HVRC BULLETIN BOARD
NEWS HAPPENINGS and UPDATES
2014 Reflections
Again they returned as Skippers for the 43rd annual reunion of the USS Valley Forge held by the Happy Valley Reunion Club in Nashville, Tennessee on Sept 3rd-7th 2014 Bette and Ron Andrews want to thank everyone who attended to help once again to make this a successful reunion. A special thanks to Tom and Sandy Costigan, Sal Severino, Doug and Jean Lasker and everyone else who helped in the Hospitality Recovery Room. Kudos to all. It was wonderful to see so many new Shipmates come aboard for the first time and renew friendships’ once again. Some shipmates haven’t seen each other since departing the Valley over 50 years ago. A great time was had by all. There always seems to be that Special Bond when we are together and can’t wait until meeting again next year. I guess that’s why they called her the Happy Valley. We have seen a resurgence of New Shipmates coming aboard. We added 11 new members this year. A total of 64 attended the General Meeting. Our oldest attending shipmate was Frank E. Foster 92. We had over 85 hotel reservations and a total in excess of 160 attended the Saturday Night Banquet. A great time was had by all. Starting Thursday with a Grande Tour of the city of Nashville, and OH MY!!! Those BBQ Ribs. Friday was the General Jackson Luncheon Cruise with great food, show, great cruise and topped off with the Grand Old Opry Show Friday evening. The seats were in the nose bleed section, almost in heaven. Our Saturday Night Banquet with Raffle started with a color guard presentation. Entertainment was provided by Minnie Pearl and John Conley (aka our Elena Koshivaki and John Thomas Chatterbox). Ron the Singing Barber (aka Ron Andrews) provided additional entertainment for us. In conclusion thanks to all for your support each year and special thanks to our Sec/Tress. Ed Thomas our Web Master Dave Manchester for all their efforts in the upgrade of our web site. Last but not least a special thank you to our President Leroy Holzwarth who has attended 40 of the past 43 reunions. KUDOS TO ALL!!! See you in San Diego, California in 2015
2014 Minutes
HAPPY VALLEY REUNION CLUB Minutes of the Happy Valley Reunion Club Annual Regular Meeting Held in Nashville, Tennessee, September 6, 2014 The General Membership Meeting was called to order at 11:05 hours. Roll was called with 64 shipmates present, nine first-time attendees and three plank owners. LeRoy Holzwarth presiding. Pledge of allegiance and prayer. Introduction of officers: LeRoy Holzwarth, President Don Hamman, Vice President, Midwest Pete Koshivaki, Vice President, East Coast George Wakefield, Vice President, West Coast Ed Thomas, Secretary/Treasurer John Hodge, former Secretary-Treasurer Webmaster/Historian, Dave Manchester Master at Arms, Sal Severino The Minutes from the 2013 general meeting were read by Secretary/Treasurer Ed Thomas. A motion was made to accept the minutes as written. This was seconded and passed by 2/3 majority vote. The financial report was also given by Ed Thomas. We have $31,314 of which $25,033 is in savings and $6,281 is in checking. An Audit of the Books was taken prior to the meeting by Ron Andrews and Michael McGuire and approved by LeRoy Holzwarth. NEW BUSINESS There were no motions made. There was discussion concerning decisions made by Armed Forces Reunions Inc. A small number of members were not satisfied with their hotel rooms and housekeeping. It was suggested members have a choice of room sizes to accommodate family members escorting them and that more consideration be given for seating at venues for handicapped and aged members. It was also suggested activities be planned for spouses and guests while their husbands are attending the general meeting. OLD BUSINESS There was no old business discussed. The next Annual Meeting is planned for San Diego, California. A motion to adjourn was made, seconded and approved at 12:07 hours.
2014 Steering Committee
HAPPY VALLEY REUNION CLUB Minutes of the Happy Valley Reunion Club Steering Committee Meeting Held in Nashville, Tennessee, September 6, 2014 The Steering Committee Meeting was called to order at 09:00 hours, LeRoy Holzwarth presiding. Members present: LeRoy Holzwarth, President Don Hamman, Vice President, Midwest Pete Koshivaki, Vice President, East Coast George Wakefield, Vice President, West Coast Ed Thomas, Secretary/Treasurer John Hodge, former Skipper Webmaster/Historian, Dave Manchester Master at Arms, Sal Severino John Thomas, former Skipper The financial report was read by Ed Thomas. We have $31,314 of which $25,033 is in savings and $6,281 is in checking. An Audit of the Books was taken prior to the meeting by Ron Andrews and Michael McGuire and approved by LeRoy Holzwarth. We had three non-recurring expenses of note: 1. $2,500 for web-site development to add function to our site. 2. $150 for a used laptop computer. All our records are contained there. 3. $295 for direct mail to contact 690 members to collect dues. There were no minutes of prior meetings to read. NEW BUSINESS John Thomas made a motion to move the ships store function to Ron Andrews. He is to upgrade the content of the store, and the web-site is to be enhanced to automate ordering. Motion seconded and approved. A motion was made and seconded to continue using Armed Forces Reunions Inc. to plan and execute our reunions. Passed unanimously. OLD BUSINESS A motion was made to replace the “Articles of Association” with a new copy provided by Ed Thomas. The new version is easier to read. Article 12 from 2006 is to be included. The motion was seconded and passed. GENERAL DISCUSSION Dave Manchester gave a short presentation on the new web-site and it’s content. The question of raising the dues came up. Ed Thomas stated that we do not need it now or for the foreseeable future. Our bank balance continues to increase with the current dues rate and there are no expense exposures. It was proposed we give some financial relief to sick members and families of deceased members in the amounts of $25 and $100 respectively. After discussion, we decided a card with a sensitive note from the Secretary/Treasurer would be more meaningful. A motion to adjourn was made, seconded and approved.