Late, as usual, Newsletter
April 23, 2006

Apologies and excuses

This newsletter has been owed to the group since June of last year. My only bragging point is that I did get it done in less than a year. I do apologize for the delay, and I will try to do better next time. The excuse is that, unlike many of you retired folks, I still have to hustle to make a living. Our business got a new insurance program exclusive to us for Texas effective August of 2005. It has been going nicely, and keeping all of us on our toes. The growth led to a change of computer system and an office remodel. That’s all the excuses I have. I am now putting this together on a Sunday afternoon in order to give you a report on current activities as well as the last gathering in Sun Valley in June of 2005. Hope you will forgive another lapse on my part.

Sun Valley Report

This report will be much more brief than the report on San Antonio a few years ago because some time has passed, and I don’t remember as much to report as I did just after San Antonio. Bet that really bothers some of you.

The facilities at Sun Valley Resort were terrific. The hospitality “Cottage” was great. The people were great to work with us, and that is not always true of a very small group. The scenery was great. Everything was first class and very relaxing.

Thursday Arrivals

Folks arrived from all directions. Some flew in to Boise and drove to Sun Valley. That was a drive of three hours or more, and Hewlett really enjoyed the drive on Thursday night. At least he was talking about that instead of the “Frog Story”! Some flew into Hailey airport, just 30 miles or so from Sun Valley. I can tell you first hand that it is just a bit disconcerting to be in a fairly small plane that is moved around by the wind currents and look straight out the side windows to see mountains higher than you are on both sides of the plane. The adventure had begun. Oh, well. It was a lot closer; just a Sun Valley Resort shuttle ride away. Some folks drove in order to vacation on the way to and from Sun Valley. The Sargeants wandered around the entire Northwest, I think. I can’t wait to get their travel report and recommendations for future trips. Most of the group arrived on Thursday and gathered for the Thursday evening hospitality at “The View Cottage”. The Sun Valley folks set us up with a good selection of Hors D’ oeuvres and we added our own touch with the shopping skills of Hyatt and Harger. Good folks, good food and good times had begun.

Friday

Beginning with Breakfast at The View Cottage, the day was not based on any fast pace or scheduled activities, other than the Morgan Allen Memorial Golf Tournament. More on Golf later, but the entire schedule for the day, other than golf, consisted of “Do your own thing – The View open as needed or wanted. Munchies available all day. Many of the ladies gathered and visited at The View. Some folks did the tourist bit around the area (beautiful area with lots of arts and crafts shops). After golf, some of the guys gave fly-fishing a try in the area streams. Don’t remember any reports of record catches? How about it Hyatt, Kennedy or Porter? Did I miss any fishermen? Did I name any fishermen?

Morgan Allen Memorial Golf Tournament

With a 10:00 a.m. Tee off, this tournament had much less yawning and closed eyes than we had in San Antonio with a 7:30 tee off. However, heat was no problem at Sun Valley. Cold was more of a problem in early June. We were there at the very beginning of the Summer Season. The course was great. There were a lot of spots just made for a pause and a look around. Beautiful. Not the golf or the golfers, but the scenery and the golf course. We only had twelve golfers ---- let me clarify that ---- we only had twelve guys fighting their way around the course. We will find a golfer in this group, yet. A first-timer, Karl Kurtz, the Treasurer our year and an Idaho resident, made his mark with a closest to the pin, a long drive, third place in the Championship Flight and 1st place in the Team competition with Doug McNeil. I would really be worried about a ringer in our midst if I had not heard the stories told by the folks in his foursome. Karl plays our kind of golf. He says he’ll be back to give us another shot at him next time.

If you have never read the rules for a Morgan Allen Memorial, let me just say that of the twelve folks that are not going to serve as “A” players on anyone’s four man scramble, after we are finished with the scoring, our high score was a 65 and everyone else was in the 50’s and 40’s. Pretty slick, heh. We all have scores in Morgan Allen Memorials that we can brag about. Just don’t analyze them.

Glenn Harger was the tournament Champion with the low gross (real) score. Jim Hyatt won the First Flight with a net 60, team competition was won by Doug McNeil and Karl Kurtz with 66 and I won the Championship Flight with a net 55. Since I worked up the scores, some actually accused me of pencil whipping them. Can you imagine such a thing? I might have done better in the team competition, but I was paired with Hewlett. There is a limit to how much you can do with a pencil.

