United States Naval Academy - Lucky Bag Yearbook (Annapolis, MD)

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' HE ANNOUNCEMENT THAT launched the 1946 LUCKY BAG boomed through the Mess Hall one evening in early February: The Com- mandant has approved the election of the following offi- cers for the 1946 LUCKY BAG: D. G. Iselin, Editor; A. C. Braseth, Business Manager. Immediately the two tackled their work in order to produce the best Bag in the history of the Regiment. They conferred on bids by printers, engravers, and photographers; they concurred on the happy selection of Jahn and Oilier to engrave the pictures, Thomsen-Ellis-Hutton to print the book, and Joseph Schiff to take the photographs. At the same time, Don chose his assistants. He selected Chan Beach, J § Jig Collins, and Ed Sheehy for his trio of right-hand men and assigned the various divisions of the book to his section editors. As soon as the staff determined the contents of our book, Hartley Bancroft had the Academy scene popping with flash bulbs, furnishing pictorial records of our three years by the Severn. Bancroft and his photographers had a tedious task, demanding long hours in dark rooms and short notice for snapping shutters. Meanwhile, Bras hibernated in order to plan our budget. He too chose an able staff to help him jiggle in- come and outlay. Bill Slesnick contracted with adver- tisers in a drive to decorate the black ink side of our ledger; the circulation staff, under Sandy Sandeford and Jim Weirich, drummed up sales in Bancroft Hall. Ace Kloss was selected to coordinate our work with our engravers. Bras himself frequently warned the writers not to be so extravagant with our hardeamed and not too plentiful funds. By the end of our youngster year, Editor Iselin had the keel of the Bag laid and the hull well under con- struction. First of the staff to get under way was Dan Walker, whose headache consisted of a mere eleven hun- dred biographies, formal portraits, and informal snaps. With the assistance of Managing Editor Beach, he com- pleted his section by Christmas. Iselin and Beach col- laborated on the introductory pages to present a colorful beginning to our book. During the fall and winter terms our staff worked up a full head of steam. Plebe Summer section editor Toll supervised the yard pictures and re- corded our first reactions to the Academy. The perils of plebe year were recounted by Associate Editor Sheehy; the carefree days we enjoyed as youngsters were related Seated: Officer Representative Comdr. C. E. McCombs, J. J. Collins, C. L. Beach, Editor-in-Chief D. G. Iselin, Business Manager A. C. Braseth, D. Walker, S. Zipser, F. G. Babbitt. Standing, first row: H. S. Bancroft, E. J. Sheehy, A. P. Kulik, L. W. Dienst, W. H. Sandeford, W. E. Slesnick, J. E. Hart, v. M. Oiler, VV. D. Blevins, R. E. Enright. Standing, second row: H. H. Held, D. T. Giles, C. L. French, A. E. Rose, K. T. Swanson, J. E. Weirich, V. M. Georgen, D. R. Toll, A. C. Lewis, G. Krekstein, C. L. von Schrader, R. W. Bates, E. W. Myers, J. E. Moore

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liif tlie jHcuUAi a ike JVao ■ H Since the. dlci4f we were born, we have been under the guardianship of the law. That it can punish became painfully evident when Dad first applied force of slipper to seat of trousers for our violation of a home rule. But our law also acts as a guide to civilized living and as a safeguard of our rights. It is the cornerstone of organized so- ciety, based on the Golden Rule, constructed by the desire of the majority of thinking men to guard the rights of all. Our law ' s purpose is simple— to ensure to everyone the rights of civilized living without the fear of their unjustified removal. Our Constitution was originally set forth, among other reasons, to establish justice in these United States. Similarly the Four Freedoms were promulgated to emancipate the world from oppres- sion. There are times when a gang of criminals, local or international, threatens the common law of decency. We fight today to enforce that law for ourselves and the world at large. One, dcuf. we ifuiaea. our civil rights and civilian clothes for the U. S. Naval Acad- emy Regulations and the midshipman ' s uniform. From that day on we underwent the subtle transformation from civilians to Naval officers under the surveillance of the Academy Regulations. At times the Reg book was a hard taskmaster; it had to be. Its most difficult job was to harness us to the routine life of the Academy, to teach us to account for our actions, and to help us learn self-discipline. In the Navy, geared for war and spirited action, a slip can be fatal. The Reg book had to indoctrinate us with that fact often and with lasting impression. The hours of punishment awarded us for shortcomings and misdeeds remain one of our most poignant memories. But our Reg book, though hard, was fair. We perceived that clearly when we became its agents, ad- ministering its law as we stood junior officer watches with sword and white gloves. itteHilcut to- tUe Aliiclel for the government of the United States Navy. ' Each Sunday morning, the Regimental Adjutant recited to us a portion of those articles, I the basis of naval law. They are the origin of U. S. Navy Regulations, the comprehen- sive, inclusive legal code of the Navy, the backbone of Naval Courts and Boards, the source of court martial and board of inquiry procedure. Navy Regulations furnish ' instructions and advice on any subject that we may encounter in our Naval careers. There is another source of Naval law, or at least Naval horse sense. It is The Laws of the Navy, by Captain Hopwood of the Royal Navy. That little poem contains the best possible counsel for sea-faring men— common sense. Because we believe that law, the cornerstone of all society, civil or Naval, is nothing more than common sense couched in legal phraseology, and because we maintain that the most vital need in the world today is common sense, we dedicate the 1946 Lucky Bag to the LAWS OF THE NAVY. 13

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Flash bulb experts . . . editorial oremeji . . and financiers by Associate Editor Collins with the assistance of Frank Babbitt. Stan Zipser concluded our history with his sum- mary of first class life. Hard-working Adam Kulik and his task force covered the year ' s sports operations, a mammoth undertaking. Over them all was our ever- present editor, supervising, editing, aiding everyone to make those deadlines. Great credit is due our Officer Representative, Com- mander McCombs, who guided us from the days when the book was just a dream until our final deadline was in sight. He was always willing to give us a hand, always ready with timely advice when we needed it. Composing the 1946 LUCKY BAG called for long hours of hard work with many headaches, searching for the right picture, seeking the best words for the narra- tive. But ours was not a thankless job, for we were striv- ing to produce a lasting record of our years together in the Academy. Bancroft took pictures i;. •,■•.•.«-.!- ; ■••.■; ; Comdr. McCombs was our advisor 15