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Hampton
Roads Chapter
Norfolk, VA
(Back to Regional
Chapters)
Source:
Aerograph May 2007
President Marty
Nemcosky
Vice President: Fay Crossley
Treasurer Mike Joern
Secretary: Bob Daigle
Social Coordinator: Dennis Pauly
VA Representative: Joan Akers
Okay, folks, I have been designated pony
express rider for a while, so I shall forward all the news that is fit to
print. Hope you enjoy it. The Weather Mouse (Joan Akers).
Bob Daigle (Secretary):
Since our last
input, HRC has met twice. Our first meeting of the year was held on 14
January at one of our favorite spots, China Garden, located in Virginia
Beach. Those attending, Chuck Steinbruck, John and Ive Chubb, Marty
Nemcosky and guest Doris Stepaniak, Bob and Carol Daigle, Dennis and Susan
Pauly, Jack and Ann Salvato, Ralph and La Rue Wright, Floyd and Joan
Akers, Mike Joern, and Ted Lemond. Key event at this meeting was the
election of HRC Officers with the following results: President Marty
Nemcosky, Vice President: Fay Crossley, Treasurer Mike Joern,
Secretary: Bob Daigle, Social Coordinator: Dennis Pauly, VA
Representative: Joan Akers
On 18 March, we met at
Gus & George's Restaurant in Virginia Beach, and those in attendance were:
Chuck Steinbruck, Marty Nemcosky and guest Doris Stepaniak, Bob and
Carol Daigle, Floyd and Joan Akers, Fay and Donna Crossley, Jack and Ann
Salvato, Dennis and Susan Pauley, Ralph and LaRue Wright, and Ted Lemond.
Marty Nemcosky
added the job of chapter president to his list of things to do. He had
surgery on his ear to get rid of some basal cell carcinoma and the healing
is going well. He continues as a volunteer with Heartland Hospice
Services and manages to squeeze in a little pasture pool when he can. He
is also expecting a handful of grandchildren graduates this spring. Cory
picks up his masters at ASU, Jason his bachelors at VA Wesleyan, Holly an
associate from a community college in Orange Park and Allison graduates
from Great Bridge High in Chesapeake, VA. He is also looking forward to
the reunion in Everett, WA and other travel this summer. There will be a
flock of visiting family members also to chock a block the old calendar.
Let the good times roll.
Bob and Carol Daigle
headed to Palm Harbor, Florida for a week and a half in February.
Visiting their son and family. Bob's sister from Massachusetts has a
winter home in Hudson and also some very good friends from Virginia Beach
who spends the winter in Bradenton. Needless to say, no problem finding a
place to stay. Weather wasn't what you'd call beach weather but nice
enough to enjoy being outside in summer clothes, temperatures just a tab
warmer then what was being experienced in Virginia Beach. As all
vacations, they end quickly and it was time to head back home and of
course back to work for both of them. Like the birds do in the spring,
fly north, it's time for Bob's sister to head back north also, making a
stop in Virginia Beach to spend Easter.
Floyd and Joan Akers
got a sonogram of the next little sweetheart of our family and everyone is
thrilled. That makes 3 children, 3 in-laws, 7 grandchildren and 2 great
grandchildren and one more on the way. And, this June we will make a trip
to Ohio, to Springboro, to see our grandson, Michael, the athlete,
graduate from high school and get ready for college. By the way, Bob, I
spoke to a friend of yours and he sends his snickers and giggles. Seems
he is giving you a bad time and making your wife unhappy. Just because he
likes to swim in lakes, hide in weeds and increase his family when you
dump him and his buddies in a bucket doesn't mean he doesn't like you.
Just because he won't get in that little flag hole, and he finds every
bump and down hill run so you can't ever win just proves he is smarter
than you are. And he loves irritating wives. He is the hero of the golf
courses now, the little dimpled darlin'.
Another one of our
members has left the work force, Fay Crossley. "Born in the
Adirondacks of New York in 1940, Fay was a rather large baby at 10.13.
Has been fighting the battle of the bulge ever since. He joined the Navy
in 59. Graduated from "A" school in April of 60. Went to FWC Suitland and
awaited "green door" certification for a few months. Off to FWF Yokosuka
in 62. It was there that Mike Kallas got a bright idea about
having Ship Riders. Fay was first to go. Being TAD on the Ticonderoga
and Ranger was a LOT of fun Mike!!! Fay sends his THANKS still.
After much fun in Japan,
Fay returned to Suitland in ‘67 for a short tour, but his old boss, CDR
Cruse had him transferred to the Navy Yard and the Navy Weather HQ.
Fay remembers working for such notable characters as John Shay AGCS
and cleaning up after Frank Patrick AGCS, learning lots about life
from Howard Chekins CIV.
Off to "B" school in ‘69.
Then to the Enterprise just after the fire on that wonderful ship. Fay
will never forget LT Smith and the Tsunami event of the Sea Quals
in ‘70. Fay met Gary Cox on the Big E, who later became a Lead
Forecaster in the National Weather Service. After the 3 years on the
Enterprise, Fay was off to NAS Whidbey Island. Where he worked again with
old Yoko Friends, R.B. Nowlan, Chief Jack Garmen and Chief Fifield,
who taught Fay LOTS about life behind the Green Door at Suitland.
Fay was selected for the
NECEP program at Whidbey, even had an apartment picked up. Then the
program was dumped. Fay was attempting to follow in his old Shipmates
footsteps Chief Dan Snyder. Notable persons that Fay met at
Whidbey, Dennis Gettman, who is now the SOO at Medford Oregon.
Then Fay went to Diego
Garcia. Making Chief off the exam there. Nothing much to do except study
and try to keep Moe Lambert, in check. Moe was one in a million.
Fay relieved Dallas Lundy at Diego....who Fay never saw until
Dallas came to work for Fay in the National Weather Service at Wakefield.
After Diego, Fay went to
NAS Patuxent River. A group of folks that kept Fay in line there were,
LCDR McIntire, CDR Carrigan and AGCS Vernon Gray. Vern
and Fay made chief off the same exam. Another notable personality at Pax
was Richard Kane, now a WCM with the National Weather Service.
Fay retired in ‘81 from
the Navy at Pax River. He returned to hunt and fish in the Mountains of
New York...but being a workaholic he went back to college eventually
working in nursing into ‘87. When "good old Vern Gray" advised Fay of an
opening at Pax River for a National Weather Service Radar Operator.
Fay returned to Pax River
to work at the radar site with the retired AGCM Author of "THE STRAIGHT
SKINNY" Fred Baillie. Fay moved to Cape Hatteras in ‘89 working
with the notables Frank Terrizzi, and his wife Bonnie. Fay
then went to Albany NY to get into management, running into Rich Kane
again. Other notables at that station were Mike Wooldridge, exAG
that is now hidden from view at NWS HQ, but is still an amazing character.
Fay left Albany in ‘91 to move to Salt Lake City. This assignment was
perhaps the best ever. The area was only seconds to Northwest Washington.
Fay left SLC for Wakefield VA in ‘94, where he remains after retirement
from the National Weather Service the end of 06.
Fay continues to be "on
vacation", having already landed one part time job at The Williamsburg
Antique Mall, and he hopes to get more part time jobs to keep him out of
wife Donna's hair. Fay has three daughters, Colleen born in Lakehurst in
‘60, Lisa born at Andrews AFB in ‘61 and Kobe "made" in Japan in 1963. HRC
wishes Fay and Donna "Fair Winds and Smooth Sailing"
There are many more folks
from whom I have not heard, however, we all seem to be surviving, Ralph
and La Rue, Chuck Steinbruck, Jack and Ann Salvato and Dennis and
Susan Pauly, Mike Jorn, I believe there are others also, but my mind
is a bit foggy this early in the morning. And on this day before Easter
it is SNOWING!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Come on, guys, even the Weather Mouse knows
it snows on Christmas and not on Easter. Pete's sake. Make a better
forecast. (We love you anyway, snowfall or not.) Smooth seas and
following winds to everyone.
Source:
Aerograph February, 2007
President Chuck Steinbruck
Vice President Fay Crossley
Treasurer Mike Joern
Secretary Bob Daigle
Social Coordinator Jack Salvato
VA Representative Joan Akers
Our
last HRC meeting for 2006 was held at the Lone Star Texas Steakhouse,
located in Virginia Beach. In attendance were Chuck Steinbruck, John
and Ive Chubb, Marty Nemcosky and friend Doris Stepaniak, Bob and Carol
Daigle, Fay and Donna Crossley, Mike Joern, Floyd and Joan Akers, Jack and
Ann Salvato with son Greg Salvato, Rich Kren, Ted Lemond, Dan and Carmen
Lee, Frank and Eve Muscari, Bertha
Hubbard, George and Diana
DeLano. Also
in attendance, our guest speakers Dr. William Donald Tabor Jr.and Jim
Arab. Dr. Tabor and Mr. Arab provided an excellent presentation on ”
Americans For Fair Taxation”. Further information on this subject can be
obtained at:
Americans for Fair Taxation
PO Box 27487
Houston, Texas 77227-7487
or 1-800-FAIRTAX
Also at
WWW.FAIRTAX.ORG
Some News from our
Chapter:
Input from
Joan Akers (Weather Mouse)
Here’s to the New Year... Morning, folks. It is the year
2007. You know, I never thought I would see the year 2000, let alone
2007. When you are born in 1931 that seems an eternity away. And if you
are addicted to science fiction, it seems impossible. Well, it is not. I
began, when I was a child, with a small radio in my bedroom. Now our
grandchildren have "toys" that even military men and scientists only
dreamed of. If I stay around another 15 years I may see instant travel
with my molecules disassembled here and reassembled on Mars. Or Ohio.
Depends where I want to go. Saves time anyway, and you can always hope
when your brain reassembles it comes back better than when it left.
Shades of Star Trek.
Anyhow - this holiday time has been different. To begin with,
we got down a ton of decorations and I swore to get rid of a lot of them.
And I am doing so yet. Dust from the garage piled up along with the
bits of junk piled in boxes, stuffing and foam peanuts. We got that
cleaned up and discovered we did not have nearly enough places for all
the decorations, so some went back in boxes and on the shelf.
