March 2017 Meeting Notes

The March meeting started with Tolling the Boats lost in March and a moment of silence for our friend Jay Davis, who departed on Eternal Patrol on February 25. This was followed by birthday wishes for our members and then introductions around the room.

Carl Minor had to resign from the Sr. Vice Commander Position, due to moving away from the area. Karl “Dutch” Krompholz has volunteered to take the on the position. He was approved for the position and sworn into office at the meeting.

New Sr. Vice Commander Karl "Dutch" Krompholz at the 2016 Holiday Luncheon (I didn't have my camera at the meeting, so you get an old photo)

Old and New Business
Jay Davis Memorial Service - A memorial service for Jay Davis is scheduled for 2:00pm, Sunday, April 2, 2017 at Meydenbauer Bay Yacht Club, 9927 Meydenbauer Way SE, Bellevue, WA 98004. Phone:(425) 454-8880. Additionally, a USSVI Scholarship fund has been set up in Jay's name and donations can be made to the fund through the USSVI Charitable Organization.

Smokey Point Rest Stop Event Information – We were reminded that we will be manning the coffee booth at the north-bound Smokey Point rest stop again. This year we drew June 19, 20, and 21 (Monday through Wednesday). As mentioned at the last meeting, we are not required to man the booth between midnight and 5 AM, which will help with scheduling. We will have more information and sign-ups as we get closer to the date. If you want to volunteer for a particular shift, contact Steve Shelton. Be sure to mark this on your calendar as a reminder.

Report from VFW Post #2995 - Richard Watson, the Commander of the Redmond VFW Post 2995, stopped by to address our group. He thanked us for the donation for the new VFW sign. He let us know that the VFW Post election is set for April 3 at 6:30. He is running for Commander again and encouraged all of us that are VFW Post members to come out and vote.

He also reminded us about their Troop Support volunteer efforts, where they set up outside local stores to collect items to send to the troops overseas and then box them up. They usually do this once per month and invited us to participate with them. April will be a big month for them because they will also be collecting donations at Safeco Field during a Mariners game. We will get more information about the events out as we get it. Be sure to watch your email and check the blog.

Kaps for Kids and Tolling the Boats Committee Volunteers - With Carl Minor’s departure, we needed members to step up to help out with the Kaps for Kids program and our annual Tolling of the Boats ceremony. You don’t have to be the leader for either of these events, but we can really use more people to step up and help make sure they run smoothly. Steve Shelton and Kerry Ryan have volunteered to work on Kaps for Kids, but they can use more help. Lois Mezek and Ralph Sterley volunteered to be on the committee for the Tolling ceremony, but they also need additional people to help them out.

Boat Sponsorship Program - Seattle Base has been a part of the USSVI Boat Sponsorship Program that sends copies of the USSVI magazine, The American Submariner, to active duty boats. The most recent issue of The American Submariner had a list of boats that did not have sponsors. A motion was made and passed to shift our sponsorship to the USS Jimmy Carter and USS Alabama, two of the boats listed in the article.

Binnacle List:
Sue Dale, Jerry Gerten’s significant other, fell and is recovering from an injured arm. Jerry let us know that she was sad to miss the meeting and hopes to be with us next month.

We hope to see you at the next meeting!