06/16/2026
SPECIAL NOTICE AND ANNOUNCEMENT
This past Saturday evening, our Fayetteville-Sandhills Citadel Club (FSCC) hosted another outstanding Cadet Send-Off (K**b Night) event. We were honored to welcome one incoming cadet and seven current cadets from our area, celebrating their commitment to The Citadel and their place in the Long Gray Line. Thank you to everyone who attended and helped make the evening such a success.
Most importantly, Saturday night's event demonstrated our club's unwavering commitment to its mission: "Cadets First, Alumni Always."
As many of you know, in April the Citadel Alumni Association (CAA) notified the FSCC that it would no longer recognize or affiliate with our club. For those interested in the details and circumstances surrounding that decision, I encourage you to review the April 19 Facebook post on Graham Poole's personal page for detailed information regarding this matter.
For those who may not be familiar with the circumstances surrounding this matter, the CAA's decision followed a complaint submitted by the Citadel African American Alumni Association (CA4) regarding our club's practice of playing "Dixie" during the social hour of one event each year.
CA4 is an organization focused on African American alumni and African American cadets of The Citadel. The Fayetteville-Sandhills Citadel Club (FSCC) had played "Dixie" during the social hour of this event for six years without complaint. During a portion of that time, G. Bernard Benson '89, who is now President of CA4, served as a Vice President of the FSCC while this tradition was in place and raised no objection to it. The complaint was submitted only after he became President of CA4.
It is also important to note that the music was played only during the informal social portion of the evening and not during the formal ceremony or program.
While we strongly disagree with the CAA's decision, our commitment to The Citadel, its cadets, and our fellow alumni remains unchanged.
Because of the requirements of our current bylaws and the consequences of the CAA's action, a new club will need to be established before the end of this year, including a new name, new bylaws, a new federal tax identification number, a new bank account, and other organizational changes. Additional information regarding these matters will be shared with our members as plans are finalized.
Some may wonder whether the CAA's decision influenced the previously announced plans of our Club's Co-Chair and President, Bill Washo '71 and our club's Co-Chair and Vice President/Treasurer Graham Poole '83 to step down from their leadership positions. The answer is no. Long before the complaint was filed and before the CAA announced its decision, Bill and Graham had already announced their intention to step down after nearly nine years of dedicated service and leadership. Their decision was part of a long-planned succession process and was not influenced in any way by subsequent events.
As Graham Poole stated in his April 19 Facebook post, our club would continue to move forward despite this development. Saturday night's successful Cadet Send-Off is proof that we are doing exactly that. Regardless of the organizational and administrative changes that lie ahead, in the meantime we will continue supporting cadets, serving alumni, and strengthening the Long Gray Line throughout the Fayetteville-Sandhills region.