We got the artificial tree out. Our children gave it to us
last year, all wired and with lights. It took a short time and it was
assembled. When Floyd turned the lights on there were 2 wide bands of
darkness. And we could not find out how to fix them. Replacing bulbs did
not help since one half of the line lit and the other half of the same
line was dark. It took us three days to remove the lights. They were
tied, and clipped with little plastic horseshoe things that hated to leave
the tree. My hands ached but we got it done. And trimmed the tree with
other lights.
I had to wrap packages
and couldn’t have help since my husband didn’t always know which gifts
went to whom. And as always, I had to go buy extra presents and wrap them
also. Finally we were fairly well ready. On Thursday before Christmas
our younger son Alexander, and his wife and daughter came to visit. They
stayed Friday and Saturday and left Sunday so they could spend Christmas
day with Alexander’s 92 year old mother-in -law whom they had left back in
Myrtle Beach where they live. We got up with them at 5 a.m. to say
goodbye. Sunday we rested and cleaned up. Monday we got up again at 5
a.m. to go to our granddaughter Nachar’s house to see the children, Josh
and Nick, open presents. There were 11 of us and we watched the discarded
wrappings pile about 3 feet high before anyone took a picture and then
threw them out. Back home and back to bed. Out again around 11:30. And at 2 p.m.
we headed to our daughter, Sharon’s house. She married recently and I
think this is the first time her husband has really seen the full family.
Or most of us. Our daughter, Sharon, and her husband Bob cooked a
delicious Christmas dinner and we had to scatter into two rooms to eat
until we were stuffed. Then Sharon’s daughters, Nachar and her sister
Amber-Leigh, cleaned the kitchen did the dishes and made the place
beautiful. And we went home to sleep.
Tuesday afternoon our older son, Fred, came down. What he did
was hide his car and let his son Michael ring the door bell. Floyd’s
shock was so bad he was speechless. And after hugging Mike who is 5'11",
he asked how he got from Ohio to here. Where upon our son parked his car
in the driveway and walked up to hug his Dad.
Fifteen minutes after that, I came home from shopping. I saw
Fred’s car and ran in to hug him so tight and tell him I really missed
him. I backed off to look at him and heard thumping to my left. There on
the stairs stood that tall, blue-eyed dark haired grandson we never, ever
expected to see here. He is off the football team for the year and
working out now for baseball so we never thought he would take time off.
To make the trip interesting for Mike we took him places.
Floyd got smart and leaned back in his chair and went to sleep. Fred and
I took Mike to see the carriers and cruisers his Dad and Granddad sailed
on. Mike loved it. And then we went to the Wisconsin. Mike thought the
sleeping quarters were far too small. His feet would have stuck out in
the passageway or in the face of one of his buddies. That was Wednesday.
Thursday we took Mike to see the ocean. And I told him it just flushes
like that all the time and looked at me and laughed. From there we went
to the Marine Science Museum and had a wonderful day. Mike saw fishes up
close that he did not know existed. And he learned that his Dad who was
a sonar man used to listen to the whales.
Funny, isn’t it. Kids
and even young adults look at the older generation and think that we are a
bit slow, don’t understand things and never did anything interesting.
That we don’t understand sex and alcohol and driving fast. We are too
old. Perhaps it is time for us to educate them. That old man they see in
Floyd was raised on a farm without electricity, running water or indoor
plumbing and he survived and did well. He followed a mule and a plow when
he was young, played trombone in high school and was voted second
healthiest boy in Beckley, WV. His sister came in first healthiest girl.
All his 8 siblings played an instrument. When Floyd discovered none of his
friends were left in town, he joined the Navy, November 13, 1942. And
the adventure began. He sailed on the White Plains, the Shipley Bay, saw
combat duty at Tarawa, Kawajalein Atolls, Marshall Islands, Guam, Siapan,
Tinian M I , Palau, Leyte, Battle of Samar, Philippine Islands, Okinawa,
Korea and Gunto. This does not include shore duty stations. Later ships
included the Kearsarge, Philippine Sea, and the Intrepid. Around 1950 he
was
sent to San Diego, spent two years on Midway, the last year
with his wife, two sons and a daughter. He spent the last few years at
FWF Norfolk, NAS Norfolk, and retired from NAS Oceana in November of 1966.
He holds medals for Presidential Unit Citation, Victory WW II,
Philippine Liberation, China Service, Korean Campaign and United National
Defense. Sounds impressive doesn’t it, for a gray haired, slightly bent
over 83 year old man. Well you have heard only the first of it. The
day he brought home his discharge papers after 22 ˝ years, he neatly
folded his uniform and hung it away, climbed into his work jeans, an old
shirt and the boots with grubby stains of mud, oil, concrete and asphalt
and went to work that afternoon. And kept on doing it for 25 years.
Pembroke Mall’s parking lot on the right was his, the first lime
stabilization project. He did work all up and down the east coast and as
far west as the Mississippi. He can tell you exactly how many pilings
hold up the coliseum in Hampton. He counted and checked everyone. He ran
tests on concrete, asphalt, test pilings, ran drill rigs and became a
respected inspector who could not be bribed or frightened off a job. And
no one could force him to give false or bad orders. And he stayed that
way for 25 years. So, children, look carefully at the old folks that you
see. They are the defenders and builders of our nation. You will have to
go far to match the ancestors you have. How will your descendants feel
about what you did?
The very proud
Weather Mouse (Joan Akers)
James
Da Silva (AGC Ret):
Jim, one of HRC's active members has left the work force this past
December, after spending nearly a quarter of a century (Oct 61 to Oct 87)
on active duty and about 18 years (Jun 88 to Dec 06) of civil service.
His travels took him from Boot Camp, VAW33 located at Quonset Point, RI.
While assigned to VAW33, Jim got lucky and made a couple of short cruises
aboard the USS Forrestal (CVA 59) and the USS Independence ( CVA 62).
After nearly a year on the love boats, the Navy decided Jim needed a job.
He was sent to AG “A” School at Lakehurst N.J and upon completion attended
RADSET (C) School. Now the Navy felt he was ready to start work. This
took him to FWF Keflavik, Iceland, Naval Weather Reasearch Facility (NWRF),
Norfolk, VA., FWC Rota, Sp. At this point the Navy wanted Jim to get
some more training, so he proceeded back to NATTC Lakehurst, N.J. for AG
“B” School. After graduation he reported to NWSED Willow Grove, PA.
After a couple of years, it was time for Jim to go sailing and the Navy
felt the same way and sent him aboard the USS Inchon (LPH 12). More
education followed and was sent to FTC Norfolk for ADCOP at Tidewater
Community college where he completed AS (cum laude) Business
Administration. Upon completion, Jim reported to FWC Norfolk, time for
another cruise which he did aboard the USS Iwo Jima (LPH 2). Then NEOC/NLMOC
Norfolk followed where Jim transferred to the Fleet Reserve Nov 87. Jim
had a lot of knowledge and experience, so the Navy took him back as a
Aviation Flight Briefer (GS7) where he worked at NLMOC (LP1). After a
couple of years he moved to a WEAX position
and continuing to be advance to greater responsibilities. On
his retirement as OTSR (Ship Router) GS11 position. Jim has a total of
44.5 years federal service. Outstanding accomplishment. He plans on
remaining in the local area, so we will see him at the HRC meeting.
Wishing you fair winds and smooth sailing. HRC...
Ann and Jack Salvato
departed Virginia Beach and headed to Florida on 4 December. They
visited Sea World and Busch Gardens before boarding the MS Veendam for a
14 day day cruise to the Western Carribean. Ports visited were Key West;
Belize City; Belize; Santo Tomas, Guatemala; Costa Maya Mexico; Ocho Rios,
Jamacia; and Georgetown, Grand Cayman. After a very cool and rough 7
days they finally were able to bask in the sun and enjoy what the tropics
was supposed to offer to vacationers. After their return to Tampa, they
headed to Lakeland and spent Christmas with cousins. They arrived back
home late on the 30th. Jack and Ann enjoyed their trip but it's alway
good to get back to home and your own surroundings.
We lost a dear, close friend and active member of HRC this
past year, Jake Bengel. Our sympathy and prayers go to his
family. HRC
HRC Wishes a Happy New
Year to All...Bob Daigle, Secretary
Source:
Aerograph November, 2006
President:
Chuck Steinbruck
Vice President: Fay Crossley
Treasurer: Mike Joern
Secretary: Bob Daigle
Social Coordinator: Jack Salvato
VA Representative: Joan Akers
Our last HRC meeting was held at John and Eve Chubb on the
Eastern Shore. Alway our best place to meet, good food and good company.
In attendance were John and Eve Chubb, Fay and Donna Crossley, Bertha
Hubbard, Chuck Steinbruck, Ted Lemond and Friend Vera, Marty Nemcosky,
Jack and Ann Salvato, Greg Salvato and Friend Jacqui, Ralph and Larue
Wright, Frank and Eve Muscari. Great time was had by all.
Our next meeting is set for 18 October at the Lone Star Texas
Steakhouse in Virginia Beach. A guest speaker is scheduled, Dr. William
Donald Tabor Jr., he will give information about the Fair Tax Plan. A
plan which has been on going for the past 15 years and if implemented, it
would do away with the income tax and the IRS. Sounds interesting.
Hopefully I'll be able to pass on some good information in the next
Aerograph.
Some News from our
Chapter:
From the Desk of the Weather Mouse:
Floyd and Joan Akers:
This has been a tumultuous time. Floyd has been ill off and on for over
three years. Mostly on, of course. We have seen more doctors and needles
that we care to count. Then we met our geriatric doctor's physician's
assistant. Her name is Jennifer. A very sweet young lady. I was afraid
Floyd would growl and just run her off. Not Jennifer. If he grumped she
smiled. If he hesitated to answer she found another way to phrase it. And
they ran tests. He has been x-rayed, MRIed, and ultra sounded, pounded,
poked and prodded. Ultra sounded twice! And they took enough blood and
other samples so I was thinking seriously about giving him a transfusion
from me. (I wonder if he would get freckles if I did that?) Anyway,
Jennifer got very bright and sent him to a urologist, the one he has had
for 3 years, and they found the problem. Dr. Young sent his pretty nurse
to take care of things and now Floyd seems fine. He even flirts with Dr.
