The Falcon Flyer

NORTHEAST OHIO AIR FORCE ACADEMY PARENT’S ASSOCIATION November 2018

President’s Message

Wayne Kean C3C Séamus Kean Hello everyone. Summer is officially over and Fall is coming to an

end soon, both the calendar tells us this and you can see the

changes with your eyes and feel it on your skin. Not to fear, this

just means that our cadets will soon get to come home and fill the

empty chair at your dinner table, even if for a short time. So, if

you have not made airline reservations already - here is a tip.

Southwest’s ticket policy allows you to switch flights to a different

day without a change ticket fee. Some airlines will charge you $75

-$200 just to change your ticket from, say, a Thursday to a Friday,

and then you pay the difference in price for the ticket. Southwest

only charges you the difference in the ticket price and if that price

is lower, you will receive a credit.

Raise your hand if you have ever seen our association’s Constitu-

tion. The last revision was completed in 2009 so it is time for a

refresh. In the last newsletter, and as discussed at the most re-

cent general meeting, I have completed my goal of updating/

revising our Constitution to By-Laws with the exceptional help of

our By-Laws Committee: Mike Finley, Vince Capocci, and Doug

DiLalla. We bounced three revisions back-and-forth, via email,

and even met in Akron to have a face-to-face discussion for a few

hours to debate some issues. Our new By-Laws update our organ-

izational structure, set a path that will allow us to sustain our or-

ganization, and creates opportunities for members to have own-

ership in our association. Here are some of the changes: added

language that will allow us to become a 501(c)(3) if we decide that

it is in the best interest of our association; added a purpose state-

ment; clarified voting eligibility and when elections will be held;

changed payment of dues date, membership year, and fiscal year

to align with USAFA graduation; edited and added responsibilities

to the President; eliminated all Vice President positions; clarified

and identified officer positions; updated terms of office and turno-

ver procedures; clarified what constitutes a quorum; eliminated

six committees that are no longer used; added a Fund Raising Co-

ordinator; changed the Special Events Coordinator to a Special

Events Committee (which becomes a very important part of our

association) and moved Vice Presidents responsibilities to this

committee; and added a Webmaster. We will vote on the new By

-Laws and discuss more details at our January meeting. Everyone

will be provided with an advanced e-copy ahead of the general

meeting.

All Services Academy Ball, hosted by the NE Ohio Naval Academy

Parents Club. You’ve seen a few emails about this already and,

hopefully, you will receive an official invitation from the Navy Par-

ents via snail-mail soon. Regardless, mark your calendars because

the date is Thursday, December 27 at 6:00PM. Venue is Signature

of Solon Country Club, 39000 Signature Dr, Solon, OH, 44139.

This is an event for any member in your family that you choose to

invite and cadets can bring a date if they wish. Last year, all ca-

dets were free but all other tickets had to be purchased. Amanda,

C3C Séamus, and I will be there. In speaking with some of you I

know that Finleys and Capoccis will be there too with C1C Matt

and C2C Jake, respectively. I think I remember the Ellis’, Smiths,

Kundrats, Eylers, Keatings, Petersons, and Seymours at the 2017

Ball, there were probably others that I missed on this list, my

apologies. I hope that we have

a strong showing to support all

cadets and midshipmen from

the various services. If I don’t

see you at the Ball, I hope to

see you at our next general

meeting, Sunday, January 20.

Finally, I hope that you enjoy

your Thanksgiving and have a

very Merry Christmas, Happy

Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Pancha

Ganapati, or other salutation

to acknowledge your holiday

season.

Inside this issue

USAFA ALL OHIO NIGHT .............. 2 All Academy Ball 2018 ................. 3 Cadet/Alumni Birthdays .............. 3 USAFA General Meeting ............. 3 NEOAFAPA Fundraiser ................ 4 What’s Happening on the Hill ..... 5 AF Football Stats ......................... 5 NEOAFAPA Calendar of Events.... 5 Falcon Mascot Update…..………….5 Parents’ Group Conference…….…6 Parents Weekend Photos………….6 All Ohio night sponsors/pics……..7

SECOND ANNUAL USAFA ALL OHIO NIGHT!

NEOAFAPA

Presidents: Wayne Kean afapa.neo@gmail.com Treasurer: Vince Capocci Recording Secretary: Kristen Schultz Corresponding Secretary: Amanda Kean amandakean816@gmail.com

The weekend of October 13th, the Ohio Parent Clubs had their second annual All Ohio Night at the Academy and it went even better than the inaugural year!

