April 2015 Newsletter - Grumman Retiree Club
Transcription
April 2015 Newsletter - Grumman Retiree Club
April 2015 Volume 48, Issue 4 Circulation: 3105 We’ve Moved! CLUB HEADQUARTERS/ PARENT CHAPTER Bethpage, New York President, Betty Bohlander, (516-575-3777) CHAPTERS / MEETING LOCATIONS: California - Golden West / Pt. Mugu President, Fred Syrett (805-647-4934) California - San Diego / San Diego President, Pete Belay, (858-484-7307) Florida - First Coast / St. Augustine President, Fred Bauer (904-819-9817) Florida - Manasota West / Bradenton President, Ted Martines (941-926-8891) Florida - Mid-West / Spring Hill President, John Cornacchia (813-995-2902) Florida - Southwest / Locations Vary President, Carolyn Moors (239-283-8294) Florida - Spacecoast / Melbourne President, Bob Prais (321-242-5782) Florida - Suncoast / Pinellas Park President, Benjamin Hurley (727-527-7281) Florida - Treasure Coast / Port St. Lucie President, Dan Knowles (772-288-2758) Georgia - Peach Pit / Milledgeville President, Janet Sills (706-485-0839) Maryland - Glen Arm / Belair President, Rick Swinder (410-977-7829) New England - New England North / Dorset, VT President, Bill Egner (802-446-2062) New Jersey - Garden State / Lakehurst President, Bill Staples (732-350-9454) New York - Bethpage Chapter & Club HQ President, Betty Bohlander, (516-575-3777) New York - Eastern Long Island / Riverhead President, Bert Moller (631-864-4377) North Carolina - Eastern Carolina / Locations Vary President, Peter McNamee (252-288-4569) Pennsylvania - Northeast PA / So. Sterling President, Charles Dowd (570-491-2125) South Carolina Coastal Carolinas / Myrtle Beach President, Ronald Girardin (843-903-7116) Texas - Houston / Houston President, Angelo LaCognata, (281-326-1665) Virginia - Central Virginia / Monticello President, Fred Meiners (434-589-2882) Northrop Grumman has moved its Bethpage HQ from Plant 25 to Plant 15, on South Oyster Bay Road in Bethpage. All NGC employees and Retiree Club HQ have been relocated to Plant 15. Effective immediately, the Club’s mailing address is: Attn: Grumman-Northrop Grumman Retiree Club Northrop Grumman Corporation 925 South Oyster Bay Road, M/S Retiree/BP15 Bethpage, NY 11714 One unfortunate result of the packing and unpacking of the office was the toll it took on the way we were able to function. Processing of applications, answering phones, and responding to e-mails were all slowed down, but we did as much as was possible. We shut down phones and computers on March 31, and everything was moved on April 2. We had four days the following week to regain a semblance of order. Our apologies for any inconvenience caused by the move, and we do appreciate your patience and understanding. **************************************************** Navy EA-6B Prowler Sunset Celebration June 25-27, 2015 NAS Whidbey Island, WA All Navy EA-6B operations will end in 2015. The Commander, Electronic Attack Wing, US Pacific Fleet (CVWP), is organizing a celebration to commemorate the conclusion of 44 years of VAQ Prowler history. The objectives of the celebration are to: Provide a place and time for the EA -6B community (active duty, veterans, industry personnel, and their families) to meet and celebrate. Inform current EA-18G personnel of the EA-6B community’s accomplishments, and Share the celebration with the local community, which has supported the base, the squadrons, and service personnel families throughout EA-B operations. Information and registration: www.whidbeyroost.org Additional information: www.grummanretireeclub.org **************************************************** 2015 All Chapter Scholarship Awards Program DEADLINE: All completed applications, with all required documentation, must be received by the Scholarship Program no later than May 12, 2015. Applicants should submit the items as soon as individual documents are available. Applications should be sent to: Grumman Retiree Club Scholarship Fund, Inc., PO Box 0748, Bethpage, NY 11714-0748. Scholarship Program Contributors The Scholarship Fund Directors and the Retiree Club thank the following for their donations: Auteri, Marie Collorone, Corinne Datz, John Di Rocco, Frank Campbell, Francis Cronin, Jeremiah Depinter, Edmund Diannone, T. L. Dietz, Charles Emmons, Arthur Foertsch, Henry Frenke, Helen Dunton, Harlow Errig, Bette Forte, Elva Gilleran, F Goldstein, Robert Hadjigeorge, Norma Harris, Robert Ingold, Jack Grumman, David Harding, Thomas Hejl, Joseph Juengst, Stephen Keenan, Charles Lane, Florence Lewin, Norman Lugbauer, Peter Kernis, Charles Leib, Kenneth Loonan, John Macchio, Matthew Scholarship Program Contributors (continued) Neyssen, Michael Page, Marjorie Parente, Margaret Pedersen, Paul Pernick, Benjamin Ragas, Donald Saffron, Stanley Savasta, Robert Schauer, Berthold Schineller, H. Joseph Schwarz, Jakob Semick, Irene Stanziale, Anthony Taylor, Mimi Tedesco, James Troje, Adolf Tweedy, George Westerback, Sonya Winsten, Jerry Yerden, Raymond North Carolina Chapter in Memory of Joseph Ram ********************************************* Mancilla, Frank Maniscalco, Leonard Marrocco, Anthony Martin, Robert McCaffrey, Ronald Mirchin, Seymour Moore, Thomas Thank you for continuing the Grumman tradition of supporting education. Your contributions are the Engine that enables our Scholarship Award Program to be a continuing benefit for all Retiree Club Members. GRUMMAN RETIREE CLUB NEWSLETTER Please Keep Your (Tax Deductible) Donations Coming . . . (USPS # 023-096) Volume 48, Issue 4, April 2015, is published monthly except August and September by Grumman Retiree Club, Inc., 600 Grumman Road West, M/S Z49-25 Bethpage, NY 11714-5000. Periodical postage rates paid at Bethpage, NY. Subscriptions rates of $13 are paid through membership dues. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Grumman Retiree Club, Inc. c/o Command Direct / 310 Oser Ave / Hauppauge, NY 11788-3608 2 Send your checks (payable to Retiree Scholarship Fund) to: Scholarship Fund, PO Box 0748, Bethpage, NY, 11714-0748 ********************************************* 2015 Scholarship Program 50/50 RAFFLE Members of All Chapters May Participate! Enter often. Multiple winners possible. Max prize: $500 for any one person, in any one drawing. Winners announced in the Newsletter, after each quarterly drawing. Send a filled-in raffle ticket (below) and a check (payable to Grumman Retiree Club Scholarship Fund), to PO Box 0748, Bethpage, NY, 117140748. Each raffle entry is $5. (Please indicate how many raffles you are purchasing.) Everyone has a chance to win. This Raffle benefits the Scholarship Fund only. Bethpage Chapter Calendar Luncheons/Meetings Membership luncheon-meetings are generally held on the 4th Wednesday of the month. April 22: Crest Hollow Reservation form: page 22 of this Newsletter. Members will relate their personal Nostalgia stories. May 27: Crest Hollow Speaker: Jake Bussolini, on his new book Reservation form: page 22 of this Newsletter Note: Jake’s book will be on sale after the meeting; Jake will sign copies and answer questions. ******************************************************** 2015 Defensive Driving Course Last Call We need a volunteer to take over the coordination of Defensive Driver Courses. If no one steps forward, the Club will be forced to end all Defensive Driver activities. This is the last call for a volunteer. A little bit of time; a small amount of effort; a very big help to many Club Members. Please volunteer now . . . . Call the Club office: 516-575-3777 Scholarship Program SCHOLARSHIP 50/50 RAFFLE TICKET _______________________________________ Name ______________________________________ Address Town _______________State ____ Zip _______ Phone (optional) _____________________ ********************************************************** Senior Blood Drive Northrop Grumman has graciously invited our Club to participate in future NGC blood drives, which will be held in Plant 15, in Bethpage. For details about participating in the NGC blood drives, and for nonNGC blood donation locations around Long island, call the Club office, 516-575-3777. Number of Raffles Purchased _____ 3 Bethpage / Parent Chapter March 25, 2015 Happy to see that all the snow that blanketed LI on the first day of Spring was now melted, our lively crew came to the business meeting at the Milleridge Inn. The second meeting of the year started with past President Marion Abbott leading the Pledge of Allegiance. A moment of silence was observed for our departed friends and for the well-being of the men and women in the service of our country who fight and die for our freedom. are first hand revelations and testimonials that rank as important as photos or videos that are historically invaluable. The data