Jennifer and she tweaks his beard when he comes in. So, we do believe he
will be fine, they will keep checking and he will keep taking his pills.
And if he doesn't he will think Hurricane Joan, category 6, just came
through 984 Sunnyside Drive.
Then of course there are our trips. We went to Myrtle Beach
where our son, daughter-in -law and grand daughter now live in the brand
new house they bought. We make the trip in a little over 6 hours and were
in no hurry. The weather, thanks to my weather man, was perfect. Our
directions were great including "turn when you see the burned out
building" and the "our house is the only one on the street that is
occupied and it is yellow". He was right on both accounts. We did learn
that they have fire ants in that area, rather badly I think, but they
also give out the powder to get rid of them. It is beautiful down there
but the ocean looks just like Virginia Beach except that they have a
much, much larger beach.
And our next trip will be to Springboro, Ohio. That is
between Cincinnati and Dayton. And this time we are going to see our 17
year old rising senior grandson play football. He and several of the
boys on the football team have been getting letters from a small college
nearby and they went to see a football game there. Nice to have someone
try to recruit you.
We are trying to get our house empty of all the stuff we
don't want, want to sell or give to our kids and so far it hasn't worked.
I had just gotten a decent start on the garage, 20 X30 and stuffed full
when Floyd began to be really ill. When I got him to the doctor's, it
became doctor one day, hospital the next, doctor the day after and then
the hospital for tests again until we both wanted to go hide. Well, now I
have a garden cart full of yard sale/thrift shop stuff, parts of two of
the walls painted, and a dozen boxes I must go through. It wouldn't be
so bad but we must have about a thousand pictures of everything, everybody
and every place we have been. Now, I could maybe handle that, but I also
have about three boxes of papers pertaining to genealogy. Have you ever
done genealogy? Believe me, if you do it honestly you will never again
think your family is better than anyone else's. Of course you could do
what one person did. They said, "Cousin Zack was at a meeting in the
square one morning up on the platform and the stand collapsed killing
him." Translation. Cousin Zack was a horse thief hanged in the square. Or
perhaps, " My great great grandfather was in the banking business." Yep.
He robbed about 6 of them. And when you go to trace someone you might find
he left England (or anywhere else) under a cloud, changed his name,
found a girl and changed his name again to her last name to please a
father-in-law and give him descendants with the father-in-law's name.
Then you find the guy whose name is Arsenwigdenpartle. And the man
registering the people entering the country and doing the immigrant books
had a headache that day and listed the poor man as Arson and it stayed
that way. Talk about dubious ancestors - any hillbilly worthy of the name
has had a few relatives who had run-ins with the Revenuers. One relative
ran off the side of a mountain running a load of white lightening. It is a
shame he didn't put it in the gas tank, he either would have out run the
Revenuers or started flying when he left the ground. One relative of
mine, distant, I will have you know, has been chased by the FBI since I
was 5. They never caught him. He fleeced old ladies of money. And he
looked like a young Barrymore.. At least life is never dull. Hope you
all had a wonderful time these last few months. Please enter your
"in-puts" and help make us all laugh. The weather mouse. (Joan Akers)
(HRC Sec) Bob and Carol
Daigle took a
trip to Palm Harbor, Florida, first week of October to visit their son and
family. Decided to drive this time, found out interstate 95 is like a
race track. Did stop in South Carolina for some needed shut eye around
one AM and was back on the road by 5:30 AM. The stop was worth it. A
week was spent visiting family and friends (X-Navy). Bob's sister and
husband (Snow Birds) also were down in the area. They decided to fly down
from Massachusetts and spend a week there also. Weather was fantastic,
90's and sunny the entire week. We return to Virginia Beach to cooler
temps and cloudy skies. Also, it meant going back to work. Ugh!
Dick Dempsey
and some of his buddies from FRA Branch 99 in mid September headed up to
Baltimore to see the Boston Red Sox play. His daughter Tina who is in the
Air Force (ten years) is stationed at Ft. Meade. This gave him an
opportunity to do some family visiting and see the Red Sox play. Dick did
take his seven year old grandson to the game with him. They all had a
great time but not as great as his grandson who caught a foul ball off the
bat of Mike Lowell, third baseman for the Red Sox. Dick is trying to get
a copy of the game on DVD from MLB as one of his buddies wife saw him
on TV with him holding his ball up. Hope he's successful in getting that
DVD.
HRC VP Fay Crossley
will retire from the National Weather Service on 30 December 2006. Fay
has a combined Federal Service of 40+ years. A retirement party will be
held at the 4H Center at Wakefield on January 11, 2007. If you would like
to attend or get more information please email
denise.cullen@noaa.gov
Fay plans on bugging wife Donna during the retirement years.
Al Mauzy
attended boot camp in 1974, a time the Navy was being called the "New
Navy." You know, Al the young buck that thought he knew everything and
the old Chief couldn't tell him squat. Well, one day when he and his
buddies were sitting around smoking and joking around one day, the company
commander started questioning them about why they joined the Navy. Al
told the old fart that he was a surfer and wanted to be around the ocean
and that he had joined the delayed entry program, waiting for a seat in
the Aerographer's Mate "A" school. "A weather guesser huh, the company
commander replied. Where do you want to go for your first duty station?"
he asked. "I want to get orders to a submarine!" Al eagerly replied.
"You dumbass, there's no weather guesser's aboard
submarines!" he was laughing so hard he could hardly breathe. That was a
little upsetting for Al, but being young and dumb, he quickly forgot
about it and went about his illustrious and checkered Navy career. Al
retired after 27 years of "weather guesser-ing." Do you want to know what
he's doing now?
He's working with the Navy Information Operations Command,
Commander, Submarine Development Squadron Twelve, Submarine Force Atlantic
and others to figure out how submarines can collect or otherwise receive
meteorological data for IO planning. It just seems ironic to him that
after all of those years, He's afforded an opportunity to do what seemed
so natural to him so long ago. Weather guesser's aboard submarines, who
would've thought of it?
Submitted by Bob Daigle,
Secretary
Source:
Aerograph August, 2006
President - Chuck Steinbruck
Vice President - Fay Crossley
Treasurer - Mike Joern
Secretary - Bob Daigle
Social Coordinator - Jack Salvato
VA Representative - Joan Akers
The Hampton Roads Chapter of the NWSA is thankful, the Scholarship
Committee of the NWSA granted our candidate, JoAnna Hassell an award.
Joanna is an exceptional person and student. She is in her junior year at
Penn State and will make an exceptional Meteorologist.
THANKS SCHOLARSHIP COMMITTEE
Ed Nelson, LCDR, USN Ret is changing jobs. After six years of teaching
U.S. History to 6th graders at Virginia Beach Middle School, he is moving
to Brandon Middle School to be the Gifted Resource Teacher. He will be
working with classroom teachers to ensure that Brandon's
gifted students get work that is challenging and rigorous.
Of the 14 middle school gifted resource teachers in Virginia Beach, Ed is
the only male--no long lines at the head during meetings! Ed earned is
Gifted Education endorsement through the University of Virginia in 2005.
It's Never Too Late:
That is, it's never too late to get a degree and that's what Jim da
Silva did. Starting in 1963, while stationed in Keflavik Iceland, AG3
Jim da Silva enrolled in the first of many college level courses from the
University of Maryland. Transferring to Norfolk in 1964, he enrolled in
then Old Dominion College for additional course work. After a break for
several years to start a family of four sons, he was selected for the
ADCOP program in 1974 at Tidewater Community College, where he obtained
an AS in Business Administration in 1976. In the fall of 1976, he
enrolled in Old Dominion University as a part time student, with
intentions of fulfilling the requirements for a BS in Meteorology, a
fledgling program at that institution. When he returned from sea duty in
1983, the program had been cancelled. Nearing retirement in 1987, he
re-enrolled in Old Dominion University to pursue a BS in Business
Administration. Due to unforeseen circumstances, he had to withdraw in
early 1989. Employed as a meteorological technician at NEOC/NLMOC, he
continued to seek methods of obtaining a college degree. The advent of
the internet brought about the concept of distance learning. He was able
to enroll in the broadcast meteorology program offered online by
Mississippi State University. After four years, he completed all the
required courses but lacked two years of a foreign language in order to
obtain a degree. He enrolled in a Spanish language course offered by
Tidewater Community College during the evening hours, completing the four
semesters in the spring of 2003. Attending an education fair on the
Norfolk Naval Base, he discovered Excelsior College from New York State
would evaluate all of his college credits and with the encouragement of
his sons and daughter-in-laws, submitted his transcripts. After
completing one course from Excelsior College, he was awarded a BS in
Liberal Studies ( Geography and Business Management) in June 2006.
Nothing like cramming a four year degree into 43 years. HRC
Congratulates You! It's Never Too Late:
John Chubb
was honored by a Soil and Water Conservation District article in the
Eastern Shore News - dated April 12, 2006. John Chubb was recently named
“Associate Director of the Year” by the Virginia Association of Soil and
Water Conservation districts. This state-wide award was presented to John
at the Association's award banquet in Williamsburg. John is an associate
director for the Eastern Shore Soil and Water Conservation District which
serves both Virginia counties on the shore and is one of 46 conservation
Districts across the State.
John received the
“Associate director of the Year Award” as a result of his strong
commitment to conservation practices. He has devoted hundreds of
volunteer hours to this purpose. John began the “Adopt a Dream” program
here on the shore, a citizen stewardship effort to clean
trash from local waterways. Working with the Citizens for a
Better Eastern Shore (CBES) and various students, John has now collected
thousands of pounds of trash from regular clean-ups at the Custis Tomb, an
Eastern Shore historic site on Plantation Creek. These beach clean-ups
have grown into a shore-wide program, including clean-up on the Barrier
Islands.
