United States Naval Academy Alumni Association Announces the 2005 Distinguished Graduates Captain Slade D. Cutter ’35, USN (Ret.) and Rear Admiral Robert H. Wertheim ’46, USN (Ret.)
Since 03-04-05
Excerpted from NSL UPDATE 02-09-2005
"The U.S. Naval Academy develops midshipmen morally, mentally and physically to become leaders of character, and who also have potential to assume the highest responsibilities of command, citizenship and government. Distinguished Graduates are the living embodiment of what we strive to achieve in our mission," said Vice Admiral Rodney P. Rempt, Superintendent of the Naval Academy. "Our midshipmen gain much from learning about our distinguished graduates. Cutter, Wertheim, Hays and Perot — and previous Distinguished Graduates we have honored — have exemplified a lifetime commitment to service, personal character and distinguished contributions to our nation. Like the Medal of Honor plaques throughout Bancroft Hall, the memorials of heroes around the Yard and the names of reverence in Memorial Hall, our Distinguished Graduates are beacons to motivate our midshipmen to serve with honor, courage and commitment. They are our heroes."
Cutter distinguished himself as a leader while at the Naval Academy and was a nationally recognized heavyweight boxer, as well as an All-American tackle and place-kicker for the football team. After graduation in 1935, Cutter served in the USS Idaho and then went on to submarine training. From the beginning to the end of World War II, Cutter served on three wartime submarines, including duty as executive officer USS Pompano and executive officer and commanding officer USS Sea Horse. While in command of Sea Horse, Cutter is credited with sinking 23 Japanese ships and was later awarded four Navy Crosses for his patrols. After the war, Cutter returned to the Naval Academy as athletic director and played a significant role in the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium’s construction. From the Academy, he then went on to hold various leadership roles in the Navy, retiring in 1965. In 1962, Cutter was elected as a charter member of the National College Football Hall of Fame.
While at the Naval Academy, Wertheim was a leader in the classroom and in athletics as a member of the varsity fencing team that in his first-class year had a 10-0 record. After graduating with distinction in the Class of 1946 in June 1945, he served tours in destroyers in both the Atlantic and Pacific fleets and, in 1947, took orders to Sandia Base as a member of the Navy’s first nuclear weapons assembly team. He later served in the guided missile test ship, USS Norton Sound and in the heavy cruiser, USS Los Angeles. Wertheim is best known for the central role he played in the conception, development, production and operational support of the submarine-launched fleet ballistic missile systems POLARIS, POSEIDON and TRIDENT, which became the nation’s most secure and effective deterrent to nuclear war. Wertheim retired from active duty in 1980 and served as senior vice president for science and engineering for Lockheed Corporation for seven years. For the past 17 years, he has been a private consultant to Science Applications International Corporation and a member of advisory groups serving the Departments of Defense and Energy, the U.S. Strategic Command, the National Committees of Science and Energy and the University of California. His contributions to national security have been recognized with many awards, including two Distinguished Service Medals, the Legion of Merit, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Distinguished Public Service Award and the Secretary of Defense Award for Outstanding Public Service. A generous supporter of the Naval Academy, Wertheim is a life member of the President’s Circle giving society, and he has been especially active in the program to build the Uriah P. Levy Center and Jewish chapel at the Academy.
The 2005 Distinguished Graduate Award ceremony will be held Friday, April 15, 2005 at the Naval Academy.