Greetings to all,
Once again, I wanted to take a moment to thank you, the Alumni, for making
the effort to return to campus, to support your friends being honored, to
catch up and share stories about your time at Admiral Farragut Academy
(AFA)—both at the northern campus and here in St. Petersburg. I so enjoyed
getting to know as many folks as I could, and I trust by the laughter I heard
and the smiles I witnessed; a good time was had by all!
I also wanted to thank Victoria Raymer for her tremendous work, dedication
and joy for AFA in all that she does. This is no easy task, so we try our best
to provide the best of the traditions of the past, and more than a glimmer of
hope for the future. Time together is so important. So, the opening reception
on Thursday evening, followed by a home basketball game in the
gymnasium and soccer matches on Ross Field kicked it off. Friday morning
coffee followed by our current cadet’s Pass and Review Parade on the field,
with an opportunity to see some of our signature programs—Aviation Lab,
STEM Lab, the waterfront, SCUBA, and sailing.
A delicious lunch in Farragut Hall provided additional time to gather and
hear an update from “yours truly” about the State of the School. The
afternoon was free until our Tailgate Social back at DeSeta Hall with Karen Bacon's band, Sweet Charity performing. This evening our BlueJackets soccer team defeated Sarasota Military Academy 4-2
in an evening match played under the lights.
Saturday morning was an opportunity to enjoy a plane ride with Rob Ewing over the campus
or enjoy free time with your classmates. Then it was off to a beautiful
Alumni Reception where we dedicated The Damkoehler Family Theater, thank you again to the family for their inspirational and generous gift.
At dinner, David Yoho '68N served as MC where Rice Baxter '66S and Robert Hudson '71S introduced and honored Hall of Fame inductees (Bowen ‘64S, Crossen '71S and
Wolff ‘71S).
Finally, we were delighted to welcome back Richard Fisher '67N, our keynote
speaker and recipient of our Distinguished Alumni Award for his
transformational work as Deputy U.S. Trade Representative and former President and CEO of Dallas Federal Reserve. View Images from the evening here.
Please enjoy the linked photos and videos. The best is yet to come!
Yours in Education,
Kevin J. Lockerbie
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