Dear Fellow Alumni:
I hope the year is treating you well.
On behalf of all alumni around the globe, I extend our support and condolences to Gen. Peay ’62 for the loss of his wife, Pam, of 54 years. Pam was a wonderful woman and an important part of the VMI family. Beyond her loving influence on all of those around her, she was on post for 17 years, opening her home and her heart to cadets, alumni, staff, and so many others. She will be greatly missed.
As my term as president of the VMI Alumni Association ends, I would like to bring your attention to the many alumni volunteers who sacrifice personal time and expense to support VMI and our alumni body. Along with those volunteers is the full-time staff who work many nights and weekends on our behalf, supporting reunions, rat send-offs, career networking weekends, Legacy Days, board meetings, and the list goes on. Each of these selfless individuals shares the one common trait that is a dedication to VMI alumni and to VMI and its noble mission. To each of you, thank you.
VMI is in a great place, well-positioned to evolve with the times while keeping our core values and unique culture whole. It starts with our new superintendent, Lt. Gen. Furness ’87, who has proven to be a very visible superintendent: Visible to us alumni, to the Virginia General Assembly, and to cadets. He has a strong vision for the future while also being highly attuned to the tradition that we cherish. Rare are the leadership roles that need to concern themselves with a continuum of responsibilities that span student body haircuts to strategizing government relations and everything in between. Col. Havird ’90, VMI’s commandant, is in lockstep with the superintendent to maintain the standards and culture of the barracks. Brig. Gen. Moreschi, Ph.D., dean of the faculty, and his complete commitment to the perpetual advancement of the VMI education ensure that academics remain at the forefront of what we do. Ashley Ingram, head football coach, is making great headway on developing a winning program.
The VMI Alumni Agencies continuously seeks ways to support our alumni and to bring them together to celebrate their time at VMI. This past year was no exception: Hundreds of events, scores of emails keeping you informed, and several substantial initiatives to bring our community together.
The VMI Credo: This document clearly calls out who we alumni are, what we stand for, and what binds us together. It was conceived, written, and approved by alumni themselves, not the VMI Alumni Agencies. Besides being rhetorically elegant, the artwork is visually engaging with deliberate subtleties. Note the perspective from outside Limits Gates looking in.
myVMIalumni.org: This community engagement platform was a substantial investment in time and budget, implemented as a new and efficient means of bringing alumni together virtually or in person. If you have not signed up for it, please do. If you have signed up for it, please use it.
Career Networking Forum: We have grown this event to include over 80 alumni who donate their time and expense to travel to post to participate. By one calculation, that’s nearly 5,000 hours or volunteer time committed to the success of VMI cadets. Knowing that more is better, if you have an interest in being part of this very fulfilling endeavor, please contact the VMI Alumni Association staff.
I have had the opportunity to meet many hundreds of alumni over the 14 years that I have been associated with the VMI Alumni Association. I have concluded that while there are as many opinions about the direction of VMI as there are alumni, these opinions all orbit a core love of VMI and how it impacted our life’s journey. For this, we should all be grateful.
If you haven’t been on post lately, try and get there. If you haven’t been to a local alumni event lately, try and get to one. If you haven’t spoken to a fellow alumnus lately, try and contact one. In any case, you won’t be disappointed. If you’ve done some or all of these, you know the good feeling you get when immersed in the VMI spirit. Pass the word.
Thank you for the opportunity to serve you. As a 17-year old, 40 years ago, traveling from California to the mystical barracks in Lexington, sight unseen, it was about what can VMI do for me. After graduation, it was about what can I do to give back. I hope you will consider giving back to VMI, however it might be best for you.
As VMI evolves and new generations of cadets graduate and become alumni, keep in mind the words of the “VMI Doxology”: “So now, Keydets, with one voice cry, God bless our team and VMI!”
In the Bonds,
Matthew Hemenez ’90