has been listed on an EXCEL spreadsheet with Year and Month of Issue, List of Nostalgia related stories, Contributor’s name, and - whenever possible - the contributor’s Permanent number (often 3 digit perms, in early Newsletters). All this data has been sorted into three categories: Key Company Players; Aircraft Programs and Activities (ranging from F-14 to Hellcat, and including canoes); and Company Culture, with subcategories of Women in the Workplace and Turkeys & Christmas”. Since the March Newsletter has not been received as of this meeting, the notes as written cannot be accepted. President Betty Bohlander introduced guest speaker John Eagan who is a Research Historian for the Grumman History Center. John spent 17 years in Commercial and Private Security after which he joined Grumman in 1988 to work in Corporate Services -Security. John was RIF’d by NGC in 1999, but was rehired at NGC Melville (the old Norden Systems Sector). He managed Security, Safety and Health, Fire Protection and Ethics programs from 1999 to 2013. Altogether, he spent 25 years at Grumman -Northrop Grumman. After his final departure in 2013, he immediately volunteered at the Grumman Historical Center, where he just finished an extensive research project on the records of the center. This resulted in a program that will allow easy access to Grumman Nostalgia Stories. John mentioned that the center decided to, among other memorabilia, catalog old Grumman Retiree Newsletters. Initially, only 50% of the entire repertoire of Newsletters was in the Center; with the help of the Club, most of the vast number of missing Newsletters was obtained raising the count to approximately 85%. As John looked through the Newsletters he was struck by the Nostalgia stories that were available and this gave rise to the “Nostalgia Stories Archiving Project”, which noted stories from 1967 to the present. There are some 400 issues. These have provided over 1200 stories and articles that have been chronicled. John described them as” Historian’s Gold”, since they 4 John gave the audience a flavor of some typical stories. The first example was called the “Calvertonto-Grumman Pony Express Story”, written by a man whose function was to bring daily Time Cards from Calverton to Bethpage every day, starting in 1955. He related the horrors of traveling Jericho Turnpike (no LI Expressway in those days!) in the snow. His solution was to use his International station wagon with Positraction, to prevent skidding. However, during or after a big snow, on the return trip to Calverton, he would only drive to Smithtown where he would leave the station wagon at a tavern (the owner was a friend), borrow the tavern owner’s horse, and ride the remainder of the trip with time cards and company mail in the saddle bags. After the audience roars subsided, John related two George Skurla stories from George’s Calverton oversight years. The first was how George interacted with F-14 assembly line people day and night (George often slept at Calverton during those times) and the second was a humorous story as told by a Calverton employee who, at George’s behest, was touring an entourage of Japanese VIPs. At the end of the tour, George asked the guide what the VIPs were talking about during the tour of the F-14 plant. The tour guide responded, “After looking around at the facility, the head VIP said, ‘How did we lose??’” George knew it was a joke. Both George at the time and the audience now enjoyed the joke. Next, John told a cute S-2 Tracker story called, “Lighting Up LI Sound.” This nostalgia piece had been written by a Grummanite who flew test flights and recorded in-flight test data in 1955. One night mission took the plane over Long Island Sound. At the completion of the scheduled tests the test pilot wanted to experiment with the on-board search light which, operationally, was intended to illuminate enemy submarines for further action after being detected on the surface. The light had a whopping 70 million Candlepower capacity. When the pilot turned on the switch, the town of Northport was illuminated and looked like noontime on a sunny day. Dousing the light immediately, the pilot said, ‘If asked where we were operating tonight, say ’off the South Shore’“. They later learned that Northport police were inundated with calls reporting everything from UFO’s to space aliens. John related a few “Women at Grumman” stories, including one that involved the first woman hired to work on the production floor (you can imagine the catcalls and whistles), and concluded with a story about how, initially, women draftsmen were not permitted to smoke at the drawing boards while men were and the actions of one young lady that reversed that rule. John described a History Center effort to determine the final Permanent number ever issued by Grumman. They haven’t been able to ascertain that number, but put it at approximately 200,000, estimated from John’s perm of 185,177 in the year 1988. In conclusion, John recited some memorable statements made by employees about Grumman’s uniqueness. John recalled his one of his favorites: “Grumman -an aircraft factory that became a social force for good.” Another was, “Kitty Hawk - the birth of flight; Bethpage – the birth of aviation”. John then explained how to access all of these stories a by contacting the History Center. The staff will tirelessly help and are continuing to try to improve the access. Presently, they are exploring providing access and sorting via the Club website, to enable access from home. You can contact the History Center Office: 516-349-5941 (Mon. & Wed, 9AM3PM) or: [email protected] They also are asking for your help in obtaining Newsletters from the years 1976 through 1982, plus the latter part of 1991. If you have saved any of these copies please contact the History Center. Also, please share any other stories that you might have. A short Q&A followed. John was presented with a gift and the Club’s appreciation. (As of this meeting, it is not known if the History Center will be relocated.) Business – Betty Bohlander: • Retiree Club HQ is in the process of packing up and cleaning out the HQ office in Plant 25 in order to move to Plant 15. We are due to move on April 2; all phones and computers will be packed on March 31. Plant 15 will be closed on Friday, April 10, so we won’t be operational until April 13. We are presently processing membership renewals but because of the move delays are inevitable. Please be patient: Please do not call or e-mail to ask if we received your check. We are caught up with the applications received as of March 24. • Betty reminded the attendees of the April 16th celebration of the 45th Anniversary of the Apollo 13 flight at the Cradle of Aviation, with Astronauts Jim Lovell and Fred Haise, who will be joined by NASA Flight Director Gene Kranz. The celebration will recall the flight in which, two days into the trip to the moon, there was explosion on the Service Module, which then made the Grumman Lunar Module become the “lifeboat” for the crew. This use of the LM was never planned for, but the LM successfully returned the crew and allowed for a safe landing on earth. Committee Reports Treasurer Reports Frank Rizzo presented the Treasurer’s report for the Grumman Retiree Club. It was accepted as read. Harry Daum presented the Scholarship Fund Treasurer’s report. It was accepted as read. Scholarship Program - Harry Daum: Everyone who is eligible for a Retiree Club scholarship should be working on the application now. Cutoff for Application acceptance is May 12, and the Awards Luncheon is 5 June 24. Harry thanked everyone for the generous contributions that have been made to the Scholarship Fund. Blood Drive – Harry Prod: The code number 3863, which credits Northrop Grumman with a blood donation, is the same number we have used for years when donating at the Golden Donor Blood Drive. Obviously, it has been transferred to Northrop Grumman. Travel - Nick Bazzicalupo: Prime Time has been sold but will retain its name. However, Grumman retirees will no longer receive the long-standing perks and discounts, so Nick opted to not discuss trips anymore. He is, however, strongly advised to have at least one joke available every meeting. This day, he finished his talk with two fabulous jokes that had the audience hysterical. Way to go, Nick!! Birthdays –Andy Tomaiko 74 on 3/28; Marguerite Burt 85 on 2/28; Harry Daum 82 on 3/29 and Peder Jakobson 72 on 3/7. Happy Birthday to all. January/February Anniversaries- Peter and Frances Murray 64 yrs. on 4/7. Congratulations on your milestone. Out of Town Visitor – Pauline Sandmann, from Eastern LI chapter. Welcome again, Pauline. Prize Winners Door Prizes: John Vosilla and Harvey Knopf Community Relations 50/50: Pete Fales (2 prizes), Howie Schilling, and Joe Carlino. Scholarship 50/50: Marion Abbott Next Meeting: April 22, at the Crest Hollow CC. The meeting was adjoined with the singing of “God Bless America”. By: Lou Kubat, Sec’y. **************************************************** 6 CALIFORNIA / Golden West Our March 10th meeting, with eighteen members present, was held at the Eagles Lodge in Oxnard. The meeting opened with the Pledge of Allegiance led by Sergeant-at-Arms John Urgo and a prayer led by President Fred Syrett. We then had lunch followed by a short business meeting. Tom Maloney gave the Treasurer’s report. Craig Kaston put on a program about the F-14, which included videos of the Phoenix Missile being launched from the F-14 during testing. 