Left to right standing: Tom Kirk, Bill Jones, Clint Kammerer, Cliff Steinsultz, Vince Strain, Lee McCumsey, David Wilson, David Steere, Rich Calhoun, Howard Knipple, Bill Kay and Cecil Evans. Seated left to right: Carl Gilman, Jim Pagel, Earl Aldrich, Jed Dubuque, Jimmy Cogdill, Henry Isenbergh, Rod Rodello, Jack Janssen and Mike Kinney.
USS HIGBEE NEWSLETTER
NOVEMBER 2015
Dear Higbee Crewmembers,
Hi, my name is Sharon Wilson and I am the new webmaster for the USS Higbee. I have enjoyed creating graphics, newsletter, and have some experience with web sites. We are in a transition phase at this time for myself to manage the web site and work with John Hawkins, the previous webmaster. This transition will take some time, however, while this happens you will be kept updated through email. This newsletter has more detail than would normally be included, simply to paint a picture for any crew members who have not heard of the organization and may be interested in joining the association.
USS HIGBEE 2015 REUNION was held from September 23rd to 27th in Herndon, Virginia at the Crown Plaza Hotel. The hotel was very nice with clean, spacious rooms, indoor heated pool and hot tub, restaurant and an accommodating staff. Also included a breakfast buffet each morning. Thank you to Rod and Paula Rodello for their efforts every year to locate a site for the reunion. They also make sure the hospitality room is set up with snacks, beverages, Higbee displays and silent auction items. Rod also coordinates the tours for the reunion. We do appreciate all their hard work.
HIGBEE 2015 REUNION SCHEDULE
Wednesday, September 23rd Registration of attendees (Hospitality Room)
Thursday, September 24th Higbee Tour of Washington DC
Friday, September 25th Organized Tours of the United States Capitol
Saturday, September 26th Crew members meeting at 8:00am
10:00am Silent Auction, Hospitality Room
Afternoon Free Time
6:30pm Banquet
Sunday, September 27th Farewell Breakfast.
HIGHLIGHTS OF EVENTS
Wednesday: Registration of Attendees: The Hospitality room is the location where you register, get your name tag and socialize with other crew members and their significant other(s). You are welcome to bring friends or family to the reunion. I remember the first time my husband, Dave, took me to a reunion. Feeling nervous, I didn’t know anyone. After five days I had met many crew members and made a few friends. Over the past years the reunions are like getting together with old friends. I suggest if you have never attended, come to the next reunion, you may be somewhat surprised. If you never come you may say to yourself, my shipmate is gone now and I could have attended and seen him one last time. Don’t let that happen! Attend the reunions. We want to see you so we won’t have regrets in our hearts. OK, getting sentimental, back to business.
Thursday: Higbee Tour of Washington DC, Mt. Vernon and Arlington National Cemetery:
Thursday morning a comfortable, air conditioned tour bus arrived at the Crown Plaza and the shipmates and friends boarded the bus for a day of sightseeing. An added surprise, the Pope was in D.C. this day and our bus driver expertly managed to drive to all the appointed stops on our schedule despite all the detours. We visited Mt. Vernon, Arlington National Cemetery and did a city tour of D.C. A memorable tour, visiting President, John F. Kennedys grave site and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington. Mt. Vernon is a must see for all.
Friday: Organized Tour of the United States Capitol: Crewmember, Bill Kay organized a tour of the U.S. Capitol through a Tennessee congressman. This tour was guided by an aide to the congressman. The Capitol dome is under repair at this time but we were still able to view all the impressive rooms in the capitol. The President of China was at the Capitol this day and a friend took his picture as he waved at her. Speaker of the House Boemer also resigned this same day and we had the perfect photo op of his office. A fun and informative tour. Getting to know your Government 101.
Saturday: At 8:00am the Higbee Association Meeting: The crew members and significant others assemble, have discussions and make decisions regarding current business.
Item A: Find a new webmaster for the USS Higbee web site. Sharon Wilson, wife of crew member, Dave Wilson volunteered to manage the USS Higbee site. John Hawkins, previous webmaster, does not have time in his schedule to continue. John, Sharon and Rod will work out details of this transition. Sharon will work to improve the site to be user friendly and will include feedback from crew members. Hopefully to reach more shipmates. Also include updated news and be the voice of the crewmembers. Thanks to John Hawkins for his dedication to the website.
Item B: Location for 2016 Reunion. Typically reunion locations have been divided between east coast area, west coast area and midsections of the United States. This gives relief for travel since we are located in many states. After discussion two locations will be considered for the 2016 reunion. Reno, Nevada and Sacramento, California. Rod Rodello, our coordinator, does previewing of locations. He investigates hotels to find a location that offers a reasonable price, amenities such as hospitality room, breakfast, variety of rooms, access to airport, hotel rides to and from airport, municipal transportation and the capability to host the Saturday evening banquet. He also has the hotel blackout a number of rooms for attendees. Rod has done a great search for many years. Rod investigates for organized tours of interest. Tours have usually focused on Navy and other military sites. They have included a wide variety of options. Once again most crew members would agree that Rod and Paula are the cement that keeps the Higbee Association alive.
