You may have seen coverage of the July 4th dedication of the U.S. Navy’s new destroyer, the U.S.S. Arleigh Burke, in Norfolk, Va. The chief engineer overseeing ship construction for several years in Bath, Maine, is none other than Lt. Cmdr. Kenyon Hiser from the bicentennial class of 1976.
The destroyer features an Aegis radar system and can be completely pressurized, making it invulnerable (hopefully) to poison gas attacks, which were a major threat in the recent Gulf War.
Hiser is one of the youngest officers to head such a project. When he was graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1980, he scored highest in his class on the proficiency exam. He also earned a master’s degree at the Naval Postgraduate School.
Woodrow already has one admiral, Kenneth Woodfin ’41. Maybe Hiser will be the next.
If you’re familiar with the Hisers (who started a trend at Woodrow by attending East coast colleges), here’s an update. Miriam ’79, who attended Wesleyan College and the University of Texas law school, is an attorney in San Francisco. Tracy ’81, who was a Yale cheerleader and served in the Peace Corps in Senegal, Africa, is considering further international studies at the University of Wisconsin. Bill ’83, who was graduated from Princeton and was an exchange student in Japan, is back at Southwestern Medical School after a research fellowship studying cardiology in San Francisco.
Cool Cats
Speaking of Japan, Rick Rodriguez ’76 recently returned from a trip to the Orient.
It is reported that Dr. Joel Akin ’76 has returned to Dallas after graduating from the University of Iowa’s veterinary school.
More Good News
Woodrow finished third out of 46 Dallas/Fort Worth area schools participating in AAAA athletics for the Dallas Morning News All-Sports Award. Woodrow ranked third in SAT scores among all Dallas high schools and had the highest ACT scores in the district.
And From Next Door
J.L. Long Middle School has been chosen for DISD’s new site-based management pilot program. The program, as recommended by the Commission for Educational Excellence, seeks to give teachers, parents, principals and the community more input into policy and curriculum.
Kudos to Woodrow Alumni Association president Barbara Adamson ’56, who served as a member of the education task force.
