[sticklist] - Announcement: Valley Forge Old Guard Inc

[Richard Forno]

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1

ANNOUNCEMENT: VALLEY FORGE OLD GUARD INC ESTABLISHMENT

Dear Alumni, Parents, and Friends of Valley Forge,

Most of you know that many alumni, parents and friends are concerned with
the current state of affairs at Valley Forge Military Academy and College.
The admission and integration of college women into the Corps of Cadets,
Pennsylvania House Resolution 335 endorsing Valley Forge Military College
as the Military College of Pennsylvania and plans for building a new
college facility on the south post, what appears to be a movement towards
improved communications between the President of the school and the alumni
and parents, actions taken to improve the condition of the stables and
horses, encouraging new enrollment numbers, and the appointment of COL Tom
Medearis as Commandant of Cadets are viewed as positive moves.

However, retention is not as high as in previous years, and we have seen a
troubling decline in the condition of the once immaculate buildings and
grounds. We have observed the incremental departure from established "best
practices" that once made Valley Forge the envy of every other private
military school. Now, the leaders of Valley Forge are trying to force fit
Valley Forge into a declining national culture, an act which runs counter
to the claim that Valley Forge is "an island of excellence in a sea of
mediocrity." Valley Forge has never followed popular culture. Valley Forge
is its own, unique culture; a culture that does not stray from the basics
or lose focus of its values and traditions. General Baker never bent
Academy standards to fit the ideals of cadets, their parents or society;
instead, he molded each cadet to fit the established standards and ideals
of Valley Forge. Over the past months many courageous alumni have
repeatedly pressured the Board of Trustees and the administration to take
remedial action to no avail.

Alumni offers of assistance in some cases have been spurned, and in other
cases, some complaining alumni have been threatened with legal action or
issued persona non grata letters. Our Alumni Association, which operates at
the pleasure of the Board of Trustees, has been rendered into a condition
of virtual ineffectiveness. The elected officers are not free to speak out
and the Forgeway Committee is underutilized. The two top officers of the
Alumni Association, who are authorized by the Foundation's by-laws to be
seated on the Board of Trustees, have come under enormous pressure to
conform to the thinking of a few controlling trustees. Just recently one of
our alumni officers resigned along with two trustees. It is reported that
more trustee resignations or force-outs are imminent because as members of
the Board of Trustees they will not sign a trusteeship agreement; because
although it requires loyalty, as it should, it also stifles dissent and
forbids dissemination of matters discussed at board meetings. Rhetorically
then, why are meetings of the Board of Trustees held in the dark?

Because of these adverse prevailing conditions, a group of concerned alumni
joined together to form the "Valley Forge Old Guard, Inc." The purpose of
the Old Guard is "to preserve and enhance the 'Valley Forge experience' by
contributing to the welfare, viability, and future of the Valley Forge
Military Academy and College and its Corps of Cadets through leadership,
the investment of time, the proper management of tangible resources, and by
ensuring the maintenance of the core values and traditions upon which the
institution was founded and advanced." In effect, it was organized and
chartered to do what the Alumni Association cannot do at this time. The
goal of the Old Guard is for a broad coalition of alumni to join together
and work to assist Valley Forge by pressuring the administration and the
Board of Trustees in ways that are not currently available to the Alumni
Association. The triple-barreled mantra of the Board and the administration
to inquiring or critical alumni has been: "the times have changed; remain
silent; and send money." We all know that our informed and concerned alumni
will not do that.

One strategic weapon in our arsenal is the ability for the Old Guard to
collect and channel funds into specific, alumni designated projects. The
Old Guard plan will ensure that gifts of cash and gifts-in-kind will not
flow to a system that expends significant portions of their operating
budget on a top-heavy administrative staff and for the services of outside
consulting firms who know very little about running a military boarding
school. To further enhance our ability to raise tax deductible funds from
the alumni and to ensure that these resources are channeled to the projects
designated by their donors, the Old Guard is applying for 501(c)3 status
specifically for that purpose. Information about the Valley Forge Old Guard
foundation, proposed projects, and how you can participate will be
discussed in a subsequent letter.

The Old Guard has become the only way that alumni can support and rebuild
their school with the confidence that their money will be used, as
intended, on specifically defined projects. Additional information on the
Valley Forge Old Guard, Inc. 501(c)3 foundation will be sent to you once
the foundation is firmly established and ready for operation. In the
meantime, take a moment to view the official Valley Forge Old Guard, Inc.
web site at: www.ValleyForgeOldGuard.org/

We will be contacting you again in the near future with additional
information about the organization along with the plans for assisting
Valley Forge with projects selected by alumni and managed through alumni
channels. Now is the time for alumni to stand up for the Valley Forge of
the future. This is our opportunity to join together in a massive alumni
effort to return Valley Forge to greatness.

Thank you.

Pete Robinson, '59
Colonel, US Army, Retired
President, Valley Forge Old Guard, Inc.

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
Version: PGP Desktop 9.0.6 (Build 6060)
Comment: Rick's Current Public Key @ http://infowarrior.org/pgpkey.txt

iQA/AwUBRy9YDilmcjtvXmz2EQIE/ACg+GdX/gFu8O8xYfL+86Z/FIDdgN4AoOEn
dSPzX4mC4zpKxGMhjTNG3hmK
=G4JS
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----