A NEWSLETTER FROM THE UNITED STATES NAVAL ACADEMY FOUNDATION 2014 ISSUE 2

From The BridgeA Family’s Love Sparks Cyber Center Gift In just five years, the

Naval Academy’sCenter for CyberSecurity Studies(CCSS) has evolvedfrom a mere concept toa thriving program thathas attracted nearly 90midshipmen as majors,the first of whom

graduate in 2016. The CCSS and its affiliatedacademic departments now offer two corecourses reaching the entire Brigade ofMidshipmen and play host to numerous guestspeakers and distinguished faculty membersengaged directly in cyber warfare and defenseoperations. In the academic community, that’s an extraordinarily rapid pace ofevolution, but we didn’t have the luxury oftime. The emerging cyber threat is that urgent.

Without private funding, little to noneof this progress would have been possible. It isn’t that the federal government doesn’trecognize the importance of cyber securityand the role the Naval Academy can play init, but it simply does not operate that quickly,especially in the midst of continuing resolutionsand sequesters. But cyber threats are ever-present; they don’t wait for budget impassesto be resolved. They exist in the cockpit, and on the bridge of the carrier.They areeverywhere in the Navy and Marine Corps,and all service members must know somethingabout them to ensure that they themselvesdon’t become the source of vulnerabilities.

Private Support Fuels Cyber

291 Wood Road • Annapolis, MD 21402 410.295.4100 • www.usna.com

Daughter Amy Looker and her five siblings witnessed the influence theAcademy and the Navy had on theirfather, who went on to found California-based Satco, a global leader in cargo pallet design and manufacturing, incountless ways. “We are very much whowe are as adults due to his experiences at the Naval Academy and into theUnited States Navy after,” Amy said.“There’s a huge amount I think of whenI think of my father and the Navy, theirrelationship and how it affected myfamily. There’s honor, there’s honesty,there’s reverence, there’s respect, there’sethics and there’s morals.”

Long after Robert Looker ’46 left active duty, his experiences at

the Academy and in the naval servicecontinued to influence his personal and professional life.

“Robert was greatly shaped by hisNaval Academy education and held a life-long passion for the Navy throughouthis career in business, only surpassed byhis love for his family,” said his wife, Mary.‘‘From my first visit to the Academy tosee him, he wore the Blue & Gold withpride and always felt that the NavalAcademy had provided him thefoundation for success.”

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Andrew Phillips, Ph.D.

Mary and Amy Looker.

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2 From the Bridge, 2014 Issue 2

There is also ingenuity andinnovation—qualities celebrated in the decision of Mary Looker, Robert’swidow, to establish the Robert and Mary M. Looker Distinguished VisitingProfessorship in Cyber Security Studies,an endowed position that will drawleading figures from the defense,intelligence and academic communitiesto the Academy to strengthen thegrowing Center for Cyber SecurityStudies with insights and expertise drawnfrom their experiences in cyber warfareand defense. John C. “Chris” Inglis,former deputy director of the NationalSecurity Agency and a retired brigadiergeneral in the Air National Guard,became the first to hold the positionwhen he joined the Academy this fall.

“We wanted to be sure to startsomething useful that would keep going,”said Mary, a President’s Circle donor andRobert Means Thompson Societymember who was married to Robert for 67 years until his death in 2012.

Editor’s note

From The Bridge is published periodically by the U.S. Naval Academy AlumniAssociation and Foundation.

© 2014, USNA Alumni Association and Foundation. Portions of this publication may be reproduced with the permission of the Communications Office, USNA AlumniAssociation and Foundation. To suggest articles or provide feedback, please contact us atcomms@usna.com.

Visit us on the web at www.usna.com.

Cyber Center Gift … continued from page 1

Throughout their marriage, the Lookerswere dedicated philanthropists whosupported organizations focused on thearts, poverty and disabilities as well as theNaval Academy Annual Fund and Leadersto Serve the Nation Campaign. Mary andAmy now divide their time between theirlongtime home in Southern Californiaand a new residence in Annapolis, whichallows them to stay close to the Academythat has been a part of their family’shistory since 1942.

