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

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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

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I XZis world is a tossing; Since the dawn of history, man baspliedthesea. His motives have varied, butthe hazards have always remained the saiqfe. With tijbproghess civilization, his vessels and equipment have improved, reducing some- what the dangers of his occupation, but not eliminating them. The lot and ■ life (jfflfhe seaman has improved steadily in recent years. Todays his profes- sion requires both skill and knowledge. Yet, in many ways, the actual man, the seaman, has not changed. He is a man away from his ho me, his family, his friends. His world is a tossing hull; his society, his shipmates. He faces the fury of the elements as does no other man. In this modem World, equipped as it is with instant communication, nuclear power, a world on the threshold of space, the sea is still virtually unknown. Its past, its future, its inhabitants, its very nature, remain shrouded in mystery. On this vast void, covering two-thirds of the earth’s surface, this last frontier of science, the seaman makes his home.