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Last updated: November 20, 2007

The Sixth Annual Crypto Cup Golf Benefit was held at the Fort George G. Meade Golf Course. This year’s event had special meaning since the Eagle Alliance-sponsored event was renamed the Tim Sheahan Memorial Golf Tournament in memory of Tim Sheahan, former Vice President of Eagle Alliance. Tim, along with his colleague, Frank Derwin, is credited with the vision to hold an annual golf benefit to support the NCMF. To date, the tournament has contributed over $200,000 to the Foundation and enabled it to purchase cryptologic artifacts and memorabilia for the museum and support NCMF O&M costs.

We would like to share with you the logistics that go into holding this annual event:

Planning for the benefit begins in early November when the Foundation forwards a deposit to reserve a June play date at the Courses at Fort Meade. Eagle Alliance then invites local corporations to sponsor a team by paying an entry fee to be donated to the NCMF. Each Corporate Sponsorship Package includes green fees and carts for a foursome, a sponsor sign at one of the tee-boxes, gift packages, breakfast and lunch, and recognition from the NCMF for their tax deductible charitable contribution.

Work begins in earnest in May when the entry fees are forwarded to the NCMF and Eagle Alliance solicits local businesses and corporations for prizes and gift donations.  Winning team and individual prizes have included computers, laser-jet printers, flat screen TVs and each year a brand new car donated by Fox Buick of Laurel for the lucky person who gets a hole-in-one on the designated par 3.  No winners thus far.

On the day of the event, the Eagle Alliance Event Coordinating Team, led by Ms Sandi Austin, arrives early to place sponsor signs on the tees, set up the scoring system and the prize tables, and oversee breakfast and lunch arrangements. Last but not least, the beer carts are readied and volunteers drive them to the designated spots.

At about 1300 the teams gather after their round for lunch, bragging rights and golf stories.  A favorite one from 2006 was the seven iron found dangling from a tree on the 10th tee -- no one came forward to claim it.  The afternoon comes to a close with a ceremony to award the Tim Sheahan Memorial Trophy to the first place team and the presentation of a check for the benefit proceeds to the Foundation.

Following the tournament the NCMF holds a small reception at the museum to honor the first place team and the Eagle Alliance Staff.  If you are interested in being a corporate sponsor, participating in a foursome, or volunteering, please contact the NCMF Administrator, Mary Faletto, at 301-688-5436 for details.

We are indebted to the dedication of the organizers of this event, the participating teams, and the local businesses who all contribute to make this day a huge success. See you next year!

October 17, 2007 - NCMF General Membership Meeting

The general membership meeting of the National Cryptologic Museum Foundation took place on 17 October 2007 at the Kossikoff Center of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland. Lt Gen Lincoln Faurer, Chairman of the Board of the NCMF, opened the day-long session with a welcome to members and guests and a reminder of the silent auction and sales of cryptologic artifacts in the lobby. (This new project brought in over $1100 by the end of the meeting and the funds will be used for foundation activities and acquisitions.)

He then introduced Mr. Ethan Bauman, who spoke on behalf of Deputy Director Inglis, about the effects of the BRAC recommendations to relocate about 5000 new jobs to Ft. Meade. While this will greatly enlarge the pool of talent in the area and increase prospects for Agency recruitment, transportation, schools, power, and other infrastructure costs will have to be addressed.  The Agency is working with state, local and military authorities to assess the impact and make decisions about these costs.  In this regard, he stated that the museum will play an important role in helping the public understand and accept the Agency’s critical role in the community.

The next speaker was Congressman Ruppersberger of the 2nd Maryland District in the US House of Representatives.   In addition to discussing BRAC issues, he cited both the exceptional talents in the agency and the need to stay ahead of competitors by assessing both successes and failures and by increasing attention to R&D. He drew a comparison between the time and expense of government projects and comparable projects in the commercial sector, noting that the latter often completed space projects on budget and on time. He also noted that the Agency needed to attract people who have an intimate knowledge of the language and culture of countries and peoples in whom the agency is interested.

After presentations to Maj Gen John Morrison and Captain Fred Demech for their outstanding contributions to the foundation and museum, Ms Mary Margaret Graham, Deputy Director of National Intelligence for Collection, spoke about key intelligence challenges. She stood in for the DNI, Mr. Mike McConnell, who had been called to the White House for a meeting.  She traced the difficulties surrounding intelligence reform, dating back to the founding of CIA in the 1940s and continuing to the present. The community has been heavily influenced by 9/11, however, and there may now be greater motivation for change. Following the creation of the national intelligence strategy under the first DNI, Ambassador John Negroponte, Mr. McConnell has set forth a 100-day plan, which includes greater attention to joint assignments, information security reform, revision of policy directives, and integration of community collection systems. The community is looking not at perfection in the near term but at achieving an interim 80% solution. She also touched on centralization of budget authority, pay modernization and working with law enforcement agencies at the national and local levels.

Next on the program was a status report by Lt Gen Kenneth Minihan on the new museum in a climate of tighter budgets and fewer corporate contributions.  The plan includes revising the scope of the new museum and pushing the timelines farther out in the future, in hopes that the economic situation will improve.

Mr. Patrick Weadon, curator of the museum, gave an update on current plans, including upgrading the Purple exhibit, establishing a new area in which to show some of the Kahn collection in a climate controlled environment and a zero-based review of museum holdings.

Mr. Prescott Winter, chief of the NSA/CSS Technology Directorate, reported on the role of this new directorate, with greater attention on the integration of systems and the need to address the effects of the commercially driven environment. He was followed by Brig. Gen. Billy Bingham, who reported on the New Orleans Synergy Conference, and by Mr. Eugene Becker, President of the NCMF, who gave the annual report of foundation activities.