January/February/March 2009 Volume 11, Issue 1

We all need to be thinking of It is a win-win-win situation. Alvers LST534 Scholarship. The the future of LST325. For that You win because you honored above guidelines would apply reason, we now have a your ship. The student wins so you could write up a story scholarship program that can because the scholarship dollars about your dad to be given to be given to an Evansville help with buying books and the scholarship recipient each Vanderburgh County high other college expenses. The ship year. That would really make school senior to help with their wins because we have young the scholarship mean something college expenses. And the people on board learning the to the student. scholarship can HONOR our importance of the LST in ship. preserving America’s freedom. I think this is the most exciting program undertaken to help The LST325 represents all LST’s. The LST Scholarship program the ship in Evansville. It is our living tribute to the will be administered by the amphibious fleet. To get Public Education Foundation of If you are interested in learning younger generations on board Evansville, Inc., which is a 501(c) more about the scholarship and interested, we invite them (3) nonprofit organization. program, or sponsoring a to earn a scholarship. Therefore, your donation to the $500.00 Scholarship, contact scholarship program will be tax Linda Alvers at 1-800-237-1224. Here’s how it works. For deductible. I suppose that Or contact Amy Walker, Public $500.00 you can sponsor a makes it another WIN!!!! Education Foundation of scholarship in the name of your Evansville at 1-812-422-1699, ship, or a member of the crew. We have a scholarship in place Email: [email protected]. Area high school seniors already, entitled History of the compete for the scholarship. To LST534 Scholarship. To begin Checks can be mailed to: Public be considered, a high school the Scholarship, I donated the Education Foundation of Evansville, P. O. Box 1163, senior has to work 30 volunteer first $500. If anyone is interested in donating to this Evansville, IN 47706. hours on board LST325 and then write an essay describing scholarship in honor of the ship, his/her experience. A scholarship we can make the scholarship LET’S ENSURE THE committee selects the winner. mean more to a deserving FUTURE OF LST325 SO student of history. Any amount ALL THE WORLD LEARNS When the scholarship is is welcome. Also, anyone who awarded, you can accompany wants to donate a complete ABOUT THE IMPORTANT the scholarship with a $500 scholarship in the name of your family who served on ROLE OF LST’S. description of your ship and why you sponsored the board LST534, it could be scholarship. named, for example, Norman LST534 Newsletter NEWS education, and excitement. Thanks to CBS News Interactive Children and adults alike find and the Intrepid Museum for The Intrepid themselves immersed in and contributing this article. New York City is home to the inspired by the Museum's World War II aircraft carrier, the exhibits, which range from In Memoriam Intrepid. It has been docked for thrilling historical re-creation 24 years. But in 2006, the such as Kamikaze: Day of George Olson, Jr., son of our first Intrepid was moved for extensive Darkness, Day of Light, to new Captain, died November 1, 2008 repairs and improvements, all interactive displays. Visitors also from cancer. George donated totaling a whopping 120 million can ride in the A-6 Cockpit his body to medical research. dollars. Simulator, visit the Virtual Flight Zone, and tour the inside of the His wife, Lyn, said there was no Launched in 1943 as one of the world’s fastest commercial funeral, but she will have a Navy’s then—new Essex class airplane, Concord. More than “Celebration of Life” ceremony attack carriers, the USS Intrepid 40,000 school children sometime in the future. figured in six major Pacific participate in the Museum’s theater campaigns including unique education programs Some of you remember George Leyte Gulf, one of the war’s every year. These programs and Lyn Olson from our greatest naval battles. Unlike cover every age group and reunions. We will miss him. May LST534, the USS Intrepid include special initiatives such as he rest in peace. survived five Kamikaze planes character and leadership and one torpedo. 270 crew development. The Museum also HOLIDAYS hosts the annual Fleet Week members lost their lives during combat. celebration in honor of our military personnel. January 1 New Year’s Day After World War II, the Intrepid Since 1982, the intrepid has 19 Martin Luther King Jr. saw service in the Korean and Vietnam wars and was twice a become a national icon. More February recovery ship for NASA than 750,000 people visit each 12 Lincoln’s Birthday astronauts. It was year. 14 Valentine’s Day decommissioned and 16 Presidents Day Observed mothballed in a Philadelphia The mission of the Intrepid is to 22 Washington’s Birthday shipyard and later for demolition honor our heroes, educate the 25 Ash Wednesday until being rescued in the late public, and inspire our youth.

