NEWSLETTER
August 2007

Dear Shipmates,

Hope this finds everyone in good health, doing well and making preparations to attend the reunion in San Diego.

Looks as if this is going to be a good turnout for this one, the hotel has 103 rooms reserved at this time and there are many people who live in the area.

We have some excellent entertainment scheduled on Friday and Saturday in our hospitality suite.

The trolley tour on Friday will leave the hotel at 0900, arrive in old town at 1100 where you will have three hours for sight-seeing and lunch, it returns to the hotel at approximately 1430.

The entertainment will start in our hospitality suite at 2000 and last for about one hour, after the entertainment we will enjoy cake and coffee compliments of Dave and Jeanne Whitehead who are celebrating their 50th Wedding Anniversary. Our hospitality suite will be open on Friday from 1400 to whenever.

On Saturday we'll have our business meeting in the hospitality suite at 0900, the election of new association of officers will be held at this time so it's important that you attend this meeting.

The hospitality suite will be open after the business meeting but will close from 1630 to 1800 to set up for the luau buffet dinner and entertainment. Don't forget your Hawaiian shirts.

Sunday will start with worship services in our hospitality suite at 1000 with our Chaplain Harry Brantley.

The hospitality suite will close at 1500 on Sunday in order to set up for our banquet dinner, doors will open at 1700 for seating for the banquet dinner. The photographer will start taking pictures for our memory book at 1700.

We ask everyone to please have your picture taken even if you don't want a memory book. There is no charge for your picture being taken and no obligation to purchase a memory book.

Dinner will be served at approximately 1800. Our raffle will start immediately after dinner.

We don't have complimentary airport transportation this year. We have an agreement with Cloud Nine Shuttle for $10 per person but we have to give them your name, airline, flight number and time of arrival.

So please send the above information ASAP. Make sure the flight number you give me is for the last leg of your flight.

Don't forget our raffle on Sunday night. If you're not attending the reunion but are sending an item for the raffle please send it to Bob Bahler at 10371 Orozco Road, San Diego, CA 92124 and please send it two weeks before the reunion. Don't forget to bring the peel and stick return address labels we all get in the mail to put on the back of the raffle tickets. This makes it much easier for us and expedites the raffle.

We have kept your costs down this year and the association has gone all out for our home port reunion. We are in hopes that you will support your association and buy lots of raffle tickets.

We have four different 8x10 laminated pictures of the Parks, 2 before FRAM and 2 after. They are $5.00 each plus $2.00 postage for one or all four. They will be available at the reunion, and you can see them on our website.

If you want to play golf on Thursday call or email Solomon Honeycutt at 619-665-1987, email owls2co@aol.com.

In order to keep you informed, prevent surprise and possible embarrassment I want to share some information with you. Tom Wyatt (our association president) will be attending the reunion with his new wife Susan, no details, no news at six, pictures at eleven etc. NUFF SAID!

For our Friday night entertainment, if you have an anniversary, birthday, special occasion or favorite song you would like the entertainer to mention or sing please notify Sue Birdsong.

We have many members who live in the San Diego area that we have not heard from. We have to have advance notice if you are attending any of our function. You can't just drop in at the last minute. So if you plan on attending any of our functions and have not notified us please give Robby a call at 530-283-2165 ASAP.

One of our May Newsletters was shredded by the post office and returned. If you didn't receive your May Newsletter please call Robby at the above number.

Take care, stay healthy and keep in touch. Looking forward to seeing everyone in September.

Tom, Bill & Robby

From The Chaplain's Corner .................

Did you ever live or work with an individual whom you could NOT please no matter what you did? As Flag Writer for Commander, Naval Forces, Germany in Heidelberg in the early fifties, we worked till noon EVERY Saturday. I was complaining one morning when the Admiral's wife walked in. She said, "You think he's a "Bear" in the office, you should see what I go through every morning."

She said the Admiral arose bright-eyed and busy-tailed each day and the ritual began. He'd complain about her hair, her robe, the toast, the juice, and how his eggs were cooked. She vowed to "fix" him the next morning.

She did her hair just so, wore a "medinary" robe, made medium toast, served orange­grapefruit juice, fried one egg and scrambled the other. The Admiral swaggered in, took one look, and said, "Betty, your scrambled the wrong egg".

You just can't please some people. But you CAN please many of us by coming to PARKS reunion in San Diego.