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In The Know

MARCH 2023

News, updates, and information for and about the Long Grey Line

Buddy Semken (circled in red) in middle school, roughly 2007. If you can identify any other Cadets, please reach out.

Feel free to send pictures and stories to Angie Williams at the email button below.

Help is needed for organizing the class reunions for this year at Homecoming in September.  Please email Angie Williams if you would like to help.  

Community Outreach

The Corps of Cadets is raffling off an X box X series to fundraise for the Military Ball.  Purchase your tickets before April 17th.  The drawing will occur on April 18th.  You do not need to be present to win.

The Gold Star Platoon will be competing in Winston-Salem on March 18th.  The team invites you to come watch them perform.  

ORMA Honoring Veterans

For those Cadets that went on to graduate from the Citadel, you may remember seeing this monument on your campus.

ORMA is currently working on two project to honor our veterans and current service personnel. We are creating a book listing the names of former Cadets who were killed in war time for a “Cadet Remembrance Book” . These former Cadets will be honored by having their names read at each Veterans Day Ceremony. If you would please forward the names of any former Cadets that you knew, with the dates that they attended ORMI/ORMA, it would be greatly appreciated.

In addition, we will be creating an honor wall in the TAC Office to honor those Cadets that are currently enlisted in any branch of the armed services.  Please send your pictures, and information to Angie Williams.

Gold Star Platoon Updates

The Gold Star Platoon is going to Nationals in Daytona, FL in May of 2023.  The team has been invited to compete on March 18, 2023 in the 4th Brigade’s Best of the Best Competition. If the Cadets win this event, the 4th Brigade will pay for part of the cost for the team to attend nationals.

The Drill team completed against seven other schools with the potential to go to nationals.  The drill inspectors were extremely detail oriented.  

The results from the drill competition are listed below. 

3rd place-Regulation Armed Platooned commanded by CPL Andrew Corum

3rd place- Exhibition Armed Platooned commanded by SSG Jayden Triplett

1st place-Armed Division Color Guard commanded by MSG Nicolas Hunt

3rd place- Armed Division Overall Drill competition

1st place- Armed Division Knockout PFC James Kenton (not counted in overall score)

You can show your support in various ways.  Monetary donations are helpful to replace needed items, transportation costs, and meals for the team. The team needs new white pants, gloves, and canvas belts.  These items, once stained, are nearly impossible to get clean. If you would like to support the Gold Star Platoon with a donation, please click on the link below.

2023 Summer Camps

Enrollment is open for 2023 Summer Camp sessions.  The adventure camps will be held from June 25th - July 8th and July 9th - July 22nd. The camps are for rising 6th graders through 12th graders.  The Oak Ridge Adventure Camp teaches leadership skills through physical fitness and adventure training activities. Campers will participate in military formations, marching drills, and other JROTC-inspired practices. The daily schedule of team-building activities will vary, to include rappelling, obstacle course training, airsoft, and much more.

Please reach out to Major Robert Forde, Director of Admissions, for more information.

CLASS UPDATES

2007

Anna Thomas attended Aveda Institute of St. Petersburg, FL where she received her cosmetologist license.  She has had her own Salon for the past 6 years.  She has a son, Landon, who loves basketball and a daughter, Gwenyth, who loves gymnastics. She lives in Naples, FL.  Col Lloyd was a huge influence in her time at ORMA.  Her favorite ORMA memory was officer training in her Junior year.  

2002

Christian Thompson just bought his second home in the Pacific Northwest.  After ORMA, he served in the United States Marine Corps from 2002 to 2006.  He attended Xavier University in Cincinnati and graduated in 2010.  By trade, he is a meteorologist but currently in the hiring process with a major company in aerospace. During the pandemic, like post-9/11, Christian held a Class A CDL to help with supply chain issues.  After a flawless driving career, he got out because drivers are the hardest workers in our economy.

1988

Kip Thompson is completing his 20th year as a special education teacher in Davidson County. His worked a full time job and attended college at night.  His students see his class as a place of refuge and seem to enjoy learning.  Over the years, he has worked with different age groups and experienced the pleasure of working with outstanding students.  He learned early on that if he came to school in a bad mood he would transfer that emotion to his students. For the most part, his students are happy and excited to be at school and learning.

1983

Rick Paxton owns two businesses.  The first is Magnetic Marketing, LLC a full service marketing agency that provides all aspects of marketing for his clients. In January, he bought a travel agency, Rick Paxton & Associates-Dream Vacations.  Post-pandemic, he believes people are hungry to travel and get away from the day to day grind. He continues to live in North Carolina.

1982

Charles Sharpe lives in Raleigh with his wife.  His kids are gown.  He entered the military after ORMA and then worked as a plant superintendent for a couple of textile companies.  He switched careers and became the food and beverage director in the hospitality industry.  He retired in 2015 and currently teaches Tai Chi and play golf.  

1974

Sarah Dyer Lambert graduated in 1974 and served as a Board of Trustee member from 1999-2002. She grew up in Greensboro and was one of the first handful of female Cadets. She attended as a day student. she lives on roanoke Island in the Outer Banks surrounded by natural beauty.  She became a long distance runner in her early 50s.  She has ran in all the major Marathons of the world including Berlin, London, Boston, New York, and Chicago. She runs about 10 competitive races a year and serves as a volunteer coach at a local elementary school for the Go Farprogram. The Go Far program teaches life long skills and engages the families in a healthy life to fight childhood obesity.  She serves at the Food Pantry and enjoys volunteering with the Town of Manteo for the Litter Pick-up.  She serves at her church as a Stephen Minister helping other cope with loss.

1967

After graduation, Hank Williams went to Lenoir Rhyne for a year before joining the Army.  He married Sara and went to Vietnam.  After returning to Fort Jackson, SC he graduated from Lenoir Rhyne with a BA in Sociology. He started is career in management with JC Penney.  After 10 years and 3 transfers, he went to work for Belk. Three years later, he returned to the Army and retired with 22 years of total service as a Sergeant First Class. Consquentiently, the same rank he held when graduating from Oak Ridge.  After a year in real estate, he returned to the military as a civilian contractor recruiting.  Eventually he found his way to NC Works as a Veterans Supervisor fir the NC Department of Commerce. He lives with his wife in Graham, NC and volunteers with five or six different organizations, mostly to benefit Veterans.