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

Page 34 text:

Class of ‘98 H Ring Dance. This is the night that everyone has been waiting for since the day they got here. Seeing “the rock” on the hands of seniors is something that inspires us to keep on going. It helps us to remember that there is something at the end of the our journey. We can take our class ring wherever we go to remind us of our good times at “The Point.” The ring is something material to remind us of what we had to endure to make it through the Academy. The Admiral begins the night by “christening” the ring of each midshipman with water from each of the Seven Seas. He then places the ring around the neck of the midshipman’s date. The midship- men spend the night talking about the past four years, the next four years, and what they hope to accomplish during their last year here at Kings Point. This really is a special night for the first classmen because it is the first night that they all are together for the first time after being divided to go out to sea. It is a night that marks final stages of a midshipman at the academy, and the beginning of the duty as an officerto serve his her country. I 30