CENTRAL COAST CHAPTER
Monterey, CA

Source: Aerograph, May 2007

President    Harry Nicholson
Sec/Treas   Glenn Handlers

This is a quiet time for the Monterey Chapter so news is Slim Pickens.  The Editor was kind in Nov. 2006 issue of the Aerograph and added our chapter’s officers, which I forgot to include in the Feb. 2007 Aerograph.  So for something to do I made sure we got our officers again in this issue.

I look out the back window and see the small yellow flowers of Oxalis which has been cheering me up for the past couple of months but which Gloria calls weeds and insist they be pulled.  The scraggly beds of asparagus have already grown to 3 or 4 feet in some areas and turning into ferns without me even picking a mess for a meal.

While pulling weeds in the front yard the past few weeks I come up with a sizeable crop of trash the construction workers left when they put in a retaining wall running a hundred feet east to west along the south side of the yard.  It is amazing what workers in the building trades cover up when they work.  I have found a dozen red bricks of the two foot serrated top variety the workers buried and huge amounts of left over concrete.  All this plus various lengths of Rebar which somehow managed to get buried instead of crated off when they finished the wall.

The starting of this small bit of news caused a flashback to one night I had the local weather report to give on the AFRS-TV station when stationed at Keflavik Iceland in 1965 or 1966.  We were the only TV station on Iceland at the time and every night one of the duty forecasters would go to the station and post a weather chart for the camera man to zoom in on while we went into our 3 to 5 minute time slot of the local weather.

This one night as I was waiting to make my 3 minute pitch at the end of the news, the regular newscaster crashed face down on his desk, drunk as a skunk.  The TV producer calmly said into the camera and now we will switch to Chief Jacobs for a comprehensive look at our weather around the globe.  That gave me about 25 minutes of adlibbing to fill in as there was no world news or sports that night due to the clown who had come to work drunk.  I started with weather over Alaska and took it all the way east across Canada, our area into Europe and as Far East as Moscow.  Then I took it from the east coast of North America south into the Caribbean and back up the Atlantic to our local area.  Talk about hot air. When I got home Gloria made a comment we sure had a long weather picture that day.  I had to laugh and explain how it was an impromptu thing and not of my doing.  I managed to get that 30 minute slot of news over a hump.

In the last issue of the Aerograph I mentioned a Letter to the Editor in our local paper the day before last Christmas written by Art Hull.  Though it is unlikely many who read this would have recognized Art Hull’s name as I don’t believe he was ever a member of NWSA, though I wanted to sign him up he wouldn’t hear of a gift subscription in years past.  At least one long time friend, Mo Gibbs of Nantucket Island knew Art, so Mo and I have talked about Art’s Obituary showing up in the 15 Feb. paper telling us Art walked the wind 7 Feb. 2007. As I had talked to Art on the phone just a couple of weeks before his death and he seemed chipper and in relatively good health for his age which is a few months younger than my own, It was quite a surprise to see him in the paper one last time.

Mo surprised me by sending me a picture of me when I was a lot younger when we were tied up to the ice in Kainan Bay about 78 degrees 30 minutes South Lat.  It seems the CG Cutter Atka had been at this spot in 1954 and left some trail flags as markers to help the Deep Freeze group who came down in late 1955 and was tied up in Kainan Bay by Jan. 1956 offloading to build Little America IV, I believe was the number of the base.  Mo & I took a hike up to the camp that had sprung up and Mo had a camera which he used to snap a photo of me when I found one of those little red trail markers.

Well I got off to a start in mid March with the above topics.  Here it is 5 April and the yellow flowers in the back yard are fading due to lack of water and my weed pulling has moved westward along the south side of the house, but has not reached the back yard so procrastination is upon my hands.

Of local interest to some, the Monterey President is on a cruise south till later in April and Glenn Handlers when last heard from was again visiting WestPac and in Japan.  The doings of our chapter members are not available as most seem private in their travels.

I find our local paper a bit peculiar this Thursday 5 April with top headlines being PG may boost the price of Golf which is sharing the front page with the trip to Syria by Nancy Pelosi.  Now the latter is of International importance but Pacific Grove boosting the price of Golf seems a tad odd for a front page article.  I am sure all you others in various parts of the world notice local precedent for front page news.

