[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 85 (Tuesday, May 21, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E641-E643]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               THE SECOND STAGE OF AOG HISTORY (1901-45)

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JOHN SHIMKUS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 21, 2019

  Mr. SHIMKUS. Madam Speaker, I rise to include in the Record part two 
of an article I submitted earlier this year by Keith J. Hamel honoring 
the 150th Anniversary of the West Point Association of Graduates:

       ``At the turn of the 20th century, the Association of 
     Graduates of the United States Military Academy had been in 
     existence for more than three decades. It began on May 22, 
     1869, when 15 graduates, acting upon an idea from Robert 
     Anderson, Class of 1825, met in the office of Dr. Horace 
     Webster, Class of 1818, and adopted articles and bylaws for 
     the new organization. Article II of the Association's 
     Constitution stated: ``The object of this Association shall 
     be to cherish the memories of the Military Academy at West 
     Point, and to promote the social intercourse and fraternal 
     fellowship of its graduates.'' According to Charles P. 
     Echols, Class of 1891, the early years of the Association 
     were dedicated to ``little more than holding an annual 
     meeting at West Point, collecting dues, and publishing an 
     annual bulletin.'' Echols was generalizing, of course--in its 
     early years, the Association moved Sylvanus Thayer's remains 
     to the West Point Cemetery and memorialized him with a 
     statue, and it built a memorial hall at West Point with funds 
     left by George Cullum in his will--but in the first stage of 
     its existence, the Association was hardly recognizable as the 
     organization it would later become. That began to change 
     during the Association of Graduates' second stage of 
     evolution (1901-45), as changes to AOG's mission, governance, 
     and operations signaled its desire to become more like a 
     ``modern'' alumni association.
       One year into that second stage, the membership of the 
     Association was celebrated by President Theodore Roosevelt, 
     who attended West Point's Centennial Exercises and said 
     during his June 11, 1902 speech, ``During [its first 100 
     years] no other educational institution in the land has 
     contributed so many names as West Point has contributed to 
     the honor roll of the nation's greatest citizens . . . The 
     average graduate of West Point during these hundred years has 
     given a greater sum of service to the country through his 
     life than has the average graduate of any other institution 
     in this broad land.'' A year earlier, almost as if in 
     anticipation of Roosevelt's remarks, the Association's 1901 
     Annual Reunion included an ``Index to Obituaries (1870-
     1900),'' which contained 953 names of the president's ``honor 
     roll'' and information on how to find biographies detailing 
     each's ``sum of service to the country.'' Also, with 1902 
     being the Centennial of West Point, some 350 members of the 
     Long Gray Line were present to personally hear Roosevelt's 
     tribute, more than triple the attendance of the previous 
     highest annual meeting attendance (109 in 1883). During the 
     Centennial Exercises, they also witnessed Lieutenant General 
     John M. Schofield, Class of 1853 (Retired) and President of 
     the Association, unveil a tablet commemorating the Academy's 
     first century of existence. ``Let us all pledge ourselves to 
     our country, that the best efforts of our lives shall be to 
     make the record of the second century even more memorable 
     than that of the first,'' Schofield said in his brief 
     remarks.
       Despite the excitement and vigor inspired by West Point's 
     Centennial Exercises, the Association of Graduates returned 
     to a more

[[Page E642]]

     typical level of attendance in 1903, with only 20 graduates 
     attending the annual meeting. Lack of participation became 
     one of two main concerns of the Association in the new 
     century. During the 1905 annual meeting, Alexander Webb, 
     Class of 1855, proposed a resolution to form a committee to 
     study the attendance issue and to offer a solution. Webb's 
     classmate Charles Larned was appointed chairman. He 
     reportedly addressed the matter at the 1906 meeting, but no 
     records of his report exist. A few years later, however, 
     Robert Howze, Class of 1888, who was a member of Larned's 
     ``Committee on Entertainment,'' suggested that interest could 
     be added to the annual meeting if the Superintendent would 
     designate one day during the graduating week as ``Graduates' 
     Day,'' and that ``some specially interesting features be 
     added to this day's exercises.'' Howze's idea was 
     enthusiastically received and unanimously adopted, but it 
     took 15 years before it came to fruition under a new name.
