KMI REUNION 2009

The spring season flew by, winter finally left, and all of a sudden the 2009 reunion was upon us. South Florida usually gets hit by a severe drought this time of year. Fortunately, for the plants and the water tables at Lake Okeechobee, this year was far from the norm. Thursday May 14 turned out to be an interesting day for those cadets who traveled down I-75. Periodic thunderstorms greeted them from north Georgia all the way past Tampa. The clouds cleared by late afternoon so we could register at the Venice Little Theater, be greeted by Jim Burrows ('53) Forrest Respess ('44) and get ready for the kickoff cocktail party at our old train depot.

The Venice train depot was looking good. A lot of new memorabilia was on the walls, and the history of our little town came into clearer view. Firs time reunion attendees spent a lot of time talking about those 30+ hour train rides from Louisville. It all came back to them as they looked around. One father-son KMI team was spotted down on the first floor of the depot. Dan Stewart ('47) and son Dee ('70). Dee had some recent surgery and was looking for someone with whom he could race wheelchairs. Dave Dickinson ('52) didn't oblige....thanks Dave! Dave joined us at the picnic on Friday afternoon and found a lot of old friends with whom to jawbone.

Friday morning found the buses to Sarasota operating normally, and those families who rode them were treated to a trip to the Ringling Museum, the Rubens art collection, and a tour of the property. Golf outings at the Venetian Country Club kept many of the boys busy in the morning, thanks to Chip Powell ('69). We dodged more than a few raindrops on Friday morning throughout the greater west coast area. Steve and Brenda Rains ('68), daughter Stephanie and granddaughter Jordan set up the picnic area for us at Nokomis Beach. The buffet was quite tasty and the beer was cold. The band played, as always, plenty of old favorites. The rain ran us undercover a couple of times, but it didn't dampen anyone's spirits. Friday evening brought us a little R&R to recoup (a few of us may be getting older). The '66 bunch had a crew out at the Crow's Nest. Frank Lively ('63) and his rowdies invited everyone to carouse down at the El Patio Hotel. The hotel looked pretty doggone good! Some of the gang landed at Sharkey's. Rumors were spreading that a couple of the guys from the mid '60s actually were trying to find old girlfriends.

Bill Victor kicked off the Alumni Meeting at the Venice Little Theater on Saturday morning. Becoming a new tax exempt entity was the order of the day, and Bill has asked Kennedy Simpson ('71) and Tip Richmond ('69) to help with those efforts. Following 501C status, we can continue to work on legacy projects, including a cadet statue to be on display either at the train depot or on our old parade field. The group voted to return to Louisville in June 2011 for our next reunion. Times are changing in Louisville. The Executive West has been sold to Crowne Plaza, and the Executive East has been torn down. So....finding a suitable place for a reunion with 300 expected participants and a variety of activities housed under one roof may be a greater challenge than in the past. We recognized the presence of C.T. "Pat" Eddie at the alumni meeting. Pat drove down from Merritt Island. Oh.....by the way...he's a member of the class of 1937. He enjoyed the cocktail party, the picnic, and the alumni meeting but returned home and missed our banquet. Pat invites anyone in the area to come up to Merritt Island and join him for a golf game. He said he still plays twice a week. Greg Rohrer ('69) gave us the Treasurer's report for the last reunion and an update on how this one was coming along. We're in good shape.

The night was a bunch of fun. Bonnie Victor made sure our senior cadets received a lot of hugs and TLC. Where does one sign up for this service at the next reunion? The Plantation Country Club staff knew who we were and why we were there. We filled up the room with approximately 180 participants. Jim Burrows ('53) and Greg Rohrer ('69) with added help from Bill Victor (69) manned the registration desk and handled the drink tickets, name tags, and book sales. Dinner was served, and it was excellent according to the consensus of cadets polled. Bill Victor then began by introducing three guest speakers: Brad Lyman from Kentucky Country Day School reiterated his support for the KMI legacy. Sue Chapman, President of the Venice Historical Society, welcomed us. Then we were treated to Julia Cousins Laning, Venice resident and sister of James Cousins, class of 1936. Julia was able to tell us what went on in Venice during the first few years that KMI was there. Many people believe that KMI helped rescue Venice from the Depression. She talked about the dollars that were spent in the downtown stores, including her mother's Venetian Tea Room. She also talked about a work/study program initiated by Colonel Richmond that allowed her brother to attend the school. Receiving our history from one who was here was very meaningful. Frank Lively ('63) began the class rep introductions. He also recognized the appearance of our favorite Dairy Queen owner Bob (Ichabod) Briner. Richard Selleck ('67) faithfully picks up Bob every reunion and brings him to our banquet. Forrest Respess ('44) had to go back home to take on a role in a play so he missed everything but the cocktail party. Bob Peters ('42) is our senior class rep, and he was in attendance as was his classmate Tom Gattle. Venice resident Ed Mogford ('41) attended his first reunion, accompanied by his wife Gloria, son Ed Jr. and daughter in law Darriel . The ultra senior cadet for this reunion was one half of another father-son team. Fred Lippucci, Sr. ('34) wife Marion, son Fred, Jr. ('65) and wife Donna. Fred, Sr. and Marion live in Naples and Fred. Jr. and Donna live in Maine. What a treat it was to have these special cadets and their families in attendance. We tried as hard as we could to bring in Frank Sower ('29) from Naples for our banquet. Talking to son John the week before the reunion, we found out that Frank had sustained serious injury because of a fall. He was confined to a wheelchair and was being transported back home to Frankfort, Ky. Our best wishes go out to Frank, his wife, and the family.

That 1963 bunch, headed up by Bill Vermillion, took the honors by bringing twelve of its classmates to the reunion. Hershell Murray, 1955 class rep, rounded up eleven. New 1965 class rep Larry Williams followed with nine, and the 1966 gang brought seven. Paul and Jane Whitney ('68) made the longest trek from Bremerton, WA. Michael Wilch ('66) brought us a brick that classmate Herman Davis had lifted from the old patio of the San Marco building. Jack Creamer ('49) informed us that his great-great-grandfather was one of the co-founders of the original KMI with Col. Allen. Then it was time for a special presentation. Billy Nunn ('67) had a special talent at KMI for obtaining keys. Making several long stories short, he usually had a new key for every lock on campus within a month or so of a new school year. He presented a complete set of keys to the armory to Sgt. William Brand, a faithful member of the KMI military department in 1965. Everyone enjoyed the "official" 2009 reunion poster made by George Ward It can be viewed on the website and can be ordered by contacting George ('66). A few remaining KMI history books from the 2nd printing are still for sale. Get in touch with Greg Rohrer ('69).

We recognize and appreciate the ongoing work that Jim Flora ('62) and Frank Lively ('63) do to keep the excellent www.kmialumni.org web site up and running. Jim Burrows ('53) maintains a separate database on www.kcd.org/kmi for added security. That's all folks.

See you in Louisville!

Leon Hirsh 1968