In March 1967 AGC Lloyd Bellinger USN(Ret) disseminated a roster of "Navy Weather Guessers." That initial roster contained seventy-two names. The primary source was Lloyd's personal address book but some also resulted from advertising he had placed in NAVAL AFFAIRS and NAVY TIMES. Once the grapevine was activated and the word was passed, his roster increased to 125 names and addresses the following year.
Each year Lloyd distributed updated rosters, until it finally became necessary to have them printed commercially. Of course, the annual costs for postage likewise increased. When the staff at NATTU Lakehurst prepared for a reunion of Aerographer's Mates, the 15-16 August, 1975 event was made possible through the use of Lloyd's roster. It was a successful reunion during which there was a decision to convene a follow-on event at Pensacola in 1976.
Attendees at the 5, 6, and 7 August Pensacola reunion dubbed that event a "Bicentennial Reunion" and they voted to establish the Naval Weather Service Association with annual reunions. Lloyd Bellinger suggested his roster be adopted by the new association. Reproduction and distribution costs had become prohibitive for him since his roster had increased to hundreds of names and addresses. His suggestion was adopted. The "Bellinger List" was named.
The "Bellinger List" has demonstrated its importance to our association, progressing from a typewritten roster to various computerized formats maintained by a succession of association Secretaries. The list underpins our association. Each November an updated version is mailed or emailed to NWSA members, along with the quarterly newsletter, "The Aerograph."