Item C: Discussion was focused on one crew member be on the financial page along with Rod. This crew member would have the same duties as Rod in his absence. Sign checks and have responsibility for required legal duties. It was agreed that Dave Wilson share this responsibility with Rod Rodello.
Item D: There was some discussion regarding the possibility of the Higbee Association joining with another Navy ship association. Other associations are facing the same dilemma, memberships decreasing over time. Rod Rodello is investigating through connections he established over past years.
Item E: At the start of the reunion Dave and Sharon Wilson had available a survey and proposal for attendees to read and comment on the website. A proposal to have a newsletter published four times a year. The following is a schedule of deadlines and publish dates for the newsletters. Deadlines are the date to have information to the webmaster to include in the newsletter publish date.
Newsletter 1: Deadline - November 5th, 2015
Publish - November 20th, 2015
Newsletter 2: Deadline - February 1st, 2016
Publish - February 15th, 2016
Newsletter 3; Deadline – June 1st, 2016
Publish - June 15th, 2016
Newsletter 4: Deadline - August 1st, 2016
Publish - August 15th, 2016
Information should be sent in an e-mail to sharonbwilson@comcast.net. Subject line: USS Higbee. Pictures can be added as an attachment to your e-mail. Submitted information may be edited if needed.
This is your opportunity to submit pictures, stories of your nonscheduled trips at the reunion. You are important and each individual helps create the big picture. Be involved.
Saturday 10:30 AM: Silent Auction. The pictures above include some items that were included in the Silent Auction.The Silent Auction is an event the Higbee Association sponsors each year. You are not required to participate however, the majority of attendees do participate. Bring a handcrafted, purchased item or regifted item to the reunion. Fill out a bidding sheet available in the hospitality room with your desired starting bid. Items are displayed during the reunion for bidding action. Lee and Sandy McCumsey host the Saturday morning sale. A cutoff time for all bidding is set and the items are awarded to the highest bidder. You will need to pay the clerks for these items after they are awarded. Cash is always good, no credit cards. This event is so much fun to watch. The Higbee Association uses the proceeds of the sale for required expenses. In the past we have had so many interesting and unusual items shown at the Silent Auction. Take home your memory of the reunion and most important, bid often and high!
Saturday Afternoon: Free time
Saturday 6:30 PM: Higbee Association Banquet
The Crown Plaza hosted the banquet. Offered was a delicious buffet of three meats, sides and choice of desserts and beverages. A cash bar was available offering a large variety of alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages. Setting is large round tables, dance floor, waiters, waitresses and a DJ setup. Most important the Higbee attendees are set for an evening of dining, dancing and visiting.
A special announcement was announced by Rod followed by a song about the ship. No one had ever heard this song before this evening. It was a catchy tune and sang so well we thought a musical star had recorded it. After the song the secret was revealed. Clint Kammerer, crewmember, composed the song “Ode to the Leapin Lenah”. What a wonderful song. We never new Clint was so talented. And kudos also to Cliff, crewmember and his wife, Linda Steinschultz. Their son, Devin has his band in Ft. Worth/Dallas area and is a talented musician. Devin put the words to music to create this song. Overall, a wonderful surprise for all the attendees. CD copies were available to purchase. You can also obtain a CD by contacting Clint Kammerer at Kammererlaw@montana.com.
After dinner pictures are taken of crewmembers in categories such as 40’s, 50’s, 60’s and 70’s. Also during the banquet attendees will have their picture taken with their significant other. No charge, pictures are taken by Vicky Steere and Sandy McCumsey. Their spouses David and Lee are crew members. We will use the pictures on the Higbee website.
Sunday AM: Farewell Breakfast:
The farewell breakfast is your time to say “good byes” to your new and old friends. Everyone has their timeline to get to the airport for scheduled flights or be traveling to home or other destinations by car. You may want to schedule rides to the airport the day before with the hotel concierge.
Summation:
So you have had four days filled with activities, dinners, tours, shopping and visiting. We hope the Higbee Reunion has been a pleasant and rewarding time for you. Mostly, we hope to see you next year. Please let us know by email to Sharon if there is anything that could be considered to make the reunion better. Any information will be shared with Rod and Paula and addressed at the next Saturday morning Higbee Association meeting or sooner if needed. Last, “Thank You” to all attendees and Higbee Association members who contribute their time to make sure this event happens.
