Dear Parents,

          Welcome to 2004 at The Citadel! This new year finds us on the heels of a very successful fall semester, one that had cadets involved in a multitude of activities from academic projects to sports events and from military training exercises to public service ventures. As a parent myself, I know that you are interested in what your cadets are doing, so I will take a moment to update you on some of the highlights of fall 2003.

Cadet staff execute eyes right as they pass the reviewing stand at Friday afternoon parade.

In the spotlight
          Company Commander Cadet David Barrett accepted the President’s Cup on behalf of Delta Company for academic achievement, military performance, extracurricular participation, fourth class retention, and conduct. Citadel Provost Brig. Gen. Harry Carter presented the Summerall Cup to Palmetto Battery Academic Officer Cadet Eric Sulser for his company’s outstanding academic performance. Cadet Sulser also accepted the Pearlstine Award for the company with the highest freshman class grade point ratio. Romeo Company Commander Cadet Russell Frierson was presented the Murray Bonnoitt Award for the company with the highest freshmen retention rate.

          At the Oct. 24 parade, three cadets were recipients of the first-ever Andrew Mazur Cadet Outstanding Citizenship Award. The award honors the memory of Andrew Mazur, a member of the Class of 2001 and a Greenville County (S.C.) sheriff's deputy who was killed in the line of duty last August. Cadet Matthew Power received the award for performing CPR on a Citadel staff member who had collapsed. Cadets Torrey Gasch and Ryan Dell received the award for trying to apprehend a thief who had mugged a woman downtown. The cadets chased the criminal, and although they did not catch him, they were able to recover the woman’s purse and shopping bag.

          Several awards were given out Parents’ Weekend. Regimental Athletic Officer Cadet Nick Goshen accepted the Widder Award for distinguished military students and the Todd Dorney Memorial Sword and Scholarship. The Col. Walter Ballard Clark Award was presented to Cadet Timothy Grantonic for the highest overall standing among Army ROTC advanced camp cadets. Romeo Company won the Regimental Commander’s Bowl for the most successful cadre as demonstrated by fourth class attrition and performance. Company Commander Cadet Russell Frierson accepted the award. Winning the Kelly Cup for the best-drilled fourth class squad was the third squad of the first platoon of Hotel Company. Cadet Squad Leader Luke Moore accepted the award.

          The 2003 Gilbert H. Rowe Transportation Engineering Scholarship was presented to Cadet Gentry Rust by the Institute of Transportation Engineers. And the 2003 Loring K. Himelright Scholarship was presented to Cadet Jonathan Black, who has earned Gold Stars for five semesters and serves as the American Society of Civil Engineers student chapter president.

In academic life
          Academic performance for the fall semester was at a high. Almost 600 cadets and active duty military students were recognized for Gold Star and Dean’s List honors. Cadets Drew Brooks, Chris Nastal, Olivia Perry-Smith, and Erica Wood participated in a national seminar in Chicago called America’s Role in the World. The four cadets are members of the Honors Program and were enrolled in Lt. Col. Terry Mays’ U.S. foreign policy class when they were chosen to participate. Cadets Justin Foster and Corey Potemra accompanied Writing Center Director Maj. Chris Fudge to Hershey, Penn., where they presented a paper at the International Writing Centers Association and the National Conference on Peer Tutoring in Writing. Cadet Matt Verdin presented his research project “Sequencing the Gene for Salamander Blue Cone/Green Rod Opsin” at the 38th Annual Medical University of South Carolina Student Research Day 2003 in November.

	Junior Cadet Matt Verdin presents his findings at the Medical University of South Carolina Student Research Day.

          The Citadel's A Mock Trial team came in 6th place at the University of Miami Invitational meet. This was an impressive finish for a new team that boasted only one member with previous mock trial experience. Additionally, Cadets Matthew Elliott and Adam Paul received Best Witness honors from the judges at the Miami meet. And in December, the team defeated the University of South Carolina-Spartanburg in a head-to-head scrimmage at the Charleston federal courthouse.

          Cadet Blake Anderson and two Marine Corps Enlisted Commissioning Education Program students, Staff Sgts. Randy Chase and Billy Gavigan completed their student teaching internships. Cadet Anderson taught at Fort Johnson Middle School, Staff Sgt. Chase at Stratford High School, and Staff Sgt. Gavigan at Hanahan High School. All three did an outstanding job and made a presentation to the Education Leader's Club to prepare other students for this experience.

