September-October 2026

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CLASS OF 1963
Pres:  VADM William A. Earner, Jr., USN (Ret.)
Sec'y: Michael H. Shelley
27 Cambridge DR, Brevard, NC 28712
h: 828-506-2201  e: nstar@citcom.net
Web site: http://www.usna63.org.

For any classmate you can go to the Classmates Page and enter his name to read his current biography if available.

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        With sadness and respect we note the loss of several members of our '63 family.

        Kenneth R. McGuire passed away on 20 November 2025. We do not have contact information for his next of kin.

        James C. Singler died on 30 May. We do not have contact information for his next of kin.

        William Spencer Johnson died on 4 June. His widow, Andrea, can be contacted at 20530 Falcons Landing Circle, Apt. 3101, Potomac Falls, VA 20165.

        Charles S. Lynch passed away on 3 July. We do not have contact information for his next of kin.

        Richard B. Rogers died on 28 July. His widow, Beth, can be contacted at 315 Hueneme Road, Camarillo, CA 93012.

Be sure to visit Last Call on our web site to read classmates' obituaries and other information about their lives and careers. Spouses' obituaries are posted with their husband's Last Call or Current Biography entry.

        Spencer Johnnson served as our Class President for 20 years until stepping down last year because of ill health. His service to the Class of '63 was dedicated, selfless, and effective across many years, challenges, and opportunities. We are very grateful for his leadership. We also appreciate the steady support he received from Andrea across the years.

Spencer Johnson

       The Alumni Association's Daily Shipmate newsletter published this tribute to Spencer.

     The U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association and Foundation (USNA AA&F) remembers and pays tribute to CAPT William S. "Spencer" Johnson IV '63, USN (Ret.), a leader whose life was defined by service, mentorship and an enduring commitment to the U.S. Naval Academy. A distinguished 30-year military career, Johnson served in command and leadership positions around the world, including as a senior naval planner during the Gulf War and later as chairman of the Department of Military History and Strategy at the National War College.

After retirement, he continued his service to USNA as president of the Class of 1963, helping lead a $6.4 million fundraising effort that established the Class of 1963 Center for Academic Excellence (CAE), which continues to provide critical academic support to midshipmen every day. Spencer's legacy, and the enduring legacy of the Class of 1963, lives on through the center, whose impact extends far beyond the Yard through the leaders it helps develop each day.

Johnson was a cherished alumnus here at AA&F, and we enjoyed working with him -- he will be greatly missed. We share our heartfelt condolences to his wife, Andrea, his family, friends, classmates and all who knew him.

        Spencer was known among friends and classmates for his quick, low-key wit. He was famous for his full-length raccoon coat, which he wore to football tailgates and in many other settings. Less well known was Andrea's matching coat. Together, they presented an unforgettable image.

Spencer at a Navy tailgate in 1993

Spencer and Andrea properly attired

       Spencer loved sailing on the Chesapeake aboard a Sabre 32 sloop he co-owned with his son and his brother Charlie (USNA '66).

Spencer and Charlie

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        Bruce Webb alerted me to this 24 June Daily Shipmate report about the lost USNA ring of his 17th Companymate Jon Scott.

Jon Scott's ring

     A class ring reunited with veteran's family after 50 years After being lost in the ocean at Kauai for more than 50 years, a U.S. Naval Academy ring has found its way home, thanks to the efforts of five Island School eighth-grade students and their parents. There were no gentlemen in uniforms, no bands playing and no crowds to witness the reunion process. But it took place near the Island School sign, via speakerphone, between Kaulana Mossman of the Pacific Missile Range Facility; Peggy Scott, 84, of New Hampshire, the widow of CAPT Jon Paul Scott '63, USN (Ret.); and the group of boys who found the ring and their parents, including Keli'i and Heather Morgado. "This is serendipity," said Coach Keli'i, the father of Mateo Morgado, one of the five boys who found the ring at the reef outside Camp Naue. "There are so many factors that had to line up just right for all of this to happen."

Peggy Scott receives Jon's ring

     I sent the video about our Class Foundation and subsequent CAE efforts to a daughter of one of our lost classmates. We had assisted her with scholarship funds, and I had maintained contact over the years. I received this kind note in reply:
"I just watched the video. I still remember writing you as Treasurer, with thank you notes each semester, after receiving a check in college; letting you know when I passed a future professional licensing exam; and when I got married. I felt that the Class had done such a wonderful thing that I wanted you and everyone to know how appreciated and helpful it was. I had a better idea of the man my father was through knowing his Classmates. It's been a privilege and you and the Class should be proud.

     We gathered at the Naval Academy Club on Friday evening, 5 June, to celebrate the 63rd anniversary of the graduation of the Class of 1963. A fun time was had by all; sea stories were told. Appearing in this picture are (L-R) Jerry and Betts Potter, Ben and Joanne Redd, Fred and Gloria Beckham, Bill and Jennifer Earner (8th Co.), Kate Malone and Dave Maples, Tom and Doris Selden, Anne and Watt Miles. Standing in the rear are Eileen and Eli Dabich (18th Co.).