Respectfully submitted,
Sharon Wilson, Webmaster
An Irish Blessing
“May God
Grant you always…
A sunbeam to warm you,
A moonbeam to charm you,
A sheltering Angel so nothing can harm you.
Laughter to cheer you.
Faithful friends near you.
And whenever you pray,
Heaven to hear you.”
Hope to See you Next Year!
NOVEMBER 2015
Dear Higbee Crewmembers,
Hi, my name is Sharon Wilson and I am the new webmaster for the USS Higbee. I have enjoyed creating graphics, newsletter, and have some experience with web sites. We are in a transition phase at this time for myself to manage the web site and work with John Hawkins, the previous webmaster. This transition will take some time, however, while this happens you will be kept updated through email. This newsletter has more detail than would normally be included, simply to paint a picture for any crew members who have not heard of the organization and may be interested in joining the association.
USS HIGBEE 2015 REUNION was held from September 23rd to 27th in Herndon, Virginia at the Crown Plaza Hotel. The hotel was very nice with clean, spacious rooms, indoor heated pool and hot tub, restaurant and an accommodating staff. Also included a breakfast buffet each morning. Thank you to Rod and Paula Rodello for their efforts every year to locate a site for the reunion. They also make sure the hospitality room is set up with snacks, beverages, Higbee displays and silent auction items. Rod also coordinates the tours for the reunion. We do appreciate all their hard work.
HIGBEE 2015 REUNION SCHEDULE
Wednesday, September 23rd Registration of attendees (Hospitality Room)
Thursday, September 24th Higbee Tour of Washington DC
Friday, September 25th Organized Tours of the United States Capitol
Saturday, September 26th Crew members meeting at 8:00am
10:00am Silent Auction, Hospitality Room
Afternoon Free Time
6:30pm Banquet
Sunday, September 27th Farewell Breakfast.
HIGHLIGHTS OF EVENTS
Wednesday: Registration of Attendees: The Hospitality room is the location where you register, get your name tag and socialize with other crew members and their significant other(s). You are welcome to bring friends or family to the reunion. I remember the first time my husband, Dave, took me to a reunion. Feeling nervous, I didn’t know anyone. After five days I had met many crew members and made a few friends. Over the past years the reunions are like getting together with old friends. I suggest if you have never attended, come to the next reunion, you may be somewhat surprised. If you never come you may say to yourself, my shipmate is gone now and I could have attended and seen him one last time. Don’t let that happen! Attend the reunions. We want to see you so we won’t have regrets in our hearts. OK, getting sentimental, back to business.
Thursday: Higbee Tour of Washington DC, Mt. Vernon and Arlington National Cemetery:
Thursday morning a comfortable, air conditioned tour bus arrived at the Crown Plaza and the shipmates and friends boarded the bus for a day of sightseeing. An added surprise, the Pope was in D.C. this day and our bus driver expertly managed to drive to all the appointed stops on our schedule despite all the detours. We visited Mt. Vernon, Arlington National Cemetery and did a city tour of D.C. A memorable tour, visiting President, John F. Kennedys grave site and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington. Mt. Vernon is a must see for all.
Friday: Organized Tour of the United States Capitol: Crewmember, Bill Kay organized a tour of the U.S. Capitol through a Tennessee congressman. This tour was guided by an aide to the congressman. The Capitol dome is under repair at this time but we were still able to view all the impressive rooms in the capitol. The President of China was at the Capitol this day and a friend took his picture as he waved at her. Speaker of the House Boemer also resigned this same day and we had the perfect photo op of his office. A fun and informative tour. Getting to know your Government 101.
Saturday: At 8:00am the Higbee Association Meeting: The crew members and significant others assemble, have discussions and make decisions regarding current business.
Item A: Find a new webmaster for the USS Higbee web site. Sharon Wilson, wife of crew member, Dave Wilson volunteered to manage the USS Higbee site. John Hawkins, previous webmaster, does not have time in his schedule to continue. John, Sharon and Rod will work out details of this transition. Sharon will work to improve the site to be user friendly and will include feedback from crew members. Hopefully to reach more shipmates. Also include updated news and be the voice of the crewmembers. Thanks to John Hawkins for his dedication to the website.
Item B: Location for 2016 Reunion. Typically reunion locations have been divided between east coast area, west coast area and midsections of the United States. This gives relief for travel since we are located in many states. After discussion two locations will be considered for the 2016 reunion. Reno, Nevada and Sacramento, California. Rod Rodello, our coordinator, does previewing of locations. He investigates hotels to find a location that offers a reasonable price, amenities such as hospitality room, breakfast, variety of rooms, access to airport, hotel rides to and from airport, municipal transportation and the capability to host the Saturday evening banquet. He also has the hotel blackout a number of rooms for attendees. Rod has done a great search for many years. Rod investigates for organized tours of interest. Tours have usually focused on Navy and other military sites. They have included a wide variety of options. Once again most crew members would agree that Rod and Paula are the cement that keeps the Higbee Association alive.
