The Merger & Beyond
The Board of Northwestern Military and Naval Academy met in the spring of 1994 to discuss the future of its school. It was proposed that the Board initiate discussions with St. John's Military Academy regarding a merger. This would allow the school's identity and traditions to continue, and would resolve the impending financial crisis. Joint meetings of both boards resulted in a merger plan. Board members were convinced that the merger would succeed under "Smoke" Spanjer's leadership.
In the fall of 1995, St. John's Northwestern Military Academy of Delafield, Wisconsin opened its gates to an expanded student body. A closing ceremony was held on the Lake Geneva campus in September of that year, with cadets and leaders from both schools in attendance. Following the ceremony, cadets ran a 50-mile relay carrying the colors of NMNA from Lake Geneva to Delafield.
General Spanjer stepped down from the President's position in 1997 and was appointed Chancellor. The Board searched for a new leader with similar military experience and a passion for education.
The Academy's next president was Rear Admiral Ronald J. Kurth, a graduate of The Naval Academy and Harvard University. President Kurth emphasized scholarship, leadership and character. Academic standards improved during his tenure. His collaboration with members of the Board of Trustees and with alumni nurtured the traditions of both schools on the SJNMA campus, making it a place that SJMA "Old Boys" and NMNA alumni could think of as their alma mater. RADM Kurth initiated a relationship with educators in Qatar, to develop the Qatar Leadership Academy, a military school modeled after SJNMA.
Rear Admiral Kurth retired from his position in the spring of 2004. His successor, Jack H. Albert , Jr. came to the Academy in the summer of 2004 with many years of experience in Military School education. His enthusiasm, energy, and experience promise to lead St. John's Northwestern Military Academy into a bright future.
This history content was adapted by Peg Koller from:
- Boys and Men : A Hundred Year History of Northwestern Military and Naval Academy, 1888-1988 by Michael J.G.Gray-Fow. [Lake Geneva, Wis.] :
Northwestern Military and Naval Academy,
[1988]
- St. John's Northwestern Military Academy : A History of Excellence. [Delafield, Wis.]:
St. John's Northwestern Military Academy, [2000].