ZEB DICKEY ALFORD, retired US Navy Captain, 84, passed away unexpectedly on Tuesday, the 4th of August 2009, the eve of his 25th wedding anniversary. Zeb suffered a heart attack the previous evening while playing tennis at his home causing him to fall back hard on his head. Zeb was born in McComb, MS on the 18th of March 1925, to James and Doris Alford. His two younger brothers, James Burton, Jr., and Van Henry, both pre deceased him. He leaves his second wife and soul mate, Joan Chasan Alford, of Houston and Syosset, New York, whom he married in 1984. He also leaves four daughters by his first wife, Margaret Lewis of Albuquerque NM and Birmingham AL: Patti, Peggy, Jane and Katie; and two grandchildren, Samantha and Lane. Other immediate survivors include Joan's mother Rosalind; brother Bruce and wife Gail; sister Diana; and their children. The U. S. Navy was Zeb's great passion in life from grade school days. He made many contributions to the Navy during his 30 year career and post retirement activities. His many speeches on military strategy and geopolitics to Navy, civic, Rotary, Memorial and other groups ranged from the "History of the U, S. Navy's Birthday" through "Submarines from Containment to Preemption". He often quoted Admiral Nimitz's words in 1945 that "the submarine will become the capital ship of the Navy."He served on six capital ships of the U. S. Navy. The day after graduating from McComb High School in January 1943, Zeb joined the Navy. He attended LSU for one semester, and then he started his Navy career as a seaman apprentice in the V-12 program at Tulane University on the 1st of July 1943. He entered the Naval Academy in 1944. Zeb graduated from the U. S. Naval Academy in 1947 and served two years aboard USS CHARLES R. WARE, an Atlantic Fleet destroyer. The rest of Zeb's 26 years as an officer in the Navy was spent building and operating submarines during the "Cold War," a war the US won, Zeb liked to point out, without a shot being fired. Zeb served on three diesel subs, and then three nuclear subs. Zeb was captain of two nuclear subs. Upon graduation from Submarine School in 1949, he served aboard the diesel submarines: USS CUTLASS, USS CHARR and USS CAVALLA. Zeb's activities aboard CAVALLA involved interactions with carrier groups and large sonar arrays. In 1957 Zeb attended the Navy Postgraduate School in Monterey, California where he received his MS in Operations Analysis. Next he received the prestigious honor of being selected for the Nuclear Power Program under Admiral Rickover in 1958. He was assigned as Executive Officer [XO] of the nuclear submarine USS TULLIBEE. Zeb's work aboard TULLIBEE with his very good friend and sonar officer, David Hinkle, has affected the sonar systems of submarines to this day, including the USS TEXAS commissioned in Galveston a few years ago. After serving on Admiral Rickover's staff Zeb was assigned in 1962 as the Commanding Officer of the nuclear submarine USS SHARK The SHARK set a speed record for a North Atlantic crossing during the 1963 Cuban Missile Crisis that still stands. After commanding SHARK for two years Zeb was ordered to the submarine section of the staff of the CNO (Chief of Naval Operations). His major duties included the loss of USS THRESHER investigation for CNO/Secretary of the Navy and the resulting reports to Congress which led to the Sub-Safe Program. In 1965 Zeb was assigned as Commanding Officer of the Polaris nuclear submarine USS SAM HOUSTON. In 1968 Zeb was ordered to the staff of Secretary of the Navy where he served in the office of Program Appraisal before becoming Executive Assistant to the Undersecretary of the Navy (now Sen. John Warner) in 1969. After attending the National War College in 1970-1971 he was assigned as Commanding Officer, Guantanamo Bay Naval Station, Cuba in 1971. Zeb retired from the navy in September 1973 with the rank of Captain, USN. Zeb's medals, awarded by the Navy, include: Meritorious Service Medal (2); Navy Commendation Medal; Navy Expeditionary Medal; American Defense Service Medal; American Campaign Medal; W. W. II Victory Medal; Navy Occupation Service Medal; National Defense Service Medal (with Bronze Star); Korean Service Medal; United Nations Service Medal; Expert Pistol Shot Medal (with Bronze E); and Cold War Recognition Certificate. Zeb's second career started in energy in 1973 with New England Electric System (NEES). He was soon appointed Manager of Fuel Supply and then President of NEES's new oil and gas subsidiary when he had the oil embargo crisis of 1973 to contend with. Besides joint ventures with various exploration companies, NEES also built a coal-fired coal ship, the only such ship ship known to be in the US. In 1985 Zeb started a new company, Dolphin Energy, Inc. in Houston, TX that marketed natural gas to major utilities on both coasts. His wife, Joan, a stock broker and financial advisor, helped him as Treasurer and CFO of Dolphin Energy, Inc. Zeb had a labor of love in the restoration of the World War II submarine USS CAVALLA, now in Galveston in Seawolf Park on Pelican Island. He had served on this submarine for two years during the Cold War era and rose to the position of XO. This submarine had the marked distinction of having sunk one of the Japanese fleet aircraft carriers, the Shokaku, that had attacked the US at Pearl Harbor. In its post WW II era, the CAVALLA became a "submarine killer." In 1998 Zeb was asked to head a "SAVE THE CAVALLA" steering committee and then, in mid-1999, became chairman of the CAVALLA HISTORICAL FOUNDATION [CHF] a restoration committee dedicated to bringing the submarine back to life. Zeb raised large sums of private money from many generous Houston donors and received a great deal of hard work and devotion from organizations such as the Submarine Veterans of WW II, the U. S. Submarine Veterans, Inc., post-WW II submariners and many others. Zeb served as Chairman of the CHF's Board from 1999 through 2004, and as Chairman Emeritus and Board Member since then. He loved giving guided tours of the boat he had served on and was happy to have found an excellent curator, John McMichael. The CHF is restoring a WW II era destroyer escort, USS STEWART, also located at Seawolf Park. Captain Zeb's legacy and vision of a memorial to all the submariners, sailors and servicemen lost during their service to our country is a major mission of the CAVALLA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION. Zeb also served on the Commissioning Committee for the "latest, greatest" nuclear submarine USS TEXAS (SSN 775). This ship was commissioned in Galveston on September 9, 2006. On the very day Zeb started his journey on eternal patrol, he had just returned from the Change of Command ceremony for the USS TEXAS held the 31st of July 2009, in Groton Connecticut and Newport Rhode Island. At the Change of Command ceremony he had hoped to visit with his old friend and classmate, Dave Hinkle (founder of Sonalysts), with whom he had served on USS CAVALLA, but he arrived too late .Zeb was asked to give the eulogy at his funeral and gave a very moving tribute to his friend. Zeb was an active member of several Navy organizations such as the Naval Submarine League, the Navy League of the U. S., the Naval Academy Alumni Association, the Naval Order of the U. S., the Republican Party and Senior Olympics (tennis). He also organized a regular meeting group of tennis players who played two courts of tennis at Ethan's Glen (where he lived) every Monday evening for over twenty years. Everyone in these organizations and others will miss Zeb's happy smile, good nature, optimistic outlook, and most of all, endless sea stories! Zeb was also active in the Republican Party and on the board of his townhome community. He served as presidential elector in the 1996 presidential election and as an election judge in t