1953

D. Bradford Sleeper checked in to say, “I am enjoying my retirement years at 88 years old. I have a very comfortable retirement income because of my education at MMA and good jobs with good retirement savings and investments.”

1953

Chester Tweedie is, “still around, usually splitting my time 50/50 between Bucksport and Palm Harbor, Florida, but this past year due to the virus and my wife’s health, I only spent two months in Florida and the rest in Bucksport. My wife passed away on December 30, 2020.”

1956

The MMA community mourns the loss of Capt. Paul Jacobs ’58 (see Eight Bells). William Mahoney of Southwest Harbor, Maine, states, “I speak as the Class Agent of the class of 1956: We were in the Senior Class when Commander Paul Jacobs entered our MMA Regimental environment and can recall his presence as a fellow Midshipman. We want to express our sincere regrets at the departure of this great leader who, under the most difficult circumstances as Captain of the USS Kirk, rescued many Vietnamese friends, families, and allies in the final days of the war against a Communist regime. Paul exercised command decision in exposing his ship to unexpected hazards that could have received severe criticism from his superiors. I encourage all MMA Alumni and Regimental students to see the film The Lucky Few, showing these extraordinary events and share our pride in this event that brings considerable positive attention on our MMA.”

1959

Edward Cormier has recommended reading: My Life at Kings Point – The Longest Days and The Shortest Years by Gustave Jockers…”great description of sailor factory life in the 1950s and beyond.”

1959

John Hamlet wants to let his classmates know he “had a great time at our 60th reunion. Miss the old place.”

1962

Daniel Schroppe retired from SeaLand Services in 2002 as port engineer. He and Martha live in Lulu, Florida.

1964

Northern Lights Eastern Maine Medical Center Facebook post: “Acta Non Verba! That is Latin for ‘Actions, not words.’”

Whenever we have a volunteer need, no matter the task, we can always count on our February Volunteer of the Month, Larry Wade.

A retired sea captain and a Commodore of the Merchant Marines, he is a true example of someone who lives through their actions, not words. With more than a decade of service and 1,000 hours logged with our Volunteer Services department, Larry has dedicated his time through a variety of roles at the Medical Center… Above and beyond his years of service, Larry has earned our February Volunteer of the Month recognition for being our lead volunteer at all of our community COVID-19 vaccination clinics to date! He has not only helped lead, direct, and supervise our volunteers to ensure top notch efficiency, he has also recruited additional support to grow our volunteer team.”

1965

William Fenton retired from shipping in 1998. He and wife Donna have been married for 54 years, have three children and nine grandchildren, ages 12 to 29. “We are busy following them and their athletic teams.”

1970

Raymond Pickering is retired and lives in Clinton, Maine.

1970

Richard Roscoe worked for Mobil Oil Corporation and the Panama Canal Commission, He retired as Port Engineer in 1999. He married wife Sandra Jill in May 1970, has two grown children, Dr. Jill Delker, MD, and Mark, a construction engineer. Richard and Sandra live in Gainesville, Florida.

1971

William Moss retired after 28 years working for Naval Ship Systems Engineering Station in Philadelphia. He now is a volunteer docent in the port Captain’s Cabin of the battleship USS New Jersey (BB-62) Museum and Memorial. He invites all to stop by if in the Philly area.

1971

Dave Sulin reports that “Our Class (Agents) are doing a great job getting the word out. Curt Nehring and I had our annual fall get-together lunch along with a mutual old Mass. Maritime friend and shipmate in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. We followed COVID-19 rules in effect.”

1971

After shipping the seas to Africa as an engineer opened his eyes and heart to a different way of life, Richard Parsons entered a Benedictine Monastery and pursued the religious life as Brother James. Later, he worked for Union Camp/International Paper for 34 years and presently enjoys retirement, his grandchildren and his writing in Gobles, Michigan. Under the pen name James Benedict, he released a book titled Choices through the SEA of Life, an autobiography that focuses on his journey through life and sharing valuable lessons.