Talking about news, our friend Frenchy Corbeille posted an internet message a couple of days ago about him stepping out into a gale when he got ready to take Boomer, his year old Black Lab for a walk that morning and snow was blowing in sheets.  Why a man in the winter of his life would return deliberately to live in Wisconsin vice Florida where the winters are mild is a puzzle to this old head.  Frenchy mentioned his father advising him years ago Wisconsin had 9 months of winter and 3 months of spring so he knew what he was getting into.

My imagination has become exhausted for this quarterly report.  It is with regrets I had to tell my old 1950 San Diego NAS North Island friend, Frank Baillie, we would not be attending the NW Chapters National meeting in May.  We both are sticking close to the Monterey area as we age gracefully or that is what we hope to age as.

Forgive me if this note seems so on a personal level but so few bits of news is shared by other members of the local chapter  I have to use creative thought to even submit a report.  All you who travel to WA this spring have a blast.

Cordially, Zane E. Jacobs

Source: Aerograph, February 2007

The early part of 2007 is typical for the Central Coast area of California, mild mostly sunny days with the winter plants blooming profusely out the back window where my computer room looks west toward Monterey Bay.

Procrastinating won’t enlarge the small amount of Unit One’s input this first quarter so will take a few minutes and write what has been on the burner since the last report.

Glenn Handlers called me in early Nov. for an address of Gloria & my last Home Stay Student from Japan, as Glenn had a planned trip to Japan and would be in the Osaka area and knew Maiko Miyano from her visit here in 2004 & a tourist visit last summer  So gave her a call when he stopped in Osaka. Glenn works for SAIC and supports the NRL on Hurricane Haven, Typhoon Haven Typhoon Haven and Severe Weather Port Studies.  In line with his work in 2006, Glenn gathered information on visits to Tortola, BVI, St. John, American Virgin Island, Sasebo, Japan and Guam

or heard about him in years and see he is listed in the non member portion of the B List of the Aerograph.

For those who exchange Christmas greetings over the years and may have known Chuck Dunning, who walked the wind a few years ago, I wonder if anyone heard from Winnie Dunning this past year?

The Well Weathered Wives club put on another smashing Christmas Party the 14th of Dec. and though the WWW club is not strictly a weather event a lot of those who participate are mostly weather types in the Navy or retired community.  So as has been the past few years, I will include a list of most if not all who attended this event 14 Dec. 2006 on the Naval Post Graduate School Quarterdeck.

First though, Lori McPherson had an emergency in her personal life when her mother had a stroke in early Nov. Lori wishes to thank Mimi & Bill Schramm, Pat Nicholson and other helpers which made this shindig such a success.

Tom and Mary Callaham, M.J. & Mary Cuming, Don and Marjorie Edgren. Ron & Peggy Englebretson, Herb and Barbara Hansen, Sam & Jean Houston.

Earl & Floy Gustafson were planning on attending from their home in Big Ditch (Arroyo Grande, CA) but some conflict in planning interfered. Apparently the same thing happened with Glenn & Delores Hamilton.

Frank Ivie, Zane & Gloria Jacobs, Jack & Valerie Jensen, Mary Kalinyak.

Captain Scott Katz who is XO of FNMOC and his lady Karen were welcome guests.

Tony Klapp & Lucy Olsen whom I thought were in China were present. I was under the impression A.J. Klapp and Lucy had eloped over a year ago and tied the knot but may be mistaken.

Don & Carolyn Mautner with Don still doing his bit to educate students at Cal State Monterey Bay College.

John & Lori Macpherson; with Lori being volunteered in Dec. 2005 by John she done a great job of organizing the party. 

Dean Morford, Harry & Pat Nicholson, Pete & Marjorie Petit, Mary Reins, Bob & Dorothy Renard.

Commander A. J.  Reiss Operations Officer of FNMOC & his lady Dana were special guests in that Dana was a solo singer of Oh Holy Night and it were as though an angel had mingled with us mortals the way she presented the song.  All who heard Dana thanks her for such a beautiful presentation.

Charles & Carol Roberts, Ralph & Dorothea Sallee, Donald Schertz, Bill & Mimi Schramm, Warren Thompson, Carl Thormeyer, Ace Trask and guest Beverley Morford, Conley & Mary Ward from Roseville CA, Forrest & Madge Williams.

As I don’t know many of the attendees and rely on Lori Macpherson’s list as a guide if I made errors in spelling of your name consider the source and forgive me till next year.                             Cordially, Zane E. Jacobs

Question: When is a retiree's bedtime?
Answer: Three hours after he falls asleep on the couch.

