Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1922-06-03
RECORD CLASS
GETS DIPLOMAS
AT ANNAPOLIS
Parchments Presented at
Graduating Exercises by
Assistant Navy Secy.
MISS FORMER GAYETY
Effect of Arms Treaties of Academys
Future Is Felt In The Ceremonies
This Week

Annapolis, June 3.--Never before
has the Naval Academy turned out so
large a class of graduates as it sent
out yesterday; never has so large
proportion of any graduating class
been permitted to resign in order TO
enter the occupations of civil life, and
never again, in the opinion Of naval
officers generally, will graduating
class be as large as 1t was this year.
The class of 1922 numbered 54O men
of whim 538 received their diplomas
from Theodore Roosevelt who is act
ing as Secretary of the Navy IN the
absence of Secretary DENLY, who is
on his way to Japan. One-thlrd or
more of this class, it was stated TO-
day, resigned some time ago when 1t
was announced that a large number OF
this wears graduates would not re
ceive commissions in the navy upon
finishing their course at the acad-
emy. The result of the Limitation OF
Armaments Conference, which reduc-
ed the size of the navy and stopped
the building of capital ships for 10
wears, limited the need of officers as
well as ships and this has made un-
necessary the training of such large
numbers of young men for the ma
tons service on the seas.
Perhaps it was the thought that so
many of the graduating class would
no longer be in the navy after this
week; that not only the academy, but
the navy itself had reached the zenith
of it's power and influence and was
beginning it's decline; or perhaps 1t
was only the fitful weather that took
from the graduating exercises Of yes
terday much of the gayety, the spon-
taneitv and the bubbling joyousness
that has marked such exercises in
other years.
At the conclusion Of his address the
diplomas were distributed, first to the
12 honor men and then TO the others.
Every now and then a great cheer
would ring through the hall as some
popular chap received his parchment,
the volume of the cheering being IN
direct proportion to the popularity OF
the student whose name was called.
Admiral Wilson handed the diplomas
10 Mr.. Roosevelt, who first shook
hands with each man and then hand
ed him the coveted document for
which he had worked four long years.
Jerauld l.. Olmsted, of Iowa, leader
of the class. received the first big
cheer, and another cheer from mem
bers of the graduating class greeted
Leonard Kaplan, of West Virginia, the
second man of the class. A tremendous
cheer marked the going of the diploma
to Emery f. LawrasOn, of Minnesota,
captain of the football team. Another
big one was for c. O. HumphrieS, OF
Easton, Md. who was captain of the
baseball team, and an even bigger one
was given Harry A. Rawlings, who
was acting captain of the team when
it defeated the army team last Mon
day.
The last two men in the line got as
hearty cheers as any of the other
heroes of the academy, although they
did not receive their parchmentS.
They were Clyde W. King of Cedar
Rapids, Iowa, and Vincent W. Gallag-
her. of New York. Both are members
of the worlds champion eight-oar
crew. which won highest honors In
the boat races in the Olympic games
at Belgium in 1920. and which cleaned
up everything at the Henley races in
England last year. King was stroke
oar in the Olympic races and will pull
No. 8 oar at the PoughkeepSie races
the last week in June. He is said to be
the best oarSman the Navy crew ever
had. Gallagher is also a cracka-J jack
oarsman. Both have resigned from the
Navy to take effect upon the reception
of their diplomas, so their diplomas
were withheld until after the Pough-
keepsie races, otherwise they would
not be able to row, and that might pre-
ont the Academy from winning the
event.