon tailgate in N-star room and Navy vs. Air Force game.
  • Sunday, 22 Oct:  Farewell brunch at the Westin

Hotel(s):

  • HQ Hotel: The Westin Annapolis, 100 Westgate Circle, Annapolis, MD 21401, Ph: 410-972-4300.
  • Events at the Westin: Registration, Saturday morning Prayer Breakfast and Class Meeting; Sunday morning Farewell Brunch
  • Our block of rooms at the Westin are fully reserved. In the past, due to other commitments, the Westin has not released additional rooms. Instead, they have set up a waiting list. We’ll ask them to do to the same. (Please try to keep your reservations. While we have been fortunate in the past to refill rooms, the class will take a penalty ($) hit for unused rooms.)
  • As with the 40thReunion, we will have bus transportation from a central point for hotels along Riva Road (Courtyard, Hampton Inn, Hilton Garden, etc.) to/from our events.

Football Tickets:  You will need a ticket to get to our tailgate inside the stadium in the N-star room. As in the past, we are working with NAAA to reserve a block of tickets (with options to order reserved seats or standing room only (hill) tickets).  You will then purchase tickets through NAAA. As soon as we finalize the details, we’ll release the gouge on ticket prices and the NAAA link to order.  

Class Reunion “Store.”  We’ll be minimizing what you have to take home from the reunion by having online vendors from whom you can purchase ’78 gear (clothing, glasses, etc.). We’ll be promulgating the links to those sites as we finalize them. There will be sufficient time for you to place your order so you can wear your ’78 clothing items for the reunion.

Registration: A unique Registration Website will be established in April. Once ready, we will pass the link to the class (via company reps and on our social media). On this website you can:

  • Select and order from an a la carte list the events you will attend.
  • Pay for your registration and events selected.
  • See the link to order your game tickets.
  • See links for multiple sites to order Class of ’78 branded wear and reunion memorabilia.
  • See the schedule of events and any updates.

Bus Transportation: As before, we will have buses to pickup and drop off reunion attendees from a central point for hotels on Riva Road and from the Westin to events at the Westin, in the Yard and at the Stadium. We’ll promulgate the final schedule when it is complete. Please let us know if there are special needs for transportation (e.g., wheelchair) for anyone. 

In closing, the committee could use your help and input:

  • Attendance: Please give your Company Rep an estimate of how many in your party will be attending (include spouse and guests). This will help the Reunion Committee finalize their budget.
  • Contact Info: Please update your contact info on both our Class (usna1978.org) and the Alumni Association Directories (www.usna.com).
  • Special Needs. Please let your company rep know if you have any special needs (e.g., wheelchair accommodation) and we’ll see what we can do to help.

Well, that’s all for now. Look for another update next month – if not sooner. You’ll see gouge passed through all our means – through Company Reps, our social media (Class and Reunion Websites, Facebook) and direct emails. It’s better to over communicate.

BEAT ARMY,

John Cooke

45th Reunion Committee Chairman