What West Point Means to Me – Art Nigro

West Point was a survival exercise for me.
Never be first, never be last, and keep your head down. That was my motto.
I can’t say I enjoyed my 4 years there and often feel that I missed the entire college experience. However, I graduated feeling that I could handle any situation that arose, and I went on to practice the Cadet Honor Code both at work and at home. As a general manager, I taught the honor code to my staff in hotels around the world, and it played a central role in our success. It is a great code to live by.
Undoubtedly, the best thing about attending West Point was meeting Sheila, my wife of 49 years now, when I was a platoon leader at Beast Barracks. If there was such a thing as a good year at West Point, it was that last one. We had a few privileges and got our cars in the spring. It was a good time to have a corvette, a wonderful girlfriend, and lots of buddies in Company C-3.
Since I went into the Air Force and got out after 5 years, it became difficult to keep in regular touch with my classmates, and I regret that very much. We were an eclectic bunch of characters in C-3, and it is great to see how well everyone has done in life. On the eve of our 50th reunion, I look forward to seeing them again and catching up.

It is safe to say that if I didn’t go to West Point, I wouldn’t have met Sheila and had such a wonderful family of which I am proud.