          Three history majors completed successful internships in the Charleston area. Cadet Charles Dye worked with Congressman Henry Brown's office researching service records and compiling a list of the veterans of the Korean War who are living in the greater Charleston area. These service veterans were honored at a special ceremony on board the USS Yorktown commemorating the 50th anniversary of the war’s end. They were presented with commemorative medals and certificates from the South Korean government in recognition of their service. Cadet Matthew Smith served as an intern with the Medal of Honor Society where he prepared questions and conducted interviews with award recipients and assisted the staff in organizing the records of all Medal of Honor recipients. Cadet Maxcy Lynn served as an interpreter on board the Yorktown, explaining the history of the ship to visitors and assisting the office staff with responses to inquiries and requests for information.

In cadet activities

Palmetto Battery cadets prepare to march out to Summerall Field for parade Parents’ Weekend.

          Parents’ Weekend took place in early October and began when 344 members of the Class of 2004 received their rings in Summerall Chapel. The festivities for the weekend included a fourth class parents’ drop-in at the Holliday Alumni Center, a chorale performance, a football game, and a Summerall Guard performance.

          The Ranger Challenge team led by senior Cadet Nick Goshen fielded three teams for the U.S. Army Cadet Command's Ranger Challenge Competition held at Fort Jackson in Columbia, S.C., Nov. 7-8. The first division team placed third in the competition while the second and third division teams both placed first.
English professors Col. James Rembert and Col. David Allen led a group through the Wambaw Swamp on a November Saturday night. The participants included two graduates who were former English majors and Cadets David Deden and Jesse Howard, both juniors from Alpha Company. With a map and compass for guidance, the group trekked for miles, plowing through deep mud and crossing a wide creek. Their efforts were rewarded with a view of a full lunar eclipse.

          Cadets Andrew Brooks, Austin Fenwick, Nikolaus Holum, Robert Kirk, Richard Peterson, and Sarah Williford took part in a worship service Nov. 16 at the Washington National Cathedral in celebration of South Carolina State Day.

          One hundred and forty-five cadets participated in the Daniel Library’s drawing—What the Big Dawgs are Reading—to encourage reading. Between September and late November, cadets submitted 170 titles of books they were reading. Winning cadets were Andrew Brooks, Louis Bussells, Ryan Garriga, Donald Green, Clint Gudan, John Kitover, Thomas Rachelski, Alexander Randall, Matthew Rowell, Blake Safko, Daniel Schneider, and Lindsay Whittecar. In addition, the library and the Writing Center collaborated to encourage recreational writing. Cadet Safko won the contest for his essay on basketball.

          The semester’s activities concluded with the annual Christmas Candlelight Service when cadets brought the spirit of Christmas to the Lowcountry Dec. 6-8. The service was marked by musical performances as well as scripture readings and prayer. The Citadel Brass Ensemble opened the program followed by the cadet choir, which entered the chapel in a procession of lights and song. Cadets Samuel Davis, Shawna Hartman, Aaron Meadows, Kirk Rhodes, Phillip Spence, and Nathaniel Steers recited scripture while Cadets Amara Atella, Andrew Brooks, Anyanime Edem, Travis Graham, Gregory Holden, Samuel Joiner, Kara Keiter, Nicholas Lyden, Amy Maddox, Joseph Moore, Michael Rosidivito, Cooper Stephens, Christopher Weatherby, Paul Wheeler, and Deborah White sang solos. Cadet John Auer accompanied the soloists to “Ave, Ave, the Angel Sang” on the viola. Cadet Matthew Frye oversaw a contingent of 24 cadet ushers. Cadets Edward Farmer, Dustin Henderson, and April Navarro served as acolytes, and Cadets Brett Coble and David Goodale took care of special effects. Col. Mark Bebensee played the organ, Nancy Lefter directed the choir, and Maj. Herb Day led the brass ensemble. Chaplain David Golden presided over the service.

In community service

	Cadets Holli Knox, Quiota Jones, and Chet Carter prepare holiday care packages to send to military troops stationed in the Middle East.

          The Citadel student chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers used their surveying skills in a day-long project to help the town of Summerville with a traffic congestion problem. Led by President Jon Black, the cadet members included Steven DiBlasi, Jared Fralix, Kyle Haney, Julian Hardison, Rhodes Jordan, John Lester, Troy Maciaszek, Jae Mattox, Todd Mattox, Marvin Morgan, William Rhodes, Jason Roberson, Gentry Rust, and Chris Wannamaker.

          Seven chemistry majors—Cadets Michael Stelmach, Tzu Chu, Anyanime Edem, Charles Francis, Sermpun Lhamlhak, Brian Williams, and Rose Ulch—assisted with a paper airplane contest on Oct. 25 at National Chemistry Day Celebration sponsored by the local chapter of the American Chemical Society.