Throughout the event the main entertainment was the Ohio State vs Minnesota football game. It was a bummer that the game aired at 10 AM MST (the time was not determined until a few weeks before the game), but we still had a decent turnout despite the time. The Ohio Cadets and their guests enjoyed some Skyline Chili, White Castle, Schmidt's, City Barbe-que, Whit's Frozen Custard, Homemade Buckeyes, cookies, and chocolates! Not only did the Ohio Parent Clubs bring all of this amazing food out for their Cadets to en-joy, they also brought sponsored/donated door prizes and that’s not all, they achieved this in just the three months before the event took place! That’s amazing! Each parent’s group was responsible for securing Congressional flags for their members’ cadets and thanks to the amazing and hard work by Kristen Schulz, we had a flag presented to our NEO Cadets wheth-er they were in attendance or not. She worked right up until the last minute to make this happen and even brought them out to Colorado herself and volunteered at the event. An-other volunteer at the event was Tina Kundrat (and her fabulous mother). Tina put a lot of time and effort into soliciting donations from our area this year! She went above and beyond to get corporate/business donations in the form of cash and door prizes. I can’t thank these ladies enough for all they did before and at the event. A special thanks to Kim DiLalla for do-nating 5 airbrushed falcon shirts to the event from her company. They were really special and the USAFA Falconers enjoyed receiving them! “Thanks to the incredible support of Ohio businesses, USAFA parents, and friends, the event was a huge success! We can't wait to see Ohio back here next year!

To view the rest of our glimpse into All Ohio Night go to; Galleries - Extracurricular - Special Events. Or click the link below.

All Ohio Night ~Amanda Kean

Calendar

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Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 3

4 5 6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15 16 17

18 19 20 21 22 23 24

25 26 27 28 29 30

November 2018

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1

2 3 4 5 6 7 8

9 10 11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20 21 22

23 24 25 26 27 28 29

30 31

December 2018

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10 11 12

13 14 15 16 17 18 19

20 21 22 23 24 25 26

27 28 29 30 31

January 2019

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

CADETS

C19 NICHOLAS KUNDRAT 1/28

C22 ELLARD STOLZE 12/9

C22 RONALD COX 12/17

____________________

ALUMNI

CHASE HAMMOND 11/4

ALEX FOTHERINGHAM 11/14

HEATH REICHENBACH 11/15

VICTORIA WRIGHT 12/1

MICHAEL PETERSON 12/4

CHRIS KOLKOWSKI 12/30

ALEC FETZER 1/8

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NEOAFAPA

GENERAL MEETING

&

POTLUCK

Sunday, January 20

2 PM

FERFOLIA FUNERAL HOME

356 West Aurora Rd ( Rt. 82)

Sagamore Hills, OH 44067

(community room)

*Please use west-side entrance door.

Please bring a covered dish in

accordance with the

alphabetical placement of your

last name:

A through L:

Side Dish or Dessert

M through Z:

Main Course to serve 8

2017 All Academy Ball, La Pizzaria Ristorante, Canton OH

Hosted by Northeast Ohio Air Force Academy Parent’s Club

NEOAFAPA FUNDRAISER

USAFA ENDOWMENT FUND

Give Now...

Like all great public institu-

tions, federal and state

funding is increasingly inad-

equate to keep pace with

the requirements of a mod-

ern university. Our Acade-

my now requires sustained

private support in order to

attract the best minds and

to provide the best educa-

tional experience.

We know what it means to

give back, and we must con-

sider its implications for our

Academy.

https://www.usafa.org/give

Zazzle Looking for that special GRADUATION, BIRTHDAY or HOLIDAY GIFT for your cadet or

Academy supporter? We are offering over 400 items like mugs, key chains, flasks, and Bluetooth speakers & mouse pads that will look GREAT on your cadet's desk—or

yours! We also have a nice selection of T-Shirts, personalized IPhone cases, power decals, note cards. postage stamps, and other unique gifts—many squadron specific. Don't forget grandparents and relatives—they will surely want to show their Falcon pride, too! Check out the ENTIRE collection via the link below. Contact us at: Mark

Kundrat if you would like a particular item added to our store to fit your needs. U.S.A.F.A. Squadron Merchandise at Zazzle.Com

Sign-up for Zazzle e-mail and never miss out on daily

specials and discounts!

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Visit us!

We have a NEOAFAPA

website! There is also

the USAFA Official

website with everything

USAFA, in one stop:

WWW.NEOAFAPA.COM

FACEBOOK POST BY THE CADET CHAPEL We've noticed a lot of comments regarding the projected length of the repair project. Yes, 4 years is a long time, however there are many factors that were taken into consideration. The majority of the repair will include completely replacing the aluminum skin, stiffen the steel super structure, install a redun-dant water barrier, remove & clean the 24,000+ original stained glass pieces. Also, both of our massive pipe organs will be re-moved and completely restored. Removing all of the equipment inside alone will be quite the project...pews, pipe organs, and nearly every movable item inside will be taken out. Once items are removed, the wooden walls inside, floors and other spaces will need to be protected from the open environment. You'll then see massive cranes being assembled. Once the work takes place, the contractor will have to deal with lead-based paint, asbestos and who knows what other hazards. Also, we have high winds on a regular basis which means the cranes won't be able to safely operate on those days. The work is meticulous and complex all at the same time. (32 miles of joints in the superstructure alone) Furthermore, the Cadet Chapel is on the National Historic Registry. The structure cannot be altered in any way and yet still be brought up to current codes, which are much different than the codes 50+ years ago. While we're saddened that we'll have to close for up to 4 years, the repairs are essential to preserve this National Historic Landmark for generations to come. Please continue to follow us on Facebook throughout the project. We'll provide updated information to include photos and videos. NOTE: This photo was taken in the early 1960's during construction. This is what the world will see once again in a few years after everything is peeled back and removed. This photo should give you a good perspective of the massive amount of work that is required to complete this project.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Membership! Stay in the know...join NEOAFAPA, renew, or extend to Lifetime status! Please print the updated membership form (available on the website) and bring it to a

