WPAOG sends warm wishes for a very Happy Thanksgiving! During this season of gratitude, we wish to express our sincere thanks for all that you do for West Point.

USMA is proud to announce two Rhodes Scholars for the Class of 2021, CDT Tyrese Bender and CDT Evan Walker. They are two of 32 scholars from the United States and will be joining recipients from more than 60 other countries. The last time West Point had more than one Rhodes scholar was back in 2014. Full story.

COL(R) Raymond Renola ’40 —West Point’s oldest living graduate— celebrated his 104th birthday last week. Last year, his family, along with the West Point Society of Washington, DC, presented COL Renola with a replacement Class of 1940 West Point class ring for his birthday. Ray had lost his ring years ago while swimming, and his family knew how much the ring meant to him. So, they tracked down the jeweler in Pennsylvania that had the mold for the class ring and had a replacement ring made for him as a surprise. As an added surprise, the West Point Alumni Glee Club attended and sang “Happy Birthday,” “On Brave Old Army Team,” and the “Alma Mater.” Join us in wishing COL Renola a Happy 104th Birthday! Go Army! Beat Navy!

On December 1, the West Point Association of Graduates is pleased to be taking part in Giving Tuesday—a global day of celebrating and encouraging philanthropy. During this season we are reminded that every generous act is significant, and each gift in support of West Point truly matters for our cadets, alumni, the Academy, and the nation. Please consider joining us in celebrating this day of giving through a gift to West Point. Donations are essential to support Margin of Excellence programs for our cadets and keep the Long Gray Line strong. Make sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram that day, and tell us how you support West Point! #GivingTuesdayUSMA

As West Point continues to produce multiple research projects to advance the Army warfighter, cadets at USMA are constantly at work reaching technological breakthroughs that make those advancements possible. Class of 2021 Cadet Thomas Aldhizer is one of many cadets using his passion for physics to develop contingency measures to potentially safeguard the lives of Soldiers on the battlefield. Aldhizer has spent most of his tenure at West Point defining theories related to lessening the variability of swinging when a casualty is being hoisted up into a Medevac helicopter. This year, the fruits of his labor finally came with the Thomas Young Award for outstanding research in physics. Full story.

“Like None Before,” the Class of 2024 arrived at West Point in July for R-Day 2020 in the middle of a global pandemic ready to train, study and serve. “USMA 2024 Joins the Corps” in the Fall issue of West Point magazine recalls their first few months at the Academy. Check out the story and our new R-Day video to see how West Point prepared for R-Day, keeping time-honored traditions with new safety protocols in place. Story. Watch the VIDEO (featuring the Superintendent).

Start the Days until winter holiday leave with our West Point Countdown Calendar. Each window features a winter scene or event at West Point. Impress your family with your Plebe knowledge by matching the windows to the fun facts on the back of the calendar. Available to ship immediately. Order at WPAOGGiftShop.com or call us at 800.426.4725, M-F, 10am-5pm.

Don’t forget to register for our first virtual Beat Navy Tailgate which begins at 1:30pm EST on Saturday, December 12. Registration closes on Sunday, December 6 at 10pm EST. And until we can resume the fun in person, enjoy these memories from the 2019 tailgate!

On Thursday, November 12, more than 300 donors attended WPAOG's Virtual West Point Donor Thanksgiving event. Taking the place of the usual in-person Superintendent’s Circle and Homecoming receptions and dinners, the festive live-streamed celebration included remarks by the Superintendent, LTG Darryl Williams '83 and Cadet First Captain Reilly McGinnis ’21, and was hosted by WPAOG President Todd Browne '85 and WPAOG VP of Development Kristin Sorenson. Read more.

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.

Reserve your space in the Spring 2021 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.