Welcome to the USNA Class of 1975 50th Reunion 13 JAN 2025
Welcome to the Class of 1975 50th Reunion site! This is your primary site for information or links about the daily schedule, reunion events, lodging, transportation, and purchasing merchandise (SWAG). We will also disseminate reunion information through Class Blasts, Shipmate, and Company Representatives. We will have a Registration Site available in later winter 2025 for alumni and family to register for the reunion and related events, donating for class-designated charities, and signing up for sporting events.
Whether you have been to past reunions or if this is your first, we know that everyone will enjoy attending the reunion events and – more importantly – renewing friendships and swapping sea stories. Key events include a Welcome Reception (Fluegel Alumni Center); Class Meeting and Memorial Service; Class Dinner (Dahlgren Hall); and the football game and tailgate party (Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium).
I want to highlight an important program – Financial Assistance Fund – that we established to help alumni and widows who would like to attend the reunion but do not have sufficient funds to pay for some or all the costs. We understand that it is difficult to ask for help. Our class, however, has a special bond that compels us to take care of each other. Accordingly, we strongly encourage alumni or widows that need financial assistance to take advantage of this confidential program. See the 50th Reunion Financial Assistance Fund description on this site for additional information.
Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. I either have the gouge or will know how to get it!! We look forward to seeing everyone in October 2025.
Fair winds and following seas!
Tom Kelley 703-217-2554 tom.kelley@1975.usna.com
Schedule of Events
This is the summary of the reunion events. We will add details as we get closer to the reunion.
SWAG/Class Merchandise
We have created a class store so you can order exactly what you want to commemorate our 50th Reunion. Here is the link: 1975 Reunion – Forever Firstie. This is the initial release of the 50th Reunion SWAG. We will have additional releases throughout the next several months based on feedback from classmates and family. The vendor has an extensive inventory (you can browse other class SWAG items on the site); in most cases, he can procure items that are not in the inventory. We will have a few SWAG items in the Registration/Check-in bag (no hats) so this is your best opportunity to order reunion SWAG.
Please contact Wayne Bergman (SWAG Committee Chair, fwaybergman@aol.com) if there are items that you’d like to purchase that are not part of this release.
Gulf To Goat (G2G) Charity Bike Ride
The Class has organized a charity bike ride (G2G) that will unite cycling Classmates in a quest for physical fitness, camaraderie, and charitable giving. By pedaling over 1,100 miles through our great nation – from Apalachicola, FL to USNA – these Classmates will honor the legacy of USNA ’75 while supporting causes close to a Classmates’ heart. The goal is to pedal with purpose, have fun, forge bonds, and make a meaningful difference one mile at a time.
The G2G charity bike ride will begin on Oct. 1, 2025, in Apalachicola and transit along the east coast, arriving at the Bill the Goat statue inside Gate 1 on Oct. 22, 2025, in time for the 50th Reunion festivities. Sixteen Classmates have committed to the G2G not only to honor our class legacy but to also collect donations for our Reunion Class Project/Class Gift and four charities that are close to Classmates. The riders themselves are covering the entire cost of the ride. Click here to access the G2G charity bike ride web site for additional details about the ride. www.gulftogoat.navy
Please direct questions about the G2G charity bike ride to Mike Meier, 906-287-0549, mdmeier@hughes.net, Dan Murphy, 972-822-0561, maggie9982@sbcglobal.net, or Gary Jones, 847-505-9756, garyrjones75@gmail.com.
50th Reunion Sponsorship Program
We will establish a sponsorship program to help defray the overall reunion costs and to raise money for class-designated charities. We will have two categories of sponsorships:
- finance specific reunion expenses.
- reserve a table at the Class Dinner with the proceeds donated to a class-designated charity or fundraiser.
We will disseminate details about both sponsorship categories in future posts.
Please contact Bill Daley, 410-703-0410, billdaley@1975.usna.com for further information.
Officer Elections
Per the U.S. Naval Academy Class of 1975, Class Charter and Bylaws (7 May 2020), Article VI, Nomination and Election of Class Officers, we will conduct an election of class officers (President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer) prior to the 50th Reunion. The Executive Board (Class Officers plus the past Class President) will appoint a classmate as Chairman to lead the nomination and election effort. The Chairman has the authority to involve as many other classmates, designated as the Election Committee, that he needs to carry out their responsibilities.
The Election Committee will report the nominees for each office to the President and Secretary at least 60 days prior to the election (about August 24, 2025). Ballots are normally cast by classmates during a four-week period within six months of the Class Meeting (no earlier than about April 24, 2025). We intend to use electronic balloting through the Registration Site with a provision for manual voting by postal mail.
We are early in the nomination and election process; however, we want to give classmates who may wish to serve in an elected office a heads up. We will update the class election process through Shipmate, Class Blasts, and this website. The bylaws guiding the elections are on the class website (Class of 1975 Bylaws).
Please contact the Class President, Chris Cikanovich, 443-373-3346, chickc975@gmail.com, if you have any questions.
50th Reunion Financial Assistance Fund
Our Class has established a Financial Assistance Fund (FAF) to help provide financial assistance to Classmates and widows who would otherwise attend the 50th Class Reunion but may not be able to because of the costs.
Classmates and widows may make a direct request for assistance to the Program Administrator. A Steering Committee (Program Administrator, Class President, and Class Treasurer) will oversee the FAF, review each request, account for receipts and expenditures, and distribute funds. No other classmates or persons will have access to or knowledge of a request. All costs associated with the 50th Class Reunion are eligible for funding: transportation, lodging, and reunion events.
The FAF is supported by donations from classmates, family members, and friends of the class. Donations may be made to the FAF directly to the Class Treasurer (Zelle or by check). We will disburse monies from the FAF until the account is exhausted; we will transfer any remaining funds to the general Class Fund at the conclusion of the 50th Class Reunion.
Please contact the Program Administrator, Craig Quigley, 757-419-1164, rdmlquigs@comcast.net for questions and the Class Treasurer, Dave Duffie, 401-369-5823, 1729 Cheslie Arch, Chesapeake, VA 23323, duffieda@gmail.com for donations.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
This Home Page and its links is intended to be thorough but there will be inevitable questions. Please refer to this Frequently Asked Questions link.
Stay tuned for future updates.