There is a bond formed by men who are committed to a cause be it athletics, fraternal order or military. This bond or friendship lifts us up and separates us from the natural man. It sustains us through good and bad times remembering the trials, hardwork, libertys, tears and laughter. For this friendship I give thanks on this Thanksgiving day and pray that all my Altair shipmates have a wonderful day shared with family and friends.
Tom (Alvarez) Planes, Altair 60-63
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
2008 Reunion Recap
Myrtle Beach, SC ─ The 2008 Altair reunion is now history. Occurring October 24th through October 26th, it opened with a gathering and story swapping in a meeting room just off the lobby in the Marriott Courtyard. By 4:00 the room was packed. I later discovered that several of our shipmates were not able to attend due to the economy and health issues. A slide show featured 454 pictures thus far submitted to the Altair photo site http://altair.smugmug.com
We then went to the Alabama Theatre to be entertained by the musical “ONE – The Show”. Voted #1 by Myrtle Beach Visitors, this was the last performance of the 8th year. The talented cast and crew of over 40 had spent hundreds of hours reinventing the show with fabulous new songs, dance & comedy. ONE -The Show featured the charm of emcee and featured vocalist Greg Rowles, and one-of-the-funniest guys in the country, Grant Turner's Ricky Mokel. It was an evening filled with song, dance, and laughter. ONE -The Show featured an all-new production with over 25 new chart-topping songs, and an incredible Beatles Pop segment, playing six nights a week. Everyone was wowed by a stunning presentation from the Broadway's Disney musical, Mary Poppins. Visual surprises abounded in this show-stopping medley from one of the most charming musicals ever written. There were two military groups present and both were honored. The Altair group was introduced during the general announcements segment, along with birthdays and anniversaries being celebrated. Then at the shows conclusion, which was a fantastic musical, visual presentation and patriotic celebration, our group was honored with a reading of the history of our ship and the crew! After the show, I was personally thanked for my service to the United States by the person seated behind me. WOW, that doesn’t happen very often! During the show it started to rain so hard that you could hear it pounding on the building’s roof. The rain continued until late that night, so most of us got somewhat damp in the mad dash to the car.
Saturday included an auction that was led by master auctioneer John “Tom” Thomas to a packed meeting room. Tom did a magnificent job of keeping everybody’s attention and entertained. There were two long tables overflowing with donated items. A special thanks for all who donated to the auction! Well, as Tom auctioned off each item, you could tell that we, as a group, were not very sophisticated in the ways of an auction -- the head scratch, nod at a person next to you, a shrug of the shoulders -- all to Tom’s eagle eye was a bid; however, he was kind enough to stop the action and ask if the intention was to bid or just a casual twitch, and did it in a way to amuse everyone. When all was said and done, the auction raised about $1,300 that will be sent to Charles Brecheisen to be added to the general fund to offset the cost of the general expenses of running the organization. Thanks to all the buyers and bidders who made it so much fun.
The Auction was followed by free time, that most of the folks spent in the meeting room, chatting and swapping sea stories. Saturday evening was a trip across the parking lot to California Dreaming for dinner. After the dinner Tom Planes held the drawing for the Altair Memorial Plaque that was being raffled off. This plaque is a duplicate of the one that was dedicated on October 23rd at the United States Navy Memorial in Washington DC. Check it out at http://altair.smugmug.com. After much fanfare, the drawing of a single name was complete. Congratulations to the winner, John “Tom” Thomas! After dinner many of the folks went back to the meeting room and continued swapping those sea stories.
On Sunday morning, there was a general meeting to name the coordinator of the next reunion. Dick Stader was nominated, 2nd-ed, and carried by unanimous voice vote, with no discussion, as Chairman of the 2009 Reunion Committee. We also selected the same week in October of 2009 and Baltimore was the first choice, with Branson as the second choice. So Please, Please, Please, set aside the time frame of the last two weeks of October to allow for scheduling purposes, and start saving now so you will be able to attend. More information will follow just as soon as it becomes available. After the meeting, some of the folks had planes to catch and left, we stayed and did some shopping and sea story telling.
Be sure to check out the 2008 reunion pictures at the ALTAIR photo web site http://altair.smugmug.com.
Also, check out the photos from C. O. Lee. He gave me a bunch of snapshots to scan so they are now on the photo site as well.
As for our host, TOM PLANES, what a wonderful job in setting up and conducting the reunion!!! He even enlisted his son-in-law Ryan Moore, MM1 USN (not affiliated with the ALTAIR) who came in from Atlanta to assist him with the event. My THANKS to both of these gentlemen; they did a magnificent job!