50/50 Winners: Bill Judd, Dick Bartick, and Craig Kaston. By: Fred Syrett, President **************************************************** CALIFORNIA / San Diego We met on March 19, at one of our favorite places, Filippi’s Italian Restaurant, in Mira Mesa. Ten members and guests arrived early to visit and then enjoy a delicious lunch. What makes this especially fun is the wonderful server we’ve had for many of our Filippi’s luncheons. Trisha, originally from Wantagh, Long Island, always greets us with a smile as she happily takes our orders and always goes out of her way to take care of every request we make. Our numbers may have been small but the positive spirit and camaraderie of those in attendance was large. The 50/50 lucky winner was Barbara Mosley. It is with sadness that we report the passing on January 26 of retiree and past President of our club, Cliff Robinson. We also lost Joan Riley, widow of deceased Site Manager Frank Riley. Our condolences, as well as our heartfelt thoughts and prayers, go out to their families. From January through March, the following folks celebrated birthdays: Charlie Askins, Sy Glick, Frank Huttle, Dennis Klapwyk, Sherry Lossick, Gayle Quebedeaux, John Reika, Barbara Robinson, Bill Roeckl, Dick Sarraffe, and Ed Vasely. Wedding anniversary good wishes go out to: Jim & Betz Bartels, Pete & Mary Belay (their 30th), Frank & Kay Huttle, Mike & Sherry Lossick, John & Mitzie Reika (their 60th) and Tom & Ella Whitehead. The date and place of our next meeting will be announced at a later date. By: Bill Roeckl, Sec’y. [email protected] **************************************************** FLORIDA/ First Coast Thirty-three members, two guests, and a guest speaker attended our luncheon on 3/17. Even with the variety of food, there was no corned beef and cabbage for St. Patty’s Day. As usual all of us managed to feed ourselves well. Treasurer Bob Rathje has sent our 2015 dues payment to Bethpage and collected two “better late than never” dues payments, which he will forward to NY. This makes 90 members enrolled this year. March Birthdays: Werner Langhauser, Ralph Davies, Chuck Osborne, Art Maguire, Barbara Mehl, Jim McDonald, Ruth Goehler, Gerri Newman, Eileen Cacace, Allen McCaffery, Tony Miller, Kay Heagy, Shirley Jennings, Ann Walsh, Joe “Waxy” Decrescenzo, Rena Oakley. Anniversaries: Gwen & John Saar, Kay & Paul Heagy, Jennifer & Peter Foster, Ann & John Walsh, Alice & Tom Downs, and Marge & Fred Bauer. Seven 50/50 prizes were distributed. Next Meeting: April 21 at Icibahn restaurant on US 1 South, in St. Augustine By: Steve Cacace [email protected] **************************************************** Fred opened the meeting, as always, with the Pledge followed by Chaplain Janet’s opening prayer. FLORIDA / Manasota West Fred introduced guest speaker Jake Bussolini, who has authored the book “The Last Chapter”. Jake gave a detailed outline of the events leading up to and following the Grumman /Northrop merger. Jake is a former executive in the company, who was present at many of the events he spoke about, giving us a perspective we all found quite interesting. Jake claims the book is well detailed and totally true. Several of us, including myself purchased a copy, which Jake was happy to sign, after the meeting. Thanks, J.B. President Ted Martines called the meeting to order at 12:05PM, with eight members and one guest present at Pier 22 Restaurant. Our guest, former GAC VP Jake Bussolini, was here to catch up with old friends and provide an overview of his latest book, “The Last Chapter.” Ted led us in the Pledge of Allegiance followed by the Secretary’s and Treasurer’s reports. Fred went on to our usual business. We will have a speaker from the sheriff’s department, next month, presenting a talk on senior safety. Also, please note: our June meeting date has changed to June 9, 2015 March 11, 2015 Secretary John Zinna has been in contact with Frank Poplawski, who is doing well and hopes to join us for one of our upcoming meetings. We were also in contact with Rick Koening, who is interested in carpooling to meetings with anyone in the Palmer Ranch area. Contact John for more info, if you can help. Notably missing from this meeting was Jim Murray, who we hope to see at the April meeting. If you are unable to make a meeting, but 7 would like to comment to the Chapter, please drop John a line and it will be forwarded on. Jake Bussolini gave an interesting review of his book and his first-hand knowledge of the facts about the last days of Grumman. His inside knowledge certainly answered some questions lingering in the minds of those of us who were not behind the closed doors of Grumman’s executive offices. And his easy way of walking our Chapter through the chronology of events connected the links that took us from merger to acquisition. At the conclusion of Jake’s review, our Chapter purchased a copy of Jake’s book, which will be available to our membership, on loan. Month two of our Grumman Trivia contest was won by our VP Bob Nyberg. Last month’s winner (me) made up the questions and facilitated the quiz. There were five questions, ranging from details of Grumman’s first aircraft (FF-1), through space program chronology, Grumman Trucks, Aircraft Names, and - lastly - Jimmy Buffett’s Grumman aircraft and it’s relationship to his song title. It was again a fun game and even our guest Jake couldn’t beat our Bob Nyberg, who is now responsible for next month’s questions. If any other chapters would like copies of our Quiz, please contact John Zinna. The snowbird season is nearing an end for many our January-to- March part-time residents, but if you are a Grumman or Northrop Grumman retiree or current employee in the area, please join us for our Next Meeting, on April 8th, at Noon, at Pier 22 Restaurant in Bradenton, FL. For future planning: Our meetings are held at Noon on the 2nd Wednesday of the month in our private dinning room, at Pier 22 Restaurant, Bradenton, FL. By: John Zinna, Sec’y/Treasurer (941-705-2690) [email protected] ****************************************************** 8 FLORIDA/ Mid-West March 19, 2015 The meeting was opened by President John Cornacchia at 11:30AM. Greetings: Welcome to the Grumman Retirees Club, Mid-West Florida Chapter. Chaplin Gus Krayer opened our meeting with the invocation and the Pledge of Allegiance. There were eleven members and one guest present. We had one birthday for March, John Cornacchia, and one anniversary, Gus & Charlotte Krayer, 35 years. A motion to accept the minutes for February 2015 was made by Gus Krayer and seconded by Hank Mehl. The minutes were accepted unanimously. The Treasurer’s report was given by Gus Krayer. The motion to accept the Treasurer’s report was made by Kathy Cornacchia and seconded by Bill Shay. The report was accepted unanimously. Sunshine Committee: -- Citrus County: All is well. -- Hernando County: 1. We missed Joan Mehl and Madeline Arso, and we look forward to seeing them at the next meeting. 2. Joan Bellion passed away on January 14, 2015 and several of our members attended a very nice Memorial Service, on January 28. Our speaker for today was Mr. Terry, from the Hernando Sheriff’s Office. The meeting adjourned at 1PM. A fun time was had by all. Future Meetings: held at the Buffet City restaurant on Rt. # 50 in Brooksville, at 11:30AM: April 16 and May 21. We will be off for June, July and Aug. Returning September 1 Oct 15: Our picnic Nov 19 Dec 17: Our Christmas party. By: Kathy Cornacchia, Sec’y. **************************************************** FLORIDA / SouthWest President Clem Moors opened our March meeting with 20 members and guests. After the pledge to our flag and a prayer, we broke for lunch. After lunch, Clem introduced Jake Bussolini, our invited speaker. Jake discussed his book, “The Last Chapter”, which goes behind closed doors of both the executive offices and the Corporate Board room to disclose details about the corporation that have never before been revealed. He describes the tense events that lead to the decision to change the basic business strategy of the company. Jake also tells several political tales that help the reader understand how a major player in the defense industry could be bought to its knees by the signature of one highly placed Washington official. Jake retired as Senior Vice President. He has been touring the Grumman Retiree Club chapters promoting his book. He is a worthwhile invitee to any Chapter. Jake gave a very good talk and answered questions. After Jake’s talk we continued our meeting, starting with members’ birthdays: February Birthdays: Tony Perre, John Vecchione, and Clare Milar. March Birthdays: Jim Hodder (94), and Janet Daly. We discussed our May Meeting. We considered having a day trip but, since the May meeting is the last meeting of our season and attendance is usually lower than normal, we decided to meet at the Golden Corral. 