Thanks for that introduction Judge Patrick (Hampton Circuit Court Judge "Pat" Patrick). And thank you Barbara (Barbara Shelton Marko, President Executive Committee, ‘65) for organizing this gala event and inviting me to share a few words with you tonight.

As I look back at the history of Hampton High, I find it interesting to trace its history alongside the course of world events. First, lets go back to 1896–The first year of HHS—and consider what its two graduates, Blanche Bullifant and Bessie Birdsall experienced as America entered an era of great change where the country and the world took to the open road and seas. The first ever "horseless carriage show" was held in London, England in May, 1896. One month later, Henry Ford drove his first ever automobile through the streets of Detroit. Two Norwegians conducted the first ever crossing of the Atlantic in a row-powered boat. The trip took 60 days to travel the 3,250 miles – a trip that can now be accomplished in just over 3 hours on a Concorde Jet. The US did not yet know the horror of a world war, and was in the process of industrializing into the power it was destined to be.

A quarter century later, in 1921—following World War I—the US was settling into the Roaring 20’s that would later be disrupted by the Great Depression. During this period, Hampton High had created a rooters’ club…and the amazing spirit of the Crabbers continues today. The caliber of education at Hampton was highlighted by the fact that during this period, West Point required no entrance examinations for Hampton graduates—a courtesy afforded few schools in the nation. Meanwhile, a young pitcher with the Yankees named Babe Ruth set the new major league record for Home Runs in a Career with 120. Overseas, there were winds of change stirring. In Italy, a man by the name of Benito Mussolini was leading a fascist party to new power in Rome. America was facing an uncertain future, with decades of financial and military tension to follow…and Hampton High was busy grooming the Greatest Generation that would rise to thwart the global threat of fascism.

Another quarter century passed, and in 1946 we were coming out of WWII as the leading power in the world…and the Cold War began to take shape. At this point, Hampton High School was 50 years old. My first memory is from this time, when I was two years old—sitting in my Dad’s lap in the cockpit of a P-51 Mustang. He was a second lieutenant just after WWII; we were stationed at a small base near Tokyo during the occupation of Japan. His job was to take fighter planes that had arrived by barge, and after all the preservatives were removed, to test fly them and ferry them inland to their permanent bases. Before I was 3 years old, I had time in all the great WWII fighters: P-51, P-43, P-38 and British Spitfire. I just wish I could remember more about it than the noise they made.

I dare say Hampton High at 50 was more capable than ever, as it produced the parents of the Baby Boomers we know and love. In 1946, the international military tribunal in Tokyo began on 3 May, developing the plans for the reconstruction of a new Japan. In Europe as well, the establishment of new republics and the Marshall Plan meant a new future for that continent as well. The US was looking to secure peace, and control the means of waging war…as we were now in possession of the most powerful technology the world has ever known. Thankfully, the solemn knowledge of the impact of employing nuclear weapons has kept them from being used for over 55 years.

As we move forward again, we come to my personal favorite—1962—my graduation year. By then, the space program was alive and well and America was exercising her authority as a "superpower." My Dad commanded an F-106 interceptor squadron at Langley AFB, Virginia and we lived on Eagan Avenue. On the same street lived several of the Mercury 7 astronauts. I was captured by the world of flying and its heroes at an early, impressionable age. The astronauts were larger than life; I knew that even then. The Beatles, a little known group of men from Liverpool England with shaggy haircuts, signed their first contract with EMI – changing the face of popular music forever. We were dancing the Twist, the Pony, the Stroll and the Mashed Potato.

The 75-year point for Hampton High—1971—saw the repercussions of the Vietnam War on our Nation. Within our borders there were divisions. Over the first 3 days of May, 1971 the Nixon administration arrested over 13,000 anti-war protestors. But through all this, the American spirit persevered. The US launched two spacecraft toward the red planet, Mars. Later that year, Mars 3 made the first soft landing on Mars…and Mariner 9 became the first spacecraft to orbit Mars. The Soviet Union pressed forward as well, conducting the first crew transfer to the orbiting Salyut spacecraft. Hampton High’s spirit continued to grow stronger as well. Dominance of local football started in earnest again in 1975, with Mike Smith’s (Coach Mike Smith, HHS Football coach/dean of boys) leadership starting a run of championships that would bring four state titles in eight years.

1996 completed the first century of HHS, and "the crabs" are still going strong. That year saw our Crabbers’ football team surpass 600 wins, and finish off with another championship. In 1996, new ideas like the Internet were still in development. The idea of cable modems, wideband communications—things we almost take for granted today—were still just future plans. The rate of change due to technology has accelerated exponentially. And in 1996, we were halfway through our first decade of monitoring UN sanctions against Iraq following Operation DESERT STORM. Every day the US continues to show its resolve to oppose aggression in any form. In 1996, we had not yet dealt with a man in Serbia named Milosevic. His actions were not ignored either, when in 1999 he undertook an ethnic cleansing campaign against the Kosovar Albanians…and America and NATO responded. His own people later turned him out in favor of American ideals of democracy and personal liberty. And our Air Force, as it has throughout its history, demonstrated unsurpassed ability to do the Nation’s business.

The changes that have occurred in America since the establishment of Hampton High School are astounding. Consider the illustrious graduates Hampton has propelled into the world in the field of medicine, personified by my classmate Dr. Clyde Elliott (’62) who has been recognized for his work in the field of angioplasty and other breakthrough cardiac treatments. Or, in the field of microbiology exemplified by the groundbreaking work of Lauritz Olson (‘62), who received the first Doctor of Science Degree from the University of Copenhagen in over 75 years. Or in military service, such as that of the incredible Robin Olds (’39), a fighter ace with 13 enemy aircraft kills in WWII, and four more in Vietnam. Clearly, the foundation laid here at Hampton High School is the key to future success. I am proud to be an alumnus, and believe that we—and this great nation—are indebted to the continued excellence of this institution.

Thank you, and God bless the United States of America.