By Jane Anderson, WPAOG staff
The West Point Association of Graduates hosted the 26th Annual Ring Melt Ceremony in Eisenhower Hall on Friday, January 9, 2026. Cadets from the Class of 2027 joined donors and guests to watch as the donors or their representatives dropped West Point rings into a stone crucible on stage. This year’s ceremony marked two milestones: It was the first time that second-class Cadets witnessed the donation and melting of the gold that will go into their rings, and it marked the total number of donated rings surpassing 1,000.
A dozen rings were dropped into the crucible at Eisenhower Hall from the hands of their owners on January 9; the remaining 55 rings were donated by friends, family, and fellow graduates. The oldest ring donated this year belonged to Lee O. Wright, Class of 1912. Mr. S.A. Roosa (’84) spotted the West Point ring in a pawn shop, purchased it, and tried valiantly but unsuccessfully to locate any members of Wright’s family. Roosa ultimately decided to donate Wright’s ring to the Ring Melt this year.
The ring of the youngest graduate this year was donated by the family of Captain Ian Weikel ’97, who was killed in action in Iraq when his son was an infant. That son, Cadet Jonathan Weikel, is a member of the Class of 2027 and will carry his father’s gold within his own ring next year. “To me, the Ring Melt symbolizes pride and a duty to the Long Gray Line, of which my father is a big part,” Weikel said. “Much is expected of me and my classmates; the future men and women in my formation deserve the best.” Jonathan and his mother, Wendy Swantko Green ’98, donated Captain Weikel’s ring in his honor. Reflecting on his mother’s influence, Weikel added, “What’s at the center of her life is her care for others. That’s what I’ll carry into my life as an officer.”
Through the WPAOG Ring Memorial program, including this year’s Melt, gold from 1,035 rings once worn by graduates from the Classes of 1896 to 2006 has been donated. Each year since the inaugural ceremony, donated rings were melted, and shavings from the resulting gold ingot are set aside as Legacy Gold to be preserved and added to future Ring Melts. After last year’s ceremony—the silver anniversary of the program—Colonel Anne McClain ’02 carried a sample of Legacy Gold in a locket, aboard SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station, returning it safely to Earth in August 2025. The high-flying Legacy Gold will be added to its Earth-bound counterpart and used in crafting the Class of 2027’s rings, as well as future Legacy Gold. In August, the Class of 2027 will receive their class rings, each containing a blend of new gold and this historic Legacy Gold.
Major General Brandon R. Tegtmeier, ’96 who was in attendance and will be addressing the Class of 2027 at its 500th Night Dinner on January 10, called the Ring Melt a very special event that teaches cadets the importance and meaning of legacy. “When you’re young, it’s difficult to wrap your head around that,” he said. “But as you learn from experience, you get to know the value of everybody who came before you. And when these cadets find themselves in a hard place, they can look not only to their left and right for guidance, but back to those who came before them.”
Six rings were donated this year from the Class of 1977, the 50-Year Affiliation Class of the Class of 2027. Four rings were donated to the Ring Melt this year that once were worn by graduates killed during service to the nation, and six donated rings belonged to general officers. To ensure that the Class Ring Memorial Program will continue in perpetuity for future generations of the Long Gray Line, the Class of 1966 made a generous gift in 2022. This significant legacy endowment, created in Memory of the Fallen Brothers of the Class of 1966, serves to honor their service, sacrifice, and valor.
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