50/50 winners: Beverly Urban, Ethel Czerwinski, Gloria Conklin, and George Daly. Next Meeting: May 12, 11:30AM, at the Golden Corral, Punta Gorda. By: Tony Perre, Sec’y. (239-731-7146) [email protected]. ****************************************************** FLORIDA / Space Coast March 18, 2015 Eighty-two club members filled the Suntree Country Club, socializing before the Noon call to pledge, prayer, and buffet lunch. Program VP John Lau introduced our main speaker, Gregory Weiner, Senior Director, Business Development, for the Economic Development Commission (EDC) of Florida’s Space Coast. Greg came on-board in Brevard in 2010, at the time the down sizing of the manned space program at KSC was threatening the loss of some 15-20 thousand well paying jobs. To counter this, Greg has led a team that has landed numerous high profile projects and brought thousands of high wage jobs to the Space Coast, with our EDC ranking1st in the state in new capital investment and 5th in jobs created. Greg dwelt on the positive aspects of this change in culture, with the economy of our communities now being more diversified with more manufacturing jobs: Brevard is now the lead county 9 in manufacturing jobs in Florida. He touched on how complex the recruiting industry has become with the need to obtain political support, arrange for zoning/permits, and negotiate incentives while maintaining secrecy. Illustrating this was our own Project Magellan, announced in May of 2014, as a project that will create 1800 jobs with an average wage of $100,000 . . . to this day, Greg does not know what will be going on in the building. The final negotiations took over a week in an off-site location with representatives of Northrop Grumman, the county, the airport, the state, and USAF all participating - over 50% of the people in the room were lawyers! Much of the EDC’s work is with existing companies and a separate group, “GO Contracts” has been set up to help small businesses do work with the government. Ironically, many of our people do not want manufacturing jobs for their children and are wary of the cyclic nature of the aerospace industry - not unlike some of the things we heard on Long Island. President Bob Prais thanked Mr. Weiner for his very informative report, noting that we appreciate having such a talented and aggressive organization working for the economic health of our community. The expanded Northrop Grumman work force, from both relocations and new hires, might bode well for the health of our retiree chapter. Historian/Gremlins: George Graefe reported on a fabulous air show in Titusville with great weather, record crowds on Saturday, and terrific displays. He also reported that the hanger where our Gremlins do their magical renovations has now been officially named the Harold Larkin hanger in honor of the original Grumman Gremlin founder. Treasurer Bill Waldron reported both accounts are in good shape. There are seven 50/50 awards, plus two specials, and a grand St. Patrick’s Day prize of a $25 gift certificate to Publix and a green liquor. 10 Travel: Maureen Ayers joyously reported big sales on U.S. river cruises are going on. The American Queen Steamboat Company is offering 50% off on Mississippi River Cruises and 60% off on Columbia and Snake River Cruises, while smaller discounts are available on Un-Cruise Adventures, Blount, and American Cruise Line. Scholarship: Angela Romano, original Scholarship Committee Chairman, introduced our guest, Jason Panzarino, the first recipient of the George Skurla scholarship, in 2008. Angela glowingly read her report to the club when Jason was selected, recounting the unanimous selection of the Scholarship Committee who felt that Jason’s record, including being a licensed teen-age pilot, was true to the George Skurla tradition. Jason gave an illustrated presentation recounting his undergraduate days at the University of FloridaGainesville, where he was president of the AIAA chapter. While there, he did intern work on a large, unmanned aircraft for the Army and worked for the United Launch Alliance on an Atlas 5 rocket and at the launch facility at KSC. After graduation, he won a scholarship to the University of California-Irvine, where he got his Masters degree last year, and continued fascinating intern work in their Materials Lab. Jason showed us some of the crystalline material analysis he is doing, citing how smaller crystals provide greater strength but are more brittle, a flaw that they are working to overcome. He anticipates getting his PHD next year. Jason was in town to deliver a paper in Orlando Marie Skurla expressed her joy at Jason’s accomplishments, presenting him with a bag of “goodies”, specifically giving him a pure silver bullet as she dubbed him her “Lone Ranger”. In the eyes of this scribe, Jason’s visit was a real shot in the arm for our scholarship program as we got to see how we could play a small part in promoting a fine young man’s progress in a career we all have been associated with. Fittingly, Jason’s presentation was followed by a report by Scholarship Chairman Jim Glover. We will be receiving the appropriate data from the Brevard School Foundation by the end of March and will have a meeting of the committee the first week in April to select this year’s two scholarship winners. Communications: Don Powell’s only input was the question “What do you call the rabbit that assists the anesthetist during operations? Answer: The Ether Bunny! Old Business: • The gala Air Show sponsored by Northrop Grumman will be at the Melbourne Airport March 21-23. Featured will be the Navy Blue Angels, USMC Ospreys, and USAF F-22s. • Retiree Club HQ has forwarded a “Thank You” letter from the Honor Flight for the $300 donation the Club contributed in our name. New Business: President Bob announced that the Stewart Chapter will be celebrating their 25th anniversary on May 5th and would welcome visitors from other chapters. Belated February Birthday Greeting to Sheila Bigel. Employee Birthdays March: James Lawler, Nick Milonas, Richard Dillinger, John McDonald, Robert Filipi, James Williams, and Ron Sidorski 2015 Meeting Schedule: 4/15, 5/20, 6/17, 9/16, 10/21, 11/18, 12/16 No meetings in July & August ****************************************************** FLORIDA / Suncoast Our 3/18/15 Meeting was opened at Noon at the Hibachi Buffet, in Pinellas Park, FL, by President Ben Hurley with thirteen in attendance. Sergeantat-Arms John Kucin led the Pledge of Allegiance. Secretary Patricia Newark gave the Invocation, with a special prayer for our Armed Services personnel men and women serving in harm’s way. We had three happy 50/50 winners: John Kucin, Sofia Giouvalakis, who gave back, and Caesar Colasuonno, who also gave back. Sickness and Distress: We send Get Well Soon wishes to Lyn Mohr, who fell and broke her arm. Birthdays: March 17, St. Patrick’s Day: Irish Patricia Newark March 20: Robbie the Clown (Bob Barth) March 21: Ed William April 10: John Kucin Congratulations and our hopes for Many More!! Our guest speaker was Jake Bussolini, who spoke about the last days of Grumman as told in his new book, “The Last Chapter”. Spouse Birthdays March: Elizabeth SanFilippo, Pat Belmont, Diane Bennett, Pat Klein, Dolly Casko, Anita Leslie, Pat Deuster, and Diane MacCarthy. Next Meeting: 4/15/15. We hope to see you there. Anniversaries March: James & Carol Lawler, Joe & Pat Mullings, and Walter & Pat Duester. ****************************************************** 50/50 Drawing: There were seven 50/50 winners and the grand prize (a $25 gift card to Publix and a bottle of green liquor) was won by Annie Kuhn. Congratulations to all! By: Patricia Newark, Sec’y. [email protected] FLORIDA / Treasure Coast The March 19 meeting of the Treasure Coast Chapter was