2009 Reunion Update

REUNION UPDATE

Baltaites,

It’s time for an update on the ’09 Ruidoso NM Reunion:

WHO’S COMING:

Bill & Dottie Dunn

Ed & Kathy Hoben

Heidi & Dan Cotler

Dee & Pat Carroll

Wally & Beth Knox

John Smoller

Mike Rodgers

Doug Gitt

Bill Shea

Carolyn & John

Kerry Vandegrift & Guest

Curt & Barb Simonson

Dan & Kristi Hayden

Sam Flippo & Janelle

Chandra Freyermuth & Frank Sholedice

Meg Freyermuth

Tom & Davelyn Forrest

In addition, John & Susan Hatton and Doug Cantrell will attend the reunion, but will not be staying at one of our houses.

TO THE CONFIRMED ATTENDEES:

• On May 25^th I sent out an e-mail notice to each of you, indicating how much you owe and the deadline for full payment. I am somewhat concerned because only 5 persons/couples have paid in full. Are you really coming, folks? Then let me know that you received my e-mail and that the check will be on its way soon. Or, let me know immediately if you are NOT coming, so that we can offer your space to others.

• I figured payment as I did for the family reunions that I have helped organize: the total cost divided by the number attending, and structured payment according to how long each person is staying and whether the days stayed are “peak” days (Thursday through Sunday), or “non-peak.” (Peak days fee includes meals; non-peak includes only breakfast/snacks.)

I found out (too late!) from Dee that BALTA reunions were done differently: a standard fee for all attending, regardless of the days stayed. So, in case you were wondering how I figured your total, this is how it’s broken down:

Stay Per Person Cost

Peak day                                              $58

Non-peak day                                      $34

PEOPLE WHO MAY BE COMING (unconfirmed, i.e., no deposit):

Mike Gleason

Don Pier

Mike Newman

Hugh Kron

Art Fanning

Bob Hamlin

PLEASE NOTE:

• If you think you are coming to the reunion, but did not send me the required non-refundable $50 deposit, THINK AGAIN—We cannot guarantee you a bed if you did not send us a deposit! Hummingbird Cabins requires the number of persons staying in a house to be stated up-front, & they do not allow extras. The houses we have reserved are full at this point, so unless we have a cancellation, you would have to find your own accommodations (which would not be difficult in Ruidoso in October).

• If you are planning to “drop in,” BEWARE—We may not be there because we scatter during the day. On the peak days, we should be at the reunion site in the evenings; however, there is the possibility that one of those nights we would be at a restaurant, so please maintain contact with us.

• If you end up staying at a motel or elsewhere, you need to pay us ahead of time for meals/beer on the peak days, at the rate of $26 a day.

EVERYONE:

I know that you probably have questions about exactly where we will be in Ruidoso & directions for getting there. Unfortunately, it is the policy of Hummingbird Cabins not to release addresses/directions until payment has been made in full. However, I can tell you that the subdivision is called Black Forest, if you want to Google/Map it.

So, that’s it for now. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions—take care,

Carolyn Gressitt

Home phone:   575-523-8413

Cell phone:      575-496-7584

Address (for payments):

734 N. Reymond St.

Las Cruces, NM 88005

Funeral arrangements for Gary

(This was posted by Gary’s family on his blog, The Auction Rebel)

I am sorry to write that we lost a friend yesterday. Gary passed away about noon on Tuesday June 23rd following a massive heart attack with no previous warning.

We know that this site and computer auctions were a big part of his life and so wanted to let anyone out there know what had happened.

The Funeral is Sat. June 27th at Stennes Funeral Home in East Grand Forks, MN with visitation starting at noon and also Friday from 5:00 to 7:00pm. The Obituary will be in the Grand Forks Herald Thursday June 25th.

Thank you for any part you may have played in Gary’s life.

–Gary’s Family

Sad news about Gary Hendrickson

Hi Dee,
 
I’m Gary and Gayle Hendrickson’s daughter, Tracy.  After much searching for your Bad Aibling website that we had heard so much about, my brother Mike (who some may remember) and I finally found you. 
 
Just wanted to let you all know that Dad passed away yesterday (Tues, June 23rd) from an extremely unexpected massive heart attack. 
 
Over the last year or so we had heard quite a bit about the website.  I believe he missed the reunion, but was looking forward to the possibility of another one and getting the chance to catch up with old drinking buddies.  We have also heard a few tales of the shenanigans of those days.  He held very fond memories of the “lawn tennis association”.  Thank you all for the role you played in his life.
 
And a special note to Steve Trask–Your name goes on.  Not only was Mike named after you, but our cousin named his son Trask after Mike!
 
 Tracy Dorn
ctdorn@yahoo.com
Mike (Trask) Hendrickson
mthendrickson@meltel.net

Photo from Lonnie Gervais

Hello Dee,

I was talking to my cousin this weekend and he showed me a bunch of
pictures from when he was in Bad Aibling. He was in Fort Devons in
1954 and BA in 1955. He was drafted, even though he had a wife and
baby, and did 2 years as a morse code interceptor.