1971

Douglas Schweers spent last winter skiing out west in Driggs, Idaho, at Grand Targhee Resort with wife Judy and MMA classmate Dana Grant. Maynard Russell ‘71 missed out on the annual skiing adventure while recovering from a skiing injury with his grandchildren. They plan to get the OLD Sugarloaf crowd back out west next year.

1973

William Worth is “happily retired, living as far from salt water as I could find in the United States, halfway between the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico, on an airpark 10 miles from the Mexican Border. Nowadays, I fly my airplane, helicopter, and hot air balloon for fun.”

1974

Peter Sederquist has made residence in Alton, New Hampshire.

1974

John Webster is gold mining in Costa Rica. As reported via email: “I’m in Chino, CA this week, dismantling a 1500 x 1500mm filter press for the (gold) mine in Costa Rica. Hopefully we can stuff it in two 45’ shipping containers. We have 1,000 acres at the mine. We’re just starting a two-year, $10 million expansion. One of my companies has the supervision contract for the construction. The expansion is self-funded, meaning we have no debt.’’

1975

Mark Marcellus is retired and lives in Bluffton, South Carolina.

1980

James Kahler is Ship Berthing Specialist for the Maritime Administration. He and Jaqueline live in Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia.

1980

Raymond Minchak: “I hope all my class of ’80 is well and we get to see each other sometime in 2020 to celebrate 40 years!”

1982

Ken Belcher is the President and CEO for Northern Maine Independent System Administrator (NMISA), a non-profit entity responsible for the administration of the northern Maine transmission system and electric power markets in Aroostook and Washington counties, with a load of approximately 130 MW. He lives in Winterport, Maine.

1983

For the last 25 years, Gregory Geissler has been working in the offshore industry on various FPSO vessels in the North Sea and West Africa. Still resides in the north of England for the past 35 years with his wife Sylvia.

1983

Peter Geissler writes: “After three years on merchant vessels, I turned to shore side power plant management and engineering. Currently VP of O&M for Jera Americas, supporting their fleet of 2,900 MW of gas-fired power plants and splitting my time between Austin, Texas and Brownfield, Maine. Very active in the grandparent business with my wife Kathleen and participating in the El Faro Salute memorial initiative.“

1987

Peter Lavelle wrote to us: “Your recent article on the Comfort was excellent!”

“I sailed aboard a San Clemente class tanker (Texaco) August, 1978 from Anacortes, Washington to the Persian Gulf for two R/t voyages. The vessel I sailed was the SS Beaver State, and it’s sister ship SS Rose City. These vessels were built at NASSCO (San Diego) under the Maritime Act 1970 (Nixon Admin.) with Title 11 ship financing at only 10% down. The owner was Schnitzer Steel (Portland, Oregon), a large, west coast scrap metal recycler. It was a great moneymaking enterprise for Schnitzer Steel. Low cost financing, and they sold the ships back to the U.S. to convert to the hospital ships Mercy and Comfort. Not sure if the MMSI # is the same from tanker to hospital ship. It was a great adventure for this, then, young man.”

1987

Michael Nagem is the President of Anchor Consulting, LLC, for new vessel construction, conversion, overhaul and repair, systems testing, sea-trials, and regulatory compliance. He lives in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin.

1988

Tarquennis Payne is retired from the US Army and lives in San Antonio, Texas.

1988

Eric Smith is President and CEO of Plimsoll Maritime Partners, which began in 2020 “with the vision to be a creator of job opportunities and career paths for the US Maritime Industry. PMP is dedicated to this vision via our focused mission to provide strategic planning, organizational restructuring, operation performance, business development initiatives, and government affairs guidance. Eric and Pam are now empty nesters as Alexis, Madison and Peyton are out of college and pursuing their careers and Jensen is in college at UNF.

