Attendance update and tentative schedule

Wow, we now have 40 shipmates that are planning to attend the reunion. I think that is great at this point, since we are still 9 months away. Keep urging your fellow shipmates that you are in contact with, to attend and I am sure we will reach 50 attending. In one of the upcoming posts I will list all who are planning to attend.

In August Carol and I will take our motorhome north for some visiting of friends and relatives. On the way back we will be spending a few days in Jacksonville so I can meet with the Navy and make arrangements for a base tour. As previously reported, it appears that a day cruise on a ship is not going to be possible but will still try. On the other hand, a tour of a ship in port is probably a shoo-in.

To give you an idea of the reunion schedule I have been working on that. This is only tentative at this time and is subject to change.

USS Hazelwood Reunion
Tentative Schedule

Tuesday, April 26, 2011 You are welcome to arrive on this day so you can be here for an early start tomorrow!

Wednesday, April 27, 2011 ARRIVAL DAY

9 AM – 10 PM Registration in the Hospitality Room
Coffee, rolls, snacks, soda, beer and wine available
Bull Sessions & Sea Stories
Individual photos will be taken
Free hotel shuttle service to River City Market Place for shopping or meals.
Lunch and Dinner on your own

Thursday, April 28, 2011
8 AM – 10 AM Coffee and rolls available in Hospitality Room
8 AM – 10 PM Hospitality Room open. Bull Sessions
All Day Snacks, soda, beer and wine available
Free tours of Busch Brewery on your own
Free hotel shuttle service to River City Market Place for shopping or meals.
4 PM Business Meeting
Report of Attendance
Financial Report
Selection of 2013 Reunion Location and Chairman
Lunch and Dinner on your own

Friday, April 29, 2011
8 AM – 10 PM Hospitality Room open. Coffee and rolls available
9:30AM Tour of Mayport Naval Base
Tour of a ship at dock
Commemoration Ceremony on board ship
Noon Light lunch at a Naval Base Club
2 PM? – 5:30 PM Snacks, soda, beer and wine available
5:30 PM – 6:30 PM Cash bar and group photo
6:30 PM – 8:30 PM Banquet

If you are now convinced you are going to attend, let me know by and email to dd531reunion@earthlink.net or by posting a comment on this blog. A check for $30.00 for the registration fee would be appreciated. This fee covers hospitality room expenses (snacks, drinks, etc.) and mailing expenses. If you pay the fee and can not attend, it is fully refundable. Checks can be mailed to Jim Julian, 318 Salt Creek Dr., North Port, FL 34287 and made payable to Hazelwood Reunion.

Smooth sailing, Jim Julian

CAPS AND SHIRTS & ATTENDANCE

While in Jacksonville evaluating hotels, I also found a source for embroidered hats and shirts. I even bought one that had "Tin Can Navy” and a Fletcher Class destroyer silhouette on it.

I will be having these items available to those attending the reunion as well as others who may not be able to attend. The good news is that those attending will not have to pay for any shipping and the bad news is that those NOT attending will have to pay some shipping. I have not determined how much shipping will be yet.

The cost for a hat will be only $10.00 and for a shirts it will be $18.00 for Small to Extra Large sizes. If you need a 2XL there will be an added $3.00. I hope there is no cost increase before we start ordering.

These products are made in the USA and are of very good quality. My old Hazelwood cap is showing some wear so I probably will get a new one. The same about my shirt. It may have shrunk a little .... or maybe I have gone up in size a little!!!!

I hope to have some photos of each in a future post. If not, I will have sample photos of the style of cap and shirt but with another ship's name.

We are getting closer to the reunion now so keep watching for posts to keep yourself updated.

For those who were not sure about coming, if you have decided to come, let me know by e-mail or even a comment put on this Blog. The $30.00 registration fee would also be appreciated.

ATTENDANCE

Since the last post I have received several more shipmates indicating they are planning to attend. We are now up to 38 who are planning to attend. That is a very good number at this early date and I hope to see it keep climbing.

I am planning to publish a tentative schedule for the reunion after we stop in Jacksonville in late August (On our way back from "up north"). During that stop I am going to get with the Navy base and work out our tour of their facilities and plan our commemoration ceremony.

Having that information may encourage more shipmates to attend.

Smooth sailing, Jim Julian

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