A Heartfelt Bond At the Corps

Volunteer Sponsors Are Surrogate Families To Midshipmen at the Naval Academy

Sponsor Penny Vahsen, aka Mrs. V, gives senior safety James Polanco a kiss goodbye after she gave cooking lessons to midshipmen in her home. (Photos By Michel Du Cille -- The Washington Post)

Four days before the biggest football game of the year, Navy senior safety James Polanco was preparing Steak au Poivre in 73-year-old Penny Vahsen's kitchen in Annapolis.

"All these guys are going to be great leaders for our troops in battle," she said. "But the question is: Will they be able to cook a good meal for themselves and one day maybe for their girlfriends, so they won't have to eat out all the time?"

If it's up to Vahsen, they will. The grandmother of 13 serves as a cooking teacher, chef and surrogate mother to 12 midshipmen, including Polanco, a reserve who has made three tackles.

Vahsen, known as Mrs. V in the brigade, is one of approximately 1,200 volunteer sponsors for approximately 4,500 students who attend the Naval Academy. Like her counterparts at the Air Force and U.S. Military Academy, she provides a home away from home for some of those studying in Annapolis.

At Vahsen's home, midshipmen are treated to a night's sleep that isn't interrupted by loud footsteps in the hallway, home-cooked meals, and the comfort of being able to watch a big-screen television wearing T-shirts and jeans. Earlier this week, seniors Craig Dziewiatkowski, Jonny Kane, Dustin Wood and Polanco arrived for their cooking lesson in Navy's dress uniform, but within minutes, were wearing civilian clothes.

"Sponsors are lifesavers for us; I don't know what I'd do if I couldn't come here," Polanco said. "I think we'd all just stay in the dorm and be bored."

Vahsen's five-bedroom home is filled with mementos from the dozens of midshipmen she has sponsored since 1978 -- two years before her husband, George, a 1952 Academy graduate, died of a heart attack after a career as a submarine commander. Vahsen's father, John Fradd, and son, Steven, also graduated from the Academy.

On one wall is an autographed picture of former Navy basketball player David Robinson, who came to Vahsen's home to escape the academic and athletic demands he faced.

The retired middle school science teacher didn't attend the Naval Academy, but her service to its students earned her an honorary degree, one of the Academy's highest honors.

Vahsen's home is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, as she gives her sponsors keys so they always have a place to call their own.

Before home games, she throws lavish tailgate parties for her current and former midshipmen and their families. Those returning to Annapolis have come to expect the parties that run well into the night.

Two hours after Navy defeated Temple last month, sophomore fullback Adam Ballard was relaxing on Vahsen's couch with his girlfriend eating a bowl of homemade crab soup and watching Penn State beat Michigan State.