The 5th Company observes our 63rd graduation anniversary

We celebrated our graduation and renewed our bonds in grand style. I suspect few of us had realized how significantly the Yard's physical plant has grown over the years. The diggers and fillers were merely the vanguard of the builders. Some of us had never seen the newer buildings such as the Wesley Brown field house and Hopper Hall, the cyber studies center. Tom Selden and I walked though Carter Hall (the old Maury Hall, home of the EH&G Department). It is a modern classroom building now, nothing like the place we knew. The old library in Mahan Hall is essentially an empty room with couches and chairs now; I think the traditionalists could not bring themselves to replace all the books with anything more functional. The Chapel is familiar to us, and maybe that is why reunions have us gather there pretty much exclusively when in the Yard. The Academy has kept pace with the times; I doubt we'd want it any other way.

Wesley Brown Field House

Hopper Hall

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        Mario Fiori submitted this account of a July observance of another '63 anniversary.

12th Company Zoom on 7 July

     Observing the 67th anniversary of our entry to the Naval Academy, we in the 12th Company had a great Zoom Session on Tuesday, 7 July. Included in this picture of the participants are Lori Kate Pyle, Gary Smith's widow and their son Casey. Lori's husband, Casey Pyle, is in the background. He is a great guy, who the 12th Company has also adopted.

     While visiting my daughter Laura in Virginia Beach over Father's Day weekend, I enjoyed a visit with Tim and Tamara Harvey. She took this photo of us in front of their impressive Florida seashell collection. Our sharing of sea stories included some highlights of Tim's submarine service plus some of his commercial pilot experience. They live only a block away from his son Ross.

Tim Harvey and Bob Harper

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        Dave Moore reported that on June 25th Sandy and Bunny Stoddard, Bo and Patric Kearns, and Dave and Lana Moore went to the small town of Glen Ellen in Sonoma Valley, CA, for a very pleasant dinner. The Stoddards and Kearns had never met before. In this picture are Bo, Dave, and Sandy.

     The concert is a class tradition, always well attended. Grant Telfer and Dave Moore arrived early to help put up the banner, an operation that took at least one hour and involved much discussion, many bungee cords, and the enlisted aid of a 2018 Notre Dame graduate with a strong arm.        A real surprise is that for the very first time the attendees included Mickey Mays and Ray Theep! Here are two photos of the '63 attendees. Appearing in the first are Grant Telfer, Ron Wills, Jerry Harken, Dave Moore, Mickey Mays, Ray Theep, and yours truly. The second , taken after the Harkens departed, shows Lee Tillotson, Dave and Lana Moore, Grant Telfer, Martha Marsden, Ron and Dee Wills, Mickey Mays, Ray Theep, and me. We hope others can join us in the future as the sea stories are getting even better. Our next class gathering will be for the Army-Navy game in December.

     The scene was the parking lot for The Marshland Restaurant in Sandwich, MA, in late May. The cast consisted of Bud Small, his wife Betty, as well as Jerry Johnson and his wife, Jean. Bud was sitting in his car while Betty was in the restaurant. Jean was sitting with a friend on a bench by the door of the restaurant waiting for Jerry to get a cup of coffee. When Betty emerged she and Jean struck up a conversation. When Jerry came by with his coffee, the women announced that they had discovered that Bud and Jerry were both Class of 1963.

Jerry Johnson (L) and Bud Small

       So, Jerry drifted over to where Bud sat in his car and introduced himself. While Bud had been in the 20th Company and Jerry in the 24th, neither knew the other from their time at the Academy. But as they talked, they turned up the fact that both had served on destroyers in the South China Sea, both had been chief engineers and both had applied through the Navy for graduate school after their latest tours. As coincidence would continue to have it on that sunny afternoon, both were turned down. So, at the conclusion of their obligated service requirement, both resigned and attended graduate school on their own dime. Bud went to MIT and Jerry went to the Harvard Business School just up the road. The Smalls live in New Hampshire and the Johnsons in Pennsylvania.        Unfortunately, there is no historical marker in the parking lot to commemorate this remarkable coincidence.

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        An important event during June Week 1963 was the ceremony at which many of our classmates and some members of other classes were recognized by prizes and athletic awards. From the official USNA Register for 1963-64 Mike Blackledge compiled a full digital list of those honored. You will enjoy seeing the list of nearly 100 '63 honorees on our web site by clicking HERE Mike invites the honorees to submit a photo of themselves receiving the prize in 1963 or with the prize today. These will be compiled and added to our web site. Mike's email address is mike@blackledge.com.

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        Jim Oakes is still living in the fast lane with sports and other activities. His latest news comes from his work with the MLB San Francisco Giants.

Jim Oakes and USNA '86 classmates

     A fellow Guest Services employee of the SF Giants saw the NAVY hat on Susan Torres and told her to go say hello to me at the Gotham Club Bullpen Terrace where I maintain law and order for the Giants. We had a nice chat. Susan and the other two women were in the same company as members of the USNA Class of 1986

     While many of our classmates are celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary this year, Blackie and Bonnie Blackledge have made it through 16 years, and it seems almost as long. We celebrated the occasion at a fine local restaurant and a few days later continued the celebration at Jason's deli, our go-to place. By a cosmic coincidence we were given order number 63. That was doubly significant as Bonnie's late husband George Fred Nolan was also a '63 classmate.

Celebrating in Albuquerque

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        Lots of news, lots of pictures! Thanks to all our contributors.

BEAT ARMY!

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