This column is being written on Jan. 26 th, ’09    

Let’s start this by giving you something to put on your calendar. While it is still 8 months away I hope you will consider joining the group. Betty and I will be there health permitting.

At the 60 th Reunion Chuck Gorder 12 th Co. and his wife Rhona told me they were considering arranging a cruise for the Class and I have recently received the following which I have forwarded on to all email addresses:

SAVE THIS DATE (JAN 23 rd -30 th, 2010) TO CRUISE THE MEXICAN RIVIERA WITH YOUR

CLASSMATES

   Chuck Gorder, with his wife, Rhona, is organizing a USNA Class of ’48 Reunion Cruise of the Mexican Riviera! Sail away in style on a magnificent ship, Holland America’s/Oosterdam/, leaving San Diego, California on Saturday, January 23 and returning on Saturday, January 30, 2010. Ports of call include Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta, and Cabo San Lucas. Your mail in March may have provided more complete and current information on this fabulous and fun cruise, if not and this dope does not answer your questions call Chuck Gorder at (619) 287-3559 for more information. See you on board!

  
For planning, here is additional info from the travel agency;

     Itinerary-

     Jan 23     Depart San Diego     1700

     Jan 24-25   At sea

     Jan 26     Mazatlan

     Jan 27     Puerto Vallarta

     Jan 28     Cabo San Lucas

     Jan 29     At sea

     Jan 30     Arrive San Diego     0700

   Pricing for 7 day cruise (per person)

   Stateroom Category   Double Occupancey     Single Occupancy   3 rd/4 th person

   Inside (J)     $669.00       $1,004.00     $385.00

   Ocean View (D)   849.00       1,274.00     “    

   Deluxe Veranda (VD) 949.00       1,803.00     “

   Deluxe Veranda (VC) 1,009.00       1,917.00     “

   Deluxe Veranda (VB) 1,069.00       2,031.00     “

   Deluxe Veranda (VA) 1,129.00       2,145.00     “

   Superior Suite   1,399.00       2,798.00     “

All of the above fares are per person, cruise only and are based on availability. Additional charges are port charges of $170/person plus government taxes and fees of $88.59/person.

If you have a computer, go to our home page where you will find additional information. I hope a many of you will join this, our first cruise.

   Chuck and Rhona have spent the month of February on a trip to Australia/New Zealand. They stayed in Honolulu for two nights on the way to Sydney to break up the journey. A week in the Sydney area included, among other things, attending a performance of Madame Butterfly in the Sydney Opera House. This was followed by a two week cruise around New Zealand.    Sounds like a great trip.   

  
At our 9 January Washington/ Annapolis luncheon we had 31 attendees including Elizabeth Reed, just one month out of major heart surgery, and Bill Harkins 1st Co. just out of a short hospital stay. Hank Corley couldn’t make it though he is home from a hospital visit. He says he will be present and accounted for at the next luncheon. Carlos Villarreal is also just home from the hospital. We hope he and June will join us in March.

We reviewed the current balances of the four money pots here in Annapolis/Washington. As with all accounts the balances will vary by date so these numbers are different from those I published in the Jan/Feb issue.

   The first three are with the Alumni Assoc./Foundation and are as of Jan 9 th, ‘09

     Checking $24,396.74 used for reunions, homecomings and football game/tail gate expenses which cover ground rent for the space for the tent($250/season) and cost of the tent including set up which was $1000 this year.

     Gate $6,302.61 this is now our maintenance fund for the gate since we have that responsibility under the foundation rules.

     IT   $1,497,963.22 this is the two million dollar gift we gave. It is holding up quite well, considering the current economy, and operating pretty much on income from investments.

     Flower fund $14,818.96 this one is managed by Bob Ghormley 11 th Co. He sends flowers, makes donations in the name of the deceased as requested by the family or sends other appropriate remembrances as he just did for the A.B. Hallman 3 rd Co. (deceased) family when he sent a fruit basket for all the children and grandchildren who were gathered at home with Dorothy. Bob really stays on top of this. Thank you Bob.  
                                                         

The above picture is of the Sovereign of the Seas, a model being built by Harry Belflower 2 nd Co. He has been working on it for 4 years so far. Harry writes, “it began as a kit but I have replaced a lot of the materials and researched the ship and modified the model to more closely represent the original. The rigging plan was developed by a friend (alumnus) who also volunteers at the academy museum. He possesses an experts knowledge of ship’s rigging in the 17 th century. The “real” background are the curtained windows in our kitchen and the model was sitting on the table only for photo purposes. The Sovereign of the Seas is the eighth old wooden ship model that I have constructed since I decided not to go to work anymore. I will probably be working on this model for at least one more year.” The black and white picture really does not do justice to the model. For those of you with a computer go to our home page at www.usna.com/classes/1948 where I have asked John to post this picture plus additional detail pictures in color.

