- Herndon Monument
-
Class of 2014
The climbing of the monument by Fourth Class Midshipmen.
The Herndon MonumentThe Herndon Monument on the grounds of the U.S. Naval Academy is a tall grey obelisk. It was erected in memory of Captain William Lewis Herndon who courageously decided to go down with his ship, SS Central America, and the men left aboard rather than save himself on September 12, 1857. All women and children and many of the men aboard were saved by a nearby ship during the storm.
It is the site of the famous "plebes-no-more" ceremony, where the plebes (first year students at the academy) all work together to climb the greased monument and replace a plebe "dixie-cup hat" on top with a combination cover. This is the official end of the plebe year.
It is a Naval Academy tradition that the Midshipman who replaces the dixie cup hat will be given a pair of Admiral's shoulder boards. Legend says that he or she will be the first of his or her class to make Flag Rank, although in reality this has not yet occurred.
The academy began recording times in 1959. In 1962 Midshipman 4th Class Ed Linz scaled the monument with the aid of a cargo net. Using such devices is now banned.
The record was set in 1969, when Midshipman Larry Fanning made the climb in 1 minute and 30 seconds. However the monument was not greased.
Midshipman 4th Class Melvyn Davis of the Class of 1991 scaled the monument in 43 minutes and 44 seconds in May 1988, believed to be the fastest time since the tradition of greasing the monument began.
The 2010 Herndon Monument climb for the Class of 2013 took place on Monday, May 24, 2010 at 1:30pm. Superintendent Vice Admiral Jeffrey Fowler indicated dissatisfaction that year with the risk of injury associated with the climbing tradition and a desire to discontinue it.[1] Vice Adm. Fowler ordered the Brigade of Midshipmen not to slather the monument with lard “to improve the safety of the event.”[2] However, his successor, Vice Admiral Michael Miller, reinstated the tradition in 2011, citing that "[c]onducting the ceremonial climb in the same manner as so many previous classes helps to instill spirit and camaraderie among plebes and better links them to the many classes that have gone before them. The Herndon Monument climb serves as a useful event in reinforcing teamwork, organization and leadership."[3]
Contents
Table of recorded times
Scaling times of the Herndon Monument Year Climbed Class Year Time (H:MM:SS) Scaler 1959 1962 0:12:00[4] 1960 1963 John M. Truesdell 1962 1965 0:03:00[5] Ed Linz 1969 1972 0:01:30[6] Larry Fanning 1980 1983 2:43:00 1981 1984 1:21:00 1982 1985 1:44:00 1983 1986 1:43:55 Kevin Delamer 1984 1987 2:22:00 1985 1988 3:12:23 1986 1989 1:23:07 Kenneth Grimes 1987 1990 1:51:20 1988 1991 0:43:44 Melvyn Davis 1989 1992 1:51:30 Sam Cook 1990 1993 1:34:50 Larry Parker 1992 1995 ~4:00:00 James Golladay 1993 1996 1:38:20 Shaun Stephenson 1994 1997 1:44:20 1995 1998 4:05:17[7] Steve Fortmann 1996 1999 2:08:46 1997 2000 2:55:17 1998 2001 2:22:55 Josh Stewart 1999 2002 2:07:41 2000 2003 1:19:44 2001 2004 2:15:52 2002 2005 2:07:41 Daniel Knott 2003 2006 1:19:00 Daniel Shea 2004 2007 2:19:24 Philip Johnson 2005 2008 1:16:13 Dave Olson 2006 2009 1:14:15[8] Brian Richards 2007 2010 1:32:43 Jamie Shrock 2008 2011 2:35:59 Greg Reichel 2009 2012 1:14:38[9] Schyler Widman 2010 2013 0:02:05[10] Keegan Albi 2011 2014 2:41:32 Matthew Dalton Notes
- ^ Ewing, Philip (May 12, 2010). "Academy supe wants to end Herndon Climb". Marine Corps Times. http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2010/05/navy_herndon_climb_051210w/. Retrieved 12 May 2010.
- ^ Ewing, Philip (May 26, 2010). "No lard on Herndon Monument for climb". Navy Times. http://www.navytimes.com/news/2010/05/navy_herndon_unlarded_052410w/.
- ^ Fellman, Sam (March 23, 2011). "Grease returns to plebes’ Herndon climb". Marine Corps Times. http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2011/03/navy-academy-herndon-climb-greased-032311w/. Retrieved 23 March 2011.
- ^ First recorded time
- ^ Used a cargo net - "Herndon Monument Climb time: 1:14:38". Capital Gazette Communications, Inc.. 2009-05-19. http://www.hometownannapolis.com/news/top/2009/05/19-37/Class-of-2012-climbs-Herndon-in-11438.html. Retrieved 2009-05-20.
- ^ Fastest time officially recorded, although the monument was not greased
- ^ Longest time
- ^ Fastest time since 1988
- ^ Official time per press release - "Herndon Monument Climb time: 1:14:38". Capital Gazette Communications, Inc.. 2009-05-18. http://www.hometownannapolis.com/news/top/2009/05/18-36/Herndon-Monument-Climb-time-11438.html. Retrieved 2009-05-20.
- ^ Ungreased following an order by VADM Fowler, Superintendent of the Naval Academy
References
- http://www.usna.edu/PAO/pressreleases/2008/064%20Herndon.doc
- http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=23729
- http://www.public.usna91.info/TheCapitalVCIII%23141_19880521o.pdf
External links
United States Naval Academy Academics 
Athletics Navy Midshipmen • Teams: Men's Basketball • Football • Men's Lacrosse • Men's Soccer
Other: Navy-Army Game • Commander-in-Chief's TrophyCampus Alumni Hall • Bancroft Hall • Cemetery • Glenn Warner Soccer Facility • Halsey Field House • Herndon Monument • Hubbard Hall • McMullen Hockey Arena • Museum •
Naval Academy Chapel • Naval Academy Jewish Chapel • Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium • Wesley Brown Field HouseHistory People Traditions Categories:- Maryland building and structure stubs
- United States Navy stubs
- United States Naval Academy
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
