Janice Gregg

I love it! Thanks for sharing!

Alisa Owens (Davis)

Last call for GHS Class of '74 caps. I will be placing an order for the blank caps on 9/4/2014 at around 8pm.

Price is $10 for the cap.

Add $6 for shipping

Add 90 cents for sales tax if you're local and want to pick it up at Winning Edge Sports.

Email me at dancingbayllc@yahoo.com or call me at 256-783-4727 with the quantity and whether you will pick it up or I need to ship. I prefer cash or check, but can send you a PayPal invoice.

John Cochran

I just wanted to wish all of my classmates a very Blessed week- Hope all is well w/ each of you.

J. D. Webster

Class of 1974 - 60th Birthday Party

Questions - informal survey

Though not all of us will be 60 in 2016, I think most of will be close enough to declare a class birthday party in that year. So a couple of quick questions to get thoughts on this.

1. Should the Birthday Celebration be tied to Huntsville and the School like our reunions are?

2. Or, can we simply put together a nice shin-dig somewhere interesting in the USA (Nashville, New Orleans? etc...)

The advantage to Huntsville is that about 1/3 of our classmates would not have to travel far. The advantage to somewhere else is that we might draw in additional people, and some of you need to get out and see more of the world.

Type of Celebration

We've had two ideas bantered about so far. One is a homecoming game event. The other is a weekend cruise. Regardless, other possibilities are available. So we need to consider the type of event we'd like.

1. Low cost - 1 evening affair (dinner party) Short and sweet, close to home.

2. Mild cost, possible travel - 2 evening affair (cocktail night, day activity and dinner party)

3. More expensive investment - 3 day weekend type cruise ship get together. Cost around 600-800 per couple. or weekend stay in some kind of resort.

Please throw your thoughts out there.

Cheers,

J.D.

Sharon Dickinson (Marlowe)

Debbie Dennis (Kavossi)

I also like the resort or cruise.

Alisa Owens (Davis)

I have an entire box (36) of coffee mugs sitting in my great room. We'd really like them gone. I have them priced at $10 each, but if anyone wants one or more, please make me an offer. I cannot do anything about shipping charges. I also have 4 orange caps and 2 stone color caps if anyone wants a cap at $10/ea. I still have some shirts too. These are unembroidered.

Email me at dancingbayllc@yahoo.com or call me at 256-783-4727... Thanks, Alisa

Alisa Owens (Davis)

I love the idea of the resort or cruise. I also love the idea of showing up at the homecoming game.

Vance Moore

I like a cruise...as long as the ship is not haze gray.

Steve Christopher

Come on Vance, Why would anyone want to go to sea without birds on the roof or 5,000 of their closest friends all wearing the same clothes?  And bells going off every 30 minutes? And that guy with the whistle always blowing it over the intercom?  And man overboard drills (or not drills) in the middle of the night?  And everyone wearing DFM #2 cologne?

Vance Moore

Good point, Steve!  And sometimes...at the strangest of times...I do miss it. Guess 12 years at sea can do that to ya!  ;-)

John Cochran

Have a great Wednesday, folks, and may God Bless each of you always.

Alice Bourque (Ellis)

Really Sorry I didn't make it to the reunion...sounds like everyone had a GREAT time!

As far as the 60th Birthday Get-Together, my vote is a cruise or resort also!

Alice Ann

Tom Morse

Vance, don't know what you are complaining about.  J. D.(hopefully), and I thoroughly enjoyed our exciting and challenging times cruising on gray ships. Great ports of call, 3 (or 4) luxurious meals a day, plenty of extracurricular activities, daily excursions even when not in port, what's not to love?

J. D. Webster

Oh fun!  Yes Vance, Tom, Steve

What I enjoyed about my cruise (USS Ranger) was that all my flights were included in the package deal, along with free housing and cheap meals. And no I didn't mind living in a smelly steel closet with three other guys, nor the fact that the catapult breaking pipe was directly over my bunk. Nor did I mind when we pulled into Kansas for an unscheduled port of call while in the middle of the Pacific (underway collision with USS Wichita (AO) during an underway replenishment that locked both ships together for a few moments with extensive damage to the side of ours). And it was not at all an inconvenience when the ship's air conditioning failed for over a week driving internal temperatures up to over 100 degrees - nothing like hanging out with a bunch of sweaty guys wearing nothing but tennis shoes and gym shorts as the prescribed uniform of the day (inside the ship). Yes - lot's of fond memories of my service days...including bathing in the refreshing mixture of water with JP-5 fuel oil the ship often provided via the shower pipes. I'd do it again in a heart beat...(not).

;-)

JD

Jim Hammons

A target! Death from below!