  
    Quite some time back I asked those of you who did not submit a biography for the 50 year book to take the time to do so even now with the idea of continuing to expand that document for ultimate presentation to the history section at the Academy. Several of you have done so and I have planned to use some of that material for Shipmate when I have space. Don Dick 17 th Co. responded to my call with an email dated 7/28/2006. That has been placed in the 50 Year Book; however, Don also sent me a short version of the personal history he has been, and probably still is, writing. He writes well and since his story is different I think you will find the following very interesting.

     I was separated in 1950 when the Phil Sea was in Norfolk just prior to the ship journeying though the Panama Canal to a new home base in San Diego. My orders read “on or about 1 June” which gave me 10 days either way. I chose the early side, rather than wait to get out in San Diego. Then when separated the second time in 1953 in Newport, I also requested the earliest time, anxious to get back to Kodak and Rochester. Don’t know how many others who got out fell into the same trap I did. My request for transfer to inactive Standby Reserve status, based on 3 years Regular plus 2 years Reserve equaling the required 5 years of active service, was denied. Reason: insufficient active service. I was about 18 days short because I had been separated on the early side of “on or about” each time. I had to wait another 3 years (didn’t attend drills or do anything Navy) to fulfill the 8-year total service requirement to cut the umbilical cord to the Navy completely, which was finally effective as of 06 Sept. ’55.

  
While the ship was in Norfolk, just before my separation, along with others I received orders to take the 1-day Ensign>Ltjg promotion exam at the Norfolk Naval Air Station. I couldn’t have cared less about promotion. However, rather than get tangled in the red tape of getting those orders cancelled I decided to just go ahead and take the exam. Besides, it was a day ashore. I was probably the most relaxed of anyone in the room. I didn’t think I did very well, having done zero cramming for the exam, but then most of the others seemed to feel similarly unsure of how they did. Interestingly, I never received any notification of the results, nor did I care. A year later, when called back for duty at Newport OCS, my orders said Ensign Dick, and that was how I was processed upon reporting. I wasn’t aware of the chatter which took place between OCS administration and BuPers. After about 2 months on the job I was told there was a screw-up. I was really a Ltjg, got differential back pay to my reporting date, and had the extra half-stripe sewn on my uniforms. Speaking of uniforms, that was another surprise upon reporting to OCS. The paymaster looked at my records and commented that I had not yet received my uniform allowance. I had all my uniforms but he insisted on paying me a couple of hundred bucks. On 1 July ’53 I was promoted to full LT. Barbara was pregnant with our 1 st when I was recalled. We also had our 2 nd while at OCS, both born at the Newport Naval Hospital. The 1 st cost us $10.50, the 2 nd only $5.24 because she was discharged a day early because they needed the bed. By comparison, hospital costs for our third – born in August, 1954 in Rochester, were around $500. Kodak was a great company (having problems these days). When I returned they told me my pay rate would be adjusted, compared to when I left 2 years earlier, as if I had been on the job receiving normal incremental pay raises. On top of that, returning in October, I was informed that I had 2 weeks of vacation coming which I had to take by the end of the year. And that was on top of a $300 military bonus they paid me when I left, even though I’d only worked there a year and 5 days. I was beginning to think that being a Reserve was a hell of a lot better than being a Regular.

  
    I strongly recommend that people write down at least a few memoirs for posterity, if not an autobiography as I am doing. I find it amazing the things which are popping out of the nooks and crannies of my feeble brain. This is Dave- I strongly concur in Don’s recommendation. Your children will love you for it.

Since the March column I have been advised of the loss of 5 of our good friends:

   Adams, C.R.   12 Co. 5/16/25-12/20/08

   Hallman, A.B. 3 rd Co. 2/2/27-1/19/09

   Strauss, A.E. 24 th Co. 1/27/24-1/7/09

   Summitt, C.D. 3 rd Co. 6/26/24-1/1/09

   Tardif, D.W.   22 nd Co. 1/2/24-10/17/08

   Their families are in our prayers.

An email from Dale Carlson 2 nd Co. provides this info for H.A. (Hal) Smith 2 nd Co. . His daughters will move him back to Virginia sometime in the next 3 months. His current phone number is 210-645-6326.