FROM THE PRESIDENT

Topeka was great, but...

Seattle, here we come. A meeting of the Advisory Board was held October 13 in Capistrano, Calif. We met with Tom Victory and nailed down the Doubletree Hotel in Seattle for the Reunion 97 site, to be held August 13-16. A reunion fee of $85.00 was adopted. Room cost will be $89 per night plus 15.1 percent tax. Pick up from the airport is included in room cost.

One of the big improvements over past reunions will be a 900 square foot hospitality room to relax in.

The tours are fabulous. You can set sail along lake Union for a look at Seattle's unique houseboat community, check out the micro brewery tour such as the Red Hook Ale Brewery and Harts Brewing Co. If that's not your thing, join some of us for a hot air balloon ride over the beautiful Verdant Redmond Valley or hike with some of the brave hearts through Narda Falls on the way to Mt. Rainier. A two hour hike will take you to Paradise Lodge. Check out the wild flowers and the 360 degree panoramic view and stop to enjoy a picnic before returning to Seattle. These and many more exciting adventures await you, not to mention the good old bull sessions and sea stories, so mark your calendars for Reunion 97. See ya there!

John Reynolds

GENERAL MEETING

• The annual general membership meeting was held in Topeka, Kansas during Reunion 96. Highlights of the meeting are as follows:
• Election of Officers: The Board of Advisors proposed the slate of John Reynolds, President; Dudley Cass, Secretary-Treasurer; and Al Jefferis, Assistant Secretary. There were no nominations from the floor. Election was approved by acclamation. There were no changes in the Advisory Board.
• A total of $649 was received in donations since Reunion 95. This will be forwarded to the Naval Home in Pascagoula, MS.

Webmaster note - the Naval Home is in Gulfport, not Pascagoula - Clyde Stevens, MRCS (ret) pointed this out

• Reunion 97 Site: Cites proposed were Seattle, San Diego, Long Beach, and Portland. Seattle was selected in the second vote. Tom Victory and Bud Zimmerman selected as Coordinators.
• Site Selection Committee for Reunion 98 (Eastern U.S.) Atlanta, to be presented by Jerry Craig; Orlando, to be presented by Francis Finer-frock; New York, to be presented by Steve Archbold; Boston, to be presented by Jack Kehoe; and Myrtle Beach, SC (no presenter named).
• 1997 Calendar: A motion was approved for Jack Connery to produce a 1997 Topeka calendar. It will be distributed (in late November-early December) to 1996-dues paying members. It was also approved to set 1997 dues at $20. To help defray the cost of production and mailing.
• Membership: Database membership is 828, with 763 being active, and 278 paying dues. There were 63 new members this year. Seventy-nine came to Reunion 96 with banquet total of 148.
• Treasurer's Report:

TAPS