Heidelberg Reunion Commitment Needed Now, Organizational Planning for 2004/5 Also In the Works

With the projected trip to Heidelberg less than two months away, it is imperative that those who will be traveling to Germany at that time make their travel arrangements now and, at the same time, let Frank Schlatter, Reunion Coordinator, know of their plans. At the time that this newsletter is being produced there are but three persons, including Frank and his wife, who have made flight and hotel reservations. Apparently, there are some others who have made inquiries with Diane Lam, our travel agent with WEE TRAVEL, 1380 West Midway Blvd., Bloomfield, CO 80020 (Tel. numbers 303/465-2118 or 800/327-4006), but as of now they have not committed to going. Clearly, various aspects of a reunion require advance arrangements, particularly in arranging for transportation for day trips and for some specific activities, such as "banquets"--if enough are in attendance for the holding of such functions--and river cruises. It is equally clear that if just a few 33rders will be in attendance, no extensive planning for group functions will be required and thus, unlike our previous stateside reunions, no additional reunion fees will need to be assessed to cover the costs of buses and such functions as banquets.

If you are going to be attending the "reunion", please contact Frank by July 25, so that the various possibilities for the occasion can be discussed.

Frank Schlatter
3111 Futura
Roswell, NM 88201
Tel.: 505/622-6898
E-Mail: obfusa@rt66.com

As a reminder, the dates for the reunion are essentially from September 4 through September 12, with travel days according to each traveler's plans: on Tuesday or Wednesday, September 2 and 3 and Friday through Monday, September 12-15.

The original schedule of events called for a tour of Heidelberg and general sightseeing in the vicinity, along with a social gathering in the evening at the Hotel Zagreb in Schwetzingen on Thursday, Sept. 4; individual and small group sightseeing in Schwetzingen with an evening banquet at the Hotel Zagreb on Friday, Sept. 5; sightseeing/ shopping in Heidelberg and the Castle Illumination on Saturday, Sept. 6, an unplanned day on Sunday, Sept. 7; a visit to the 33rd Army Band and, in the evening, a banquet at Patrick Henry Village followed by an alumni concert on Monday, Sept. 8; a bus tour along the Neckar to Heilbronn on Tuesday, Sept. 9, a bus tour south along the Rhine to Speyer, Karlsruhe, and Baden-Baden on Wednesday, September 10; a cruise on the Neckar and then an evening banquet on Thursday, September 11; and the remaining days minus formal planned activities. As of this writing, all of the foregoing is subject to discussion by those planning to attend. What would seem most feasible if ten or fewer people plan to be in attendance is to rent one or two cars for a week and to share the costs involved in traveling outside the immediate vicinity of Schwetzingen and Heidelberg. So, if you are going to attend, please get in touch with Frank by July 25.

In an E-mail of 7 July Dick Hays wrote as follows:

To All Members of the 33rd Army Band Alumni Association

With the time of the Heidelberg reunion almost upon us, I feel it is time to look for new leadership within the Association. I took the presidency over 2 years ago in Minneapolis, with great anticipation for a good turnout in Heidelberg. Our initial survey numbers were good, and then we had 9/11, the airline crisis, a sour economy and the Iraq war. Certainly none of us in June of 2001 had any vision of the state of affairs that would impact us all.

I wish to thank Stan Cornett for his immense help, Frank Schlatter for his tireless secretarial commitment, and many other members who gave valuable suggestions along the way.

I have gathered a lot of valuable knowledge with the internet searches, and if the membership wishes to pursue Heidelberg at a later date I hope I can be of help.

With this letter, I resign the Presidency of the 33rd Army Band Alumni Association.

I think the 33rd ABAA membership should recognize that Dick Hays did all that he possibly could to insure that the Heidelberg reunion would be an occasion that everyone within the association would want to attend. He made some very necessary contacts, and, as he noted in his e-mail, "gathered a lot of valuable knowledge" regarding Heidelberg and the plans for the reunion. The fact that the reunion does not appear to be taking form in the way that Dick, Stan, and I had originally envisaged is in no way any fault of the 33rd ABAA President. Thanks much, Dick, for your many efforts for the association.

At this time the 33rd Army Band Alumni Association has but one officer, the secretary-treasurer. Prior to Dick Hays' presidency, the selection of a president and vice-president depended up where the next reunion was to be held; thus, at the 1999 reunion in Washington, D.C. we named Lorelei Giddings and Gene Karjala as those officers, respectively, for they lived in Minneapolis, where the 2001 reunion was held. Now we are in a betwixt and between situation because we do not have any current plans in place for after the Heidelberg meeting. And because so few members will apparently be there, no decision for 2004 or 2005 is likely to be made at the September gathering.

Those 33rd ABAA members who may have studied carefully the previous directories of the association may have noticed that we have far more former 33rders along the east coast than are found in any given location throughout the rest of the country. That preponderance of membership may be the reason why the 1999 reunion was considerably larger than the one held in 2001. It goes without saying, though, that unless there are volunteers of the association who live where the projected reunion is to take place, the planning for the event is not as easy as it otherwise would be.

So----what individuals within the 33rd ABAA are now willing to prepare an invitation to the association to attend a reunion within a particular time frame in their area (and thereby become the President and Vice-President of the organization)? If you and others in your area wish to host a reunion, please do the following:

1. Prepare an invitation which sets forth the city where the reunion would occur and the suggested dates for the occasion. In the invitation, identify the kinds of activities that would be available to those attending. Also include details regarding access to the site via highway, railway, and air transportation. It would also be helpful if you included projected costs of the hotel and of any meals that would be shared by reunion-goers.

2. Forward the invitation to the 33rd ABAA Secretary-Treasurer by September 20th so that it can be produced in the next 33rd ABAA newsletter. Accompany the invitation with a statement identifying the individuals who would be willing to serve as the President and Vice-President in charge of the reunion.

The reunion following the Heidelberg experience could well occur in late spring or after of 2004 if we can obtain a consensus of the membership by early December 2003 regarding such a reunion.

It may well be that you do not want to volunteer to host a reunion but you do have some ideas about where you would like for a reunion to be held. If you have some preferences in this regard, you are urged to forward such views to the Secretary-Treasurer so that they can also be shared in the next newsletter. Please forward such views to Frank by September 20th.

The 33rd Army Band Alumni Association is a not-for-profit organization that has been developed to provide a means for former members of the USAREUR Band to be in contact with one another via the quarterly newsletter Passing in Review and through periodic reunions. The organization's website: http//:www.rt66.com/~obfusa/33rd. Webmaster for the site: Dee Tonning, 2265 Tawny Woods Pl., Boise, ID 83706. E-mail: dtonning@aol.com

Persons who are not former members of the 33rd Army Band but who are interested in participating in the activities of the alumni association are welcome as associate members. Annual dues for all members is $15, payable to the 33rd ABAA and sent to the secretary-treasurer.

Secretary-Treasurer, Membership, and Newsletter Editor: Frank Schlatter, 3111 Futura, Roswell, NM 88201 Tel: 505-622-6898 Fax: 505-622-1611 E-mail: obfusa@rt66.com

Photos following: 1. Frank Schlatter, 1957, shown with his and co-owner Dick Birnbaum's VW (The newsletter editor thought it might be appropriate to put this picture in inasmuch as there is now a pending trip to Heidelberg, and who knows what means of transport will be employed?) 2. Saying "Auf Wiedersehen" to Marvin Schatz. (It was a tradition that we played people off. How long did the tradition exist--or does it still?) 3.Playing off Becky--the WAC barracks in the background.