ASSOCIATE Magazine FBINAA Q3-2026

John Simmons THE HISTORIAN'S SPOTLIGHT

I have good news, my friends! In my last article I sought to find the rightful owner of several vintage photographs. Soon after publication the quest hit paydirt. Greg Seel , NA Session 201, informed me that he was contacted by Adam Schaefer , NA Ses sion 279, and Chief of the Burlington, Iowa, Police Department. Those pictures from 1913 were from Adam’s agency and they were returned home after a very lengthy absence. Well done, Greg and Adam! I recently returned home following a very successful National Training Conference in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. It is always a treat to rekindle old friendships and make new ones. I try my best to sit at meal tables with folks I don’t know – it always leads to interesting conversations. Well, I was sitting at one of the lunch tables in the Exposition Hall when a senior member of the Association joined us. He then pulled a gradua tion program out of his backpack. It was from the 91st Session back in 1972…and in pristine condition. The owner was none other than Arnie Daxe Jr. of Burke, Va., and the senior member attending the conference. I asked if I could look at the program and Arnie said sure, but just make sure my fingers aren’t greasy! I had every intention of writing about Arnie; however, he told me he was already featured in an article written by Pat Davis (prior Historian) in the fall of 2016. Well, it was a real honor to meet him and I look forward to doing so again in the future. Speaking of programs, I found a stash of them during the last Chapter Leadership Summit at Quantico this past spring. One was the graduation banquet program for the 8th Session. The class president was F.L. Matteson of Missoula, Mont., while the honorary class president was H.A. Leslie, from Scotland Yard in London. The class roster also listed two members from the FBI – Michael Joseph Cassidy and Norman Henry McCabe . I found the menu quite interesting: Double Martini Cocktail, Minestrone Fresh Vegetable Soup with Spaghetti, Broiled Filet Mignon, Sauce Italienne, New Peas, French Fried Potatoes, Heart of Lettuce, Lorenzo Dressing, Frozen Egg Nog sur socle, Cakes, Mints and Demi Tasse. This well-earned feast was apparently the standard since the menu for the 20th Session in 1942 consisted of the follow ing: Double Manhattan Cocktail, Hot Snack, Cream of Fresh Mushroom Soup with Vermicelli, Celery, Olives, Radishes, Broiled Filet Mignon, Sauce Gastronome, Broccoli Polonaise, Crispy French Fried Potatoes, Chilled Tomato Stuffed with Bartlett Pear, Pineapple and Cottage Cheese, Russian Dressing, Wafers, New Orleans Spumoni, Chocolate Chip Cake and Demi Tasse. One program stood out amongst the stack since it had the Presidential Seal on the cover (Figure 1) . Below that very special seal read, “THE WHITE HOUSE, May 28, 1969.” Director J. Edgar Hoover told the graduates of the 83rd Session, “And we are honored at the privilege of holding these ceremonies in the historic East Room of the White House.” President Richard Nixon was joined in addressing the class by the Honorable John N. Marshall , The Attorney General of the United States, and James T. McGuire , Illinois State Police and Class President. Among the archives was a roster of the FBI National Acad emy Possible Club . Once upon a time firearms training/qualifica tion was a higher priority than golf. (Yes, a tender jab at all my golf-loving buddies!) One roster I found listed Jeffrey D. Herman ,

NA Session 138, as the newest member of the Club. The last person before him to join the Club was from the 132nd Session, which meant membership was highly competitive and difficult to achieve. Jeff is a fellow member of the Kansas/Western Missouri Chapter, a dear friend and an unparalleled marksman. He ran our chapter firearms competitions for many, many years. Un fortunately, as with so many other chapters, the marksmanship competitions ended due to extremely expensive (or unavailable) insurance costs and the allure of golf... Hats off to those few chapters who continue this essential training. QUICK QUESTION: Which session was the last to have fire arms training and qualification as a mandatory part of your NA experience at Quantico? Please email me at jsimmons@fbinaa.org with your session number and whether you had a shot at becom ing a member of the Possible Club. I’ve been asked this question more than once over the past three years and am determined to come up with an answer. As we approach the 300th Session it is critical that we remember the past. In amongst our sparse archives I found a written history deftly recorded by one of my predecessors, Richard A. Amiott , in 2001. He wrote, On July 29, 1935, Special Agent Hugh Clegg greeted a class of eager police officers for the 1st Session of the FBI National Police Training School. The course curriculum covered administrative features of police work, discussion and consideration of everyday police and practical train ing in the performance of police duties. All classes were held in Room 5231 of the Department of Justice, a room that became known as the “wind tunnel” because it was so long and narrow. Classes were held 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., six days a week. The expenses for food, transporta tion and lodging were paid by the local agency or by the officers themselves. Coat and tie were the standard uni form of the day.

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