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At Trophy Point on Friday, the firsties received their “bold mold of rolled gold” at the annual Ring Ceremony. While the total price tag of all the rings was reported in the $3M range, the real value of the gold has more to do with the sacredness of tradition than the preciousness of metal. This is because for the thirteenth year in a row, a portion of the gold in the rings comes from those donated through WPAOG’s Class Ring Memorial Program (more commonly known as “the Ring Melt”). “There’s no more substantive and meaningful way imaginable to bring physical reality to the phrase ‘Grip Hands’ than the Ring Melt program,” said Brigadier General Richard Clarke ’84, the Commandant of Cadets. Since the inauguration of the Ring Melt, 293 rings have been donated, including 36 last March for the Class of 2014. “It was a thrill to see all these happy cadets receive their rings and know that my dad’s ring is a little part of theirs,” said Amy Ballard, daughter of COL (R) John G. Ballard Jr. ’51. Addressing the 12 donors in attendance on Friday, Warren Geary, the Ring & Crest Chair for the Class of 2014, said: “We will bear their legacy in our hearts, and their hopes, dreams, and accomplishments will follow us always.” Reflecting on the matter after the ceremony, Priscilla Quarstein, who donated her husband’s ring (COL (R) Vernon A. Quarstein ’50) at the Ring Melt, said: “It is a heartwarming feeling to know that Vernon is home and the tradition he believed in—Duty, Honor, Country—is being carried on.”
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PHOTOS & VIDEO: Members of the Class of 2014 Don Their Rings
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