For the second year in a row, the weather was perfect as alumni returned home to partake in the traditional ceremonies that kick off Graduation Week. First, there was the annual alumni luncheon, during which the West Point Association of Graduates recognized five more members of the Long Gray Line as “Distinguished Graduates”: LTG (R) Robert Pursley ’49, COL (R) William DeGraf ’50, Mr. Fred Malek ’59, Mr. Paul “Buddy” Bucha ’65, and LTG (R) Franklin “Buster” Hagenbeck ’71 (read their bios here). Edward C. Meyer ’51, former Chairman of WPAOG, devised the Award in the early-1990s to recognize those graduates whose character, service, and stature draws wholesome comparisons to the qualities for which West Point strives—Duty, Honor, Country. Reflecting on his Award, Hagenbeck, a former Superintendent (2006-10), said, “I’ve sat on the selection committee for this award even before I became Superintendent, so I know how selective the group is, and of all the well-qualified graduates, it is very humbling to be recognized as one of the ‘Distinguished.’” DeGraf also felt it was a great honor to be selected. “This means a great deal to me personally,” said this Distinguished Graduate who was twice medically rejected for admission to the Academy before making it on his third attempt after receiving a battlefield commission in World War II. “Ever since I was a young, I just always wanted to be a West Pointer.” Malek credited West Point with building his character as a leader in the fields of business, politics, and philanthropy. “The line in the Cadet Prayer says it all—‘having the courage to choose the harder right versus the easier wrong’—it is a lesson West Point taught me that has made me who I am today,” he said.
After the luncheon, the Distinguished Graduates joined other graduates, including those from the Classes of 1939, 1944, 1949, and 1964, who returned to their alma mater for their reunions, in a procession to Thayer Statue to place a wreath at its base. BG (R) Henry Newcomer ’39, 97-years young, led the Long Gray Line to the monument of the Father of the Military Academy. Afterwards, all the graduates watched as the Corps of Cadets marched in their full-dress gray uniforms for the Alumni Review parade. Hagenbeck, who has seen numerous such ceremonies as Superintendent, summed up the day by saying, “I never get tired of being at West Point; everything is just awe inspiring.”
View photos of the DGA event here.