The Lookers became interested inthe Center for Cyber Security Studiesafter hearing a series of presentations byformer Academy Superintendent ViceAdmiral Michael H. Miller ’74, USN (Ret.).

“He really educated us on this gray subject of cyber,” said Amy. “We as civilians didn’t understand how serious the subject is for our armed forces and national security, today andinto the future.”

The family was eager to support the cyber program in any

The Lookers proudly display a collection of Navy memorabilia at their Annapolis home.

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As an institution charged with preparingthe next leaders of our naval service, we can’tafford to sit passively and wait for funding.Our answer has been to search for privatesupport now and do what we need to do toget the program started. We followed a similarstrategy with our international programs effortsnearly 10 years ago, and these programs nowhave a significant federal appropriation theydid not have originally. It is our hope andexpectation that, as the cyber threat growsand the CCSS continues to evolve to meetthose threats, federal resources will follow.

No matter how much support theCCSS attracts from the government, privatefunding will remain vital to its success. Inaddition to working with donors to createfaculty opportunities like the Robert andMary M. Looker Distinguished VisitingProfessor position, we must also establishchannels for midshipmen to have practicalexperiences such as training events andcompetitions where they can engage inhands-on attack and defend scenarios. Wemust also provide professional developmentopportunities for faculty who need additionalgraduate education and training in the cyberfield—because virtually no one has that now.The discipline is too new. We must eitherprovide resources for current faculty to gainfurther education, or hire new faculty andprovide opportunities for them to learn whatwe need and come back to the Academy toteach it.

Private donors have an important role to play in realizing the vision we establishedfor the CCSS and the opportunity to see this vision come to life before their eyes. We thank you for your early support for this vital endeavor and welcome yourcontinued engagement.

Andrew Phillips, Ph.D. Academic Dean and Provost

Private Support Fuels Cyber

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way, and the opportunity to create avisiting professorship quickly resonatedwith them.

“Having someone who’s just comestraight from the front lines of cyberwarfare teach our midshipmen was ourgoal,” said Amy.

Having Inglis named, said Mary, “was a coup. He is just ideal in every way.You hear him talk, and you actually think,‘I understand the threat and what we cando about it.’”

According to Naval AcademyAcademic Dean and Provost AndrewPhillips, the Lookers’ gift will have alasting impact on the cyber program,which offers two core courses for allmidshipmen and will graduate its firstcyber operations majors in 2016.

“Visiting professors bring a real-world experience that few others havehad,” he said. “If Chris Inglis can stand infront of a group and say ‘here’s what wedo, here’s how it works, here’s what theother guy is doing, here’s how we’regoing to defend against that, because I was there, I’ve seen it, rather thansomeone saying ‘here’swhat I think we do’—that has great credibility.And what a lot of peopledon’t recognize is thatindividuals like ChrisInglis are attracters forother talent. People aregoing to want to comehere because he’s here.”

For Inglis, a 1976 Air Force Academygraduate who previously taught at theNaval Academy in the early 1980s as wellas West Point, the visiting professorshipoffered a unique opportunity to make afurther contribution to the Academy at aparticularly critical time.

“First and foremost, we’re all here for the midshipmen, to help take these extraordinary individuals

When the Class of 1939 began planningits 75th reunion, its members decided

that the occasion had to include a gift to theAcademy in keeping with the respect,admiration and gratitude each felt toward hisalma mater. With few living members andsurviving widows and children aging as well,the class suspected their 75th reunion mightmark their final return to the Yard and wantedto make a lasting tribute that reflected thecharacter of the class.

They did, with a gift to the Academy’sgrowing Center for Cyber Security Studies(CCSS) that exceeded its $39,000 goal by more than $5,000 —an admirableachievement for a class with only 17 livingmembers. The gift will support the ongoingcurriculum development of the cyberoperations major and the two cyber corecourses taken by all midshipmen.

