United States Merchant Marine Academy - Midships Yearbook (Kings Point, NY)

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Administrator US. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration 400 Seventh Street. S.W Washington, D C. 20590 Message to the Merchant Marine Academy Class of 1997 It is my great pleasure to congratulate the 1997 graduating class of the Merchant Marine Academy. As an alumnus of Kings Point, I know the elation you now feel after completing four years of rigorous marine study and finally achieving your scholastic goal. Many diverse and elusive challenges await you in the twenty-first century. Your energy and enthusiasm will truly meet their mettle in the upcoming decades. You will demonstrate your excellence of character by how continuously you enhance your knowledge and skills, how readily you earn the trust and esteem of your colleagues, and how well you care for those you lead. As a graduate of this institution, you are the standard bearer of its values and ideals. As you set out on your life’s journey, you embody the enduring legacy of a proud profession whose need by our nation has never been greater. Your graduation marks the beginning of the greatest adventure of your life. Many sea changes have windswept the world you now enter. Our nation will call on your creativity and look to your leadership to answer the complex demands of tomorrow’s realities. I am confident that the education, the ethics and the passion for excellence, instilled in you at Kings Point, will be the wellspring you draw on lifelong in your service to our nation. May you know fair winds and following seas. May the future be as exciting and as challenging as you could possibly imagine. And may you make America a better place for us all as you set sail for the twenty-first century. Maritime Administrator 21 ©Recycled Recyclable

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SUPERINTENDENT UNITED STATES MERCHANT MARINE ACADEMY KINGS POINT. NEW YORK 1 1024-1699 To the Class of 1997: Congratulations! You can be very proud of your accomplishments in completing the Academy’s rigorous and demanding curriculum. Individually and as a class, you successfully led the Regiment of Midshipmen as we continued to work together to make Kings Point the very best. You graduate with my deep respect and gratitude for a job well done. I know you are ready to accept the challenges and responsibilities ahead. I am confident that you will serve the Nation well and bring honor and pride to yourselves and to the U. S. Merchant Marine Academy. God steer thee well, ‘97. PS On a very personal note, the Class of ‘97 will always be remembered by Mrs. Matteson and me as our “first” Graduating Class. Thank you, all. Respectfully, THOMAS T. MATTESON Rear Admiral, USMS