Through his grant-writing skills John helped the Northampton
Alliance against Trash (NAAT) buy a trailer to use in their community
trash pick-ups and to clear sofas and large appliances from back road
ditches. John was also influential in establishing a clean water advocate
for the Eastern Shore under the Shorekeeper's Program, an office under the
licensing of the nationwide “Waterkeeper Alliance”
John likes to educate people on how to be good stewards of
our natural resources. As chair of the CBES's natural Resources
Committee, John has written numerous articles for their ShoreLine
newsletter. These articles deal with environmental concerns and ways the
average citizen can help improve the quality of our natural resources.
Past articles include: “Water Quality Assessment and Improvement”,
Biosolids and You, and “Bacterial Contamination Data”
John teaches math and science to high school students at
Broadwater Academy. As part of his oceanography class, John has arranged
annual field trips to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation's education lab on
Tangier so his students can have hands-on experiences with the Chesapeake
Bay restoration. For years, John has helped promote ecotourism on the
Shore by helping to coordinate the annual “Between the Waters Bike Tour”.
From HRC, Congratulations ... Bob Daigle, Secretary
Aerograph May, 2006
The Hampton Roads Chapter
President Chuck Steinbruck
Vice President Fay Crossley
Treasurer Mike Joern
Secretary Bob Daigle
Social Coordinator Jack Salvato
VA Representative Joan Akers
Since our last Aerograph input, HRC has met twice. 21 January, our meeting
was held at the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Center (NMOC). Those
attending, John and Ive Chubb, Chuck Steinbruck, Marty Nemcosky, Bob
and Carol Daigle, Fay and Donna Crossley, Dan and Carmen Lee, Jake Bengel,
Frank Muscari, Ted Lemond, Dennis and Susan Pauly, Bob and Cindy Wright,
Bob and Jessie Steiner, Mel Harder, Frank and Bonnie Terrizzi. At this
meeting, elections of HRC Officers was held, all maintain their positions
for another year. A magnificent tour of the center was given by CDR
Marble, the Naval Aviation Forecast Center (NAFC) Commanding Officer.
After spending a couple of hours touring the center, a short meeting was
held. After the meeting we headed to Steckroth's Corner Grill in Norfolk
where we enjoyed good food and reminiscing about our tour of NMOC and the
many changes that have occurred over the years. From the new established
NAFC, which eventually will do all TAF's, Warnings and DD175-1's for all
the Dets in the US. Most members were amazed at the changes that have
occurred over the years, from how computerized all products have become to
how young the forecasters are in today's Navy. CDR Marble gave an
excellent insight on where the AG community is at and where it's going.
HRC thanks CDR Marble for giving of his time and allowing us to visit his
command. He has invited us to come back. We may just take him up on
that, for those who were unable to attend the first time. The next
meeting was held on 17 March at one of our favorite spots, China Garden in
Virginia Beach. Food is excellent and its a great place to hold our
meeting. In attendance, Chuck Steinbruck, Marty Nemcosky, Bob and Carol
Daigle, Fay and Donna Crossley, Mike and Margaret Joern, Jack and Ann
Salvato with guest Greg Salvato (Son), Dan and Carmen Lee, Ive Chubb, Bob
and Cindy Wright, Jake Bengel, Ralph and Larue Wright, Mildred Garcia.
This was Bob and Cindy Wright last meeting with HRC. They are now enjoying
the Florida sunshine, in the fall they'll be moving to the mountains of
Pennsylvania. HRC will miss them both and we wish them lots of luck.
Some News from our
Chapter:
(From Joan Akers): Hi,
folks, here I am again trying to find something to say. Cross your fingers
and hope I do well. To begin with, we have the most persistent robin we
have ever seen. It must be a girl. For some reason she decided to come
through the bay window and into the kitchen to make her nest. Obviously
she couldn't do that but for over two weeks we would wake to the banging
sound of her hitting the window and bouncing back. Finally she found
what must have seemed to her an acceptable substitute. She managed to pry
the cover off our porch light and began stuffing grass around the light
bulb and as far down as she could manage. She must have a very long neck
because the grass goes clear to the bottom and the whole thing is stuffed.
Floyd wanted to tear it out, but I said if she worked that hard we could
just scotch tape the switch to off and let her live there a while. He
agreed. So now we watch each day to see this persistent little momma
building her home and settling in. More on this later.
Our dog, Snowman, one year and 5 months old is a joy to have with us. When
we let him out in the morning he makes a flat out, full speed run around
the huge old pecan tree, behind the fig tree and the back of the shed. On
the way he tries hard to catch any bird or squirrel in the vicinity. Once
he gets around the shed he comes to a screeching halt and lifts his leg on
the climbing red rose in the big pot. I tell you, if he is adding
fertilizer to that pot along with the liquid the rose will grow to heaven
in six weeks. He is a smart little guy, we have seen him get behind a bush
and wait till some poor unsuspecting squirrel comes out to play and he
flat out explodes into action. So far he has not caught anything, (thank
heaven), but it is not for lack of trying.
We have a trip planned for the 27th of April. We will be going to Ohio to
see our older son who is turning 55. I can't believe he got that old
without us knowing it. Maybe we lost count somewhere, though our daughter,
Sharon will be 53 in November and our younger son, Alexander, will be 50.
Doggone it. I guess they are right because we have 7 grand children and 2
great-grandchildren, one 9 and one 15.
I see the doctor for my final checkup since the surgery for breast cancer
and the radiation treatments. The people at Portsmouth Naval Hospital are
absolutely terrific. They made me feel wonderful, and I have come out
smiling and healthy again. Floyd is having a bit of a problem, but the
doctor will be running tests on him next week so we should be able to
clear his problems up. Anyway, both doctor's have said the trip is
fine. The neurologist asked if we were going to fly or drive. (I think he
was worried about Floyd walking long distances in the airports.) I laughed
and said I always drive, it is only about 10 hours and I love the trip.
The roads for the most part are 3 or 4 lane, mostly empty after you leave
Richmond. Crowd up a bit past Charleston and then run wide and clear till
we get to Springboro, a tiny town between Cincinnati and Dayton. Of
course, one must be careful on Rt. 81 because of the huge trucks, though I
have had them offer to let me drive in the rocking chair, (the space
between two large trucks) so the police can't see me when we all
speed. It was fun, but that was years ago. And heading to Charleston is a
doozy. It must have been a drunk or a teen-age cow not wanting to get home
in a hurry that did that road. No snake with poison ivy could get that
crooked. It is an interesting challenge.
We will take Snowman with us. He loves to ride and talks sometimes with
people outside the car or in other cars. He wants to play and they wont
come in. He is rather great since he has not met a person he didn't like,
even our mailman. Snowman sniffed him, wagged
his tail and licked his hands. Ken was really surprised. We do feel
very safe with him because he seems to understand friend and "unknown"
though. I took him to be bathed one time and he was fine till a sweet
young female collie tried to come near us. I thought he would take her
head off. When she back off about 8 feet he sat down and never said
another word. He has learned that when we turn the TV off that it is bed
time. We had taught him to go in his cage when we said bed but he has long
ago outgrown the cage. Now when the TV goes off he lies on his bed for
about three minutes and then runs upstairs into the kitchen for his
nightly treat. He sleeps with his back against the front door, always on
guard. God did a wonderful thing when he made good dogs. Okay, folks, I
have so much to do. Will write again next time. Love to you all and God
Bless you always.
(Joan, Floyd and Snowman) The Weather Mouse.
(From Fay Crossley and Dan Lee): Our Naval Weather Service
Association needs, in our opinion, to refocus its energies and part of its
funding in a new direction. As we age, it is imperative we attract new and
younger members to our fellowship and to our causes. The young men and
women of the Navy Weather Active Service and Reserves surely question our
ideals and our purpose. Why should they be concerned about a group of old
folks that do a lot of reminiscing and not much else. What is in it for
the NEW sailor.
The recent proposed Tricare cost to the member increases were scary. Our
representatives did the right thing by holding off the approval of this
new law. You can rest assured, this proposal will again raise it’s ugly
head. To lend credibility to any political effort the bottom line is
NUMBERS. Though we are small in number we COULD grow as the younger
sailors see that we do good works in their behalf (as well as our own). We
can not sit by and rely on the FRA, Vietnam Vets and the like to carry the
load. We need to become Politically Active and voice our opinions as a
group concerning issues that effect us directly.
The Hampton Roads Chapter of the NWSA has already agreed in spirit to the
concept of becoming Politically Active. We envision a single member
committee that would keep the membership informed of issues we should be
concerned about. That committee would then alert the members of the issue,
the “sides” of the issue and give the members email addresses or mailing
addresses to use to voice their concerns. The committee would also advise
the full membership at meetings concerning the issue and the full
membership would take action as a group to add “numbers” to an email or
letter.
Therefore, we would like to see a new direction for our group. It is
proposed The Naval Weather Service Association, at its 2006 reunion, take
up this issue. That the NWSA establish a new Committee to raise the
awareness and the activity of our group. This committee, to be devoted to
Politically Actives only. The National NWSA should also keep the Active
Duty community informed of our good works. Information would be sent to
members via Email, the Web page and contained in the Aerograph.
Daniel Lee AGCS Ret
Fay Crossley AGC Ret
HRC member John Chubb and four other teachers led a group of 74
high school students on a twelve day exploration of Italy, Switzerland and
France in late March. From the sunny and relatively balmy weather in Rome
they headed north through Florence and Assisi to Venice. It was much
cooler and wetter there. After the requisite gondola rides and visits to
glass factories, palaces and basilicas, it was off to the snows of the
alps and Switzerland. An RON in Luscerne amidst all the fabulous chocolate
and fine fashions and brisk walks by the lake preceded a dash to Geneva to
catch the high speed train to Paris; the countryside is a blur at 120 MPH.
Thence to Normandy and visits to famous churches and Omaha Beach with the
American Cemetery It was perfectly manicured and awe inspiring. Just like
DDay it was windy with off and on showers. Back to Paris and the Louvre,
Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower. Again, spring was late coming with cold,
windy weather. All in all, these young Americans saw how some Europeans
live, the beautiful countryside and historical landmarks, the sacrifices
of our WWII veterans and just how GREAT it was to come home to the USA.
