Posted on May 29, 2006

Dozens of students, staff, faculty and alumni gathered at the Flag Pole behind the Nott and Rugby field Monday afternoon to honor the College's veterans and members of the Armed Forces.

“We are asking the Union College Community to take a few minutes of their day to join us in remembering and honoring those in our community who are members of the Armed Forces,” said Gretchel Hathaway Tyson, director of Affirmative Action and Community Outreach.

The service included “Taps,” the bugle call composed by Daniel Butterfield, Class of 1849, who rose to the rank of major general in the Union Army. Butterfield composed the haunting call while in camp at Harrison's Landing, Va., in 1862.

According to the Web site, tapsbugler.com, “General Butterfield was not pleased with the call for Extinguish Lights, feeling that the call was too formal to signal the day's end, and with the help of the brigade bugler, Oliver Willcox Norton (1839-1920), wrote Taps to honor his men while in camp at Harrison's Landing, Virginia, following the Seven Days battle.

“The new call, sounded that night in July, 1862, soon. The new call, sounded that night in July 1862, soon spread to other units of the Union Army and was reportedly also used by the Confederates.''

The call became known as “Taps” because it was often tapped out on a drum in the absence of a bugler call. It was officially adopted by the U.S. Army in 1874.

Michael Gillin '08 played the bugle call at the Flag Pole.

Among those honored at Monday's ceremony:

Faculty and staff:

James Adrian – Chemistry

Robert Babb – ITS

David Battin – Psychology

Donald Birch – Facilities

Kelly Black – Mathematics

Timothy Cade – ITS

Victor Carmen – Environmental, Health and Safety Office

James Clark – Facilities

Walter Cook – ITS

Dan Curran – Facilities

Paul Durivage, Jr. – Facilities

Tim Gerrish – Athletics

Thomas Jewell – Engineering & Computer Science

Terry Miltner – Facilities

Patty Richardson – Campus Safety

William Sickinger – Campus Safety

Donald Tallman – Residential Life

Frank Wicks – Mechanical Engineering

Dwight Wolf – Dean of Faculty

Students:

Caleb Bower ‘08

Kevin Calhoun ‘06

Pete Drake ‘06

William Fitzsimmons ‘08

Stacy Grant ‘05

Scott Maynes ‘06

James Montani ‘06

Douglas Richardson ‘08

Toby Proctor ‘06

Brendan Schaef – 06

UCALL:

Stanley R. Gordan

Harry Temple

Also honored were College Alumni who are veterans and those who have lost their lives while in service.

The program was sponsored by the Gospel Choir and Kenney Community Center volunteers.