even has her own Facebook group called Judy’s House where her mids can connect. Retired CDR Blair and Dr. Lisa Keithley have sponsored 13 midshipmen (eight official and five bonus) since 2016. Being from the West Coast, Blair understands what it means to have a home to go to when one is so far from their own. He knows the program from all sides, having attended the USNA, and being a career Naval Officer and then a company officer at the Naval Academy. “We get to meet people from all over the country; our own kids have had new ‘siblings,’ and have gotten to attend amazing events at the Academy. Our daughter has been a ball girl at Navy soccer and attended soccer camps. We’ve been to plays, football, baseball, and basketball games, and many concerts. We’ve been to one of our mid’s [wedding], and we hear from them even after graduation from all over the world. It’s an amazing way to be a part of the Annapolis and Naval Academy communities!”
Sponsor Parent Dinner 2023 - The Kingstons with Mitch Lewis and Jayden Leonard. Photo courtesy of Beth Kingston
Nothing like Navy football! The Kingsons with Brittany Holden-Rhodes and Xavier Coburn. Photo courtesy of Beth Kingston
hope we’ve been a sounding board for our mids as they navigate everything a military life brings with it. We also know what it’s like to be away from family and in a new place,” say Beth and Don Kingston. Empty nesters, families with young children, and people without kids have all become sponsors, citing reasons that span from being able to pass on wisdom, to feeling young again, and being a small part of someone's evolution. Sponsoring midshipmen can also, as restaurateur José Andrés says, "build longer tables," because it gives people an opportunity to welcome young people into their home who may be from a different part of the country, background, family experience, religion, or ethnicity. What is it like sponsoring a midshipman? Almost everyone who participates in the Sponsor Program reports having an overwhelmingly positive experience. It is like most things in life - you get what you put into it. If you develop a bond with your midshipman, then chances are you will feel a greater sense of connection to the Navy, and your relationship will carry through after Commissioning Week, which is when the mids graduate. Judy Buddensick started sponsoring in 1999 when she had the opportunity to sponsor a family friend. Since then, she has sponsored almost 150 official and bonus mids, many of whom are international students faring from countries like Poland and Jamaica. Once a midshipman is taken under Judy’s wing, they inherit a long line of sponsor siblings who they can seek advice from, including two “guardian angels,” CAPT Stanford “Ford” Henry Shaw, III and CAPT Blake “Jah Ropes” Roper. She
Easter traditions: Good Friday, church services, and dinner afterwards. Photo credit: Heather DeBuse.
Heather DeBuse’s mid lived with her in 2020, when the Academy implemented a remote online learning system during the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak. “It was a time when my husband was deployed, so I appreciated the company. She and I would cook dinner and watch movies together. She became a special member of our family, and she still is. Midshipmen become part of your family. You miss them terribly when they are gone. Graduation is an extremely emotional time, but you’re also super proud to watch their career evolve, and as an active-duty family, we have crossed paths at different duty stations with our previous mids.” Sponsors may not hit it off with every midshipman, and that is okay. There could be a multitude of reasons why, from scheduling conflicts to personality differences. Cathy and David Willauer’s first midshipman pairing fell through due to schedules, but after speaking with the USNA Sponsor Office, they hosted another plebe who was on the basketball team. The Willauers enjoyed going to basketball games and even hosted his teammates over the holidays. After 12 years, he still visits them. What’s the expectations and time commitment for a sponsor? Being in the Sponsor Program is voluntary on both sides and requires an application process. This means that the midshipmen want to participate and have a sponsor parent
Sponsor Judy Buddensick with her wall of Midshipmen. Photo Credit: Sarah Amyot
8 | THE MOTHERLODE
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