Lacking much input I’m going to blind you with some numbers which I hope you will find interesting.  To attempt to see who is receiving Shipmate I asked the Alumni folks to give me a copy of their mailing list to the Class of ’48.  The following is some of what that list produced:       
          The magazine is mailed to 296 people connected with the Class.
          133 of recipients are Class widows
          112 recipients also have active email addresses but 163 don’t have email contact.  (This gives me a little guidance regarding what to consider for the column from my email correspondence).

I am in contact with 148 Class emails so apparently 36 of my addresses do no receive Shipmate.

My records show that there are 187 of us still vertical so I believe between the magazine and Shipmate we should be getting the word out reasonably well.  If you find, or feel, that you are being left out please contact me and we’ll get you in the loop one way or another.

Ty and Bettye Dedman are still traveling and seeing the wonders of the world.  They recently joined other alumni on a two-week cruise aboard PEARL MIST.  It sounds like a great cruise including Niagara Falls (which Betty and I have never seen) and other stops of interest.  Of the several other classes represented one of them commented that the highlight of the trip for him was lobster, lobster and lobster.  Bettye Dedman’s comment was that “it was nice to have some kids aboard.” 

I frequently find myself losing contact with people and not having another family contact to check with leaves me in the dark.  Two people in the lost category right now are Kitty Bacon and Celesta True.  I have started a family contact list and asked the email folks to provide names if they feel comfortable with doing so.  Responses are coming in slowly.  If you Shipmate readers would join in I would appreciate it.  In the meantime is anyone in contact with Kitty or Celesta?

An email from Mike Ames was of interest:

I notice in the Shipmate that just arrived that our address was Town & Country MD.  Actually we’re in MO like St Louis area.  We are out of the combat zone of Ferguson North County St Louis but still in the purview of the demonstrators, particularly in our malls.  We had recent good news-----we have been replaced after a decade of being in first place in the nation for STD’s and been replaced by Etowah County Alabama.  So things are looking up.  We’ll keep in touch Mike and Margie

An email from Tom Hayward 21st Co.  dated 23 Nov. says—

Several days ago the trio of Bob Milholland 21st Co.,  Angus McDonald 7th Co. and I finally got together for lunch, having promised to do so many times earlier without follow-through.  We are still vertical, with a bit of help from canes as necessary.  No problem downing a few beers and telling tall stories.  Bob and I were roommates at USNA.  We both were ordered to carriers on graduation, I to the ANTIETEM, Bob to the BOXER, tied up on opposite sides of the carrier pier at NAS Alameda.  If you recall in those days, Choo-Choo Charlie Wilson, SecDef, was enjoying cutting the fleet a fast as possible.  Our carriers were among the remaining few in the Pacific.  From that assignment, we finally received orders to flight training, both of us having married in the meantime.  Spent lots of spare time with Bob and Lou, along with Kenny Shugart (deceased) 7th Co and his Muriel, Ross Bramwell (deceased) 5th. Co. and his Donna, playing bridge and drinking the cheapest beer on the shelf.  Great times!!  Angus and I found each other in Pearl Harbor, many years later.  He being a submariner and I a tail hooker, our paths had not merged earlier; but we now find ourselves neighbors in the Seattle area.  Our long overdue lunch was just what the doctor ordered for each of us and we have plans to replicate it frequently in the weeks ahead.“

Since the last issue I have learned of the passing of six classmates and one wife.
          Classmates
          12th Co.   Gorder, C.F. Sr                  11/19/17  #
          7th Co.     Snyder, F.M.                     10/26/17  *
          5th Co.     Herlihy, J.D.,Jr.                 10/2/!7     # *
          4th Co.     Clasgens, J.H.II                 10/8/17    # *
          4th Co.     Wagenfield, Q.W.              9/16/17   *
          22nd         Dorsey, L.                        9/4/17
                   #  bio. in 50th,  * bio. in 30th
          Wife:
Tsiknas, Anna  Wife of John  7th Co.   6/21/17

We shall miss each of them and send our condolences to the families.
Of interest, while I was writing this an email from Erline Holt tells me that Kitty Bacon is living with her daughter in Dallas and phone number is 214-762-1207.

For those of you with email the minutes of the spring meeting of the COCP are posted there.

This is a short column because I need more input.  When you send me something and attach a picture I will try to put it in the column but make certain you’ve sent everything by sending it to yourself.  I believe Tom Hayward had a picture of the luncheon group but I did not receive it.  Tom if you have a picture send it along and I will put it in the next column.

Since you are now reading the first issue of 2018 and since most of us were born in 1924 the average age of those of us still around is 93.  Hard to believe but let’s try to keep it going.

Betty and I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday season.  We were very fortunate at Thanksgiving to have our entire family less only two grandsons, one went to his mother’s family, the other had to stay on the job as a beekeeper but will be with us at Christmas.

We still have some unfinished business regarding yea or nay on a 70th reunion and I will try to keep you apprised on developments.