Question: How many retiree's does it take to change a light bulb?
Answer: Only one, but it might take all day

Source: Aerograph, November 2006

Central Coast Chapter
Monterey California

President          Harry Nicholson
Sec/Treas         Glenn Handlers

 Monday 11 Sep. 2006 was a 5 year anniversary of 11 Sep. 2001 when the world changed forever as 19 young men dedicated to killing as many kefir's as possible, hijacked 4 commercial aircraft with passengers aboard and slammed two of the fully fueled passenger planes into the two towers of the world trade center, one into the pentagon and one was forced down to crash in Pennsylvania on its heading back toward Wash. D.C. World War IV just heated up that day.

Five years later we on the Monterey Bay in CA had a clear cool day.

On Sep 4, Harry Nicholson sent an invite for some members of the Monterey Chapter to meet at the USN Post Graduate golf club house for a meeting to take care of some local chapter business.

I went over and had lunch with Harry Nicholson, Bill Schramm, Ralph Sallee & Pete Petit.  Harry volunteered to act as President of our local chapter.  As the National Sec. Treas. had been carrying Pete Petit for years as our unit president I will make sure Jim Stone gets a heads up that Harry Nicholson is now Chapter One's official head honcho.

Glenn Handlers was unable to attend but has volunteered to take over as Treasurer from Ralph Sallee.  Ralph mentioned the various names of our unit and it seems my last change used on my Quarterly reports to the Aerograph is the 3rd name for our unit but all have Unit 1 as part of it's handle so will continue using what I have been using on the reports as shown on the heading of this quarterly.  We voted to give the Well Weathered Wives Club $200 seed money the first of Sep. each year so Ralph wrote a check for that amount to Bill Schramm's wife Ann who is co-sponsor with Lori Macpherson on the shindig this year. All our local units' accounts are in two names, Ralph Sallee & Frank Ivie. On the way out from the clubhouse to Airport Road a big sign said it was 1259 hours and Temperature was 62F.

I drove by Frank Ivie's home on my way home to chat but no one answered his door. Glenn Handlers is going to take charge of the funds and if he needs a 2nd name I volunteered as I am a long time user of the Monterey Credit Union where Unit 1 stashes its loot. Bill Schramm volunteered to check on some local hospitality hotels for a possible 2009 site for NWSA reunion and wanted a tally of how many attended the 1999 reunion here in Monterey.  I sent him an Email after arriving home, showing 129 had registered for the reunion according to Howard Lewitt's tally in the Aug. 1999 Aerograph  and we had about 200 who attended the 5 June Sat. night banquet.

Harry mentioned Ace Trask had fallen off a step ladder and screwed up his knee. Believe some doctor in the Seattle area performed an Arthroscopy to clean up the knee.  Sure hope the sawbones squared away the damage so Ace can get along as good as before.

It is likely there is news of others who made the binnacle list since the last report but unless it is terminal that type news doesn't seem to filter into the public domain so this is a short fall report.

Source: Aerograph, August 2006

Sunday 25 June this year was the local chapter of NWSA annual meeting in form of a picnic at Archer Park, the same location as last year.

Before writing about the picnic another topic has been bouncing around my noggin. I subscribe to the Navy Times and have watched the changing uniform problems of the past few years.

When I drive onto the Navy Base in Monterey to take Gloria to church, the guard, who is a sailor, dressed in Cammies uniform this old phart associates with Army or USMC dress, confuses my sensibilities. Letters to the editors in the Navy times the past few months are just glanced at, but one written by an ACDU sailor caught my eye as it chastised us old swabs for even suggesting we had an interest in uniform changes being made in the USN and no right to sound off about what we think of the changes.

Having retired for all practical purposes in Sep. 1969, it surprised me a few years later when all enlisted sailors were authorized to wear a uniform type similar to Chiefs and Officers.  It struck me the USN was trying to standardize its uniform requirements like the USAF and Army had done.  Now it seems the USN is trying to standardize its uniforms to make it hard to determine which branch of the service a person is in.  This used to be fairly easy with white hats and bell bottoms.

True, more and more Navy personnel are taking active combat roles in our battles against terrorists in at least two countries, Afghanistan and Iraq, and must conform to sensible dress in such situations.  I wonder if those sailors who are carrying small arms and engaging the enemy in actual firefights, generally of an ambush nature, will be allowed to earn and wear the Combat Infantryman Badge. Probably not.

