REUNION 96 SITES

The Site Selection Committee for the 1996 reunion, to be held in the Central U.S., will present the following sites for consideration at the annual meeting ill Norfolk.

Albuquerque, NM
Kansas City, MO
San Antonio, TX
St. Louis, MO
Topeka, KN.

ABOUT THE BELL

Ed Note: Tile first issue of the newsletter this year carried a picture of the ship's bell, as it stands in the civic square in the city of Topeka, Kansas. That picture prompted the following letters.

Dear Ed

The picture of the ship's bell resting in Topeka Kansas (last newsletter) got my attention.

I am an over-the-road track driver out of Denver. I had a layover in Topeka, and decided to check out the bell. I took some time and polished it. I later received the enclosed letter from the City of Topeka. (See next letter.)

Enclosed are my 1995 dues.

Sincerely, John DeFord (64-67)

Dear Mr. DeFord:

I saw you checking out the bell and wondered, what on earth! Quite frankly, I haven't given much thought to the condition of the bell over the years.

Come Spring, I'll have my staff polish the bell. Then we will spray it with urethane to protect the shine.

I do appreciate your concern and your pride in having served on USS Topeka. If I can be of further assistance on this matter, don't hesitate to call me at (913) 295-3959 or write me at this address.

Stuart Yoho
City of Topeka
Topeka, Kansas

Dear Ed:

Last year, when you were having fun in San Diego, I couldn't be there. But, because of other circumstances, I had the pleasure of being in Topeka, Kans., during the same time period.

While there, my wife and I visited the Combat Air Museum, where I found many items of USS Topeka memorabilia (both Cruiser and Submarine). It was a moving experience to see these things on display. I wished I was with you, but I had a piece of Topeka you didn't have.

I was also photographed in the Civic Center Square with the bell. The person in charge of the Air Museum told me the bell would be moved to the museum in the near future.

There were many other things to do in Topeka and my thought was this might be a nice place for a future reunion.

Harold (Buddy) Haley, Jr. (63-65)

Dear Ed:

I enjoyed seeing the Topeka Bell as it now occupies a spot in the Civic Center Plaza, Topeka, Kans.

In looking through my scrapbook of the Topeka, I found an interesting article which described using the bell as a setting for baptism on Easter Sunday in May, 1962.

Baptized were Peggy Lyn DeLapp, daughter of BM2 and Mrs. DeLapp, Deborah Ann Vaughn, daughter of CS1 Julius and Mrs. Vaughn; Gregory John Proctor, son of PNCA David and Mrs. Proctor; and James Kenneth and David Hugh Parfish, sons of LT K.W. and Mrs. Parrish.

Hal R. Sessions, Chaplain, 62

Page 3
Page 1 - Page 2 - Page 4