held at Manero’s Restaurant, in Palm City, Florida, with 54 members and guests attending. By: Bill Steenson, Sec’y. 11 The meeting was opened with the Pledge of Allegiance led by President Danny Knowles. The Pledge was followed by the Invocation, which was given by our Chaplain, Lawrence Regier. Regier also announced that absent member and friend of many, Ilse Rauchen, sent her warmest regards to the chapter. Bob Watkins introduced our guests: Nick Maniscalco and Marie; Aileen and Bob Watkins Jr.; my sister, Barbara Coates; and our speakers, Vicki Davis and Jake Bussolini. (I apologize if I missed other guests.) Nancy Schaefer reminded members of the May 5th dinner being spearheaded by Ken Tolve. It is a rebirth of the 25 year luncheons held in Stuart for many years. It will be at the Knights of Columbus, and the price is $14. Any employees (former or present) of Grumman and/or subsequent companies are invited to attend. Please contact Tolve (772-287-5918 or [email protected]) for more information. Lunch of Corned Beef and Cabbage or Basa Picata was enjoyed by all. Our first speaker, Vicki Davis, is the Martin County Supervisor of Elections. She gave an informative and insightful address about elections in general and specifically about Martin County, which has 106,000 registered voters, 50% Republican, 27% Democrat and the remaining 26,000 “other”. In the last national election (2012), 73% of all voters in the county voted prior to election-day. This was up from 69% in 2008. Absentee ballots and early voting polls make this a growing trend. She noted that the counties to our South, Broward and MiamiDade, make news for their slow return results. But their ballots, because of the percentage of nonEnglish speaking residents, are printed in three languages, English, Spanish, and Creole, and are 12 pages long, tripling the processing time. Her office has eight full time employees, adds six more during national elections, and relies on 300- 12 400 poll workers on Election Day. (By the way, poll workers are not volunteers, they are paid.) There will be three national elections in 2016: the presidential primary (3/15); the primary (8/30); and the general election (11/8). Anyone interested in getting involved can call her office at 772-2885637. Ms. Davis answered questions and we thank her for taking the time to speak to us. Our second speaker, Jake Bussolini, has written a book entitled “The Last Chapter”. His book concerns the demise of our company, Grumman Aerospace. As an officer, he was involved in discussions to determine the direction that Grumman was going to have to take to stay in business. The process began in 1990 in Washington, DC, where aircraft/ aerospace officers were called and told that budget cuts could severely impact their government contracts and actions should be taken to merge or diversify their companies to stay in business. Grumman and Martin Marietta were ready to merge when Northrop made an offer that was higher ($62/share vs. $55/share), creating a hostile takeover. Jake’s book was available for purchase, which he signed, along with copies brought to the meeting by members. No birthdays or anniversaries were on the list. The 50-50 prizes were awarded.. Next Meeting: April 16, at Manero’s restaurant. Please send $15 dues for 2015 to Charlene Castagnero, 611 SW Pine Tree Lane, Palm City, FL 34990 For more information, please contact me at 772-528-8169 or [email protected] By: Nancy Schaefer ****************************************************** GEORGIA / Peach Pit Our March 17, 2015 meeting at Triumph Group’s Vought Aircraft Division Plant [the former Grumman Plant 66] in Milledgeville, GA, started at 12:45PM. with 25 present. President Janet Sills called the meeting to order and asked VP Ted Zarkowsky to lead attendees in the Pledge of Allegiance. Chaplain Willie Collins gave the Blessing, which was followed by the meal and fellowship. Old Business: A motion to accept the February 17, 2015 Minutes was made by Florella Crouch and seconded by Hans Borstell. There were no changes either by those present or received by proxy so the motion passed. New Business: 1. President Janet wished members a Happy St. Patrick’s Day 2. March Happy Birthday to: Elmer Baumgart [31st], Tom Blenk [25th], Pat Borstell [12th], Geraldine Collins [20th], Gene Donovan [7th], Dennis Klingener [20th], Joe Sansotta [26th], and Barbara L. Stevens [19th]. 3.There were no Wedding Anniversary congratulations to report this month. 4. Treasurer Joe Sansotta reported a positive bank balance. 5. Brenda Miller had a Medical procedure completed. She is on the road to recovery and we extend best wishes for a speedy recovery 6. Past President Earl Seagle discussed having Chapter members participate in activates to include golf events and day trips to various sites. Accordingly, Earl made a motion that was seconded by Brenda Gruwell to get input from members as to their interests. And, coordinating this initiative are Earl and Ted Zarkowsky, with a progress report due at the April meeting. 7. Ted Zarkowsky won the 75/25 Fundraiser raffle and donated the winnings to the Community Service Fund. Thank You, Ted. Community Service: Volunteerism continues as members and spouses aid various causes including Pints of Blood/ Platelets. Today’s Program was a Site overview presented by Merlin Fechner, Site President. It was very informative and was followed by a Plant Tour. Thank you Merlin, and Staff, for hosting this Chapter annually as it not only brings back fond memories but also is evidence of a bright future as the Plant celebrates its 40th Anniversary this year. Congratulations. When asked what he thought after a long absence, newest Club member John Noack said, “This looks like a Plant on steroids”. Also, this Site’s Employees enjoy “profit sharing” for excellent quality, schedule, and good cost performance. And, FY 2015, which will end in two weeks, was very good. In addition, to thank the roughly 600 years of seniority at this meeting, Merlin thanked all present for their prior Company service and for contributing to making current successes possible. As part of his demonstration of the company’s appreciation, he conducted a “Show me the Money” raffle, in which Florella Crouch, Tom Blenk, and Bill Gruwell were given cash. Thank you, Merlin, for the generosity. A motion to end the meeting was made by Paul Bernichon and seconded by Carole Ewers. The motion carried and adjournment was 2:00PM. Next Meeting: April 21, 12:30PM, at Crockett’s Cafeteria on Hwy 441 in Milledgeville, GA. By: Lew M. Iuliucci, Sec’y. (478-452-135) [email protected] ****************************************************** Maryland / Glen Arm Our meeting was held March 17th, at 6:30 PM. We had a fair showing. Topics covered were: the Treasury Report, our Chapter’s paid-up Roster, our Charity Donation, and the Future Meeting schedule. 13 The 2015 Club dues collected were forwarded to NY with 45 members paid up as of meeting date. Rick Swinder continues to research charity organizations and will inform us of his findings at an upcoming meeting. We may make a donation to the Veteran’s of Foreign Wars or to the Veteran’s Hospital at Perry Point. We discussed scaling back on meetings over the Summer, with June’s evening meeting being our last meeting for the Summer, and picking back up in September. (This is still to be confirmed.) Our Treasurer, Joe Svach, announced he will step down after five-and-a-half years in the position. He agreed to continue in the position until June when we will have our next evening meeting; this will give our Chapter time to elect a replacement. If you would like to be considered as a nominee for the Treasurer position, please let Rick Swinder know. We are sorry to inform the Club of the passing of a former member and fellow Grummanite, Ralph Andrew Mowinckel. Ralph worked for many years in the Inspection Department at Plant 56, Glen Arm. He lived in Bel Air, Maryland, the last several years. Ralph passed away on March 7th, after a heroic fight with Cancer. May he rest in peace. Our Sympathy goes out to his Family. We took time in remembrance of Ralph. John Kennedy, one of our long time members who moved to Florida several years ago, called to let us know he will be in Maryland in May and hopes to stop in at our May meeting. March / April Birthdays: Bill Meininger - March 15 Joe Sann - March 24 Jerry Lambert - April 16 Happy Birthday to you all! 14 Unless Notified Otherwise: Our Chapter meetings are held the Third Tuesday of the month. Daytime meetings are held at 1PM; Evening meetings are at 6:30PM. Meeting Schedule: April 21 - 1PM. May 19 - 1PM. June 16 - 6:30PM. All meetings are held at the Golden Corral Aberdeen Md. Topics for our April meeting: > Charity selection for chapter donation > Treasurer’s Report > Membership > Treasurer stepping down > Summer meeting Schedule > Group event Remember, the club is still recruiting members, If any current members have contact info for fellow Glen Arm Grummanites that aren’t members, please pass on our club contact info. If you have and questions or suggestions, please contact: President: Rick Swinder (410-977-7829, [email protected]) Sergeant-at-Arms: Rolfe Feser (410-661-2580, [email protected]) Treasurer: Joe Svach (443-567-6433, jam. [email protected]). By: Joe Svach ****************************************************** New England North Chapter is on Winter break. ****************************************************** New Jersey Garden State Chapter No report of March activity.. Contact: Carolyn Kerr, Sec’y. (732-244-4483) **************************************************** NEW YORK Eastern Long Island Chapter President Bert Moller called our March 18 Meeting to order with 17 Members present. VP Bob Albert read the minutes of our previous meeting and Treasurer Lynne Miller gave her report. Both reports were seconded and approved. Treasurer Lynne asked to be relieved from her post (health reasons) and Pauline Sandmann agreed to take over as Treasurer. From Prez. Bert: (1) We received Thank You notes from Wounded Warriors and from the Millneck Home For The Deaf for our Chapter’s December Donations. (2) Joan Day wants to rejoin the Club . . . Welcome! (3) The number of our Dues-Paying Members is down to 92 from last year’s 103. Reminder to All: No Dues – No Newsletter! Bert then Thanked Paul Ziems for connecting our group with the Coram Diner. Members discussed COLA and Health [Insurance] issues with Towers Watson Group. A vote was then taken for a location for lunch in April, and the Coram Diner was chosen Mytko Report: We lost another of the Greatest Generation: Charles Diamont passed on Feb 17, 2015, after a long battle with Parkinson’s. He was a WWII Vet, and is survived by his wife of 68 years and their three children. Leonard (Mike) Murphy passed on March 3, 2015. Mike worked in Bethpage, Calverton, and Great River. He is survived by his wife Joan and his daughter. William C. Schoen passed on Jan 14. We received a note from his daughter Joanna. Our Condolences go out to all who have lost a Loved One. Frank DeQuarto reported his wife Leona had Bypass surgery. She will be in our prayers for a speedy recovery. To report illnesses, deaths, etc, contact Bill Mytko (1-864-225-4927 or [email protected]) Next Meeting: April 15, at the Coram Diner [Route112 and Jericho Turnpike (Rte25)]. Lunch ($15) at Noon; Meeting to follow. Future Meetings: May 20: Location TBD June 18, at Pauline Sandmann’s Clubhouse: our Annual BBQ FYI: God grant me the senility to forget the people I never liked anyway; the good fortune to run into the ones that I do; and the eyesight to tell the difference! Happy Easter and Passover! By: VP Bob Albert (631-585-7987) **************************************************** NORTH CAROLINA Eastern Carolina Chapter Jim Karika and Tom Schroder were Program Directors for our March 11th meeting. Twenty members enjoyed a delicious meal, including drinks and dessert, at “Logan’s,” in Jacksonville, NC. Tom greeted everyone, thanking them for making the trip, and led the Pledge of Allegiance and the Invocation in the absence of Ken Gruebel. He then turned the meeting over to President Pete McNamee. 15 Pete informed members that Jake Bussolini, author of the book, “The Last Chapter”, which is about the takeover of Grumman by Northrop, would be guest speaker at our April meeting. Later he learned that Jake will be in Florida promoting his book during April, but will attend our planned May meeting. Program Directors for the April meeting, to be held in New Bern, NC, will be Joe Mele and Flossie Johnson. Information regarding the venue will be forthcoming. Our May meeting will be in Oriental, NC on May 13th, with Bob and Grace Lamberson as Program Directors. Rudi and Marlene Wiehl are taking care of the June meeting at the “Clamdigger” in Pine Knoll Shores, NC. Pete mentioned that he received a call from one of the chapters in Florida regarding the late Joe Ram. Joe was a member of their chapter when he lived there and they were looking for information about his death. Treasurer Bob Lamberson gave his report. He stated that the treasury is still in the black. We have 60 members and he will have a new list ready for the April meeting. $50 donations were sent to the Retiree Scholarship Fund in Joe Ram’s name, and to Craddockville, VA United Methodist Church, in Robert Dunlop’s name. Tom Schroder then pulled out his bag of jokes and entertained everyone! Pete read the March birthdays and anniversaries. Bob Lamberson called the 50/50s, which were won by Flossie Johnson (3 times but donated 2x back to the Club), which was then won by Jim Karika. Pete wished everyone a safe trip home and a Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Birthdays: 3/3 - Kathy Kuntz 3/7 - Allan Brown 3/8 - Katherine Torrens 3/8 - Janet Savastio 16 3/10 - Pete McNamee 3/19 - Rudi Wiehl 3/20 - Marilyn Lindblad. Anniversaries: 3/9 - Ken & Evie Gruebel (68 yrs.) By: Dottie Karika ([email protected] ***************************************************** PENNSYLVANIA Northeastern Pennsylvania Chapter Yea - Spring! We have been getting a few warm days here recently, but at night the temperature plunges. Good thing is the SNOW is melting. I have a yard again and a driveway. Hope it continues. Can’t wait to get back into the swing of things and greet our snowbirds who will be coming North soon. The Lunch Bunch met on March 19th, at the Alpine, in Honesdale.I was not able to attend myself, however, the Zupps, Dowds, Rademachers, and Anker Petersen attended. From what Fred tells me, everyone had a great time. It was decided that the April 16th meeting will be at Kays Restaurant, in Lake Ariel, at Noon. At that time, we will make a decision as to where we will continue to meet. We also need to some up with a date when we are going to invite Jake Bussolini to join us. So Come On Down and Be Part of the Decision Making Process. Sickness Report; — Marianne Sparkowski had a partial knee replacement done at the end of February. Everything went well and within two weeks she was walking without the walker and cane. She is now in therapy to get the strength back. — Do not have any word on anyone else. Birthdays for March - Linda Alongi, Peter M. Coniglio, Ed Drydol, Cheryl Hirsch, John P. O’Malley, Fred Rademacher, and Edward J. Sparkowski. Anniversaries for March - John P. & Mary O’Malley. Otherwise everything else is going well. See you in April at Kays. For those heading North soon: stay safe. Congratulations to our 50/50 drawing winners: Judy Scott (1st prize), and new member Marge Rapenport (2nd prize). Next Meeting, April 16, Noon, at Kay’s. There was no old or new business to discuss, but Don Webber raised the subject of ID theft protection and what we can do in order to prevent becoming victims of identity theft. Research can be done on the most reasonable and efficient means of protecting identity, and it is up to individuals to chose the services that apply to them. There are many available. By: Edward J. Sparkowski, Sec’y/Chaplain (570-698-7182) [email protected] **************************************************** SOUTH CAROLINA Coastal Carolinas Chapter Our March 14, 2015, meeting was held at Friendly’s Restaurant, in Myrtle Beach, with fourteen members and one guest in attendance. President Ronald Girardin called the meeting to order. Sergeant-atArms Eldon Scott led the group in the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by a moment of silent prayer for our country, military, and those members not present at the meeting. It was so nice to see Marge Rapenport and meet her husband Artie. We welcomed them as new members. Marge is the sister of Helen Timoney, who founded the Coastal Carolinas Chapter of the Grumman-Northrop Grumman Retiree Club, in 1996, when the Club was known as The Grumman Retiree Club. Helen remains a member of our chapter, but has resided in New York for a number of years. Also welcomed was Teresa McMahon, although not a member, but a longtime guest at our meetings. A very “Happy Birthday” to both Carol Joyce and Marty Fleischer. Nancy Webber read the Secretary’s minutes, which were then seconded and approved. Don Webber gave the Treasurer’s report. The report was seconded and approved. Dot Hoffmann, in charge of the Sunshine Committee, called Lee & Bernard Mascara, and Janice Hanlon. Please keep these members in your prayers, and also include Club member Sally Banker, as well. If you are ill, or if you know of any club member who is ill, please notify Dot (910-754-8268). Future Meetings: May 6: Picnic at Lorraine & Ronald Giardin’s home Sept 2: Logan’s Roadhouse Oct 7: Damon’s Restaurant Nov 4: Ryan’s Family Steakhouse Dec 2: The Sea Captain’s House Meetings are held on the first Wednesday of each month, promptly at Noon. If you are interested in attending the meetings, please call me, Nancy Webber, (843-347-2113) for the addresses of the meeting places. We welcome all Grumman, Northrop Grumman, and Northrop retirees and their guests to our meetings, as well as new Club members. By: Nancy Webber, Secretary (843-347-2113) [email protected] **************************************************** TEXAS / Houston Our March 17, 2015 meeting was held at the Clear Lake Park Building, on NASA #1 Pkwy, with a Happy St. Patrick’s Day. Some sad news was received of the passing of Margie Bransfield, on March 14, 2015. Marge was a long-standing member with her husband, Kenny Bransfield. Our condolences and prayers are with the family. The meeting opened with our guest Mr. Paul Downs, FAA Safety Inspector, leading us with the Pledge of Allegiance. The 50/50 was won by Mrs. Sue Maloney. 