"Marty Nemcosky has been on the binnacle list with arterial
fibrillation. When he convinced the DR that the cure was worse than the
problem, he was taken off the meds and is feeling better. He's even back
up to walking 18 holes of golf with Jack Salvato and Ted Lemond."
As an usher for the 0900 mass at NAB Little Creek Chapel, he gets to keep
an eye on Larue Wright and Bev Scott. If mass runs long he may see
Bertha Hubbard or Ted Lemond arriving for their service at 1030.
Fay Crossley has tickets to the Shad Planking up in his neck of the
woods at Wakefield in May. Just the place to be if you're comfortable in
the midst of politicians. Also Fay is working on a possible meeting in
September with an Elder Care Lawyer. The meeting would be in Williamsburg,
for those people not ready for old age or retirement. The meeting will be
with the Compassion and Choices group of Williamsburg. Members are asked
to think ahead to making this trip. After the Morning Meeting a group trip
to the New Jamestown is also in the planning, with a late lunch or early
dinner to follow. Sounds like a busy day. Hope it works out and HRC will
be able to attend.
Bob Steiner is getting some folks pumped up about the penning of
horses up in Chincoteaque Island in July. Jessie is recovering very
well from some minor elective surgery she had done last month. No not the
removal of an ugly wart, Bob!!! They will be going to New Jersey for their
nieces wedding on the 22nd of April then to California for one
granddaughter’s high school graduation on the 2nd of June. Bob has a radar
software class to attend just outside of Boston, the week of 12 June.
Bob Daigle hit the big one this past month, no not the lottery, the
Big 60. This dreaded event occurred on 4 April. No big fan fare,
celebrated very quietly with family. He will be celebrating another
big event in May when Carol and Bob head up to Ocean City, Maryland
to celebrate their 35th wedding anniversary.
Bob Daigle, Secretary
Aerograph February, 2006
HAMPTON ROADS CHAPTER
President Chuck Steinbruck
Vice President Fay Crossley
Treasurer Mike Joern
Secretary Bob Daigle
Social Coordinator Jack Salvato
VA Representative Joan Akers
From the Desk of the Weather Mouse:
Ladies and gentlemen I wish you all a safe and wonderful new year, but
this time I am not writing a story or a joke. I am writing because I have
discovered over the past year unbelievably sad stories and I believe these
must be told quickly: Imagine this happening to you: "He died suddenly and
we didn't expect it. I called the rescue squad, the police came and they
took him away after the coroner checked him out. I didn´t have phone
numbers for allot of things and didn't know who to call and what to give
them. I never realized that I had to have so many certified death
certificates. Everything needs one and they don't take my word for it. I
didn't realize I had to notify the DMV and so many other people and I
didn't have names, addresses or phone and fax numbers. I was so lost. I
could not think. He never said what funeral home, where he wanted to be
buried, or who should do the service. I don't know if I should have him
cremated or buried. What kind of casket did he want? Does he get pall
bearers and who should they be? I don't know where he put the policies or
how much they are for. He paid the bills so I don't know about much of
this. I am lost. "I have discovered that some of our men have not thought
far enough ahead to make their women financially secure should they die
first. A friend of mine, married to an officer discovered that when he
died she had no retirement due her from the Navy. He had said he couldn't
afford the cost of SBP, the Survivor Benefit Plan. And since he hadn't
worked after he left the Navy, she had no Social Security income from him.
She had worked as a teacher and what she got was the Social Security from
that. And as we all know, teachers are not well paid. Had she not had a
small inheritance she would be living in poverty. Thank God she also has
two sons who will help her. Gentlemen, you need to sit down with your
wives and together find out exactly what income your wife will have should
you die first. Remember, if you outlive her, you have
your full Navy retirement, she won't. Maybe she will get 55% if you have
the Survivor's Benefit Plan, otherwise there will be nothing. If you
worked after you retired from the Navy, you will have Social Security
payments. However, when you die, your wife will get only a smaller portion
of that and unless she worked outside the house, not much more. If you
have invested successfully, and have a good savings account, whatever
retirement benefits your wife receives will be supplemented with that
money. This is excellent. Another question to consider is whether your
assets are listed as jointly owned with the right of survivorship if you
go first. Having your assets jointly owned will ensure that your wife
faces minimal problems getting access to them should you die first.
With regards to Social Security, do you know that in the month you die,
your wife would have to return the whole month's social security check
even if it's on the next to the last day of the month or the 23rd or any
other such day, and then the government, slow as a glacier, will, in its
own time, return a portion of that to her. The following are some things
you need to have already done or get up and do immediately and put in one
place in a special file. Make sure you both have an up-to-date will.
Have a Power of Attorney, and a Living Will, and a good executor for both
of you. See to it that all the relevant papers are in one place. (Is
everything joint with right of survivorship?) You need - 1.
Insurance policies, (are the beneficiaries up to date?) 2. Information for
your bank/credit union, 3. Safe deposit box with location, who can get in
and where the key is, or the safe combination if you have one, (Let at
least 3 people know the combination, 4. House deeds, 5. Car titles, 6.
Boat titles, 7. Any land titles or other items owned, 8. All paper work
for any investments, 9. Information on any loans, 10. Make sure that your
wants, should you die first, are in there and contain all information
necessary to do as you wish. **Keep them in one place, in a folder and
lock it in the safe or a very safe place. If, as we do, you have a large
fireproof safe make sure at least three people know where the combination
is. (Don´t make them blow the safe after you go. You won't see
the fireworks anyway.) Make sure your wife gets enough to live on
comfortably for the
rest of her life. And for heaven´s sake, check the bills you have now, and
see what they come to. The women have been told, "Oh, you will have
plenty," and the husband does not think of the real estate tax, the car
insurance, the house insurance and other items. And he forgets credit card
bills and other things that creep up. Most men think only of the grocery
bill and gas for the car which, if she is a widow could take about all she
gets from the Navy SPB and the Social Security money. See to it that
everything you own, stocks, bonds, any other money accounts, is joint
ownership with right of survivorship so she does not have to wait months
to get money to live on. Especially the checking and savings
accounts. Make sure you have enough in the checking/savings accounts so
she can live and pay bills till the legal process clears and the money
starts coming in again. The length of time this takes could vary.
Speak to your Navy representative and Social Security office and your
insurance companies about time for the money to come in.
Have a special folder with death information. You know, the "If I should
die" so when it happens there is a phone number for the rescue squad, the
police, the name, address and phone number of the funeral home you want to
go to. You should each make arrangements ahead of time. Some folks even
prepay funeral expenses while they are still living. You will need the
name of the church or other location where you want a
service held if you want one, and who will preside. You will need the
name, address and phone number of the cemetery along with the plot number
and all pertinent papers. Prepare the list of places that must be
called, including the Navy at the Customer Service Finance office in
Denver , the local Social Security office, the insurance companies, the
banks and credit unions with the accompanying account numbers and the
credit cards you have, (you should have Xeroxed all your credit cards a
long time ago, both sides, and put that copy in your safe). Be sure to
have all policy numbers ready for those and mutual funds, stocks and
bonds, car and boat titles, loans, everything, and all these will need
certified proof that the person is deceased. You will also have to notify
the department of Motor Vehicles and send them death certificates along
with all pertinent information on the vehicles. Make a list of all
the items listed above,, neatly typed with names of companies, addresses,
phone numbers, fax numbers, account numbers, who is listed on each
policy/account and if you prefer, the amounts of the policies, etc.. You
might keep a paper copy and one on a CD for easy access. This information
can serve as a check list of the people who must be notified. You can save
your wife a lot of problems by making sure you know how much she will have
to live on and what the immediate expenses will be. If you have Quicken on
your computer, you can do this with a little time and effort. Know how
much your insurance policies are worth. Know how much the funeral will
cost, how much the Navy will give her and how much Social Security will
take away from what you get and what is left for her. Know how much
interest will come from investments and then add up all your bills for a
year and see if she will be able to eat when they are paid. Remember that
costs go up all the time and extras like car repairs, house repairs and
general care of life and persons will increase with time. Make allowances.
Make sure you take care of these things now. If you have young children or
children in college include them in your plans so they know what is going
on. And yes, your wife should make her desires known if she goes first.
You will prevent so much heartache and perhaps financial disaster if you
do things well. You should know that the Navy in the last edition of
the Aerograph had excellent information on this. Please plan ahead and
keep your spouse safe. You and your spouse should always carry a list of
medications you and your spouse are on. Your living will and your doctor's
name and number will help also. It saves the rescue folks a lot of time
and worry.
Your weary Weather Mouse - Joan Akers
Our last meeting for 2005 was held at the Poncho Villa's of New
York located in Virginia Beach. Those attending, Chuck Steinbruck, Marty
Nemcosky, Bob and Carol
Daigle, Fay and Donna Crossley, Mike Joern, Jack and Ann Salvato, Bob and
Cindy Wright, Ted Lemond, Dan and Carmen Lee and Jake Bengel. A Note
from Our Western Branch Rep and HRC Vice President (Fay Crossley): The
National Weather Service at Wakefield is losing its only Navy Active
reservist, Patrick Maloit (LCDR USNR). Patrick was transferred to the New
York Office at Upton and promoted to Senior Forecaster. Interesting that
Mr. Maloit is NOT an 1800 in the reserves but a straight line officer. We
wish him Good Luck. For those that might remember Vernon Gray (retired
AGCS), he has moved from his well anchored home in St. Mary's CO MD to
Okeechobee Florida. He and Darcy are doing fine and loving the move. There
two boys are close by, David lives in Orlando and Vernon lives in
Savannah. Sometime ago, I placed an article in the Aerograph about my Pen
Pal, Carl Peterson an x-AG and retired National Weather Service employee.
