On January 10, 2008, twelve weeks after his 60th reunion,
GENE STARBECKER, Class of 1947, died of pancreatic cancer.
Gene was a prolific Emmy-award winning film maker, having 970 documentaries and 300 television programs to his credit, including maritime-themed ones such as "The Men of Annapolis", "The Silent Service", and "Sea Hunt".
It was estimated that over 350 million viewers saw the film about life in Africa, South America and Asia titled "The Images of Life." Gene was most famous, however, for his films on school bus and driver safety. The article in the Washington Post noted that "Driver's safety films have become something of a cult item in the past few years, and bloggers have taken notice of Mr. Starbecker's oeuvre." It quotes an Australian blogger who wrote: "Groovy, bass-driven music pounds away as a yellow school bus (surely a genuine icon of America) makes its way home from school with a full complement of rowdy grade school students. As if their behavior isn't enough for the poor female driver, she has to contend with all manner of fire hazards, which this film thoughtfully points out for us and advises of the best way to keep the situation under control..." The obituary also noted that as "...a world-class fencer, he was inducted into the Maritime Academy's Athletic Hall of Fame, but an injury at sea kept him from a berth on the 1949 Olympics team.
This background information was furnished by Richard Corson
FMSAA