“We graduated basically right intowartime,” said Class President Vice AdmiralTom Weschler ’39, USN (Ret.). “From radarand sonar during World War II to the postwarperiod as we adopted nuclear power andguided missiles, we had people in our classresponsible for being at the forefront of thosetechnologies. It seemed like we should keep

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who’ve committed to a life of publicservice, whether for five years or 50, and help them realize those aspirations,”he said. “And to make sure the cyberoperations major achieves its rightfulplace within the curriculum, they’vealready done magnificently with respect to defining it, installing it and attracting a group of people andprofessors to it, but there’s some furtherwork to be done. Third, we want to help people understand not just thediscipline in its own right, but itsemployment, its use, its leverage, so that it might help them operationalizetheir knowledge.That’s ultimately why we train midshipmen in the various disciplines, philosophies, doctrines and procedures—so that they can get back to leading operationsfor the United States and coalitions that the United States supports.”

In addition to their personal support for Inglis’ position, the Lookershave also encouraged their friends andassociates in California, most of whom are only familiar with the Academy

through the family, to learn more about the Academy and itsprograms—the Centerfor Cyber SecurityStudies in particular.

“Many of them are affiliated withbanking institutions and investment houses

that are very vulnerable in cyber, and they were elated to know that Motherwas on the cutting-edge of a subject that affects all of us,” said Amy.

Both Amy and Mary are confidentthat Robert would be pleased not justwith the direction the Academy is headedwith cyber security, but his family’s role in supporting these efforts.

“He would love it,” said Mary. n

Class President VADM Tom Weschler ’39, USN (Ret.),presents his class’s 75th Reunion Gift to Naval AcademyAlumni Association & Foundation President and CEO Byron F.Marchant ’78 (left) and Commandant of Midshipmen CAPTBill Byrne ’87, USN (center).

Class Giving

Class of ’39 Marks 75thReunion With Gift to Cyber

“We wanted to be sure to start something

useful that would keep going.”

—Mary Looker

4 From the Bridge, 2014 Issue 2

President’s Circle Celebrates 20th Anniversary

This year marks the 20thanniversary of the launch of the

President’s Circle, the Naval AcademyFoundation’s premier donor recognitionsociety. Comprising donors whocontribute at least $2,500 per year insupport to the Academy through theFoundation, President’s Circle offers anopportunity for donors to lead throughexample, inspire through action and, as most President’s Circle donors arealumni, give back to their alma mater at a significant level.

“My father and two uncles wereNaval Academy graduates, and thebenefits of attending the Academy wereimbued in me from a very early age,”said Tom Furlong ’86, whose daughterPaige is a member of the Class of 2018.“It is a transformative experience. Forme personally, I came in pretty shy andreserved.The education and leadershipopportunities I received really made adifference.Those, coupled with mynaval service, form the core of how Ilead and run the business I am in today.And now that my daughter is here we

have even more reason to support the Academy.”

In return for serving as advocatesfor the Academy and cultivating a spiritof philanthropy among their classmatesand other associates, President’s Circledonors receive an array of donorcourtesies, from public recognition andinclusion in special events nationwide toan invitation to the annual President’sCircle Weekend. Held each fall tocoincide with a Navy football game,President’s Circle Weekend features aslate of activities designed to keepdonors informed of and engaged with events and developments at theAcademy and in the Foundation.

Naval Academy parents make up a growing segment of the President’sCircle donor population. “Our family is proud to give our financial support to the Foundation at the President’sCircle level,” said Jennifer Lavis, whose sons William and McLain aremembers of the Classes of 2015 and2018, respectively. “Being part of thePresident’s Circle has provided us with

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being forward looking in our legacy to the Academy.”

The gift attracted significant support fromClass of ’39 widows and children, many ofwhom have become very involved in classactivities in the years since their fathers’ deaths.

“We really sensed that as our classmatessaw ourselves at the forefront of technology,that our children thought about us that way, too—we weren’t just a bunch of oldguys,” said Weschler, whose 40-year navalcareer included a two-year tour as the aide to Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Arleigh Burke ’23, USN, and work on thedevelopment of the Polaris missile guidanceand fire control system.

Barbara Fidel Adams, daughter of the lateCaptain Jack Fidel ’39, USN (Ret.), a navalaviator, became class secretary about two yearsago. She played an important role in gettingthe word out to the class about the gift and itspotential impact through Shipmate class notesand other communications.

“With Dad an aviator, we moved a lot, and the Navy became our family,” said Adams. “Especially his classmates and theirchildren. I was happy to reconnect with theclass as secretary.”

