In Appreciation: P. X. O'Neill
From his lively USNI Commodore induction ceremony on board the USS Constitution in 1991 to his active participation as a trustee of the Naval Institute Foundation for more than a decade, Paul Xavier "P. X." O'Neill jumped into service to the Naval Institute with both feet. On 25 September 2007, P. X., 78, died in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, due to complications from pneumonia. We join his daughter Lorena Watt, sons Paul Jr. and Peter, the seven grandchildren of whom he was so very proud, and countless friends in mourning his loss.
Paul O'Neill was Boston born and raised. Following in the footsteps of two brothers and a sister, he enlisted in the Navy on graduation from high school in 1945, and was later selected from the Fleet to join the Naval Academy class of 1954. In the early 1960s he served as commanding officer of Construction Battalion 113 in Boston. He resigned his commission in 1964 to launch P. X. Engineering, a company that manufactures equipment for power generation, petroleum processing, and nuclear sciences. He grew P. X. Engineering into a multinational corporation that is now run by his son, Paul.
In addition to his children and grandchildren, he is survived by two sisters. His beloved wife of nearly 50 years, Phyllis Lorina O'Neill, died in 2003.
P. X. O'Neill was a charming gentleman with a self-deprecating wit who always saw the glass as half full. The Naval Institute is a smarter, stronger organization because he passed our way and lingered for awhile.
With Your Help, the Great White Fleet Can Sail On
One hundred years ago, on 16 December 1907, 16 white-hulled battleships weighed anchor, departing Hampton Roads, Virginia, on a triumphant cruise around the world. Alternatively called the Grand Fleet, the Atlantic Fleet, or the Battle Fleet, this group became popularly known as the Great White Fleet. President Theodore Roosevelt conceived the cruise as an impressive display of U.S. naval strength and relished the excitement generated both at home and abroad. The journey lasted 14 months and included 20 port calls on six continents.
For more about this, read Commander Jerry Hendrix's fine discussion of this operation's foreign policy implications in this issue and James R. Reckner's "The Rebirth of the Fleet" in the December 2007 issue of Naval History magazine.
Hundreds of images from the Great White Fleet's odyssey are among the nearly 450,000 photographs held by the Naval Institute and in need of preservation. Our archive staff is scanning images as funds and time allow to make them available through the Internet.
Financial support is needed to underwrite the cost of new computer software and hardware, printers, and scanners. You can help by sending your tax-deductible gift via check, Visa, MasterCard, or American Express—specifying it is for the photo archive—to the Naval Institute Foundation, 291 Wood Road, Annapolis, MD 21402, or by making a gift online at the Institute's Web site, www.usni.org.
Your Tax Deduction is Our Strength
Gift income is invaluable to the Naval Institute in fulfilling its educational goals. Please take a minute before year's end to make a tax-deductible contribution to support your Naval Institute. If you've already made a gift, thank you—we would be grateful if you'd consider making another. Donations postmarked by 31 December (and received within the first week of January 2008) are eligible as a deduction on your 2007 taxes.
It is easy to make a gift using Visa, MasterCard, or American Express at the Institute's Web site, www.usni.org (click on "Donate"). You can charge a gift over the phone by calling Helen McMickle at (410) 295-1052. Gifts by check or charge can be sent to the Naval Institute Foundation at 291 Wood Road, Annapolis, Maryland 21402.
A reminder: The Pension Protection Act of 2006 allows individuals 70 and older to make tax-exempt charitable contributions up to $100,000 directly from their IRA to the Naval Institute, but the transaction must be made by 31 December 2007. This could be advantageous to many IRA holders because it satisfies the minimum qualified distribution rule, and the contributed amount is deducted from the adjusted gross income and, therefore, tax-exempt.
'Tis the Season
Our sincere thanks to all who have so generously supported the Naval Institute in 2007. Please accept our best wishes for the holiday season and throughout the new year. Your Naval Institute family strives to continue serving your interests in 2008.