My wife, Susie, accompanied me on the trip and here are some of her thoughts: This was my first reunion, and, God willing, it won’t be my last. I was so impressed by the friendliness of everyone in the group. I was worried about fitting in, but right from the beginning, I felt a air about the group that made me feel welcome and very much a part of the group. The whole experience made me “proud to be an American” and a part of this fantastic group of people.
The camaraderie of this group, from a first-time attendee’s prospective, was well worth the cost and time. No one was left out of any of the discussions that they chose to be a part of. This includes the partners of the shipmates. I feel so privileged to be a part of the group. I am so looking forward to the next gathering and hoping that we can convince as many of our shipmates to attend as possible.
Dick Braun
"I will answer the wind
I will leave with the tide
I'll be out on the road
Every chance I can ride"
Bob Seger -- Wait for me
We then went to the Alabama Theatre to be entertained by the musical “ONE – The Show”. Voted #1 by Myrtle Beach Visitors, this was the last performance of the 8th year. The talented cast and crew of over 40 had spent hundreds of hours reinventing the show with fabulous new songs, dance & comedy. ONE -The Show featured the charm of emcee and featured vocalist Greg Rowles, and one-of-the-funniest guys in the country, Grant Turner's Ricky Mokel. It was an evening filled with song, dance, and laughter. ONE -The Show featured an all-new production with over 25 new chart-topping songs, and an incredible Beatles Pop segment, playing six nights a week. Everyone was wowed by a stunning presentation from the Broadway's Disney musical, Mary Poppins. Visual surprises abounded in this show-stopping medley from one of the most charming musicals ever written. There were two military groups present and both were honored. The Altair group was introduced during the general announcements segment, along with birthdays and anniversaries being celebrated. Then at the shows conclusion, which was a fantastic musical, visual presentation and patriotic celebration, our group was honored with a reading of the history of our ship and the crew! After the show, I was personally thanked for my service to the United States by the person seated behind me. WOW, that doesn’t happen very often! During the show it started to rain so hard that you could hear it pounding on the building’s roof. The rain continued until late that night, so most of us got somewhat damp in the mad dash to the car.
Saturday included an auction that was led by master auctioneer John “Tom” Thomas to a packed meeting room. Tom did a magnificent job of keeping everybody’s attention and entertained. There were two long tables overflowing with donated items. A special thanks for all who donated to the auction! Well, as Tom auctioned off each item, you could tell that we, as a group, were not very sophisticated in the ways of an auction -- the head scratch, nod at a person next to you, a shrug of the shoulders -- all to Tom’s eagle eye was a bid; however, he was kind enough to stop the action and ask if the intention was to bid or just a casual twitch, and did it in a way to amuse everyone. When all was said and done, the auction raised about $1,300 that will be sent to Charles Brecheisen to be added to the general fund to offset the cost of the general expenses of running the organization. Thanks to all the buyers and bidders who made it so much fun.
The Auction was followed by free time, that most of the folks spent in the meeting room, chatting and swapping sea stories. Saturday evening was a trip across the parking lot to California Dreaming for dinner. After the dinner Tom Planes held the drawing for the Altair Memorial Plaque that was being raffled off. This plaque is a duplicate of the one that was dedicated on October 23rd at the United States Navy Memorial in Washington DC. Check it out at http://altair.smugmug.com. After much fanfare, the drawing of a single name was complete. Congratulations to the winner, John “Tom” Thomas! After dinner many of the folks went back to the meeting room and continued swapping those sea stories.
On Sunday morning, there was a general meeting to name the coordinator of the next reunion. Dick Stader was nominated, 2nd-ed, and carried by unanimous voice vote, with no discussion, as Chairman of the 2009 Reunion Committee. We also selected the same week in October of 2009 and Baltimore was the first choice, with Branson as the second choice. So Please, Please, Please, set aside the time frame of the last two weeks of October to allow for scheduling purposes, and start saving now so you will be able to attend. More information will follow just as soon as it becomes available. After the meeting, some of the folks had planes to catch and left, we stayed and did some shopping and sea story telling.
Be sure to check out the 2008 reunion pictures at the ALTAIR photo web site http://altair.smugmug.com.
Also, check out the photos from C. O. Lee. He gave me a bunch of snapshots to scan so they are now on the photo site as well.
As for our host, TOM PLANES, what a wonderful job in setting up and conducting the reunion!!! He even enlisted his son-in-law Ryan Moore, MM1 USN (not affiliated with the ALTAIR) who came in from Atlanta to assist him with the event. My THANKS to both of these gentlemen; they did a magnificent job!
