McNair - Grant Hall Dedication

[Jim Garrett]

(04-05-2013 06:38 PM)L Verge Wrote:  To give you some idea of how beautiful the post is: Nearly twenty years ago, the Surratt Society held a banquet in the ballroom of the Officers' Club at McNair. Walk out the main door of the OC and turn right; in a few yards, you are standing beside the Potomac River with boats, cruise ships, etc. going by and planes coming into Reagan National Airport over your head. Look straight ahead to the tip of the point of land that the post is on, and the architecturally magnificent old War College stares back at you. Turn left and look down the parade ground, and you will see homes along Generals' Row that will remind you of Tara from Gone With The Wind; and beyond those, are buildings dating to the 19th and early-20th centuries. I believe I'm correct that Walter Reed did much of his studies on Yellow Fever in some of those buildings.

Anyhow, back to twenty years ago - the night of the Surratt banquet coincided with my daughter's Prom night. One of her girl friends was also my weekend manager at Surratt House, and they both dated McNamara Men who were best buddies. (A McNamara Man means they were students at a rather prestigious Catholic boys' school that prided itself in turning out fine scholars and fine gentlemen -- and unfortunately, my daughter let that one go!).

The two couples had heard everyone talk about how pretty McNair was, so they decided to have the supper portion of their Prom Night with us old fogies in the Officers' Club at McNair before heading out to where the happening dance and party was going on. Let's just say that those four teenagers were the hit of the evening, and all the old fogies thought they were so cute and that it was so wonderful that they had spent a portion of their evening with folks who had watched my daughter, Jen, grow up - she was two when I joined the Surratt Society - and had known Megan for several years as she worked weekends at the museum. Kent and Julian were definitely McNamara Men that night also. Before leaving for the dance, the two couples strolled along the river. I don't know if Jen remembers the evening, but this old mother sure does... Ft. McNair has that effect on you, even if you don't know the history.

My father attended the War College there in 1960. What a great name. "WAR COLLEGE"!!