          More than 60 cadet volunteers made the annual Halloween Buddy Dance a huge success. The dance brings more than 100 citizens with disabilities to the campus where they are treated to a dance and refreshments co-sponsored by The Citadel Department of Psychology and the Advocacy Coalition for People with Disabilities. A dozen or more other cadets helped host participants in Peer EXPRESS and The Citadel Buddy Program for a family picnic and football game in November. Cadets Mike Toth, Jason Shepherd, and Bart Stevens assisted in both school and recreation-based inclusive programs that bring children with and without disabilities together for arts, service, and recreation. These dedicated cadets served as volunteer coaches for three of the 10 teams that competed in the second annual Unified Special Olympics Soccer Tournament Dec. 6.

          Business Professor Karen Shuler accompanied two of her classes to Hyde County, N.C., where they used their team building skills to organize a clean-up effort after Hurricane Isabelle. Cadets Nick Goshen and Glenn Hamm led the work parties.

          Hoping to make the holidays brighter for U.S. troops in the Middle East, Cadet Chad Buckel and dozens of fellow cadets prepared more than 500 holiday care packages that were sent to adopted military units and troops in the Middle East. And cadets, faculty, and staff donated more than 500 pints of blood to the Red Cross during the fall semester. The Citadel is the third largest contributor in the Lowcountry to the blood and platelet donation programs.

In athletics
          Romeo Company had an outstanding semester in intramurals. The team won the Field Day competition on Oct. 18 when they won three of the five events, and their soccer victory over Alpha Company on Oct. 30 marked their fourth intramural championship of the year.

          There are 15 club sports on the roster this semester. New club sports being offered this year include a martial arts club, a multi-sport club, and a table tennis club. Cadet Chris Gaitens, a member of the multisport club, completed his first full ironman triathlon in Madison, Wis., Sept. 7, swimming 2.4 miles, cycling 112 miles, and finishing with a run of 26.2 miles in 12 hours and 28 minutes. The paint ball team, which was organized in 2001, began their season with an impressive showing at the Paintball World Cup in Orlando, Fla., where they placed 33rd out of 56 teams. The sailing team, led by cadet co-captains David O’Reilly and Josh Putnam, finished third overall in the South Atlantic Interscholastic Sailing Association Sloop Championship held at the College of Charleston in October. The hockey team defeated the University of South Carolina in two consecutive games Oct. 17 and 18.

          The football team enjoyed its most successful season since 1997, finishing 6-6 overall and becoming the first team in Southern Conference history to defeat Appalachian State, Furman and Georgia Southern in the same season. Cadets Ross Armstrong and Lew Dawson earned All-Southern Conference first team honors while Cadets Nehemiah Broughton, Scooter Johnson, Kevin Olecki, and T.J. Rose garnered second team laurels.

          The women’s volleyball program, still in its infancy, marked its first Southern Conference win when they defeated Wofford in October. The team finished the 2003 season breaking three season team records: attack percentage, .180; kills in a season, 1226; and total assists in a season, 1080.

          Cadet cross country team captain Cadet Robert Killian finished the season strong. Cadet Marc Quesenberry had his best season thus far with a time of 26:50 at the Winthrop Invitational. He also helped mentor a very talented group of freshmen—Cadets Matt Holmes, Charles Kutz, and William Wilson. The freshmen made huge strides during the season and the future for men’s cross-country looks promising.

Cadet Julie Austin prepares to kick the ball at a soccer match against Furman.

          Cadet Laura Hewston ran in the women’s number-one position most of the year. She ran her best time of 19:43 at The Citadel Invitational, ranking the fourth fastest cross-country time ever and the second fastest female 5K distance runner at The Citadel. Cadet Clara Crossman ran a personal-best of 19:51 to rank as the seventh fastest time and fifth fastest female. Cadet Crossman and Cadet Hewston became two of only six females to run under 20 minutes in cross-country.

          The men’s golf team won the Charleston Southern Fall Invitational at Coosaw Creek Country Club with a team score of 577. Cadet Kip Myers hit a hole-in-one at the Mission Inn Classic, and Cadet Kayla Bowsher took sixth place at the Coca-Cola Intercollegiate in Daytona Beach, Fla. The team was featured on the Golf Channel as part of College Central presented by PING.

          The women’s soccer team won matches against Winthrop and South Carolina State. Cadets Shawna Hartman and Debbie White received Academic All-Southern Conference honors. With a competitive schedule, the players gave impressive performances throughout the season.

          As I finish this letter, cadets have returned and are back in full swing for the spring semester, working hard to have an even more productive semester than last.

          Norwood joins me in sending you our best wishes.  We hope to see you Corps Weekend March 11-14.