Reunion Reservations

In the previous Post you got information about the hotel that has been selected. If that information has convinced you to come to the reunion you can let me know by sending me a check for $30.00 to cover the registration fee. This fee covers hospitality room supplies (beer wine, soda and snacks) and the expenses of publicizing the reunion. If you cannot attend it is fully refundable.

Let me know how many will be in your party when you send your check. Make it payable to:

USS HAZELWOOD REUNION and mail it to:

Jim Julian

318 Salt Creek Drive

North Port, FL 34287

We are up to 33 shipmates who are planning to attend. Cecil Oliver (51-53, MM3) had to cancel and we will miss him. We hope that many more of you can make it and make this reunion one of our largest ones. You have to attend these reunions before you are not able to. None of us are getting any younger. The weather in Florida during late April is great and you may even want to spend more time enjoying it.

Also, so far we have NO OIL on the southern gulf side beaches and are hoping it stays away. I was snorkeling Sunday at Venice beach in 90 degree, clean and clear water. The panhandle is getting some oil at this writing but it is doubtful if it will get to the East Coast beaches

Smooth sailing, Jim Julian

Taps & Hotel Selection

TAPS

I received a card from Bessie Golden informing me of the passing of her spouse, George Golden on January 30, 2009. George served in the engineering department in 1944-45. Our condolences go out to the family.

HOTEL SELECTION

During the week of May 23rd, Carol and stayed in Jacksonville and visited 9 hotels to evaluate them as a reunion site. Two stood out as top contenders and we actually stayed in each one so we could fully evaluate each hotel and it's location. One was in the downtown and the other was very near the airport.

Both hotels had excellent rooms, very nice complimentary hospitality rooms for our "Bull Session",and comparable banquet rooms and meals. To help make my decision I calculated the cost difference for a couple to stay 3 nights at the reunion.

The downtown hotel had higher room rates, parking fees and no complimentary airport shuttle. I calculated it would cost a couple from $252 to $273 if we used the downtown hotel for the reunion. I felt this was too much of a cost difference to ask the reunion attendees to pay.

I selected the Crowne Plaza Hotel at the airport as our reunion site. Even though it is at the airport there was no airport noise during our entire stay and there are plenty of stores and restaurants nearby. The hotel provides free shuttle service to and from the airport and also free shuttle service to the River City Marketplace shopping area. It is less than a mile from the hotel and the spouses may want to visit while shipmates are telling sea stories.

Parking is free at the hotel and even has room for RV parking if you wish to park there. Carol and I will probably bring our RV but will stay in the hotel. If you are driving, the airport is very near Interstate 95 and easy to locate.

The room rate at the hotel will $88.00 plus 13% Room Tax which brings the cost per night to $99.44 per night. You do not need to make a room reservation yet but they must be made by April 13, 2011. There will be more information on that later and you will be able to reserve online but must use a "code" to get our reduced room rate.

The complimentary hospitality room we will have is on the ground floor and has a patio so the smokers can go out side and "light the smoking lamp". If our group gets large enough to crowd the room I can arrange for an adjoining room to have more room. Many hotels will require you use them to supply drinks and snacks in a hospitality room but not so here. We will be able to bring our own beer, wine, soda and snacks. Your Reunion Registration Fee pays for these items. The hotel said they would even supply ice for us.

The banquet menus are reasonable in cost for a banquet. We will have the opportunity to select from a fish, beef or chicken menu and the cost, including taxes, should be around $35.00 per person. A cash bar will be set up prior to the banquet.

If you are not a member of the Priority Club, you should join before making your reservation. Membership is free and you get free perks if you are a member. The best of the perks is an upgrade to you room and you will be in an exclusive section of the hotel that has coffee and snacks available. I sure enjoyed the Ben And Jerry's ice cream during our stay!!!

Sign up for the Priority Club at http://www.priorityclub.com/ or call 1-888-211-9874.

If you would like to see the hotel go to http://www.cpjacksonvilleairport.com/ with just a click on the link.

I will be sending out a postcard to non-email shipmates informing them of the selection of the hotel. An email will sent to those with one informing them to visit this site to get information about the hotel.

More information will be coming as I get it.

Smooth sailing, Jim Julian

TAPS

Since I have been working on updating the mailing and email list, I have received a number of notices of shipmates that have passed away. Some are recent whereas some are several years old. Even though we will make note of passing at our reunion, I am posting the list here for you information.


Almgren, David - 2009
Ashland, Cecil - Unknown
Bevilacqua - 2007
Boomgarden, Ed - 2004
Bowen, Braxton - 2008
Cashion, John - 2007
Chapman, Cliff - 2009
Craigo, Tom - 2009
Czajka, Edward - 2009
Depew, Clifford - 1992
Kniering, Roger - 1998
Locke, Chet - 2009
Partridge, Bill - 2009
Saxerud, Kenneth - 2006
Sowney, John - 2008
Spencer, 2008
Thomas, Gene - 2009

If anyone wants additional information regarding these shipmates contact me by leaving a comment on this blog or email me at dd531reunion@earthlink.net .

