FROM THE PRESIDENT

Reunion 97 "A Must"

It seems like just a short time ago since a few of us met at Jim Ownby's house to try and put a reunion together. Now, we are getting ready to launch number eight in Seattle, Washington.

The data base continues to grow and we find more shipmates each year as we meet to tell a few sea stones and straighten out some of the world's problems.

The crew in Seattle has been on the job and things are going great. Everything is in place and the state of Washington can hardly wait for the Topeka sailors to arrive. I hope you are all as anxious to get there as I am. If you have never been to one of these reunions you don't know what you are missing. It is truly a great time to get in touch with your memories and just "let it all hang out."

Tom Victory and Bud Zimmerman have been reporting back and there are a lot of great places to "let the good times roll." So I suggest you make Seattle a must on your things to do this summer. Don't let anything steer you in the wrong direction. Set sail for Reunion 97 and stay on course.

See you there.
John Reynolds

NEW MEMBERS (SINCE NOV. 1996)

Fred Florian LCPL (60-62) Philadelphia, PA
Ed Hammann CPL (60-62) West Caidwell, NJ
Danny Williams BT3 (68-69) Pearl River, LA
Curtis Krause SA (60-62) Allentown, PA
Ronald McPhail RDC (67-68) Winter Park, FL

TAPS

BINNACLE LIST

Jim Ownby, El Cajon, CA

LAUGHLIN WAS A SUCCESS

Dudley Cass reports that the Laughlin Bash, held March 4-8, was a success again this year, except it was a little too windy to play golf.

"We saw two shows, had 'happy hours,' gambled a little but not too much, had good meals together, told and listened to good sea stories, and renewed friendships," says Dudley.

The crowd joining Dudley and Ruth (61-64) in Laughlin included Everett and Colleen Siler (63-65) (first timers), Mike Angulo (65-67), John Hojaboom (60-68), Jim Ownby (62-65), Egon and Helen Werdelman (60-61), Joe and Rose Ripley (59-63), Don and Pat Nellis (64-66), Jerry and Leanne Pennington (63-64), and Tom and Jutta Eagling (60-63).

WHERE DID IT COME FROM?

HOLYSTONE

The last Navy ships with teak decks were the battleships, now since decommissioned (that's not really true since we had partial teak decks even though over steel). Teak, and other wooden decks, were scrubbed with a piece of sandstone, nicknamed at one time by an anonymous witty sailor as the "holystone." It was so named because since its use always brought a man to his knees, it must be holy!

ARE YOU READY FOR SEATTLE?
ARE YOU READY TO GO TO SEA?

Come about August 12, we will set the Special Sea and Anchor Detail and go to sea, arriving in Seattle for Reunion 97, August 13-16.

Are you ready?

• It's been so long since we've been to sea, that most of us sailors, who prided ourselves on the way we walked on a rolling and pitching deck, have become landlubbers of a sort, and the mere breath of salt air and a gentle rolling sea makes us a little queasy.
• Here are some things you can do this summer to help you overcome this syndrome and get ready to be a full-fledged sailor again:
• Have a fluorescent lamp installed on the bottom of your coffee table and lie under it to read books.
• Raise the thresholds and lower the top sills on your front and back doors so that you either trip over the threshold or hit your head on the sill every time you pass through one of them.
• (For engineering types) Leave the lawnmower running in your living room six hours a day to get accustomed to proper noise level. (For non-engineering types, a vacuum cleaner will do).

• Put on the headphones from your stereo (don't plug them in.) Go stand in front of the kitchen stove. Say (to nobody in particular), "Stove manned and ready." Stand there 3 or 4 hours. Say (to nobody in particular) "Stove secured." Roll up the head phones cord and put them away.

• If none of these work, call a shipmate.

After accomplishing all of these things, you'll be partially ready for the blast in Seattle. If not, watch for more helpful hints in the next newsletter.

Courtesy,
Jim Carey (62-65)

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