2023 548th/67th Reunion Melbourne, Florida

Venue:  Crowne Plaza Melbourne-Oceanfront

2605, North 1A, Melbourne, Florida 32903

Rooms:  $169 or $179 per night (plus tax) Reserve by March 30, 2023

Reunion Cost:  $50/person (includes banquet dinner); $121/person with Friday’s Kennedy Space Center Tour (Reunion $50+tour $71).

Pay For Reunion:  Paypal. pay to [email protected], Venmo, pay to [email protected], or check/money order made out to and sent to 548^th/67^th Association, PO Box 75549, Kapolei, HI, 96707.  Reunion payment due by April 27.  (Note:  Mizner and O’Dell, are paid with funds from cancelled NOLA reunions, also Stokes and Ardizzoni have carry over for future reunions)

Hotel Reservations:  To receive the discounted group rate of $169 for a Standard Room and $179 for a Balcony Room over the dates of Thursday, April 27 – Sunday, April 30, 2023 please reference group code “RTG” when reserving by phone at 1-877-701-9252 or book online at: 548th and 67th Reconnaissance Association Reunion – Direct Booking Link (Right click to follow).   Rooms are comprised of either one king bed, one queen bed or two queen beds and room types are determined at the time of the reservation.  Reservations will be accepted at the group rate until March 30, 2023.  After this date any unused room in the block will be released back into inventory for general sale and guests will be quoted the prevailing rate at the time of the reservation.

• FREE Cancellation until 6:00 PM local hotel time on Wed 26 Apr 2023
•  Deposit Not Required

Cancellation Policy: Canceling your reservation before 6:00 PM (local hotel time) on Wednesday, 26 April, 2023 will result in no charge. Canceling your reservation after 6:00 PM (local hotel time) on 26 April, 2023, or failing to show, will result in a charge equal to the first night’s stay per room to your credit card or other guaranteed payment method. Taxes may apply. Failing to call or show before check-out time after the first night of a reservation will result in cancellation of the remainder of your reservation.

For those who want to stay longer, the group rate is available from Tuesday 4/25 –5/01 for attendees to book at the reunion rate. To book any extended days, you can change the requested dates at the date bar at the top of the direct booking link. 

If you should get a message that no more rooms are available for our block, contact me at [email protected] and I will attempt to get more rooms added to our block of 35 rooms, reserve early.

Schedule:

Thursday April 27:

     Arrive Hotel

     1600-2100 Check in for reunion and get name tags. hotel’s St Martin/St Lucia Room Meet and greet, with pupu’s and a cash bar.

Friday April 28

     0830:  Depart hotel by your vehicle or car pool to Kennedy Space Center Tour Center, I will have a 7-passener van. Register for this tour by October 1 at [email protected] .  (Center address for your GPS:  Space Commerce Way, Merritt Island, FL 32953, It is 35 Miles/50 Minutes from the hotel.  I decided on not chartering a bus because people will want to return to the hotel at various times.

     0920:  Arrive at KSC visitor center.

         Note:  Bus to Apollo/Saturn V Center departs every 15 Minutes.

      Various Times:  Depart KSC and return to hotel, center closes at 1700.

The Kennedy Space Center group rate for admission is $71/person, and includes:

     1.  Tourist Center

     2.  Bus to Apollo/Saturn V Center, video on bus, no guide, tour at center takes about 1:45 hour.

• The basic admission does not include a tour on KSC, except for the Apollo/Saturn V Center.  You can add on the enhanced tour, which is guided, for $25, it includes:  A bus tour, that makes several stops to capture photo opportunities. Get a photographic view of numerous spaceflight icons like the Vehicle Assembly Building and historic Launch Complex 39, disembarking to capture photos along the way to the Apollo/Saturn V Center.  The is no group discount for the enhanced tour, book this yourself at Add-On Enhancements page and get additional information this and other experiences.

Map of KSC

 

     All Day:  There are other tours available in area, check hotel lobby, or enjoy the beach.

Saturday April 29

     Until 1700 on your own until Banquet: 

     Banquet:  Dress, Aloha attire, business casual, or suit and tie, no jeans or shorts.

          1700:  Drive to Patrick Space Force Base Tides Club, 1001 N. Hwy A1A, Bldg #967 Patrick SFB, FL 32925, by your own car, car pool, or I will have a 7-passenger van and can shuttle if necessary.  (Located off base so no DOD ID is needed.  (Hotel to Tides 7.4 miles/12 Minutes)

      1700-1800:  Socialize, Cash Bar until 2100. 