While setting in my car Sunday, 25 June 2006, in front of the Navy Exchange a group of six SEA scouts came marching by and other than no shoulder patches or rate identifiers on their summer working white uniforms, reminded me of what enlisted sailors wore when I joined the Navy in 1949.  Shoot, back then a full seabag had to have a flat hat in it.

Now over to the picnic where the group that gathered to enjoy the cookout by the famous chefs Keiko Handlers and Ritsuko Hebert had a great lunch.  Glenn Handlers and Don Mautner families sponsored this summer shindig.  There seems to have been less attendees this year than last year.  That seems to be a yearly event, less and less attend the picnic.  Some who were here last year didn't make it and some who were not here last year showed up this year.

Ralph's section in Oct. or Nov. 1949 and he taught me how to make good coffee and tear Teletype paper for the map plotters.

As I was too busy stuffing my face with food I did not make a list of those at the picnic and relied on a list Glenn sent me. If I missed some it is not Glenn's fault. I did not see Frank Ivie nor know if he planned on attending.

During the course of Sea stories it was revealed at least three old hands had served aboard the Big "O", which now rests with its topmost structure about 68 feet below sea level in the Gulf of Mexico and serving as a fish hatchery. What a fitting end for the USS Oriskany.  (See Oriskany story, page 19 ..ed..).  Resting in the arms of Davey Jones.  Ralph Sallee, Ralph Wrenn and Earl Gustafson all served aboard her at one time or the other.  That is quite a coincidence considering the small slice of AG retirees at one specific location.

Source: Aerograph, May 2006

Howdy,
This spring version of local news is lean pickings. No social events have taken place since the WWW Christmas Party which was reported on in the previous Aerograph.

Ralph Sallee spent a night in our local hospital getting his pipes checked and has an artery block that may have to have some plumbing work done in the near future. The pipeline of news seems to be dry. Ralph writes on 10 April no Roto Rooter surgery is currently planned on the one artery that is partially clogged.

The month of Jan. and part of Feb. was very mild and had summer like weather for the Central coast.

Then the Pineapple Express started feeding wet air masses into the Central CA coastal areas and March came in wet and windy and wound up being the 2nd wettest month on record with the records going back to 1850 in the San Francisco area. It seems 1983 was the wettest on record which had 22 days with rain while this past month only had 20 days here in Monterey County.

Richard Wood who is a recent member of NWSA from Tucson AZ was unable to type his 25 WPM on the AG3 test he took so he bailed out after 4 years in the Navy and went to work for the National Weather Service. Richard asked in a 1 April e-gram if anyone had run into Leo Harrison in the 50's as Leo worked with Richard in the National Weather Service in Wash. D.C.

I pulled Leo's class out of my AG data base and see he was in A5137. See Below.

Richard might be persuaded to send Leo a gift subscription to NWSA as Leo qualifies for membership.  It behooves all who are members to keep a sharp eye out for eligible potential members. Still, it appears NWSA is dwindling in size and may soon fade away in a few years like an old soldier.

The night of 8 April Leo Harrison sent an Email asking for an application form to join NWSA and Richard Wood wrote he would take care of Leo's becoming a member so by the time this hits the street NWSA should have a new member.

Zane E. Jacobs.
Class 5137
Convened 22 Jan. 1951 Graduated 30 Apr. 1951
Bottom Row: Ledbetter, W.H. AG1 Class LPO; Stephens, Ronald J.; Burns, John E.; Wagner, Darlene E.(W); Harrison, Leo R.; Kohlbeck, Bernard A.; Blair, William E.; Taylor, R.I. AGC Class Chief
Middle Row: Brooks, James U.; Barnier, Robert F.; Geister, Charles E.(M); Randolph, James A.; Jones, Robert K.; McQuown, Edward E.
Back Row: Evert, Richard W.; Quarton, Evan F.R.; Turner, Ira
W.; Hirtzel, James J.; Campbell, George C. Jr; Mason, Earl F., Jr.
 

