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Another year, another reunion! Twenty-four old shipmates and forty-six, spouses, widows, children, grandchildren and friends came to Cocoa Beach. Many past adventures were told and retold. Forgotten stories, probably just a bit embellished by time, were recalled and passed on to all eager to listen. All the sea stories were absolutely true! New friendships were made and old ones renewed. What a grand time!

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Saturday

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Saturday morning began with a nice breakfast followed by a Memorial Ceremony honoring our fallen shipmates. The Master of Ceremonies was Ralph Horan, SGT, USMC from Bugles Across America. Our vocalist was Telly Antona, SPEC, US Army. She sang beautiful renditions of the National Anthem, God Bless America and the Navy Hymn. You can click here to see the Memorial Ceremony Program.

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The balance of the day was open for all to visit Cocoa Beach area attractions.

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Some went to Cocoa Village to meander through quaint shops and lunch spots. Several went to Kennedy Space Center to see the wonders of the space age. The MV Victory Casino jitney transported us to and from the ship for a "game of chance" cruise. The Warbird, Veterans Memorial and Police Museums were visited. Some came to Cocoa Beach to go the beach. Mambo's provided adult refreshments and food for the beach goers.

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Dinner was preceded by The Cocktail Hour. Everybody joined in. Camaraderie was in "abundance". Auction and Raffle items were delivered and inspected by all.

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An Italian Buffet Dinner followed and was enjoyed by all. The only concern was not enough "mini cannoli's". They were delicious!

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Then came the Raffle of the Jane Svejk sweater and the Ginny Brings afghan. It seems they make these beautiful and useful items every year. As usual, this went very well. The amount raised was $272.00/

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Our "Auctioneer's Mate" was the very capable Sol Kelman. Sol urged, cajoled, gently twisted arms towards wallets and, at times, almost begged for bids to be raised. His efforts were rewarded as the Auction and  50/50 Raffle receipts amounted to $1,467.00. Thank you Sol!

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His "able bodied crew" included Al Poskus, George Altman, Chet Stagg, Dave Leslie and Bob Hinkle. Barbara Duke and Elaine Barry kept the books.

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You can see a few of the Auction Items in the Gallery below.

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Whew! What a day! What a night!

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SUNDAY

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Sunday Breakfast was followed by our Annual Crew Meeting. At 9:30 am, LeRoy Thurn, President, called the meeting to order. Board Members Jim Svejk, John Davis, Bill Brings and Paul Barry were present. The highlights of the meeting were:

     - All is going well with this year's reunion

     - Preliminary accounting indicates the Association will be financially stable

     - LeRoy Thurn talked about Bay City, Michigan as the site for the 2019 reunion

     - Diann Sorola volunteered to host the 2020 reunion in New Orleans

     - Nominated and elected to the Board of Directors were:

           President - Jim Svejk

           Vice President - Bill Brings

           Treasurer - John Davis

            Secretary - Paul Barry

            2019 Reunion Coordinator - LeRoy Thurn

Complete Minutes can be seen by clicking here.

 

As with Saturday, the crew visited local attractions and enjoyed the beach.

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The Cocktail Hour began at 5:30 and a nice plated dinner was served at 6:30. We enjoyed a choice of Chicken Marsala, Encrusted Mahi Mahi or Prime Rib. Some enjoyed 2nds of Prime Rib.

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Our after dinner speaker was Ed Bales, Lt jg, who stood many bridge watches during the the Beale's action during the Bay of Pigs in 1961 and her involvement with the surfacing of a Soviet Submarine during the Cuban Missile Blockade in 1962. Much of this has been available in the History section of this website, but never before has it been recounted in such detail by  a member of the Beale crew...who was there! The riveting presentation was very similar to what you might see on the History Channel. Many questions were asked and comments made, especially by other crew members who served at the time.A transcription of Ed's presentation will soon be available on the website.

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Our final activity of the evening was a dual raffle of a Beale model donated by Joe Repasch and  a certificate worth 2 nights stay at the hotel. Diann Sorola won the certificate and Ellen Barry Werner won the ship. After consulting with her husband, Ellen decided to give the Beale model to her Daddy...me! This raffle netted the Association $520.00.

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MONDAY

Many of the crew had breakfast at about the same time and took the opportunity to enjoy the camaraderie just a little bit longer. Hugs, kisses and farewells were exchanged.

 

Until next year in Bay City, Michigan,

"May all have fair winds and following seas". 

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