Please refer to the Morgan Allen Memorial standings included with this newsletter for the complete results of our outstanding (scores of 46 to 65!) golfers. One other golf related item to report. We have a “Blind Calcutta” bet riding on this competition. Those winners were Bill Porter and Don Seargent in the Championship Flight and Jim Hyatt and Glenn Harger in the 1st Flight.

By the way, all you Additional Associates, Bill Porter represented you well. He may have increased his B. S. Quotient about 40% by hanging out with this group. He won money and held his own. He could use some help next time, though. We’ll be more prepared for him next time. (Think Weable and Bechtol have maxed out on their B.S. Quotient, but they might help the rest of us reach their level!)

Golf was fun, as it always is with this group. We certainly get a lot out of very little when it comes to our golf game. I have one last example of how this group plays golf and wins awards for our play. Jim Hyatt won the Closest to the Pin on the #17 par 3. He did it off a tree to land on the green. The shot was so wide right that the ball was probably lost if it had not hit the tree. It did hit the tree and ricocheted onto the green to win Closest to the Pin. We do play a different game than you will usually see on a golf course. Don Mauney started with us by hitting off a Tee Box in New Orleans in a perpendicular direction to his aim through a culvert. He played the ball from there. At Sun Valley, Mauney actually finished in the money! In our tournament, anything is possible. Hope you will be there with us next time.

After golf and a day of freedom for many, the group gathered for some extensive Hors D’oeuvers at The View Cottage. This munching and refreshment gathering went on form 7:00 p.m. until about 11:00 p.m., and everyone had disappeared. This session had us tipping a glass in honor of Bob Blackwell and Jerry Bussey as we made both of them proud with the level of B.S. exhibited in the room. When we first started these gatherings in Reno in 1987, they went on into the wee hours of the morning. Each time we have gathered since, the group thins out earlier and earlier. Next time, we may have to move the food to about 4:00 p.m. so we will have some time to visit before we all go to bed at about 8:00 p.m. Things do change. Bill and Jan Jussila had a guest that joined us for the evening. Their daughter Allison lives in the Sun Valley area, and she was a real plus for the group. As the evening grew later, the level of the stories began to deteriorate as did the level excitement. We had a B.S. session that would have made Bob and Jerry proud, but it was just a bit shorter than the last time.

Saturday

The entire day was totally unstructured, and folks went in many directions. Some went to Stanley, ID to be hosted by Dave and Susan Bennion at their beautiful cabin with a great mountain view. Dave and Susan fed lunch to the group that visited and Dave directed the fishing contingent to a fine spot for fishing. No fish, but a fine spot. Others made the rounds of Ketchum, ID, the town only a mile or two from the Sun Valley Resort, and some just enjoyed the activities and shopping at the resort. It was a leisurely day for many and an enjoyable day for all.

Don Cavalli Memorial Awards & Business Banquet

After a day on our own, we all gathered again for our awards and business session that is always so serious and structured. At the moment, my list of award winners is a casualty of the office remodel. I have no idea where is may be, but I’m sure it is in one of about 20 boxes still to be organized and filed away. I asked the Hyatts if they had a copy, and they could not find their list, either. When the list turns up, I will make a full report on the award recipients. One award that I remember and want to credit was the “Work Horse” award that was started at a previous reunion. This year the worthy recipient was Corky Hyatt. You folks have no idea how much effort and time Corky puts into our reunions. The award is not enough pay for all her efforts, but it is a beginning. Please thank Corky for all she does for us when you get the chance. She deserves all our gratitude for efforts above and beyond anything we could expect of anyone. You will soon see some tangible evidence of what I am talking about. You will each receive a care package from Corky that she worked on for months and I hope you will enjoy her effort as much as I know I will. If so, let her know how much you appreciate it.

The business session was just like any old Jaycee business session you remember. Hewlett played the role of the member that is always out of control along with Doug McNeil. Hyatt was the first with a suggestion for the next reunion. The suggestion --- let’s not wait three years because 07 will be our 30 year anniversary. That was made into a motion and passed, so we will next meet in late July or early August of 2007. Then the real political fun began. Sites nominated for next time included Baltimore, Las Vegas, Dallas, Florida and Branson. There were a couple more, but, again, the notes are missing. The fun part was that Mauney was the hack for the Baltimore effort, and he could not carry the vote of his daughter, Lauren. Lauren defected to Branson, and as the sites fell by the wayside, Branson emerged as the winner. The specific date should be set within the next couple of weeks for Branson, MO in late July or early August of 2007. Block that time now so you can join us.