She also recognizes how fitting the cybergift was for the class, which in September2014 also became the first Naval Academyclass to host a virtual reunion. While Weschlerand Commander Stan Hindman ’39, USN(Ret.), were the only classmates able to returnin person, classmates and surviving familymembers checked in via video conferencingfrom Honolulu, HI; Oak Harbor, WA;Vancouver, WA; St. Augustine, FL; Santa Rosa,CA; Los Angeles, CA; McLean, VA; andHagerstown, MD.

“Both in the Navy and in civilian life,these men went on to brilliant careers intechnology, with five of them working with Admiral Rickover on the developmentof the nuclear Navy,” said Adams. “Their 50th reunion gift was an atomic clock.They’ve looked for innovation in all of their contributions.” n

Class Giving

President’s Circle donor Jennifer Lavis enjoys a pre-game tailgate with her son MIDN William Lavis ’15, left, andhis classmate MIDN Daniel Page ’15.

www.usna.com 5

a deeper understanding of thecommitment of USNA leadership andstaff—both present and past—to beingin the forefront in cyber security, ethicsand leadership development and smallgroup experiences through programslike the National Outdoor LeadershipSchool and international study, many ofwhich would not be possible withoutthe efforts of the Foundation.”

This year’s 20th AnniversaryWeekend, held 25-27 September,included a presentation fromSuperintendent Vice Admiral Ted Carter ’81, USN; keynote addressfrom Chris Inglis, the Robert andMary M. Looker DistinguishedVisiting Professor in Cyber SecurityStudies; roundtable lunch withmidshipmen; Superintendent’sreception at Buchanan House; andseminars including Game Day at theNaval Academy, the USNA TechnologyIncubator, Developing Ethical Leaders,International Programs and a walkingtour of the Naval Academy Cemetery.

“I always like to hear from theSupe. It’s a great perspective on wherethe institution is going,” said Furlong.“And Admiral Carter has a true

understanding of what skills officersneed to have coming out of theAcademy—he makes it clear to uswhere the needs are in the Academy.”

Commander Katie Thurman ’83,USN (Ret.), agrees.

“It was very enlightening to get abetter understanding of the criticalmissions that require financial support,”said Thurman, whose son is EnsignRyan Thurman ’14, USN. “We wereprovided an in-depth yet easilyunderstandable explanation of cybersecurity, the Academy’s mandatedrequirements, how to best implementthem and how it will affect theAcademy and the fleet. It wasn’t just a political catchphrase, but left usthinking, ‘I get it now.’

“Although we have participated at the President’s Circle donation levelfor several years, this was the firstPresident’s Circle Weekend we wereable to attend.We had an absolutelywonderful time. It was just plain fun to enjoy the camaraderie of othersupporters who share the love andrespect of our Academy and what itoffers. We definitely plan to attendfuture Weekends.” n

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A&SP Celebrates 70 Years

Es Miller with MIDN Keenan Reynolds ’16, winner of the E.E. ”Rip” Miller Varsity Football Award at the A&SP 70thAnniversary dinner.

More than 500 people attended the 70thanniversary of the Naval Academy

Foundation’s Athletic and ScholarshipPrograms (A&SP) division in May 2014, butthere was one undisputed guest of honor:107-year-old Es Miller, who witnessed the1944 launch of A&SP, the brainchild of herlate husband, then-football coach and assistantdirector of athletics Edgar E. “Rip” Miller.

Eager to find a way for the NavalAcademy to recruit high-caliber athletes whocould also keep up with the Academy’sextraordinary academic demands, Rip Millerand close friend H. McCoy “Piggy” Jones ofthe Class of 1919 established a program thatprovided scholarships for a year of additionalprep school education for promising athletes.That program has grown into one thatprovides support for approximately 50 studentsper year—about a quarter of whom arerecruited athletes—to attend one of a networkof 18 prep schools and colleges nationwide.Along the way, A&SP’s mission has broadenedto include general support for Navy and NavalAcademy Prep School Athletics. In recentyears, A&SP’s contributions to the Fund forAthletic Excellence have topped $1.5 millionannually and are growing.

