Dear Friends,
During my 50+ years involved in the Musical Activities program at the Naval Academy, I had the honor and privilege to work with countless and immensely talented men and women, many of whom have gone on to achieve so much in service to country and in the private sector, due, in no small part, to the experiences they had as musicians at USNA.
You all know how valuable music is to Midshipmen and to the community and we owe it to ourselves to ensure that legacy continues.
Music at USNA has never been fully funded, rather, it has always relied on a combination of government and non-government support, plus income generated by the music department, and gifts of all kinds from all sorts of people and organizations. FONAM was established to institutionalize that gift part, to smooth out the dramatic swings that sometimes occur when costs spike or support falters, to guarantee the future availability of funds necessary for long-range planning, and to establish an endowment to provide a reliable cash flow for future support.
FONAM has already pumped a stream of cash into the music department’s annual operating budget, and has purchased some items that would be tough to buy under government low-bid rules - things like high end recording and editing equipment that the department uses to produce first rate performances that you can see on YouTube and a set of steel drums that were custom built for the program.
There is more work to be done and we need your help - we cannot do this without you! I urge you, when you consider your end of year giving to make a contribution to FONAM or better yet, set up a recurring monthly donation!
Why do I support FONAM?
Because it gives me so much pleasure to give to a cause that I love.
Wishing you all a Happy New Year,
Barry Talley
Set up a monthly "Class Year" donation - just $20 (e.g. $19.83 for the class of 1983, $20.12 for 2012 etc.) goes a long way!