The open bar ran out fairly early. The politics were not as vicious as in the old days (Kennedy, Hawkins and I even agreed on several things!). The food was great, the facilities were great and the Sun Valley people were great. It was a great time and a fun time with great people.

After the formal banquet and business session (formal??), we adjourned to The View Cottage for one last B. S. Session in honor of Sam Willits. Sam would have been proud, too. The only change from the good old days was the time we called it a night, again. The stories are even better as they are told for the 43rd time. Some with early flights left even earlier than they wanted to leave, but another good time was had by all.

Saturday

After most passed through The View Cottage for the last time to grab some coffee and breakfast, the crowd scattered in many directions. Several couples again took advantage of Bennion hospitality and went to Stanley, ID for a night on the Bennions. From all reports, a great time and great hospitality was had by all. Some of us stayed at the resort for an extra day or two, and we enjoyed a Saturday night meal with the Mauneys and the Jussilas. The hardest part of one of these gatherings is that you have to say goodbye to all these great folks and, in most cases, it is for years before we get together again.

Next Time
Speaking of getting together again. Let’s! Next week-end the Hyatts and the Hankses will travel to Branson, MO to finalize arrangements for lodging, meals and a golf course. After our return, we will report on all the arrangements and give you the opportunity to make your plans to join us in “Lucky 7”, that’s ’07, of course. It will be Lucky 7 if it adds up to a bunch of us together again. Take a look at Corky’s care package and make your plans to be there in ‘O7.

Change in Style but not Substance

You will notice that the heading of this newsletter names our group just a bit differently. We have added “Families”. They have always been considered a part of this group, and many of our kids have attended our gatherings. This is a formal recognition and invitation to all those wives and kids (not any more) of our group that we want to include them in our reunions and they are welcome. Our ranks of families without the old Jaycee at the head of the family any more are growing each year, lately. We hope their wives and kids will join us and add some new stories to our group. They are part of this family, too.

Well, we have added Don Mauney to the list of room reservations, and we look forward to seeing Don with us in Sun Valley. If this bunch can't give your spirits a boost, it can't be done.

Current count is 15 of the old guys with 12 of the ladies joining us. The Sun Valley folks will work with us to find a place for any late comers, so you can still join us at the last minute, and we'd love to have you.

Sun Valley folks seem willing to work with us to make the necessary adjustments for a group of less than anticipated attendance. Looks like with their help along with some unexpected donations, we will be O.K. We may be small, but we will be loud and active and having fun (maybe not as loud and active as a few years ago).

Merrill Pottle sent us $100 for the event and promised to join us wherever we gather the next time. Dave Parkin is donating $500 for the Saturday Night Banquet in honor of Don Cavelli, so that banquet will be the Don Cavelli Memorial Banquet this time. Along the same line, Dave helped us find Carolyn Cavelli.

Carolyn has been remarried for years, and she is now Carolyn Hilden. I believe she is Mrs. Mark Hilden and living in Alpheretta, GA. I have been in contact with Carolyn by telephone messages, but have not yet made contact to discuss her family and her live in GA. Hope to have more information for you soon. She is now on our E-Mail list thanks to her telephone message.

With Carolyn located and Mick McGinnis found after 10 years or so of disappearance, we are once again up to 100% on our group. We still have problems communicating with Hollowell, but that was true when we had him face to face.

If you are joining us in Sun Valley, let me know what your schedule is. Hyatts, Hankses and Hargers are all planning to arrive on Wednesday, I think. So there could be help with getting settled on Thursday.

David Bennion and Dave Parkin have both offered the hospitality of their homes after the gathering. The Bennions have the Kennedys joining them for a day or two in Stanley after Sun Valley, and there's still room for another couple or two. Parkin has a home with room for three or four couples in the Salt Lake area, and he's offering his hospitality for anyone that would like to stop by going or coming from Sun Valley. Let us know if you are interested in either of these offers. They both sound hard to beat.

We have heard from many of our guys to let us know they have family or work conflicts with our dates, and they hope to join us next time. I'll report on that list of folks in the next note. I want to thank all the folks that sent nice praise for Hyatt, Harger, Kennedy, Mauney, Parkin, Pottle and any others that have helped us put these things together and keep us all in touch. A little praise or recognition is always good for another batch of members! We all remember that.

If everyone that has said they will join us next time does join us, we will have our largest gathering, ever. Hope so.

