UNITED STATES AIR FORCE ACADEMY

PARENTS’ CLUB OF MINNESOTA MEETING

February 2, 2008

Fort Snelling Officer’s Club

ATTENDEES:

Class of 2008

Kent and Patrice Klayum, Darrell and Linda Tamosuinas, Judy Biddle, Jon and Heidi Stignani, Terry and Stephanie Thome, Doug & Mary Miller, Deane Monitz, Bruce Nordquist, Chris & Julie Holden, Jim Ross

Class of 2009

Rich and Deb Martenson, Dave Kracht, Judy & Marshall Schwartz

Class of 2010

Jin and Debra Baik, Kim Landecker, Bob & Mary Peplin, Mike and Rita Lundquist, Al & Jayne Anderson

Class of 2011

Sue Bethke, Tom & Diane Witzig, James & Deb Sturdevant, Mary Wood, Kirk Lewis

THE MEETING WAS CALLED TO ORDER AT 10:08 a.m. by Patrice Klayum, who welcomed and thanked everyone for attending.

MINUTES of the November 3, 2007 meetings were distributed and approved.

TREASURER’S REPORT – A financial report was submitted that indicated our current reconciled bank balance is $6448. This report was approved as submitted and is attached to these minutes.

NEW BUSINESS

Mom’s Overnight: Patrice Klayum reported that the Mom’s Overnight was held on Saturday, January 26, and that a good time was had by all who attended. The winner of the ‘pajama contest” was Deb Sturdevant, and the runner-up was Linda Tyner.

Recognition Patches: Patrice updated the club members with information about club class recognition patches. The 2011 patches have been manufactured and distributed by the Nebraska Parent’s Club and have been well-received. The 2010 patches are now available for purchase. The 2008 patches are in production, and the 2009 patches will be manufactured next. The 2008 patches will also represent this class as the 50 AFA class. Anyone interested in obtaining a patch should contact her.

2008 Spring Social: Deb Martenson reported that the Spring Social has been scheduled for April 26, 2008, and will be held again this year at the Olympic Hills Country Club. Plans are being made and the event is being finalized. This event will be hosted by the Parents of the Class of 2009, but she encourages everyone to attend the social to welcome in the new Class of 2012. Lt. Col. Reed Bowman, a 1989 AFA graduate, will be the guest speaker. Colonel Bowman is currently the squadron commander of the F-16 Air National Guard unit in Duluth.

2008 Orientation: Deb Martenson also reported on the upcoming Orientation Meeting for the Class of 2012, which is scheduled to be held on Saturday, May 17, 2008, at the Fort Snelling Officer’s Club. This event is being planned along with the current class representatives. The guest speaker for this meeting will be Brig. Gen. Desjardins, Commandant of Cadets, from the AFA. We are looking forward to having her speak at this function and be available for the panel discussions.

ALO Report: Major Tom Mattison was not able to attend this meeting, but sent information which Patrice reported to the club. He indicated that the Minnesota state liaison officer directors (Mike Germain, MN) recently met with 4 current cadets at the AFA. The number one thing the cadets enjoy most from our club are the boxes of cookies we send each year in December. C3C Jonathan Tellefson was also recognized and honored as the Outstanding Performance of Cadets.

Graduation Presentation: This meeting’s special guests were introduced to give the club information about graduation. Bruce and Sandy Huber (Matt ’07), Cindy and Bob Mokos (Mindy ’07), and Mark and Peg Backes (Jon ’07) graciously attended the meeting and shared with the club members their graduation experiences.

Important points were made, including the information that each graduating class will receive a packet of information directly from the AFA in the mail prior to graduation. The information is currently online as well. Traffic is a major issue during the week of graduation. Advise was given to make sure and allow plenty of travel time to arrive at each event, especially for commissioning and the actual graduation ceremony.

Darrell and Linda Tamosuinas will be creating a picture/bio board of all the current graduating seniors (Class of 2008) to be displayed at the Spring Social. Please be able to provide them with a 4x5 original photo of your senior, along with a biography. Examples of these can be seen on the Parent’s Club website under the senior photo tab if you need inspiration. http://www.usafamnpc.org These photos and bios will also be mailed out in a newsletter to the membership.

When securing lodging for graduation week, plan as far in advance as possible, but rooms are sometimes available at the last minute because of cancellations. Make sure you read your lodging contracts carefully, as each hotel can have difference policies on when and how rooms can be cancelled.

Each cadet can purchase up to 3 ceremonial sabers at the Cadet Store. The price of the sabers there is less than through the AOG source.

Tickets to attend the graduation ceremony are unlimited as long as the event is held in the Falcon Stadium. In the event of inclement weather, graduation will be held in the Clune Arena and only 4 tickets are allowed per cadet. This is important to know if you are having a large group attend graduation. Additional tickets can be obtained from the Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce for the outdoor venue. Be sure to bring along any handicap permits for you or your guests. Note: Because of security issues, once you are in the stadium (or arena) for the ceremony, no one is allowed to leave until the ceremony is over.

The class crest is centered on the chapel wall. You will need your cadet to escort you to the terrazzo on or before the Sunday before graduation. On Monday it is moved further down the wall. You should plan to take pictures of the crest before it is moved if possible.

Be sure to ask your cadet where they will be located during the graduation parade, and also during the graduation ceremony. You will want to sit where you can see your cadet best. You can take your own videos during these events, but Wing Media also provides a comprehensive video for purchase.

Commission takes place on the day before graduation. Any official military member can give the commissioning oath to your cadet. i.e. active duty personnel, retired military, etc. 2lt bars can be pinned on by family members. This event takes from 2-3 hours, so plan accordingly who you want to invite to attend this ceremony.

Kris and Les Gagner also sent information to share with the club, although they were not able to attend the meeting. Their advice was to be there for your cadets. They also recommended that plans be made to arrive early for each event. Remember that this is your cadet’s event. If you invite additional family members, consider their providing for their own transportation and entertainment. You don’t want to miss an important moment because someone else in your party is running late or is unavoidably detained.

Announcements

There are still club positions that need to be filled, so please consider helping the club out by volunteering to chair these positions: Secretary, Treasurer, Newsletter Editor, Parent’s Night Out Rep, and Shirt/Button Sales Rep.

Upcoming Events:

Parent’s Night Out, Thursday, February 7, 2008. 7:00 p.m.

Chianti Grill – 14240 Plymouth Ave. S., Burnsville (952-892-7555)

Spring Social – April 26, 2008, Olympic Hills Country Club

2012 Orientation Meeting – May 17, 2008, Fort Snelling Officer’s Club

Respectfully submitted,

Deborah Martenson, Secretary