By Erika Norton, WPAOG staff

The West Point Association of Graduates hosted the 25th Annual Ring Melt Ceremony in Eisenhower Hall on Friday, January 10, 2025. Family members and guests gathered to witness gold from 73 donated rings be melted and added to the gold which will be used to make the West Point Class of 2026’s class rings. 

This year’s event marked the 25th year of the WPAOG Ring Memorial program, through which gold from 967 rings from graduates spanning 1896-2006, has been donated and added to the Legacy Gold. Since the first Ring Melt in 2002, the Legacy Gold continues to be preserved to be added to each subsequent year’s Ring Melt.

To ensure that the Class Ring Memorial Program will continue in perpetuity for future generations of the Long Gray Line, the Class of 1966 made a generous gift in 2022. This significant legacy endowment, created in Memory of the Fallen Brothers of the Class of 1966, serves to honor their service, sacrifice and valor.

In August, the Class of 2026 will receive their class rings containing the unifying Legacy Gold. 

“Gold unites. Legacy ignites,” said Class President Cadet Miles Manney ’26 at this year’s ceremony. “These four words capture the heart of the ceremony: how the gold from your loved ones’ rings binds us to the shared values of Duty, Honor, and Country that define the Long Gray Line. As this legacy becomes part of our rings, it ignites in us a sense of purpose. 

“When we wear our rings next August, they will symbolize more than just our time at the Academy,” Manney said, “they will embody the lives, values and sacrifices of those that came before us, guiding our service and inspiring our actions as we lead in defense of freedom.”

Class of 2026 Ring Memorial Donor Listing