NOTES FROM THE EDITOR ED TUCKER
Hope everyone had happy holidays. We went to California the first part of December for four days for a family reunion and had a great time. We had relatives from Maryland and Jacksonville besides our son and his family who live in Fountain Valley, California. We even met with a nephew whom we hadn't seen in fifteen years and had a nice visit with him, his wife and eight year old son.
I was thinking back to when Lois and I first started being the editors of the Horizon. It was after a reunion in Buffalo, Wyoming in 1993. Our beloved, mate, Charlie Brown, showed us that our crew could enjoy an inland reunion. Those of us who were there remember the beautiful scenery, the memorial service in the park and even the rodeo. We appreciate your calls, letters and e-mails about how much you enjoy reading the Horizon.
We are eagerly looking forward to the next reunion in San Francisco from September 6-11. It will give us a chance to see our Shangri-La Museum on board the "Hornet". Tom Rogers set it all up on an upper deck and when we visited there, we had to climb up narrow steps. Luckily, the Museum has now been moved to the Hanger Deck and Allen Elston has been supervising it since the move. Many thanks, Allen, for all your hard work! Joe Paschall and Allen have been working on the plans for the visit and the Memorial Service, which will be held on the Hornet on Thursday, September 8. We also have some friends who live in San Francisco and are looking forward to seeing them.
We hope you find it in your hearts and pocketbooks to be with us in San Francisco. Ed Tucker
TAPS LIST
The following names have been given to us since the November issue was printed:
Bower, Col. William M., Last surviving pilot of Doolittle's Raiders, died 1/10/11
Bruce, Sammie Lee, ETl/c, Plank Owner, d/d 1976
Clark, Douglas E., YN/3, F Div., on board 1954-56, died 12/7/10, Ass'n Member
Courtney, Dorothy, wife of Member James Courtney, died 2/27/11
Glaser, C.D. "Chuck", GM 1/c, 1st Div.,on board 1944-46, d/d unknown, Ass'n Member
Marple, Diane,wife of Member Barry Marple, helped start Auxiliary, died 4/16/10
Palumbo, Umberto B., 1C 2/c, E Div., on board 1952-53, died 11/2/10, Ass'n Member
Pyles, Charles Keith, on board during Korean War, died 11/20/10
Ramirez, Antonio J., on board during the end of WWII, died 11/28/10
Walley, James L., PFC, USMC, on board 1944-46, died 8/20/10, Ass'n Member
MESSAGE FROM LADIES' AUXILIARY TREASURER, DEBRA CLARK
New members are Jolean Ezell, Patricia Palmer and Mary Ann Schmidtz. Dues continue to be $5.00 per year or $50.00 for Lifetime membership and are due each June. Your check made payable to "USS Shangri-La Auxiliary" may be mailed to me at P.O.Box 103, Conneautville, PA 16406-0103.
Debra Clark
MESSAGE FROM SHIP'S STORE MANAGER, DEBRA CLARK
There are still a few of the Pittsburgh reunion patches left for $5.00 plus $1.00 postage. Also available is the DVD with the emergency surgery on the Shang in 1962. It shows fifteen minutes of activities on the ship. The cost is $20.00.
We have added some new tie, lapel or hat pins. They are listed in the order form in this issue. If there are any questions regarding them, feel free to call me at 814-587-2122 or e-mail me at "shang38store@hotmail.com".
Due to increased shipping costs, we will be limiting the amount of items shipped to the San Francisco reunion for the Ship's Store. You may want to order items in advance so you can have them at the reunion.
Thanks for all your support. Debra Clark
MESSAGE FROM LADIES' AUXILIARY PRESIDENT RUTH HULL
Hope this issue finds everyone in ship-shape. Winter is slowly coming to an end and Spring is trying very hard to come into bloom. I hope the weather in San Francisco will be nothing but sunny come September.
Since Chuck and I have never been to San Francisco, it should be a very exciting trip. The tours should be fun and we really are looking forward to exploring the sights of the area.
I hope everyone is thinking about what great items they can bring for this year's auction. It is such a fun event and we need everyone's help to make it a success. Be as creative as you like. Our auction's success depends on the generosity of our members. This is your event, Ladies, and I will be seeking help for this event. You all did a wonderful job in Pittsburgh. Paul Klote did a bang-up job as our Auctioneer in Pittsburgh and I am hoping that we will be seeing him in San Francisco. We would love to have him again as our Auctioneer again in San Francisco.
Each person who donates an item for the auction will once again be given a ticket for a prize drawing.
See you in September!
Love,
Ruth Hull, Ladies' Auxiliary President
MESSAGE FROM KEN REIGHTLER
MEMBER OF REUNION COMMITTEE
The reunion in San Francisco is going to be the most expensive of any previous reunion. We of the Committee. And the Officers knew this going in. We hesitated because of this, but were persuaded by all the requests for such a West Coast spot.
We attempted to do this in the Oakland area without success, due to no suitable hotel and the heavy crime activity reported there. This was also the case in other towns on that side of the Bay as far as hotels were concerned.
So, now is the time to "bite the bullet", as it were, and bear the expense. We have contracted with AFRI (Armed Forces Reunions, Inc.), as we have in numerous other successful reunions. They are under contract with the Hilton Hotel at the San Francisco Airport (Burlingame) and thus we must abide by their rules as well as Hilton Hotel, San Mateo County rules, and California law. All this information is passed to you for your understanding. Despite all of this, we look forward to a great and memorable reunion.
Please do not proceed on your own if we are to be successful. The Association (you) has a lot riding on this. The Ladies Auxiliary is aiding us in every way possible as is AFRI. Now is the time for every member to do something for the Association. It can only be a reunion to remember if we each do our part.
Please, save your pennies, as it were, and join in a rare chance to visit the City by the Bay. It also is an excellent chance to visit OUR MUSEUM on the USS HORNET, aswell as the many sights in the Bay area. Tours are selected by a majority input from the members and are just a sprinkling of the many sights in the area. Free time before, during and after the reunion is planned. Our Memorial Service will be held on the Hornet on Thursday, September 8.
So the Committee and Officers implore you: Help make this a Super Reunion!
The Officers and Reunion Committee
MESSAGE FROM WEBMASTER, TOM ROGERS
If there is anyone who should have received the Horizon via "E-mail" and didn't, please let me know so I can rectify the problem. Send your notice to:
tom-rogers(@)uss-shangri-la.com
If in the future you decide that you would like to receive the Horizon via "E-mail", just contact me at the above address.
We are trying to improve the method of delivery and at the same time save the Association some money.
Thank you. Tom Rogers, "E" Div. (IC Gang) 1958-62.
The following is the link to the USS Shangri-La Reunion 2011 page on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=165515426814662
All the information about Registration, Tours, Fees etc. can be found on our web site.
Just go to: WWW.USS-SHANGRI-LA.COM
Then click on the button marked
REUNION NEWS & NOTICES
You can print the necessary forms from there.
HOPE TO SEE YOU IN FRISCO
OUT HERE . . . TOM