By the way. We will select our next site and a time frame for the next gathering at the Saturday night Cavelli Memorial Banquet. If you want to promote a site or have your say on dates, get your act together for your presentation, give your proxy to someone for your pitch or send your hack. We will report on the results soon after Sun Valley.

Any questions about Sun Valley or any news you would like to spread to the gang, please forward to me at this E-Mail address, and I will try to get an answer or spread the word.

Hope you will join us, even if you are a late arrival.

Please complete the book form attached to the E-Mail I sent a few minutes ago or E-Mail me your information as requested of the Add. Asses and return it so we can have a
complete book for Sun Valley and get you a copy.

For all -- we will have door prizes and welcome bags again. If you have anything you would like to provide us as a door prize or for the 30 or so welcome bags, please package and send to 76-77 Jaycee Reunion, c/o Dock Hanks, Sun Valley Resort, #2 Sun Valley Road, Sun Valley, ID 83353. Mail or send your package to arrive on Monday or Tuesday June 6th or 7th. We will give credit to all that provide us with goodies just as we did in San Antonio.

Looks like we will have about a dozen golfers. With fewer golfers, we will only have two flights this time. Should have some surprises for the golfers, and we will have a fun round of golf.

Expect good people, good food, great place, plenty of free time, mountain air, lots of activities available to your taste and did I mention good people? They'll be there. Join us.

Let me know if you have any questions I can answer, and I'll try. If you have any ideas that can add to the fun, we're open to suggestions.

'til next time -- Dock

Dock's Newsletter, March 28, 2005:

COUNTDOWN TO SUN VALLEY!

Well, the registrations trickle in, but we still have a lot of work to do to have our usual good group.

Just received the Sargeant's registration, Bill Porter reports that he and Eileen plan to attend, Bill Jusilla & Janet have made their room reservations, and along with all the other registrations and commitments, we are up to thirteen guys and 12 wives, now.

Current attendees are:

Cecil & Kaye Watkins,
Dave and Susan Bennion,
Karl & Margaret Kurtz,
Ken & Joyce Hawkins,
Don & Mary Beth Sargeant,
Gene Tatmon,
Doug & Susan McNeil,
Bill & Eileen Porter,
Bill & Janet Jusilla,
Glenn & Gloria Harger,
Barry & Diane Kennedy,
Jim & Corky Hyatt and
Dock & Debbie Hanks.
Join us!

Several of you still need to make your room reservations, so check the 800 number below and give a call, today, to get your room reserved.

I appreciate those that have advised us of conflicts that make it difficult or impossible for them to attend. Sending regrets are Schorzman, Holden, Williams, Ziebell, Willey and Eppers. We need some new blood to take the place of the three of those that were in San Antonio. Hope your plans change, guys, so you can join us. We'll miss you.

Thompson, Mayer, Parkin, and Tucker, where are you guys? This meeting at Sun Valley is in your neighborhood. (In Mayer's case, his old neighborhood) We need you to sign up.

With the Porters committed, we need some more of the Add. Asses. to join in for a successful get-together.

All you guys that voted for Sun Valley, where are you? We need you there for a success.

All you guys that said, "I'll be there wherever you have it." Where are you? We need you to make it a successful get together.

Read the report from San Antonio on the web site, www.jayceereunion.com, if you need a reminder about how much fun we have when we get together. You'll miss lots of good laughs and the stories get better every time we tell them. Come and add your stories to the fun.

Take a look at the web site for Sun Valley at www.sunvalley.com and check out the activities and facilities.

Take a look at the golf rules attachment for the Morgan Allen Memorial Tournament on Friday, June 10th. You'll see that this is serious stuff. The goal of the tournament is to have as many winners as possible in a manner that is as unpredictable as possible. We usually succeed.

Make your plans now. Call 1-800-786-8259 and ask for the 1976-77 U. S. Jaycee room block for our $119.00 room rate.

Our reservation deadline is 4/25/05. We have less than a month to get this thing done. Please act now.

Please call for the room reservation today. Please open and print the registration form attached and mail it to my address on the form with your registration check. Please take the time to get it together today.

We can help you with arrangements to drive from Boise to Sun Valley if you wish. Just send me an e-mail with your schedule into Boise and out of Sun Valley. We'll try to help arrange your ground transportation from Boise.

Just checked the round trip fares from DFW on Delta to Sun Valley, and both of us can make the trip for a little over $500. Not bad. Check your fares. Might be just as reasonable to fly into Sun Valley Airport.

If you are flying into Sun Valley, the resort will arrange transportation from the airport to the resort.

