February Meeting Notes

We started off the February meeting with the Tolling of the Boats, birthday wishes for our members, introductions, and officer reports.

During the Treasurer's Report, Jim Harper let us know that Seattle Base members donated $1,494 to the USSVI Charitable Fund in 2012 and because of the donation matching that Seattle Base has in place (the base matches donations up to $750) he sent a check for $750 to the fund.

We took a group photo (see below) to send to the memorial ceremony for the 50th anniversary of the loss of USS Thresher (SSN-593). We also talked about the people we knew that served on Thresher and the impact of the SubSafe program. The memorial ceremony will be held on April 6 and will be broadcast on the Internet. The link to watch the ceremony live will be provided soon.

Seattle Base Thresher memorial photo

Old and New Business
2013 Holiday Luncheon Plans - While we enjoyed the luncheons at the Seattle Yacht Club, we decided to go to a different venue for the 2013 luncheon. We voted to make arrangements with Anthony's HomePort restaurant in Kirkland for this year. We are tentatively planning on holding the luncheon on December 14. But it is still early and the date might change.

Veteran's Appreciation Day - We have been looking for other fund raising opportunities and are thinking about taking the base float up to the Calbela's Tulalip store for the area Veteran's Appreciation Day on April 12. The main problem is that the 12th is a Friday, and we need people to help tow the float and man it during the day to accept donations. If you would like to help out with this event, please contact Base Commander Doug Abramson or any of the other base officers. There will be other veterans groups there too, so it should be a lot of fun.

Silent Service Motorcycle Club Changes - Bob Opple let up know that the Silent Service Motorcycle Club (SSMC) has decided to change how chapters are named. They will switch from regional names to naming the chapters after lost boats. The Cascade Chapter will become the Thresher Chapter, representing both SS-200 and SSN-593.

Chairman Needed for Tolling Ceremony - Base Commander Doug Abramson reminded us that Bob Opple will not be able to continue as the Chairman for the Tolling of the Boats ceremony. The Tolling ceremony is important for our creed and we need someone to step-up to take over the position. Bob has set things up so it will be easy to run and most of the setup work for the 2013 ceremony is already done. If you are interested in the position or have more questions, please contact Doug or any of the other Base officers. You will have lots of help and support from the rest of the base.

Smokey Point Rest Stop Event - We want to remind you that the Smokey Point event is back for 2013. This year we drew the southbound rest stop on June 28 - July 1. Be sure to mark the dates on your calendar. Steve Shelton will be looking for volunteers to man the coffee booth soon.

Other Fund Raising Opportunities - Seattle Base is on the lookout for more fund raising ideas. The hope is that if we can raise some more money, we can plan more events. If you have some ideas for what we can do, please contact Base Commander Doug Abramson or any of the other Base officers.

February Presentation 

Base member Darin Detwiler

The February presentation was by base member Darin Detwiler on food safety and regulations. Darin covered the history of food safety in the United States and his own involvement in working to make the food system safer for everyone. He also talked about the local E. Coli outbreak in 1993 and how he became involved in food safety due to the loss of his son Riley to the outbreak. It was an interesting and informative presentation by someone that cares deeply about the issue.

Binnacle List 
Gene Posel is still dealing with the effects of a torn back muscle.

Robbie Robertson reported that his cancer is not spreading and his doctor told him the recent drug therapy may be shrinking his prostate