70’s by New York Real Estate This mission is realized through

Developer and Philanthropist, the Museum’s preservation, March Zachary Fisher. collection, exhibitions 8 Daylight Savings Time Begins interpretations of individual 17 St. Patrick’s Day The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space contributions, and exceptional ______Museum is one of America’s education programs particularly leading historic, cultural and as pertaining to the service era DON’T FORGET TO educational institutions. Opened of Intrepid from World War II in 1982, the Museum has through the present. The VISIT US AT: welcomed more than 10 million Museum seeks to promote a visitors. powerful visitor experience fed WWW.LST534.COM by a dynamic, innovative and The Museum features a range of moving environment for learning and enjoyment. interactive exhibits and events providing a snapshot of heroism, LST534 Newsletter

maiden descent from the flagpole an apple for the “I Love New York” atop One Times Square. marketing campaign from 1981 until 1988. BIRTHDAYS: The first New Year’s Eve Ball, made January 4 of iron and wood and adorned with After seven years, the traditional Ed Overstake one hundred 25-watt light bulbs, glowing white Ball with white light 2440 World Pkwy Blvd. E., #38 was 5 feet in diameter and weighed bulbs and without the green stem Clearwater, FL 33763 700 pounds. It was built by a young returned to brightly light the sky immigrant metalworker named above Times Square. In 1995, the January 14 Jacob Starr, and for most of the Ball was upgraded with aluminum Frank Frame twentieth century the company he skin, rhinestones, strobes, and founded, sign maker Artkraft computer controls, but the PO Box 1017 Strauss, was responsible for lowering aluminum ball was lowered for the Jal, NM 88252 the ball. last time in 1998 .

February 3 As part of the 1907-1908 festivities, For Times Square 2000, the William Dox waiters in the fabled “lobster millennium celebration at the 443 South Main Street palaces” and other deluxe eateries Crossroads of the World, the New PO Box 756 in hotels surrounding Times Square Year’s Eve Ball was completely re- Massena, NY 13662 were supplied with battery- designed by Waterford Crystal. The operated top hats emblazoned with new crystal Ball combined the latest the numbers “1908” fashioned of tiny in technology with the most March 14 light bulbs. At the stroke of traditional of materials, reminding Salvatore Logano midnight, they all “flipped their lids” us of our past as we gazed into the 101 High Street and the year on the foreheads lit up future and the beginning of a new PO Box 144 in conjunction with the numbers millennium. Portland, CT 06480-1656 “1908” on the parapet of the Times Tower lighting up to signal the About “Time Balls”: The actual March 26 arrival of the new year. notion of a ball “dropping” to signal Willie Gunn the passage of time dates back long 105 Bull Street The Ball has been lowered every before New Year’s Eve was ever year since 1907, with the exceptions celebrated in Times Square. The first Swainsboro, GA 30401 of 1942 and 1943, when the “time-ball” was installed atop ceremony was suspended due to the England’s Royal Observatory at April 1 wartime “dim-out” of lights in NY Greenwich in 1833. This ball would Angelo Cumella City. Nevertheless, the crowds still drop at one o’clock every afternoon, 11 Freeport Court gathered in Times Square in those allowing the captains of nearby ships Toms River, NJ 08757 years and greeted the New Year to precisely set their chronometers (a with a minute of silence followed by vital navigational instrument). 150 April 14 the ringing of chimes from sound were installed around the world, but Alex Fielder trucks parked at the base of the few have survived or still work. tower—a harkening-back to the 5950 Ambassador Drive earlier celebrations at Trinity At the US Naval Observatory in Fairfield, OH 45014 Church, where crowds would gather Washington, DC it descends from a to “ring out the old, ring in the new.” flagpole at noon each day and once History of Times Square New of course every New Year’s Eve in Year’s Eve Ball In 1920, a 400 pound ball made Times Square where for not a few This article is from the Times Square entirely of wrought iron replaced the ships’ captains but for over 1 billion Alliance. original. In 1955, the iron ball was people watching worldwide. replaced with an aluminum Ball Revelers began celebrating New weighing a mere 200 pounds. This The 2000-2007 Times Square New Year’s Eve in Times Square as early aluminum ball remained Year’s Eve Ball made its descent the as 1904, but it was in 1907 that the unchanged until the 1980’s, when last minute of the 20th century. New Year’s Eve Ball made its red light bulbs and the addition of a green stem converted the Ball into LST534 Newsletter 250 West 49th Street Suite 401 New York, New York 10019

LST534

LST534 Newsletter

Nautical Terms:

I don’t feel old, I don’t feel anything until noon. Cable Length—A cable length or cable’s length is Then it is time for my nap. -- Bob Hope a nautical unit of measure equal to one tenth of a nautical mile or 100 fathoms, or sometimes 120 We could certainly slow the aging process down if fathoms. The unit is named after the length of a it had to work its way through Congress. -- Will ship’s anchor cable in the age of sail. The definition Rogers varies: ♦ International 1/10 nautical mile, or 185.2 m Don’t worry about avoiding temptation as you grow ♦ Imperial (British Admiralty): 1/10 Admiralty older, it will avoid you.- - Winston Churchill nautical mile (608 feet, or 185.3184m) or 100 fathoms (600 feet, or 182.88m) Maybe it’s true that life begins at fifty, but every- ♦ Historical US Navy: 120 fathoms (720 feet), or thing else starts to wear out, fall out or spread out. 219.456m

- - Phyllis Diller

By the time a man is wise enough to watch his step, he is too old to go anywhere. - - Billy Crystal