Inaugural Ring Memorial Program
On 20 November 2000, Tony Ferraiuolo, Director, Class Support Program, AOG; Major Fred Rice ’88, Class Advisor to the Class of 2002; Cadet Joe Da Silva, 2002 Class President; Cadet Jackie Lawson, 2002 Chair of the Ring and Crest Committee; and LTC (Ret.) Ron Turner ’58 returned to the Herff Jones company in Prodivence, RI, for the “meltdown.” A total of twenty-nine rings and portions of two others (pictured above) were given and used for the inauguration of the program.
Included was the ring that had been taken into space by Astronaut (Colonel) Bill McArthur ’73 on the 100th NASA mission. Once the stones were removed at the Herff Jones plant we proceeded to Gannon & Scott, Inc., refiners and assayers of precious metals, for the actual meltdown. A small portion of melted gold was drawn from the kiln and provided to me so that it could be mixed with rings donated next year and new gold that will be used to make the rings for the Class of 2003. As we proceed with this program, there will always be a small amount of gold from all rings donated to the program to be passed on to the future classes.
Class of 2002 Ring Memorial Donor Listing
1906 COL Charles B. Gatewood
1913 COL Desmore O. Nelson
1916 MAJ Arthur M. Jones
AUG 1917 1LT Earle A. Billings
NOV 1918 LTC Edwin B. Fitzpatrick
1919 COL Robert R. Raymond, Jr.
1923 COL Sheffield Edwards
1924 COL Robert H. Thompson
1924 BG Herbert D. Vogel
1926 COL John S. Roosma
1927 COL Harold S. Isaacson
1927 MG Martin J. Morin
1927 BG William P. Pence
1928 COL James W. Brown, Jr.
1931 COL Chester W. Ott
1931 COL Charles W. Raymond
1931 COL Harry G. Roller
1932 MG Thomas C. Darcy
1941 COL Richard W. Kline
1944 LTC John T. Coughlin II
1951 CPT Donn F. Chandler
1952 LTC Gilbert L. Burns
1952 COL James E. McDonnell
1952 COL George R. Relyea
1952 LTC Arthur R. Stebbins
1953 MAJ James L. Dade (partial)
1953 1LT Francis J. Doyle
1958 LTC Stanley Bacon, Jr. (partial)
1958 LTC Sterling W. Wyatt
