Final Class Legacy Gift Report

Congratulations to All on the Successful completion of ’54’s Legacy Gift

With the conclusion of the Class Legacy Gift Campaign, the results show that our Fabulous Class of 1954 has much for which we can be proud.

The renovation of Memorial Hall has been completed with all
invoices and cash advances paid.

The Operational Loss Memorial is a reality.

The future of Memorial Hall and the OLM is assured at the
current enhanced level with the Preservation Fund established..

Twenty-six additional important USNA projects have benefited with generous
financial support.

Many, many thanks to all who worked so hard on this campaign by volunteering your time, and providing encouragement, suggestions and consistent support. This remarkable achievement would not have been possible without all of us working together.

We are also grateful to our 456 classmates and wives for your generous participation that made these substantial achievements possible. Your cash donations, pledges, and planned giving commitments have been truly gratifying.

Here are the final results for our ’54 Legacy Gift effort - -


· Overall Legacy Gift contributions, including an estimate for the face value of Planned Giving commitments, are at $1,624,000. That is 83% of our $1,954,000 goal. This is certainly a very impressive accomplishment. And most gratifying was the 82% Class participation rate. A total of 456 of our Classmates financially supported the Legacy Gift drive.

· The Preservation Fund, as of January 31, 2007, has $137,000 of invested capital. These funds are managed professionally with the Foundation’s diversified portfolio. The income received over the next 12 months should be adequate for the anticipated cost of the annual addition of names to the Operational Loss Memorial, and some routine Memorial Hall maintenance, without invading the Fund’s capital.

· The Class’s outstanding pledge balance is now $105,000. As these pledges are honored, this amount will become part of the Preservation Fund. That will increase the Fund’s investment income and put us in a position to handle more ambitious maintenance projects which inevitably will be needed to keep Memorial Hall in its present impressive condition.

· The Class’s honoring of pledge commitments has been excellent. The number of pledges not completed is significantly lower than the Foundation’s historical experience. We can all be proud of this record.

· An increasing number of Classmates have decided to make planned giving arrangements to benefit the Memorial Hall effort. The face value of these planned giving commitments totals about $107,000. We now have 12 Classmates honored with membership in the Robert Means Thompson Society.

· All of this means that the Memorial Hall Preservation Fund has present or anticipated resources that total $350,000. We have achieved 87% of our Preservation Fund target of $400,000.


You can still make a donation to the Memorial Hall Preservation Fund even though the Legacy Gift Campaign has ended. A cash donation or a planned giving commitment will help complete the Preservation Fund target of $400,000.

We encourage all classmates, who have not already joined the Robert Means Thompson Society, to consider doing so by making a planned giving commitment. The Foundation's Planned Giving point of contact is Melodie Turish, who can be reached at (410) 295-4185 or melodie.turish@usna.com

To the 82% of the Class who have been so generous in supporting the Legacy Gift drive over the last 5 years, a hearty Well Done! We have all made the Class of ‘54’s Legacy Gift a lasting addition to the Academy’s tradition that will continue for generations to come.

Thanks again for all the helpful and enthusiastic support. Working together with so many of our great Class on this important project has been a most rewarding and enjoyable experience.

Looking forward to seeing you all at our 54th Reunion --

All the best,


George Zeberlein - Bill Montgomery