OCT - Bath Iron Works

INSIDE
From the Helm - 2
Performance - 3
SAMPSON (DDG 102)
Excerpts from remarks by CDR Philip Roos, CO of Sampson (DDG 102)
in an interview prior to departing Bath on October 1, 2007 for transit to
Newport and commissioning ceremonies in Boston on November 3, 2007.
Superior on Security - 3
BIW Track Team’s Season
Ends at the Beach - 4
Who You Gonna Call? - 5
Retirees - 5
From the Fleet - 6
For the Record - 6
Service Anniversaries - 7
This Time Next Year - 7
What Won’t a Guy Do? - 8
“
T
o all my friends at Bath Iron Works, thanks. Thanks
for the hard work and energy you put into this ship.
Thanks for the friendship. It’s been a long road to get
the ship to where it is today but it’s been a good one.
(Continued on pg. 5)
From the Helm
Dugan Shipway, President, Bath Iron Works
n October 13, 1775, the Continental Congress passed
a resolution seeking price estimates and authorizing
the procurement, fitting out, crewing, and dispatch
of two armed vessels to search for munitions ships supplying
the British Army in America. That action gave birth to the
U. S. Navy which celebrated its 232nd birthday a few days ago.
Some of the issues that our ancestors addressed in 1775 are
still before us today.
We still need a Navy to protect our vital interests; debates
over how many ships are needed in the fleet continue; questions about the types of ships the Navy needs remain; we still
provide price estimates at the request of our customer; and
the cost of building and maintaining our Navy is still a major
topic of discussion in the halls of Congress.
The shipbuilding business is just as tough today as it was
in 1775. As we enter the last quarter of 2007 and mark the
123rd anniversary of BIW, it’s important to recognize that
our continued success in this business requires that we attend
to our immediate challenges while, at the same time, strengthening our foundation for the future. That’s the way it was for
shipbuilders in the early days of our country and nothing has
changed for us today. The good news is that we’re making
progress in both areas.
At the highest level, our success in addressing immediate
challenges can be measured by the progress we’re making on
our three basic goals. Reducing our DDG labor hours has
caught the attention of our Navy customer and other key
decision makers in Washington, enhanced our credibility
within the General Dynamics Corporation, increased our
own confidence in what we can do, and made us more
competitive.
We continue to make progress on the safety front. As of
the end of September we’re beating our 2007 goal for reducing
Recordable Injuries and we are doing slightly better than last
year on Lost Time Injuries. However, we’re not on track to
make our 2007 goal in this area. We need to keep driving
safety into everything we do if we’re to achieve our goal of
sending every employee home at the end of their shift in the
same condition as they arrived.
Our success in treating each other with dignity, acting with
integrity and using good old Maine common sense is evident
in the enthusiasm, attitude and innovation that are visible in
the shipyard every day.
As far as strengthening our foundation for the future is concerned, we’re making good progress in this area as well. The
Ultra Hall is on schedule and will soon allow us to build ships
O
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2 October 2007 BIW NEWS
in a way that was unimaginable not too many years ago. But
more important than “bricks and mortar” are our people and
we’re strengthening that part of our foundation as well. On
October 16, 2007, a day-long orientation session for 63 apprentices, including 23 existing and 40 new employees, kicked off
our BIW Apprentice Class of 2011. Over the course of the next
4 years, these apprentice candidates, 48 in manufacturing, 14
in design and one lab technician, will undergo intensive study
and training that will equip them with the critical skills that
we’ll need to take us into the future.
In June, we started our third Leadership Development
Program class with six new participants. Over their nine
month program, these individuals will be exposed to numerous
experiences, including work rotations of up to six months in
another area of the company, that will help them focus on
building the skills needed to execute our business strategy
and reinforce the culture that supports our success.
On October 1, 2007, SAMPSON (DDG 102), the most
complete of any of our DDGs to date, sailed away to join the
fleet. SAMPSON’s mission today is really no different than
the mission of the Navy’s first two ships. Many things have
changed since the Navy’s first birthday but much is still the
same. The Navy still needs ships and we still have a tough job
to do. We’ve proven we can handle tough jobs—let’s make sure
that’s one thing that never changes.
Finally, this morning I walked to the end of the land level
shipways and saw the first Cianbro ship make the turn as it
headed down the Kennebec. Our first commercial ship docked
at BIW in over twenty years was done!!!! A great tribute to all
who worked on this project from the first days of discussion to
today – people from all over the shipyard played a role. Your
performance gave us this opportunity and with an attitude of
“together we can make a difference”—the first one is gone and
the second will be in the dock before you read this.
“TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE”
NEWS
BIW
Performance September 2007
RECORDABLE INJURIES
Cumulative Through September 2007
900
800
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
833
LOST-TIME INJURIES
Cumulative Through September 2007
250
813
200
188
227
Improvement
Target
Actual
150
100
50
Improvement
Target
0
Actual
Environmental
Year to date (YTD) progress toward achieving
our environmental performance goals under
the Maine DEP STEP UP and other environmental programs is displayed as follows:
BIW NEWS is published monthly
by the Communications
Department (D94) of Bath Iron
Works and is produced internally
in the BIW Print Shop.
The primary objectives of
BIW NEWS are to recognize
the service, accomplishments,
innovation and contributions
of our employees and to provide
information on matters that are
of interest to our workforce.
Comments and suggestions
are welcome and should be
forwarded to Dixie Stedman at
Mail Stop 1210 or by e-mail at
dixie.stedman@biw.com.
Cumulative Through September 2007
Equal to or better than YTD goal
Above YTD goal, improved
from prior year
Solid Waste
Facility/Shift
Information Call Line
Hazardous Waste
Toll free information on facility status,
work shift delays, and cancellations
Energy Costs
1-866-630-BATH
(1-866-630-2284)
Above YTD goal, not improved
from prior year
Superior on Security
IW recently received a
grade of Superior, the
highest of five categories,
as a result of the annual Defense
Security Service (DSS) Industrial Security Audit. In the
course of the week-long audit
conducted on-site in late September, DSS officials reviewed all
security containers (safes), all facilities
where classified information is stored, and
randomly interviewed 57 people associated
with safeguarding security information.
About 23% of BIW’s current work force
has a security clearance, a level which is
growing and indicative of the advanced
Navy programs with which we are involved.
In 2006, DSS introduced a 5-tier grade
B
ranging from superior to unsatisfactory which replaced a two-grade system limited to satisfactory and
unsatisfactory. BIW has a consistent record of achieving satisfactory
ratings under the previous system,
and since 2006, received one satisfactory rating followed by this year’s
superior rating. An unsatisfactory, or even
marginal, rating could affect our authorization to work in a classified environment,
which would severely impact work on many
of our programs.
Russ Swift (D2601), Chief of Industrial
Security, said, “This result is recognition that
we maintain a high level of security awareness. Two areas where we were commended
in the audit include a high level of reporting
suspicious activity and a high level of
knowledge demonstrated by the people who
are responsible for security containers.”
Russ continued, “Since 9-11, our level
of security preparedness throughout the
company is related to the high level of
security awareness of our personnel. The
BIW workforce is involved and engaged
and security is recognized as an element of
everyone’s job. We believe that national
security equals industrial security which
equals job security.”
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BIW NEWS October 2007 3
BIW Track Team’s Season Ends at the Beach
he BIW Track Team’s year in
review included a number of
athletic achievements, most
notably the 1st place finish of the distance runners, Hans Brandes (D82),
Barry Fifield (D87), Lance Guliani
(D84), Ed Kelley (D86) and Dave
Roberts (D40), in the 10th Annual 10K
Beach to Beacon Corporate Challenge
in August. This team won the Men’s
Team Challenge with a time of 2:30:41,
outrunning nine other teams, including
second place LL Bean. They also were
the fastest of all 34 teams across all categories, mens’, womens’ and mixed.
BIW primarily competes in the
Maine Corporate Track Association
(MECTA) which organizes corporate
track and field events. At the State
MECTA meet in July, long-serving captain Cheryl Gilbert (D86) was honored
by her fellow captains as the Captain of
the Year for representing the spirit of
wellness and participation, serving as a
role model for other team and MECTA
members, and for making a significant
contribution to the operation of her
team while also training and participating at a personal competitive level.
Another BIW Track Team member,
Pam Swan, wife of Ed Swan (D86),
received the Peter Cooley Award, presented to a MECTA competitor, other
than a captain, who represents the same
qualities of wellness, participation, and
contribution to the team. The award is
given in memory of a runner from
T
First Place finishers of the Beach to
Beacon Corporate Challenge include (l to r):
Hans Brandes, Lance Guliani and Dave
Roberts, shown speaking with race founder,
Joan Benoit Samuelson. Not shown: Barry
Fifield and Ed Kelley. Photo by Action
Sports International.
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4 October 2007 BIW NEWS
Shown at the conclusion of the 203-mile Reach the Beach Relay on Hampton Beach (l to r): Bruce
Goodwin (OEST), Stephanie Zilch (D40), CC Tate (Lockheed Martin), Dave Libby (OEST), Christa MillerShelley (OEST), Larry Hettinger (Northrop Grumman), Barbara Quintana, Calen Colby (OEST), Vince
Quintana and Larry Dreher (both D40) and Cheryl Gilbert (D86).
IDEXX who competed in MECTA events
and died several years ago during an ascent
on Mt. Rainier in Washington.
The team wrapped up the end of summer with an all-out assault on Hampton
Beach in the 203-mile Reach the Beach
Relay. A BIW and friends team was assembled, including a group of runners from
OEST, the Portland firm working as a subcontractor to Pizzagalli on our Ultra Hall
construction project.
With Larry Hettinger, a Northrop
Grumman member of the DDG 1000 HSI
team, leading off as the first runner and
ending with Vince Quintana (D40) running
his fourth relay, eleven team members ran
36 continuous legs ranging from 2.8 to 9.3
miles in terrain that ranged from mountains
to the sea, beginning at Cannon Mountain
in Franconia Notch, New Hampshire and
ending at Hampton Beach. Starting at 7:30
on Friday morning and concluding at 4:00
PM Saturday, the BIW team split into two
vans with one van group active and one
runner on the course while the other group
rested, waiting to trade places.
Memorable events included a stop at a
hospital emergency room which provided
not only emergency care to one runner but
an empty waiting room where others could
stretch out for naps. During the day and
a half, both of the team’s vans separately
vectored to the home of CC Tate’s aunt and
uncle in Madison, NH for a swim and down
time. Amidst the naps were some grueling
stretches of terrain, distance and endurance
as well as lots of fun. Participants are
already planning on next year.
Many BIW employees have found
friends, a place to train and athletic challenge through the BIW Track Team. Cheryl
said, “The BIW team has always been very
competitive. People compete by age categories and the more people available to
enter in the different age groups, the more
the wins pile up.” She continued, “At the
same time, you don’t have to be an experienced competitor or strong athlete to
belong to our team. Our history shows
that people participate at their individual
level with surprisingly good results.”
Cheryl encourages people to think
about joining next spring. There’s also the
potential of the team entering a few events
through the winter season, so contact her
at ext. 1817 if you’re interested.
Who You Gonna Call?
ary Dodge (D49)
was recently recognized by the
National Committee for
Employer Support of the
Guard and Reserve. In addition to administering the
company’s military leave
policy for all reservists,
Mary maintains all
employee personnel records
and the archives of former
employees. Working in a
room nearly surrounded on
four sides by hard copies of
employee records in secured The National Guard and Reserve recognized Mary Dodge for
her support to BIW servicemen and women on deployment after
files, Mary gets the calls
receiving a nomination from Jim Rancourt following his return from
when outside entities seek
active duty.
to verify employment or
He continued, “When one of my soldiers
when employees update
did something good, I tried to find a way
or question their personal information.
to recognize that action. In this case, I
Behind the scenes, Mary is involved with
thought it appropriate to recognize Mary
dozens of transactions where BIW processes
for her support over a long period of time
intersect with personnel records and she
to a large group of BIW employees.”
works with all represented as well as salBecause of this direct contact with those
aried personnel to ensure that personnel
on active duty, Mary is also the catalyst
policies are administered in accordance
for updating the eight Reservists Boards
with the applicable union contract or comnear the entrances to BIW facilities which
pany policy. When we receive BIW mailings
identify all BIW employees who have been
at home, one of the unseen but important
called to active duty service since 9/11.
aspects of these communications between
Arnie Clay (D4630), who served on the
BIW and its employees is Mary’s 30-plus
committee to upgrade the boards over
years of minding and guarding some of
a year ago, said, “Mary verified all of the
our most personal information.
data before the boards were remounted
On average, there are about 110 BIW
and today, it’s an email from Mary that
employees serving in a reserve military
initiates a new name being added to these
capacity at any time, and Mary personally
boards. The Reservists Boards serve an
interacts with each individual as they
important function at or near the gates of
process to active duty, whether it’s a twoour facilities and we rely on Mary for the
week deployment or full active status for
process to work.”
months at a time. Jim Rancourt (D43) was
Many of our active duty reservists and
Platoon Sergeant Jim Rancourt on station
soldiers are standing guard in some diffiin Iraq for a year in 2004–2005. When he
cult and challenging duty situations, and
returned, General Libby at Camp Keyes
they count on Mary to go the extra mile for
in Augusta suggested that Jim consider
them and their families if something arises
nominating someone for recognition from
in connection to their BIW employment.
BIW that had supported his service time,
Mary’s certificate honored her as a
say a supervisor or co-worker. Jim said,
“Patriotic employee for contributing to
“Heck, my boss is a great guy but it’s Mary
national security and protecting liberty
Dodge that everybody goes to for help.
and freedom by supporting employee
When I was in Iraq, everyone from BIW
participation in America’s National
carried her name and phone number with
Guard and Reserves.” Her fans couldn’t
them. Some people needed to call during
agree more.
their deployments and she always helped.”
M
September 2007
Retirees
Dept.
Name
17-00
Earl A. Griffin
33 Years, 9 Months
Tinsmith III
40-00
Stephen E. Laskey
25 YearsPrincipal
Engineering
40-00
Meredith T. Jones
26 Years, 4 Months
Associate Engineer
50-00
Janice V. Moore
26 Years, 4 Months
Shipfitter III
81-00
John A. Bickford
21 Years
Material Clerk III
SAMPSON (DDG 102)
(Continued from pg. 1)
We’ll make you proud as we put the
ship through its paces. We’ve been hugely
successful so far in the yard going through
our light-off assessment and all our
inspections. None of that could have been
possible without the hard work and energy
you provided as you helped train my crew
and helped make us successful. Thanks for
everything that you’ve done. Fair winds
and following seas.
We are a team that will take this ship
for 30 years. You put the manpower and
the energy in the first 4 years of the ship’s
life and we’ve got it for the next 30. Best
wishes to all of you. Thank you.”
~ CDR Philip Roos
Sampson, DDG 102
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BIW NEWS October 2007 5
From the Fleet
USS Maine, SSBN 741
any people in
Maine are not
aware that one of
the Navy’s most technologically advanced submarines is
named for and honors our
state. The Navy’s third USS
Maine is a 565-foot OhioClass Trident ballistic-missile
nuclear submarine built at Electric Boat
in Groton, Connecticut, commissioned
in July 1995 at the Portsmouth Naval
Shipyard and now homeported in
Bangor, Washington.
This July, the Gold Crew of USS
Maine selected 18 of its sailors and sent
them and their Commanding Officer
and Chief of the Boat to Maine for a
week of inland port calls designed to
reinforce their relationship with the
state of Maine. Hosted by the Casco
Bay Chapter of the Navy League, the
Gold Crew was treated to a lobster
bake sponsored by BIW, a boat ride to
Popham Beach, a trip to LL Bean and
several receptions in their honor. They,
in turn, marched in the Augusta Fourth
of July parade, toured the State House
and met several city and state officials,
spoke to the media, and received a set
of moose antlers from the Maine
M
Department of
Inland Fisheries
and Wildlife.
Gold CO, CDR
George Norman, a
New Englander,
said that the boat’s
beginnings, from
construction at EB
through commissioning
in Kittery, put them in
close contact with a
number of Maine people. The ship’s crest
was designed in collaboration with the Maine
State Museum and
On behalf of the Gold Crew of USS Maine, SSBN 741, John Starbird
bears well-known
thanked Dugan Shipway and BIW for supporting the crew’s visit to Maine
Maine symbols as well this summer.
as subtle references to
yet the boat’s officers and crew have made it
the state, such as the 16 rays of the rising
a priority to maintain a strong relationship.
sun which represent our 16 counties. The
In early October, John Starbird (D40),
boat received several symbolic commissionSenior Vice Commander of USS Maine Base
ing gifts from the State of Maine, including
affiliated with the U.S. Submarine Veterans
an item of silver which was retrieved from
Incorporated and an ex-submariner himthe first USS Maine, an armored cruiser,
self, presented Dugan Shipway with a photo
when it exploded and sank in Havana harof USS Maine and conveyed the crew’s
bor in 1898.
thanks for their welcome in Maine.
USS Maine’s West Coast assignment and
normal crew rotations challenge its ability
to interact more closely with Maine groups,
For the Record
fter 26 tries, Les Ruest (D5205)
received his first moose permit for
the 2006 season. A 35-year employee who spent many years as a welder and
is now a second shift Safety Inspector, Les
didn’t know if he’d have to wait another 26
years for his next permit, so made the first
one count.
Last September 29, while hunting with
his son, Shawn, in Ashland, he landed a
16-point, 953-pound moose with a 51-inch
antler spread and an 84-inch beam. Points
are assigned in relation to these numbers by
the Maine Antler and Skull Trophy Club,
which maintains the official record book for
A
Les Ruest and his trophy moose from the 2006
season.
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6 October 2007 BIW NEWS
trophy animals, and Les’s combined score
of 165-1/8 points landed him a place in
the book.
Knowing that he’d sit out two moose
seasons before he could apply for another
permit, Les paid close attention during the
Spring 2007 turkey season and bagged a
19-pound turkey with a 9.5-inch beard and
1-5/8-inch spurs, or horn-shaped claws, on
its feet. This last feature, indicating a limbhangar, a bird that can hang by its spurs,
gained Les another entry in the record book.
In case this all indicates a lucky streak,
Les is looking forward to deer season
this year.
September 2007
Service Anniversaries
Dept. Name
40 Years
27 Nickerson, Robert Harry
86 Bourque III, John William
87 Austin, Raymond Elwood
25 Years
06
09
09
10
35 Years
10
17
19
20
30 Years
20 Berube, Maurice Raymond 24
27
20 Berube, Thomas Albert
27
20 Gilliam, Richard Asa
32
20 Swift, Charles James
40
24 Hodgkins, Richard Dale
45
24 Jacobs, Andrea Lee
45 MacLaren, Geraldine Joan 50
50
50 Canfield, Daniel Carl
54
66 Plummer, Craig Nielsen
66
80 Reed, Richard Brian
82
87 Tarbox, Stephen Robert
84
91 Peddle, Donna Lee
86
91 Stultz, Sherry
86
91 Ward, Kathleen Iona
43 Caron, Louis Joseph
15 Rideout Jr, Arthur Ernest
Dept. Name
Dept. Name
McCarthy, Ronald Gary
Arsenault, Paul Edward
Morin, Anthony John
Cramer, Christopher
Michael
Gerrish, Thomas Paul
Pickard, Donald Leon
Pendleton, Mark Edward
Dulac, Richard Guy
Ross, Colette Poulin
Betts, Barbara Anne
Brewer Jr, Edwin Leroy
Westrum, Jeffrey Jay
Ernest, David Frank
Longley, Madelyn Jean
Beaudoin, Marshall Albert
Lambert, Ronald Gerard
Chicoria, Robert Frank
Hanna, Michael Shawn
Crosskill, Michael John
Nichols, Bradley Thomas
Cloutier, Richard Roger
London, Heather Elizabeth
Dept. Name
86
87
87
89
Turmenne, Thomas Joseph
Adkins, Edward James
Jones, Kelly Lee
Hall, Russell James
06
07
09
09
09
10
10
10
10
15
15
15
15
17
17
17
17
17
Perthes, James Francis
Burgess, Glenn Michael
Lebel Jr, Louis Ralph
Wartell, Burt Martin
Weir, Matthew Nicholas
Barton, James Brian
Doyle, Dean Preston
Litalien, Marc Paul
Morse, Paul Douglas
Bowden, Dana Floyd
Flanders, Joseph Lee
Raymond, Louis Paul
Sullivan, David Arthur
Arsenault, Martin Bert
Belanger, Michael John
Carver, James Michael
Delorme, Leo Joseph
Farrington, Brian Harrison
20 Years
17
17
17
17
17
19
19
20
24
27
27
27
27
27
29
32
32
43
43
43
50
50
50
50
Dept. Name
Michaud, Scott Alan
Plummer, Kevin Robert
Poulin, Robert Richard
Stewart, Stephen Michael
Strout, Ronald Albert
Jackson, Eric
Maxwell, Pauline Jean
Knight, Corinne May
Card, Rhonda Gail
Bradeen, Andy Clay
Larkin, Shawn Edwin
Lewis, Richard Mark
Provost, Anthony James
Pullen, Jean Louise
York, Timothy Edward
Weatherbee, Timothy Lee
Wright, Charles Harlan
Bilodeau, Marc Allan
Fortin, Dennis Paul
Raymond, Mark Anthony
Beaulieu, Lorraine Dawn
Bolduc, William Arthur
Copp Jr, Frank Nelson
Perry, Stephen Alan
50
62
62
66
69
81
82
86
87
St Amand, Mark Anthony
Hughes, Gregory Alan
Ward Jr, Clarence Alvin
Langlois, Andre Edmond
Small, William Eugene
Eaton, Edward Milton
Robichaud, Judy Ann
Hutchins, Eric Elwyn
Conrad, John M
15 Years
86 Stevenson III, Robert Louis
10 Years
77 Nicholson, Stephen James
This Time Next Year
ill Clark (D40), BIW DDG 1000
Human Systems Integration (HSI)
engineer by day, giant pumpkin
enthusiast the rest of the time, wrapped up
the competitive 2007 season with what
might be his best contender yet in the large
orange category of bigger is better with
the 1266 Clark-Pinkham 2007 DMG at
the Cumberland Fair. One thousand, two
hundred sixty-six pounds is the weight—the
largest unofficial pumpkin yet grown and
recorded in Maine. Clark-Pinkham refers
to Bill and his pumpkin partner, Buzz
Pinkham, owner of Pinkham’s Plantation
Garden and Landscape Center in
Damariscotta. Unfortunately, DMG refers
to damaged, the reason this big beast ceased
being a contender and became unofficial
in late August, although still welcome at
the party.
