April 2002
Dear Parents of Midshipmen,
We are so excited as we enter this final year of our involvement with the NorthEast Ohio Naval Academy Parents club. Our son, Brian will be a Firstie as we go through the next year. We hope to share with you as much as possible our experiences, and therefore possibly help others along the way.
Our involvement with NEONAP has enriched the last three years of our lives in immeasurable ways. Sharing a chartered 38 foot Beneteau sailboat over our plebes' Herndon weekend with the Bartels was a great start. Sharing season tickets to the football games with the Luczyk's has been so much fun it should be illegal! Acts of kindness and generosity have left us speechless at times. The friendships forged through this shared experience have grown deep, and I hope and plan to keep them the rest of our lives! Membership in this club offers something to us, as parents of Midshipmen, from which we can greatly benefit. The experience of being a parent during the four years our young adult children spend at the Naval Academy, are in many ways more difficult than being parents to teenagers! The range of emotions, the fear, the uncertainty, the phone calls... The advice we have gratefully received from upper-class parents has often helped us advise others as well as survive on occasion. Through it all we have not only survived but grown and even thrived.
We take the helm of this organization from the very capable hands of Chris and Lin Bartel. They have taught us so much about leadership. We are in awe of them and will look to them for advice in the coming year. The candidates' dinner in March broke a club record in recent history hosting 16 candidates and 78 dinners served. Participation like that comes from great membership involvement - something we are fortunate to enjoy.
The coming year offers us so much to look forward to. The Plebe Picnic, "I-Day," the Sub Party, Firstie Parents' Weekend, our annual White Elephant Exchange, the Navy/Army bus trip weekend and, of course, the Military Ball. The Plebe Picnic for the Class of 2006 will be held on June 15, 2002 at the Ledges in Peninsula. It's a beautiful spot for a picnic gathering and such a great opportunity for the incoming plebes and parents to plan and prepare for the coming weeks. The Upper-Class Mids who attend are so helpful in preparing the incoming plebes, answering questions and putting fears to rest. The Sub Party, just a short six weeks later, celebrates the end of Plebe Summer and helps prepare the new parents for the all-important Plebe Parents' Weekend. This is where membership really begins to pay off! Held at the Mentor Harbor Yacht Club, we must take a boat to an island - our final picnic destination, making it a truly nautical event. In October, the White Elephant Exchange is a time to let our hair down and have some great laughs with the clever and often surprising "gifts" exchanged. By this time, we should really know one another and can start to get excited about our FIRST ANNUAL BUS TRIP FOR THE NAVY/ARMY GAME!! This will be, we're certain, an unforgettable experience and something none of us will want to miss! The Military Ball finishes out the calendar year with a dressy affair shared with parents, family, and Mids. Before we know it, we will be packing up our much-anticipated care packages. We understand they are the envy of Bancroft Hall! Before we know it, another year will have passed, and we will be preparing for Commissioning Day!
In closing, we hope to share the blessings we have enjoyed over the past very quick three years. We have met so many new friends through NEONAP. We look forward to the year ahead to welcoming new members and making more new friends. The best way we have found to meet people is by being involved and participating in club activities. We hope you will all make it a priority to keep involved with the club and all it has to offer. You stand to gain so much... especially FUN!
Glenda and Marty Carbaugh
