From BW English Major to 2nd in Command of the US Coast Guard

On the heels of an announcement by the White House that Vice Admiral Peter Neffenger '77 has been nominated for promotion to the number two post at the U.S. Coast Guard, the USCG Deputy Commandant for Operations came "home" to BW earlier this month.

Neffenger told a Plain Dealer reporter covering the visit that he arrived at BW without a career plan. "But 'I was exposed to a world of ideas,' then to the literal world abroad during a junior year in Europe."  That trip abroad was BW's first Humanities Year, the precursor to the Seminar in Europe program.

The newspaper also reported that "Neffenger returned to BW at his own expense because he was so eager to talk with students and faculty. Last year, he hosted two undergraduates, Sarah Brigadier and Charles Henderson, at the International Maritime Organization's biennial meeting in London."

The Chronicle Telegram newspaper also ran a story about the visit by this distinguished BW graduate under the headline, "Elyria native tapped for second-highest Coast Guard post visits Baldwin Wallace."

If confirmed buy the Senate, Neffenger's nomination to be the next vice commandant of the Coast Guard will take effect in May.