       The second main concern of the Association centered on a 
     gift that graduates could present to the Academy. In 1907, 
     John Carson, Class of 1855, suggested that the Association 
     raise funds for an organ for the new Cadet Chapel, for which 
     the Academy had just broken ground a year earlier. At the 
     same annual meeting, a proposal was made to purchase bronze 
     doors for Thayer Hall (then the name of the ballroom in 
     Cullum Hall), but it was rejected given that plans were 
     already underway to change the room, making such doors 
     obsolete. The gift matter went to committee, and the 
     following year its members recommended a memorial window for 
     the new Cadet Chapel to be built over the altar. By 1909, one 
     year before the Cadet Chapel was completed, the Association 
     had raised $1,564 for the ``Memorial Window Fund.'' Eight 
     glass companies submitted competitive designs for the 
     project, and on October 17, 1909 a jury of committee and 
     advisory members settled on two designs, which went head-to-
     head in a second competition in February 1910. The contract 
     for the memorial window, at an amount of $8,000, was 
     ultimately awarded to the Willett Stained Glass and 
     Decorating Company of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Soon after, 
     Bertram Goodhue, the architect of the Cadet Chapel, wrote a 
     letter to the Association stating, ``I think there is no 
     doubt but that you will have . . . the most wonderful window 
     of modern times and one of the finest in the world.'' At the 
     conclusion of the 1911 annual meeting, which was held in the 
     new Cadet Chapel, Horace Porter, Class of 1860, presented the 
     memorial window to the Academy on behalf of the living 
     alumni, approximately 140 of whom were present to see Major 
     General Thomas Barry, Class of 1877, the 27th Superintendent 
     of USMA, accept the Association's gift.
       In addition to noting the increased number of graduates 
     attending the 42nd annual meeting, the 1911 Annual Reunion 
     was the first to highlight classes holding their own reunions 
     at West Point, citing those of 1886, 1891, 1896, and 1901. 
     Two years later, all five living members of the Class of 1863 
     returned to their Rockbound Highland Home to celebrate the 
     50th anniversary of their graduation. According to the 1913 
     Annual Reunion, ``Everything possible was done to make it 
     pleasant for the visiting graduates by the Superintendent, 
     the Quartermaster and the officers detailed to meet the 
     trains and have charge of rooms in Cullum and Cadet 
     Barracks.'' In a letter submitted to the 1913 Executive 
     Committee, Francis Hills, Class of 1866, went even further, 
     extending his personal appreciation to Colonel Clarence 
     Townsley, Class of 1881, the 28th Superintendent of USMA, for 
     making all graduates ``feel that they are warmly welcomed to 
     their old home.''
       In the wake of these warm sentiments, Gustav Fiebeger, 
     Class of 1879 and a member of the Executive Committee, 
     announced a plan at the 1915 annual meeting for classes to 
     purchase one panel each for the remaining windows of the new 
     Cadet Chapel. According to George Pappas, Class of 1944, the 
     next morning, representatives from the Class of 1875 
     presented the Association with a check for $250, making it 
     the first class to place a window in the Chapel. Within two 
     years, more than 20 classes sponsored windows. ``The Stained 
     Glass Window'' project became the forerunner of Class Giving 
     at the Association of Graduates, with each graduating class, 
     1802 through 1976, purchasing a panel and filling all the 
     available space (windows in memory of earlier classes were 
     sponsored by classes graduating 100 years later). The new 
     Cadet Chapel inspired even more giving: Arthur Gerhard 
     donated a baptismal font in memory of his father, William 
     Gerhard, Class of 1869; and the Class of 1885 initiated an 
     effort to purchase a full set of chimes on behalf of the 
     Association. Furthermore, the enthusiasm for the Academy at 
     this time could not be contained to just the annual meeting 
     at West Point. In 1915, more than 100 graduates dined 
     together in Honolulu, Hawaii, sending ``felicitations to 
     those gathered at West Point''; and, in 1916, graduates held 
     large dinners in Boston, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, 
     Honolulu, and Manila to celebrate the anniversary of the 
     Academy's founding.
