2002/2003 Co/Chairman’s Message
26-NOVEMBER
2002
Hello
fellow Shipmate’s;
I am very happy to have shared the good times with you at the Charleston
S.C. reunion. Boy did we have a “great one”, this was our forth reunion and
they keep getting better. We had an attendance of 109 and guest. We were also
once again honored to have Mrs. Wilfrey Willis with us to share memories of her
husband John (name sake of the DE-1027) and she reminded us that we were still
her boys. I guess that is a good sign “don’t fix something that has not been
broken.” I can not believe that four reunions have passed by, you are one of
the reasons for their success. Just keep on an ahead full speed bell into the
future ones coming up. It was a pleasure to have filled in as chairman It
shows how important it is to have backup co-chairman to keep a great reunion
rolling on. Both Marc Arsenault and myself shared the chairman’s duties along
with the MLRS sponsors, Karen Hoyle and Karen Lane. To those who missed the
memories, great sea stories that really get salty. I would like to suggest to
you, there is still time to plan for the next reunion Lancaster Pa. I would with
all my heart like to thank all those who made the effort and came aboard to make
this one work. They were not disappointed and went home with memories that will
keep them in the mood for the next one.
We would like to thank the two Karen’s of the Military Locators &
Reunion Services for their efforts in making all the necessary arrangements to
assure a Great Time. They birth us aboard the Charleston Airport, Hotel Radisson
as our headquarters for a wonderful time. We had a busy schedule of trips around
the Charleston area there were many Highlights Boone Hall Plantation and the Old
City Market. It also revived some memories for those who served on ships that
were based in the Navy Yard. The USS Lester DE-1022 was Commissioned there in
1957. Another trip covered Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum. We went
aboard the famous Aircraft Carrier World War II fighting lady USS Yorktown
(CV-10) other ships USS Laffey (DD-724), the submarine Clamagore (SS-343) and
other ships that served during WW II. We concluded the trip with a cruise on the
General Beauregard for a tour of the Charleston harbor and a visit to Fort
Sumter.
With
your support, the Newport Dealey’s Reunion should be around for a long time.
Our goal is to locate all our fellow shipmates. The reunion for the year 2003 is
in planning stage. It will be in Lancaster Pa. In mid September and chaired by
Bob Kitchen assisted by co-chairman Charles Holzschuh.
From
Our House to your House have a Merry, Healthy
Holiday
Season & a Happy New Year.
Bob
(“Kitch”) Kitchen, Reunion Chairman 2003
15 February 2002
Dear Fellow Shipmates:
The 2001 Norfolk
reunion was the best yet. The Norfolk Airport Hilton was the host facility for
our third reunion of the nine ships. We had a total of 126 shipmates and guests.
We conducted our business meeting on Saturday afternoon hosted by Chairman Bob
Kitchen. The attendees reaffirmed Charleston SC as the choice for the 2002
reunion with John Fry as chairman and Military Locators and Reunion Services of
Hickory NC as the organizer. Lancaster
PA was selected as the choice of the majority for the 2003 reunion with Bob
Kitchen as chairman.
The dates and location for
our Newport Dealeys 2002 reunion are now set. The Radison North Charleston SC
has been booked for the weekend of the 26th – 29th of
September. 2002. Invitations will be mailed out in mid June. We have now over
900 shipmates on our list and it’s still growing. If you believe that your
name is not on our mailing list please contact John Fry at email frycap@quest.net
or Tel 480 839 3986.
Please allow me to welcome
you to our Newport Dealeys web site will be under going a major change in the
near future. Please bear with us as the migration and upgrades
occur.
As we announced at the 2001
reunion, Allen Lloyd, our present site master, has informed us that due to the
sites popularity and growth, he can no longer continuously maintain the site at
the level of complexity it requires. He suggested that we consider retaining a
larger web site location and a professional web service to take it from here.
Bob Kitchen has taken on the
task and is working with a web site programmer to create a larger and more
flexible domain. He reports that it should be even more functional soon and
within budget. (Web site funds were donated at the 2001 reunion for this
purpose.)
I’ll be looking forward to seeing you all in
Charleston
J
Bob
Kitchen 1007 Foster Street Philadelphia,
Pa. 19116 [215]- 698 -1858