Newsletter

May/Jun 2010 - #137

May-June 2010 / Alumni Newsletter

Newsletter Highlights by Carolyn Magee:

I can't believe that spring is finally here. We had such an unusual winter; lots of rain in December even before winter started, cold weather, snow at least twice. Now the temperatures are wonderful, the mornings very cool, but there is very little rain for the garden. Sometimes I wonder about Mother Nature. That Icelandic volcano (I won't even try to spell it) is erupting, spewing ash all over Europe. I hope that it dissipates before it goes all the way east and hits our west coast. Do you suppose it could blot out the sun and give us a cold summer! Just when meteorologists think that they can predict the weather , it changes. So much for figuring out our climate.

On page four you will see some great pictures from the Florida picnic, and on page five, there are pictures from the Change of Command ceremony on April 23. If you check out the web site, vp8alumni.org, you will find more great pictures. Ralph Papa is doing a fantastic job on keeping up this web site. If you haven't looked, please do. Of course for you who do not have computers, I will continue to put pictures in the newsletter. We don't want you to miss out.
We had a great time at the picnic, the biggest one in a long time, and I think that some of you Floridians should be ashamed for not attending. You know that we Magees travel over 600 miles to be there (we make the most of that and go down the east coast to see a cousin), but did you know that this year we had people from Maine, Missouri, and North Carolina who attended. Terry Madsen drove down from MO last year to attend the picnic which had been canceled (of course, he didn't know that), so decided that he wanted to try it again this year. Patrick Devine, a new member, drove down from Charlotte, NC, and visited his family in Ocala or thereabouts. The two Maniacs who came were Don Rickel and his family, and Ed and Carol Barski. Don and Gerlinde were visiting their daughter Heidi in FL, so we old grandmas got to hold her sweet little, but hefty, baby boy. The Barskis winter in FL, so they drove over on their big "bike," the one they had started out to Arizona on only having to turn back. We waited for CDR Liedman to come with his group of sailors, but he showed up solo in a cute little red convertible. He received a warm welcome, had a good time socializing with everyone, and then showed some slides of the last deployment. Roy & Lola Chapman were there for the first time, and surprise, surprise--Ralph Papa, Al & Rita Shiller also showed up. Al was not supposed to have come, but he loved us so much that he couldn't stay away. I guess that's why Ralph came, too.

Speaking of Ralph, he has contacted someone in the tourist bureau in Jacksonville and is working diligently to get proposals from hotels. He also planned to talk with people on the base at Change of Command ceremony. So he, Beth and Ken, and possibly others, are already planning our next great reunion. As soon as we get news, you will get it, either by newsletter or on the web site.

REUNION, 2011--Dates are locked in now for Thursday, Oct 20-through Monday Oct 24 (breakfast) with an optional day, Oct. 25th added.   For tentative schedule please check our web-site and click on Reunion Info. Dates and shortened schedule are to be sure we can meet the squadron and get better hotel rates over a weekend.   Itinerary itself may be modified.
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Congratulations CDR Villa and CDR Liedman.
* Click here to view the photos taken at the VP8 Change of Command on April 23, 2010.

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New Alumni RostersAvaliable!

New Alumni Rosters Avaliable!

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Complete up-dated 2009 roster is $8 if it is picked up and $13 if mailed

If you have a loose leaf roster with 2006 as the date, all you have to do is order the up-dated insert which is $4.50 mailed or $2 picked up.

Order by sending a check made out to VP8 Alumni Assn. to Don Rickel, 33 Bridge St., Topsham, ME 04086. When he receives the check, he will let your roster editor know, and it will be mailed out as soon as possible

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The new roster is loose leaf, so as you get changes from each newsletter. I suggest that you put a piece of notebook paper in the roster section and keep up with the changes as they come out--until a new roster is published.

The new roster is very different as it is divided into Sections.

SECTION ONE contains TAPS, the origin of the association, a list of reunions, the actual roster with an index, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, and a map showing how many people we have listed from each state.

SECTION TWO contains the history of VP-8 along with lists of Commanding Officers.

SECTION THREE contains other interesting and important documents.