Rusty Hubbarth

Yo Squids:

The mid-rats were great, and the sea bat was funny the first couple of times; but after crossing the Atlantic and Pacific on LPD's; as G-D is my witness, I will never drink Kool Aid for breakfast again!!

OO-Rah!!

Frank Manning

Yea Rusty, seems like a lot of crying over solid digs to me as well. Gotta consider the source though.   After the weeks in the Mojave desert at 29 "Stumps", jungles throughout the Pacific, and my own time with their "brethren" aboard the USS Belleau Wood, I have to say they had it pretty good! On the other hand, I thank all of you gentlemen for your fine service! Engineers, jet jockeys, ground pounders, etc. all deserve thanks. I'm personally grateful for those of you who made it your first career and put in your 20+. Very few understand the sacrifice made by those who spend a career in our country's military service. 

Tony Campbell

The sense of community in the early years of Grissom (74) was so spoiling to me that I longed to experience it again.  Luckily I have been able to replicate it often since high school.  But Grissom was my template.  I am grateful for friends.

John Cochran

Just wanted to wish everyone from the GHS 1974 Class a Blessed week- Take care, hope you have a great one.

Jimmy Record

You know we all had such a great time at the 40 year reunion and I have to wonder what those who were unable to make it or chose not to come must think if they read these posts. I cannot stress enough how fun it was to be again with my brothers and sisters from Grissom 74 class. It was nice to also see some people from the 73 class who made it (Rick Jackson & Mike Boylan and others). I am hoping some of us can get toegher again soon maybe before we all get too busy with the holidays as Lord knows how time flies. Maybe some of us can get together for a luncheon or breakfast on a weekend in November????

I sure hope those who couldn't come to the 40 year reunion or chose not to come realize they need to come to one of these events as they too will find out how great it is to be with fellow classmates especially those who are within driving distance of Huntsville.

Have a Blessed week everyone!

John Cochran

Jim, you are absolutely correct- It was a fantastic weekend of laughing, crying, sharing, and catching up- I do hope we in North Alabama take advantage of opportunities to get together regularly, I know some of the Grissom girls from 1974 in the Nashville area ( Judy Wolfsburger, Kathy Hause, Pat Shout) have been getting together ever since the reunion- No reason we ALL can't do the same thing- Anybody who wants to contact me about getting the ball rolling, so to speak, can PM me, email (jrctide@charter.net), or reach me by cell (256)303 7598, or home (256)773 7598.

Ruth Garcia (Osborne-Hess)

Hey Jim!  I’m with you on a gathering before the holidays. (Working on relocating to MSFC!)

Many of us share in your same feelings about this recent class reunion.  It is hard to describe what exactly transpired in that snapshot of time and how that could impact each of us, individually, in such a profound way.  It’s a mystery.  But it happened.  It was for real!

Perhaps it is because we have more in common now then ever.  It is undeniable that we are aging (who would have admitted such even 10yrs ago!).  Our life experiences have left each of us with scars and a limp, externally and internally.  None of us have escaped the wear and tear.  We’ve been chopped down at the knees, but we got back up.  We’ve stabbed in the back, but we’ve forgiven. We’ve had our heart pierced and broken by those we loved, only to heal and embrace a deeper love.  We’ve been blind, only to see clearer now.  Failing health, uncooperative joints, and surgery.  A lot of ‘heart’ surgery.  With the blessing of children has also come some of the greatest joys and deepest hurts.  And grandchildren.  Some of us know both the joy and the sorrow that somehow reflect like a mirror.  Dreams fulfilled beyond our wildest imaginations and with the flip of a coin dreams dashed and shattered beyond our comprehension.

Perhaps what happened in our last Reunion is that we are in someway comprehending more fuller our own lives. And it’s ok.  It’s not only ok, it’s fun, funny, true…and real. 

For most of us, our lives are not a youtube sensation and not measured by how many friends and followers we have on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, the balance in our checking account or retirement cushions.  Nor does the measure of our ‘successful’ children cover the deficit of our children adrift.   Perhaps in the autumn of our lives, our yard stick has become authenticity. And the Reunion became the intersection to discover each other again in that light. 

There are so many whom I didn’t get a chance to reconnect with and even more that didn’t show up that we all wanted to see again!

Let’s get together soon and often!  

Ruth aka Bootie

Jim Hess

Beautiful, and true.

Jim

J. D. Webster

I had this nightmare the other day - that we put together a 60th birthday party cruise for the class and only six people showed up at the ship besides me.  And I think they were the crew.

:-)

I'm really hoping for more feedback on the idea from the other 230+ that haven't weighed in yet.

Cheers!

(Go Ruth! (forever Booty to me... oh no that sounds bad...) You eloquently state what we felt!)

JD