“It has been my privilege to chair theAthletic and Scholarship Programs division of the Naval Academy Foundation, said

President’s Circle donors CDR Katie Thurman ’83, USN (Ret.), and her husband Paul Thurman connect withMIDN James Womack ’16 during President’s Circle Weekend’s roundtable lunch with midshipmen.

6 From the Bridge, 2014 Issue 2

Commander Tim Disher ’81, USN(Ret.), has been able to watch the

face of the Navy and the nature of itsmission evolve dramatically in the threedecades since his graduation.

“When I graduated in 1981 in the midst of the Cold War, the numberof ships, the amount of ammunitionand the amount of aircraft we had were most important—being able tohit the target in the event that we werein a conflict,” he said. “Fast-forward totoday, it’s more about collaboration,partnerships, the non-kinetic type ofwarfare and the ability to work withour allies at a much earlier stage in your officership. So understanding and speaking foreign languages,understanding regions and appreciatingother cultures is important.”

Disher directs the Academy’sInternational Programs Office, whichoffers several different opportunities for midshipmen to gain this kind ofknowledge: semester abroad programsat civilian universities and foreign navalacademies, four-to-six week language

or culture immersive programs andprofessional interactions with foreignnavies and counterparts.

The International Programs Officestrives to send 500 to 700 midshipmenper year for meaningful engagementopportunities overseas. Recentgovernment budget challenges haveimpacted the ability to reach this goal as 200 to 400 have participated.Roughly one third of the opportunitiesare made possible with the support ofprivate donors. Reaching the 700 mark will require a significant increasein philanthropic contributions.Fortunately, donors are responding to the growing need.

“I wanted to bring some stabilityto the program by making a five-yeargift supporting students studying abroadin critical areas: Turkey, Egypt, Singaporeand so on,” said Robert McKinney ’47,whose earlier support for the NavalAcademy has included the NavalAcademy Foreign Affairs Conferenceand International Programs initiativesfor midshipmen on track to apply for

Rear Admiral Thomas C. Lynch ’64, USN(Ret.), a former Academy Superintendentwho became chairman of A&SP in 2004.“Our 250 Trustees derive great satisfactionbecause we provide an opportunity foroutstanding scholar-athletes to attend a year of prep school to qualify for Academyadmission.The Academy’s mission is todevelop midshipmen morally, mentally andphysically and each midshipman knows he or she will be challenged in each area.The focus of AS&P is to help ensure that we have the very best scholar-athletes, qualitycoaches and facilities, which enables them tocompete at the highest level, whether it bevarsity, club or intramural.”

Among A&SP’s most significantcontributions to the Naval Academy are a $5 million gift to kick start the renovation ofNavy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium,funding to complete the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility and the purchase of a dozenAnnapolis-area homes to serve as suitable and affordable housing for football coaches.But it’s the significant, steady support for theFund for Athletic Excellence which has thegreatest impact.

“Every year, every month, every week a coach comes to me and asks me for something that they think is critical,something that they truly need,” said ChetGladchuk, director of athletics. “And, due togenerous contributions made to the Fund forAthletic Excellence, we will have the dollars tobe able to provide that funding. It’s part of not

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A&SP Celebrates 70 Years Support for InternationalEngagement Grows

MIDN Richard Kuzma ’16 (second from left), participated in the Alliance Linking Leaders in Education and theServices (ALLIES) program in Indonesia with support from the Stamps Family Charitable Foundation.

“It’s the ability to provideresources to our coaches and

midshipmen in a way that theycontinue to feel confident thatthey can and will succeed.”

—Chet Gladchuk

Continued on page 7

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United Kingdom scholarships, faculty-led immersion trips and more. “I likethe way the Academy’s internationalprograms are run. The leaders in chargeare very competent in terms of boththe pre-travel training and the debriefexperience they provide the midshipmenon their return. As for the midshipmen,you can see a real difference in the way they write and speak about othercultures when they get back.”

McKinney’s gift of $1 million will establish the McKinney ScholarsFund, which will bring the number of midshipmen spending a semesterabroad from approximately 85 per year much closer to the 110 Disher is targeting. His gift will focus onmidshipmen participating in thelanguages of Arabic, Chinese orRussian, as well as science, technology,engineering and math majors.