Carl has been a steady and reliable Pen Pal for many years until the past
year or so. Carl is not well, and now makes his abode at Loyalton of
Flagstaff. Son Byron sees Carl nearly daily. Our thoughts and
prayers go out to this fine Weather Guesser. The HRC of the NWSA continues
to push forward on a Career Day event for High School students in the
Hampton Roads area of Virginia. Fifty Six (56) letters were sent to area
schools shortly after Christmas. The hope was to see what kind of
response we would get. So far, 11 of the 56 have sent back positive
replies to our questions. They have indicated that well over 50 students
would be interested in our planned event. Our
efforts is to have this event in the spring of 2006. We will miss having
the company of our shipmate Bob and Cindy Wright at the HRC meetings as he
retires from his DOD forecasting job and moves on to PA. Hope that he
looks into getting back for a visit now and then. Our Vice President has
sent his name to the Potomac Chapter in case Bob gets lonely for an ISOBAR
conversation. Bob joined the Navy in Feb 1963 and retired in Nov 1985. His
travels took him from Boot Camp to "A" School in Lakehurst, N.J., USS
Ticonderoga, NWSED Midway Island, FWF San Diego, CA. At this point Bob
decided to leave the Navy (Nov 1966) and pursue a civilian career. He
missed the Navy so he returned in May 1970 and was shipped to Antarctic
Support Forces, followed by FWF Pensacola, FL., "C" School at Chanute AFB,
ILL., Mobile Environmental Team, Norfolk, VA., Roosevelt Roads, PR., and
back to Norfolk, VA where he transferred to the Fleet Reserve in Nov 1985.
In Jan 1986, Bob worked for the Hurricane Research Division in Miami, FL.
until he obtained a position at NOCD/NLMOD Oceana, VA. in Dec 1990. Bob
spent many years there till transferring to Naval Aviation Forecaster
Center (NAFC) Norfolk, VA. in Feb 2005 till his retirement from federal
service in Jan 2006. Bob and Cindy plan on spending a few weeks in Florida
with friends and relatives prior to their permanent move to Mount Pocono,
Pa. His goal is to work a few days a week, that will keep him out of
Cindy's hair, at one of the resorts or as what most of us say "become a
Wal Mart greeter". Bob and Cindy enjoy what the Pocono’s has to offer and
wishing you both smooth sailing. Good Luck. H.R.C. Another shipmate
retiring from his DOD job is Bill Sheppard (AGC Ret). Bill has had a long
career spending a few years in the Navy, 30 Jun 1960 to 30 Sept 1988. His
travels took him from Boot Camp, "A” School at Lakehurst, N.J., NAS
Sanford, FL, NAS Quonset Point, RI, Yokosuka, Japan, Viet Nam, St Clemente
Island, CA, Viet Nam, Ellison Field, FL, Viet Nam, "B" School at
Lakehurst, N.J., Viet Nam, NAS Jacksonville, FL, COMSOLANTSTAFF P.R., USS
Kennedy, NAS Mayport, FL, Keflavik, Iceland, NAS Oceana, VA. Upon his
retirement from the Navy he
proceeded to NLMOC Norfolk (01 Mar 89 to 30 Dec 05). While at NLMOC he
held various positions WEAX, OTSR, FDO, and Hurricane Duty Officer. Last
position held was LRF (Long Range Forecast). For many years Bill was
active in sports within the local community. His involvement included -
officiating High School and College Baseball, Football, Basketball and
Woman Fast Pitch Softball. Bill and Ann plan on retiring to Ocala, FL
where most of their family live. They have 4 children and 10
grandchildren. Wishing both of you smooth sailing. H.R.C. Bob and Jessie
Steiner stayed at home this year after traveling over the holidays the
past two years. Their daughters, from Richmond, and their families visited
for the day on Christmas. As always having family visiting for the
holidays always makes it special. Their New Years Eve was spent quietly at
home on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. Travel plans for 2006 include a
trip for Bob to the American Meteorological Society's Annual Meeting in
Atlanta, GA to be held from 29 Jan to 3 Feb. Jessie has no set travel
plans, her travels are a little more spontaneous than Bob's, usually a
spur of the moment decision. Dan and Carmen Lee have been off again skiing
to Snowshoe Mountain, WV. This included 4 adults, 3 grandchildren and a
friend. A grand time was had skiing to beautiful snow and weather. After
the weekend pass, all departed except for Dan and Carmen who stayed for a
few more days for some quiet time. That did not last long when some
friends from N.J. pop in with their son and daughter-in law and the
quietness was filled with laughter and fun. Their next trip, scheduled for
the 2nd of Feb is to head north to New England. Plan is to spend one night
in Pa., Topahanna Depot, visiting Dan's family and then up to N.H. to
visit with Carmen's sister and see their 2 great nieces. Next stop is
Maine to visit Carmen's brother Neal and his family. While in Maine
they'll be skiing the sloops of Black Mountain. For the Christmas
holiday's, they were kept very busy with family visiting which brought
nothing but joy for them. Dan and Carmen continue to keep busy
through out the year with Dan still working in his lawn business and
Carmen with Shaklee. A trip to San Francisco is in the making as Shaklee
Corp. is celebrating it's 50th Anniversary with a big, big splash!. With
all that going, they manage to spend time with their 6 grandchildren.
Charles V. Lindsay lost his battle from Parkinson’s disease on 10 January
2006. Our sympathy and prayers goes to his family. Bob Daigle
Aerograph August 05, 2005
President Chuck Steinbruck
Vice President Fay Crossley
Treasurer Mike Joern
Secretary Bob Daigle
Social Coordinator Jack Salvato
VA Representative Joan Akers
Our last meeting was held at VIVO - Italian Restaurant, located in Virginia Beach. Their
motto "Italian Never Tasted So Fun" was surely true. Great Italian cuisine. For some of us this restaurant is
close to home, but not for Chuck Steinbruck, who wanted "driver miles" for the miles he had to travel to get
there. Sorry Chuck, it’s the price you have to pay for being President and all the prestige that goes along with it.
Those attending were Chuck Steinbruck, Marty Nemcosky, Bob and Carol Daigle, Mike and Maggie
Joern, Floyd and Joan Akers, Jack and Ann Salvato, Bob and Cindy Wright, Frank Terrizzi, Jim daSilva,
Jake Bengel, George and Diana DeLano, Bob and Jessie Steiner, Ed and Ruth Nelson, Dennis and
Susan Pauly, and Arnold and Janet Kestenbaum.
Following dinner a meeting was held which began with the Pledge of Allegiance and Chuck Steinbruck led us in
prayer with a second prayer dedicated to all our troops.
Some News from our Chapter: Marty Nemcosky drove to Branson solo because of a side visit
with his brother, the brother, in Clarksville, IN. He reports that he truly misses his navigator, Barb. But he
had a rewarding time with his brother as he rehabilitates from a hospital stay.
The reunion in Branson was great. The Potomac chapter came through again. He said he
really can use the decent golf balls awarded the winning team. In June he attended his fifty-fifth class reunion and
was happy to see 75 percent of the 300 and some odd (some really) folks were accounted for. In July, after the
annual super picnic at the Chubbs, he travels to MI for his annual pioneer duties of making little logs out of big
ones. The rest of the summer will be used for swimming, gardening, reading & golf.
Input From the Weather Mouse. (Joan Akers) Hi, folks. The last few months have been busy as usual, but
this month of July is crammed with things. We had a fourth of July dinner with friends here at our house, on
the 16th comes the highlight of our year with NWSA, the picnic at the home of John and Evie Chubb on the Eastern
Shore. It is a time for the best food ever and visiting with friends that we truly love. We will have the freshest crabs
cooked to perfection added to hamburgers, and chicken. Then you add the rest of the food from the best cooks in
the world and you have a perfect day with our friends. It
is with sadness that we note that we have lost some of our members, and it is a warning to us that we must do
our very best every day to help each other. May we find a way this year to bring in new members and keep our
organization alive and growing. When the 16th is over we must hurry, for we have a wedding coming up on the 30th
of July. Our daughter, Sharon, will be getting married. And to see this terrific event, her brother from Ohio will drive
down from near Dayton to see her. And flying in is her younger brother, Alexander bringing his wife Bobbi and
his younger daughter, Alexa to join the fun. Sharon has decided to have a backyard picnic at a friend's house
where there is a large pool and lots of room. Her caterer is a friend who does wonderful things and decorates with
creative imagination. It will be a wonderful time. So, on the 28th Fred will drive in, on the 29th we will drive over
to Patrick Henry International Airport and get Alex, Bobbi and Alexa. On the 30th we watch Sharon get married and
on the 31st, Floyd and I will finally get to celebrate our 55th wedding anniversary. Seems when June 3 came
everyone was out of town and could not get here so we are having the "kick back and brag a bit" day with
everyone home. Good food, good fun and a running start on year 56. Congratulations on the 55th (Sec)
Now to the important things. We are going ahead with our Career Day and have some things worked out
already. Here is a synopsis of what Fay Crossley has
written for a letter to the proper schools, etc.
Dear Sir or Madame: Our association, a group of mostly retired Navy Weather
professionals, feel there is a need to further the understanding of Meteorology,
Oceanography, Climatology and related Computer skills to our next generation of scientists.
The staff at Old Dominion University is willing to provide a huge room, all the technical equipment and assistance
from their personnel that we would need. They even have a great cafeteria.
Speakers for this day would come from the National Weather Service, such as branches of the Navy, Air Force
and Coast Guard, Private companies, Media outlets and similar organizations.
Each presenter would give a 10 to 20 minute outline of their company or group. When all was completed,
students would be allowed to visit the presenters of their choice at the proper booth and receive any further
information they want. There would be two sessions, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. School buses
would have a special parking place at ODU. This is great. We sent it next to John Chubb who is a
teacher on Eastern Shore and is well acquainted with young folks. And this is what he added to our plan.
1. The audience should be all high school undergraduates so they have the time to take the proper courses. Juniors
would be great, but sophomores and freshmen still have
time to select high school courses that would support a science major.
2. Is ODU willing to do this? (And the answer is that they are thrilled and since no college or university in Virginia
teaches meteorology, they may start a class. They do have
one of Oceanography.
3. Broaden your topics of interest, (your list is quite good,) and invite more of NOAA, (fisheries,
oceanographer's, survey/charting) NASA (remote sensing), VA Aquarium, maybe Nauticus, VA DEQ/US
EPA, ETC. Make it an "Environmental Science" day.
4. Call it "Educational Options". Young students should be building a wide opportunity base.
So, folks, now that you see our plan, perhaps you would be willing to start something similar in your
area. Should you want to talk with any of us, please call. We will send any information that
would help you.
