NOTE:  Since this newsletter was mailed, the association officers are reviewing the decision on the membership recognition plaque discussed in the third paragraph below, because of subsquent feedback and some other suggestions from association members.  Any changes will be announced when available.

HELLO to lovers of Roosevelt Military Academy. Welcome to the first edition of the RMA Rough Rider. While we have committed to a semi-annual or quarterly issue of this missile our aim is to have enough input to publish monthly. We believe that the road to a successful organization is COMMUNICATION and that is what we will strive for in all things we do and particularly in this newsletter. This issue will be going to all on the current roster. Take advantage of this opportunity to join the association and reap the benefits of membership in an organization dedicated to preservation of the RMA tradition. If you want to join, please contact Mike Vagi, secretary, and he will give you all the details and sign you up.

I am Mel Bogus, the chair of the communication committee. I attended RMA during half of my sophomore year, as a junior and then graduated in the class of 1947. The chair is rather small as so far there are no more members of this committee. I would like to have several correspondents in different locations to feed me information on members in your areas, In sickness and in health, kids that are getting married or divorced, grandkids that are being born, vacations anything that could keep your old classmates informed as to what we are all doing, besides getting older. Please contact me if you have any interest. My phone is 281-334-0863 and my email is mel.bogus@rmaroughriders.org.

The BOD has approved a membership recognition plaque for each member and you have received a message from Mike Vagi, asking for your correct information to be engraved on the plaque. Mine will read "Cadet Mel Bogus '47 ". Please get the proper information to Mike as requested ASAP, so we can get the program off and running. The plaque is just one of your member benefits and we need to know how you want it engraved. The plaque costs the association $13.00 and if you want to opt out please let Mike Vagi know.

We would like to have your feedback on a category of membership not previously discussed. Life members. The original thought was to offer it by age. Anyone 70 or over, life membership would be $100.00. Younger than 70 would be $ 250.00. This is just a discussion item and needing your input to decide if it is indeed viable.

In order to make this a real newsletter, I would like to publish your bio with your life since RMA. I want what you do or did for a living, your education, your family, your likes and dislikes, sports, awards and accomplishments and I will run a few every time we publish. I would love to find some of the stuff from my friends and I hope you feel the same. You send it and I will put it in.

We will have a TAPS section for our cadets that have left us. If you are aware of anyone passing that we may not know please send me the information and we will give them a proper sendoff. We will do the same with SICK CALL if you send the info, I will make note.

The next all year re-union will take place in Chicago in 2008 and as the plans get clear we will keep you up to date. Plan on attending and we can make this the biggest attendance yet.

This newsletter and the membership recognition should more than justify your association dues and point out that it really is a value for the dollar. Join now and grow with us. We are very tight knit group that has a membership that can only get smaller with time. Let's enjoy the fact that RMA is rising from the ashes with this association and all join together for brotherhood and companionship that can last as long as we do

We have a quartermaster store that is stocked and operating thanks to Gene Shalander. Contact Gene for RMA stuff that you need and want to bring back the good old days.

We need your help locating cadets and RMA attendees that we haven't found as yet. If you are aware of any former Rough Riders please let Mike Vagi know name and address so we can contact them and put them in our data base. We would like to find everyone and hopefully we can with your help.

I am going to start with my bio to give you an idea of what we want from all of you. I graduated from RMA in June of 1947. I joined the Missouri National Guard in 1948 and went in as a 3 stripe sergeant, which matched my rank at RMA after 3 years. I went into the real army in 1953, going voluntarily right after I was drafted. I spent 15 fun filled months at Ft. Richardson Alaska, and did manage to win a golf tournament and the post championship in Ping Pong. I went to Washington University in St. Louis for a year and a half but then I went to work for McDonnell Aircraft to play baseball for them. Missouri U. was next with a major in Journalism. I later changed that to Finance and obtained my BS in Finance and went on to get a Masters in Marketing. To think that" Sniff" McNeal gave me a D in Physics and I actually ended up with a Masters. I got married in 1959 and we had 3 boys. In 1960 I started racing with SCCA and did that as a hobby for 15 years. I raced for Triumph for 5 years and finished racing for Datsun for 5 years. I won 17 National races and 30 Regional. I served one term as a Governor of SCCA, 1972 thru 1974. I moved from St Louis to Houston in 1974 to go into the securities business and got divorced in 1976. The institutional bond business was good to me and I got remarried in 1977 to Sherry and we recently celebrated our 30th anniversary with a cruise with our 2 sons.

I have served on the BOD of the local Chamber of Commerce, as chairman of Houston Society raising almost 4 million for children's charities. One of the most rewarding days of my life came when we moved from Conroe TX to League City for my wife's job. The mayor and city council of Conroe named February 10th as "Mel Bogus Day" for my work on city appointed committees. I have 5 sons and 4 grandkids and all the boys are doing well. Brett, in order of birth, owns a rare coin business. Bart owns his own Property and Casualty Insurance agency. Blake is a school teacher in Dallas and owns the Knox Hill Bar. Bradley has his own film production company in Austin and Brian, the youngest is a tennis pro at Walden on Lake Conroe. My wife Sherry is the managing partner of her own Bankers Life office here in Clear Lake and does well enough to support me in the manner to which I have become accustomed. All in all it has been a good life and I am now putting some of my efforts into the RMA Association to help it grow and succeed.