      1800-1830:  Post Colors, Patrick SFB Honor Guard

National Anthem

Color Guard Retires

                          Invocation, Cecil Brown

                         Welcome and POW/MIA Table, our President, Denver Cook.

      1830-1930:  Buffet Dinner:

                         SIGNATURE BUFFET (Subject to change with 2023 menu)

ENTRÉES

   Thyme & Rosemary Prime Rib

   Stuffed Chicken Breast with Artichoke, Red Pepper & Fontina

   Cream Sauce

   Grilled Mahi with Cajun Shrimp Sauce

SALADS

   Garden Salad, Cucumbers, Carrots, Tomatoes with Ranch & Balsamic Dressings

   Fresh Romaine, Parmesan, Croutons, Caesar Dressing

SIDES

   Jasmine Rice

   White Wine Pan Roasted Mushrooms

   Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

   Grilled Asparagus with shaved Parmesan

1930-2000 Guest Speaker William Gattle who has recently accepted an offer to become the CEO of Light Ridge Solutions, a private equity aerospace and defense company that specializes in high performance space and air collectors and sensors as well as artificial intelligence and machine learning.  2000-2100  Business Meeting and select next reunion site.  Aloha and Goodbyes           2100:  Return to hotel   April 30 Check out of hotel.

548^th and 67^th Reunion Update February 22, 2023

Below is a listing of those attending our reunion please check that your information is correct.  For Ken Bell, Denver Cook, Melissa Gorsuch, Tony Jackson, Pat O’Conner, and Mary Shaffer, I need the name of your guest for the name tag.  I checked today with Space Force PAO and the Historical Tour is still a no go, I will give it one last try in March.  For those going on the KSC Tour, I would suggest adding on the enhanced tour for an extra $25+tax, it will give your feet a break and goes onto the space port, you must book it yourself at https://www.kennedyspacecenter.com/info/tickets#Add-onEnhancements  the bus for the enhanced tour departs several times a day and you select the time when booking.  Our guest speaker is Mr. William Gattle who has 35 years of experience in the global aerospace and defense market. He has recently accepted an offer to become the CEO of LightRidge Solutions, a private equity aerospace and defense company that specializes in high performance space and air collectors and sensors as well as artificial intelligence and machine learning. Bill