Smooth Sailing, Jim Julian

Attendee Update

I am sorry that it has been so long since I have posted to this Blog. Many things have been going on in our personal life that has taken up more time than expected.

This past week end I got calls and emails that added several more shipmates to our mailing list and a couple planning to attend. Here is the list of those planning to attend.

George Barket, 44-46, Sup
Sherwood Bradford, 45-46, Eng
Dale Crosier, 55-58, Deck
Burt Doremus, 56-57, Eng
Richard Ernst, 59-63, Ops
Bernie Fitzpatrick, 64-65, Ops
Teddy R. Garner, 51-54, Eng
Lawton Howard, 55-57, Ops
Ken Hughes, 52-54, Ops
Russell Frignoca, 55-57, Sup
James Jewell, 59-61, Eng
Henry Johnson, 55-59, Eng
Jim Julian, 58-60, OPS
Charles D. Kepner, 56-59, Eng
Robert Kevan, 59-62, Ops
Louis F. Kueltzo, 53-55, Deck
Louis, LaCava, 60-61, Eng
Richard Larson, 63-65, OPS
George P. Lewis, 52-53, Sup
Jim McCorkle, 57-58, Eng
Cecil A.Oliver Jr, 51-53, Recom
Edward G. Schroeder, 62-64, Eng
Bruce E., Shilling, 62-64, Sup
Robert, Shoafstall, 43-45, SM1
Clint J. Starke, 55-56, Eng
Otis Wolfe, 43-46, Eng
Dan Zakovic, 61-63, Deck
Richard C. Zimmerman, 42-45, Deck

It is great to see that we have a number from the 40's that are planning to attend.

I had intended to visit JAX in March to select a hotel but time has run out. I will be going in May to select a hotel.

From April 10th until April 28th Carol and I will be on a cruise from Miami to Rome, Italy The first seven days of the cruise will be at sea and I may feel like I am back in the Navy on Anti-Sub Patrol!!!! At least I won't have any mid-watches to stand.

Smooth Sailing, Jim Julian

Update

I have been contacting hotels in the Jacksonville area as I am planning to visit the area in March to evaluate them and try to make a selection for our reunion. This is probably the most difficult decision in the entire reunion process. I hope I can find one with good rates, good "bull session" facilities, a good banquet facility and an easy location to get to with free parking.

The most recent count of those planning to attend is now up to 24 shipmates. Since we are still over a year away from the reunion date, I think that is a very good indication that we are going to have a large turnout. I have received many responses that said they were not sure yet and I feel certain a good number of those will end up attending.

On a sad note, I received a note from Eric Spencer's wife that he had passed away June 27, 2008. I do not have information of when he served or what department /Division he was in.

Later this month I will have the opportunity to visit with Charlie Kepner as he and Jan will be here in Florida to visit Jan's sister. I can get some suggestions from him about the reunion as he chaired the Boston one several years back. We served together in the late 50's and when was Engineering Officer.

Smooth sailing and summer will soon be here

More good news and sad news

In the mail yesterday I received 2 more registrations and that brings the number planning to attend up to 20 shipmates. I am now getting more confident that we will have a large number attending.

I also received a note from Esther Almgren informing me of her husband Dave passing away on September 28, 2009 after complications from heart surgery. Dave served in 1957 -1960 in the Engineering Department. He was 73 years old at his passing.

Smooth sailing

Good News & Sad News

I hope everyone had a Happy New Year and will continue to to do so this year.

Even though it still 15 months before we have our reunion, I have received replies that 14 shipmates will be attending. of course I will be there also. I do appreciate these responses and they give me the confidence that we are going to have good attendance and a great reunion.

Earlier this week I made a mailing of postcards to 61 shipmates that had not responded to my Email to them. Since I also had a postal address for them, this mailing will confirm to me that they have received reunion information.

I also received a sad Email from the daughter of Ed Czajka. Here what she had to say:

"My Dad, Ed Czajka , passed away on November 30, 2009. He passed away at age 82 from renal failure at his home, surrounded by his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

Marguerite Czajka"

I relied to her and expressed our condolences and said we would remember him and other who have passed away at the reunion.

On a more pleasant note, I was going through my Hazelwood photo file and I found the following two photos of Otis Wolfe. Otis served aboard 43 - 46 as a SM First Class. The one on the left was taken at the 2007 reunion and the one on the right was taken Dec 1, 1944. Otis is on the left in that photo and he may be in Hawaii.

Smooth sailing and once again, Happy New Year