       Unfortunately, World War I put a halt on the momentum that 
     had been building for the Association and Long Gray Line 
     during this time. There was no annual meeting in 1917, and 
     the next major milestone of AOG history did not occur until 
     1922, despite the Association celebrating its 50th 
     anniversary in 1919 (although it did present the chimes to 
     the Cadet Chapel at its annual meeting that year). At the 
     1922 meeting, William Dykman, Class of 1875, who was elected 
     President of the Association in 1920, introduced several 
     amendments to AOG's Constitution. First, he proposed ``to 
     amplify the statement of the object of the Association.'' 
     This amendment added the phrase ``to promote its [the 
     Military Academy at West Point] welfare and that of its 
     graduates'' to Article II of the Constitution, which is the 
     predecessor of the West Point Association of Graduate's 
     current mission: ``To serve West Point and the Long Gray 
     Line.'' Dykman also suggested revisions to AOG's governance: 
     recommending a Vice President, increasing the Executive 
     Committee from 10 to 30 members (to be appointed by the 
     President), and transferring the appointment of AOG Secretary 
     and Treasurer from the presiding officer at the annual 
     meeting to the President. Dykman's amendments were 
     universally adopted, putting AOG on the path to developing 
     the Board of Trustees governing model that would it later 
     employ throughout the remainder of the century. Dykman's 
     arguably finest contribution to the Association occurred two 
     years earlier, although it took some time to become manifest. 
     In 1920, after he had been elected President, Dykman sought 
     to influence members of graduating classes to join the 
     Association and introduced the idea of associate membership 
     to AOG. In the 1921 Annual Report, Dykman reported that all 
     17 members of the Class of 1921 (the ``Orioles'') became 
     members. The same was true for the Class of 1922, ``nearly 
     all as life members,'' and more than 80 percent of graduates 
     from successive classes throughout the 1920s joined. 
     According to Dykman's obituary in the 1938 Annual Report, 
     ``This infusion of younger members into the Association of 
     Graduates, for which he was largely responsible, gave the 
     Association new life and new objectives.''
       One of those new objectives was ``Alumni Day'' (modeled on 
     ``Graduates' Day,'' proposed 15 years earlier), which was 
     first held on June 11, 1923 and included a wreath-laying 
     ceremony at Thayer Statue, a tradition that continues to this 
     day. From 1925 to 1928, Dykman served as AOG Vice President 
     (the post he recommended three years prior) and then as 
     Chairman of the Board of Trustees until 1935. In 1926, his 
     idea for associate membership was finally approved, allowing 
     those who completed initial summer training and stayed at the 
     Academy long enough to take their first semester's exams to 
     join the AOG. This expansion of membership provided a 
     temporary spike in the Association's revenue (a nearly 45 
     percent increase in membership fees and annual dues), but a 
     1927 report by the Finance Committee (of which Dykman was a 
     senior member) showed the need to establish an income stream 
     beyond dues to support the Association. As a result, 
     provisions were made for the establishment of an Endowment 
     Fund, the annual income from which would provide necessary 
     operating funds for the Association in perpetuity.
       Statements in the report such as, ``If this Association is 
     to fulfill its natural and proper mission and give that 
     measure of support and assistance to the Military Academy 
     which other Colleges and Universities receive from their 
     graduates, it must have an assured income,'' seem to come 
     straight from Dykman, who was a respected New York City 
     lawyer and director of four powerful companies of the day. 
     Returning to his obituary, ``[His] great contribution to the 
     Military Academy and to the Association of Graduates was 
     giving to it a re-birth of interest and imbuing its members 
     with a feeling of respect for the power of the Association in 
     doing many things for West Point which the Academy and the 
     War Department authorities could not well do.''
