August 24-26, 2018
Rock Island and Aledo, Illinois

Linked photos are courtesy of Pete Adkins '71 and Bob Kramer '65
(Note:  We are still adding photos from the reunion. 
Click on links below, as they become available.)

Hello Rough Riders!! 

I am very happy to report that the 2018 Reunion was a success and I would like to highlight the weekend events.  The weekend started with a cruise on the Mississippi River on Friday night.

On Saturday, first and foremost, was the underlying support we received from the City of Aledo, especially Mayor Chris Hagloch and his team who have opened their arms in welcoming us cadets back for our Reunion. After The American Legion pancake breakfast at the Fire Department we all gathered together at the Opera House where a metal container and its contents were on display in the theater lobby. The container was found buried in Niles Hall during the demolition of the building. Various documents were included and made interesting historical memorabilia.

We then watched an excellent presentation of the history and development of our campus site starting with William & Vashti College, then Illinois Military School and ultimately Roosevelt Military Academy.

We then got on two school buses and toured the city briefly. We then went directly to the campus site to view the Roosevelt Memorial that the City of Aledo has funded. I must say it is very impressive and the city is in the process of getting the “Roosevelt Tree” preserved as a Historical Marker. Without the City getting involved none of this would have been possible and they have plans to enhance the Memorial even more. Here is a video about the new monument from WQAD-TV in the Quad Cities.  Without the support of Mayor Hagloch and his team the campus, as we knew it, would be nothing but a barren field.

Our visit to the campus ended with us returning to the Opera House and everyone was free to roam the City and enjoy Antique Days and the Antique Days car show before returning to the hotel in Rock Island.

The highlight of the Saturday night dinner banquet featured many guests from Aledo that are in one way or another connected and supportive of us. Their names and contact information will be included as an attachment.

There are 2 ways (probably more) that we can show our appreciation to the City of Aledo for what they are doing to preserve the memory and legacy of RMA:

• A thank you note, email or phone call to Mayor Hagloch and any or all of the members of his team.
• And/or a donation to the City to help cover the costs of our Memorial.

Updated Information:

If you would like to make a donation to the Memorial, make the check out to the Aledo Police Benevolent Association and mail it to:

Aledo Police Benevolent Association
200 NE 2^nd Street
Aledo, IL 61231

Be sure to write "RMA Memorial Project" on the check's memo line.

I would be remiss if I didn’t recognize 3 guys who were lucky enough to win a free night at the hotel. 2 of the winners were a result of the raffle that we have at the banquet – I am pleased to announce that Pete Adkins and John(Skip) Wilson were the lucky winners. At the Casino Night there is a overall winner that also can win a free night at the hotel – I had one of the luckiest card nights of my life and I won – yikes, I hardly ever win anything. My “big brother” at school, Don Sucher, was close on my heels and took 2nd. place.  I would also like to recognize John and Angelina Butler who donated their 3rd. & 4th. place winnings to the Association – thank you guys!

Sunday morning featured the Association hosted breakfast and the Election of Officers. I am very pleased to announce that a full slate of candidates was achieved and we have a full Board of Directors. They are:

President: Jack Gwynne '66
Vice President: Jeff Koppel '72
Treasurer: Bob Fritz '65
Secretary: Bob Kramer '65'
Immediate Past President: Mel Bogus '47

Please join me in congratulating our new Board members. I am excited with this Board as there were many ideas and suggestions at the Business meeting and they will be addressed during future conference calls. We will keep you all informed via various media as to what is going on in the Association.

If you have questions, suggestions or concerns please address them to any of the Board members. To request a copy of a roster of all known former cadets (and including the many Aledo people who made our reunion so successful), click here

Information and we hope that it helps you make some contacts with a friend or classmate that you didn’t know about.

Mike Vegi '60
2018 Reunion Chair