Coordinator�s Corner Article
THE
LAST HURRAH!
���� Our
21st Ship�s Reunion was held at the Sheridan Suites Old Town, Alexandria,
Virginia, 1-5 November 2018 - a bitter-sweet event, as we voted at our business
meeting that this would be our final, full-fledged reunion. �Age and health issues have seen our reunion
attendance go steadily down the past few years.�
�We decided to stay in touch by
holding �mini-reunions�, or informal get-togethers, in the future.� Our Reunion Committee will remain in place and
help facilitate these get-togethers.� Our
Website will remain active, and the Soley Scoop will continue to be published
on-line, as long as there are funds in our Treasury to support those
endeavors.� Our Ship�s Store will cease
to exist.
���� As
I was thinking about what I wanted to say about this reunion, I recalled that
over the years many shipmates and family members have told me that while visiting
different cities and going on great tours was lots of fun, the thing that kept everyone
coming back was getting re-acquainted and/or meeting new shipmates and family
members.� The relationships we have kept
going was the thing that meant the most.�
So, I decided to make this reunion recap about my recollections of the
relationships I developed with shipmates I served with, shipmates I met for the
1st time, and family members and friends I met and got to know over
the past 23 years or so.
���� The
1st reunion I attended was our 6th, in 1996, in Hampton Roads, VA.� As I recall there were over 200 in attendance.� (We are now down to 70).� I had no idea what to expect, so I went by
myself.� I was quite surprised to see so
many wives there along with their shipmate husbands.� I was accepted immediately and made to feel
at home, even though I hadn�t seen the shipmates I served with in over 30
years. I also had the opportunity to meet other shipmates who served on the
Soley over the years.� When I returned
home, I told Linda how great it was and that she had to come to the next
reunion.� We both have been coming back
every since.� I must say that being a
part of the Soley family has been a big part of my life for the last 23 years,
and it�s been an honor to serve on the Reunion Committee for the past 20
years.�
���� Following
are my recollections of events and some of the Soley folks I have gotten
reacquainted with and have met over the years.�
It�s not a complete list, as recollections seem to come and go with age,
and I�m sure I�ll leave some out � not intentionally.
���� My
1strecollection is of Gene Blum, then the Reunion Coordinator (not
sure which reunion it was), carrying around his big 3-ring notebook wherever he
went, making sure everyone was accounted for and addressing issues that
inevitably come up at a reunion.� Little
did I know that a few reunions later, I would be in the same position, carrying
around my big 3-ring notebook.� Thank
you, Gene, for showing me how it was done.
� Then
there is Al Stiles, who took over from Gene as the Coordinator, and convinced
me to join the Reunion Committee as an Assistant.� Thanks Al.
Who can forget Tony Vigna, who, when he
walked into a room, he made his presence known.�
He was always the life of the party.��
He would say he was known as �Dottie�s Husband�, not Tony.� We all miss you, Tony.
Speaking of Dottie, when she arrived at a reunion,
she would start organizing a raffle committee to sell raffle and 50/50 tickets
to raise money for the Association.� Then
she would come to me and ask if she could decorate our banquet tables with
balloons and other decorations, which of course, she did.� Thanks, Dottie, for all your hard work and
dedication.
I�m not sure when I met Mike Kranack, who was
then our Ship�s Store Operator, but I�m sure glad I had the pleasure of knowing
him.� Mike, who passed away a few years
ago, was just a great, down to earth guy.�
He was dedicated to making sure our Ship�s Store was always
well-stocked, and I�m sure many of you have purchased Soley jackets,
tee-shirts, sweatshirts, and other items from Mike over the years.� Mike�s wife Patty, who is a delight to know,
was always by his side, helping with ordering and selling items. She took over
the operation of the Store, after Mike�s passing, and he would be proud of her
for the job she has done.�� A big thank
you to Mike and Patty.
Frank Hawkins, who was our Treasurer before
he passed away, was a good old� country boy.�
He lived in the hills of Ten Mile, Tennessee, wherever that is.� He was old school when it came to keeping the
Treasury books.� No Excel spreadsheets
for him.� Pen & ink, and lots of
sheets of paper, was his game.� He was
fun to be around and made sure our Treasury was ship-shape.
The Brown�s, first Jim, and then Shirley,
have been our Treasurers since Frank�s passing.�
They have both done a fantastic job, retiring the pen and ink, and
bringing our books into the 21st century with the aforementioned
Excel spreadsheets.� If you have ever
talked with Jim, I�m sure you have heard one of his many stories and
jokes.� It�s lots of laughs when you are
with him.� Shirley is our 1st
family member to be on our Association Committee, and we are glad to have her
expertise.� Her books are always
accurate, to the penny.
