Dunn Oral History is Available
Support from several sources has enabled the Naval Institute to complete Vice Admiral Robert F. Dunn's oral history. Our thanks to the Tawani Foundation for its ongoing sponsorship of the Institute's oral history program, and to the following for their outstanding generosity toward this project:
John A. Bailie
CAPT R. J. Burns, USN (Ret.)
RADM Robert W. Carius, USN (Ret.)
CAPT Richard S. Gardiner, USN (Ret.)
CAPT Richard T. Sloane, USN (Ret.)
CAPT Walter Spangenberg Jr., USN (Ret.)
RADM John J. Sweeney, USNR (Ret.)
CDR James Whalen, USNR (Ret.)
CDR Robert C. Whitten Jr., USN (Ret.)
WEMM Corporation
Happy 100th, Commodore Ericson!
Congratulations to Erna Ericson of Northbrook, Illinois, our first 100-year-old Commodore.
Mrs. Ericson was introduced to the Naval Institute by her brother-in-law, the late William W. Gubbins, who joined the Institute in 1930 after graduation from the U.S. Naval Academy. When Commander Gubbins entered into a charitable gift annuity with the Institute in the mid-1990s, he advised Mrs. Ericson to do the same. Each was able to take a tax deduction for their sizable gift; in return, the Institute would pay them monthly dividends for life. Nearly 15 years later, her annuity is still in effect and has proven to be a highly advantageous investment. Many happy returns, Erna!
For information about charitable gift annuities or other ways to benefit the Naval Institute—and possibly enhance your own financial situation—please contact Lisa Taylor at (410) 295-1063 or at [email protected].
Prestigious Donor Society Named
Beginning in 2008, the Naval Institute will honor Lieutenant General John A. Lejeune, the 13th Commandant of the Marine Corps, by naming one of its prestigious major donor societies after him. General Lejeune served for more than 40 years, including command of the U.S. Army 2nd Division during World War I, and is the namesake of a major Marine base in North Carolina.
John Archer Lejeune was born at Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana, on 10 January 1867. After receiving a degree from Louisiana State University, he was appointed to the Naval Academy, from which he graduated in 1888. Commissioned a Marine officer in 1890, Lejeune spent most of the next three decades overseas. He participated in the Spanish-American War on board the USS Cincinnati (C-7), and later served ashore in Cuba, Panama, Haiti, and Mexico.
He was assigned to command a brigade of the 32nd Division on reporting to the American Expeditionary Forces in June 1918, and later commanded the 2nd Division's Fourth Brigade of Marines. On 28 July 1918, General Lejeune assumed command of the 2nd Division until it was demobilized in 1919. He was the first Marine to command an Army division.
From June 1920 until March 1929, John Lejeune served as Major General Commandant of the Marine Corps. Following his retirement from the Corps in 1929, he served as superintendent of the Virginia Military Institute until his resignation due to poor health in 1937. The general died in Baltimore on 20 November 1942, and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
The Naval Institute thanks the following individuals whose generous support distinguishes them among The John A. Lejeune Company (USNI Commodore — Lifetime Gifts Totaling $50,000-$99,999):
Alfred M. Cady III
John H. Fullmer
RADM Gustave N. Johansen, USN (Ret.)
*Honorable Robert C. McCormack
Edward M. Polk Family
CAPT Earl F. Rippee, USNR (Ret.)
*Dr. Robert W. Selle
Stephen M. Waters
Everett P. Weaver
*Deceased