He told me they took their meals in an old hangar that I believe was
our ops building. I asked him if he remembered a gasthaus just off
post and he said sure, it was the “First Chance” if you were leaving
post and the “Last Chance” if you were returning.

Here is a picture of him on post in 1955, I don’t know what the C/R
stands for and didn’t ask him.

Lonny Gervais

More about BA from Doug

News about BA

From the “ASA Interceptor” the newsletter of the ASA Alpiners Reunion Group (vets of all ASA sites and times):

Brooke Anderson (BA 1960 – 62) reported that at least part of the station is being converted into a hotel (as of March 09). He also reported that the Chiemsee Hotel (the old R&R site just off the Autobahn) is closed, supposedly to be re-opened as a health clinic.

BTW, for those who can’t stand another BALTA reunion and are looking for an alternative, the ASA Alpiners Reunion Group is having its annual reunion on October 8, 9 and 10 in St. Louis. Many of these folks seem to be ASA vets from the ’50’s and early 60’s, so they probably don’t reach the same level of debauchery…

Doug (Gitt)

What’s happenin’ in BA

I’m Bill Nippert (BA: Aug 70 – Feb 72): Not sure how many Baltans also are involved with the ASA Alpiners, but here’s a neat note from their May, 2009 Newsletter. I checked out the link & thought gee, why didn’t they do this when I lived there!

“Brooke Anderson (Bad Aibling 60-62) writes: Here’s an update on Bad Aibling Station: It is being turned into a park hotel, in which the old barracks are being converted to hotel rooms, with much more to come. I just returned from there and witnessed the activity leading to the opening of this venture. Check out http://www.bo-parkhotel.de for the latest. Time has dimmed the old memory, but I think the initial buildings already turned into rooms were the EM club facilities.

I was in Co. A, and that building is currently under reconstruction. Some of the buildings are being torn down, but most of the dependent buildings are still intact. The working facilities – ops and outbuildings – are still intact, some being used by the B&O people for offices. Ops is still there as is the last antenna field. While the hotel is listed as being open, what I saw two weeks ago was extremely preliminary in terms of construction. Stay tuned – it’s an optimistic project.”

ASA All the Way: “Lead, Follow or Get out of the Way” – Bill

Request from Tom Snead

Okay everyone,

Does anyone remember Capt Lazurus (CO HQ CO) or Lt. Crosby (had a Vette) and where they may be or what happened to them?

Tom Snead
65-68

Music, music, music

Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood – Live from Madison Square Garden

Two cd’s worth of “old fart music”, as in songs of Jimi Hendrix, Derek and the Dominoes, Blind Faith, Robert Johnson, as well as Clapton and Winwood. Clapton’s playing is just plain good; of course EC does the best he can with the vocals, which isn’t shabby.  Winwood’s keyboards and vocal are top notch. A must buy for you older rock and rollers.

Steve Earl – Townes

Steve Earl’s homage to Townes Van Zandt. Wow! A cd of a master playing the music of a master.

Allen Toussaint – The Bright Mississippi

New Orleans jazz played so well; songs of Sidney Bechet, “Jelly Roll” Morton, Joe Oliver, Django Reinhardt, T. Monk and Duke Ellington with a couple of traditional songs as well. Just the thing for quiet hot summer nights!!

Doug (Gitt)

Unclaimed property

BALTANS,

Some of you may already know about your State’s Unclaimed Property program. Whenever a bank, company or even an individual legally owes money or physical property to an individual or company, that entity must turn over the money or property to the State in which the person resided at the time when the transaction took place. There are many situations where this can happen.

An old insurance claim.

Wages owed by a previous employer, like when you worked for McDonald’s when you couldn’t find a job with all your advanced training as a 98C20!

You ordered something from a catalog and never received it and forgot about it, even though you had paid for it.

Recalculated stock dividends.

Whatever.

Everyone should check with your particular State’s Bureau of Unclaimed Property or some such misnomer. I checked mine and found that I was owed over $200 by one of the home shopping channels for something that I had forgotten about.

Update from John Hatton

I wanted to reintroduce myself to those who may have recalled that I once existed. That was a long, long ago in many minds. After leaving BA I do not recall having contact with any of the fine folks I once knew until Kerry called me last week. I was dumbfounded to say the least. How did anyone find me? Why would they want to!!

Of course I realize there were many John Hattons, as Kerry said, but finding the right one, that was a trick. I do not know exactly how Kerry sorted through them all but by magic he managed to find me hiding in Louisville, Kentucky.

I will not bore you with details, but I will share the short story of my life after Bad Aibling. I returned to Oxford, Ohio (Miami University) to continue the education I had began before joining the Army. It was late 1970 and I got really bored with the immature spoiled nineteen year olds that were there at the time.

To be honest I think most of you know that the folks we worked with in the ASA may have been a bit eccentric but they were the brightest and best we had. It took me some time to readjust to “normal” people. I didn’t stay in school long and left to pursue a life.