meeting, or mail to the address found at the bottom of the form. Please include a check

made out to NEOAFAPA if you owe membership dues for the 2018-2019 school year. For

new appointees who paid membership dues earlier this spring, that payment covers the

upcoming school year, so no additional payment is needed. Vince Capocci, Treasurer

NEOAFAPA FUNDRAISER

November 20-25 — Cadet Thanksgiving Break (after LMD) Prep release at LMD also). Return by 7:00 pm on 11/25/18 December 12-15 — Cadet Winter Finals / December 13-14 —Prep School finals. December 16 thru January 3— Cadet Winter Break (Prep release at noon). Return by 7:00 pm on 1/3/19 (Prep return by 7:00 PM on 1/2/19) January 21—MLK Day—No classes

January 25— Prep Exemplar Dinner

February 15— 100’s Night (Class of 2019)

February 20-22 —National Character & Leadership Symposium (NCLS) March 7-9 —Recognition for Class of 2022

March 22 –31—Cadet/Prep Spring Break (returns by 7:00 pm on March 31)

May 19 —Prep School Baccalaureate

May 20 —Prep School Parade & Awards Ceremony

May 21— Prep Graduation

May 24— Ring Dance (Class of 2020)

May 30 —2019 Graduation

June1— Summer session 1 begins/ June 22—Summer session 2 begins/ July 14—Summer session 3 begins August 9—2019-2020 Classes begin

For more details, visit: USAFA 2017-2018 Important Dates

and the September Falcon Newsletter

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What’s Happening on the Hill...

NEOAFAPA 2018-2019 — Calendar of Events

FALCON FOOTBALL 9/1 STONY BROOK (PARENT’S WEEKEND) W 38-0 9/8 FLORIDA ATLANTIC (AWAY) L 27-33

9/22 UTAH STATE (AWAY) L 32-42

9/29 NAVADA L 25-28

10/6 NAVY W 35-7

10/12 SAN DIEGO (AWAY) L 17-21

10/19 UNLV (AWAY) W 41-35

10/27 BOISE STATE L 38-48

11/3 ARMY WEST POINT (AWAY) L 14-17

11/10 NEW MEXICO

11/17 WYOMING (AWAY)

11/22 COLORADO STATE

November 26 — Grass Roots USAFA Outreach (more info

to come….)

December 27— All-Academy Ball, Hosted by NAVAL ACAD-

EMY

January 20 — General Membership Meeting @ 2PM

March (TBD)— Appointee/Nominee Night

April 14 — General Membership Meeting @2 PM

June 1— 2019 Graduates & 2023 Appointee Luncheon

Aurora, a 22-year-old gyrfalcon who is the academy’s official mascot, and Oblio, a Peregrine falcon about seven years younger, were taken by two West Point cadets before the Army vs Air Force Game on Friday, 11/2/18. They threw sweaters over the birds, and later stuffed them into dog crates, Mr. Sam Dollar (USAFA Master Falconer & team advisor) said.

The cadets turned the birds in on Saturday morning, but not before Aurora suffered abrasions that bloodied her wings, likely when she was thrashing inside the crate, Mr. Dollar said. Aurora’s injuries were not life-threatening, and she was to be exam-ined by a veterinarian on Sunday, he said. Oblio did not sustain any obvious injuries.

“I think they had them for a couple hours and then they realized it was a bad mistake,” Mr. Dollar said. “When Aurora started thrashing around in the crate, they decided that wasn’t a good thing.” Mr. Dollar said he wanted to debunk news circulating that Aurora’s injuries were life-threatening or that she might have to be euthanized. He said Aurora did not have any broken bones, and he expected her to be able to fly again.

Click here to read the NY Times news article in its entirety

Update on Aurora & Oblio, USAFA Falcon Mascots

USAFA PARENTS WEEKEND 2018-2019

Parents Group Conference with General Silveria and Executive Staff:

30,000 guests expected at graduation in contrast to 10,000 for Parent’s weekend Library Upgrade has been completed and features great independent study areas New Visitors’ Center is planned outside North Gate Cadet Chapel complete renovation will begin January 2019 and last for 4 years Planetarium/digital dome expected to open in the Spring Pilot shortage in the Air Force; all 2018’s who wanted pilot slots received one

THANK YOU TO ALL OUR

USAFA ALL OHIO NIGHT 2018-2019