USS TOPEKA CLG 8

Reunion Association Newsletter
Volume 15, No. 3 November 2004

Officers:
Jerry Judge, Chairman, Board of Directors; John Reynolds, President; Jack Timmons, Secretary-Treasurer; Ray Spatz, Reunion 05 Chairman; Kathy Spatz, Newsletter Editor; Ken Noble, Web Master


Page 3
Page 1 - Page 2 - Page 4

Here's Who Came to Charleston
Don Anderson ET2 62-64
Woodbridge, VA		 Ben Limcaoco TN 64-66
Virginia Beach, VA
“Al” Andres FTG2 62-64
Township, PA		 Benjamin Luistor TN 64-66
Riverside, CA
Gary Baker FT2 63-65
Billings, MT		 Martin Meier CSSN 67-69
Hanahan, CS
Robert Bond DK3 62-64
Mobile, AL		 Dan Moore GMM3 63-67
Elkhart, IN
Gayne Campbell TN3 59-61
Montoursville, PA		 Loy Nix GMM1 59-66
Estill, GA
Dudley Cass LTJG 61-64
Bonita, CA		 Ken Noble RD2 59-63
Broomfield, CA
Jerry Craig FTM2 66-69
Cartersville, GA		 Joe Nolan SMC 64-66
Cumming, CA
Paul Dworznik ETR2 59-63
Parama, OH		 Gary Noland FTG3 64-66
Orangevale, CA
Donald Everitt SM3 60-63
Pittsburgh, PA		 Larry Partiquin FT2 61-64
Barrington, NH
Matt Fitzpatrick FTM3 63-65
North East, MD		 Jerry Pennington RD3 63-64
Fallbrook, CA
Jimmy Gapusan TM 66-69
Goose Creek, NC		 Wilfred Peregrino TN 66-69
Goose Creek, SC
John Goodlett CYN3 63-67
Colton, CA		 “Jim” James Pflieger LTJG 62-65
Helam, PA
Steven Hall SFFN 65-67
Toledo, OH		 Robert Plake HT1 59-61
Indianapolis, IN
Harvey Hershkowitz CYNSN 64-66
San Diego, CA		 Richard Ramsey GMCM 62-64
Lutz, FL
Michael Hight RD2 60-62
Avon Park, FL		 John Reynolds FTM1 61-66
Redondo Beach, CA
Harold Jackson, JR BT2 63-67
Pleasantville, PA		 Isaac Roberts IC1 65-68
Hixson, TN
Terry Jones GMG3 67-69
Golden, CA		 Ronald Smart RD3 59-62
Turlock, CA
“Jerry” Judge FTSC 63-66
Chula Vista, CA		 Frank Spacek BT2 59-62
Maspeth, NY
Max Kaster ETNSN 59-60
St. Mathews, SC		 Raymond Spatz CS3 67-69
So. Hempstead, NY
John Keepper LTJG 61-65
Lake Bluff, IL		 Jimmy Starr GS2 60-61
Topeka, KS
John Kehoe LTJG 61-63
Wellesley, MA		 Jack Timmons LTJG 64-65
San Diego, CA
John Keith RD1 59-60
Portland, OR		 Tracy Tipton SFM2 64-67
Mason, OH
Weslie King LT 61-64
Springfield, VA		 Leonard Van Gemert ET1 63-65
Myakka City, FL
Calvin Ladd MM3 63-66
Minnetonka, MN		 Richard Wallace SMSN 60-63
Halifax, MA
Thomas Lee GMT3 60-62
Cassopolis, MI		 Dillon Wooton LTJG 61-63
Goldsboro, NC

 


Charleston Was Fun for All

Max and Linda Kastor, reunion hosts, found a perfect location at the Town and Country Inn and Conference Center for the 2004 Topeka Association Reunion site. Fifty Topeka Shipmates, many joined by wives, girlfriends and family members, began arriving prior to the reunion dates to begin to share memories of events while serving on the USS Topeka (CLG-8).

The planned tours began on Wednesday with a combination land and sea tour. We visited historic Charleston districts and saw where generations of patriots lived, worked and worshipped. After a quick stop at the Battery, which overlooks the harbor, we continued the tour by boarding a boat for the trip out to Fort Sumter. Fort Sumter is where the “War of Northern Aggression” really began.

Our next tour, on Thursday, brought us to Middleton Place. Middleton Place, a carefully preserved 18th century plantation with 65 acres of America’s oldest landscaped gardens. We viewed a rice field, slave chapel and the stable yards where Ray Spatz got to meet a milk cow.

Our evening harbor cruise on Thursday, was a dancing and eating frenzy for all that attended.

Friday’s tour took us to Patriots Point, the USS Yorktown an aircraft carrier, the Laffey a destroyer, and the Coast Guard Cutter Ingham. All were able to board and tour these ships. These tours seem to generate many memories and stories to share among Topeka shipmates.

The Friday evening cocktail hour and buffet dinner was enjoyed by all that attended. We enjoyed a scrumptious buffet of southern fried chicken, beef burgundy and ham steak with all the trimmings to go with it.

The Saturday evening banquet included a tribute to Jerry Judge with a poem read by Matt Fitzsimmons. That poem, written by FTs is included in this newsletter. The evening’s speaker was Jim Reece MCPO (SS) a retired USN. We all enjoyed a marvelous sit down dinner of Prime Rib or Salmon with (my favorite) pecan pie for dessert.

If not for Charlie, hurricane that is, all was a success. Unfortunately some that drove departed early, we are just glad they all came. Charleston’s reunion was a definite success and for all that attended and those not able to, we hope to see you in the Big Apple in 2005.

Page 3
Page 1 - Page 2 - Page 4