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1996, Sep 4 - 9 ~ Hyatt Regency Hotel, Milwaukee,
Wisconsin. It was a great location with
indoor walks to all of the malls and short walks to many of the great German
restaurants. Thursday we spent on a tour to the Basler Factory to see the
re-manufacturing of the old C-47. The highlight for many of us was the visit
to the EAA Museum
at Oshkosh. Friday saw a tour of Milwaukee.
Saturday, the women visited the Pabst
Mansion and the Pabst Theater.
Great dinner and dance that night culminating with Jake Sternoff moving us
all, as usual, with his emotional rendition of Danny Boy! On Sunday, many
took the Edelweiss River Cruise and brunch with more food than anybody could
ever eat. This one was organized by AFR (Armed Forces Reunions), Inc., under
the eyes of J.S. Smith. The Hospitality Room was provided by Art & Jean
Ertel.
Oct. 5 - 9, 1994
~ Radisson Airport Hotel, St Louis, Missouri.
The first scheduled event was a tour of the Cahokia Indian Mounds and Museum
Thursday. That evening we had a tasty dinner and entertaining stage show
aboard the Goldenrod Showboat. Friday was a tour of highlights of St
Louis that covered topped off by a trip to the top of
the famous Gateway Arch. The Saturday banquet and dance were wonderful as
always but the highlight for some was the short speech given by our Honorary
Member from Holland, Tonny
Winkler. She came to convey her thanks for the role the 315th played in
freeing her country from Nazi tyranny. The Reunion Committee consisted of Jim
& Audrey Fifler, Jack Mancinelli, and Bernie and Bette Brown.
Sept. 9 - 13, 1992
~ Sheraton Old Town Hotel, Albuquerque, New
Mexico. This reunion was planned by Harry and Joan
Black. Harry had signed all of the contracts and made most of the
arrangements. We were saddened by Harry's passing away six months before the
reunion. Bernie and Bette Brown stepped in to help Joan, and we had a
wonderful reunion. Activities included a trip to Santa Fe,
a visit to Indian (now Native American) Pueblos,
visits to old town Albuquerque, a
western barbecue, and a trip on the tramway to the top of Sandia
Mountain have a sumptuous dinner
while watching the sun set. What a wonderful way to end a reunion. The
reunion committee consisted of Joan Black, Bernie and Bette Brown, and Al
Mallett. After this reunion we looked into having a commercial company put on
our reunions.
Sept. 26 - 30, 1990
~ OMNI International Hotel, Norfolk, VA.
A committee volunteered to put on the East coast reunion at Norfolk.
Henry Hamby, first commander of the 310th Squadron and living in nearby Williamsburg,
helped us G-2 the site prior to the reunion. The location of the OMNI was
delightful, right on the waterfront and within walking distance of many sites
of interest. Thursday was our "Welcome to Norfolk
tour ". Friday, we took a cruise on the Spirit of Norfolk that included
diner and a musical show. Saturday was our banquet and dance with the big
band of Billie Morris playing the old WWII songs that we all knew. The
Reunion Committee consisted of Charles and Effie Rex (who did everything),
Patrick Finn, Bill Walsh and Bob Cloer.
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Oct. 13, 14 & 15, 1988 ~ Menger Hotel in San
Antonio, Texas. Great location
near the river walk and next door to the Alamo. The bar
next door was where Teddy Roosevelt recruited his army. Our hosts for this
great reunion were ordon Tull and Charlie Cox. They added a unique feature --
all of our transportation for this reunion was provided by the big red
double-decked London busses that
we had ridden back in England
during WWII. These busses toured the military bases at which many had been
stationed. The high point of the
reunion was the tour of the Lone Star Brewery and their famous Texas
Barbecue. The Texas Top Hands played for a great western dance that went on
for many until about midnight. At
the business meeting, we selected Portland, Maine,
as the site for the 1990 reunion, but after President Bush selected this area
for his vacation home, hotel prices and availability ruled this out.
Sept. 25, 26 & 27, 1986 ~ Madison
Hotel, Seattle,
Washington. We visited the of the Boeing
factory, the largest building in the world under one roof, and watched the
manufacturing of the 747 and 767 aircraft. We also had a tour of the
beautiful city of Seattle and a
visit to their great fish market. The Puget Sound
harbor cruise and a salmon barbecue at the Tillicum Indian village on Blake
Island was enjoyed by all. The
hosts for this great reunion were Bill Conine and Jake Sternoff and their
wives. The Articles of Association were amended again at this reunion.
Oct. 4, 5 & 6, 1984 ~ Marines Memorial, San
Francisco, California. Lloyd
and Rita Perry planned three great tours of the city. Honorary membership was
proposed for five of our friends from Holland
and England
and was endorsed by the Board of Directors and approved by the membership.
Father Thuring from Holland was
our guest speaker at the banquet. Spence and Margaret Hogg hosted the
Hospitality Room. The reunion committee was a reunion by itself: Barbata,
Cloer, Enderlin, Hampson, Hoff, Hogg, Kennedy, Lazarus, Mancinelli, Matzdorff
and Perry, and their wives. The Articles of Association were amended again.
Sep. 23, 24 & 25, 1982 ~ Radisson Hotel, Chicago,
Illinois. Many of the 310th men checked in
on the 21st for a 310th Troop Carrier Squadron mini-reunion before the Group
reunion that weekend. John Stewart, John Deiterle and the 310th hosted the
Hospitality Room for the reunion. The Reunion
committee was Marty Dean, Don Glover, Ed Papp and Tom Wright.
Oct. 23, 24 & 25, 1980 ~ St.Charles Hotel, New
Orleans, Louisiana. Bernie and
Dee Pleasent spent many hours and miles on this reunion. The Articles of
Association were changed to cover the number of Officers and Board of
Directors and set terms of office. Bill Brinson was asked to look into the
possibility of a memorial to be placed at our old base of Spanhoe in England.
Sep. 21, 22 & 23, 1978 ~ Down Town Sheraton, Dallas,
Texas. The super host was Leonard Thomas
who got us rates of $35.00 per night. The Articles of Association were
adopted and Officers were elected for the following two years until the next
reunion.
Sep. 16 & 17, 1977 ~ DeSoto Hilton Hotel, Savannah,
Georgia. Early that
year, Coggins and Brinson, with the help of Duncan McRae, started to locate
315th members. Thirty-five members, plus wives and friends came. We decided
to form a Reunion Association and hold a reunion each year, the next year
(1978) to be in Dallas.
Sep. 29, 30, Oct. 1, 1950
~ Hotel Phillips, Kansas
City, Missouri. They let us
come back although the prices had gone up -- $3.50 for singles and $5.00 for
doubles. Registration fee was $1.50 and the banquet cost $2.75. We were going
to do big things -- elected a Board of Directors, start a scrap book, and
publish a book on the Group history. We took up a collection and turned over
all of the unit records we had. That was the last we ever heard about an
association until 1977.
July 4th, 1947
~ Hotel Phillips, Kansas
City, Missouri. For most
of us, the first reunion. We were young worriers who had single-handedly just
won the war! We met at the Hotel Phillips in Kansas City.
Rooms were $2.50 for single or $3.00 for doubles and no phone bill! The
banquet cost $2.50. Pence & Ertel's room became the 'Hospitality room'.
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