We need you there for the fun. The folks make the fun.

See you in June in Sun Valley for "Alive in '05" ! ! !

'Til next time -- Dock

Dock's Newsletter, January 31, 2005:

Well gang, I'm to blame for no movement on our June meeting in the last few weeks, and I'm truly sorry for that, but the good news is that we're off and rollin', again.

The good news is the waiting is almost over, and we get to go to an American Shangri La. This is truly a great place to go and forget the rest of the world exists. Governor Ahnold and the Kennedy family spent their Christmas at this same resort. If it's good enough for the Governator and the Kennedy clan, it must be good enough for all of us. It truly is a great place. Check it out at www.sunvalley.com.

Corky Hyatt is doing her usual great job with our website, www.jayceereunion.com, and now has a direct route to the site. Just click on the address and take a look. The site has moved to a new host, and she's still working on some of the specifics, but I'll be telling you about some of the new wrinkles. Some pages are still "under construction", but take a look regularly and see it develop. Corky deserves lots of "thank you's" for all the work she has invested in the web site over the past four years or so.

It's time to start making our plans to attend "Alive in '05" in Sun Valley, Idaho, June 9-12. Here's what we know as of today, and then you need to do your part.

First, we believe we have a terrific deal for such a first class resort. In order to take full advantage of the resort, we have left a lot of free time on both Friday (other than the round of golf) and Saturday for all to enjoy the resort and the resort area. The View Cottage that is our hospitality area this time is, we believe, the best we have ever had. It has more space and a large deck with a view as well as a large yard we can use for our gatherings. It's on the www.sunvalley.com site. See if you can find it. All our gatherings will be at The View except the Saturday night Sam Willits Memorial Awards and Business Banquet. Don Mauney has stepped up and will sponsor and provide the extensive awards for the banquet once again. That event is in a nice meeting room with a great meal. The registration fee is to cover all the food and drink for The View for Thursday night through Sunday morning as well as the Saturday night Banquet. We will eat and drink well, as always. Registration is $140.00 per person or $275.00 per couple. These fees include an upgraded "Alive in "05" reunion shirt for each attendee.

Room rates are $119.00, and that rate can be extended a couple of days each way for members of our group that want to come in early or stay late. The Kennedys plan to stay a couple of days after the gathering, and some of us already have plans to come in a day or two early. Each room in the Sun Valley Lodge now has a Plasma flat screen TV for those few minutes you'll be in your room. There is also a real movie theater on the grounds, and I'll let you know as soon as I know what will be showing while we're there. There is an old movie set at Sun Valley that plays all the time, but they also show first run movies.

Golf will be our usual format. Confusing. When we're through applying the rules, everyone shoots well under par and almost everyone wins something. You will have a partner for the team competition, but you will not know who your partner was until the awards are presented. Lots of games are included with the $150.00 golf fee, and you'll probably get some of your money back. Not necessisarily, but probably. Golf rules will be forwarded with a future newsletter. The charge includes $92.00 for the actual golf at a course that would normally cost us most of the $150.00. The fee also includes a golf shirt for the "Morgan Allen Memorial" as well as the prize money for the games. This will be the classiest course we've played at one of our gatherings. It, too, is on the www.sunvalley.com site. And the setting is worth the round of golf.

Transportation -- coming from the east, Delta seems to be the best bet with their Salt Lake City hub and their Skywest flying from Salt Lake on into the Sun Valley airport (which is actually in Hailey, ID). Just checked some fares, and they're not so bad ranging from $281.90 from DFW to $363.80 from NY LaGuardia, round trip. Watch for specials and let me know if you find something great. I'll pass it along. Southwest flies into both Salt Lake City and Boise, so watch their specials, and the drive from Boise is about three hours. Send me an e-mail if you want us to put together a van from Boise. I've already checked, and there are some available for up to 12 people. I'm not sure about flights from the West coast and the Northwest, but I know there are flights into Sun Valley and Boise on a regular basis. The resort provides transportation from the Sun Valley airport to the resort.

If you want to fly into Salt Lake City and spend a day or two before going on to Sun Valley, there are options for flights and car rentals for the last leg. That drive is about 6 hours, I'm told.

The Hankses, Hyatts, Hargers and Kennedys are registered and ready. We just need you to join us. I hope a lot of you gave your wives this trip to Sun Valley for Christmas. If so, it's time to register and deliver on the gift. If not, it will make a fine Valentine gift for her, so register now and give it to her with some flowers on the 14th.

