HVRC BULLETIN BOARD

NEWS HAPPENINGS and UPDATES

2011 REUNION

Gene Whitehouse will be our Skipper for the 2011 reunion. This will be the 40th reunion of The Happy Valley Reunion Club. Gene's wife will be our Exec. The reunion dates are September 7th thru the 11th and the location will be in the Lincoln,CA. and the hotel will be the Thunder Valley Resort. There are two trips, one to Alameda Naval Air with lunch aboard the USS Hornet and the other to Lake Tahoe. More information will be forth coming and you will find that on the Reunion Info Page.

2010 REUNION

On Wednesday September the 8th we all reunited at the Sheraton Hotel in Framingham, Massachusetts to hold the 39th reunion of the USS Valley Forge hosted by Skipper Peter Koshivaki with daughter Elena as his Exec. It was a fun filled day with sign-ins in the recovery room where we recieved our packets, itinerary, badges, list of restaurants and shopping info. We were reminded that this is Boston, MA. home of the Red Sox. The recovery room was full of activity all the time because of new members and returning shipmates reporting aboard. Each morning there was a continental breakfast with lots of scuttlebutt and raffle ticket sales. It sure was great to see new and old shipmates again.

On Thursday morning the 9th after a continental breakfast and eye openers the buses arrived and we all ventured to Boston for a tour of the city which has so many historical sites. We walked on cobble stone streets on the north end which were surrounded by 18th century buildings. We saw the home of Paul Revere and visited the Old North Church. (One if by land Two if by sea) Walking around the old city was different than walking at home because the city was packed full of people in a hurry going somewhere. Luckily we didn't lose anyone along the way. Our next stop on the Freedom Trail led us to the USS Constitution, located in the Charlestown Navy Yard.The USS Constution was launched in Boston on October 21,1797 and is the oldest commissioned warship afloat in the world. We passed by the old state house and the Boston Gardens home of the Celtics. After an eventful morning we were able to venture off on our own at Faneuil Hall for lunch and shopping. Before returning to the hotel we were given a short tour of historic sites.

On Friday morning the 10th after a continental breakfast and eye openers we boarded the buses for another eventful day, visting Salem, Gloucester, Cape Ann and Rockport. Our first stop was the House of Seven Gables. The house was very small but we all managed to fit inside. The house was filled with so much history and many secrets. The hidden passage was a tight squeeze, we only left two people behind. After the house of seven gables our next stop was the Salem Witch Museum where we learned the history of Salem and why it was named the Witch Town. Many of us were getting hungry so we boarded the buses and made our way to the famous lobster bake. The restaurant was located on the bay in Cape Ann and we were given a lesson on how to eat a lobster. Many succeded but many failed. We filled up with the salad, delicous clam chower, corn on the cob and corn bread before consuming the lobsters. Next we boarded the buses to a tourist trap called Rockport, a town filled with cute shops. Many enjoyed the bakery, ice cream and fudge. Once we rounded up all of the shoppers we headed back to the hotel for R and R.

On Saturday morning the 11th after a continental breakfast and eye openers an 0800 steering committe meeting was held followed by the business meeting at 1000 for all hands. There was a formal opening with the pledge and introduction of all hands. Each year we get new shipmates and this was no exception. WELCOME ABOARD SHIPMATES. The following officers were elected to their new positions Leonard Erb as President, George Wakefield West Coast V.P., Don Hamann Mid West V.P., Peter Koshivaki East Coast V.P. and John Hodge as Secretary / Treasurer. Appointed Officers were Mike Ellis Master at Arms, David Manchester Historian / Web Master, LeRoy Holzwarth Chaplain. Many thanks to Leroy who was our Sec/Tres for many years. It was agreed by all present that The Articles of Association and By Laws were approved as revised and Articles 11,12, and 13 will be deleted. The e-mail address listing of the reunion group will be maintained by John Hodge, please confirm your e-mail address with John at hodgejv@yahoo.com The Ship Store will be maintained by Dan Jacobs and he can be contacted at his web site using jake@capecodmouse. End of meeting.

The recovery room was closed at 1630 in preparation for the Banquet and Dinner Dance. Cocktail hour was 1800 to 1900 with last raffle tickets sales. We take the time at each banquet to honor our deceased with the ringing of the bell for each member when the roll call mentions their name. The Banquet was served buffet style and had delicious food and deserts. We continued with our raffle and danced to the music of the Disk Jockey. There were a few farewells for those who were leaving early in the morning.

On Sunday morning the 12th the recovery room was open early to get a quick bite to eat and to say our good-byes till we meet in Lincoln, CA. September 7, 2011 with God's help. We especially want to thank Peter and Elena Koshivaki for their hard work in hosting a fine reunion and many thanks to those helpers for making this reunion a special success.

Each year we look for our shipmates and ask about those who are missing and of their whereabouts. Aboard the Happy Valley we were all young sailors growing up at the same time. We can now say we sailed with the greatest sailors we know and the comradery still continues If you have never come to a reunion or haven't been for a long time the 2011 reunion will be for you.