Source: Aerograph, February 2006

Central Coast Chapter
Monterey California

This is the first edition of the Aerograph in the New Year though at the time these notes were begun it was still Christmastime 2005. According to my mate, Gloria, Christmas runs through Jan. 6th of each year. Big news for December each year of course for our chapter is the party sponsored by the Well Weathered Wives. This Silver anniversary party by the Well Weathered Wives was splendidly planned. Just aft of the desk on the Post Graduate School Quarterdeck is a large hall where Dec. 2005 party took place.  The joint efforts of Mary Lou Ward, Gil Ruggles, Madge Williams and Beverly Morford went into making this a memorable occasion. Dick Ward and Bill Schramm took credit as Master of Ceremonies. Dick compiled a brief history of the WWW parties in the past going back to the first one in 1981 which coincidentally took place at the Post Graduate School also. There are 6 years of history totally blank where no information seems to be available to show where the party took place and who attended. If any of our members reading this note knows about 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988 and 1989 please contact Dick Ward.  Marilyn Wilcox a fine vocalist and young sister of Ken Ruggles and long time friend of Mary Lou Ward kicked off the festivities after the initial prayer with some terrific songs while May Lou played the piano in accompaniment. More songs as a final tribute to the party were sung by this lady with the dulcet toned voice. If the tally was correct, 68 attended this shindig and alphabetically they were Don and Dorie Chin, Michael and Ann Cuming, Don Edgren, Ron and Peggy Englebretson, Bob and Jinx Fett, Bill and Dottie Groscup, Glen and Delores Hamilton, Herb and Barbara Hansen, Sam and Jean Houston, Frank Ivie, Zane and Gloria Jacobs, Jack and Valerie Jensen, Mary Kalinyak, Tony Klapp and Mrs. signed up but Tony called to cancel as something came up to prevent their attendance, Howard and Barbara Lewit, Al and Cathy Lund, Jack and Lori MacPherson, John and Gail Maloney, Don and Carolyn Mautner, Beverly Morford, Dean Morford, Harry and Patti Nicholson, Pete and Marjorie Petit. Pete was looking great after his summertime binnacle list bout. A.J. and Dana Reiss with their two month old daughter a young couple who are friends of Forest Williams family sort of stole the show as the mother instinct flared anew in the mostly elderly aged wives group around the tiny child. It sort of reminded one of bees around a flower. Then our local Meteorologist who still sends weather reports in for Monterey Professor Robert Renard and wife Dottie graced the party with their presence, Ken and Gil Ruggles. Ralph and Dottie Sallee were scheduled. And when I asked Ralph where Dottie was I am reminded of his sense of humor when he casually glanced around as though he were looking for her then said "Shoot, I was half way here when I noticed I had forgotten her so came on alone." It seems Dottie had come down with a case of the flu or a cold and didn't want to share her misery with her friends so stayed home. Bill and Mimi Schramm, Bob and Freida Sparks, Professor Thompson, Carl Thormeyer who I chatted with and found out Carl retired from Fleet Numbers 30 Sep. this year and is on a part time call to give weather forecasts occasionally for our local KSBW Channel 8 TV station. Ace Trask, Dick and Mary Lou Ward, Capt. and Mrs. White, whom I think may be CO or XO of Fleet Numbers, Forest and Madge Williams and again Forest tinkled the ivory keys of the piano to get us through the 12 days of Christmas play we have each annual party. Thanks Forest. Don and Mimi Wise from up near Sacramento and whose home on Bohol in the Visayan group of the Southern Philippines is ready for them to take up residence part of the year. And last but not least Ralph Wrenn and Lady Marilyn Cole.

Each year a volunteer or group of volunteers are sought to arrange for the next annual party. When Dick Ward asked if anyone was interested for 2006, Jack MacPherson volunteered Lori. I wonder if she was as surprised as the rest of us to get such a rapid reply to Dicks query.

Frank Baillie and I go back to NAS North Island 1950 so we keep in touch. 8 Dec. Frank forwarded an Email message from Norm Macomber. I don't know if Norm or Frank will submit the idea Norm proposed in that Egram but I am copying Norms message minus the header for 8 Dec. as it is self explanatory and I agree with Norm we should seriously consider tapping out more of the principal of the NWSA Scholarship fund as it was intended for Scholarship use and not to benefit the Navy Relief Society. As far as I know the only Navy Relief Society fund NWSA as an organization support is when NWSA is terminated all NWSA assets remaining will be given to the society. That includes the principal remaining in the scholarship fund. ...Norm Macomber’s letter is in the LETTERS Section…(ed)..

1 Jan. while watching the local weather news Carl Thormeyer appeared on screen so it seems he caught the duty watch on New Years day at the local TV channel. The first day of the New Year being on Sunday I also caught Andy Rooney, my favorite talking head on
TV and a vet of World War II. Andy must be a workaholic as few in his age group still go to work by choice.