It is my great fear, the reason I gave birth to this idea to begin with, that today´s students see weather as hit or
miss, a not important guessing game. I believe if they could see what it truly is, they would find it more and
greater than they ever believed. I have said it before, but it is worth repeating. Those in these sciences will explore
the huge world of weather that is expanding exponentially. Most of us don´t realize that weather is a
huge covering surrounding the earth, that anything that happens anywhere effects everywhere, that what happens
in the Antarctic will effect the rest of the world. Melting water from the Antarctic will change the flow of water to
the north, kill the krill that feed most of the southern ocean and perhaps lead to a small ice age in the north.
The sea hides black smokers, volcanic tubes that spew sulphur and host a tremendous world of sea life
surviving on poisonous, to us, fumes. We know that the future will be given to computers and
they will do as they are now doing, predicting the weather. Question - who are going to be good enough
aerographers on their own to be able to give the proper information to the programmers so the computer results
are correct? And will the computer programmers have a way to install the instinctive, intuitive touch that makes
the results accurate. The world weather here is complicated enough to give us headaches. What will we
do when we land on other planets, (and we will,) and we need someone to plot the maps and issue warnings for
this new land. Where are we going to get the people to learn the ways of the seas, the lives of the fishes and
mammals, the exotic, "extinct" denizens of the sea like the coelacanth. Science is the most fascinating subject in this
whole world, and it is included in everything, archeology, astronomy, agriculture, space travel, the sea and the air
and the land. We must have bright young people to lead the way into the future.
As always Joan, many thanks for your input, (Sec) Bob and Cindy Wright's have been very busy the past
few weeks. Bob had some minor surgery in May. He's doing fine and back to his old self again. He got to use
122 hours of sick leave, that's about 22 straight days off without work. It was nice practice for his upcoming
retirement on January 06 (only 204 days left till retirement, and that will be less by the time this goes to
print and I'm sure he's counting). Poor Cindy had to put up with him being home all that time. Sympathies go out
to her, we know what she went thru and we are sorry. Their daughter Lacey, has a new job. She's a travel agent
for National Leisure Group and can book you a pretty good cruise for a pretty decent price. If anyone is
planning a cruise in the near future, give her (Lacey) a call. She would appreciate the business and they will have
peace of mind that she is meeting her goals. Her number is (See
Aerograph). Just ask for CiCI.
Bob has been very busy getting the house ready to go on sale in October, He hopes to take advantage of the
housing boom affecting the Hampton Roads area. So far, he has put down ceramic tile in the kitchen, and 2 out of
the 3 bathrooms. Having never done it before, all indications are that he's done a pretty good job, so he
says. He also has put down hardwood floors in the living room & dining room. That looks great also, but he does
say he'll never do it again. All he has left is one more bathroom and some cosmetic work, i.e. painting, etc and
it's all ready. Bob is moving so if anyone is interested in a beautiful home, call him. His home is in a friendly and
quiet neighborhood and situated near all the military facilities, schools and shopping areas.
Bob and Carol Daigle;s son Jeff with his family came for a visit, from Palm Harbor, Florida in late June. It was a
great visit, Jeff' works with computers and with the problems Bob had with his, he got him up and running
with a new computer. Bob could not of done it by himself. What are sons for..... Bob and Carol plan on visiting them
in Florida in October for a few days. Checking out the possibility of becoming snow birds in the future (after
retirement). Still a few years away. Like the Wright's the Daigle's are doing new floors
also. They were going to ask Bob (W) for help since he had a lot of experience, but he
had indicated he would never do it again. Bob (D) took the bull by the horns and did it in 2 1/2 days. Carpet in the
family room, wood floor in the kitchen/foyer etc. Now there was a trick to this, he hired someone.
Bob and Jessie Steiner reports that things are quiet in the Northern Virginia/Eastern Shore area. A few weeks
ago Jessie visited her sister Sue in New Jersey. Her sister Novie, from Arkansas also visited. The two girls from up
north will arrive at their abode in Lee Mont in early July, rest for a day before the three of them climb into the car
and head for Las Vegas to play in a slot poker tournament later this month. Bob doubts he'll see them before mid
August. That's rest and relaxation for Bob.
George and Diana DeLano went to Plymouth, MA for DELANO Annual Reunion 16 to 18 June, then
after returning for a few days went to Emerald Isle, NC to spend time at the beach with grand kids. One of the big
events was going by boat to a deserted island to meet a pirate who helped the children in the group find buried
pirate treasure.
Ted Lemond reports that Ethel is fighting lung cancer, Ted continues to be an excellent care giver. He has
Hospice helping out and has indicated that they are terrific people and being a big help. Our prayers goes
out to Ethel and Ted. God Bless.
Bev Scott made a trip to Switzerland and Turkey. Remy Paul is attending another
wedding in the Philippines on the July 16.
Millie Garcia's back problems are keeping her close to home base.
In a rough tag team round of golf, Jack Salvato fractured 3 ribs and was on the disabled list for about 10
weeks. Take care Jack.
Bob Daigle
=============
Aerograph May 05
President-Chuck Steinbruck
Vice President - Fay Crossley
Treasurer - Mike Joern
Secretary - Bob Daigle
Social Coord - Jack Salvato
VA Rep - Joan Akers
On 16 January 2005 our meeting was held at the Long Branch Steakhouse & Saloon, located in Virginia Beach.
Those attending were Marty Nemcosky, Chuck Steinbruck, Bob Daigle, Fay and Donna Crossley,
Mike and Maggie Joern, Jack and Ann Salvato, (Guest Gregory Salvato), Don and Marge Cruise,
Bob and Jessie Steiner, Mildred Garcia, Bev Scott, Richard and Mary Dempsey, Dan and
Carmen Lee, Bob Wright, Jake Bengel, and Floyd and Joan Akers. After enjoying our favorite
steak, a meeting was held which began with a verse from the Eternal Father, read by Marty Nemcosky, and
followed with the Pledge of Allegiance. Our next meeting was held on 20 March 2005 at the
China Garden in Virginia Beach. Those attending were Chuck Steinbruck, Marty Nemcosky, Bob and
Carol Daigle, Fay and Donna Crossley, Mike Joern, Bob and Cindy Wright, Floyd and Joan
Akers, Ted Lemond, Ed and Ruth Nelson, Jake Bengel, Jack Salvato, Ralph and La Rue Wright,
Mildred Garcia, Dan and Carmen Lee, Penny Pawl. Following a dinner of Chinese Cuisine (all you
can eat) a meeting was held beginning with Chuck
Steinbruck reciting a prayer which was dedicated to our troops in harms way. This was followed with the
Pledge of Allegiance.
Our next meeting will be on May 15th at the VIVO Restaurant in the Strawbridge
Shopping Center on General Booth Blvd. There will be cocktails at 3 p.m. and dinner after that. The menu is excellent, full of great
Italian food and the prices are easy on us retired folks. There will be individual checks. See you at the VIVO in
May.
Some news from our Chapter:
Our new president, Chuck Steinbruck, conducted his first meeting and we all had a wonderful time. He and
Marty Nemcosky, our retiring president, spent some time teasing each other making for some very good
laughter. One of the things that Chuck wants to do is increase the membership in our Hampton Roads
Chapter. It has become a difficult task because things are changing so fast and those like Ralph Wright and
Floyd Akers remember a weather service entirely different than the one we have today. And changes are
coming so fast that even yesterday’s aerographers will not recognize the organization in 3 months. Perhaps we
all need to have classes to keep up with the changes in our weather world.
Ann Salvato went to Las Vegas and came back penniless according to Jack. Now that is a normal way to return,
isn’t it? And Jack spoke to a person on the cruise ship and now has a job on the cruise ship helping wheelchair
bound folks disembark. He will do this on Sundays and Thursdays through May. The job will resume in
October. This is the Holland America Line and C I Travel booking company. Jack also said he is a security
driver where he lives and now can play golf less expensively. Sounds great to me.
Bob and Carol Daigle welcome a new addition to their family. Their daughter Jennifer and
son-in-law Ray provided them with a new granddaughter "Hailee", born 11 February 2005. Hailee has a big sister, Kaitlyn, she
will be five in May. This is their forth grandchild, three
girls and one boy. Till recently, they have been very lucky where all their kids, all two of them resided in
Virginia Beach, both a short distance from their home. Opportunity knocked on their son, "Jeff", and
daughter-in-law "Karen’s" door. An opportunity to move to Florida, which they took. They made a long journey on
30 March and now reside in Palm Harbor. After retirement, with two grandchildren (Skylar and Connor)
now in Florida, Bob and Carol will divide their time between Palm Harbor and Virginia Beach. Maybe they
will become "Snow Birds" after retirement, still a few years away. At least, three years away, since Bob just
celebrated his 59th birthday on 4 April.
Congratulations, Bob!
Congratulations go to James (Jim) da Silva, he has again become a grandfather. His son Ron and
daughter-in-law Robin provided him with Jameson, born 27 February 05,this is their 6th child and James 11th
grandchild. Definitely a proud granddad of 8 grandsons
and 3 granddaughters. Jim’s oldest son, SK1 James (Jr) currently stationed on the USS Carl Vinson, plans on
retiring next year and make the brave move to Placentia, Newfoundland. With 2 of his grand-kids
moving there, and when he can get away from his duties at NLMOC doing OTSR, you know where Jim will be
spending some of his vacation time. I’m sure it won’t be
a winter vacation.
Bob and Cindy Wright, along with daughter Lacey and her best friend Brittany, took a 7 day trip to Florida to
visit Cindy’s folks over Spring Break Week.
Lessons learned – NEVER drive straight thru with 2 18 year old girls. A 10 ˝ hour trip turn into almost 12
˝, due to "rest" stops along the way.
NEVER let your 18 year old daughter have your car while visiting Florida over Spring Break Week (over
1400 miles were put on the car (at $2.28 per gallon) while in Florida). Apparently there is an abundance of
"Hot Guys" in Florida over Spring Break and I think the girls met them all...........
