A Little Rye History – Capt. Manning and the ROTC

– By Joseph P. Murphy Jr. –

In 1979 the Rye City Board of Education voted to implement a “Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps” (NJROTC) Program in the high school. At the time, the plan was considered a daring step for Rye. The resolution barely passed, by a vote of 4 to 3.

At the time this program came to fruition, many of Rye’s high school students were creating disciplinary problems. There were student cliques who did not abide by educational procedures, going off campus without permission. Some students were unnecessarily selecting colleges of low academic rigor. Of course, there were the high achieving students who were admitted into prestigious colleges, but they were in the minority. It seemed then that the majority of the graduating students were not preparing themselves to seize opportunities in life.

A solution was needed. Among the alternatives proposed by the Board of Education was a high school academic program that offered studies in a variety of courses, geography in particular, coupled with disciplinary training; namely, a Junior ROTC program. One of the benefits of Junior ROTC was that it provided college scholarship opportunities for students whose families who were unable to afford college costs.
At first, the administration had difficulty finding a Naval Science Instructor (NSI) to accept the assignment and make the program work. Luckily, Rye found a retired naval officer, Capt. Richard T. (R.T.) Manning, USN, not only to run the program but also to “sell” it to many of Rye High School’s “disenfranchised” students. He enrolled over 100 students, including some for whom college was out of their reach unless they could get a scholarship.

Students found the courses offered under the program to be inviting and exciting. They learned navigation, oceanography and geography; they developed leadership skills, which they applied to their other student activities. At time when long hair and a surly attitude was the norm, students learned to get up early, shine their shoes, get haircuts, stand at attention, and best of all, to attend classes. Trips were scheduled aboard naval vessels to Navy and Marine Corps installations.

Within the first year of operation, Capt. Manning converted a group of ‘laid back” students into a respectful cadre of young men. The students took great pride in what they were learning and the difference they were making in the school’s leadership. The School Board voted again to continue the program. This time the vote was unanimous.

The students who participated in this program achieved many personal goals, which some thought unimaginable. Participants in the JROTC Program earned scholarships that exceeded $25,000 per year, many at military academies as well as prestigious colleges like Carnegie Mellon and Vanderbilt University. In the 19 consecutive years of the program’s history, it brought to the school district an estimated $3.5 million in scholarships. The first Unit Commander of the NJROTC Program, Richard (Rick) Cassetta, earned a scholarship to Annapolis, as did his brother. Many others followed in Rick’s footsteps, including Councilman Andrew Ball, although he elected to attend a private college.

In February of this year, Capt. “R.T.” Manning died. He was 80. In the annals of Rye’s history, he deserves great recognition for his service to Rye students, as well as his service to his country.

During his long naval career, Capt. Manning was a highly distinguished fighter pilot and a skilled military liaison officer as evidenced by his role as a field-grade officer in Korea and East Asia, according to “Stars and Stripes”. He served as the attaché to the United Nations as the Advance Secretary in charge of the Panmunjam Conference Area, and worked for Undersecretary Robert Baldwin and later as head of the Office of Legislative Affairs Congressional Committee Liaison Team.

After retiring in 1977, he acted as a consultant on weapons systems until he saw the advertisement calling for a NSI at Rye High School. In the four years here, he made a difference in the lives of the young people he taught. When he left in 1983, the Governor of New York issued a proclamation setting aside a day to commemorate the Rye NJROTC. The Mayor of Rye gave him the Key to the City. His accomplishments in Rye’s history, although just for a brief time, are immeasurable.
Capt. Manning will be interred at Arlington Cemetery May 20. He will be buried with high honors.