1989

David Thoenen is sailing as Master for A2B-Online aboard the A2B Comfort, making runs between Rotterdam and the UK. David has been living in the Netherlands since 1992 and has a grown son, Jonathan

1992

R. Russell Smith of Arlington, Virginia has been nominated for US Navy Rear Admiral (lower half), a “one star” (07). The nomination must be confirmed by the US Senate.

1992

Nathan Gandy and wife Tracy have been working to bring back to life an old farm in Brooksville, Maine, the About Thyme Farm, with the goal of incorporating programs for veterans to assist them in the transition from military service to the civilian sector. This endeavor has reached the point that demands more of his focus and attention, which has led Nate to the decision to step away from his role at MMA.

1993

Robert Burger is a partner at the law firm of Thompson Hine LLP in the firm’s Admiralty & Maritime practice group. He is a US Coast Guard licensed deck officer and focuses his practice on a wide range of maritime matters including both litigation and transactions. He is also is general counsel for the Lake Carriers Association, President of the Great Lakes Single Handed Society, an organization established for the perpetuation of the sport of solo sailing, and past President and Treasurer of the Propeller Club Port of Cleveland.

1993

Brian Kirk retired from the US Navy in 2013. He continues to work with the maritime industry as the Oil Spill Prevention Manager for the Washington State Department of Ecology.

1994

Capt. Steven Tukey is the President of B & L Marine, LLC, a marine service company he started in southern Maine. His company does dock installation/removal, diving services, boating consultations/instruction, marine personnel services, and whatever else customers may need. He also works a an independent contractor captain for Paradigm Marine in Kodiak, Alaska. Steven and his family live in Gorham, Maine.

1995

Seamus Haley recently moved to Noble Drilling as a Chief Engineer in Guyana. Seamus and family live in Gray, Maine.

1996

Capt. Gregory Baker recently assumed command of the USS America (LHA 6) during Change of Command ceremony on March 12. Baker enlisted in the Navy in 1983 and received his commission through the Enlisted Commissioning Program, graduating from MMA with a bachelor’s degree in Ocean Studies. He received his master’s degree in Strategic Studies from the Naval War College in 2007. A surface warfare officer, he served aboard USS Anchorage (LSD 36), USS Enterprise (CVN 65), USS Harpers Ferry (LSD 49), as the executive officer aboard USS San Antonio (LPD 17), and as the commanding officer of USS Arlington (LPD 24) and USS Wasp (LHD 1).

2000

Eric Otenti is a consultant engineer at FM Global and lives in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts.

2000

Megan Swaney is a Cargo Safety Advisor for Blue Water Marine and lives in Port Angeles, Washington with daughter Rachel.

2002

John Gasper of Bolton, Connecticut married Lydia Johnson of on September 26, 2020. John owns and operates Gasper’s Automotive Restoration in Manchester, Connecticut. Lydia owns and operates Lydia Johnson Ceramics, Manchester, Connecticut.

2002

Maersk Line, Ltd. has honored Keith Turcotte, Chief Engineer onboard the MAERSK Durban, as its 2020 Safety Mariner of the Year. The award is bestowed upon a mariner in the fleet that distinguishes themselves by exceeding the already high-level of safety practices employed by MLL officers and crew. The honor is even more impressive given the additional challenges thrust upon mariners during the pandemic, especially those affecting crews aboard shuttle service vessels.

Besides going above-and-beyond to establish a safe working environment, Chief Turcotte was lauded as a consummate professional and credited as a stabilizing force onboard ship during the darkest days of the pandemic. M.E.B.A. Atlantic Coast Vice President Jason Callahan enthusiastically endorsed the selection and pointed out Chief Turcotte’s expertise and professionalism. He noted, “Keith demonstrated an outstanding ability to keep morale up even when ship voyages and mariner job assignments were prolonged due to COVID-19.” Turcotte has been part of the M.E.B.A. since 2002 following his graduation from MMA. He has spent the last six years with MLL.

