THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 2, 1995 TAG: 9506300242
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 20 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY REBECCA A. MYERS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 101 lines
It was a family affair.
Rick Edmondson attended Frederick Military Academy for five years, receiving his diploma in 1982. His younger brother David graduated two years later. The boys' mother, June Edmondson, worked at the academy from 1975 to 1984 as the secretary to the commandant.
``I was encouraged to go there my first year, and every year after that, it was my choice,'' said Rick Edmondson, 31, who grew up in Glensheallah.
Because there were only 36 in his graduating class, Edmondson is currently organizing a reunion for all alumni, faculty, staff and cheerleaders of the military school.
``This is not a reunion for any one year,'' he said. ``There are hundreds and hundreds of people who've gone through that school. . . People are coming in from as far as California for it.''
The reunion will be held Aug. 11 and 12 at Lake Wright Resort & Convention Center in Norfolk.
``Because a good portion of the alumni are coming in from out of town, the 11th is just a gathering or a social, like a cocktail hour, then Saturday night (Aug. 12) is the actual banquet,'' he said.
Working with Rick Edmondson are Marilyn Rowland, a teacher at the academy from 1970 until it closed, and Mic Topping, a 1984 graduate.
Frederick Military Academy, founded by the late Fred W. Beazley, opened in September 1958 as a military high school and a two-year junior college at the present site of the Portsmouth Campus of Tidewater Community College.
Three years later, it moved off the college campus to its own site in the 1800 block of Portsmouth Blvd. Declining enrollment and rising operating costs forced the school to close in June 1985.
About 140 have already made plans to attend the reunion, the first attempt to host a get-together for the entire Frederick family. Several years ago, a reunion was held at The Omni, but for only two graduating classes from the late 1970s.
Of those planning to attend, about 110 are former students and their spouses (or dates), 20 are faculty and staff and about 10 are cheerleaders. A block of rooms has been reserved at Lake Wright for those attending.
The first night's event, which costs $6 per person, will be held at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 11 in Dominion Hall, a banquet room on Lake Wright property. It will include light hors d'oeuvres and a cash bar.
A tour of the former site of the military academy, which is now The Pines Residential Treatment Center, is planned for the afternoon of Aug. 12.
Later that evening, a buffet dinner, followed by a program highlighting the history of the school and dancing to DJ music, will begin at 7 p.m. The cost is $30 per person.
``We're hoping to set up a display that belongs to John Lash (class of 1979), who somehow ended up with a lot of the memorabilia when Frederick closed,'' said Edmondson. ``He has a lot of the uniforms, insignias, flags, sabers, swords and things like that.''
Due to health problems, the commandant of cadets who oversaw the academy for the longest period of time, Col. Robert C. Plaine, will be unable to attend the reunion. He may, however, address the Frederick family through a videotape played during the banquet. Plaine now lives in Pennsylvania.
``He was there for many, many years and was well-respected by all of the cadets and faculty,'' said Edmondson. ``He was probably a father figure to a lot of them.''
Looking back, Edmondson said the hardest part about attending Frederick Military Academy was having the school in his own hometown, but being required to stay on campus five days a week. The flip side to that, however, was that Edmondson developed a bond with his classmates that will last a lifetime.
``I developed a lot of close, personal relationships with classmates that have lasted,'' he said. ``We've stayed in touch. It's hard to be in that close of a situation with your other classmates and let them go when you leave there.''
Edmondson, who later majored in finance and business administration at Old Dominion University, is now a partner with Viola Commercial Group, a newly formed company in Bowers Hill.
With this reunion, Edmondson hopes to re-establish a Frederick Military Academy alumni association. For more information, call Edmondson at 483-2315 or write to: FMA Alumni Association, P.O. Box 7126, Portsmouth, Va. 23707. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by MARK MITCHELL
Rick Edmondson, a graduate of Frederick Military Academy, and
Marilyn Rowland, a former teacher, display old photos from the
academy.
by CNB