On February 12, the Class Ring Memorial Program will hold the annual “Ring Melt” event virtually at West Point. A live stream will be broadcast from Eisenhower Hall on West Point’s YouTube channel. The link for the live stream will be released on our social media platforms before the event. This year the Class of 2022 will receive the legacy gold of 52 West Point class rings that were donated to WPAOG in 2020. Tune in to witness this historic tradition.

On February 4, The Class of 2021 chose their first Army assignments during Post Night. The event was live streamed on West Point’s YouTube channel. Video. Photos.

On February 4, the 2021 Henry O. Flipper Commemoration Dinner was held. The dinner honors the legacy of Henry O. Flipper, Class of 1877 by awarding a West Point Cadet who has persevered while overcoming adversity at USMA with the Flipper Award. This year’s winner was CDT Markus L. Wright ’21, and the guest speaker for the ceremony was Mr. Joseph B. Anderson ’65. Wright overcame personal obstacles by continuing to persevere after losing two of his best friends to gang violence while going through cadet basic training. He has since then begun working with his high school and community leaders in his hometown of Columbus, GA, to raise funds for a scholarship to provide more opportunities for young teenagers. Video. Photos.

In an all-new update of WPAOG’s most historic publication, the 2020 Register of Graduates & Former Cadets contains more than 77,000 individual entries recording the names, classes and careers of every West Point graduate from 1802 to 2020. The 2020 Edition features a premium “Red Sash” red cloth binding embossed with gold foil, suitable for display in your office or home library. Early Bird pricing is $115 (plus tax for applicable states). After March 31, 2021 the price will increase to $150! So order now online or call us Mon-Fri, 10am-5pm at 800.426.4725.

Our first West Point Entrepreneur Virtual Speaker Series event for the year will be held on Thursday, February 25, at 7pm EST and will feature Rick Dalzell ’79, Board member, Twilio and Intuit, and Ex-Senior Vice President at Amazon.com. This fireside chat will be moderated by Doug Doan ’79, General Partner, Hivers and Strivers Investment Fund. Register here if you would like to receive invitation announcements regarding future Entrepreneur events, please email us.

The Department of English and Philosophy announced the 2021 Zengerle Family Lecture in the Arts and Humanities will occur online on February 17 from 12:10pm-1:05pm with invited guest lecturer, Chef José Andrés. Chef Andrés will present remarks entitled “Finding Your Fire: Lessons from a Food First Responder,” followed by a moderated discussion and Q&A. This talk supports West Point’s Year of Ethical Leadership in a Diverse World by asking us to think deeply about the role of food security and scarcity in peacebuilding and in developing policies to support justice, equity, and social development. In Chef Andrés’s words, food “is a powerful tool to heal communities in times and crisis and beyond.” The interdisciplinary nature of this talk bridges disciplines, institutions, and communities and invites us to consider the link between “the humanities” and “the humanitarian.” For more information and to RSVP for link, contact matthew.salyer@westpoint.edu

 

Join us for fun and laughter with a virtual Paint Night on Friday, March 12 at 7pm EST. The winter gloom period is much brighter and more colorful when you add a little paint! Registration is limited so sign up today.

Everyone deserves Big Bites now and again. Our Big Bites T-shirt is a fun tribute to a long-standing West Point tradition. Our latest tee hits the store in early spring, but you can reserve your size today. Purchase additional ones to send to friends who also deserve big bites. Send the WPAOG Gift Shop your best Cadet Big Bite memory for a chance to win one of these shirts (giftshop@wpaog.org). Shirts are 100% cotton jersey and are a unisex style. Please see the size chart under the item description for more information or give us a call at 800.426.4725, M-F/10am-5pm Order your Big Bites T-shirt today!

This year marks the 10th Anniversary of West Point magazine. The Winter issue of 2021 celebrates years of history and stories about West Point and the connection to the Long Gray Line. The Winter issue also covers Fall Academics at West Point in the new COVID-19 environment, the 2020 Thayer Award Ceremony honoring Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker, and Ring Weekend for the Class of 2021. The issue is in the mail, and the digital edition is ready for viewing and sharing.

Stand out among the competition at the first Service Academy Career Conference of 2021 taking place online from February 22-26. Microsoft, JP Morgan Chase, Lockheed Martin and Procter & Gamble are global companies with positions available across the country and around the world. These and other industry leaders, as well as an exciting group of up-and-coming organizations, will be at the next SACC—and so should you! Register today to participate in this exceptional four-day career-building experience: https://sacc-jobfair.com.

CDT Justin Robinson ’21 recently presented research on Kriging Variance and Human Factors to Steer an Unmanned Aircraft System Swarm to Survey a Radiation Field at the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) SciTech Conference, where his work was published. This study explores the benefits of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) swarm that utilizes Kriging to map out and collect data from fields of interest. Kriging Swarm is an algorithm that repeatedly seeks to find the next set of optimal data points for the swarm to survey to minimize uncertainty in a field of unknown and random samples. Read more.

Founders Day is an event to celebrate the great school that you are all lucky enough to have been able to attend, to remember those that have fallen in service to the nation, to underscore the contrast of generations through the insights and humor of the oldest and youngest graduates present, and to look into the future - with knowledge of the past. It is also a time to embrace classmates and catch up with fellow alumni within your local Society. This year looks a little different, so in true West Point-fashion we are adjusting and offering a virtual event in conjunction with the West Point Societies. Join us virtually to reflect and connect by registering via the following here.

Reserve your space in the West Point Authors Bookshelf, a specially priced advertising section in West Point magazine showcasing books by West Point affiliated authors. Check out the latest West Point Bookshelf in the Fall 2020 issue to discover and support these books. Learn more about this and other WPAOG advertising and sponsorship opportunities.