UNITED STATES AIR FORCE ACADEMY
PARENTS’ CLUB OF MINNESOTA MEETING
February 3, 2007
Metropolitan Airport Commission
ATTENDEES:
Class of 2007
Mark and Peg Backes, Cindy Mokos, Bob and Julie VanDenBroeke, Peter and Mary Zarembo, Eileen Weber, Beth and Will Mundell, Wendy and Frank Peskar
Class of 2008
Stephanie Thome, Doug Miller, Mark and Diane Crandall, Chris & Julie Holden, Karen Tangen, Kent and Patrice Klayum, Darrell and Linda Tamosuinas, John Stignani, Alane Ross, Rick and Judy Biddle, Barry Nordby
Class of 2009
Deb Martenson
Class of 2010
Lynn Martinson, Jim and Deb Baik, Kim Landecker
Major Tom Mattison- ALO
THE MEETING WAS CALLED TO ORDER AT 9:10 a.m. by Mark Backes, who welcomed and thanked everyone for attending.
Major Tom Mattison introduced his parents as special guests at the meeting, Tom and Marie Mattison. He related that his parents had been active in the Minnesota Parents’ Club 20 years ago, and indicated that they would be able to give current cadet parents the perspective of an officer that was ¾ through their career, and answer any questions about having an officer in the military.
MINUTES of the November 4 and December 9, 2007 meetings were distributed and approved.
TREASURER’S REPORT - John Stignani submitted a financial report that indicated our current reconciled balance is $8033.11. This report was approved as submitted.
OLD BUSINESS
Cookie Packing: Cookie Packing went very well this year. Cindy Mokos reported that the shipping price this year was higher than previous years because of fuel costs, as well as shipping more and heavier boxes this year. She suggested that for the upcoming year the club might consider using Fedex as an alternative shipping vendor. More details will be gathered and this will be followed up on in future meetings.
Mom’s Overnight: The January 2007 Mom’s Overnight was a great success. Patrice reported that attendance was less this year that in previous years, but that lots of good times were had. She remarked that if you missed this year’s event, you should plan to attend next year. And always remember, that what happens there stays there.
NEW BUSINESS
Spring Social: A meeting was held on January 18 to plan and share out responsibilities for the banquet. The banquet will be held on April 28, 2007 at Olympic Hill Country Club in Eden Prairie. Major Tom Mattison was present at the meeting to give ALO input. The representatives met with the catering manager and were able to inspect the dining and auction areas. Darrell Tamosuinas will be in charge of the silent auction. More information regarding the social will be discussed at the March parents’ club meeting. ALO’s will be able to meet at this venue as well for their annual meeting. Entertainment has been booked, and the USAFA Players are gearing up for their performance. During the March 2007 meeting a sign up sheet will be passed around for volunteers to help with this event.
Deb Martenson discussed gift bag options given to the new appointees at the social. She asked that if anyone has suggestions for resources on where to obtain AFA items, please contact her at d.martenson@charter.net. A suggestion was made that that a call be made to Colonel Walker at the Athletic Department for assistance. Approximately 18-20 gift bags will need to be prepared for the appointees attending the social.
Donations: Peg Backes submitted a request that our club donate $100 to the Barb Turnquist family be approved. Mrs. Turnquist, the mother of a 2008 cadet from Apple Valley, passed away this past December. This donation will be used as directed by the Turnquist family to be donated to a charity of their choice, as a memorial to this AFA mother. A motion was made and seconded that this donation be approved.
Peg Backes also asked that a $500 donation be made to the Rando Fund at the AFA. The Rando Fund is an emergency fund that is managed by the Academy to help cadets in need. A motion was made that this donation be made, was seconded and approved.
These two donations will be sent and validated as received, and a report will be given to the club.
Door Prize: Patrice Klayum asked about the possibility of offering an airline ticket to a cadet as a prize drawing. She suggested that the prize could be offered at one of the functions during the year, such as orientation, picnic, or tailgate. The winning cadet’s family would have to be present to win. Discussion was held that this might improve attendance at the meetings and functions. Cindy Mokos offered that each time a member attends a meeting, they could put their name in the drawing and then the more meetings attended, the greater chance of winning.
This suggestion will be further explored and refined, and was tabled until the March ’07 meeting, at which time this subject will be put to a vote.
ALO Report: Major Tom Mattison reported that a new football coach has been hired at the AFA. The new coach is an ’89 AFA grad and has considerable experience as both a professional and college coach. He stated emphatically that in the coming year it would be good to win both Army and Navy games.
He also reported that for the Class of 2011 there were 8720 applicants. Of these, 6100 were considered designated candidates. Of these, 1011 have been qualified by nomination at this time. Currently, 509 appointments have been given (7 from MN), and 100 appointments have been accepted (3 from MN). He remarked that most of the appointments will be handed out in March of 2007.