“We are trying to focus onlocations where our future officers are going to be in the next five to 10 years,” said Disher. “Asia, Africa andthe Middle East. And we’re trying tomake programs available for allmidshipmen regardless of what theiracademic specialty is. Our STEMmajors are not required to take aforeign language at the Academy, butwhen we send them abroad, they’regoing to take their content courses—engineering, math and science—inEnglish, and we’re going to ask them to take a local language.”

The Academy’s InternationalPrograms initiatives have also attracted the support of a number offoundations, most notably the StampsFamily Charitable Foundation. Thisyear, four midshipmen joined almost600 students from 40 other collegesand universities nationwide inbenefiting from the Foundation’sscholarship program for exceptionalstudents who exemplify leadership,perseverance, scholarship andinnovation. Their scholarships

supported enrichment opportunitiesoverseas, including:

• Touring European nations’ cyber emergency response teams inpartnership with NATO

• Traveling to Estonia to attend theInternational Cyber Conference onArmed Conflict

• Participating in the AllianceLinking Leaders in Education and theServices (ALLIES) program in Indonesia

• Attending lectures and smallsection classes on public finance andinternational political economy at theLondon School of Economics

• Traveling throughout the UnitedKingdom, meeting with students andfaculty at Oxford, Cambridge andEdinburgh universities

• Attending a study abroadprogram in Seoul, Korea

The relationship between theStamps Family Charitable Foundationand these members of the Class of 2016will continue throughout the rest of themidshipmen’s time at the Academy, witheach providing the Foundation withupdates on how they are using theirscholarships to advance their personaldevelopment plans.

Stamps Family CharitableFoundation representatives are sopleased with the results from theinaugural class of Naval AcademyStamps Scholars that they have doubledtheir support, making it possible for up to 10 members of the Class of 2017to benefit from the program.

“We had heard from militaryleaders that you can surge troopstrength, but it’s a lot harder to surgecultural competence,” said Randy McDow, executive director of theStamps Family Charitable Foundation.“It is so important for midshipmen tohave these experiences. The ones we’vegotten to know are just fantastic, and weknow they are going to go on to makewonderful contributions not just to theAcademy, but to our nation’s future.” n

only meeting the needs of highly competitiveDivision I athletic programs, but it’s alsopartially a moral obligation, being able to say‘yes’ rather than ‘no,’ a philosophy that I’vealways subscribed to as an athletic director. The margin of excellence funding providedby A&SP allows me to do that. It’s thedifference between maintenance andsignificant advancement. It’s the ability toprovide resources to our coaches andmidshipmen in a way that they continue tofeel confident that they can and will succeed.”

A&SP raises funds from the contributionsof 250 Foundation Trustees as well as from anydonors interested in supporting USNA’sphysical mission.There is currently a waitinglist for membership, and new Trustees areadded as others transition to emeritus status orleave the Foundation. The Fund for AthleticExcellence welcomes the support of all friendsof the Academy and Navy sports. Its resourcesare used to support the recruitment ofexceptional coaches, enhance existing facilitiesor build new ones and support all NavalAcademy athletic programs, whether varsity,club or intramural. For more information onthe Fund for Athletic Excellence, contactSteve O’Brien, senior associate athleticdirector, at 410-293-3767 or steve.obrien@usna.com. For more information on the Naval Academy Foundation’s Athletic andScholarship Programs, contact ExecutiveDirector Captain Ed Wallace ’72, USN (Ret.),at 410-295-4095 or ed.wallace@usna.com. n

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A&SP Celebrates 70 Years

Chairman RADM Tom Lynch ’64, USN (Ret.), speaks at theA&SP 70th Anniversary dinner.

291 Wood Road • Annapolis, MD 21402 410-295-4100 • www.usna.com

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In This IssueA Family’s Love Sparks Cyber Center Gift 1

President’s CircleCelebrates 20th Anniversary 4

Support for International Engagement Grows 6

2014 ISSUE 22014 ISSUE 2

every donor matters.////// EVERY GIFT COUNTS,