California finally lucked out the last week of 2005 and first part of 2006 by getting much needed rain. There are some in the state who would rather not see so much rain and snow but we need it as does the states of Oklahoma and Texas which are burning with wild fires. What a way to usher in a new year! 

From 5 to 8 Jan. this area of CA has been real summer. Clear skies and temps in the lot to high 70s during the daylight hours which thankfully are becoming longer and high 40's to mid 50's nighttime. This of course to those who believe in global warming is a sign of same.
 

Source: Aerograph, August 2005

Just before summer kicked in here on the central coast in early June Don Wise of Carmichael CA up by the states Capitol and I exchanged Egrams. Don and Mimi spent a few weeks visiting Bohol in the central Philippines and are building a winter home on that Island east of Cebu and Negros. 

I asked Don if he would attend our beginning of summer picnic celebration in Archer Park off Lighthouse Ave. in New Monterey. Don wrote 12 June was a conflict of interest time and he and Mimi would not be able to make the picnic.

12 June dawned bright and shiny. Ralph Wrenn and Marilyn Cole sponsored the local chapter summer picnic for that day and Ralph being an old weather guesser from way back who has a firm handle on the situation had called for clear skies and light winds. The day couldn't have been nicer and those who are familiar with New Monterey area of the Monterey Bay in central CA and its transition weather from spring to summer when the very high temperatures in the Big Valley to the east of us and desert areas east of the Sierra Nevada, know upwelling along central CA coastal areas kick in a naturally air conditioned regime where low overcast skies and chilly onshore winds prevail.

The turn out this summer was a bit low compared to other picnics. Those who wrote Ralph they would attend and did or did not attend were Leo Clarke who again said he would but must have forgotten as he was a no show.  Jim Long showed up for a while and then left. I didn't see His wife Jackie. That is not a good indicator though as there were those at the picnic whom I did not talk to and I did not recognize all who did show. Next was Don & Madge Edgren. Bob & Jinx Fett, George & Mary Haltiner and Mary brought an excellent desert. Again I don't know who brought what for the most part but do know Mary's was very good. Then Glenn & Keiko Handlers (who were the grill attendees) whipped up the cooked portion of the day. Ralph gladly accepted Glenn's offer to do the barbequing. Moving on we have Herb & Barb Hansen, Sam & Jean Houston, Frank Ivie, Zane & Gloria Jacobs, Jack & Val Jensen. Tony Klapp paid for the picnic but was a no show. I ran into Tony at the Commissary in early May and he told me he and Ivey Olsen were tying the knot in Las Vegas NV around 20 or 21 May so it is quite likely they were still honeymooning. Tony & Ivey spent a few weeks in China during the past year and were negotiating purchasing a condo in Shanghai as a vacation home.

Another chance encounter with Tony 5 July in the Commissary confirmed my suspicions as he said they had just recently returned from Japan and Taiwan. Next were Don & Carolyn Mautner, Dean Morford, Harry & Pat Nicholson, Pete & Marge Petit & Charley Roberts. I was not sure Charley Roberts was a show but Ralph Sallee who with Dottie was there and Ralph being the unofficial Secretary/Treasurer said Charley Roberts was at the picnic. Joyce Slusser came as did Bob & Frieda Sparks, Forest & Madge Williams and last but not least were Ralph Wrenn & Marylyn Cole.Ralph gave me a copy of the list of the picnic folks and a couple of days later sent me copy of a list of past and present members of the local chapter. 

The current list indicates 61 family units make up our local chapter with some of the members called a family being a single individual. 20 of the 61 showed up for the picnic individually or with spouse or better half.  Dick Ward contacted me after he & Mary Lou returned from the Branson NWSA reunion. Dick picked up a picture at Branson which was snapped at Atlantic City in June 2004 of Gloria and I & sent it along. They took their time coming home and visited some of our heritage areas along the way such as the Black Hills of South Dakota, Mt. Rushmore, Yellowstone and Jackson Hole Wyoming. From Mt. Rushmore I figure they went through Cody Wyoming on the way to Yellowstone. Cody is another wide spot in the road to big city dwellers but when we drove through there westbound in 1993 it sure had grown since I went through Cody the summer of 1947 headed east to NYC.