Name	Confirm Yes	Maybe	Need Hotel	Booked Hotel	Reunion Paid	Banquet	# Party Confirmed	KSC Tour	Historical Tour	Name Tag	Name Tag
	44	10	36	31	34	79	79	52	44	0	0
Ardizzoni, Robert	x		x		x	2	2			Rob Ardizzoni	Sue Ardizzoni
Bell, Ken	x		x	x	x	1	2			Ken Bell	???
Belote, Dave	x		x	x	x	2	1	2	No	Dave Belote	Lianne Belote
Benson, Larry	x		x			2	2	2	2	Larry Benson	Stephan Sripol
Benson, Tim	x		x	x	x	2	2	2	2	Tim Benson	Donna Benson
Best, Sue	x		x	x	x	2	2	2	2	Sue Best	Vicki Welch
Boasso, Herb	x		x	x	x	2	2			Herb Boasso	Mary Ellen Boasso
Brown, Cecil	x		x	x	x	2	2	2	2	Cecil	Phyllis Brown, Erika Brown
Calvin, Connie	x		x	x	x	1	1	1	1	Connie Calvin
Carey, Michael	x		x	x		1	1			Mike Carey
Cook, David	x		x	x		2	2			David Cook	Vickie Cook
Cook, Denver	x		x			2	2			Denver Cook	???
Cruz, Norberto (Papo)	x		x			1	1			Norberto Cruz
Name	Confirm Yes	Maybe	Need Hotel	Booked Hotel	Reunion Paid	Banquet	# Party Confirmed	KSC Tour	Historical Tour	Name Tag	Name Tag
Deininger, Terry	x		x	x	x	1			1	Terry Deininger
DeNunzio, Maureen	x		x	x	x	1	1	1	1	Maureen DeNunzio
Durnell, Pete	x		x	x	x	1	1	1	1	Pete Durnell
Escalante, Pete	x		x	x		1	1			Pete Escalante
Forsyth, Bill	x		x	x	x	2	2	2	2	Bill Forsyth	Josh Marciel
Fraleigh, Kevin	x				x	2	2			Kevin Fraleigh	Malette Fraleigh
Goetz, Cristy	x		x			1	1	1	1	Cristy Goetz
Gorsuch (Martin}, Melissa	x		x			2	2			Melissa Gorsuch	???
Hester, Lee	x		x	x	x	2	2	2	2	Lee Hester	Lisa Hester
Hoover, Fred	x		x	x	x	2	2	2	2	Fred Hoover	Sue Hoover
Janssen, Bill	x		x	x	x	2	2			Bill Janssen	Sherry Janssen
Name	Confirm Yes	Maybe	Need Hotel	Booked Hotel	Reunion Paid	Banquet	# Party Confirmed	KSC Tour	Historical Tour	Name Tag	Name Tag
Johnson, Dean	x		x	x		2	2	2	2	Dean Johnson	Rosie Johnson
Johnson, Randy	x		x	x	x	2	2	2	2	Randy Johnson	Lori Johnson
Kelly, Ken	x		x	x	x	2	2			Ken Kelly	Beverly Kelly
Kolcun, Dan	x		x	x	x	2	2	2	2	Dan Kolcun	Alana Kolcun
Tamara, Leeper	x		x	x	x	2	2			Tamara (Leeper) Smith	Kurt Smith
Maughan, Pete	x		x	x	x	2	2		2	Pete Maughan	Judy Maughan
McBride, Kelly (Tellez)	x					2	2			Kelly McBride (Tellez)	Mark Tellez
Mizner, Mark	x		x	x	x	1	1	1	1	Mark Mizer
Oakes, Ben	x					2	2			Ben Oakes	June Oakes Lawrence Kelly
O’Conner, Patrick	x		x	x	x	2	2	2	2	Pat O’conner	???
Parman, Ken	x		x	x	x	2	2	2	2	Ken Parman	Natasha Giesler
Pecarina, John	x		x	x	x	2	2	2	2	John Pecarina	Peggy Pecarina
Schalch, Margaret	x				x	2	2	2	2	Margaret Schalch	James Curtis
Shaffer, Mary	x				x	1	1			Mary Shaffer	???
Staggs, Randall	x					2	2			Randy Staggs	Holly Staggs
Name	Confirm Yes	Maybe	Need Hotel	Booked Hotel	Reunion Paid	Banquet	# Party Confirmed	KSC Tour	Historical Tour	Name Tag	Name Tag
Tice, Jan	x				x	1	1	x		Jan Tice
Waddell, Don	2			x	x	2	2	2	2	Don Waddell	Jane Waddell
Weller, Joe	x		x	x	x	1	1			Joe Weller
Wiles, Fred	x		x	x	x	1	1		1	Fred Wiles
Guest Speaker William Gattle						1				William Gattle	Susan Gattle

548^th and 67^th Reunion Update December 9, 2022

     All of the preparations for our reunion April 27-29, 2023 in Melbourne Florida are completed,  I need those attending to make your hotel reservations and pay for the reunion.  The schedule for the reunion and instruction for reservation and payment are on our website https://548rtg.org/548th-67th-reunion-2023-melbourne-florida/ .  Thus far only 16 of the 36 members needing rooms have made their reservation;  this is very concerning to me, if we don’t fill 80% of our block of 35 rooms, we must pay for the unused rooms for the entire period, this is comes out to $523/room not filled, we can not afford this.  So if you are not attending the reunion, now is the time to tell us.  Also, if you plan on attending and you are not on the list, let us know.  If by some miracle we go over on our block of 35 rooms, the hotel may let us increase our block size, if they don’t we will reimburse you the difference in cost if you have to pay regular room rate.

    I have paid for the Kennedy Space Tourist Center tickets and they have mailed them to me, I have until the day before the tour to cancel and get a refund, I also can get more if needed.  I am still holding out hope the Patrick SFB PAO free Historical Tour on the Space Port will resume, but as of now it has not, if it resumes it will replace the KSC tourist center. I will pass the KSC tickets out with your name tags Thursday night at the hotel.

    Ben Oakes has lined up our guest speaker; it is Mr. Joe Westbay, VP & GM, Space Imaging Division at L3Harris Technologies and he also worked 19 years at Kodak.  Ben will later get his bio and I will forward it on.

    For those attending, please forward me the names you want on your name tags so I can start printing those up, send to [email protected].