NEVER stay in McClenny, Florida without a car (daughter had it) as there is NOTHING to do and the
closest city, Jacksonville, is 28 miles away.
NEVER lose your wallet at a gas station in South Carolina and discover it missing 3/4 of the way thru
North Carolina. Found out that one needs a copy of their DD214 to get a new Military ID and they don’t
cancel credit cards immediately after your call. Other
than that their trip was enjoyable, relaxing and quiet. (300 days till full retirement).
John and Evie Chubb stopped by the Akers house this morning. We were so glad to see them and the
bags of shampoo, conditioner and lotion that they brought. Each time they go on a trip they bring home all
the little bathroom bottles from the motels and hotels they stay in. Their friend, Ms. Sarah Drummond went
them one better. She made an announcement where she was and managed to gather a tremendous amount
of the tiny bottles. The folks at the Veteran’s Hospital in Hampton will be indebted to Ms. Sarah Drummond of
Box 186, Nelsonia, VA for a tremendous amount of scrubbing and shampooing pleasure. Thank you, Sarah
Drummond.
The Chubbs stayed for a while and drank coffee with the Akers and had a wonderful time playing with the
new Akers puppy. Snowman found them to be wonderful people and
spent a lot of his time lying on John’s lap looking soulfully into
John’s face as he got a good tummy rub. Evie was well loved also as Snowman
discovered she gave wonderful ear scratches. Snowman really hated to see them leave.
So did we.
Aerograph Feb 05
President: Marty Nemcosky
Vice-President: Bob Wright
Treasurer: Chuck Steinbruck
VA Coordinator: Joan Akers
Social Coordinator: Jack Salvato
Secretary: Bob Daigle
On 17 October 2004 our meeting was held at the Poncho Villa’s of New York, located in Virginia Beach. Those
attending were Marty Nemcosky, Chuck Steinbruck, Bob and Carol Daigle, John and Ive Chubb, Jack and
Ann Salvato, Ted and Ethel Lemond, Dick and Mary Dempsey, George and Diana Delano and Joe
Streuli.
Following dinner a short meeting was held which began with the pledge of Allegiance and a verse
from the Eternal Father.
Some news from our Chapter:
We’re anxious to check out the NLMOC change of command on 1-21-05. Captain Daniel J. Soper will
retire and be relieved by Commander Douglas C. Marble and Commander Stephen C. Woff. What
will they think of next?
The Chapter sent $225 to the Potomac chapter for theNavy Memorial plaque.
We're looking forward to seeing Don and Marge Cruse at our 1-16-05 meeting at the Longbranch Saloon.
Don always has the latest skinny and we're looking for some on reunions. We will miss the Chubbs this time.
They will be visiting with their family out of the area. Bob Wright and Jim DaSilva are keeping their working
streak during meeting days alive. Bev Scott has recuperated well enough from hip surgery to make a trip
to San Francisco with her daughters. We hope she's back and rested in time for our meeting. Millie Garcia is
making steady progress with her back problems. We hope to see her back in action soon. The Lemonds have
been saddened by the loss of their pet dog Katie Mae. Katie has been with them for 15 years and served them
truly well.
Marty Nemcosky reports that he had a super visit in Round Rock, TX for Thanksgiving with daughter Mary and
family. One day they explored the Inner Space Caverns then later checked out a local restaurant with some
typical Texas music. Not Mariachi but Texas music. He even got a bumper sticker with “I dig Texas music” on it.
One of his favorite liberty spots is the Golfsmith Store in Austin. Next-door is the Harvey Pennick School where he
taught many famous Texas Golfers. There had been much flooding in the area before Thanksgiving. Avery Golf
Course only had 16.5 holes open with # 8 and half of # 9
submerged. It was an easy way to trim 8 strokes or so off your score.
Dan and Carmen Lee departed for Snowshoe on Dec. 26th with their daughter Lynn, and J.W. and Jaclyn as they
received snowboards and skies for Christmas. Dan will be snowshoeing as skiing is out for this year. Dan has
been experiencing frequent pain in his leg and back surgery was the answer for him. His recovery is going
very well, and he is being a good sport about taking care of himself. His hospital stay was only 2 days.
Very good considering the surgery. We’re all sure Dan will be ready to ski next season.
On their way home from Snowshoe they stopped in Williamsburg to celebrate their 42nd Wedding
Anniversary (On 29 of December). Wow, Congratulations. Someone did ask Carmen how they stayed together so
long and she casually answered that their Anniversary is a renewed Contract every year. Renew to each other and a
strong commitment to make it happen. They’re planning a trip January 25th to Wyoming to visit
their daughter, Pam and her 2 children, which they enjoy immensely. A side trip to Colorado is also planned, the
middle of the ski areas for lots of sight seeing and visiting
places like Vail, Brenkenridge, Copper Mountain and the great little town of Fresno, Co. Next year, 2005,2006 ski
season they hope to hit the mountains and ski in Snowshoe W.Va, New Hampshire and Maine. Carmen
has a skiing family in Maine whom they enjoy visiting with and of course skiing with. As you can see Dan and
Carmen are always on the go. Enjoy and Congratulations again on your 42nd Anniversary.
Fay and Donna Crossley with Kris and Tom made an October trip to the Outer Banks in North Carolina, Nags
Head to be exact. They had a fantastic time fishing and just enjoying the beach. Of course with all the great
restaurants there, good food was taken in. No cooking while on vacation. Fay and Donna still looking for a
possible home in that area. They did visit the USS America Bar where Marilyn Monroe sat at…. Fay still felt
her present. Their kitty cat was upset upon their return, no heat. Temp was 52, too cold for the kitty.
Dick and Mary Dempsey are still looking for anyone who was stationed in the Naval Ice Recon Unit between
1960 to 1963. He has heard from one individual. Dick celebrated his 67th birthday on 26
October and Mary has a birthday coming up on January 25th. Dick didn’t give the number of years; I guess he
Volume 29-1 February 2005 19 wants to see his 68th birthday. Happy Birthday to both of
you. George and Diana Delano vacationed in Wisconsin this past year (29 Sep to 9 Oct). They took the round about
way via Bloomton, Illinois to avoid construction. Eventually they did reach their destination, Eagle River the
home of their 82-year-old Uncle. He continues to live off the land, chopping wood, homemade cooking, and no
ready meals there. His home is located next to a lake inthe middle of the forest. They did get a taste of winter
(SNOW) around Lake Michigan. Enjoyable time was had but home is where the heart is and it’s always nice to get
back.
Steve and Susan Kozlowski with their 3 children, Nichole (12), Dylan (9) and Mathew (6) have recently
moved to the Hampton Roads area from Jacksonville. They have bought a home in Chesapeake. Steve also
recently retired as a LCDR (LDO), after 28 years of
dedicated Naval Service. The move to Hampton Roads was prompt by Steve receiving a position at the new
established Aviation Hub at NLMOC. He currently works at NLMOD Oceana with Bob Daigle and Bob
Wright. All three will be making the move to the Hub in
February. Welcome to the area and hopefully a future member of the Hampton Roads Chapter.
Input from our Weather Mouse (Joan Akers)
Hi folks, Bob is knocking on my computer screen again and wanting to know what we have been doing lately.
Well, Floyd has managed to install a 22-foot vinyl fence to
replace what Isobel, the whirling wind drift, and squashed flat with our 40-foot cedar trees. As a matter of fact, she
uprooted 6 of them and a couple laid down south to north and the rest east to west. And the only things we
lost were a stretch of gutter two stories up and a narrow strip of siding a long with about 10 shingles. The new
fence is beautiful.
And of course he is replacing two doors in the house. One to the bathroom that sports a sign that reads, "LMSR
- London Midland and Scottish Railway - Will passengers kindly refrain from using the water closet whilst the train
is in the station. By order - L. Andrews Regional Manager, 1st January 1866". Since we have yet to park in
a station, we have had no problems. The other door goes to the garage. And it is about time.
The last ambiguous dog we had tried to dig his way into the house and the toenail marks are still there.
We have added a sunroom to the back of our house and it is truly great. We have light from three sides and a
beautiful view of the yard that is peopled or should I say animals with squirrels, rabbits, a huge variety of birds and
if you are quick and lucky once or twice you might see our red fox, some opossums and the bandit looking
raccoons who steal coi, large gold fish, from our neighbors pretty pool. Poor neighbor got so upset he put
chicken wire over his pool and now the fish get sunburned in oval marks.
Well, Christmas is almost here and we did the most dangerous thing in the world. We emptied an 18-foot
shelf of boxes filled with decorations and a boxed up Christmas tree. And while we have given many away, we
have so many more to go. There is a village on our 90-inch table with houses, stores and tiny cars, buses and
airplanes. Santa stands there with several other Santa’s surveying their kingdom. Then there is the small train
track with a rebel train on it. It bravely waves the Confederate flags next to its
cowcatcher. We have had no uprising and not a single cow caught, though there is a
little black bull not so far away.
Our young great-grandson, Nicky has built his own town in the sunroom and it also has a train track. He loves to
load the train car with tiny cars and send them round the track. The town has a background of plants and Nick
made a sign saying this is Tiny Town. Yes, it is a tiny town. The red hibiscus plant behind it keeps sending its
bright red flowers and at last count there were 6 of them. The plant was a gift from our younger son for Mother's
day.
Our Ohio Grandson, Michael just got a truck since he is 16 and now has his driver's license. His Dad is very strict
with both his children, (he also has an 18 year old daughter, Shannon in college at the University of Miami in
Ohio), and he keeps a very tight rein on them. Seems they have had 13 deaths of children in about 6 months in
that county starting in January and everyone is cracking down. Anyway, I thought instead of lecturing Mike, I would send
a letter to the truck so he could read it to that pretty 4-wheeled treasure. I bet he gets a laugh out of it, but
perhaps the information will stick, Mike is an outstanding athlete, playing football, baseball, soccer and basketball.
And his parents make sure his grades stay at least B+ and above. His sister ran track and did the 5-mile, the relay,
cross-country and what ever else came up. Imagine a tall
slender redhead with an A and A+ brain and you have her. Anyway, the following is the letter I sent to Mike's
truck.
(See remainder of new in Feb '05
Aerograph)
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