17 Mr. Downs showed a film on the Phoenix, AZ Aircraft Grave Yard. Refreshing review of retired reciprocating engines. Sure was nice remembering and seeing the old military and general aviation aircraft. Following the presentation, Ken Maloney came in with the Irish Soda Bread his wife, Sue, baked. She shared the recipe with us for Nanna McCarrick’s Irish Soda Bread. Very tasty. Nanna McCarrick’s - Irish Soda Bread Recipe 4 cups white flour (sifted) 1 tsp. baking soda 2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp. salt 4 oz. softened butter 1 cup sugar 2 eggs 1 ¼ cup buttermilk 1 tbsp. caraway seeds 1 cup raisins Put everything in a bowl in sequence as listed. Mix all ingredients well. Place mixture in a greased cast iron 10-inch frying pan. Take a sharp knife and slice the top “X”. Bake at 335° for one hour. (If using a spring pan, 350° for one hour). Test with a toothpick: it should come out dry when done. Brush with melted butter. P.S. Happy St. Patty’s Day! See you all next month, April 21, 2015. Time and location will be noted prior to the meeting. By: Charles Ashford, Sec’y. (281-474-7260) ***************************************************** VIRGINIA / Central Virginia Our March 11, 2015 meeting was held at the famous Blue Mountain Brewery, 9585 Critzer Shop Road. Afton, VA. (Very close to Charlottesville, VA.) The Restaurant/Brewery we visited is in Nellysford, VA. We had only six members present: Frank Edwards, Maryanne Muller, Rich Benske and friend Jackie (she is becoming a regular), Bev & Frank Purstell. The lunch was very good and, of course, we sampled their excellent Brew. We were notified via a letter from his wife Jean of the passing of Ed Riley on January 31, 2015, after a 18 long illness. The members present at the meeting voted to send a donation to “Military Order of the Purple Heart Service Foundation” in Edward Riley’s memory. Margaret Crider recently notified us that she had moved to Westbury, NY and has left our chapter. Her new address is 619 Roman Avenue, 115903528. We wish her good health and happiness. We are finally enjoying GREAT spring weather, after a very cold winter. The snow has all melted away, grass is starting to turn green and the golf courses are beginning to see heavy traffic. Treasurer Frank Purstell reported all is well, with only one unpaid dues. Thank you, all, for your prompt responses. Meeting Schedule: April 15, 12:30PM, Francesco Restorante Italiano (757-345-0557) on Richmond Road (Route 60) in Williamsburg, VA. From I-64, take Exit 234 for Humelsine Parkway (Route 199) South. Go to 2nd exit (Richmond Road - Route 60). At bottom of ramp, make a Left. Restaurant will be on the RIGHT, in a strip mall just past the traffic light at Lightfoot Road (before the NY Deli). Restaurant is tucked into a small corner. For reference: the Old Williamsburg Pottery is just up the road. May 13, 12:30PM, Crab Louie’s, Midlothian Turnpike, Midlothian, VA Last Meeting in Spring: June 10, 12:30PM, Tavern on the Green, at Spring Creek, Gordonsville, VA. Located at Spring Creek Housing Development, 1 1/2 miles North of Route 64 exit on Route 15. About 3 miles North of 250 in Gordonsville VA. We truly wish to see all our members from Williamsburg, Chesapeake, Norfolk, etc. We hope to see you all at the meetings! Please notify Frank Purstell ([email protected] or 434-282-1303) or Fred Meiners (434-589-2882) by the Monday before each meeting if you are coming to the meeting, so we can make arrangements. ****************************************************** In Memoriam We extend heartfelt sympathy to the families and friends of those who have passed away. Barnard, William H. Middlebury, VT 02/22/2015 Crosby, Claudette “Sue”Washington, NC02/28/2015 Duffy, Joseph B. Huntington, NY 03/15/2015 Finno, RuthHauppauge, NY07/04/2014 Haeberle, TheodoreEast Northport, NY02/06/2015 Hooson, Reginald (Eric) Huntington, NY 03/01/2015 Imgram, Donald A.Fairport, NY01/18/2015 Jacob, CharlesMerritt Island, FL02/19/2015 Jeskin, EugeneNorth Bellmore, NY09/17/2014 Lentino, RobertPalm Coast, FL02/24/2015 McCloughan, Donald A. Huntington, NY 03/01/2015 Palazzolo, Salvatore Port St. Lucie, FL 03/06/2015 Riley, Edward Locust Grove, VA 01/31/2015 Turk, George Stroudsburg, PA 03/16/2015 Zimmerman, FrederickBay Shore, NY02/18/2015 When reporting a death, provide the person’s Name, Date of death, and the City & State of residence prior to death. Notices of member deaths should be e-mailed to the Club ([email protected]), with “Death Notice” as the subject. 19 Grumman History Chapter 29 PERFORM & DIVERSIFY (1976) Grumman had a full plate. While the back room was churning out new ideas, Grumman’s mantra was: Current Contract Performance Perfection. After all, the ability to win new business required great performance on current contracts. Also, with government’s high emphasis on cost containment, program performance was a must (Note: It has not changed, even to this very day). The defense budget had been declining each year for 10 years. Since its peak of $449 million in 1966, the budget had dropped a whopping 37%, to just $284 million in 1976. In the face of these budget challenges, it was the four hot production lines (Tomcat, Hawkeye, Intruder, and Prowler) that kept Grumman’s coffers full. Grumman’s 1976 production scorecard was great, with 94% of the required 165 aircraft to be delivered either on time or ahead of schedule. Record sales and profits were Grumman’s reward. The Tomcat/Hawkeye team was put to a critical test during their seven month Mediterranean deployment on the USS John F. Kennedy. There were the exercises conducted during NATO “National Week” as well as the French/ British simulated attacks. The Tomcat/Hawkeye team compiled a perfect 100% fleet protection record, “killing off” all the Mirage 3s, 4s and Tiger sorties. Simultaneously, the E-2C exceeded its reliability requirements and the Prowler (EA-6B) received the “Golden Tailhook” award for flying over 1,700 accident free hours. Operational performance of Grumman’s products was flying high, Some programs were winding down. Most notably was the completion of the General Dynamics’ F-111 subcontract. Over a fourteen-year period, Grumman successfully delivered 569 F-111 “ship sets”; each ship set consisted of a F-111 fuselage, landing gear and horizontal stabilizers. After 23 years, the last of the S-2 Trackers was retired by the US Navy. The Tracker’s lifetime record included seven million flight hours, 800 thousand carrier landings, and an excellent safety record of just 0.69 accidents per ten thousand hours. Finally, the HU-16 Albatross made its last flight for the Navy, 25 years after its introduction. It was nicknamed “Marilyn Monroe” by many of the rescued airmen because the Albatross looked so beautiful as it swooped down to recover them. The Albatross would continue for many years, saving lives for other services and countries. On the up-side, the USAF EF-111 Raven development was going full tilt, the A-6E pilot production TRAM completed its trials, and 21 Prowlers were to begin an update program. Internationally, Israel became the first purchaser of the Hawkeye, ordering four with the new AN/APS-125 radar. Japan continued to show great interest in both the Hawkeye and the Tomcat. While Grumman’s emphasis was performance excellence, management made important moves to secure the future. Grumman created the Product Development Center as a means of dramatically reducing the cost and time, years in many cases, to bring a concept to the prototype stage. This capability