Reunion Updated August 26, 2022

Our bi-annual reunion which was postponed by the pandemic.
Thursday: St. Thomas Room, 1600-2100 registration and meet and greet.
Friday: 0900 Bus to Cape Canaveral Tour or tour on your own,
Saturday: 1800 By car, Patrick SFB Tides Club, banquet and business meeting.
Sunday: Depart, Aloha

At this time attendees can now make reservations in the 548th and 67th Reconnaissance Association Reunion Room Block at Crowne Plaza Melbourne Oceanfront. To receive the discounted group rate of $169 for a Standard Room and $179 for a Balcony Room over the dates of Thursday, April 27 – Sunday, April 30, 2023 please reference group code “RTG” when reserving by phone at 1-877-701-9252 or book online at: https://www.ihg.com/crowneplaza/hotels/us/en/melbourne/mlboc/hoteldetail .  Rooms are comprised of either one king bed, one queen bed or two queen beds and room types are determined at the time of the reservation. Reservations will be accepted at the group rate until March 30, 2023. After this date any unused room in the block will be released back into inventory for general sale and attendees will be quoted the prevailing rate at the time of the reservation.

Cancellation until 6:00 PM local hotel time on Wed 26 Apr 2023
Deposit Not Required
Cancellation Policy: Canceling your reservation before 6:00 PM (local hotel time) on Wednesday, 26 April, 2023 will result in no charge. Canceling your reservation after 6:00 PM (local hotel time) on 26 April, 2023, or failing to show, will result in a charge equal to the first night’s stay per room to your credit card or other guaranteed payment method. Taxes may apply. Failing to call or show before check-out time after the first night of a reservation will result in cancellation of the remainder of your reservation.

Crowne Plaza Melbourne Oceanfront
2605 North Hwy A1A, Melbourne, FL 32903

Take a virtual tour of our hotel here: Crowne Plaza Melbourne Oceanfront
Members Attending:
Yes 44 Members Going/74 with Guests
Max Alexander 2
Ken Bell 1
Dave Belote 1
Larry Benson 2
Tim Benson 2
Sue Best 2
Doc Blanchard 2
Herb Boasso 2
Cecil Brown 2
Connie Calvin 1
Mike Carey 1
David Cook 2
Denver Cook 2
Papo Cruz 1
Moe Denunzio 1
Pete Durnell 1
Pete Escalante 1
Doug Fischer 2
Bill Forsyth 1
Kevin Fraleigh 2
Bill Germer 2
Cristy Goetz 1
Melissa Gorsuch 2
Jim Grant 1
Mike Gross 2
Lee Hester 2

Fred Hoover 2
Tony Jackson 2
Bill Jannsen 2
Dean Johnson 2
Randy Johnson 2
Dan Kolcun 2
Pete Maughan 2
Kelly McBride (Tellez) 2
Mark Mizer 1
Dave Morris 2
Ben Oakes 2
Steve Pagel 2
John Pecarina 2
Schalch, Margaret 2
Mary Shaffer 1
Randy Staggs 2
Joe Weller 1
Fred Wiles 2
17 Maybe Members/27 Guest
Tena Baker 1
Jim Belk 2
Gary Gohn 1
Vern Hamilton 2
Charles Harding 1
Ken Kelly 2
Kevin Kenny 2
Pat Oconner 2
Larry O’Dell 3
Ken Parman 1
Jim Paine 2
Jeff Seehase 2

Teresa Sanchez 1

Yogi Tamara 2
Jan Tice 1
Dave Tressler 2
James Wilson 1

Reunion Update August 24, 2022

Members

We are almost there for our reunion, April 27-29, Ben Oakes, our man with boots on the ground, after looking at Cocoa Beach and Melbourne, has selected the Crowne Plaza Melbourne Oceanfront on the beach in Melbourne Florida, once I sign the contract, we can begin to reserve rooms, will advise when you can reserve.  We have a block of 35 rooms (we can add room later, if available), the reunion rates are $165/night for a standard room (17 rooms blocked) and $179 for a balcony (18 rooms blocked, doesn’t mean ocean view).  As of now we have a small meeting room (30) seats) for Thursday evenings meet and greet, they will give us a larger room if it comes available.  Friday we will have a tour of Cape Canaveral, the bus (57 seats) will pick up at the hotel, estimated cost is $85/person.  Saturday’s banquet with be at the Patrick Space Force Base consolidated club The Tides, which is located just off base on highway A1A seven miles north of the hotel, the cost of the buffet is $31/person.