Item C: Discussion was focused on one crew member be on the financial page along with Rod. This crew member would have the same duties as Rod in his absence. Sign checks and have responsibility for required legal duties. It was agreed that Dave Wilson share this responsibility with Rod Rodello.
Item D: There was some discussion regarding the possibility of the Higbee Association joining with another Navy ship association. Other associations are facing the same dilemma, memberships decreasing over time. Rod Rodello is investigating through connections he established over past years.
Item E: At the start of the reunion Dave and Sharon Wilson had available a survey and proposal for attendees to read and comment on the website. A proposal to have a newsletter published four times a year. The following is a schedule of deadlines and publish dates for the newsletters. Deadlines are the date to have information to the webmaster to include in the newsletter publish date.
Newsletter 1: Deadline - November 5th, 2015
Publish - November 20th, 2015
Newsletter 2: Deadline - February 1st, 2016
Publish - February 15th, 2016
Newsletter 3; Deadline – June 1st, 2016
Publish - June 15th, 2016
Newsletter 4: Deadline - August 1st, 2016
Publish - August 15th, 2016
Information should be sent in an e-mail to sharonbwilson@comcast.net. Subject line: USS Higbee. Pictures can be added as an attachment to your e-mail. Submitted information may be edited if needed.
This is your opportunity to submit pictures, stories of your nonscheduled trips at the reunion. You are important and each individual helps create the big picture. Be involved.
Saturday 10:30 AM: Silent Auction. The pictures above include some items that were included in the Silent Auction.The Silent Auction is an event the Higbee Association sponsors each year. You are not required to participate however, the majority of attendees do participate. Bring a handcrafted, purchased item or regifted item to the reunion. Fill out a bidding sheet available in the hospitality room with your desired starting bid. Items are displayed during the reunion for bidding action. Lee and Sandy McCumsey host the Saturday morning sale. A cutoff time for all bidding is set and the items are awarded to the highest bidder. You will need to pay the clerks for these items after they are awarded. Cash is always good, no credit cards. This event is so much fun to watch. The Higbee Association uses the proceeds of the sale for required expenses. In the past we have had so many interesting and unusual items shown at the Silent Auction. Take home your memory of the reunion and most important, bid often and high!
Saturday Afternoon: Free time
Saturday 6:30 PM: Higbee Association Banquet
The Crown Plaza hosted the banquet. Offered was a delicious buffet of three meats, sides and choice of desserts and beverages. A cash bar was available offering a large variety of alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages. Setting is large round tables, dance floor, waiters, waitresses and a DJ setup. Most important the Higbee attendees are set for an evening of dining, dancing and visiting.
A special announcement was announced by Rod followed by a song about the ship. No one had ever heard this song before this evening. It was a catchy tune and sang so well we thought a musical star had recorded it. After the song the secret was revealed. Clint Kammerer, crewmember, composed the song “Ode to the Leapin Lenah”. What a wonderful song. We never new Clint was so talented. And kudos also to Cliff, crewmember and his wife, Linda Steinschultz. Their son, Devin has his band in Ft. Worth/Dallas area and is a talented musician. Devin put the words to music to create this song. Overall, a wonderful surprise for all the attendees. CD copies were available to purchase. You can also obtain a CD by contacting Clint Kammerer at Kammererlaw@montana.com.
After dinner pictures are taken of crewmembers in categories such as 40’s, 50’s, 60’s and 70’s. Also during the banquet attendees will have their picture taken with their significant other. No charge, pictures are taken by Vicky Steere and Sandy McCumsey. Their spouses David and Lee are crew members. We will use the pictures on the Higbee website.
Sunday AM: Farewell Breakfast:
The farewell breakfast is your time to say “good byes” to your new and old friends. Everyone has their timeline to get to the airport for scheduled flights or be traveling to home or other destinations by car. You may want to schedule rides to the airport the day before with the hotel concierge.
Summation:
So you have had four days filled with activities, dinners, tours, shopping and visiting. We hope the Higbee Reunion has been a pleasant and rewarding time for you. Mostly, we hope to see you next year. Please let us know by email to Sharon if there is anything that could be considered to make the reunion better. Any information will be shared with Rod and Paula and addressed at the next Saturday morning Higbee Association meeting or sooner if needed. Last, “Thank You” to all attendees and Higbee Association members who contribute their time to make sure this event happens.
Respectfully submitted,
Sharon Wilson, Webmaster
An Irish Blessing
“May God
Grant you always…
A sunbeam to warm you,
A moonbeam to charm you,
A sheltering Angel so nothing can harm you.
Laughter to cheer you.
Faithful friends near you.
And whenever you pray,
Heaven to hear you.”
Hope to See you Next Year!