The attachment is a registration form and an agenda. You can also go to the site, www.jayceereunion.com, and Corky has a lot of goodies for you there. You can register at the site and e-mail her your credit card information for a "Pay-pal" payment with only a 5% service charge. You can also utilize Corky's links to lots of sites that you might want to consider if you are going to vacation in the area before or after the get together. Our registration deadline is 4/25/05, but don't wait, do it now. Print the registration form attached, complete it, include your check and mail it all to the address on the form. Don't delay. Do it now so you can claim it as part of your Valentine present to the wife.

As Corky develops the site and as I get my act together with some more specifics about the activities, food, golf, side trips, etc., I'll be back to you with another report real soon. Some goodies still to come include Dave Bennion's hospitality offer.

We still need to find Mick McGinnis and Don Cavalli's wife. Anyone with any new leads, please let me know.

We need to get started so we can have more fun that ever before at this "Alive in '05" at Sun Valley Resort.

With the new Add. Asses and lots of new folks in the Northwest promising to join us, we should be able to have our largest gathering ever in the most First Class setting we have ever had. It's going to be one fine party. Join us.

Dock's Status Report and Random Thoughts (October 27, 2004)

Status Report

The bundle of stuff from Sun Valley for our reunion June 9-12, 2005 arrived today, and that prompted me to provide an update. The rooms are reserved in the Main Lodge at Sun Valley at a rate of $119.00 per night. Rooms are very nice, just renovated this year and with new plasma TV's in most if not all. We have not finalized the meal plans, but will try to get those in place in November so we can finalize the registration cost and begin the registration process.
Southwest Airlines flies into both Salt Lake City and Boise. We are trying to see if we can get some group rates or charters arranged for our group from one or both of those airports to the Hailey, ID airport. If you have any pull, let me know. We will advise if we have any success. We may also explore the Charter Bus possibilities from both those locations. Again, we will advise.
Before our web page is updated with all the information and links to all the right places, take a look at the Sun Valley web page at www.sunvalley.com. I don't remember if it is shown on the site, but our hospitality facility for our group this time will be a four bedroom house with a very large common area and a large outside deck just through sliding glass doors from the large common area. Probably the largest area we have ever had for our hospitality gatherings. If it is on the site, it is called the View Cottage.
Block the dates now, June 9-12, 2005. I recommend additional time in the area to take advantage of side trips like Yellowstone, the Grand Tetons, the great Northwest in Oregon and Washington and other great scenic areas in Idaho. Dave Bennion might host us for a day or two at his great retreat in Idaho. We will get back with final plans and begin the registration process by the end of November, with a little luck.

