The Goldcoats

USMA / ACC

This page is dedicated to the "Goldcoats" who have supported the United States Military Academy's Academic Computer Center since its inception.

"The Academic Computer Center opened its doors in December 1962, offering the use of a newly procured General Electric 225 digital mainframe to all faculty members and cadets. Nine months later, the USMA sponsored an “Automatic Data Processing Seminar” for Army general officers to further cement support and assert leadership in this area.  To mark the extremely qualified young enlisted technicians who operated the Center as worthy of special respect by cadets, they wore pale yellow lab coats over their uniforms.  As cadet graduates spread word of their expertise throughout the world, the USMA “Goldcoats” became widely known as the Army’s elite computer technology experts."  - A Two-Edged Sword: Computing At West Point - Kenneth L. Alford, Gregory J. Conti, David B. Cushen, Eugene K. Ressler, Jr., William Turmel, and Donald J. Welch

The GE-225 Mainframe - circa 1966

The GE-225 mainframe in 1966, IBM Selectric typewriter console with the tape drives are in the background.  To the left is the high-speed card reader, and to the right is the GE Datanet D-30 and its Olivetti-Bull card reader.  The D-30 was an early piece of data communications equipment.  Some of the Goldcoats were involved in writing the software to allow Cadets to enter and run Fortran, or as we called it CADETRAN, programs from their barracks.  The curtains are closed.  The large window looked out on the hallway of the bottom floor of Thayer Hall and the MP&L Department.

Gold Coats, circa 1965?

Back Row (l-r) Unidentifed PFC, SP/4 William A. Sherertz, SP/4 Gerald Davison, PFC David Presberg - Front Row (l-r) SP/4 Lenny Mastrogiovanni, PFC Pfeifer, PFC Joe Sabato

USMA Academic Computer Center Staff, 1967

More Goldcoat Pictures

M/Gen D. V. Bennett presents "Soldier of the Month" award to Goldcoat SP/4 W. A. Sherertz

SP/5 William A. Sherertz - Goldcoat, 1964 - 1967

SP/5 Sherertz at the IBM 029 keypunch.  Also shown is the IBM 514 Reproducing Mark-Sense Punch - aka "The Jam-O-Matic"

SP/5 Lenny Mastrogiovanni (1943-2008), Goldcoat, 1965-1966

SP/5 Joe Sabato, Goldcoat, 1964-1966 - Photo taken in New York, NY, 1980

SP/5 Mike Paulson, Goldcoat, 1965-1966

E-1 George Gladfelter (later PFC), Goldcoat, 1963-1965

SP/5 Ed Costello, Goldcoat, 1965-1966

Yeah, sometimes we just goofed around ... but at least Ed was wearing his "Goldcoat".

SP/5 Mike Flowers, Goldcoat, 1965-1966 - Photo taken on Maui, 2007

Other Goldcoats We Know Of, So Far:

MSgt Ted Ball (Ret.) - 1964 -1966

James Michael Coulter - dates unknown

Robert Sheminsky (sp?) - dates unknown

John A. Junod - Goldcoat NCOIC - 1988 - 1992 (?)

Joe Sepielli - 1988 - 1992

John Blanc
Andy Creamer
Terry Lake
Joyce Wilcek
Rosevelt Corbett
Daniel Stewart
Jim Acevez
Christeen Sprage
Rick Wiggington
Karl Birkland

Photos from the ACC - 1965 - 1966

                    GE Datanet D-30 CPU boards                                                GE-225 CPU Display Panel with Troll Option

Analex Printer - Card Punch in the back, right                Tape Drives - 8 channel if I remember correctly

More tape drive detail                                There is a glass ash tray on the console desk ...

HQ Company, 1st Battalion, 1st Infantry

We were assigned to Headquarters Co., 1st Btn, 1st Inf.  Click on the 1-1 Coat of Arms below to visit the Company website.

We wore these lapel insignia:

The Goldcoats of Today

Click on the IETD Graphic below to view the USMA webpage for today's Goldcoats.

Please Contact Us:

This page is maintained by Mike Flowers - email: k6mkf 'at' hotmail 'dot' com - and is by no means complete or totally accurate, as it was generated from memory, some information I found on the web and what few old photos I have.  I'm in contact with Bill Sherertz, George Gladfelter, David "Pres" Presberg, Joe Sabato and Gerald Davison, and we hope to have more pictures and information posted here.

If you were or are a Goldcoat and would like to be recognized on this web page or have photos, corrections or materials you'd like to see posted here, please send me an email and we'll get started.  If your name and picture are posted here, please check in and let us know if the information is correct and how you're doing.

Best regards,

Mike Flowers

Revised: 07 NOV 2011