Thumbs up!
June 4, 2013 Bound for West Point Brothers accepted to prestigious school
Erinn Callahan The Port Arthur News
NEDERLAND — The Ogrydziak family never got much mileage out of their television.
“We’d kick them out the door,” said Randal Ogrydziak of his four sons — Vaughn, 22; Noah, 18; and 17-year-old fraternal twins Cole and Sumner. “If they ever said they were bored at home, I’d give them a ton of chores to do.”
That proactive lifestyle stems from an impressive military pedigree. Randal met his wife, Kris, in Milwaukee, Wisc., when both were serving in the United States Coast Guard. Kris left after 10 years to raise her sons, but Randal is currently serving as deputy sector commander for Corpus Christi. Kris and her sons live in Nederland, where they relocated from Hawaii in 2003.
Their parenting style paid off. Last year, Noah applied to the prestigious United States Military Academy at West Point, located in West Point, N.Y.
“He was signed up to go to Lamar,” Cole said. “He thought he didn't get in at all.”
In May, word finally came. While Noah had not been accepted into West Point, he had been offered a spot at the academy’s preparatory school.
“His dad started crying,” Kris said.
This May, not long after he received the Raymond M. Coolidge Award for highest academic ranking, Noah learned that he had been admitted into the academy. Around the same time, both Cole and Sumner were also admitted via presidential appointment — available to children whose parents are either retired veterans or active members of the military.
“Cole got in first, and then Sumner,” Kris said. “It was a little nail-biting.”
Not so for those familiar with the Ogrydziak boys. On Friday, June 7, Cole will graduate as salutatorian of the Nederland High School Class of 2013, with his twin not far behind him in the ranking. His senior year, Cole advanced to the Regional UIL competition for science — the first student to do so for the school in quite some time.
“They were very inquisitive — they always wanted to know why, not just learn the formulas,” said Catherine Baker, who taught the three brothers both pre-calculus and AP Calculus at Nederland High School. “They had a good sense of humor, they were fun to have in class, and they never backed down from a challenge.”
Even amid all their academic accomplishments, the boys still managed to weave athletics into their schedule. Noah played varsity tennis. Cole was the place kicker for Nederland’s football team for two seasons. In addition to playing football with his brother, Sumner participated in the shot put on the track team. He has already made contact with the track and field coach at West Point.
As if that didn’t keep them occupied enough, all three were Eagle Scouts, along with older brother Vaughn — a Lamar University chemical engineering student currently interning with BASF in New Jersey.
“Basically, after my sports, I just stayed here and studied until I went to sleep,” Noah said. “I didn’t go out much.”
That will change little at West Point. All three boys have a clearly defined plan for their lives.
“I want to study medicine,” Cole said.
“I'm hoping to make my job in the signal corps working with computers and IT,” Noah said. “And I'm looking forward to the military training. You learn how to survive on your own, and you learn some cool weaponry.”
Sumner plans to major in engineering, he said. He hasn’t narrowed it down further than that.
The boys report to basic training on July 1. In the interim, they are soaking up all the rest and relaxation they can — and trying to avoid treacherous situations.
“The other night my friends were like, 'Let's go climb up on top of the school.' I was like, 'No, let's not,'” Sumner said. “If you're injured and not able to perform, they'll just drop you.”
Kris Ogrydziak isn’t the slightest bit apprehensive about sending three of their four children to West Point.
Well, maybe a little.
“I say I feel OK about it, but it'll be kind of strange not having any of you guys here,” Kris said. “But it’s nice they’re all going together. That’s comforting.”
As for Randal, he is the epitome of a proud father.
“My wife and I motivated them, but they had to have the initiative to go after it also,” he said. “I am extremely proud of their accomplishments and them going on to serve their country and being leaders. This generation is what’s going to take us to the future.”