Random Thoughts

On the voting -- on closer review, I found that the Additional Associates of our group, some Jaycee politicians, old guys, and Barry's Exec. Committee, provided 13 votes and our basic group provided the remaining 37 votes. On still closer review, the Add. Asses. voted 7-6 for Sun Valley and the basic gang voted 19-18 for Sun Valley. We seem to have pieced together a group that all think about the same. At least on the site selection for Alive in '05.
Our origins -- our reunions began as a result of the group of presidents two years before us. Frank Ziebell, our U. S. President from Texas and Johnny Aycock of Alabama were in that group and invited Bob Blackwell of Indiana, Glenn Harger, who was still on U. S. Jaycee staff, I think, and me to join them for their first reunion in Indianapolis in 1985. We did join them and decided we could learn from them and improve on what they did, just as we had always done in the Jaycees. Greg Strouse joined the effort and we put together our first reunion in 1987 at the Reno U. S. Jaycee Convention. We met at John Asquaga's Nugget in Sparks, NV. That first reunion was followed by '92 in New Orleans, '95 in Kansas City, '97 in Nashville and '02 in San Antonio. Sun Valley will be our 6th gathering. Jim Hyatt chaired '95 in KC with help from Barry Kennedy and Dave Williams & Steve Hewlett co-chaired '97 in Nashville. Those attending have varied and the numbers have varied, but I do not believe we have failed to have a good time and grow closer at any of the gatherings.
Last year Barry's Exec. Committee gathered in Boloxi, MS and invited Glenn Harger because he was on staff their year. They also invited me. I think that was to make fun of the "Dock Worker's" one more time. Whatever the reason, I was glad to join them and renew some contacts that had not been renewed in over 25 years. I had a great time. Barry was, I believe, correct in believing these two groups fit together nicely. The growth of our Add. Asses. should help us have our largest gathering to date in Sun Valley.
Personal thoughts -- Jim Hyatt and I were often at odds over political questions in the West in our active Jaycee days, and even when we worked together, we did not become close during the Jaycee years. Jim first came up to me at the bar in our suite in Reno (actually Sparks) after a couple of days of good times and gave me the glowing compliment of "Dock, I'm glad I got to know you better. You're really not a bad guy." I think that was a compliment. Through our reunion efforts, Jim & Corky get together with Deb & I two or three times a year, lately. We have become good friends. That did not happen in the Jaycees, but it happened as a result of our Jaycee reunions.
Barry Kennedy and I were, I think, always on the opposite sides of the Jaycee politics in our active days with the ultimate result of Barry and his gang of thugs providing my Jaycee retirement in Atlantic City by national vote. Barry and I began to get to know each other better at the reunions, and one of our Add. Asses., Bill Porter, a good friend to both of us, helped us grow as friends with annual gatherings in Colorado at Bill's family cabin in the Rocky Mountains. We now gather there every July and the Hankses and Kennedys make all the Texas Tech vs Nebraska football games together. I thought it was nice of Barry to continue our home and home visits long enough for Tech to finally win a game. (Sorry if we over-did it, Barry.) We were never close as active Jaycees, but we, too, have become good friends. These reunions helped make our friendship possible.
Several folks have asked through the years why I spend the time to work on the reunions. It's not something worthy and selfless that I do. I do it for selfish reasons. A few of us involved in the reunion process have had the opportunity to visit with many of our group that have not yet attended one of these reunions. We know that John Holden is in management with Delta Airlines, and John helped us look for Mick McGinnis in '02. (An effort that continues if you know where Mick might be.) We have visited by phone with Josh McHughes in AR; Marty Donovan in DE; Cubie Bragg in DC; Charlie Perrone in FL; Bob Schorzman of CO now in AZ; Wendell Chun in HI; Roger Fouts in IL; Mike Chafin in MI; Deryal Crawford of MS now in TN; Jim Guest in MO; Glenn Koegel in NJ; Dr. David Smith in NV; Joe Hollowell in NC; Mike Mendrick in NY; Bernie Dolan in ND; Paul Fettrow in OH;Gary Herr in PA; Thaylen Waltonen in RI; Doug McNeil in UT; Richard Ross in VT as well as David Hale, Fred Naaktgeboren, Dave Parkin, Bob Rushton, Walt Smith, Jerry Tucker, Karl Kurtz, Bill Hughes, Gary Rupprecht and Jim Morgan. None of these folks have been able to join us for one of our reunions, yet, but many have voiced a desire to join us when it will work with their vacation schedule, family plans, etc. We have had contact with old friends and acquaintances that we would not have talked to at all without this reunion effort. It's great to stay in touch with a bunch of good guys. We hope some will join us in Sun Valley.
First timers in San Antonio in '02 included, but may not be limited to Merrill Pottle of ME; Jack Hayes of OK; Cecil Watkins of SC; Jim Scott and Glenn Willey. Send any of them an E-Mail and get their slant on the gathering. I think most of them (I hope all of them) will be back this year. We do have a good time, just don't go as late every night as we once did.
These reunions have made it possible for all of us attending to harass Sam Willits once more for not attending one year as we called him in the middle of the night. That was the last time most of us talked to Sam. We would probably have missed the beautiful photos of Ireland posted on the site by Ron Kerr as he lived there in '02 as we were gathering in San Antonio. Ron is back in Lubbock, TX now, so we missed our chance to sponge off him in Ireland and see his beautiful spot. Ken Mayer got a late call from us, but I think Ken knew to have the phone off the hook. We did call Kerr in Ireland. Be alert if you're not in Sun Valley, you may get a call.
Just rambling on, but I do want you to know, if you have never attended one of our gatherings, that we don't live in the past. We would like to regain our youth, but we can't. Instead, we spend our time together enjoying the past and the present with some really good people. Come join us and renew old friendships that have been dormant for years as you develop some new friendships with some old acquaintances. Make your plans now to attend. E-Mail the guys you would like to and get an update. Check our web site to see what is posted about different guys. We even have family photos posted with our E-Mail addresses, so send yours if it's not yet posted so we can post it. We all like to brag on our grandkids. The web site also has stuff from all the reunions. Corky Hyatt has done a great job on our web site, http://www.jayceereunion.com/JCReunion/index.htm. There will be a lot of changes to come as we develop the plan for Sun Valley, but for those that have not attended and the new Add. Asses., the site can give you a lot of our history.
Until the next and maybe more organized report -----
See you in Sun Valley, June 9-12, 2005 for "Alive in '05".

