As a kid, I was introduced to the U.S. Naval Institute by my father, a Naval Academy graduate and career naval officer. He began a lifetime addiction to Proceedings when he was at the Academy and would tune in and attend Institute events when he could. I can’t remember a time when Proceedings magazine wasn’t around our house—although it wasn’t until my time as Secretary of the Navy that I realized the influence of the forum it creates.
My speechwriter, a bright young naval officer named Jim Stavridis, recommended we write an article for Proceedings on a policy matter we were working. The subsequent thought piece got a lot of traction, and I saw firsthand the forum’s power to circulate ideas and facilitate conversation, gathering a wide range of perspectives from across the Sea Services. The Institute has long served as the common forum for sharing and debating ideas, and it accomplishes that in a way that is informed and directed. That has sustained my interest ever since.
The Jack C. Taylor Conference Center is testimony to the membership’s commitment to the Naval Institute and the naval services. It is a befitting, visionary facility that captures so much of what the Institute is and always has been—a convening enterprise to inform debate. I attended many Institute events at other locations before the conference center was built, but now there is a facility dedicated to the Institute’s mission.
This year, my parents’ names will be displayed on the Conference Center’s Celestial Wall. This is a wonderful opportunity to be part of the Center’s vision, to capture history and honor my folks and their lifelong dedication to the naval service. It is a tremendous privilege to honor my parents, Patrick and Patricia O’Keefe, for their extraordinary influence on me and my family.
After graduating from the Naval Academy in 1949, Dad was assigned as a surface sailor on destroyers. A few years later, he was in the Naval Postgraduate School’s first class at its Monterey, California, location. On completion, he was recruited by the Naval Reactors community and became a proud submariner. An early Admiral Hyman Rickover acolyte, he shifted from line officer to engineering duty and was assigned at several different shipyards and industrial facilities. When we were kids, he tried to convince us that most problems could be solved by proficiency with a slide rule. However, his first passion was the sea. He had an extra spring in his step when he was getting ready to deploy on sea trials. After multiple assignments at multiple shipyards and fleet leadership positions, his last duty station was as supervisor of shipbuilding at Groton when the Trident submarine program was getting started.
As strong an influence as Dad was in our family, as kids we knew Mom was in charge. With Dad on deployment or immersed in engineering projects, she took on the unenviable task of ensuring all five of her kids straightened up and toed the line. She taught us the value of service and demonstrated it by example. We often were given assignments to help her fulfill her Navy Relief Society volunteer duties. She volunteered for every community activity at every naval base or duty station where we lived.
Perhaps the greatest attribute both Mom and Dad helped us develop is the capacity to adapt. Roughly every two years we were given the opportunity to be exposed to different people, places, and experiences. But it was Mom who helped us all learn to fit in, to be flexible, adaptable, and to look forward to every change as an exciting new adventure. It is a life skill that has served me well in my pursuit of widely varying career paths and provided me a lifetime of extraordinary experiences.
Having my parents’ names on the Celestial Wall will honor their memory and make them an enduring part of the naval service and the mission of the Institute.
I support the Naval Institute because it is a legacy. With your support, you ensure there is something to pass on to the next generation. It is what keeps this long chain of vastly different people of vastly different backgrounds working together toward a common goal: to advance our nation’s security and that of the American people. The Institute’s greatest contribution is a means, a forum, an opportunity, and a collaborative capacity to yield something that is greater than any one of us could accomplish alone.
