The Culver Cannon

Paul Gignilliat ’49 W’43, a fourth-generation member of a family inextricably tied to the leadership and history of Culver Academies, died on Nov. 22 in his native Chicago. He was 93.

Of the many facets of Culver that make indelible impressions, food — especially for the teenage connoisseur — surely ranks among the most prominent, if for no other reason than its frequency and its ability to evoke shared memories of the sublime or to inspire complaint. 

Duke, the horse set to lead Culver Academies in the presidential inaugural parade earlier this year until it was canceled because of weather, has been retired.

Eleven Culver Academies students spent eight days of their summer vacation paddling in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in Minnesota, using their brains and brawn to navigate through pristine rivers and lakes with none of the comforts of home.

Retired Col. Bill Bundy ’93 told students at Culver Academies that he believes they will do well in life, but encouraged them to do “good” as well.

Culver Military Academy’s distinctive M35 2-ton, and M37 ¾ -ton trucks, used by generations of cadets to learn to drive manual-transmission vehicles, will be refurbished to make the 70-year-old vehicles more reliable after the school received a six-figure anonymous gift to pay for the work.