Our chapter activities for August, like the past several months, is virtual only. We do not anticipate any large group activities till probably the end of the year. With that being said, there are lots of opportunities for alumni to connect and keep abreast of Academy and Chapter activities. In July we held a virtual council meeting with one of two new members present and all past presidents. The new members of the Council are Ron Smith, ’72 and Mark Springer ’89. We will elect them at the Sept 9th meeting.
We would like to encourage everyone to join our Facebook page. With the lack of meeting we will be using Facebook more and more to communicate happenings and event. Currently there are two articles of interest on our Facebook page:
An update on the Commissioning of the USS Oregon SSN 793 which is scheduled to occur in the spring/summer of 2021 as well as a picture of the battle flag for the Oregon. (anyone interested in purchasing a flag for about $50 contact Lenora Bay at lenora@ymail.com
An update on the events leading up to the 100th anniversary of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The president of the Society of Guards of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier will be giving a virtual presentation to the Chapter on September 9th at 6PM.
The All Academy Challenge, a fundraising challenge event for all 5 academies runs from August 16th thru the 20th. Once the challenge kicks off online on 16 August, make your gift on the web page here.
Lastly, we will start having a virtual happy hour weekly for folks to be able to get together and chat on what is going on in their and alumni lives. These will be set up for each Wednesday at 6pm starting August 19th. The link to join will be sent out later.
While the current situation we are in (as Ray Kutch calls it a “low budget B horror movie”) is far from optimal, it does offer an opportunity for those not in the immediate Portland area to participate in Chapter activities. We hope you all will take advantage.
Lastly do not miss the Portland Shoebox Derby held Saturday August 15th noon to 5pm. My plebe year roommate Mike Jones and I have built two subs for the race. One is for the class of 69 and the other for the USS Oregon SSN 793. The race will stream live at the following:
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCn0r3G_0nF_PvzqFSyw9MyQ
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PDXsoapboxracer
Stay safe and sane
Mike Carmichael CDR USN (ret) ’69