CAA Blog

This may sound like an easy question to many; however, when talking with Citadel alumni over the years, it is a question that’s as clear as the Ashley River water.

Webster says that an alumnus is anyone that attends a college or university.  When I ask this question to members of The Citadel Family who is a Citadel alumnus, I get many different answers.  Some agree with Webster; others say that you had to be a member of the Corp of Cadets or completed Knob year.  Many of us consider an alumnus to be anyone that “wears the ring.”  Still some insist that you are not truly an alumnus unless you have your name on a diploma.

The Citadel Alumni Association requires one to have completed Knob year or graduated from a non-cadet program to eligible for full membership.  This is the definition that seems to be the one used by most of Citadel organizations.  The newly formed Distinguished Citadel Alumni List follows this definition.

Let me know your what you think.

As the New Year begins, I have been reading a lot about traditions at The Citadel and the changes that determine if they endure or fade away.

I read in the school newspaper that the Halloween “tradition” of seniors trick or treating in the barracks was ending.  Maybe my memory is not that great, but I do not remember this from my days at The Citadel.

Also, what is it with these big paper Thanksgiving hats that I see on The Citadel web site?  When did that tradition begin?

These two got me thinking of what is a tradition and what is not?  How long does it take for something to become a tradition?   First I have decided that it takes three years for something to become a tradition.  Why three years?  If something was new your freshman year, by the time you are a senior, every cadet at The Citadel (except those on the five year plan) have no knowledge of when that tradition started.   Was it three years ago or fifty years ago?

Next let’s look at some traditions that have started since I left The Citadel:

PT Test – When did this tradition start?  I have checked with my classmates, and we agreed that the only PT test that we took at The Citadel was if you where on ROTC contract.  For me, as an AFROTC contract student, that was a once-a-year 1-½ mile run.

Honor System Training – All we got was a one-hour program put on by the Honor Court Chairman the second day we were at The Citadel.  I think most of us slept during the briefing.

Ring Ceremony – What a great tradition.  We got our rings by lining up in Mark Clark Hall and then running back to the Barracks.

Knob Haircuts All Year – We got one Knob haircut the first day at The Citadel and then we just had to keep a short military style haircut from than on.

Sure some things have changed as the environment has changed.  There is now AC in all the barracks.  Cadets no longer sleep on cots.  I once talked to an alumnus who told me that when they put electric lights into the barracks it was the end of what we now call the Fourth Class System.  How could anyone consider that he had completed Rat Year (they where not called Knobs then) without having to fill the oil lamps in all the upperclassmen rooms?

I have just moved to a condo two blocks from The Citadel, and I walk 3 miles every morning.  I pass by the campus every morning around 5:30 AM.  Almost every day I see companies of cadets doing PT on the football practice field.  I think to myself that this is one tradition that I am glad was not there when I was a cadet.

Traditions come and go.  With all the changes that have happened in the last 32 years since I was a cadet, The Citadel is still not just any other university, but is still the “the road less traveled.”

Gilbert A. Pohl, Class of 1976  

This month, Ed Carter, Class of 1966, will take over as President of The CAA.  He asked and I agreed to revive The CAA Monthly Blog that I started when I was President; so here it is for November. 

This blog is going to be about something near and dear to almost every Citadel alumnus; The Citadel Ring.  With the help of Jane Yates at The Citadel Museum, I did a little research on The Ring.

There are a few things that I want to bring to your attention about the ring.

The first is that a few years ago The Citadel Alumni Association developed a Ring Recovery Program.  This program was established in order to recover rings from eBay auctions and other outlets.  With the help of Keenan Grigg, CAA Class Ring Administrator, we track down rings and try to return them to the rightful owner or they become property of CAA.  The Board of Directors has approved that rings can be recovered from online sales or second hand stores with CAA paying up to the value of a current class ring (at this time this amount is $650.00). If you see CITADELALUMNIASSC biding for a ring, please do not bid against it.

The second thing Alumni need to be aware of is The Band of Gold Program.  Simply stated, this is your opportunity to designate a final caretaker of your cherished Citadel ring.  To participate, you must communicate your wishes in your last will & testament to bequeath your Citadel ring to CAA for perpetual care.  CAA will use these special rings for a variety of projects that will always respect the dignity of your generous gift.  Most of the rings will be melted down and added to gold used for making rings for the next graduating class.  Another use of donated rings is to provide them to The Citadel Museum for the ring display.

I hope that every Alumnus visits The Citadel Museum once every few years to see the ring display.  Most of these rings have been donated by the estates of deceased alumni and are on permanent display.

The museum also uses the rings for research.  Even after the ring was standardized in 1940, there have been subtle variations in the ring from year to year.  Did you know that the Class of 1900 had three different rings and examples of all three are currently on display?

The museum is looking for the following class years that are currently not on display:

1896, 1897, 1902, 1980, 1983-1986, 1988, 1990-1992, 1994-1999, 2001 – present. 

In addition to those rings, Jane Yates would also like to have the following rings for research purposes:

Any 19th century Citadel Rings

20th century Citadel Rings from 1900-1911 in good condition

1913, 1915, 1916, 1919, 1944, and 1946 in good condition

Rings in good condition are preferred because it is the only way to research the minor variations in the rings from year to year.

In my research for this article, I had the pleasure of talking with Jake Burrows, Class of 1940.  He told me that the 1940 Ring Chairman, Floyd Chitty, suggested a standardization of The Citadel Ring.  He talked with other members of the Class of 1940 and the lower three classes.  Everyone supported the plan and the ring that we wear today was born.

Well this month I went a little long, but when talking about the ring one can easily get carried away.  I will be writing again next month.

Gil Pohl, Class of 1976, The CAA Blogger