Speaking of �stories�, there is no better
story teller about life on the Soley, than the �Oil King�, Kenneth Dry.� Ken and his wife Janice are recent reunion
regulars and I�m sure glad they found us.�
If you want to know why Ken is called the Oil King, you will have to
come to one our upcoming mini-reunions.�
I�m sure he will be glad to give you the full scoop.
There are so many other people I could
mention, but it would fill up too many pages, so I�ll just mention a few more,
without too much description.
- Weiner Bierbach, who played a mean
harmonica, and his family members who joined us after Weiner�s passing � Jill,
John, Brady, and Trisha.
-�
Widows, Ernestine Eble (& daughter Lynn), and Helene Wallace (&
daughter Paula) They have been coming to reunions for years and are all cherished
and delightful Soley family members.
If I didn�t mention you, please don�t think I
don�t cherish your friendship.� I will
sure miss seeing everyone.� Hope we can
keep in touch.
�
�I�d like to thank my fellow
committee members for volunteering their time and effort to help keep the
Association going on a day-to-day basis, and for all their hard work leading up
to and during the reunions.� Through the years I don�t believe the
reunions would have been as successful without the gel of the committee
members.� It seemed that we all knew what
was needed and just did it.� The
coordinating with the hotels and tour companies was difficult at times, but
also rewarding.� Frank Chesla has kept
the Soley website up to date. He also keeps our various rosters up to date,
prepares our name badges for each reunion, and does �lots of other stuff�.� Chuck Bruce puts the Soley Scoop together with
lots of great stories and information.�
Shirley Brown, our Treasurer, is meticulous in her record keeping.� Pat Kranack provided income and joy with the
Ship�s Store.� Jim Hawker was the
Historian and Emcee for Memorial Services and Banquets, and keeper of all Soley
memorabilia.� Of course, these committee
members had help along the way with assistance from other members like Linda
Folk, Jerry and Carol Loch for prayers and music; and the assistant to
everybody, our faithful Len Porter.� The
raffle crew headed by Dottie Vigna and of her assistants was second to none.� And thanks to all the volunteers who managed
the registration desk.� Also, included
would be the understanding and support of spouses, widows, and other family
members.� Thanks to all!
� At
the last reunion in Alexandria, VA., we were honored to have Plank Owner Bill McMurdy and
his wife Jane in attendance � all the way from Scottsdale, Arizona.� As some of you may know, Bill is a barber and
still works several days a week.� He told
me that he used to cut Senator Barry Goldwater�s hair back in the day. ���
� Also, in attendance were several
1st Timers, one shipmate, and some family members. Here�s a list of
those first-time attendees:�
��������� Tom Yerou � SN, 61-62
��������� Tara & Robert
McClintock, daughter & grandson of Carles & Patricia Stout
��������� John & Trisha
Bierbach, son and granddaughter of Werner Bierbach
��������� Emily Vankleeck,
daughter of Ted Strauss.
��������� Brock Wallace, nephew of
Paula Wallace, daughter of William & Helene
������������ Wallace.
� Most reunions: Tom and Frances
Bowen hold the record of Most Reunions with 19!�
A faithful sailor and wife.
� Memorabilia:� Through the years we collected many items and
photos.� We returned some items to the
donor or family member.� The Neon Soley
will be returned to Dave Latshaw�s family in Pittsburgh.� Five binders of memorabilia were donated to
Tin Can Sailor Library.� We received a
hardy �Thank You�.� The remaining items
were distributed with a free raffle.� Bob
Piatak won the �Smoking Soley�.� It is
displayed nicely at his home.�
� Len Porter has been scouting a
location for a mini-reunion and settled on a brand-new hotel in Charleston,
SC.:
���������� Cambria Charleston
Riverview
�� ��������84 Ripley Point Drive
���������� Charleston, SC 29047
Dates:� Arrival Tuesday, October
1, 2019 � Depart Friday, October 4, 2019.
The cost per room is $137.66 per night, taxes, fees & breakfast
included.
Save the dates!
A formal notification has been sent by email to all those who attended
the last two reunions. Reservation and information links are on the web site
www.usssoley.org
Hope to see you at the mini-reunion.
Mike Pollack
Reunion Coordinator
Note:� Portions of this summary
were written by other committee members.