       During its ``re-birth,'' the Association of Graduates gave 
     life to new projects and grew in its duties. The ``Forward'' 
     to the 1929 Annual Report called attention to some of these 
     changes. It stated, ``This issue . . . represents the 
     beginning of an effort upon the part of your Officers and 
     Trustees to present it in a somewhat improved and more 
     attractive form . . . new matter has been introduced, and 
     long lists containing names and addresses of members have 
     been omitted . . . the work of the work of the Association is 
     an event of the first importance, and promises much towards 
     the increased usefulness of the Association in the future.'' 
     The Association was moving toward what Alexander Piper, Class 
     of 1889 and AOG President (1934-36), later called, ``. . . 
     more life and less morgue.'' There was even discussion during 
     this time to ``kill'' publication of graduates' obituaries in 
     the annual report, which comprised approximately 75 percent 
     of each issue, but members ultimately felt this would violate 
     the original mission of the Association: ``. . . to cherish 
     the memories of our Alma Mater,'' particularly through its 
     graduates.
       In 1930, the Association renewed the publication of the AOG 
     Bulletin, a ``mid-year pamphlet'' designed to keep members 
     ``informed of current matters of interest during the long 
     interval between the publication of [AOG's] annual reports.'' 
     There were four Bulletins issued between December 1900 and 
     April 1905, but then publication mysteriously ceased. One 
     plausible reason is that the earlier Bulletin was published 
     by ``U.S.M.A. Press, West Point, N.Y.'' AOG balance sheets of 
     this period only show expenses for publishing the annual 
     report, which used Seemann & Peters, Printers and Binders of

[[Page E643]]

     Saginaw, Michigan. AOG was able to revive the Bulletin thanks 
     to the support it received from the June 1929 establishment 
     of an Association office at the Academy, manned by an active 
     duty officer who served ``in the capacity of Secretary and 
     Treasurer of the Association of Graduates and as the Officer 
     in Charge of Cullum's Register.'' AOG published four 
     Bulletins between 1930 and 1934. As before, the reason why 
     publication stopped remains a mystery, although its design 
     seemed to influence the annual report, which started 
     publishing reunion summaries in 1935.
       The Bulletin reappeared one more time in 1941, brought back 
     to inform ``Association members of matters of current West 
     Point interest, particularly since the Military Academy 
     curriculum, always in step with the times, so well meets the 
     demands of the present national emergency.'' The format of 
     this last issue had radically changed from its predecessors. 
     Instead of long treatises regarding ``The Indebtedness of the 
     United States to the Military Academy'' or ``Arthur Sherburne 
     Hardy's Opinion of the West Point Educational System,'' 
     Bulletin No. 9 was written in news sheet style and contained 
     brief reports about current happenings at the Academy (e.g., 
     ``First Class Attends Maneuvers,'' ``Branch Instruction,'' 
     ``Skeet Club,'' reports from academic departments, etc.). A 
     year later in 1942, AOG's Bulletin and the annual report, 
     which had existed for 72 years, merged to form the first 
     issue of Assembly magazine, the periodical publication that 
     would inform graduates for the next 70 years.
       Innovations to keep AOG relevant to graduates were not only 
     confined to its communication efforts. The final part of the 
     Association's re-birth involved changes to its governance, 
     which were done to make the organization more transparent and 
     accountable to its membership. After accepting Dykman's 
     proposed changes in the early 1920s, AOG elected a President 
     and Vice-President at each annual meeting. The President then 
     appointed an Executive Committee of 30 members, as well as an 
     additional member to serve as Chairman. The Executive 
     Committee made all preparations for the annual meeting, 
     including nominating candidates for the President and Vice 
     President positions, and audited the accounts of the 
     Treasurer. Starting in 1929, the number of Vice Presidents of 
     AOG was increased to five and the Executive Committee became 
     known as the Board of Trustees. Furthermore, the Trustees 
     appointed for that year were equally divided into three 
     classes: one appointed for one year, one appointed for two 
     years, and one appointed for three years. In each successive 
     year, another group of 10 grads were appointed to the Board 
     of Trustees to serve for a term of three years.