Members Attending

Yes 40 Members Going	65 with Guests
Max Alexander	2
Ken Bell	1
James Belk	2
Dave Belote	1
Larry Benson	2
Sue Best	2
Doc Blanchard	2
Herb Boasso	1
Connie Calvin	1
Mike Carey	1
David Cook	2
Denver Cook	1
Papo Cruz	1
Moe Denunzio	1
Dave Dobbins	2
Pete Durnell	1
Pete Escalante	1
Doug Fischer	2
Bill Forsyth	1
Kevin Fraleigh	2
Bill Germer	2
Cristy Goetz	1
Mike Gross	2
Fred Hoover	2
Tony Jackson	2
Bill Jannsen	2
Dean Johnson	2
Randy Johnson	2
Dan Kolcun	2
Pete Maughan	2
McBride (Tellez)	2
Mark Mizer	1
Dave Morris	2
Ben Oakes	2
Steve Pagel	2
John Pecarina	2
Mary Shaffer	1
Randy Staggs	2
Joe Weller	1
Fred Wiles	2
15 Maybe Members	25 Guest
Tena Baker	1
Cecil Brown	2
Gary Gohn	1
Vern Hamilton	2
Charles Harding	1
Lee Hester	1
Ken Kelly	2
Kevin Kenny	2
Pat Oconner	2
Larry O’Dell	3
Ken Parman	1
Jeff Seehase	2
Yogi Tamara	2
Jan Tice	1
Dave Tressler	2
James Wilson	1

Reunion Update 7/22/2022

Still researching hotel, here is the current list.

Yes 37 Members Going	65 with Guests
Max Alexander	2
Ken Bell	1
James Belk	2
Dave Belote	1
Larry Benson	2
Sue Best	2
Doc Blanchard	2
Herb Boasso	1
Connie Calvin	1
Mike Carey	1
Denver Cook	1
Moe Denunzio	1
Dave Dobbins	2
Pete Durnell	1
Pete Escalante	1
Doug Fischer	2
Bill Forsyth	1
Kevin Fraleigh	2
Bill Germer	2
Cristy Goetz	1
Mike Gross	2
Fred Hoover	2
Tony Jackson	2
Bill Jannsen	2
Dean Johnson	2
Randy Johnson	2
Dan Kolcun	2
Pete Maughan	2
Mark Mizer	1
Dave Morris	2
Ben Oakes	2
Steve Pagel	2
John Pecarina	2
Mary Shaffer	1
Randy Staggs	2
Joe Weller	1
Fred Wiles	2
15 Maybe Members	25 Guest
Tena Baker	1
Cecil Brown	2
Gary Gohn	1
Vern Hamilton	2
Charles Harding	1
Lee Hester	1
Ken Kelly	2
Kevin Kenny	2
Pat Oconner	2
Larry O’Dell	3
Jeff Seehase	2
Yogi Tamara	2
Jan Tice	1
Dave Tress;er	2
James Wilson	1

Reunion Update 7/22/2022

Our reunion is tentatively scheduled for Apri 27-29 2022 , check out on the 30th, dates are dependent on hotel availability. Ben Oakes is checking hotels in the Cocoa Beach/Melbourne area. So far we have 33 members/53 with guests attending.

Max Alexander	2
Ken Bell	1
James Belk	2
Larry Benson	2
Sue Best	2
Doc Blanchard	2
Herb Boasso	1
Connie Calvin	1
Mike Carey	1
Denver Cook	1
Moe Denunzio	1
Dave Dobbins	2
Pete Durnell	1
Pete Escalante	1
Bill Forsyth	1
Kevin Fraleigh	2
Bill Germer	2
Cristy Goetz	1
Mike Gross	2
Fred Hoover	2
Bill Jannsen	2
Dean Johnson	2
Randy Johnson	2
Dan Kolcun	2
Pete Maughan	2
Mark Mizer	1
Dave Morris	2
Ben Oakes	2
Steve Pagel	2
John Pecarina	2
Mary Shaffer	1
Randy Staggs	2
Joe Weller	1
Fred Wiles	2
May Attend
Tena Baker	1
Cecil Brown	2
Gary Gohn	1
Vern Hamilton	2
Charles Harding	1
Lee Hester	1
Ken Kelly	2
Kevin Kenny	2
Pat Oconner	2
Larry O’Dell	3
Jeff Seehase	2
Yogi Tamara	2
Jan Tice	1
James Wilson	1

Reunion 7/14/22

It has been a week since I sent out the survey on the Reunion in New Orleans, the responses to the email and FB post were 13 members yes, 3 maybe, and 8 no.  All of our previous reunions had over 30 members.  I propose we fall back to our second choice, Cocoa Beach Florida and see if we get a better response.  Please email me if you plan to attend in 2023, include your preferred month and if are interested in a cruise after the reunion.  Any suggestions on a venue or cruise line would be appreciated.  Also any volunteers to help organize the reunion.

Bill