was necessary to align with the Department of Defense’s “fly before buy” philosophy. Mike Pelehach, Senior Vice President of Business Development, also revamped Business Development with an Offsets Office to facilitate international sales, and a Proposal Operations Center to streamline and improve the proposal process. Mike placed increased emphasis on winning more Research and Development contracts to strengthen the Grumman’s product pipeline and formed a Business Planning group to improve the company’s investment approach. (continued) 20 Grumman History Chapter 29 (continued) Meanwhile, Grumman’s desire to diversify was going at full tilt. Over the previous three years, the non-aerospace portion of Grumman’s business had grown from 18% to nearly 23% of total revenue. Starting with energy conservation services, Grumman Energy Systems launched the $995 “Sunstream” solar pump heating system in a house at Quechee, Vermont, and started field testing a residential/farm sized wind generator in Alaska, in Rocky Flats, Colorado, and on a farm in upstate New York. Energy conservation services reached new levels when NASA awarded the team $1 million to develop energy savings concepts for all their aero-test centers located at Langley, Ames, Lewis, and JPL. Later in the year, this group would win a $450,000 contract from the Energy Research & Development Agency (ERDA, the predecessor to the Department of Energy) to identify energy conservation ideas for the Argonne National Labs. While these low-tech energy approaches were being pursued for near term business, Grumman was also looking for long term energy solutions by teaming with Ebasco to pursue a five-year fusion energy concept as part of a national team to design and build the Tokomak Fusion Test Reactor at Princeton. This technology could provide limitless energy for mankind as it harnessed the way the sun produces energy. Grumman’s energy portfolio was further broadened when it purchased exclusive rights to a European-proved technology that produced energy by burning trash and sewage sludge in an environmentally clean way. Grumman continued to pursue hydrofoil development. Starting with the Dolphin, developments led to the Denison, then the Flagstaff and - with a $1.2 million contract from the Navy - Grumman was to build the Flagstaff PH(H) Mark II, featuring new high strength HY-130 steel. In addition, Grumman Allied was now offering unique coronary care ambulances that were saving lives. Allied’s new fire truck subsidiary (Howe Fire Apparatus Co.) secured a record breaking $1.1 million contract from the city of St. Louis, beating out nine competitors. Dormavac, the storage concept for transporting highly perishable products, continued its successful development with production slated to begin in 1977. Also, Pearson (the yacht division of Allied) had a record backlog, with plans to expand manufacturing capacity and its product line. Despite concerns about rising fuel costs, Grumman Aviation continued to grow. Gulfstream II, the ultimate corporate jet, and the Super Ag-Cat, the standard of agricultural aviation, were now joined by the Cheetah, named the “1976 Plane of the Year” by Plane & Pilot, a magazine with a circulation of 100,000. They cited this four-seat airplane for its fuel efficiency, simplicity, and a finish that gave it a perpetual look of having been just waxed. Demand was building for an even higher performance corporate jet. To meet that need, Grumman announced it would develop the Gulfstream III, featuring a new “supercritical” wing that would enhance performance while providing even more passenger and crew comfort by incorporating some fuselage modifications. Grumman’s aircraft were receiving accolades from domestic and foreign customers while its growing portfolio of diversified non-defense products were continuing to broaden Grumman’s presence. The “Perform and Diversify” strategy was on track. By: Ken Speiser and Larry Feliu Copyright © 2015 by Kenneth Speiser and Larry Feliu, All rights reserved 21 GN_6-10_GN_10-07 10/5/10 4:09 PM Page 1 IMAX ® The Bristal Assisted Living offers all Grumman Retirees $1,000 off your first month’s rent should you or an immediate family member move into any of our luxurious communities including Reflections, for memory impaired adults*. For deTAiLs cALL (631) 580.2004 NOW PLAYING NEW! Legends of Flight. This unique cinematic experience shows how the 787 might affect the next 100 years of aeronautical design. Armonk | East Meadow East Northport | Lynbrook Massapequa | North Hills North Woodmere | Sayville the bristal.com Westbury | White Plains Woodcliff Lake, NJ * based upon availability of discounted apartments OPEn 9:30-5:00 PM Tuesday through Sunday Call 516-572-4111 www.CradleOfAviation.org Leroy R. and Rose W. Grumman IMAX Dome Theater Charles Lindbergh Blvd., Garden City, NY CREST HOLLOW APRIL 22ND LUNCHEON RESERVATION FORM Member Name (print) __________________________________________ Guest Names (print) __________________________________________ __________________________________________ No. of Members attending _____ No. of Guests attending _____ No. of Chicken _____ No. of Fish _____ CREST HOLLOW MAY 27TH LUNCHEON RESERVATION FORM Member Name (print) __________________________________________ Guest Names (print) __________________________________________ __________________________________________ No. of Members attending _____ No. of Guests attending _____ No. of Chicken _____ No. of Fish _____ Luncheon coupons should be mailed to Grumman Retiree Club, Inc. PO Box 476 Luncheon coupons should be mailed to Grumman Retiree Club, Inc. PO Box 476 $10 per member - $20 per guest PLEASE RESPOND BY APRIL 15 $10 per member - $20 per guest PLEASE RESPOND BY MAY 20 Bethpage, NY 11714 Bethpage, NY 11714 The Grumman Retiree Club does not specifically endorse or represent advertisers. GRUMMAN RETIREE CLUB - SCHOLASHIP LUNCHEON RESERVATION FORM Menu Choices: Roast Beef, Shrimp Oreganato or Chicken Milanese I wish to reserve seats at the June 24, 2015 Luncheon (Noon – 4PM) for these dues-paying Grumman Retiree Club members, their spouses and/or guests: Check One Check One Full Name (please print) Phone No. Beef Fish Pasta Retiree Guest 1. _____________________________ _____________ ____ ___ ____ _____ _____ 2. _____________________________ _____________ ____ ___ ____ _____ _____ 3. _____________________________ _____________ ____ ___ ____ _____ _____ 4. _____________________________ _____________ ____ ___ ____ _____ _____ 5. _____________________________ _____________ ____ ___ ____ _____ _____ 6. _____________________________ _____________ ____ ___ ____ _____ _____ 7. _____________________________ _____________ ____ ___ ____ _____ _____ 8. _____________________________ _____________ ____ ___ ____ _____ _____ 9. _____________________________ _____________ ____ ___ ____ _____ _____ 10. ___________________________ _____________ ____ ___ ____ _____ _____ 11. ___________________________ ______________ ____ ___ ____ _____ _____ 12. ____________________________ ______________ ____ ___ ____ _____ _____ - ALL TABLES SEAT TWELVE. A MINIMUM OF TEN IS REQUIRED TO RESERVE A TABLE. - SEVEN DAYS NOTICE IS REQUIRED IN ORDER TO RECEIVE A FULL REFUND. - PLEASE SEND ONE CHECK TO COVER LUNCH FOR YOU AND YOUR GUESTS. Attached please find $_______representing $35.00 per person for _________ people. Table Captain:_____________________________________ Address: ________________________________________ _________________________________________________ Ticket Purchase Deadline: June 17, 2015 E-Mail address:__________________________________________________________________________________________ Remarks:________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Please make all checks payable to: GRUMMAN RETIREE CLUB. Please send this form and checks to: Marion Abbott, PO Box 476, Bethpage, NY 11714. No tickets will be issued. To verify that your check has been received, please call Marion or Pat, at 516-575-3777. Grumman Retiree Club, Inc. 925 South Oyster Bay Road, M/S Retiree/BP15 Bethpage, NY 11714 NORTHROP GRUMMAN Benefits Center 1-800 - 894 - 4194 Investment Plan 1-800 - 894 - 4194 Monday - Friday 9 AM TO 6 PM ET Benefits On Line: www.benefits.northgrum.com OneExchange: 1-855 - 832 - 0976 Monday - Friday 8 AM TO 9 PM ET https://medicare.oneexchange.com/ngc Newsletter Editor: Neil Klaskin Nostalgia Coordinator: Charles Mooney Grumman Retiree Club, Inc. Phone: (516) 575-3777 Fax: (516) 575-8715 Website: www.grummanretireeclub.org E-mail:[email protected] Officers Betty Bohlander Bob Ripp Pat Sullivan Lou Kubat Frank Rizzo (vacant) - President - 1st Vice President - 2nd Vice President - Secretary - Treasurer - Sgt.-at-Arms Periodical Postage Paid