Major Mattison reported that Minnesota has previously had as many as 50 ALO’s, which managed 600 schools, throughout the state. Not all Minnesota schools are able to supply qualified candidates, however, most are. Recently the number of ALOs for Minnesota had dropped to 30. The AFA is planning to unfreeze the hiring process to allow more ALO’s in the future. This is a volunteer position, but the officers can earn points toward retirement. He remarked that it is hard for ALO’s to give attention to every student, but they do the best they can to try to reach every school and every student. Minnesota has recently gained 5 new ALO’s. Most of these are assigned to the northern and southern part of the state. One lives in Owatona, and another in Duluth.
Major Mattison’s email address is thmattison@comcast.net if anyone would like to contact him with questions or concerns.
Graduation News: Bios and Pictures for the graduating class of 2007 should be turned into Peg Backes by the middle of March. A poster board of all graduating firsties will be made and displayed at the Spring Social. The picture should be a 4x5 if possible (no larger). Informational letters and/or e-mails will be going out to all firstie parents in the near future.
Peg Backes reported that in past years gifts have been given to every graduating firstie. The gift of $50 and an inscribed pen and pencil set was recommended for the 2007 graduates. A motion was made, seconded and approved that these gifts be purchased and sent to each graduating 2007 cadet.
Peg also mentioned that sabers are now available for the graduating seniors. Graduating cadets should have received information on the purchase of the sabers, as well as engraving and mounting information. The sabers are available at the uniform issue store for $171. These can also be obtained from the AOG, but the cost there is $250.
Deb Anderson (’06) and Marilyn Benson (’06) shared with the club the details of their graduation experiences from last year. They showed examples of available graduation items that can be purchased, as well as the memory books and items they had created for their cadets. They discussed the agenda for the week of graduation, and shared their thoughts and insights on several issues, including lodging, invitations and announcements, and traditions.
One piece of advice was to allow plenty of time for each event, as everything takes longer than expected. Deb Anderson said that the person(s) putting on the new shoulder boards should PRACTICE this in advance. She recommended that the boards be unscrewed partially before the commissioning ceremony so that it does not take so long to do.
Regarding graduation day, Marilyn recommended that the website should be checked to see what would be allowed in the stadium. Every year is different, based on security issues. If the President or the Vice President is the guest speaker, because of security issues, allow additional travel time and arrive earlier for events.
Graduation information is sent each year to the graduating cadet’s family for planning purposes. The Cadet Wing creates an exceptional graduation video each and it was highly recommended that this video be purchased.
Another memento that could be considered for a graduating cadet is purchasing a paver, which is placed outside the AOG building. This brick can be inscribed with the cadet’s name and a message, and the cost is approximately $250.
Deb Anderson reminded everyone that if you want a picture of the graduating class crest, make sure it is taken it before the Tuesday before graduation. On Tuesday the crest is moved and the rising First Degree crest is put into place. The First Degree flag is also furled on that Tuesday, so if you want a picture, take it before that day.
If you would like to have further questions answered by either Deb Anderson or Marilyn Benson, you can e-mail them at the following addresses:
It was also mentioned that you can get a flag that was flown at the state capital on the day of graduation for your cadet, by contacting the capital directly.
Another suggestion was that the newspaper from Colorado Springs on the day after graduation has good articles and pictures that might be interesting to read and save.
Mr. And Mrs. Mattison spoke briefly about their experiences as parents of their 1990 AFA cadet, Major Tom Mattison. They talked about visiting the duty bases where Tom has been stationed, and mentioned that holidays were not always celebrated until after the fact, based on his availability. Mr. Mattison remarked that after graduation you are now the parent of an active duty officer, and that experience has its continued challenges and ups and downs. Parental support is still needed as the cadets move into the active duty portion of their lives.
Mr. And Mrs. Mattison supports their son by visiting the bases where he is stationed, subscribing to periodicals like the AF Times, and supporting the AOG. This gives them a way to stay connected to the AFA. The challenge for parents in the serving military is something to be dealt with for years to come.
Announcements
Patrice asked for thoughts and prayers for the family of the West Point cadet that has been missing since last December. Cadet Nickolas Rossini is a freshman at West Point. A card was sent around for signing and will be sent to the family expressing our hopes for a positive outcome.
Parent’s Night Out, Thursday, February 8, 2007, 7 p.m. at Chianti Grill in Burnsville.
Parents’ Club Meeting at the MAC Building, Saturday, March 3, 2007
Parent’s Night Out, Thursday, March 8, 2007. 7:00 p.m. at The Irish Pub, 931 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis.
Spring Social, Saturday, April 28, 2007, Olympic Hills Country Club, Eden Prairie.
Cadet sharing rounded out the meeting, which was then adjourned at 12:05 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Deborah Martenson
Secretary