Like it or not, your Cynic is back in print; and I’ll be the first to admit that this is a far more sophisticated publication than the Dodo was back in the good old cadet days. So I’ll try to be more sophisticatedly cynical (or is it cynically sophisticated?). In any event, Jock SCHWANK convinced me that I was his absolute rock-bottom last choice as a replacement as Class News Secretary; and with support like that, how could I refuse?

Jock led the exodus of classmates from USAFA this summer by returning to the University of Oregon to pursue a doctorate in psychology. Ron DEEP also left for graduate school in math education at Florida State. Other departees were: Dick HEAD, who is currently upgrading at George AFB for a late October port call to Thailand; Hal BROST, who went to the Pentagon in management analysis; and Russ MACDONALD, who is attending Naval Command and Staff. Balancing these departures was the return of Roger LENT to these hallowed grounds. We now have exactly five members of our class based here (the others are Chris WARACK Jack BRUSH, and Mike MCCALL).

I enjoyed brief visits recently from Syd GURLEY and George LESTER. Syd went to Hill from Edwards and is enjoying his test-ops work there. George is still flying for Pan Am and lives in San lose, Calif., where he is also running a computer supply firm. George brought some very tragic news, though; he lost his wife, Merry, in a commercial aircraft accident at Tahiti in July.

A letter from Howie WHITFIELD brought news from the Marines. Howie left the M.C. Development Center to attend Naval Command and Staff (he and Russ should be there together). Chuck MCCAIN is presently at Headquarters Marine Corps and hopes for a concurrent tour in Japan in February. Bob BAKER was flying for Air America out of Saigon at last report.

Other recent entries to graduate school under AFIT include Jim PEEL at New Mexico State, Clark WALKER at the University of Tennessee Space Institute, and Bill ZERSEN at Florida Technological University.

Paul VALLERIE reports that he went to missile maintenance at Grand Forks AFB following Armed Forces Staff College. He also sent word on Bob WEINAUG, Tony JONES, and Ralph MILLER. Bob is in missile ops at Grand Forks, Tony is a member of the safety section of the USAF IS team, and Ralph heads the Atlas complexes at Vandenberg AFB.

Ralph LALIME and Will MACFARLANE finished AF Staff College with Paul. Ralph is at the Pentagon, and Fat Mac is at Edwards in the F-15 test program.

Jim WADDLE leaves ADC Ops at Ent in October for a maintenance job with the F-106 squadron at Minot.

Now I’ll pass on some bits and pieces of information gleaned from change of address cards, etc. Sid NEWCOMB moved often with MACV as the war was grinding down and now has settled at Fort Bragg, NC. Marty RICHERT is flying T-37s at Williams. Charlie HART got to Laredo in T-38s, just in time to close the base. Don’t know where he went from there. Mike LOVE and George LUCK are also at Edwards. Jerry DE LA CRUZ is at Langley, in Hq TAC. Frank MAYBERRY is at Ramstein in g/a/g communications. Charlie LIGGETT left the ROTC business at Sante Fe for an assignment to a bomber squadron at Pease AFB. Ned WHITMAN has moved from Ithaca to Suffern, NY. Bob SAPP is now at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas (Army Command and Staff?). Buck CONGDON went to Offutt from Maxwell. Billy DELONEY left the SOS faculty for a job in Athens, Greece. Since we are now putting out the class news sections only twice -a-year, some of the above info is six or so months old. I’m including everything I have, though, since it will still be news to those who haven’t heard it.

I welcome any information you all might want to pass on. In particular I’m soliciting suggestions for things you’d like to see in this column in addition to (or instead of) the usual locator information, If you would like to see additions or changes to the current column format, please let me know.