My wife, Susie, accompanied me on the trip and here are some of her thoughts: This was my first reunion, and, God willing, it won’t be my last. I was so impressed by the friendliness of everyone in the group. I was worried about fitting in, but right from the beginning, I felt a air about the group that made me feel welcome and very much a part of the group. The whole experience made me “proud to be an American” and a part of this fantastic group of people.
The camaraderie of this group, from a first-time attendee’s prospective, was well worth the cost and time. No one was left out of any of the discussions that they chose to be a part of. This includes the partners of the shipmates. I feel so privileged to be a part of the group. I am so looking forward to the next gathering and hoping that we can convince as many of our shipmates to attend as possible.
Dick Braun
"I will answer the wind
I will leave with the tide
I'll be out on the road
Every chance I can ride"
Bob Seger -- Wait for me
October 2008 by Charles Brecheisen
ALTAIR PLAQUE: The ceremony was attended by several shipmates including Admiral Colbert's widow, Mrs. Prudence Mackee. Thanks to all that donated for this wonderful ship remembrance and ceremony!
NAVY LOG: Joe Basso notes that on the Navy Memorial site
http://www.navymemorial.org/ there is a section named "Navy Log." Click on the "Navy Log" button at the top of the Memorial site and it will take you to the Log site. You can sign up, create you own profile, upload your picture, etc. It's free too! Check it out!
ALTAIR REUNION: What a wonderful reunion..........Tom Planes deserves the highest kudos for a job very well done! All the reports that I have heard have been glowing and everyone had a great time. Dick Braun's "2008 Reunion recap" was emailed some time ago. A reunion committee was formed and there will be a reunion next year 2009 about the same time. More info to follow as it becomes available. Great job Tom!
FINANCIAL: The beginning balance was $584.30 with no income and expenses of $33.00 for overnight check mailing leaving a balance of $551.30. Tom Planes reports that a check (dues/auction/donations) from the reunion will be on the way to me to cover future expenses.
SHIPMATE PASSING: I am sorry to report the passing of Shipmate Ernest David Forbes Jr. on October 24, 2008. Ernie was a FN aboard the Altair 1961-63. Our sincerest condolences to the Forbes family. The family can be reached at:
828 Jamaica Blvd., Toms River, NJ 08757 732-349-7737
ALTAIR NEWSLETTER: I will be making some changes now that the plaque ceremony and reunion are over. My sincerest regrets to all the shipmates for my not being able to attend either event. Hopefully........next year.
All for now. Please contact me with any comments or questions. If I missed anything, please let me know!
Best Regards To All..........Charles
In a seperate email Charles sent this:
"I just knew that I was forgetting something very important.......and, I did.
Dick Braun has put up tons of great pics from the plaque ceremony and the reunion (plus tons of other great Altair pics) on our photo site. Spread the word about this site!
Please visit http://altair.smugmug.com and enjoy the photos!
Dick, thank you for a great job! High kudos to you!"
NAVY LOG: Joe Basso notes that on the Navy Memorial site
http://www.navymemorial.org/ there is a section named "Navy Log." Click on the "Navy Log" button at the top of the Memorial site and it will take you to the Log site. You can sign up, create you own profile, upload your picture, etc. It's free too! Check it out!
ALTAIR REUNION: What a wonderful reunion..........Tom Planes deserves the highest kudos for a job very well done! All the reports that I have heard have been glowing and everyone had a great time. Dick Braun's "2008 Reunion recap" was emailed some time ago. A reunion committee was formed and there will be a reunion next year 2009 about the same time. More info to follow as it becomes available. Great job Tom!
FINANCIAL: The beginning balance was $584.30 with no income and expenses of $33.00 for overnight check mailing leaving a balance of $551.30. Tom Planes reports that a check (dues/auction/donations) from the reunion will be on the way to me to cover future expenses.
SHIPMATE PASSING: I am sorry to report the passing of Shipmate Ernest David Forbes Jr. on October 24, 2008. Ernie was a FN aboard the Altair 1961-63. Our sincerest condolences to the Forbes family. The family can be reached at:
828 Jamaica Blvd., Toms River, NJ 08757 732-349-7737
ALTAIR NEWSLETTER: I will be making some changes now that the plaque ceremony and reunion are over. My sincerest regrets to all the shipmates for my not being able to attend either event. Hopefully........next year.
All for now. Please contact me with any comments or questions. If I missed anything, please let me know!
Best Regards To All..........Charles
In a seperate email Charles sent this:
"I just knew that I was forgetting something very important.......and, I did.
Dick Braun has put up tons of great pics from the plaque ceremony and the reunion (plus tons of other great Altair pics) on our photo site. Spread the word about this site!
Please visit http://altair.smugmug.com and enjoy the photos!
Dick, thank you for a great job! High kudos to you!"
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