Ralph Wren's lists of local members which encompasses families who have moved away from the Monterey Bay area and dispersed to points north, south & east is being worked on and reformatted so planners of the other annual social event, the Christmas party hosted by the Well Weathered Wives Club in Dec. may have a more current list to work from. A comparison of the B list indicates about half our local unit members are NOT members of the NWSA and there are some who are in the NWSA who live within a two hour drive of Monterey who we may be able to encourage joining our local chapter. Dick Ward and the JJ Maloney family both live above Sacramento so it is over a 3 hour drive to attend local functions. Others live in Palm Desert who have attended the Dec. party and that is several more hours drive than Roseville.

There are some local NWSA members who are not members of the Monterey Local chapter. Then there are NWSA members who live as close as Sonoma & Napa CA who if interested we would welcome you as members.  Any who wish to join can contact Ralph Sallee and get on our mailing lists. Then there are several that are not members in the B list. I know some of these who are not interested in joining the NWSA and equally not interested in joining our local chapter. Some may not even be aware there is an NWSA as their addresses may be out of date.  

One week into the Tropical Storm season and we have had 4 named storms so the forecast of having more than usual the number of storms this fall seems to be right on track. Sorry Florida and the Gulf Coast states, I will take the potential of the earth shaking over a certainty of Baguio's.
Cordially, Zane E. Jacobs

Aerograph May 05

Chapter News
NWSA Unit One
Central Coast Chapter
Monterey California

The springtime schedule  in Monterey's Unit is a blank. No unit activities are planned for this time of year. When the central coast, with its mild climate gets plenty of rain the good earth blossoms with early year plants and flowers. That has happened in 2005. By mid Feb. my asparagus beds are blanketed with weeds and the new growth spears are poking their heads through the soaked soil.

Bits and pieces of news of the local chapter members are acquired through other than social and business meetings. An example of this was the Valentine supper sponsored 18 Feb. by the combined Catholic and Protestant congregations at the La Novia Room in the Volume 29-2 May 2005 5 US PG School. This annual celebration draws members of our local chapter. Some in the NWSA community will remember Professor George Haltiner. George's wife Mary was chosen by her group (each table at the supper discussed who had the most unusual meeting and marriage beginning) to represent them as having the most exciting or unique beginning in marriage. It seems right after she and George were hitched her brother and George's brother kidnapped her and took her away from George, all in good fun of course. When I grew up in Oklahoma in the 1930's this type of post marriage activity was called a chivaree.

Because Gloria and I met and married in the Philippines in Feb. 1952 I was chosen to represent our table and darned if that didn't win a door prize for most unique beginning. We got a bottle of red wine which I swapped with a young Marine Officer at my table. He had won a bottle of apple cider so we swapped.  Jean and Sam Houston attended this supper and talking to Jean reveals she and Sam have moved into a Town house, the Hyatt Park Lane behind MPC in Monterey so they no longer get mail at the Nov. 2004 Pacific Grove address . They live on the 2nd floor but have a private elevator to the floor. I believe Jean and Sam have been married 61 or 62 years. For sure over 60.
By mid March my asparagus beds are producing more than we can eat so some of the spears are becoming asparagus ferns. Meanwhile the wild oats that have been fighting the Kakoolie grass roots in the back yard are starting to head out faster than I can pull the critters up by the roots.
Don Cruse sent each chapter one of the sample commemorative wall plaques the Potomac Chapter sponsored after the June 2004 Atlantic City reunion through the efforts of Bob Frazier. I was impressed at the passion Bob generated in the meeting where he got a vote from the members to support this project & eagerly awaited the Aug. 2004 issue of the Aerograph for details on how to donate for the project. That Aerograph and the Nov. 2004 Issue of the Aerograph came and there was not much in the nitty gritty of how to send contributions. So I just let things drag on without ever sending a check. True, both issues suggested making a check out to the PotChap (NWSA) and it would go into a special account. One key ingredient for a recipe like this was missing, a mailing address. True, all one had to do was go into the Bellinger list and pull up the PotChap Sec./ Trea. address which I did not take time to do until Don Cruse sent me Pat McLeod's address via the Internet. Thanks Don.