       Then, in 1935, Piper, President at that time, proposed the 
     formation of another body labeled the ``Executive 
     Committee.'' This committee, which consisted of the President 
     and four Trustees (chosen by ballot of the Board), would 
     ``possess and exercise by a majority of its members all 
     the powers and duties of the Board of Trustees,'' when it 
     was not in session. Unfortunately, a year later, learned 
     that the election of this Executive Committee was 
     illegitimate, as it was voted on by proxy, which was a 
     practice prohibited by New York State according to the 
     Association's certificate of incorporation. In correcting 
     this oversight, the Board agreed to sweeping changes in 
     AOG's Constitution and governance. First, Article III, 
     paragraph 2, was amended so that Association members now 
     directly elected Board of Trustee members instead of the 
     President appointing them. Then, paragraph 5 of that 
     Article eliminated the Chairman of the Board position, 
     stating, ``He is not necessary and seldom has any 
     knowledge of the operating affairs of the Association.'' 
     Finally, the By-Laws were amended to eliminate excess 
     Trustees (i.e., the President, the five Vice Presidents, 
     and the USMA Superintendent) and prescribe the duties of 
     the Board, Treasurer, and Secretary. This governance model 
     continued, with some minor tweaks (e.g., increase the size 
     of the Board in 1956 and adding an Executive Vice 
     President in 1972), for the next six decades.
       After addressing its governance issues, AOG turned its 
     attention to the recurring question of how to fund its 
     operations. While the Endowment Fund started out strong--
     Bulletin No. 5 (1930) reported cash and pledge contributions 
     amounting to nearly $55,500 of its $100,000 goal--the Great 
     Depression obviously took its toll. By the mid-1930s, the 
     Association was still approximately $25,000 short of the 
     goal, and the fund's $2,700 yearly interest was not enough to 
     cover AOG's annual expenses ($5,600-$6,000). Although roughly 
     70 graduates a year were being dropped from the Association's 
     member roll during the height of the Depression for non-
     payment of annual dues, the Army Athletic Association, which 
     also accepted support from graduates, was able to remain on 
     solid financial footing. Piper was dismayed by this 
     situation, and other AOG leaders called on younger graduates 
     for support (contributions generally came from classes prior 
     to 1930). It took a few more years, but in 1941, Frank McCoy, 
     Class of 1897 and AOG President, reported, ``Our funds have 
     now reached sound, healthy proportions,'' with income 
     exceeding expenditures the preceding year by nearly $8,000.
       The Association of Graduates entered the World War II era 
     beginning to look like the organization with which many are 
     familiar today. It had started to financially support the 
     Academy, first with the windows in the Cadet Chapel and then 
     in 1939 with furniture for Quarters 100 (the 
     ``Superintendent's Quarters Fund''); it had an effective 
     governance model in which all operational decisions were made 
     by the President and the Executive Committee, who were 
     accountable to the membership, and then carried out by a 
     small staff; and it had replaced the 350-plus-page annual 
     report with the more engaging, less than 50-page ASSEMBLY 
     magazine, published quarterly. The state of the Association 
     was strong enough that in 1942 the Board debated the idea of 
     lowering or eliminating dues. The proposal failed, but it 
     signaled AOG leadership's desire to remove the burden of 
     operating support coming primarily from membership dues.
       Looking to find a new income stream, the West Point Alumni 
     Foundation was established on December 26, 1945 to solicit 
     advertising for ASSEMBLY and an annual (instead of decennial) 
     Register of Graduates. The foundation's incorporation marks 
     the transition from AOG's second stage of history to its 
     third phase of ``Foundation and Fundraising'' (1946-94), 
     where the Association's fundraising efforts for the Academy 
     increased in importance, and its growth culminated with the 
     opening of its new home, the Herbert Alumni Center. This 
     phase in AOG history will be covered in the summer issue of 
     West Point magazine.''

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