Dock's Newsletter - May 2004

Last chance to lobby! Corky informs me that the voting page for the site of Alive in '05 is ready to post. Seems there has been little or no additional comments or lobbying effort lately, so we are about to move to the voting stage.

You have 10 days to have your say. E-mail me or go to the site, www.jayceereunion.com, and e-mail Corky if you have any opinions you want heard before voting begins on May 15th. Corky will post your comments for all to consider before they vote.

Seems to be a lot of interest and a lot of promises to attend in '05. Hope all the promises show. We could have a new record attendance. Hope so. You now have the final deadline, so we can expect a lot of comments on about May 14th, as I remember our responses to deadlines.
See you "Alive in '05" -- Dock
Dock's Newsletter - March 2004
Well, gang, the process is moving a bit slowly, but we are going to try to pick up the pace in the next three months or so.
First, a report from the February e-mail. We have changes for some e-mail addresses. John Holden is now seakech@yahoo.com; David Bennion has added a second address, dkbennion@hotmail.com, and Ron Kerr is now runrun@Dutchtran.com (more on Ron to come).
Responses from the gang included: Bob Schrozman says they are going on a 3 month trip thru Canada and Alaska this summer and may include our Alive in '05 if the location works. George Thompson reports that he and Caroline will definitely make the Alive in '05 gathering, and that if Barry's Exec Committee fits with our group, he feels sorry for them. Greg Strouse says things are great with his family and he's looking forward to Alive in '05. Jim Scott reports a change in address but phone and e-mail are the same. Ziebell reports that his group of presidents are meeting in Branson, MO, June 22-26 of '05. Richard Ross reports that August will be the Ross 25th Wedding anniversary, older daughter graduates MIT in June, son turns 21 in December, younger daughter graduates HS in June and Pops turns the big 60 in November. Robert Adley reports that he was elected to a full term as Senator from District 36 in LA w ith some plum committee assignments. Dave Senjem reports he's active as Minn. state Senator and thanked us for being included for Alive in '05. Dean Kilberg was impressed with being included as an "Additional Associate" rather than just as an ass. I advised him that there could be an ass or two in our group or as "Additional ASSociates". And finally ---
Ron Kerr reports that he will be leaving beautiful Ireland for the scenic beauty of beautiful West Texas and Lubbock. This decision was moved along by the fact that there are two Kerr grandchildren in the Lubbock area. Good news -- gained about 60% to 80% in value on the Ireland property. Bad news -- now gets to buy and furnish a home in Lubbock as well as buy two cars. Needed the gain! Now for the real story. I think Ron got wind of the fact that some of us were planning a trip to Ireland to drop in on him for a week or two and decided anything would be better than that! Welcome home, Ron & Willeke. Hope you can join us in '05.
We're still looking for Don Cavalli's wife and Mick McGinnis if anyone gets a lead.
Now for the site selection process that has begun for Alive in '05.
Corky Hyatt has posted the beginning comments for site selection on our web site for your review and for you to join in the discussion on site selection for '05. Here's where we are and what we need to do.

Our www.jayceereunion.com site has changed a bit. Because the provider changed the rules on the Hyatts, we now have a couple of extra clicks to get to our site, but that's no big deal in lieu of an additional $400 charge for our own stand-alone site. If you want a separate site, send us a check for $400.
Here's how it works, now. When you go to our site address, the Hyatt Real Estate site will come up first. Click on the 76-77 Jaycee Reunion button and it will take you to the window for our site on the Hyatt site. Now click on one of the two buttons for "Jaycee Reunion Site" and you're there! Once on our site, feel free to cruise all you want. Our immediate effort is for site selection for '05.
The "Alive in 2005" button is at the top left. When you click that button, you will be taken to our site selection discussion page. Read the comments and submit your comments for posting for the next couple of months. About mid May, we will take a vote for the next site. By mid-June, we hope to have a "Final Two" for site inspection and pricing during the summer with a final vote on the final site set for late summer or very early fall. We need your input. Corky's e-mail address and my e-mail address are on the comments page. Click one and send us your thoughts on the site options chosen in San Antonio. We want to hear from everyone possible before we vote. Get busy and let us hear from you.
Next step is up to you. Until next time -- we'll be "Alive in '05" at a site you will now select.
Let us hear from you.