Some folks read the Aerograph from cover to cover upon receiving it. I spot read it and then put it in the pile of read magazines. In searching for more details about the NWSA Commemorative wall plaque today I spot Bruce De Wald's letter in the Nov. 2004 issue
concerning Bruce's wife's aunt, AerM3 Hazel Jeffrey.  Bruce writes Hazel enlisted in Nov. 1942. The A4338 picture shows the graduating class taken 28 May 1943.  Hazel had advanced to AerM3 from Nov. 1942 to May 1943 and had become an instructor at the old Newman School in Lakewood NJ. Somewhere in there Hazel seems to have gone through the AG "A" school as well.  I ran a search of my AG "A" school index file for that time frame and classes were very large on some of the graduating classes and a few of the sailors who went through AG school are missing in the index. As I compiled that index I recall why some were missing. It would appear Hazel Jeffrey was one who did not make the index after she was enrolled in AG "A" School.  One of my AG "A" School classmates in the Fall of 1949 was Elmer Erdei who submitted a letter in the Feb. 2005 Aerograph. Elmer's Sea story about the discarded Pibal lights in 1966 causing quite a stir on the USS Tripoli reminded me of the time I was stationed at NAAS Fallon Nevada with Chief George Russoy.  George and I did a considerable amount of hunting in Nevada. For those who know little about that desert state at one time it was chock full of gold miners who were famous for digging deep mine shafts and once ascertained it was a dry hole just walked away from the hole. George knew where a few of those abandoned mine shafts were and one day when we were out plinking took along some Pibal lights. As we didn't have any water with us I was curious how we would use these things when we came to one of the deep mineshafts as we intended dropping one that was lit into the shaft to see if we could hit bottom. Elmer's observation about salt water activating a Pibal light is right on as a human can urinate on them and activate them and that is what we did. We were unable to follow & see the light all the way to the bottom of the vertical mineshaft. A good reason to be very careful if one starts wandering around Nevada deserts.  

A few of you know I was tasked with indexing the AG school material in 1991. I kept all the School Class indexes on my PC and as each Naval Affairs arrives check the TAPS section of the FRA group. Most of the less than 100 percent participation of AG's in the FRA outfit who shows up on the FRA TAPS list are shown in the A or B school indexes. Once in a while a name pops up on the TAPS which is not covered in any of the index data on my PC. Such has happened with the April 2005 issue of Naval Affairs. a Curtiss R. Holbein AGC is listed in Chapter 40 of the FRA. He is not in the indexes. I wonder if any who read the Aerograph ever heard of this Chief?

Though I have mentioned medical problems with Gloria in the past two Aerographs which prevent us from doing much traveling so we will not be at the gathering in Branson MO. I have never been there and would very much like to take in some of the doings in Branson it seems not to be in the schedule of things to do now.  For all who do make the reunion have fun.  

That is about all the news I am able to come up with for this edition.

Cordially, Zane E. Jacobs

Aerograph Feb 05

The annual NWSA meeting in Atlantic City was interesting. As I only attended the last two days on our visit to the east coast just how unusual was not apparent until the 2^nd general membership meeting revealed ONE man conducting the entire meeting and that man was Moon Mullen. I am sure others could have conducted it but Moon had already told Jim Stone he would fill in for Jim who was recuperating from surgery or an illness which precluded Jim from attending.

I will leave the rest of the story to those from that area. Not being much of a reporter I have not gone out of my way to gather local news and none has been volunteered by our Central Coast Chapter. Only one other Monterey member was at the National meeting and that was Harry Nicholson.

Many in the CA area where our members live travel a lot. Some who at one time lived in the Monterey area even come back for a visit and many who live here travel to other parts of the world while the whole world beats a path to Monterey to take in our natural beauty and cool summertime weather.

Being loquacious and having little to say is an oxymoron so to add a little more news I decided to copy off the one "A" school class which to my understanding was the only class conducted in Lakehurst New Jersey who failed to have a class picture made upon graduation. Perhaps some of the old timers have known one or more of the following AG's all of whom have walked the wind. Perhaps someone in our outfit would know if George Mills was a Seaman 1/C in 1929. I was unable to translate what was on the picture when I worked the pictures the 1991 – 1993 time frame.

This is it from Monterey this time. All of you "Live Long and Prosper"

Zane E. Jacobs

LAKEHURST, NEW JERSEY

Class 2901

9 Students. 8 Graduates. Dated CS 25 Mar.1929

NO PHOTO. Listed IAW CS

Chase, R.L. did not graduate

Bowman, A.B. (M); Caruso, M. (M); Reams, J.W. Sea1C;   Garrow, N.D. Sea2C; Robertson, W.A. Sea2C; Bliss, "T". J. Sea1C;  Brouilett, M.F. (M);  Mills, George R. Sea?

NOTE: