USS BRYCE CANYON (AD—36) 2015 REUNION

USS BRYCE CANYON (AD—36) 2015 REUNION
The 2015 USS Bryce Canyon (AD-36) reunion was held October 8-11
11 at
the Sands Regency Hotel & Casino in Reno, NV. Twenty-three members
ers
and seventeen guests attended the annual reunion. The reunion started on
Thursday when the hospitality room and registration opened around noon.
on.
Hank Zwesloot was the first to register, and throughout the afternoon shipipmates trickled in, registered and went almost directly to the hospitality
ity
room to see who else had arrived. Here they could enjoy a cold drink or hot
coffee and a snack while getting acquainted with the other attendees. By
the time the welcome reception started at 5:00 pm, almost everyone had
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arrived. Mike Nesbit, reunion coordinator, welcomed everyone. Fruit, ham,
am,
turkey, roast beef, cheese and crackers were served, as well as a cash bar
being available. Everyone enjoyed getting to know one another again and
made plans for the remainder of the evening.
Friday saw everyone up and ready for an early breakfast in order to
board the tour bus at 8:00 am. A tour of the “Biggest Little City” in the world
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began with a riding tour of Reno with a narrated history by the wonderfully
lly
entertaining tour guide, B.J. He told about Reno’s history, while the drive
ive
Hank Zwesloot was
gave a view of the historic mansions and panoramic views of the Truckee
kee
River. The tour continued by the famous “Divorce Bridge”. The Bridge's
the first to register
busiest days came during the 1930s, when nearly 33,000 divorces were
granted inside Reno. Betty Draper and Marilyn Monroe are both partially to
thank for the bridge’s fame. They claim it is safer to toss your wedding ring into the Truckee River than
your ex-husband, but not quite as gratifying. The stories inspired Marilyn Monroe's last film, which she
happened to film in Reno, tossing her ring from the famous bridge into the Truckee River where the original Reno arch is located. Then the tour was off to explore historic Virginia City - a once rip-roaring mining
town in the 1880s – where Ben, Hoss, and Little Joe spent some leisure time. Some of the things to do
here were visiting the Bucket of Blood Saloon (some tried their luck at the Suicide Table) or just strolling
the wooden sidewalks and trying to figure out which buildings were once occupied by ladies offering commercial affection. A tractor ride thought town was a favorite of many. After shopping and browsing, it was
time for lunch at any of the restaurants of one’s choosing in the city. From Virginia City the bus rode
through Carson City, Nevada’s Capital and its historic mansions and then back to the hotel around 3:00
pm. The 6:00 pm social hour was a great way to come back together after having a few hours of relaxation. Everyone mingled and got reacquainted, and things got pretty lively. Mike Nesbit welcomed everyone again, Matt Neill blessed the food and then it was chow time. Everyone feasted on chicken, cat fish,
BBQ, salad, potato salad, steamed vegetables, squa
squash, peppers, zucchini, brown rice, wonderful biscuits
and cheese cake for dessert! After dinner, some rean
tired for the night and others spent some time in the
tir
hospitality room reminiscing.
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Saturday morning’s tour left at 8:30 am, so breakfast was early again. This time the tour took the atfa
tendees for a luncheon cruise on Lake Tahoe. The
te
ma
magnificent scenery between Reno and Lake Tahoe
was well worth the price of the tour. After arriving at
wa
the lake the group was able to take photos, walk on
th
the “beach” and put their toes in the cold, pristine alth
pi
pine lake. Then they boarded the MS Dixie for a
cr
cruise on the lake while enjoying a nice lunch. The
tour was great and everyone had a wonderful time!
The business meeting was held at 4:00 pm to plan the future course of the reunions and leadership. It
was decided that Mike Nesbit will remain coordinator and Branson, MO will be the 2016 reunion location.
USS BRYCE CANYON (AD—36) 2015 REUNION
Future reunions will be San Diego, CA in 2017 and possibly Hawaii in 2018.
The evening’s festivities began at 6:00 pm with a photo session and cocktail hour. Photos were made
for the post reunion Memory Book while everyone enjoyed their favorite beverage. Then at 7:00 pm the
USS Bryce Canyon (AD-36) banquet began with welcoming remarks by Mike Nesbit. Dinner was then
served and featured surf & turf, asparagus and potatoes with strawberry short cake for dessert. After dinner, Mike Nesbit asked everyone at each table to introduce himself/herself and to talk about their activities since leaving the Bryce Canyon. One interesting story that came out was that Hank Zwetsloot had
immigrated from Holland and served aboard Bryce Canyon. Oddly enough, his tablemate, Thomas Shaw,
began talking to Hank about the ship and they discovered that they had been on at the same time. A
great homecoming after 50 years! The Memorial Service was also held at the banquet to remember all
USS Bryce Canyon (AD-36) shipmates who have passed away, especially those since the last reunion.
Hank Zwetsloot and Mike Nesbit read the names of the deceased and Matt Neill was the bell ringer.
Those remembered at the service are as follows: Cyril Buehler, Joseph Cavillo, Jerald Drabek, William
Eubanks, Jr. Wendell Garber, Bobby Garrison, Paul Hunn, Ray Johnson, Bernie Kreusch, Victor Levin,
Chuck Murphy, James Streskall and Morton Stroing. Also on the agenda was the gift swap. Everyone
had been asked to bring a gift from home for the exchange, so there was a variety of items brought in.
One of the gifts was from Hank Zwetsloot, who is now an artist in Napa Valley, CA and paints pictures on
old wine barrels. Some of the other gifts were a homemade lap quilt, a Pendleton blanket, Bryce Canyon
memorabilia and other items. Everyone was happy with their gift, the food and the company. It was a
great evening.
Sunday morning’s breakfast was in Mel’s Diner in the hotel, with everyone trying to get in their last
good byes until they meet again in Branson, MO. They are all hoping see the current attendees plus
many more shipmates and guests there in 2016.
___________
USS BRYCE CANYON (AD—36) 2015 REUNION
Bayless, Jan
Bonanno, Jack and Orcutt, Kae
Campbell, Bruce and Susan
Erickson, James and Sue
Franzen, Pat
Hardenbrook, Ronald
USS BRYCE CANYON (AD—36) 2015 REUNION
Hendricks, Roy and Linda
Heppler, Harry and Peggy
Ingram, Richard and Sibul, Malle
Kruszka, Gregory
Mahalak, John and Neal, Linda
Matteson, Robert and Nancy
USS BRYCE CANYON (AD—36) 2015 REUNION
Mertes, Hubert and Roseann
Moran, Domingo
Neil, Matt and Adams, Lillian
Nesbit, Michael and Mitsy
Shaw, Jr, Thomas and Freda
Showaker, Donald
USS BRYCE CANYON (AD—36) 2015 REUNION
Silvernail, Richard and Jan
Sudweeks, Ken
Williams, Robert and Lynn
Williams, Stanley and Zosima
Zwetsloot, Hank and Yoka