1. With the exception of receiving a brief report from Butch Bewick addressing the new Class of 2021 to be sworn in as midshipmen this June and conduct of Council elections, just plan on a afternoon of just swapping “sea stories” and “Salty Sam” anecdotes at our May meeting.
2. Speaking of Council elections, we have a great slate of candidates who have stepped forward to assist Doug Ballard the next two years. We do have an opening for the Secretary position and would welcome a “write-in” if you are interested. Additionally we have several committee openings (Annual Summer Picnic, Bereavement Cadre, Speakers Selection, National Trusteeship, USS Portland (LPD-27) Commissioning in Spring 2018, & Future Rose Festival Visiting Ship Transits). Please annotate your ballot if you are interested.
3. On Sunday June 4th from 2:00 – 4:30pm at Rolling Hills Community Church, Tualatin Oregon, please join Mark Cooksey our ALITC representative from the Class of 1971 as we welcome the latest appointees to USNA & NAPS. Our local Oregon-SW Washington Parents’ Club will host their annual event, “welcoming aboard” the latest plebe class from our area and proud parents. We have in the past, representative from 1962 through 1970 also in attendance.
4. Please note that 2017 will be the last time Butch Bewick and Jack Kohl will host the “BGO Recognition” BBQ. It is tentatively scheduled for Saturday July 29th. We have stood up a committee chaired by Susan Mead to consider soonest sites & associated required services for future “Annual Chapter” picnics. This first event in 2018 is being tentatively planned as a general picnic outing for the local Naval Academy “family” (i.e., parents, mids, alums, etc.). Susan has reported that the same issues remain i.e. how are we to cover the expenses of a picnic including location rent, liquor license, licensed servers as well as food and beverages. Options for locale such as wineries are being discussed as well as at parks and members’ locations including SW Washington. Accordingly, a question has also has been included on the ballot surveying members if you are in favor of continuing to have a summer picnic, particularly if there would be some assessed charges involved. Please be candid; and if you are interested , please contact me or other Council members.
5. We have scheduled for our June 14th Chapter meeting Pete Young ’67 (recently moved into our area) to provide a narrated PowerPoint program that features images from the Yard that were taken in the early years of the last century – sometime around 1908 or so. These photos were snapshots taken by a family from Washington DC, and have never been published. These snapshots were taken with an early Brownie camera and annotated by the wife of a Civil War veteran as they showed family members around the Yard. They tie in to the larger story of the veteran (seen standing next to the Tripoli Monument) and how he came to possess the USNA snapshots and others.
6. If you have traveled up the Willamette River towards Swan Island, you may have seen a “grey hull” in dry dock. That’s the USS Frank Cable (AS-40) normally home-ported in Guam, but undergoing an overhaul here in Portland. until September. We have tentatively invited its new Commanding Officer Captain Jeff Farah USN to brief us on our current ”Silent Service”.
7. We had a most successful Chapter meeting last month with 56 alumni & guests in attendance. Paul Tortora provided us a most comprehensive, applicable, and professional brief of cyber-security both in general as well as addressing the programs at USNA. It was worth the two hours spent. BRAVO ZULU Paul! Thank you Doug Ballad for your overall planning & orchestrating this event for close to five months. Thank you Butch Bewick for assisting in setting up our meeting room in particular with respect to flag setups and use of your projector. Thank you Pete Crystal as our roving photographer & minutes scribe. Thank you Ted Scypinski as our official greeter, roster/door keeper & tab collector. Lastly as always, thank you Tex Harkins (with the assistance of Janette Sandberg, Susan Mead, & Pete) in sending out invites via different media, assisting in the room revampment, setting up the projector & assisting Paul in his presentation, and just putting out ‘fires’. Also, thank you Tex & Cecily Harkins in hosting a farewell ‘potluck’ dinner for Paul with support of Pete Lehrfeld, Butch Bewick, Pete Crystal, Suzie & Mike Carmichael, and Doug & Jean Bomarito.
8. Second from the last, we had most productive Council meeting on Saturday April 15th. Thank you Doug Bomarito in hosting us at your law offices. Thanks to all current Council members (Doug Ballard, Pete Crystal, Ted Scypinski, Susan Mead, Butch Bewick, & Dave Lutes) for seeking re-election to serve for the next two years and Mike Carmichael for standing up as our next Chapter Vice President candidate. Thank you Past Presidents Tex Harkins, Ray Kutch, Mark Cooksey & Doug Bomarito for attending & actively participating in the meeting and for your corporate memory, candidness, & continued contributions to make our Chapter better & most proactive. Thank you Susan Mead for your research & detailed analytical efforts into next year’s summer activities. Thank you Janette Sandberg for developing a most professional & functional website for our membership to have as a “go to” for information, scheduling, and management tool. Thank you Ted Scypinski for continuing to keep an accurate & timely accounting ledger. Thank you Pete Crystal as our scribe in keeping great minutes. Thank you Butch Bewick for your continued selfless B&G efforts & updates and fervent teamwork. And thank you Doug Ballard in scheduling key events and coordinating our major effort in trusteeship application.
9. Lastly, Happy 50th Anniversary to the Class of 1967 and Congrats to the Class of 2017!
As ever,
Beat Army! Beat Air Force!
Frank