As a 9 year old, I spent my time in a neighborhood organization called the union army.  An older brother of my next door neighbor –who in retrospect must not have had enough friends of his own—created this opportunity for five or six of us kids to march, crawl on our bellies in the mud, outline strategies for campaigns and single strikes against the enemy—the rebel forces, and learn to take orders from our superiors.  We were up at the crack of dawn on Saturdays for drill and maneuvers when other kids were sleeping or having breakfast, instead of rations.  We knew we were a part of something special—something challenging, and something fun!

         Our other diversions included an occasional Saturday matinee of cartoon or westerns—those wonderful morality plays with white hats and black hats, violence without harm or malice.  Our bikes were simple, adorned only with playing cards fastened on to the spokes by clothespins to create a motorized effect.  Not much TV unless you were a Lawrence Welk fan, not many activities organized by parents, no real opportunities besides those we created for ourselves.  Pickup in the backyard or the park; games we invented or imitated.  Baseball card pitching or climbing trees.  Well, we did have to endure dancing school once in a while.  We spent Sundays with family and all the sins of the week were absolved.

         Those were the 1950’s, the Eisenhower years—nothing but prosperity.  There was the shadow of the bomb, but we were young enough that air raid shelter drills and bunkers in the basement were part of a game rather than reality.  Life was relatively simple, and most of us understood the basic American values and watched the virtues of justice, wisdom, courage, and moderation played out for us in the examples of our parents and teachers.

         Now--fast-forward 45 years to the year 2001.  Gameboys, computer software that allows you to wage war without ever leaving your bedroom.  No pain or sacrifice here.  Endless TV with real violence, news specials that make you question the safety of your own backyard, and programming that has necessitated the creation of the v-chip.  X-ratings, x games, and even an XFL. Kids managed like assets in a portfolio—driven to practices, lessons, and functions that will enhance their value relative to the rest of society.  Kids who are overscheduled, overindulged, and overprotected.

         Young people growing up today have far more distractions and far less freedom than was the case for me.  If I encountered a problem during the day I had to figure out how to respond myself because my parents were not constantly supervising and watching.  I had to entertain myself, and that usually involved interacting with friends or books.

         Now I want to assure you this is not an “I walked five miles to school in the snow and uphill –both ways.”  I realize that much has changed.  This is decidedly a more dangerous world.  We did not have random drive-by shootings.  We were not threatened by the availability of drugs on the street.  We were not as violent a society then.  Handguns were not as accessible, especially for kids.  Consequently, we grew up less brittle, more relaxed, with far more tolerance for stress—not even a word we knew or used.  We had personal freedoms and emotional oases that today’s youth do not.  We were more attuned to our obligations that just to our desires.

         Things have changed dramatically.  Today’s students are more responsive to visual stimuli than we ever were.  They crave entertainment and are not generally attuned to the needs and wants of others.  They don’t do hardship easily or happily.  Enter Culver.

         Over 100 years ago, H.H. Culver and col. Fleet decided that the boy of their day needed an educational regime that would provide the lessons of life for young men who had become soft and self-satisfied.  All needed, they concluded, the equivalent of war in their lives.  They needed challenges.  They needed chores and duties.  They needed an environment that would demand that they accept responsibility.  They needed to learn the virtues of courage, justice, wisdom, and moderation.  They needed to grow up and realize they had obligations to themselves and others.  They needed constant practice of the habits of the heart so after a time they would not need to think, only to respond as they had been taught.

         In 107 years, Culver has continued to inculcate the values of hard work, respect for others, and honor to scores of cadets and more recently to young women.  And throughout, Culver has worked to balance the needs and realities of the succeeding generations with the mission and principles of Culver.  Be assured that Culver has not used the same vehicles to transport the members of different generations.  Culver has carefully mapped its way through the 20’s, 30’s, 40’s, and so on—always understanding how much to push or pull, or when to punt.

         The specific methodologies may have changed, but the foundational pieces of the Culver philosophy are as intact as ever.  Culver is a rigorous preparatory school that educates for leadership and responsible citizenship.  Culver has dodged and weaved over the years, but it has held fast to those fundamental beliefs that are part of our history.  Challenge young people to exceed their own expectations and orient them to a system of leadership training that will build skills and confidence.

         As we move forward with our program for the 21^st century, we will maintain those traditions that have made Culver Culver:  (1) discreet systems of leadership for boys and girls; (2) challenging academic programs that employ the best in teaching and learning technologies; and (3) a focus on developing programs that make Culver distinctive and that represent excellence.

         At Culver students will continue to prepare for life through the education of the whole person.  The diversity of the student body, the richness of the physical environment, and the quality of the teaching faculty will be as evident now as in the halcyon days of you name the decade.  We bring motivated young people to Culver and ask them to engage in a meritocracy that rewards results, self-discipline, and cooperation. Culver provides for today’s students what was once considered normal and is now clearly counter-cultural.  The students may not be as focused or as accepting of all we expect of them as you may recall being when you were here.  Frankly, Culver has always put challenge ahead of support and care, and students have always enjoyed it more from a 20-20-hindsight vantage point.

         Picture this—1000 summer school students, trustees, and teachers, and counselors singing the Star-Spangled Banner at 10 o’clock pm on a Saturday evening in July.  Consider:  700 teenagers spending an hour on a Friday afternoon participating in the recreation of a graduation ceremony for men whom they do not know -- the age of their grandfathers -- with respect and their full attention.  Imagine:  American teenagers cleaning their rooms daily for personal and general inspection.  Where is such a haven?  Culver.  Culver.  Culver.

         Pam and I came to Culver because we believed it possessed all the attributes of a great school.  We also came to see that Culver’s graduates wanted Culver to realize its awesome potential.  The school had superb board leadership, positive and honest students, a committed faculty and staff, and a group of alumni second to none in the quality of their collective character.  Culver had held true to its principles, and had learned to make comprises only when they were reasonable or necessary to preserve the well being of the school.

         Possibly I was subconsciously excited about giving students an education in the values I was fortunate enough to learn when I was a young.   Culver students accomplish remarkable things given the pressures of 21^st century life, and we will continue to push against the current here, valuing what came before and fully informed about the future.  Better a broken bone than a broken spirit.