Maersk Line, Ltd. Labor Relations Vice President Ed Hanley said Chief Turcotte is “very well deserving of the award and his great contributions to safety, engineering and leadership onboard is what really counts.” Congratulations Keith!

2005

Chris Oelschlegel works at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and wife Amanda works as a supply chain consultant. They live in Kennebunk with their two children, Oliver and Audrey.

2006

Michael Stutevoss is a harbor pilot for the Tampa Bay Pilots Association and lives in Tampa, Florida.

2006

Dave Cebulski received his MS degree in Maritime Management and is a Marine Transportation Specialist in the Training and Assessment Division at the USCG National Maritime Center in Martinsburg, WV. He served four years, two months active duty in the US Navy before fulfilling a career as a licensed Merchant Mariner in various shipboard positions including Master. His most recent occupation prior to joining the NMC was Assistant Professor in the Marine Transportation Department at SUNY Maritime College where he received his undergraduate degree. He and wife Susan have two adult daughters and live in in Shepherdstown, WV.

2007

Nathan Olehowski is working at General Dynamics/Bath Iron Works and lives in Bath, Maine.

2008

MacKenzie (Poirier) Langley says, “It never ceases to amaze me how being an MMA alum opens doors of possibility.

I’ve recently been promoted to the Director of Business Development and Sales for New England at iES MACH.

The road I took to get here went from co-oping at power plants for GE to turbine design, manufacturing and field services for Siemens to commercial and industrial HVAC and power generation at Trane and now energy demand, management software and indoor air quality monitoring at iES MACH.

I feel I can accomplish anything with the competencies fostered by MMA. I’m making a difference in this chaotic pandemic world by helping business owners and property management companies combine energy efficiency and safe indoor air quality so we can all work towards a new “normal.”

2011

Jason Endsley is an electric field operations supervisor at Eversource Energy in New Hampshire, and reports, “There are a lot of MMA alumni in supervisory positions.” Jason has been with Eversource since 2017, after four years with Seadrill.

2014

Benjamin King is a mate with Stasinos Marine and lives in Medford, Maine.

2014

Scott Murray and wife Christine welcomed baby boy, Sawyer Lincoln Murray, into the world on Feburary 18, 2020. They are currently residing in Chardon, Ohio, where Scott is a Pilot/Mate with Inland Lakes Management on the Great Lakes and Christine is a nurse at University Hospitals.

2015

Patrick Graham received his Bachelor’s in Marine Science from MMA in 2016 and his Master’s in Systems Engineering from Penn State in 2020. He is a Radar System Engineer with Lockheed Martin and lives in Bath, Maine.

2016

Anthony Scenna is working for Vicinity Energy as plant operator. He, wife Amanda, and Aiden, born on October 30, 2020, live in Exeter, New Hampshire.

2020

Sydney Adams is a graduate student at University of New Hampshire.

2020

Caiden Shea, who, as a student, introduced MMA to drone video, is a Power Plant Operator at Lake Road Generating Facility in Killingly, Connecticut. Lake Road is a three-unit, 1-on-1 combined cycle power plant providing power to Connecticut and Rhode Island within the ISO-NE grid.

2020

Shortly after graduation, Kaitlyn Shute moved to Reston, Virginia, and will finish her Master’s degree in International Logistics Management in August 2021. She is pursuing her “dream of becoming a Foreign Service Officer for the United States Department of State.

“A basic day on the job for me consists of providing logistical support to move supplies and equipment to overseas posts as well as anything else the day throws at me.”

Associated Alumnus

John Staples, retired chief of staff of the Academy and former editor of the Mariner, is the author of Seeking Freemasonry: Academia and the Ancient Craft, describing the growing number of university-affiliated Masonic groups in the US and UK. Staples has been honored for his work as a writer and editor by Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge, the Navy League, and the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education. John lives in Leesburg, Florida.