After growing an average 30 pounds a
day for 30 days straight, the 1266, then
roughly about 900 pounds, popped a small
hole through to its interior as the result of
a genetic defect of the shell. In addition to
the characteristic pumpkin ribs running
north and south on this lumpy caricature
of the globe, a horizontal sag line developed
in one area and a weakness in the interior
B
wall occurred at the
intersection of longitude and latitude. The
rupture was stabilized
with wax (toilet ring
wax, actually), and
after a few days, the
1266 returned to the
race and continued
packing on the pounds
until harvested for
weigh-in at the
Cumberland Fair.
As president of Maine
Pumpkin Growers Organization and one
of the sport’s biggest promoters in Maine,
Bill was nevertheless disappointed to see
the 2007 official title taken by a fellow club
member with an official contender, one with
no splits or holes in accordance with official
rules, weighing 1,028 pounds.
But the biggest “if only” moment came
a few weeks later at the Topsfield Fair in
Massachusetts where a 1,689-pound pumpkin grown by a Rhode Island grower (“those
guys in Rhode Island can really grow big
pumpkins,” according to Bill) claimed a new
world’s record. The great irony, which Bill
will mull over all winter as he converses
Bill Clark right, with his growing partner Buzz
Pinkham and the 1266 Clark-Pinkham 2007
DMG.
with other enthusiasts over the internet and
strategizes about next year, is that the new
world champion was grown from a seed
which Bill possessed until last fall, at which
time he traded it to another grower for what
he thought was a better seed. How do you
recover from that with your reputation
intact? Well, Bill isn’t forthcoming about
what he traded for—and that’s why there’s
always a next year.
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BIW NEWS October 2007 7
PRSRT STD
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
BATH, MAINE
04530
PERMIT NO. 31
700 Washington Street
Bath, ME 04530
What Won’t a Guy Do?
huck Billings (D06) and his wife,
Paulla, vacation in Nashville,
Tennessee every couple of years
during the annual Country Music Fan
Fair in June and consider it one of their
favorite vacation destinations. This year,
Chuck had the pleasure of meeting one
of the stars of ABC’s “Dancing With the
Stars,” Cheryl Burke. The show teams
professional dancers with celebrities with
various levels of dancing talent and each
season, 12 couples compete and are judged
off the dance floor until only one is left
standing, or dancing.
When Chuck, a fan of the show, and
especially of Ms. Burke, spotted the event
among the many being held during the
week, he willingly stood in line for a couple
of hours to meet and have his picture taken
with one of the show’s stars. However, after
C
that commitment of time, he told Ms. Burke
that he didn’t stand in line for hours just for
a photo. She asked what he had in mind,
and he said, “My wife dared me to ask you
to dance and I came up here to do the 2Step with you.”
“All right, then,” she replied, and by the
smiles in the photo, it looked like Chuck
avoided stepping on her toes.
Chuck and his wife weren’t the only BIW
people at Fan Fair this year—Bob and Joyce
Spicer (D4505 and 20) regularly attend,
and Pat Harrington (D9105) and his wife
Tammy were also there (with apologies
if there were other BIW fans on-site but
not recognized). But only Chuck can
claim that he went a couple of rounds
with Cheryl Burke.
Chuck Billings, right, with Cheryl Burke of the
popular show, “Dancing With the Stars.”