A Message from the President

10/01/2014

Shipmates:

As you may or may not have heard, the 2014 Reunion in Orange, CA was a great success. We had 32 shipmates and a total of 63 people attended. The accommodations were outstanding, our guest speaker (CO of the USS Pasadena) entertained us with some insights regarding the new submarine force, and the ability to view the nightly Disneyland fireworks show from the hospitality suite was an added bonus. I wish you and yours could have been there.

The business meeting went off without a hitch, and no changes to the by-laws were enacted. George Wright ET1(SS) 66-70 was elected to the position of Vice President. Our past president Joe Shook was awarded the Dean Axene award for his selfless efforts on behalf of the Calhoun Veterans Association.

Since I’m now President I thought it appropriate to let everyone know my feelings regarding the John C. Calhoun Veterans Association.

  
  1. The Association is by and for us - the members.

2. I do not feel comfortable and will not give away the Associations monies or personal information to any cause or group no matter how politically correct it may seem at the time. This also includes names, addresses, phone numbers, ‘e’ mail addresses, etc. If an individual member wants to contribute to a cause, political PAC group, etc. – then that is their decision. I believe the Officers and Board of directors concur with me when I say that the money in our treasury belongs to the membership and should be spent on the membership.

3. I also believe that to further the camaraderie, fellowship, and brotherhood of the Association, we need to have more shipmates/families come the reunions. We need new blood to inject new ideas and help direct this organization. You the membership served on one of the finest (my opinion) submarines that the Navy ever commissioned. Someday we will all be gone, but until that time we have the opportunity to come together and share our experiences – both those on the Boat and in life. How many times have you planned to meet up with a past shipmate at the next reunion only to find out that he had passed? So I’m asking that when the dates for the next reunion are posted, that if possible you make allowances to attend.

Lastly I wanted to pass on that the 2016 Reunion will be held in the Newport News, VA area – the time and venue to be determined.

I look forward to seeing and meeting all of you in 2016 in Virginia.

 George (Wally) Walrath MM1(SS) 63-67